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British Politics: the Mega-Thread

James said:
I guess it’s the nature of our two party reality and the “first over the line” voting system that smaller breakaway parties and splinter groups are doomed to fail. Shame as some of the last few years have been crying out for an alternative credible voice in parliament.
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FPTP is only used in one European country - UK. All other nations use PR (except Albania I think).

As of the 2019 GE, the breakdown of seats was, not counting Scotland:

Tories 365
Labour 202
Lib Dems 11
Greens 1

under PR it would have been:

Tories 286
Labour 208
Lib Dems 78
Greens 30

So a left-centre coalition would have been possible.
 
Two more Conservative MPs have announced that they will not be standing at the next general election.

Dehenna Davison, 29, a levelling up minister, is viewed as one of the rising stars in the Tory party, so the news of her intention to step aside will come as a surprise.
 
Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock could be named the winner of ITV's I'm A Celebrity on Sunday night.

The West Suffolk MP, who was suspended from the Conservative parliamentary party after joining the reality show line-up, is one of three finalists.

Hancock vies with England footballer Jill Scott and Hollyoaks actor Owen Warner in a public vote.

But his TV appearance has drawn criticism, including from a Covid bereavement group and PM Rishi Sunak.

Mr Sunak has said he was "very disappointed" in the former health secretary, who had the Tory whip removed after it was announced he would be appearing on the ITV programme.

Mr Hancock, 44, has also been criticised by Conservative colleagues and opposition MPs, as well as his local Conservative association who said it was "disappointed" and accused the politician of a "serious error of judgement".

Conservative MP Tim Loughton said he was "disgusted" Mr Hancock had put celebrity ahead of his constituents, adding that losing the Tory whip was "the least he deserves".

However, Mr Hancock has defended his decision to join the programme.

He has said he went into the jungle to raise awareness of his dyslexia campaign, while arguing that the popular primetime show was "a powerful tool to get our message heard by younger generations".

He has previously said he would donate some of his fee for taking part in the show - reported to be as much as £400,000 - to a hospice in his constituency and dyslexia charities.

The politician has spoken on the programme about how being diagnosed with dyslexia at university was a defining moment.

One of the aims of the MP's Dyslexia Screening and Teacher Training Bill is that no child should leave primary school "not knowing if they have dyslexia", a spokesman for Mr Hancock said, ahead of his TV appearance.

The bill is due to have its second reading next week.

Soon after his arrival in the camp, situated in a national park near Dungay, New South Wales, on 9 November, a banner was flown over it bearing a message from the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group.

"Covid bereaved say get out of here!" the banner said.

Mr Hancock was also challenged by fellow campmates about his decision to join the cast of the reality show, including singer Boy George, who said it was "difficult" to have him there after his mother had been in hospital during the pandemic.

The then-Cabinet minister was forced to resign as health secretary in June 2021 when CCTV images of him kissing his aide Gina Coladangelo in his office, and thereby breaking the government's own social distancing rules, were published by The Sun newspaper.

Fellow campmate, TV presenter Scarlette Douglas, described the MP's behaviour as "a slap in the face" that someone who had set the rules had then broken them.

Mr Hancock expressed regret over breaking Covid guidelines telling campmates he was looking for "a bit of forgiveness" adding that kissing Ms Coladangelo "was a mistake, but I fell in love".

He defended his overall record as health secretary, insisting "problems were caused by the virus" not those in government "trying to solve the problem".

"Lots of the campmates asked questions that the public have got as well and it's only respectful to just give completely straight and truthful answers," he said later, speaking to camera in the Bush Telegraph room.

The politician justified his presence to a fellow contestant, the ITV News presenter Charlene White, saying: "There are so few ways in which politicians can show we are human beings.

"Sometimes you have just got to do things differently."

Meanwhile, Ofcom has said it is assessing at least 1,100 complaints about Mr Hancock's appearance.

Earlier this week, a government watchdog said Mr Hancock had broken government rules on post-ministerial jobs by not consulting the anti-corruption watchdog, Acoba, before joining I'm A Celebrity, the body's chairman, Lord Pickles, said.

However, Lord Pickles advised ministers that taking action against the MP would be disproportionate.

Mr Hancock proceeded to the final after Mike Tindall, the former rugby player and husband to royal equestrian Zara Tindall, was eliminated from the programme on Saturday.

The final begins on ITV1 and ITVX at 21:00 GMT.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-63773613
 
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Matt Hancock finishes third in I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! as Jill Scott is crowned queen of the jungle

Matt Hancock has finished in third place in I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! after controversially signing up to the show.

Ex-Lioness Jill Scott was crowned queen of the jungle, with Hollyoaks actor Owen Warner runner-up.

When Mr Hancock first went into camp as a surprise late arrival, the public had initially taken out their anger over his handling of the COVID pandemic on him and voted for him to complete six 'Bushtucker Trials' in a row.

In one episode, the West Suffolk MP admitted he had "messed up" during his time as health secretary and said he had entered the competition seeking "forgiveness".

In June 2021, he was forced to quit Boris Johnson's cabinet after breaking COVID social distancing rules by having an affair in his ministerial office with aide Gina Coladangelo.

His 18 days in the Australian jungle has seen him suspended from the Conservative parliamentary party and criticised by colleagues, including Rishi Sunak.

Mr Hancock conceded he wasn't proud of his actions, but when questioned by campmates, insisted it was because he "fell in love".

While some of his fellow contestants were won over by the admission, his appearance on the reality show has angered others.

During the show's second week, a COVID campaign group flew a nine-metre (30ft) protest banner over the camp demanding Mr Hancock leave.

The protest by group 38 Degrees, working with COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK, came after thousands of people signed their petition calling for ITV to reverse its decision to include Mr Hancock in the show, for a fee of reportedly as much as £400,000.

https://news.sky.com/story/matt-hancock-finishes-third-in-im-a-celebrity-get-me-out-of-here-12756886
 
Labour has comfortably won the Chester by-election, the first public vote since Boris Johnson and Liz Truss were forced out of Number 10.

Samantha Dixon retained the seat for her party with 17,309 votes, a 61% share and nearly 11,000 more than the Conservative candidate.
 
Labour has comfortably held on to its seat in Stretford and Urmston, in its second by-election victory in two weeks.

Andrew Western, who is the leader of Trafford Council, retained the Greater Manchester constituency with a majority of nearly 10,000.

He secured 69.65% of the votes, up 9.34% on the snap general election three years ago, and with a 10.5% swing from Conservatives to Labour.

Tory candidate Emily Carter-Kandola came in second with 2,922 and a 15.86% share of the vote.

Labour's winning candidate said his victory shows 12 years of Conservative government is coming to an end.

After thanking his mother for her support, Mr Western said: "There has been a strong message sent with the result this evening.

"And the people of Stretford and Urmston do not just speak for this constituency but for millions more people up and down the land, who know that this Government has been letting us down for the past 12 years.

"Twelve failing years of Conservative government, coming to an end."

Mr Western, continuing his victory speech, added: "The Tories have given up on governing and it is increasingly clear that the British people are giving up on them.

"Labour stands ready to deliver for our country and only Labour has a plan for working people and to create a fairer, greener, future.

"It is clear from this result tonight, and indeed the result two weeks ago in Chester, that people are ready for a Labour government, and let the message go out tonight that Labour are ready to govern. Thank you."

SKY
 
Police are investigating an allegation of racial abuse after Tory MP Bob Stewart told a human rights activist to "go back to Bahrain".

Scotland Yard said they had opened the case following a complaint from Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, who had a confrontation with the MP in central London.

The Beckenham MP also told the campaigner to "get stuffed".

Mr Stewart said he regretted the comments but insisted he was "not being racist in any way".

Mr Alwadaei, the director of advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, challenged Mr Stewart on his connections with Bahrain outside an event to mark the National Day of Bahrain last Wednesday.

Footage of the incident outside the Foreign Office's Lancaster House shows Mr Stewart responding: "Bahrain's a great place. End of."

He later added: "Go away, I hate you. You make a lot of fuss. Go back to Bahrain."

After being repeatedly asked if he had accepted any money from the Bahraini government, Mr Stewart said: "You're taking money off my country, go away!"

Mr Stewart, a former Army officer who was stationed in Bahrain in the 1960s, later expressed contrition for his original remarks.

"The protesters persistently taunted me by saying I had taken money from Bahrain," he said.

"That deeply offended me. I certainly have not and told them so repeatedly.

"I admit I fell for the taunts and should not have responded which I regret. My comments were meant to tell them they could protest safely in Bahrain... Bahrain gets a very unfair press and I feel that strongly.

"I am sorry if anyone thought I was being racist in any way. Honestly I was not. I wish now I had not been drawn by the taunts (a mistake) but I was and I repeat, I apologise for that. The last thing I meant to be was racist as I have so many good Bahraini friends."

Mr Alwadaei fled Bahrain in 2011 after being arrested for taking part in anti-government protests and was able to claim political asylum in the UK in 2012.

Speaking following the incident with Mr Stewart, Mr Alwadaei said: "I still have the scars from where the authorities kicked me in the head, and if I went back to Bahrain I would face further torture and imprisonment. My family members are still suffering from reprisals."

He added: "I don't believe I would have been told to 'go back' to the country that violently tortured me if it weren't for the colour of my skin. No-one should be subjected to racial abuse."

Mr Alwadaei said he had also complained to the parliamentary commissioner for standards, Kathryn Stone and the Conservative party chairman Nadhim Zahawi.

A Conservative Party spokesman said: "We have an established code of conduct and formal processes where complaints can be made in confidence. This process is rightly confidential."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64041140
 
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Labour is calling for an investigation into the BBC appointment process for its chair following "sleaze" claims.

The man currently in the top role, Richard Sharp, allegedly helped Boris Johnson secure a loan guarantee before being recommended for the job.

Shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell has written to the Commissioner for Public Appointments, William Shawcross CVO, asking him to investigate the appointment process.

Labour has already reported Mr Johnson to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards following the report in the Sunday Times, which his spokesperson described as "rubbish".

Mr Sharp has also denied a conflict of interest, but calls for clarity are growing after Foreign Secretary James Cleverly evaded answers on the story during media rounds this morning.

Ms Powell said the BBC is meant to be impartial and "it is vital that the public and parliament can have trust in the process and it is free from any real or perceived conflict of interest".

"Accordingly, I urge you to investigate this process, and satisfy the public and parliament of its integrity," she said in her letter.

Nadhim Zahawi says tax error was found to be 'careless and not deliberate' after calls for his sacking

The Sunday Times reported Mr Sharp, a Tory donor, was involved in arranging a guarantor on a loan of up to £800,000 for Mr Johnson in late 2020.

Mr Sharp told the newspaper he had "simply connected" people and there was no conflict of interest, while Mr Johnson's spokesman insisted his financial arrangements "have been properly declared".

The Cabinet Office has also issued a statement insisting Mr Sharp was appointed "following a rigorous appointments process".

However Lord Kerslake, the former head of the Civil Service, told Sky News there should be an independent investigation into the claims - either through a parliamentary select committee or by the prime minister's new ethics adviser - so the facts can be "completely established".

"The position of the chairman of the BBC is an enormously important one for the country and you want the process for appointing a new person to be absolutely squeaky clean," he said.

"The problem we have got here is we have only got half the information, it's a set of stories that aren't fully validated and that's why I agree it needs independent investigation.

"There's plenty of routes where this could be examined, and the facts completely established, including to what extent the prime minister himself was aware of and involved in the discussions that went on here."

Earlier, cabinet minister James Cleverly defended Mr Sharp's appointment, saying he had "no doubt" the chairman was given the job based "on merit".

But he admitted he had not tried to contact Mr Johnson, who made a surprise visit to Ukraine on Sunday, telling Sky's Sophy Ridge: "You're the journalist not me."

This was criticised by several Labour MPs, with Louise Haigh, the shadow transport secretary, tweeting: "We're all briefed before going on the media. Either he deliberately didn't ask the questions or deliberately wasn't told the answers."
 
A man has been arrested on suspicion of assaulting former health secretary Matt Hancock on the London Underground.

The politician was approached as he walked through Westminster station at rush hour.

A video shows Mr Hancock being called a ‘murderer’ as shocked commuters watch on.

The MP, who came third in last year’s series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, is understood to have been unhurt in the incident.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/worl...sedgntp&cvid=6ea175a2755a42e89a2a62995dc9f63e
 
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has appointed Grant Shapps as the new energy and net zero secretary in a shake-up of government departments.

The former department which covered business and energy has been broken up as part of the reorganisation.

Greg Hands has replaced Nadhim Zahawi after the former Tory party chairman was sacked over his tax affairs.

A promotion also comes for Lucy Frazer who will head a streamlined department of culture, media, and sport.

Mr Sunak's top team of ministers are meeting on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the changes.
 
If a GE is held tomorrow, Labour will get the biggest majority in history.

D90A539D-A20F-4327-AFEB-5C0C115281C6.jpg
 
Raab's fate in Sunak's hands after long-awaited bullying claims report concludes

A report on the findings, which is understood to be "very lengthy", was handed to Number 10 on Thursday morning, with the prime minister said to be "carefully considering" its conclusions.

Senior lawyer Adam Tolley KC has been looking into multiple allegations of bullying by the deputy prime minister, justice secretary and loyal ally of the PM since November last year.

Dominic Raab's fate is in the hands of Rishi Sunak after a long-awaited investigation into bullying claims by his deputy concluded.

A report on the findings, which is understood to be "very lengthy", was handed to Number 10 on Thursday morning, with the prime minister said to be "carefully considering" its conclusions.

Senior lawyer Adam Tolley KC has been looking into multiple allegations of bullying by the deputy prime minister, justice secretary and loyal ally of the PM since November last year.

Under ministerial rules, Mr Sunak, as prime minister, has to decide whether the conclusions of the report mean Mr Raab did bully staff and if he did then what the consequences will be.

But on Thursday afternoon, Sky News was told "no further action" would take place that day regarding Mr Raab's future.

Mr Raab told Sky News in February he would resign if the inquiry found he had bullied staff.

His future now hangs in the balance, with the report not made public yet and Downing Street insisting a resolution will be sought "as swiftly as possible".

Throughout the investigation, Mr Raab has insisted he "behaved professionally at all times" and pointed out he initiated the inquiry into himself when the accusations were made.

Allies of Mr Raab said "he'll fight to the death", the Daily Telegraph reported

...
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/ukne...p&cvid=98ea0a3f95064aa593238728d69df8bc&ei=15
 
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Former Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab has accused "activist civil servants" of trying to block the work of government, after his dramatic resignation over bullying claims.

An inquiry found he was "intimidating" and "aggressive" towards officials.

Mr Raab told the BBC he was sorry if he upset anyone but "that's not bullying".

He said there was a risk "a very small minority" of officials "with a passive aggressive culture" were trying to block reforms they did not like.

In his first interview since stepping down, Mr Raab told the BBC the only complaints upheld against him were by "a handful of very senior officials", out of hundreds of civil servants he had dealt with.

Asked if the blunt truth was that he was a nightmare to work for, the former justice secretary said: "Well actually, almost all of the complaints against me were dismissed."

He said a "very small minority of very activist civil servants" were effectively trying to block reforms they did not like, related to areas including Brexit, prisoner parole and human rights.

"That's not on. That's not democratic," the MP for Esher and Walton added.

"If you've got particularly activist civil servants, who either because they're over-unionised or just don't agree with what we're trying to pursue... If actually, they block reforms or changes through a rather passive aggressive approach, we can't deliver for the British people," he said.

Asked if there were people standing in the way of an elected government, Mr Raab said: "I was told that by one cabinet secretary, and by one director of propriety and ethics in the Cabinet Office."

However, the FDA union, which represents civil servants, accused Mr Raab of peddling "dangerous conspiracy theories that undermine the impartiality and integrity of the civil service" to "deflect from an independent investigation's criticism of his conduct".

The head of the union, Dave Penman, said the prime minister had a duty to defend the impartiality of the civil service and "stop giving his former ally a free hand".

One former senior civil servant who worked closely with Mr Raab told BBC Newsnight he "has often publicly praised the work of his civil servants" and his latest comments seemed to be "at odds" with this.

Another said: "In my experience, most civil servants do their jobs because they want to deliver for the public.

"They do this through a long-standing and normally very effective relationship with the democratically elected ministers.

"I think you'd struggle to find a similar example of the disfunction we've heard about in Tolley's report so it's perhaps fair to draw the conclusion that there is one common thread to this unique situation and that's Raab."

The inquiry by senior lawyer Adam Tolley KC looked at eight formal complaints about Mr Raab's behaviour during his previous stints as justice secretary, foreign secretary and Brexit secretary.

His report concluded Mr Raab's conduct involved "an abuse or misuse of power", and that he "acted in a manner which was intimidating" and "persistently aggressive" towards officials.

Mr Raab, a close ally of the prime minister, had pledged to resign if the investigation made any finding of bullying against him.

In his resignation letter, he said he accepted the inquiry's findings but described them as "flawed".

'Dangerous precedent'

Asked in his BBC interview if he wanted to apologise, Mr Raab said: "If someone had hurt feelings, because of something I did, of course, I want an empowered team.

"The vast majority of the civil servants who worked for me were brilliant, fantastic and actually relished the energy, the challenge, the drive that I believe I brought.

"But of course, I don't want to upset anyone and I made clear that I'm sorry for that. But that's not bullying, and we can't deliver for the British people if the bar is that low."

He added: "If it's not intentional, if it's not personalised, if actually it is right, but there are some subjective hurt feelings by some, I'm afraid that makes it very difficult to deliver."

Mr Raab said the findings of the inquiry set "a very dangerous precedent".

"If the bar, the threshold for bullying is lowered that low, it's almost impossible for ministers to deliver for the British people and I think it'll have a chilling effect on effective government, and the British people will pay a price," he said.

He added that a lot of ministers were now "very fearful that the direct challenge that they bring fairly, squarely in government, may leave them at risk of the same treatment that I've had".

Asked if he would fight the next general election as a Conservative candidate in Esher and Walton, where he has slim majority of less than 3,000 votes, Mr Raab said he wanted to "let the dust settle" but ultimately it was a decision for his local constituency association.

Conservative peer Lord Marland said Mr Raab's resignation was "almost a conspiracy by the civil service".

Speaking to the BBC's Newsnight, he said it was "a very black day for all employers" because a "dangerous precedent has been set" [on the issue of workplace bullying] that would "send shudders through all employers in the country".

However, Lord Vaizey told the same programme: "I don't believe for a minute… that any civil servant would actively seek to undermine what you're doing."

He said there was a "clash of cultures" between often impatient ministers and a civil service who do things "properly" which leads to "tension".

Hannah White, director of the Institute for Government think tank, said "no civil servant would feel encouraged to speak out in future" after the responses of Mr Sunak and Mr Raab to the Tolley report.

She said Mr Sunak had missed an opportunity to reinforce standards and "the mutual suspicion which has been growing between ministers and civil servants remains and nothing has been done to reduce the risk of future problems."

Former cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg said Mr Raab should not have resigned and believes the PM should have refused to accept his deputy's departure.

"I think it is very dangerous that we are setting the bar so low for this," Mr Rees-Mogg told Channel 4.

BBC
 
Dominic Raab says he left office with his "head held high" after resigning over a report which found he had bullied staff.

The former deputy PM believes he was forced out by civil servants who were opposed to Brexit and his attempts to reform human rights legislation.

A report conducted by Adam Tolley KC upheld two out of eight bullying complaints levelled at the senior Tory, finding that he had "acted in a manner which was intimidating" and "persistently aggressive".

Though Mr Raab resigned following the reports publication, he told the Mail on Sunday he felt he left with his "integrity intact".

He said: "There was Brexit, I was driving human rights reform, all of these things are counterintuitive to the culture of the civil service.

SKY
 
Rishi Sunak’s Tories are braced for heavy losses as results come in for local elections across England, with Labour and the Liberal Democrats both making gains in what one Conservative MP described as a “terrible” night for his party.

The contests were the first to be fought under new rules requiring voters to carry photographic ID, and the elections watchdog said “regrettably” some people were turned away from polling stations as a result.

The Conservatives have so far lost control of councils in Tamworth, Brentford and North West Leicestershire, while Labour replaced them as the largest party in Hartlepool and Worcester.

Labour have also gained Plymouth on an above-average swing that may well reflect the controversy about cutting down trees in the city centre and took majority in Stoke-on-Trent turning the council from no overall control.

Senior Conservatives have sought to present the setbacks as a mid-term “blip”, but with the prospect of a general election in 2024 there will be concerns that they have suffered losses in the north, south and the Midlands.

Key Points

Disappointing to lose ‘hard-working’ colleagues - Sunak
Labour and Lib Dems make early gains in ‘terrible’ night for Tories
Labour strides 'not enough to form government'
Voters ‘turned away for not having correct ID'
Results coming in for local authority and mayoral contests across England

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/ukne...p&cvid=acebbf8c53574c6ab1e10ec7cb91442e&ei=17
 
Rishi Sunak’s Tories are braced for heavy losses as results come in for local elections across England, with Labour and the Liberal Democrats both making gains in what one Conservative MP described as a “terrible” night for his party.

Counting is underway and the results from the latest round of local elections in England are beginning to trickle in after the public headed to the polls on Thursday.

More than 8,000 seats were contested across 230 councils, with Bedford, Leicester, Mansfield and Middlesbrough among several cities and regions choosing a new mayor.

Going into Election Day, the Conservatives had 3,363 seats to defend, Labour 2,140, the Liberal Democrats 1,221, independents 954, the Green Party 240, residents associations 112, UKIP 25, the Reform Party four and the Liberal Party and the Yorkshire Party two apiece.

Labour and the opposition parties will be hoping to have eaten into that Tory majority by profiting from widespread dissatisfaction with central government after a year of political chaos in Westminster and a biting cost of living crisis defined by rocketing bills, double-digit inflation and bitter strikes impacting public services.

Conservatives, for their part, will hope that prime minister Rishi Sunak has done enough to steady the ship and restore faith in the party at a local level after the rolling chaos of the Boris Johnson and Liz Truss premierships, which coincided with a period in which Britain was attempting to recover from the economic turmoil of the pandemic and meet the challenges of Brexit.

Many voters are likely to be motivated by more hyper-local concerns, such as their council’s handling of everyday issues like pothole repairs, the frequency of rubbish bin collections and the administration of social services.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/ukne...p&cvid=2d31458b337a46b9be17fe7a030ae127&ei=19
 
Sir Keir Starmer was celebrating wins in key battlegrounds as an indication Labour is on course to win the next general election, as Rishi Sunak remained defiant despite heavy losses.

The Prime Minister was under pressure as the local election results being declared on Friday showed both Labour and the Lib Dems seizing control of Tory councils across England.

The Labour leader said the “fantastic” results combined with a hoped-for recovery in Scotland would give him a majority in Westminster after a national poll.

With nearly half of authorities having declared, the Conservatives had lost 23 local authorities and more than 360 councillors.

Sir Keir’s party was projected to have won a nine-point lead over the Conservatives if all of Britain had gone to the polls, as the Tories slid backwards.

Labour seized councils in Tory MPs’ seats that would be hotly contested at a general election, including in Swindon, Medway and East Staffordshire.

Mr Sunak conceded the results were “disappointing” but said he was “not detecting any massive groundswell of movement towards the Labour Party or excitement for its agenda”.

But the Tories will be concerned by Labour wins in the North, South and Midlands and a resurgent Lib Dems, as the prospect of a general election in 2024 looms.

Vote share analysis by the BBC put Labour on 35%, the Tories on 26% and the Lib Dems on 20%. That was the same for Labour last year, but the Conservatives had sunk from 30%.

A day of celebration for Sir Keir started with a visit to Medway, where he welcomed “fantastic results across the country” in “places we need to win”, citing victories in Plymouth, Stoke and Middlesbrough, where his party won the mayoralty.

“Make no mistake, we are on course for a Labour majority at the next general election,” Sir Keir said.

“We’ve changed our party. We’ve won the trust, the confidence of voters, and now we can go on to change our country. Change is possible. A better Britain is possible.”

His party will run the Kent authority for the first time since 1998, with the outgoing Conservative council leader telling No 10 to “get their act together” on several fronts.

Both Swindon in Wiltshire and Erewash Council in Derbyshire had been controlled by the Conservatives for 20 years until the results of Thursday’s local elections.

North Swindon Tory MP Justin Tomlinson said the Conservatives had to take the “dreadful” results as a “wake-up call”.

The Lib Dems won Windsor & Maidenhead from the Conservatives and hope to have taken Stratford-on-Avon.

In central London, Mr Sunak was understood to have thanked staff for their efforts, and said the results were always going to be tough but that the state of play has improved since he took over six months ago after the leaderships of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.

The Prime Minister told broadcasters it was “hard to draw firm conclusions” from the initial results.

“It’s always disappointing to lose hardworking Conservative councillors, they’re friends, they’re colleagues and I’m so grateful to them for everything they’ve done,” he said.

“But in terms of the results, it’s still early. We’ve just had a quarter of the results in, but what I am going to carry on doing is delivering on the people’s priorities.”

Mr Sunak cited his priorities as halving inflation, growing the economy, reducing debt, cutting NHS waiting lists and “stopping the boats”, adding: “That’s what people want us to do. That’s what I’m going to keep hard at doing.”

The Prime Minister said the Tories are “making progress in key electoral battlegrounds like Peterborough, Bassetlaw, Sandwell”.

The inroads for the Tories are debatable. In Sandwell, they have gained two of 24 seats, while Labour has gained four and held 18 more.

In Hertsmere, where Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden is MP, the Tories have lost control of the council, with 13 councillors voted out, while Labour has gained seven and the Lib Dems six.

The Conservatives lost control of Welwyn Hatfield, represented in Parliament by Energy Secretary Grant Shapps, where both the Lib Dems and Labour made gains.

The Tories also lost overall control in North West Leicestershire, Brentwood, East Lindsey and Hertsmere, as Labour won Blackpool.


Polling expert Professor Sir John Curtice told the PA news agency the “jury is still out” on whether Labour has made progress as a party and said it is not experiencing the level of success seen ahead of Sir Tony Blair’s 1997 landslide.

“Labour are going to have their biggest lead over the Conservatives in terms of votes than at any point since 2010, but it’s going to be as much to do with the Conservatives being down as much as it is Labour being up,” he said.

Government minister and local MP Johnny Mercer said Labour gaining control of Plymouth, where the Tories had run a minority administration, was “terrible”.

The veterans minister blamed the loss on local factors including the council’s decision to fell dozens of trees in the city centre, as he defended Mr Sunak as the “strong leader this country needs”.

Stoke-on-Trent North Tory MP Jonathan Gullis told Sky News councillors have “suffered because, at the end of 2022, the Conservative Party as a brand was certainly damaged”.

In Tamworth, the seat of scandal-hit former Tory whip Chris Pincher, Labour has made seven gains, pushing it from Conservative into no overall control.

But Labour’s attempts to regain Hull from the Lib Dems failed, with Sir Ed Davey’s party tightening its grip on the authority, and Labour lost control of Slough to the Tories.

With full results from 130 of the 230 councils where elections were held:

– The Tories have lost 23 councils and suffered a net loss of 363 councillors.

– Labour has gained control of 10 councils and added 278 councillors.

– The Liberal Democrats have gained four councils and 165 councillors.

– The Green Party has gained 68 councillors and took overall control of its first UK authority in Mid Suffolk.

Sir Ed said it has been a “groundbreaking night” for the Lib Dems.


“We are exceeding all expectations. We have delivered a hammer blow to the Conservative Party in the blue wall ahead of next year’s general election,” he said.

But the elections were described as a “dark day for British democracy” by campaigners opposed to the introduction of photo ID, who claimed thousands of people were denied their right to vote.

The contests were the first to be held under new rules requiring voters to carry photographic ID and the elections watchdog said some people were turned away from polling stations.

An Electoral Commission spokesman said: “We already know from our research that the ID requirement posed a greater challenge for some groups in society and that some people were regrettably unable to vote as a result.

“It will be essential to understand the extent of this impact, and the reasons behind it, before a final view can be taken on how the policy has worked in practice and what can be learned for future elections.”

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/ukne...p&cvid=5cba254fa3ce4731895523ecf4ae17ef&ei=12
 
More by-elections likely. One more Tory MP shown the door following bullying and sexual misconduct claims. Another one to be arrested for rape. These old Tory MPs are a really horny lot? The UK political class has been sliding downhill at some speed.
 

Tory MP Bob Stewart who told activist 'go back to Bahrain' found guilty of racial abuse​

A Conservative MP has been found guilty of racially abusing an activist by telling him to "go back to Bahrain".

Bob Stewart showed "racial hostility" towards a protester during a demonstration outside a Foreign Office building, a court heard.

The MP for Beckenham in southeast London told activist Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei "you're taking money off my country, go away!" during a row in Westminster on December 14 last year.

Mr Alwadaei shouted: "Bob Stewart, for how much did you sell yourself to the Bahraini regime?"

During a heated exchange, Stewart replied: "Go away, I hate you. You make a lot of fuss. Go back to Bahrain."

In footage played during a trial at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday, he also said: "Now shut up, you stupid man."

Chief magistrate Paul Goldspring found the MP guilty of a racially aggravated public order offence.

He said Stewart will not be jailed.

The Metropolitan Police launched an investigation into the incident after a complaint was made by Mr Alwadaei, who has said he was living in exile after being tortured in the Gulf state.


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During the one-day trial, Mr Alwadaei alleged that Bahrain was "corrupt" and a "human rights violator", and said it was his right to protest against the MP's involvement with the state.

Asked how he felt after the incident, the activist said: "I feel that I was dehumanised, like I was someone who is not welcomed in the UK.

"Because of my skin colour, because of where I came from, he feels I am taking money from his country."

news.sky.com

Tory MP Bob Stewart who told activist 'go back to Bahrain' found guilty of racial abuse

Bob Stewart showed "racial hostility" towards a protester during a demonstration outside a Foreign Office building, a court heard.
news.sky.com news.sky.com
 

King's Speech: Charles booed by protesters after setting out Rishi Sunak's political agenda​

The King was booed by protesters as he left parliament after outlining Rishi Sunak's agenda for the year ahead.

Tougher sentences for the country's most serious offenders and a crackdown on grooming took centre stage in the first King's Speech in decades.

The monarch struck a personal note when he began his speech - the first by a king in more than 70 years - by acknowledging the "legacy of service and devotion to this country" shown by his "beloved mother, the late Queen".

Reading out Prime Minister Sunak's agenda for the upcoming year, the King said the Sentencing Bill would be brought forward to "increase the confidence of victims".

Further measures would also be introduced to give police more powers to "prevent new and complex crimes" and child sexual abuse, he added.

news.sky.com

King's Speech: Charles booed by protesters after setting out Rishi Sunak's political agenda

Tougher sentences for the country's most serious offenders and plans to create a smoke-free generation featured in the first King's Speech in decades.
news.sky.com news.sky.com
 

Michael Matheson: Scotland's health secretary to pay back £11,000 parliamentary iPad bill​

A Scottish government minister has agreed to pay back almost £11,000 after racking up a hefty data roaming bill on his parliamentary iPad while on a family holiday in Morocco.

Health Secretary Michael Matheson was said to have been using the device for work but had not switched over from the parliament's old mobile contract to a new one.

The roaming charges - for the iPad and not phone calls - totalled £10,935.74.

Source: SKY
 

'No guarantee' flights to Rwanda will take off next year, Jeremy Hunt says​

Jeremy Hunt has said there is "no guarantee" deportation flights to Rwanda will take off next year - in an apparent climbdown on the government's position.

On Wednesday Rishi Sunak said three times the flights would take off by spring, despite the Supreme Court's ruling that the asylum scheme is unlawful.

However, the chancellor declined to repeat this assurance when repeatedly pressed for a date.

Mr Hunt said: "We are hopeful that because of the solutions that the prime minister announced yesterday we will be able to get flights off to Rwanda next year.

"We can't guarantee that, we have to pass legislation in the House of Commons and sign a new international treaty with Rwanda."

Mr Sunak said yesterday the government plans to introduce a legally binding treaty with Rwanda which would address the issues raised by the Supreme Court.

Under the current plan, asylum seekers could be sent from Rwanda back to places where they might not be safe.

He said he would be taking the "extraordinary step of introducing emergency legislation", which will "enable parliament to confirm that with our new treaty, Rwanda is safe".

"We will clear the remaining barriers and flights will be heading off in the spring as planned," he later told journalists during a Q&A.



Immigration minister Robert Jenrick was also unequivocal that flights would take off next year.

Asked on the Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge on Sky News whether flights with asylum seekers are going to take off to Rwanda before the next general election, expected in the spring or autumn of 2024, he said: "Yes. We must do."

But Mr Hunt was unable to say when the emergency legislation would be passed, let alone the flights.

Pressed whether next year means in time for a general election, he said we "can't give a precise date as to when those flights will happen".

Asked how soon the promised emergency legislation could be laid before parliament for those flights to go ahead, he only said "very soon".

When pushed if that meant before Christmas or early in the new year, he said: "We want to solve this as soon as possible."

Mr Sunak and many of his Conservative MPs are concerned a failure to "stop the boats" will hit them badly at the next general election - given it is a pledge the prime minister has staked his premiership on.

news.sky.com

'No guarantee' flights to Rwanda will take off next year, Jeremy Hunt says

The chancellor said he can't give a precise date for when flights will take off - a day after the prime minister said it would happen by spring.
news.sky.com news.sky.com
 

'Rishi thinks just let people die': Dominic Cummings' claim revealed in Sir Patrick Vallance's COVID diary​

Rishi Sunak thought the government should "just let people die" rather than see the country go into another lockdown, Dominic Cummings is said to have claimed.

A diary entry from the government's former chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, said Mr Cummings made the remark during a heated meeting over whether to impose stricter pandemic measures back in October 2020.

In the extract, shown to the official COVID inquiry on Monday, Sir Patrick said the then-prime minister, Boris Johnson, had argued against any lockdown, saying he was for "letting it all rip" and that those who would die from contracting the virus had "had a good innings".

Sir Patrick then detailed a row between Mr Johnson and his chief adviser, with Mr Cummings calling for the PM to act, "arguing we need to save lives".

The chief scientist described Mr Johnson as "getting very frustrated" and "throwing papers down" in the meeting, before saying: "Looks like we are in a really tough spot, a complete shambles. I really don't want to do another national lockdown".

But according to the entry, the prime minister was told "to go down this route of letting go, 'you need to tell people - you need to tell them you are going to allow people to die".

The meeting ended with an agreement to "beef up" the tier system being implemented across the country at the time and to "consider a national lockdown".

Sir Patrick also wrote: "DC [Dominic Cummings] says 'Rishi thinks just let people die and that's OK."

The scientific adviser concluded it "all feels like a complete lack of leadership" - words he stood by at Monday's COVID inquiry hearing.

Asked about the extract by the inquiry's legal team, Sir Patrick added: "It must have felt like a complete lack of leadership and reading it, it feels like quite a shambolic day."

'Risk' of Eat Out To Help Out

Earlier in the hearing, Sir Patrick also revealed the government's scientific and medical advisers were not told about Mr Sunak's "Eat Out To Help Out" scheme until it was announced by the then chancellor, saying their advice about the increased risk of transmission would have been "very clear".

Source: Sky News
 

COVID inquiry: Mass gatherings in March 2020 were 'logically incoherent', Sir Chris Whitty says​

Allowing mass gatherings in the early days of the pandemic was "logically incoherent" to the public and gave a false impression of "normality," Professor Sir Chris Whitty has said.

England's chief medical officer made the admission as he appeared as a witness at the official COVID inquiry.

The government came under criticism for allowing the Cheltenham Festival to take place over four days in mid March despite the emerging crisis.

It also gave the green light to a Champions League game between Liverpool and Atletico Madrid at Anfield, which saw a capacity crowd of more than 50,000 fans gather on 11 March.

The first national lockdown - when then prime minister Boris Johnson told people they "must" stay at home - happened on 23 March.

Sir Chris said that while he was "taking ownership" of the advice given to the government by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) which said the risks of crowded outdoor events were relatively low, he nevertheless believed it projected the wrong image to the public.

He told the inquiry that not enough attention was being paid to the message "that seeing mass gatherings going on signalled to the general public that the government couldn't be that worried".

"The problem was not the gatherings themselves, which I don't think there is good evidence that they had a material effect directly, but the impression it gives [the public] of normality at a time when you are trying to signal anything but normality.

"It is in a sense technically correct and logically incoherent to the general public, quite reasonably."

His evidence chimed with that given by Boris Johnson's chief adviser at the time, Dominic Cummings, who told the inquiry last month there was a "twisted logic" to allowing mass gatherings to take place.

Elsewhere in the session, Sir Chris was critical about the government's response time to the threat from COVID, saying it was not as "electrified" as it should have been.

He was shown a readout of a meeting held on 4 February, when he told Mr Johnson the UK death toll was likely to be in the region of 100,000 to 300,000.

Sir Chris said that despite the figures, COVID was still treated as a health issue rather than an "existential threat", with then health secretary Matt Hancock left to chair the next COBRA meeting.

He suggested the government may have acted differently if that kind of death toll was incurred through a different event, such as a terror attack.

"The point I would like to make on this - because I think this is where we do need to think very seriously in government - is that had, let us say, the director general of MI5 come in or chief of general staff come in and said there's a possibility of 100,000 people sadly dying from terrorist attack or an attack on the UK, the chances this would have been the response in the letter or the system continued as it did - the next COBRA still chaired by the secretary of state for health - is quite small," he added.

However, Sir Chris stressed his criticisms were intended to be levelled at the system of government rather than individuals.

He said the way Mr Johnson - who was described as being "bamboozled" by the science by former adviser Sir Patrick Vallance - took decisions was "unique to him".

"It was quite often chaotic, but actually I'd be very doubtful if it wasn't chaotic in multiple other governments, and in fact, that is what our fellow advisers from other countries said," he said.

Asked about the former prime minister's decision-making process and numerous allegations of veering between positions, Sir Chris said: "I think that the way Mr Johnson took decisions was unique to him."

He also believed "with the benefit of hindsight" that the first lockdown in March 2020 came "a bit too late".

Source: Sky News
 

Tories accused of 'sneaking out' plan to increase election spending cap​

The Tories are facing criticism for "sneaking out" a plan to nearly double the amount that can be spent on election campaigning - in a move seen as giving an unfair advantage to the largest parties.

The UK's election watchdog, the Electoral Commission, told Sky News it had "not seen evidence" to support the changes, which it said give "significantly more scope" for parties that attract the largest donations to campaign.

The new rules were pushed through via a Statutory Instrument on Monday and mean the national election spending cap on political parties will rise by 80%, to about £35m.

Previously parties were allowed to spend up to £30,000 for every constituency they contest, equating to £19.5m nationally if they stand a candidate in every seat.

The government said it made the changes to take into account inflation since the limit was last set in 2000, given the rising costs of things like printing and posting campaigning material.

However Liberal Democrat Peer Lord Chris Rennard said no party has ever reached the previous limit, with only the Tories coming close, and claimed the move will primarily benefit them as they tend to attract the biggest donations.

He told Sky News: "Under the (£19.5m) limit only the Conservatives have come close to spending the maximum, so this can only benefit the Conservative Party. The government is changing the rules in their favour.

"Yes there has been inflation but in the last elections there has not been a need to change the law, including 2019, and inflation has not gone up by 80% since then.

"It's a sign the Conservatives are that desperate they want to spend that much money getting people to elect them."

Source: Sky News
 

Senior doctors' strike could end after new pay offer from government​

A new pay offer has been made to NHS consultants which could end long-running strike action in England.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said it would see most senior doctors get an extra 4.95% "investment in pay" for this financial year, on top of the 6% annual rise already awarded.

The offer also involves changes to the pay scale structure and a commitment to reform the pay review body that makes recommendations on doctors' wages.

The BMA will now put the offer to its members, with the changes paid retrospectively from April 2024 if accepted.

Dr Vishal Sharma, BMA consultants committee chair, said: "We are pleased that after a month of intense talks and more than six months of strike action we never wanted to take, we have now got an offer we can put to members. It is a huge shame that it has needed consultants to take industrial action to get the Government to this point when we called for talks many months ago.

"The 4.95% investment and much-needed changes to the pay scale system comes after we successfully persuaded the Government to reform the punitive pension taxation laws earlier this year, and we also now have commitments to reforming the pay review process, which has been a key ask from the profession throughout our dispute. Only by restoring the independence of this process can we hope to restore consultant pay over the coming years."

The deal comes just two weeks after the new health secretary Victoria Atkins took over the job from Steve Barclay.

She said if accepted, the offer will "bring down waiting lists and offer patients highest quality care".

The offer follows months of strike action by both consultants and junior doctors in a row over pay.

A deal has still not been reached with junior doctors.

During the last strike action in October, NHS leaders warned the walkouts were causing "significant disruption and risk to patients".

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Source: Sky News
 
This is the issue that should be solved quickly and the solution must be for the long-term.
 
hassan918 said:
This is the issue that should be solved quickly and the solution must be for the long-term.
Click to expand...
It's a wonder how they could afford giving them a pay rise all of a sudden, we're as broke now as we were few months back! Prolonged it unnecessarily.
 
All the melts who did not vote or in favour of the ceasefire shouldn’t be supported ever again
 
shaz619 said:
All the melts who did not vote or in favour of the ceasefire shouldn’t be supported ever again
Click to expand...
Being a democracy it's not run by a decree, each person can make up their own mind and cast their one vote for the preferred candidate.
 

Tougher visa rules for foreign workers - including ban on bringing families and raising minimum salary requirement​

A new five-point plan to cut immigration has been announced by the government, which includes banning care workers from bringing over their families and raising the minimum salary for a skilled worker visa.

James Cleverly has come under pressure since becoming home secretary three weeks ago to show he is taking a hard line on immigration.

Conservatives are angry about the latest thwarting of the Rwanda deportation scheme in the courts and net migration hitting 745,000 last year.

Today's five-point plan - which is "more robust" than any previous government's stance on migration, according to Mr Cleverly - includes measures on health and care visas, skilled worker visas, family visas, the shortage occupation list and student visas.

The measures are:

• Health and care visas: Overseas care workers will not be able to bring family dependants, to end the "abuse of the health and care visa". Care firms that want to sponsor people for visa applications will need to be regulated by the Care Quality Commission. A dependant is defined by the government as a husband or wife, civil partner or unmarried partner, and children under 18.

• Skilled worker visa minimum salary change: The threshold for an application will rise by nearly 50% from £26,200 to £38,700 - although health and care workers will still be able to earn less before applying for the route.

• Shortage occupation list: The government wants to "scrap cut-price shortage labour from overseas" by reforming the way people working in short-staffed sectors can apply to come to the UK. This will include axing the 20% discount applied to the minimum salary for people looking for a visa for shortage occupations. The types of jobs on the list will also be reviewed and reduced.

• Family visas: The minimum threshold for a family visa will also be raised to £38,700 to "ensure people only bring dependants whom they can support financially". Currently, it stands at the 2012 rate of £18,600.

• Student visas: Following the tightening of who can bring in family members on student visas earlier this year, the government will ask the Migration Advisory Committee to review the graduate route "to prevent abuse and protect the integrity and quality of UK higher education".

Source: Sky News
 

Robert Jenrick resigns as immigration minister over government's Rwanda plan​

Robert Jenrick has resigned from his post as immigration minister, citing "strong disagreements" with the government over the Rwanda policy.

The Tory MP for Newark said he did not think Rishi Sunak's emergency legislation to revive the stalled asylum plan would "end the merry-go-round of legal challenges" which have so far paralysed the scheme.

He shared his resignation letter on X, formerly Twitter, moments after Home Secretary James Cleverly confirmed his colleague's departure following repeated questioning in the Commons.

Speculation mounted after Mr Jenrick was missing from the frontbench as Mr Cleverly gave a statement on the government's bid to rescue the deal to deport immigrants who arrive illegally to East Africa, which the Supreme Court has ruled unlawful.

When asked by MP Ashely Dalton if he had resigned, Mr Cleverly said: "That has been confirmed."

Shortly afterwards Mr Jenrick posted on social media: "It is with great sadness that I have written to the prime minister to tender my resignation as Minister for Immigration.

"I cannot continue in my position when I have such strong disagreements with the direction of the government's policy on immigration."

In his letter, Mr Jenrick said he did not think that the emergency legislation, published early on Wednesday, went far enough to end future legal challenges.

The draft bill compels UK judges to treat the East African nation as a safe country and gives ministers powers to disregard sections of the Human Rights Act.

But it does not go as far as providing powers to dismiss the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), as hardliners including sacked home secretary Suella Braverman have demanded.

Complying with those demands would have left Mr Sunak facing an outcry from his MPs from the more centrist One Nation faction.

Rwanda also said they would pull out of the deal if it broke international law.

Small boats 'doing untold damage'

However Mr Jenrick said small boat crossings were doing "untold damage" to the country and the government needed to place "national interests highly contested interpretations of international law".

"I have therefore consistently advocated for a clear piece of legislation that severely limits the opportunities for domestic and foreign courts to block or undermine the effectiveness of the policy," he wrote in his letter.

"A bill of the kind you are proposing is a triumph of hope over experience."

Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns, on the right of the party, welcomed Mr Jenrick's resignation adding: "I know what a decent man he is and how he adores his family. This may be the death knell for Sunak's leadership."

However the move was attacked by Opposition MPs, with the Lib Dems saying it is "yet more Conservative chaos as another minister flees this sinking ship".

'Tory circus of gimmicks'

Pat McFadden MP, Labour's National Campaign Coordinator said: "The British people deserve a government that will fix the issues that matter to working people, not a Tory circus of gimmicks and leadership posturing.

"Only Labour can deliver the change this country needs, on the cost of living, on bringing down energy bills and making work pay. It's time we got Britain's future back."

Mr Sunak promised the emergency legislation after the Supreme Court threw out the plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda last month, citing concerns over the country's asylum process and the fact people could be sent back to the country they were fleeing - something which is against international law.

MPs on the more moderate wing of the Tory Party urged ministers to ensure the country follows rule of law rather than trying to undermine the oversight of the Strasbourg court.

Mr Sunak sought to shore up support among his ranks by addressing a meeting of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservatives, when he reportedly told MPs they must "unite or die" behind him.

But some on the right appeared less upbeat than their colleagues on their way out.

They fear that failing to get the flagship policy off the ground - which has already cost £140m despite no flights taking off - will damage their chances at the next election, especially given Mr Sunak's pledge to "stop the boats".

Mrs Braverman's allies made clear that the bill is "fatally flawed", indicating that she believes it will quickly lead the Tories into "electoral oblivion".

Source: Sky News
 
Scotland's First and Shadow ministers are of Pakistani descent. Indian id British PM.

Is that a source of pride or positive discrimination?.

Humza, befitting the fatherland, is mired in scandal and stands for whatever wins him votes
 

Showdown for Sunak as Tory MPs in disarray over Rwanda vote​

Rishi Sunak is braced for a showdown on his Rwanda bill that could fatally undermine his authority as rival Tory factions make conflicting demands.

Moderates from the One Nation group said they would back the legislation aimed at reviving the stalled deportation scheme - but will drop support if there are any amendments that risk the UK breaching the rule of law and its international obligations.

This is something groups on the right of the party have called for, with the New Conservatives saying the bill needs "major surgery or replacement" to ensure their backing.

The right-wing MPs are continuing discussions tonight before deciding how to vote at the second reading tomorrow - with Mr Sunak set to host a breakfast meeting in the morning to lobby for their support.

The vote on Tuesday is a huge test of the prime minister's authority - no government has suffered a defeat at this stage of a proposed law's progress since 1986.

Explaining the position of moderates, Damian Green MP, chair of the One Nation group, said: "We have taken the decision that the most important thing at this stage is to support the bill despite our real concerns.

"We strongly urge the government to stand firm against any attempt to amend the bill in a way that would make it unacceptable to those who believe that support for the rule of law is a basic Conservative principle."

It takes 29 MPs to vote against, or 57 MPs to abstain, for Mr Sunak's flagship legislation to be rejected - with no clarity on whether he could survive such a defeat in practice.

A number of Tory MPs revealed to Sky News' deputy political editor Sam Coates that Number 10 is threatening to call an early election if they vote against the legislation - though some were sceptical Downing Street would follow through.

The support of the One Nation grouping of about 100 MPs could prove crucial in ensuring the bill moves onto the next parliamentary stage

Source: Sky News
 

Relief for Rishi Sunak as he avoids damaging defeat on Rwanda bill​

Rishi Sunak has avoided a damaging Tory rebellion over his flagship Rwanda bill in a crunch vote in the Commons.

The totemic legislation, which aims to revive the stalled £290m deportation scheme after the Supreme Court ruled it unlawful, was backed by MPs at its second reading by 313 votes to 270, a majority of 43.

The result will come as a huge relief to the prime minister, who spent today holding crisis talks with various factions of the Tory right to persuade them to back the bill.

Follow live: Reaction and fallout to MPs' vote on Rwanda bill

The division list showed 37 Tories abstained but none voted against it, despite swathes of them trashing the legislation in recent days and former immigration minister Robert Jenrick even resigning because he did not think it was tough enough.

However, it means another battle is likely further down the line given the hardliners who abstained are demanding amendments to tighten the plan by blocking interference from foreign courts - something moderates from the opposite wing have said they will not support.

The bill seeks to declare in UK law that Rwanda is a safe country to send asylum seekers to, and stop flights being grounded for legal reasons by allowing ministers to disapply sections of the UK's Human Rights Act (though not the European Convention on Human Rights, which some on the right are calling for).

Moments before MPs started voting, dozens of Tory hardliners from the so-called "five families" factions said they did not support the plan and the bulk of them would abstain tonight.

They said they will aim to table amendments in the new year which should "materially improve the bill and remove some of its weaknesses" - and warned they could vote down the legislation at its third reading if these changes aren't made.

Bill 'goes to the edge of what's acceptable'

That means Mr Sunak could face a fight on his hands in January when the bill comes back before parliament.

Downing Street said it was prepared to listen to proposed changes from MPs at a later stage but Home Secretary James Cleverly suggested in the Commons that the legislation was already close to the limits of what would be possible.

The One Nation caucus of around 100 moderate MPs have also said they won't support the bill if it becomes more hardline.

Damien Green, the chairman of the group, told Sky News the legislation currently "goes to the very edge of what's acceptable in terms of meeting our international obligations and the rule of law".

He said he wanted the legislation to proceed "unamended" and his faction would only accept "very minor" changes.

Rwanda has also told the UK government it will withdraw from the treaty if the UK were to breach its "international obligations".

However, Tory rebels remained firm in their position after the vote, with a source saying: "This bill has been allowed to live another day but without amendments it will be killed next month. It's now up to the government to decide what it wants to do."

Source: Sky News
 

Baroness Mone hits back at PM - as Starmer urges govt to 'come clean' over role in PPE scandal​

Baroness Michelle Mone has hit out at the prime minister after he insisted he took the scandal surrounding a PPE company she was linked to "incredibly seriously".

The Tory-appointed peer and her husband, Doug Barrowman, have been embroiled in a row over their associations with PPE MedPro after it was awarded multi-million-pound contracts by the government for personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic.

The pair continually denied any involvement with the firm, but leaked documents showed she had recommended PPE MedPro to Cabinet Office ministers - including the now Housing Secretary Michael Gove - which saw the company added to the so-called "VIP lane" and given two contracts totalling more than £200m.

On Sunday, Baroness Mone admitted her involvement with the business, and that around £60m in profits from the contracts was being held in trusts by Mr Barrowman, which she could benefit from in the future.

But she claimed the government had made her and her husband "scapegoats" for wider failings of PPE procurement throughout the pandemic.

Rishi Sunak refused to comment on the situation due to live legal proceedings, as PPE MedPro is currently being sued by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) over claims millions of the gowns it supplied failed to meet the standard required - something Baroness Mone and Mr Barrowman deny.

The company is also under investigation by the National Crime Agency.

'The government were all aware'

Mr Sunak insisted, however, that he and the government "take all these things incredibly seriously".

But in response, Baroness Mone called him out on X - formerly known as Twitter - posting: "What is Rishi Sunak talking about?

"I was honest with the Cabinet Office, the government and the NHS in my dealings with them. They all knew about my involvement from the very beginning."

A spokesman for Baroness Mone told Sky News that there are more than 1,000 individual pieces of correspondence between her, the Cabinet Office, DHSC and Michael Gove in relation to the procurement of PPE.

He said: "Whilst Baroness Mone has now admitted she made a mistake in her dealings with the media, the government were all aware of her involvement from the very beginning. Michelle Mone and Doug Barrowman dispute the claims by DHSC that their product was not to specification, and intend to clear their name."

In an interview with the BBC on Sunday, Baroness Mone claimed she had contacted Mr Gove at the start of the pandemic following a "call to arms for all lords, baronesses, MPs, senior civil servants, to help, because they needed massive quantities of PPE".

Baroness Mone added: "I just said, 'we can help, and we want to help'. And he was like, 'oh my goodness, this is amazing'."

'A disgrace from top to bottom'

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has demanded the government "comes clean" over the role ministers played in dealing with Baroness Mone during the COVID crisis.

Sir Keir called the scenario "a shocking disgrace from top to bottom", adding: "As every day goes past, there are more questions that need to be answered."

But he focused in on the alleged roles of Mr Gove and other ministers, saying they "may have started this unhappy story in the first place".

The Labour leader told reporters: "The government needs to come clean. It needs to make a statement [to the Commons] about that."

He added: "There are now serious questions that I think Michael Gove [and] the government now need to answer.

"Who made the original contact? What was the nature of that discussion that led to the situation that we now learn developed?

"I think they should make a statement in the House of Commons today about this so that the public can hear first-hand what actually happened here."

Probe into 'huge waste'

However, despite the government confirming three separate ministerial statements in the Commons this afternoon, none focused on the scandal.

Baroness Mone has since accused Mr Gove and the Department of Health and Social Care of overseeing "huge waste" in PPE contracts, adding they have had "questions to answer for a very long time".

The lingerie entrepreneur was appointed as a peer by David Cameron in 2015, but she is currently taking a leave of absence.

The Lords' standards commissioner is carrying out an investigation into whether she breached the code of conduct by not declaring her interests in PPE MedPro.

Asked whether the peer should be expelled from the Lords, Sir Keir said: "I don't think she should be in the Lords. I think the government should be held to account for this."

Source: SKY
 

Rishi Sunak facing another by-election as MP Peter Bone loses seat in recall petition​

An MP suspended from the parliamentary Conservative Party has lost his seat in a recall petition, leaving another by-election for Rishi Sunak to contend with.

The voters of Wellingborough in Northamptonshire have decided they want to choose a new MP after Peter Bone was found by parliament to have subjected a staff member to bullying and sexual misconduct.

He was suspended from the Commons in October for six weeks - although returned in time to support the prime minister's Safety of Rwanda Bill.

The Conservative Party suspended the whip from Mr Bone - meaning he sits as an independent rather than a Tory in the Commons.

However, he was seen campaigning with the party during his suspension.

A recall petition is triggered when an MP is suspended from the House of Commons for at least 10 days.

As more than 10% of the constituency's voters signed it - 7,904 people - a by-election is now triggered.

Mr Bone has been the MP for Wellingborough in Northamptonshire since 2005, and was re-elected with a majority of 18,540 at the last election in 2019.

The Conservatives have lost a series of by-elections in which they previously held five-figure majorities, including Selby and Ainsty, Mid Bedfordshire, and Somerton and Frome.

A report into Mr Bone's behaviour found he had "committed many varied acts of bullying and one act of sexual misconduct" against a staff member in 2012 and 2013.

Parliament's behaviour watchdog, the Independent Expert Panel, upheld a previous probe which found Mr Bone had broken the MP's code of conduct on four counts of bullying and one of sexual misconduct.

He was found to have indecently exposed himself to the complainant in the bathroom of a hotel room during a work trip to Madrid.

Mr Bone has denied the allegations.

Mr Bone will be allowed to stand in the by-election if he so chooses, which will happen when the party which currently holds the seat - the Conservatives - decides.

Source: SKY
 

Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg attacks 'po-faced puritans' over Truss honours criticism​

Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg has attacked critics of Liz Truss' honours list, calling them "po-faced puritans".

The former prime minister was allowed to submit her so-called "resignation honours" after leaving office last year - a convention given to all departing leaders - and the final 11 names were announced on Friday.

But the decision has been heavily criticised due to the circumstances around Ms Truss' exit, whose disastrous mini-budget saw her ousted from Number 10 after just 49 days.

Labour called it "a slap in the face to working people who are paying the price of the Tories crashing the economy", while the Liberal Democrats said it was "a shameless move to reward Liz Truss's car crash cronies... matched only by [Rishi] Sunak's weakness in failing to block it".

The Electoral Reform Society's Dr Jess Garland also told Sky News it was a "convention that has really got out of control" with more unelected politicians in parliament now than elected ones, and appealed to whoever was next in government to "grab this by the horns" and change the system.

But Sir Jacob, who served as Ms Truss' business secretary during her short tenure and was knighted in Boris Johnson's resignation honours, said it was "the right" of a former prime minister to make the nominations, and it was "a reasonable way to allow her to thank those who have helped her to serve in the highest elected office in the land".

Source: SKY
 

Michelle Mone's husband says family 'treated as punchbag' in row over PPE​

Baroness Michelle Mone’s husband has hit out at the government and said his family has been “treated as a punchbag” in a row over personal protective equipment (PPE) procurement during the pandemic.

Doug Barrowman blasted "lamentable failures" by ministers in procuring PPE during the early days of the pandemic, and added that "it suits the agenda of the government and their media spin doctors to scapegoat my wife and I".

It comes after Baroness Mone admitted she lied when she denied having links to the firm PPE Medpro, a consortium led by Mr Barrowman, which was awarded contracts worth more than £200 million to supply gowns and face masks.

She also conceded in an interview last month that she and her family stand to benefit from the £60m in profits made by the company, placed into a trust by her husband.

In the statement of more than 1,000 words published early on New Year's Day on X, Mr Barrowman said he and his family have been "treated as a punchbag by the media for the past three years" and have "received death threats and a constant torrent of online and other abuse".

He attempted to move the debate towards what he classed as failures by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), saying: "Michelle and I are being hung out to dry to distract attention from government incompetence in how it handled PPE procurement at time of national emergency."

He added: "Medpro supplied the government with 1.5% of PPE spend (£202m) against a total of £13.1bn and yet the media or government refuses to focus on the other 98.5% of PPE supplied; much of which was defective or never used and/or supplied in identical circumstances to the Medpro contracts."

Mr Barrowman also hit out at the COVID inquiry, saying it is "simply unacceptable" that it is not set to examine PPE procurement until 2025, which would be after a general election.

He said: "The stark reality is that DHSC has brought this claim against Medpro at a time of increased scrutiny of how it overspent by so much and when questions were being asked as to why the government was writing off £9 billion of PPE out of the £13.1 billion spent.

"How on earth did the UK government manage to purchase five years of PPE when it was only supposed to build up four months of stock?

"Yet no one has been held accountable at DHSC. Its head, Sir Chris Wormald [permanent secretary to the DHSC] should resign, since ultimately he signed off all the PPE contracts."

The government launched civil legal proceedings against PPE Medpro last December over the deal, and the firm is vigorously defending itself.

It is also facing a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation into suspected criminal offences in the contracts for PPE procurement - but Mr Barrowman accused ministers of "using the arm of the NCA to threaten criminal proceedings unless we settle" the civil case.

He also said it was "curious" that "out of 176 disputed contracts to a value of £2.7bn, no one else, other than Medpro is being litigated against", and added the firm is "confident of success" in the legal fight.

A DHSC spokesman said: "We do not comment on ongoing legal cases."

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said last month that he and the government "take all these things incredibly seriously", but refused to comment more specifically due to the ongoing legal action.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for Baroness Mone to be expelled from the House of Lords following the admission she lied over her links to Medpro.

Source: SKY
 
Nigel Farage ‘assessing’ return to politics amid warning Reform UK could pick off Tories

Reform UK leader Richard Tice said Nigel Farage was still assessing his political return but was “very confident” the party’s founder would play some role in the general election campaign.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday morning to launch Reform’s election campaign, Mr Tice also claimed a Labour government would usher in “Starmergeddon”.

He claimed Sir Keir Starmer would drag Britain back toward the EU as he branded the opposition and the Tories as both part of the same “socialist coin”.

Earlier, there was speculation over whether Nigel Farage would appear at the press conference. Mr Farage recently took part in I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here and rumours about his return to frontline politics have abounded ever since.

In the end, Mr Farage did not appear but Mr Tice said he was “very confident” that his predecessors would play some role in the general election campaign in the future.

Source : The Indepemdent
 
Rishi Sunak has given the clearest hint yet about when he will call a general election, saying his "working assumption" is that it will happen in the second half of this year.

Speculation has been rife for months about when the prime minister will choose to go to the polls.

Technically, he can wait until December before calling an election, meaning voters would then cast their ballots in January 2025.

But Mr Sunak has narrowed down the timeframe for an election the polls suggest the Tories will lose, which would bring to an end 14 years in power under five prime ministers.

Speaking to broadcasters on a visit to a youth centre in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, he said: "So, my working assumption is we'll have a general election in the second half of this year and in the meantime I've got lots that I want to get on with."

The Conservative leader declined to rule out a May election categorically - but repeated his intentions to go for later in the year.

"I want to keep going, managing the economy well and cutting people's taxes," Mr Sunak said.

"But I also want to keep tackling illegal migration."

"So I've got lots to get on with and I'm determined to keep delivering for the British people."

Source: Sky News

news.sky.com

Keir Starmer accuses PM of 'squatting in No 10' after Rishi Sunak's general election hint

Speculation has been rife for months about when Rishi Sunak will choose to go to the polls. He has now hinted at an autumn election - drawing criticism from opposition party leaders who have branded him "Squatter Sunak".
news.sky.com news.sky.com
 

Rishi Sunak doubted Rwanda scheme would stop boat crossings while chancellor, documents suggest​

Rishi Sunak had doubts the government's Rwanda asylum scheme would stop small boat crossings while he was chancellor, according to documents seen by Sky News.

The Number 10 papers, prepared in March 2022 shortly before the Rwanda plan was first announced, also suggest the prime minister wanted to scale back the plans.

In a further sign of discontent among Tory ranks, former immigration minister Robert Jenrick told Sky News on Saturday he will "lay amendments" to the bill if Mr Sunak doesn't make them "sufficiently robust".

A government source said Mr Sunak has put the Rwanda policy at the heart of his plan for government, and as chancellor, funded the scheme.

The documents state the "chancellor wants to pursue smaller volumes initially" of people being sent to Rwanda with "500 instead of 1.5k this year, and 3k instead of 5k, in years two or three".

Briefing papers prepared for a meeting involving then prime minister Boris Johnson and Mr Sunak also suggest the then chancellor thought the "deterrent won't work" and there would be more boat crossings in the summer.

A separate document from Downing Street summarising Mr Sunak's position stated he was "refusing to fund any non-detained accommodation (eg Greek-style reception centres) because hotels are cheaper".

The papers suggest Mr Sunak was instead in favour of increasing the "dispersal of people out of hotels into private sector accommodation" around the country.

One e-mail also shows Number 10 suggesting "Rishi may want to consider how his popularity might fare with the base" if he did not agree to the Rwanda plan and other policy changes.

A government source said: "As chancellor, Rishi funded the Rwanda scheme and put it at the heart of his 10-point plan the month after becoming PM.

"Now he is passing the Rwanda Bill following the Supreme Court judgment to get flights off the ground.

"He is the first prime minister ever to oversee a reduction in small boat crossings, which were down by 36% last year."

Source: SKY
 

Three quarters of Britons think country in a worse state now than when Tories came to power​

Three quarters of Britons think the UK is in a worse state now than when the Conservative Party came to power in 2010, according to a YouGov poll.

The survey asked over 2,000 adults whether they think things are better, worse or the same as they were 13 years ago.

In a damning assessment of the Tories' record in government, 75% of people said things were either much worse (41%) or somewhat worse (34%).

By comparison just 1% of voters said the party has left the country in a much better state, while 6% said that it is somewhat better.

A breakdown of the results by political affiliation suggests the dissatisfaction was even felt by a majority of Conservative voters, with 68% of people who voted for the Tories in 2019 saying things are worse.

It comes after a senior Tory MP warned his party faces "obliteration" at the next election after leaving the country in a worse state than they inherited it in.

Danny Kruger, co-founder of the New Conservatives and a leading figure on the right of the party, told a private event of Tory members that "the narrative that the public has now firmly adopted - that over 13 years things have got worse - is one we just have to acknowledge and admit".

He said while some things have been done right, such as free schools and Brexit, "overall... if we leave office next year, we would have left the country sadder, less united and less conservative than when we found it".

Mr Kruger made the comments in October but they emerged on Monday after being passed on to The Guardian.

He told the newspaper he was making the "case for realism and for honesty with the public" and his party faces "obliteration" if it does not "remember the people we work for".

Source: SKY
 

David Cameron 'worried' Israel may have broken international law - as two Britons held hostage in Gaza​

Israel "might have taken action" in breach of international law in Gaza, the foreign secretary has said during a tense exchange with MPs on the conflict in the Middle East.

Lord Cameron also confirmed two British nationals are still being held hostage by Hamas, as he made his first appearance before the Foreign Affairs Committee since his controversial return to cabinet.

The former prime minister was given a peerage in order to take the government post and because he is not an MP, and therefore does not speak in the House of Commons, the committee appearance is the first chance MPs have had to scrutinise his new role.

He was pressed repeatedly on whether he has received advice from government lawyers saying Israel is in any way in breach of international law, or if he has any grounds to believe they are.

The foreign secretary said he "cannot recall every single bit of paper that has been put in front of me" and it was not his job to make a "legal adjudication".

Appearing frustrated, Tory MP and chair of the committee Alicia Kearns cited previous instances in which he declared that foreign regimes have breached international law.

Lord Cameron eventually said he was "worried" Israel might have done so.

He said: "Am I worried that Israel has taken action that might be in breach of international law, because this particular premises has been bombed or whatever?

"Yes, of course I'm worried about that."

Pressed again on whether he has received legal advice, he said "the short answer is no". However he said "it's not really a yes or no answer".

He said lawyers "give you lots of advice" about events they are worried about, and their job is to "go away, consult with the Israeli authorities.. ask a bunch of questions" before making a judgement.

It comes as Israel prepares to defend itself at The International Court of Justice in The Hague this week, after South Africa accused it of genocide in its war against Hamas.

The conflict was sparked after Hamas's 7 October attacks against Israel, which saw some 1,200 people killed and around 240 taken hostage.

During a ceasefire in November 105 hostages were released.

However, Lord Cameron told the committee that two British nationals remain hostage.

"There are two British nationals who remain as hostages. I don't want to make any further comment on them," he said.

Asked if it is known whether the two people are still alive, the minister said: "I just don't want to say any more. We don't have any information to share with you."

However, Lord Cameron told the committee that two British nationals remain hostage.

"There are two British nationals who remain as hostages. I don't want to make any further comment on them," he said.

Asked if it is known whether the two people are still alive, the minister said: "I just don't want to say any more. We don't have any information to share with you."

Libya intervention criticism 'bunk'

Later in the hearing, Lord Cameron also defended his decision to intervene in Libya during his time as prime minister, calling criticism of the action "bunk".

During his time in charge, an international coalition led by Britain and France launched a campaign of air and missile strikes against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's forces in March that year after the regime threatened to attack the rebel-held city of Benghazi.

Later in the hearing, Lord Cameron also defended his decision to intervene in Libya during his time as prime minister, calling criticism of the action "bunk".

During his time in charge, an international coalition led by Britain and France launched a campaign of air and missile strikes against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's forces in March that year after the regime threatened to attack the rebel-held city of Benghazi.

Source: SKY
 
I think David Cameron should put more pressure on Netanyahu for the ceasefire because this war between Israel and Hamas seems to be expanding that is not a good sign for anyone.
 
news.sky.com

Rishi Sunak visits Ukraine in surprise trip after unveiling £2.5bn of support

Officials said the £2.5bn package will provide Ukraine with long-range missiles, air defence, artillery ammunition and maritime security - with Rishi Sunak stressing the UK's continued backing for Kyiv, amid Ukrainian fears interest in the war against Russia is flagging.
news.sky.com news.sky.com

What a joke.

Nhs has a back log of 7 million

Inflation amongst the highest in Europe

The conditions of the Roads(potholes) is a disgrace

People cant afford to pay their bills and Morgages, yet this bufoon is about to splash out a further 2.5 billion on the war in Ukraine.
 
Anyone following this Post Office scandal ? Hundreds of postal workers were wrongfully prosecuted for stealing money after cash take discrepancies caused by rubbish software called Horizon.

The people that oversaw this debacle should never see daylight again including these two. No mercy for those who wrongfully deprive people of their liberty.

www.bbc.co.uk

Tony Blair was warned Horizon IT system could be flawed, documents show

The then-PM was told IT system now at the centre of the Post Office scandal was "possibly unreliable".
www.bbc.co.uk

Sir Tony Blair was warned the Horizon IT system at the centre of the Post Office scandal could be flawed before it was rolled out, a document shows.

A handwritten note from the then-Labour PM, published by the public inquiry on Friday, suggests he raised concerns after being warned the system was "possibly unreliable".

But he said he gave it the go-ahead after being reassured by others. Among them was Peter Mandelson, who was then his trade and industry secretary.

There was no indication at this stage that the Horizon software would lead to wrongful accusations of theft but there were concerns about its reliability and ballooning cost.

In a letter dated 10 December 1998, Lord Mandelson said he believed the "only sensible choice" was to proceed with Horizon.
He warned that cancelling the contract would cause "political fallout" from post office closures and damage relations with Fujitsu, which he described as a major investor in the UK.
Click to expand...
To think Keir Starmer is getting advice from these two swines. Labour can go whistle just like the Tories.
 

Tory deputy chairmen resign party roles as government suffers significant rebellion on Rwanda bill​

Two deputy chairs of the Conservative Party have resigned from their roles after they both supported rebel amendments to Rishi Sunak's Rwanda bill.

Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith both said they would support proposed changes designed to toughen up Mr Sunak's bill, which seeks to declare Rwanda a safe country to deport asylum seekers to.

Jane Stevenson, a parliamentary private secretary (PPS) in the Department for Business and Trade, resigned from her role after she supported two key rebel amendments.

On Tuesday night, MPs voted on a series of amendments to the Safety of Rwanda Bill, including one submitted by veteran Tory MP Sir Bill Cash, whose amendment sought to disapply international law with regard to Rwanda being a safe country.

In total, 70 MPs backed Sir Bill's amendment.

Sixty Tories, including two tellers who verify the count, supported the amendment, as did two independent MPs who were formerly in the Conservative parliamentary party - Scott Benton and Andrew Bridgen.

They were joined by eight MPs in the Democratic Unionist Party.

However, the amendment was rejected by 529 votes to 68, leaving a majority of 461.

Among the names who backed the amendment were former prime minister Liz Truss, ex-home secretary Suella Braverman, former immigration minister Robert Jenrick and the leaders of the New Conservatives Miriam Cates and Danny Kruger.

The result represents a significant rebellion and potentially spells trouble for the prime minister ahead of the third reading vote on the whole bill on Wednesday, when rebels may vote against it.

Speaking to Sky News' political editor Beth Rigby, Tory MP Mark Francois said the numbers "speak for themselves" and that he hoped the government "will listen and take stock" and possibly tighten the bill.

Mr Kruger, the co-chair of the New Conservatives, told the Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge he was "prepared" to vote against the bill at third reading.

"I really hope that the scale of the vote in favour of the amendments that were debated today will convince the government that they really should adopt these amendments as their own," he said.

However, in an illustration of the dilemma Mr Sunak faces in appeasing the various factions of his party, Damian Green, chair of the One Nation group of moderate Tory MPs, said he would vote against the bill if it was toughened up further as the right-wing rebels demand.

But, he said he believed the "high watermark" of the Rwanda rebellion was reached on Tuesday evening.

Mr Sunak had been prepared for a collision with right-wing Tories over the bill, which is aimed at reviving Mr Sunak's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda if they attempt to come to the UK via small boat crossings in the Channel.

The bill, which is designed to enable parliament to confirm Rwanda is a "safe country", gives ministers the powers to disregard sections of the Human Rights Act, but does not go as far as allowing them to dismiss the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) entirely - a demand of some on the right.

As well as the amendment by Sir Bill, MPs also voted on an amendment by Mr Jenrick which sought to make it more difficult for individuals to make claims against their deportation.

MPs rejected it by 525 votes to 61 votes, among them 59 Tories, including tellers.

In a joint resignation letter, Mr Anderson and Mr Clarke-Smith said they supported the amendments "not because we are against the legislation, but because like everybody else we want it to work".

"Our support for the party and this government remains as strong as ever and that is why we are so passionate about making this legislation work.

"However, we fully appreciate that with such important roles there is also the issue of being bound by collective responsibility.

"It is with this in mind that we fully appreciate that whilst our main wish is to strengthen the legislation, this means that in order to vote for amendments we will therefore need to offer you our resignations from our roles."

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said: "Sunak's Rwanda scheme just won't work - and even the deputy chairmen of his own party know it.

"Rishi Sunak has yet again been embarrassed by his own MPs."

A Downing Street source said Mr Sunak accepted the resignations of Mr Anderson and Mr Clarke-Smith and added: "This is the toughest legislation ever brought before parliament to tackle illegal migration.

"This bill will make it clear that if you come here illegally you will not be able to stay. We must pass this bill to deliver what all Conservatives want - a credible plan to stop the boats."

Source: SKY
 

Blow for Rishi Sunak as Rwanda plan suffers first defeat in House of Lords​

The House of Lords has defied Rishi Sunak to vote against the ratification of the UK's new treaty with Rwanda - in what could prove a damaging development for the Safety of Rwanda Bill.

The upper house was voting following a report last week that recommended the treaty not be ratified.

Labour's Lord Peter Goldsmith, who proposed the debate, said the report had been supported unanimously by the cross-party International Agreements Committee (IAC) - including Boris Johnson's ally Lord Eddy Lister.

The House of Lords can only advise that the signing of a treaty is delayed - however, if the Commons votes the same way it can delay the signing of the treaty.

The wording of the motion said: "This House resolves, in accordance with section 20 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, that His Majesty's Government should not ratify the UK-Rwanda Agreement on an Asylum Partnership until the protections it provides have been fully implemented."

It is upon this treaty - which contains the agreements that make Rwanda "safe" - that the Safety of Rwanda Bill was introduced.

The bill will be debated in the Lords from next week.

Before the vote, peers had for several hours debated the Rwanda agreement - and even addressed the prime minister's comments last week.

Labour's Lord Vernon Coaker said: "Nobody, not least the prime minister, should hold press conferences lecturing us about what our role is, when all we seek to do is to improve it and to act in our proper constitutional role."

He added: "The government has not provided the evidence to support what it is saying needs to be done, either to the committee or to [the House of Lords].

"So how can we determine whether Rwanda is safe when the very things upon which that is dependent have not been provided to us? And that's what the committee is saying."

Lord Goldsmith, who was attorney general under Tony Blair, told peers that parliament cannot say whether Rwanda is "safe" because the steps contained in the treaty have not been introduced or shown to be functional.

The IAC report said "some aspects of the monitoring arrangements under the treaty are unclear or incomplete".

It also said the proposed monitoring committee what would watch over the system in Rwanda had "weak powers".

On the other end of the spectrum, the Conservative former Foreign Office minister Lord David Howell criticised the "rather patronising tone one hears in some comments about Rwanda".

Pointing out the nation was a member of the Commonwealth, he said: "I can understand the Rwandan government's exasperation and that of senior legal figures at the implication that their system somehow has got to be reinforced, made over and renewed to bring it up to scratch and be called safe."

Source: SKY
 

Michelle O'Neill appointed Northern Ireland's first nationalist first minister in historic moment​

Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill has made history by being appointed Northern Ireland's first nationalist first minister.

A power-sharing government has returned as politicians gathered at Stormont to appoint a series of ministers to the devolved executive, two years after it collapsed over the UK government's deal with the EU.

The Democratic Unionist Party's (DUP) Emma Little-Pengelly will serve as deputy first minister.

Under the Good Friday Agreement, the deputy has an authority equal to that of the first minister.

In her speech, which began in Irish, Ms O'Neill said: "Today opens the door to the future - a shared future.

"I am honoured to stand here as first minister."

Ms O'Neill said she was addressing an "assembly for all - Catholic, Protestant and dissenter" and that the public was "relying" on the members of Northern Ireland's elected assembly.

She added: "We must make power sharing work because collectively, we are charged with leading and delivering for all our people, for every community."

Ms O'Neill continued: "As an Irish republican I pledge co-operation and genuine honest effort with those colleagues who are British, of a unionist tradition and who cherish the union... Despite our different outlooks and views on the future constitutional position, the public rightly demands that we co-operate, deliver and work together."

The first minister also acknowledged that the power-sharing coalition will "undoubtedly face great challenges" but vowed to "serve everyone equally".

Ms O'Neill also reflected on the historic significance of her appointment and said: "For the first time ever, a nationalist takes up the position of first minister.

"That such a day would ever come would have been unimaginable to my parents and grandparents' generation."

She added: "This place we call home, this place we love, North of Ireland or Northern Ireland, where you can be British, Irish, both or none is a changing portrait.

"Yesterday is gone. My appointment reflects that change."

Ms O'Neill also spoke about the impact of the UK government's austerity measures on Northern Ireland, telling the assembly the country "cannot continue to be hamstrung by Tories in London".

She added: "Tory austerity has badly damaged our public services. They have presided over more than a decade of shame. They have caused real suffering.

"I wish to lead an executive which has the freedom to make our own policy and spending choices."

Ms Little-Pengelly then gave her speech, in which she recalled witnessing the "absolute devastation" from an IRA bomb.

She said: "Michelle O'Neill and I come from very different backgrounds.

"Regardless of that, for my part, I will work tirelessly to ensure that we can deliver for everyone in Northern Ireland."

She continued: "As a young girl sitting in Markethill High School almost 30 years ago, I could never have imagined that one day I would have the opportunity to serve in such a way.

"This is a responsibility and an honour that I will never take for granted."

She continued: "Like so many across this chamber and throughout Northern Ireland, I grew up with conflict.

"As a child of just 11, I stepped outside my Markethill home on a warm August afternoon to the absolute devastation from an IRA bomb.

"Seared within my experience is the haunting wail of alarms and our emergency services, the carpet of glass and debris, the shock, the crying and the panic that shook and destroyed the place I called home.

"As a child, I didn't understand the politics of it - but I will never forget the fear, the hurt, the anger."

Ms Little-Pengelly also said the "horror" of the Troubles can never be forgotten but said "while we are shaped by the past, we are not defined by it".

Earlier, former DUP leader Edwin Poots was chosen by members of the assembly as its new speaker.

His party had refused to participate in government at Stormont, arguing that post-Brexit arrangements effectively left a trade border in the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

An agreement a year ago between the UK and the EU, known as the Windsor Framework, eased customs checks and other hurdles but didn't go far enough for the DUP, which continued its boycott.

However, the DUP has since forged a deal with the UK government on post-Brexit trade, which party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson says has effectively removed the so-called Irish Sea trading border.

Sir Jeffrey's role as party leader and his resignation from the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2022 means he was ineligible to be deputy first minister.

Ms O'Neill said in her speech after being appointed first minister: "We will now begin to seize the considerable opportunities created by the Windsor Framework.

"To use dual market access to grow our exports and attract higher-quality FDI.

"The Windsor Framework also protects the thriving all-Ireland economy, and we must fully realise its huge potential."

Ms O'Neill's selection as first minister, made possible after she led Sinn Fein to victory in the 2022 Assembly elections, marks the first time the post has been held by a nationalist committed to seeing Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland united as one country.

Source: SKY
 

Who is Kwasi Kwarteng and why is he quitting British politics?​

This week, controversial UK Conservative Member of Parliament Kwasi Kwarteng announced his decision to step down from politics and will not be standing at the next general election which has to take place by January 28, 2025, but could be held this year.

Kwarteng, 48, has served as the member of Parliament for Spelthorne, Surrey, since 2010 and has also held senior cabinet positions in government. He is likely to be best remembered for the financial chaos he unleashed during his 38 days as chancellor of the exchequer in 2022.

“Yesterday I informed my Association Chair of my decision …” he wrote on X. “It has been an honour to serve the residents of Spelthorne since 2010, and I shall continue to do so for the remainder of my time in Parliament.”

His post sparked a mixture of taunts and criticism from commentators and left-wing legislators, among them satirical congratulations for having managed to “wreck the economy” of a country in less than three weeks.

Who is Kwasi Kwarteng?
Kwarteng’s election to Parliament as a Conservative member for Spelthorne in the 2010 UK general election coincided with his party’s return to power after 13 years of Labour rule.

As then-Conservative Party leader David Cameron became prime minister in a Conservative-led coalition government with the Liberal Democrats, the London-born Kwarteng was just about to turn 35 and his future looked bright.

But other than having been born to highly accomplished immigrant parents from Ghana – his father was an economist and his mother a barrister – Kwarteng arrived in the House of Commons at Westminster with a CV typical of many Conservative politicians.

Indeed, like many of those who have taken high positions in a Conservative government before him, he was educated at the elite private school, Eton College, which he attended on a scholarship, and then at the University of Cambridge. A year as a Kennedy Scholar at Harvard University followed, and then a return to Cambridge where he completed a PhD in economic history in 2000.

Ten years later, and following spells as a financial analyst in the City of London and as a columnist for the right-wing newspaper, The Telegraph, Kwarteng, who has been married to solicitor Harriet Edwards since 2019, was elected to one of the oldest legislatures in the world.

Source: Al Jazeera
 

Matt Hancock defends use of taxpayer-funded Jaguar for COVID Inquiry appearances​

Matt Hancock has defended using a taxpayer-funded Jaguar to take him to the COVID Inquiry - despite resigning from the government more than two years ago.

The Department for Health confirmed it provided the former health secretary with the chauffeur-driven car on three occasions when he appeared before the inquiry in June, November and December last year.

The revelation comes after the Daily Mirror submitted a Freedom of Information request to the government.

Although the cost of providing the car was not revealed, taxpayer money was used to fund it, the newspaper reported.

A spokesperson for Mr Hancock said it was "entirely reasonable" for the government to provide transport to and from the inquiry.

"Matt attended the COVID Inquiry entirely in his capacity as having been the secretary of state during the pandemic," they said.

"It is entirely reasonable that the government should take care of his travel and security arrangements in this instance."

Mr Hancock was a familiar face at the regular press conferences that took place during the pandemic.

But he was forced to resign in 2021 after he admitted breaking the government's coronavirus guidance while pursuing an affair with an aide.

The inquiry, which has also heard other government figures including Boris Johnson and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, is examining the government's response to the pandemic.

Appearing in front of the inquiry in December, the former health secretary acknowledged that leaked footage of him kissing aide Gina Coladangelo - which showed they broke social distancing guidelines - undermined public confidence in efforts to tackle coronavirus.

"What I'd say is that the lesson for the future is very clear," he said.

"And it is important that those who make the rules abide by them, and I resigned in order to take accountability for my failure to do that."

Mr Hancock also faced criticism from several witnesses at the inquiry, including from former deputy cabinet secretary Helen MacNamara. She accused him of showing "nuclear levels" of confidence at the start of the pandemic.

She claimed that Mr Hancock "regularly" told colleagues in Downing Street things "they later discovered weren't true".

Ms MacNamara said he would say things were under control or being sorted in meetings, only for it to emerge in days or weeks that "was not in fact the case".

The former senior civil servant also recalled a "jarring" incident when she told Mr Hancock that it must have been difficult to be health secretary during a pandemic.

She said he responded by miming playing cricket, adding: "They bowl them at me, I knock them away" during the first lockdown.

Mr Hancock currently sits as an independent MP in the Commons after he lost the Tory party whip for appearing on ITV's I'm A Celebrity reality TV show.
The former senior civil servant also recalled a "jarring" incident when she told Mr Hancock that it must have been difficult to be health secretary during a pandemic.

She said he responded by miming playing cricket, adding: "They bowl them at me, I knock them away" during the first lockdown.

Mr Hancock currently sits as an independent MP in the Commons after he lost the Tory party whip for appearing on ITV's I'm A Celebrity reality TV show.

Source: SKY
 

Labour suspends parliamentary candidate Graham Jones over 'unacceptable' Israel comments​

The Labour Party has suspended one of its election candidates who allegedly referred to "f***ing Israel" at a meeting of activists, Sky News understands.

Graham Jones has been administratively suspended from the party pending investigation and was called in for an interview this evening after his comments were revealed by the website Guido Fawkes.

Mr Jones, the former Labour MP for Hyndburn who lost his seat in 2019 and is seeking to stand again, is alleged to have said that UK citizens who volunteer to fight for the Israeli Defence Forces "should be locked up" and that it was "illegal" for them to fight for Israel, according to the website Guido Fawkes.

He allegedly made the comments at the same meeting at which remarks were made by the now-dropped Labour candidate for the Rochdale by-election Azhar Ali.

One person present at the meeting said that during his remarks Mr Jones said: "People should put Britain first and stop putting other countries first."

It is understood that the meeting took place in the weeks shortly after the October 7 attacks and that many of those attending were Muslims.

Labour was forced to disown Mr Ali after the comments emerged from the meeting of activists in which he claimed Israel allowed the Hamas atrocity of 7 October to happen in order to give it the "green light" to invade Gaza.

The party then chose to withdraw support for Mr Ali after further comments were published by the Daily Mail in which he allegedly blamed "people in the media from certain Jewish quarters" for fuelling criticism of a pro-Palestinian Labour MP, as well as claiming Israel planned to "get rid of [Palestinians] from Gaza" and "grab" some of the land.

The Jewish Labour Movement (JLM), a group that is affiliated with the party, said Mr Jones's comments were "appalling and unacceptable".

A spokesperson for JLM said: "We are dismayed that Jones was not only a bystander at the meeting where Azhar Ali made his antisemitic comments, but sought to inflame tensions further.

"Over the past two days, the importance of a zero tolerance approach to antisemitism in Labour has become clearer than ever. Labour must stand Graham Jones down as a parliamentary candidate and conduct a disciplinary investigation."

Their calls were echoed by the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and Region, who urged Labour to take "firm and decisive action against their parliamentary candidate for Hyndburn, Graham Jones".

"He was at the meeting where Azhar Ali referenced his antisemitic conspiracy theories that led to the Labour Party withdrawing their support," it said.

"Not only did Mr Jones not seek to challenge the awful views expressed, he doubled down with further deeply offensive comments about British-Israeli Jews."

news.sky.com

Labour suspends parliamentary candidate Graham Jones over 'unacceptable' Israel comments

The row comes after the party was forced to disown its Rochdale by-election candidate Azhar Ali over alleged "antisemitic" comments.
news.sky.com news.sky.com
 

Henry Staunton: Former Post Office chairman investigated over bullying before dismissal, Kemi Badenoch claims​

Kemi Badenoch has said former Post Office chair Henry Staunton was being investigated over bullying allegations before his dismissal - as she accused him of seeking "revenge" against the government.

The business secretary told the Commons that allegations regarding Mr Staunton's conduct, including "serious matters such as bullying", were being examined and concerns had also been raised about his "willingness to co-operate" with the formal investigation.

Speaking in the Commons, Ms Badenoch said: "Mr Staunton claimed that I told him that someone's got to take the rap for the Horizon scandal and that was the reason for his dismissal," she said. "That was not the reason at all.

"I dismissed him because there were serious concerns about his behaviour as chair, including those raised from other directors on the board.

"My department found significant governance issues, for example, with the recruitment of a new senior independence director to the Post Office board."

But shortly after Ms Badenoch made her statement, a spokesperson for Mr Staunton released a fresh statement hitting back at the "astonishing" claims, saying it was the "first time the existence of such allegations have been mentioned".

"Mr Staunton is not aware of any aspect of his conduct which could give rise to such allegations," they added.

"They were certainly not raised by the secretary of state at any stage and certainly not during the conversation which led to Mr Staunton's dismissal. Such behaviour would in any case be totally out of character."

The heated exchange came after Mr Staunton, who was dismissed from his post last month, claimed in an interview with The Sunday Times that he was told to delay pay-outs to sub-postmasters ahead of the next general election due to concerns about costs.

Speaking in the Commons, Ms Badenoch said the claim was "completely false" and accused Mr Staunton of seeking "revenge" after he was sacked.

'Pretty obvious to everyone'

Mr Staunton stood by his claims about stalled compensation this evening and earlier told Sky News it "pretty obvious what was really going on" following the government denials.

Mr Staunton said there was "no real movement" on the payouts until after the airing of the ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office earlier this year.

He added: "It was in the interests of the business, as well as being fair for the postmasters, that there was faster progress on exoneration and that compensation was more generous, but we didn't see any real movement until after the Mr Bates programme.

"I think it is pretty obvious to everyone what was really going on."

But Ms Badenoch told MPs this afternoon there was "no evidence whatsoever that this is true".

"For Henry Staunton to suggest otherwise, for whatever personal motives, is a disgrace and it risks damaging confidence in the compensation schemes that ministers and civil servants are working so hard to deliver," she said.

"I would hope that most people reading the interview in yesterday's Sunday Times would see it for what it was: a blatant attempt to seek revenge following dismissal."

As the war of words between the pair ramped up, opposition parties demanded the government release all documents relating to Mr Staunton's sacking to provide clarity on the allegations.

In his interview with The Sunday Times, Mr Staunton claimed that when he was sacked Ms Badenoch had told him "someone's got to take the rap" for the Post Office scandal - and that he was offered no apology for learning about his dismissal from Sky News.

A readout of a call between the pair, seen by Sky News, shows that Ms Badenoch did apologise, but only for the call being at short notice.

'Truly shocking'

As well as denying the claims, the business department also published a letter sent to Mr Staunton after his appointment which said one of his priorities should be to resolve historic litigation issues relating to the Horizon software.

However, Labour described the allegations were "truly shocking" and said there were "clear discrepancies" in the accounts of Mr Staunton's short time as chairman.

Mr Staunton became chairman of the Post Office in December 2022, but he was ousted last month as the government reeled from the backlash of its handling of the Horizon scandal.

This saw hundreds of sub-postmasters prosecuted because of discrepancies in the Horizon IT system between 1999 and 2015, in what has been called the biggest miscarriage of justice in UK history.

The airing of Mr Bates Vs The Post Office last month led to widespread outrage and promises from the government to introduce a new law to exonerate all victims and speed up the compensation process.

Source: SKY
 

Home Office fires chief inspector of borders and immigration David Neal​

The Home Office has fired the chief inspector of borders and immigration after he "lost the confidence" of the home secretary.

The department said it had "terminated the appointment" of David Neal on the grounds he had "breached" the terms of his appointment.

Mr Neal, the independent chief inspector of borders and immigration, became embroiled in a row with the Home Office after he provided data to the Daily Mail on Monday which purported to show UK Border Force failed to check passengers on hundreds of private jets arriving at City Airport.

Mr Neal said the alleged lack of checks meant criminals, illegal immigrants, trafficking victims and extremists may have entered the UK without undergoing scrutiny by the authorities.

The government has strongly refuted the allegations, with immigration minister Tom Pursglove telling MPs yesterday that the Home Office "categorically rejects these claims by David Neal".

Mr Pursglove said Border Force performed "checks on 100% of scheduled passengers arriving in the UK and risk-based intelligence-led checks on general aviation".

He said it was "deeply disturbing that information which has no basis in fact was leaked by the independent chief inspector to a national newspaper before the Home Office had the chance to respond".

"We are urgently investigating this breach of confidential information in full in the normal way," he added.

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In his interview with the Daily Mail, Mr Neal said the lapse was a "scandal" and "incredibly dangerous for this country's border security" as he called for a "rapid independent inspection of general aviation across the country".

He told the newspaper that Border Force officers are supposed to check 100% of general aviation flights which they have classified as "high-risk", but that last year, just 21% were inspected by immigration officers at London City airport.

Mr Neal's tenure was due to end on 21 March but the Home Office said it had informed Mr Neal that his time in post was being immediately terminated on Tuesday following his disclosure to the Mail.

A Home Office spokesman said in a statement: "We have terminated the appointment of David Neal, the independent chief inspector of borders and immigration, after he breached the terms of appointment and lost the confidence of the home secretary.

"The planned recruitment process for the next independent chief inspector of borders and immigration is in progress."

Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said Mr Neal's sacking was "total Tory chaos on borders and immigration".

Source: SKY
 

Rishi Sunak struggling to maintain voter coalition that delivered 2019 victory, according to Sky News voter panel​

Rishi Sunak is failing to hold together the voting coalition that delivered Boris Johnson a decisive victory in the 2019 general election, according to The Voters Panel on Sky News - launched today.

A profound unhappiness with the state of the country and exhaustion at years of Tory chaos means 2019 Tory voters will flock to at least four rival parties or stay at home at the next election.

Some describe themselves as swing voters, while others say they have backed the Tories all their lives, and this is the group Conservative headquarters and campaign chief Isaac Levido believes is key to the next election.

We found just over a fifth of Tory voters will switch directly to Labour and there is a grasp of what Labour stands for among participants in The Voters Panel, the Sky News-YouGov digital community group launched today reveals.

However, the depth of despair in the governing party means the relationship between the party and many voters has shattered and they are looking for a new home.

For the next two weeks, including through the budget next Wednesday, Sky News will be regularly interrogating The Voters Panel - an online group of at least 33 people from all corners of Great Britain.

Of the 33 submitting answers so far, nine say they will likely stick with the Conservatives, seven will go to Labour, five to Reform, two to the Lib Dems and one to Green.

Source: SKY
 

Government suffers five defeats to Rwanda Bill in House of Lords​

Rishi Sunak has suffered a number of sizeable defeats in the House of Lords over his controversial bill to rescue the stalled Rwanda plan.

Peers have voted through five amendments which, if enacted in law, would make it harder for parliament to declare the African nation 'safe' and would require the government to comply with domestic and international law.

This would effectively kill the central purpose of the legislation - which aims to prevent further legal challenges against the policy after it was ruled unlawful by the UK's Supreme Court.

The votes don't scupper the bill entirely, but set into motion the process of parliamentary "ping pong" between the Lords and the Commons until an agreement is reached.

As well as compelling judges to regard Rwanda as safe, Mr Sunak's Safety of Rwanda Bill is designed to give ministers the power to disregard key sections of the UK's Human Rights Act and other international rules that stand in the way of deportations.

Peers from across the political divide have criticised it because they believe it breaks international law.

On Monday, the upper chamber backed a move to ensure the legislation is fully compliant with the law by 274 votes to 172, a majority of 102.

The Lords also backed by 282 to 180, another majority of 102, a demand that parliament cannot declare Rwanda 'safe' until the treaty it signed with the country in December is fully implemented.

The treaty aims to address the issues raised by the Supreme Court in November and includes provisions to stop asylum seekers who end up in Rwanda being sent back to their country of origin.

In a third defeat for the government, peers voted by 277 votes to 167, a majority 110, in favour of establishing a monitoring mechanism able to check whether Rwanda is safe.

Two other amendments were passed which called for the presumption that Rwanda is safe to be open to challenge in the courts if "credible evidence" emerges.

Lord Anderson of Ipswich, an independent crossbencher and lawyer, said: "If Rwanda is safe, as the government would have us declare, it has nothing to fear from such scrutiny."

Several Conservative peers also voted against the government's position, including former Tory chancellor Ken Clarke.

He warned that if the bill is ultimately passed by parliament, it will likely face another challenge in the Supreme Court.

Tory peer Lord Tugendhat, whose nephew is security minister Tom Tugendhat, accused the government of behaving like the ruling party in George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984.

The sizes of the defeats, with margins of over 100 votes, are the biggest suffered by Mr Sunak as prime minister.

He could face further trouble on Wednesday when more Lords amendments are voted on.

Source: SKY
 
I consider myself someone slightly left of centre but have to say the British public's desire for freebies at taxpayer's expense is remarkable. Take the following requests for the Budget:

bbc.co.uk/news/business-68448107

Rebecca Bostock earns £27,000 working as a case manager in the motor industry.

The 45-year-old who lives just outside Daventry, in Northampton, would love to buy her own home but says saving for a deposit is "absolutely not possible" while still also paying rent.

She would welcome any help for first-time buyers such as a 99% mortgage scheme, whereby buyers would only need a 1% deposit with the government backing the overall loan.

"A 1% deposit is more obtainable, as opposed to 5% or 10%," she says.
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So you want the taxpayer to subsidise your mortgage so you can own a shiny new set of house keys ? Why do some think it's their God-given right to own property ? Such a scheme can drive up house prices and make ownership even more difficult for first time buyers.

Laura Coppard and her three children live in a one-bedroom bungalow provided by Lewes Council.

Ms Coppard receives £330 in Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) fortnightly, £207 in child benefit a month, and £53 a month in NHS Healthy Start vouchers, which some parents receive to buy healthy food and milk for their children.

"I'd love to just put food in my trolley without having to think about it but I can't," she says.

"My baby's milk costs £10.50, three would last a month so that's £30," she says, leaving £23 for nappies, wipes, fruit and veg for the other children.

The amount she receives recently fell when her daughter turned four. "When they turn four, they stop it. It should carry on for longer, for children up to maybe aged 10," she says.

She would also like to see the government offer more cost-of-living payments.
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Your problem is in your very first sentence. Why should the taxpayer foot your grocery bills because you bring children into this world you cannot afford ?

@ElRaja @shortbread I know this is a bugbear of yours.
 

The Voters Panel: Rachel Reeves winning sizeable minority of former Tory backers​

Rachel Reeves is winning a sizeable minority of former Conservative backers despite nagging worries about Labour overspending if they get into power, the Sky News Voters Panel has revealed.

The Voters Panel, a two-week online community of people who backed Boris Johnson's Conservatives in 2019, has been asked to explain their preference for either Tory Chancellor Jeremy Hunt or Labour's shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves.

The economy is set to be the biggest issue in the election, with the Tories keen to paint Labour's economic plans as dangerous and inflationary while they are the low-tax party.

The Voters Panel, which is run by YouGov, suggests Labour are having a degree of success with some wavering voters.

While 29 of the 2019 Tory voters in the Voters Panel went for Hunt, 20 chose Reeves as their preferred chancellor - a ratio of 3:2.

This is different compared to polls of current Conservative voters, who prefer Hunt to Reeves by 39% to 7%.

This suggests that dissatisfaction with Hunt's approach and an enthusiasm for Reeves could be a big dividing line between those voters who stick with the Tories from last time and those who take their vote elsewhere.

Those voters who chose Reeves said she was "clearer on her views and wanted to help the country and people", and "she appears composed and competent. I think she will do no worse than the Tories and deserves a chance to demonstrate what she can achieve".

Nicky says he's swaying towards backing Labour at the next election and gave his support to Reeves.

He said: "I would like to see Rachel Reeves run the economy for Labour as I believe what Jeremy Hunt has done so far does not seem to be working."

Some voters are aware of Reeves' background.

Helen, from the West Midlands who told us she will not be voting Conservative at the election, said: "She is the daughter of teachers, therefore I feel like she knows what it's really like in the real world."

Others think she will make "difficult decisions and take bolder steps to help the economy for the long term".

Another category of voter suggested they trust Hunt more but regard Reeves as safe. They said: "I have some regard for Rachel Reeves, and think she could be a successful chancellor, but I am not entirely convinced."

However, Labour has not expunged fears that pressure from the left might lead to overspending. Robert, from Chipping Barnet, is likely to vote Conservative again next time.

He said: "Reeves is doing her level best to sound Blairite and hold back her shadow cabinet and her party leader, but most of them are far more socialist than they are letting on, plus their major funders, the unions, are even further to the left.

"She will face huge pressure from all fronts to tax and spend, spend, spend."

Another said they feared a "Labour chancellor just guessing by implementing policies that would likely not be funded and make the UK economy potentially bankrupt".

Source: SKY
 
Markhor said:
I consider myself someone slightly left of centre but have to say the British public's desire for freebies at taxpayer's expense is remarkable. Take the following requests for the Budget:

bbc.co.uk/news/business-68448107


So you want the taxpayer to subsidise your mortgage so you can own a shiny new set of house keys ? Why do some think it's their God-given right to own property ? Such a scheme can drive up house prices and make ownership even more difficult for first time buyers.


Your problem is in your very first sentence. Why should the taxpayer foot your grocery bills because you bring children into this world you cannot afford ?

@ElRaja @shortbread I know this is a bugbear of yours.
Click to expand...

as someone who has most of his asset wealth in property im all for the 99% mortgage lol. why should i get to miss out on juicy no-effort property returns which the people form 95 to 2020 enjoyed, lol. theres nothing in this country apart from the real estate market anyway. to quote endor, "you gotta pump it up"...

the second point tbh i might surprise you, yes its incumbent on people to live within their means, including having children etc, but it is also incumbent on a society as a whole to encourage child birth and the family structure. theres nothing less dynamic than the economy of an aging and dying population.

from a closer to the ground point of view, its wrong for kids to suffer just cos their parents are imbeciles, the old saying, it takes a village to raise a kid stands, we've lost family structure, communities, everything, if even the state isnt a safety net for these kids then u might as well pack your bags and check out.

unfortunately i have so little faith in any British institution, i dont think the state can manage that, even schools are rubbish now, before it was the best way to ensure a kid gets breakfast and lunch. i dont trust them to not indoctrinate kids with all kinds of collectivist mumbo jumbo. i went to the worst school in the country, and some of the teachers there were so open to letting me think what i wanted, its crazy to think that was in some ways a better education then whats going on now.
 
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ElRaja said:
as someone who has most of his asset wealth in property im all for the 99% mortgage lol. why should i get to miss out on juicy no-effort property returns which the people form 95 to 2020 enjoyed, lol. theres nothing in this country apart from the real estate market anyway. to quote endor, "you gotta pump it up"...

the second point tbh i might surprise you, yes its incumbent on people to live within their means, including having children etc, but it is also incumbent on a society as a whole to encourage child birth and the family structure. theres nothing less dynamic than the economy of an aging and dying population.

from a closer to the ground point of view, its wrong for kids to suffer just cos their parents are imbeciles, the old saying, it takes a village to raise a kid stands, we've lost family structure, communities, everything, if even the state isnt a safety net for these kids then u might as well pack your bags and check out.

unfortunately i have so little faith in any British institution, i dont think the state can manage that, even schools are rubbish now, before it was the best way to ensure a kid gets breakfast and lunch. i dont trust them to not indoctrinate kids with all kinds of collectivist mumbo jumbo. i went to the worst school in the country, and some of the teachers there were so open to letting me think what i wanted, its crazy to think that was in some ways a better education then whats going on now.

#rantover
Click to expand...
A human being has the right to bear children but not the right to expect society to fund a larger family than they can realistically provide for. One of the biggest reasons for the breakdown of the family structure you've previously mentioned is because many people shirk ownership for the outcomes of their decisions.

It only fractures the family unit by bearing children who, bar dramatic changes in economic circumstances, will likely face inadequate education, substandard housing, poor employment outcomes (if they find employment) thus more vulnerable to alcohol, drugs, mental health issues and crime which creates further problems and further drains on public resources.

A mother is perfectly entitled to expect Government to work, say, to prevent extortionate, above inflation price hikes for baby milk. However she cannot expect, in the form of massive childcare subsidies or other handouts, the state to parent her children for her.

Sort childcare out between your family and employers. I understand that's perhaps a privileged take coming from Asian families who have larger support networks compared to other communities - but the state must set limits somewhere and there's far worthier priorities requiring government funds.
 
Markhor said:
A human being has the right to bear children but not the right to expect society to fund a larger family than they can realistically provide for. One of the biggest reasons for the breakdown of the family structure you've previously mentioned is because many people shirk ownership for the outcomes of their decisions.

It only fractures the family unit by bearing children who, bar dramatic changes in economic circumstances, will likely face inadequate education, substandard housing, poor employment outcomes (if they find employment) thus more vulnerable to alcohol, drugs, mental health issues and crime which creates further problems and further drains on public resources.

A mother is perfectly entitled to expect Government to work, say, to prevent extortionate, above inflation price hikes for baby milk. However she cannot expect, in the form of massive childcare subsidies or other handouts, the state to parent her children for her.

Sort childcare out between your family and employers. I understand that's perhaps a privileged take coming from Asian families who have larger support networks compared to other communities - but the state must set limits somewhere and there's far worthier priorities requiring government funds.
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i aint disagreeing the with premise bruv, but say u come across this kid from a broken family, dad skipped out, mums working two jobs and still dont make ends meet, yeah he gonna look for father figures in the street, now hes slipping into going down all the wrong roads, id say pulling someone back from that edge is the highest ROI you can get, per capita just fifteen minutes of attention from a teacher he looks up to doesnt break the bank, but it can change someones life.

can u say that kid doesnt deserve more help than a former crim, an alcoholic, or just ur average adult who might have made some bad choices. the kids life can still be redirected, u cant redirect an adults life no matter how much u try.

maybe im biased the other way, out of my closest mates, been tight with since young times, half their dads skipped out early, half had parents with mental issues, suicidal running into the street stuff, illegals who didnt see their dads, working cash in hand all hours. statistically we were all marginalised, but all it took was one or teachers in my instance who told me to keep my head about me around all the madness.

the family unit is done in this country, ur not getting back, the state likes broken families, the state self perpuates itself by replacing the family. the second best option you have is to give teachers and schools the freedom to let kids think for themselves, and for that u need to invest in child security, food, shelter and most of all teachers.
 
ElRaja said:
i aint disagreeing the with premise bruv, but say u come across this kid from a broken family, dad skipped out, mums working two jobs and still dont make ends meet, yeah he gonna look for father figures in the street, now hes slipping into going down all the wrong roads, id say pulling someone back from that edge is the highest ROI you can get, per capita just fifteen minutes of attention from a teacher he looks up to doesnt break the bank, but it can change someones life.

can u say that kid doesnt deserve more help than a former crim, an alcoholic, or just ur average adult who might have made some bad choices. the kids life can still be redirected, u cant redirect an adults life no matter how much u try.

maybe im biased the other way, out of my closest mates, been tight with since young times, half their dads skipped out early, half had parents with mental issues, suicidal running into the street stuff, illegals who didnt see their dads, working cash in hand all hours. statistically we were all marginalised, but all it took was one or teachers in my instance who told me to keep my head about me around all the madness.

the family unit is done in this country, ur not getting back, the state likes broken families, the state self perpuates itself by replacing the family. the second best option you have is to give teachers and schools the freedom to let kids think for themselves, and for that u need to invest in child security, food, shelter and most of all teachers.
Click to expand...

Execute all the pedos, rapists and murderers, reduce the prison expense that way and then you can help normal people more freely.

I think support should be distributed in a reasonable fashion, lower earners and the middle earners shouldn’t be overlooked either because we risk losing them to overseas market. It’s pretty grim as it is, more cruelty and demonisation towards normal people doesn’t help any of us
 
shaz619 said:
Execute all the pedos, rapists and murderers, reduce the prison expense that way and then you can help normal people more freely.

I think support should be distributed in a reasonable fashion, lower earners and the middle earners shouldn’t be overlooked either because we risk losing them to overseas market. It’s pretty grim as it is, more cruelty and demonisation towards normal people doesn’t help any of us
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i have no problem with executing pedos, rapists and murderers, but i have no confidence in the ability of the legal system to execute justice with the required accuracy to not put innocent people to death.

my stance has always been that the greatest subsidies should go to those with the greatest potential, kids, all kids should have baseline human rights met, which for me are food, shelter, and most important education, again, unfortunately i have no confidence in the institutions of this country to carry out the latter, which is why we are in this mess in the first place.

when schools care more about enforcing uniform political views on kids then promoting free and critical thought the system has failed.

when i was in school i remember having debates on evolution, the Iraq war, science v religion, slavery and empire, etc, and no teacher ever told us what side to take. this was one of the worst schools in the country.

my niece got told the other day that apples make for a good breakfast because they dont require preparation so you dont have to waste time making food in the morning. the education system in this country is done.
 

Ministers urge government to increase defence spending in highly unusual intervention​

Two serving ministers have broken cover to urge Rishi Sunak's government to "lead the way" and increase defence spending to at least 2.5% of GDP - from just over 2% at present - "as soon as economic conditions allow".

In a highly unusual intervention, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, a foreign office minister and former defence minister, and Tom Tugendhat, the security minister and an experienced soldier, published an article online that does not appear to have been sanctioned by Downing Street.

"It's clear to us that the UK needs to lead the way in increasing our own domestic defence and security spending commitments to 2.5% and beyond," they wrote in a piece posted on Ms Trevelyan's LinkedIn page on Friday evening.

"Former defence secretary Ben Wallace and prime minister Boris Johnson made inroads into growing our defence budgets, which had been shrinking in real terms for years. But that only filled the hole. Now we need growth."

The alarm call by two serving ministers with deep expertise in defence and security comes amid growing disquiet among Conservative MPs and military insiders at a failure by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to announce new funding for the armed forces in his spring budget, even though the defence secretary has warned the UK is in a "pre-war world".

Instead, Mr Hunt just reiterated a vague pledge to increase defence spending to 2.5% of national income - from just over 2% at present - "as soon as economic conditions allow".

Underlining their focus, Ms Trevelyan and Mr Tugendhat urged the government to strengthen the UK's nuclear deterrent, regrow the Royal Navy, invest in more weapons and ammunition and accelerate plans to build a new generation of fighter jets for the air force.

They also stressed the need to invest in the UK's defence industrial base.

"None of this is wasted cash. It's investment in our own economy. And it protects our future economic security," the ministers said.

"The sad truth is that the world is no longer benign. Protecting ourselves requires investment. And effective investment means that our industrial complex must grow and strengthen at much greater pace than at present.

"We cannot turn on the complex platforms and weapons which ensure military advantage overnight. We must start that growth now, invest at pace to support our allies and stay ahead of our adversaries."

Source: SKY
 

Police contacted over Tory donor's alleged remarks about Diane Abbott​

Rishi Sunak has said comments a Tory donor allegedly made about MP Diane Abbott were "racist and wrong" after the police confirmed they were investigating the matter.

The prime minister's official spokesperson said Mr Sunak believed there was "no place for racism in public life".

His comments came shortly after the Metropolitan Police said they were contacted in relation to reports in The Guardian.

Frank Hester, who donated £10m to the Tories last year, allegedly said in 2019 that Ms Abbott made him "want to hate all black women" and that the politician "should be shot", according to the newspaper.

Mr Hester has since said he is "deeply sorry" about the comments concerning the former Labour MP but said they had "nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin".

However, Mr Sunak's official spokesperson said: "The comments allegedly made by Frank Hester were racist and wrong. He has now rightly apologised for the offence caused and where remorse is shown it should be accepted.



"The prime minister is clear there is no place for racism in public life and as the first British-Asian prime minister leading one of the most ethnically diverse cabinets in our history, the UK is living proof of that fact."

The statement came despite the fact that earlier in the day, the spokesperson described the remarks as "unacceptable" but would not say if they believed they were racist.

Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch became the first cabinet minister to break ranks and say the alleged comments were "racist" - but added that there should be "space for forgiveness".

Ms Badenoch's comments came after government ministers including Graham Stuart and Mel Stride criticised the comments but did not call them racist.

In a post on X, the business secretary wrote: "Hester's 2019 comments, as reported, were racist. I welcome his apology.

"Abbott and I disagree on a lot. But the idea of linking criticism of her, to being a black woman is appalling.

"It's never acceptable to conflate someone's views with the colour of their skin."

She added: "MPs have a difficult job balancing multiple interests - often under threats of intimidation as we saw recently in parliament.

"Some people make flippant comments without thinking of this context. This is why there needs to be space for forgiveness where there is contrition."

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: "On Monday, 11 March officers from the parliamentary liaison and investigation team were contacted in relation to a report about an MP that appeared in The Guardian.

"We are assessing the matter and are liaising with West Yorkshire Police as the alleged incident is believed to have taken place in Leeds.

"Officers from the parliamentary liaison and investigation team remain in contact with the MP."

According to the Westminster Accounts project, a joint venture between Sky News and Tortoise Media to shine a light on how money works in politics, Mr Hester's Phoenix Partnership has donated £5.1m to the Conservatives since the 2019 election and has also individually donated £5m.

The company also made a single donation of £15,900 to Mr Sunak. Dated 11 December 2023, the donation was categorised as "support linked to an MP but received by a local party organisation or indirectly via a central party organisation".

The prime minister's entry in the register of members' financial interests said the donation involved the "provision of [a] helicopter to fly me to a political visit and event on 23 November 2023".

According to The Guardian, Mr Hester made the remarks about Ms Abbott in 2019 during a meeting at his Leeds company headquarters.

He reportedly said: "It's like trying not to be racist but you see Diane Abbott on the TV, and you're just like… you just want to hate all black women because she's there.

"And I don't hate all black women at all, but I think she should be shot."

Source: SKY
 

Diane Abbott hits out at Speaker Lindsay Hoyle after not being called to speak at PMQs during racism debate​

Diane Abbott has criticised Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle for not calling on her to speak at this week's Prime Minister's Questions during a debate on racism.

The MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington said she was "surprised" not to be called to speak, with the debate "mostly about racism and me".

"Stood over 40 times. Speaker claims he ran out of time," she said. "Truth is he can make PMQs go on as long as he likes."

It is the second time the MP, who was suspended from the parliamentary Labour Party last year and sits as an independent in the Commons, has hit out at the Speaker over the incident.

"I don't know whose interests the Speaker thinks he is serving. But it is not the interests of the Commons or democracy," she said afterwards.

It comes after a row which was sparked following the emergence of racist comments that Tory donor Frank Hester reportedly made, that the MP made him "want to hate all black women" and that she "should be shot".

An ally of the Speaker told Sky News that Ms Abbott could have asked for a point of order at the session, suggesting that would have been granted.

But they pointed to parliamentary protocol - and there being so many MPs on the ballot to ask questions - as to why Ms Abbott was not called to speak.

On Saturday, crowds of people gathered outside the Home Office to show support for Ms Abbott and to protest against the rise of racism and hatred.

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Activists gathered in central London for the Stop The Hate national demonstration - organised by the charity Stand Up To Racism and trade unions - which included a rally and a march to Whitehall.

Under a large police presence, pink smoke was set off as demonstrators held a dance party in front of Downing Street between the Cenotaph and The Women of World War II memorial.

Loud cheers broke out as Labour MP John McDonnell, who was shadow chancellor under Jeremy Corbyn, told the crowd he was there to show solidarity to "my friend, my colleague, my comrade, Diane Abbott".

He told Sky News that the way Ms Abbott has been treated by the Labour Party is "unfair and unjust".

Reacting to Ms Abbott not being called on during PMQs he said: "I've been in Parliament 27 years, normally when someone mentions you in Parliament you have the right to be called and address what has been said.

"She should have been called, and even now, I cannot fathom why that didn't happen."

The protest in Whitehall came a day after a rally in Hackney, east London, where Ms Abbott was greeted with cheers and chants of "I stand with Diane" after the Tory donor's reported offensive remarks.

The MP said the people of Hackney "stood by her - year after year, decade after decade".

In the wake of the race row, she said: "This is not about me, this is about the level of racism that is still in Britain. This is about the way that black women are disrespected."

Mr Hester, who is the chief executive of The Phoenix Partnership, said he was "deeply sorry" for the remarks, but insisted they had "nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin".

The Conservatives have faced pressure to return the money Mr Hester has donated to the party in the wake of the row, which is understood to total £15m since 2019.

After ministers and Downing Street refused to describe Mr Hester's comments as racist for most of Tuesday, the Prime Minister's spokesman finally labelled them as such in the evening.

Ms Abbott had the Labour whip removed from her last year following comments she made in the Observer in which she said Jewish, Irish and Traveller people do not face "racism" but instead suffer prejudice similar to "redheads" - something for which she later apologised.

On Friday night, The Independent reported Ms Abbott had not had the whip restored because she refused to take part in antisemitism training - a claim she rejected as a "blatantly shoddy piece of journalism".

Source: SKY
 
China "state-affiliated actors" have been blamed by the government for two cyber attack campaigns in the UK

Making a speech in the Commons, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden revealed the two incidents involved an attack on the Electoral Commission - responsible for overseeing elections and political finance - in 2021, and targeted attacks against China-sceptic MPs.

He confirmed the Foreign Office would be summoning the Chinese ambassador "to account for China's conduct in these incidents", and that the UK, alongside international partners such as the US, would be issuing sanctions.

Mr Dowden told MPs: "The cyber threat posed by China affiliated actors is real and it is serious, but it is more than equalled by our determination and resolve to resist it.

"That is how we defend ourselves and our precious democracy."

According to the National Cyber Security Center, the incident at the commission, discovered in 2022, saw the Electoral Roll compromised, including the names and addresses of tens of millions of voters.

But "reconnaissance activity" in 2021, targeting the accounts of former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, former Conservative education minister Tim Loughton, crossbench peer Lord Alton of Liverpool and SNP MP Stewart McDonald was unsuccessful.

The latter of the campaigns was blamed on the APT31 group, also known as Judgement Panda or Zirconium, but a specific entity has not been named for the Electoral Commission attack.

However, the Foreign Office has confirmed it is placing sanctions on a front company, the Wuhan Xiaoruizhi Science and Technology Company, and two actors involved in the operations of APT31, Zhao Guangzong and Ni Gaobin - a move echoed by the US government.

Mr Dowden said the two incidents, were "completely unacceptable" and demonstrated "a clear and persistent pattern of behaviour that signal signals hostile intent from China".

He added: "The UK does not accept that China's relationship with the United Kingdom is set on a predetermined course. But this depends on the choices that China makes.

"That is why the Foreign Office will be summoning the Chinese ambassador to account for China's conduct in these incidents.

"The UK's policy towards China is anchored in our core national interests. Where it is consistent with these interests, we will engage with the Chinese government, but we will not hesitate to take and robust actions wherever the Chinese government threatens the United Kingdom's interests."

In response, a Chinese Embassy spokesperson said the cyber attacks highlighted by the UK government were "completely fabricated and malicious slanders".

They added: "China has always firmly fought all forms of cyber attacks according to law. China does not encourage, support or condone cyber attacks.

"At the same time, we oppose the politicisation of cyber security issues and the baseless denigration of other countries without factual evidence.

"We urge the relevant parties in the UK to stop spreading false information and stop their self-staged, anti-China political farce."

Those MPs targeted by the attacks - all members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) who probe Beijing's activities - were briefed by parliament's director of security on Monday.

Speaking at a press conference afterwards, Sir Iain said the group had been "subjected to harassment, impersonation and attempted hacking from China for some time", but insisted MPs would not be "bullied into silence by Beijing".

He called for a "watershed moment" from the government that would see the UK "take a stand for values of human rights and the international rules-based system on which we all depend".

Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron is also set to brief the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs later, where the topic is likely to be top of the agenda.


news.sky.com

China responsible for two 'malicious' cyber attack campaigns in UK, says Dowden

The deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden blames "state-affiliated actors" for the incidents targeting the Electoral Commission and individual MPs. But Tory MPs criticise the "feeble" response to the attacks by the British government.
news.sky.com news.sky.com
 
FearlessRoar said:
China "state-affiliated actors" have been blamed by the government for two cyber attack campaigns in the UK

Making a speech in the Commons, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden revealed the two incidents involved an attack on the Electoral Commission - responsible for overseeing elections and political finance - in 2021, and targeted attacks against China-sceptic MPs.

He confirmed the Foreign Office would be summoning the Chinese ambassador "to account for China's conduct in these incidents", and that the UK, alongside international partners such as the US, would be issuing sanctions.

Mr Dowden told MPs: "The cyber threat posed by China affiliated actors is real and it is serious, but it is more than equalled by our determination and resolve to resist it.

"That is how we defend ourselves and our precious democracy."

According to the National Cyber Security Center, the incident at the commission, discovered in 2022, saw the Electoral Roll compromised, including the names and addresses of tens of millions of voters.

But "reconnaissance activity" in 2021, targeting the accounts of former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, former Conservative education minister Tim Loughton, crossbench peer Lord Alton of Liverpool and SNP MP Stewart McDonald was unsuccessful.

The latter of the campaigns was blamed on the APT31 group, also known as Judgement Panda or Zirconium, but a specific entity has not been named for the Electoral Commission attack.

However, the Foreign Office has confirmed it is placing sanctions on a front company, the Wuhan Xiaoruizhi Science and Technology Company, and two actors involved in the operations of APT31, Zhao Guangzong and Ni Gaobin - a move echoed by the US government.

Mr Dowden said the two incidents, were "completely unacceptable" and demonstrated "a clear and persistent pattern of behaviour that signal signals hostile intent from China".

He added: "The UK does not accept that China's relationship with the United Kingdom is set on a predetermined course. But this depends on the choices that China makes.

"That is why the Foreign Office will be summoning the Chinese ambassador to account for China's conduct in these incidents.

"The UK's policy towards China is anchored in our core national interests. Where it is consistent with these interests, we will engage with the Chinese government, but we will not hesitate to take and robust actions wherever the Chinese government threatens the United Kingdom's interests."

In response, a Chinese Embassy spokesperson said the cyber attacks highlighted by the UK government were "completely fabricated and malicious slanders".

They added: "China has always firmly fought all forms of cyber attacks according to law. China does not encourage, support or condone cyber attacks.

"At the same time, we oppose the politicisation of cyber security issues and the baseless denigration of other countries without factual evidence.

"We urge the relevant parties in the UK to stop spreading false information and stop their self-staged, anti-China political farce."

Those MPs targeted by the attacks - all members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) who probe Beijing's activities - were briefed by parliament's director of security on Monday.

Speaking at a press conference afterwards, Sir Iain said the group had been "subjected to harassment, impersonation and attempted hacking from China for some time", but insisted MPs would not be "bullied into silence by Beijing".

He called for a "watershed moment" from the government that would see the UK "take a stand for values of human rights and the international rules-based system on which we all depend".

Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron is also set to brief the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs later, where the topic is likely to be top of the agenda.


news.sky.com

China responsible for two 'malicious' cyber attack campaigns in UK, says Dowden

The deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden blames "state-affiliated actors" for the incidents targeting the Electoral Commission and individual MPs. But Tory MPs criticise the "feeble" response to the attacks by the British government.
news.sky.com news.sky.com
Click to expand...

Chinese embassy dismisses 'completely fabricated' cyber attack claims​

The Chinese embassy in London has been quick to dismiss the deputy prime minister's statement about Beijing-backed cyber attacks against the UK.

"The so-called cyber attacks by China against the UK are completely fabricated and malicious slanders," said a spokesperson.
"We strongly oppose such accusations."

Beijing has "always firmly fought all forms of cyber attacks", they added, and "does not encourage, support or condone" such activity.

It accused the UK of a "politicisation of cyber security issues and the baseless denigration of other countries without factual evidence".

"We urge the relevant parties in the UK to stop spreading false information and stop their self-staged, anti-China political farce," it said.

Sky News
 

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson quits after sex offence charges​


Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has been charged with historical sexual offences and has quit as Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader.

A 57-year-old woman has also been charged with aiding and abetting in connection with the alleged offences.

They were both arrested on Thursday morning by PSNI detectives and were questioned before being charged on Thursday night.

They are now due to appear in court next month.

In a statement the DUP said: "The Party Chairman has received a letter from Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP confirming that he has been charged with allegations of an historical nature and indicating that he is stepping down as Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party with immediate effect.

"In accordance with the Party Rules, the Party Officers have suspended Mr Donaldson from membership, pending the outcome of a judicial process.

"The Party Officers have this morning unanimously appointed Mr Gavin Robinson MP as the Interim Party Leader."

Police issued a statement on Friday morning, but did not disclose the identity of those charged.

The statement said a 61-year-old man had been charged with "non-recent sexual offences" adding that a 57-year-old woman was also arrested at the same time and charged with "aiding and abetting additional offences".

The statement also confirmed the pair would appear before Newry Magistrates' Court on 24 April.

It is understood DUP officers met on Friday morning after details of the charges emerged.

Sir Jeffrey's social media accounts, including on X, were deleted overnight.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson was elected leader of the DUP in 2021.

He is also the longest serving MP in Northern Ireland having been first elected to Parliament in 1997.

Sir Jeffrey recently steered his party back in to government in Northern Ireland ending a two year boycott of the Stormont institutions.

The DUP had walked out of government in protest at the Northern Ireland Protocol, claiming the post-Brexit arrangements had undermined their place in the UK.

Sir Jeffrey was first elected to parliament in 1997 as a representative of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP).

In 2003, following long-standing opposition to the Good Friday Agreement and the leadership of David Trimble, he announced he would leave the UUP, later joining the DUP.

He was awarded a knighthood in 2016 for political service.

www.bbc.com

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson quits after sex offence charges

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson is charged with historical sexual offences and has been suspended from the DUP
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
 

Michelle O'Neill says there is no threat to Northern Ireland power sharing after Jeffrey Donaldson's resignation​

There is no threat to Northern Ireland's power-sharing agreement after the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) resigned over allegations of historical sexual offences, First Minister Michelle O'Neill has said.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson stepped down on Friday. It is understood he will be "strenuously contesting" all charges against him.

Sinn Fein vice president Ms O'Neill told Sky News she has approached the leaders of the three other parties in the ministerial executive in Belfast to ensure "cohesion" amid the political fallout.

The deal that restored power sharing earlier this year hinged on the backing of Donaldson.

"I think everybody was shocked," Ms O'Neill said of Friday's developments.

"[It's] a very challenging time, not least for those people that have come forward to the police."

She added: "I've spoken to the new interim leader of the DUP, Gavin Robinson. I've also spoken to my executive colleagues, the political leaders around the executive table, just in terms of the work that we have to do, that we need to prioritise cohesion and leadership through these times."

Source: SKY
 
Labour forecast to win landslide of over 400 seats, with YouGov poll predicting Tory wipeout at election

Labour are forecast to win a majority of 154 in a new poll conducted by YouGov - almost double what the Conservatives achieved with Boris Johnson in 2019.

Labour could be swept into power with a landslide of more than 400 seats at the next general election, according to the latest YouGov mega poll.

The survey of 18,000 people predicts Sir Keir Starmer's party will win a parliamentary majority of 154 - almost double what the Conservatives achieved with Boris Johnson in 2019.

The poll forecasts Labour will win 403 seats, a gain of 201, while the Tories will crash to just 155 seats - a loss of 210.

If correct, the result would be a worse defeat for the Conservatives than under Sir John Major in 1997, when the rise of Sir Tony Blair's New Labour left them with just 165 MPs.

Key Conservatives projected to lose their seats include Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, cabinet ministers Grant Shapps and Penny Mordaunt and former party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith.

Source: BBC
 
Did everyone get their postal vote reminder for the local elections?

I got one, followed by a leaflet from the new labour candidate in the area, change every year.

Going to be making good use of the leaflet when I’m on my final toilet roll.

You never see these snakes all year until a week or two before the vote.
 
I'm happy to see the Tories wiped out, but at same time I can't stand that Keir Starmer for backing Israel. These clowns think they can take the Muslim vote for granted.

I back the non voting same as the non committal movement in the US.
 

William Wragg: Tory MP at centre of Westminster sexting scandal quits parliamentary party​

William Wragg, who shared other politicians' personal numbers as part of a honeytrap sexting scam, has "voluntarily" given up the Conservative whip - meaning he will now sit as an independent MP in the Commons.

Mr Wragg, the MP for Hazel Grove, Greater Manchester, resigned on Monday as vice-chairman of the 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers and also stepped down from his role heading the Commons' public administration and constitutional affairs committee.

A spokesperson for the Tory whips said on Tuesday: "Following Will Wragg's decision to step back from his roles on the Public Accounts and 1922 committees, he has also notified the chief whip that he is voluntarily relinquishing the Conservative whip."

The move means Mr Wragg is no longer a member of the Conservative parliamentary party and will sit as an independent MP, rather than a Tory MP, in the chamber.

His decision to voluntarily give up the party whip came after he apologised last week after admitting to The Times that he had given his colleagues' phone numbers to someone he met on a dating app.

Scotland Yard has said it is investigating reports of the so-called "honeytrap" scam after it was suggested at least 12 men in political circles received unsolicited messages, raising security concerns.

Mr Wragg, who has already announced he is standing down at the next election, told the newspaper: "They had compromising things on me. They wouldn't leave me alone.

"They would ask for people. I gave them some numbers, not all of them. I told him to stop. He's manipulated me and now I've hurt other people.

"I got chatting to a guy on an app and we exchanged pictures. We were meant to meet up for drinks, but then didn't.

"Then he started asking for numbers of people. I was worried because he had stuff on me. He gave me a WhatsApp number, which doesn't work now. I've hurt people by being weak.

"I was scared. I'm mortified. I'm so sorry that my weakness has caused other people hurt."

While some MPs have praised Mr Wragg for his apology, others were less sympathetic and called on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to remove the whip.

Following Mr Wragg's decision, a senior Tory told Sky News: "Rishi is so weak Wragg decided he'd have to fire himself instead."

Pat McFadden, Labour's national campaign coordinator, agreed, saying: "The fact it was left to William Wragg to resign is another indictment of Rishi Sunak's weakness.

"His MPs were left yet again being sent out to defend a position that has collapsed.

"Rishi Sunak puts party management first every time - and he can't even do that properly. It is no way to run a country."

Speaking to the Politics Hub on Sky News, Conservative Party chair Richard Holden said Mr Wragg had done "the right thing" by giving up the whip of his own accord.

"He's already issued a fulsome apology, he's resigned from the 1922 committee executive... and he's also given up the Conservative whip," Mr Holden told host Adam Parsons.

"I think we already knew he wouldn't be standing at the next election, he's already announced he's standing down, so yes I think that was the right thing to have done."

Asked whether Mr Wragg's decision to give up the whip suggested the prime minister was too "weak" to do it himself, Mr Holden said: "I think it's pretty clear what's happened here.

"William Wragg has made his decision and I think that's the right thing."

He pointed to the ongoing police investigation and said: "I think it's important that we allow those investigations to continue."

Source: SKY
 
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