Jumat, 19 April 2024

Rwanda bill: what does the latest delay mean? - The Guardian

Rishi Sunak’s plan to fly people seeking asylum to Rwanda this spring appears to have been put back to the summer after House of Lords insisted on changes to the scheme.

On Thursday the prime minister’s spokesperson said the Lords were responsible for any delay after attaching unwanted amendments to the deportation bill.

Pressed on whether spring was still the target, the spokesperson told reporters: “I’m not going to get ahead of the bill passing, which obviously we’ve seen again last night has continued to be held up.”

Below, we examine what the impact will be on the scheme and what will happen next.

Where does the latest delay leave the Rwanda deportation bill?

The bill, with two Lords amendments attached, still has to be voted through both houses before it can be given royal assent after being passed between them three times. In parliamentary jargon, it is stuck in “ping pong”.

It will be voted upon by MPs on Monday before moving to the Lords later that day.

The government says it will resist pressure to offer a compromise to peers, who want to ensure that it allows an independent committee to decide whether Rwanda is a safe country, and exempts Afghans who helped British troops from deportation to Rwanda.

What is ‘ping pong’?

The process by which proposed new laws are sent back and forth between the Houses of Parliament – Commons and Lords – if they do not agree on the wording of a bill.

A coalition of cross-bench, Tory rebel and opposition peers are refusing to back down over two issues – the rights of Afghans and scrutiny of the treatment of refugees in east Africa.

Will the bill pass?

The Lords could hold out for more rounds of ping pong – many peers remain furious with the proposed bill.

Usually there is some form of compromise or the Lords give way to the elected chamber. But in theory it could continue until “double insistence” takes place – both sides refuse to back down over an amendment – and then the bill is lost.

This is extremely rare but not without precedent – it happened to the European Parliamentary Elections Bill 1997–98. Government sources believe the Rwanda bill will go through on Monday.

What happens if and when the bill goes through?

It will be a minor political triumph which Sunak is expected to grab with both hands. Expect a press conference or a Downing Street lectern.

When will planes take off for Rwanda?

Home Office sources say that flights are unlikely to take off before late June, more likely July.

Why the delays?

Asylum seekers are expected to challenge their removal on a case-by-case basis, which could lead to their immediate removal from a flight.

The bill allows challenges if a detainee faces a “real, imminent and foreseeable risk of serious irreversible harm if removed to Rwanda”.

People suffering serious mental or physical conditions, victims of torture and anyone who is shown to be suicidal could launch a challenge on these grounds.

Some delays could be due to the appeals process. Many people subject to removal will have eight days to lodge claims and they will need to present compelling evidence to support their case.

Where the Home Office refused the claim without a right to appeal, permission to appeal will need to be obtained within 23 working days.

What other issues have been expressed about deportations?

Lawyers representing asylum seekers are deeply concerned that there will be a risk of suicide among those told they are being removed to Rwanda.

Unions representing border guards have expressed concern that some claimants may resort to attacking their members in order to avoid being deported.

The ISU union – which represents frontline Border Force and immigration workers – said its members were concerned about potential physical resistance from people being taken into detention for Rwanda flights, and on the plane itself.

Lucy Moreton, an ISU professional officer, said: “Given the undertaking that we will not send anyone with a criminal record to Rwanda, and given the high stakes involved, there is serious concern that migrants may take to assaulting staff as a way to avoid removal.”

Any other obstacles before a flight takes off?

Ministers have not confirmed if they have secured the planes which can deport large numbers of people.

Although the Home Office says there are many options on the table, officials have said they are struggling to confirm airlines willing to facilitate mass deportations.

The Times reported on Tuesday that AirTanker, an aviation company that provides a fleet of 14 airbuses to the RAF to fuel and transport the military, is being lined up to take people to Rwanda.

AirTanker – whose involvement in talks over the Rwanda plan was revealed by the Guardian – declined to comment.

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2024-04-19 04:02:00Z
CBMiW2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZWd1YXJkaWFuLmNvbS91ay1uZXdzLzIwMjQvYXByLzE5L3J3YW5kYS1iaWxsLXdoYXQtZG9lcy10aGUtbGF0ZXN0LWRlbGF5LW1lYW7SAVtodHRwczovL2FtcC50aGVndWFyZGlhbi5jb20vdWstbmV3cy8yMDI0L2Fwci8xOS9yd2FuZGEtYmlsbC13aGF0LWRvZXMtdGhlLWxhdGVzdC1kZWxheS1tZWFu

Rishi Sunak sets out plans to tackle 'sick note culture' - BBC

Rishi SunakPA Media

Rishi Sunak wants to strip GPs of their power to sign people off work as part of a plan to tackle what he calls the UK's "sick note culture".

The prime minister claims benefits have become a "lifestyle choice" for some, causing a "spiralling" welfare bill.

If the Tories win the general election, unspecified "specialist work and health professionals" would be given the job of issuing sick notes in England.

Labour says the government has "run out of ideas".

In a speech, Mr Sunak said a "worrying" proportion of younger potential workers were among a record high of 2.8m people out of work as of February 2024.

"There's nothing compassionate about leaving a generation of young people to sit alone in the dark before a flickering screen watching as their dreams slip further from reach every single day," he said.

Mr Sunak also said, if the Conservatives win the general election, those who were still out of work after 12 months after support from a work coach will have "their benefits removed entirely".

He denied claims his plans lacked compassion, arguing that there would still be a "safety net" for "those who genuinely need it".

But he added: "We don't just need to change the sick note, we need to change the sick note culture so the default becomes what work you can do - not what you can't."

Mr Sunak said not acting would be "irresponsible" when he claimed the current £69bn welfare bill is forecast to rise by more than 50% over the next four years.

Part of that change would be more "objective assessment", Mr Sunak said, claiming the system is currently being "undermined" by "subjective and unverifiable claims" about capability.

The government will launch a consultation on toughening up the eligibility criteria for personal independence payments (PIP) by demanding "greater medical evidence" about the type and severity of mental health conditions.

'Ongoing onslaught'

"All of which will make the system fairer and harder to exploit," said Mr Sunak, adding PIP bank transfers could be replaced by "access to treatment like talking therapies or respite care".

However, Mr Sunak was unable to provide any details about which "specialist professionals" would be given the job of issuing fit notes and whether they would have to be recruited.

Richard Kramer, chief executive at disability charity Sense, said the speech was "unbelievably damaging and unhelpful" and falsely portrayed disabled people "as shirkers" when many want to work but are prevented from doing so by negative attitudes, unfair recruiting practices and a lack of support and equipment.

"The government's ongoing onslaught on disabled people is hard to watch, with the prime minister today taking aim at people who are long-term sick in a cruel speech demonising people with 'sick notes'," he added.

NHS data showed almost 11m fit notes were issued last year in England, with 94% of those signed "not fit for work".

A call for evidence will be published on Friday seeking responses from healthcare professionals, employers, and those with lived experiences asking how the current process works and how it can be improved.

'Locked out of work'

Ahead of Mr Sunak's speech on Friday, Alison McGovern, Labour's acting shadow work and pensions secretary, attacked the PM for re-announcing a policy when, she claimed, his government had left a record number of people "locked out of work because they are sick".

She said: "A healthy nation is critical to a healthy economy, but the Tories have completely failed on both."

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said the speech was "desperate" when millions are unable to access NHS hospitals, GPs and mental health support.

He said: "Rishi Sunak is attempting to blame the British people for his own government's failures on the economy and the NHS and it simply won't wash."

Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer said the prime minister "should be fixing the NHS... not blaming people who are ill."

She added: "We would invest in mending the health and social care system, not denying people the right to see a GP when they need it."

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2024-04-19 10:09:51Z
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Kamis, 18 April 2024

Nicola Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell re-arrested amid police investigation into SNP funding and finances - Sky News

Nicola Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell, who is a former SNP chief executive, has been re-arrested amid a police investigation into the party's funding and finances.

It comes more than a year after Mr Murrell, 59, was first arrested and released without charge, which saw the couple's home searched by police and a blue forensics tent erected outside the property.

On Thursday, Police Scotland said: "The man, who was previously arrested as a suspect on 5 April 2023, was taken into custody at 9.13am and is being questioned by Police Scotland detectives.

"The matter remains active for the purposes of the Contempt of Court Act 1981 and the public are therefore advised to exercise caution if discussing it on social media.

"As the investigation is ongoing we are unable to comment further at this time."

The police inquiry - dubbed Operation Branchform - has been ongoing since July 2021.

Ex-party treasurer MSP Colin Beattie has been arrested and released as part of the probe, as has former first minister and ex-SNP leader Ms Sturgeon.

More on Nicola Sturgeon

Following her arrest in June 2023, Ms Sturgeon said: "The thing that sustains me right now is the certainty that I have done nothing wrong."

Officers from Police Scotland outside the home of former chief executive of the Scottish National Party (SNP) Peter Murrell, in Uddingston, Glasgow, after he was "released without charge pending further investigation", after he was arrested on Wednesday as part of a probe into the party's finances. Picture date: Thursday April 6, 2023.
Image: Police Scotland officers searched Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell's home last year. Pic: PA
Officers from Police Scotland outside the home of former chief executive of the Scottish National Party (SNP) Peter Murrell, in Uddingston, Glasgow, after he was "released without charge pending further investigation", after he was arrested on Wednesday as part of a probe into the party's finances. Picture date: Thursday April 6, 2023.
Image: Pic: PA

The SNP previously said it was "cooperating fully" with the probe and would continue to do so.

On Thursday, a spokesperson said: "It would be inappropriate to comment at this stage."

The long-running inquiry is linked to the spending of around £600,000 raised by SNP supporters to be earmarked for Scottish independence campaigning. It is understood there have been complaints the ringfenced cash has been used improperly by being spent elsewhere.

In July last year, then Police Scotland chief constable Sir Iain Livingstone said Operation Branchform had "moved beyond what some of the initial reports were".

He said he would not put an "absolute timeframe" on the length of the investigation, but that it would be "proportionate and timeous".

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon poses for the media with husband Peter Murrell, outside polling station in Glasgow, Scotland, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019. U.K. voters are deciding Thursday who they want to resolve the stalemate over Brexit in a parliamentary election widely seen as one of the most decisive in modern times. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)
Image: Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell in 2019. Pic: PA

Mr Murrell stepped down as SNP chief executive in March 2023 after more than 20 years in the role.

His resignation came amid the party leadership contest to replace his wife after it was revealed SNP membership numbers had dropped by around 30,000 since 2021.

The SNP previously called the reports "both malicious and wholly inaccurate". Shouldering the blame for the party's responses to the media over membership numbers, Mr Murrell admitted: "While there was no intent to mislead, I accept that this has been the outcome."

Officers from Police Scotland outside the headquarters of the Scottish National Party (SNP) in Edinburgh following the arrest of former chief executive Peter Murrell. Police Scotland are conducting searches at a number of properties in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the party. Picture date: Wednesday April 5, 2023.
Image: Police also searched the SNP headquarters in Edinburgh. Pic: PA

Following Mr Murrell's arrest last year, the SNP's headquarters in Edinburgh was searched, and a camper van, thought to be worth around £110,000, was seized from outside the Fife home of his mother.

Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy said the re-arrest of Mr Murrell was "an extremely serious development".

The Tory MSP said: "It's essential that all SNP staff and politicians, past and present, cooperate fully with Police Scotland."

He added that "this complex investigation has been going on for three years and it's vital that the SNP are fully open and transparent so that the police can finally conclude their probe".

Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie said: "This is another incredibly concerning development in this long-running investigation.

"It is essential that Police Scotland is able to proceed with this investigation without interference."

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2024-04-18 17:24:32Z
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Police bust cyber gang accused of industrial-scale worldwide fraud - Evening Standard

Online fraudsters think they can act with impunity. They believe they can hide behind digital identities and platforms such as LabHost and have absolute confidence these sites are impenetrable by policing. But this operation and others over the last year show how law enforcement worldwide can, and will, come together with one another and private sector partners to dismantle international fraud networks at source

Dame Lynn Owens, Met Police

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2024-04-18 13:54:40Z
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Scotland to abandon pledge to cut carbon emissions by 75% by 2030 - The Guardian

Climate campaigners have accused Scottish ministers of being “inept” and “short-termist” after they scrapped Scotland’s target to cut carbon emissions by 75% by 2030.

Màiri McAllan, the Scottish net zero secretary, confirmed her government had abandoned that target and would also drop legally binding annual targets on reducing carbon emissions, after damning criticism from a UK advisory committee.

In what opposition politicians labelled a “humiliating” climbdown, McAllan said Scotland would instead follow the lead of the UK and Welsh governments by adopting five-yearly “carbon budgets” aimed at meeting its zero emissions target date of 2045.

McAllan told MSPs this decision had been heavily influenced by the UK climate change committee, which said last month the 2030 target was “no longer credible” because of inadequate action on home heating, transport, farming and nature restoration by Scottish ministers.

She said the 2030 target had always been stretching, and claimed the new approach was simply a pragmatic response, acknowledging the huge scale of the task that involved “minor legislative amendments”.

But Prof Piers Forster, the CCC’s interim chair, said scrapping the 2030 target was “deeply disappointing” as it undermined effective climate action, and he urged McAllan to set out the new commitments as soon as possible.

“Interim targets and plans to deliver against them are what makes any net zero commitment credible,” he said. “They are essential for enabling a stable transition. Long-term planning is vital for businesses, citizens and future parliaments. Today that has been undermined.”

Friends of the Earth Scotland, previously a supporter of Scotland’s efforts to be a “world leader” on climate action, said this reversal was “the worst environmental decision in the history of the Scottish parliament”.

Imogen Dow, its head of campaigns, said: “Instead of using the past decade to deliver warm homes, reliable public transport and a fair transition away from fossil fuels, inept, short-termist politicians have kept millions of people trapped in the broken status quo that only benefits big polluters.”

Jamie Livingstone, the head of Oxfam Scotland, said the decision was a “reprehensible retreat caused by [the Scottish government’s] recklessly inadequate level of action to date. With scientists linking deadly heatwaves in west Africa to climate change and Dubai drowning in a deluge of rain, the urgency of climate action couldn’t be clearer.”

The rollback is doubly difficult for Scottish ministers because Nicola Sturgeon, the previous first minister, had made the climate crisis one of her government’s top priorities. She was the first UK leader to acknowledge the planet faced a climate emergency.

Sturgeon signed a power-sharing deal with the Scottish Green party in 2021 which prioritised climate action, and then posed with Greta Thunberg at the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow later that year.

Graham Simpson, a Scottish Conservative MSP, said it was a surprise that Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater, the Scottish Green co-leaders who signed that agreement, had not resigned their ministerial posts in embarrassment. Harvie said the Greens were still driving change.

The Scottish government now has to table urgent legislation to scrap Holyrood’s current climate act, which sets annual targets, and instead use carbon budgets. Those five-yearly budgets set a ceiling for how much CO2 can be emitted in those time periods.

McAllan said the Scottish government would quadruple the number of electric vehicle chargers, “explore” a new integrated public transport ticket system, pilot emissions reduction schemes on livestock farms, consult on a new carbon tax for large rural estates, and use rates relief to subsidise green energy for businesses.

Livingstone said these “largely recycled measures represent baby steps forward rather than the giant leaps needed and are a thinly veiled distraction from ministers’ failure to deliver their existing climate commitments”.

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2024-04-18 15:52:00Z
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Angela Rayner to claim renovation as defence over council house investigation - The Independent

Angela Rayner is expected to claim that she did not have to pay capital gains tax when she sold her former house due to a kitchen renovation, as the row over her housing affairs rumbles on.

The deputy Labour leader is likely to argue that enhancements she made to her former council house have offset the tax she would have paid had it not been her primary property, according to TheTimes.

It comes as the police are investigating “tax matters and other issues” in connection with Ms Rayner’s housing affairs, including whether she broke electoral law, whether she paid the correct amount of capital gains tax when she sold her property, and what the council tax arrangements were at her former house.

The shadow levelling-up secretary is expected to provide a raft of legal and financial documents – which could include utility bills, payslips and bank account details – as evidence to show that her own home was her primary residence.

The probe into Ms Rayner’s tax affairs was launched after Conservative MP and deputy party chair James Daly complained after the Greater Manchester Police previously said it would not be investigating the allegations. Mr Daly said he had been made aware of neighbours contradicting Ms Rayner’s statement that her property, separate from her husband’s, was her main residence.

James Daly (right) complained to the Greater Manchester Police about Ms Rayner’s former living arrangements (Sky News)

Ms Rayner has always maintained that her house was her primary residence, but it is now alleged that she will claim that she would not have been required to pay capital gains when she sold her former council house because of work she did to the property, meaning that there was no tax liability.

It comes as tax experts have warned that the tax affairs of the husband of the Ashton-under-Lyne MP may also come under scrutiny if it is shown that he also did not pay capital gains tax when he sold his property.

Tax experts have said that if Vicarage Road was her main residence and she did not pay capital gains tax on it, it would have automatically become her husband’s primary residence for tax purposes too.

Instead, the house her husband owned around a mile away on Lowndes Lane would have been subject to capital gains tax when it was sold. Married couples cannot legally have two primary residences for tax purposes.

Nimesh Shah, a tax expert at Blick Rothenberg, told the Telegraph newspaper: “Married couples are only permitted to claim private residence relief [on capital gains tax] on one property.

“If Mark Rayner has claimed PRR on Lowndes Lane in full, the Rayners have certainly had two bites of the cherry and it seems highly implausible, under the PRR rules and what we know, that that would have been possible.”

The shadow levelling up secretary has promised to resign if she is found to have committed a crime but has stated that she is confident that she has done nothing wrong.

The Labour party said it remains confident Ms Rayner has complied with the rules, and the Ashton-under-Lyne MP “welcomes the chance to set out the facts with the police”.

Senior former Conservative figures have also defended the MP. Nick Boles, who was an MP for nine years, said the attacks were “one of the most grotesque spectacles of hypocrisy I have ever witnessed”, while former Conservative MP Matthew Parris condemned what he called “the hounding” of the Labour MP, dubbing it “outrageous: brutal, snobbish and completely out of proportion to any mistake she may (or may not) have made”.

Sir Keir Starmer has maintained confidence in his deputy as the probe into her tax affairs rumbles on (Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)

Former regional chief crown prosecutor Nazir Afzal also said that “based on what’s in the public domain”, the CPS would take no action against Ms Rayner.

Sir Keir has previously welcomed the police investigation into Ms Rayner’s council house sale and said it will allow a “line to be drawn” on the issue.

A number of legal experts have pointed out that even if Ms Rayner were found to have provided false information, it is unlikely any further action would be taken.

Scott Wortley, a law lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, says that any potential prosecution should have been launched within a year of the suspected crime.

Providing false information is an offence under Section 13D of the Representation of the People Act 1983, but the legislation imposes a time limit of a year for bringing any charge. As the allegations surrounding Ms Rayner relate to before 2015, this suggests it is unlikely that she could be prosecuted.

Magistrates may extend that deadline in certain circumstances, but only by another year, according to the act.

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2024-04-18 11:04:47Z
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Battle over Rishi Sunak's Rwanda plan ramps up as Lords reject MPs' plea - live - The Independent

Related video: MP who made Rayner complaint unable to explain what offence he thinks she committed

The House of Lords has snubbed fresh ministerial calls to back down in the tense stand-off over Rishi Sunak’s asylum plan – and insisted on a requirement that Rwanda cannot be treated as safe until promised protections are in place.

Peers voted by 245 votes to 208, majority 37. The fresh setback for means the wrangling will continue, after MPs again rejected amendments to the government’s flagship Rwanda Bill, renewing their battle with the Lords.

Peers had on Tuesday voted to amend the legislation for a third time, but MPs voted on Wednesday afternoon against four key amendments, including one to exempt asylum-seekers who aided UK troops overseas, such as Afghan special forces, from deportation to Rwanda.

Downing Street ruled out making concessions on its Safety of Rwanda Bill.

The government had been reportedly considering concessions, including exemptions for Afghans who assisted British forces, but the prime minister’s official spokesman ruled out any such move.

Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer accused “billionaires” Rishi Sunak and Tory peer Lord Ashcroft of “smearing a working class woman”, his deputy, Angela Rayner.

The pair have criticised Ms Rayner over the sale of her former council house, suggesting she may have failed to pay capital gains tax or given false information.

Also at Prime Minister’s Questions, Rishi Sunak refused to rule out cuts to the NHS and state pensions to fund a £46bn national insurance giveaway.

1713424394

In full: Defiant Lords back Afghan heroes and refuse to pass Sunak’s plan to deport asylum seekers

Peers voted on Wednesday night in favour of an amendment to the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill that would exempt Afghan heroes who supported UK troops overseas from being deported.

Full report:

Matt Mathers18 April 2024 08:13
1713424300

The Rwanda bill explained: What is the controversial policy and what happens next?

Last night the House of Lords again rejected the government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.

But what is the Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, when was the idea conceived and how will it work if made law?

Here’s everything we know about the plan:

Matt Mathers18 April 2024 08:11
1713424066

Shapps: Government will do ‘whatever we need to’ to get flights off to Rwanda

The government will do “whatever we need to do” to fly asylum seekers to Rwanda, Grant Shapps has said in response to the suggestion the RAF could be used for deportation flights.

Asked whether he would allow RAF aircraft to be used, the defence secretary told Sky News: “We will do whatever we need to do to make sure that we can get these flights off, whether they are charter flights or other kinds of flights.”

He added that which aircraft took asylum seekers to Rwanda was a “secondary issue”.

Matt Mathers18 April 2024 08:07
1713416400

No Downing Street flea problem after ‘vast’ expense of new carpets, says Hunt

Jeremy Hunt tackled the flea problem Liz Truss highlighted in Downing Street by replacing the carpets at “vast” personal expense.

In her book 10 Years To Save The West, Ms Truss – who lived in the more spacious No 11 flat rather than the accommodation above No 10 – said “the place was infested with fleas”, possibly due to Boris Johnson’s dog Dilyn although “there was no conclusive evidence”.

Ms Truss said “the entire place had to be sprayed with flea killer” and “I spent several weeks itching”.

At an event in Washington DC, Mr Hunt confirmed he had taken a more drastic, and expensive, approach.

“I actually live in the flat that Liz Truss lived in and Boris Johnson lived in before that,” he said.

“She was only there for less than 50 days. I had a little bit longer, when I knew I was going to be moving in there, and I replaced all the carpets at my own expense – vast expense because it had to be a security-cleared company that did it.

“So I’m pleased to say that the Hunt family has not had the flea problem.”

Barney Davis18 April 2024 06:00
1713412800

The Rwanda bill explained: What is the controversial policy and what happens next?

Ministers have designed legislation to get round legal objections and say flights could take off within weeks – but a potential stumbling block remains.

Jane Dalton explains:

Barney Davis18 April 2024 05:00
1713409200

ICYMI: Rishi Sunak forces through vote for total ban on smoking for those born after 2009

Full report:

Barney Davis18 April 2024 04:00
1713405593

Jeremy Hunt refuses to say ‘anything negative’ about Liz Truss

Jeremy Hunt refuses to say ‘anything negative’ about Liz Truss

Jeremy Hunt refused to say "anything negative" about Liz Truss as she "appointed him as chancellor." When asked by Sky News if he thought the former prime minister, who has been critical of government policy, is currently being helpful for the Conservative Party, the cabinet minister would not cast aspersions on his colleague. "I think Liz will be the first to accept that during her time as prime minister, mistakes were made," Mr Hunt said of Ms Truss's 49 days in office, in which the pound hit a 37-year low against the dollar. "She appointed me as chancellor, so I don't want to say anything negative about Liz Truss," he added.

Barney Davis18 April 2024 02:59
1713402000

Defiant Lords back Afghan heroes and refuse to pass Sunak’s plan to deport asylum seekers

Peers voted on Wednesday night in favour of an amendment to the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill that would exempt Afghan heroes who supported UK troops overseas from being deported.

They also insisted on a monitoring committee to assess whether Rwanda is safe before the government sends asylum seekers there.

Barney Davis18 April 2024 02:00
1713394860

‘Billionaire prime minister smearing a working class woman,’ Starmer says

Sir Keir Starmer has accused “billionaires” Rishi Sunak and Tory peer Lord Ashcroft of “smearing a working class woman” Angela Rayner, Archie Mitchell reports.

The pair have repeatedly criticised Ms Rayner over the sale of her former council house in 2015, suggesting she may have failed to pay due capital gains tax or given false information about her address.

After Mr Sunak referenced the investigation into Ms Rayner at PMQs, Sir Keir said: “We’ve got a billionaire prime minister and a billionaire colleague both of whose families have used schemes to avoid millions of pounds in tax smearing a working class woman.”

Barney Davis18 April 2024 00:01
1713391378

A Tory MP is being investigated by the party following claims he misused campaign funds

Mark Menzies is facing allegations he made a late-night call to a 78-year-old aide asking for help because he had been locked up by “bad people” demanding thousands of pounds for his release.

The Fylde MP disputes the allegations reported by The Times but the Conservative Party is looking into the claims and taking them seriously.

According to the newspaper, £14,000 given by donors for use on Tory campaign activities was transferred to Mr Menzies’ personal bank accounts and used for private medical expenses.

The MP, who is one of Rishi Sunak’s trade envoys, is also said to have called his 78-year-old former campaign manager at 3.15am one morning in December, claiming he was locked in a flat and needed £5,000 as a matter of “life and death”.

The sum, which rose to £6,500, was eventually paid by his office manager from her personal bank account and subsequently reimbursed from funds raised from donors in an account named Fylde Westminster Group, it is alleged.

According to a source close to Mr Menzies, the MP had met a man on an online dating website and gone to the man’s flat, before subsequently going with another man to a second address where he continued drinking. He was sick at one point and several people at the address demanded £5,000, claiming it was for cleaning up and other expenses.

Mark Menzies (Richard Townshend/UK Parliament/PA)
Mark Menzies (Richard Townshend/UK Parliament/PA) (PA Media)
Barney Davis17 April 2024 23:02

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