Natalie Elphicke: Labour insists ex-Tory MP is 'good fit' for party - BBC.com

Labour has defended welcoming Tory defector Natalie Elphicke into the party after anger from some backbench MPs at the decision.

Labour chair Anneliese Dodds said the Dover MP was a "good, natural fit" for her party.

Some Labour MPs have expressed concern about Mrs Elphicke's political views and past criticism of Labour.

"People can change their minds," Ms Dodds said.

Mrs Elphicke defected to Labour in a surprise move on Wednesday, hitting out at the "broken promises of Rishi Sunak's tired and chaotic government".

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Ms Dodds said: "What she set out [in her statement] is absolutely fundamental to the Labour Party."

She added: "Natalie Elphicke is not the first Conservative MP who's taken this decision... [she's] taken the same decision as so many other former Conservative supporters up and down the country.

"I think it's absolutely right she's done so because she's clearly here putting her constituents first."

Mrs Elphicke has said she will not be standing to remain as an MP at the general election and has not been offered a peerage by Labour as a reward for defecting. She will be given an unpaid role advising Labour on housing policy.

She has campaigned for rent freezes and against homelessness - areas where she has common ground with Labour.

But she has also previously accused Labour of being soft on human rights and migration.

Many Labour MPs are deeply uncomfortable with remarks she made about her ex-husband Charlie Elphicke, whom she replaced as Dover MP in 2019.

In an interview with the Sun after his conviction in 2020 for sexual assault, she was reported to have said being "attractive" and "attracted to women" had made him an "easy target".

She has not commented on those previous remarks since defecting on Wednesday.

Labour said: "all those issues have been dealt with previously both in Parliament and in public."

But Jess Phillips, the former shadow minister for domestic violence and safeguarding, said Mrs Elphicke should "account for her actions".

The Labour MP told ITV's Peston: "I'm all for forgiveness but I do think that that needs some explaining."

Leader of the Opposition Keir Starmer said on Wednesday he was "delighted" with her defection, telling reporters it showed Labour was "the party of the national interest".

In her defection statement, Mrs Elphicke said Labour had "changed out of all recognition" under Keir Starmer and now occupied the "centre ground" in British politics.

"For me key deciding factors have been housing and the safety and security of our borders," she added.

It is the second defection to Labour for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in less than two weeks, after Dr Dan Poulter also quit the Tories last month. Mr Poulter was viewed as more on the centre of the Conservative party, however.

Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield said Labour MPs were "baffled" by Mrs Elphicke's defection, describing it as "really peculiar". She said she did not "believe for a second that [Mrs Elphicke] has suddenly transformed into a Labour MP".

John McDonnell, who was shadow chancellor under former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, told LBC he was "surprised and shocked", adding: "I'm a great believer in the powers of conversion, but I think even this one would have strained the generosity of spirit of John the Baptist, quite honestly."

Labour backbencher Mick Whitley called the defection "outrageous," adding Mrs Elphicke did not share the "values of the Labour movement".

Foreign secretary - and former prime minister - Lord Cameron said the defection demonstrated that Labour stood for nothing.

He told an audience at the National Cyber Security Centre that when he first heard about it he thought "Oh no, not another one".

However, he went on to say that "by the end of the day it was like 'that says so much more about Keir Starmer and the Labour Party having a complete lack of a plan than it does about a prime minister who is a good man doing a great job at a difficult time'."

Other Conservatives expressed surprise with Education Secretary Gillian Keegan labelling Mrs Elphicke's move "bewildering" and showing "a real lack of principles".

"She's very much on the right wing of the party. I know all parties are a broad church, but she was an ERG member and big Liz Truss supporter, I believe," she told GB News.

Transport Minister Huw Merriman branding her "shameless" and an "opportunist", adding "I'm just disappointed for politics that she's done what she's done".

Mish Rahman, a member of Labour's ruling National Executive Committee, said that he did not welcome Mrs Elphicke's defection, saying the party is getting "grubbier".

He said the Labour Party should be in the business of changing the country, "not saving the careers of Tory politicians who the British public are rejecting because of the damage they've done to the country".

"She's not fit to be a Labour Party member, let alone an MP," he added.

Do you live in Natalie Elphicke's constituency in Dover? What is your reaction to her defection to the Labour Party? Tell us by emailing: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:

If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.

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'Eunuch maker' ringleader who had freezer filled with body parts jailed for life - The Independent

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The ringleader of a lucrative extreme body modification website sharing gruesome footage of castrations and amputations, who had a freezer filled with ‘trophy’ body parts, has been jailed for life.

The “grisly and gruesome” actions of Marius Gustavson and six accomplices, who have also been imprisoned, amounted to “little more than human butchery” in some cases, said the sentencing judge.

Marius Gustavson’s ‘Eunuch maker’ pay-per-view website shared footage of people undergoing “dangerous, unnecessary and life-changing surgeries” carried out in people’s homes, a court was told – including male genitals being removed.

The Old Bailey heard the extreme body modification enterprise operated on an unprecedented scale with a “staggering” 22,841 registered users and raked in almost £300,000 before it was shut down.

Before he was arrested, mastermind Gustavson was involved in at least 29 procedures between 2017 and 2021, requiring hospital treatment after having his penis and leg removed in one. After another of them, the court heard Gustavson cooked severed body parts, showing “clear evidence of cannibalism”.

The 46-year-old, of Haringey, north London, has previously admitted charges including conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm.

He appeared for the third day of a sentencing hearing on Thursday alongside six other men who had all admitted their part in the wide-ranging conspiracy.

Among them were Peter Wates, a retired former member of the Royal Society of Chemists, and Janus Atkin who had been completing a veterinary course, the court heard.

Passing sentence at the Old Bailey, HHJ Mark Lucraft KC said the defendants’ behaviour brought them sexual and financial gratification, while one victim said he was left with physical, emotional and psychological damage.

Addressing Gustavson, the judge said: “You are very much the mastermind behind this grisly and gruesome enterprise. The business you set up was both busy and lucrative.”

However, he stated the others were “willing participants”.

Gustavson was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 22 years; Ion Ciucur, 30, of Gretna, Scotland, was sentenced to five years and eight months imprisonment; Wates, 66, of Purley, Surrey, was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment; Stefan Scharf, 61, of no fixed address, was sentenced to four years and six months imprisonment; David Carruthers, 61, of Newport, Gwent, was sentenced to 11 years imprisonment; Atkin, 38, of Newport, Gwent, was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment; and Ashley Williams, 32, of Newport, Gwent, was sentenced to four years and six months imprisonment.

The charges relate to 13 victims, the youngest of whom was 16 years-old.

The court heard Gustavson was driven towards the extreme subculture by a desire to be “the architect of his own body” after his 11-year marriage broke down in 2016.

“His modification led him to feelings of empowerment,” Rashvinderjeet Panesar, defending Gustavson, said. “It appears at face value to be something that’s become an addiction for him.”

The lawyer said Gustavson had been diagnosed with body identity integrity disorder, which accounted for his desire to have body parts removed.

Caroline Carberry KC, prosecuting, told the Old Bailey the men were involved in a “lucrative business in the dangerous, unnecessary and life-changing surgeries carried out by non-medically qualified individuals – the nature and scale of which is without precedent”.

“All of these individuals were active in the extreme body modification or mutilation scene and the consensual or mutilation of male genitalia,” she added.

Procedures were filmed with “increasing professionalism” and made available on the website set up by Gustavson, which also advertised services including male castration, and offered varying levels of membership from “free” to £100 “VIP”.

“It is a remarkable feature of this case that the website was operating in plain sight – not on the dark web – accessible to anyone who stumbled upon it and had the inclination and means to pay to view the gruesome footage,” she said.

According to court documents, body parts were also put up for auction online with a “buy it now” button.

Shocking images shown to the court revealed Gustavson’s freezer filled with body parts stored in plastic bags and takeaway containers.

Police officers also discovered Gustavson’s own penis in a drawer at his home following his arrest in 2021 – almost four years after it had been amputated.

“Gustavson wasn’t the only defendant to keep trophies from his surgeries,” she added.

Gustavson was arrested after he used a red hot iron to brand a man’s calf with the letters EM – for ‘Eunuch maker’.

Ms Carberry KC said the group used a “wide variety of tools” for their procedures including clamps used for “animal castration”.

Ms Carberry said Wates had been “in the business of purchasing body parts from Gustavson”.

During a police raid on the South Wales home of Carruthers, “testicles were found in a chest freezer”, the prosecutor said.

Ten men were arrested after police raids in London, Scotland and South Wales.

Gustavson pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit grievous bodily harm, five counts of grievous bodily harm with intent, one count of making an indecent photograph of a child, one count of distributing an indecent photograph of a child and possession of criminal property.

Ciucur, Wates, Scharf, Carruthers, Atkin and Williams all pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit grievous bodily harm.

In January, three men were sentenced after admitting causing grievous bodily harm to Gustavson.

Damien Byrnes, 36, from north London, was jailed for five years; Jacob Crimi-Appleby, 23, from Epsom in Surrey, was jailed for three years and eight months; and nurse Nathan Arnold, 48, from South Kensington, west London, received a two-year suspended sentence.

Kate Mulholland, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “The severity of today’s sentence should act as a warning to others that performing extreme body modifications is against the law and the CPS won’t hesitate to prosecute these horrendous crimes.”

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'I understand why she moved': Dover voters on Natalie Elphicke switching parties - The Guardian

Party politics may be tribal for many, but in Dover most people feel their MP has won their loyalty through her work in the community, regardless of whether she is Tory or Labour.

The MP for Dover and Deal, Natalie Elphicke, became the second Tory MP to switch parties in two weeks, in protest at the “incompetence and division” of Rishi Sunak’s government as she crossed the floor of the House of Commons before prime minister’s questions on Wednesday.

The news spread quickly in Dover, with most people who spoke to the Guardian already aware that their MP, who is not due to stand for the constituency at the next general election, had defected. Voters from across the political spectrum shared their surprise at the move, yet many were positive about Elphicke, whom they consider a linchpin of the community.

Mae Montenegro, 50, said she would vote for Elphicke regardless of her party affiliation as she is an active member of the community, including attending her local church, St Paul’s, where she recently organised an anniversary celebration for the priest. “It’s her decision,” she said. “I want a person who represents the community, not the party.”

Robert Hewer, 74, had voted for Elphicke previously and would vote for her again, as her hardline views on immigration reflect his perception that “immigration is eroding our culture”.

“She’s a people person, she supports the local community,” he said. “She’s anti-uncontrolled immigration, which is a big issue in Dover and the UK. I can understand her move because the Conservatives haven’t done what they promised. They’ve let her down and she’s making a point.”

A former miner, Hewer was brought up to vote Labour, but switched to the Conservatives a decade ago in support of Brexit. He would consider returning to Labour in future, though he considers Keir Starmer “too woke”.

This would not deter him for voting for Elphicke again, however. “I would vote for her, because I know her,” he said. “Know the devil you’re getting into bed with.”

Alwyn Conway, 80, agreed that Elphicke had done “good work” in the area, and shared Hewer’s apprehension about a Labour government. While he felt it was a matter of “the devil and the deep blue sea”, he added that “with the Conservatives you know where you are. It might be out of the frying pan and into the fire”.

But Conway said he may still vote for Elphicke in the general election: “If Natalie’s changed over and she’s of the opinion of stopping boats, that could swing me in her favour. I vote for the person, not the party.”

His wife, Carol Conway, 79, said: “We don’t want Labour to run the country. It’s gone to the dogs. I’m shocked that she’s done that.”

The Conways were Labour voters for most of their lives before switching to the Conservatives. They are dissatisfied with the current government, but Carol is worried that Labour would be less tough on immigration. She is sceptical about politics more generally, adding: “Politicians aren’t in it for us any more, they’re in it for themselves.”

Frances Trewartha, 39, said her mum had rung her to share the news. “I’m surprised – It’s a massive change,” she said. “I didn’t even know you could do that, move from one side to the other. I wonder why [she’s done it].”

She is a Labour voter and says most people she knows in Dover are too. But she does not like the “bickering, nasty” atmosphere of politics at the moment, including Labour supporters and politicians who are too vociferously anti-Tory, and would ideally prefer not to vote.

She felt that immigration and border security – a focus for Elphicke – were especially sensitive issues in the area given that it is a site for small boats landings. Her mother, who lives in nearby Kingsdown, has been ordered by police to lock her doors when border force are searching for asylum seekers.

But she added: “I don’t wander around Dover feeling frightened about refugees or asylum seekers.”

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Five babies have died with whooping cough this year, UK health officials say - Sky News

Five babies in England have died after being diagnosed with whooping cough, health officials have said amid a rapid rise in cases.

More than 2,700 whooping cough cases have been reported across England so far this year - more than three times the amount recorded in the whole of last year.

New UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) figures show there were 2,793 cases reported to the end of March.

This is compared with the 858 cases for the whole of 2023.

The UKHSA said there have been five infant deaths between January and the end of March.

"Whooping cough can affect people of all ages but for very young babies it can be extremely serious," said UKHSA consultant epidemiologist Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam.

"Our thoughts and condolences are with those families who have so tragically lost their baby."

There were 1,319 cases reported in March alone, according to the provisional data. There were 556 cases recorded in January and 918 in February.

Between January and the end of March, 108 babies under the age of three months were diagnosed with whooping cough. Some 51% of cases during this period were among those aged 15 and older.

The bacterial infection, also known as pertussis, affects the lungs and breathing tubes.

Whooping cough can be called the "100-day cough" because of how long it can take to recover from it, and it spreads very easily.

Pregnant women are being urged to take up the offer of the whooping cough vaccine so they can pass on protection to their babies, which should last until they are old enough to get vaccinated themselves.

NHS national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said: "With cases of whooping cough continuing to rise sharply across the country, and today's figures sadly showing five infant deaths, it is vital that families come forward to get the protection they need.

"If you are pregnant and have not been vaccinated yet, or your child is not up-to-date with whooping cough or other routine vaccinations, please contact your GP as soon as possible, and if you or your child show symptoms ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111."

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Health officials describe whooping cough as a "cyclical disease", meaning it peaks every three to five years, with the last big increase in 2016.

The UKHSA said the impact of the COVID pandemic means there is "reduced immunity in the population", while vaccine uptake has fallen in recent years for both pregnant women and children.

The NHS recommends all pregnant women are vaccinated against whooping cough between 16 and 32 weeks with immunity passing through the placenta to protect newborn babies in their first weeks of life.

UKHSA said the first signs of whooping cough are similar to a cold, such as a runny nose and sore throat, but after about a week, the infection can develop into coughing bouts that last for a few minutes and are typically worse at night.

Young babies may also make a distinctive "whoop" or have difficulty breathing after a bout of coughing, though not all babies make this noise which means whooping cough can be hard to recognise.

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Huge fire breaks out at industrial estate as businesses told to evacuate - The Independent

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Businesses have been evacuated and residents are being urged to close their windows after a huge fire broke at an industrial estate in Staffordshire.

Footage shared on social media shows large plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky near the A460 Orbital Island in Cannock with 10 fire engines rushing to the scene at 6:15am.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said the fire started at Super Smart Services – a distribution warehouse “which contains a variety of different materials for delivery”.

Have you been affected by this incident? Email holly.evans@independent.co.uk

Residents have been urged to close their windows (@SamWinter_1/PA Wire)

Residents have been ordered to close their windows due to the smoke, with pictures on social media showing thick fumes are visible for nearly 20 miles.

Sam Winter, a 32-year-old scaffolder caught footage of the fire. He told the PA news agency: “I drove out of Cannock Chase to a plume of smoke, so I drove all the way following it to get a video as my mum works across the road from there.”

Another person wrote on social media that they had heard a “series of explosions” in the early hours of the morning.

(Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service/PA Wire)

The fire service said that no-one was in the building at the time of the blaze, though firefighters are still tackling the blaze.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said in a post on X, formerly Twitter: “Fighters are asking all residents to close windows and doors due to smoke and all local businesses to evacuate.”

Ten fire engines are in attendance at the scene (Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service/PA Wire)

The Uk Health Security Agency in the West Midlands also echnoed this advice and urged people to remain indoors, with motorists encouraged to keep their windows closed and turn off their air conditioning.

Smoke from the Cannock fire can be seen for miles (DavidGouge/X)

West Midlands Railway confirmed that the fire was not affecting railway services and trains are still running through the area.

Meanwhile, the Cannock Orbital shopping centre is among the businesses reported to have shut as a result of the incident.

Rob Humphries, who lives in Abbots Bromley, noticed smoke while out walking his dog.

The 36-year-old, who took a picture of what he saw, said: “I was out on the morning dog walk and spotted a huge plume of smoke in the distance.

“It appeared to be coming from the other side of Cannock Chase, in the direction of Cannock.”

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PMQs live: Rishi Sunak faces Starmer IN first since local elections as Mordaunt tells Tories to end infighting - The Independent

Ministry of Defence hack 'suspected work of a malign actor', Shapps tells MPs

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Rishi Sunak faces his first Prime Minister’s Questions since his party suffered heavy losses at last week’s local and mayoral elections.

The prime minister is up against Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer after losing nearly 500 councillors and the key West Midlands mayor contest.

PMQs come as senior Tories issue pleas for unity and warn against a shift to hardline-line policies following the poor results.

Last night Penny Mordaunt insisted the Tories could still win the general election if MPs united behind Mr Sunak.

The House of Commons leader denied that she was positioning herself to replace the PM should he be ousted from office and claimed that Labour’s lead was due to her own party’s internal divisions.

“There is a reason I’m not a member of any caucus - because I recognise the strength of our party is that it is a broad church,” she told a Westminster Conservative Association funding event.

It was her 86th fundraiser event for the party since Mr Sunak became prime minister.

1715159751

ICYMI: Mel Stride dodges question over NHS waiting lists as he’s grilled on benefits crackdown

Mel Stride dodges NHS waiting list question as he’s grilled on benefits crackdown

Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride was put on the spot about NHS waiting lists as he was grilled on changes to benefits in the UK. The Tory minister was grilled on the government’s WorkWell scheme, which includes a review of payments to people with mental health conditions, when he appeared on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday (7 May). Presenter Susana grilled Mr Stride after a woman was forced to pay for her own hip replacement as she could not wait 18 months for surgery and could not work because of the pain. Mr Stride replied: “I can’t comment on the specific example.”

Matt Mathers8 May 2024 10:15

1715158766

Former immigration minister Robert Jenrick urges Rishi to win back ‘on strike’ voters

Rishi Sunak needs to win back Tory voters who have gone “on strike” because of the failure to curb immigration and tackle extremism, former minister Robert Jenrick said.

The Prime Minister needs to ensure Conservatives who stayed at home rather than vote in the local elections came back to the ballot box at the national contest later this year.

The Newark MP, who has produced a paper on measures to curb net migration, said: “What I’ve tried to set out are a series of policies that could be implemented before the general election, such as what I’m saying today on legal migration, which would convince some of those Conservative voters – who are essentially on strike – to come back and support the party at the general election.

“And also to persuade some of those voters who are considering voting Reform that we do care about the issues that they do, which are principally immigration, but also on crime, on extremism and on lower taxes.

“But that will require honesty, it requires levelling with the public about the mistakes of the past and using every last minute we have in office before the general election to actually deliver positive change for the public.”

Tory former minister Robert Jenrick (PA Archive)

Salma Ouaguira8 May 2024 09:59

1715157821

‘United fans, look away now'

Rishi Sunak teased Manchester United fans yesterday while on a visit to Crystal Palace.

Crystal Palace defeated United 4-0 on Monday.

“United fans, look away now,” the prime minister wrote on X.

“Football changes lives and it’s great to see initiatives like this bringing communities together.”

Matt Mathers8 May 2024 09:43

1715156875

ICYMI: Pollsters tell Sunak he is wrong over ‘hung parliament’ prediction

Pollsters have dismissed Rishi Sunak’s claims that his party still has a fighting chance with a general election likely to produce “a hung parliament.”

The prime minister is set to try to persuade MPs tomorrow that the result will be closer than many people predict at the first of two briefing sessions on the local elections alongside his party chairman Richard Holden and head of election strategy Isaac Levido.

Full report:

Matt Mathers8 May 2024 09:27

1715154113

Gove invokes Kate Moss as he warns Tories against ‘comfort eating’ on hard-line policies

Michael Gove told his colleagues “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” as he invoked supermodel Kate Moss to warn against “comfort eating” on hard-line policies.

The secretary of state for housing and communities comments came during Tuesday’s cabinet meeting - the first since the Tories lost nearly 500 councillors in last week’s local elections drubbing.

He urged cabinet ministers not to pursue policies that “make us feel good,” The Times reported. But not everyone agreed, with Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland secretary and Alister Jack, the Scotland secretary, raising concerns about the direction of their party.

“I disagree with you. We shouldn’t be apologists for what we believe in,” the latter said.

Michael Gove (PA Wire)

Matt Mathers8 May 2024 08:41

1715153067

We’re alingned with voters, minister insists after Tories' local election drubbing

The Conservatives are aligned with the priorities of the British public, a cabinet minister has insisted despite the party’s drubbing in last week’s local elections.

Claire Coutinho, the energy secretary, conceded the results were “disappointing” but said the Tories have a “positive message” they want to outline to the public.

Asked if the party needed to shift to the right after losing hundreds of councillors last week, Ms Coutinho told Times Radio: “I think what we need to do is to go where the country is.”

She added: “They want us to be tough on immigration. They want us to be cognisant of the fact that they’ve had a difficult time when it comes to public finances, which is why we’re putting forward £900 of tax cuts.

“They want us to make sure that we’re protecting their security, which we are when it comes to defence, when it comes to energy as well.

“I would just have contrast with some of Labour’s positions, when it comes to their mad energy plans which will hike up people’s bills and heap costs on people, with the 75 new business regulations which will deter investment at a time when we need investment coming into this country and on things like immigration where they don’t have a plan at all.”

Claire Coutinho (PA Wire)

Matt Mathers8 May 2024 08:24

1715152581

Penny Mordaunt claims Tory election win ‘not impossible’ if civil war ends

Penny Mordaunt gave a speech in central London last night warning the Tory MPs that their factionalism is the main reason Labour is expected to win the general election.

The leader of the House of Commons recently dismissed claims that she is positioning herself as a unity candidate to replace Rishi Sunak as leader.

Full report:

Matt Mathers8 May 2024 08:16

1715148021

Potential Tory contender steps up pressure on Sunak to curb ‘disastrous’ immigration

The former immigration minister Robert Jenrick has called on the government to “undo the disastrous post-Brexit liberalisations” that “betrayed” the public’s wish for lower immigration before the general election.

He had put forward more than 30 recommendations to curb migration in a Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) report he co-authored.

The proposals include capping health and care visas at 30,000, scrapping the graduate route for international students, and indexing salary thresholds for visa routes in line with inflation.

It argues that net migration needs to be wound back to “the tens of thousands”.

Mr Jenrick, who is seen as a potential Tory leadership contender, argue that large-scale migration has failed to deliver significant fiscal benefits while putting pressure on housing, public services and infrastructure.

Mr Jenrick said: “It would be unforgivable if the Government did not use the time before the general election to undo the disastrous post-Brexit liberalisations that betrayed the express wishes of the British public for lower immigration.

“The changes we propose today would finally return numbers to the historical norm and deliver the highly-selective, highly-skilled immigration system voters were promised. These policies could be implemented immediately and would consign low-skilled mass migration to the past.

“Immigration is consistently one of the top concerns of voters and they deserve a department whose sole mission is controlling immigration and securing our borders. For far too long, the Home Office has proven incapable of doing that.”

Shweta Sharma8 May 2024 07:00

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Top EU politician who survived Iran assassination plot delivers ‘end appeasement’ plea to Cameron

A senior EU politician who survived a shocking assassination attempt last year has asked parliamentarians to tell foreign secretary Lord Cameron to end Britain’s “appeasement of Iran”.

Spanish politician Alejo Vidal-Quadras, the former first vice president of the European Parliament, was in London today to talk to MPs and peers about the need to proscribe Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC).

But attempts for him to meet a minister fell on deaf ears.

Read more here:

Maryam Zakir-Hussain8 May 2024 06:30

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Jim Wallace says Halyrood needs ‘significantly more’ MSPs

Former Scottish deputy first minister Jim Wallace has said the number of MSPs at Holyrood “needs to be looked at again”.

The former Scottish Liberal Democrat leader played a key role in determining the number of MSPs who would sit in the Scottish Parliament when it was established back in 1999, being involved in negotiations with Labour’s George Robertson on the matter.

But with Holyrood now having increased responsibilities - including powers over income tax in Scotland and social security - Lord Wallace, who was Scotland’s first deputy first minister, now believes “significantly more” MSPs are needed.

The Liberal Democrat, who served as an MP before joining the Scottish Parliament when it was established, told how during his time at Westminster he had been involved in discussions about how the new parliament would operate.

“I think now the Parliament requires significantly more, it has more responsibilities, not least for tax and social security.

“I think 129 needs to be looked at again.”

He said Labour had acted “unilaterally” to hold a referendum on whether the devolved parliament should be established - with Liberal Democrats at the time opposed to such a ballot.

However, Lord Wallace said: “In retrospect, it was probably the right thing to do. Because I think it gave the Parliament a political grounding which once done you can never roll back.”

Shweta Sharma8 May 2024 06:00

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2024-05-08 10:31:38Z
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John Swinney is sworn in as Scotland's first minister - BBC

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

John Swinney has been sworn in today as Scotland’s first minister, the seventh person to fill that role.

However, he has not only taken on responsibility for leading the country’s devolved government, he has also taken on the job of his party’s leader - with a Westminster election probably no more than six months away.

Governing Scotland is not easy at a time when public services are under pressure and the economy is flatlining.

But turning around the SNP’s fortunes could prove an even more demanding task.

When Humza Yousaf decided to throw the Greens out of the government, polls of voting intention for Westminster were on average putting the SNP on just 33%.

That meant the party was only neck-and-neck with Labour in terms of votes – an outcome that, because of the greater geographical concentration of its vote, would most likely result in Labour winning most seats.

That 33% figure represents no less than a 10-point drop in the party’s rating compared with where it stood when Nicola Sturgeon announced her intention to resign in February last year.

Read more from Professor Sir John Cutice here.

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