John Prescott, the former British deputy prime minister and stalwart of the New Labour movement, has died aged 86. Keir Starmer has condemned Kemi Badenoch for breaking what he said had been a cross-party consensus on reducing carbon emissions. (See 11.27am.) Matt Hancock, the former health secretary, has told the Covid inquiry that England’s hospitals were within “hours” of running out of some items of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the early months of the pandemic. (See 5.08pm.) Steve Reed, the environment secretary, has promised to reform the food system to ensure farmers are paid fairly for the food they produce, after many filled the streets of Westminster to campaign against inheritance tax changes. School leaders have said they lack the resources to manage a rising tide of challenging behaviour since the Covid pandemic, after figures revealed a significant rise in the number of pupils being suspended and expelled in England. Nigel Farage’s group campaigning against the World Health Organization (WHO) is staffed by consultants who work with the nicotine products industry, the Guardian can reveal. Elon Musk has said UK MPs “will be summoned to the United States of America to explain their censorship and threats to American citizens” in a fresh escalation of tensions between the world’s richest man and Labour.
John Prescott, former British deputy prime minister, has died aged 86. Prescott was a former trade union activist and a significant figure of the New Labour movement. Prescott served as deputy prime minister under Blair, and was seen as a custodian of the Labour party’s traditional values in the face of a modernising leadership. We would like to hear your tributes and memories of John Prescott – whether you met him, or appreciated the work he did in politics.
Keir Starmer has insisted that the “vast majority” of farmers will not be affected by the government’s decision to extend inheritance tax to cover some farms. Speaking at a press conference at the end of the G20 summit, he declined to directly criticise Jeremy Clarkson for spreading misinformation about the change, but he said “the facts speak of themselves”. He was speaking after thousands of farmers attended a protest in Westminster about the plans. (See 5.27pm.) Starmer has defended the decision to stop winter fuel payments for most pensioners after the DWP published figures showing between 50,000 and 100,000 pensioners could be pushed into poverty every year as a result. (See 5.05pm and 5.19pm.) Large UK retailers including Tesco, Boots, Marks & Spencer and Next have written to Rachel Reeves to say that a £7bn increase in annual costs after last month’s budget would lead to job cuts and higher prices. The health minister Stephen Kinnock has said he will vote in favour of the assisted dying bill next week, arguing that it is the “compassionate” thing to do and will not automatically place NHS palliative care services under extreme pressure.
I thought I would encounter a fair degree of cant and hypocrisy in the interview with Jacob Rees‑Mogg (Jacob Rees-Mogg on abortion, religion and reality TV: ‘I’ve been called worse than a Nazi’, 18 November), but was prepared to put my misgivings aside and read the whole article. I could cope with his twisting of scripture and the fact that he wants the tenets of the Catholic faith to apply to others and not to himself. However, I realised that he has indeed lost touch with reality when I got to the part where he believes that “Boris Johnson … is a truthful man”. Stan Broadwell Redfield, Bristol • Jacob Rees-Mogg says: “I was actually called worse than a Nazi.” Was he called “working class”? Dave Verguson Lindley, Huddersfield • Many recent discoveries of Roman artefacts have been deemed by historians to be sex-related (Gladiator knife handle found in Tyne ‘reflects spread of Roman celebrity culture’, 15 November). I wonder if the Romans were sex-obsessed – or if the historians are. Cherry Weston Wolverhampton • I was surprised to see that the Met Office had issued a cold weather warning on X (UK weather: Met Office issues woolly jumpers alert as Arctic blast arrives, 17 November). Of all organisations, surely our iconic weather forecaster should be leading the transfer to Bluesky. Stephen Chicken Swinton, Scottish Borders • Elon Musk spent $200m to help get Donald Trump elected (Elon Musk’s Super Pac spent $200m to help elect Donald Trump, 12 November). To keep matters fair, shouldn’t all the other president-elect picks go to the highest bidder? Patrick Sheehy London • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Shadow chancellor Mel Stride has said that there must be no suggestion of the UK going back into the EU single market or customs union, but said the Labour government should be doing everything to “facilitate trade” with what he said was “our biggest trading partner” The shadow chancellor was speaking in the wake of weak GDP figures of just 0.1% growth, and comments by Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey on Thursday that Brexit had been a “weight” on the economy Chancellor Rachel Reeves said she was “not satisfied” with the GDP figures, as “improving economic growth is at the heart of everything I am seeking to achieve”. Labour MP Liam Byrne said that the country was in a difficult position and that bold measures from government would be needed Ed Davey has called on Labour to change their mind on extending the bus fare price cap in England for another 12 months but raising the maximum price to £3. The Lib Dem leader said “The fare cap increase is like a bus tax for people across the country, impacting bus users and commuters already struggling to make ends meet”. Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has made some rather more conciliatory comments about incoming US president Donald Trump than his previous statements, saying “Donald Trump has won the election; he’s going to be the president in January. And I wish him well”. The pair have enjoyed a long feud Leading Tories Robert Jenrick and Oliver Dowden were on the committee that backed plans for the “rushed and misjudged” £15m purchase of an asbestos-ridden site for asylum accommodation, Whitehall’s spending watchdog has disclosed Downing Street has apologised to British Hindus after it served meat and alcohol at its annual Diwali celebration That is it for today, thank you for all your comments.
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, has been criticised by Labour colleagues for his comments yesterday suggesting the assisted dying bill would create a cost for the NHS. The Labour MP promoting the bill, Kim Leadbeater, and Margaret Hodge, a former Labour minister, have both suggested he has breached the rule saying ministers are meant to be neutral on this issue and should not be trying to sway the public debate. (See 12.32pm and 3.38pm.) More than 250 unpaid carers risk criminal prosecution after falling foul of draconian benefit rules in the past six months, official figures reveal. Income fell on almost all farm types in England last year, as extreme weather hit yields and the government cut subsidies. The UK government has promised to introduce tougher enforcement action against airlines that fail to protect customers from losses caused by flight disruption after an inquiry into last August’s air traffic meltdown, which led to more than 700,000 people facing delays and cancellations. MPs have supported extending measures designed to increase representation of women bishops in the House of Lords, PA Media reports. The Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (extension) bill continues for a further five years the policy of filling any vacancies that appear on the bishop’s benches in the unelected house with female bishops. It received an unopposed second reading in the Commons this afternoon and will undergo further scrutiny at a later date.
Stephen Doughty, a Foreign Office minister, has dismissed a claim by Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, that the incoming Trump administration feels “outright hostility” towards the government’s deal with Mauritius giving it sovereignty of the Chagos Islands. Speaking in the Commons, Doughty said that, when they were briefed on the details, their concerns would be allayed. (See 1.47pm and 2.07pm.) Civil servants are looking at the extra costs that assisted dying would impose on the NHS amid a warning from Wes Streeting that some services may be cut to fund expanded end-of-life care. Wes Streeting, the health secretary, has said there are “lots” of poor managers in the NHS. The Conservatives have dismissed a speech he gave on NHS reform as just a “rehashed press release”. (See 9.26am and 5.53pm.) The chair of the government’s equality watchdog, who was appointed by Liz Truss and investigated after a series of complaints by staff members, has been given a 12-month extension in the role, ministers have announced.
Britain has a “huge opportunity” to get ahead of other countries in the race for green investment after the election of Donald Trump as US president, Keir Starmer has said. Speaking at the Cop29 conference in Baku in Azerbaijan, Starmer also claimed that the government could reach its new climate target without “telling people how to live their lives”. (See 11.58am.) Fewer than 1,000 patients a year in England and Wales are expected to choose assisted dying should the law pass, the Labour MP Kim Leadbeater said, as she outlined her bill setting out the change. Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff Sue Gray has decided not to take up the post of nation and regions envoy after it became clear the prime minister was planning to withdraw his offer, the Guardian understands. Inspectors have uncovered a “toxic” and secretive culture at an east London council, with decision-making dominated by the inner circle of the local mayor, Lutfur Rahman, according to an official report. Hundreds of schools in England are still at risk of collapse from crumbling concrete, according to previously unpublished figures.
Your article outlining the extra strain on council budgets that the rise in employers’ national insurance contributions (NICs) will cause highlighted the likely impact on adult and children’s social care services (Adult social care in England needs urgent help from ministers, say bosses, theguardian.com, 6 November). There will also be a significant impact on public health services, including sexual health and addiction services, health visitors and school nursing. In England, these (and other) vital services are paid for by the public health grant, which is managed by directors of public health. While the NHS has quite rightly been given an exemption to the NIC increase, health services commissioned outside the NHS have not. Much of this public health funding is given to the voluntary and community sector to implement life-changing initiatives in the local community. The rise in NICs means that this money, which should be being spent on measures to help reduce avoidable ill health and disease, will instead be given back to the government in the form of NICs. This effective cut to funding comes after nearly a decade of other real-terms cuts to the public health grant, which are already forcing directors of public health to make impossible decisions about which services to reduce. If the government is serious about its health mission, it must address these funding issues as a matter of urgency. Otherwise, the extraordinary work that teams in public health – and in adult and children’s social care – do to promote and improve the nation’s health will be severely compromised. Greg Fell President, Association of Directors of Public Health • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Kemi Badenoch has told an inquiry it is “extremely disappointing” that it took the ITV drama about the Post Office scandal to get the government to accelerate compensation payments for wrongfully prosecuted branch owner-operators. Giving evidence to the Post Office Horizon inquiry in her capacity as a former business secretary, Badenoch, the new Conservative party leader, said that when she was in government she was frustrated by how slowly compensation payments were being paid. She tried to secure Treasury approval for a plan that would speed up some payments, but this was blocked by Jeremy Hunt, the then chancellor, because of the extra cost and concern that, by discarding normal safeguards, public money would be put at risk. (See 1.05pm.) The hearing was revealing for what it showed about Badenoch’s approach to bureaucracy and civil service procedure. She argued that officials were too risk averse, and that there was “far too much going round and round in circles”. (See 1.12pm.) She also said in politics it was being seen to do the right thing was as important as doing the right thing. (See 1.04pm.) Wes Streeting, the health secretary, has said that pay arrangements for NHS trust chief executives will be changed so they are linked to performance. There will be “no more rewards for failure”, he said. (See 5.24pm.) Keir Starmer has joined Emmanuel Macron in Paris for the French Armistice Day service, in a pointed show of European solidarity days after Donald Trump’s re-election, with Ukraine and defence on the agenda for private talks between the two leaders.
Jonathan Powell, the former chief of staff to Tony Blair, has been appointed as Keir Starmer’s new national security adviser in a further sign that important figures from the New Labour era are returning to the government. David Lammy, the foreign secretary, has said that Donald Trump “didn’t seem to think it mattered”, in response to a question about whether his past comments about Trump would harm UK-US relations. Lammy was speaking about what happened at a dinner he and Keir Starmer had with Trump in September. He also said the comments were not alluded to, “not even vaguely”. (See 10.16am.) Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, has claimed that British voters do not like Donald Trump because “they don’t really know him”. (See 4.34pm.) He was speaking at his party’s Welsh conference, where he also released polling showing Reform UK ahead of the Conservative party in Wales. (See 1.46pm.) Asda has warned that measures in the government’s budget will be a “big burden” for the supermarket chain, costing it £100m, and could prevent it from raising wages or hiring as many staff, as it struggles to turn around falling sales.
Angela Rayner, the deputy PM, says she has discussed enhancing the UK-US special relationship in a call with JD Vance, the US vice president-elect. (See 5.11pm.) Hers is the latest outreach intended to ensure the Labour government can have a good relationship with Donald Trump’s administration. Pat McFadden, the Cabinet Office minister, has played down concerns that derogatory comments made by David Lammy and other Labour MPs about Donald Trump in the past will harm relations when Trump takes office. (See 10.06am.) McFadden has rejected suggestions that a Trump presidency will definitely be bad for the UK economy because of his tariff policies, arguing that some of the “fiery things” promised by Trump during the campaign won’t happen. (See 9.29am.) The British ambassador to Washington, Dame Karen Pierce, is to be asked to stay in post as Donald Trump takes power, ahead of a complex shuffle of UK security and diplomatic jobs in the new year. Nigel Farage will on Friday address his party’s first big rally since Donald Trump’s election win as Britain’s emboldened populist right seek to drive momentum and build on links with the US president-elect. David Hill, a former director of communications for the Labour party, and for Tony Blair at No 10, has died. (See 4.12pm.)
Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, has suggested that Britain will try to persuade Donald Trump not to raise tariffs. (See 4.42pm.) Keir Starmer has congratulated Donald Trump on his “historic election victory” and said that “as the closest of allies, we stand shoulder to shoulder in defence of our shared values of freedom, democracy and enterprise”. Kemi Badenoch has been accused of “cheerleading” for Donald Trump after she used her first PMQs as Conservative leader to say that he should be invited to parliament to address MPs. (See 2.01pm.) The Reform UK MP Lee Anderson has apologised after parliament’s watchdog on bullying and harassment found he told a security guard to “fuck off, everyone opens the door to me”. The rail minister Peter Hendy has apologised for emails in which he threatened to withhold contracts from a supplier whose engineer had publicly raised safety concerns about overcrowding at Euston station.
Treasury officials may have broken the law when they failed to alert the Office for Budget Responsibility about £9.5bn of spending that should have appeared in the March Tory budget, MPs have been told. Kemi Badenoch has appointed the former policing minister Chris Philp as shadow home secretary and Alex Burghart as her de-facto deputy, as the new Conservative leader set out her full shadow cabinet. The Post Office campaigner Sir Alan Bates has told MPs that Keir Starmer has not yet responded to his requests for help with settling redress claims for those affected by the Horizon scandal. (See 4.07pm and 4.23pm.) A planned strike by tube drivers that threatened to halt all London Underground services on Thursday has been called off, their union announced. China is blocking requests to rebuild the British embassy in Beijing while the fate of its controversial mega-embassy in east London is being decided, the Guardian can disclose.
Kemi Badenoch has appointed Mel Stride shadow chancellor and Priti Patel shadow foreign secretary as she began to put together a Conservative frontbench team billed as uniting the party. And Robert Jenrick is becoming shadow justice secretary, Steven Swinford from the Times reports. He says: Robert Jenrick has accepted the role of shadow justice secretary in Kemi Badenoch’s new shadow cabinet Badenoch offered him the role after a bitterly fought leadership contest An ally of Jenrick said: ‘Rob thinks the party needs to come together and take the fight to Labour. Unity could not be more important. He’s eager to expose Labour’s dreadful record on law and order’ University tuition fees in England are to go up next autumn for the first time in eight years, the government has said. The Conservatives have described this as a broken promised. Laura Trott, the new shadow education secretary, said: With Keir Starmer elected to Labour leadership on a pledge to scrap tuition fees, no mention of the rise in the manifesto, and the education secretary saying in just July this year Labour had no plans to raise fees, students can be forgiven for feeling betrayed. This is another broken Labour promise to add to the long list. The government argument that just one-third of farmers will be affected by the new inheritance tax rules is in direct conflict with data produced by the its own environment department, the NFU has pointed out. Keir Starmer has said people smuggling should be seen as a global security threat similar to terrorism. (See 11.36am.)
Police are investigating a new allegation of sexual assault against the former first minister of Scotland Alex Salmond. Police Scotland confirmed it was looking into a “non-recent” allegation made by a woman after Salmond’s death last month. Salmond, 69, had been speaking at a conference on youth leadership in North Macedonia when he suffered a heart attack. The former SNP leader went on to found the pro-independence Alba party after falling out bitterly with his successor as first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, over her independence strategy and then Scottish government investigations into sexual harassment allegations against him. Salmond was found not guilty of 12 charges of attempted rape, sexual assault and indecent assault after a criminal trial in 2020, while the jury delivered the uniquely Scottish verdict of not proven on one charge of sexual assault with intent to rape. Giving evidence, Salmond admitted with hindsight he wished he had been “more careful with people’s personal space”, while his defence lawyer, Gordon Jackson, described his behaviour as “inappropriate” and “touchy-feely” during cross-examination. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We can confirm that we have received a report of a non-recent sexual assault. The information is being assessed.”
Kemi Badenoch is the new Conservative party leader after defeating Robert Jenrick in a members’ vote, becoming the first Black leader of a major UK party and the fourth woman to lead the Tories. As Peter Walker reports, Badenoch took just over 56% of the 95,000 votes, in a poll that had a 73% turnout of eligible members. This amounts to the narrowest win of the four since the party changed its rules to allow party members the final say in contested leadership elections. Speaking after the announcement in central London, Badenoch, an MP since 2017, who was shadow housing secretary, said the Conservatives needed to face up to hard truths if they wanted to win back the support of voters after July’s catastrophic election result which cut their number of MPs to 121. “Our party is critical to the success of our country, but to be heard, we have to be honest,” she said. “Honest about the fact that we made mistakes, honest about the fact that we let standards slip. The time has come to tell the truth.” Here is Peter’s story.
Opinion polls suggest that the Conservatives would have been better off choosing someone like James Cleverly as leader rather than Badenoch, who is not popular with the public at large. (See 9.38am.) She is also someone whose main campaign theme was that the state should be doing less, but who has become leader at a time when the public want more and better services from the state, not fewer. The Tories are ruthless at getting rid of leaders who underperform and there are many at Westminster who think this won’t be the last Conservative leadership contest before the election. But Badenoch has spark and courage, and her supporters are hoping she can turn things around.
UK government borrowing costs have risen to their highest level this year as City investors bet Rachel Reeves’s budget would lead the Bank of England to adopt a more cautious approach to cutting interest rates. Rachel Reeves could need £9bn of further tax increases to avoid a fresh round of austerity for some struggling public services, despite her first budget setting out the largest rise in a generation, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has said. Keir Starmer has played down claims from the Office for Budget Responsibility that the budget will do little to boost growth, saying more pro-growth policies are coming. (See 2.19pm.) The International Monetary Fund has welcomed the measures announced by Rachel Reeves in her first budget, saying her £40bn of tax rises would boost growth “sustainably”. The Liberal Democrats have called on the government to exempt the social care sector from the increase in national insurance in Labour’s budget. Ofcom has fined the rightwing broadcaster GB News £100,000 for “breaking due impartiality rules” after an interview with the former prime minister Rishi Sunak earlier this year. Voting has closed in the Tory leadership contest, and on Saturday the winner – either Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick – will be announced. As PA Media reports, the two candidates have declared another £112,500 in campaign donations. Badenoch has now received a total of £422,500 in campaign donations, and Jenrick has received £480,000.
Keir Starmer’s government held a “political” cabinet meeting without civil servants as chancellor Rachel Reeves prepares to deliver tomorrow’s budget, the first Labour budget for well over a decade There were snippy exchanges in the Commons as Labour ministers were criticised over the pre-briefing of elements of tomorrow’s budget. Shadow Treasury minister Laura Trott said that the current government’s handling of criticism by speaker Lindsay Hoyle resembles “the worst bits of our record”. Reeves told Tory MP Desmond Swayne “It’s good to be explained how to do my job by one of the members opposite who crashed our economy”. Commons speaker Lindsay Hoyle administered another rebuke to the Labour front bench Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick have been making their pitches in the last week of the drawn-out Conservative leadership contest. Badenoch said Nigel Farage and the Reform UK were a symptom of the party’s problems, not the cause. Both Jenrick and Badenoch described the contest as “neck and neck” Jeremy Hunt has called on the cabinet secretary, Simon Case, to prevent the release of a review by the Office for Budget Responsibility into his spending plans, which is scheduled to be released on the day of the budget. Reeves said the outburst showed the Tories has failed to heed the lesson of the Liz Truss era Health secretary Wes Streeting said it would take more than one budget cycle to “fix” the NHS The SNP was excluded from getting an automatic seat on the Scottish Affairs committee in Westminster Andy Burnam, mayor of Greater Manchester, has said the region’s bus network will retain a £2 single fare cap
Michael Meadowcroft asks why articles on the chancellor’s tax-raising options omit the obvious possibility of taxing land (Letters, 21 October). Perhaps the answer is that our most recent venture into land tax was not a great success. Passing the budget that contained the measure – the Finance (1909-1910) Act 1910 – gave rise to a constitutional crisis, two elections and, it is frequently said, hastened the death of the king. The measures for tax on the incremental value of land were repealed in 1920 and, in what is surely an unusual step for any government, tax legitimately paid under the measure was repaid. The lesson might be that the still-incomplete reform of the House of Lords needs to be fully carried out before the current chancellor chances her arm. Sue Rumfitt Sheffield • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Martin Kettle says Keir Starmer believes in the rule of law, and describes Suella Braverman as “the worst attorney general of modern times” (Does Starmer believe in anything, people ask, and now we know: his credo is the rule of law, 17 October). Why, then, is Starmer’s government appealing against the high court ruling that found Suella Braverman’s protest law to be illegal? Her move to push this through using secondary legislation was described in the House of Lords as “a constitutional outrage”. What happened to the credo that led Starmer to assist the defendants in the McLibel case? What happened to the rule of law? What is happening to the right to protest? Gordon Garrick Nottingham • Martin Kettle says Keir Starmer’s administration reaffirms “the centrality of law to government and politics, domestically and internationally”. That sounds good, but the UK is still choosing which laws to obey. In 2021, a UN treaty entered into force banning the use, possession, testing and transfer of nuclear weapons. Seventy-three countries have ratified the treaty, but the UK has not. Any chance of Starmer sorting that out? Caroline Westgate Hexham, Northumberland • Keir Starmer’s ultimate belief may well be in the rule of law. This belief is greatly preferable to its absence, as the view of Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and others that such rules are for the little people has shown us. But Starmer needs to think beyond mere rules. After all, he stuck to the declaration rules over gifts, and look where that got him. There are rules, and then there are values. Voters can sense the difference. Rib Davis Leyton, London • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Rachel Reeves will pledge to reverse huge cuts in public investment in her budget next week after she confirmed that rules limiting her spending power will be overhauled to enable the government to free up as much as £50bn for infrastructure spending. The Conservatives are claiming that, by using a new definition of debt for her fiscal rules, Reeves will “punish families with mortgages” because interest rates will be higher for longer. (See 4.28pm.) Keir Starmer is open to discussing non-cash forms of reparatory justice for Britain’s former colonies, the Guardian understands. Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, is facing demands from a watchdog to place another prison into emergency measures because of “very high levels of violence”, drug problems and compromised security. Sales of Boris Johnson’s memoir, Unleashed, have slumped by 62% in its second week since publication.
Sales of Boris Johnson’s memoir, Unleashed, have slumped by 62% in its second week since publication. The heavily marketed tome, promoted in a prolonged media round by the former prime minister in recent weeks, only just managed to cling on to the No 1 spot in the official UK Top 50 this week, selling 133 more copies than Tim Spector’s The Food for Life, according to Nielsen Bookscan’s Total Consumer Market data. Unleashed covers Johnson’s time as London mayor, foreign secretary and in Downing Street, including his accounts of the Covid pandemic, Brexit and the 2019 general election.
It was the bestselling release of the week when it hit shelves, recording 42,528 sales, outselling David Cameron’s 2019 memoir For the Record, which sold 20,792 copies in the week it was published. Liz Truss only sold 2,228 copies of her memoir, Ten Years to Save the West, in its first week on sale earlier this year. In a review for the Guardian, Martin Kettle said of Johnson’s book: “It is full of angry self-righteousness … Though Johnson likes to parade the outward signs of his intellect, there is not a philosophical sentence in the entire book.” News of a lull in Johnson’s sales come after a YouGov poll found many Britons did not believe the claims he made in Unleashed. Only a quarter of respondents thought Johnson’s claim that Buckingham Palace had asked him to try to convince Prince Harry not to leave the UK with his family was probably or definitely true; 46% thought it was probably or definitely false and 29% were unsure. Just 31% thought his claim that Brexit meant the UK was able to get Covid vaccines faster than EU countries was probably or definitely true.
Keir Starmer’s hopes of meeting Kamala Harris before the US presidential election have faded, Downing Street has said. The prime minister said last month he aimed to meet both presidential candidates before American voters go to the polls on 5 November. He told reporters who had travelled with him to New York that it would be “very good to meet both [Trump and Harris] at some stage” before the US election. “We’ll just have to see what’s possible,” he said. Starmer did secure a meeting with Donald Trump while in New York for the UN general assembly in September. He and the former US president had a two-hour dinner, where they were joined by David Lammy, the foreign secretary. A government source said on Thursday that hopes of arranging a meeting between Starmer and Harris had faded. “We’re obviously a number of days out from the campaign and I suspect both candidates are focused on the election,” they said. With less than two weeks to go before the poll, Harris and Trump are touring battleground states. Trump has sought to weaponise the links between Labour and the Democratic party in the final stages of the campaign. In a strongly worded legal complaint filed on Wednesday night, Trump’s campaign accused the “far-left” Labour party of “blatant foreign interference” in the US election. The letter claimed that volunteering efforts by Labour officials travelling to the US to support Harris and reports of contact between Labour figures and officials on her campaign amounted to “illegal foreign national contributions”. Downing Street has said any Labour officials who campaign for Harris in the election were doing so as volunteers and were not being reimbursed by the party. Starmer said he had a “good relationship” with Trump that would not be jeopardised by the complaint.
Keir Starmer has insisted he wants to “look forward” rather than have “very long endless discussions about reparations on the past” in his first comments on the issue before the Commonwealth summit. Keir Starmer has insisted he can maintain a “good relationship” with Donald Trump after the Republican candidate’s campaign accused Labour of “blatant foreign interference” in the US election. A member of the shadow cabinet, John Lamont, accused Labour of a “diplomatic car crash”. (See 2.42pm.) But Robert Buckland, a former Tory justice secretary, defended Labour and said that he had been campaigning for the Democrats himself because he thought Trump was “not fit for office”. (See 5.32pm.) Alastair Campbell, the former Labour communications chief, said the whole row was just an attempt by the Trump campaign to distract attention from the fact Trump’s former chief of staff has described him as a fascist who in private has praised Hitler. (See 1.51pm.) There is more on this story in our US election extra podcast.
The identities of armed police officers charged after opening fire at suspects are likely to stay secret in future unless they are convicted, Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, has announced. Labour is considering making solar panels optional on new homes in England, after pressure from housebuilders, in a move that would weaken low-carbon regulations, the Guardian has learned. Kemi Badenoch, favourite in the Tory leadership contest, has said that she is a “net zero sceptic” and suggested that an adaption strategy might be a better solution to the climate crisis than just focusing on cutting carbon emissions. (See 3.58pm.)
Last week Keir Starmer’s government announced that, to keep down the disability benefit bill next year, it would look to send job coaches into psychiatric wards to ready patients for work. I spent a lot of time recently around psychiatric wards as a family member was in one for an extended period. These are places for people with complex needs. Indeed, many of those in the hospitals have jobs and careers – they just need help finding their way back to them. And that help must come from medical staff, the remarkable nurses and doctors who put so much of themselves into some of the most challenging environments. The idea that there is a huge amount to be saved – or any benefit in this for people who, in their distressed reality, will see a stranger come in and tell them they need to think about work – is ludicrous. “I know you’re going through a major psychotic episode, and a long period of treatment and convalescence involving heavy-duty medication is needed, but really a good talking to and a career pathway will sort things out, by jiminy!” It’s so disappointingly small-scale and puny. It’s the opposite of ambitious, and it echoes the last lot who were in charge. Rather than nipping round the edges, the government should declare an end to the dance. In order to create work, to drive people from benefits, invest in essential infrastructure programmes. Not a few pieces, but projects on a monumental scale. Announce substantial borrowing to invest. The wellbeing of the nation will benefit. Then, they can use job coaches who have specialism in helping the excluded (Big Issue Recruit, for example) to help people into sustainable work. Growth, that great economists’ shibboleth, will follow. Paul McNamee UK editor, The Big Issue • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister and housing secretary, has said the employment rights bill will be good for growth. Speaking during the opening of its second reading debate, she said an impact assessment published by the government today (see 3.48pm) made it clear the bill would have “a positive impact on growth and more than 10 million workers will benefit from Labour’s plan in every corner of this country”. She went on: And the money in their pockets will go back into the economy and will support businesses, in particular, those on the high street. But many Tory MPs pointed out that the official analysis said the impact of the bill on growth was uncertain, and that even if there was a positive effect, it would be small. (See 4.41pm.) They also highlighted figures saying the cost to business could be close to £5bn a year. Some NHS patients have received a “death sentence” due to delays within the health service, Wes Streeting has said, as Keir Starmer stressed the need for more use of AI and technology. Keir Starmer and Wes Streeting have launched a consultation on the future of the NHS. (See 9.13am.) In a post on social media, Streeting joked about some of the less serious responses already submitted.
Thanks to @JackElsom for sending this idea for Wetherspoons in every hospital. Great idea, but sadly vetoed by the Chancellor during Budget negotiations. Thanks also to the person who suggested I be fired out of a cannon to raise money for the NHS. No Downing Street has said that Keir Starmer will not be offering reparations or an apology for Britain’s role in slavery at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting this week. (See 12.56pm.) The Serious Fraud Office is investigating the construction of a hotel and conference centre owned by the Unite union, the BBC is reporting.
The argument is made by some that MPs working in second jobs is a good thing because such professional expertise enriches parliament (Geoffrey Cox missed winter fuel votes while working abroad in second job, 11 October). There is a simple solution. When I was a clinical professor at a UK university, I was allowed to engage in private practice on the condition that I donated all such earnings to my principal employer (the university). I suggest Geoffrey Cox does likewise. Prof Jonathan Rees Edinburgh • Joy Webb misses the point when she complains about food waste at Halloween (Letters, 11 October). In order to be used as a decoration, a pumpkin has to be hollowed out. We can’t be the only people eating delicious orangey soups and pies after a hard night’s trick or treating. Julie Carlisle Kintbury, Berkshire • What is clearly a nametape, almost certainly a Cash’s nametape, was referred to in your article as a “label” (More clues in 100-year-old Mount Everest mystery as climber’s foot found, 11 October). Surely nametapes are not yet a thing of the past? Helen Simmons Datchet, Berkshire • “Ethiopia 0 Guinea 344” (Results, print edition, 16 October)? Surely a record! Then I checked online: the score was 0-3. Glyn Ford Dobcross, Greater Manchester
You can read our report on the debate by our senior political correspondent Peter Walker here
Sir Tom Hunter, one of Scotland’s wealthiest men, has confirmed he has paid for Alex Salmond’s body to be flown home from the Balkans. Hunter, a multimillionaire investor and philanthropist, was ambivalent about Scottish independence and was often critical of Scottish government policy but said Salmond had “devoted his life to Scotland”. Speculation was rife about who had privately funded the charter flight due to bring Salmond’s body home from North Macedonia on Friday, after he died suddenly at a lunch on Saturday. Officials in the former first minister’s party, Alba, believed the donor wanted to remain anonymous until Salmond’s funeral, which is expected to take place in private in his home village of Strichen, Aberdeenshire. Hunter, who donated £100,000 to the Labour party in 2001, said he wanted to end the speculation after significant media inquiries. “While he and I disagreed on some of his ambitions, Alex Salmond devoted his life to Scotland and the Scottish people and as such he, and importantly his family, deserved the dignity and privacy of a private return to the home of his birth,” he said in a short statement. “Our deepest sympathy and thoughts are with his family at this time. To be clear, I remain resolutely apolitical.” Hunter, best known latterly for setting up the Hunter Foundation, which supports social enterprises, entrepreneurship and fundraising appeals such as Band Aid and STV’s annual children’s appeal, made his money from founding the retailer Sports Division and then property investment. In 2001, he set up the investment firm West Coast Capital and took stakes in the theme parks company Merlin, the retirement homes developer McCarthy & Stone, Travelodge, and Dobbies garden centres. That allowed him to claim the crown as Scotland’s first homegrown billionaire in 2007, according to the Sunday Times rich list; the financial crisis in 2008 and onwards sliced a reputed £250m off that wealth. He is now estimated to be worth £729m.
Your report (Labour whips warn party’s MPs not to try to amend bills or disagree in public, 10 October) should alarm anyone who believes in parliamentary democracy. One of the main reasons for having a parliament is so that laws are not simply made by decree but go through a process of scrutiny in which amendments are debated and voted on. The Labour government must think its bills are perfect, yet laws are complex and there is almost always scope for improvement. If Labour MPs are not going to contribute to that process, what is the point of them? If they are to speak with “one voice” in public, as they have been told, we only need one of them there to do that – Keir Starmer. The rest can go home. Victor Anderson Brighton • That Labour MPs have been told not to attempt to amend government bills is deeply depressing. In the past nine years of Conservative rule, the quality of legislation presented to parliament has fallen year after year. Bill committees in the Commons have been tightly controlled by government whips, with those with expertise on the subject excluded. Those of us who work to scrutinise and challenge government proposals had hoped that a Labour government whose legitimacy rests on barely a third of the popular vote would listen more to reasoned criticism and debate. It looks as if this change of government has not meant any change in the elective dictatorship which the late Lord Hailsham complained is the uncomfortable reality behind our creaking parliamentary democracy. William Wallace Liberal Democrat, House of Lords • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Rachel Reeves aims to make £40bn worth of tax rises and spending cuts in the budget, government sources have indicated. A bill to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill adults in England and Wales has been formally introduced in the House of Commons, triggering what is expected to be intense discussion over the coming weeks and months on an emotionally charged and controversial issue. Downing Street has said there was no conflict of interest in Keir Starmer attending a Taylor Swift concert and meeting her, and there would be no referral to the independent ethics adviser over decisions to grant her extra security. Weight-loss injections are not the “holy grail” of solving the obesity crisis, although they will play an important role in how the NHS treats the disease, the medical director of NHS England has said. A private donor has paid for a charter flight to repatriate Alex Salmond’s body from North Macedonia, after the Foreign Office rejected calls for the RAF to arrange the flight. Unpaid carers have welcomed plans to launch a review of “outdated” benefit rules that have left tens of thousands of people who look after loved ones with huge debts and threatened with prosecution, and triggered a scandal.
Keir Starmer has twice refused to rule out a rise in employers’ national insurance contributions in the budget, stressing Labour’s manifesto promise was that it would not raise taxes on working people. British employers have warned that a rise in employer national insurance contributions in the budget could hit hiring and limit pay rises, hurting businesses including pubs, hotels and restaurants. An undercover police officer has admitted that he spied on Keir Starmer while he was a radical barrister, a public inquiry has heard. The UK Foreign Office has announced sanctions against seven organisations that support illegal Israeli settlers in the West Bank, but held back from penalising two extremist members of the Israeli government as the former foreign secretary David Cameron had been planning. Boris Johnson’s memoir, Unleashed, sold 42,528 copies in its opening week after being published on 10 October, making it the bestselling book of last week. Downing Street has rejected suggestions that Keir Starmer received Taylor Swift tickets as a “thank you” after she was given taxpayer-funded police security while performing in London. (See 1.29pm.)
Keir Starmer has told business leaders that regulation policy will be primarily determined by what’s best for growth, and that he wants to to “rip out” the planning bureaucracy holding up investment. (See 1.01pm.) The government is claiming that “nearly 38,000 UK jobs are set to be created across the UK after a total of £63bn of investment was announced around today’s international investment summit”. Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, has told GB News that Labour’s manifesto promise not to raise national insurance did not refer to employers’ national insurance contributions, only employees’. This is what Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, indicated in an interview yesterday, but Reeves was even more explicit today. This is seen as her strongest hint yet that she will raise employees’ national insurance in the budget. The Tory leadership candidate Kemi Badenoch has been criticised for a campaign pamphlet that said autistic people received “better treatment” and “economic privileges and protections”. Ellie Reeves, the Cabinet Office minister, has confirmed that the government will tighten the rules about the declaration of gifts given to ministers. She described this as closing “the Tory freebies loophole”. (See 4.30pm.) MPs have paid tribute to Alex Salmond, the former Scottish first minister who died suddenly at the weekend.
The main Conservative centrist group will not endorse Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick in the Tory leadership race amid concern the party risks splitting in a lurch to the right. Britain must prepare for the widespread use of road pricing to make up a £35bn shortfall in tax revenues from the transition to electric vehicles, the country’s top infrastructure adviser has said. Sue Gray will not attend the inaugural meeting of the prime minister’s council of nations and regions, Downing Street has indicated. Rachel Reeves is considering raising capital gains tax as high as 39% in the budget, the Guardian can reveal, amid a scramble to raise funds for crumbling public services. The leader of Plaid Cymru says the party can build on its progress at the UK general election and make significant gains in traditional Labour heartlands. George Osborne, the former Tory chancellor, has said that Robert Jenrick would be the “safer choice” for next party leader. Speaking on his Political Currency podcast, he said: I would say that Robert Jenrick is in some ways a sort of safer choice, because he is playing safe. He’s shown he’s very – this will be taken the wrong way, but I don’t mean it like this – sort of malleable. He’ll move to where he thinks he could win, and in an opposition leader, that’s a very attractive quality. I think Jenrick will be ruthless. If he thinks you can win on the centre ground, he’ll move the party to the centre ground. I think Kemi Badenoch is more authentic, in the sense of, ‘this is what I believe and you can take it or leave it’. Anyone who’s dealt with her in private will know she’s very robust, and she quite often puts people’s backs up, because she tells people what she thinks, but that’s also a very attractive quality.
Is Sue Gray’s enforced departure as the prime minister’s chief of staff yet another depressing instance of a resolute and capable woman taking the blame for mistakes made by her male colleagues (Keir Starmer reshuffles top team after Sue Gray ousted, 6 October)? Matthew Ryder St Neots, Cambridgeshire • I have a simple solution to end all wars, not only in the Middle East but across the world. Put daily oestrogen into the water drunk by all the men in government. They’ll then begin to find talking preferable to attacking, and peace will follow. I’d welcome any suggestions as to how to implement this plan. Shira Rüb Lower Ashton, Devon • Lev Parikian doesn’t need to travel to the “urban sprawl” of posh Barnes to see a bittern (Country diary, 7 October). A short trip from almost anywhere in London on the Jubilee line, to the ecology park on Greenwich Peninsula, with its lakes and bird hides, will give anyone who cares to visit the delight of these birds – and many more. Jane Lawson London • I enjoyed your reflections on the Tory conference (‘The night of the living dead’: denial-fuelled Tory conference ends without direction, 3 October). You may have noticed that the day chosen by the party to announce its new leader is 2 November, the day of the dead. Kenneth Wheatcroft Cambridge • Is there a case for defunding former prime ministers – those who didn’t manage 50 days, say (Liz Truss urges conservatives to ‘defund state media’…, 5 October)? Mark de Brunner Burn Bridge, North Yorkshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
A fake blue plaque has been erected outside a Tesco in Walthamstow to commemorate the fact that the lettuce that famously outlasted Liz Truss’s premiership was bought there.
At the death of her 49 days as prime minister a wilting 60p iceberg lettuce from Tesco in a blond wig was declared the winner of a race to last longest as she lost her grip on power after her disastrous mini-budget, which led to her sacking the then chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng. As it looked like her time in Downing Street was up, the Daily Star set up a webcam on the lettuce to see if it would have a longer shelf-life than the prime minister. After seven days it duly did. In a further twist, the blue plaque added to the Tesco in east London was next to a huge promotional Tesco image for British cheese. Truss famously declared at a Conservative party conference in 2014 that it was a “disgrace” that the UK imported two-thirds of its cheese.
It is unlikely that the former MP, who lost her seat at the general election in July, will see the funny side. In August she abruptly left an event, saying it was “not funny” when a banner placed by campaign group Led by Donkeys descended behind her during an event to promote her book which had a picture of a lettuce and the slogan “I crashed the economy”.
It is not known if the Tesco store in Walthamstow stocks the Norfolk Peer, which Truss once said was her favourite potato. Truss has been contacted for comment.
Labour will mark 100 days in power on 12 October, the first time the party has been in government since 2010. We want to hear your thoughts. What do you make of Labour’s first 100 days in power? Has anything surprised you about the last three months? What do you think of the policy choices so far? This Community callout closed on 22 October 2024. You can see the article that included respondents to this callout here. You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.
The UK has agreed to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, ending years of bitter dispute over Britain’s last African colony. The Foreign Office insists that the deal will “settle historic sovereignty claims, protect our national security and close a potential illegal migration route”. It has been welcomed by figures ranging from President Biden to Jeremy Corbyn. But all four Tory leadership candidates have strongly criticised the decision, claiming it is a sign of weakness and a risk to national security, even though one of them, James Cleverly, was foreign secretary, when the talks on transferring sovereignty started. In a statement to parliament on 3 November 2022, Cleverly said: The UK and Mauritius have agreed to engage in constructive negotiations, with a view to arriving at an agreement by early next year. David Clark, a Labour former special adviser in the Foreign Office, accused Cleverly of blatant hypocrisy.
Well this is disappointing. I thought Cleverly was a cut above the populist buffoons around him. Turns out he’s just as much of a hyperbolic truth-twister as the rest of them. The negotiations to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands were initiated by him as a Minister. Hundreds of homeless young people, including dozens who are pregnant or have children, are being illegally turned away by councils when they ask for help, the Guardian has learned. Keir Starmer has repaid thousands of pounds in freebies to restore trust in politics, a minister has said as she ruled out accepting more hospitality. Boris Johnson has insisted he would have won another election if he had not been forced from Downing Street, arguing in his new memoir that he broke no rules with lockdown parties and was the victim of a conspiracy.
Thanks for following the blog today. Here are all the key developments: Sir Keir Starmer paid back more than £6,000 worth of gifts and hospitality he received since entering Number 10 after a row over ministerial donations. The Labour peer Waheed Alli is under investigation by a parliamentary watchdog over a potential breach of the code of conduct. Alli is being investigated after a complaint that he has not registered his interests correctly. He has been thrust into the spotlight recently over tens of thousands of pounds worth of gifts he gave to Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner. Starmer pledged that the UK and European Union would work to strengthen co-operation on the economy and security, as well as to “make Brexit work” after meeting with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. The four Conservative leadership candidates set out their visions for the party – consensus from the commentariat was that James Cleverly came out strongest. We’ll be back tomorrow with all the latest happenings in Westminster.
As the elected leader of the country, Keir Starmer has the privilege and duty of thinking about our children, not just his children (Starmer defends borrowing £18m flat as place for son to study during election, 25 September). Parents generally want the best for their children. Yet for someone entrusted with policy for our children, may I ask for some humility and checking of privilege, and how such privilege intentionally or unintentionally reproduces advantage and opportunities? Parents want a private place for their child to revise. Yet for many, their economic and housing situation prevents them from offering this. Parents want their children to participate fully in remote learning opportunities. Yet a lack of devices, broadband speed and data bundles may restrict this. Parents want their children to not have to worry about anything else when they are in high-stakes examination situations. Yet not all young people can enjoy this gift – such as those who are in care, estranged, bereaved, battling illness or with long journeys to school vulnerable to transport failures. May I thus invite Sir Keir to think not only about his children but our children as he undertakes the task of enhancing education and opportunities for the next generation. He can call upon many education experts across the UK who would be delighted to help co-create new thinking in this space, for the benefit of all children. Prof Anna Mountford-Zimdars University of Exeter • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Between 2005 and 2018, I worked as a low-to-mid-ranking lawyer in two central government departments and then for an independent regulator. In all three cases, the conflict of interest policy required not only the declaration of all gifts and hospitality but also the refusal of any worth more than £30. In all cases, the policy stated that it was important to avoid not just actual impropriety but also the appearance of a potential for impropriety. Why should such policies apply to officials whose role is to advise decision-makers but not to those with the power to actually make decisions? Jane Carmichael Melbourn, Cambridgeshire • NHS employees are prohibited from accepting any gifts worth more than £25 (the upper limit may vary, depending on local policies, but not by much), whether from suppliers, patients, the public or others. Why, then, are MPs treated differently? They are public servants after all. Should they not be bound by similar policies, thus removing the temptations that allow them to make such poor judgments? Fiona Harcombe Greenford, London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
The blind polling of American voters (Kamala Harris’s economic policy slate more popular than Trump’s – poll, 30 September) reminded me of Gyles Brandreth’s excursion to Guildford in 2019 for The One Show on BBC One. He asked people in the town what they thought of a whole raft of policies, from scrapping university fees and restoring grants to having a 50% top tax rate, and most were very much in favour, until he showed them a photo of the party leader proposing these policies. This was, of course, one Jeremy Corbyn, and so they voted Tory. Another fine mess… Deirdre Burrell Mortimer, Berkshire • No fewer than eight Zs in the quick crossword (26 September): zeppelin, zephyr, zodiac and zeal at the top, with Suez, ersatz, Chavez and Alcatraz at the bottom. Simply overzealousness by your present compiler, or is it a new Gen Z one? Adrian Brodkin London • Interesting that Stella McCartney is printing doves on silk tops and dresses (Stella McCartney preaches Peace and Dove in mission to save birds, 30 September). What are her feelings for the silkworms? Margaret Vandecasteele Cupar, Fife • I would have thought the correct name for the footwear on offer at the Tory conference should be flop-flops (Report, 26 September). Vee Singleton Framlingham, Suffolk • Should Belfast Lough be renamed Groundhog Bay (Cruise ship stuck in Belfast for four months returns hours after leaving, 1 October)? Colwyn Lee Swarkestone, Derbyshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Tom Tugendhat, the former UK security minister, has criticised the claim by one of his Conservative leadership rivals that UK special forces are “killing rather than capturing” terrorism suspects, saying the comment showed a “fundamental misunderstanding” of the law of war. Kemi Badenoch has told a fringe meeting that up to 10% of civil servants are “very, very bad”, jokingly adding that they are “should be in prison bad”. (See 6.36pm.) Robert Jenrick has almost caught up with Badenoch in terms of popularity with members, a poll suggests. (See 9.37am.) Jenrick has confirmed that he has given his daughter the middle name “Thatcher”.
The Tory leadership candidates (Explainer, 29 September) should be nicknamed after the cows in Cold Comfort Farm: Graceless, Aimless, Feckless and Pointless. Mix and match how you like; it really doesn’t make much difference. Rod Bell York • Kemi Badenoch is a skilled politician, well-versed in the Trump playbook, who chooses her words with care. Her sniping at maternity pay (Report, 29 September) is designed to appeal to the Andrew Tate demographic of young men who think women get a better deal than they do. This is the fresh blood that Badenoch seems to be hoping to attract to the ageing Tory party. I bet she wins. Hilary Cashman Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham • The fascinating compendium of 41 era-defining music photographs (From Elton John at the piano to Stormzy at Glastonbury and Madonna snogging Britney: 41 era-defining music photos, 28 September) included an iconic image of Bob Dylan from 1963. The caption said he is now recognised as “one of the greatest ever singer/songwriters”. Surely “one of” is superfluous? Mike Pender Cardiff • Why would anyone need to use a lip balm that costs £16 just to watch TV (Box clever: what to wear to watch TV, 27 September)? Is it to deal with chafing from yelling in frustration at the “smart” operating system? Derrick Cameron Stoke-on-Trent • I was also annoyed by the disappearance of lids from hummus (Letters, 30 September), until I realised that the solution was to save the taramasalata lids. Cynthia Gallaway Twickenham, London • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Tom Tugendhat and Kemi Badenoch have both used Q&A sessions in the main conference hall to address perceived weaknesses with their leadership campaigns. Both were well received by party members, on a day when none of the four candidates made an obvious error, or said anything significantly new and likely to reshape the contest. Tugendhat, who is seen as having most chance of being voted out in the next MPs’ ballot, forcefully dismissed claims that he lacked the right experience to be Conservative leader. (See 2.29pm.) Badenoch sought to draw a line under her maternity pay gaffe yesterday by suggesting that she has now joined Margaret Thatcher in the ranks of Tory leaders whose words have been misrepresented by opponents. (See 3.35pm.) Badenoch also defended her claim that she was working class when she worked in McDonalds in south London as teenager, saying that the description was fair because she was poor at the time and sometimes went hungry. (See 3.23pm.) A recent biography gives a slightly different impression, saying that although Badenoch was short of money at this point, she did not need to get a job. (See 4,53pm.) Tomorrow Robert Jenrick and James Cleverly get the main hall Q&A treatment. Both have been doing fringe meetings today, with Jenrick saying the Tories must commit to leaving the ECHR “or die” (see 8.23am), and Cleverly saying it was a mistake for Rishi Sunak to promise to “stop the boats (see 5.44pm). Liz Truss has said the Conservatives would have done better in July’s general election if she had stayed on as prime minister, during an often freewheeling one-off appearance at the Tory conference. Senior Conservatives are considering pushing for a lifting of the moratorium on fracking in England to become party policy. The cabinet secretary, Simon Case, has formally announced that he will stand down as the UK’s most senior civil servant at the end of the year.
Kemi Badenoch has had an awkward start to a party conference that may determine whether or not she can become party leader. A survey today confirmed that she is the clear favourite amongst party members (see 1.45pm). But Robert Jenrick is the bookmakers’ favourite, because it is assumed that Badenoch will not get enough support from MPs to make the final two. Voting in the Commons on Wednesday 9 October and Thursday 10 October will decide the two candidates on the ballot for party members, and Badenoch, who had 28 votes in the last ballot, needs to win the support of at least 13 more by 10 October, because with 41, you are guaranteed a slot in the final two. (There are only 121 Tory MPs, so the last three candidates cannot all get 41 or more.) Badenoch started the day by delivering hard-hitting message on Israel (fully supporting the attack on Lebanon – see 8.40am) and on immigrants (implying they should be excluded if they are not prepared to love Britain – see 8.50am). But then she appeared to suggest to an interviewer that maternity pay was excessive and, as the backlash mounted, she resorted to issuing two successive statements claiming she had been misreported. In the second statement, via video, she claimed she was not fazed by the row – but she looked as though she was. (See 5.32pm.) Badenoch has said “not all cultures are equally valid” when it comes to deciding who should be allowed into the UK, as she expressed her shock about “the number of recent immigrants to the UK who hate Israel”. Two Tory leadership candidates, Robert Jenrick and Tom Tugendhat, have publicly called for the party to cut short the contest, a move opposed by their rival Badenoch. The former Labour MP Rosie Duffield has said Keir Starmer has “a problem with women” and that the government is “more interested in greed and power” than in making changes to the country.
Despite the protestations of Keir Starmer and others, the most important issue regarding donations to politicians or parties is not whether such gifts are declared, it is the influence that the gifts have on them (Peer gave Keir Starmer more clothes worth £16,000, declared as money for private office, 27 September). This may not immediately be obvious – it may be months or years before it pays off. Declaring potential conflicts of interest does not eradicate them as conflicts of interest. For example, studies done on the efficacy of psychiatric medications and many influential medical papers list the benefits the authors received; it is not unusual to see whole pages devoted to their financial connections to pharmaceutical firms. That must cast some doubt on the validity of the studies. It is naive to assume significant monetary donations or gifts have no effect on the recipients. If that were true, companies and wealthy individuals would not bother, and the lobbying industry – worth billions – would not exist. Touting the transparency of donations or gifts is not enough. The influence bought by wealthy donors cannot be erased merely by a declaration in the register of members’ interests. Hannah Walker Wymondham, Leicestershire • I’m nearly 74 and not exactly poor, but I don’t think my entire bill for clothing myself for the last 50 years, including celebratory occasions, has come anywhere near Keir Starmer’s £16,000 spend. Why do I suddenly feel so shabby? Rory E MacFlynn Dublin, Ireland • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Keir Starmer’s personal ratings dropped further during his first Labour conference as prime minister, according to the latest Opinium poll for the Observer. While party leaders hope for a conference bounce as a result of wall-to-wall media coverage, Starmer suffered the reverse effect, as his ratings plunged to their lowest ever level, and well below those of Rishi Sunak. Last night’s resignation of the whip by Labour MP Rosie Duffield, who cited Starmer’s “cruel and unnecessary” policies on winter fuel and the two child benefit cap, will further add to the sense of unease in party ranks, less than three months after its sensational general election win. Even before the Labour gathering in Liverpool – originally billed as a chance to celebrate its return to power after 14 years – Starmer’s ratings had collapsed 45 points since July to -26 by last weekend (with 24% approving of the job he was doing, against 50% who disapproved). Conference week, however, saw a further drop of four points to -30, by far the lowest he has ever recorded. Ratings for the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, also continued to slide amid warnings of a tough budget on 30 October. Reeves is on -28, down from -25 last weekend. Almost twice as many people (34%) thought Starmer made a bad speech last Tuesday as thought it was a good one (19%); 46% said they did not have an opinion. Only 20% of voters think Labour has been good at providing hope and optimism following its landslide general election victory, against 56% who think it is has done badly in this respect. And despite promising to lead a “government of service” and rebuild faith in politics, only 17% of people think it is doing well in this regard, against 58% who think it is doing badly. The only consolation for Starmer and Labour is that Opinium found the Tory party, whose conference opens in Birmingham at the weekend, were seen as lacking in a clear sense of purpose, and deeply divided.
Rachel Reeves is rethinking parts of Labour’s crackdown on non-dom tax status over concerns that the plans will not raise any money. The chancellor is reassessing the government’s manifesto promise to close loopholes in the non-domiciled tax regime Russell Findlay, the newly elected leader of the Scottish Conservatives, has said his party faces a significant threat from Reform UK in Scotland. Of the 4,155 Scottish Tory members who voted, 2,565 backed Findlay in the first round, with 1,187 votes going to his closest rival, Murdo Fraser Polling by Savanta suggests that a third of Conservative voters in the 2024 general election believe the party lost because it wasn’t right-wing enough Systemic failures in the way police deal with stalkers are leaving victims at “serious risk” with some given wrong and “potentially dangerous” advice, a damning report by police chiefs in England and Wales has found A man who was the first person in the UK to be convicted of a charge of riot after widespread disorder this summer has been jailed for four years and four months Two Just Stop Oil activists have been jailed for throwing tomato soup over Van Gogh’s Sunflowers Thank you for reading and all your comments. Andrew Sparrow will be back on Monday, and I will see you here again sometime soon.
Only toffs can afford nannies (The right calls it the ‘nanny state’…, 23 September). So for the rest of us the jibe “nanny state” is irrelevant and should be barred. What we need are supportive parents, and many are insufficiently resourced to provide fully for their children. So we need the “maternal” – alias welfare – state rather than the current Thatcherite austerity ill-fare one. Robert Gibbs Glasgow • Thank you, Aditya Chakrabortty (Britain wants spending and a better NHS, not this obsession with growth. That’s why there’s big trouble ahead, 26 September). I’m reminded of a brief letter to the Guardian early in the Thatcher era: “Just what is this Economy with a capital E whose wellbeing seems so divorced from that of the actual population?” David Mayle Newport, Essex • At 84, I’ve accepted that it’s never going to be jam today in politics. Roland White Bognor Regis, West Sussex • In the 1960s, our enlightened headmistress at Camden School for Girls allowed a group from a boys’ school to entertain us with an afternoon of Beatles and Rolling Stones numbers. One of our girls joined them to sing As Tears Go By – a moving performance by Cleo Sylvestre, not to be forgotten (Obituary, 22 September). Elizabeth Monger Plymouth • Having taught for 35 years, I can fully sympathise with Peter Russell about class sizes (Letters, 24 September), although – most fortunately – I never had to put up with an elephant in the room. Ken Gambles Calcutt, North Yorkshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
A senior doctor repeatedly broke down in tears as he described how the Covid crisis for NHS staff was like having to respond to a “terrorist attack every day”, with infected patients “raining from the sky”. Prof Sir Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, has told the Covid inquiry that Britain went into the pandemic with “very low” intensive care capacity compared with other wealthy countries and that this was “a political choice”. (See 12.35pm.) Elon Musk has hit back at the UK government after he was not invited to an international investment summit following his controversial social media posts during last month’s riots. The Tory leadership candidate Kemi Badenoch has said said she is “a huge fan” of Musk. (See 9.35am.)
Keir Starmer has told Russia he does not know how it can show its face at the United Nations after invading Ukraine and treating its own citizens as “bits of meat to fling into the grinder”. The Labour leadership has lost a highly anticipated motion at the party’s conference that called on ministers to reverse the cuts to winter fuel payments. Reacting to the defeat, Starmer said it would not decide policy. He told Channel 4 News: I do understand how, you know, colleagues in the Labour movement feel about this. This is clearly a difficult decision but a motion at conference doesn’t dictate government policy. Stephen Timms, a welfare minister, has said that over time the winter fuel payment cuts could actually reduce pensioner poverty, because it is encouraging pensioners to claim pension credit. (See 2.25pm.) People who have been on long-term sickness leave and claiming benefits will need get back into the workplace “where they can”, Starmer has said. Starmer has said he wants to meet Kamala Harris and Donald Trump before the US election, as he declined to back one of his ministers who said the Republican candidate had contributed to racist rhetoric in the UK.
Keir Starmer has urged Britons to keep faith amid difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions being made by the government, saying he realised many voters wanted quicker progress, but that he would not con people with “false hope” or easy answers. Welfare fraudsters will be dealt with faster under new legislation announced by Starmer that is expected to save the UK taxpayer £1.6bn over the next five years. Starmer has unveiled plans to protect veterans, young care leavers and domestic abuse victims from homelessness. (See 3.54pm.) Shabana Mahmood, the lord chancellor, has declared that “prison isn’t working” for women as she announced a package of measures to reduce the number of females in the prison estate. Tulip Siddiq, the City minister, has asked the financial watchdog to rethink plans to “name and shame” some firms it investigates, suggesting she could overrule them.
I remember how relieved I felt when Boris Johnson was deposed as prime minister that I wouldn’t have to see any more pictures of him in his running kit; then when Rishi Sunak went the same way, it was his hoodies that no longer enraged me; now I find myself seething at Keir Starmer’s glasses. The only way I can bring my anger levels down is by recalling Dominic Cummings; at least I know things could be worse. Phil Robinson Bristol • Lord Lucan? Shergar? How long does Wes Streeting think his audience’s memories are (Sue Gray ‘shot JFK’ and is ‘hiding Lord Lucan’, jokes Wes Streeting, 22 September)? And surely “Who shot JFK?” should be “Who shot JR?”. Do keep up. Katy Jennison Witney, Oxfordshire • I have no objection to Sue Gray earning more than the prime minister (Sue Gray’s £170,000 pay prompts fury among Labour advisers, 18 September). But I also believe no qualified nurse should earn less. Graham Head London • Sue Gray may get paid more than the prime minister, but he gets loads more freebies. Frank Edwards Croydon, London • To express the correct level of disbelief, try saying “work clothes” in the style of Peter Kay saying: “Garlic bread? Garlic? Bread?” Phil Sinnott Crosby, Merseyside • Voters will for ever see Keir Starmer’s glasses before hearing his message. Solution? Contact lenses. Christopher Rainger York • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Rachel Reeves has defended her decisions to cut the winter fuel allowance and abandon infrastructure projects as she argued the decisions taken in the early weeks of the Labour government would pave the way to a more optimistic economic future. The Unite union has accused Labour conference organisers of seeking to silence them by scheduling a vote that could condemn cuts to winter fuel payments for the very end of the gathering. Nurses in England have rejected the 5.5% pay rise they were given for this year, in a move that may lead to them to start striking again in pursuit of higher salaries. Scottish Labour believes access to the winter fuel allowance could be widened in Scotland as it tries to fight off its opponents’ attacks before the next Holyrood election. Landlords who rent out substandard draughty homes face a crackdown under plans set out by the energy secretary, Ed Miliband, at the Labour party conference. Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, has condemned scaremongering around Labour’s plans for an overhaul of workers’ rights next month, saying the package will transform lives, including for pregnant women and bereaved parents.
Surely there’s a straightforward way to remove the whole problem area of clothing the government (Keir Starmer and top Labour colleagues to stop taking clothes gifts from donors, 20 September). Immediately upon appointment, each member of the cabinet should surrender their own wardrobe and choose from an approved list of British suppliers of clothing. Personal shoppers would ensure that everyone looked their best (granted, not always an easy task) and any costs involved would be met from a central fund, taking account of benefits to the supplier from the exposure of their products on a world stage. On leaving the government, all garments would be surrendered and donated to charity. Sales generally may be boosted; aspiring politicians would rush to buy from, say, the M&S Prime Minister range or Foreign Secretary at John Lewis. Anne Cowper Bishopston, Swansea • In his seminal work The Gift, the French anthropologist Marcel Mauss wrote: “The gift not yet repaid debases the man who accepts it.” And so, whichever way you look at it, Sir Keir Starmer is debased. If he has failed to repay the gifts in the form of influence, he is debased in the eyes of the giver. If he has repaid the gifts, he is debased in the eyes of the electorate. John Lowery London • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Having received an email from John Crace inviting me to join him, Marina Hyde and Pippa Crerar for an evening event on Tuesday 3 December, I would just say that, much as I love John Crace, it’s obvious that he is a Spurs supporter, as he has picked the night that Arsenal are hosting Manchester United, so all good Guardian-reading Gooners like me will be attending that event instead. Helen Jenkins London • I once wrote to Graham Rawle (Letters, 18 September) suggesting that he could also do Return of the Lost Consonant, eg “Men behaving baldly”. He replied some months later saying that he had just found my letter in a cardboard ox. This he later illustrated. Alan Pearson Durham • Rachel Reeves has announced plans to replace every painting in the state room at No 11 Downing Street with artworks of or by women (Report, 18 September). I think that Keir Starmer has a painting of a famous woman that he’d be happy to pass on. James Wilkinson Ford, Shropshire • The clue to Tupperware’s bankruptcy is in the reference to a Tupperware container dating from circa 1966 showing no sign of wear (Letters, 20 September). The manufacturers failed to observe the first rule of successful capitalism – built-in obsolescence. Caroline Ewans London • In your print edition (19 September), the report about the capybara that escaped from a zoo said: “On Tuesday night, Cinnamon, who is about the size of a labrador, was seen using a thermal drone…” What a clever animal. David Hitchin Seaford, East Sussex • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Marina Hyde makes important and valid points in relation to the way pundits comment and speculate on Charlotte Owen (Here’s the real ‘enigma’ about Charlotte Owen: why we still take sexist gossip so seriously, 17 September). However, as it is the UK taxpayer who funds her position in the House of Lords we should be entitled to access a very clearly documented justification for her appointment, including the reason for her appointment to her role in No 10, and what she achieved in that role (or in any other role), to justify her elevation to the peerage. The fact that she was appointed by Boris Johnson, someone whose judgment has previously been seriously questioned in relation to his appointment of Evgeny Lebedev, further justifies any public concerns. As a matter of ethical governance, the same principle of access and transparency should apply to all elevations to the upper house. Dr David Coles Elsdon, Northumberland • I have found one of the very rare things on which I disagree with Marina Hyde. I actually do think it’s a good idea to appoint a 29-year-old as a peer. One of the things that makes the Lords so unrepresentative is that the average age of its members is 71. Young people have no voice there. Until we get an elected second chamber, we should be putting more people in their 20s and 30s into the Lords. Daniel Owen Torrington, Devon • Marina Hyde tells us that Owen turns up regularly in the House of Lords: I would too if I could receive the £361 per day that lords get for attending. Not to mention travel expenses and subsidised meals. It would make a trip from Exeter very worthwhile. Pauline Gibson Exeter • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Keir Starmer has strongly defended his decision to accept corporate hospitality at Arsenal – while ducking questions about why he allowed a donor to pay for his glasses. (See 5.24pm.) In separate interviews, Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, suggested Starmer’s attendance at Arsenal matches and Taylor Swift concerts was “part of the job”. Starmer has insisted he is “completely in control” following a row within government over Sue Gray, his chief of staff, being paid more than him. In an interview with BBC South East, asked why Gray was getting more than he was, Starmer said he was “not going to get into discussions about individual salaries about any members of my staff”. Pressed on whether he had a grip on his team following hostile briefings against Gray, he replied: I’m completely in control. I’m focused and every day the message from me to the team is exactly the same, which is we have to deliver. We were elected on a big mandate to deliver change, I am determined that we are going to do that. Nigel Farage has said he received official parliamentary advice against holding in-person surgeries for his constituents – though his claim was immediately called into question by insiders. Farage has said he is going to give up running Reform UK as a private company, turning it instead into a more normal political party. (See 3.39pm.) The European court of human rights has dismissed an appeal by the former MP Owen Paterson against the parliamentary report that preceded his political downfall.
Sue Gray, Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, has been given a salary of £170,000 – more than the prime minister. John Swinney has urged independence supporters not to live in the past as he celebrated the 10th anniversary of the independence referendum as a moment of “reawakening” for the yes movement. Tom Tugendhat’s call for the government to use the unduly lenient sentences scheme to review Huw Edwards’ sentence, and get it increased, backfired after Tugendhat was told this was not legally possible because the mechanism only applies to crown court sentences. (See 3.24pm.) Train drivers have voted to back a pay deal that will resolve the last remaining conflict between rail operators and unions after more than two years of strikes that have brought misery for passengers. John Major has criticised the former Conservative government’s Rwanda scheme, saying it was unsuitable for the 21st century and was “un-Conservative and un-British”.
The government must “act faster and be much bolder” in tackling the crises facing the UK, Ed Davey has said in a speech to the Liberal Democrat conference, promising his party would be an antidote to the “pessimism and defeatism” of Keir Starmer. Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, has vowed to take on the nimbys opposed to the government’s rollout of wind turbines, solar farms and pylons across the UK as a matter of “national security” and “economic justice”. David Lammy, the foreign secretary, has announced plans to appoint a special envoy for nature for the first time, in a major speech in which he also said the threat posed by the climate crisis was “more fundamental” than the threat posed by terrorism, or autocratic states. (See 1.35pm.) Angela Eagle, the border security minister, has struggled in interviews to defend the large number of “freebies” accepted by Keir Starmer before he became PM. (See 1.32pm.) Hollie Ridley, an ally of Keir Starmer, has been appointed Labour’s new general secretary.
Keir Starmer is “very interested” in the Italy-Albania migration deal, the Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni said, as the UK vowed to send the nation £4million to support its controversial crackdown on illegal migration. As Aletha Adu reports, while the prime minister agreed with Meloni, stressing how important their deep relationship was, Starmer indicated that he was more interested in Italy’s strategy stopping migrants from reaching the country than its Albania deal, which Meloni said is a few weeks away from completion. The pair however, put migration at the top of their discussions, which also included topics around economic growth on Tuesday, before they were photographed joking and smiling through the gardens of the Villa Doria Pamphilj in Rome. The millions of pounds the UK will send to Italy will contribute to the Rome process, which is the Italian government’s project to tackle the root causes of irregular migration. Keir Starmer should drop the pursuit of Italy’s “costly and ultimately ineffective” migration deterrence policies if the UK is to put an end to people dying in the Channel, a global charity led by David Miliband has warned. A doctor from Pakistan who feared he would have to leave his job at a GP surgery in east London is celebrating after a Home Office U-turn over a decision that would have separated him from his family. Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, has avoided saying whether he views his party as more leftwing or rightwing than Labour. (See 3.39pm.) In interview before he wraps up the Lib Dem conference with his big speech tomorrow, Davey also said he wanted his party to be a better opposition to Labour than the Tories are. (See 5.15pm.) Leading economists have said Labour will fail to bring in ‘decade of renewal’ unless Treasury fiscal rules are loosened to allow more investment. (See 12.29pm.)
Can’t the Starmers afford their own clothes (David Lammy: PMs and partners rely on donors to help them ‘look their best’, 15 September)? The Kinnocks used to buy theirs in Marks & Spencer. When we lived near them in west London we would see Neil and Glenys in the store. Angela Singer Cambridge • Well, this is confusing: I’ve had an email from my energy supplier saying that prices are going to rise due to global energy costs. At the same time, I’ve also had an email from my energy supplier in France saying my bill will fall due to falling global energy costs. They can’t both be right. Is privatisation in the UK the key, as firms are competing for a share of profits? Simon Cattermole Havant, Hampshire • Rachel Reeves just needs to be patient on public finances (Report, 10 September). Stephen Hawking showed that the black hole will slowly evaporate. Martyn Thomas Emeritus professor, Gresham College • “Rewilding is just a fancy new name for ecosystem restoration,” writes David Gomm (Letters, 13 September). Shouldn’t that be the other way round? Brian Stevenson Manchester • While walking down a street in Santa Monica in 1980, I came face to face with a world-famous celebrity. He was friendly and in no hurry to end our chat. When finally I felt I should take no more of his time, he ended our meeting with a “wet fish” handshake (Letters, 13 September). Since then, I’ve never felt quite the same about Bob Dylan. Andy Merriman London • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
The billions lost to tax evasion by small retail businesses (Report, 9 September) could be addressed by reinstating the 100 or so local tax offices that were closed by the Conservatives. I remember, when I worked for HM Customs and Excise, visiting a retailer after a local paper had reported on an investigation into VAT evasion involving another retailer. He had on his desk a copy of the paper, and said to me on arrival: “I need to tell you something.” Ian Arnott Peterborough • Aditya Chakrabortty refers to that rightwing set of Tories who “speak golf-club identity politics” (Opinion, 12 September). It’s a phrase I have often used too, adding “Surrey” as an adjective. But is this really fair? Are there no golfers for Labour? Ramsay MacDonald was a keen golfer – but perhaps that’s not a good example for the current government. Dave Verguson Huddersfield, West Yorkshire • I was immensely cheered to see the chaos in Ed Davey’s kitchen, depicted in the photograph with your interview (13 September). At last, a photo of a politician not spin-doctored for the public. Helen Welham Edinburgh • Four mobiles on the Lib Dem leader’s kitchen table? Should he spend less on burner phones and more on renovating his kitchen? Stuart Garside New Mills, Derbyshire • Given the wonky state of Ed Davey’s kitchen drawers, it’s quite clear that he should never be allowed to form a cabinet. Tim Craig London • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
The Foreign Office has described Russian claims that six British diplomats it has expelled from Moscow were engaged in spying as “completely baseless”. Keir Starmer is preparing to meet President Biden in the White House for talks on Ukraine. There will be further coverage on our Ukraine live blog.
The number of people in prison in England and Wales dropped by a record amount this week after the government started its early release scheme, figures show. The UK’s first new deep coalmine in 30 years will not be allowed to go ahead after a ruling in the high court. The UK government has agreed to take control of the National Grid unit tasked with keeping the lights on in a £630m deal that takes effect from next month. The Labour party and Keir Starmer have seen their popularity fall sharply since the general election, polling suggests. (See 10.21am.)
MPs could face a crackdown on paid media roles such as presenting for GB News after the Commons leader, Lucy Powell, said the new modernisation committee should review the rules. Powell, a cabinet minister and the select committee’s chair, said it would look into the advantages of paid media engagements compared with the potential conflicts of interest and attention. There has been a large increase in MPs taking on paid roles as presenters in recent years, with the Guardian revealing that GB News had paid Conservatives more than £660,000 in salaries and appearance fees since the channel launched. Nigel Farage and Lee Anderson, MPs for Reform UK, both host shows for GB News. Labour politicians have also had paid media gigs, including David Lammy, now the foreign secretary, who presented an LBC radio show. The committee placed overhauling standards at the top of a list of priorities it published on Thursday, after 16 MPs were suspended for at least one day during the last parliament – more than in the previous five parliaments combined. The committee said: “Members across the house will know that the events of recent years and the misconduct of individual members has eroded public trust and confidence in this institution. “It is incumbent on all of us to embody the high standards that the public expect of us and we must all act to change and improve the reputation of this place.” In addition to looking at potential changes to parliament’s culture that would “address cultural issues of bullying and harassment and sexual harassment”, MPs’ second jobs in the media are likely to be a focus for the committee. The committee said it “should consider what advantages, if any, outside paid engagements such as media appearances, journalism and speeches furnish to the public, versus the potential conflicts of interest and attention that arise from such paid endeavours”.
Robert Jenrick’s website modestly sets out his unimpeachable credentials for leadership of party and country. The “About” section begins thus: “Robert has spent most of his life in the Midlands and comes from small town Britain. Born in 1980s Wolverhampton, his father, Bill, was a small businessman from Manchester and his mother, Jenny, was a secretary from Liverpool. They set up their own business fitting fireplaces around their kitchen table.” So Bob’s dad, a little chap just Bob’s age, came from two places and liked to keep the table warm? Stephen Baker Tregynon, Powys • Aditya Chakrabortty ends his article on the Tory leadership race (Opinion, 12 September) speculating on who’ll be in the final bout to lead Her Majesty’s opposition. I think he needs to keep up with the news. Michael Robinson Berkhamsted, Herfordshire • When I worked for the Blood Transfusion Service in Ireland in the 1970s, Guinness was always available for donors (Letters, 10 September). The most reliable donors were employees of the brewery who, as a perk of their job, got a daily ration of two pint bottles. Catherine O’Reilly London • I took the ironing on (Letters, 10 September) when my girlfriend – now my wife – did an MA in chemistry when she was 23. She’s now 63 and still appears reluctant to take the task back. Ian Charlton Northallerton, North Yorkshire • Donald Trump refers to Kamala Harris as a Marxist (Harris targets Trump for falsehoods on abortion and immigration in fiery debate, 11 September). Perhaps he needs a dictionary? Derek McMillan Durrington, West Sussex • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Keir Starmer was accused by Tory leader Rishi Sunak of “hiding” the impact of the government’s winter fuel payment cuts at PMQs, amid fears the policy will cause an increase in pensioner deaths. (See 1.30pm). The government has published its renters’ rights bill. Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, the housing charity, said: The renters’ rights bill is a watershed moment for England’s 11 million renters. By extending notice periods and ridding the country of the gross injustice of section 21 evictions, renters will no longer live in fear of being booted out of their homes for no reason, with too little notice. This bill will do far more to protect tenants than previous failed attempts, but renters shouldn’t be forced out by colossal rent hikes once the government pulls the plug on section 21. More than 60,000 renters were walloped with extortionate rent hikes that cost them the roof over their head in the past year alone. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published a detailed guide to the bill here. October’s budget will require “difficult decisions on tax, spending and welfare”, the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has warned. The anticipated post-election bounceback in the UK economy failed to materialise as activity flatlined in July for a second month, according to the latest official data. The British steel industry has suffered a blow after confirmation that 2,500 jobs will go at the Port Talbot steelworks despite a £500m taxpayer-backed deal for the south Wales plant. The UK government has ordered an independent public inquiry into the 1989 murder of the Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane, one of the most controversial killings of the Troubles.
Many of Labour’s newly recruited special advisers, known as “spads”, have joined a union over concerns about their pay. Aides working in Downing Street or for cabinet ministers have said they are not being paid as fairly as their predecessors under the Tories. It is not unusual for special advisers to sign up to a union, but it was made clear from briefings that a number of aides blamed Sue Gray, Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, for “denting morale” among their peers because of the difference in pay between the two governments. One spad joked: “A Labour government is a big fan of a unionised workforce.” There is also a perception that Gray had implemented strict probation periods of up to four months for the new Labour spads, but it was Rishi Sunak who had introduced the measure. The last Tory government also blocked any special adviser from getting a 3% increase in their annual salary, instead offering them the funds as a lump sum. It means the base pay for the role has not changed in about 15 years, so special advisers effectively experienced a real-terms pay cut. Salaries for the position, which many in Whitehall deem a precarious role, range from about £40,000 to £145,000. It is understood that Labour’s refusal to follow the Tories in making exceptions for certain aides over pay has left many disgruntled. One Whitehall source said: “This government really doesn’t want to follow their old methods of breaching rules. They want to pay cleanly across the board. Another said: “There were many pre-existing issues that need to be dealt with. The Tories took a number of decisions around how pay was decided so it wasn’t actually to the benefit of special advisers.” They noted that the current government, including Gray, was not involved in that process, adding: “But now 14 years of Tory rule need to be unpicked.” The Cabinet Office has launched a review into their pay scales, prompted by union officials.
MPs have voted to remove the winter fuel allowance from all but the poorest pensioners, with a significant number of Labour MPs abstaining. Mel Stride has been knocked out of the race to succeed Rishi Sunak as Conservative party leader after the second round of voting by MPs. The full UK state pension could rise by about £460 a year from April 2025, the latest wage growth figures suggest. Keir Starmer has warned trade unions that the “tough decisions” the government will have to take on public spending will include public sector pay. (See 11.38am.) He also promised a “politics of partnership”, saying that was what voters wanted. (See 10.59am.)
A man has been jailed for three months for emailing Jess Phillips abusive messages including that she would “burn until her skin is no more”, which the MP said changed her life “immeasurably” and limited her freedom. Nabil Arif, 36, was sentenced to 12 weeks for the abusive messages, which prosecutors said began with the start of the Israel-Gaza war in October 2023 and continued through to February 2024. In one message, Arif, from Birmingham, told the MP “hell is real, and you will burn”. In a final email, which prompted Phillips to report Arif to the police in February, he called the MP “pathetic” and said she would “burn until her skin is no more”. Phillips, who has been MP for Birmingham Yardley since 2015, expressed fear that Arif’s aggression could escalate and result in her coming to physical harm. The MP said the fear had changed her life “immeasurably” and “limited my freedom and my ability to do my job closely with the public as I used to do”. Arif was convicted of sending, by public communication network, an offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing message at Birmingham magistrates court on Monday.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Arif was sentenced to 12 weeks in custody on Monday after a trial at the same court on 29 July and was also made the subject of a restraining order, barring him from contacting Phillips. Phillips, who has been vocal about the threats, violence and abuse she has faced since becoming an MP, was one of eight frontbenchers who resigned in November in order to back an SNP motion for a ceasefire in Gaza, in defiance of the Labour party line. About 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s 7 October assault that triggered the war, according to Israeli tallies. Close to 41,000 people have been killed by Israel’s military offensive, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
It’s beginning to look as if the Tories may elect as their leader Robert Jenrick (Report, 5 September), a man who ordered the painting over of cartoon characters in a children’s immigration reception building as they were “too welcoming”. If anything sums up the performative cruelty of the last government, it must be that simple little fact. We should be reminded of it every day. Nigel Gann Lichfield District City of Sanctuary • If TV, radio and newspaper journalists can read, digest and report the findings of the Grenfell inquiry within 24 hours, why will it take the Metropolitan police 18 months to do the same (Justice for Grenfell deaths may not come this decade, warns former chief prosecutor, 5 September)? Mick Beeby Bristol • Derren and Margy could both be happy if Derren embraced the magic bow (You be the judge: should my boyfriend double-knot his shoelaces?, 30 August). After you’ve made the second loop, you just pull that loop through again. Result is a secure bow that undoes with a single pull. Hardly any more effort than a normal bow. Judy Steele Radford Semele, Warwickshire • What the hell was Gordon Brown doing commissioning a portrait of Margaret Thatcher in the first place (The lady’s not for returning – but where has No 10’s Thatcher portrait gone?, 30 August)? Ian Simmons Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
The Labour government has confirmed that there will be a binding vote on whether to axe the winter fuel allowance for all but the poorest pensioners, as the former shadow chancellor Ed Balls said he had grave doubts about the decision. Angela Rayner has backed the police to bring criminal prosecutions against those responsible for the Grenfell Tower disaster “as quickly as possible”. RAF Scampton, the former home of the Dambusters, will not be used to house asylum seekers because the plan does not represent value for money, the Home Office has said. Two of Europe’s biggest oil companies have vowed to fight two legal cases brought by environmental campaigners against their plans to develop new oil and gas projects in the North Sea.
Priti Patel has been knocked out of the race to succeed Rishi Sunak as Conservative party leader in the first round of voting by Tory MPs. The UK government’s plan to free up prison spaces for at least 18 months with next week’s launch of the early release scheme is doomed to fail because cells are being filled by rioters, the prison governors’ leader has said. The full UK state pension is expected to rise by more than £400 a year as a result of April’s triple lock, according to Treasury figures. The Grenfell Tower disaster was the result of “decades of failure” by central government to stop the spread of combustible cladding combined with the “systematic dishonesty” of multimillion-dollar companies whose products spread the fire that killed 72 people, a seven-year public inquiry has found. As Robert Booth and Emine Sinmaz report, in a 1,700-page report that apportions blame for the 2017 tragedy widely, Sir Martin Moore-Bick, the chair of the inquiry, found that three firms – Arconic, Kingspan and Celotex – “engaged in deliberate and sustained strategies to … mislead the market”. He also found the architects Studio E, the builders Rydon and Harley Facades and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s building control department all bore responsibility for the blaze.
Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned the UK government’s decision to suspend some arms export licences to Israel, describing it as a shameful decision that would embolden a genocidal Hamas. Tom Tugendhat has said that people will “never vote for a party that they’ve stopped taking seriously” – promising to lead a “Conservative revolution” as he launched his campaign for the Tory leadership. Simon Case, the head of the civil service, has backed the government’s figures showing that a £22bn shortfall was left by the previous Conservative administration. Great Britain’s renewable energy auction has secured enough new clean electricity projects to power 11m UK homes after the Labour government made record funding available to suppliers. The Scottish government will have to make cuts worth £500m, Shona Robison, the finance secretary has told MSPs. (See 3.25pm and 4.14pm.)
A civil servant who mislaid classified Ministry of Defence papers that were later found at a bus stop in Kent has been selected to advise on the government’s defence policy review. Angus Lapsley, Nato’s assistant secretary general for defence policy and planning, will join a team headed by George Robertson, a former Nato secretary general and former defence secretary, along with the former Donald Trump adviser Fiona Hill and Gen Sir Richard Barrons, who ran the UK military joint forces command. The former Conservative defence minister Sir Jeremy Quin will also assist in the review, which Robertson said was to “deliver a clear vision for UK defence” and “consider the profound challenges facing our country and how they can be countered”. The strategic defence review is due to report in the first half of next year in light of the “urgency of the threats facing the UK”. Serving and retired members of the armed forces, defence contractors, academics and allies and partners, especially in Nato, have until the end of the month to make submissions. The documents mislaid by Lapsley, a former diplomat, reportedly included notes about the potential Russian reaction to HMS Defender’s travel through Ukrainian waters off the Crimea coast, and UK military plans for Afghanistan. He will work alongside other experts including Edward Dinsmore, who has led previous pan-defence reviews for the chief of defence staff, and Robin Marshall, a managing director of the US investment firm Bain Capital. Also advising will be Grace Cassy, an expert in early-stage technology companies and formerly a national security adviser to Tony Blair, and Jean-Christophe Gray, a former private secretary to Prince William and current Downing Street director general for delivery. An MoD Spokesperson said: “Angus Lapsley brings a huge amount of experience from his time at the [Foreign Office] and as the Nato assistant secretary general for defence policy and planning.”
What’s all the fuss about (Keir Starmer ‘gets rid of’ 10 Downing Street’s Thatcher portrait, 29 August)? I’m constantly moving pictures around in my house. It’s a cheaper option to change the look of a room than spending thousands on glitzy wallpaper, as Boris Johnson did. Borrow a lovely Hockney – that would add a bit of colour and fun to that grim study. Jo Burden Marlow, Buckinghamshire • Rather than just removing her portrait, the Labour government should be removing the toxic legacy of Margaret Thatcher from British politics and society. Phil Brand London • Maybe social services are overreacting to Kirstie Allsopp’s decision to let her 15-year-old son travel to Europe without an adult, but what a shame that they were not around in 2015, when a 15-year-old Shamima Begum was flying to Turkey with two school friends (Kirstie Allsopp reported to social services for allowing son, 15, to travel abroad, 25 August). David Gerrard Hove, East Sussex • I was sorry to see my old alma mater making the headlines for the wrong reasons (Cleaners at prestigious UK girls’ school win dispute over pay and conditions, 29 August). It’s a relief that it has done the right thing now. I went to James Allen’s girls’ school (Jags) on a scholarship, but you don’t need nearly £25,000 of fees to know that I and my peers were not “alumni”. Mary Hoffman (Jags alumna) Witney, Oxfordshire • Having just read Aditya Chakrabortty’s doom-ridden prophecy (If Starmer and Reeves think they have a foolproof strategy – wait until winter comes, 30 August), I consoled myself with the fact that Liz Truss lasted 49 days as PM and that Keir Starmer has clocked up 58 days without trashing the economy. So far, so good. John Wilson Halifax, West Yorkshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Keir Starmer has had a portrait of Margaret Thatcher removed from No 10 Downing Street, according to his biographer. Tom Baldwin said that after Starmer took office he had spoken with the prime minister in Thatcher’s former No 10 study, unofficially known as the Thatcher Room, where a portrait of her was on display.
Speaking at an event organised by Glasgow’s Aye Write book festival, Baldwin said: “We sat there, and I go: ‘It’s a bit unsettling with her staring down as you like that, isn’t it?’” Starmer replied yes and, when asked whether he would “get rid of it”, the prime minister nodded, according to Baldwin. Baldwin added: “And he has.” The portrait of Thatcher, painted by Richard Stone, was commissioned by Gordon Brown and unveiled at a private reception in 2009. Brown invited Thatcher to tea at Downing Street shortly after he succeeded Tony Blair in 2007 and told her he intended to commission the painting. The artwork, which cost £100,000 and was paid for by an anonymous donor, was the first of a former prime minister to be commissioned by No 10. Thatcher chose the jewellery and buttons she was shown wearing in the portrait. The decision to take down the painting, first reported by the Herald, has been criticised by some in the Conservative party. Greg Smith, the MP for Mid Buckinghamshire, told the Telegraph the decision was “utter pettiness from Starmer” and claimed that it showed he had “no respect for our history and previous prime ministers”. Murdo Fraser, a Scottish Tory leadership candidate, said: “It seems like a churlish move, but perhaps Sir Keir Starmer was intimidated by the gaze of a world-renowned leader whose achievements he will never come close to matching.” Last December, Starmer praised Thatcher for bringing “meaningful change” in Britain. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, the Labour leader said she had “set loose our natural entrepreneurialism” during her time as prime minister. No 10 has been contacted for comment.
Keir Starmer revealed his inner Tory when he told us that there is no alternative to his planned hair-shirt cuts (Starmer hints at tax rises as he warns of ‘painful’ budget, 27 August). Apparently his policy will be to grow the economy through cuts in public expenditure – the policy pursued by George Osborne, which failed dismally because it is economic illiteracy. Peter Fuller Morpeth, Northumberland • “How much a government needs to borrow and spend should be determined by the state of the economy, not by how much debt its predecessor has left it,” says your editorial (27 August). Replace “economy” with “country and its people” and never a truer word was spoken. The last 14 years have broken us as well as the country. We need a Beveridge Mark 2, not austerity lite. We need hope. Lyn Dade Twickenham, London • Keir Starmer’s speech can best be summed up in the words of Enver Hoxha, the Albanian leader, in 1967: “This year will be harder than last year. On the other hand it will be easier than next year.” Derrick Cameron Stoke-on-Trent • The ageing Gallagher brothers are obviously taking steps to boost their income to compensate for the fact that in a few years they will not be eligible for the winter fuel payment (Oasis reunion confirmed for UK and Ireland tour in 2025, 27 August). Toby Wood Peterborough • Yuval Noah Harari warns us of the potential dangers of artificial intelligence (Never summon a power you can’t control, 24 August). I am not an IT professional, but in the event of malfunction, turning it off and on again usually works. Guy Smith Langport, Somerset • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Many young Britons used to flock to the Mediterranean during the summer for a chance to work while enjoying the sunshine, seaside and local nightlife. But post-Brexit, opportunities to do so for young British people are few and far between. We would like to hear from young people about their views and experience of seasonal work in continental Europe following Brexit. Is it something you have done in recent years, and if so, how? Where did you go and what did you do? Do you know others that have? If not, would you have liked to have had the opportunity to do so and how do you feel about it? Is something older relatives or friends have told you about?
Magistrates have been ordered to delay jailing criminals in a bid to ease prison overcrowding. Court of appeal judge Lord Justice Green issued a listing direction to magistrates’ courts managers in England and Wales, saying offenders likely to be jailed should have their sentencing hearings postponed until the government’s plans to free thousands of offenders early from prison come into force next month. The body representing magistrates described the move as “another sticking plaster to hold our crumbling justice system together”, while solicitors repeated calls for an “urgent injection of funding” to get a grip on the crisis. Scotland’s finance secretary, Shona Robison, said she is working on cutting back Scottish government spending amid a “very challenging environment” for public finances, pledging to update MSPs on her choices in early September. Robison said more cost-cutting measures are needed following the Treasury’s review of public finances and uncertainty over how pay review body recommendations will be funded. The Metropolitan police has ended its involvement in the criminal investigation into the placing of bets on the date of the general election. The investigation by the Gambling Commission into whether offences were committed under the Gambling Act continues. China’s president Xi Jinping discussed cooperation in finance, the green economy and artificial intelligence during his first official phone call with Keir Starmer on Friday. The call was reportedly made at Starmer’s request and is the first between Xi and a British prime minister since March 2022. Thank you for reading and all your comments today. This blog is closing now but you can read all of our politics coverage here.
The number of visas granted to financially dependent relatives and partners of students coming to study in the UK has fallen sharply compared to last year, according to newly published Home Office data. The figures also showed the UK’s asylum backlog has crept upwards in 2024, despite pledges by the last government to drive numbers down. Small boat crossings had fallen by 29%, while enforced returns are up by 48%. The former Tory chairman Jake Berry said the figures showed that Rishi Sunak’s decision to call an early general election was one of the “most stupid political misjudgements” in the history of politics. The aftermath of the pandemic has been squeezed out of GCSE results as 16-year-olds received grades more similar to pre-pandemic levels in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. But there were wide regional variations in results across England, with students in London powering ahead of pre-pandemic grades, while top grades in Wales and Northern Ireland came down with a bump compared with last year (you can read more on this story here). Ministers have reiterated their opposition to any deal with Brussels allowing young people to live and work in EU countries, after a report said some elements of this could be agreed as part of a wider set of negotiations. Unions are to push the government for “pay restoration” deals that would award above-inflation pay rises to public sector workers who have suffered a decade of real-term salary cuts. Two of the contenders for the Scottish Conservative leadership – Liam Kerr and Jamie Greene – dropped out of the race to replace Douglas Ross and backed veteran MSP Murdo Fraser for the top job. It leaves three MSPs in contention to become Scottish Conservative leader – Russell Findlay, Murdo Fraser and Meghan Gallacher. Thank you for reading and all your comments today. This blog is closing now but you can read all of our politics coverage here.
So Liz Truss thinks the lettuce joke is “puerile” but supports Donald Trump, whose unhinged rants largely comprise pitifully childish schoolyard insults (Liz Truss leaves stage over ‘I crashed the economy’ lettuce banner, 14 August). Trump and Truss are united not just in their politics but also in their absolute lack of self-awareness, sense of humour, and belief in demonstrable fact. Hilary Knight Victoria, British Columbia, Canada • Banksy’s rhino is described as an “artwork”, a “mural” and an “installation” (Banksy rhino artwork in London defaced with graffiti tag, 13 August), yet the individual who added their own composition to the image is a “mindless vandal”. Double standards perhaps? Stuart Harrington Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset • Letters on accents (Letters, 15 August) reminded me of my educational ambitions in 1960s Liverpool. My Toxteth teacher learned of my aspirations for further education and counselled: “You’ll have to lose your Liverpool accent. But don’t worry, the catarrh will disappear when you move away.” Dr Ken Bray Bath • A while ago, I was surprised that a delicious delicacy was signed on one of the market stalls as asparagu’s, thus becoming, perhaps, a medieval mid‑European warlord (Letters, 16 August). I taught English in the town for years. Ian Runnacles Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk • Re “How to rein in the malign influence of Elon Musk” (Letters, 15 August). Hands up all those who own a Tesla. John Peachey Woking, Surrey • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
No 10 recently confirmed that Keir Starmer has cancelled a planned family holiday to Europe because of the riots across England this summer. After an intense election campaign and with the subsequent hard work ahead, it may be wise for the prime minister to take time to recharge the batteries. Do you think Starmer ought to have gone away with his family? What’s your view of political leaders taking a holiday? Has your opinion of the prime minister changed now that he’s continuing to work through the summer? Let us know your thoughts.
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You report (9 August) that Bridget Phillipson has stated that “universities in England should not expect a government bailout, arguing they are autonomous institutions that should rely on their own resources”. Will this hardline attitude be applied to the water, rail and banking industries? Pete Lavender Woodthorpe, Nottinghamshire • Speaking of the union flag, John Mathews describes the lyrics of a song as longing “for a day when all English people … can stand under their flag proudly” (6 August). But the union flag is the flag of the UK, not England. If we are going to talk about flags, wouldn’t it be advisable to agree on what they stand for? Or let’s perhaps just get rid of them all? Jim Grozier Brighton, East Sussex • Of the 30 mugshots published in the print edition (10 August) with your report on rioters , only one was of a woman. Do I need to say more about who is responsible for aggression at all levels? Let’s hope Kamala Harris, as a woman, can dial it down internationally – with Keir Starmer’s support. Catherine Cross Lindfield, West Sussex • My mother used to regard pylons (Letters, 11 August) as “friendly giants striding across the 1960s landscape taking electricity to everyone” – until a new family car had a radio and her favourite listening was “interfered with”. Mike Calvert Chorley, Lancashire • An article on the group Death Cab for Cutie (Interview, 9 August), but no thank-yous to the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band? Peter Brooker West Wickham, London • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Katy Balls wonders whether Tory MPs think “classic Kemi is the antidote the party needs, and one the country can warm to” (The combative ‘anti-woke warrior’: why the Tories are starkly divided over Kemi Badenoch, 2 August). The Tory leadership’s preferences are, of course, a matter for them, but the ascendency of politicians as combative as Kemi Badenoch should concern us all. Divisiveness may be an unfortunate consequence of policy, but when it is the product of attitude, temperament or inclination, it is surely indefensible – and Badenoch is squarely in the latter category. This matters because the case for improving the tenor of political discourse is undeniable, and its degradation is surely attributable to the kind of dogmatic, tin-eared stridency to which Badenoch owes her reputation. The ability to understand experiences other than your own; the willingness to be respectful of those with opposing views; and the readiness to model those standards of civility – these are all qualities that we ought to take for granted in our politicians. But the absence of them has almost become a badge of pride for MPs such as Badenoch. Paul McGilchrist Cromer, Norfolk • Kemi Badenoch has let it be known that “she does not care what the Guardian thinks, given that they’re a proponent of the cancel culture that she has repeatedly spoken out against” (Badenoch campaign team member used offensive names about a councillor, 1 August). Perhaps someone should buy her a subscription, safe in the knowledge that she won’t be cancelling it. Dr Anthony Isaacs London • Re Kemi Badenoch’s requests (Kemi Badenoch asked to use taxpayers’ money to pay for holiday flight, sources claim, 31 July), the short, polite answer to rude people is “no”. Paula Jones London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
I lost count of the number of times the chancellor mentioned Labour’s “inheritance” from the last government in her speech and subsequent answers to questions (Report, 29 July). It is almost as if she sees inheritance tax as being apt for dealing with that inheritance. We shall know on 30 October. Alan Fairs Bewdley, Worcestershire • It’s not only far-right female politicians who do little for other women (Editorial, 28 July). Not one of the three female prime ministers that the UK has experienced made life better for women. Let’s hope a female chancellor can do better. Deirdre Burrell Mortimer, Berkshire • As a black woman, I’m delighted to see Kamala Harris doing her bit to protect democracy in the US. Here in the UK, Kemi Badenoch may do so if her leadership bid is successful, by keeping the Tories unelectable and in the grip of the party’s infamous “swivel-eyed loons”. Amanda Baker Edinburgh • The first word I remember my son saying was “pylon” (Letters, 31 July), though “mummy” and “daddy” may have come earlier. I regard pylons as teaching aids. Richard Moss Penrith, Cumbria • Why do so many press photos of Olympic winners show them biting into their medal? Are they checking they’re not made of chocolate? Toby Wood Peterborough • Why don’t the horses get medals for Olympic equestrian events? Peter Evans Walton-on-Thames, Surrey • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
We’re closing the blog now, here’s a summary of the day’s main developments: Prime minister Keir Starmer has announced a new “capability” across police forces to combat the violent disorder seen in parts of England and called those behind it a “tiny, mindless minority in our society” Police chiefs, with whom Starmer met earlier in the day, welcomed the government’s commitment to tackling the issue Starmer also warned large social media companies that “violent disorder clearly whipped up online is also a crime and it is happening on your premises”. However, he added the government would work with companies to help solve the problem A former counter-terrorism police chief has accused Nigel Farage of helping incite violence that broke out in Southport after the killing of three children in a knife attack this week. However, Starmer refused to be drawn on Farage’s comments Away from Southport developments, Suella Braverman has said she will not defect to Reform UK unless she is “driven out” of the Conservative party. But in her first interview since abandoning her bid to replace Rishi Sunak as party leader, the former home secretary warned that the Tories have “no chance of winning the next general election” as long as Nigel Farage’s party “is a viable alternative” And finally, GPs in England are to stage industrial action for the first time in 60 years amid a row over funding, a move that experts have warned could have a catastrophic effect on the entire healthcare system
A former counter-terrorism police chief has accused Nigel Farage of helping incite violence that broke out in Southport after the killing of three children in a knife attack this week. Angela Rayner has promised her planning changes will not lead to “a load of ugly houses”, as she set out plans for more GP surgeries, roads and schools around developments to win over the “nimbys”. Asked to explain why she has removed a requirement for buildings to be “beautiful” from the revised national planning policy framework (NPPF), Rayner said: “Beautiful means nothing really, it means one thing to one person and another thing to another.” (See 12.42pm.) Ministers have rejected claims that Tory-voting areas are being disproportionately forced to accept higher housing targets. (See 10.17am and 12.16pm.) Rayner has confirmed that she wants to restrict, but not get rid of, right to buy. (See 12.57pm.) Rayner has suggested that people will drop their objections to new homes being built in their communities if there is proper infrastructure in place. (See 11.45am.) Republic, the group campaigning against having a constitutional monarchy, has released polling suggesting people overwhelming want MPs to swear allegiance to their constituents, not to the king. (See 4.16pm.)
Lord Lipsey suggests a hybrid system of first past the post and proportional representation for the House of Commons (Letters, 24 July). But why start there, as surely the House of Lords is the area that is crying out for a more democratic system? An elected Lords, whether that is by proportional representation, alternative vote or FPTP, would address the democratic deficit at the heart of our government. As the Lords does not have constituency connections, it would be far simpler to introduce a PR system based on regions, similar to that which we enjoyed when electing members of the European parliament. Introducing such a system to the Lords would enable us to test and refine it while ensuring a greater say for voters. The model, if successful, could then be considered for the Commons, but much more thought would have to be given to maintaining the constituency links that are valued by so many. It may be that a system of FPTP for the House of Commons and PR for the House of Lords turns out to be one that is entirely workable. Liz McInnes Former MP for Heywood & Middleton • Lord Lipsey is right that there are many routes to proportional representation. Rather than getting bogged down with the various PR options, it might be better to keep it simple and ask parliament to adopt PR as a principle. It could then be left to a cross-party select committee to decide on which version to recommend to parliament. Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales all use forms of proportional representation; Scotland has recently changed its system to the single transferable vote. If our neighbours can do it, surely England can? We voted for change. Rosanne Bostock Oxford • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Reforms to parliamentary processes announced this month and examined by your editorial (25 July) are welcome, but fail to learn the lessons of recent election campaigns in which political misinformation has become increasingly commonplace. From the Conservative claim that Labour would increase taxes by £2,000 to Labour’s own speculative estimates that Tory policies would lead to £4,800 mortgage increases, dodgy statistics have stained recent votes, demeaned our political dialogue and degraded public trust. The £350m claim on the side of a bus was simply part of a trend. Campaigns which come down to duelling unsound statistics serve neither the voters nor the country. While they might persuade some, for many more they exacerbate the corrosive belief that politicians distort the facts to serve themselves. Mid-campaign polling by Savanta for Full Fact found that 67% of the public felt that political parties’ costings of one another’s policies were not honest, rising to 85% among people who were undecided about who to vote for. As the UK’s leading independent factchecking organisation, Full Fact has called on the prime minister to prioritise the fight against misinformation and equip the public with the tools to detect and defend against bad information. We’ve also recommended that the government amend the ministerial code to make adherence to the code of practice for statistics compulsory. This can be a moment of historic change. If the Labour party is serious about addressing the political honesty crisis, it must set higher standards that will bind not only its opponents, but also itself. Chris Morris Chief executive, Full Fact • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Councils in England could be forced to build on low-quality green belt sites to meet mandatory housebuilding targets as part of a government shake-up of planning rules. The Electoral Commission has been reprimanded over online security lapses that allowed the personal information of 40 million voters to be hacked. Rachel Reeves has accused Jeremy Hunt of lying about the state of the public finances, escalating a row with the Conservatives over claims they left a £22bn shortfall. Keir Starmer has visited Southport, where he thanked emergency workers who responded to the knife attack yesterday in which three young girls were killed. There is more coverage of this on our separate live blog.
Rachel Reeves has scrapped the social care cap and curbed winter fuel payments, as well as announcing big cuts to hospital and road projects, as she seeks to plug what she called a £22bn hole in public spending that was “covered up” by the Conservative government. Junior doctors’ leaders in England have agreed a new pay deal with the government, which could lead to their wages rising by 22.3% over two years. Reeves has announced that the government is accepting public sector pay review recommendations in full. The awards include 5.5% for teachers, 6% for members of the armed forces, 5% for prison officers, 6% for judges and 5% for senior civil servants. We are going to close this blog now but you can read our report on today’s announcement from the chancellor here:
Keir Starmer has discussed the possibility of a youth mobility scheme with the Spanish prime minister, according to reports. Pedro Sánchez is said to have put the proposal to Starmer in a private meeting during the European Political Community summit at Blenheim Palace earlier this month. Starmer did not reject the idea and told Sánchez he would consider it, the Sunday Telegraph reports. Recent years have seen growing calls for a scheme that would allow young people to live, study or work in the EU for a limited period. In April, Rishi Sunak rejected an offer from the European Commission that would have granted people aged 18 to 30 free movement for up to four years. At the time, Labour said it had no plans for such a scheme but that it would “seek to improve the UK’s working relationship with the EU within our red lines”.
The manifesto on which Labour won the election earlier this month said there would be “no return to … freedom of movement”. A bilateral deal with Spain would not in itself break that pledge. The UK already has some form of youth mobility scheme with 13 non-EU countries, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand as well as Japan, Iceland and Uruguay. The existing schemes differ from freedom of movement in that they typically still require applicants to get a visa, provide evidence of sufficient funds to support themselves and pay a health service surcharge. A government spokesperson told the Telegraph: “We have been clear that we won’t rejoin the single market, customs union or reintroduce freedom of movement, and we are not considering a youth mobility scheme.” In January, London mayor Sadiq Khan called for a deal that would allow young people to move freely to and from the EU, saying it would help lessen the economic and cultural damage caused by Brexit. He said the current Brexit deal had “done damage right across London and it is young people who have been hardest hit in so many ways”.
The election result, with Labour dominating parliament despite only having won just over a third of the vote, has rightly brought electoral reform to the forefront of the national debate (Labour divided over calls to scrap first past the post after landslide win, 17 July). But the debate is in danger of being dominated by a false dichotomy: between first past the post and proportional representation. This is unhelpful, not least because PR is not going to happen – not with a Labour government that FPTP has blessed with such a luxurious majority. The choice is not between FPTP and PR. As I learned as a member of the Jenkins committee on electoral reform 25 years ago, there are as many electoral systems as there are apples on a tree. If you want to soften the adverse affects of FPTP, you could go for the alternative vote, where electors choose the candidates in order of preference, with their votes redistributed if their first choice candidate is eliminated. This gets rid of the complexities of tactical voting. More radically, you can choose a system where most MPs are chosen by FPTP, but in addition there is a top-up list for those voters who are left underrepresented by FPTP. The committee, as it happened, went for a variant of the latter with a small number of top-up candidates chosen for individual counties. This had the main virtue of FPTP – that most governments would probably get a majority or a near majority. It would also have the main virtue of PR – that voters for parties whose support is evenly spread around the country, such as the Greens, would at last get a fairer share of representatives in parliament. David Lipsey Labour, House of Lords • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Polly Toynbee says she will eat her hat if Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves don’t get rid of the two-child cap soon (Starmer will bin the two-child benefit cap and outdo New Labour on tackling poverty – I’ll bet on it, 19 July). As a grandad with less hair than he used to have, I have a number of tasteful hats. I’ll be keeping the tastiest one for her. Paul Goetzee Liverpool • Dr Mark Wilcox (Letters, 22 July) thought Christmas had come early to West Yorkshire when he came across holly bushes covered in berries. Here in South Yorkshire, Christmas is all year long. My garden hollies always have berries. Holly trees love it on the limestone we sit on, and the males have plenty of females to cross-pollinate with, which produce the berries. Mike Eggenton Firbeck, South Yorkshire • Those of us living in more modest accommodation should be glad we don’t have to pay renovation costs as expensive as those faced by Buckingham Palace (King to receive extra £45m of public money as crown estate income soars, 24 July). Oh, but wait a minute, yes, we do actually. Austen Lynch Garstang, Lancashire • Zoe Wood (Liberating and a huge pain: my week with a Nokia ‘dumbphone’, 20 July) writes that on her morning commute without her smartphone, “it soon dawned on me that I had nothing to read”. I have an idea: buy a newspaper. The Guardian, perhaps? Crispin Partridge Whittington, Norfolk • Over the last few years I have reused various types of rubber bands (Letters, 23 July) to make a ball. It now weighs nearly 600g. Rather a heavy bounce. Ann Newell Thame, Oxfordshire • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
The former UK prime minister Harold Wilson agreed to sell his archive of private papers to help fund his care, official documents have revealed. Papers released by the National Archives and identified by the BBC show Lord Wilson initially planned to sell the collection to McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, for £212,500 – the equivalent of about £700,000 in today’s money. Wilson, who was twice the Labour prime minister, from 1964-70 and then from 1974-76, had Alzheimer’s disease and required “continuing care, the costs of which are heavy and will increase”, according to one document. He died in 1995. The proposal to sell the papers abroad prompted alarm among senior officials in Margaret Thatcher’s government. In early January 1990, the cabinet secretary Sir Robin Butler wrote that Wilson’s former secretary, Lady Falkender, was “orchestrating a proposal” to set up an archive for the former prime minister’s papers in Canada. Part of the proceeds would support Lord and Lady Wilson, who were “now not well off”, as reported to Butler by his predecessor, Lord Armstrong. McMaster University wanted the archive to include papers from Wilson’s time at No 10. Butler thought it would cause “public disquiet” if the papers left the country, while Andrew Turnbull, Thatcher’s principal private secretary, said he was unhappy with the “politics/morality” of such an idea. “Although these are formally Lord Wilson’s private papers,” he wrote in March 1990, “they are part of our history, and, it will be said, they are not really his to ‘sell off’”. The Cabinet Office was told there was no legal obstacle to the sale – but by July 1991 an alternative solution had been reached. The trustees of the Wilson Archive had found anonymous donors, who would fund the Bodleian Library in Oxford to buy the papers, with the money going to the trust set up for the Wilsons’ benefit. The papers would then stay in the UK and in a secure location.
Helen Grant, another Tory MP running to be a deputy speaker, is focusing on the improving parliament’s working environment and wants to see an expansion in the creche facilities available at Westminster, and the expansion of proxy voting for MPs who have to look after a relative. “Being an MP is a high pressure job in lots of different ways, whether that’s the separation of families and the extent to which one of the partners who is left looking after the children,” she said. “There are lost of bars, events and other pressures and so family breakdown rates can be high,” said Grant, who was a Legal Aid family lawyer for 23 years. Others standing include Nusrat Ghani, a Tory MP and former minister who emphasised the threats to British democracy from overseas and at home. “I know this first hand, having been sanctioned by Russia and China for exercising those freedoms – the only female MP to have been targeted in this way,” she said. She added: “Many of us have suffered severe harassment, and some of our friends are no longer with us. Parliament must have confidence that its Speakers are alert to the threats we are facing.” Other declared candidates include Roger Gale, Wendy Morton, Sharon Hodgson and Judith Cummins.
Leaders from across Europe gathered at Blenheim Palace for a European Political Community summit. Keir Starmer opened the summit underlining the bond of trust that brightens the fabric of European life. He added that the UK “will never leave the European Convention of Human Rights”. After the gathering, the British leader said that the leaders pledged to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. Starmer also said that “we are going to deepen our cooperation on defence and security, and on illegal migration, where we are resetting our approach.” He added that “we are going to work with our European partners to share intelligence, data, expertise, and put the gangs out of business.” The French president, Emmanuel Macron, said that the arrival of Starmer brings “new momentum” to tackle political issues. Irish prime minister Simon Harris said the decisions made by Keir Starmer in his 14 days in office are a “gamechanger” for Europe. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said “joint efforts are needed for the sake of peace … When the aggressor loses, the world wins.” He also asked if Europe will “surrender” to “tyrants” and rounded on Viktor Orbán’s self-styled peace mission and meetings with Putin and Trump, calling them a betrayal of Europe. Rachel Reeves has warned she will have to make “difficult decisions” as she seeks to “fix the foundations” of the public finances. The chancellor is will announce the date of her first budget before the Commons summer recess, as well as an assessment of the “spending inheritance” left behind by the Conservatives. Whether the UK would accept some asylum seekers in exchange for returning some migrants to the EU is not under discussion at the EPC summit, Yvette Cooper has said. The home secretary said the focus is “around security” and “organised immigration crime” when pressed repeatedly on what a potential UK-EU migrants return deal could entail.
It is good to know that Morgan McSweeney, Labour’s campaign director, is already planning for the next general election (Labour to fight 2029 election ‘like an insurgent’ as preparations begin, 13 July). As the victors of 1906 and 1945 learned, landslide majorities can easily disappear. However, I beg the party to learn one lesson from the 2024 election, and that is that Labour does not need to belittle local parties and members in order to secure victory. Never again should large sections of our party be publicly dismissed as a non-priority. Never again must local parties and their members be denied any role in candidate selection. Never again should masses of selections be made so near to an election. Most of all, I beg that never again should the central party try to bully local parties by removing, at the height of campaigning, essential campaign tools. This was done to compel members of local parties to switch more of their campaigning activity to designated battleground seats. It was counterproductive, of course, with those who had been willing to help duly withdrawing their support. Members of the Labour party are volunteers, not enlisted foot soldiers to be ordered around. The party’s targeting strategy worked and it would have done so without disheartening so many members. Roger Truelove Chair, Sittingbourne and Sheppey Labour party • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
I echo Pippa Crerar’s assessment of the king’s speech (Starmer counts on promises he can fulfil to rebuild voters’ trust, 17 July). I imagine I’m not alone for someone my age (I’m in my 20s) in finding this speech to be the only one of this kind I have ever agreed with, or felt remotely optimistic and secure about. The adults are back in the room, and it feels good. Sebastian Monblat New Cross, London • While I enjoyed the suggestions about books to read if you enjoyed specific TV shows (If you like Baby Reindeer, you’ll love Young Mungo! 29 terrific TV shows – and the books to read instead, 17 July), suggesting that viewers who liked Derry Girls read Louise Kennedy’s Trespasses is like suggesting someone who enjoyed Dad’s Army has a go at reading All Quiet on the Western Front. Trespasses is a fantastic book, but it is certainly not trying to be a bit of craic. Teresa McCormack (a Derry girl) Belfast • Your Country Diary described the sad demise of ash trees in Northern Ireland from ash dieback (12 July). This made me wonder how we will predict spring weather if we cannot rely on the saying “Ash before oak and you’re in for a soak, oak before ash and you’ll get a splash” – referring to trees coming into leaf. Melvyn Ellis Harrogate, North Yorkshire • Zoe Williams (My sausage-like fingers are not sexy. But they have given me one incredible talent, 16 July) impressed me with her ability to carry four pints. It reminded me of an equally skilled friend who came back from the bar with three pints, and a fourth balanced on top. Sophie Houston Dunoon, Argyll and Bute • No need for Royal Mail to recycle its rubber bands (Letters, 17 July). There’s a whole band of us picking them up and reusing them. Roger Wilkinson Leasgill, Cumbria • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Vaughan Gething has announced he is quitting as first minister of Wales following a brief and turbulent period in the job after his fate was sealed by the resignation of four members of his cabinet. Senior Labour figures have rejected comments by Donald Trump’s vice-presidential pick, JD Vance, that the UK could become the first “truly Islamist country that will get a nuclear weapon” under the party. The first internal pressure on the Labour government to shift policy on Israel came on Tuesday when Labour Friends of Israel pressed the UK to restore funding to the UN’s Palestinian relief agency Unrwa. Alan Duncan, a former Conservative minister, has accused his party of corruption after officials admitted they launched an investigation into him over comments that were alleged to have been antisemitic, despite a lack of any formal complaint.
The loss of the 2010 general election by the Labour party was tragic for our country in many ways, but one particularly unfortunate by-product was the cancellation of the national identity card scheme (Tony Blair urges Starmer to keep grip on immigration to tackle rise of far right, 9 July). The issuing of identity cards would enhance national security in the areas of terrorism, immigration and policing; facilitate access to online government services for the less well-off; help to stop identity theft; and facilitate international travel. It is ironic that Sir Nick Clegg, as a key figure in the coalition government, was adamant about “killing” ID cards on the “big brother is watching you” ticket, bearing in mind his employment on leaving politics. Alan West Labour, House of Lords; former Home Office minister for security and counter-terrorism • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, has said she will chair a meeting of the government’s Defending Democracy taskforce next week in response to the “alarming rise” in harassment, intimidation and abuse towards candidates and campaigners. (See 3.57pm.) Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, said this morning that the government wants “far more light, far less heat” in political debate in the UK. (See 9.50am.) Ben Houchen, the Conservative Tees Valley mayor, has urged potential leadership candidates not to copy Reform UK. (See 1.49pm.) A major report into the views of people voting in the general election has backed this analysis, suggesting that adopting Reform UK policies would not attract enough voters for the Tories to win an election. (See 2.12pm.) Israeli air and naval strikes continued to pummel Gaza as the UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, reiterated his demand for a ceasefire during a visit to Jerusalem.
Almost half of Conservative grassroots members are in favour of a merger with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, according to a poll, with Kemi Badenoch the favourite to be the next party leader. Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, has challenged Badenoch to say whether she really did tell a shadow cabinet meeting she thought Braverman was having a public nervous breakdown. She also criticised Badenoch for being willing to criticise Rishi Sunak’s leadership now when she did not do so before the election. (See 3.47pm and 5.16pm.) Keir Starmer is at the Nato summit in Washingon where he has met President Biden. Later today they are due to have a proper bilateral at the White House.
There is further coverage of the Nato summit on our summit live blog.
Simon Jenkins (He’s beaten and humiliated, but Rishi Sunak has one final job to do – for party and country, 5 July) highlighted the importance of the coming Conservative leadership election. One thing is for sure: the system needs to be changed. I spoke at a Young Conservative conference in 1975, during the Ted Heath/Margaret Thatcher contest. I proposed then that we should have a two-stage process, but, crucially, the other way round to the system we have now. At the moment, the parliamentary party produces a shortlist of two, and the membership, who have no idea how the contenders perform in the House of Commons, impose the leader on the MPs. Inevitably, the members choose on policy or populism, when the leader should be chosen on capability, work ethic and teamworking. The solution is simple. After the MPs decide whom to nominate, let party members produce the shortlist and then the parliamentary party elects the new leader from it. That way, the members have a say and can offer guidance, but the final decision is made by those who have to live and work with the victor. Stephen Reid Basingstoke, Hampshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
It was Angela Rayner who tweeted, when Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg spent a Commons debate slouching on his back, that she was “half expecting his nanny to march into the chamber with a blanket, pillow and a hot cup of Horlicks for the poor man”. Now Rees-Mogg’s nanny will star alongside the rest of the family, including the former MP’s six children who the nanny now looks after, in a fly-on-the-wall documentary on Discovery+, Meet the Rees-Moggs.
The documentary will be released this year and promises to “lift the lid on the man behind the public image” over the course of five hour-long episodes. It makes Rees-Mogg the latest politician to make a foray into reality TV, with previous examples including Matt Hancock’s stint on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! Rees-Mogg, who lost his seat of North East Somerset in the general election, has a show on GB News, which the media regulator Ofcom found had breached impartiality rules by allowing Conservative MPs to serve as news presenters. Discovery+ has promised the show will offer a “never-before-seen look” into the life of the ex-MP. It will follow him through the run-up to the general election and its aftermath, as his 14-year tenure in the Commons came to an end. Rees-Mogg has said the series “may be a bit more Fawlty Towers than Downton Abbey”. “Animals, children, an election and a film crew. What could possibly go wrong?” he said. “This everyday story of Somerset folk is fun to film but may be a bit more Fawlty Towers than Downton Abbey.” The former MP is known for his old-fashioned dress sense and sensibility. He once said that despite having six children – the youngest of whom is named Sixtus Dominic Boniface Christopher Rees-Mogg – he had never changed a nappy. “The nanny does it brilliantly,” he said at the time. “I’ve made no pretence to be a modern man at all, ever.” Instead, his children have been taken care of by the family nanny, Veronica Crook, who looked after Rees-Mogg when he was a child in the 1960s.
Rachel Reeves is to provide an emergency assessment of the government’s spending inheritance before MPs leave for their summer break as she attempts to pin the blame for looming tough tax and spending decisions on the defeated Tories. Reeves has announced a series of measures to relax planning laws, claiming she has done “more to unblock the planning system in the past 72 hours than the last government did in 14 years”. (See 12.44pm.) The de facto ban on new onshore windfarms has been dropped by the Labour government, to the delight of environmentalists and energy experts. The former shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry has said she is “very sorry and surprised” not to be appointed to the role in the new Labour cabinet, after Keir Starmer appointed the human rights barrister Richard Hermer instead. Rishi Sunak does not intend to stay as Conservative leader beyond the summer, allies have said, amid a split in the party over how long it should take to elect a new leader. Hundreds of refugee and human rights organisations have written to Keir Starmer with a blueprint for asylum policy which urges him to change course from the policies of the previous government.
Dr Stephen Riley (Letters, 5 July) succinctly outlines the success of the Tories in providing for the elite they represent by redistributing wealth from the poor to the rich. I awoke on 5 July to a new dawn here in north Herefordshire: a Green party MP and a Labour government. After breathing a sigh of relief, I am filled with hope and joy because we’ve been left to live in a wasteland for far too long; disrespected, insulted, robbed, unloved and, many of us, destitute. Paying taxes is joyful if the NHS is there for us, if everyone has the right to a home, a good education, transport, food and heating. This is what we need, not just for ourselves but for all our neighbours. If our new political leaders prioritise our wellbeing and the sustainability of the planet above profit, and they make a contribution to world peace, then this new beginning is really something to celebrate. Janette Ward Tarrington, Herefordshire • While reading the paper on Monday, particularly the report on David Lammy’s visit to Europe (Operation reset: Lammy’s mission to reconnect gets off to flying start, 8 July), I started to feel something I couldn’t initially recognise. Then I realised it was positivity, and even pride, for my country. Helen Beioley Stroud, Gloucestershire • One thing that needs to change is the trust of people in politicians, and this could start by civilising the House of Commons. Keir Starmer could lead the way in PMQs by not evading questions like previous incumbents have or shouting. The speaker could also help by ensuring that MPs are heard in silence and by allowing clapping – the way to show appreciation in polite society. Robert Dyson Kenilworth, Warwickshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Jonathan Freedland calls Keir Starmer “unexciting perhaps, but capable and decent”. I think “capable and decent” is pretty exciting (He won the votes, now Starmer just needs to win over the people, 5 July). Wendy Bradford Huddersfield, West Yorkshire • John Crace’s summing up of Keir Starmer’s speech outside Downing Street – “He may have campaigned in prose. But in his first hour in office he had governed in poetry” – brought me to the verge of tears (The politics sketch, 5 July). Spot-on, John. Jane Pitts Sway, Hampshire • Re Martyn Taylor’s reference to food banks (Letters, 5 July), perhaps one measure of the success or otherwise of our new Labour government should be the closing of them by the end of its first term. Sooner, if possible. Stephen Ingamells Ilford, London • Arriving for breakfast the morning after the election, my eight-year-old grandson informed the family that Labour had won “by a landscape”. Mick Beeby Bristol • Credit to Rishi Sunak for his perfectly judged speech outside No 10 (5 July): suitably apologetic about his record, gracious about his opponent and reassuring about the smooth transfer of power. So different from his tone in the election debates. Nothing in his premiership became him like the leaving of it. Mark de Brunner Harrogate, North Yorkshire • Kudos to Rishi Sunak for showing Americans the proper way to transition leadership from one political party to its opposition. Paul L Newman Merion Station, Pennsylvania, US • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
The Labour party has won a landslide UK election victory with Keir Starmer expected to become prime minister later on Friday after Rishi Sunak conceded, bringing an end to 14 years of Conservative rule. Sunak’s party is on track to record its worst performance in a general election, with the SNP reduced to an estimated eight seats, while the Liberal Democrats were expected to end the night with 66 seats. A surge in votes for the Reform party suggested it would win at least four seats, with Nigel Farage becoming an MP in Clacton on his eighth attempt to enter parliament. The Greens looked set to match this record of four seats, after surprise victories in Waveney, North Herefordshire and Bristol Central, as well as holding on in Brighton. Wherever you are in the UK we’d like to hear from you and find out the mood across the country.
Thank you for following along on this blog today. We’ve loved seeing your dog picture submissions and enjoyed reading your comments. I’m signing off now, with a last batch of your dogs at polling stations pics. Have a good evening! Jon has sent in an adorable picture of Wookie, the dog, taking a well-earned rest in Glynde, East Sussex, “after an eventful six weeks of canvassing”.
Jamie and Kyra have shared a picture of their miniature dachshund Ralph at a polling station in Brixton this morning. Jamie says that Ralph is “clearly not too happy about it” as he’s “usually super smiley”.
This is Burt at Darren’s local polling station in Chesterfield.
Jen has shared a picture of her two dogs, Lily and Jess, at Stapehill village hall in Dorset. I’ve been informed that Lily enjoyed exploring on her first trip to the polling station and Jess “never wants to pose nicely”.
Fozzie the pyredoodle is pictured looking very happy outside a polling station in the Folkestone and Hythe constituency. Fozzie’s owner, Adam, says “he’d love to be put on the Guardian’s general election live page”. Apparently, Fozzie is a “longtime reader”.
“This is Zac the German wirehired pointer at his first general election since he came to live with us in Rockcliffe on the Solway Firth,” says Steve. “He was not impressed [that] he had to wait outside the village hall as he’s usually at the bar. I explained that it’s only, hopefully, every five years.”
Tom has shared this picture of his mum’s dog, Riley the cockapoo. Lovely.
We want to hear from UK voters – in the country and abroad – and other residents in the UK, about whether they’ll be following the election results. We want to your stories and pictures of election night where you are. Do you plan to stay up to watch seats be declared? If so, are you following the results at home, or elsewhere with friends or family? What is the mood like and how do you feel? Or are you likely to find out exactly how the county has voted when you wake up in the morning? Either way, please get in touch.
This Community callout closed on 10 July 2024. You can see the article that included respondents to this callout here. You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.
Rishi Sunak delivered his final tub-thumping election speech in Hampshire on Wednesday in front of a number of carefully chosen Tory supporters. Over his left shoulder was a man wearing a dinosaur motif shirt – was this a subliminal extinction message? Richard Crosher Sheffield • Was Boris Johnson finally appearing at a rally a masterstroke? No, evidence that Tory strategists really don’t get it (The politics sketch, 2 July). His behaviour has influenced more electors than a slew of debates or a pile of manifestos. Les Bright Exeter • The only thing that has kept us going over the six weeks of electioneering has been the writing of John Crace and Marina Hyde, with a little Zoe Williams thrown in for good measure. Thank you, and keep up the good work. Gill Empson Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire • John O’Farrell (Opinion, 3 July) is right to urge us to be optimistic that we will see the Tories get what they deserve in this election. I’ve been looking forward to SchadenFriday. Jane Bradbury Birmingham • On Friday, Britain could have a record eight living former prime ministers: John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. Dominic Shelmerdine London • Re election songs (Letters, 3 July), how about A Change Would Do You Good by Sheryl Crow? Jennifer Evans Aldershot, Hampshire • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
As the UK goes to the polls on Thursday, we want to hear from voters about what’s happening where they are. If you voted, how was your experience? Were there queues or was it quiet? Did you go alone or with others? If you’re following the election from outside of the UK, tell us how and why. Did you have any issues voting, such as problems with a proxy vote, or voter registration or ID? If so, tell us about it. Were you able to vote in the end? If you have any news tips we’d like to hear about those too. We’d like to see pictures of yourself or what’s happening before you go into or after you leave the polling station but please don’t take pictures or video of yourself inside the polling station, as publishing it could be a breach of the law. Also please don’t tell us who you’re voting for as we can’t publish voting intentions until after polling closes at 10pm.
I had a letter in the Guardian the day before polling day in 1997. In it, I reminded readers that Michael Portillo might be vulnerable to tactical voting for Labour, and so could John Gummer in Suffolk Coastal. Only one of these came to pass, but it was one of the defining moments of election night. This time, in Suffolk Coastal, Thérèse Coffey, former environment secretary during much of the raw sewage saga, and deputy prime minister under the disastrous Liz Truss, could also be vulnerable if voters back the Labour candidate. I’m not a natural Labour supporter, but I agree with Polly Toynbee that we need to use the unpleasant necessity of tactical voting to flush out this awful government (Labour may win big under first past the post, but it is morally obliged to bring in a fairer system, 2 July). Hold our noses, use the plunger of this undemocratic tool to unclog the pipes of power, then campaign for a more representative system where we can back whoever represents our true interests. I hope this is the last time I have to vote tactically to get rid of bad governance. Joe Cassels Saxmundham, Suffolk • You may be tempted not to vote tactically because Labour is forecast to win a “supermajority”. This would be a huge mistake. In 1992, I lived in Bolton North East, the Tory/Labour marginal that was always won by the party that won the election. Labour was forecast to win the seat, so I was one of the 4,971 that voted Lib Dem. The Tories won by 185 votes, and John Major won the election. Where I live now, in the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency, Labour and Green voters should vote tactically for the Lib Dems if they don’t want the Tory to win. You have been warned. Michael Goodliffe Harrogate, North Yorkshire • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
The last time England won a major football tournament was shortly after Labour had been elected with a landslide. Just a thought (Gareth Southgate issues rallying cry with reminder of Euro 96 struggles, 1 July). Maurice Bates Scarborough, North Yorkshire • If you really want to “deliver a bloody nose to the Tories” (Letters, 2 July), you may just have to hold your own nose – as political groups are doing en masse in France to stop the National Rally winning. Janet Fraser Twickenham, London • Warwick Hillman (Letters, 2 May) should not dismiss his local Labour candidate for calling Liz Truss “wreckless”. Surely dyslexic people can work as MPs, or in their offices? Margaret Squires St Andrews, Fife • Sorry, Ian Cassidy (Letters, 2 July), but Gordon Brown seems to have stolen a march on Polly Toynbee with his “Let’s get our country back” piece (Opinion, 3 July). Let’s hope it’s not a jinx. Barbara Brewis Burnopfield, County Durham • On Tuesday Boris Johnson said Labour will be “the most leftwing government since the war”. Until then I had been undecided, but now I’ll definitely vote Labour. Brian Woolland Salisbury • The song for Thursday (Letters, 2 July)? Kick Out the Tories by the Newtown Neurotics. Mark Schulz Uckfield, East Sussex • Jeremy Hunt should do the decent thing and leave a note saying “Even less than no money left”. Alan Pearson Durham • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
We would like to hear from South Asians living across the UK about their thoughts on Rishi Sunak’s time as Prime Minister. Sunak made history as the UK’s first Indian-heritage and person of colour to become Prime Minister in 2022. Election polls predict a landslide victory for the Labour party on July 5, prompting the end of 14 years of Conservative rule and Sunak’s premiership. We would be keen to hear from South Asians living in the UK about their thoughts on Sunak’s time as Prime Minister, how they would describe his premiership and whether he lived up to their expectations.
This Community callout closed on 10 July 2024. You can see the article that included respondents to this callout here. You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.
The campaigning is over and it’s time to test your mettle against our general election quiz. How much can you remember from the campaign? Could you be an understudy for Prof Sir John Curtice? Or are you more like Brenda from Bristol lamenting “not another one!”? It’s just for fun, there are no prizes and, unlike Conservative strategists, you might even have a laugh along the way. Take the quiz
If you really do think there has been an egregious error in one of the questions or answers – and can show your working – feel free to email martin.belam@theguardian.com, but remember the quiz master’s word is final, and unlike in an election, there are no recounts.
Boris Johnson made his only appearance on the general election campaign on Tuesday night, less than 48 hours before voters head to the polls, and did not appear with or praise Rishi Sunak. The former prime minister made a surprise appearance at a Tory rally in Chelsea, accusing Keir Starmer of trying to “usher in the most leftwing Labour government since the war” and claiming he would increase taxes and fail to stand up to Vladimir Putin. Johnson thanked those at the National Army Museum for attending the late event, claiming that it was “way past Keir Starmer’s bedtime”. He thanked the prime minister for asking him to come, but that was the only mention of Sunak in his speech.
On Labour, he said: “They can achieve nothing in this election except to usher in the most leftwing government since the war with a huge majority, and we must not let it happen. “Don’t let the Putinistas deliver the Corbynistas. Don’t let Putin’s pet parrots give this entire country psittacosis – which is a disease you get, by the way, from cosying up to pet parrots. “If you want to protect our democracy and our economy and keep this country strong abroad by spending 2.5% of our GDP on defence, which Labour still refuses to, then you know what to do, don’t you, everybody.”
Sunak came on to the stage soon after Johnson left, saying: “Isn’t it great to have our Conservative family united, my friends? Just think, it was the other day when Keir Starmer was saying that Jeremy Corbyn would make a better prime minister than Boris.” The Liberal Democrats swiftly criticised Johnson’s appearance as an “insult to everyone who made heartbreaking sacrifices during the pandemic”. Sunak used the event to criticise Labour administrations across the country, including in Wales, and the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. Johnson appeared to champion all the policies he promoted while in government, and failed to refer to any of his successor’s achievements.
I envy the relative certainty of your floating voters (We’re the floating voters who will decide this election. With a week to go, this is what we think, 28 June). I am more drowning than floating. Why? I support the Greens on wealth tax and climate, and the Liberal Democrats on Europe and proportional representation. And I want to deliver a bloody nose to the Tories for turning my country into a divided, irrelevant offshore klepto-chumocracy. Last week, I attended hustings in my hitherto safe Tory constituency, now tipped as a probable Labour gain. At the hustings, Reform ruled itself out for obvious reasons, while the Green candidate was embarrassingly inept. The Lib Dem spoke well despite his vote already being squeezed. The Labour man, a personable young teacher, also spoke well, only to spoil matters by sending us a leaflet calling Liz Truss’s performance “wreckless”. By far the most impressive was our widely respected “one nation”, constituency-nurturing Tory, who was one of the first to disown Boris Johnson. Fleetingly, it crossed my mind that, given forecasts and increasing electoral volatility, he could be a positive factor in the next Tory leadership election, which could be hugely important should Labour discover that just not being the Tories will not guarantee it a second term. Can somebody throw me a lifebelt? Warwick Hillman London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Waveney Valley might not be the only new constituency turning to the Green party (Waveney Valley ought to be a Tory heartland. Could angry voters turn it Green?, 28 June). In Isle of Wight East, local issues are at the fore of each candidate’s presentations. National policies seem irrelevant after years of neglect. The Conservative ideology of private enterprise has served us ill. Privately owned ferry services with ever fewer sailings and higher prices disconnect us and discourage people from working here. The environment is a daily concern as our clean seas have been sacrificed to corporate ineptitude and poor regulation, and a massive landslip last December has yet to be dealt with. Is it surprising that our Green candidate has led several exit polls from local hustings? London journalists and politicians warn of wasted votes that could dilute a Labour or Tory victory, but if you’re living on the coastal fringes and want proper representation, smaller parties are the way to go. They may not form the next government, but they could water down the dominant metropolitan interests and ensure we are heard. Yvonne Williams Ryde, Isle of Wight • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Perhaps it is unsurprising that out of 11 politicians, only one chose a book of fiction that inspired them (‘It was an awakening’: Diane Abbott, Nicola Sturgeon, Rory Stewart and more on the books that shaped their politics, 29 June). That might help explain why politics has become increasingly polarised. If our political leaders take inspiration from fact-based accounts, there is a risk that an “I am right and you are wrong” approach will prevail. Alan Johnson’s choice of Animal Farm at least gives us thoughts about how power can be captured and exploited. Let’s hope the next generation of politicians will take their inspiration from literature that tries to paint a more varied view of the human condition, to allow them to be better at developing creative solutions to the issues we face. Letter writers might want to make recommendations. Warren Brown Ilkley, West Yorkshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
In your editorial (The Guardian view on councils in need: voters should be told what the parties’ plans are, 23 June), you fail to mention perhaps the most acute challenge of all facing local governments – the race to net zero. While crises in housing, social care and education are already affecting communities up and down the country, these will all be exacerbated by the looming challenges of soaring energy costs, rising temperatures and biodiversity loss. Reaching net zero is arguably the biggest issue facing the public sector, and is probably the biggest it will ever face. Local authorities, which best understand local residents’ needs, are at the frontline when it comes to dealing with the impacts and tackling the challenges ahead. Investing in the local generation of renewable power is a step in the right direction. However, for this to work we need to acknowledge that planning permissions for grid upgrades and procurement for major energy projects all pass through underresourced and underfunded councils. To truly succeed, we need clear regulations that give local authorities the devolved powers to create new investment ecosystems for renewable energy, based on local needs, and a transparent plan for how to make this happen. Key Cities, a cross-party group of urban local authorities representing about 10% of the country’s population, is calling for the next government to redefine the role of local government in achieving net zero. Let’s not underestimate the role of local authorities in delivering a sustainable future for the UK and the real need for proper support in taking on this task. Cllr John Merry Chair, Key Cities; deputy mayor, Salford city council • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Simon Jenkins and editors might suggest how readers know which MPs show “intelligence, radicalism and independence” (Labour to win, Tories to lose: but why can’t Britain have radical MPs free to speak their minds?, 1 July). There are sketches; otherwise, reports of what is said by MPs is sketchy at most. Peter Bottomley Worthing, West Sussex • On election eve, please don’t let Polly Toynbee do an “On Friday I’ll get my country back” piece like she did before the Brexit referendum. Wouldn’t want to jinx things. Ian Cassidy Walsall, West Midlands • Appropriate tunes for election night (Letters, 1 July) might be Wipe Out by the Surfaris and The End by the Doors. Dr Iain Ferris Pembrey, Carmarthenshire • Surely a more fitting place than Donington for Matthew Flinders (Explorer ‘who named Australia’ to be reburied in Lincolnshire village where he was born, 30 June) would be in the churchyard of St Thomas in Charlton, London, where his widow, Ann, is buried. She was left on her own for many years while he explored the world. Jane Lawson London • An example of Milliganesque behaviour (Letters, 30 June): I was in our garden refuse bin, trampling the contents down. My wife suggested I was following Spike’s exhortation: “When you’re feeling low down and you can’t find romance, leap into a dustbin and dance.” Tom Mahoney Bexleyheath, London • Re the meaning of Milliganesque, how about “spiky”? Bill Stephenson Harrow, London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Labour Leader Keir Starmer has said that Nigel Farage’s failure to deal with racists in Reform UK shows his weakness as leader. An activist for the party was filmed making racist comments about prime minister Rishi Sunak by a Channel 4 News undercover reporter. Nigel Farage has claimed that an activist in question, Andrew Parker, is an actor and that the clip was a fabrication. The Reform UK leader told ITV’s Loose Women and BBC Question Time that the incident was orchestrated to discredit his party. Prime minister Rishi Sunak said he felt hurt and anger, particularly on behalf of his two daughters, when he heard a Reform UK activist using a racial slur about him. Sunak deliberately repeated the slur in a broadcast interview, ‘because this is too important not to call out clearly for what it is’. Essex police has said it is assessing the comments made in the Channel 4 News exposé to establish if any of the activists who were recorded were committing an offence. Former Labour leader Neil Kinnock has warned his party not to be complacent about the impact Nigel Farage’s party can have on the electorate. He told the Guardian that targeting Reform UK ‘must start now’. YouGov polling earlier this month found that 53% of ethnic minority voters intend to vote Labour. However, Conservative support is significantly higher among Indian voters while support for the Greens is significantly higher among Britons of Pakistani or Bangladeshi descent. The Green Party want the wealthiest to contribute ‘modestly more’ to rebuild Britain’s public services. Co-leader Adrian Ramsay told BBC Question Time that ‘we need to achieve big changes in our society’. Nigel Farage has claimed that he has ‘done more to drive the far-right out of British politics than anybody else alive’. He told BBC Question Time that he has never allowed a member of an extremist organisation to join a party he had led.
As Rishi Sunak called the general election in May, he was accompanied by pouring rain and D:Ream’s song Things Can Only Get Better as it played from an activist’s PA system. For many, it was an apt choice. Now we would like to hear what track sums up the general election for you. What tune captures the mood, and why?
This Community callout closed on 29 July 2024. You can see the article that included respondents to this callout here. You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.
The number of Metropolitan police officers under investigation over bets on the timing of the general election has risen to at least seven, the force has said. Keir Starmer has admitted for the first time that he would not return people to Afghanistan, after a bitter exchange in Wednesday night’s debate where Rishi Sunak mocked him for planning to “sit down with the ayatollahs” to negotiate return agreements. Labour would rather have stability in the UK’s relationship with Europe than try to seek accelerated economic growth by rejoining the EU’s single market or customs union, Jonathan Reynolds, the shadow business secretary, has said. The number of people dragged into paying income tax in the UK has leapt by an estimated 4.4 million in three years because of the government’s freeze on thresholds, official data shows, a statistic likely to reignite the election debate on tax. We will be starting a new live blog later tonight to cover the Northern Ireland debate on BBC, starting at 9pm.
John Crace often usefully employs Leonard Cohen lyrics, in this case Anthem (The politics sketch, 26 June). Could not all your election pieces be prefaced by a verse from Cohen, Bob Dylan or others to sweeten the dose of despair? I’m sure readers would have many suggestions. Brian Smith Berlin, Germany • The motto for Rishi Sunak’s old school is “Manners makyth man”. After Wednesday night’s TV debate, perhaps he should get detention. Norman Gowar London • I agree that speed awareness course leaders can be great entertainers (Letters, 25 June). I have been on three so far. Maybe they’re not so effective, though. Andy Cook Holmfirth, West Yorkshire • Re pétanque being regarded as London-centric (Letters, 23 June), while on holiday in Scotland last month, we stopped at a cafe in a village near Stirling. Next to the outdoor tables was an obviously well-used pétanque court. Barbara Thompson Sheffield • Re the meaning of “clout bombing”, I had Milliganesque visions of attacks by boiled puddings (Letters, 25 June). In my Northumbrian family, a clout is a cloth. A clootie dumpling is a pudding boiled in a cloth. Marion Kuit Kendal, Cumbria • Interesting that Denmark is the happiest country in Europe (Britons think UK is in a bad way, but French more pessimistic, survey shows, 25 June) – a country with one of the highest tax takes among OECD countries. Maybe you get what you pay for. John Kinder Romsey, Hampshire • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Keir Starmer accused Rishi Sunak of using transgender issues “as a political football to divide people” during their head-to-head debate on Wednesday. The pair clashed in response to a question about whether they would protect women’s rights to single-sex spaces, regardless of whether people have a gender recognition certificate. The prime minister said he would “unequivocally” change the law “so that the old Equalities Act recognises that sex means biological sex”. Starmer said he would protect women’s spaces but would not amend legislation in order to do so. The Labour leader told the BBC debate at Nottingham Trent University that Sunak should read the current laws and argued the protections are there. “Don’t just use this as a political football to divide people,” he said. Starmer added: “What I will also say is that I do recognise that there are a small number of people who are born into a gender that they don’t identify with, and I will treat them, as I treat all human beings, with dignity and respect.
“I’ll tell you why, because if you don’t, we end up with the prime minister of the United Kingdom standing in parliament making an anti-trans joke in front of the mother of a murdered trans teenager.” Sunak replied: “That’s not what I did. I was pointing out that you’ve changed your mind on this question multiple times.”
Starmer was referencing Sunak being accused of mocking trans people in the Commons as the mother of the murdered trans teenager Brianna Ghey visited parliament in February. The prime minister said at the time the Labour leader was incapable of “defining a woman” and that it was among a number of issues on which he had performed a U-turn. Esther Ghey was in the public gallery four days after her 16-year-old daughter’s killers were jailed for life. There was no winner in the BBC prime ministerial debate, according to a YouGov snap poll with 50% saying Sunak performed best and 50% Starmer.
Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer have clashed over their responses to the Westminster gambling scandal, as it emerged the Metropolitan police is to widen its role in the investigation into bets placed on the general election. As Jessica Elgot and Pippa Crerar report, in the last head-to-head debate before voters go to the polls, the Labour leader launched a fierce attack on the culture at the top of the Conservative party, saying it showed the “wrong instinct” to place bets on the future of the country – likening it to the cavalier attitude to Covid rules. In the angry exchanges, Sunak repeatedly urged the country not to “surrender” to Labour’s plans on tax and migration and said the general election should not be decided purely based on frustration with the Conservatives. Here is Jessica and Pippa’s full story.
Here is Eleni Courea’s article on five things we’ve learned from the debate.
And here is John Crace’s sketch.
Labour is planning to introduce automatic registration for voting under plans to add millions more people to the electoral roll for future elections, especially young people, the Guardian has learned. Keir Starmer has said the actor David Tennant should have been more respectful when he criticised Kemi Badenoch, the business secretary and minister for women and equalities minister, at the British LGBT awards. (See 3.41pm.) Starmer has said the allegations against the two Tory candidates suspended over election bets were more serious than the incident that led to a Labour candidate being suspended over a bet. (See 2.36pm.) He also said he did not want to ban MPs from betting on politics; what was needed were higher ethical standards, not new laws, he argued. (See 2.47pm.) Martin Lewis, the journalist, campaigner and founder of the MoneySavingExpert website, has accused the Conservative party of misrepresenting him in a clip it has used on social media. (See 3.13pm.) That is all from this blog now. But we are covering the Sunak/Starmer debate on the BBC on a separate live blog. It’s here.
If you are a woman and able to vote in the UK general election, we’re keen to hear how you may vote on 4 July, and what issues will decide your vote. If you are undecided how to vote, we’d like to know why, and which issues matter to you the most. This Community callout closed on 03 July 2024. You can see the article that included respondents to this callout here. You can contribute to open Community callouts here or share a story here.
With election day approaching fast, and more sleaze and scandal about politicians emerging (Whatever the sums involved, the election betting scandal will linger in public’s minds, 20 June), can I appeal to the generation that can make a difference? Baby boomers are surely the luckiest generation in Britain. We missed the world wars; enjoyed the benefits of a functional and free NHS; partied in the 1960s; and we have a triple-lock pension. Tuition fees? We were paid to party at university! And we own more than 75% of the private housing stock in the country, making homes unaffordable for young families. What has our generation bequeathed to the succeeding generations? Unaffordable homes, Brexit, polluted waters and toxic air. It’s time to make amends for our selfishness and bequeath a better Britain – and a better world – to our children. A criterion for deciding who to vote for on 4 July would be to use the Nolan principles of public office: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership. How do the party leaders fare against this benchmark? We don’t have to settle for incompetence or blather. Let’s not bequeath a wasteland to our children. Khalid Haneef Watford, Hertfordshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
After many hours volunteering to canvass and deliver leaflets during the election campaign, I can wholeheartedly consign bristle draught excluders on letterboxes to Room 101. I’d be grateful if Royal Mail staff who manage to deliver post unmangled, without constantly nipping their fingers, could share their secrets. John Rushton Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire • The destruction of £1.4bn of PPE is the “worst example” of waste to do with the Covid pandemic, according to the shadow health secretary Wes Streeting (Report, 25 June). The £37bn blown on the test-and-trace system that never worked trumps that. Pete Lavender Nottingham • If Keir Starmer is elected as prime minister on 4 July, he will be my eight-year-old granddaughter’s sixth in her lifetime, a milestone not reached by her parents until they were well into their 30s. Roy Collard York • Under the Tories, No 10 has been a party pad and a disco – why not a betting shop (Report, 25 June)? Brian Donnelly London • Emma Beddington’s article on drinking (I am sober curious – but a little alcohol is still valuable to me, 23 June) reminded me of a trip to Paris after the war. In every carriage on the Métro, there was a poster saying: “For your health’s sake, don’t drink more than a litre of wine a day.” Tony Meacock Norwich • Re England’s Black footballers (Letters, June 20), let’s not forget Walter Tull, who played for Clapton, Tottenham Hotspur and Northampton Town before the first world war. Robert Gifford Milton Keynes • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Ian Martin is unfair on speed awareness course leaders when he compares Keir Starmer “droning on” in a leaders’ debate to them (Betting, vetting and the return of Big Dog: the weirdest election campaign ever is only getting weirder, 21 June). I attended one such course a few years ago, and apart from being disabused of the idea that men were the main culprits in exceeding speed limits (numbers in the room were an even split between the sexes), I spent a delightful afternoon being entertained by two course leaders, whose sardonic wit helped reinforce the serious message. I did say to them that they had missed careers as standup comedians. Tom Brown London • Re understanding archaic references in crosswords (Letters, 21 June), at the other end of the spectrum, I had to ask my granddaughter to explain what “clout bombing” means (Barbie pink is out, lime green is in: Charli XCX’s album spawns ‘brat summer’ trend, 21 June). Mark Newbury (aged 64) Sophia Ferguson (aged 11) Farndale, North Yorkshire • Before anyone gets too excited about an endorsement from Chris Skidmore (I was a Tory minister – but I think we need a Labour government, 21 June), let’s pause to remember Britannia Unchained. He was one of the authors of this dreadful book that launched the careers of Kwasi Kwarteng, Priti Patel, Dominic Raab and Liz Truss. Mr Skidmore has a lot more atoning to do. Tom Saul Tetbury, Gloucestershire • Can we hope that, come October, the Guardian will entrust its review of Boris Johnson’s memoir Unleashed to John Crace (Letters, 20 June) We will at least be guaranteed an element of enjoyment before deciding whether the book should be categorised as true crime or fiction. Micheal Elkington Orpington, Kent • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
With opinion polls predicting Labour will form the next government, we’d like to hear how public sector workers – doctors, nurses, paramedics, teachers, social workers, firefighters and social care staff, etc – feel about the party and its leader. What do you think a Labour government – and Keir Starmer as prime minister – would mean for you? How enthused are you with his vision for public services? If you’re not enthused, why not, and will you vote for another party? How should a Labour government address the challenges facing public services in order to win your support?
This Community callout closed on 30 July 2024. You can see the article that included respondents to this callout here. You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.
We would like to hear about your sightings of election posters and billboards in your local area. Have any parties put particular effort into their signage? Or have you noticed a lack of them? Tell us all about it below.
Rishi Sunak has defended not taking immediate action against the people accused of suspect bets around the date of the election. Sunak told The Sun he was incredibly angry and the party is doing their own inquiry. He added: “If anyone has broken the rules, they should face not just the full consequences of the law, but they will be booted out of the Conservative party.” Earlier, Keir Starmer said the data betting allegations were a “total failure of leadership”. The Conservatives are rerouting resources to defend at least three seats held by cabinet ministers with majorities of more than 20,000 as the party retreats to safer ground. Tory activists and candidates in nearby areas have been diverted to campaign for James Cleverly, the home secretary, Oliver Dowden, the deputy prime minister, and Steve Barclay, the environment secretary. James Cracknell, the former Olympic rower standing to be a Conservative MP, has called the Tories a “shower of shit”, in a video he posted on Facebook. Keir Starmer said he would meet with JK Rowling after the author said at the weekend that Labour had “abandoned” her and others campaigning for women’s rights. Nigel Farage has accused Boris Johnson of betrayal as the Reform UK leader vented his anger at the former Tory leader for describing his comments about Vladimir Putin as repugnant. Farage mounted an unrepentant defence of his claims that Russia has been provoked into invading Ukraine as he addressed a couple of hundred Reform supporters from the top of a double decker bus. The number of migrants arriving in the UK after crossing the Channel has hit a new record for the first six months of a calendar year. Home Office figures show 257 people made the journey in four boats on Sunday, taking the provisional total for the year so far to 12,901. The previous record for arrivals in the six months from January to June was 12,747 in 2022. In the first half of 2023, arrivals stood at 11,433.
The Labour candidate Stella Creasy has said she will not be intimidated after a window and door of her office in north-east London was smashed by an attacker. Creasy, who is standing again for her former Walthamstow seat, posted CCTV photos of a man dressed in black who she said had attacked the office with a hammer and sprayed it with graffiti. “If you know who this is please stand up for democracy and come forward,” she wrote on X. In another statement, Creasy wrote: “Message to whoever attacked my office last night. You don’t intimidate me and you don’t belong in the political process. “Same as those circulating malicious and false leaflets. Police already on this to find you – will press for the strongest penalties for such an anti-democratic attack and I know Walthamstow won’t be cowed or influenced by your violence either.”
A photo of the office front she posted showed a series of cracks in the glass door and in one of the windows, seemingly made by the hammer. The Metropolitan police said the attack appeared to have taken place between 3.10am and 3.30am on Sunday, and that an urgent investigation was taking place. They urged witnesses to come forward. Det Supt Dion Brown said: “It is entirely unacceptable for the office of one of London’s prospective parliamentary candidates to be targeted in this way.”
A Labour spokesperson said: “We completely condemn any intimidation tactics towards candidates of any party. It is vital to our democracy that parliamentary candidates are able to campaign freely.” Creasy’s seat is one of Labour’s safest, with a majority of more than 30,000 at the last election. While the motive for the attack is unknown, like a number of Labour MPs in urban seats Creasy has faced pressure over the party’s stance on Gaza.
The strong case you make for action on social security (Editorial, 16 June) misses a key point: the primary purpose of social security is to guarantee financial security through social means. Yet today’s social security system does the opposite. It is not just the many cuts and caps you document that have left the meagre safety net in shreds, but also the punitive sanctions regime and the overreliance on means-testing, in particular for universal credit, which too often aggravates rather than mitigates labour market insecurities. In his introduction to Labour’s manifesto, Keir Starmer states that “this ‘age of insecurity’ requires the government to step up”. One crucial and urgent step is to put the security back into social security. Ruth Lister Labour, House of Lords • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives are refusing to say how many Tories are under investigation for betting on the date of the election, as the row continues to dog their campaign. Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives struggled to raise money in the second week of the election campaign, bringing in just £290,000 from private donors, while Labour received a windfall of £4.4m. The Labour party has been drawing up options for how it could raise money through extra wealth taxes to help rebuild Britain’s public services if it wins the general election, according to sources who have spoken to the Guardian. Labour’s NHS and social care plans will save money, “never mind coming in cost-neutral”, Angela Rayner has said.
My colleague Martin Belam will be blogging Nigel Farage’s evening interview with Nick Robinson and the Welsh TV election debate here:
As the 2024 UK general election will take place during the summer, many will be opting to vote through the post. We would like to hear from those who are using a postal vote this UK general election. Have you experienced any issues at all?
Rishi Sunak has said in a BBC Question Time leaders’ special that he was “incredibly angry” to hear about the Tory election date betting allegations and that Tory colleagues should face “the full force of the law” if they are found to have broken the rules. (See 9.36pm.) Keir Starmer has again refused to say if he really believed in 2019 that Jeremy Corbyn would be a great PM when he said he would. But he has said Corbyn would have made a better PM than Boris Johnson. (See 9.12pm.) Sunak has indicated that young people might face restrictions on access to finance or driving licences if they refuse to do national service. And here is a fact check from Ben Quinn from the QT special, which also featured John Swinney and Ed Davey.
Friday’s politics liveblog is live at the link below – with the transcript of Starmer on Corbyn, the latest on the betting scandal and a roundup of the papers:
John Swinney has doubled down on the Scottish National party’s core commitment to independence, telling voters that the general election is an opportunity to “intensify the pressure” on Westminster for a referendum. A police officer working as part of the prime minister’s close protection team has been suspended and later arrested over alleged bets about the timing of the general election, Chris Mason from the BBC is reporting. A study of the record of the Tory government over the past 14 years has concluded “it is hard to find a comparable period in history of a Conservative, or other, government which achieved so little, or which left the country at its conclusion in a more troubling state.” (See 1.51pm.) “Red wall” Conservatives candidates are becoming increasingly dismayed and disillusioned with the central party for in effect cutting them adrift, as the Tory campaign focuses instead on defending safer seats in the south of England. Three MRP polls have been published this afternoon, all suggesting Labour is on course to win by a landslide, but offering very different figures for what its majority might be. More in Common has it on course to win with a majority of 162, YouGov suggests a majority of 200, and Savanta says the majority could be 382. (See 5.36pm.)
The Reform UK Party Limited, with Nigel Farage as its leader, has produced five core pledges, all of which start with the word “imagine”. I much prefer John Lennon’s exhortations to imagine people living for today, living life in peace and sharing all the world. You may say Lennon was a dreamer, but he wasn’t the only one. Toby Wood Peterborough • Having been named after Jude, the patron saint of hopeless causes, and endured Hey Jude being sung to me when I introduce myself, I had hoped that Bellingham might change this. Having heard him being serenaded, I fear that this is a lost cause (Jude Bellingham gives England winning start but Serbia make Southgate sweat, 16 June). Jude Carr London • It’s not just Tayor Swift (Letters, 12 June). As an elderly second-wave feminist (OK, I’m not sure my daughter’s forgiven me for the boiler suits and kaftans), I’m asking why do these very talented poets and musicians feel obliged to leap about in glittery swimsuits and the occasional pair of thigh-high boots? Cat Bracey Bristol • There is no such butterfly as a “cabbage white” (‘Magical’: 17m insects fly each year through narrow pass in Pyrenees, say scientists, 12 June). This is a loose term for two white butterflies – the large white and the small white – both of which may eat your cabbages, although there are other white butterflies that won’t. Liz Lloyd Malvern, Worcestershire • Your editorial (12 June) says “water privatisation” is a failed experiment. The extraneous word “water” seems to have crept in. John Symonds Ryde, Isle of Wight • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Smart doorbells have transformed the campaigning process for political candidates, allowing them to leave messages and even speak directly with voters while they’re away from home. If you’ve had a candidate leave a message on your smart doorbell during the general election campaign, we’d like to hear from you. What did the candidate say and do you have the video?
Former Conservative Party donor and voter John Caudwell has announced he is voting for the Labour Party. Caudwell, who founded Phones4U, was one of the biggest donors to the Tories ahead of the 2019 general election, donating £500,000 to Boris Johnson’s campaign. Labour would “reset devolution” in Scotland, Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader said. Speaking at the launch of Scottish Labour’s election manifesto, he said Labour would take devolution back to its founding principles with a “turbo-charged Scotland Office”. Sarwar also pledged not to raise income tax if he becomes first minister. Labour is heading for a landslide win in the election, according to a new projection, but more than 100 Conservative-held seats appear to be on a knife-edge with the results in the hands of millions of undecided or swing voters, according to the MRP poll by Ipsos. Keir Starmer said he is “concerned” about the impact of the law introduced by the Conservatives requiring people to produce photo ID to be allowed to vote in general elections. Labour has not committed to repeal the law, but Starmer confirmed that his party will review how it operates if it wins the election. The BBC will allow Reform UK to take part in an extra Question Time leaders’ special on Thursday after Nigel Farage complained about being excluded from the programme. Rishi Sunak said that interventions by Boris Johnson in the election campaign could “make a difference” for the Tories. Asked about reports that the Conservatives plan to distribute tens of thousands of letters signed by the former PM, Sunak said: “It’s great that Boris is supporting the Conservative party, I very much welcome that.”
An opinion poll last week put Labour at 37%, Reform at 19% and the Tories on 18%. Yet everybody predicts a Labour landslide. This is absurd and shows just how undemocratic Britain has become. If the turnout is roughly the same as in 2019, then Labour will gain absolute control of government with the support of merely a quarter of the electorate. We need a better word for it, but this is surely minoritism. Both Labour and the Tories are being anti-democratic in opposing electoral reform. Dr Guy Standing Soas University of London • “Does Labour’s manifesto deliver what the country needs?” asks the headline on your article (13 June). Yes. Get them elected, and then let them “rock the boat”, in the words of one of the replies from your panel of experts. Mary Cawston London • I do not recall Grant Shapps being at all concerned about the dangers of a landslide majority in 2019 (Tories fighting to prevent Labour winning ‘supermajority’, says Shapps, 12 June). Julia Johnson Cambridge • I had no idea that an American robin was actually a thrush, but the letters page of Friday’s Guardian print edition gave me this information twice: in both the country diary and a letter about Mary Poppins. Roy Harrison Old Down, Gloucestershire • Should anybody be surprised at outbreaks of E coli when salad leaves are washed in privatised water (Supermarket sandwich suppliers issue recall amid UK E coli outbreak, 14 June)? Paul Kennedy Ilkley, West Yorkshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Nigel Farage has launched the Reform UK manifesto with a number of populist pledges including proposed spending of £141bn a year as the rightwing party seeks to make inroads into Labour heartlands. The IFS has said the plans “don’t add up” and would cost “tens of billions of pounds per year” more than the party claims. Peter Walker and Sandra Laville have their own assessment here.
Lord Cruddas, a Tory peer and former party donor, has shared dozens of social media posts supportive of Nigel Farage and Reform UK. The Conservatives could lose once safe constituencies such as Theresa May’s former seat in the coming general election, with nearly 40% of people willing to vote tactically to oust the Tories, a campaign group has said. Labour would try to improve elements of the UK’s trade deal with the EU, Rachel Reeves has indicated, saying also that most financial services companies have “not regarded Brexit as being a great opportunity for their businesses”.
If he wanted to be re-elected, what Rishi Sunak should have said in that TV interview (The politics sketch, 12 June) when asked “Have you ever gone without something?” is: “No, of course not. I never went hungry or without warm clothes or a room of my own. I went to an excellent school. I had two loving parents. I wanted for nothing a child needs to grow up. It is a national disgrace that thousands of children in this country do not have the same. We must do much more and I propose that we will.” Helen Muir Tywyn, Gwynedd • Please tell Annie Hall (Letters, 9 June) that my late mother Pearl Bradford, a primary school teacher, fitted the bill. She would find something positive – however small – in any piece of work, having been encouraged to do so by a tutor when she was a student at Goldsmiths in the late 1930s. Mary Hutty Bath • Does anyone know what the odds are on the Tory MP Craig Williams being unemployed by 5 July (Tories face new questions over Sunak aide who placed bet on July election, 14 June)? Ian Grieve Gordon Bennett, Llangollen canal • Bit rich of David Cameron to claim that Nigel Farage is trying to destroy the Conservative party (Politics live, 15 June). The Tories seem to be doing a pretty good job of destroying themselves. Su Hardman Woodbridge • So Farage has only got one ball (Profile, 14 June). Is his other in the Albert Hall? Tom Hardy London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Expenses claims by Douglas Ross, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, were within the rules and no further action is required, the parliamentary standards watchdog has said. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) investigated Ross over allegations that he may have claimed expenses to facilitate travel to his third job as a part-time match official for the Scottish Football Association. He was accused of filing for flights from Scotland to London, as well as train travel and parking, for activities not related to his position as the MP for Moray. Ross denied the accusations of wrongdoing. An Ipsa spokesperson said: “We have reviewed Mr Ross’s travel claims, relating to the allegations made in the press, and met with him to discuss the issues that have been raised. Following this review, we are satisfied that the claims were within Ipsa’s rules and no further action is required.” If MPs travel between Westminster and their constituency but make a diversion from the normal route for non-parliamentary purposes, such as a family visit or party event, then they can claim for what is described as a “diverted” journey. The maximum that can be claimed for such a journey is the standard open fare for the direct journey between Westminster and their constituency to ensure that it does not cost more than a normal trip. On Monday the MSP announced he would step down as leader of the Scottish Conservatives in Holyrood after a row over his decision to contest the Aberdeenshire North and Moray East seat at the general election. Ross also said he would resign as a Highlands and Islands MSP if he won the seat. A Scottish Conservative spokesperson said: “Ipsa have confirmed all of Douglas’ expenses claims were valid. His focus is on beating the SNP in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East where he’s spent the day speaking to local voters.”
We’re keen to hear from people who are eligible to vote in the UK general election but are still undecided which party they will support. We’re keen to hear what is driving their indecision – be it particular political issues, confusion over what the parties are offering or simply that they haven’t yet had the chance to read the different party manifestos. Whatever the reason behind your indecision regarding your vote, we’d like to hear from you. This Community callout closed on 18 July 2024. You can see the article that included respondents to this callout here. You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.
We are closing this blog shortly but you can read our debate report here and all our election coverage here. Thanks for following along with us.
Rishi Sunak’s closest parliamentary aide, Craig Williams, has apologised for placing a £100 bet on a July election three days before the prime minister announced the date for the poll. In an interview Sunak refused to say whether Williams knew about the timing of the election when he placed his bet. (See 4.51pm.) Keir Starmer has vowed to “turn the page for ever” on held-back potential as he put wealth creation and economic growth at the heart of Labour’s manifesto. Labour is offering “more austerity but painted red”, Plaid Cymru leaders have said as they launched the party’s manifesto. That is all from me. But Amy Sedghi has just launched a new live blog that will be covering the ITV’s seven-party debate taking place tonight. You can read it here.
Nils Pratley is right to question whether Labour’s Great British Energy plan can bring down bills (7 June). There is a fundamental tension between aiming to win investment for renewables at the same time as cutting bills, and it will be difficult to do both at the same time in any significant way. An £8.3bn capitalisation from taxing oil and gas firms will give GB Energy a good basis for leveraging private investment into new areas such as floating offshore wind, but novel technologies will not produce large returns in the short term. This will mean fewer profits to feed back to consumers. In the meantime, electricity prices could realistically continue to be linked to the price of gas – which will remain higher than it was pre-crisis – for at least another decade. Only more radical changes to wholesale markets would change that sooner. It’s no surprise that GB Energy is a vote-winner, but which of its competing goals would a Labour government prioritise when it inevitably has to choose? Dr Matthew Lockwood Senior lecturer in energy policy, University of Sussex Business School • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
I am in favour, in principle, of George Monbiot’s proposal that governments should be chosen by lot (General elections are a travesty of democracy – let’s give the people a real voice, 7 June). Even so, to be on the safe side, I would suggest the random choice should be made from a limited class of people. My preference would be those who can read Latin and whistle most of the themes of Beethoven’s piano sonatas. Michael Bulley Chalon-sur-Saône, France • I am reminded of Paul Foot when I read about Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer trying to establish their “normal people” credentials (Marina Hyde, 12 June). Whenever someone brought up his privileged background when he spoke at a Socialist Worker meeting, he would say: “I’m proud to be a class traitor.” Simon Maddison Hitchin, Hertfordshire • Sadly, a dearth of Tory workers does not mean that Labour will win (Conservative grassroots campaign in ‘disarray’, say insiders and opponents, 13 June). In 1992, the Tories were so desperate that they even had my aunt-in-law Maud, aged 92, out delivering leaflets, and John Major still won. Margaret Squires St Andrews, Fife • I was amused by the photo of Mary Poppins holding a stuffed robin being used to illustrate your letters on perfectionism (10 June). It is an American robin (a large thrush) rather than the native European robin, even though the film is set in London. Dr Stephen Moss Somerset • I don’t know much about Taylor Swift (Letters, 12 June), but I know Trump is frightened of her. That’s enough for me to be an admirer. Tony Green Ipswich, Suffolk
The UK’s main political parties have launched their manifestos – and now we’d like to hear from public sector workers about the policy pledges that apply to them. From teachers to NHS workers, we’d like to hear from public sector workers on what they think about each of the manifestos. How might their plans affect your job? Which, if any of the pledges, are influencing your vote? Is there anything missing that you’d like to see?
Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer faced derision from voters during a live TV event, with the prime minister mocked over his record in No 10 and the Labour leader accused of being a “political robot” Rishi Sunak’s closest parliamentary aide placed a £100 bet on a July election just three days before the prime minister named the date, the Guardian can reveal. The Greens have launched their election manifesto with an appeal to voters to help them into parliament as a challenge to what they termed the unambitious, “more of the same” policies of Labour.
The Guardian will be reporting from Nottingham East ahead of the general election. This will be part of a series of pieces from across the country focused on finding out what matters most to the people who live there. If you live in the constituency of Nottingham East, can you tell us what will decide your vote? We’d like to understand the big issues facing you and your family and which policies matter to you. How happy are you with the state of housing, work, public transport, local facilities for young people, policing and health services? What local issues should we be looking at? Who has an impact on your community that we should meet? Are there issues in your family that create division? Are you thinking of switching your vote? Or perhaps you feel disengaged from national politics altogether.
This Community callout closed on 30 July 2024. You can see the articles this callout contributed to here. You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.
We write as London School of Economics professors and colleagues of Dr Faiza Shaheen, one of the UK’s leading experts on inequality. We have hugely benefited from her long-term collaboration with the LSE’s International Inequalities Institute and especially her work this past academic year, when she was hired by the sociology department to teach graduate students on our flagship MSc inequalities and social science. Faiza used her extensive campaigning and academic experience, both in the UK and globally, to provide excellent guidance and insight to our students. Her tolerance and respect for different perspectives and openness to debate was absolutely clear. We were completely shocked that someone with her outstanding abilities, experience and dedication was deselected as parliamentary candidate for the Labour party for Chingford and Woodford Green. The utter disrespect shown to her by the manner of this deselection, especially given her own outstanding professionalism, integrity and commitment, was appalling. As colleagues of Faiza, who can testify at first hand to her many qualities, we are in an excellent position to state that she is exactly the kind of person who would be a major asset in the House of Commons. Given this unfortunate and mistaken deselection, we therefore fully support her campaign to run as an independent candidate (Interview, 5 June), and hope that she is victorious and will be able to take her rightful place at the heart of UK public life. Prof Mike Savage, Prof Suzi Hall, Prof Sam Friedman, Prof Suki Ali London School of Economics • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
The Guardian is trying to understand how people are consuming news during the general election – and the role that WhatsApp is playing. How are you experiencing the election through the messaging app? Has your family or friends WhatsApp groups being overrun by politics? Are you mainly in agreement or are your friendships being tested by political bickering in your group chat? Are you being overwhelmed with memes and video clips? Is there one particular thing that keeps being mentioned? Are you finding the politics chat annoying or distracting – or helpful? Is there discourse or discord – perhaps you have had to impose rules to try to stop people arguing? Or one family member of friend is sharing political content you don’t agree with?
The BBC General Election debate between seven senior political party figures was watched by more than three million viewers, the broadcaster said. An average audience of 3.2 million tuned in across BBC One and the BBC News Channel on Friday evening to watch the politicians clash over D-Day and support for war veterans, immigration and the state of the NHS, according to overnight ratings. The line-up for the first multi-party debate in this year’s campaign featured Penny Mordaunt, the Conservative Leader of the House of Commons, Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner, Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, Plaid Cymru’s Rhun ap Iorwerth, Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer and Reform UK’s Nigel Farage. The debate had a peak in viewers towards the end of the broadcast, as figures rose to between 3.3 million and 3.4 million, the BBC said. That is an increase from their seven-way debate in the run-up to the 2019 General Election, when an average audience of 2.5 million watched Rishi Sunak, then the Conservatives’ chief secretary to the Treasury, Labour’s Rebecca Long Bailey, Liberal Democrat Jo Swinson, the SNP’s Nicola Sturgeon, Adam Price of Plaid Cymru, the Green Party’s Caroline Lucas and Richard Tice of the Brexit Party go head-to-head.
Read our full report on the BBC election debate here:
Here are the key takeaways from the seven-way exchanges:
And John Crace’s verdict on the whole affair:
Having given up after 10 minutes of the ITV leaders’ debate because of the ridiculous format and lack of control by the moderator, I suggest that the second one, fortunately given to the BBC, adopts one of its existing formats. That, obviously, is Would I Lie to You? The moderator (Rob Brydon if available) should ask the audience after every answer “Is he telling the truth? Or is it a lie?” There might even be a “This is my…” round to consider the motives of selected donors. I’d watch that. Anne Cowper Bishopston, Swansea • My husband and I enjoy our retirement, walking the two miles to Waitrose daily to buy the Guardian (Letters, 2 June), enjoy a delicious free latte and walk back home to spend the rest of the morning arguing over opinions expressed in the paper. What’s not to like – good exercise, interesting views and a free hot drink. Thank you, Waitrose and the Guardian. Heather Kimberley Windsor, Berkshire • Glad to see that irony thrives at the Guardian, with a cover and two middle pages of the G2 section in the print edition (6 June) devoted to an article headlined “Is there any escaping Taylor Swift?” James Kingston-Stewart Brighton • I am not aware of ever having heard Taylor Swift, nor do I know what she looks like. I am available to smash up looms for a small fee. Kaye McGann Standlake, Oxfordshire • I have two questions for all parliamentary candidates. How many swifts have you seen this year? What will your party do to bring back our flying insects? Elizabeth Baker Birmingham • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
The Conservative party is facing questions over its decision to keep more than £15m given by its biggest ever donor, Frank Hester, after former employees made a series of fresh allegations. Rishi Sunak has been criticised for missing the international D-Day commemoration event in France this afternoon. He attended a British event in the morning. (See 2.11pm.) The Institute for Fiscal Studies thinktank has published a damning assessment of the Conservative party’s decision to rule out reform of the way council tax operates in England in the next parliament. (See 3.49pm.) Rachel Reeves is under pressure from Labour shadow ministers to raise capital gains tax as part of an autumn budget at which the shadow chancellor is considering up to a dozen new revenue-raising measures. The Conservative chair, Richard Holden, has been selected at the last minute for a safe seat 300 miles from his former constituency, triggering anger among members. The Scottish Conservative leader, Douglas Ross, has announced he plans to stand again for Westminster in a key Scottish National party target seat, after the party blocked the anticipated candidate who is recovering from a serious illness. Finally, do read Archie Bland’s afternoon campaign catch-up. Better still, you can sign up here to get it as an email.
The Welsh first minister, Vaughan Gething, has lost a no-confidence vote less than 12 weeks after taking office, following a series of scandals that have called into question his judgment and transparency. Keir Starmer has accused Rishi Sunak of deliberately lying when he claimed Labour’s spending plans would increase taxes by £2,000, saying the prime minister’s tactics during Tuesday night’s TV debate showed he was dishonest when put under pressure. Faiza Shaheen, the candidate blocked by Labour from standing in Chingford and Woodford Green, has announced she will stand as an independent. YouGov has published a poll suggesting Reform UK is just two points behind the Conservatives.
Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer tore into each other’s election promises on tax and immigration in a fiery first TV debate of the campaign. Here is Eleni Courea’s story about the debate.
Here is a summary of the key points, from Jessica Elgot.
Here is Peter Walker’s assessment of who was telling the truth.
And here is John Crace’s sketch.
The Guardian will be reporting from Clacton ahead of the general election, where Nigel Farage said he would stand as an MP and take over as leader of Reform UK, after changing his mind while spending time on the campaign trail. This will be part of a series of pieces from across the country focused on finding out what matters most to the people who live there. If you live in the constituency of Clacton, can you tell us what will decide your vote? We’d like to understand the big issues facing you and your family and which policies matter to you. How happy are you with the state of housing, work, public transport, local facilities for young people, policing and health services? What local issues should we be looking at? Who has an impact on your community that we should meet? Are there issues in your family that create division? Are you thinking of switching your vote? Or perhaps you feel disengaged from national politics altogether.
This Community callout closed on 31 July 2024. You can see the articles this callout contributed to here. You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.
Nigel Farage has made a surprise announcement that he is to stand as a Reform UK candidate in the general election in Clacton and take over the leadership of the party from Richard Tice. Farage said the country was in economic, social and moral decline Keir Starmer has offered a “triple lock” guarantee on the UK’s nuclear deterrent, which he said was at the heart of Labour’s defence police. Legal advice on UK arms sales to Israel would be reviewed under a Labour government, he said The Conservatives have said they will reform the 2010 Equality Act to end what they say is “confusion” over biological sex and gender. Rishi Sunak denied the party was trying to stoke culture war issues Diane Abbott will be reselected to fight her seat tomorrow despite having suggested on social media that Keir Starmer was a liar, the Guardian understands The Liberal Democrats, campaigning on their clean water policies, managed to photobomb a publicity appearance by the prime minister in Henley-on-Thames when they went behind him on a boat A Scottish leaders debate will take place on STV tonight at 9pm. Scottish Greens have said it is not too late for the television network to do the right thing and include them A YouGov MRP has said Labour are on course a landslide majority even bigger than that won by Tony Blair in 1997 Around half a million people have been affected by an issue which meant that some child benefit payments did not arrive as scheduled The Post Office Horizon IT inquiry was due to resume today, with Ben Foat, general counsel of the Post Office as witness, but the session was cancelled due to illness in the inquiry counsel team That is it from me for today. Andrew Sparrow will be back with you tomorrow. Have a good evening, and I will no doubt see you somewhere on the Guardian website soon. Take care.
The idea that all are of equal worth and of working towards a society worthy of honouring such an ideal can be traced back further than “a reaction to capitalism, which really took off in the Industrial Revolution” (Is Starmer really a socialist and what will happen if Labour wins election?, 28 May). The English cleric John Ball’s radical sermons preaching equality and the dignity of labour at the time of the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 brought him into conflict with church and crown. His memory lives on in William Morris’s story, Edward Burne-Jones’s illustration of A Dream of John Ball and in Sydney Carter’s Sing John Ball. For his pains, John Ball was condemned by Rishi II – sorry, would have been; he was of course executed by Richard II. Austen Lynch Garstang, Lancashire • Tony Benn got it right when he said the Labour party wasn’t socialist but that there were members who were socialists, and sadly I would add that we are diminishing in number. That said, Keir Starmer has identified as one, which is good and interesting, though somewhat of a shock given the wholesale ditching of socialist policies, as summarised in his initial 10-point plan back when he stood for the leadership. I think the best we can now hope for is a little social democracy courtesy of Rachel Reeves, though her statements about the economy, taxes and business make the direction of travel barely social democratic. The only good news is that surely the Tories are toast, but I’m no longer at all sure what comes next. It’s certainly not socialism. I’d have to settle for social democracy. Will we get it? I’m not sure we will. Jol Miskin Sheffield • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
I wrote twice to the Guardian in 2021, aged 14, advocating for ABC – anything but Conservative. I am now 17, hoping to study politics at university but, unfortunately, I was born five months too late to be able to cast my ballot this time. It worries me intensely to see the We Deserve Better campaign feel it justifiable to catalyse on the anti-Starmer left and split the vote, believing that a Labour win is guaranteed. It is not. We cannot afford to split the Labour vote. We cannot for a moment forget the swing Labour will have to achieve to win, despite what the polls may say. For my generation, the risk is too big. Our quality of life is worse than our parents’, accessing the housing market is like a game of snakes and ladders and our world is faced with the heart-wrenching challenges of war, climate change and ever-increasing inequality that my generation will have to live with the consequences of most directly. Of course, scrutinise Labour, challenge its policies and hold it to account, but don’t let that hinder how you cast your vote. We must not forget who our main enemy is: this Tory government that has presided over the worst standards of living, the highest tax levels, record levels of homelessness, record NHS waiting lists and record disparities between the state and privately educated. So please, don’t run the risk of voting against a current Labour MP – we all know what the alternative is, and my generation cannot suffer a moment more. Joseph Walker Bath • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
The Guardian will be reporting from Midlothian ahead of the general election. This will be part of a series of pieces from across the country focused on finding out what matters most to the people who live there. If you live in the constituency of Midlothian, can you tell us what will decide your vote? We’d like to understand the big issues facing you and your family and which policies matter to you. How happy are you with the state of housing, work, public transport, local facilities for young people, policing and health services? What local issues should we be looking at? Who has an impact on your community that we should meet? Are there issues in your family that create division? Are you thinking of switching your vote? Or perhaps you feel disengaged from national politics altogether.
This Community callout closed on 31 July 2024. You can see the articles this callout contributed to here. You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.
The Guardian will be reporting from Hackney North and Stoke Newington – the constituency of Diane Abbott MP – ahead of the general election. This will be part of a series of pieces from across the country focused on finding out what matters most to the people who live there. Diane Abbott has promised to stay on as MP for as “long as possible” setting up a possible clash with Keir Starmer after a deal for her to retire from parliament broke down. Abbott, the UK’s first female black MP, had been set to make a “dignified exit” from parliament after a four-decade career, in an arrangement in which she was given back the Labour whip after an investigation into comments she made about racism. Keir Starmer denied on Wednesday that she had been barred from standing, while deputy leader Angela Rayner said Abbott has not been treated “fairly or appropriately” by some Labour colleagues and should be allowed to stand again. If you live in the constituency of Hackney North and Stoke Newington, can you tell us what will decide your vote? We’d like to understand the big issues facing you and your family and which policies matter to you. How happy are you with the state of housing, work, community relations, policing and health services? What local issues should we be looking at? Who has an impact on your community that we should meet? Are there issues in your family that create division? Are you thinking of switching your vote? Or perhaps you feel disengaged from national politics altogether.
This Community callout closed on 31 July 2024. You can see the articles this callout contributed to here. You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.
John Crace referred to Rishi Sunak as “a prime minister of almost no significance” (The politics sketch, 22 May). That seems to ignore Sunak’s position as the first ever British prime minister of colour. I think this historic first needs to be recognised, whatever else you think of his time in office. Darren Hall Watford, Hertfordshire • I know we’re all in the grip of election fever, but there’s no need to let standards slip. Rishi Sunak didn’t have a “podium disaster” (Is Rishi Sunak actively trying to lose the election? Let’s consider the mounting evidence, 27 May), because he wasn’t on a podium. He was at a lectern. Fran Maloney Lewes, East Sussex • When I want to finish the Guardian Quick Crossword, I Google the number, and am always fascinated by the random items related to that number. Most frequently Indian train schedules, brake pad sets and very complicated engineering and scientific items. However, the crossword always appears first. Matthew Williamson Rothesay, Isle of Bute • Unlike Meirion Bowen, it seems (Letters, 27 May), I would be absolutely delighted if there was dancing and laughter at my funeral. My only regret would be that I’d missed the party. Bridget Cuthbertson Hexham, Northumberland • So Labour is planning to extend the vote to 16- and 17-year-olds (Polly Toynbee, 27 May). About time. A cue for the Tories to introduce posthumous voting? Richard Wigmore Oxford • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
The Guardian will be reporting from Cornwall North ahead of the general election. This will be part of a series of pieces from across the country focused on finding out what matters most to the people who live there. If you live in the constituency of Cornwall North, can you tell us what will decide your vote? We’d like to understand the big issues facing you and your family and which policies matter to you. How happy are you with the state of housing, work, community relations, policing and health services? What local issues should we be looking at? Who has an impact on your community that we should meet? Are there issues in your family that create division? Are you thinking of switching your vote? Or perhaps you feel disengaged from national politics altogether.
This Community callout closed on 31 July 2024. You can see the articles this callout contributed to here. You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.
The Guardian will be reporting from Thurrock ahead of the general election. This will be part of a series of pieces from across the country focused on finding out what matters most to the people who live there. If you live in the constituency of Thurrock, can you tell us what will decide your vote? We’d like to understand the big issues facing you and your family and which policies matter to you. How happy are you with the state of housing, work, community relations, policing and health services? What local issues should we be looking at? Who has an impact on your community that we should meet? Are there issues in your family that create division? Are you thinking of switching your vote? Or perhaps you feel disengaged from national politics altogether.
This Community callout closed on 31 July 2024. You can see the articles this callout contributed to here. You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.
The Guardian will be reporting from Godalming and Ash ahead of the general election. This will be part of a series of pieces from across the country focused on finding out what matters most to the people who live there. If you live in the constituency of Godalming and Ash, can you tell us what will decide your vote? We’d like to understand the big issues facing you and your family and which policies matter to you. How happy are you with the state of housing, work, community relations, policing and health services? What local issues should we be looking at? Who has an impact on your community that we should meet? Are there issues in your family that create division? Are you thinking of switching your vote? Or perhaps you feel disengaged from national politics altogether.
This Community callout closed on 31 July 2024. You can see the articles this callout contributed to here. You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.
Angela Rayner has been cleared of any potential criminal wrongdoing over claims she avoided tax over the sale of a home, with Greater Manchester police saying it would take no action against the Labour deputy leader. HM Revenue and Customs is not taking any further action either (see 4.26pm) in relation to the allegations, and Stockport council has also concluded no action is needed. A council spokesperson said: Stockport council has reviewed and responded to all correspondence relating to this matter, including information received from Greater Manchester police (GMP) who have concluded that no further police action will be taken. We have also concluded that no further action will be taken on behalf of the council. Rachel Reeves has said there will be no budget until September if Labour wins the election and promised the party will not announce any additional tax measures beyond what it has already promised. Nigel Farage, the Reform UK honorary president, has said Britain is moving towards “sectarian politics with women completely excluded” in inner cities and towns, as he called for rising levels of Channel crossings to be declared a “national security emergency”. Rishi Sunak has warned Conservative MPs that election campaigning is not optional after a minister decided to fly to Greece on holiday.
The Guardian will be reporting from Burnley ahead of the general election. This will be part of a series of pieces from across the country focused on finding out what matters most to the people who live there. In 2019, the Lancashire town elected its first Conservative MP in more than a century. If you live in the constituency of Burnley, can you tell us what will decide your vote? We’d like to understand the big issues facing you and your family and which policies matter to you. How happy are you with the state of housing, work, community relations, policing and health services? What local issues should we be looking at? Who has an impact on your community that we should meet? Are there issues in your family that create division? Are you thinking of switching your vote? Or perhaps you feel disengaged from national politics altogether. This Community callout closed on 29 October 2024. • You can see the article that included respondents to this callout here. • You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.
The Guardian will be reporting from the new constituency of Hitchin ahead of the general election. This will be part of a series of pieces from across the country focused on finding out what matters most to the people who live there. If you live in the constituency of Hitchin, can you tell us what will decide your vote? We’d like to understand the big issues facing you and your family and which policies matter to you. How happy are you with the state of housing, work, community relations, policing and health services? What local issues should we be looking at? Who has an impact on your community that we should meet? Are there issues in your family that create division? Are you thinking of switching your vote? Or perhaps you feel disengaged from national politics altogether.
This Community callout closed on 31 July 2024. You can see the articles this callout contributed to here. You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.
The Guardian will be reporting from Bristol Central ahead of the general election. This will be part of a series of pieces from across the country focused on finding out what matters most to the people who live there. If you live in the constituency of Bristol Central, can you tell us what will decide your vote? We’d like to understand the big issues facing you and your family and which policies matter to you. How happy are you with the state of housing, work, community relations, policing and health services? What local issues should we be looking at? Who has an impact on your community that we should meet? Are there issues in your family that create division? Are you thinking of switching your vote? Or perhaps you feel disengaged from national politics altogether. This Community callout closed on 29 October 2024. • You can see the article that included respondents to this callout here. • You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.
The Guardian will be reporting from Scarborough and Whitby ahead of the general election. This will be part of a series of pieces from across the country focused on finding out what matters most to the people who live there. If you live in the constituency of Scarborough and Whitby, can you tell us what will decide your vote? We’d like to understand the big issues facing you and your family and which policies matter to you. How happy are you with the state of housing, work, community relations, policing and health services? What local issues should we be looking at? Who has an impact on your community that we should meet? Are there issues in your family that create division? Are you thinking of switching your vote? Or perhaps you feel disengaged from national politics altogether. This Community callout closed on 29 October 2024. • You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.
Rishi Sunak’s faltering election campaign suffered a fresh blow tonight when the outgoing MP Lucy Allan resigned from the party and backed the Reform UK candidate to replace her in Telford. Explaining her decision, Allan said: I have resigned from the Conservative party to support Alan Adams to be Telford’s next MP. I have known Alan for many years and he is genuinely the best person for the job. I want the best for Telford and I can’t just let the Labour candidate have a walkover. ” As a Royal Navy veteran, Alan knows what it means to serve. He is the candidate who is most in touch with Telford people and best able to represent them. He will serve all residents, not just those who vote for him. Keir Starmer has delivered his first proper campaign speech, insisting that voters can trust him on on security – “economic security, border security and national security”. (See 12.20pm.) The Conservative campaign pledge to introduce mandatory national service was dreamed up by advisers and sprung on candidates, Steve Baker, a Northern Ireland minister, has said. Labour said the national service plan was “unravelling by the minute”. (See 9.07am.) Sunak has rejected claims that he plans to leave the UK and move to California if he loses the election. (See 5.31pm.)
I am already bored by Keir Starmer’s overly verbose pronouncements. Might I suggest that Labour adopts a simple slogan and image combo that we can all get behind – a cartoon of Rishi Sunak with the words: “Get Him Out to Help Out”. Julian Jordon Broughton-in-Furness, Cumbria • Isabella Stone said she was already fed up with the election campaign at 6.30pm on Wednesday (Letters, 23 May). It’s 2.15pm on Friday. Can I be the first to go on record as being very interested in the election campaign, including the Guardian’s coverage? David Halpin Wetherby, West Yorkshire • I can understand why Rishi Sunak did not shelter under an umbrella when announcing the election date. Many moons ago, the England football manager Steve McClaren did an interview holding an umbrella. He was known ever after as “the wally with the brolly”. Bob Hely Broseley, Shropshire • Can anyone explain what, where, when or who is the square one that Rishi Sunak accuses Labour of continuously going back to? Bob Davey Sheffield • Perhaps a daily tally of air miles or carbon footprints of the main candidates could be published – a Hot Air Index – to help voters decide? Jude Carr London • Re what a populist is (22 May), may I suggest “a loudmouth with a following”? Tony Turner Stevenage, Hertfordshire • We should all spare a thought for John Crace. If Labour wins, I suspect he will have much less promising material to work with. Graeme Frost London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
We’re now closing this live blog. Thanks for reading and commenting. Here’s a summary of the day’s main events: Rishi Sunak largely deserted the field after a difficult first few days of the general election campaign. The prime minister held a brief meeting with a group of veterans in his constituency on Saturday morning, but sources had already told the Guardian he’d planned to spend most of the day at home, in discussion with his closest advisers. A further blow was dealt to Sunak’s campaign as it was announced the number of people arriving in the UK so far this year by irregular means had surpassed 10,000. The prime minister has staked much of his political reputation on ending the crisis. Michael Gove and Andrea Leadsom joined the now record-breaking exodus of Conservative MPs from the Commons, with the former saying it was time for a “new generation” to lead the party. Gove’s announcement in a letter tweeted on Friday evening had been anticipated by some given the strong Liberal Democrat challenge he faces in his Surrey Heath constituency, but adds to the sense of Tories fleeing in the face of a likely general election loss. The treasury minister Bim Afolami played down the significance of high-profile Tory MPs to be standing down at an election. He told Times Radio: “Look, it’s not unnatural if you’ve got people who served for 20, sometimes 30 or 35 years in parliament in their 50s or 60s coming to retirement or indeed retiring completely, that they choose to bring their political careers to a close. I think that’s fine.”
Keir Starmer has said he abandoned his pledge to abolish tuition fees in order to prioritise tackling NHS waiting lists. The Lib Dems, Greens and SNP face being cut out of televised leadership debates, as broadcasters plan to focus on two head-to-head contests between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer. Rishi Sunak’s election campaign has been criticised as shambolic after he visited the Titanic Quarter in Belfast, where a journalist asked him if he was captain of a sinking ship. It is the latest in a series of mishaps that have exposed him to ridicule from his opponents. (See 3.52pm.) Labour’s investigation into Diane Abbott’s comments about racism, which has lasted more than a year, will be completed by 4 June, Keir Starmer says. Jeremy Corbyn has confirmed he will stand as an independent candidate in Islington North, vowing to fight for equality, democracy and peace.
The Guardian will be reporting from Waveney Valley – a new, predominately rural constituency which crosses the border between Norfolk and Suffolk – ahead of the general election. This will be part of a series of pieces from across the country focused on finding out what matters most to the people who live there. The area has traditionally voted Conservative, but this could change amid concerns around sewage and pollution, as well as issues affecting farmers and growers. If you live in the constituency of Waveney Valley, can you tell us what will decide your vote? We’d like to understand the big issues facing you and your family and which policies matter to you. How happy are you with the state of housing, work, community relations, policing and health services? What local issues should we be looking at? Who has an impact on your community that we should meet? Are there issues in your family that create division? Are you thinking of switching your vote? Or perhaps you feel disengaged from national politics altogether.
The Guardian will be reporting from Birmingham Ladywood – considered one of the safest Labour seats in the country – ahead of the general election. This will be part of a series of pieces from across the country focused on finding out what matters most to the people who live there. If you live in Birmingham Ladywood, can you tell us what will decide your vote? We’d like to understand the big issues facing you and your family and which policies matter to you. How happy are you with the state of housing, work, community relations, policing and health services? What local issues should we be looking at? Who has an impact on your community that we should meet? Are there issues in your family that create division? Are you thinking of switching your vote? Or perhaps you feel disengaged from national politics altogether.
The Guardian will be reporting from Chingford and Woodford Green – where Labour’s Faiza Shaheen hopes to unseat Iain Duncan Smith – ahead of the general election. This will be part of a series of pieces from across the country focused on finding out what matters most to the people who live there. If you live in Chingford and Woodford Green, can you tell us what will decide your vote? We’d like to understand the big issues facing you and your family and which policies matter to you. How happy are you with the state of housing, work, community relations, policing and health services? What local issues should we be looking at? Who has an impact on your community that we should meet? Are there issues in your family that create division? Are you thinking of switching your vote? Or perhaps you feel disengaged from national politics altogether.
We’re interested to hear from young people in the UK what matters to them the most when they think about voting in the 2024 general election. If you are under 30 and live in the UK, tell us which issues are most important to you regarding the election, and whether you’re planning to vote on 4 July. Are you registered to vote? Have you voted in the past or are you a potential first time voter? And – have you made up your mind about how you may vote, and have your views changed recently?
After prime minister Rishi Sunak announced that a general election will be held on 4 July, we want to hear from UK voters about what will decide their vote. Will you vote in the general election, and do you know who you will vote for? What are the issues that will influence which party you will lend your support to? Do you plan to vote for a different party than you did in 2019, and if so, why?
Our news consumption in the contemporary media environment is increasingly characterised by an ever-growing reliance on an array of multi-media platforms. Social media apps such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok have been for some time important sites from which people get their news. Further, private groups within such platforms are often a key point of news consumption for many individuals. We want to know which of these sources you use the most to stay informed in the run up to the 2024 UK general election. We would like to know where key conversations are happening, both within and away from the traditional media. Where on the internet do you find your main sources of news? Do you listen to podcasts? Do you use social media applications such as Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat? If so, are you part of any private groups in which important discussions are happening and what sort of things are being shared? Do such conversations have an impact on your overall attitudes? Do you notice changing habits in your parents or among your children in the last few years? Alternatively, perhaps you prefer to use a specific independent journalism organisation for your news? If this is the case, then which one do you use? Finally, where do your family members of varying ages access their news - are there cross-generational differences?
We are closing this live blog now but you can read all our UK politics, including our general election coverage, here and please join us tomorrow for further developments.
Thank you for following along on this eventful day. The blog is now closing. Here is a closing summary: The prime minister Rishi Sunak has called a surprise general election, which will be held on 4 July. He said his premiership has been focused on restoring economic stability, which he described as “the bedrock of any future success”. He claimed that voters don’t know what they’re getting with Keir Starmer because he doesn’t keep promises and Labour doesn’t have a plan. The speech took place in the middle of torrential rain, and was drowned out by a protester playing a “trolling” song: ‘Things can only get Better’ by D:Ream, the anthem synonymous with New Labour’s 1997 general election landslide. Starmer declared a vote for Labour is a vote for stability, and stressed his commitment to public service. In Sunak’s first election rally, he emphasised the need for security in a world of multiple threats. “Furious” Conservative MPs are said to be plotting to call off the general election and replace Sunak as leader before parliament is dissolved next Thursday. Some political journalists are reporting that several letters of no confidence in Sunak have been submitted to the chairman of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady. That’s it from me, Donna Ferguson. If you want to continue following news on the election, head to our newly created General Election 2024 section.
Craig Mackinlay has had an eventful career after swapping chartered accountancy for politics. The 57-year-old was an original member of the pro-Brexit UK Independence party, became its interim leader in 1999 and contested elections for the party at a European and parliamentary level. He left to join the Conservative party in 2005 due to concerns about the direction that Ukip was taking. In 2007, he was elected as a councillor for River Ward in Chatham on Medway council, a unitary authority, and then re-elected in 2011. Mackinlay, who has recently spoken about having both his hands and feet amputated due to sepsis, was elected as a Conservative MP for South Thanet in 2015, narrowly defeating Ukip’s Nigel Farage and, rather more comfortably, the comedian Al Murray. He was a member of the exiting the EU select committee, the work and pensions select committee and the European scrutiny select committee, and also served on the Joint BHS inquiry, which involved questioning Philip Green and Dominic Chappell about the sale of the company in 2015. In 2019, Mackinlay was acquitted by a jury of knowingly falsifying election expenses for his 2015 campaign against Farage, who was the leader of Ukip. After studying zoology and comparative physiology at Birmingham University, he qualified as a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Mackinlay later qualified as a member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation. According to his website, he became “one of just 1,500 qualified ‘joint-hatters’ – the only MP with such qualification”. The Tory MP, who was born in Chatham, served as a magistrate on the North Kent Bench and volunteered for the charity Tax Help for Older People. He is married to Kati, a community pharmacist who is originally from Hungary. The couple have a daughter, Olivia, who turns five on Thursday.
An estimated multibillion pound scheme to fully compensate UK victims of the contaminated blood scandal and their families by the end of the year has been announced, the day after a damning report found the NHS and government to be culpable for the tragedy. The former home secretary Suella Braverman acted unlawfully in making it easier for the police to criminalise peaceful protests, the high court has ruled. Jeremy Hunt is preparing a pre-election cut in national insurance despite a warning from the International Monetary Fund of a looming £30bn hole in the public finances, Downing Street has indicated. Indian students and alumni in the UK have urged the British prime minister to retain graduate visas, rejecting claims they are little more than “Deliveroo visas” that allow overseas students access to low-paid jobs in the gig economy.
As the UK faces a momentous general election, which polls suggest could see the end of 14 years of Conservative party rule, the video team wants to hear from people who have a story to tell about their community. As video producers, we have spent the past four years working with community-based reporters across the UK to highlight the reality of what is happening in their areas, unearthing unique perspectives from people who are often overlooked in the story of modern Britain. We have worked with teams who have documented their struggles with the DWP, with people navigating the asylum system, those exposing terrible housing conditions on TikTok and others keeping their communities fed and warm through the cost of living crisis.
The scandal that caused thousands of people in the UK to become infected or die from contaminated blood was avoidable and inflamed by a “subtle, pervasive and chilling” cover-up by the NHS and government, a scathing report has concluded. Politicians “should hang their heads in shame” over the contaminated blood scandal, victims’ groups have said, and warned of future disasters because lessons have not been learned. Rishi Sunak has issued a “wholehearted and unequivocal apology” to the victims. (See 6.01pm.) He also said the government would pay comprehensive compensation, whatever the cost. The Labour leader Keir Starmer also apologised, saying that the victims were failed by all parties, including his own. (See 5.36pm.) A survivor of a school at the centre of the contaminated blood scandal where pupils were viewed as “cheaper than chimps” says he feels vindication by Monday’s report after decades of campaigning. The government expects to have spent at least £4.7bn on introducing post-Brexit border controls, which have been repeatedly hit by delays, the public spending watchdog has warned.
Jeremy Hunt has said further tax cuts are on the way in the autumn after the economy has “turned a corner”, as he criticised Keir Starmer for promising “motherhood and apple pie”. The chancellor attempted to draw the battle lines for the next election by painting the Conservatives as tax-cutters and Labour as intending to raise tax. In a speech on Friday, Hunt acknowledged families had been “battered by the global shocks” of a pandemic and energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine but argued the Conservatives had sheltered people’s finances. He also insisted the economy was doing well, with inflation down to 3% and the country emerging from a shallow recession. The Conservatives released a dossier saying Labour had a £38bn black hole in its costings and would have to increase tax. In response, a Labour spokesperson said it was a “desperate attempt by the Tories to deflect from their £46bn unfunded tax plan that could lead to higher borrowing, higher taxes on pensioners or the end of the state pension as we know it”. They added: “All of Labour’s policies are fully costed and fully funded. Unlike the Conservatives who crashed the economy, Labour will never play fast and loose with the public finances. “Jeremy Hunt would be better spent getting Rishi Sunak to confirm the date of the election, rather than putting out any more of these dodgy dossiers.” Hunt suggested he wanted to cut national insurance again in the autumn before an election and also said the Tories would commit to reducing the burden of taxation in the next parliament. In response to Labour’s claims about the state pension, he said it was “fake news” and a lie intended to scare older people. Hunt’s speech is the fourth major press conference held by a senior politician in the past two weeks. He followed the shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer, as the parties move into election campaign mode.
This blog is now closing but please check out all our UK politics coverage here.
Who could argue with Keir Starmer’s desire for the Labour party to be “less tribal” or being welcoming to those “who want to join in our object of national renewal” (Labour should be ‘less tribal’, says Keir Starmer after Elphicke defection, 10 May). But platitudes are normally expected of leaders operating at the fag end of a failing government, not those poised to take power. Natalie Elphicke may have apologised for the moral offence of insulting sexually assaulted women. She may deny the ethical offence of lobbying on behalf of her disgraced ex-husband. But neither she nor her Labour cheerleaders have explained how her rabidly rightwing vision will produce the romantic synergy with Labour policies that’s necessary to achieve “national renewal”. Paul McGilchrist Cromer, Norfolk • I’m tribal Labour. In my 64 voting years I have been Labour through good times (eg Gordon Brown) and the worst (eg Jeremy Corbyn). But I have finally reached my sticking point – Natalie Elphicke. Sorry, Keir. Margaret Scorer London • When I’m out canvassing, I’m often met with the comment that politicians are as bad as each other. I respond with an explanation of Labour values, the ideals that motivate me to give up my time and where we differ from the Tories. With the admittance of Natalie Elphicke into the party, I have no words. I won’t be knocking. Val Hart Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
We are now closing this blog but you can read all our UK politics coverage here.
Justine Greening eloquently dismisses the backwardness and “self-serving madness” of the prime minister’s tormentors on the right of his party (Tories must face hard truths: Reform-lite wreckers like Braverman are why the public just don’t like us, 7 May). Instead she wants a return to a “moderate, tolerant and inclusive” Conservatism as if this were a recent condition of government. On election in 2010, David Cameron and George Osborne began at once to shred the UK’s social fabric and undermine the nation’s reputation abroad. By early 2013, the UK’s AAA credit rating had fallen for the first time ever, and it dropped several points further within the next few years. All indices of public confidence were reduced, largely through cuts across the board, including to the so-called “protected” NHS. It was the Tory-led coalition government that set the dismal scene for the Brexit-Johnson debacle that followed. Dr Sebastian Kraemer London • Justine Greening is only partly right in her explanation of why voters are abandoning the Conservative party. It is also because over the last 14 years of Tory government our public services have been underfunded and have significantly worsened. Suella Braverman’s banging on about her woke agenda is an attempt to distract voters from the real issues: rising costs of living, a housing crisis, record NHS waiting lists, the lack of a plan for social care, teacher shortages, a declining postal service etc, in addition to the scandals and a string of incompetent ministers. John Boaler Calne, Wiltshire • I can only applaud and endorse what Justine Greening is saying. Suella Braverman’s angry, nonsensical tirade does her and those who think like her no favours at all. Greening’s article gets right to the heart of the cause of the Conservative party’s woes. Braverman is the last person you would employ to fix it. Sue Pryce-Jones Ewelme, Oxfordshire
Keir Starmer has averted a row with union leaders about Labour’s plans to strengthen employment rights after they were satisfied by assurances they were given at a meeting that the party is not going back on pledges set out in its new deal for working people policy document last summer. There is no evidence of widespread abuse of the UK’s graduate visa route, the government’s immigration advisers have concluded, despite repeated claims from senior Conservatives that it is being exploited to enter the jobs market. Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, has said the Belfast high court ruling yesterday saying the Rwanda deportation policy cannot apply in Northern Ireland because of the Good Friday agreement shows that Rishi Sunak’s Windsor framework deal has “failed upon its first contact with reality”. (See 1.08pm.) During a Commons urgent question, Tom Pursglove, the minister for legal migration, claimed the court ruling would not stop the government deporting people to Rwanda and he claimed asylum seekers could not avoid removal by going to Northern Ireland. But many MPs did not accept this, and some said that, rather than just appeal against the judgment, the government should instead legislate to exempt Northern Ireland from EU law. (See 1.34pm.) Andrew Stephenson, a health minister, has urged MPs to dismiss “myths” being spread about a World Health Organisation pandemic preparedness treaty that the UK is considering supporting. (See 2pm.) Rishi Sunak launched his food security index to farmers, as experts predict extreme weather this year could cut UK self-sufficiency by 8%. The Kremlin critic and anti-corruption campaigner Bill Browder has urged MPs to introduce a US-style law that would allow the government to confiscate frozen Russian assets to support military efforts in Ukraine.
Thanks for following today’s developments. We will be closing this blog shortly but you can read all our UK politics coverage here.
Your editorial is correct to point out that John Swinney is not the new broom that Scotland or the Scottish National party need, and that he faces policy problems, many of them of his party’s own making (The Guardian view on John Swinney’s Scotland: a new start but also more of the same, 9 May). But Mr Swinney’s main difficulty is not in policy or delivery, it is the fact that, as the last 10 years have shown, there is no intellectual or evidence-based case for independence. We had the 2013 white paper on independence, Scotland’s Future. We had the Sustainable Growth Commission report, swiftly dumped because its truths were unpalatable. And we have had the 13 Building a New Scotland discussion papers, which have not collectively or individually moved the case for independence forward. As polls in Scotland show the SNP losing support, Swinney might yet find an appealing policy platform. His party might yet find a hitherto undetected competence in delivering those policies. But the unfortunate fact for the first minister and the SNP is that their raison d’être of independence is dead in the water, and until they can construct a reasoned and evidenced case for their one and only real policy, voters won’t buy it and the SNP’s support will wither away. Alex Gallagher Largs, Ayrshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
The five Tory faces featured in Labour’s new digital campaign with the heading “Chaos & decline” (Starmer may be bland – but that passes the taste test in a country sick of spicy politics, 8 May) have one thing in common – attendance at Oxford University. Could we ask this august institution, on humanitarian grounds, to call a ceasefire in its war against the broken, battered and struggling people of this country and confine its graduates to employment in areas where they will do less harm? David Beake Sheringham, Norfolk • An exception to the deservedly poor reputation of exhibition audio guides (Letters, 8 May) is when they are composed and voiced by the artists themselves. Bridget Riley’s audio guide to her 2003 exhibition at Tate was enlightening and indispensable. It is one of the few times I’ve used a guide, and I went to her show twice more as a result. Rupert Wood London • Even sadder than gallery visitors taking photos of pictures were the many people I saw in the Impressionism section of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris with their backs to the paintings, taking selfies with them as mere background. Maggie Hamilton Oxford • Yippee! Now a group of unrepresentative upper-class women can join the unrepresentative upper-class men at the Garrick Club in deciding our future. Equality is a marvellous thing (Report, 7 May). Dr Michael Paraskos London • How about renaming it the Swiss peacekeepers knife (Letters, 8 May)? Peter Gray Chesterfield, Derbyshire • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Labour’s newest MP, Natalie Elphicke, has apologised for defending her ex-husband and casting doubt on his victims’ testimonies after he was convicted of sexually assaulting two women. Anneliese Dodds, the Labour party chair, has struggled in an interview to explain why Elphicke is allowed to be a Labour MP while Diane Abbott remains suspended. (See 9.47am.) The Bank of England has signalled it could start cutting interest rates as early as June after inflation was found to be “moving in the right direction”, as it kept borrowing costs on hold at 5.25% for the sixth time in a row. John Swinney has axed the post of minister for independence, in a clear signal to Scottish voters that his government is focused on their immediate cost of living concerns before the general election. Senior civil servants are to have their pay linked to their performance in a move criticised as divisive by a leading union. University vice-chancellors need to “show leadership” in response to student protests over Israel’s military action in Gaza, Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, has said.
The Conservative MP for Dover, Natalie Elphicke, has staged a dramatic defection to Labour saying her former party has become “a byword for incompetence and division”. Although the announcement of the news at noon provided huge embarrassment for Rishi Sunak at PMQs, many Labour MPs have expressed alarm about Keir Starmer’s decision to allow Elphicke to join the party given her record as a rightwinger. Summing up some of the discontent in a report for Politico, Emilio Casalicchio reports: One shadow minister said people like Elphicke should not be welcomed into Labour, adding: “She has views that would be welcome in Reform.” A backbencher said although she had done good work on housing, Elphicke was “on the hard right of the Conservatives” on almost all other issues, adding: “I do hope this doesn’t mean an import of some of her problematic views from the past.” A staffer to a shadow minister said Elphicke was a “right-wing opportunist,” adding: “We don’t need these people … It won’t change a single person’s vote. Natalie Elphicke isn’t even a name in her own living room.” John Swinney has appointed Kate Forbes as Scotland’s deputy first minister. Russia’s defence attache is an “undeclared military intelligence officer” who will be expelled from the UK amid an escalation of sanctions, the home secretary has said. A teacher was subject to a viral hate campaign after a manipulated video of her campaigning for Labour falsely implied she had used racist language.
Grant Shapps, the defence secretary, has said that “state involvement” in the large-scale cyber attack on the Ministry of Defence (MoD) cannot be ruled out – but without confirming reports that China was responsible. Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, has accused Labour of trying to win the election by frightening pensioners with “fake news” about the government having a secret plan to raise income tax by 8p in the pound. (See 3.42pm.) Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, has tried to counter arguments that Labour is not offering proper change at the election by arguing “stability is change”. Under the Tories, the country would face “five more years of chaos”, she said in a speech. (See 9.01am and 12.10pm.) John Swinney has been elected by MSPs as Scotland’s new first minister. University bosses are to attend a Downing Street summit to discuss antisemitism on campuses, as Palestinian solidarity protests continue to escalate at UK universities, with 10 students now vowing to go on hunger strike.
Re the letters on the Liberal Democrats losing their way (Letters, 1 May), all I can say is that life is more complicated than the dogma that some espoused. All parties make mistakes and the Lib Dems have not been immune. But please excuse me while I reach for the smelling salts after reading the hypocrisy of the words and actions of Labour and its acolytes. The Lib Dems have been shouting from the rooftops about Brexit, but mealy-mouthed Labour didn’t support our attempts to correct the disaster that has befallen Britain in its wake. Now it has also rejected the youth mobility scheme between the EU and the UK. Labour will continue to inflict untold damage if it can’t allow itself to talk positively about Europe. It should stop thrashing the Lib Dems and start owning up to its deficits. Jane Dent Matlock, Derbyshire • The Liberal Democrats’ issue is how to sum up its offer to Britain with less coverage and cash than the other two main parties. Keep it simple. The Lib Dem “new deal” could focus on three practical policy issues: housing, sewage and social care. The country is in a mess and voters want solutions. Tom Parkin Sheffield • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Please don’t acknowledge “the vast and diverse area” of the York and North Yorkshire mayoral region and then make assumptions about “Tory-supporting villages”, as your report in the print edition does (Mayoral races: Tories hold Tees Valley but Labour breaks new ground, 4 May). Diversity extends to its rural villages too. I live in a small village on the North York Moors, where daily newspapers are delivered to the local pub. They may not be a completely reliable proxy for voting behaviour, but the most widely ordered newspapers are the Guardian/Observer, followed by the Yorkshire Post; not a Telegraph in sight. In the run-up to the recent elections, we received not just hand-delivered Conservative party leaflets, but Labour ones too. Rural villages are far from homogeneous. Sylvia Bernard Appleton-le-Moors, North Yorkshire • Those who advise Keir Starmer on strategy should move on from telling him to exercise caution at all times to advising him that “boldness and determination will deliver victory”. And Rishi Sunak’s advisers should tell him that he should cut and run as things can only get worse. Les Bright Exeter • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
According to Polly Toynbee (It’s Sunak’s doom loop: the more desperate and cruel the Tories become, the more voters reject them, 30 April), “younger generations are refusing to turn Tory as they age, the way previous cohorts reliably did”. The problem with this statement is that cohorts don’t vote, people do. And the people who have voted Labour tend to be from lower socioeconomic groups whose members die younger. For instance, my father, a socialist who spent much of his working life down the pit, died in 1980. He was born on the same day (30 April 1920) as Captain Tom Moore, famed for raising money during Covid and who died in 2021. The former voted in 11 general elections; the latter had the opportunity to vote in 21 general elections plus a referendum. Demographics are a neglected but important feature of elective democracy. Dying is not a defection to the Tories. Peter Taylor Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
• John Swinney, one of the Scottish National party’s most experienced and longest-serving politicians, is on the verge of becoming the first minster of Scotland after he was chosen as the party’s new leader. The veteran SNP figure said in press conference on Monday that he would reach out to other parties, ruling out the return to an agreement with the pro-independence Scottish Green Party. He said that eradicating child poverty would be his primary focus if he were to become First Minister • The Scottish National party’s depute leader has denied that a party activist was “leaned on” to pull out of the leadership race against John Swinney. The party’s deputy leader, Keith Brown, said Graeme McCormick’s last-minute decision on Sunday night not to stand against Swinney was proof the party was united and focused on delivering independence. Nominations for the role, vacated by Humza Yousaf last Monday, closed at midday on Monday. • Rishi Sunak has insisted the result of the next general election “isn’t a foregone conclusion” and that he is “absolutely determined to fight” on. The Prime Minister made a renewed appeal for Conservative Party unity, emphasising that it was shared values which unified Tories, and insisting that his focus would be on demonstrating to voters that progress was being made on issues such as tax cuts and immigration. • An Israeli offensive in Rafah “must not go ahead”, Sir Keir Starmer has warned, after the Israeli military told Palestinians to leave parts of the southern Gazan city. The announcement signals that a long-threatened Israeli ground invasion could be imminent, and came as ceasefire talks appeared to have stalled. • Rishi Sunak said he was “deeply concerned” about the prospect of an Israeli offensive and said that the priority must be for all parties – “and particularly Hamas” – to agree to a deal that would pave the way for the release of hostages and for aid to go into Gaza.
Tory incumbent Andy Street suffered a shock defeat to Labour in the West Midlands mayoral election by only 1,508 votes after a partial recount was ordered in the most tightly contested metro mayor ballot in England. Sir Keir Starmer called the victory a “phenomenal result” for Labour and “beyond our expectations”. Labour’s Sadiq Khan won a historic third term as London mayor with 43.8% of the vote. Khan received 1,088,225 votes, a majority of 276,707. Andy Burnham was re-elected as mayor of Greater Manchester to add to Labour wins for Steve Rotheram in Liverpool, Tracy Brabin in West Yorkshire, Paul Dennett in Salford and Oliver Coppard in South Yorkshire. The Conservatives have lost 473 seats and control of 12 councils. Labour gained eight councils and 185 seats. The Liberal Democrats gained 104 seats giving them a total of 521 compared to the Tories’ haul of 513.
Boris Johnson has thanked three villagers who turned him away from a polling station on Thursday for trying to vote without a valid ID. The former prime minister was told by polling station staff that he would not be allowed to vote in the police and crime commissioner election for South Oxfordshire without proving his identity. Writing in his column in the Daily Mail, the former prime minister said he attempted to use a copy of Prospect magazine as a form of identification, but was turned away by local electorate officials.
He wrote: “I want to pay a particular tribute to the three villagers who on Thursday rightly turned me away when I appeared in the polling station with nothing to prove my identity except the sleeve of my copy of Prospect magazine, on which my name and address had been printed. “I showed it to them and they looked very dubious … within minutes I was back with my driving licence and voted Tory.” The requirement to bring photo ID was a stipulation of the Elections Act Johnson introduced in 2022 while in Downing Street. The election on Thursday was the first time many voters in England and Wales had to present ID to vote under the provisions rolled out at last year’s local elections. Acceptable forms of ID include a passport, driving licence, Proof of Age Standards Scheme (Pass) cards, Blue Badges, and some concessionary travel cards. Downing Street has said it will “look into” changing the rules to allow veterans’ ID cards on to the list of valid identification. It came after the veterans minister, Johnny Mercer, apologised to former military personnel who were prevented from using their veterans ID to vote in the local elections in England. Ministers have faced criticism over the limited number of acceptable forms of ID, particularly the decision to allow documents such as the older person’s bus pass but almost none issued to younger ones, such as other travel passes and student documents.
Rishi Sunak is braced for the result of key mayoral elections in London and the West Midlands, after the Conservatives were trounced in the first day of local election results. The Conservatives are facing one of their worst local election results in 40 years, with striking Labour gains across England and Wales in key battlegrounds they need to win to secure victory at the general election. As Friday’s result declarations closed, the Conservatives had suffered a net loss of 371 seats and lost control of 10 councils.
Here are the estimated declaration times for the results of local, mayoral and police and crime commissioner elections that will be announced on Saturday. Of the 107 councils up for grabs, 102 have so far been declared in these local elections. Seven of the 11 mayoral contests (London, West Midlands, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Liverpool City Region, South Yorkshire and Salford) will also be declared on Saturday. Of the results for the 37 police and crime commissioner elections across England and Wales, eight will be declared on Saturday. Saturday Councils: TBC Epping Forest 4pm North Tyneside, Stroud, Warrington Mayors: 1.30pm London* 3pm West Midlands 3.15pm West Yorkshire 4pm Greater Manchester 5pm Salford *The local constituency results of the London mayoral election will be declared first, at each of the 14 counts across the capital. A formal announcement of the overall result will be made at City Hall later in the day. Currently, 1.30pm is an estimate of when the overall result is likely to have become clear from the constituency results, however, this is not an estimate of the time of the formal announcement at City Hall. Police and crime commissioners: Noon Hertfordshire 2pm Thames Valley 2.30pm Warwickshire, West Midlands 3pm Cheshire, Dorset 3.30pm Merseyside 4pm Wiltshire All timings are estimates based on information compiled by the PA news agency and are subject to change.
The Conservatives are facing some of their worst local election results in 40 years, with striking Labour gains across England and Wales in key battlegrounds they need to secure victory at the general election. The spread of the Conservative losses led one former minister to claim there was “no such thing really as a safe Tory seat any more”. Elections expert John Curtice put the Conservatives’ share of the vote at just 25%, matching the nadir hit in local elections in 1995 by the Conservative prime minister John Major, soon to be swept out of power by Tony Blair Labour was celebrating a string of election successes, but Beneath the euphoria of wins in places such as Blackpool, Hartlepool and Thurrock, however, lay a nervousness about the party’s performance in urban areas, with campaigners warning it had lost ground in both London and Birmingham. Sources said much of the loss of urban support was being driven by anger among Muslim and progressive voters about Keir Starmer’s stance on Israel’s assault on Gaza following the 7 October attacks The Conservatives held on to their high-profile Tees Valley mayoralty with a reduced majority for Ben Houchen in the mayoral elections, but Labour won three other contests, in the East Midlands, North East and Rishi Sunak’s own patch of North Yorkshire Keir Starmer said Labour’s victory in the York and North Yorkshire mayoral election was “a very, very special moment”. He told voters “Thank you for putting your trust in Labour, we will not let you down.” Liberal Democrat leader said their general election campaign started today after a series of gains in the south and south-west of England The Green party is positioned to win Bristol city council despite failing to win outright control You can find our full result tracker here …
It’s ironic for me that Ben Bradshaw should get a valedictory interview in the Guardian (‘I still think Tony was right on Iraq’, 29 April). At my first face-to-face meeting with him shortly after he was elected as our MP, he wrongfooted me by saying: “You don’t want to believe everything you read in the Guardian, do you? I don’t read it.” There were bigger things he got wrong, as your headline reveals. David Evans Exeter • As a one time “state school kid at Oxbridge”, I object to being described by Geoff Love as having been one of “a few tokenistic others, dropping in and out” like Sheffield United in the Premier League (Letters, 26 April). Mr Love is evidently unaware that well over two-thirds of current Oxbridge students have attended state schools and that, far from dropping out, they actually get the best degrees. Michael Pyke Lichfield, Staffordshire • An argument against assisted dying (Report, 29 April) is that some vulnerable people may be coerced or forced into it, and therefore it should not be legal for anyone. Some people are forced into marriage, which is potentially a life sentence if not a death sentence. Should we therefore make marriage illegal for everyone? Cathy Parker Cambridge • Virginia Orrey states that a baked potato (with a tin of pilchards – not in my case!) “is the work of a moment” (Letters, 29 April). My dream. I’d be grateful for her method. Tony Coghan London • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Rory Scothorne suggests that Westminster had a hand in Humza Yousaf’s demise (Humza Yousaf’s clumsiness meant he had to jump – but Westminster also gave him a push, 29 April). In fact, the majority of the electorate in Scotland do not want a second independence referendum, the gender recognition reform bill contravened the UK-wide Equality Act, and the deposit return scheme was ill thought through. Yousaf was the architect of his own demise via a pattern of lack of judgment. Announcing a council tax freeze without consulting his partners in government and the local authorities that would have to fund the freeze, chasing Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Turkish president, for a photo opportunity, and the decision to dump the Greens did it. A politician lacking political nous will always have his coat on a shoogly peg. David Sinclair Edinburgh • Your article says Kate Forbes, who lost last year’s SNP leadership contest to Hamza Yousaf, “pushed a much more mainstream policy agenda” (SNP looks to unity candidate after Humza Yousaf quits as first minister, 29 April). It then goes on to describe her “socially conservative views on abortion, gender reform and same-sex marriage”. Is it now the Guardian’s view that opposing abortion, same-sex marriage and gender recognition reform are considered “mainstream” policies? Ed Pybus Tighnabruaich, Argyll and Bute • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
I have voted in every general and local election since 1959, but I won’t be voting on 2 May. Not because I have lost faith in politics, but because my postal vote never arrived. When I phoned the electoral service office of my local authority on 26 April, I was told it would arrive within the next two days. It didn’t, so I phoned the office again on 29 April and was told I would have to go to the civic centre, which is several miles away, to be able to vote. I pointed out that I had applied for a postal vote as I have very limited mobility and had no way of getting to the civic centre, as I no longer drive and I have no one who could go on my behalf. I asked if my vote could be brought to me. Answer: no. Why not? Security. I asked if, in the event that I could get to my local polling station, I would be able to vote. Again no, because I had requested a postal vote. So I am being deprived of my democratic right to vote because there is no plan B in the event of a lost or not sent postal vote. This cannot be right. Mike Cantor London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
We are closing this blog now, thanks for following today’s developments. You can read all our UK politics coverage here.
In 1945, when I made my first contribution to the election of a Labour government, the party manifesto Let Us Face the Future looked forward to a “world of progress and peace”. The UN was founded, in the words of its charter, “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”. And the UK, as a member of the UN security council, was tasked with the implementation of that noble aim. What a contrast with today: global military spending the highest ever at $2.44tn; wars galore; and the Conservatives and Labour banging the war drums (UK to boost defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, Sunak says, 23 April). I have often been downhearted since then, but now, at 95, I am closer to absolute despair. When are people going to learn to live together without killing one another and squandering precious resources on the means to do so? And when are they going to get rid of leaders who promote war as an answer to their problems? What everyone should be demanding is a global ceasefire and a concerted programme to tackle the existential threats to mankind. Frank Jackson Former co-chair, World Disarmament Campaign • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
From Tuesday, products such as cheeses and meats imported into the UK from the EU will be physically checked at the border as part of post-Brexit control checks. The changes, known as the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), requires all imports of medium and high risk products, which include meat and dairy and the majority of plants, to be sent with export health certificates. We would like to know what impact – if any – the changes will have on your business? How might it affect the products you offer? What effect might it have on your suppliers? We are also interested in hearing from consumers and if they have experienced any changes.
We are now closing this blog, thanks for following developments today. You can read all our coverage on Humza Yousaf’s resignation here.
How depressing to read that the government sees “significant benefits” with Ofsted’s four grades in that they provide “a succinct and accessible summary for parents” (Ruth Perry family furious as Ofsted single-word ratings are retained, 25 April). Clearly my 50-plus years of involvement in the education service has not led to a population capable of dealing with more than one-word summaries – hence my depression. Even greater is my outrage that it appears of lesser relevance to the government that such summaries may not be accurate or complete. It is time for the educational system to rise up in protest at this insensitivity. Ken Wales Preston • As the saying goes, to label is to libel. Even when inspectors’ opinions are well-grounded, it is as inappropriate for Ofsted to libel schools with one-word judgments, as it is for teachers to label and libel pupils, especially by telling those who struggle that they need improvement or, worse still, are simply inadequate. Anthony Lawton Market Harborough, Leicestershire • What’s good enough for schools is good enough for the government, so perhaps you could invite readers to send in their one‑word summaries of the current administration’s performance? Mine has five letters beginning with “sh” and ending with “te” but I’m sure other more articulate readers can think of better ones. Ed Griffiths Cambridge • If party manifestos were reduced to a single word, what would we have? Tories: incompetent. Labour: inspirational. Liberal Democrats: ineffectual. But then I’m biased. Hugh Levinson London • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
I’m appalled that the government as well as the Labour party rejected the EU’s offer for free movement for young people (Sunak rejects offer of youth mobility scheme between EU and UK, 19 April). As a father of a teenage child with continental roots, it is sad for me to see that young children of British friends are denied the chance to work and study in continental Europe. The doors remain shut. Not the “remaining” we had in mind. Without free movement in the then European Economic Community in 1982, I would not have come to England to study at an art school, and consequently there wouldn’t have been my illustrations for Julia Donaldson’s stories, which seem to be loved by millions of British children and parents. The Gruffalo is a good example of a successful, cross-European joint venture. Having just returned from the international children’s book fair in Bologna, I’d like to emphasise that children’s books are also an economic success story for the UK. All creative industries essentially require openness. It looks as if more and more people are realising that the numerous restrictions of Brexit are disastrous for the cultural exchange between European nations, especially for the UK. Axel Scheffler Richmond, London • What a pity that the timidity of both Labour and the Conservatives regarding anything European prevents them from committing to the proposal from the European Commission for free movement for 18- to 30-year-olds. For many young people, the motivation and confidence to work in the EU came from activity funded by Erasmus+ in schools, youth clubs or universities – a scheme from which we in the UK have also been excluded. Ray Kirtley Chair, UK Global Learning Association for Schools • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Humza Yousaf has said he will not resign as Scottish first minister after 24 hours of intense speculation about his leadership. In a series of media interviews, he insisted he was confident of retaining his position when MSPs vote on his future next week, while also insisting that he wanted to reach an accommodation with his critics. Yousaf faces two votes next week; after the Tories yesterday said they were tabling a no confidence motion in Yousaf personally, Labour today said they were tabling one in the government as a whole. Arguably this is more serious, because Yousaf and his government would be legally obliged to resign if they lost this one, and it could force an early election. But with Alba, whose one MSP holds the swing vote in parliament, opposed to the Labour motion, it seems unlikely to pass. With some MSPs claiming he will never be able to recover the authority he needs to lead his party, the personal no confidence vote poses more of a threat and Ash Regan, the Alba MSP, has indicated that she expects substantial concessions if Yousaf wants to get her vote. (See 3.55pm.) More than 150,000 unpaid carers are facing huge fines for minor rule breaches, figures show, as MPs, charities and campaigners demand an immediate amnesty. Downing Street has said it is “too early” to say whether the Rwanda Act is having a deterrent effect. (See 12.43pm.) No 10 was responding to reports that Micheál Martin, the Irish tánaiste (deputy PM), has blamed it for asylum seekers travelling to Ireland from Northern Ireland.
Humza Yousaf has put the Scottish National party on an election footing after unilaterally scrapping his party’s landmark coalition with the Greens and signalling he will drop vote-losing policies. Angela van den Bogerd, a former Post Office executive who played a leading role in defending the prosecution of the post officer operators who are now recognised as innocent, has told the Post Office inquiry that she forgot about an email in 2010 saying that cash balances in subpostmasters’ branch accounts could be remotely accessed. (See 2.42pm.) Britain’s railways have become a “symbol of national decline” under the Conservatives, the shadow transport secretary has said, announcing Labour’s plans to nationalise the rail network within five years in government. Emmanuel Macron has criticised migration policies that involve sending people to African countries as “a betrayal of our [European] values”, just days after the UK government passed its Rwanda deportation bill.
Rishi Sunak has claimed that his plan to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030 won’t stop the government from cutting taxes and investing in public services. (See 1.38pm.) Angela Rayner has accused ministers of “obsessing” over her living arrangements and urged them to focus on implementing long-promised housing reforms instead. Tributes from across the political spectrum have been paid to the former Labour minister and welfare campaigner Frank Field, who has died at the age of 81. And here is the Guardian’s obituary of Field, by Dennis Kavanagh.
Ministers have pledged to publish a long-buried internal study into the emotional and financial impact of fines and prosecutions incurred by tens of thousands of unpaid carers for falling foul of strict carer’s allowance earnings rules. Jeffrey Donaldson has appeared in court charged with rape, gross indecency and other sexual offences spanning 21 years in a case that has stunned Northern Ireland.
As figures from across the political spectrum have paid tributes to the former Labour minister and welfare campaigner Frank Field, we would like to hear from people on whose lives he had an impact. We would like to hear your memories of Field – whether you met him, worked with him, or if his work changed your life in some way.
This Community callout closed on 30 April 2024. You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.
Britain will boost its defence spending to 2.5% of national output by the end of the decade, Rishi Sunak has announced on a visit to Poland, as he warned the UK had to be equipped to meet the challenges of an increasingly dangerous world. But economic thintanks warned that Sunak could only achieve this through deep cuts to some areas of public spending. (See 4.40pm and 4.55pm.) And another thinktank, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, said the nature of defence spending chosen by government was more important than the size of the defence budget. In a statement it said: In a world where the US and China spend more on defence than the next 38 highest spending countries combined, defence, for most countries, cannot simply be a funding race. Metrics are useful but more important is what that spending goes towards. We need more modern capabilities, not simply more money. What that money is spent on can mean the difference between fighting the last war or winning the next one. The Council of Europe’s human rights watchdog has condemned Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda scheme, saying it raises “major issues about the human rights of asylum seekers and the rule of law”. Rishi Sunak has said he is confident Home Office staff will enact the Rwanda deportation scheme, despite fears that could put them in breach of international law. Jeremy Hunt’s scope for a substantial pre-election tax giveaway has been hit after the latest set of official figures showed the UK’s public finances in worse shape than thought at last month’s budget. One of Rishi Sunak’s dementia advisers has resigned over the government’s approach towards unpaid carers, describing the prosecutions of vulnerable people as “beyond the pale”.
Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda deportation bill will become law after opposition and crossbench peers backed down, opening the way for legal battles over the potential removal of dozens of people seeking asylum. After a marathon battle of “ping pong” over the key legislation between the Commons and the Lords, the bill finally passed when opposition and crossbench peers gave way on Monday night. The bill is expected to be granted royal assent on Tuesday. Home Office sources said they have already identified a group of asylum seekers with weak legal claims to remain in the UK who will be part of the first tranche to be sent to east Africa in July. In a message posted on X shortly after the bill cleared the Lords, James Cleverly, the home secretary, said this was “a landmark moment” in the government’s plan to stop the boats.
But charities representing asylum seekers restated their opposition to the plan. The Refugee Council said this was Orwellian legislation that would “simply exacerbate the chaos in the asylum system at huge cost to the taxpayer”.
And the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants said the bill was shameful.
Beth Riding writes of the “five giants” William Beveridge wanted to overcome in 1942 still stalking the land (I’m 17 and haven’t seen a dentist for four years. This is life in England’s NHS dental deserts, 17 April). Agenda Publications noted this and asked five writers to discuss how far the giants had been overcome, in five books published in 2022: Disease on health, Ignorance on education, Idleness on employment, Squalor on housing, and Want on poverty. I did Ignorance and found that there was still a lot of it around! Sally Tomlinson Emeritus professor, Goldsmiths, University of London • Why is the carer’s allowance means tested (Carers describe ‘avalanche of utter stress’ from DWP clawing back benefits, 19 April)? If someone qualifies for the allowance because they provide 35 hours of care per week, what business is it of the state what else the carer does and earns? These carers provide a service that would cost the country far more if they didn’t do it. Emma Tait London • It seems the cost of living crisis has even affected Tory MPs, if even Mark Menzies didn’t have £5,000 in his bank account (Allegations against ex-Tory MP Mark Menzies referred to Lancashire police, 19 April). Pat Piercy Cheltenham, Gloucestershire • Last week I got an email headed “Your exclusive access to Christmas Lights at Leeds Castle.” Is this the earliest Christmas advert of 2024? Elaine Luke Fairlight, East Sussex • Thanks for highlighting Harold “Dickie” Bird’s 91st birthday in your print edition (19 April), but surely you could have written “91 not out”. Dr Mark Wilcox New Mill, West Yorkshire
The European Commission has proposed opening negotiations with the UK to allow mobility enjoyed before Brexit to millions of young people in a major concession. Under the envisaged agreement, EU and UK citizens aged between 18 and 30 would be able to stay for up to four years in the destination country, the European Commission said in a statement. If agreed, a youth mobility scheme visa would be issued in those countries that participate, with possible conditions including a requirement for health insurance and proof of sufficient subsistence funds, a feature of other mobility schemes around the world. We’d like to hear what people in the EU and in the UK think of the proposal, how they believe they or their family, their sector or business may be affected by such a policy, and whether they have any concerns. This Community callout closed on 26 April 2024. • You can see the article that included respondents to this callout here. • You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.
Thank you for following developments today. We are now closing this blog, you can read all our UK politics coverage here.
Drug shortages are a “new normal” in the UK and are being exacerbated by Brexit, according to a report by the Nuffield Trust health thinktank. The number of warnings drug companies have issued about impending supply problems for certain products has more than doubled from 648 in 2020 to 1,634 last year. We would like to hear from people who have been affected by drug shortages. Have they affected your health? Do you have any concerns?
This Community callout closed on 28 August 2024. You can see the article that included respondents to this callout here. You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.
The government suffered two defeats on Wednesday in the House Lords over its Safety of Rwanda bill. Peers voted to accept Motion D1 which adds an exemption to the removal to Rwanda for people who have supported the UK armed forces and their families. The contents voted 247, the not contents 195, meaning the Bill will be sent back to the Commons for debate once again. Earlier, Downing Street said it would not be offering concessions. Peers also voted to accept Motion B1 which would reinstate the Lords amendment on a monitoring committee to decide when Rwanda is safe. The contents voted 245, the not contents 208. Labour said it remains “completely confident” that Angela Rayner has complied with all rules after the chief constable of Greater Manchester police said she was facing investigation “over a number of assertions knocking about”. Keir Starmer told MPs he believed the accusation that Rayner lied about her primary residence to avoid tax was a “smear”. James Daly, the deputy chair of the Conservative party, wrote to Greater Manchester police asking them to investigate Angela Rayner and, when the force initially declined to look into it, he successfully persuaded them to think again. But in media interviews, Daly refused to say what he thinks Rayner did wrong Labour said it is “deeply concerning” that Rishi Sunak refused to rule out cutting the NHS or pensions, or putting up taxes, to fund his £46bn long-term plan to abolish national insurance in a statement after PMQs.
We’re interested to hear from young people in the UK about how they feel about voting. If you are under 30 and live in the UK, tell us whether you’re planning to vote in upcoming political elections, and if not why not. Are you registered to vote? Do you believe your vote can make a difference? Have you voted in the past or are you a potential first time voter? This Community callout closed on 07 May 2024. You can see the article that included respondents to this callout here. You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.
Cometh the hour, cometh the memoir, and from Tuesday people can enjoy in full the apocalyptically titled Liz Truss book Ten Years to Save the West. She says she wants people to read it to “learn the lessons of the battle I lost”. That battle apparently being staying in Downing Street for more than 49 days. But how much have you picked up from the published snippets and Truss’s interviews about her book? Can you spot what she actually said from our ridiculous inventions? And did she really think that about the Queen dying? Find out with our Liz Truss quiz! The Guardian’s Liz Truss quiz
I am writing in response to the concern raised by Serena Nuttall (Letters, 10 April) regarding postal votes cast in upcoming elections arriving after the deadline of 10pm on polling day and being ineligible to be counted. Given the very rapid decline in service levels provided by Royal Mail, the risk of disenfranchisement of postal voters is a very valid worry for upcoming local and UK elections. In my local area, residents are receiving less than one Royal Mail delivery per week, and can wait a month for a second-class letter to arrive. There are two possible solutions to this. One, post your vote back as soon as you receive your voting pack. The packs are produced approximately three weeks before polling day. Two, having a postal vote means that you cannot then opt to cast your vote in person at a polling station. But if you can’t post your postal vote in time, you can take it your polling station. You may also be able to hand it in to your local council office, but you should contact your electoral registration officer to check if this is possible. I hope this helps. Jess Taylor Ewhurst, Surrey • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Am I being a mite old-fashioned if I mention the fact that Harold Wilson’s affair may have given him some “sunny” vistas as he aged, but his wife Mary may not have been quite so irradiated with joy (Editorial, 11 April)? Sorry to dampen the general euphoria, but the cliche of a 20-year age gap (no need to ask which direction) is also tiresome. I have only heard two men break their silence on the affair. Mary may have told another story. Jane Kearey Bristol • Oh to live in Bath, where there are enough copies of the Guardian to cover all the tabloids (Letters, 9 April). My local supermarket rarely has more than one left when I arrive. Solution? Turn the tabloids over – sport on the back page is usually less toxic. Jennifer Gale Littleham, Devon • An article about the Fender Stratocaster (‘With a Strat you can rule the world!’ Nile Rodgers, Bonnie Raitt and John Squire on the electric guitar that changed everything, 10 April) and not a single mention of its greatest exponent – Buddy Holly? Graham Downie Studley, Warwickshire • I enjoyed the line in Peter Higgs’s obituary (9 April) “the root of Gerardus ’t Hooft’s proof”. Try saying that 10 times over very quickly. It gives you a new idea of the structure of the universe. Martin Guha London • If the people who invented the silly name Abrdn for Aberdeen were so upset by vowels (Letters, 11 April), why did they leave in the A? Dr Richard Carter Putney, London • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Rishi Sunak has apologised to all fans of Adidas Samba trainers after being accused of ruining their credibility when he was pictured in a pair. The prime minister said he had been wearing the German sportswear trainer “for many years” and was a “longtime devotee” of the brand. He made the apology after he was seen wearing the grey, white and black trainers in a Downing Street interview, paired with a white shirt, navy chinos and black socks. Many social media users had said they would sell their shoes online as Sunak had ruined the look for everyone. Speaking on LBC Radio, Sunak said: “I issue a fulsome apology to the Samba community. But, in my defence, I would say I have been wearing Adidas trainers including Sambas – and others, in fact – for many, many years. The first pair my brother got for me many, many years ago – my first pair of fun Adidas trainers as a Christmas present. I haven’t looked back since. So I’ve been a longtime devotee.”
He added: “That pair [in the video] I did buy, but I’ve had Adidas trainers for a very long time.” British GQ magazine said “in a bid to present himself as young and hip, Rishi Sunak took an eternally cool sneaker and ruined it for everyone”. The footwear historian Elizabeth Semmelhack told the Times it could prove to be “the death knell” for the retro trainer. But Sunak, who has also faced questions about the short length of his trousers, said he is “intrigued and amused by the amount of focus on what I’m wearing”. Keir Starmer has also been said to have his own effect on fashion trends after being spotted routinely wearing Stone Island polo shirts. The Labour leader is a fan of the brand, as is the rapper Drake and the former One Direction member Zayn Malik. Trainer fans, however, have never recovered from David Cameron wearing a pair of black Velcro Converse. The basketball shoes come in high or low form and most are lace-ups.
Only four out of 10 people who voted Conservative in 2019 will do so at the next general election, according to the latest dire poll for Rishi Sunak’s party. Opinium’s latest survey for the Observer finds that just 41% of those who backed the Tories under Boris Johnson intend to do so next time. Sunak has indicated that the next election will take place towards the end of this year, though no date has been announced. Opinium found that voters are intending to desert the Tories for Reform (which is taking 14% of the Conservatives’ 2019 support) and Labour (which is attracting 12%). Twenty-three per cent of those who backed the Conservatives last time say they do not know how they will vote at the next election, and another 4% say they will not bother voting at all.
Overall, Labour’s lead over the Tories is unchanged, compared with two weeks ago, at 16 points. Labour is still on 41%, and none of the other parties have moved. The Conservatives are on 25%, Reform 11%, the Liberal Democrats 10% and the Greens 8%. The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, has seen his approval rating improve from -10% to -3%; Rishi Sunak’s has also nudged upwards, from -36% to -33%. Starmer retains a 10-point lead over Sunak when voters are asked who would make the best prime minister, with the Labour leader favoured by 30% and Sunak by 20%. Some 38% say “none of these”. Labour has also retained commanding leads in a number of policy areas in which it has not traditionally been strong. On the economy it is favoured by 34% of voters, compared with 23% for the Conservatives, and on crime by 30%, against 20% for the Tories.
Even on defence, Labour leads by 26% to 25% over the Tories, and on terrorism the two biggest parties are equal, with both favoured by 24% of voters. On the conflict in the Middle East, only 19% believe that the UK should continue exporting arms to Israel, against 52% who think export licences should be suspended.
How very irritating to read in a Guardian editorial that “pensioners reliably vote Tory” (3 April). You can be assured that statement does not apply to this pair of readers in their 80s. There must be many other older readers who object to this slur; probably the same people who keep the Guardian print edition going. Doug and Arline Simpson Durham • The prime minister persistently refers to the European court of human rights as a “foreign court”. Does he think of the UN as a foreign organisation? The IMF as a foreign fund? Fifa as a foreign federation? “International” and “foreign” are not synonyms. Or is he knowingly and cynically peddling this nonsense to get the votes of the uninformed? Graham Webb Saint-Mandé, France • Interesting to read that “Royal Mail wants second-class letter delivery cut to every other weekday” (Report, 3 April). It’s not often that the word “cut” is used to mean “increased”, but we live in Orwellian times. Michael Pyke Shenstone, Staffordshire • Never mind pricey National Trust scones (Letters, 4 April). Mine are meant to be eaten on the day they were baked, preferably with a flask of tea, on a bench, absorbing the beautiful Pennine vista. Heaven, and costs next to nowt. Dr Mark Wilcox Holmfirth, West Yorkshire • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
The Conservative former minister Alan Duncan is being investigated by the party after he argued that pro-Israel “extremists” within the Tories, including some ministers and peers, should be expelled because they refuse to support international law. The Conservative peer Nicholas Soames has joined calls for the UK to stop arming Israel after an airstrike killed seven aid workers in Gaza. At least 50 Labour MPs have called for the UK to halt arms sales to Israel, according to an analysis of their public statements by Momentum, the leftwing group. The Momentum co-chair, Kate Dove, said: Israel’s murder of aid workers in Gaza represents one more war crime in a long list of atrocities. It is no wonder, then, that a majority of voters find it unconscionable that the UK continues to send weapons to Israel, a state on trial for genocide, or that 600 leading lawyers find it illegal. Yet while the SNP and Lib Dems have called for a suspension of arms sales, the Labour Leadership has not. We must exert maximum pressure on Sunak and Cameron to finally do the right thing - that means Keir Starmer and David Lammy speaking up for an immediate suspension of arms sales to Israel. The Green party has said it is confident that its candidates will hold a record number of seats after next month’s local elections in England, but also opened up the possibility of cooperating with other parties during the general election and with Labour if it wins power in Westminster.
Labour is on course to win the general election by a landslide, new polling by YouGov suggests, with Rishi Sunak set to win even fewer seats than John Major did in 1997. (See 4.10pm.) The poll also suggests Reform UK will not come close to winning a seat, although it is in second place in 36 constituencies. Here is the list of those seats.
Ministers are under pressure from Tory MPs and peers to stop arming Israel after seven humanitarian aid workers were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. A majority of voters in Britain back a ban on arms sales to Israel, according to a YouGov poll. Labour has fewer members than it did under Jeremy Corbyn in part because it is willing to make compromises to prepare for government rather than being “a party of protest”, a senior shadow minister has argued.
Rishi Sunak has dismissed claims nurseries do not have capacity to deliver on a major expansion of free care as concerns were put to him about whether the sector could cope with the influx of children. Sunak has refused to accept claims that levelling up has failed. (See 3.29pm.) Three British nationals have been killed by an Israeli airstrike that hit an aid convoy in Gaza, World Central Kitchen has confirmed. In response, Sunak has urged the Israelis to launch an urgent investigation into what happened. (See 11.31am.) Sunak has been criticised for laughing off a question about when the general election will take place. (See 10.19am.)
Your report (Nearly 1,000 pharmacies in England closed since 2017, with poorer areas more affected, 29 March) shines a welcome spotlight on the beleaguered independent pharmacy sector. My family’s pharmacy, in our hands for almost 40 years, has never before faced pressure like now. Consistent real-terms cuts in remuneration, and government inaction when price rises have left us choosing between accepting a hefty financial loss or refusing to fulfil a prescription for a sick child, have left the sector drained and debilitated. A pandemic that cemented pharmacies as the easy-to-access first port of call for patients should have marked a new start. Instead we are grappling for our future. The Pharmacy First initiative – letting patients with seven common conditions see a pharmacist instead of a GP – is a start, but it’s no panacea: anecdotal evidence suggests that as few as one in 10 consultations will be “successful”, as measured by the NHS criteria on which payment depends; that means pharmacists will spend a huge amount of time on this work without a penny in return. Hasan Ahmed Birmingham • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Keir Starmer has told voters he cannot “turn the taps on” to fix the crisis in local authority funding as he was quizzed on how Labour would plug councils’ £4bn gap at the launch of its local election campaign. Angela Rayner has said she did “absolutely nothing wrong” when she sold her council house after the police announced they were reviewing a decision not to investigate. Official figures have confirmed that the UK economy went into recession at the end of last year, after the latest estimate found it contracted in the last two quarters of 2023. Scotland could become the first part of the UK to offer terminally ill adults assistance to end their lives if Holyrood approves a new bill.
Water companies in England have faced a barrage of criticism as data revealed raw sewage was discharged for more than 3.6m hours into rivers and seas last year in a 105% increase on the previous 12 months. Peter Mandelson has dismissed the prospect of an incoming Labour government taking Britain back into the EU, saying “you’ve got to be joking” that Brussels would want to renegotiate the UK’s membership. The number of requests for UK ministerial approval of intelligence-sharing where there was a real risk of torture, unlawful killing or extraordinary rendition has more than doubled in a year. David Neal, the UK’s sacked chief borders inspector, has said the Home Office routinely used a fact-checking process to try to “cover up” criticisms in his inspection reports. Prof Sir John Curtice, the psephologist and lead election analyst for the BBC, has said Labour has a 99% chance of being in government after the next election. (See 10.52am.)
A damning inspection report has found multiple failures in the Home Office’s system for awarding care worker visas, including 275 granted to a care home that did not exist. Rishi Sunak has denied there is a “crisis” in local government funding despite warnings that well-run councils are on the brink of bankruptcy and local services at risk without more support. Sunak has carried out a mini reshuffle, after two ministers who are standing down at the next election resigned from the government. (See 6.07pm.) The UK’s leading local election analysts have said the Conservative party could lose half the seats they are defending in the local elections in May. In an analysis published in the Local Government Chronicle, Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher say: If the Conservatives repeat their poor performance of 2023, when the national equivalent vote put them below 30%, they stand to lose up to 500 seats – half their councillors facing election. Labour may make about 300 gains, with the Liberal Democrats and Greens both likely to advance. We will not know the extent of any Reform party challenge until nominations close, but it cannot be completely discounted. Stormont’s leaders have insisted a new body aimed at strengthening links across the UK does not undermine existing political structures of the Good Friday agreement, PA Media reports. PA says Sinn Féin first minister Michelle O’Neill and DUP deputy first minister Emma Little-Pengelly were commenting after attending the inaugural meeting of the East-West Council in London. The forum designed to improve business and educational links between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK was created under the deal that restored powersharing in Northern Ireland earlier this year.
Chinese state-backed hackers were responsible for two “malicious” digital campaigns targeting the UK’s democratic institutions and politicians, the security services have found. Rishi Sunak is to face another tricky byelection in the coming weeks after the former Conservative backbencher Scott Benton quit parliament before the conclusion of a recall petition among his constituents. Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary, has been criticised by campaigners for giving a non-committal response in the Commons to the report saying the government should pay compensation to the Waspi women. (See 5.26pm.) The chair of Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi), Angela Madden, responded to what he said with this statement: The secretary of state now says this matter is so complex, he needs yet more months and years of head scratching to sort it out. He has made much of the report being 100 pages long as if he were being asked to digest War and Peace. The fact it is has taken five years for the ombudsman to produce his conclusions is a pretty perverse reason to say more delay is now justified. The report is not complicated at all. He says that 1950s-born women should be compensated and that Parliament should intervene to make a scheme happen. Every day 111 of the affected women die waiting for justice. The Commons must get a debate and vote on compensation as soon as possible after Easter. Labour’s plan for state-backed offshore windfarms will be a “gamechanger”, Keir Starmer has said, as the party seeks to regain the initiative on green policy after the slow-motion ditching of its £28bn investment pledge. Michael Gove breached standards rules by failing to register hospitality he enjoyed with a Conservative donor whose company was awarded personal protective equipment contracts during the Covid pandemic, parliament’s sleaze watchdog has found.
Thousands of women, potentially hundreds of thousands, are owed compensation because of government failings related to the way changes to the state pension age were made, a long-awaited official report has said. The UK’s poorest families have borne the brunt of the cost of living crisis, according to latest official figures that show 300,000 more children were plunged into poverty amid falling incomes and soaring levels of hunger and food bank use. The Conservative candidate for the Greater Manchester mayoral election has defected to Richard Tice’s rightwing Reform UK party. Explaining why he defected in an interview with the PM programme, Dan Barker said: I switched to Reform UK because I thought the Conservatives were not serious about the election against Andy Burnham, they’ve given up on Greater Manchester and, I would argue, the north of England as well, and the policies in Westminster are no longer what I would call conservatism either. So when I look at Reform UK, and look at their policies, and the people and the things they say, I see that as true conservatism. Barker also said “it is clear that the Conservative party have lost the confidence of ordinary working people across the UK and there is a reckoning waiting for them at the general election.” Esther McVey, a Cabinet Office minister who has criticised Whitehall waste, has claimed tens of thousands of pounds in expenses to rent a London flat despite her husband owning a property a mile away. Humza Yousaf has hit back at “disinformation and inaccuracy” surrounding Scotland’s controversial hate crime act, after the Scottish Conservative leader, Douglas Ross, suggested the new legislation would result in “innocent people being prosecuted”. Record numbers of pupils in England were absent for long periods last year, with one in 50 missing at least half of their lessons, according to official data showing absences remain far higher than pre-Covid levels.
The government suffered seven defeats in the House of Lords on Wednesday over its contentious Rwanda bill. Peers voted in favour of amendments including to exempt people from deportation to Rwanda if they have assisted British troops and to exempt victims of modern slavery. The Lords also backed amendments for age assessments tests on unaccompanied children to be carried out by local authorities, applying the balance of probabilities burden of proof. Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, believes the government would bring the Rwanda Bill back next week to “get on with it” if it were ready to implement its deportation scheme. Cooper said: “The half a billion pound Rwanda scheme is a failing farce, which will only cover less than 1% of asylum arrivals.” According to Katy Balls from the Spectator, Rishi Sunak told Tory MPs at the 1922 Committee: The PM said: “We are in the fight of our lives. This battle will define us, when the going got tough, when the polls were against us did we dig deep and fight or did we turn in on ourselves?” The Department of Health and Social Care published its tobacco and vapes bill, the legislation that will very gradually ban smoking by ensuring that children turning 15 this year or younger will never legally be able to be sold tobacco. Vaughan Gething used his first speech in the Senedd after being formally nominated as first minister of Wales to accuse the UK government of “unprecedented hostility” to devolution. He declared: “In recent years we have pushed the boundaries of what is possible with devolution. We did it, for example, to keep Wales safe [during Covid]. “But in that same period, we have seen unprecedented hostility towards democratic Welsh devolution from a UK government determined to undermine, frustrate and bypass the Welsh government and this Senedd. As well as leaving Wales with less say over less money, it is deeply corrosive, wasteful and undemocratic.”
A spokesperson for Rachel Reeves has been in touch to say that, in the extracts from her Mais lecture released overnight, she is not saying that Margaret Thatcher ushered in a “decade of renewal”. Here is the quote in full. I remain an optimist about our ability to rise to the challenges we face. If we can bring together public and private sectors, in a national mission – directed at restoring strong economic growth across Britain. When we speak of a decade of national renewal, that is what we mean. As we did at the end of the 1970s, we stand at an inflection point, and as in earlier decades, the solution lies in wide-ranging supply-side reform to drive investment, remove the blockages constraining our productive capacity, and fashion a new economic settlement, drawing on evolutions in economic thought. A new chapter in Britain’s economic history. And unlike the 1980s, growth in the years to come must be broad-based, inclusive, and resilient. The spokeperson accepts that, when Reeves talks about supply-side reforms offering the solution “as in earlier decades”, she is referring to the 1980s. But Reeves is not endorsing the whole Thatcher experience, the spokesperson suggested. The spokesperson said that, in the sentence “when we speak of a decade of national renewal, that is what we mean”, she is referring to what she was talking about in the previous sentence (what might happen under Labour), not to what she references in the following sentence (what happened under Thatcher). I’ve amended the headlines in the posts at 9.16am and 12.44pm to make allowance for this.
Ben Wallace, the Tory former defence secretary, has said it is too late for Conservative MPs to replace Rishi Sunak as PM and that they should instead focus on the election and on marching “towards the sound of the guns”. (See 1.50pm.) He was speaking after a weekend where the political news was dominated by claims relating to different Tory factions plotting against Sunak. Sunak himself said today this sort of Westminster leadership chatter “doesn’t matter”. (See 12.17pm.) GB News repeatedly breached impartiality rules by allowing Conservative MPs to serve as news presenters – but will not face any sanctions from Ofcom. Stephen Kinnock, the shadow immigration minister, has claimed that the safety of Rwanda (asylum and immigration) bill turns parliament into a laughing stock. In a debate on Lords amendments to the bill, which says Rwanda should be regarded as a safe country even though a supreme court ruling said the opposite, Kinnock said: At the end of the day you cannot legislate to turn dogs into cats. You cannot legislate for the sky to be green and the grass to be blue. It is basic tenet of the respect with which our institutions should be treated that to put this kind of absurd legislation is frankly turning our institutions into a laughing stock. Michael Tomlinson, the minister for illegal migration, said the government was opposed to all the Lords amendments, which strengthen safeguards for asylum seekers in various ways, and MPs are expected to vote to remove them all from the bill in votes later. (See 3.13pm and 3.49pm.) Zac Goldsmith was warned by a judge that speeding drivers “emit more harmful emissions” as he was banned from driving for a year for a number of motoring offences.
We will be closing this blog shortly but here’s a recap of the day’s main developments. GPs are calling on the Tory donor Frank Hester to resign from his health tech company after his remarks about Diane Abbott, which have been widely condemned as racist and misogynist. Diane Abbott has claimed that Labour leadership’s “real agenda” is to stop her having the whip restored. (See 1.24pm.) The armed forces minister, James Heappey, is to step down imminently from the role and will leave the House of Commons at the next general election, in yet another headache for Rishi Sunak. Proposals to crack down on the “unscrupulous” commercial trade of puppy, kitten and ferret smuggling have cleared their first hurdle in the Commons, PA Media reports. PA says Conservative MP Selaine Saxby said the animal welfare (import of dogs, cats and ferrets) bill will ensure that pets are not sold or traded as objects. The bill, which was given an unopposed second reading and which has the backing of Government, proposes to ban dogs and cats under six months from being brought into the UK. It also prohibits the importation of heavily pregnant animals and those with mutilations, such as cropped ears or a docked tail. But Liz Truss has accused Labour MP of sabotaging her own private member’s bill after a long debate on Saxby’s bill meant there was no time for hers to be considered. (See 2.55pm.) The Truss bill would have in effect banned social transitioning in schools, and would have ensured that references to sex in the Equality Act meant biological sex, in a way that might have stopped trans women accessing single-sex spaces. No 10 said it supported the “sentiment” in the bill (see 12.31pm), but Tory MP were reportedly encouraged to join the filibuster to stop it being debated.
The Conservative party has been urged to decline or return a reported further £5m donation made by Frank Hester, whose remarks about Diane Abbott have been widely condemned as racist and misogynistic. Three Muslim-led organisations and two far-right groups will be assessed under the government’s controversial new extremism definition, Michael Gove has told MPs. Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, has said she would like to see the party whip restored to Diane Abbott. (See 4.07pm.) NHS waiting lists in England have fallen for the fourth consecutive month, according to new figures, although the number of people waiting longer than 18 months for treatment has increased. As PA Media reports, cancer waiting times also remain well below target, the data shows, with charities calling for a long-term cancer strategy. An estimated 7.58 million treatments relating to 6.32 million patients were waiting to be carried out at the end of January, down slightly from 7.60 million treatments at the end of December. The former Scottish health secretary Michael Matheson faces being suspended from Holyrood after wrongly claiming nearly £11,000 in expenses for an iPad roaming bill run up on holiday. The government has U-turned on its plans to phase out the badger cull, with proposals to exterminate the vast majority of some local populations across much of south-west and central England. The UK and Turkey have started talks about a post-Brexit free trade agreement targeting the service sector of the economy.
More than half of voters think the Conservative party should give up Frank Hester’s £10m donation because of his offensive remarks, new polling suggests. The Commons speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, has sparked a fresh row by refusing to allow Diane Abbott ask a question during a heated session of prime minister’s questions, which was dominated by discussion of Hester’s comments about her. The SNP MP Philippa Whitford posted this in response to the speaker’s decision.
The refusal of @CommonsSpeaker to call you at #PMQs, has just compounded the appallingly racist and threatening comments of #Tory donor Keir Starmer has attacked Rishi Sunak at PMQs for refusing to return the £10m given to the Tories by Hester. (See 12.06pm, 12.08pm and 1.28pm.) Ministers have introduced legislation to quash the convictions of hundreds of post office operators who were prosecuted during the Horizon scandal in a move described as “an exceptional response to a factually exceptional situation”. Andy McDonald has had the Labour whip reinstated after a “lengthy” investigation over comments he made at a pro-Palestine rally last year.
Labour has written to Rishi Sunak calling for him to hand back £10m in donations from the Conservatives’ biggest ever donor, after it emerged he told colleagues that looking at Diane Abbott made you “want to hate all black women” and said the MP “should be shot”. Kemi Badenoch, the business secretary and minister for women and equalities, has said that Frank Hester’s 2019 comments about Diane Abbott, as reported, were racist. (See 5.17pm.) Diane Abbott has said it is “frightening” to hear of the remarks made by Conservative donor Frank Hester. James Cleverly, the home secretary, has said international students may be “undermining the integrity and quality of the UK higher education system” by using university courses as a cheap way of getting work visas. Children will no longer be prescribed puberty blockers at gender identity clinics, NHS England has confirmed. As PA Media reports, the government said it welcomed the “landmark decision”, adding it would help ensure care is based on evidence and is in the “best interests of the child”. Puberty blockers, which pause the physical changes of puberty such as breast development or facial hair, will now only be available to children as part of clinical research trials.
The abuse heaped on Diane Abbott (Biggest Tory donor said looking at Diane Abbott makes you ‘want to hate all black women’, 11 March) has been going on for a long time. I am ashamed of all our political parties. They have stood by and done nothing. Perhaps Keir Starmer should be the most ashamed as he should have protected her. Instead, he cast her out. Shame on you all, but shame on you, Keir, the most. Kathleen O’Neill Hayling Island, Hampshire • Re your special report on violence against women (Killed women count, 8 March), perhaps we need a statue to commemorate the women killed by men. It could be a way to both recognise and symbolise these lost female lives. Each year, the total number of women killed could be added to the statue, with a service of recognition, following the reading of the names in parliament. It would have a permanence that media reports lack, and serve as a visible record of the lives lost. Pam Roud Somersham, Cambridgeshire • Thank you for your project highlighting violence against women. It’s a brilliant initiative, both timely and chilling. Well done. Maggie Lloyd Oxford • I am not holding my breath waiting for the wife of the managing director of British Sugar to introduce measures to tackle obesity (Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall: ministers doing ‘next to nothing’ to tackle obesity, 10 March). David Beake Sheringham, Norfolk • Something the BBC does better than all the others (Letters, 6 March)? Commercial breaks. Nick Swallow Worminghall, Buckinghamshire • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Lee Anderson has been unveiled as the first-ever MP for Reform UK, with the former Conservative party vice-chair telling a press conference that he had joined the Nigel Farage-created party because: “I want my country back.” The Conservative party’s biggest donor told colleagues that looking at Diane Abbott makes you “want to hate all black women” and said the MP “should be shot”, the Guardian can reveal. Commenting on the revelations, Anneliese Dodds, the Labour party chair, said: These comments are reprehensible. Frank Hester is the Conservative Party’s biggest ever donor, as well as a personal donor to the prime minster, it is therefore vital that Rishi Sunak and the Tories return his donations, in full without delay. Rishi Sunak has claimed that “words matter”, and he must know that holding on to that money would suggest the Conservatives condone these disturbing comments. Sunak must return every penny. Bereaved families who lost loved ones to Covid have accused the former Welsh health minister Vaughan Gething of incompetence and arrogance after he revealed that all his WhatsApp messages from the time had been lost.
The former prime minister Theresa May will step down as an MP at the next general election after 27 years in parliament. In a statement to the Maidenhead Advertiser, the Maidenhead MP said she wanted to focus on causes close to her heart, including her work on the Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking. Labour has said that the wave of Conservative MPs stepping down at the next election shows a lack of confidence in Rishi Sunak’s government, as former prime minister Theresa May announced she was joining the more than 60 Tory MPs exiting parliament. A 22-year-old who could become Labour’s youngest ever MP and just the second openly trans member of the House of Commons has described the opportunity to reach Westminster as “mind boggling”. Education secretary Gillian Keegan has raised eyebrows by telling a conference this morning that she would have probably “punched” an Ofsted inspector she heard about.
We are closing this blog now but you can read all our UK politics coverage here.
Tony Lloyd’s wry humour and Lancastrian imperturbability helped immensely in our observer delegation to the 1999 referendum on East Timorese independence from Indonesia. The Labour politician agreed to lead this Catholic Institute for International Relations initiative, despite his characteristic self-deprecation that he was more of a Latin Americanist. While easy-going, he could also show his steely side. On being ordered out of our UN-flagged Land Rover by the army so that it could be searched for weapons, Tony stood his ground, asserting our neutral status and stating that we were not subject to Indonesian diktat. The army drove off. With his Latin American experience, Tony understood the strategies of informal state violence, but had a compassionate sympathy for those who suffered that violence.
The northern mayors can certainly become part of a regional renaissance (Editorial, 3 March), but there are some big issues that need to be addressed if the north is to really benefit. First, there’s a big democratic deficit in the city-region model of governance. One person is elected mayor, but without being part of a team of elected councillors (unlike the old Greater Manchester county council, abolished by Thatcher). All we have is an indirect accountability through the district leaders. It’s not good enough. Second, the areas covered by the city-region mayors only include parts of the north. Areas such as east Lancashire, with large and economically deprived towns including Burnley and Accrington, are not in the city region. Finally, there is an issue of identity with the city regions, outside the cities themselves. In your editorial you referred to Andy Burnham being “in Manchester”, though elsewhere you credit him as being the mayor of Greater Manchester, which has 10 large districts including my own town of Bolton, historically a proud Lancashire town. Bolton has never been comfortable being part of anything calling itself Greater Manchester. Why not extend the present Greater Manchester to take in much of the historic Lancashire to create a powerful county region (with or without Liverpool city region) – a Greater Lancastria, with a mayor working with democratically elected representatives, and strong devolved powers to put us on a par with Scotland and Wales? Prof Paul Salveson Bolton, Greater Manchester • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Jeremy Hunt is to cut national insurance by 2p in his budget on Wednesday, the Guardian understands, in a move designed to offer voters a pre-election giveaway but which could mean steeper spending cuts after the election. Henry Staunton, the former Post Office chair, has given details of what he calls the “stitch up” that he says led to Kemi Badenoch, the business secretary, making false claims about his dismissal in a statement to MPs. (See 3.51pm.) Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan police commissioner, has hit back at Rishi Sunak’s criticism of the policing of anti-war protests, dismissing claims officers are failing to enforce the law and saying officers were being labelled “woke and fascist” at the same time. Jonathan Ashworth, a senior Labour frontbencher, has placed a bet on live television that Rishi Sunak will call a general election in May. Downing Street is facing a backlash from Conservative MPs and peers over moves to create a broader of definition of extremism in response to what Rishi Sunak describes as the threat of “mob rule”. Martin Lewis, the consumer champion, has told MPs that introducing financial education into the national curriculum in England may have been “counterproductive”. Lewis campaigned for this move, which was introduced in 2014. But, in evidence to the Commons education committee this morning, he said schools did not have the resources to deliver it properly. He said: I still think there is a real poverty of financial education in the UK … I think in many ways, getting it on the curriculum was a pyrrhic victory. In some ways, it was counterproductive.
Regarding HMRC call waiting times (HMRC struggling to cope as customer service levels hit ‘all-time low’, 28 February), over the past two months, I called it 10 times, hanging on for up to an hour each time, but without success. I desperately needed to speak to a human being as I was struggling to deal with tax complexities deriving from my partner’s death, which HMRC’s online options or robots could not answer. Yet still the letters came, adding more penalties, sometimes in a faintly intimidating tone that added to my stress at an already miserable time. I finally got through on my 11th attempt, after 45 minutes. HMRC’s disgraceful service is one more depressing example of a country falling apart. Alan Clark London • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Rishi Sunak has suffered three defeats in the House of Lords over his Rwanda bill. The government lost the first two by majorities of 102, and in the third division, which has just finished, the government lost by a majority of 110. Further votes are due as the debate carries on tonight, and there will be another report stage debate on the bill, with votes on amendments, on Wednesday. (See 4.50pm and 5.58pm.) Downing Street has criticised the BBC presenter Chris Packham after he defended Just Stop Oil’s right to protest outside the homes of MPs. George Galloway has been sworn in as the MP for Rochdale as parliament returned for the first time since the Workers party leader’s byelection win last week. Under a Labour government there would be “no option of a life on benefits”, the party has said, as it set out plans to reduce the number of young people not in work, education or training.
Under a headline that rightly says “we need bread but also roses”, your editorial (23 February) draws attention to the 1911 poem Bread and Roses, implying that this was the source of this powerful, inspiring phrase. The actual origin was a pillow in a house where the US suffragette Helen Todd was staying when she was speaking at a campaign rally in 1910. In September 1911, she wrote in The American Magazine: “I saw that Mother Jones’ pillow was sent to her with the inscription, ‘Bread for all, and Roses too’.” She went on: “woman is the mothering element in the world and her vote will go toward helping forward the time when life’s Bread, which is home, shelter and security, and the Roses of life, music, education, nature and books, shall be the heritage of every child that is born in the country, in the government of which she has a voice.” Anthony Lawton Church Langton, Leicestershire
Rishi Sunak has claimed extremist groups in the UK are “trying to tear us apart”, in a hastily arranged Downing Street statement hours after George Galloway won a byelection in Rochdale. The prime minister condemned what he called “a shocking increase in extremist disruption and criminality” after the 7 October massacre by Hamas and the Israeli invasion of Gaza. He also claimed democracy itself was a target, as he condemned the election of Galloway, who easily won the seat in Rochdale on a platform that focused on anti-Israel sentiment over Gaza. In a sometimes rambling and seemingly contradictory 10-minute address, Sunak made points likely to anger MPs on the right of the Conservative party such as Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick, who have sought to frame recent tensions as almost entirely the responsibility of Islamist extremists.
This live blog is closing now.
In these turbulent times, it is reassuring to discover that other countries’ diplomats are impressed with David Cameron’s energy, work ethic and effectiveness in working with foreign governments (‘He’s getting a lot done’: Cameron’s first 100 days as foreign secretary impress, 26 February). However, I can’t help thinking that if only he had displayed these attributes more when he was prime minister, in the run-up to the Brexit referendum, Britain might be in a better place today. Ian West Broseley, Shropshire • It’s unlikely, I think, that George Galloway would have been very many people’s second choice in the Rochdale byelection, had they been given the chance to express a preference (Report, 1 March). So 39.7% support is a “great victory”. Like the 43.6% that gave Boris Johnson his “vast mandate” in 2019. Let’s hear it for our outdated electoral system: giving people the MPs they don’t want since 1832. Neil Hickman Hardingham, Norfolk • In the early 1950s, my friend Lyndsey and I, as the best spellers in the class, were told to learn to spell escholtzia (sic) and physiognomy (mispronounced, as I remember). It has not done us a great deal of good in the long run (Letters, 27 February). Gillian Bassett Great Barford, Bedfordshire • On the letters from Sheffield (26 February), let’s keep them coming … Sue Bolger Sheffield • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
The veteran political agitator George Galloway has declared “a shifting of the tectonic plates” away from Labour after claiming a stunning victory in the Rochdale byelection. The Rochdale byelection result shows that Labour risks taking its support from Muslim voters for granted, an influential thinktank linked to the party has said after George Galloway won the seat with a single-issue campaign based around Gaza. Rishi Sunak has hinted that there could be further cuts in national insurance rates in next week’s budget because it allowed Westminster to help workers in Scotland hit by Holyrood’s income tax rises. (See 3.49pm.) But, speaking at the Scottish Conservative conference in Aberdeen, he suggested the government was unlikely to extend the windfall tax on energy profits, even though this option is reportedly being considered. (See 3.06pm.)
As an ex-pupil of Beckenham and Penge boys’ grammar school, I well recall how as a teacher Alan Brownjohn sought to impart his love of learning to us. But I did not know that my failure as the Labour candidate in the school’s mock election of 1964 reflected his own lack of success in Richmond that year. Imagine if he had become an education minister ...
Rishi Sunak suggests “mob rule is replacing democratic rule” (Report, 28 February). It’s refreshing for a prime minister to be so critical of his own government, but surely he is being unfair to mobs? Any self-respecting mob has more organisation than the present cabinet. Alan Gray Brighton, East Sussex • I have contacted ITV to urge it to rebroadcast the docudrama Breathtaking (TV review, 19 February) during the upcoming general election campaign. This devastating reminder should be at the forefront of minds when voting. We must never forget what they all did – the good, the bad and the corrupt. Clive Needle Rowhedge, Essex • With regard to ending sentences with prepositions (Pass Notes, 28 February), I like the story of the child who asks his Australian nanny at bedtime: “What did you bring that book I don’t like to be read to out of from down under up for?” James Caird Caynham, Shropshire • I am reminded of a joke in the grammar textbook I suffered with in school some 65 years ago. Two grammarians are involved in an accident and one of them appears to be fatally injured. “Fred, Fred,” he cries. “I’m done for!” “Don’t say that!” Fred replies. “Don’t end your last sentence with a preposition.” Ted Forgan Birmingham • Re long call waiting times to talk to HMRC (Report, 28 February), try contacting British Gas. When I tried to talk to it online last December, I was 602nd in line. I gave up. Terry Miles Bournemouth, Dorset • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
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Rishi Sunak is braced for another byelection after former Tory MP Scott Benton was suspended from the Commons for 35 days over his role in a lobbying sting. MPs approved the suspension of the Blackpool South MP on Tuesday evening without the need for a vote. The length of the suspension means that Benton is now facing a recall petition. If 10% of his constituents sign it, a byelection will be triggered in his seat. It would take the number of byelections held during Sunak’s time as prime minister to 11. Benton, 36, had the Tory whip removed in April 2023 after suggesting to undercover reporters at the Times that he would be willing to break lobbying rules for money. Benton had offered to lobby ministers on behalf of the gambling industry and leak a confidential policy document for up to £4,000 a month. A subsequent investigation by parliament’s standards committee found he had committed a “very serious breach” of the rules and recommended a 35-day suspension from the Commons. Benton denied wrongdoing and appealed against the suspension to the independent expert panel (IEP), the body that sits above the standards committee. He appealed on the grounds that the procedure was flawed, claiming the decision was leaked by the committee. But last week, he lost his appeal against the suspension. The backbench MP has sat as an independent since being kicked out of the Conservative party. Blackpool South is a “red wall” seat, having backed the Labour party from the 1997 election until Benton’s win in 2019. It is one of the most deprived areas in England. Labour has selected the leftwing trade unionist Chris Webb as its prospective parliamentary candidate. Labour has comfortably won byelections in Wellingborough, Kingswood, Rutherglen, Tamworth, Selby, Wakefield and Mid Bedfordshire in recent times.
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Lee Anderson has stood by the comments that lost him the Tory whip and launched a fresh attack on Sadiq Khan, as a body for Muslim Conservative members said it was seeking an urgent meeting with government figures. Paul Scully, the former minister for London, has been criticised for saying there are areas in London and Birmingham, “parts of Tower Hamlets, for example” and parts of Birmingham Sparkhill, that have become “no-go areas”. He made the comment in a radio interview where he was talking about the concerns people have about neighbourhoods changing. No 10 said Rishi Sunak did not agree with what Scully said, and Andy Street, the Conservative West Midlands mayor, said on X Scully was talking nonsense.
The idea that Birmingham has a ‘no-go’ zone is news to me, and I suspect the good people of Sparkhill. It really is time for those in Westminster to stop the nonsense slurs and experience the real world. I for one am proud to lead the most diverse place in Britain. The SNP has accused Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker, of breaking his promise to allow an emergency debate on Gaza. (See 4pm.) Britain’s stretched public services will buckle under the weight of the spending cuts being planned for after the election, economists have warned, as Jeremy Hunt prepares for another round of tax reductions in next week’s budget.
Tom King says a vote for Labour is a vote for small-c fiscal conservatism but with a red rosette (Letters, 20 February). That may be true, at first, but he misses the point that with two seemingly parallel paths, even a small amount of divergence – eg by one degree – will result in a gap that widens over time. The degree of difference between the parties is characterised by Labour’s compassion, competence and pragmatism, compared with the Conservatives’ corruption, complacency and populism. Michael Horsham Ham, London • To all those shouting about a ceasefire, including Mehdi Hasan, saying a simple call from Joe Biden to Benjamin Netanyahu will stop the war (21 February), the answer is simple: a phone call from Hassan Nasrallah in Iran to Yahya Sinwar, leader of Hamas in Gaza, telling him to release all the hostages, and there will be a ceasefire immediately. Laurence Lebor Ra’anana, Israel • How appropriate to see Liz Truss and Nigel Farage alongside, or waving, inverted union jacks (Report, 22 February). They both certainly heaped distress on us – are they now asking for help? Stephen Armstrong Tunbridge Wells, Kent • On reading recent comments by Liz Truss, Lee Anderson and Suella Braverman, words failed me. Later, I found three: delusional, despicable and dangerous. Joanne Thomas Bury, Greater Manchester • My wife and I heard a cuckoo twice in Haigh Hall Country Park, Wigan, on 22 February – first cuckoo of spring or last cuckoo of winter? David Mole Chorley, Lancashire • Unlike Sue Stephenson (Letters, 20 February), I welcome the “Your parcel has been delivered” email, as it triggers my walk up and down the street to see who has been the lucky recipient of my goods. Bob Epton Brigg, Lincolnshire • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
I was reassured to read that Rishi Sunak told the NFU conference that he had once milked a cow (Report, 20 February). I once collected eggs for my dad when he had chickens on a smallholding. I was about five, and when I had finished collecting them he told me to “drop them in that [metal] bucket”. I did. So I can say with confidence that helping out with the livestock doesn’t necessarily make you an expert. Su Hardman Woodbridge, Suffolk • You reported that British farmers were planning more tractor protests (15 February), but the Public Order Act 2023 will surely make these “interference with … key national infrastructure”, just as illegal as those of Just Stop Oil. Will we now be seeing mass arrests of farmers, or is the law being applied selectively? David Bricknell Plymouth • Was Sex Lives of the Potato Men really “the worst film ever made” (20 February)? Of course not. Playing Porn Shop Bloke was my first job in films. At the time, I told a newspaper: “If Raging Bull is Goya, then this is a Donald McGill seaside postcard.” I mentioned this to Mark Gatiss at the wrap party. He laughed and said: “Exactly.” Laurence Inman Birmingham • My GP was a doctor at the local hospital when my first child was born in February 1979 – 45 years of dedicated service (Seeing same GP ‘improves patient health and cuts workload of doctors’, 23 February). Linda Perham Ilford, London • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
The SNP MP David Linden has claimed that Sir Lindsay Hoyle will have resigned by the weekend. He made the prediction in an interview with the PM programme, hours after Stephen Flynn, the SNP leader at Westminster, said his party, the third largest in the Commons, has collective lost confidence in the speaker. (See 12.43pm.) An early day motion expressing no confidence in Hoyle has now been signed by 67 MPs. But government ministers have been more eager to blame Labour for what happened last night, and Rishi Sunak has said that, while what happened was “very concerning”, Hoyle should get credit for his apology. Sunak implied he was not pushing for Hoyle’s removal. (See 4.28pm.)
The Labour MP Stella Creasy has said there is no justification for MPs to be targeted in their homes and that public life is “drowning in hate and violence”. Ministers have vowed to press ahead with legislation to automatically overturn convictions related to the Post Office Horizon scandal by the end of July. Vaughan Gething’s campaign to become the new Welsh first minister has had a setback after it emerged that he accepted a £200,000 donation from a company run by a man convicted of environmental offences. The US, UK and Germany have endorsed the candidacy of the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, to become the next secretary general of Nato.
Four decades on from the beginning of the miners’ strike this year, we would like to speak to people living in former mining communities about life there now. We would like to hear about the impact of the strike, and subsequent colliery closures, on the community. We’re particularly interested in hearing from those who worked in collieries, as well as their children and grandchildren. In what ways has the area changed? What is the legacy of the strike and colliery closures? This Community callout closed on 12 March 2024. • You can see the article that included respondents to this callout here. • You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.
The Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, has apologised to MPs following a fractious and chaotic debate over Gaza ceasefire votes after choosing to allow the government’s and Labour’s amendments to be voted on. He said he is “very, very concerned about the security of all members” but regrets how it manifested. Hoyle added: “I wanted all to ensure they could express their views and all sides of the House could vote.” Some 33 MPs signed a motion of no confidence in the Commons Speaker on Wednesday night. MPs eventually approved a Labour Party call for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” without any votes following hours of debate which saw SNP MPs and Tory MPs walk out of the Commons. The call was an amendment to a motion put forward by the SNP seeking an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Philip Hedley displayed a democratic socialist dedication that was both profound and practical: “Politics is what people DO, even if they don’t know it sometimes.” There was no Hedley agit-prop. He let the theatre do the work of enlightenment and emancipation. A lifelong Labour party member, he put his professional talent into the service of every progressive cause and battle against bigotry, exploitation and oppression. Firmly but charmingly – always a smiler – he would insert coherence into the timing and running order of fundraising concerts, calm nerves and modify egos, at least for the evening. He did all that until age limited his busy energy – but just a bit, and under protest.
Keir Starmer paid £99,431 in UK tax on income of £404,030 last year, according to a summary released by the Labour party. The Labour leader’s tax summary for 2022-23 was published a week after Rishi Sunak’s, which revealed the prime minister paid more than £508,208 in UK tax last year on income of just over £2.2m. Starmer earned £128,291 from his salaries as an MP and leader of the opposition, and paid £44,308 in income tax in 2022-23. He also paid £52,688 in capital gains tax on income of £275,739 from the sale of a field in December 2022. The field was partly owned by himself and his father’s estate. It was previously reported that Starmer had sold a plot of land he had bought in the 1990s for his parents, who used it to care for neglected donkeys. Similarly to Sunak, Starmer published “a summary” of his UK taxable income, capital gains and tax paid over the last tax year as reported to HMRC, prepared by chartered accountants. The one-page document showed that he earned £79,098 as an MP, with an added salary of £49,193 for his role as leader of the opposition.
Sunak’s tax summary, published by Downing Street, showed that he paid £163,364 in tax on a total income of £432,884. He also paid £359,240 in tax on about £1.8m in capital gains from a US-based investment fund. The prime minister first published his tax return in 2023, showing he had made nearly £5m over the previous three years due mostly to his US investment fund income. Sunak’s personal wealth and his links to the US have been sensitive issues for him. • This article, including the headline, was amended on 19 February 2024 to distinguish more clearly between Keir Starmer’s overall income and his earnings as an MP and opposition leader.
That’s it from us. Thank you for tuning in to the liveblog today. Rishi Sunak went on GBNews’s People’s Forum, where he fielded questions on everything from the NHS, Rwanda, trans issues and education. He spoke at length about the upcoming election, beseeching voters to stand by the conservative government and vote for him instead of Keir Starmer. Sunak stood by the Rwanda bill, which was being debated today in the House of Lords. He said he is “absolutely” committed to getting the Rwanda bill through Parliament because “we need a deterrent”. “We need to say unequivocally that if you come to our country illegally, you cannot stay,” he said. “That is what Rwanda is about.” Minutes before Sunak went live, the Labour party withdrew its support for its candidate in the Rochdale byelection after he accused Israel of deliberately allowing the 7 October Hamas attacks. While Sunak fielded questions, protesters amassed outside Downing Street, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. “Rishi Sunak, shame on you. Keir Starmer, shame on you,” they chanted.
Scotland’s first minister, Humza Yousaf, whose parents-in-law were trapped in the early stages of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, has criticised both Keir Starmer and prime minister Rishi Sunak for their failure to call for a ceasefire. David Cameron became the first Cabinet minister to explicitly criticise remarks made by Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump about Nato. Trump’s suggestion that the US would not protect Nato allies failing to spend enough on defence was “not a sensible approach”, the foreign secretary said.
So Liz Truss’s latest wheeze is to launch yet another splinter group within the Tory party, the Popular Conservatives, or PopCon for short (Listen up! It’s Liz Truss and the PopCons, the Tory tribute act sounding a death knell for irony, 6 February). Sounds like a rival to Comic Con, the fan convention where people dress up as characters from fantasy shows, such as Game of Thrones, to pay homage to realities that don’t exist. The perfect name, then. Ken Abbott Portishead, Somerset • All hail Marina Hyde for poking fun at unpopular Liz Truss and her Popular Conservatives. The accompanying photo of a laughing Truss and acolytes has a curiously apt church banner over their heads: “Heal the sick. Cleanse the lepers. Raise the dead. Cast out devils.” Sally Goldsmith Sheffield • My mum used to shout “Do you want some gawp seed?” to people she judged had exceeded her two-second allowance for looking into her windows (Letters, 7 February). I presumed the “seed” would have sustained the gawpers as they moved on to their next window. Steve Oliver Wembury, Devon • Niksen (The art of doing nothing: have the Dutch found the answer to burnout culture?, 7 February)? Up here, we prefer hurkle-durkle – a Scots word roughly translated as “to lay in bed or lounge about, way past the time you should be up and about, doing things”. Like writing frivolous letters to the Guardian. Colin Montgomery Edinburgh • If Dr John Doherty is an advocate of niksen, the art of doing nothing, why has he taken the trouble to write to you (Letters, 7 February)? Kevin Ward Quorn, Leicestershire • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Labour has cut its green investment plans by half, as Keir Starmer ended weeks of speculation to confirm the biggest U-turn of his leadership in a move designed to bolster the party’s chances at the general election. Here is an analysis from Fiona Harvey as to what this means.
And here is an extract: Estimates from thinktanks and academics suggest 10s of billions a year are needed for the shift to a low-carbon future: the IPPR thinktank came up with a figure of £30bn a year of public investment in a study in 2021, while earlier this year the London School of Economics suggested £26bn a year. And as a result, the UK is now lagging behind. As Ed Matthew, campaigns director at the E3G thinktank, put it: “A lack of investment in our clean energy transition has left the UK off track to meet our climate targets and uncompetitive in the global clean tech race. Securing climate safety and future prosperity requires a major uplift in public green investment.” Rishi Sunak has refused to apologise to Brianna Ghey’s father and said it was “sad and wrong” to link his jibe about transgender people to the murdered teenager’s case.
Keir Starmer has angrily confronted Rishi Sunak in the Commons as the prime minister derided Labour’s policy on transgender rights after being told that the mother of the murdered teenager Brianna Ghey was watching from the public gallery. Downing Street has rejected calls for an apology. And Kemi Badenoch, the business secretary and minister for women and equalities, has hit back, accusing Starmer of exploiting the Ghey tragedy for political gain. (See 3.25pm.) Labour’s pledge to insulate 19m homes in a decade has been thrown into doubt after the party confirmed it would not spend £6bn a year allocated for the scheme if its fiscal rules did not allow, while the government claimed it would cost twice that. Rishi Sunak has been accused of making a U-turn on his pledge to restore NHS dentistry as experts say his “recovery plan” does not offer enough money to incentivise dentists to take on extra NHS patients.
Rishi Sunak has been widely criticised for accepting a £1,000 bet with TalkTV presenter Piers Morgan relating to whether he will manage to get deportation flights off to Rwanda before the election. Morgan said he would bet £1,000 that the flights would not happen, with the money going to charity, and Sunak insisted he wanted to get people on the planes. Sunak, whose family has a fortune worth hundreds of millions of pounds, was accused of being not just out of touch with the experience of ordinary Britons, but “grotesque, callous and downright cruel”. (See 4.30pm.) Rishi Sunak has acknowledged that he has failed to keep his promise to cut healthcare waiting lists. The British and Irish governments have played down Sinn Féin’s calls for Irish unity and said Northern Ireland’s new devolved government can restore stability and faith in the region.
The “Tory scum” case (DPP appeals to supreme court in case of protesters who called MP ‘Tory scum’, 31 January) reminds me that some of the sixth form classical scholars at my school produced a short-lived news sheet with the title Scum. For the paper’s motto they adopted the phrase Scum semper surgit (Scum always rises). Perhaps that explains everything. Eric Crouch Thame, Oxfordshire • Please can we get a little more balance in the recipe section? So many vegetarian and vegan recipes, but a sad lack of anything containing meat. Are you deliberately appeasing the “tofu‑eating wokerati” fan base and neglecting your liberal omnivores? Marilyn Downs Hale, Greater Manchester • So an incoming Labour government can’t afford to invest £28bn combatting the climate crisis (Labour to ditch £28bn annual green investment pledge, party sources say, 1 February). But can it afford not to? Clifton Melvin Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire • Gillian Bassett (Letters, 4 February) has a wonderful explanation of why Dutch showers are too cold. My mother was told by her older siblings to complain to the council, because it built the pavement too near her bottom. Alyson Elliman Carshalton Beeches, London • Growing up in an estate in 1970s Belfast, when someone looked in through the window, my mother used to shout: “Do you want to come in and look out?” (Letters, 4 February). James Scott Limington, Somerset • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Rishi Sunak has spoken about the racism he experienced as a child and how his parents were so determined he should fit in and speak without an accent that he was sent for extra drama lessons. “You are conscious of being different,” he told the deputy political editor of ITV News, Anushka Asthana. “It’s hard not to be, right, and obviously I experienced racism as a kid.” Asthana was given access to the prime minister for the upcoming programme Rishi Sunak: Up Close – Tonight and has detailed her encounter in the Times. Sunak recalled the pain of hearing slurs directed at his younger siblings, adding that racism “stings” and “hurts in a way that other things don’t”. He felt what he experienced would not happen to his children now. Discussing his Indian heritage, Sunak said his parents were keen for him and his siblings – a brother and sister – to “fit in and not for it to be, in any way, shape or form, a barrier”.
His mother, he added, was particularly conscious of how her children spoke. “One of the things my mum was obsessed with was that we didn’t speak with accents and we would speak properly,” he said. “So she was keen for us to try to do some extra drama.” “I think any form of racism is simply unacceptable,” he continued, adding that when he speaks to world leaders, “most people look to the UK as an example of how to get this right”. Sunak admitted that he never dreamed there might one day be an ethnic minority prime minister “because you didn’t have role models like that. [It] hadn’t happened yet.” The programme followed Sunak to key constituencies, watching him spend time with his family and in Southampton, where he grew up. Rishi Sunak: Up Close – Tonight is on ITV1 and ITVX on Thursday at 8.30pm.
Your report on the Lords Rwanda debate (Sunak’s Rwanda plan faces more hurdles as Tory peers condemn policy, 29 January) shows both the widespread concern at a government racing towards a totalitarian state, but also the inability of the second chamber to safeguard liberal democracy in this country. The Lords will try to put sensible amendments, but unless Labour’s frontbench is willing to make a stand and ultimately block bad law, then the government will win. Convention allows the Lords to do this, as disapplying the Human Rights Act was not in the Conservative party’s election manifesto, and there is no electoral mandate for this policy. Labour must either block the Rwanda bill, or commit to an elected second chamber that has the selective powers that would allow it to act as the guardian of our liberal freedoms. Jenny Jones Green party, House of Lords • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Someone who has, over a century, been witness to the politics that have landed our country in its present sad state, both at home and abroad, is surely entitled by experience to at least attempt to persuade his fellow electors to save it from itself before it is too late. This, in my view, and that of nearly all of my family and respected friends and colleagues, involves calling back from retirement the only public figure who comes out of the past quarter-century with any lasting credit: Rory Stewart. To succeed in this patriotic endeavour, we realise that we have somehow not only to re-recruit him, but to persuade the sensible members of the electorate to get rid of both the present Conservative and Labour parties and replace them with a younger membership more concerned with the wellbeing of the nation – their families and those of their friends – than their own temporary advantage. Perhaps our new monarch will reassume his prerogative and dismiss the prime minister supported by the present House of Commons with one of a different membership more representative of public opinion. Prof John A Davis Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Keir Starmer has said Labour would “level up workers’ rights” in a way not seen for decades. (See 2.51pm.) Labour will not raise corporation tax above its current rate of 25% during the next parliament, Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, has pledged, in an attempt to offer businesses greater certainty. Forcing all UK supermarkets to put “not for EU” labels on meat, dairy and plant products in a move to assuage the concerns of unionists in Northern Ireland will force up prices and undermine the war against inflation, ministers have been told. MPs have passed unopposed two items of secondary legislation needed to implement the changes to the post-Brexit trading rules for Northern Ireland negotiated by the DUP. No MP voted against either measure even though during the debates some Tory Brexiters expressed concerns about the plans, and the DUP MP Sammy Wilson said that he did not support the deal. They believe it does not do enough to disapply EU law in Northern Ireland. By contact, the SDLP leader Colum Eastwood also said his party did not support the plan – but that is because because they feel it undermines the Good Friday agreement. (See 4.02pm.)
Re the timing of the Democratic Unionist party’s agreement with the UK government (Sinn Féin says united Ireland ‘within touching distance’ as Stormont deal agreed, 30 January), in a January 1990 episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, it was observed that the reunification of Ireland took place in 2024 – they can’t let that happen, can they? Catherine Tann West Byfleet, Surrey • I am grateful to His Maj for his encouragement to men to have the check (King Charles ‘doing well’ after prostate treatment, 26 January). I visited my GP and was examined, blood-tested and referred to my local NHS hospital in March 2022. I have now waited 22 months for an appointment. And waited etc. Of what exactly is he an example? John Dinning Cardiff • Watching Nadine Dorries declaiming her destructive nonsense on TV, I urgently needed to distract myself, so I looked for an anagram of her name: “inane disorder” was quickly revealed. Sometimes there is hidden wisdom in anagrams. Prof Diana Laurillard London • “What now for the sad clown of the culture wars circus?” asks the headline on Marina Hyde’s piece about Laurence Fox (30 January). Non-speaking corpse in next year’s season of Silent Witness perhaps? David Grandy Nottingham • Couldn’t resist wondering if the burial plot next to Karl Marx (Letters, 29 January) might be for his little-known sister Onya… Margaret Taylor Clare, Suffolk • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
New rules to smooth post-Brexit trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland have been unveiled by the government as part of a deal with the Democratic Unionist party that will restore the Stormont executive and install a Sinn Féin first minister. Nicola Sturgeon has admitted failing to properly record key discussions about the Covid crisis after being pressed at the UK Covid inquiry over claims some decisions were too centralised and secretive. More than 30,000 asylum seekers are on bail and under the threat of deportation from the UK to Rwanda, the Home Office has disclosed, as James Cleverly insisted that the total backlog of 94,000 cases should instead be referred to as a queue. Labour’s proposed investment of £28bn a year in the low-carbon economy is an absolute minimum, a leading business figure has said, adding that without green investment on that scale the UK will face steep decline as a result of crumbling infrastructure and stagnating industry. George Osborne has been hired by the American cryptocurrency exchange operator Coinbase as it faces an intense legal battle with the US regulator.
Owen Jones’s mithering about the state of “the Labour left” (Demoralised and shattered: yes, the left in the UK is down. But here’s why it isn’t out, 25 January), as the party marches towards a historic victory and the chance to right 14 years of Tory wrongs, reads a lot like an overwrought fan analysis of the tediously boring Star Wars movie prequels. Can we not just all enjoy watching the Death Star get blown up? Dan Blackburn Leeds • You report that it is within Ofcom’s gift to make first- and second-class Royal Mail deliveries take up to three days or longer (Royal Mail could save £650m by moving to three-day-a-week service, says Ofcom 24 January). Three days seems reasonable, but we do need to be wary of the “longer” option: on 25 January I received a Christmas card postmarked 2 December! Graham Stevens Crowborough, East Sussex • I was delighted but very surprised when a parcel of home baking posted at 12 midday in Sheffield arrived at my sister’s farmhouse five miles from Lancaster at 12 midday the following day – cheese scones from oven to Aga in 24 hours. Susan Apedaile Bolger Sheffield • £25,000 for a burial plot next to Karl Marx (Letters, 23 January)? Should we be concerned? Is this another communist plot? Rich Chandler Caldicot, Monmouthshire • Your article on Michelle Mone (25 January) missed out the word “ourselves” in the following quote: “I looked at Doug and I thought, we could really, really help here.” Gary McGregor Garvald, East Lothian • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Ken Clarke, a Conservative former chancellor and former lord chancellor, has told peers that, while he supported the government’s last Rwanda bill, he cannot support the new one because overturning a supreme court judgment is a “very dangerous constitutional provision”. (See 5.42pm.) An inquiry has concluded that some of the decisions taken by bodies involved in the Teesworks redevelopment “do not meet the standards expected when managing public funds”. (See 5.44pm.) George Freeman, who resigned from government last year, has said that he quit because he could not afford rising mortgage repayments on his £120,000 ministerial salary. Nicola Sturgeon broke confidentiality and “jumped the gun” when she announced a ban on mass gatherings in Scotland before other parts of the UK agreed to the move during the pandemic, the UK Covid inquiry has heard. The Democratic Unionist party is to consider ending its two-year boycott of power-sharing in Northern Ireland at a meeting tonight that could make or break Sir Jeffrey Donaldson’s leadership. UK ministers will aim to stop firms from skirting around an upcoming ban on disposable vapes by eliminating ruses such as attaching charging points to them, Victoria Atkins, the health secretary, has said.
Your article (Britons living abroad regain right to vote in UK elections as 15-year rule ends, 16 January) says the concept of a lifelong vote is not universally supported in parliament, adding that Paul Scriven, a Liberal Democrat life peer, “questioned how it could be right that someone who had not lived in the UK for 50 years could have a say in policies that did not directly affect them”. We would like to add that Hansard of 23 February 2022 shows Lord Scriven welcoming the extension of the right to vote to all British citizens abroad while expressing his concern about it leaving the door open for “the use of donations from very rich people … who will fund a particular party in this country”. The Liberal Democrat party has fully supported all British citizens abroad getting the vote back in both their 2017 and 2019 manifestos. Lib Dem peers Chris Rennard and William Wallace backed the elections bill during its passage through the House of Lords in 2022, including submitting an amendment on establishing overseas constituencies to ensure proper representation for British citizens living abroad. Lib Dems Abroad, in partnership with the Electoral Commission and other political and apolitical organisations, is now busy promoting overseas voter registration in the run-up to the next general election. Lib Dems Abroad believes, as a matter of principle, that overseas voters should be treated equitably to those who continue to live in the UK, especially given British citizens overseas now have full democratic rights. The needs and interests of overseas voters need to be taken properly into account in UK legislation. The party is fully behind this change – and indeed wants to go further. George Cunningham Chair, Lib Dems Abroad Steering Committee
Ed Balls, a former shadow chancellor, has said that Keir Starmer should perform a “big U-turn” over the commitment to spend £28bn a year on green investment. (See 4.20pm.) Nicola Sturgeon described Boris Johnson as “a fucking clown” as he announced a second Covid lockdown in October 2020, telling her chief of staff: “His utter incompetence in every sense is now offending me on behalf of politicians everywhere.” Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s first minister, has apologised “unreservedly” to the Covid inquiry, and to people who were bereaved during the pandemic, for the government’s “poor handling” of requests for messages. (See 2.15pm.) The UK would break international law if it ignored emergency orders from the European court of human rights to stop asylum seekers being flown to Rwanda, the head of the court has said. Chris Philp, the policing minister, has admitted that a previous government crackdown on zombie knives contained an obvious loophole. (See 9.24am.) The British Polling Council (BPC) is looking into controversial YouGov polling used by Conservative plotters to call for Rishi Sunak to be ousted. David Cameron breached “proper process” when he appointed Michelle Mone to the House of Lords in 2015, David Mundell, who was the Scotland secretary at the time, has said. More than one in 100 children in England were homeschooled last summer term, with many parents citing lifestyle or “philosophical reasons” for abandoning traditional classrooms.
The Tory former cabinet minister Simon Clarke has been told it would be “good advice” to head to a dark room, lie down and sort himself out, after he called on Rishi Sunak to quit as Conservative leader or risk a Tory “massacre” at the general election. At PMQs Keir Starmer taunted Sunak over Clarke’s comments, telling the house: The prime minister spouts so much nonsense, no wonder they are giving up on him. Even now, as his government crumble around him and his own MPs point out that he is out of touch and has no plan for growth, crime or building houses, the prime minister is sticking to his one-man Pollyanna show – everything is fine; people should be grateful for him! The trouble is that no one is buying it. Does he actually understand why his own MPs say that he does not understand Britain, and that he is an “obstacle to recovery”. Councils in England are to be handed an extra £500m in funding amid a worsening financial crisis at town halls across the country. Royal Mail could save up to £650m if it delivered letters just three days a week and £200m by stopping Saturday deliveries, the communications regulator has said in its much-anticipated review of the postal service.
Benny Green once said: “Four years after Tennyson died, Alfred Austin succeeded him as poet laureate. A better idea would have been to dig up Tennyson.” The trustees of Highgate cemetery should watch out (£25,000 for a burial plot next to Karl Marx? The philosopher would turn in his grave, 17 January). In view of the misappropriation and perversion of his ideas for practically the whole of the 20th century by assorted Leninists, Trotskyites, Maoists and obscurantist philosophers, we might feel that a similar option should be available in Karl Marx’s case. He would have things to say. Prof Keith Graham Author, Digging up Marx • Well done all those who joined a silent multi-faith peace walk in London on Sunday, especially the Quakers, representing Christians (Report, 21 January). The established church seems conspicuous by its absence. Alice Severs Durham • Just when I thought it was safe, after a few days with no letters on men’s underwear, it resurfaced with a boating twist (19 January). When will readers realise this is just a cover up for a load of old bollocks? Siobhán Ní Chuanaigh Dublin, Ireland • If scallop was meant to rhyme with dollop, it would be spelled scollop (Letters 21 January). To those who pronounce scallop as scollop, I say codswollop. Beverley Mason Cardiff • Why is waffle pronounced woffle but raffle isn’t pronounced roffle. Makes no sense to me. Janice Jowett Ormskirk, Lancashire • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Rishi Sunak has come under pressure to provide clarity on Britain’s long-term strategy in the Red Sea as he resisted calls for MPs to be given a vote, insisting the new airstrikes against the Houthis on Monday night were carried out in self-defence. Jeremy Hunt’s scope to cut taxes by about £20bn in his March budget has been boosted after the latest official figures showed UK government borrowing halved in the past year. Labour would let optometrists deal with some common eye problems such as cataracts and glaucoma in high-street opticians as it seeks to make the NHS in England more productive, Karin Smyth, a shadow health minister, has said. Huw Merriman, a transport minister, has lashed out at a satirical Radio 4 show as being “completely biased” in the latest allegation from the Conservatives about BBC impartiality. Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, has described the number of pupils not in school in England as a national scandal. Speaking in a Commons debate on a Labour motion to legislate to set up a national register of children not in school, she said: It is a national scandal that every day, every week, so many children are not in school. Absence from school is not simply a problem in itself, it is a symptom of deeper problems and a cause of further problems. Labour lost the vote by 303 votes to 189 – a majority 114.
During the period that Glenys Kinnock, Lady Kinnock of Holyhead was an MEP, from 1994 to 2009, I was the director of the education and international department of the Transport and General Workers’ Union (now Unite). Dealing with Tony Blair’s government was not easy for the trade unions: most MPs and ministers were very careful and even reluctant. Even those who supported us often had to say: “We’ll do it, but shhh – don’t let you-know-who find out.” Hilary Benn, in various posts at the Department for International Development, was much more creative. When we went to Brussels with his support, Glenys was full of ideas, one of the few who saw the link between international development and trade union solidarity. She was dynamic, open and a credit to the Labour movement.
Nicola Sturgeon has said the UK Covid inquiry “does have messages” between her and those she communicated with during the pandemic, after it emerged they had been deleted from her device. The former first minister of Scotland posted on X that she will “answer questions directly and openly” when she gives evidence to the inquiry at the end of January.
It comes after the inquiry, taking evidence in Scotland, heard on Friday that all WhatsApp messages sent and received by Sturgeon during the pandemic were erased. Sturgeon said: “Contrary to the impression given in some coverage, the inquiry does have messages between me and those I most regularly communicated with through informal means. “Although these had not been retained on my own device, I was able to obtain copies which I submitted to the inquiry last year.” Sturgeon said that Scotland’s Covid response was conducted through “formal processes” and not through WhatsApp or any other informal platform. “The number of people I communicated with through informal messaging at all was limited,” Sturgeon added. Moreover, she said, any handwritten notes she made were passed to her private office to be “dealt with and recorded as appropriate”. She accepted she did not get every decision right during the pandemic but said her motivation throughout was to “keep people as safe as possible”.
Among the many excellent points made by Aditya Chakrabortty, the role of governments in the reproduction of voters’ attitudes and preferences receives too little attention (Heading isolated and paranoid into the night, these are the voters our politicians created, 4 January). As he notes, the neoliberal inspired attacks on trade unions and the hollowing out of the welfare state since the 1980s were particularly influential in the apparent decline in working-class solidarity. Despite these assaults, the purveyors of neoliberalism still meet stubborn resistance among the British public, just over half of whom favour increasing taxes to spend more on health, education and social benefits, with only small differences between Labour (61%) and Tory (46%) voters. The British Social Attitudes survey also finds that two-thirds agree that ordinary working people do not get their fair share of the nation’s wealth. This bedrock of support for social democracy is waiting for Labour to articulate its priorities and to bring back a glimmer of hope. Alan Walker Professor of social policy, University of Sheffield • Proportional representation would make a difference to election outcomes, but many, feeling their vote does not count, do not vote. Democracy is a theory that requires the practical use of altruism. By that I mean voting for the good of the many, not the self-interest or the good of the few. This, of course requires proportional representation in order to be fully democratic. Katharine Brown Washington, Tyne and Wear
Rishi Sunak has urged the House of Lords to swiftly pass his controversial Rwanda deportation bill, claiming it is “the will of the people” and insisting the Conservative party is united on the issue despite this week’s mass rebellions. He was speaking at a Downing Street press conference. See 12.04pm for a summary and analysis. A leading barrister and cross-bench peer, Alex Carlile, has condemned the government’s Rwanda bill as a “step towards totalitarianism” and signalled that the House of Lords plans to resist the legislation. Thousands of public sector workers have staged pickets and marches across Northern Ireland in the biggest strike in living memory.
Labour has formally requested talks with the civil service in preparation for government if the party wins the election, and discussions are expected to start within two weeks. Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, wrote to Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, to begin the process of access talks, a week after Rishi Sunak gave the go-ahead for them to start. It is understood that the process, through which party officials will discuss with civil servants how they would run a government should they oust the Conservatives after 14 years, is likely to start before the end of the month. The discussions are a routine but a symbolic process before a possible handover of power. A Labour party spokesperson said: “Keir Starmer has today written to the cabinet secretary to begin the access talks process.” The discussions are a necessary step so that an opposition party can step immediately into government if they win an election. The talks must be authorised by the prime minister. For a period in the 2000s, the prime minister would do this in advance of the opening of parliament, meaning they could begin whenever needed. But under David Cameron, that practice ended, and, under Sunak, Downing Street has faced repeated questions in recent weeks about when he would grant permission before an election that could happen as early as spring, although autumn is now seen as more likely. An Institute for Government study of the practice showed that in elections since 1992, access talks began anywhere from 16 months before the election to a matter of weeks. In 2017, they were authorised on the day Theresa May called the election, leaving Labour just 51 days to speak to officials.
Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith resigned as deputy chairs of the Conservative party after defying Rishi Sunak by backing rightwing challenges to harden up his flagship Rwanda deportation bill. About 60 Tory rebel MPs – including the former home secretary Suella Braverman and the former prime minister Liz Truss – backed the series of amendments tabled by the veteran Tory Sir Bill Cash and Robert Jenrick when the bill returned to the Commons on Tuesday. Soon after Anderson and Clarke-Smith rendered their resignations, Jane Stevenson resigned as a parliamentary private secretary to Kemi Badenoch in the Department for Business and Trade. Stevenson had spoken strongly in favour of the amendments: “All of us are united in wanting a bill that works,” she said. As the bill goes in for its third reading, the question now is how the rebel Tory MPs will vote tomorrow – there is a chance that the bill may fail yet again because some in the party feel it is not strong enough.
Rishi Sunak has defended his decision to authorise Britain’s participation in joint US/UK air strikes against the Houthi military to protect shipping in the Red Sea. In a statement to MPs, he said people should not believe “the malign narrative that this is about Israel and Gaza”. The Houthis were attacking ships from all over the world, he said. (See 3.42pm.) Sunak has said that his government is willing to ignore injunctions from the European court of human rights (ECHR) that block deportation flights to Rwanda. He made the comment ahead of votes on the Rwanda bill in the Commons tomorrow and on Wednesday, in an attempt to reassure Tory MPs who complain the bill as drafted does not make it clear that these injunctions will be ignored. This is one of several issues where rightwingers are trying to toughen the bill. But No 10 has signalled that it is opposed to significant amendments. (See 2.31pm.) Keir Starmer has told Labour members they should ignore a poll saying the party is on course to win by a landslide and instead “fight like we’re 5% behind”. (See 12.26pm.) Labour’s national campaign coordinator, Pat McFadden, made the same point in a post on X.
Hizb ut-Tahrir will be banned from organising in the UK following claims that the group is antisemitic, James Cleverly, the home secretary, has said. Train drivers have called a further week of rolling strikes across England from late January in their long-running dispute with operators over pay.
When we moved to Sheffield in 1974, I was amazed to find that it cost only 7p to travel the three miles into the city centre by bus, and that the service was so frequent (The Guardian view on fare-free public transport: good for people as well as the planet, 7 January). When I commented on this to my colleague Jeff Chapman, a South Yorkshire councillor, he explained that the aim was to make it a free service for everyone. Margaret Thatcher’s government put paid to that, of course. Sheffield’s roads are now jammed with traffic at peak times, which, despite bus lanes, slows their progress. And, without concessions, fares are many times more expensive than in the early 1970s. But don’t underestimate the difficulty in getting people out of their cars and on to public transport. There was plenty of resistance 50 years ago from middle-class motorists in Sheffield, who objected to subsidising the buses through local tax income. It will be even harder now that cars are designed to cosset their occupants and isolate them from the outside world. On the other hand, today there is a greater recognition of the impact of motor traffic on climate, pollution and safety. Also, travelling by public transport is generally more relaxing. It is, after all, a “hands-free” form of motoring, that doesn’t require sophisticated technology. John Kirkwood Sheffield • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Re your print headline “Starmer ready to counter ‘nanny state’ jibe to boost child health” (Report, 10 January), I’ve always thought the best riposte is pointing out that having a nanny generally denotes high social status and prosperity. Let’s aspire to have a nanny state that cares about its citizens, and bin off the hypocritical wealthy carpers. Surely what’s good enough for the rich is equally good enough for the rest of us? Nigel Pollitt London • You report that the Docklands Light Railway may install fake steering wheels on its trains (Report, 11 January). Quite why a train running on rails should need a steering wheel, fake or otherwise, is a mystery to me. But even more mysterious is that these driverless trains have always been equipped with windscreen wipers. Ian Barrett Woking, Surrey • Re Sirin Kale’s article on breastfeeding (‘I felt rage. I had traded my sanity for milk’: what happened when I breastfed despite the pain, 10 January), I breastfed my babies when it was illegal to do so in public (in Scotland). Which was fun. But if I’d been told then that there would be more misery and misinformation and less support for young mothers 40 years on, I’d not have believed it. Dr Janice Brown Chryston, North Lanarkshire • Having recently dislocated a finger while simply removing my socks, I caution against any undressing acrobatics (Letters, 11 January). Stephen Bibby (aged 74) Silchester, Hampshire • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Rishi Sunak has given permission for Labour shadow ministers to start talks with civil servants about how they would run a government should they win the election later this year – a routine but nonetheless symbolic process before a possible handover of power. A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “In line with the longstanding process set out in the cabinet manual, the prime minister has authorised access talks between the official opposition and civil service.” The cabinet secretary, Simon Case, would “oversee and arrange these discussions”, the statement added. A Labour source confirmed that the party had received the letter confirming what are formally known as access talks on Thursday evening, and would reply “in due course”. The discussions are a necessary step so that an opposition party can step immediately into government if they win an election. The talks must be authorised by the prime minister. For a period in the 2000s, the prime minister would do this in advance at the start of parliament, meaning they could begin whenever needed. But under David Cameron that practice ended, and, under Sunak, Downing Street has faced repeated questions in recent weeks about when he would grant permission before an election that could happen as early as spring, although autumn is now seen as more likely. An Institute for Government study of the practice showed that in elections since 1992, access talks began anywhere from 16 months before the election to a matter of weeks. In 2017, they were authorised on the day Theresa May called the election, leaving just 51 days for Labour to speak to officials. There is, similarly, no formal guidance on how often the meeting should take place. The IfG briefing cites the experience of Ed Balls, who said that in 1997, as a special adviser to the shadow chancellor, Gordon Brown, he met the chief civil servant in the Treasury “maybe once or twice a week, for two or three hours at a time” in the run-up to the election.
I hope that the Labour leader’s “clean up of politics” and “crackdown on cronyism” (Keir Starmer pledges to clean up politics and crack down on cronyism, 2 January) extends to selling off the Whitehall drinks cabinet. Until your report of the non-publication of the stock list of fine wines, champagne and strong spirits – the last report was in July 2021 – many of us would have been unaware that our taxes are being used in this way (Report, 29 December). I am not teetotal, but when I was working I never expected my employer to pay for a lunchtime pint, or a drink after work for me and my colleagues. Ministers and their officials may claim that it is appropriate as hospitality for guests of the government, but if it smells like a cover-up it probably is – and the quality of so much of the decision-making during the “non-reporting period” suggests that strong drink could have played a part. Les Bright Exeter • You report that Keir Starmer said: “Trust in politics is now so low, so degraded, that nobody believes anyone can make a difference any more.” This sentence is absolutely correct. But why should anyone believe that Starmer can make a difference? He’s just a politician. Geoff Smith Endon, Stoke-on-Trent • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
The guest seat in Nick Ferrari’s LBC studio was bolted to the floor after Boris Johnson kept escaping off-camera in tough interviews during his tenure as mayor of London, the presenter has revealed. In an interview with Radio Times, Ferrari said the chair was now firmly attached to a plate in the studio floor so interviewees stay in shot of the webcam and avoid doing what LBC staff refer to as the “Boris bolt”. The former prime minister was regularly interviewed in a segment of Ferrari’s show called Ask Boris while he was the mayor of London between 2008 and 2016 where he would routinely make headlines with flippant comments. When challenged on tough subjects, he would mumble and roll the chair out of shot, the presenter said, which led to it being fixed in place. “That is the Boris bolt,” Ferrari said. “[When we were] doing the Ask Boris shows and he was mayor, he’d be asked why he was cancelling the 63 bus and he’d just drift off camera.” He added: “[Former commissioner of the Metropolitan police] Cressida Dick went to move her chair when she was in the studio but couldn’t. I told her off air why they were bolted in place and she said: ‘We do this in our interview rooms so our officers don’t get hit over the head with them.’” Ferrari, who previously said he was a fan of Johnson and also admitted to liking Keir Starmer, was asked whether the government got a free pass on his show. “Not at all … it’s terrible at the moment, embarrassing,” he said. “Let the voters have their say, but it won’t be so bad to have a complete change because it will refresh everything. The party looks absolutely knackered. Let’s be honest, the talent puddle has been well and truly drained. “[If Labour win the next election] it will probably mean that I can be a little bit more on the front foot and try to hit a few more sixes and fours, rather than just doing a little tickle for a couple of runs.”
Labour has accused Rishi Sunak of being “asleep at the wheel” over flood warnings at the end of a week in which swathes of England and Wales have been underwater and at least 1,000 properties flooded. Keir Starmer has indicated that he would guarantee government time for MPs to debate a private member’s bill to allow assisted dying. (See 9.26am.) He also said MPs should have a free vote, and that he would be in favour. The offer of making government time available is significant because, without that, it is relatively easy for MPs opposed to a backbench bill to use filibustering to ensure it never passes. Rishi Sunak has declined an invitation to criticise the Conservative MP who said most of the children struggling in the MP’s town were “products of crap parents”. (See 12.49pm.) Tributes have poured in for Derek Draper, the political lobbyist turned psychotherapist and husband of the TV presenter Kate Garraway, who has died at the age of 56. The former Labour leader Ed Miliband has become the latest senior party figure to express his condolences. He published this message on X: I am deeply sorry to hear of the death of Derek Draper. He was someone of deep intelligence, values and wit who was the life and soul of the many worlds he inhabited, including politics. I first met Derek 30 years ago and like anyone who met him I was drawn into his orbit by his charisma and love of life. He was a loyal and good friend to so many. The last few years have been a living nightmare for him and his family. All of my deepest condolences go out to Kate, Darcey and Billy and all his family.
Babies born in England during the Covid crisis have been slower at developing key language, cognitive and social skills, and the veteran education policymaker Sir David Bell is warning that rapid intervention is needed to stop those children being left further behind.
Rishi Sunak has given his strongest indication yet that he will not call a general election until the second half of 2024, puncturing Labour hopes that it could come as early as the spring. Keir Starmer has ruled out breaking Labour’s fiscal rules to meet its green investment targets if it wins the election this year, in the clearest sign yet that the party is willing to scale back one of its headline policies in the face of Conservative attacks.
Conservative MPs are pleading with Reform UK not to stand against them in the general election, the leader of the rightwing populist party has claimed. Junior doctors’ leaders say they are prepared to stage yet more strike action after the longest stoppage in NHS history, unless ministers make them a new offer to end the bitter pay row. Students taking part in the government’s post-Brexit replacement for the EU’s Erasmus+ student exchange scheme were forced to drop out because places were confirmed too late, while others failed to receive funding until after their return, according to analysis. Neil O’Brien, a Conservative MP and former minister, has written to the home secretary expressing his concern over the sudden death of a Sikh activist in Birmingham earlier this year. Several of the world’s biggest carmakers lobbied the UK government to try to weaken or delay rules to accelerate electric car sales and cut Britain’s carbon emissions, the Guardian can reveal.
Almost 100,000 people seeking asylum in the UK are waiting for a decision amid growing claims that ministers have massaged official figures to try to show that they have cut the backlog of cases. The Home Office claims that, with an exception made for difficult cases, it has got rid of the backlog for “legacy” asylum applications – defined as those in the system before June 2022 (when the Nationality and Borders Act came into force). See 9.19am. But Rishi Sunak posted a message on X implying the whole backlog was cleared by the end of 2023. Labour said this was a “barefaced lie”. (See 1.37pm.) The official figures show that, although the total backlog is now lower than it was when Sunak became PM, it is still more than double what it was at the time of the last election. (See 3.10pm.) James Cleverly, the home secretary, has conceded that a pre-Christmas “joke” he made about spiking his wife’s drink with a “date rape” drug could have distracted from his department’s work to tackle violence against women and girls.
Almost £90,000 worth of champagne was bought for events within the House of Lords last year and from its gift shop, according to new figures, the highest level for five years. Details of the sales – equating to 1,589 bottles – were obtained by the Scottish National party, which claimed this proved the Lords was “archaic and out of touch” at the time of a raging cost of living crisis.
“A parliament where unelected Lords glug fizz and collect £342 a day just for showing up is not a parliament fit to properly represent the people,” said Tommy Sheppard, the SNP MP for Edinburgh East. Figures released after a freedom of information request showed that, over the course of the year, 1,589 bottles of champagne were bought at a total cost of £88,987 – about £56 each. The cost is up slightly from the 2022 total, when 1,580 bottles were sold at a cost of £85,462. The SNP has no representatives in the House of Lords because of its opposition to the unelected second chamber. “Voters will be fizzing to hear that, while they were struggling to balance household finances and pay for basics like groceries and energy, unelected Lords were glugging back champagne,” added Sheppard. “The past year has been defined by Westminster’s cost of living crisis that has seen living standards plummet and countless more households pushed into poverty and deprivation – a reality alien to the Lords and their lavish lifestyles.” A spokesperson for the House of Lords said that all alcohol, including champagne, sold in the House of Lords was sold at a profit. “Most of the champagne sold by the House of Lords is bought by visitors in the gift shop and consumed away from parliament by members of the public, or sold at banqueting events to organisations or individuals hosting the event in the House of Lords,” the spokesperson added. “It is not paid for by the taxpayer.”
It’s not just the future of the EU that is threatened by the “straitjacket of fiscal rules” (Editorial, 19 December). Far too many UK politicians are threatening to take the UK down the dead-end path of what your editorial correctly terms the “discredited economics of austerity”. The public wants the next government to supply a more secure future, where wages and conditions improve and more local jobs are available. This will require a massive investment programme to build the foundations of the socially equitable and environmentally sustainable future that people crave. There are ways to fund that investment. The most obvious would be to use the tax-subsidised savings that many people have in Isas and pension savings accounts. If, in exchange for the tax advantages, these savings were required to be linked to new socially and environmentally necessary investment, more than £100bn of funding for such a programme could be found a year. Technically that might increase government borrowing, because even things such as NS&I are included in that so-called debt, but so what, when the result would be the future we desire and the economy that we need now? Our politicians must stop crushing hope for a better future. It is their duty to turn our savings into an economy of hope. That would be a vote winner. Richard Murphy Professor of accounting practice, Sheffield University Management School Colin Hines Convener, The Green New Deal Group • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Martin Kettle’s article (Britain is a country that looks to its parliament. And the truth is, parliament is failing us, 21 December) reminded me of a conversation that I had many years ago with a German MP, who was astonished by the existence of casework in Westminster. For her, officials fixed individual problems, parliamentarians shaped the system. And British MPs’ caseloads since then have grown exponentially, as a decade of austerity means there are few working systems left. That’s a big problem, but so are the issues with quality and behaviour that Kettle identifies. Why do we have so many unsuitable people – and such an unrepresentative bunch? The answer is because voters are stuck with an undemocratic, dysfunctional model of government, produced by centuries of historical accident, with political philosophies and ideas that have failed to develop and grow to even understand the modern world. As Kettle says, this is dangerous. It demands a total reshaping of our politics – proportional representation so parliament reflects the views of the people, genuine devolution of power and resources to local areas, and a ban on big political donations so we don’t get the politics the few pay for. Natalie Bennett Green party, House of Lords • Martin Kettle’s comment that “MPs should spend less time on constituency work and more time on governing” reminded me of a story that my father, Arthur Palmer, then Labour MP for Cleveland, told of an encounter with the Labour politician Hugh Dalton, the MP for Bishop Auckland, on a train to the north in the late 1950s. “I wouldn’t go up to your constituency too often if I were you, Palmer,” Dalton said. “They’ll think you have nothing better to do.” Sarah Palmer West Malling, Kent • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
Surely it is misleading to say that these items have been “donated to the nation” (Tolkien and CS Lewis manuscripts among treasures made available to public in 2023, 19 December). If £52m worth of items have been accepted by the nation in lieu of tax, haven’t we, the taxpayers, bought them? John Thorn Radcliffe-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire • We have assiduously conserved the handmade cards and milk teeth of our now grown-up children. Given the artistic and cultural significance of our collection, we wonder if HMRC would be prepared to accept them in lieu of tax? Gwyn Fields Sheffield • I recognise the silent treatment (Letters, 17 December) as an efficient family management tool. However, for the family to work, communications are essential. My solution was to hang three small labels round my neck: “YES”, “NO”, “BOLUX”. Mutual laughter normally broke the deadlock. Bernard Openshaw Weybridge, Surrey • One source of extra funding for the BBC (Letters, 17 December) could be the return of the radio licence for TV-free people like me. Tony Green Ipswich, Suffolk • Rishi Sunak and Giorgia Meloni share a common interest in fantasy fiction (Report, 16 December). This may explain their commitment to neoliberal economics. Scott Poynting Newtown, Sydney, Australia • Re your travel writers’ favourite finds of 2023 (16 December), I’ve camped at the same Dumfries and Galloway site yearly since 1976. Peter Gray Chesterfield, Derbyshire • I wonder if this is one of the most unusual Christmas presents – two bags of horse manure for my vegetable patch, from my son! Carolyn Martin Mawnan Smith, Cornwall • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Sadiq Khan has pledged to send 4x4s and other vehicles to Ukraine that would otherwise be scrapped under the Ulez scheme. The mayor of London has asked the transport secretary, Mark Harper, to enable people to donate suitable vehicles to Ukraine through scrappage schemes. The mayor had previously made it clear he did not believe altering the scheme for exporting vehicles would be possible under current laws. Under the Ulez scrappage scheme, which came into force in August, people in London with vehicles that fall foul of emission standards can claim up to £2,000 when their non-compliant vehicles are scrapped. The letter, jointly sent to Harper by Khan and the former defence secretary Ben Wallace, urged him to give motorists “money for taking polluting vehicles off our cities’ streets while providing vital support towards the people of Ukraine”. “We understand there is a particular requirement for 4x4 vehicles, as well as emergency service vehicles,” it added. Both Khan and Wallace said they had reached their conclusion following “conversations with the Mayor’s Office in Kyiv and other partners”. In a letter in response, the transport secretary said he was “surprised” it had taken so long for the mayor to request the move given the Ulez scheme had operated since August. He said the communities secretary, Michael Gove, had written to Khan “seeking clarity from you on precisely what legal barriers you believe you face”. He added in the letter that once the further information has been provided his officials will “of course be ready to support in identifying options to resolve this matter”. The Telegraph reported in September that Kyiv’s mayor, the former boxer Vitali Klitschko, had written to his London counterpart to suggest the idea as part of the scrappage scheme.
Rightwing Conservatives have expressed concern at the decision to U-turn on more than doubling the minimum salary needed for British nationals bringing foreign relatives to the UK, in yet another sign of the party’s continued splits on migration. Fears that the UK has fallen into recession have been heightened after official figures were revised to show that the economy shrank slightly in the July to September period. Rail fares in England will rise by 4.9% in March after the government capped the planned increase, although the cost of tickets is still expected to rise faster than inflation.
The BMA has hit back at Victoria Atkins after she claimed that many junior doctors were unhappy about its decision to call strikes for this week, and for six days in early January. (See 3.07pm.) But it has defended her decision to call junior doctors “doctors in training” during interviews this morning, even though Labour said the term was insulting. (See 11.24am.) The BMA said it found the term junior doctors “infantilising”. (See 1.57pm.) Cancer patients and women having induced or caesarean section births could come to harm unless junior doctors in those areas of care abandon their plans to strike in January, hospital bosses have warned. Keir Starmer has backed calls for a change in the law on assisted dying after the issue was brought to the fore by Dame Esther Rantzen. Government borrowing was higher than expected last month despite an increase in tax revenues and a reduction in the level of energy support for millions of households. A coroner has given the Home Office six weeks to provide a written statement on the case of an asylum seeker who is believed to have killed himself onboard the Bibby Stockholm barge. The UK government’s decision to set catch limits for fish populations above those recommended by scientific advice is to be challenged in the courts by marine conservationists who accuse ministers of breaking their own post-Brexit rules.
Boris Johnson’s Downing Street was so “macho and egotistical” that women’s voices were heard for as little as 10 minutes in five hours of meetings during a key week of coronavirus policy, the Covid inquiry has heard. Kemi Badenoch, the business secetary and minister for equalities, has said that it is “harmful” for teachers to say that people can be born in the wrong body. She made the comment in an article defending the government’s transgender guidance published yesterday – even though her assertion that it is wrong for teachers to tell children people can be trans goes beyond what the guidance actually says. Badenoch may have been shoring up her status with Tory rightwingers who would like the government to ban social transitioning at school and who thought yesterday’s guidance was too weak. (See 12.25pm.) The City is expecting interest rates to fall sharply next year following news of a much bigger than expected fall in the UK’s annual inflation rate to 3.9% in November. Striking junior doctors in England have insisted they retain the public’s support in their pay dispute with the government, despite the disruption to NHS care their stoppage has caused. Labour has launched its campaign to win the byelection in Wellingborough, where the Conservative Peter Bone had a majority of 18,540 at the last election. (See 1.53pm.)
Higher earners in Scotland are to be taxed more heavily after ministers in Edinburgh sought to reduce cuts to public services and fund an expensive council tax freeze. The head of the UK’s official statistics watchdog has challenged Rishi Sunak over his claim to have reduced public debt, saying the prime minister’s definition of this was so specific and limited that it risked being misleading for voters. Wide-ranging cuts to public services in areas from policing to flood risk management, culture and sport have been announced by the Labour-led Welsh government as it attempts to protect the NHS and support local councils. Post-Brexit restrictions on the free movement of workers from the EU have contributed to modern slavery becoming “a feature” of the care sector in England the Care Quality Commission has told MPs. The Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran has made an impassioned plea in the House of Commons for the government to back an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as she told of the desperate plight of relatives who had taken refuge in a church there. Keir Starmer, Gordon Brown and Tony Blair joined a host of senior figures from across British politics on Tuesday to pay tribute to Alistair Darling, the former chancellor who died last month aged 70.
Eddie Izzard has failed in her second attempt to be selected as a Labour candidate and represent the party as an MP at the next general election. The comedian and activist, 61, who first spoke about being trans in 1985, had hoped to stand as the Labour MP for Brighton Pavilion but was beaten by the music industry activist Tom Gray. Last year she failed to be selected as the Labour candidate for Sheffield Central. She had promised to fight for a “passion-driven creative education system”, increase the supply of affordable homes, secure more money for the NHS and champion mental health if she was selected. Caroline Lucas, the longstanding Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, plans to stand down at the next election and Labour hopes to take the seat. Gray, a British songwriter and composer who has won the Mercury prize, posted on X that he was “delighted and humbled” to be selected as the Labour candidate, and thanked Izzard and the other potential candidates for showing “solidarity and integrity” during the contest. In January, Izzard will play Hamlet in a one-person show in New York that is due to run for five weeks, a schedule that was criticised by a former Brighton councillor, Caroline Penn, during the campaign. Penn tweeted: “You can’t lead a parliamentary campaign if you are in New York for three months performing your one-person show.” However, Izzard told Brighton and Hove News she would cancel the run if she was selected as the candidate and the election was called before April. Otherwise, she said, she would campaign via Zoom and phone. She told the paper: “From the moment I am selected, I will be working full time on overturning the 20,000 Green majority in Brighton Pavilion and will be moving to Brighton to make this happen.”
Now that Robert Jenrick’s job has been split and we have a minister of state for legal migration and a minister of state for illegal migration, I am left wondering if Rishi Sunak also needs to appoint a minister for illegal plans to address legal migration, to help his Rwanda safety bill? John Russell Liberal Democrat, House of Lords • The new visa rules (Cleverly to announce salary threshold rise as part of new migration package, 4 December) show how little the UK government values family life. Looked at another way, the new £38,700 earnings threshold shows what care workers should be earning. Ilga Chakrabarti Kings Lynn, Norfolk • You described Mark Francois as “ebullient” (Once more unto the breach: how Rwanda bill unleashed ‘Brexit battles all over again, 12 December). Conversely, Marina Hyde referred to “a clown called Mark Francois” (It’s the Rishi Sunak twilight zone: a Brexit battle reenactment that never ends, 12 December). I’m with Marina. Mike Pender Cardiff • How good to see my former GP, the wonderful Dr Audrey Boucher, writing about French healthcare (Letters, 13 December). In her surgery, she had a framed cartoon saying: “My doctor didn’t believe in pre-menstrual tension, so I shot him.” Thank you for your care, Dr Boucher. Enjoy your retirement. Penelope Horner Whitchurch, Hampshire • Jonathan Freedland’s thoughtful and moving piece (Israel wants to slay the monster next door, but with this lethal bombardment, it is feeding it, 8 December) reminds me of the injunction: “Love your enemy – you made him!” Molly Ludlam Edinburgh • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays.
David Cameron, the foreign secretary, has defended the UK’s decision not to support a UN resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. (See 3.53pm.) He was speaking during a hearing with the Lords European affairs committee where he also said it was “disappointing” to hear the Israeli ambassador to the UK rule out a two-state solution. (See 3.39pm.) Rights campaigners have reacted with anger to the news that Downing Street will not appoint a new dedicated minister for disabled people, describing it as an “appalling and retrograde move”. Scott Benton MP is facing a 35-day suspension from parliament, leaving Rishi Sunak open to yet another difficult byelection. Rishi Sunak has said “there’s nothing tetchy” about him and dismissed dissent among his MPs to the Rwanda bill as “debating society” behaviour.
The UK “isn’t being governed” as the Conservative party fights among itself, Keir Starmer has told Rishi Sunak at the last prime minister’s questions of the year, challenging him in particular on rates of homelessness. Mark Drakeford has announced he is stepping down as the Welsh first minister and a contest for the leadership of Welsh Labour will begin shortly. Britain’s economy shrank unexpectedly by 0.3% in October as households and businesses came under growing pressure amid the cost of living crisis, raising the chances of a recession. The BBC is likely to be “looking into” Gary Lineker’s criticism of Conservative politicians, which appear to breach the BBC’s social media guidelines, Samir Shah, the government’s proposed new chair of the corporation, has said.
While Alistair Darling was a member of the Plant commission on electoral systems in the early 1990s, it is not the case, as the obituary initially said, that it recommended proportional representation for the House of Commons. Various views were taken by its members, and I was its secretary. It was decided to support the Supplementary Vote – a variation on the Alternative Vote rather than a fully proportional system. To the best of my recollection, Alistair, who played an active role in our proceedings, was content to go along with this.
MPs backed the contentious Rwanda bill despite a rebellion by rightwing MPs. The government won the first division with 337 votes. On the second division it had 313 votes. At least 25 Tory MPs definitely abstained on the Rwanda bill as an act of rebellion. Prior to the vote, Illegal Migration minister Michael Tomlinson told MPs he expects hundreds of people to be deported to Rwanda in 2024. Only 10% of voters think the government has done a good job managing immigration, new polling from Ipsos suggests. About 79% of people think the government has done a bad job. The National Audit Office has announced that it will publish a report on the costs of the Rwanda scheme next year. Nick Brown, a former chief whip, has announced he is standing down as an MP at the next election – and resigning his Labour party membership in protest at the way an allegation against him is being investigated. The MP for Newcastle upon Tyne East has had the whip suspended for more than a year after a complaint was lodged against him under the party’s independent complaints procedure. Brown said the complaint was made by a political rival and related to something alleged to have happened more than 25 years ago. He also said the accusations were “entirely false”.
A collective of rightwing Conservative MPs have announced that they will not support the second reading of Rishi Sunak’s bill that aims to overcome legal obstacles in deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda. The so-called five families – a loose alliance of five different rightwing Tory groups, who claim to represent more than 100 MPs overall – announced their decision as the Commons continued to debate the bill, which will be voted on at about 7pm. The bulk are expected to abstain. The groups held a joint impromptu press conference in parliament just before the votes began, illustrating the depth of the potential opposition faced by Sunak. Mark Francois, representing the European Research Group of MPs, said the plan was that “the bulk” of the MPs would abstain, with the intention that it would pass and then they would seek to amend it at the next stage. If their wishes were not met, he said, the groups would most likely then vote against the government on the final reading. Miriam Cates, from the New Conservatives, said: “We agree that the bill is defective as it is. We don’t believe it will stop the boats. There are too many opportunities for legal challenge. We do support the principle of the bill, which is to stop the boats.” John Hayes, from the Common Sense Group, said: “We will consider what the government does next. And what they do next will determine what we do next, and that means the third reading of bill.” Losing the vote would be a huge blow to Sunak’s authority, while even a narrow win could indicate significant troubles next year, if rebels seek to amend it during the report stage. The five groups making the decision were the European Research Group, the New Conservatives, the Common Sense Group, the Northern Research Group, and the Conservative Growth Group.
The Home Office has been ordered to give parliament the “full and frank” costings of the scheme to deport migrants to Rwanda, after admitting projected initial spending had doubled to almost £300m. Matthew Rycroft, the permanent secretary of the Home Office, has been asked to attend the public accounts committee on Monday to explain the situation, after the initial costs of the scheme rose from £140m to £290m. The committee issued its summons to Rycroft after No 10 stressed that it was Suella Braverman, who was sacked as home secretary last month, who signed off an extra £100m payment to Rwanda earlier this year, not Rishi Sunak. (See 12.08pm.) Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s first minister, has said a court ruling saying the UK government was entitled to veto the Scottish parliament’s gender recognition (reform) bill shows devolution is “fundamentally flawed”. (See 2.49pm.) No individuals will receive a penalty from the Metropolitan police regarding a gathering in parliament in December 2020, the force has said. Senior Downing Street officials have flown to Delhi to kickstart talks over a multibillion-pound free trade agreement, with the government of Narendra Modi having indicated it is keen to finalise a deal in the next three months.
Over more than three decades, as a politician and an overseas development activist, Glenys Kinnock campaigned for social justice and women’s rights at home in the UK and in the global south. As a board member of War on Want in the 1980s, she maintained a laserlike focus on its development aims and objectives when it was going through challenging times. In 1986, she and others set up One World, a campaign within the Labour party, to build greater awareness of international development. Four years later she helped found One World Action, an NGO/charity that supported partner organisations in Africa, Asia and Latin America in fostering active citizenship to tackle poverty and injustice. She was often referred to as “the MEP for Soweto”. Glenys was serious, thoughtful and compassionate, but with a great sense of fun and a mischievous twinkle in her eye. She was a delight to spend time with at work and socially. Her friends in Britain and around the world will miss her.
Rishi Sunak has vowed to “finish the job” of getting his Rwanda plan off the ground as he batted away questions about his future and fought to regain control of his mutinous party. The former home secretary Suella Braverman has denied spreading poison within her own party to get rid of Rishi Sunak. Boris Johnson said there was nothing he could have reasonably done to stop lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street, calling media coverage and TV adaptations of these events “absurd” and “a travesty of the truth”. Boris Johnson has told the Covid inquiry that he assumed Rishi Sunak’s flagship “eat out to help out” hospitality scheme had been cleared by government scientists and was surprised to learn later that it had not. Russian spies have been targeting British MPs, peers, civil servants, journalists and others with cyber-hacking since 2015 as part of a concerted attempt to meddle in British politics, a Foreign Office minister has said. The Conservatives raised three times as much as Labour in the last quarter boosted by £10m from the will of supermarket tycoon John Sainsbury, showing they are on course to benefit from No 10’s decision to raise election spending limits. The BBC’s governing body has said the UK’s creative sector will be hit by the government’s decision to limit the expected licence fee increase to £10, after the culture secretary confirmed a below-inflation rise.
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British taxpayers will bear extra costs after the signing of a treaty with the Rwandan government, James Cleverly, the home secretary, has said, as he asserted that the government was not pursuing “cheap and quick popularity”. The UK has suffered a sharp decline in its performance in international academic tests, wiping out recent progress, as the widespread disruption caused by Covid continued to take its toll on education, according to an OECD report. The UK has a relatively high rate of teenagers missing at least one meal per week because of poverty, the OEC report says. (See 4.13pm.) Thousands of junior doctors are to stage new strike action in England after failing to reach a deal with the government in talks over pay. Chris Huhne, the former energy and climate change secretary, has received a substantial six-figure sum from News UK. He is one of several figures who have received payments from the Murdoch-owned company as it settled historic phone-hacking cases. The UK government is likely to miss its targets under the Paris climate agreement by a wide margin, analysis shows, dealing a devastating blow to Britain’s standing on the international stage.
Rishi Sunak said that he started listening to Christmas music two weeks ago but that the move prompted so much fury from his friends and family that he resorted to enjoying the tunes in private. The prime minister, who is a fan of Michael Bublé’s Christmas hits and listens to the songs when he works late, talked about his enthusiasm for the festive season en route to the Cop28 summit in Dubai. “I had the Christmas music on about two weeks ago, and everyone shouted at me, and [since] then I’ve done it in private … now I can do that in public.” Sunak’s admission was prompted by a question about the death of Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan on Thursday.
Although he did not appear to be a Pogues fan, Sunak said he was a fan of Fairytale of New York, the Pogues’ and Kirsty MacColl’s Christmas classic. “It’s on every Christmas playlist, is that song, so great loss, great loss,” he said. When told by some reporters that it was far too early to start listening to Christmas songs, the prime minister said in response: “Come on, we did the Christmas market in Downing Street today! It’s fine, it’s all very good, it’s all very good.” Sunak said that he has recently been signing Christmas cards late into the night and using that time to unwind. “I put the Christmas music on and I just sit there and sign away, and I’ve been doing that for about 10 days already”, he said. After signing “thousands” of cards last year during his first Christmas as prime minister, Sunak said he called his mum and thanked her for giving him such a short name. “I said: ‘Thank God you named me a name that only has five letters in it.’ If it was a 10-letter thing this would probably have taken twice as long.”
Dominic Cummings created a “culture of fear” inside Downing Street and attempted to exclude ministers and even Boris Johnson from key decisions at the start of the pandemic, hampering the government’s response, Matt Hancock has told the Covid inquiry. The former chancellor Alistair Darling has died aged 70, a spokesperson for the veteran Labour politician’s family has said. Rishi Sunak has said he is “not in hock to ideological zealots” pressing for more urgent action on the climate emergency, as he prepares to fly to the Cop28 summit.
Rishi Sunak and those seeking to override the supreme court (Opinion, 29 November) should ponder the words of Sir Thomas More in Robert Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons: “This country’s planted thick with laws from coast to coast … and if you cut them down – and you’re just the man to do it – d’you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then?” Clive Collins Martlesham Heath, Suffolk • Could the baffling expression “one of the only” (‘The monarchy looks vulnerable’, 28 November) please be banned from the Guardian in favour of “one of the [insert number]”, or at least “one of the few”? I don’t much like “one of the earliest/first/last” etc either. Chris Short Knaresborough, North Yorkshire • One of life’s simple pleasures is reading the country diary in conjunction with Google Earth, and the Street View feature, to add another dimension to my daily virtual visit to parts of Britain. Nick Jones Stocksfield, Northumberland • To continue: “On the second day of Christmas, Rishi Sunak saved for me / some stolen marbles and another year of austerity” (Letters, 23 November). Ian Grieve Gordon Bennett, Llangollen canal • Alumni from Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ school are also never in any doubt about correct apostrophe placement (Letters, 27 November). Harry Chalton Newcastle upon Tyne • I hope that when the wind lifted a young Paul Lynch “off his feat” (Interview, 27 November) he wasn’t defeeted. Maggie Johnston St Albans • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and on our Saturday letters spread in the print edition.
Michael Gove has apologised for mistakes made by the government during the Covid pandemic, saying the UK was too slow to lock down in early 2020 and then again that autumn. Dominic Cummings joked in a private message about taking his family to the countryside in March 2020, about a fortnight before he infamously did just that in apparent breach of lockdown laws. Rishi Sunak cancelled a meeting with his Greek counterpart for going back on assurances that he would not use a UK visit as a “public platform” to lobby for the return of the Parthenon sculptures to Athens, Downing Street has said. Workers in some public sector jobs will be completely prevented from striking under restrictive rules that may breach international law, parliament’s watchdog on human rights has said. The former boss of Wilko has tearfully told MPs she was devastated by the collapse of the budget retailer as she claimed the family’s multimillion-pound fortune was not enough to rescue it.
Boris Johnson appeared to have no idea that Greater Manchester had spent months under tougher Covid restrictions than London, Andy Burnham has said, arguing that this exemplified an over-centralised approach to the pandemic. As Peter Walker reports, Giving evidence to the inquiry into Covid, Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, said he felt his region was given a “punishment beating” with less financial support after pushing back against regional restrictions. He also told the hearing that Matt Hancock, the health secretary at the time, decided to impose severe tier 3 restrictions on Greater Manchester in October 2020 despite believing the measures would be ineffective. Additional lives were lost during Covid because of “bad faith” by Boris Johnson’s government in excluding London’s representatives from early emergency meetings about the pandemic, denying ministers vital knowledge, Sadiq Khan, the city’s mayor, has said. Consultants in England have reached a deal with the government that could end strikes, the Department of Health and Social Care has said. James Cleverly, the home secretary, has refused to assure Tory MPs that the government’s new legislation on the Rwanda deportation policy will allow the European convention on human rights to be ignored. (See 3.20pm.) Rishi Sunak has said the UK will not return to the close relationship with China pursued under David Cameron, as the prime minister met business leaders in an effort to drum up foreign investment.
For the man or woman who has everything but an acrylic Christmas jumper bearing the knitted tree logo of the Conservative party: good news. It can now be yours – with 10% off on your first purchase! – from the Conservative party’s online shop, along with a 2024 calendar of historical election posters and a bauble on which Margaret Thatcher festively bellows: “No, no, no.”
Ever mindful of the penury 13 years of Tory government have imposed on consumers, the online shop responded to Black Friday with its own “Blue Friday” sale offering shoppers looking for stocking fillers up to 70% off. The big savings, though, were confined to a handful of items, including a 2008 mug of Boris Johnson, now yours for just £3.99. At least Johnson is doing better than Rishi Sunak, the actual prime minister, who can be found only as one of several images on a coaster set and matching framed print. Even Keir Starmer appears on his own flip-flops (get it?), and on a satirical Christmas card reading: “All I want for Christmas is EU”. And given only a third of Britons now think Brexit was the right decision, they may well sell lots of that one. Johnson at least makes it into a charming collection of ceramic former prime ministerial Toby jugs alongside Thatcher and Winston Churchill – all out of stock – and John Major, Theresa May and David Cameron, of which there are, happily, plenty left at just £28.95. Once again, however, no Sunak. As for Liz Truss – like the ghost of Christmas past, it seems, she is someone the Conservative party would rather we forgot.
It may not be the most complicated of tools to master, but Rishi Sunak was mocked on social media for ostensibly having difficulty handling a hammer, after being told to use it sideways as part of a craft session. Sunak was taking a lesson in hammering jewellery in Farsley in West Yorkshire during a visit. A clip of his technique went viral on Friday as it showed him using the side of the tool and struggling to hit the metal hard enough to drive it downwards. Labour tweeted: “Man who hammers working people can’t use a hammer,” and “Rishi Sunak: not the son of a toolmaker,” a reference to Keir Starmer’s background. But in a fuller version of the clip, the jewellery crafter sitting alongside Sunak instructs him to use the side of the instrument. He replies: “Sideways?” and she says: “Yes.” She subsequently can be seen saying, “Come on!” as he struggles to drive the metal downwards. Sunak has previously been mocked for trying to pay for a can of soft drink by scanning his bank card on a barcode reader and borrowing a Kia Rio from a supermarket worker for a photo opportunity rather than using his government Jaguar. Richard Holden, the new chair of the Conservative party, hit back at Labour saying: “He’s the son of a pharmacist and a GP. And if Labour listened to working people, rather than assuming they knew what was best from their inner-London ivory towers, then they wouldn’t keep making stupid mistakes like this tweet.”
Rishi Sunak has refused to apologise for record net immigration that breaks a key election promise, amid growing pressure for further government action from ministers and Conservative backbench MPs. Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary, has rejected claims from the Institute for Fiscal Studies thinktank that the spending plans in the autumn statement imply more austerity is on the way. (See 9.25am.) The Foreign Office has issued a statement condemning the killing of Palestinian civilians by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, where David Cameron, the foreign secretary, has been meeting Palestinian leaders today. (See 3.31pm.)
That’s it for our coverage of the autumn statement today. Here is a roundup of our coverage of the day’s events Jeremy Hunt’s autumn statement tax cuts fuel talk of spring election Key points at a glance Political analysis Chancellor’s tax cut opens door to early election – and sets a trap for Labour | Rowena Mason Business analysis A ‘live now, pay later’ autumn statement – and yet election year still looks bleak | Larry Elliott Conservative MPs urge Jeremy Hunt to go further on tax cuts Thousands on disability benefits to lose extra £5,000 a year in autumn statement Sketch Jeremy Hunt delivers a budget designed to destroy a future chancellor | John Crace What it means for you How will your income change?
Gaby Hinsliff notes Keir Starmer’s sensitivity to the feelings of the Jewish community in respect of the plight of the hostages taken in the horrific attack of 7 October and his persistence in calling for their release (The Gaza vote was a win for Keir Starmer – defending it will be harder, 17 November). But his continuing refusal to back an immediate ceasefire has not only failed to heal divisions within the Labour party; it also effectively supports an Israeli military posture that greatly endangers the hostages’ survival. On 31 October he stated that he did not believe a ceasefire “is the correct position now”, which, following the continuing death and destruction in Gaza, prompts the question: “If not now, when?” Starmer’s stance may have been influenced by his mission to root out antisemitism within Labour, not to mention the recent rise in antisemitism and antisemitic incidents that cause justifiable concern to British Jews. However, it should not be considered antisemitic to uphold Israel’s right to self-defence while opposing a failing policy that has resulted in catastrophe for Gazan civilians while threatening Israel’s future security. Last Sunday, hundreds attended a Jewish-led protest in London that called for an immediate ceasefire, a hostage exchange and an end to the siege on Gaza. This is the only way to open up the space for an internationally mediated resolution to the conflict, and a true test of the leadership to which Starmer aspires. Dr Anthony Isaacs London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Nadine Dorries need not feel like an impostor (Interview, 15 November). By condemning the entitled elite while whining endlessly because she wasn’t given a title, she displays precisely the lack of self-awareness that characterises so many Tories. She makes much of her Liverpool background, so perhaps she remembers what we Liverpudlians say to someone who goes on and on: don’t boil your cabbages twice. Charles Osborne Prague, Czech Republic • I enjoyed Adrian Chiles’s article (Where will you spend Christmas? With your parents? Your in-laws? Your children? Why is it so complicated?, 16 November). I have all of his complications to deal with, plus two more: it’s my birthday on Christmas Day and my eldest daughter’s birthday on Boxing Day. Being the Christmas host for the last 33 years has brought many happy memories. But next year it’s a big birthday, so we are branching out to a pub! Don’t tell Santa, but I cannot wait. Adele Ryan London • Re updating The Twelve Days of Christmas (Letters, 19 November), given the recent recruitment to the upper legislative chamber, there would seem to be a good case for the line “778 lords a-leaping”. John Clarke Wakefield • Henry Fryer suggests bringing back a virtual Margaret Thatcher to the government (Letters, 19 November). We could also bring back a virtual Edward Heath. He was an expert in small boats. Chris Sumner Waltham Abbey, Essex • On page 4 of Tuesday’s paper, there is a photo of Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt screwing something. Is this a metaphor? Christine White Bingham, Nottinghamshire • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and on our Saturday letters spread in the print edition.
Rishi Sunak would almost certainly have known scientists were worried about his “eat out to help out” scheme during the pandemic, Sir Patrick Vallance has said, directly contradicting the prime minister’s evidence to the Covid inquiry. My colleague Peter Walker has a summary of the main points from Vallance’s evidence.
The inquiry has just published Vallance’s 241-page witness statement on its website. It includes this nugget. (The CMO is the chief medical officer, Prof Sir Chris Whitty.)
Rishi Sunak has hinted at business tax cuts to boost economic growth as he promised to reduce the tax burden “carefully and sustainably” and “over time”. China’s growing role in international development marks a systemic global shift that will require robust challenge by Britain if its interests are threatened, a UK government white paper on aid has warned. Michael Gove, the levelling up secretary, has identified 55 projects across the UK that will get funding worth a total of £1bn from the levelling up fund. The full list of projects from the fund’s round 3 allocation is here. The UK trade secretary, Kemi Badenoch, has been accused of quietly killing off a funding stream for small businesses that had helped fashion brands such as Paul Smith and Vivienne Westwood launch their products at global trade fairs.
In Brief Lives, John Aubrey wrote: “This Earle of Oxford, making of his low obeisance to Queen Elizabeth, happened to let a Fart, at which he was so abashed and ashamed that he went to Travell, 7 yeares. On his returne the Queen welcomed him home, and sayd, My Lord, I had forgot the Fart.” Interestingly, it’s seven years since David Cameron fled, having unleashed a stink of near-nuclear proportions on the polity of this country. Now he’s back – and we have not forgotten (Can Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton make it as a comeback king?, 17 November). Marion Doyen Leamington Spa, Warwickshire • Having retrieved David Cameron from his shepherd’s hut and reinstalled him in the Palace of Westminster, No 10 could show a bit more initiative by consulting the creators of the Abba Voyage show, and bring Margaret Thatcher back in virtual form for the Downing Street TV cameras. Henry Fryer Bishop’s Waltham, Hampshire • John Boaler’s letter on various ministers and their short tenures (14 November) seems to me to be the Twelve Days of Christmas for our times – Thirteen Years of Tory Rule, with the “five gold rings” refrain now “five prime ministers”. I’m sure another reader can come up with the rest of the song. Sally Smith Redruth, Cornwall • David Cameron wants the UK to help the UN end global hunger (Report, 18 November). Maybe they could start by ending it in the UK? Michael Miller Sheffield • It seems little wonder that Reed Bowden suffers from hearing loss, given that he lives in Great Snoring (Letters, 16 November). Chris Robins Kidlington, Oxfordshire • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and on our Saturday letters spread in the print edition.
Nigel Farage has said he will not be able to take part in some of the I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! bushtucker trials because of health problems. The former Ukip and Brexit party MEP turned TV presenter is entering the jungle for the reality TV show, which kicks off on Sunday. He told the Sun that he would not be able to do some of the exercises that can determine whether his fellow camp-mates have food or luxury items, in part because of health issues resulting from a plane crash. “Well, anything involving weightlifting, I’d be out because I’ve obviously had some quite serious physical injuries and neck reconstructions and goodness knows what else,” Farage said. “So they are fully aware that I’m a little bit damaged when it comes to bodily structure. But having said that, I can still do most things.” Farage suffered back injuries when a light aeroplane he was flying in crashed on polling day for the 2010 general election. He managed to walk away from the wreckage. Three years later he had an operation for health problems caused by the crash, including having a “couple of discs removed and replaced”, he told the BBC at the time. The GB News presenter, who also holds shares in the TV company, is thought to be the highest-ever paid contestant, being paid a rumoured £1.5m sum.
He added that he was unfazed by the trials. “Well, you know what? I’ll just do my best. It’s all I can do. “I doubt that any of the trials are actually going to kill me, although I don’t think they’ll all be a bag of fun. “But hey, look, I signed up for this. It’s in for a penny, in for a pound. So let’s go.” He will enter the jungle in Australia a year after the former health secretary Matt Hancock, who finished third in the final. Among the ordeals he faced was having to eat a fish eye and camel’s penis.
Downing Street has ruled out a proposal by rightwing Conservatives to override international law to remove asylum seekers to Rwanda, an idea condemned by a senior centrist Tory as “dictatorial”. Damian Green, former de facto deputy PM and Conservative MP, has attacked Suella Braverman’s latest plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda as “unconservative” and “dictatorial”, as the former home secretary continues to divide her party with her outspoken interventions. Jeremy Hunt is considering slashing the UK inheritance tax rate in next week’s autumn statement after economic forecasters told the chancellor he would have more money to spend thanks to rising tax revenues and falling borrowing costs.
Lawyers have said that UK ministers’ latest plans to get their high-profile Rwanda policy off the ground are unlikely to overcome the legal obstacles that defeated them in the supreme court on Wednesday. Rishi Sunak’s government will present a full law to parliament to set aside the supreme court’s ban on sending asylum seekers to Rwanda, No 10 has said, setting up a likely battle with MPs and peers and putting in doubt the aim for flights to begin leaving by spring. James Cleverly, the new home secretary, has failed to deny calling the Rwanda policy ‘“batshit” in private. (See 9.27am.) David Cameron has travelled to Kyiv for his first trip as UK foreign secretary in an unannounced visit just days after his surprise appointment. Sixty senior women at the UK’s Ministry of Defence have described a “hostile” and “toxic” culture at the department in a letter that alleges sexual assault, harassment and abuse by male colleagues. Welfare claimants who “refuse” to engage with their jobcentre or take work offered to them will lose their benefits, under plans confirmed this afternoon by the chancellor before next week’s autumn statement. Commenting on the proposals, Liz Kendall, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said: This poor excuse of a proposal does nothing to fundamentally change the state of our health service or our jobcentres after a decade of failure from the Tories. A record 7.8 million people are still stuck on NHS waiting lists, and 2.6 million people are trapped out of work due to long-term sickness, with the increase since the pandemic alone costing the taxpayer an extra £15.7bn a year.
Aditya Chakrabortty is right that we are experiencing the end of “the end of history” and we need to ditch the intellectual complacency that accompanied it (The Westminster panto is in full swing: but there are real dangers waiting in the wings, 9 November). It’s not just that we need new ideas. We have a political class that does not take ideas seriously. The Tories throw scare stories to the media, and Keir Starmer and his party just try to dodge the bullets, rather than putting forward a coherent set of ideas to address the chaos of the times. For all its failings, the Corbyn project at least had John McDonnell’s economic advisory committee, with critical socialist economists such as Thomas Piketty and Mariana Mazzucato feeding into McDonnell’s attempt to develop a new economic strategy. Now, any intellectual energy in the Starmer government-in-waiting comes from Rachel Reeves’s “securonomics”, and even critical centrists like Stella Creasy and Neal Lawson are sidelined. Maybe Starmer has more up his sleeve than he’s letting on, but as things stand we have a series of crises hitting us head-on, and a shadow cabinet that thinks yesterday’s reformism is sufficient to tackle today’s emergencies. Nick Moss London
In linking Suella Braverman and the current Conservative party with nihilism (Suella Braverman is sunk, and so are the Tories: a party of nihilists, led by a loser, 13 November), you do nihilism a disservice. Nihilism, as a political movement, was progressive, based as it was on socialism and reason, which are hardly trademarks of the Conservatives. George Gay Reigate, Surrey • Re your article ( What will Esther McVey bring to cabinet as the ‘commonsense tsar’?, 14 November), is Esther McVey’s appointment an open admission that common sense is sadly lackingin the rest of the cabinet? Margaret Coupe Longnor, Staffordshire • What next? Esther McVey’s GB News colleague John Cleese as minister for silly walks? Ruth Eversley Paulton, Somerset • John Crace’s remarkable distillation of Nadine Dorries’ book (Digested read, 8 November) confirms the high-order crafting skills ironically involved in mimicking mindless drivel. Mark de Brunner Burn Bridge, North Yorkshire • My mother also considered condensed milk to be a treat (Letters, 13 November). She would pour some into a cup and lick it from a teaspoon. My dad preferred bread and dripping sprinkled with salt. David Rose Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham • Re your report that fewer children in England are having teeth out since sugar tax began (Report, 15 November), could this be because they can’t get a dentist? Sue Brennan Bower Hinton, Somerset • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Thérèse Coffey said she “nearly died” due to the stress of being a government minister. Speaking to BBC Radio Suffolk, the former environment secretary said she was admitted to hospital after “working [herself] into the ground”. Coffey, 51, who had been widely tipped to be in line to be sacked by Rishi Sunak during his cabinet reshuffle, resigned from her role on Monday. “Nearly five years ago I got so ill, I nearly, dare I say it, died,” she said. “I was in hospital for a month with some of the stresses that happen with ministerial life. “A few years ago I certainly worked myself into the ground somewhat, but I learned a lot from that incident and that’s why I’ve always had a joy about life.” Coffey, who was made deputy prime minister under Liz Truss, said in her resignation letter that she is returning to the backbenches because it is the “right time” for her to leave government. In his response, Sunak thanked her for her “years of dedicated ministerial service” and her friendship to him personally. She was replaced as environment secretary by Steve Barclay, 51. Coffey’s previous cabinet roles also included two months as health secretary under Truss. She was previously a junior minister at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Ruth Leach, from Save the Deben – a group trying to clean up the Suffolk river – said she was “delighted” by Coffey’s departure from government. Coffey was also accused of being “complacent” in dealing with water companies, risking water shortages as well as extreme environmental consequences, according to a House of Lords committee. Meanwhile, Rachel Smith-Lyte, East Suffolk council’s cabinet member for the environment, a member of the Green party, added: “I’m amazed she’s been around as long as she has, both in terms of being environment minister, which is laughable, and as an MP for this area.”
Re David Cameron’s return to government as foreign secretary (Report, 13 November), he should be remembered for two major policies. First, austerity, which left the public realm so damaged. His recent evidence to the Covid enquiry showed that he has learned nothing. And second, enabling us to leave Europe, having failed to negotiate an adequate agreement with the EU, thus leaving the country to the Tory chaos of the last seven years. A brilliant appointment, Rishi Sunak. Michael Griffith-Jones London • I marched for peace on Saturday. I was anxious, but convinced of the need to demonstrate my horror at the actions of Hamas and the imperative to stop the bombing in Gaza. Sometimes we need to stand up and be counted. This was made possible by the work of the Metropolitan police, which provided an excellent and sensitive service. Thank you to Sir Mark Rowley for showing leadership at this time (‘He will not be bullied’: Met chief Mark Rowley not afraid to stand his ground, 11 November). Sally Bates Cotgrave, Nottinghamshire • I too am from the north, and we were given the choice of either sugar or condensed milk sandwiches when money was scarce (Letters, 9 November). We thought of them as a treat then, but I shudder now. Jean Jackson Seer Green, Buckinghamshire • Those living in the Shetland Islands may have the highest life satisfaction (Report, 7 November), but they are also more likely to be murdered. I know, I’ve watched all eight series of Shetland on the BBC. Nigel Dark Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
We’re interested in hearing what people think of former British prime minister David Cameron’s return to frontbench politics. Rishi Sunak on Monday unexpectedly appointed Cameron, who is accepting a peerage in order to serve in government as he is no longer an MP, as foreign seceratry amid a wider cabinet reshuffle.
This Community callout closed on 22 November 2023. You can see the article that included respondents to this callout here. You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.
Suella Braverman appears set to remain as home secretary over a weekend of remembrance ceremonies and protests, although her fate is still deeply uncertain after Jeremy Hunt joined the ministerial voices distancing themselves from her views. The Metropolitan police has said that it will have up to 1,850 officers on duty this weekend, from the Met and other forces, to police the remembrance weekend events and the pro-Palestinian march taking place tomorrow. (See 3.30pm.) Labour figures are urging MPs not to “undermine the party in Scotland” by supporting the SNP motion demanding a ceasefire next week, the Guardian understands. The UK economy flatlined between July and September, compared with the previous three months, as the impact of high interest rates and inflation weighed on consumers and businesses.
Suella Braverman’s future as home secretary appears to be in doubt after Downing Street said it had not cleared an incendiary article in which she accused the Met police of bias. Suella Braverman has been forced to clarify that she had been referring to dissident republicans in an article in which she likened the pro-Palestine protests in London to sectarian marches in Northern Ireland. Boris Johnson was initially reluctant to criticise the police for the way they broke up the vigil for Sarah Everard on Clapham Common because he felt it was just “argy bargy”, the Covid inquiry learned today. (See 4.58pm.) Boris Johnson has said Rishi Sunak is a “stooge” put in place by his former senior adviser Dominic Cummings, according to the former cabinet minister Nadine Dorries.
Rishi Sunak has conceded that a major pro-Palestine march will go ahead on Armistice Day, after he held an emergency meeting with the head of the Metropolitan police. Mark Sedwill, the UK’s most senior civil servant at the start of Covid, viewed Boris Johnson’s government as “brutal and useless” and did not trust Matt Hancock, then health secretary, to be truthful, the inquiry into the pandemic has been told. The RMT union has reached a possible deal with train operators to resolve their long-running national rail dispute, allaying fears of a repeat of last year’s Christmas strikes.
King Charles has delivered his first king’s speech, outlining the UK government’s plans for laws to create potential dividing lines with Labour before the next general election with a tough approach to criminal justice and the green agenda, but little legislation to improve Britain’s struggling public services. And here is Rowena Mason’s analysis.
The two most senior civil servants in the UK exchanged messages describing those inside Boris Johnson’s Downing Street as “poisonous”, “mad” and unfit to run the nation, the inquiry into Covid has heard. Amnesty International has called on the police in London not to bow to “political pressure” to ban this Saturday’s pro-Palestinian march in the city.
Polly Toynbee says that to pay for pensions and care, “the money is right there for the taking, in wealthy pensioners’ assets” and that “one in five over-65s live in households with assets worth more than £1m” (During Covid, callous Tories knew this about old people: they’re very expensive, 3 November). But most of those “assets” are their houses, not things they can trade. A home is not an asset. You can’t survive without one, so you can only sell if you move to a cheaper area, and damage your health with the stress of moving away from the place and the people you know. So if most older people are relatively “wealthy” homeowners, and most young people relatively poor tenants, it’s not because of a conspiracy by old people. It’s “Tory policy driving a wedge between generations”, deliberate theft by multimillionaires getting rid of council houses, pushing up house prices, and increasing profits for private landlords. So the answer to the problem is not to take people’s homes away from them, but to massively increase the tax on the people who really do have millions of pounds of wealth. Rowan Adams Dilwyn, Herefordshire
The government has announced that it intends to activate before Christmas new laws to limit the right of railway workers, ambulance staff and border officials to go on strike. (See 5.34pm.) Boris Johnson referred to Rishi Sunak’s Treasury as “the pro-death squad” as he sought to gain support for a gradual end to Covid restrictions, the official inquiry into the pandemic has been told. The Metropolitan police has released a statement urging the organisers of the planned pro-Palestinian march in London for Saturday to reconsider given that it will coincide with Armistice Day. Ministers have been strongly signalling that they want the police to initiate the process that could lead to the march being banned.
The Conservative peer Michelle Mone has acknowledged for the first time that she was involved with a company that was awarded government PPE contracts worth £200m during the Covid pandemic.
Helen MacNamara, a former senior Downing Street civil servant, has criticised Boris Johnson for failing to act against his former top adviser Dominic Cummings when he used what she described as “violent and misogynistic language” against her. She has been giving evidence to the Covid inquiry. Matthew Weaver has the highlights from her evidence here.
The UK, US, EU and China have all agreed that artificial intelligence poses a potentially catastrophic risk to humanity, in the first international declaration to deal with the fast-emerging technology. Scotland’s devolved government has been beset by poor decision-making for the past decade because of an obsession with constitutional disputes, a thinktank says.
Teachers, perhaps especially at universities, will be wearyingly familiar with the type of plagiarism that Rachel Reeves has been accused of, and the non-excuses that have followed so far (Rachel Reeves admits mistakes after being accused of plagiarism in new book, 26 October). The central issue is the passing off of someone else’s writing as one’s own. This isn’t simply a matter of adequate referencing of sources. A proper attribution of substantially copied passages requires quotation marks, or similar. Of course, the more that a piece of work comprises such material, even thus attributed, the less value it has in terms of authorship. But that’s the point. John Bone York • I was always told if you copied directly from another written source it was plagiarism. Copying from several sources was research. Brian Binns Loughborough, Leicestershire • When pasting material from Wikipedia, do it in a garish colour. Then, when editing, put in a reference or revise the text carefully. Peter Brooker West Wickham, Kent • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Surely the rehabilitation of George Osborne must be almost complete. Regarding the ongoing Covid inquiry, the former chancellor says: “I think we’re going to get some … frankly shocking WhatsApp messages being published” (Dominic Cummings’ ‘misogynistic’ messages seen by Covid inquiry, George Osborne says, 27 October). This from the chap who once opined that he wouldn’t rest until Theresa May was “chopped up in bags in my freezer”. Jane Owen East Chinnock, Somerset • Your article on Historic England’s recognition of the value of the “ghost signs” all around us omitted the previous work done on these intriguing mementoes. The History of Advertising Trust archive contains hundreds of examples already recorded, and the Ghostsigns website has extensive research on their social history. Historic England should link up as well as look up. Keith Roberts Norwich • I understand Wendy Barnaby’s decision not to march over Israel and Gaza because of the partisan nature of demonstrations (Letters, 24 October). We must call out these polarisations, otherwise the killings will continue. I am preparing a banner for the next march that will read: “Stop hate”. A drop in the ocean maybe, but it will make the tiniest ripple. Val Mainwood Wivenhoe, Essex • Your album review (Billy Bragg: The Roaring Forty review – four decades of flying the flag, 26 October) does a fine song a disservice by dismissing There Is Power in a Union as “rabble-rousing”. If it is, I am proud to be part of the rabble who are regularly roused by it. Richard Baynes Glasgow • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Simon Jenkins writes that public inquiries don’t give victims their lives back, and suggests that they only serve to line lawyers’ pockets while all that the victims want is compensation (Subpostmasters betrayed, contaminated blood victims forgotten: why is Britain so bad at righting wrongs?, 26 October). As a lawyer who is privileged to act on behalf of a number of victims of the infected blood scandal, I can assure Mr Jenkins that the most important thing for those I represent is uncovering the truth which has been hidden from them for decades; compensation is important, but it is only one aspect of delivering justice to those infected and affected. Inquiries are a vital vehicle for getting to the bottom of the worst tragedies and scandals involving the state. Inquiries are able to examine an issue in a level of detail that is beyond the resources of the civil and criminal justice systems; while this can be a lengthy process, it also provides the best chance of avoiding similar tragedies or scandals in the future. The greatest problem with public inquiries is the lack of a body to enforce the implementation of their recommendations. The nub of Mr Jenkins’s complaint is that governments delay and procrastinate over the implementation of inquiry recommendations, and that is something with which most involved with public inquiries would agree. The solution, though, is not to avoid public inquiries, but to ensure that recommendations cannot be allowed to sit on the shelves of Whitehall. Finally, to the charge that lawyers line their pockets, those who are granted public funding are typically working for a fraction of their commercial rates and do so for the cause. Ben Harrison Head of public law, Milners Solicitors • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Justine Greening’s plea for a change of course is a cry in the wilderness (The ‘let Rishi be Rishi’ plan is a disaster. Only a John Major strategy can halt Tory armageddon now, 23 October). The Tory party that elected John Major in 1990 contained people who were shown the door by Boris Johnson in 2019, while he ushered in the sort of people once described by David Cameron as “fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists”. I wouldn’t endorse Cameron’s language, but it explains the party’s direction of travel, and the shrillness of the dog whistles by cabinet members. Les Bright Exeter • How fascinating to learn from Justine Greening that we are living in an age when “authenticity counts for everything”. The age of Boris Johnson and his Brexit campaign? George Burns came nearer the truth when he said, of honesty, that “if you can fake that, you’ve got it made”. Rev Christopher Swift Coreglia Antelminelli, Italy • Justine Greening opines that the recent byelection results “show an electorate that doesn’t know what the [Conservative] party and its leader now represent”. Au contraire: it shows an electorate that knows it precisely, and does not want any more of it. Ever again. Douglas B Kell Chirk, Wrexham • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Nicola Sturgeon has announced on social media she has passed her driving test at the age of 53. The former first minister of Scotland said she was successful on her first attempt. She posted a photograph of herself and Andy McFarlane, her driving instructor, on Instagram on Monday. The MSP for Glasgow Southside, who has 128,000 followers on the social media app, wrote: “So this happened today – at the tender age of 53, I passed my driving test (first time!!!). “I couldn’t have done it without my brilliant instructor Andy MacFarlane of Caledonian Learner Driver Training. “It was really important to me, as a 53-year-old former FM, not just to have an excellent teacher but someone I could trust and feel comfortable with – Andy was all of that and more. “The whole experience has taken me well out of any notion of a comfort zone, but hopefully proves that it’s never too late in life to do something new.” Sturgeon resigned as Scotland’s first minister and SNP leader in March after nine years in the role. Humza Yousaf was elected as her successor. In June, she was detained and questioned as part of a police investigation into the SNP’s finances. She was released without being charged later the same day. Sturgeon was Scotland’s longest-serving first minister and was ranked the second most powerful woman in the UK after Queen Elizabeth II by Forbes magazine in 2016.
As a battle-scarred veteran of many political battles in the UK and the US, I rejoice in the stunning victory of Labour in two byelections (Labour MPs told to ‘keep feet on ground’ after historic byelection wins, 20 October). But two other recent articles in the Guardian contain implicit lessons for Keir Starmer and the Labour party I support. One is the moving article by Magen Inon (I lost my parents in the Hamas attack. My family want peace, not revenge for their deaths, 19 October); the other is your report about Starmer’s response to events in the Middle East (Labour deeply divided over Starmer’s line on Israel-Hamas war, 20 October), which quoted one unnamed senior Labour MP saying: “We just looked like we didn’t care about Palestinians”, and another asking: “How have we gone that far away from our Labour values of equality and justice?” Joe Biden, in the face of great political difficulties at home, had courageously, while strongly supporting Israel’s right to defend itself after the terrible killings by Hamas, warned Israel of the devastation that followed the “mistakes” of the Iraq war by his own country’s leaders. Starmer was reported as having offered his total support for any actions Netanyahu would take. Does Labour really want to alienate large numbers of its own supporters by relying exclusively (here and elsewhere) on a strategy of minimising all distinctions between Labour values and those of a feeble, incompetent Tory government that is rapidly losing popular support? Is expediency the only thing that matters, leaving no room for human feelings and moral principles as things that motivate people to vote or to behave? Why endanger the possibility of a transformative Labour victory next year, like FDR’s New Deal or Labour in 1945? Warren Chernaik Emeritus professor, University of London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
I worked in the private office of Lord (Rodney) Elton while he was a minister at the Home Office. He would often return from meetings of the ministerial team with doodles over the agenda which we would retrieve, for our amusement. One such went as follows: “That dapper young man, David Mellor / Was always a well turned out feller / He’s turned up today / In exquisite grey / But where is the well-rolled umbrella?”
The former Love Island contestant Georgia Harrison has said she has had “serious conversations with a couple of Labour MPs” about representing an Essex constituency. The Only Way Is Essex star, 28, has in recent years become a campaigner on tackling violence against women and girls following a revenge pornography court case. Harrison’s ex-partner Stephen Bear, a winner of Channel 5’s Celebrity Big Brother, was jailed earlier this year for posting intimate footage of her online without consent. On Saturday, Harrison told the Sun: “I had serious conversations with a couple of Labour MPs about if I could run for Essex, and they said it would be possible. They told me to go away and think about it. They said if I was being serious about running for an MP it is something that they would support me with. “I think also for little girls growing up seeing someone like me running for an MP would be quite inspiring. We need more normal people going into politics.” At the Labour party conference in Liverpool earlier this month, she called for sexual assault victims to be prioritised in the justice system to prevent them enduring the same waits that she had. At the event, Harrison, who featured in the ITV documentary Revenge Porn: Georgia Vs Bear, said the years waiting for her case to be heard was “detrimental to my career and my mental health, which was really hard for me”. She also pushed for “massive online platforms” to be required to take down sexually explicit content that had been posted without consent. On Tuesday, Harrison was awarded for her activism at the Glamour Women of the Year awards.
Keir Starmer has said that Labour is “redrawing the political map” as he carried out a triumphant tour to the site of two historic overnight byelection wins, as his party overturned huge Conservative majorities in Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire. And here is an analysis of the results by Lewis Baston.
And here is his conclusion. The Conservatives have attempted to draw some comfort from the low turnout in the byelections, but the falls were not out of kilter with other recent byelections and, if anything, it makes the collapse in the Conservative vote look worse. There is no reason to suppose that the abstainers are cheering the government on. They are more likely to be disillusioned with politics, particularly if they put their faith in Brexit in 2016 and Boris Johnson in 2019. The byelection results are unalloyed good news for Labour. Unless there is a sharp change in the political weather, Labour is on course for a stunning electoral triumph at the next general election, a turnaround unlike anything Britain has seen since the Liberal landslide of 1906. Rishi Sunak has told broadcasters in Cairo that the Conservative losses in the Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire byelections were “disappointing” but said there were “local factors at play”. Rishi Sunak and the Egyptian president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, have agreed leaders needed to “avoid a contagion of conflict” in the Middle East. After they met in Cairo earlier today, No 10 said: The leaders said that the loss of life in Israel and Gaza over the last few days was truly tragic. They agreed that global leaders should do everything possible to avoid a contagion of conflict in the region, and that every effort must be made to stop terrorism and protect civilians.
Rishi Sunak has urged MPs not to rush to judgment over the blast at a hospital in Gaza, as he was repeatedly urged by the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, to remind Israel to respect international law. Keir Starmer has sought to allay the concerns of some Labour members that he has been too pro-Israel in response to the conflict triggered by the Hamas attack. In a letter to councillors, he has stressed his sympathy with the plight of the Palestinian people, his demand for Israel to act within international law at all times, and the importance of Gaza getting access to food, water, electricity and medicine. The letter does not contradict what Starmer was saying about the Israel-Hamas conflict last week, but the tone is more pro-Palestinian, and more internationalist, than what he was saying around the time of Labour conference, particularly in an LBC interview that triggered resignations. (See 2.38pm.) People are already handing in XL bully dogs, with some requesting that their pet be put down, after the announcement of an impending ban, MPs have been told. The British Museum was the “victim of an inside job” when approximately 2,000 artefacts were stolen from its collections, the chair of trustees, George Osborne, has said. Andrew Cooper, the Conservative candidate in tomorrow’s byelection in Tamworth, has has defended sharing a Facebook post telling jobless parents who cannot feed their children to “fuck off” if they still pay a £30 phone bill.
Labour has been urged to clarify its position on collective punishment in the context of Israel’s response to the 7 October Hamas massacre of Israeli citizens, in a letter to Keir Starmer signed by 39 academics. The Labour party has been approached for a response. (See 3.03pm.) Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s first minister, has concluded his party conference with a speech announcing a council tax freeze for next year. In a wide-ranging address, he also said he had “no idea” what Keir Starmer stood for, urged the SNP to make the case for independence by explaining its benefits, and not by focusing on the process, and said what was happening in Gaza was collective punishment. See 4.48pm for a full summary. The prime minister and the chair of the Conservative party have been accused of circulating false information about Labour’s immigration plans, with a charity warning this could mislead voters in the next general election. Peter Bone has been stripped of the Conservative party whip after the MP was found to have bullied and harassed a member of staff, and exposed his bare genitals to their face.
Labour has described the Ministry of Justice’s confirmation that it wants to get rid of short jail sentences for most offenders, as part of a response to the prison overcrowding crisis, as “a damning indictment of this government’s collective failure”. (See 5.59pm.) Rishi Sunak has described the Hamas attack on Israel as a “pogrom” and “an existential strike at the very idea of Israel as a safe homeland for the Jewish people”. (See 3.37pm.) In a statement to MPs, he said that at least six Britons were killed, and 10 more were missing. He offered very strong support for Israel, and for the Jewish community in the UK, but he said he had urged the Israeli government to take “every possible precaution” to avoid civilian casualties. (See 3.48pm.) Keir Starmer adopted a very similar tone in his response. (See 3.55pm.) MPs from all parties expressed their horror at the killings by Hamas, although some MPs did dissent from the goverment/opposition frontbench line by criticising Israel for its treatment of the Palestinians and accusing it of breaking international law. The Conservative MP Peter Bone repeatedly hit and verbally abused a member of his staff, often asked him for massages and on one occasion put his bare genitals in the other man’s face, according to a report by a Commons regulator.
As a psychiatrist I recognise Suella Braverman’s “failure of multiculturalism” comments as capitalising on a “split”, particularly as she embodies the success of multiculturalism herself (In one vulgar swoop, Suella Braverman has humiliated every single migrant in the UK, 2 October). In psychiatry, “splits” describe primarily unconscious ways that we reconcile being unable to believe two seemingly competing ideas as being possible at the same time, and have their origins in pre-verbal infant development. It is the idea that, for example, one can either be only good or bad and not have features of both goodness and badness, and so we opt for one narrative only, arguably the one that suits our other splits or prejudices. Braverman invites us to believe that there is only badness in multiculturalism for her own cynical means, and appeals to this binary and unsophisticated thinking that characterises politics and grabs headlines. I would like to believe that the British electorate are more advanced than to fall for this psychological gaslighting. Dr Bradley Hillier Consultant forensic psychiatrist, London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
YouGov has released polling today that implies Rishi Sunak has failed to gain any electoral benefit from party conference season. (See 12.21pm.) Scotland Yard has recorded a “massive increase” in the number of suspected antisemitic offences in the capital compared with this time last year, as two more Jewish faith schools in north London close over security concerns. Sadiq Khan, the Labour mayor of London, has said he fears a “disproportionate” response by Israel to the attacks by Hamas could lead to “inexplicable” suffering in Gaza. (See 2.25pm.) He spoke out as two councillors in Oxford resigned from Labour today in protest at Keir Starmer defending the seige tactics used by Israel in Gaza. (See 3.32pm.) Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, has said the “collective punishment of the Palestinian people” is unacceptable and that Israel should lift its block on Gaza being able to access water, food, medicine and electricity. My heart breaks for Humza’s family & all of those fearing for their safety in Gaza & Israel. We must condemn Hamas, but that can’t mean the collective punishment of the Palestinian people. International law must be upheld with free flow of electricity, water, food & medicine.
Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, has warned that the government will need to take “difficult decisions” in next month’s autumn statement after a sharp worsening of the public finances over the past six months. The protester who threw glitter over Keir Starmer at the start of his Labour conference speech this week in Liverpool has said he is sorry for his actions.
Humza Yousaf has urged Lisa Cameron, the Scottish National party politician who has defected to the Conservatives, to do the “honourable thing” and resign as an MP. The number of people waiting longer than 18 months for NHS treatment in England is growing, figures show, despite ministers vowing to have eliminated such long waits six months ago. Rishi Sunak’s reversals on key climate policies have damaged the UK’s ability to meet its carbon-cutting goals and will keep energy bills high for millions of households, with the effect of “making net zero considerably harder to achieve”, the UK’s climate watchdog has warned. Steve Barclay, the health secretary, has expressed alarm at the number of children who vape tripling in three years, as ministers took the first step towards banning candy-coloured disposable versions of the product. Judges have been told to delay the sentencing of convicted criminals currently on bail – including rapists and burglars – because prisons are full, the Guardian understands.
Anna Soubry, the former Conservative business minister, has announced she will be voting for Labour at the next general election. The former MP, now a criminal barrister, said on social media that she will be voting for Keir Starmer. On Wednesday, she wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “I will be voting #Labour. “With @Keir_Starmer as leader they have the values and competence to deliver the change our country desperately needs.” Soubry also posted a cutting of a newspaper article on Starmer’s speech on Tuesday at the Labour party conference in Liverpool. She quit the Tories in February 2019 in protest at the then-prime minister Theresa May’s handling of Brexit and helped found the Independent Group for Change, later Change UK, along with a handful of other MPs, including seven from Labour. The MP for Broxtowe was leader of the party but in December 2019 it announced it was disbanding after failing to win any seats at the last general election.
The barrister served as minister for small business, industry and enterprise from May 2015 until July 2016. Previously she was minister of state at the Ministry of Defence for a year. Soubry’s announcement comes after Mark Carney, the former governor of the Bank of England, endorsed the shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, on Monday in a video message played to the annual conference. Carney, who ran the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020, said: “Rachel Reeves is a serious economist. She began her career at the Bank of England, so she understands the big picture. “But, crucially she understands the economics of work, of place and family. And, look, it is beyond time we put her energy and ideas into action.” The Canadian’s support came after Reeves made a series of pledges in her conference speech including reducing government waste to save an estimated £4bn, an inquiry into the failure to build HS2 and a planned crackdown on the use of private planes by ministers.
Keir Starmer has declared himself a “yimby”, as he promises to ensure developers can overcome local planning objections to get more houses built. Starmer has said he is “bomb-proofing” all of his policy pledges to ensure a Labour government does not break promises, as he defended the lack of new announcements in his speech to the party conference. Starmer has been accused by the Labour Muslim Network of backing a “war crime” after he defended Israel’s right to place Gaza under seige. (See 4.27pm.) The BBC has defended its decision to describe Hamas as militants rather than terrorists in its news coverage of the Israel-Hamas war following strong criticism from Grant Shapps, the defence secretary. (See 12.33pm.)
Quote of the day If you are a Conservative voter who despairs of this, if you look in horror at the descent of your party into the murky waters of populism and conspiracy, with no argument for economic change, if you feel our children need a party that conserves, that fights for our union, our environment, the rule of law, family life, the careful bond between this generation and the next, then let me tell you, Britain already has one. And you can join it – it’s this Labour party. A long one, arguably in need of couple of full stops, but the heartfelt central argument of Keir Starmer’s conference speech. Row of the day In a highly disciplined conference almost devoid of rows we finally had some drama – though not an actual argument – when a protester showered Starmer with glitter as he began his speech, a protest that subsequently turned out to be about proportional representation. While the messengers were radical – People Demand Democracy, a group associated with Just Stop Oil – the issue of proportional representation is very much a live debate in Labour, with Starmer holding out against the desire of party members for electoral reform. Tweet of the day Labour Students makes a virtue of the protest
Wednesday’s highlights Without any disrespect to the shadow ministers delivering speeches in the final half-session, this is something of a graveyard slot, with many conference attenders either packing on to trains – every Wednesday morning service from Liverpool to London is sold out – or nursing hangovers from the final-night parties. Among those trying to whip up the remaining faithful will be the shadow education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, and Jonathan Ashworth, who as shadow paymaster general has an election-focused role. It will be Ashworth’s job to make the final speech, a traditionally jokey but uplifting affair, intended to send delegates home with a spring in their step.
Labour will fight the next election on the economy, Rachel Reeves has told the party’s conference, claiming she would be the “iron” chancellor who would help rebuild Britain after 13 years of Conservative rule. Mark Carney, the former governor of the Bank of England, has in effect endorsed her as a future chancellor, delivering a message to the conference saying she is a “serious economist” and “it is beyond time we put her energy and ideas into action”. (See 1.29pm.) There is an analysis of the significance of this from Richard Partington here.
Labour’s leadership believes Scottish politics has reached a “tipping point” where it can beat the Scottish National party at the next general and Holyrood elections after last week’s dramatic byelection result. Rwanda is a country that “imprisons, tortures and murders” its opponents, including those who have already fled the country, the UK’s supreme court has heard. A list of transport projects to be funded using HS2 money, which included schemes that had already been built or were swiftly deleted, was intended only to be “illustrative”, Rishi Sunak has said.
Lucy Mangan’s piece on Channel 4’s Partygate dramatisation (Digested week, 6 October) had such a resonance with me that I had to stop reading it and leave the room in tears. Our son-in-law took his life unexpectedly in May 2020, leaving our daughter and two children aged six and eight bewildered. Our large families and their large friendship group were restricted by the limit on numbers then allowed at a funeral. The power of his popularity was such that on leaving the service we were faced with about 200 people on the edges of the grounds. The power of yearning to offer comfort was tangible. There could be no wake, no stories of the man, son, husband, father, friend who had died so tragically. For the small, grief-stricken boys who will become grief-stricken men, there will be no memory of collective grief and comfort to help support any memories of their dad. Though our experiences may differ, Lucy encapsulated the overwhelming grief of that time and the undercurrent of shock and fury at the way our lawmakers so glibly and callously disregarded their own rules, by which most of us abided. Name and address supplied • In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
Keir Starmer has said Labour would get rid of the Rwanda deportation policy even if it appeared to be working at the time of the next election. (See 9.29am.) Labour pro-Europeans have failed in a bid to get the conference to debate Brexit. (See 3.44pm.) Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, has said Labour will come down on the vaping industry “like a ton of bricks” to stop it selling and marketing its products if the government has not acted by the time of the general election. He also said that Labour will whips its MPs to vote in favour of Rishi Sunak’s plan to gradually raise the age at which people can buy cigarettes, so that younger generations can never buy them. (See 5.51pm and 5.55pm.) Keir Starmer has said the UK must “get real about where we’re going to build” to solve the housing crisis, as Labour pledged to review rules about building on the green belt. A Labour government would create a powerful Covid corruption commissioner to help recoup billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money that has been lost to waste, fraud and flawed contracts during the pandemic, Rachel Reeves is to announce. Tory strategists have boosted the number of “spies” sent to “dig up dirt” on the Labour party at what could be the final conference season before the next general election, sources have told the Guardian. Ed Miliband is to announce Labour’s plan for an energy independence act that would boost Britain’s energy independence and cut bills for families.
Your review of Partygate on Channel 4 (Partygate review – a giant, exploding grenade of a TV show, 3 October) began by stating: “Nobody died because the staff of 10 Downing Street threw office parties throughout the Covid lockdown.” Surely, this is not correct. The purpose of lockdown rules was to limit the spread of the virus and thus reduce the mortality and morbidity caused by contracting it. Every time someone broke the rules, they increased the ability of the virus to spread. I don’t know if the prevalence of Covid infections among Downing Street staff has been studied. However, their actions meant a higher chance of infection in the wider community, and therefore of death. Sally Read Leeds • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Rishi Sunak has been reported to police in Scotland over a joke he made about Nicola Sturgeon in his Conservative party conference speech. Sunak attempted to make fun of the former SNP leader and first minister after she was arrested and questioned as part of Police Scotland’s Operation Branchform investigation into her party’s finances. Sturgeon was released without charge after her arrest in June. She has denied any wrongdoing. In his conference address, Sunak claimed the union between Scotland and the rest of the UK was “the strongest it has been in a quarter of a century”. He added: “Nicola Sturgeon wanted to go down in the history books as the woman who broke up our country. But it now looks like she may go down for very different reasons.” Chris McEleny, the general secretary of the rival pro-independence Alba party, said on Wednesday he had reported Sunak to Police Scotland for contempt of court allegations, as the prime minister’s comments come amid a live police investigation. McEleny said: “Operation Branchform should be free to pursue its investigation fearlessly without interference from Rishi Sunak.” He added: “The prime minister is commenting on, and making an assumption about a live Police Scotland investigation. “In Scotland, contempt applies from arrest, not from charging. Operation Branchform is investigating serious matters of the utmost importance to Scotland and trust in politics. “It is too important a matter to allow interference from the prime minister in this act of contempt when many people await the facts of Police Scotland’s investigation.” On Thursday evening, Police Scotland said: “We have received a complaint and, following consultation with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal service, no police action is being taken at this time.” Downing Street said it would not be commenting.
Perhaps the Nobel prize scientists who discovered the quantum dot could be set to work on detecting an equivalent dot of contrition in Rishi Sunak’s Conservative party conference speech (Key takeaways from Rishi Sunak’s 7,500-word Tory conference speech, 4 October). John Lowery London • It’s odd that the prime minister proposes a ban on smoking “for the nation’s health” while simultaneously encouraging road traffic congestion with its accompanying emissions and pollution. John Weightman Ettington, Warwickshire • Why is it that no one has pointed out that raising the minimum wage to £11, as Jeremy Hunt pledges (Report, 1 October), is an increase of 5.6%? This is below the August CPI rate of 6.7% and the average rate of pay increase, which in July was running at 7.8%. Hardly the generous increase the chancellor is portraying. Fred Pickering Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire • The correspondence about breast pockets (Letters, 29 September) reminds me that I often bemoan the lack of any pockets at all in many skirts and dresses. Keeping a handkerchief up a sleeve just doesn’t work as it almost invariably falls out. Designers, please note! Patricia Pipe Saltash, Cornwall • What a crying shame they didn’t begin work on HS2 at the northern end (Industry backlash at Sunak’s ‘damaging’ U-turn on northern leg of HS2, 4 October). Helen Watson Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
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HS2 will not be extended to Euston unless enough private investment is secured, it has been reported. Mark Harper, the transport secretary, has said there was nothing wrong with Downing Street saying the final decision on HS2 had not been taken when Rishi Sunak had already recorded a video announcing its cancellation. (See 9.31am.) Rishi Sunak has denied that HS2 high-speed rail will be reduced to a mere “shuttle service” between London and Birmingham. Ireland’s prime minister has said he is concerned to see the UK “disengaging from the world”, and accused it of turning inwards by leaving the EU, slashing international aid and now considering abandoning a human rights treaty.
Rishi Sunak has formally announced he has cancelled the planned HS2 rail link from Birmingham to Manchester, also unveiling a new post-16 educational qualification in his speech to the Conservative party conference. Andy Street, the Conservative mayor for the West Midlands, has decided not to quit over HS2, after the prime minister confirmed he was scrapping the high-speed rail line from Birmingham to Manchester. Banning growing numbers of people in England from buying cigarettes is a bold move that will save lives and create the country’s first “smokefree generation”, health charities have said.
Suella Braverman, the home secretary, has given a speech denouncing liberalism, support for immigration and opposition to Brexit as “luxury beliefs”. (See 3.51pm.) She was heckled by Andrew Boff, a Conservative member of the London assembly, who was thrown out of the conference in response. He said her speech was homophobic and ridiculous. (See 5.11pm.) Rishi Sunak has hinted that Nigel Farage could potentially be welcomed back into the “broad church” of the Conservative party – only for the former Ukip leader to say he was not interested. Asked if he would like to see Farage back in the party, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, the former business secretary, replied: A resounding yes. Actually he should be in the House of Lords. The problem is if he became an MP I think any leader of the party might be looking quite nervously behind his back. Transgender hospital patients in England could be banned from being treated in female- and male-only wards, under plans announced by Steve Barclay, the health secretary. Alex Chalk, the justice secretary, has announced the government is considering plans to rent prison spaces from foreign countries as a solution to overcrowding in prisons in England and Wales. (See 5.39pm.) In response, his Labour shadow, Shabana Mahmood, said: There’s no greater symbol of the way in which the Tories have run our criminal justice system into the ground, than the fact they are ‘exploring’ putting prisoners in foreign jails because they are incapable of building the prisons places this country needs to keep our people safe. Lobbyists from TikTok, Amazon and gambling and crypto companies paid £3,000 a head to sit with ministers as part of the Conservative party’s business day, where Rishi Sunak set out his pitch to stop big corporates being wooed by Labour.
Rishi Sunak is expected to confirm he is scrapping the northern leg of HS2 to Manchester at the Conservative conference in the city despite a furious response and fears it will fatally undermine the party’s commitment to levelling up. Sixty Conservative MPs have joined Liz Truss’s Growth Group, imperilling the government’s majority in parliament, as Rishi Sunak was warned by former cabinet ministers “we cannot accept the status quo”. Business leaders who warned against Ed Miliband in 2015 have now turned on Rishi Sunak, criticising the prime minister’s plans to roll back net zero policies. Kemi Badenoch, the business secretary, has told the conference she will review regulatory bodies to ensure they are not imposing unnecessary rules. She said: I want us to use our Brexit freedoms to scrap unnecessary regulations that hold back firms and hamper growth. It’s clear that the regulators that enforce the rules can also sometimes be a blocker to businesses, so our review will seek to root out the bad practices with the aim of making companies’ lives easier and reducing costs for consumers. Sir Jake Berry, the former Tory chair and organiser of the “tax pledge”, has told a rally organised by the New Conservatives that, with 30 MPs promising not to vote for anything that would raise the tax burden, they are too powerful to be thrown out of the party. This is from Aubrey Allegretti. Jake Berry says it’s “pretty unlikely” the chief whip will kick MPs out of the Conservative Party for refusing to vote for tax rises. He notes more than 30 MPs have signed the pledge and says you don’t have to be good at maths to know that is half the government’s majority.
Robert Jenrick has called for British families to have more children to help fund and look after an ageing population, after criticising Boris Johnson’s government for encouraging low-skilled workers to come to the UK.
Rishi Sunak has rejected criticism that recent U-turns mean the UK cannot be taken seriously, as he fought to maintain order before a Conservative conference set to be dominated by questions about tax cuts and rivals jostling to succeed him. Sunak has refused to commit to tax cuts before the general election, after Michael Gove, the levelling up secretary, called for them. He claimed that focusing on bringing down inflation, ahead of cutting tax, is a “deeply Conservative approach”. He made the comment in an interview with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg. See 12.47pm for a full summary. And see 10.46am for a snap verdict. Sunak has been accused by the Welsh government and by the Green party of making misleading or false statements about Wales’ 20mph speeding law and the government’s net zero policies. (See 11.14am and 11.34am.) Greg Hands, the Conservative party chairman, has described Keir Starmer as someone who has “flip-flopped almost 60 times in just three years” and who will “literally say anything that suits him at the time”. (See 3.25pm.) He was speaking at the start of an afternoon conference session which saw all the speakers focus much more than usual on attacking the opposition. The speeches contained very little in the way of policy announcements.
I was dismayed to read that Greenwich council’s response to planning breaches is demolition (‘No one wants to lose their home’: London renters shocked at order to raze their flats, 27 September). Surely local authorities have more useful and constructive (not destructive) enforcement powers? For example, they should be able to instruct the developer to carry out remedial works or mitigation works for impacts that cannot reasonably be remediated; to carry out works directly and recover costs; and to fine the developer for the breach, as a proportion of the development costs or whole life profit. The council should only be permitted to demolish property if all reasonable measures have been exhausted. Demolition is a waste of resources, financially, economically, environmentally and socially. This cannot be acceptable in today’s world. I’m not a resident of Greenwich, or London. I live in the north, where we abhor waste. Ian Knight Chester • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
I share Max von Thun’s hopes for a hung parliament in which the Lib Dems can nudge Labour away from its constant tack to the right (Britain’s political debate is lacking bold, radical policies. This is your moment, Lib Dems, 24 September). But there is a fourth objective that he should add to the list of policies on which to negotiate an agreement. That is proportional representation, which is used for elections to the Scottish and Welsh parliaments and in varying forms throughout most other European nations. The objection that it risks empowering extreme minority parties can be remedied by setting a minimum proportion of national votes for eligibility for representation. Kate Macintosh Winchester • I do not think that Max von Thun and other political figures are correct when they say that “the public might not be ready to reopen the thorny question of membership” of the EU. When giving out Rejoin leaflets in Holmfirth last week, the overwhelming response was “yes”. However, people do not think it will happen, because no politician or party is willing to lead the way. It’s a failure of our political system. Stephen Dorril Holmfirth, West Yorkshire • Max von Thun decries “more than a decade of disastrous government under the Conservatives”. Mr von Thun may not remember, but no one else should forget that five of those disastrous Tory years were enabled by the Lib Dems voting for and providing intellectual heft to George Osborne’s austerity budgets, the core reason for the social, economic and political disasters we have endured and continue to endure. Alex Gallagher Largs, Ayrshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Rishi Sunak’s “plan for motorists”, which would limit councils’ powers to impose 20mph speed limits and bus lanes, would simply restrict people’s travel choices and harm net zero ambitions, six walking and cycling organisations have said. Andrew Griffith, a Treasury minister, has defended the government’s tax plans after a report said British households were facing the biggest rise on record. Labour has said Rishi Sunak will be breaking a manifesto promise if reports that he is planning to remove the winter fuel allowance from all but the poorest pensioners are accurate. (See 4.48pm.) The UK is spending 40% a person more than any other European country on housing asylum seekers with the costs taking up nearly a third of the official aid budget, which forced a 16.4% cut in the amount of aid spent overseas in 2022, research has revealed. Labour has demanded that the Conservative party explain who knew about a tax investigation into one of its most important donors, Anthony Bamford, and when they were informed.
Rishi Sunak has refused to endorse Suella Braverman’s claim that multiculturalism has failed. (See 5.01pm.) There is a good thread on this on Twitter from Sunder Katwala, head of the British Future thinktank, which studies race and identity issues. He points out that the word multiculturalism is interpreted in different ways by different politicians. The thread starts here. The prime minister calling Britain “a fantastic multicultural democracy” fits with the government’s view that the UK is a role model/leader among multi-ethnic democracies, compared to other countries, like France. (It does not entail a commitment to a multiculturalism policy).
Rishi Sunak has refused more than a dozen times to provide clarity over HS2’s future, but denied that scrapping the Birmingham to Manchester leg would be a betrayal of the north of England. The government is to limit measures councils can take to curb car traffic including 20mph speed restrictions and bus lanes, the Guardian understands, under plans that have alarmed travel groups and risks a row with local authorities. Growing numbers of criminals in England and Wales are being spared jail sentences because of prison overcrowding amid warnings that the problem will get worse.
Labour has said Rishi Sunak should take the blame for escalating costs at HS2 because he was responsible for monitoring spending while he was at the Treasury. (See 1.25pm.) The party challenged Sunak as five Labour metro mayors urged Sunak not to scrap, delay or scale back HS2 as it would “leave swathes of the north with Victorian transport infrastructure that is unfit for purpose”. Other political and business leaders in the north of England have also expressed alarm about the prospect of the HS2 link from Birmingham to Manchester being cancelled. Britain has given the go-ahead to develop the UK’s biggest untapped oilfield off Shetland, sparking outrage from environmental campaigners. Suella Braverman, the home secretary, has said it is “flippant” to dismiss her immigration speech yesterday as motivated by the desire to boost her standing in a future Tory leadership contest – but without ruling out that she might be a candidate. (See 3.04pm.)
With an election looming, business leaders across the UK will have paid close attention to recent comments in the media regarding alignment with EU standards and regulations. In the wake of the UK’s departure from the EU and recent attempts to force divergence unilaterally in the UK, many businesses, business leaders and business organisations would welcome a policy of alignment with EU standards and regulations, unless it is explicitly not in the UK’s interests to do so.
Such a policy of “beneficial alignment”, as proposed by the UK Trade and Business Commission, would enable businesses and investors to have confidence in the UK’s regulatory foundations, while still allowing the UK to maintain its own regulatory autonomy. By taking this approach, any future UK government will be able to reassure businesses and investors, both domestically and internationally, that the UK is committed to maintaining high standards and protections, and strong relationships with its trading partners, while also protecting the interests of UK businesses. Paul Drechsler Chair, International Chamber of Commerce Peter Norris Co-convener, UK Trade and Business Commission, and chair, Virgin Group Naomi Pohl General secretary, Musicians’ Union Emma Degg Chief executive, North West Business Leadership Team Juergen Maier Vice-chair, Northern Powerhouse Partnership, and former CEO, Siemens UK
The Olympic gold-winning rower James Cracknell will stand as a Conservative candidate at the next general election. The rowing champion will run in Colchester, where the incumbent Conservative MP Will Quince is to stand down. The Tories currently hold a 9,000 majority ahead of Labour in the Essex constituency, with the leader of the Conservatives’ group on the city council, Paul Dundas, predicting victory for the Olympian. “James was the clear choice of members,” he said. “I think he will be a fantastic candidate and a great MP for Colchester. He will win because he is a guy who doesn’t do losing.” Quince first won the seat at the 2015 general election, before holding it in 2017 and 2019. Cracknell, who topped a long list of applicants for the candidacy, has been linked with the Tories over a number of years. In 2014, he stood to be an MEP for the party in the European elections in south-west England.
Cracknell and his coxless four crew won gold in the 2000 and 2004 Olympic games and in 2019 he became the oldest person to compete in the boat race, representing Cambridge against Oxford. In 2006 Cracknell and the TV presenter Ben Fogle rowed across the Atlantic in 49 days. Three years later the pair joined with Ed Coats to come second in the 481-mile Amundsen Omega 3 race to the south pole. In 2010 Cracknell fractured his skull when he was knocked off his bike by a lorry in Arizona as he attempted to cycle, row, run and swim from Los Angeles to New York. He suffered bruising to the brain and memory loss, and has talked about how the accident altered his personality. Speaking to the Mirror in 2015, he said: “My kids had one dad for six years and another for the last five; it was very difficult for them to come to terms with. “The accident is something that happened to me, but I’m not going to let it define me – in the same way, the Olympics is something I did but that’s not all I am.”
Paul Johnson, the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, has said HS2 could end up as a total waste of money. (See 2.45pm.) He was speaking as No 10 hinted that the phase two leg from Birmingham to Manchester might be postponed, rather than cancelled outright. (See 12.35pm.) Rishi Sunak has said armed police need clarity about the legal powers they have, as he backed a review by the home secretary after an unnamed officer was charged with murder over the shooting of Chris Kaba last year. Eight unions representing teachers and school workers, as well the body for governors, have written to Rishi Sunak demanding an extra £4.4bn annually to ensure buildings are safe for children in England. One in 10 prisons in England and Wales are barely fit for purpose and should be shut down if alternative buildings can be found, the official watchdog has said. Wendy Chamberlain, the Lib Dem chief whip, has told her party conference this afternoon that the Lib Dems would stop ministers receiving a pay-off (worth almost £17,000 at the current rate) when they leave office if they have only served in government for a short period of time.
Today’s blog is coming to a close. Thank you for joining us. Below is a roundup of today’s stories: Grant Shapps said any government that doesn’t look again at its transport plans after the Covid-19 pandemic “is acting outside the reality of the situation”, when asked about signs Rishi Sunak may be ready to scrap the northern section of the HS2 high-speed rail line before the Conservative conference opens in Manchester next weekend. Shapps said: “You’ve also got to realise that in the time coronavirus happened, people stopped travelling entirely for a while and haven’t gotten back to the normal patterns of travel. Any government that doesn’t then look at their plans and resequence them is I’m afraid acting outside the reality of the situation.” Darren Jones, the shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, said Labour was “not going to make decisions about national interest projects that involve tens of billions of pounds without all of the information being available”. He added: “When the government makes a decision and publishes the information, we will consider that properly and announce it in a professional way.” Donald Trump has expressed his approval of Rishi Sunak’s decision to delay a series of measures aimed at curbing emissions. Trump, who formally withdrew the US from the Paris climate agreement in 2020, said: “I always knew Sunak was smart.” Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, has said people in the north of England are treated like “second-class citizens when it comes to transport”. Commenting on the government’s potential move to scrap the Manchester leg of HS2, Burnham said: “London never has to choose between a north-south line and an east-west line and good public transport within the city. Why is it that people in the north are always forced to choose, why are we always treated as second-class citizens when it comes to transport?
Rishi Sunak has vowed to press ahead with watering down key green measures despite intense criticism, because he still believes the UK will hit its net zero targets. But Chris Stark, the chief executive of the Climate Change Committee, has said that the PM’s claim that the government is on course to meet its emissions target for 2030 is “wishful thinking”. (See 2.35pm.) Carmakers in the UK will still be mandated to sell electric vehicles from 1 January or face fines, despite Rishi Sunak’s U-turn on banning new petrol and diesel vehicles, under plans expected to be confirmed by ministers this week. The Bank of England has kept interest rates on hold for the first time in almost two years in a knife-edge decision underscoring the risks to the economy, leaving borrowing costs at 5.25% and warning that rates will remain high to tackle inflation. Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, has said that the current economic situation makes tax cuts “virtually impossible”. (See 4.29pm.) Boris Johnson is to avoid censure for breaking the rules on ex-ministers taking up new jobs despite the government accepting he committed a breach over his appointment as a Daily Mail columnist.
A year on from the Truss administrations’s disastrous mini-budget , we’d like to hear from householders in the UK about how they have been affected and how the event’s chaotic aftermath may have impacted their lives and finances. Whether your house purchase fell through, your mortgage became unaffordable over the past 12 months due to surging interest rates, or you were dealing with another scenario that arose because of Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-budget, we’re keen to hear about it.
This Community callout closed on 3 November 2023. • You can see the article that included respondents to this callout here. • You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.
Rishi Sunak has announced he is delaying the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK from 2030 to 2035, triggering criticism from opposition MPs and sections of the property and car industry. The PM said he still expects that by 2030 “the vast majority” of cars will be electric because of improving technology. He added there will be “far more time” to transition from gas boilers to heat pumps A boiler upgrade scheme, which gives people cash grants, will be increased by 50% to £7,500 and there will be an exemption for the homes which will most struggle to switch to heat pumps. Plans to force landlords to upgrade the energy efficiency of properties have been scrapped. Labour said it is recommitted to retaining the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars. Sunak insisted he remains committed to net zero by 2050 but wants to “bring people with us”. Ed Miliband, the shadow climate and net zero secretary, described Sunak’s speech as “an act of weakness”. The RAC Foundation said the change in policy contradicted the “huge sums of money” that the government has spent on electric battery production. Its research estimated if the UK is to meet its carbon reduction obligations then at least 37% of all miles driven by cars, taxis and vans will need to be zero emission by 2030. We’re closing this blog now. Thanks for reading
I warmly welcome the news that we are rejoining the EU Horizon scheme (Letters, 12 September), but we need to remember that this agreement does not include the 24 European Reference Networks (ERNs) that were established to improve the care of the patients bearing the lifelong burden of rare diseases that require highly specialised diagnosis and treatment. There are an estimated 6,000–8,000 rare diseases, which together affect 1 in 17 of the population, but no single country has the expertise or resources to cover them all. From their inception in 2017, ERNs have played a pivotal role in harnessing the collective knowledge across Europe making it easier to develop guidelines, create disease registries, build research collaborations, and create new education and training programmes. Above all, they have directly improved patient care by establishing a pan-European platform that brings international experts together to advise on patient-specific complex problems and therapeutic options where insufficient expertise exists in one country alone. We had been at the forefront of the creation and development of these networks, six of which were led from the UK, and we were just beginning to realise the benefits of closer collaboration with experts and patient advocates throughout Europe when we had to withdraw in 2020 as a result of Brexit. The absence of an agreement on UK participation in ERNs has negated years of progress made by UK clinicians, researchers and patient advocates, and it has diminished our ability to provide the best care for the millions of children and adults with rare diseases and complex conditions. We now urgently need to make up for the time we have lost. Prof Marc Tischkowitz University of Cambridge • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
In recent accounts of Labour party activities in the Guardian, I have seen no mention of Keir Starmer’s decision to abolish the post of shadow minister for peace and disarmament earlier this month. This seems to be another retrograde step by the Labour leadership. Surely we need a party that will stand clearly for peace and abiding by international law? Rae Street Littleborough, Manchester • Deputy assistant commissioner Stuart Cundy says the harder the police worked, the more cases of misconduct and possible criminality would be uncovered (Size of a small police force’ of Met officers are suspended or on restricted duties, 19 September). Isn’t that fundamental to how policing works? You catch more speeding motorists if you go and look for them. I’m glad he understands that too. Martin Angell Hasel, Germany • I am shocked that young people are being urged to look for “roles requiring minimal effort for the same reward” (Burnt-out from work? Try following Hugh Jackman’s 85% rule, 15 September). Would never have happened in my day. Philippa Dolphin (aged 74) Ealing, London • Liz Truss blames “groupthink” for the economic damage that happened under her watch (Report, 18 September). Wasn’t it her “crapthink” that was the actual causative factor? Graeme Innes-Johnstone Elland, West Yorkshire • Liz Truss needs to reflect on the former Labour chancellor Denis Healey’s first law of politics: when you are in a hole, stop digging. Paresh Motla Thame, Oxfordshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Rishi Sunak’s decision not to go to the UN general assembly was very shortsighted. This year’s event is more important than ever, as it is bringing together the world’s leaders to review progress towards achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs). The climate crisis, Covid, conflict and coups mean that, without a new push, the world is unlikely to achieve many of the SDGs by 2030. In some places, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, life is tougher now than when the goals were adopted eight years ago. Global cooperation is thus more urgent than ever, especially to support transformational issues such as educating girls. But getting to school can be challenging for girls, particularly in rural communities, where a staggering 1 billion people live, isolated by distance, terrain and lack of transport. It can take girls hours to walk to school, leaving them too tired to focus on their studies. Dangerous roads (or no roads) make it physically challenging, while taunting and bullying from boys make it even more difficult. An easy way to improve girls’ access to education is with a bicycle. Our studies show that when girls were given bicycles in Zambia it reduced their absenteeism by 28%, and 19% were less likely to drop out of school. Girls reported feeling more in control and confident of decisions affecting their lives. At the general assembly, Sunak would have had a chance to show his support for girls’ education and push forward global action on sustainable development, something the UK’s prime ministers have done on many occasions in the past. He should have got on his bike and gone. Staying at home won’t get him, or female students in Zambia, anywhere. Tim Cole Trustee, World Bicycle Relief UK
Liz Truss has dismissed the argument that she crashed the UK’s economy while she was prime minister, and while conceding she made mistakes in No 10, sought to primarily blame “groupthink” from the Bank of England, the media and civil service. Richard Holden, a transport minister, has refused to say that the government remains committed to extending HS2 to Manchester, and to ensuring that the London link goes all the way to Euston. (See 3.48pm.) Senior government officials spoke to Buckingham Palace to express worries about Boris Johnson’s conduct in office, and discussed asking Queen Elizabeth to raise concerns with him during their private audiences, a BBC documentary has said. The Welsh government’s “historic” changes to the Senedd, including sharply increasing the number of members, have been criticised by the Conservatives who say the millions of pounds an expanded Welsh parliament would cost each year should be ploughed into improving public services. The levelling up minister Dehenna Davison has resigned from government as she revealed her ongoing struggle with chronic migraine. London faces the “incredibly worrying” prospect of enduring days that hit 45C (113F) due to the worsening climate crisis, its mayor, Sadiq Khan, told the Guardian at a climate summit in New York. The government has announced a new compensation scheme for Post Office workers wrongly convicted under the Horizon scandal.
The American XL bully dog breed will be banned by the end of the year after a series of attacks, Rishi Sunak has said. But the Dog Control Coalition, which represents leading animal welfare and veterinary organisations, has criticised the proposal, saying that a ban will not stop attacks and that the government has not provided evidence to justify its decision. (See 4.37pm.) Jessica Murray has an explainer on the topic here.
Britain would take asylum seekers from the EU as part of any returns deal under a Labour government, Yvette Cooper has said, but would not formally join the European quota scheme. Train drivers have announced two more days of strikes and an overtime ban across England, timed to bring services to a halt at the start and end of the Conservative party conference. Eighty prison officers did not to turn up for their shifts at Wandsworth prison on the day Daniel Khalife escaped, leaving just 60% of posts filled, the Home Office has revealed. Susan Hall, the Conservative candidate for London mayor, has liked tweets praising Enoch Powell, as well as some containing Islamophobic abuse towards Sadiq Khan, her Labour opponent, research by a campaign group has shown.
Clear pre-election divisions have opened up between Labour and the Conservatives on immigration as Downing Street ruled out ever accepting an asylum seeker quota-sharing deal with the EU, after Keir Starmer’s comments that he would. The NHS waiting list in England has hit a new record high, with nearly 7.7 million people – about one in seven – waiting for treatment. The HS2 high-speed rail line has been mired in fresh uncertainty as the prime minister’s spokesperson refused to guarantee it would run to Manchester, after a photographed document suggested the government was looking for further cuts amid increasing costs. The health secretary, Steve Barclay, has announced the government is committed to bringing in “Martha’s rule” in England, making it easier for patients and their families to get a second medical opinion if they believe their concerns are not being taken seriously by medical staff.
Angela Rayner has given a “cast iron guarantee” that Labour would bring in a new bill to ban zero-hours contracts and repeal anti-strike laws within 100 days of a new government. The former Conservative leader William Hague has said it is time to ditch the triple lock on pensions – as figures showed the policy meant the state pension was likely to rise by 8.5% in April. Lord Frost has said that, when he and Boris Johnson negotiated the Northern Ireland protocol ahead of Brexit, they “always hoped” it would eventually collapse. (See 4.02pm.) Suella Braverman’s plan to clamp down on police officers who dance at Pride or wear badges could open the door to discrimination against marginalised communities, a senior police officer has claimed. The government and regulators may have broken the law by failing to stem raw sewage dumping into rivers by water companies in England, the new independent environmental watchdog has said. Two in five people admitted to hospital for planned care in England last year had their health worsen while they were on the NHS waiting list, a major survey reveals.
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The UK is to return to the flagship Horizon Europe science research programme, Rishi Sunak has confirmed. But the government has decided not to join Euratom, the EU’s nuclear research programme. The European Commission said the UK took this decision because it assessed “its industry’s long absence from Euratom and F4E/ITER programmes cannot be reversed”. (See 3.27pm.) The former Conservative MP Chris Pincher has said he will quit the House of Commons, triggering a byelection in what was previously considered the safe seat of Tamworth in Staffordshire. More than one in seven English schools affected by dilapidated concrete were previously denied government funding to be rebuilt despite being deemed in emergency need, Guardian analysis of official data has shown. Alex Chalk, the justice secretary, has announced that an independent investigation will take place into the escape of Daniel Abed Khalife, a former soldier charged with terrorism offences, from HMP Wandsworth. There is full coverage on our separate live blog.
Keir Starmer has likened Rishi Sunak’s government to a group of “cowboy builders” during a prime minister’s questions in which the Labour leader sought to portray the prime minister as out of touch over the concrete crisis. Earlier, in a TV interview, Starmer accused Sunak of prioritising cutting taxes on champagne over providing the necessary funding for school building repairs. Twenty-four schools across England will receive some remote learning because of the concrete crisis, according to a newly published government list of schools identified as having a type of potentially dangerous concrete. Ministers have been accused of covering up evidence for months about crumbling concrete at a Scottish school, which led to the rushed decision to close more than 100 other schools. MPs have voted down a Labour motion saying the government should publish internal documents giving details of what funding the Department for Education wanted for school repairs when Rishi Sunak was chancellor, and how the Treasury responded. Within the last few minutes the Labour motion was defeated by 309 votes to 175. Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, said that governments had to be able to discuss policy options in private, and that any documents that were published would not provide a full picture of why decisions were taken. (See 3.09pm.) The UK’s long-anticipated return to the EU’s £80bn science research programme Horizon Europe is on the brink of being confirmed, possibly as early as Thursday. Proposed welfare changes that the government says will help disabled people benefit from the chance to work from home could lead to many losing out on almost £400 a month in support, campaigners say.
Another German word for Rishi Sunak’s situation (Letters, 3 September) is zugzwang, a term in chess for a poor position, where any move would make the current bad situation even worse. Christopher Pankhurst Winchester • Zoe Williams’ father, who, she writes, hated Carl Jung (5 September) would have appreciated the cartoon in which one rat says to another: “I’ve really got this psychologist conditioned; every time I press this lever he gives me food.” David Cooper Nafferton, East Yorkshire • Thank you for your excellent double-page Spot the Ball, showing members of two sailing clubs playing cricket on a sandbar in the middle of the Solent (Eyewitness, 4 September). I still can’t find it. Ellie Sedgwick Halesworth, Suffolk • Devi Sridhar hit the nail on the head about university (Turn up in person, get used to rejection and eat more than cornflakes: my advice to university freshers, 5 September). Learning to cook was the most useful thing I took away from years at college. Oh, and some other valuable stuff in passing. Prof Keith Hayward University of Lancaster, 1966-69 • Reading about Raac (Report, 6 September), I wonder what the builders of the Pantheon in Rome (circa CE 126) gave as the design life of their concrete? Should someone have a word? Mike Abbott London • Happily waved off the children to first day of school year. They looked so cute in their new uniforms and hard hats. Jude Carr London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
More than half of English schools that are so dilapidated they are at risk of partial closure were refused money under the government’s school rebuilding scheme, Department for Education (DfE) statistics show. The head of the National Audit Office, Gareth Davies, has accused the government of adopting a “sticking-plaster approach” to school building safety, when it should be investing properly in infrastructure. (See 9.32am.) Michael Gove has loosened restrictions on building onshore windfarms in England, meaning developments will no longer be quashed by one objection, but campaigners have said such schemes are still at a disadvantage. Responding to the announcement, Greenpeace said the impact would be marginal. Its UK policy director, Doug Parr, said: These feeble tweaks are just more hot air from the government that’ll result in very little wind. Developers will continue to face uncertainty over planning process and be beholden to quixotic decisions by local councils. Who will put their money into developing projects under those circumstances? The Home Office has said people could face up to two years in jail for possessing laughing gas, “nitrous oxide”, under its plans to ban it for recreational use. (See 3.30pm.) Birmingham city council, the largest local authority in the country, has in effect declared itself bankrupt after issuing a section 114 notice, signalling that it does not have the resources to balance its budget.
In his politics sketch (Rishi Sunak excels in his summer job of making Tories look unelectable, 31 August), John Crace gives us several examples of the wonderful, untranslatable German word Verschlimmbesserung: keeping Nadine Dorries out of the House of Lords, letting Suella Braverman do radio and TV interviews on the “totally pointless” crime-themed week, sending James Cleverly to China and, best of all, appointing Grant Shapps as defence secretary. The definition of Verschlimmbesserung is an attempted improvement that only makes things worse, or to cock it up while trying to make it better. Why do I enjoy a certain schadenfreude when this happens? Thank you, John. Jennifer Basannavar Twickenham, London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Could it be that the best possible outcome of the Mid Bedfordshire byelection (Labour attempts to seize moment after Nadine Dorries finally resigns, 29 August) might be that, after battling it out on the doorsteps, the opposition parties split the vote and let the Tories in by a narrow majority? That result would have two clear outcomes. First, and most important, it would clarify once for all, to all those determined to vote against the Conservative party, that tactical voting is the only sure way to get them out. And second, it would make it plain to strategists in both the Labour party and the Liberal Democrats that quiet collaboration is the only sensible way to go, given our flawed electoral system. Beyond that, it might help voters in Mid Bedfordshire to identify how to vote against a Conservative MP in the forthcoming general election. Would not these advantages far outweigh a short-term boost to Tory morale and the price of having a Conservative occupy the seat for a few months, during which no close and vital vote is likely in the House of Commons? Prof Roy Lowe Birmingham • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Ben Wallace has resigned as defence secretary in a move that will reportedly precipitate a mini-reshuffle. Having announced his intention to quit the cabinet earlier this summer, Wallace confirmed in a letter to the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, on Thursday morning he was standing down to “invest in the parts of life that I have neglected, and to explore new opportunities”. The move means No 10 must replace Wallace – with potential candidates said to include the energy secretary, Grant Shapps, the chief secretary to the Treasury, John Glen, and the former defence secretary Liam Fox. A wider shake-up of Sunak’s top team was mooted to take place over summer. But government insiders have suggested he will conduct a more slimmed-down reorganisation centred on Wallace’s departure. Bringing in a backbencher would allow Sunak to avoid a bigger ministerial rejig, which some fear would leave those demoted sniping from the sidelines and threaten to renew Conservative infighting in the run-up to the party conference in October. Shapps is a key Sunak ally, and the frontrunner to replace Wallace. He visited Ukraine last week. In his resignation letter, Wallace recalled his work as defence secretary across the past four years – including the extraction of troops from Afghanistan in summer 2021 and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia last year. He thanked Sunak for his support and added that the Ministry of Defence was “back on the path to being once again world class with world-class people”. Wallace has at times been outspoken in his push for boosting defence funding, and nodded to his desire for that to remain a priority once he steps down. He added in the resignation letter: “I know you agree with me that we must not return to the days where defence was viewed as a discretionary spend by government and savings were achieved by hollowing out.” More details soon …
The free hospitality enjoyed by MPs (More than 100 MPs received freebies worth £180,000 this summer, 23 August) contrasts markedly with the required behaviour that was outlined in my induction course into the civil service. I joined the veterinary investigation service of the then Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in 1980. I remember being told sternly how civil servants must be seen to be impartial and I should therefore be very wary of accepting any form of gratuity or hospitality from the public. An exception might be made in some circumstances: for example, during a farm visit to investigate a disease outbreak, it might be permissible to accept a cup of tea from the farmer without risk of compromising one’s integrity. Laurence Gibson Stowe, Buckinghamshire • Why are we still debating the upper limit allowed for freebies? If you are in a position of influence, letting someone buy you even one drink is placing you in a position where you may be asked for a favour in return. “Well, we’ve always done it this way,” is the usual defence. But it’s simple to change an established cultural norm – you just start doing things differently. With the amount of sleaze in our government, it’s time to make the cultural norm “No thanks, I’ll buy my own”. Peter Campion Stockley, Wiltshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
What with ultra-processed foods killing us (Report, 27 August), the environment as well, the NHS in meltdown, the police overwhelmed with crime, prisons in crisis, teachers and doctors striking, the immigration service next to useless, all forms of transport a potluck, the cost of living crisis – we don’t need a wake-up call, we need a sedative. Michael Fuller Harpenden, Hertfordshire • Your article (Prigozhin precedents: a history of assassinations by plane crash, 24 August) could also have included the deaths of the Spanish generals José Sanjurjo, on 20 July 1936, and Emilio Mola, on 3 June 1937. Both were killed in crashes that were suspiciously convenient for Francisco Franco, leaving him unchallenged as the leader of the anti-government forces during the Spanish civil war. Tim Barker Eastington, Gloucestershire • Re whistling (Letters, 27 August), in the 1950s, my grandmother and my father were keen whistlers and I soon learned myself, only for my other grandmother to say: “A whistling woman and a cackling hen, ain’t no good to God nor men.” I took no notice. Rosemary Chamberlin Bristol • Your report (Viktor Orbán-influenced university plans outpost in London, 28 August repeatedly refers to a proposed college funded by the appalling Viktor Orbán as MCC. Can you please find a different name for it? Neil Cole Member, Marylebone Cricket Club • Nadine Dorries tells Rishi Sunak that history will not judge him kindly (Report, 27 August). We don’t need to wait for history to judge her. Stuart Waterworth Tavistock, Devon • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
A multimillionaire businessman with close links to the Conservative party has been told to knock down part or all of a luxury hotel that hosted the signing of Rishi Sunak’s Brexit deal because he breached planning regulations. A planning enforcement notice issued by Runnymede borough council said Surinder Arora’s hotel company had until 7 October to take action at the Fairmont Windsor Park hotel near Windsor. This would involve either “making the unauthorised building comply with the terms of the planning permission” or else the company would need to “demolish the building in its entirety and remove all resultant waste and material from the land”, the notice said. Arora, a Tory party donor, has accepted errors were made during extension work to the hotel, saying this was due to a “highly challenging construction site” as a result of the Covid pandemic. The Fairmont Windsor Park, a converted 19th-century mansion that describes itself as “a luxurious countryside hotel where history and elegance merge”, was where Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, signed a revised Brexit deal in February. The so-called Windsor framework was an attempt to solve many months of wrangling over trade and border arrangements for Northern Ireland. In a statement to the Times, which first reported the enforcement notice, Arora said: “We are truly sorry for the mistakes made during the construction of the Fairmont Windsor Park. It was a highly challenging construction site being developed in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. “We are now constructively engaging with Runnymede council and other local stakeholders to find mutually acceptable solutions to the planning concerns which have been raised. The hotel is a fantastic property. We want to ensure it continues serving the local area and bringing significant economic benefits to Runnymede. “We remain extremely proud of it but also accept the need to remedy our mistakes.”
We are closing this live blog now. Thanks so much for joining us and for all your comments and emails. You can read the latest developments about the war in Ukraine here:
David Winnick (Letters, 23 August) notes that I was critical of those standing for parliament at a young age, and goes on to say: “Clearly, he was not of that view when he stood as a candidate in Devon North in 1970, when he was 22.” No indeed. One learns as one gets older. I refer him to my memoir, Hinterland: “At the grand old age of 22 I was far too young and immature to represent anyone …” Chris Mullin Former MP for Sunderland South • “Stop calling me boring, Keir Starmer tells shadow cabinet” (Report, 14 June 2022), but then he accepts free tickets to a Coldplay concert in Manchester (More than 100 MPs received freebies worth £180,000 this summer, 23 August). You aren’t helping, Keir. Bill Bradbury Bolton, Greater Manchester • I feel for those who phoned the number on the Hackney Diamonds ad in search of a glass repair company (The Rolling Stones sneak cryptic teaser ad for new album in local London newspaper, 23 August). Then again, you can’t always get what you want, I suppose. Colin Montgomery Edinburgh • Please could someone tell me what a person paid £10m, plus or minus the odd £5m, spends their money on (FTSE 100 bosses ‘given average pay rise of £500,000 in 2022’, 22 August)? Eira Hughes Broadbottom, Greater Manchester • Surely there can be no such thing as a head transplant (History of transplant breakthroughs: from hearts to hands … and heads?, 23 August). Wouldn’t it be a body transplant for the head? Dr John Davies Kirkby, North Yorkshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
More than 175,000 asylum seekers are waiting for an initial decision on their application, a record high, newly released Home Office statistics have shown, as Labour described the situation as “complete chaos”. Labour and the Liberal Democrats both recorded an increase in their incomes last year, primarily from donations, while funds in the Conservatives’ coffers fell, according to newly released accounts that appear to show ebbing financial support for the Tories. The figures also show that Labour’s membership fell by almost 25,000 last year, to 407,445 at the end of December. Two years earlier it was over 500,000. (See 12.18pm and 2.46pm.) Tens of thousands of teenagers have been forced to rethink their future options after GCSE results fell in England as ministers forced through plans to eradicate grade inflation accumulated during the pandemic. A fifth delay on the introduction of post-Brexit import checks on food and fresh produce arriving in Britain is to be officially announced imminently, the Guardian understands. Priti Patel has apologised to King Charles for causing “embarrassment and difficulties” after an email was leaked reportedly suggesting a review of Prince Andrew’s security should be launched.
Nadine Dorries has broken her silence to insist she is still working as an MP, after a colleague said she should be stripped of the Conservative whip. Steve Barclay, the health secretary, has said the inquiry into the murders carried out by Lucy Letby must have the “full confidence” of victims’ families, in a fresh hint it will be upgraded into a statutory one. (See 4.54pm.) NatWest Group’s ousted chief executive Alison Rose is in line for a pay package worth more than £2.4m, despite being forced to resign last month over a scandal linked to the threatened closure of Nigel Farage’s bank accounts. The Conservative MP Tim Loughton has accused Greece of “blatant opportunism” in claiming ancient treasures such as the Parthenon marbles are not safe in the British Museum after thefts from the institution. Britain’s policymakers have been put on recession alert after a closely watched measure of economic health showed the UK gripped by a Europe-wide slump in private sector activity. The first “not for EU” labels have appeared on food products sold in Northern Ireland, in a sign for consumers of the changes resulting from the Windsor framework deal that updated the region’s post-Brexit arrangements.
Keir Starmer has claimed that he would not be able to afford to go to university if he were a teenager today because of government policies. (See 9.34am.) The education secretary, Gillian Keegan, said that Starmer was wrong, and that more and more people from disadvantaged backgrounds are going to university. (See 10.26am.) But a snap YouGov poll suggests that 60% of people agree with Starmer that, if they wanted to go to university today, it would be too expensive. (See 4.44pm.) Starmer has challenged Rishi Sunak to act to force Nadine Dorries out of parliament. He made the comment as ConservativeHome, the leading website for Tory members, published an article suggesting that MPs should get rid of Dorries by voting on a motion to expel her. (See 12.40pm.) Scotland’s drug deaths remain almost three times higher than for the UK as a whole, despite the country recording its largest fall in fatalities last year, as campaigners warn of the emerging threat of synthetic opioids prompted by Taliban disruption of the global drugs trade. Jeremy Hunt has played down the prospect of pre-election tax cuts despite news that the public finances are in less bad shape than the government’s spending watchdog forecast in the spring budget. George Eustice, the former environment secretary, has been told to ask permission from the post-government jobs watchdog every time his new consultancy firm takes on a client to avoid giving them unfair access to his former department.
Downing Street has said it had not ruled out beefing up the inquiry into the murders committed by Lucy Letby, and the circumstances behind them, by making it statutory. The prime minister’s spokesperson made this clear at a briefing for journalists only days after the Department of Health and Social Care said it wanted the inquiry to be non-statutory because it thought that would be more appropriate. (See 12.25pm.) Rishi Sunak has confirmed that the government wants to change the law to ensure defendants have to be in court to hear their sentencing, and Keir Starmer has said this should happen too. (See 9.42am and 10.41am.) But legal experts question how this can be achieved in practice. (See 4.29am.) As the Law Society Gazette reports, Bill Waddington, a former chair of the Criminal Law Solicitors’ Association, said what Sunak wanted would be “very difficult” to achieve. He told the paper: Nobody can force [defendants] to listen or force them not to disrupt proceedings if they were to do so. If a defendant were to disrupt proceedings, the judge would instantly say we will carry on the rest of the hearing without you. It is very difficult to see how any sort of change in the law could force people to come and sit in court if they choose not to do so. Nadine Dorries, the former culture secretary, has been accused of abandoning her constituents by a town council in her Mid Bedfordshire constituency that is urging her to honour her promise to leave parliament immediately. (See 3.42pm.) Prisoners released on licence after serving time under an abolished and much-maligned indefinite sentencing scheme in England and Wales could have the period in which they can be recalled to prison halved under new rules.
We’re interested to hear from non-EU immigrants who have recently been granted work visas for the UK. Whether you’re already in the UK or intend to come and work in the UK in the near future, we’d like to hear when you applied for your work visa, how long it took to be approved, what jobs your visa allows you to work in and what motivated you to apply. We are particularly keen to hear from Nigerian, Zimbabwean and Indian nationals who have recently been granted UK work visas.
This Community callout closed on 12 September 2023. You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.
Since 2016, when government pressured park authorities to relax the policy on barns, hundreds of barn conversions in the Yorkshire Dales national park have done nothing to stem the tide of schools, shops and services closing down (Plan to allow barn conversions without planning permission ‘would destroy England’s national parks’, 7 August). Nor have they reversed the demographic trend of an older (and well-off) population, with young people and lower-income families forced out. What they have done is raise house prices, add to holiday homes and increase traffic and suburban sprawl. Barn conversions are not affordable housing and their development is not limited to their immediate curtilage. So far, planning restrictions have preserved the unique field barn and drystone wall landscapes of, for example, Swaledale. Take a typical postcard of Swaledale and add to every barn a driveway, a couple of cars and refashioned walls. Sketch in a garden, a shed, a trampoline, and imagine outdoor decorative lighting, the utilities and traffic. The working upland countryside we love is effectively erased. Bruce McLeod Chair, Friends of the Dales • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Contrary to your letter writer’s claim (10 August), Rafael Behr chose the right term (Britain is trapped in political purgatory – waiting for its undead government to fall, 9 August). Hell is permanent, but purgatory is temporary – you get out eventually. And while paradise isn’t on offer to voters, we could have government for the many, not the few. Jenny Tillyard Seaford, East Sussex • I wonder if young women who are feeling increasing pressure from harassment not to take their bikini tops off on the beach in France (Marie Le Conte, 10 August) feel more sympathy than the French state has shown for Muslim women who have been penalised for covering up to swim? Nandita Dowson London • News about machine-generated prose (Amazon removes books ‘generated by AI’ for sale under author’s name, 9 August) was anticipated in 1954 by Roald Dahl in his droll short story The Great Grammatizator, which depicted the invention of such a machine. Richard Chatten Crystal Palace, London • Horrified by product placement in the Barbie film (Amelia Tait, 10 August)? Growing up in the 80s, we spent our Saturday mornings watching cartoons that were basically toy ads, eg Transformers and He-Man. Sarah Lewins Birmingham • Re your report (Hacked UK voter data could be used to target disinformation, warn experts, 9 August). Voters are already given false information – in party manifestos. Michael Fuller Harpenden, Hertfordshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section. • An article reference was amended on 14 August 2023. Marie le Conte has now been changed to Marie Le Conte.
A record 7.6 million people in England were waiting for NHS treatment in June, with two in five patients waiting more than 18 weeks to be seen. The arrival of more people in the UK following a rescue in the Channel may take the official number of people recorded as coming to the UK on small boats above 100,000 since record-keeping began in 2018. (See 12.17pm.) The revelation has led Lee Anderson, the Conservative party deputy chairman, to say that if Rishi Sunak’s small boats strategy does not work, the Tories may have to take “drastic action”, such as withdrawing from the European convention on human rights. (See 1.11pm.) Court proceedings for no-fault evictions in England have reached their highest level in six years, ahead of new legislation being passed to ban the practice. A senior police officer and brother of the Conservative former home secretary Sajid Javid has been appointed to a top immigration role in the Home Office.
Lee Anderson, the deputy chair of the Conservative party, has been accused of “stoking up division and hate” against migrants. The Labour mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, denounced Anderson for saying asylum seekers unhappy about being asked to live on a barge should “fuck off back to France”. But, in comments supported by No 10, Alex Chalk, the justice secretary, said Anderson was articulating the “righteous indignation of the British people”. (See 10.18am, 1.13pm, 1.24pm and 1.44pm.) The Home Office spent more than £1,500 of public money painting over cartoon murals that were meant to welcome children to a controversial asylum reception centre, it can be revealed. The data of millions of voters was accessible to hackers in a cyber-attack by “hostile actors” discovered almost a year ago, the Electoral Commission has admitted.
The enormous waste of resources due to red tape described by Polly Toynbee (Business is haunted by Brexit – and this safety mark fiasco is its latest nightmare, 4 August) is not just confined to British business – it has severely affected UK research in the area of medical devices. Scientists need to partner with manufacturers in order to get these devices out of the lab and into the clinic. But we and others have experienced our industrial partners withdrawing support and pulling out of agreements because it has been simply too costly to embark on double certification of potential products. This has been a blight on valuable further research in this area, on devices that could have saved the NHS large sums in reduction of ill health and improvement of treatment outcomes. Unfortunately, we are now faced with yet more uncertainty because we are told that it is unclear whether the U-turn applies to medical devices or not. Roger Bayston Professor emeritus, surgical infection, University of Nottingham • As a retired product compliance engineer for a FTSE 100 company, I read with interest Polly Toynbee’s article. When the UK was a member of the EU, we had a vote in the European parliament on any new EU directives coming forward. We will now have to change UK laws to keep in step, but have no say on new EU laws. In addition, we have no control over the EU’s CE marking process; we just have to accept EU updates. Instead of “take back control” – the slogan used by the Brexiters – it should have read “let’s lose control”. Ian White Cheltenham, Gloucestershire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Bearing in mind what a wonderful job Conservative MPs have made of running the country, I am staggered to hear that anyone wishes to employ them, especially to give advice and guidance (MPs paid £10m for second jobs and freelance work over past year, 6 August). I imagine they listen to what they say and then do the opposite. David Gent Dartmouth, Devon • We’re used to Tory ministers taking policy decisions that benefit their friends and perhaps ultimately themselves. But the news that Kwasi Kwarteng’s brief period as chancellor has left him financially worse off is surely a first (Kwasi Kwarteng admits mini-budget turmoil affected his mortgage, 6 August)? Keith Flett Tottenham, London • Regarding your letters on grief (6 August), my son died five years ago of a brain tumour. The grief is never-ending. I have been greatly helped by the Compassionate Friends – an organisation that supports bereaved parents, grandparents and siblings. We have local meetings and a WhatsApp group, and it has been a lifeline for me. Marcia Thompson Formby, Merseyside • Simon Jenkins (The weather is terrible and the forecasts worse – why do we bother with holidays in August?, 7 August) makes good points about August not being the best month for holidays as the weather is terrible. But Scotland has been the more sensible country for a long time, as there the schools break up at the end of June and return mid-August. Though one has to concede that by mid-August in Scotland, the weather can already be turning autumnal. Ian Arnott Peterborough • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
The first group of asylum seekers due to be housed on the Bibby Stockholm barge in Portland, Dorset, have been taken onboard. Given that polling suggests voters are more likely than not to see this as an acceptable option for single, male migrants, ministers may view the arrivals as a success. But the news coincided with No 10 having to in effect disown reports saying the government was seriously considering sending asylum seekers to Ascension Island, only hours after a Home Office minister claimed this option was on the table. (See 12.31pm.) Labour said the government media strategy for the week was “descending into chaos”. (See 2.48pm.) Labour has revealed that the number of asylum seekers in hotel accommodation has risen by 25% since Rishi Sunak said, in December, that he wanted to stop the practice. (See 2.48pm.) GB News is being investigated for four further potential breaches of impartiality rules, as the media regulator Ofcom struggles with the rightwing channel’s willingness to push the boundaries of British broadcasting rules. The growing crisis facing the NHS presents “quite a few business opportunities” for AXA to expand its private healthcare business, the French insurance group’s chief executive has said.
We’re closing this live blog down now. Thanks for reading and commenting. Here’s a summary of the day’s events: Rules governing contracts awarded by the NHS are to be relaxed and private sector involvement expanded, the health minister Maria Caulfield said. She told Sky News: “We are using the independent sector because they have got capacity. We’re spending about £19bn a year, which sounds like a huge amount, it’s actually only 8% of the NHS budget.” NHS waiting lists will rise further in the coming months, Caulfield said. She told LBC she could not promise lists would fall from 7.47 million, admitting the number is likely to continue to climb. Greenpeace defended its anti-oil protest following criticism of a “major security breach” at Rishi Sunak’s constituency manor house. Areeba Hamid, the group’s co-executive director, said the protest had been planned carefully and would not have gone ahead if the prime minister was there. The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, said he would stick to his decision to expand the ultra-low emission zone to the capital’s outer boroughs. He said: “It wasn’t a decision I took lightly, but it’s the right one. I’m simply unwilling to delay, water down, or step back from this vital policy.” Khan suggested drivers start looking for alternative cars now. He was asked if there is enough time to buy a Ulez-compliant vehicle with the £2,000 scrappage grant before the expansion comes in on 29 August.
Coutts’ chief executive has been forced to resign and the hastily installed new boss has said that Nigel Farage’s banking privileges will be reinstated. To make his revenge sweeter still, Farage wants compensation and a grovelling apology, and he may well get them. But in all the ricochets of blame we’ve seen, no one is considering the possibility that Coutts’ original attempt to cut ties with Farage may have been the right one. Yes, an apology is called for, but perhaps the apology should have been this: “Banks used to fancy themselves above any moral scruples. Once upon a time, financial institutions provided their services to slavers, dictators, gangsters, sex predators and fraudsters, as long as they had enough money. To our shame, Coutts once served as bankers for Augusto Pinochet. We are deeply sorry for this. We recognise that in 2023, banks can no longer avoid social responsibility, and it is for this reason that we have decided to withhold our services from Mr Farage.” Michel Faber Folkestone, Kent • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
A Conservative minister has accused a Labour MP of “misleading” the public after he shared what she described as a “fake image” of the prime minister on Twitter. Karl Turner, the MP for Hull East, posted a picture of Rishi Sunak pulling a pint at the Great British beer festival on Tuesday, seemingly being disapproved of by an onlooker. The post quickly gained attention on the social media platform, with many users questioning its authenticity. Responding to Turner’s post, Michelle Donelan said: “In the era of deepfakes and digitally distorted images, it’s even more important to be able to have reliable sources of information you can trust. “No elected member of parliament should be misleading the public with fake images. This is pretty desperate stuff from Labour.” The science secretary then retweeted the “original” photograph, which was posted on the prime minister’s account and did not feature the disapproving side-eye. The picture also confirmed that the pint of beer that Sunak pulled had been replaced with one featuring a badly poured head of foam. On Wednesday night Turner posted an apology online. “My apologies for sharing what turns out to be a fake image of the PM,” Turner said. “But can I just say that @RishiSunak need to stop telling deliberate lies to the nation. “We desperately need a general election. Also my apologies for not attributing the image. I had no idea it was fake.” The Labour chairman of the Commons business and trade committee, Darren Jones, earlier came to Turner’s defence, saying: “The real question is: how can anyone know if a photo is a deepfake? “I wouldn’t criticise Karl Turner for sharing a photo that looks real to me. What is your department doing to tackle deep fake photos, especially in advance of the next election? Let’s have that discussion.”
Rishi Sunak is heading to California for what he says will be a “special trip” with his family this summer. The UK prime minister is flying to the US on Wednesday with his wife, Akshata Murty, and his two daughters, Krishna and Anoushka, for their first “proper” family holiday in four years. Explaining why they were heading to California, he told Nick Ferrari’s LBC radio show: “We’re going to California, which is where I met my wife, so it’s very special to us, but the kids are very excited because I’m taking them to Disneyland.” He also said he relaxed best by “spending time with my girls which I don’t do enough of”, but did manage to watch the Barbie film with them recently, which was “very pink” but provided “good escapism”. Asked to name his daughters’ favourite Disney characters, he said: “They have sadly grown out of all the princesses, which was a great phase. There’s a new, well not that new any more, Star Wars bit of Disneyland which I’m very excited about so they rather fear that we’re going to have to spend more time there than they would like.” The deputy prime minister, Oliver Dowden, will be left in charge of the country in Sunak’s absence, which is expected to last for just over a week. The prime minister’s press secretary said Sunak would be getting “daily updates from his private office, particularly on anything that is urgent”. Sunak’s press secretary said he had tried to go on holiday after the Conservative leadership contest, adding: “He was in a Spanish island for all of about 15 hours, then he came back due to the Queen’s passing.”
Andrew Dickson’s article on the Tory government’s Enterprise Allowance Scheme brings back memories of the policy’s successful application (‘Everyone wanted to get one over on Thatcher’ – the artists who raided the Enterprise Allowance Scheme, 26 July), although in my case this was certainly unintended. Early on, I became involved in the anti-poll-tax campaign in Aberdeen. Concurrently, I also joined the Enterprise Allowance Scheme. I soon realised that my business plan was a non-starter. But why waste a good opportunity? Most of my year on the scheme was therefore devoted to full-time campaigning against the poll tax. Name and address supplied • By coincidence I was talking a few days ago to my friend Sid about the Enterprise Allowance Scheme. He used it to start a secondhand book business that is still going. I used it to help fund Lobster magazine, which I cofounded, and which led on to me becoming a writer on the intelligence services. If only the Labour party had the sense to revive Margaret Thatcher’s only successful policy, and at the same time build a new generation of art schools. Young people might then have had a chance of also following their creative dreams. Stephen Dorril Holmfirth, West Yorkshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
As a teetotaller who even dislikes the taste of alcohol-free beer, Rishi Sunak is not commonly seen in pubs. His visit to a beer festival might thus have provided the prime minister with the important lesson that a landlord always has the last say. In another all-round-awkward photoshoot for Sunak, he mistakenly referred to himself as the chancellor, his last job, before he was loudly heckled while pulling a pint of Black Dub stout at the Great British beer festival in west London. As he poured the beer, part of a visit to promote changes to alcohol duty, Sunak was greeted by a shout of: “Prime minister, oh the irony that you’re raising alcohol duty on the day that you’re pulling a pint.” The objection came from Rudi Keyser, 46, who runs a pub in Wimbledon, south-west London, and wanted to get across the message that while Sunak was promoting a freeze on beer-based duty, this was not the case for some other drinks. “The amount of breweries that have shut down in the last year has been phenomenal,” Keyser said. “Plus on 1 August – today – they are raising alcohol duty across the board significantly. “I run a pub as part of a big national chain and we’ve been bulk buying in the last two weeks to avoid the alcohol duty increase. And he has the audacity to come and pull a pint for PR.” After pulling the pint of stout made by the Wensleydale brewery based in his Yorkshire constituency, Sunak was asked by GB News to name his favourite pub, beginning the answer with: “Well, I’m a teetotal chancellor …” The photo opportunity, as part of which the prime minister posed with a beer mat saying “Beer is the answer”, enabled Sunak to argue that Brexit had ensured the tax paid for beer in pubs was lower than it would otherwise be. Given the rise in other duties, Keyser said, this was merely “smoke and mirrors”, adding: “It’s robbing Peter to pay Paul. So across the board, it’s all going up.”
The Home Office and secretary of state have plumbed new depths with the decision to exclude Siyabonga Twala from the country, leaving him in limbo in Turkey (Suella Braverman refuses plea of man barred from UK to be reunited with son, 23 July). The law used to bar Siyabonga was designed to block dangerous criminals from entering the UK. To deploy it against a person who has a spent conviction for a minor crime, who had not offended before or since, who grew up in the UK, raised a family in this country, had a job and a home, needs to be called out for what it is: institutional racism. Compare this with the many stories of middle-class or celebrity drug-taking that we see on a regular basis. The 1999 Macpherson report described institutional racism as: “The collective failure of an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture or ethnic origin. It can be seen or detected in processes, attitudes and behaviour which amount to discrimination through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and racist stereotyping…” The Windrush generation is still being criminalised and victimised by the Home Office. Compensation for the state-sponsored miscarriage of justice is still not flowing. Victims have died before their claims have been settled. Yet the home secretary has found time to intervene to leave a nine-year-old boy without his father. Dr Wanda Wyporska CEO, Black Equity Organisation • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Sadiq Khan, the Labour mayor of London, has dismissed as “desperate nonsense” a claim by Rishi Sunak that he has a poor record on building houses in London. (See 1.18pm and 2pm.) The Home Office’s “routine” housing of unaccompanied child asylum seekers in hotels is unlawful, the high court has ruled. The head of the private bank Coutts has resigned, less than 48 hours after the departure of his boss, the NatWest chief executive Alison Rose, saying he was taking “ultimate responsibility” for the “mishandling” of Nigel Farage’s bank accounts. Rishi Sunak has failed to give his backing to Sir Howard Davies, the embattled chair of NatWest Group, following the row over Nigel Farage’s bank account.
For most of my lifetime the Conservative party has won elections because the progressive wing of politics has been split and our system of elections allows minority parties to win (Siân Berry says Labour shift to right could help Greens hold Brighton, 21 July). There has not been a Conservative government which won a majority of votes nationally since 1959. However, most of these governments were of a moderate, right-of-centre nature, owing to the fact that the extreme right repeatedly failed to take off. Eventually, when this ceased to be the case with the advent of Ukip and its successors, the party was dragged to the right and we have seen increasingly radical and ideological governments – as vividly documented by Andy Beckett (Even Britain’s free market bible has turned on the Tories. Do they have any friends left?, 20 July). Siân Berry may be right: the Labour party is now being dragged to the right too, following the Tories. Maybe a new era will see Labour challenged by the Greens. As with Ukip, and again under first past the post, the insurgents do not need to win any seats in the Commons to have a disruptive effect. As there seems no prospect of adopting a fairer electoral system, maybe it’s time for the Ukip effect to be applied to Labour. This would require us to stop voting tactically and go all out to maximise the vote on the left. Jeremy Cushing Wiveliscombe, Somerset
At least eight members of Hexham constituency resigned from the Labour party on the day Jamie Driscoll announced that he would stand for north-east mayor as an independent candidate (Labour voters are disillusioned with the party. Their support since my resignation proves it, 18 July). More are resigning across the north-east. I have been an active Labour member for 31 years and have held several officer positions in the local constituency. It was with a heavy heart that I resigned from the party last week. I did so because I do not like the treatment that Driscoll received in being barred from the list of prospective Labour candidates for north-east mayor. I cannot remain in a party that undemocratically selects its candidates and undemocratically deselects elected representatives. I look forward to campaigning for Jamie in the mayoral election next spring. His record shows he is more than capable of being the best candidate and of doing the best job. Brian Singer Riding Mill, Northumberland • Jamie Driscoll is spot-on: Labour voters are disillusioned with the party. We have a successful, principled and popular mayor. He has worked cross-party to deliver a good devolution deal, but has had to leave the party because factionalism stopped him standing. Under Tony Blair, New Labour took the “red wall” for granted, and the results of that were Brexit and the 2019 election results. Now the Labour party is taking its members for granted and assuming that even when we don’t get a proper say we will continue funding and campaigning. Under Keir Starmer, the party offers nothing but broken promises and continued austerity policies, with all the cruelty and despair they involve. Anne Brown Newcastle upon Tyne • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Rishi Sunak has been called “desperate and pathetic” by a member of the shadow cabinet after posting a message on Twitter saying Labour is on the side of “criminal gangs” because of its stance on the Illegal Immigration Act. (See 3.45pm.) More criticism came from Emily Thornberry, the shadow attorney general, who said Sunak was demeaning his office. Usually, I try and maintain some sense of respect for the office of the Prime Minister, but it’s just impossible when the man doing the job is willing to demean it like this. What a desperate attempt to deflect from his own dismal failures. Utterly pathetic.
Britain’s plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 are “immovable” but it is time to review proposals for homeowners to replace gas boilers with heat pumps, Michael Gove has said. The number of households in temporary accommodation in England is at its highest since records began as charities call on “out of touch” government to ban no-fault evictions and accelerate social housebuilding. Wildfires in Rhodes are a “wake-up call” on the effects of the climate crisis, a UK government minister has said, as empty planes were sent to the Greek island to help bring home stranded Britons.
Rishi Sunak has signalled the government could delay or even abandon green policies that impose a direct cost on consumers, as he comes under pressure from the Conservative right to create a dividing line with Labour at the next election. Labour has said that plans announced by Michael Gove today intended to boost housebuilding don’t “come close to matching the scale of ambition needed to fix the housing crisis”. (See 5.50pm.) The BBC has written to Nigel Farage to apologise for its reporting of the closure of the former UKIP leader’s Coutts bank account.
As a social work student at the LSE in 1964 I was lucky enough to be given a placement in the personnel department at Glaxo in Greenford, Middlesex, where Richard Stokes was the director. I got some very good advice and entertaining stories from him, including the admission that he was quite relieved not to have won the Spelthorne constituency seat in the general election, since at that time MPs were paid much less than personnel directors. Richard advised me against going into personnel management, because he said it would clash with my socialist views: “In the end you are on the bosses’ side.” He told me of a personnel director friend who became a Labour candidate and got called in to see the directors, who gave him the ultimatum of giving up being a candidate or his job. “How long have I got?” he asked. “Half an hour,” they replied. Appreciating the point of Richard’s advice, I became a lecturer, and later a politician.
Keith Flett expects Keir Starmer to pledge to sort out the cost and availability of nutritious fish and chips (Letters, 20 July). However, Labour’s first priority should be to batter the Tories at the next election, and, as of last Thursday, he has another Keir to help him. Toby Wood Peterborough, Cambridgeshire • What sort of caring monarch grabs a 45% pay rise from taxpayers (King Charles to receive huge pay rise from UK taxpayers, 20 July) at a time when public service workers are limited to single-figure increases, largely below the rate of inflation? Linda Rhead Hampton, London • Delighted to read Stephen Emms’ fulsome and positive account of his walk along the oft-maligned Southend seafront (A walk along the Essex coast to a historic pub: the Crooked Billet, Leigh-on-Sea, 14 July). Fortunately, the best pub in Leigh-on-Sea was inexplicably ignored, so that’s a secret gem safe from invading Guardian walkers. Richard Lee Leigh-on-Sea, Essex • Nigel Farage is upset that his UK bank closed his accounts against his will (Report, 20 July). “If they can cancel me, they can cancel you,” he cautions. Many Britons living in the EU already know the feeling, having been denied UK banking services since Brexit. Thanks, Nigel. Mark Fisher Amsterdam, The Netherlands • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Peter Geoghegan is right to be pessimistic about the likelihood of rapid change away from dodgy donations for political parties (British political giving is increasingly dominated by the rich – it’s a system ripe for abuse, 10 July). He states that “our electoral law is outdated, with loopholes so large they could be seen from space”. Therein lies the real problem: our whole system was designed before anyone could look down from above. Political parties and institutions were mostly established in previous centuries. Limited reforms have been corrupted. Now, most in power adopt protectionist approaches to suit themselves rather than new needs. Why, for example, should we even still accept that it is right to pay an individual subscription to be a member of any party seeking to legislate, then argue over who is expelled if views do not absolutely coincide with current leaderships? But much can be changed. Solutions can be taken out of the grip of those with most vested interests. We have the independent Electoral Commission. Its constant tracker of public attitudes shows a majority think political funding should be reformed and regulated. That will sadly not happen in this turbulent pre-election year. But 2030 would be a good target, coinciding with UN sustainable development goals, for the Electoral Commission to bring forward root and branch reforms of the way we run our political system, considering the best 21st-century global examples and thinking. That will only happen if we – the public – demand it from beyond traditional barriers. Clive Needle Rowhedge, Essex
Rishi Sunak has refused to rule out having a government reshuffle on Friday. The Conservatives fear they will lose three byelections tomorrow, including in two seats where they had majorities of around 20,000 in 2019, and there is considerable speculation that Sunak may respond by bringing forward a reshuffle originally scheduled for September. (See 3.26pm.) Rishi Sunak and Ben Wallace have formally apologised to the Commons for the decades-long ban on LGBT people serving in the UK armed forces, after the publication of a government-commissioned review. UK inflation fell further than expected in June to 7.9% amid a sharp fall in petrol prices, easing forecasts for how aggressively the Bank of England will raise interest rates over the coming year. The Conservatives have selected Susan Hall as their candidate for next year’s London mayoral election, with the strongly pro-Boris Johnson, Donald Trump-supporting assembly member likely to be seen as an outsider to defeat Sadiq Khan.
Margaret Thatcher privately praised Tony Blair over his support for the US after the 9/11 attacks, according to newly released government files. “You will have found, as I did, that just as one international crisis subsides, another soon threatens,” she wrote in a handwritten note dated 4 April 2002, seven months after al-Qaida passenger jet hijackers carried out four suicide attacks, including on the Twin Towers in New York City. “I greatly admire the resolve you are showing. You have ensured that Britain is known as a staunch defender of liberty, and as a loyal ally of America. That is the very best reputation our country can have.” She signed off: “With all good wishes, Margaret T.” Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown was also an ardent supporter of Blair’s stance, emailing the Labour prime minister to say: “Heavens – what a wonderful speech. Just what the country needed. It will have daunted your enemies, thrilled your friends and comforted those who doubt.” The files, released to the National Archives also include a letter to Blair from the Tory former defence minister Sir John Stanley, written just days after 9/11, warning of the need to prepare for an imminent terrorist attack in the UK using weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Stanley wrote: “I wish to urge most strongly that your government bases its security, civil defence and intelligences resourcing and deployment policies on the assumption that a terrorist WMD attack on one or more of the centres of population in the UK will be attempted and attempted in the near and foreseeable future. “The vulnerability of British people, particularly those living in urban areas, to terrorist attack is, I suspect, all too great.” In response, Blair said that while he shared Stanley’s concerns and had ordered a security review, the greatest threat remained a conventional attack.
Keir Starmer has defended his decision to say that Labour will keep the two-child benefit cap because it needs to show its commitment to fiscal responsibility. Speaking in a Q&A with Tony Blair, Starmer suggested it was no good talking about being willing to take “tough decisions” in the abstract if he was not willing to take them in particular cases. Referring to the dispute, he said: My first reaction is we keep saying collectively as a party that we have to make tough decisions. And in the abstract, everyone says: ‘That’s right Keir.’ But then we get into the tough decision; we’ve been in one of those for the last few days, and they say: ‘We don’t like that, can we just not make that one, I’m sure there is another tough decision somewhere else we can make.’ But we have to take the tough decisions. Starmer was speaking after Jeremy Corbyn claimed Labour MPs were “seething with anger” over the decision. In comments to the shadow cabinet earlier, Starmer said working people would suffer if a Labour government lost control of the economy. (See 5.29pm.) Rishi Sunak’s migration bill “will have profound consequences for people in need of international protection”, a UN body has warned, as protesters greeted the arrival of the first barge that will house asylum seekers under government plans. Labour mayors are launching legal action to prevent the closure of railway station ticket offices across England.
Frances Ryan is right to raise the question of just what we can expect from an incoming Labour government (By telling us so little about its policy plans, Labour tells us all we need to know, 13 July). The country clearly needs a radical break from the collective failed policies of five consecutive Tory prime ministers. When Keir Starmer made 10 pledges during the Labour party leadership campaign in 2020, he said there would be “no stepping back from our core principles” and that he would increase income tax for the top 5% of earners, keep public services in public hands, and support common ownership of rail, mail, energy and water.
I think Starmer believes in these principles, but has listened too closely to key strategists who do not. It is not so much that Labour is rowing back from these reforms, but that the strategists have taken the boat out of the water, and the shadow leadership along with it. To obtain the reforms required to heal this unequal country, we need at least 10 years of a Labour government. If the model is Tory-lite policies, it is difficult to see how the electorate would not vote back in the real thing through sheer disappointment after five years. Starmer had the right pledges in 2020; now he needs to be bold. Gary Nethercott Woodbridge, Suffolk • I commend Frances Ryan’s article about the Labour party’s lack of policy under the leadership of Keir Starmer. When Rishi Sunak dumped the pledge to give £11.6bn to countries tackling global heating, Labour could say nothing as it had already “postponed” its pledge of £28bn a year to help Britain combat the climate crisis. Being against the Tories and on the side of economic growth is not enough, Sir Keir. Lyn Howard Bristol • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Labour states that lifting the two-child limit on child benefit payments may cost £1.3bn (Labour would keep two-child benefit cap, says Keir Starmer, 16 July). Removing VAT relief from private schools would raise £1.4bn or more. Those private schools whose fees crested £30,000 per pupil currently receive a 20% rebate per child. That’s about £6,000 annually. It seems the wealthy have been receiving generous child benefit support for years – and with no cap if your family has more than two children in education, as some current politicians may have. Dr Jonathan J Ross Sheffield
• Following Sir Keir Starmer’s announcement that Labour intends to maintain the cruel and discriminatory two-child benefit cap, I have cancelled my Labour party membership and am giving the subscription to the Child Poverty Action Group instead. How can Labour expect us to subsidise its continuation of an arbitrary anti-child measure that does so much damage to young lives and would cost so little to scrap? Richard Morgan Woking, Surrey • Give Keir Starmer a break! He will be faced with the horrific mess left by the Tories, whose blunders are just making a grim economic situation worse and worse. He’s trying not to make big spending commitments now, because they would just give the corrupt Tory media month after month to distort and lie about them. Peter Brooker West Wickham, London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Justine Greening, the Conservative former education secretary, has criticised Rishi Sunak’s plans to limit access to university degrees in England, accusing him of “anti-levelling up in action” if he presses ahead with the policy. Jamie Driscoll, the North of Tyne mayor who has been blocked from being Labour’s representative to contest the north-east mayoralty, has announced that he is resigning from the party to try to run as an independent candidate. Labour MPs and anti-poverty campaigners have attacked Keir Starmer’s commitment to keep the Conservatives’ controversial two-child benefit limit. Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister, has signalled that the government is opposed to further concessions to the House of Lords on the illegal migration bill. (See 4.58pm.) He was speaking at the start of a debate after which MPs will vote to overturn a series of amendments passed by the Lords which Jenrick claimed would drive “a coach and horses” through the legislation. The bill will return to the Lords this evening, where peers will have the chance to vote yet again to water down the bill.
Just when you think Tory politicians have sunk as low as they can go in their attempts to appease the rabid right, they prove you wrong (Robert Jenrick has cartoon murals painted over at children’s asylum centre, 7 July). Robert Jenrick has found a new way to demonstrate his utter lack of empathy, compassion and humanity in ordering Disney scenes to be painted over at a reception centre for children of asylum seekers. Whatever one’s views on immigration and asylum seekers, children should not be used as pawns by politicians of any party. Jenrick should be ashamed. Dr Stephen Pacey North Muskham, Nottinghamshire • The paintings had been done to give comfort to lone children, some as young as nine, terrified after arriving in the UK by small boats. The hostile environment has become so entrenched that some have lost sight of all humanity. We can only hope that the next election sees those seats coloured blue on the electoral map similarly painted over. Alex Orr Edinburgh • In reading recently about British attitudes towards the 4,000 Basque children brought to this country post-Guernica in April 1937, I’ve been struck by clear parallels with the political and moral debate today. While a Tory MP at that time urged the public not to contribute money to the “little Basque devils”, a correspondent from Shipley wrote to a local newspaper in July 1937: “The Spanish children now in England are innocent victims of a war which was not of their seeking. Only a warped judgment would describe as impudent the attempt to feed and clothe these children … All too often the plea ‘charity begins at home’ serves as a cloak for uncharitableness.” Peter Howarth Leeds • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Boris Johnson should know that there is a stall on Bury indoor market that will unlock any phone for a small fee (Report, 13 July). It is the same market that Rishi Sunak visited at local election time. He stood under a sign saying “Welcome to Bury market”, and said how great it was to visit Burnley market. These folk really do need to get out more. Bob Hargreaves Summerseat, Greater Manchester • Twenty-five years ago, I received a plastic ballpoint pen and card to thank me for my work for the NHS. In these straitened times, I wonder what my working colleagues would prefer – a pen or a properly funded health service? Dr Ann Early Winscombe, Somerset • Last week, in a forest car park in northern France, I was astonished to be approached by a racoon. I later learned that at least three separate populations of these North American animals are now established in France. Like the turtles and terrapins (Letters, 13 July), they are the result of careless “pet” owners. John Davies Lancaster • Sandy Guthrie, confused by “forgive us our chess pieces”, should have asked her local bishop to explain (Letters, 13 July). Claude Scott London • Children in my Oxfordshire class used to wonder why they should not be led into Thame station. Marilyn Rowley Manchester • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
The chair of the British Medical Association’s UK council said Rishi Sunak’s pay increase offer “fails to address” years of below-inflation pay deals. Prof Phil Banfield said the government’s offer “is exactly why so many doctors are feeling they have no option but to take industrial action”. Earlier, Sunak issued a warning to trade unions and workers still involved in strikes and industrial action, telling a Downing Street press conference the new pay offer is “final”. All four teaching unions recommended accepting a pay offer. In a joint statement with Sunak, they said: “A 6.5% increase for teachers and school leaders recognises the vital role that teachers play in our country and ensures that teaching will continue to be an attractive profession.” Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages are yet to be received by the Covid inquiry because he is said to have forgotten the passcode for his old phone. The former prime minister’s spokesperson said Johnson still wanted to cooperate with the inquiry and did not deny being unable to recall the code. The Department for Education is to raid its existing budgets for £1.4bn to help fund the 6.5% pay rise offered to teachers in England, as part of the deal announced between the government and the teaching and school leader unions. The government will help fund public sector pay increases by “significantly” raising fees for migrants’ applications for visas and their access to the NHS, Rishi Sunak said. Junior doctors began a five-day strike in England today, described as the longest walkout of its kind in the NHS’s history.
It can probably be safely assumed that Boris Johnson has foisted the middle name Odysseus on his latest child because he identifies with classical Greece’s clever, wily hero (Report, 11 July). The Romans took a dimmer view: they saw Odysseus as a deceitful villain. And Dante put him in the Inferno for disregarding necessary bounds and dishonestly using his eloquence to persuade others to follow him to destruction. Catherine McLoughlin London • Has anyone else thought that Boris Johnson naming his newborn son Frank is ridiculously ironic? Robin Dransfield Liskeard, Cornwall • Regarding the use of tumble dryer lint as bird nesting material (Letters, 11 July), experts strongly discourage this, as it contains small particles that could affect the respiratory systems of birds, and is infused with harmful chemicals. I believe it can also hold on to moisture, causing the nest to stay wet after rain. Justine Williams Mannings Heath, West Sussex • It’s not just birds who are making use of fluff for their nests. We found a vole snugly tucked up behind our washing machine, and he had used the fluff gathered on a small sweeping brush to build his pad. Kevin Quinn Musselburgh, East Lothian • Stuart Jeffries writes that no song has ever been written in honour of Northampton (‘There’s a lot to complain about in Northampton’: the choir singing about their town’s failings, 10 July), but I must draw his attention to 60 Miles by Road and Rail, issued in 1980 by Northampton Development Corporation. A true synth pop ballad and a love letter to the city. Paul Dunnery Nottingham • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
The Australian prime minister tried to ambush his British counterpart at the Nato summit with a picture of the controversial stumping of England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow in the Ashes cricket series. Rishi Sunak was unexpectedly prepared, and produced from his official portfolio his own photo of England’s Mark Wood and Chris Woakes celebrating getting the winning runs at Headingley on Sunday, giving the host nation their first victory after two consecutive Australian wins. Trying not to be outdone after initially holding up a print out of the 2-1 scoreline, Anthony Albanese warned: “I was going to be really provocative”, and then produced the image of Bairstow from the second test, which at the time prompted Sunak to complain that the Australian players had breached the spirit of the game.
But on this occasion, as they held a short meeting at the gathering in the Lithuanian capita, Vilnius, the encounter was good-humoured and enthusiastically briefed out in detail by British sources, before Albanese tweeted out the video of the two leaders ribbing each other at the critical summit, in which Nato leaders were criticised for failing to hand Ukraine a firm roadmap to joining the alliance. Upon seeing the picture, Sunak replied: “I’m sorry I didn’t bring my sandpaper with me,” referring to a previous ball-tampering scandal from 2018, in which the former Australia captain Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner were caught trying gain an unfair advantage by roughing up one side of the ball with sandpaper. “I promised Anthony Albanese I’d give him one of our ministerial folders,” Sunak said on Twitter afterwards. “Naturally it came with a little reminder of last weekend … two more to go.” British government sources insisted both leaders having the same idea to give pictures to one another was entirely coincidental although each had clearly prepared for their encounter. One described the meeting between the two as “very friendly”.
Carrie and Boris Johnson have announced the birth of their third child, a second son. Carrie Johnson, in the caption of an Instagram post with a picture of her holding the newborn, joked: “Welcome to the world Frank Alfred Odysseus Johnson born 5th July at 9.15am. (Can you guess which name my husband chose?!)” The former prime minister Boris Johnson is keen to be thought of as a scholar of the classics. In Greek mythology, Odysseus leaves behind his wife and child to seek adventure, encountering many other women along the way. Carrie Johnson added: “Am loving every minute of the sleepy baby bubble. Seeing my older two embrace their new brother with such joy and excitement has been the most wonderful thing to see. We are all very smitten. “Thank you so much to the incredible NHS maternity team at UCLH. They really are the most amazing, caring people. I feel such immense gratitude. Now, can anyone recommend any good series/box sets to binge while breastfeeding? Time for a drink.”
Boris Johnson has always refused to say how many children he has in total. He is known to have fathered at least eight so far, by at least three different women. He had four children with his ex-wife Marina Wheeler, and another in 2009 with the arts consultant Helen Macintyre, with whom he had an affair. The Johnsons’ first child, a son named Wilfred, was born in April 2020. In May 2021 the couple married in secret at Westminster Cathedral, and in December that year it was announced they had had a baby girl, whom they named Romy Iris Charlotte. Frank is their first child born since Boris Johnson left Downing Street last year, having losing the confidence of the Conservative party over his handling of several scandals.
The Guardian is publishing a list of 41 MPs who own, or have an interest in, shares in 17 publicly listed companies. The vast majority of these shareholdings have not been publicly disclosed until now. Parliamentary transparency rules require the disclosure of a shareholding in any single company worth more than £70,000. The majority of the shares identified are below this threshold. Nonetheless the Guardian is publishing the full list of MPs and their shareholdings so the public has a greater view of the financial interests of their elected representatives. In some cases, the MP’s interest is an indirect one as the shares are held by members of their close family. Where this is the case it is noted below. This published list does not include shareholdings that MPs have disposed of.
All share valuations have been taken from the close of the markets on 30 June. Shareholding data is from registers received between February and May.
Reporting team: Henry Dyer, Sam Cutler, Mario Savarese and Dominic Kendrick
Clean energy One of Labour’s biggest commitments so far is to spend £28bn by the end of the parliament on green jobs and industry. While the pledge has been slightly scaled back, the headline figure remains – though there are many blanks about what the money will be spent on. Clarity factor: 4/5 Highest G7 growth An economic pledge that goes much beyond the weaker promises made by Rishi Sunak, it includes avoiding recession and ensuring that debt is falling. However, even with a series of policies designed to revive the economy, external factors could derail it. More detail is expected on the growth agenda. Clarity factor: 4/5
Future of the NHS While the headline aim is vague, Starmer has been more specific recently about what he hopes to achieve with the NHS – including ambulances arriving within seven minutes for cardiac arrest, meeting four-hour A&E waiting targets and high GP satisfaction ratings. Huge questions remain over funding levels. Clarity factor: 3/5 Opportunity for all Starmer’s most recent speech focused on this mission, which encompasses education. The aim is to increase good development at the end of reception and increase numbers of school-leavers going into work, study or apprenticeships. It will abolish private school tax breaks to pay for teachers and end non-dom status to fund primary breakfast clubs. Clarity factor: 4/5
Safer streets Labour has said it wants to halve knife crime, halve violence against women and girls, increase the rate of solved crimes and restore confidence in the police. They are clear aims, but very little is known about the costs involved or the paths to achieving them. Clarity factor: 3/5
Former government ministers will be fined or have their pensions docked if they breach tough new rules on lobbying, to be proposed by Labour this week. In a major speech on cleaning up politics, Labour’s deputy leader and shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Angela Rayner, will spell out plans to end the “revolving door” culture that currently allows ministers to switch from government posts into lucrative lobbying roles related to their former ministerial responsibilities. Under Labour’s proposals the party would change current rules and ban ministers from taking lobbying, advisory or portfolio-related jobs for at least five years after they leave government. To administer this Labour would give its new integrity and ethics commission responsibility for examining cases involving former ministers moving to the private sector, to judge if their new posts involved any potential conflict of interest. To enforce the new crackdown Labour is also considering a system of fines and other financial penalties if ex-ministers break the rules, including recouping a portion of any pension or severance payment paid when they leave government. Before her speech to the Institute for Government, Rayner said: “Labour will stop the revolving door between government and the companies that ministers are supposed to regulate, banning ministers from lobbying for at least five years after they leave office, and with proper enforcement against those who break the rules.
“Labour recognises the standards system is broken and we have a plan to clean up politics. Our genuinely independent integrity and ethics commission will bring the alphabet soup of existing committees and bodies that oversee standards in government under a single body, removed from politicians. The commission will have powers to launch investigations, collect evidence and decide sanctions. “We’ll deliver the tougher rules and proper enforcement mechanisms our democracy needs.”
BMA Scotland has called off a planned strike by junior doctors after the Scottish government offered them a 12.4% pay rise. (See 3.46pm.) The Scottish government is challenging Westminster to decriminalise all drugs for personal use, in a fresh attempt to tackle Scotland’s chronically high drug death rates. Murals of cartoon characters, including Mickey Mouse and Baloo from The Jungle Book, painted on the walls of an asylum seeker reception centre to welcome children, have been removed on the orders of the immigration minister, Robert Jenrick. Keir Starmer has said he and the former senior civil servant Sue Gray knew and followed the rules over her appointment as his chief of staff, but admitted to frustrations at not being able to defend the hiring while it was scrutinised by the Whitehall watchdog. Starmer has been accused of “wavering on climate commitments” after the Labour party refused to commit to the £11.6bn climate funding pledge made to the world’s poorest nations. A rightwing lobby group that does not declare its donors is spearheading a campaign to undermine the spread of the four-day week in the UK.
The government has lost its legal challenge to block Boris Johnson’s unredacted WhatsApps, notebooks and diaries from being handed over to the official Covid inquiry, after a ruling by the high court. A Labour government would focus on ending poverty just as strongly as Tony Blair’s 1997 administration, Keir Starmer has said, as he set out the last of five self-declared missions, this one based around education and opportunity. There is a summary of his speech at 2pm and a summary of his Q&A at 12.40pm. Rishi Sunak faces the prospect of yet another byelection after a parliamentary report on groping allegations against Chris Pincher recommended that the former government whip be suspended as an MP for eight weeks. Rail ticket office closures will lead to job losses, a transport minister has said, as Conservative MPs raised “huge concerns” over the impact on passengers.
Leaving development and aid spending within the Foreign Office (Keir Starmer considers ditching Labour pledge to reinstate DfID, 28 June) would be a mistake that would act as a drag on poverty reduction, be counterproductive for foreign policy and limit value for money from the aid budget. The world is seeing a rise in absolute poverty and inequality, so a department with expertise in fighting both is needed. Low-income countries are distrustful of a global economic system that is rigged against them, so a dedicated development department would be a powerful, positive signal that a new government’s commitment to them reaches beyond narrow national self-interest. Finally, the record of aid spending in current years – not least on Home Office costs – demonstrates how aid can be poorly spent when poverty reduction is deprioritised and it is treated as a slush fund to cover holes in other departments’ budgets. Katy Chakrabortty Head of policy & advocacy, Oxfam GB • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Veteran SNP MP Angus Brendan MacNeil has been suspended for a week following a row with the party’s chief whip at Westminster. The Na h-Eileanan an Iar MP said he accepted the decision following a reported clash with whip Brendan O’Hara over MacNeil’s attendance record. Treasury minister Andrew Griffith has told the Financial Conduct Authority that he wants it to act swiftly to ensure that banks are not closing people’s bank accounts because they are politicians. No 10 says parliament “has a long way to go and a lot of work to do to” to prevent incidents of sexual harassment after BBC’s Newsnight broadcast a report saying that it remains rife in Westminster. Downing Street insists its asylum policy is “fair and compassionate”, rejecting criticism from Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, and other faith leaders of its illegal migration bill. No 10 said in its post-PMQs briefing that it’s committed to cutting NHS waiting list, but cutting long waiting times takes priority. The Cabinet Office is expected to learn on Thursday whether it has won its legal challenge to the UK Covid-19 inquiry chair’s request for Boris Johnson’s unredacted WhatsApp messages, notebooks and diaries, according to PA Media. Oliver Dowden and Angela Rayner went head to head at PMQs while Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer attended a service in Westminster Abbey to commemorate 75 years of the NHS. Mhairi Black, the deputy leader of the SNP at Westminster, got the most laughs for suggesting that Dowden was also likely to be leaving parliament at the next election. John McDonnell accused Keir Starmer of being on a “search and destroy” mission against the left in his party in an interview with BBC’s Newsnight.
Police are investigating alleged breaches of Covid regulations at a Christmas party at Conservative headquarters and a gathering of Tory MPs in parliament in December 2020, Scotland Yard has said. However, the Metropolitan police and Thames Valley will not be investigating alleged breaches at Downing Street and at Chequers involving Boris Johnson between June 2020 and May 2021. (See 5.22pm.) Rishi Sunak has angrily denied being an absentee prime minister who routinely misses Commons scrutiny and sensitive votes as he endured sometimes turbulent questioning from senior MPs. The private bank Coutts is understood to have shut Nigel Farage’s bank account after he fell below the prestigious lender’s wealth requirements, raising questions over the Brexiter’s claims that the bank was targeting him over his political views. More councils could be at risk of insolvency over the coming months as local authorities in England struggle to fill a £3bn funding black hole caused by inflationary costs and soaring demand for services, town hall leaders have said.
Marcia MacLeod’s reason for being a continuing leaver is so depressing (Letters, 27 June). She says that you cannot have 27 countries agreeing on everything and that therefore no country gets what it wants. Where is this single country where we all agree with each other? Should I campaign for my county, Devon, to break free from the United Kingdom? Let’s rejoin and disagree. Andrew Dean Exeter, Devon • Marcia MacLeod’s letter was a revelation to me as a remainer. As a result, I shall start a movement for Yorkshire to leave the UK, because people here do not always agree with those in the rest of the country. Once this is achieved, I shall start a movement for Leeds to leave Yorkshire, because people in Leeds do not always agree with those in the rest of Yorkshire. Also, I shall have to pluck up the courage to start a conversation with my wife, because… Stephen Adams Leeds • Marcia MacLeod says “had I been able to vote in the referendum to join … the common market in the 1970s, I would have voted no”. The 1970s referendum was not to join the EEC; it took place two years after we had joined on a “do you want to remain in or leave the EEC?” basis. John Hughes Kidderminster, Worcestershire • Marcia MacLeod says: “The reason we have not seen the benefits of Brexit is the lack of decisiveness, determination and vision shown by our politicians.” Had she been able say what those benefits are, I might have acquiesced to her point of view. Dr David Jones Cambuslang, Lanarkshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
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The Conservative MP Lee Anderson faces a telling off for using a parliamentary rooftop to film a promotion video for his GB News TV show, with unauthorised photography or filming not permitted on the parliamentary estate. The serjeant at arms, who is responsible for upholding order in the Commons, will contact Anderson, the Conservative party deputy chairman, over the Twitter footage. Using Parliament Square and Whitehall as the backdrop, the MP for Ashfield asked viewers to get in touch with their problems for a chance to appear on his weekly show. It was recently revealed he will be paid £100,000 a year by GB News for eight hours’ work a week. On his debut show last Friday he described Brexit as a “great decision”, interviewed guests such as the former Ukip leader Nigel Farage and spoon-fed his fellow Tory MP Brendan Clarke-Smith baked beans during a taste test of different brands. A House of Commons spokesperson said of the promotional video: “Unauthorised photography or filming is not permitted on the parliamentary estate. “Where it is seen or reported to be happening, the individual in question will be asked to stop and reminded of the rules. Where breaches are observed or reported, the serjeant at arms will discuss with (or write to) the member involved to confirm the rules.” Separate to rules on filming, the MPs’ code of conduct states: “Excepting modest and reasonable personal use, members must ensure that the use of facilities and services provided to them by parliament, including an office, is in support of their parliamentary activities, and is in accordance with all relevant rules.”
Court of appeal judges have ruled that it is unlawful to send asylum seekers to Rwanda to have their claims processed, in a judgment that delivers a potential hammer blow to government policy. Former cabinet ministers and allies of Boris Johnson have been accused of launching an “unprecedented and coordinated” campaign to undermine the inquiry into whether he misled parliament over Partygate. There was “no set plan” in Scotland for dealing with a pandemic of the nature of Covid-19, Nicola Sturgeon has told the UK Covid inquiry. The Scottish government has ditched controversial marine protection plans after a furious backlash that united coastal communities, grassroots campaigners and sectors of the fishing industry.
Daniel Korski, one of three candidates on the shortlist to be the Conservative candidate to run for London’s mayor, has dropped out after a woman accused him of groping her 10 years ago. Peers have inflicted two defeats on the government over the illegal migration bill. In the first, they voted by a majority of 43 to insert a clause in the bill saying saying nothing in it would require any act that would breach the UK’s obligations under various human rights treaties. And in the second, which took place just now, they voted by 219 to 177 – a majority of 42 – in favour of an amendment tabled by the crossbench peer Lord Carlile saying the duty to deport in the bill would only apply to people arriving in the UK after it came into force, not retrospectively, as the government proposes. The debate is still going on, and further votes are expected. Contingency plans for the collapse of Thames Water are being drawn up by the UK government and the industry watchdog amid fears that Britain’s biggest water company cannot survive because of its huge debt pile. One in 10 GCSE-year pupils have been absent from school in England each day this year, up 70% since before the Covid pandemic, a Guardian investigation has found.
We’d like to find more about how people across the UK feel about Europe. Seven years on from the EU referendum, has your relationship with Europe changed? Do you feel European? Tell us why, or why not, below.
Matt Hancock has said he is “profoundly sorry” for his part in mistakes that meant the UK was not properly prepared for Covid, telling the public inquiry into the pandemic that he had not properly challenged assurances that sufficient planning was in place. Boris Johnson committed an unambiguous breach of the rules when he failed to get permission from the ministerial appointments watchdog before taking a job as a Daily Mail columnist, which has led to calls for reform of the “good chaps” system. The Conservatives will not investigate a claim by a TV producer that one of its London mayoral hopefuls groped her at No 10, as a spokesperson for Rishi Sunak said Downing Street was a safe place for women. Senior doctors in England have voted to strike in overwhelming numbers for the first time in the row over pay. The announcement came after the Royal College of Nursing said its members have failed to vote in sufficient numbers for further strike action. Alex Chalk, the justice secretary, has told MPs the government is abandoning the bill of rights championed by his predecessor, Dominic Raab. As Jason Groves from the Mail reports, Raab has described this as “disappointing”.
The report by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (Icec) has clarified the unholy trinity of racism, sexism and class in the sport (Report, 27 June). Isn’t it time for a similar investigation into Westminster and our whole political system and parliament? Karen Huckvale Exeter • Now that the Icec has reported on cricket, might I suggest that a similar report is commissioned for both rowing and rugby. Paul Mincher Okehampton, Devon • “Should we employ five extra nurses?” asks Steve Barclay. “No,” says Suella Braverman. “Let’s send one asylum seeker to Rwanda instead” (Sending asylum seekers to Rwanda will cost £169k a person, says Home Office, 27 June). David Prothero Harlington, Bedfordshire • I’d add a further modification to the cardio-sensitive shopping trolley (Letters, 26 June). It needs to be programmed to expect sudden tachycardia as the checkout person tells you the cost of your shopping. Jonathan Hauxwell Crosshills, North Yorkshire • I’ve just received a WhatsApp message from a friend about a new restaurant. I’m not sure if it’s a victim of autocorrect or not (Letters, 25 June), but apparently it’s “vegan and glutton-free”. Emyr Owen Llanfairfechan, Conwy • Sinatra covers all the bases on funeral songs (Letters, 26 June). For the 10% of those who want to rule the world, My Way; for the 10% who have simply been along for the ride and had a ball, It Was a Very Good Year; and for the rest, That’s Life (“riding high in April, shot down in May … back on top in June”). Huw Beynon Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire
The Home Office has published an economic impact of its illegal migration bill that says sending asylum seekers to Rwanda would cost £169,000 per person and would only save the taxpayer money if 37% of small boat arrivals were deterred. (See 5.09pm.) The report also shows how uncertain the government is about whether the policy will work. These are from Danny Shaw, the former BBC home affairs correspondent.
It would be “impossible” for Britain to conduct a mass airlift of its nationals from Russia, but the UK government is planning for “all scenarios” after the country pulled back from the brink of civil war, the UK foreign secretary has said. Jeremy Hunt will ask industry regulators what they are doing about any companies exploiting rampant inflation by raising prices.
In response to Wes Streeting saying that he is a binge drinker, your correspondent (Letters, 20 June) suggests health ministers shouldn’t lead an unhealthy lifestyle. When my neighbour Frank Dobson was health secretary in the early years of the Blair government, I opened my front door one morning to see him striding past in the direction of parliament, a couple of miles away. “Frank,” I said. “Shouldn’t you be in a ministerial limo working on your red boxes?” He said his papers were indeed in a car on its way to Westminster – but on their own. He added that he’d been told to “shape up and lead by example”, and patted his comfortable girth with a chuckle. Albert Beale London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
My friend John Davies, who has died aged 82, came to national attention in 1987 when, for the Labour party, he stood against Margaret Thatcher in her constituency during the general election. He succeeded in reducing her majority in Finchley, but, of course, the seat remained rock solid for the prime minister. John also served for a time as leader of the Labour group in Barnet, north London, and thoroughly enjoyed fighting vigorously against the Tories, defying the usual political progression by becoming increasingly leftwing as he grew older. However, he left formal politics soon after he stood against Thatcher. John was born in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, the eldest child of Ivor, a book publisher and Liberal party councillor who stood for parliament on three occasions, and his wife, Jean (nee McLeod), a magistrate. After attending Magdalen College school in Oxford, John went to Oxford University, where he studied English, edited the student newspaper, Cherwell, and just missed out on the Union presidency in 1963. One of the few people able to recite the whole of Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood from memory, he was also an amateur versifier, taking Thomas as his model. After Oxford, John took a postgraduate librarian qualification at Sheffield University, working for a time as a librarian in mid-Wales before becoming director of the Educational Publishers Council for the rest of his career, often opposing measures favoured by Thatcher that led to budget cuts in school libraries. Outside work and politics he maintained his interest in poetry, was fascinated in anything to do with Wales, and had a passion for cricket. John married Laura (who was also born with the surname Davies), a museum administrator, in 1972. She died in 2012. His sister, Mary, and brother, Michael, predeceased him. He is survived by four nephews and nieces.
Struggling mortgage holders will be given a 12-month grace period before their repossession proceedings begin, in an agreement between Jeremy Hunt and Britain’s biggest lenders. Thousands of junior doctors are to go on strike across England for five days in the longest such industrial action in the history of the NHS. Seven years after the Brexit referendum, the proportion of Britons who want to rejoin the EU has climbed to its highest levels since 2016, according to a new survey. Four out of five Britons now want a closer relationship with the EU, another poll suggests, and a third of leave voters want the UK to at least rejoin the single market. (See 9.32am.) Dissatisfaction with the government is running at near record levels, with 80% of people unhappy with the way it is running the country, a poll suggests. (See 2pm.)
The Bank of England has raised interest rates by a half a percentage point to 5% as it intensifies its efforts to tackle stubbornly high inflation, adding to the strain on households struggling with soaring mortgage costs. At a PM Connect event this afternoon Rishi Sunak said that he was addressing the problem, and that he was “totally, 100% on it”. (See 2.31pm.) He also claimed he had a three-point plan to bring down inflation. (See 5.36pm.) Sunak refused to say directly whether or not he agreed with conclusions of the privileges committee’s investigation into Boris Johnson, saying he wanted to “focus on the future”. (See 3.47pm.) England’s chief medical officer, Sir Chris Whitty, said the UK “did not give sufficient thought” to stopping Covid in its tracks as he listed multiple problems with preparedness in his first cross-examination at the pandemic public inquiry. Only 18% of 2016 leave voters believe Brexit has been a success, according to polling for the thinktank UK in a Changing Europe – but 61% think it will turn out well in the end. Conservative MPs and peers are mainstreaming hostility to drag events, which are increasingly being targeted by extremist groups as part of a wider anti-LGBTQ+ narrative, a report says.
The defence secretary, Ben Wallace, has said he does not expect to be the next head of Nato, amid claims that the US wants the current leader to stay. In an interview with the Economist, the Conservative MP said “it’s not going to happen”, adding that he thinks the United States wants the current secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, to remain in post for another year. Stoltenberg, a former prime minister of Norway, is due to step down in September after nine years as head of the military alliance, but its membership has struggled to decide on a replacement before a summit in Lithuania in July. Last month Wallace declared his interest in the role, telling German news agency dpa: “I’ve always said it would be a good job. That’s a job I’d like. But I’m also loving the job I do now.” Wallace had been tipped as a contender for the position owing to his role in supporting Ukraine after Russia’s invasion, with the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, talking up his defence secretary while falling short of offering formal backing. The role is decided behind the scenes. Some EU leaders, including the French president, Emmanuel Macron, were reportedly reluctant to accept a non-EU candidate for the role. The US is also thought to have had doubts about Wallace, with some in the military resenting the way he has forced the pace over Ukraine. In his interview with the Economist, Wallace speculated that the US wanted a more senior politician to succeed Stoltenberg. “Maybe they want a prime minister,” he said. Wallace said that many countries in the alliance have no appetite for Nato’s target of spending 2% of GDP on defence. He warned that whoever gets the top job will have to deal with “a lot of unresolved issues in Nato” and they will have to “please both Macron and Biden”, he said, in reference to the US’s focus on gaining allies to confront China and France’s emphasis on European autonomy.
As someone invested in the health of the nation, Wes Streeting knows about the importance of primary prevention of poor health. This is well demonstrated in his wish to improve the NHS with a shift from “sickness to prevention” (Wes Streeting: ‘If I’m going out, I’m a binge drinker – terrible messaging for the shadow health secretary!’, 17 June). How can this be reconciled against his apparent proud admission of being a binge drinker? Excess drinking should not be talked about in a light-hearted way. The latest Office for National Statistics report stated that alcohol-related deaths have increased in the last two decades, while by comparison cancer deaths are declining. Alcohol misuse is one of the top five causes of premature death in the UK, as well as the cause of an endless litany of misery for individuals, families, healthcare and society. In 2019-20, there were 280,000 adult hospital admissions in the UK where alcohol was the main causative factor. During the same time, almost 1 million patient admissions had alcohol as a contributory factor. How can someone who boasts of being a binge drinker on nights out be someone who can be taken remotely seriously as a contender for the position of health secretary? We don’t need a paragon of virtue, but what we do need is someone who can lead by example, as well as act as a role model. This article illustrates that, for me, he is sadly neither. Name and address supplied • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Does every article featuring some mention of Boris Johnson (Analysis, 16 June) really have to include a photo of this man? Surely we all know what he looks like (sadly). Photos of Dilyn the dog would be acceptable. Christine Betts Bristol • At the time Partygate was kicking off, I wrote to my MP, Sir Bernard Jenkin, asking him whether he had attended any such “events” (Boris Johnson calls for Tory MP on privileges committee to resign, 14 June). I did not receive a reply. Thanks to the Guardian, at least I know now that “he does not recall” an event for his wife’s birthday. Val Mainwood Wivenhoe, Essex • The headline on the article about Miriam Margolyes in Vogue calls her a “national treasure” (Miriam Margolyes: ‘I never had any shame about being gay’, 13 June). However, I’ve heard her on TV describe herself as being more like a “national trinket”. Jonathan Hammonds Shrewsbury, Shropshire • For the final verse of Edward Perronet’s splendid hymn All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name, sung at my (first) retirement service a few years ago, autocorrect omitted the final R from the line that normally reads: “Oh, that with yonder sacred throng” (Letters, 16 June). Needless to say, we sang it with gusset-o! Fr Alec Mitchell Kyrenia, Northern Cyprus • Re autocorrect (Letters, 16 June), some years ago I texted my sons on an old Nokia to tell them their mother’s travel plans had been disrupted by the weather. The text they received read: “Nun stuck in dog at airport.” Anthony Ferner Leamington Spa, Warwickshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
The Labour party has moved closer to ending its boycott of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), in an early sign that steps to rehabilitate the crisis-hit UK lobby group may be working. On Sunday, Labour confirmed the shadow business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, had met the new CBI director general, Rain Newton-Smith, last week. Labour and the Conservative party had cut ties with the CBI because of the sexual misconduct scandal first exposed by the Guardian. Dozens of women came forward, claiming to have experienced misconduct while working at the CBI. They included two women who said they were raped. The lobby group’s future was cast into doubt after many of the UK’s most prominent businesses including Tesco, John Lewis and NatWest suspended or withdrew their membership following the revelations. Two weeks ago the CBI’s new management won a crunch vote from its remaining members to continue after vowing to reform its culture and governance. At the time, the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, said there were no immediate plans for the government to re-engage with the CBI, with Labour also saying it would also not resume discussions with the group. However, two weeks later the picture has shifted. A report in the Financial Times over the weekend cited a Labour official as having described the meeting with Newton-Smith as “positive” and “warm”. A party spokesperson said: “Jonathan and Rain met to discuss the changes the CBI are making. Labour have resumed staff-level contact and will continue to review political engagement as the CBI work to restore the confidence of their members.” Other shadow ministers have reportedly not yet been given permission to engage with the lobby group. This month Sunak shied away from questions over whether the government would re-engage, saying: “Matters at the CBI are for the CBI and for its members to work through.”
Boris Johnson committed a “clear breach” of rules on former ministers taking up new jobs by telling an appointments body he was becoming a Daily Mail columnist only half an hour before the public announcement, the watchdog has said. Johnson has told allies not to vote against the privileges committee’s report on Partygate on Monday when MPs will decide whether to give it their formal approval. Johnson has used his first column in the Daily Mail to confess to “40 years of moral failure”. But he was not talking about his troubled relationship with the truth, his political opportunism or his rackety private life. Instead, he devoted the article to a light-hearted account of trying a weight loss drug. He said that it didn’t work for him, but he concluded that “we are still in the foothills of what these drugs can do” and that one day they will be “transformative”. The only jib directed at Rishi Sunak was a reference to a cabinet colleague looking like a “chiselled whippet”. Poor people were hit hardest by Covid – and poor people living in the north of England were hit hardest of all – because of government cuts to health services in the years leading up to the pandemic, experts have said.
Boris Johnson deliberately misled parliament over Partygate and was part of a campaign to abuse and intimidate MPs investigating him, a long-awaited report by the privileges committee has found. In an analysis of what the report means for Johnson, Pippa Crerar writes: It has long been Johnson’s instinct when faced with trouble to double down, deflect, deny – and to attack. It is why he is claiming that the committee report with its “trumped up” charges has dealt the “final knife-thrust in a protracted political assassination”. He still cannot see that his response throughout to the Partygate affair has made his situation worse. It could have turned out very differently for Johnson, for the Tory party and for the country, if he had accepted responsibility from the start. But that would go against every one of his instincts. He has run head first into reality and found himself out of frontline politics, out of parliament and out of favour. And while it is always unwise to write off Johnson, his chances of once again staging a frontline political comeback now look vanishingly remote. Pippa’s full analysis is here.
Boris Johnson’s supporters have reacted with fury to the privileges committee’s finding that he misled parliament, with some making open threats that Tories who vote to endorse the report could face deselection by their members. And here is Peter Walker’s summary of what the report says.
After months of investigation, a cross-party committee of MPs has found that Boris Johnson deliberately misled parliament. Here is the report in numbers: 50,000+ words, including its summary, findings in full, two annexes, two appendices and other contents. 106 pages of excoriating findings about the former prime minister. 90 days that the committee says Johnson should have been suspended for from the House of Commons if he were still an MP. (Johnson formally quit on Monday.) 53 times the word “misled” appears in the report. 30 The number of times Johnson spoke in the House of Commons about the question of Covid compliance at No 10. 10 times the word “disingenuous” appears in the report. Six “gatherings” at No 10 that the committee initially focused on (20 May 2020, 19 June 2020, 13 and 27 November 2020, 18 December 2020 and 14 January 2021). Johnson attended five and was briefly in close proximity to the one in December 2020. 16 “other gatherings” [in the report’s words] at No 10 and Chequers of which the Cabinet Office supplied new evidence in May. Seven members of the House of Commons privileges committee who produced the report, including four Tory MPs, two Labour MPs and one SNP MP. Five photographs of Johnson and others at No 10 in 2020 and 2021 that were reproduced in the report.
A long-awaited report that will find Boris Johnson misled parliament over Partygate has been signed off by the privileges committee, marking the end of a year-long inquiry that saw him quit the Commons in fury at its findings. It is due to be published early tomorrow morning. Downing Street is heaping pressure on Nadine Dorries to stand down as soon as possible, saying her constituents in Mid Bedfordshire deserve certainty. Human rights campaigners have begun legal action against the home secretary, Suella Braverman, after she forced draconian new police powers through parliament in a move described by the House of Lords as a “constitutional outrage”. The rules will come into force tomorrow, Chris Philp, the policing minister, says.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has admitted Covid testing was “a significant weakness” in the UK’s early pandemic response and stressed the need for proper funding to prepare the nation for the next emergency.
Planning for a no-deal Brexit from 2018 “crowded out” government efforts to prepare for a pandemic and contributed to leaving the country unready, the first evidence session of the Covid public inquiry has heard. The Commons privileges committee has revealed that it received a letter from Boris Johnson at 11.57pm last night. It had been expected to publish its report into claims he misled MPs about Partygate tomorrow, but now it is not expected until Thursday. A report in the Times says it will find that Johnson had deliberately misled MPs. (See 4.25pm.) This is from my colleague Aubrey Allegretti.
UK government borrowing costs have risen above the levels hit during Liz Truss’s disastrous premiership, after stronger than expected jobs and pay figures reinforced expectations that the Bank of England would raise interest rates next week. Labour has ruled out offering universal free childcare for children over nine months old but is considering a means-tested offer, sources have told the Guardian, as the party strives to prove its fiscal credibility. Rami Ranger, a prominent Conservative peer and donor, bullied and harassed a female journalist after she publicly criticised him and an organisation he runs, the Lords standards commissioner has ruled.
Boris Johnson has formally stepped down as an MP, parliamentary authorities have announced, bringing down the curtain on a tumultuous second stint in the Commons. The news came towards the end of a day during which Johnson and Rishi Sunak engaged in an extraordinary war of words over the former prime minister’s failed attempts to elevate several close allies to the House of Lords. The SNP has claimed that new regulations giving the police new powers to stop protesters (see 5.44pm) are a move in the direction of fascism. Opening the debate, Suella Braverman, the home secretary, said the police did need more powers to deal with disruptive protests. She said: People have a right to get to work on time free from obstruction, a right to enjoy sporting events without interruption and a right to get to hospital. The roads belong to the British people, not a selfish minority who treat them like their personal property. The impact of these disruptors is huge. Over the last six weeks alone, Just Stop Oil (JSO) carried out 156 slow marches around London. This has required over 13,770 police officer shifts, that’s over 13,000 police shifts that could have been stopping robbery, violent crime or anti-social behaviour, and the cost to the taxpayer is an outrage – £4.5 million in just six weeks on top of the £14 million spent last year. But Alison Thewliss, the SNP’s home affairs spokesperson, said the new law took the government in the direction of fascism. My colleague Ben Quinn has the quote.
Humza Yousaf has rejected growing calls from across the political spectrum to suspend Nicola Sturgeon from the Scottish National party after her arrest on Sunday. Scrapping single-word gradings for schools would not alleviate the “underlying discomfort” teachers feel, Ofsted’s chief inspector has said, as she came under increasing pressure to reform the system after a headteacher’s suicide.
The Conservative MP for Selby and Ainsty, Nigel Adams, has stepped down with immediate effect, the third Tory MP to resign in 24 hours after Boris Johnson and Nadine Dorries. Labour has established a clear lead over the Tories in more than 100 battleground seats that will decide the next election, according to a new analysis seen by the Observer. Keir Starmer’s party has now secured a 10% swing from the Conservatives in a set of 144 seats in which the vote will be won and lost. Labour now holds a seven-point lead over the Tories in the seats, which include marginals in England, Wales and Scotland. Boris Johnson is a “coward” who has “no respect” for the 2019 Conservative voters who put their faith in him, Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, has said. Rayner added that Johnson jumped to avoid a potential byelection in his west London constituency. Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, has ruled out a formal pact with Labour to encourage tactical voting in order to beat the Conservatives in the byelections triggered by Boris Johnson and Nadine Dorries’ shock resignations. David Davis, the former Brexit secretary, said “most” MPs thought Boris Johnson had misled the House of Commons with his Partygate assurances. The Tory MP told GB News: “The truth of the matter is, ask around parliament, ask most of the MPs, most people are fairly sure he misled the house. And he did so many times and he did so knowing that these parties had occurred and he had been at some of them. It is hard to be at a party and not notice it is a party.”
Boris Johnson is stepping down as an MP with immediate effect and says he is ‘bewildered and appalled’ at being ‘forced out’. He took the move after the Privileges Committee of the House of Commons found he misled Parliament and recommended sanctions of more than 10 days. The Privileges Committee to meet on Monday to conclude inquiry into whether Johnson misled MPs. Johnson claims attempt to reverse Brexit behind his being found to have misled parliament. ‘Good riddance’ was how some opposition MPs reacted to Johnson’s resignation. Johnson said there was ‘not a shred of evidence’ he misled Commons as he steps down and that the Tories must ‘recapture momentum’ in a stinging resignation rebuke to the Sunak government.
While Caroline Lucas has been an effective and radical MP, I applaud her decision to spend more time doing politics by stepping down from the position (Report, 8 June). While what happens in parliament matters, the most effective movements for change in recent times – from Black Lives Matter to climate protests – have come from outside of Westminster. Keith Flett Tottenham, London • I have never set foot in a Greggs or a Pret a Manger (Greggs and Pret index reveals England’s true north-south divide, say scientists, 7 June). I do not like sausage rolls and spat out my one and only ever (wrapless) slice of avocado. I am a Midlander, and wish to remain so. David Collins Kidderminster, Worcestershire • Birmingham, Coventry and Leicester are not in a “disputed grey area”. They are in the Midlands. Erik Williams Cardiff • Rich Pelley wonders why live actors on stage don’t acknowledge the audience, claiming that “you get a ‘Hello’ or ‘How you doing?’ at the most monosyllabic of live gigs”. He’s obviously never been to a Bob Dylan concert (My home is cosy and comfortable, and there’s a kettle. Why would I want a night out?, 7 June). Bill Lockwood Stone, Staffordshire • Re autocorrect (Letters, 8 June), my phone changes “sportive” to “prostitute”, causing raised eyebrows when I attempted to tell a friend I was planning to ride such a cycling event over the weekend. Ian Simpson London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Rishi Sunak has confirmed that he will not be talking about a US-UK free trade deal when he meets Joe Biden tomorrow, implying that he no longer views this as an ambition. (See 5.04pm.) Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, has accused the Conservatives of spending hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money on “loophole lawyers” in an attempt to obstruct the Covid inquiry. Lisa Nandy, the shadow levelling up secretary, has said the review announced today into allegations about the Teesworks freeport scheme will be “an utter whitewash”. (See 5.29pm.) The Scottish government is delaying its deposit return scheme for more than two years after accusing UK government ministers of deliberately sabotaging its plans.
MPs have voted to suspend the former SNP MP Margaret Ferrier from parliament for 30 days for breaching Covid-19 regulations, potentially paving the way for a byelection. Prince Harry has said Rishi Sunak’s government is at “rock bottom” and avoids scrutiny by getting “in bed” with friendly newspapers. Keir Starmer has promised to use public procurement to help create “unionised jobs” in the UK, after being pressed by a striking GMB member from Amazon’s Coventry warehouse. The former civil servant Sue Gray has been cleared to take up her new role as Keir Starmer’s chief of staff in the autumn after a vetting board rejected calls for her to have a much longer period of gardening leave.
The government has acquired two more giant barges to house 1,000 asylum seekers, Rishi Sunak has confirmed, as he claimed his plan to “stop the boats” was working. But some Tories do not seem to believe his plan is working. In a development that should worry Sunak, even the Daily Express, which is normally ultra-supportive of the government, is reporting that Conservative MPs are highly sceptical. Rishi Sunak has taken an RAF helicopter from London to Dover, despite the trip being just over an hour by train. Jeremy Quin, the Cabinet Office minister, has told MPs that the judicial review of the Covid inquiry’s decision to demand unredacted WhatsApp messages from the government will start on or soon after 30 June. (See 5.33pm.) He said the government was only trying to ensure that “unambiguously irrelevant” material would not have to be handed over. This was so that, in future, ministers would be able to continue to have policy discussions in private without having to worry about those messages being submitted to an inquiry on a wholly different topic. Quin also said that, if the courts agreed that “unambiguously irrelevant” material did not have to be handed over, it would be lawyers, not politicians, who would decide what counted as unambiguously irrelevant. (See 5.50pm.) The inquiry also accepts that unambiguously irrelevant material should be kept secret. But it says its lawyers, not the government’s lawyers, should have the final say as to what counts as irrelevant. Matt Hancock has been forced to apologise after parliament’s sleaze watchdog found he broke House of Commons rules by trying to lobby an official investigating another Conservative MP for lobbying.
Diana Johnson (Letters, 30 May) is right to be concerned that too many public inquiries have little impact because there is no mechanism to follow up on their recommendations. When I chaired the Soham inquiry I included a recommendation that the government should report back to parliament six months after publication on progress made. That was agreed by the then home secretary. As a result, ministers and the civil service were more diligent in ensuring that action was taken as they knew they would be held to account. Since then, select committees have become much more effective and could usefully take on the task of revisiting inquiry recommendations after six months. At the moment, too many inquiries take too long and are quickly consigned to history. We need a more rigorous system of accountability. Michael Bichard Crossbench peer, House of Lords • Simon Jenkins’ criticism of Lady Hallett’s inquiry in light of Sweden completing its pandemic report (A fight over Boris Johnson’s WhatsApps? The dither and delay of Britain’s Covid inquiry is a disgrace, 30 May) is a comparison of chalk and cheese. Far from perfect, Sweden has a government with vestiges of integrity. We are blessed with something different – ministers who made some bad decisions, MPs who sought cash for chums and other gratifications in the “opportunities” afforded by Covid. This government would be delighted to have an investigation done and dusted so that it can better showcase its pre-election agenda of demonising “boat people”, portraying sick and disabled people as a burden on the state, and rebranding long Covid as a disease of the feckless. Lady Hallett does not wish to be remembered for a whitewash. If her inquiry needs time, we need to be patient. Graham Murphy Liverpool • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
The wisdom and honesty of David Miliband at the Hay festival (David Miliband calls support for Iraq war one of his ‘deepest regrets’, 28 May) shows how much he is needed in frontline politics now, and why Labour missed a trick in not appointing him leader all those years ago. What might persuade him back, I wonder. Simon Surtees London • Your headline “Why are millennials so turned off by the Tory party?” (30 May) puzzled me. Surely it should read: “Why isn’t everyone turned off by the Tory party?” Steve Hodgson Ambergate, Derbyshire • I was pleased to read about the Italian chapel on Orkney (Letters, 26 May). When we visited it some years ago, a group barged their way past us. One of them produced a tuning fork, struck it and started singing. It turned out that they were descendants of the builders on a regular visit. It was one of the highlights of our holiday. Nova Brockbank Newcastle upon Tyne • Re Christine Fuchs’ letter on the Chelsea flower show being costly and elitist (30 May), I couldn’t agree more. Having had the same experience in 2021 at Tatton Park, Cheshire, I would never attend another such event. It’s enough to put me off gardening for life. Pat Fahy Liverpool • May I recommend that Christine Fuchs visits the RHS Malvern Spring Festival next year. It’s less grand than Chelsea and therein lies its charm. The show gardens by local schools are a particular delight, and the location beneath the Malvern Hills is stunning. Nigel Walsh Exeter • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
As the time approaches 5pm, here’s a roundup of today’s news as the head of the Covid inquiry, Heather Hallett, said she would extend the deadline for the government to send over Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages and diaries to Thursday. The government has been accused of a cover-up after telling the Covid inquiry it did not have Johnson’s pandemic notebooks and WhatsApp messages, even though government lawyers were given the material. The Cabinet Office has been refusing to hand over unredacted versions of Johnson’s correspondence and documentation, and is now claiming to the inquiry that it does not have the WhatsApps or 24 notebooks in its possession. The deadline was supposed to be 4pm on Tuesday, but it has been extended for 48 hours. In an update on the Covid-19 inquiry, Hallett has said she aims to conclude public hearings by summer 2026. Labour has said the evidence from Johnson that has seemingly “gone missing” must be found and presented to the Covid-19 inquiry to avoid the “whiff of a cover-up”. On the story about Sunak’s potential price caps on essential foods trailed in the Telegraph at the weekend, the former M&S chair Stuart Rose, who now heads the Asda supermarket, said there would be “unintended consequences” if the proposal went ahead. Sunak will travel to Washington next week for talks with Joe Biden where the two leaders are expected to discuss trade issues. The Scottish minister in charge of implementing a deposit return scheme has said devolution is coming under “sustained attack” after the UK government stepped in to exclude glass from the scheme. That’s all for today. Thanks for following along.
Peter Oborne (We know Boris Johnson is a liar but Rishi Sunak promised truth and integrity. Where is it?, 23 May) is right that the disease of deceit is wrecking British politics, and the reason for it is Brexit. Even one of its fiercest advocates, Nigel Farage, now accepts that Brexit has been an utter failure, but of course the Tory government, with no other notable achievements to its name, can never admit this. Therefore, it has to lie, pretending away all the problems it has caused, and inventing benefits. Theresa May was discarded by her party because she wasn’t willing to shamelessly lie about Brexit, and they sought a replacement who was. Boris Johnson’s premiership was hence merely a symptom of the disease, not the cause. The whole Tory party is hitched to the wagon of Brexit lies, so the leader must be a liar, too. And when you routinely lie about one topic, it becomes second nature to lie about others. So honesty can never return to our government until we have a party in power that openly admits to all the disastrous effects of Brexit. Dr Richard Milne Edinburgh • Peter Oborne’s article underlines the need to find a way of holding politicians to account at all times, not just during elections. We could do with an independent Office of Accountability, perhaps chosen by sortition with a chair appointed by the Speaker, which would, like the Office for Budget Responsibility, compare rhetoric with reality and promises with performance. It would need the power to decide on penalties for defaulting on pledges without satisfactory explanation. A regulator with the teeth to clamp down on liars would do much to restore the dwindling faith in our political culture. Peter Buckman Little Tew, Oxfordshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Keir Starmer has said Boris Johnson has new questions to answer about allegations of lockdown parties at Chequers, despite the public being “fed up to the back teeth” with stories about his lawbreaking. Nadine Dorries, the former culture secretary and Johnson ally, has suggested that the diary information that has been submitted to the police, on the grounds that it purports to show that Johnson hosted events at Chequers and No 10 that may have broken Covid rules, may have been inaccurate. (See 2.45pm.) Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, has said he would back further interest rate rises by the Bank of England, even if they risk plunging the UK into recession, in order to combat soaring inflation. Mark Drakeford, the Welsh first minister, has accused the UK government of creating the poor social conditions that formed the backdrop to the Cardiff riots by systematically eroding community life, public services and citizens’ incomes. Rishi Sunak used a helicopter to travel to his Yorkshire constituency on Thursday, with a stopoff to visit a billionaire family who live only 2 miles from a large airport.
A man has been arrested after a car was driven into the gates outside Downing Street at around 4.20pm on Thursday, police said. No one was injured. The Metropolitan police said armed officers arrested a man on suspicion of criminal damage and dangerous driving after the car struck the gates blocking the entrance to the street, where it joins Whitehall. A section of Whitehall was cordoned off after the incident. Police said the man was taken into custody and the incident was being dealt with by local officers in Westminster and was not being treated as terror-related. Rishi Sunak was inside the Downing Street complex, which includes the flats for the prime minister and chancellor, as well as a network of offices that connect to other government buildings. He left soon afterwards.
Nesrine Malik (Don’t celebrate the prospect of the Tories in opposition – that’s the real danger zone, 21 May) is surely on to something when she argues that the Tories might present an even greater threat when out of office. For decades, the political right has outperformed the left in terms of sheer intellectual energy, ideas, networking capacity and money. Even now, conservative thinking exerts a powerful hold over Labour. It is clearly no coincidence that the party is still haunted by the fear of a rightwing press pack, incipient nativism, the mobilisation of ignorance, mockery, and the effectiveness of Tory attack dogs. Lacking both a clear overarching philosophy and the intellectual heft to underpin it, Keir Starmer has responded by wrapping himself in a union flag and adopting what can best be described as a “small target” strategy. It certainly feels as if the battle for ideas is still dominated by the right; the guardrails against change are still in place. As a result, Labour refuses to condemn the illegal immigration bill on moral grounds, argues that the new draconian public order laws be allowed time to bed-in and supports a hard Brexit, having consistently failed to point out all its manifest failings. The National Conservatism conference last week certainly appeared weird and out of touch, but it should definitely not be dismissed as irrelevant. Its backers are serious, motivated, powerful and relentless. The ideas and beliefs of this radical grouping need to be taken on and defeated, or the ever rightward ratchet will continue with renewed vigour. Now is no time for yet more appeasement from the left. John Bailey Farnborough, Hampshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Is anyone else apart from me sick of hearing the tired, empty mantra “delivering for the British people”? I’m still waiting for my government delivery. Perhaps it was delivered when I was out. I’ve asked all my neighbours if they have it by mistake, but apparently not. Sue Pryce-Jones Ewelme, Oxfordshire • So Boris Johnson has “lost faith” in the system. I’ve lost faith in the system that elected him prime minister (Boris Johnson cuts ties with government lawyers assisting him in Covid inquiry, 24 May). Ann Newell Thame, Oxfordshire • Re your article (21 weird snacks loved by top chefs, 25 May), when staying at French B&Bs, our then small daughter watched as our hosts dipped their croissants in their morning coffee. On our return, she dipped her toast and Marmite in her hot chocolate. At 42, she still does it. Janet Mansfield Aspatria, Cumbria • A significant barefoot event was missed in Pass Notes (Lose the shoes! It’s time to get ready for Barefoot-Boy Summer, 22 May). Why was there no mention of Paul McCartney on the cover of the 1969 Abbey Road album? Alan Brook Sale, Cheshire • Out of the record 272,000 patients who paid for healthcare (Report, 24 May), I wonder how many voted Tory, and if they are still happy with their choice. Pete Lavender Nottingham • Can the chief executive of BT not be replaced by AI (BT to axe up to 55,000 jobs by 2030 as it pushes into AI, 18 May)? David Duell Durham • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Downing Street has denied Boris Johnson is the victim of a politically motivated stitch-up, as Rishi Sunak sought to distance himself from a fresh police investigation into further Partygate claims. Boris Johnson has severed ties with government lawyers supporting him during the Covid inquiry, with allies saying he had “lost faith” in the system after he was reported to police over fresh Partygate allegations. He has also complained about the publication today of an order by the Covid inquiry saying that his unredacted WhatsApp messages must be handed over to it, arguing that the release of this statement unfairly implies he is withholding information. (See 2.03pm.) Keir Starmer has accused the government of having “lost control of immigration”, as Labour announced a plan to change the post-Brexit migration system to boost skills and wages. Suella Braverman will remain as home secretary, after Rishi Sunak decided not to order an investigation into whether she broke the ministerial code by requesting a one-to-one speed awareness course.
Suella Braverman, the home secretary, has rushed out fresh curbs on international students who come to study in the UK amid growing pressure on the home secretary over her conduct in office. No 10 has rejected claims that Rishi Sunak is dithering as he considers whether to order an inquiry into claims that Braverman broke the ministerial code by asking officials to arrange a private speed awareness course for her. The story first emerged on Saturday night. (See 4.30pm.) Andrew Bailey, the governor of the Bank of England, has insisted that inflation has “turned the corner”, despite the UK being hit with the fastest annual growth in food prices since the 1970s amid the cost of living crisis. The International Monetary Fund has upgraded its forecasts for UK growth, saying the country will no longer fall into recession this year, but warned the government against tax cuts it said would fuel inflation and result in a long period of high interest rates. Ministers are to double funding for the government’s flagship tutoring programme.
That’s all for today, as Suella Braverman has said she is “confident” that nothing untoward happened in relation to a speeding ticket but did not address the allegation she asked officials to organise a private speed awareness course. The home secretary told reporters she was “confident that nothing untoward has happened” in relation to the story that she asked one of her staff to try to organise the lesson. Rishi Sunak has asked for more information on the situation before asking his independent adviser on ethics for his view. He told the Commons: “I have met with both the independent adviser [Sir Laurie Magnus] and the home secretary. I’ve asked for further information and I’ll update on the appropriate course of action in due course.” The shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, told the Commons that her opposite number had a track record of behaving as if she was “above the rules”. In the same session, Braverman published the government’s response to the report from the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA). In a statement to MPs, she said that the government was accepting 19 out of 20 of the final recommendations, and that the report should lead to “fundamental change”. The Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, said the party would get heart attacks and strokes down by a quarter within a decade during a speech on his plans for the NHS. On suicide, he says Labour would reverse the number of deaths by suicide. Starmer added that the NHS would get more funding but that the health service was not “sustainable” in its current state. Rishi Sunak gave a statement on the G7 summit, and denied that Britain was in retreat on the world stage, citing the UK’s role in supporting Ukraine. Junior doctors in England will stage a fresh strike for three days next month after negotiations with ministers failed to resolve their pay dispute. That’s all for today. Thank you for following along.
Jonathan Freedland’s article (They’re openly saying it: Brexit has failed. But what comes next may be very dark indeed, 19 May) reinforced my exasperation, as an increasingly reluctant Labour supporter, about why Keir Starmer and his shadow cabinet persistently fail to grasp the implications and develop policies to rejoin the EU. As it becomes so apparent that Brexit has failed to deliver, surely an honest recognition of this, allied to clearly thought out strategies and policies to move back into membership of the EU, would make sense to voters, even in “red wall” areas (which are among those affected worst by recent policies). Straight talking from leading politicians would contrast with the recent evasions and lies from the current government. Would the EU welcome us back? What would be the costs and benefits? For a start, it would discourage many Scots from pushing for independence if the UK were part of the EU again. Somebody ought to be asking these questions loudly and clearly. I have squirmed as Keir Starmer has writhed about Brexit in TV interviews, desperate not to be seen as advocating that it should be reversed. But why? It is so obviously an issue worth considering. Kate Purcell Coventry • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Rishi Sunak has talked up Ben Wallace in his effort to become the next Nato secretary general, after the defence secretary confirmed his interest in the job. The prime minister praised Wallace as “widely respected” among his international counterparts when asked about his cabinet minister touting himself to succeed Jens Stoltenberg next year. Wallace has long been tipped as a contender owing to his role in supporting Ukraine after Russia’s invasion, despite the secretary general job often going to more senior politicians such as former prime ministers. The defence secretary has never previously said outright that he would like the job, but told the German news agency dpa on Thursday: “I’ve always said it would be a good job. That’s a job I’d like. But I’m also loving the job I do now.” He said secretary general of the transatlantic alliance “is a fantastic job and Nato is an incredibly important part of all our securities”. He added: “But it’s not for me to decide. It’s for all the other allies.” Asked by ITV whether he would support Wallace, Sunak did not give his formal backing but said he knew the defence secretary was “widely respected by his peers for the role that he has played”. He added: “He’s focused right now on supporting Ukraine. He’s doing a great job of that.” Stoltenberg has led Nato for nearly a decade and will not seek another term. The job is usually decided behind the scenes. The US has yet to indicate its preferred candidate but there have been reports that France would prefer someone from the EU. Some other possible contenders include Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister; Chrystia Freeland, the deputy prime minister of Canada; and Kaja Kallas, Estonia’s prime minister. If Wallace were to get the job, it would trigger a byelection in his seat of Wyre and Preston North. This would be a headache for Sunak but would probably be more than compensated for by the increase in the UK’s clout on the international stage.
Kemi Badenoch, the business and trade secretary, has said that the problem raised by car manufacturers worried about exports to the EU facing tariffs from next year “isn’t to do with Brexit”. (See 12.15pm.) The Labour party has pledged to introduce a Scottish-style right to roam law in England if it wins the next general election, with access to green space enshrined in law. Rishi Sunak has stood by his leadership pledge to protect the green belt in England after the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, this week said it should be built on “where appropriate” to make housing more affordable. Sunak has indicated that, although he remains committed to reducing the level of net migration, he no longer feels committed to reducing it below 226,000 a year – the target implied in the Conservative election manifesto of 2019. (See 9.36am.) Voters in Northern Ireland have been casting ballots in a local election after a low-key campaign that became a proxy referendum on the region’s political stalemate.
Keir Starmer has said Labour would streamline planning rules to enable more houses to be built. (See 9.02am.) In a speech to the British Chambers of Commerce, he said current planning laws were a brake on productivity. (See 3.41pm.) In response to Tory suggestions that this was hypocritical, because shadow ministers have regularly blocked housing developments in their own constituencies, Starmer said that, unlike Rishi Sunak, he would press ahead with housebuilding reform even in the face of objections from MPs. (See 5.21pm.) Rishi Sunak has insisted Brexit is working by citing cheaper beer and sanitary products, as he claimed the economy was looking up and people’s household incomes were “hugely outperforming” expectations. As Rowena Mason reports, despite consumers struggling with high inflation and the cost of living crisis, the prime minister claimed there were “lots of signs that things are moving in the right direction” with the economy. Rejecting claims from the former Ukip leader Nigel Farage that Brexit had failed under the Tories, he cited freeports, cutting VAT on sanitary products and reforming beer duty as major successes. Angela Rayner has accused the Conservatives of starting to “prepare for opposition” and obsess over niche culture war issues in a prime minister’s questions in which she faced up to Oliver Dowden for the first time. The Vauxhall and Fiat manufacturer Stellantis has urged the government to renegotiate rules in the Brexit deal that it says could force it to shut some of its UK operations, putting thousands of jobs at risk.
Rishi Sunak has claimed that the UK is in a good position to persuade the European court of human rights to amend its procedures to make it easier for the UK government to implement its Rwanda policy for refugees. (See 5.21pm.) He was speaking in Iceland, as he arrived for a Council of Europe summit where he will push for changes, particularly to the ECHR’s rule 39 injunction process. But the Icelandic government, which is hosting the summit, has played down the prospect of Sunak getting the agreement he wants at the meeting. (See 3.39pm.) And the president of the Council of Europe’s parliamentary assembly has said the UK could end up like Russia if it just ignores court rulings, as the government wants to give itself the ability to do. (See 5.36pm.) Conservatives need to recognise that elections are won on economics and public services rather than culture wars, Michael Gove has said in what will be seen as a rebuke to Suella Braverman. Media lawyers have described the high court’s decision to permit the naming of a Conservative donor in a global money-laundering case involving a business associate as a boost for open justice. Rishi Sunak has vowed to take chlorinated chicken and hormone-fed beef off British tables in future trade deals, promising to put UK farming at the heart of government trade policy.
Suella Braverman’s belief in the transformative magic of Brexit appears to know no bounds (Suella Braverman to rebuff cabinet calls for easing of visa rules, 14 May). Apparently HGV drivers, butchers and fruit-pickers recruited from abroad constitute “low-skilled foreign labour” whereas, thanks to Brexit, Brits trained up to do the same jobs will be part of a “high-skilled, high-waged economy”. Michael Pyke Lichfield, Staffordshire • What a great idea to train more UK fruit-pickers. The home secretary could start in her own back yard and get MPs to ditch their second jobs to take up the training. Even the dimmest should be able to collect a punnet or two. Could John Crace supervise and give regular performance updates? David Duell Durham • Is the move to encourage people to retrain in butchery, truck driving and other essential trades to include those educated at public schools and Oxford? Or will it just be for those equally intelligent people with no family money and connections who go to “ordinary” schools and universities? Joan Friend Oldham, Greater Manchester • The home secretary would have more success recruiting UK-based lorry drivers if the appalling and limited roadside facilities for them were drastically improved. Sam White Lewes, East Sussex • Suella Braverman appalled by culture wars (Suella Braverman rails against ‘experts and elites’ in partisan speech, 15 May)? What next? The pope appalled by religion? Rib Davis Leyton, London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Suella Braverman has railed against “experts and elites” and what she called the divisive politics of identity, in a highly partisan speech that is likely to be viewed as setting out ideas for a post-election Conservative leadership bid. Braverman was speaking at a conference organised by a rightwing American thinktank which also heard a speech from Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Tory former business secretary, who described the photo ID voting law introduced by the government when he was in cabinet as gerrymandering. (See 11.50am.) Commenting on the conference proceedings, Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, said: The true face of the modern Tory party has revealed itself today. Rather than focus on the cost of living crisis, the state of the NHS, crime or house building, Tory MPs and cabinet ministers have instead chosen to hold a carnival of conspiracy theory and self-pity. Ukraine has dropped its request for British fighter jets to help in its war against Russia, with Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian president, making it clear during a visit to the UK that he was focusing on American F-16s instead. Keir Starmer has said it “feels wrong” not to allow EU citizens who live and pay tax in the UK not to have the right to vote in general elections. See 11.04am for a full summary of his LBC phone-in. Nicola Sturgeon says the furious backlash to Scottish government plans to pilot jury-less trials for rape cases is the latest example of the polarisation of politics that contributed to her resignation as first minister.
Boris Johnson’s chief Brexit negotiator, David Frost, has confirmed his bid to become an MP, with his name placed on the list of Conservative candidates for the next general election. Lord Frost had earlier suggested he was ready to drop his peerage in hope of securing a Commons seat, but only if he could secure a safe constituency. On Sunday he confirmed that Tory officials had accepted his bid to join the party’s candidate list, but said he was not yet linked to a specific seat. He said in a statement: “I am grateful to the party authorities for accepting my application as a potential Conservative candidate for the House of Commons, the centre of our national political life. “I have not yet applied for any seat and am considering my next steps. Meanwhile I look forward to campaigning for the party and for Conservative principles in the months to come.” Frost was an ally of Johnson before he quit as a minister in December 2021, having made clear his frustrations about tax rises and the government’s “plan B” Covid policy to reintroduce some mandatory measures in the winter of 2021.
According to the Telegraph, Frost is in contention for a safe Tory seat and could possibly replace the outgoing MP Pauline Latham as the candidate in Mid Derbyshire. If successful, he would be required to give up his seat in the Lords in exchange for a place in the Commons. It would make him the first person to do so since a rule change to allow such a move in 2014. The 58-year-old, understood to be popular with the right of the party, was appointed to the Lords in 2020. He is among the speakers expected to address the National Conservatism Conference this week, where several high-profile ministers and Tory MPs will gather in the aftermath of the party’s poor performance in English local elections.
Painting buses, reading bonkbusters and playing tennis against a machine, are just a few of the ways British prime ministers have said they unwind and “chillax”. Rishi Sunak is said to be a keen gamer, a big fan of Jilly Cooper’s novel Riders, which he reads to relax, and a decent cricketer. As chancellor, he admitted to being a fan of “collecting Coca-Cola things”, telling two sniggering school pupils: “I am a Coke addict. I am a total Coke addict.” In the run-up to her 49-day stint as prime minister, Liz Truss professed a number of times her passion for karaoke. She is known to have the Dirty Dancing anthem (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes in her repertoire, having been spotted in 2021 singing it at a party conference fringe event in Manchester.
Boris Johnson claimed to enjoy “making things”, including model buses. In an interview with Talk Radio, Johnson said: “What I make is … I get old, I don’t know, wooden crates, and I paint them. It’s a box that’s been used to contain two wine bottles, right, and it will have a dividing thing. And I turn it into a bus.
“So I put passengers – I paint the passengers enjoying themselves on a wonderful bus – low-carbon, of the kind that we brought to the streets of London, reducing CO2, reducing nitrous oxide, reducing pollution.” Other prime ministers have less fanciful and more ordinary pastimes. Theresa May favoured going on holiday, long walks and cooking. In his book, David Cameron revealed how he often practised tennis with a machine he calls “the Clegger”, after his deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg. Meanwhile, Tony Blair was known for his skills on the guitar, and John Major was also a cricket enthusiast.
Keir Starmer has suggested that the government has “completely lost control” of net migration, following reports saying figures out later this month will show it at a record high of around 700,000. (See 12.09am.) He spoke out as Rishi Sunak, who is committed to reducing the overall level of net migration, faces pressure from within his party to bring down overall numbers. Since becoming PM Sunak has mostly focused on illegal migration, which accounts for only a small fraction of the overall immigration total. In the past Starmer has avoided saying total immigration numbers should come down, but he has said that businesses should end their dependence on foreign workers (see 3.34pm). Rail services have been brought to a standstill across much of Great Britain after train drivers on Friday began the first of the latest wave of planned strikes in a long-running pay dispute. The Conservatives’ decision to water down proposed legislation to remove 4,000 EU laws from the statute books is still a “reckless” and “irresponsible” project, leading barristers have said.
One factor that has received little attention in the debate about the civil service (The Guardian view on the civil service: besieged by ideology, 3 May) is the enormous churn of ministers that there has been in many departments. Since 1981, the year I qualified as a teacher, there have been 23 secretaries of state responsible for education – 10 since 2010. A child entering school at four will have been subject to policies promoted by an average of seven secretaries of state by the age of 16. Few of them have attended state schools and even fewer have any professional background in education. Despite that, they all arrive with their own magic bullet that will “fix” the problems they believe exist. Almost inevitably, they have gone long before the consequences of those policies are felt – if they ever get delivered. Education is certainly not alone in experiencing such constant disruption. Both schools and government departments need certainty and stability to operate effectively. There are no magic solutions to the challenges faced by schools, so it unsurprising that a stream of headline-seeking policies promoted by a revolving cast of ministers, rooted in ideology rather than real subject knowledge or experience, get a less than warm welcome. Peter Foale Tollerton, Nottinghamshire • As a former senior civil servant and now emeritus professor of public policy, it seems clear to me that our traditional model of a neutral, independent civil service cannot stand if we continue to have ministers who are ruled by ideology. Perhaps the time has come to move to political appointments at the senior level, with the permanent secretary replaced by a political director accountable only to the minister. Prof Roger Brown Southampton • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Kemi Badenoch has come under fire from furious Conservative backbenchers, the opposition and the Commons speaker after defending the government’s U-turn on retained EU laws. Britain has supplied long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine, becoming the first major western country to supply arms that could strike targets deep into occupied Crimea in a counteroffensive by Kyiv. TransPennine Express is to be run by the state after ministers announced that the failing rail company would not have its contract renewed. The Bank of England has raised interest rates by a quarter of a point to 4.5% as it forecast inflation would stay higher for longer than previously expected and the economy would perform more strongly. A female Labour MP has reported a shadow frontbench MP to the Metropolitan police, claiming he sexually assaulted her.
The archbishop of Canterbury has attacked the government’s flagship illegal migration bill as “morally unacceptable” legislation that will “damage the UK’s interests and reputation at home and abroad”. Keir Starmer has used the first prime minister’s questions since last week’s local elections to mock Rishi Sunak for the poor Conservative results, saying the loss of councillors was “a Tory promise they actually haven’t broken”. The arrest of anti-monarchy protesters at King Charles’s coronation and intimidatory Home Office warnings to campaigners before the event are to be scrutinised by a committee of MPs.
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has told the Metropolitan police to conduct a “lessons learned” review of the way protests were policed at the coronation. (See 4.15pm.) He issued his demand as some Tories joined opposition MPs in expression concern about the way six anti-monarchy protesters from Republic were arrested and detained on Saturday, under powers in the new Public Order Act, despite having negotiated with the police in advance about what protest would be permissible. Responding to an urgent question on this, Chris Philp, the policing minister, was unable to explain why if, as the police now say, the arrests were a mistake, it took 16 hours for the activists to be released. Khan said the review must answer this question. Earlier Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan police commissioner, said those arrests were “unfortunate”. (See 1.35pm.) But Rowley also praised the actions of his officers overall, saying intelligence about threats that could have caused “multiple serious injuries” led to the arrest of suspects who are still being investigated (see 2.14pm.) Keir Starmer has repeatedly refused to rule out a deal with the Liberal Democrats if Labour fails to win a majority at the next general election during an interview after last week’s local elections. The former prime minister Liz Truss is to visit Taiwan next week, where she will deliver a speech likely to anger Beijing and potentially upset the UK government’s careful approach to China relations. Rishi Sunak flew to the south coast and back by helicopter on Tuesday morning in the latest example of the UK prime minister’s fondness for short-distance air travel.
Your report on the local elections (8 May) says that the Labour party has “banished the demons of Brexit and Jeremy Corbyn’s time as leader” and that voters are returning to the fold, on less than a 40% turnout. As a Labour-voting remainer, can someone tell me what the “demons of Brexit” are? Dr Mark Wilcox Holmfirth, West Yorkshire • It’s unfair of other political leaders to demand Keir Starmer’s view on anti-protest legislation when they know he hasn’t had a chance to consult with polls and focus groups so he can find out what he thinks. Tim Rossiter Crickhowell, Powys • Every year, after canvassing for local elections, I’m left wondering why front doors have letterboxes at ground level. Designers and architects, please note – kneeling on all fours should not be expected of our wonderful postal workers. Mary Burgess Tunbridge Wells, Kent • Dr Geoffrey Hinton (‘Godfather of AI’ Geoffrey Hinton quits Google and warns over dangers of misinformation, 2 May) worries that AI chatbots “could become more intelligent than humans”. Judging by the chatbots used by banks and similar institutions to handle customer inquiries, I would say we’ll be safe for several more millennia. Keith Johnson Sedbergh, Cumbria • The recent debate on artificial intelligence has reminded me of Mary Shelley’s warning of the dangers posed by unregulated scientific advances. In her 1818 book Frankenstein, the monster says to Dr Frankenstein: “You are my creator, but I am your master.” John Lovelock Bristol • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
About the elections On 4 May, 230 English councils held elections with more than 8,000 seats being contested. Some were for metropolitan boroughs such as Liverpool city council and others for unitary authorities such as Herefordshire or North Somerset. Both structures are single-tier authorities with responsibility for the whole range of council services, including education, social care, rubbish collection and parks. There were also elections for 152 district councils, lower-tier authorities whose responsibilities are more limited, but include planning, housing and recycling. District councils typically elect a third of their seats each year on a four-yearly cycle, and elect the upper tier council (usually the county council) in the fourth year. These results come from the PA Media newswire. PA release results for each council when its count is complete, but it is possible that a council’s overall result can be known before the final seat is awarded. In addition, PA tracks changes in council seats from just before the election, including any byelections or defections that may have happened. Some results by other media track changes against the last time the seats were up for election, which in this case is usually 2019. There are also frequent changes in ward boundaries, sometimes accompanied by changes in the number of councillors overall, so it is possible in some cases for all parties to lose seats at the same time. • This article was amended on 5 June 2023. An earlier version showed the Conservatives winning eight seats and the Greens winning five seats in Amber Valley; in fact the Conservatives won seven seats and the Greens won six seats. This has been corrected.
We are closing this blog now. Thanks so much for tracking developments with us. You can read all our local election coverage here.
We are closing this blog now but you can follow all the results and reactions on our new blog.
Voters face an extra hurdle to cast their ballot in Thursday’s local elections in England, with the introduction of a requirement to produce photo ID. Brought in by ministers in what they say is an attempt to crack down on a handful of allegations of in-person voter fraud, the move means political parties are having to work harder than before to “get out the vote”.
Previously, people in England, Scotland and Wales could attend a polling station and simply give their address to vote, with some choosing to bring along their poll card. But after trials in 10 areas, photo ID is being rolled out for the first time nationally at this set of local elections – and will be required for all future polls, as well as police and crime commissioner elections, general elections and recall petitions. Original versions of the ID are necessary; photocopies will not be allowed. But ID will still be usable even if it is out of date – so long as the voter still resembles their picture and their name matches the one the on the electoral roll. As well as a passport or driving licence, other forms of acceptable ID include a blue badge, older person’s or disabled person’s bus pass, or any identity card bearing the hologram of the proof of age standards scheme. National identity cards issued by a country in the European Economic Area and biometric immigration documents also count. Those without acceptable ID were permitted to apply for a voter authority certificate but the deadline of 25 April has passed. Thursday’s elections cover slightly more than 8,000 seats across 230 councils in England, including metropolitan, unitary and district authorities, plus four mayoral races.
Voters in England will be asked to present photo ID for the first time when they go to the polls on Thursday. We want to hear from voters and polling station staff about how Thursday’s local elections go. Did you have an accepted form of ID? Had you signed up for the government’s voter ID – were you aware of it? Were you turned away – and if so, were you able to return with ID? If you work at a polling station, we’d also like to hear about your experience – have you had to turn people away? How did they respond? Do you have any concerns?
This Community callout closed on 28 August 2024. You can see the article that included respondents to this callout here. You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.
I have noticed a number of candidates who are standing as independents in contested district council elections but are also standing in uncontested nearby parish council elections as Conservatives (Letters, 30 April). If they are still members of the Conservative party, can they be independent? I suggest concerned readers ask their local candidate whether they are a member of the Conservative party or not. Lou Hart Street, Somerset • My husband, a modest and self-effacing man, becomes embarrassed if reminded of a comment he once received in one of his secondary school reports: “It is a privilege to teach this boy” (Letters, 1 May). He went on to become a teacher, always committed to giving his pupils full and – if possible – constructive reports. Caroline Boyce Dollar, Clackmannanshire • My scripture teacher, Sister Gabriel, wrote in my report: “I wish Michele did not rely quite so much on Divine inspiration.” Michele Carlisle Easingwold, North Yorkshire • On 2 May 1951, I was demobbed from the Royal Navy after national service. I asked my uncle Tom what newspaper I should take. Without hesitation, he said the Manchester Guardian. I took his advice and have taken the Guardian ever since. I am now 92. Is this a world record? Brian Simmons Branston, Lincolnshire • It seems that the 19th-century Luddites had a point after all (‘Godfather of AI’ Geoffrey Hinton quits Google and warns over dangers of misinformation, 2 May). Peter Nias Bradford • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Keir Starmer has accused Rishi Sunak of “killing the dream of home ownership for a generation” with his decision to scrap housebuilding targets, as he again used prime minister’s questions to try to portray Sunak as privileged and out of touch. Labour has confirmed that Sue Gray will take up her job as Starmer’s chief of staff even if the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments recommends a long wait before she starts. The Scottish National party has appointed a new auditor more than six months after the previous firm quit, as the senior leadership moved to reassure members that the looming accounts deadlines in Scotland and at Westminster will be met. Bim Afolami, a senior Tory MP, has been criticised for failing to declare he was paid £2,000 a month to chair a pressure group lobbying Rishi Sunak.
Zoe Williams refers to Dominic Raab’s frustration with “the Blob”, and suggests this term was coined by Michael Gove in the coalition government of 2010 (It’s Raab’s rightwingers versus the Blob, the wokerati and the snowflakes – and you’ve been drafted, 24 April). This is not correct. From 2000 to 2003, I wrote a number of articles in the Times Educational Supplement, one of which made explicit reference to The Blob, describing the 1958 film starring Steve McQueen. The article was about the publication of a book on thinking skills, and my concern then was that the Department for Education seemed to take creative ideas and incorporate them into its existing ideology, thereby quashing innovation. I quote from my November 2002 article: “It reminds me of an old 1950s film called The Blob in which a vast lump of jelly wobbled along, absorbing everything in its path and getting bigger and bigger.” I don’t know if Gove read the article and I’m probably not the first to come up with the analogy. But I wish he would come clean if he did borrow it. He and I are from opposite ends of the political spectrum. The irony of this has not escaped me. Mark Edwards Lympstone, Devon • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Alison Hallum and Brian Sandall (Letters, 25 April and 26 April) might be interested to know that Conservatives are also disappearing in Milton Keynes. None of their leaflets mention the party, and they’re on the nomination list as “Local Conservatives”. This is a clear attempt at distancing themselves from the governing party, though it appears well-coordinated by campaign headquarters. Friends tell me they are seeing similar in many other areas. Paul Norris Olney, Buckinghamshire • In our Tory stronghold we have had no posters or literature from the party. We note from our local paper, the Hereford Times, that they are styling themselves as “Local Conservatives”. Have they even here despaired of their own government? Margaret and Les Barclay Leominster, Herefordshire • Here in Malvern Link we have a candidate who is standing as a Conservative for the district council, and at the same time as an independent candidate for the town council. How he will be able to ignore his Conservative principles (I use the word loosely) if elected to the town council, I do not know. Martyn Wilson Malvern Link, Worcestershire • In our Bath ward we have not seen any signs of boards, literature or canvassing from prospective Tory councillors. Bill Hutty Bath • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Keir Starmer says he could not believe what he was reading when he first saw the letter that Diane Abbott wrote to the Observer suggesting that Jewish, Irish and Traveller people were not subject to racism for “all of their lives”. Abbott, who was Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow home secretary, wrote that although people “with points of difference” suffer prejudice, they had not suffered the same racism as black people. After an outcry, Abbott apologised unreservedly, saying that she made errors in what she claimed was a first draft of the letter. Labour strongly condemned the remarks and confirmed that the whip had been suspended from her pending an investigation. In an interview with the Observer, Starmer said that he had been “shocked” when he saw what Abbott had written. “As I read through it I could not believe what I was reading,” he said. Starmer said what was particularly shocking was that in suggesting Jewish people had not suffered racism she had not appeared to take into account the Holocaust. Asked if he thought the whip could ever be restored to Abbott, Starmer said: “The chief whip is dealing with it and we have to see what the outcome is. But I made a very clear pledge to tear antisemitism out by its roots from the Labour party and I meant what I said.” He added: “The broader question is: are we bearing down on racism in the Labour party? You bet we are. Are we being hard and ruthless about it? You bet we are.” After the furore erupted on Sunday, Abbott wrote on Twitter: “I wish to wholly and unreservedly withdraw my written remarks and dissociate myself from them. “The errors arose in an initial draft being sent. But there is no excuse and I wish to apologise for any anguish caused. “Racism takes many forms and it is completely undeniable that Jewish people have suffered its monstrous effects, as have Irish people, Travellers and many others. “Once again, I would like to apologise publicly for the remarks and any distress caused as a result of them.”
Your editorial (The Guardian view on Giorgia Meloni: normalising the radical right, 23 April) correctly exposed the danger that Giorgia Meloni and her party with neofascist roots poses to core European ideals and values. But you are wrong in seeing Rishi Sunak’s flirtation as anything new for Britain’s Tories. In 2019, after the European elections, Britain’s Tory MEPs were happy to leap into bed with the Brothers of Italy in their European Conservatives and Reformists Group. Sunak is demonstrating Tory continuity, not change. Glyn Ford Labour MEP (1984-2009); rapporteur for the European parliament’s Committee of Inquiry into Growth of Fascism and Racism in Europe (1985) • Giorgia Meloni is at the beginning of her attempt to move her rightwing coalition into mainstream European conservatism. In the UK, we are 13 years into a project that is doing the opposite. The UK is where Meloni wants to be, but the stumbling block is that Italians have seen what Brexit has done, prompting greater support of the EU among them. Meloni can therefore only be as rightwing as her membership will fund and allow at the moment. But the Tories have 13 years’ experience of moving a country to the far right, with its rhetoric and culture wars, and away from Europe. Italy has the same ingredients we had: a leftwards move by the main leftwing party (the Partito Democratico), continuing austerity, and migration ripe for exploitation. Rishi Sunak may just give her the insight of how to politically morph from David Cameron to him. John Cooke Needham Market, Suffolk • Giorgia Meloni “normalising the radical right”? The Tory party’s been doing that for years. Rib Davis Leyton, London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Here’s a summary of the day’s main events: The BBC chair Richard Sharp stood down after a report found he had breached the rules on public appointments. Sharp, who told Boris Johnson he wanted the job and whom the former prime minister backed, failed to declare his connection to a secret £800,000 loan made to Johnson. There were calls to investigate Johnson himself over the matter. The report’s author was careful to stress that looking into the former prime minister’s role was not within his remit. That led the former commissioner for public appointments Sir Peter Riddel to call for further investigation, claiming Johnson “himself was conflicted” in the process. The prime minister Rishi Sunak refused to rule out the appointment of another Tory donor to replace Sharp at the BBC. Asked if he could make the pledge, he said: “There’s an appointments process that happens for those appointments. I’m not going to prejudge that.” A major health union accepted the government’s improved pay offer for NHS staff. GMB members working in the NHS in England voted by 56% to 44% to accept the deal that all 12 health unions hammered out last month with the health secretary, Steve Barclay. Unite members rejected the deal. The ultra-conservative US presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis was hosted in the UK by the foreign secretary James Cleverly. The Florida governor is seeking to burnish his credentials ahead of a possible run against Donald Trump to be the Republican choice in the race for the White House.
A strike by tens of thousands of nurses starting this Sunday will be cut short after a high court judge ruled that the plans were unlawful. Thousands of schools across England were fully or partially closed on Wednesday as teachers vowed to continue taking strike action until the government resumed talks over pay and working conditions. A minister has repeatedly refused to tell MPs whether the number of voters turned away from polling stations because of a lack of ID at local elections next week will be properly recorded, arguing that it is ultimately up to individuals whether or why they decide to vote.
This blog is now closing, thanks for following. You can read our full report here: MPs back illegal migration bill by 289 votes to 230
Nicola Sturgeon, the former Scottish first minister, has said that the SNP finance crisis was not the cause of her resignation and that what has happened in recent weeks was something she “could not have anticipated in my worst nightmares”. (See 4.35pm.) The UK government borrowed about £13bn less than expected last year, official figures show, despite the budget deficit reaching the fourth-highest level on records dating back to 1946. Keir Starmer has pledged to make spiking drinks a standalone offence as Labour seeks to bolster its “tough on crime” message. Conservative MPs have voted down an attempt by Labour to set aside time next month for MPs to debate a bill to reduce sewage discharges into rivers. After the vote Labour said the Tories had voted to allow sewage dumping to continue. (See 5.02pm.) Thérèse Coffey, the environment secretary, said most of what Labour was proposing was being done by the government anyway, and that the other aspects of the plan were counterproductive, or would increase prices for consumers. (See 4.14pm.) British households and businesses “need to accept” they are poorer and stop seeking pay increases and pushing prices higher, the Bank of England’s chief economist, Huw Pill, has said.
Tom Tracey (Letters, 19 April) makes a case for Scottish independence, despite the current disasters with the Scottish National party, but I believe his arguments are flawed. He claims that Scotland is economically disadvantaged but, measured GDP per head, Scotland performs better than any of the English regions outside the south‑east. Also, there is no economic case for Scottish independence. Every effort to produce one runs against the facts, which show clearly that Scotland benefits from pooling and sharing within the UK to the tune of around £15bn annually and would be much poorer after separation. There is no cultural case. The lives of city dwellers in Aberdeen or Glasgow are little different from people in Birmingham or Bristol. Rural life in England is much the same as rural life in Scotland. There is no historical case. Regardless of the wilder claims of social media cybernats, Scotland is not a colony. In fact, Scots have benefited greatly, and continue to do so, from being part of team GB. There is no legal case. The UK is a unitary state formed with the agreement of all parties in the Act of Union and its legal status has never been challenged. There is no geographical or geopolitical case. We are around 65 million people crammed on to a small island. The very idea of splitting it up into different countries in a world where size and influence matters could serve as a definition of idiocy. You can hear Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping cheer at the very prospect. And importantly, there is no democratic case. We had our referendum. The outcome was decisive and should put the question to bed for at least a generation. Alex Gallagher Largs, North Ayrshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Keir Starmer has condemned comments about racism by Diane Abbott as “antisemitic” but said any decision about whether she could stand again as a Labour MP would be made after a formal investigation. Rishi Sunak’s flagship asylum legislation risks breaching international obligations to protect human rights and could expose vulnerable people to serious harm, the UK’s equality watchdog has said. The chair of Burberry has called Brexit a “drag on growth” and asked Rishi Sunak to reverse a decision to remove tax-free shopping for tourists that has left Britain nursing the “weakest” Covid recovery among its big markets. An RAF plane has landed at a port city in the north-east of Sudan as a British minister said that the UK was evaluating further military options for rescuing non-diplomats from the country by land, sea and air.
This live blog is now closing. Thanks for following along. You can read our latest full report on Dominic Raab’s resignation here:
I thought that I had ceased to be surprised by the words and behaviour of those who have manoeuvred themselves into positions of holding power that they are not competent to wield. Dominic Raab, however, has exceeded all expectations with his resignation letter, seeking to position himself as the victim of a misguided definition of bullying (‘A dangerous precedent’: Raab’s letter of resignation and Sunak’s reply in full, 21 April). If he believes that, as he says, the inquiry is “setting the threshold for bullying so low”, perhaps he could give us his definition of inappropriate behaviour towards staff. On second thoughts, we can do without any more comments from this strutting would-be-alpha male, and he need trouble us no further. Anne Cowper Bishopston, Swansea • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
We are expecting Rishi Sunak to make a decision tomorrow on Dominic Raab’s future. Thanks for following our coverage.
I am clearly one of the “leftwing faint-hearts” referred to in John Harris’s article (Dear Keir, the polls are tightening and frankly, people are worried. You have to raise your game, 16 April). I have sent two emails to Sir Keir Starmer to express my unease at the anti-Sunak ads and have received two automated responses in return. That’s it – zilch. Is this perhaps AI at its simplest? (The computer says “No – go away.”) Well then, I hope the Labour party has stocked up on robots to deliver its election leaflets next year because, at this rate, I don’t feel inclined to do so. Perhaps Sir Keir and those responsible for this campaign think we will all suck it up and deliver when the time comes? I am not so sure I want to be associated with a party that sinks to Boris Johnson’s level. Shirley Duffield Hammerwich, Staffordshire • I was sad to read John Harris complaining about Keir Starmer’s lack of charismatic rhetoric, speaking in “a deadening political argot”. Starmer’s lack of charisma is clear, but isn’t it a relief to trade in the empty bluster of “charismatic” Boris Johnson for integrity and an intelligent approach to the desperate needs of the country? Surely the Guardian can better discuss the relief for millions in Starmer’s lack of mendacious flummery? Bryony Lee Abergele, Denbighshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Keir Starmer has used prime minister’s questions to repeat Labour’s attacks on the government’s record over crime, saying that Rishi Sunak had “lost control of the court service” and allowed offenders to go free. Rishi Sunak has declared his wife’s shareholding in a childcare company that could benefit from a new government policy, four years after she invested in it, a much-delayed new register of ministers’ interests has shown. Colin Beattie has stepped down from his post as SNP treasurer after his arrest on Tuesday (see 5.08pm). Richard Sharp’s future as chair of the BBC is in doubt as he awaits the publication of a “very uncomfortable” report on how he was recommended for the job by the former prime minister Boris Johnson.
Scotland’s new first minister, Humza Yousaf, has set out a “fresh vision” for his next three years in government that delays, redraws or reverses a number of his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon’s key policies. But, as Libby Brooks reports, opposition leaders said any attempt at a relaunch had been “utterly torpedoed” by the arrest earlier on Tuesday of the SNP treasurer, Colin Beattie, amid the ongoing police investigation into the party’s funding and finances. The senior Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood has accused the defence secretary, Ben Wallace, of concealing a potential Russian “act of war” against an RAF spy plane, during an emergency debate in the Commons. The energy secretary, Grant Shapps, has urged Ofgem to turn words “into action” to ensure new industry rules designed to protect vulnerable people from being forced on to prepayment meters are properly enforced. The government is considering issuing guidance to single-sex schools in England saying that they cannot be legally obliged to take transgender pupils, as part of advice to be released this term.
I am 72 and have voted in every local election, byelection and general election held in the last 51 years. I have felt privileged to contribute to the democracy of this great country through an electoral system that was fair, secure and effective. I no longer drive and do not have a passport. In the local elections on 4 May, I shall be voting with my feet. I trust that I shall not be required to produce photo ID of the said appendages (English polling stations to bring in extra staff as voter ID changes begin, 14 April). Maureen Oxley Blackpool, Lancashire • Re Sarah Akhtar’s letter on crossword coincidences (14 April), I was astonished when I came across the following clues in the same puzzle (Quick crossword No 15,399, 14 September 2019): 12 down, Old Testament book and rabbi (4); 17 down, Gentle breeze (6). The answers were the names of my two sons, Ezra and Zephyr. The crossword is framed and hanging in my downstairs toilet. Emily Hall Llanbadarn Fawr, Ceredigion • Having moved from south-west London, near the Heathrow airport flight path, to the Cotswolds, I am amazed by the noise that light aircraft can make, destroying the peace and quiet for miles around (Shout it from the rooftops: the noise pollution in towns and cities is killing us, 10 April). Alistair Forbes Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire • Re “Popping the cork when you’re on your own” (Letters, 18 April), it’s easy. Whatever your age, buy a jar lid opener. The smallest setting opens fizz with little effort. Barbara McKay Newcastle upon Tyne • Tory maths: 13 (years) + 1 (disastrous referendum) + 5 (prime ministers) = 0 (ideas). Derrick Cameron Stoke-on-Trent • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Rishi Sunak is being investigated by parliament’s commissioner for standards over a potential breach of rules relating to the declaration of interests, related to his links to a childcare firm in which his wife is an investor. Sunak has told the Commons liaison committee that he has declared the interest to the Cabinet Office, for inclusion in the updated version of the register of ministers’ interests, which has not yet been published. (See 1pm.) But No 10 has not said when this was declared to the Cabinet Office. (See 4.27pm.) And No 10 has not explained why, if Sunak considered this something that should be declared, he did not mention this when explicitly asked at the Commons liaison committee hearing last month if he had any interests to declare in relation to childminder policy. (See 3.15pm.) This answer is hard to square with what the code of conduct for MPs says about the need for MPs to be “open and frank in declaring any relevant interest in any proceeding of the house or its committees”. Sunak has admitted the UK needs time to recruit more maths teachers, adding that his compulsory maths plan would not involve forcing students in England to study the subject to A-level. The Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, has accused the Scottish National party of being politically bankrupt and deceitful, as further questions emerged about Nicola Sturgeon’s role in discussions over party finances. A House of Lords vetting body is facing pressure to reject Liz Truss’s proposed nomination for the former Vote Leave chief Matthew Elliott over critical findings relating to the funding of one of his pro-Brexit campaigns.
A Conservative councillor who said an alleged rape victim was probably a prostitute has been expelled from the party. Shaun Slator, who currently sits as an independent councillor on Bromley council, made the comments on Twitter in response to a news report about a rape inquiry in Plumstead, south-east London. In the tweet, for which he later apologised, Slator claimed it was “more likely” that an alleged rape victim was a prostitute whose “punter … didn’t pay”. The Conservative party said he was thrown out of the party after a complaints process. A spokesperson said: “The Conservative party has an established code of conduct and formal processes where complaints can be made in confidence. This process is rightly confidential. Following the conclusion of this process, cllr Slator has been expelled.” Slator said he was “disappointed” by the decision. After Slator made the comments, in December, the Labour group leader Simon Jeal said his words were “revolting”. The following month, Slator was suspended from Bromley’s Conservative group and, in February, Bromley council voted to condemn his comments. Slator later apologised publicly, saying he was “not ashamed to admit that I am fallible, and I have made a mistake”, and that he had deactivated his Twitter account. He also said he had signed up for a course about online interaction. As a councillor, he said he had “a responsibility to reflect more deeply on what I say and post online”. Colin Smith, the Conservative leader of the council, said Slator’s comments were “beyond the pale”. Slator told the BBC: “I am, naturally, disappointed by this decision and will be submitting an appeal in due course.” Bromley and Chislehurst Conservatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Nesrine Malik is profoundly right (Why Labour’s ‘law and order’ tribute act feels hollow and overblown, 10 April). The direction adopted by these new adverts, and the mentality that inspired them, can only ultimately damage the Labour party. Labour will win the next election as a direct result of successive calamities brought about by a dozen years of brain‑dead Tory government. This new advertising campaign is as panicky as it is unprincipled. It’s this lack of belief in the common sense of the electorate that sent Tony Blair scurrying off to meet Rupert Murdoch in Hayman Island in 1995, creating a relationship that blew Labour off course throughout its term in office. Gutter politics was imported from the US and Australia; to wilfully indulge in it represents another certain step in the destruction of sustainable plural democracy. David Puttnam Skibbereen, County Cork, Ireland • Ad hominem, now ad feminam (Labour defends Sunak attack ads as it turns fire on PM’s wife, 11 April). What target next: the Sunaks’ children for being privately educated? Why, in the name of all that’s decent and honourable, given the open goal of the Tories’ disastrous administration to attack, has the Labour party chosen this grubby bit of ankle-hacking? Alexandra Smithies Oban, Argyll and Bute • I look forward to a Labour party poster in the current series inscribed: “Do you think we should seek to re-enter the EU single market as a stepping stone to rejoining the EU? Rishi Sunak doesn’t.” Wouldn’t it be nice! Alan Fairs Bewdley, Worcestershire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Nurses in England will go back out on strike for two days later this month after rejecting the government’s pay deal. Civil service unions in the UK have warned of a fresh wave of industrial action, after the government announced that pay rises would be limited to 4.5% to 5%, in a move dismissed by union leaders as “insulting”. Conservative MPs with wafer-thin margins who pulled off shock victories in the 2019 election will be allowed to stand in other seats after the party designated them “displaced”.
Joe Biden has dangled a $6bn (£5bn) carrot in front of Northern Ireland’s leaders with a promise to boost the country’s economy with US investment if power sharing is restored. Scottish ministers will mount a court challenge to the UK government’s veto of Holyrood’s gender recognition reform bill, setting up the new first minister, Humza Yousaf, for a constitutional showdown only two weeks after his election as SNP leader. Rishi Sunak has refused to comment directly on the Labour attack ad smear claiming that he does not believe adults who sexually assault children should go to prison. (See 2.30pm.) Keir Starmer has defended Labour’s right to attack Sunak over what the Tories have done during their whole 13 years in power, even though Sunak was not even an MP until 2015. (See 3.20pm.) Britain’s national debt will continue to climb over the next five years, putting at risk one of Rishi Sunak’s key pledges to voters, the International Monetary Fund has predicted in a report. Matt Hancock, the former Tory health secretary, is among three MPs who have been placed under investigation by parliament’s standards watchdog.
UN experts have warned the UK government that its treatment of unaccompanied asylum seeker children is increasing the risk they could be trafficked and is breaching international law. A statement from the UN office of the high commissioner for human rights (OHCHR) expressed concern about the fate of the missing children and urged the UK government to do more to protect them. “The UK government appears to be failing to abide by its core obligations under international human rights law to ensure the best interests of the child, without discrimination, and to prevent trafficking of children,” the experts said in a statement issued on Tuesday. The statement, from Siobhán Mullally, special rapporteur on trafficking in persons, Felipe González Morales, special rapporteur on human rights of migrants, and Tomoya Obokata, special rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, called on the government to end the practice of placing these children in hotels. “We are deeply concerned at reports that unaccompanied asylum-seeking children are going missing and are at high risk of being trafficked within the UK,” the UN experts said. Read the full report here.
Here’s a roundup of today’s news – as police in Derry have been attacked with a petrol bomb during a parade on Easter Monday. A group has attacked police with petrol bombs and other missiles during a parade by dissident republicans in Derry on the eve of Joe Biden’s visit to Northern Ireland. No injuries were reported after the attack at the event to mark the 1916 Easter rising. The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, is using the anniversary to urge leaders of political parties in Northern Ireland to resume the power-sharing process, which includes the government in Stormont. It has not sat since February 2022 after the Democratic Unionist party withdrew its support. Labour will launch more adverts in a series that has already been criticised, with a focus on the economy. Keir Starmer has said he will “make absolutely zero apologies for being blunt” in a Daily Mail article published after a row over a widely criticised Labour attack advert on child sexual assaults. The Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, has had a reshuffle of his election team ahead of an expected general election next year. Thanks for following along, I’ll be back tomorrow.
Here’s a roundup of today’s politics developments, as a row has continued about a series of advert published by the Labour party attacking Rishi Sunak. A Labour shadow cabinet member, Lucy Powell, refused to endorse a social media advert attacking Sunak over sexual offenders who were allowed to walk free despite being guilty. Lucy Powell said it was the “cut and thrust nature of politics”. The period referred to includes the 2010-2015 parliament, when Sunak was a hedge fund manager and not an MP. A second advert was released, again critical of Sunak for people not going to prison for being found guilty of “possession of a firearm with intent to harm”. As one legal expert has pointed out – there is no such offence. A teaching union has said the government is treating teachers with contempt if they continue to refuse to negotiate further over pay. The firm auditing the Scottish National party’s finances has quit, the news coming days after former chief executive was arrested and released as part of an investigation into usage of party funds. An event in Northern Ireland has marked 25 years since the Good Friday agreement. Police have warned of an increased terror threat level on Easter Monday, which will be a quarter of a century to the day since the historic accord. Emily Thornberry has done an interview with the New Statesman and has said the situation between the Labour party and its former leader Jeremy Corbyn is “very sad”. That’s all from me today on this Good Friday. Thanks for following along. I’ll be back on Monday for more coverage. Have a good weekend.
I was surprised to read Rafael Behr’s article (Red wall Brexiters will be the ‘hero voters’ of the next election. The rest of us are just walk-on players, 29 March) in which he suggests the Labour party is solely focused on “hero voters” – older, economically precarious, socially conservative voters who supported Brexit and might swing from Tory to Labour. That isn’t the message I’m hearing. On the contrary, at a recent campaign briefing for Labour candidates facing Green and Lib Dem opposition, we were specifically advised that the party is “not just targeting hero voters” but is also aiming to win over more socially progressive electors who, for example, place the climate emergency high on their agendas. Behr may feel like a dispirited onlooker, but I don’t. I am happy to stand for Labour in the 4 May elections, despite the fact that I was a remainer – and I subscribe to the Guardian. Behr’s article fails to appreciate the hard work of many dedicated Labour members who are committed to building a broad and inclusive coalition of voters. James Valentine Kempston, Bedfordshire • Rafael Behr’s analysis of the forthcoming election leaves a few stones unturned. First, in my left-leaning household, we still hold Jeremy Corbyn responsible for the Brexit result, based on his lacklustre performance during the campaign. Second, what about the left-leaning remainers who live in the so-called “red wall” seats – we hurt and we hurt badly, and we also have a vote. Finally, Keir Starmer is pursuing a flawed strategy kowtowing to the white van man. He should bite the bullet and tell it how it is: Brexit was a big mistake and now we’re all paying the price. Dr Mark Wilcox Holmfirth, West Yorkshire
Here’s a roundup of today’s politics news on Maundy Thursday, as a report has been published into claims of Islamophobia by Tory minister Nus Ghani. Rishi Sunak’s ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus said he could not determine what then chief whip Mark Spencer had said to Ghani. Ghani claimed she had been told she was being sacked as a minister in 2020 because of her “Muslimness”. Magnus criticised Spencer for “shortcomings” in his evidence. Ghani welcomed the report, saying it is clear her evidence was “clear and consistent”. Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Mark Rowley, has said he does not have the powers to sack officers who he has concerns about being dangers to the public. He described “police regulations” over employment as “byzantine”. In a review of cases by Met officers, “concerns remained” over four fifths who were accused of sexual or domestic violence. Labour has established a 40-point lead over the Conservatives in London. The party is on 58% compared to Sunak’s who are on 18%. One model, based on the YouGov polling, shows it leaving the Tories with less than 10 seats in the capital. The National Education Union has threatened to organise a mass protest in Manchester during the Conservative party conference in the ongoing dispute over pay. Long queues have started to form at the Port of Dover as people try to get away for holidays over the long Easter weekend, with a fear of a repeat of last weekend where thousands had to wait up to 14 hours. Suella Braverman has been selected for the Fareham and Waterlooville seat, after winning a contest on Wednesday night. Tory MP Scott Benton has had the whip removed after an investigation by the Times showed him offering to help lobby for gambling investors. Thanks for following along today. I’ll be back tomorrow.
The BBC’s decision to give a platform to the home secretary, Suella Braverman, on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg was highly questionable. First, because she has been involved in an internal battle within the Conservative party as to who should represent the newly formed seat occasioned by boundary changes, on which party members will be voting on Wednesday night. Second, because her completely unwarranted attack on Labour in relation to child sexual abuse could only date back many years to incidents which tragically did include Rochdale and Rotherham, but also Oxfordshire, which could hardly be claimed to involve “senior politicians in Labour-run areas”. In fact, the politician who deserves every credit for taking on sexual exploitation rooted in extremely unpleasant cultural heritage is the former Labour MP for Keighley, Ann Cryer. And, of course, the present Labour MP for Rotherham, Sarah Champion. Braverman’s attempts to smear her opponents, to promote her own credentials and to attempt the impossible task of mounting the moral high ground are a disgrace. David Blunkett Labour, House of Lords
I have no brief for Jeremy Corbyn personally, but the action of the Labour party’s national executive banning him from being readopted as a Labour candidate for an 11th election in Islington has serious implications for politics generally and for the party in particular (Corbyn gives strong hint he will stand against Labour as independent, 28 March). All the parties lament the decline in political involvement and in party membership, but what incentive is there to join and to be active if one’s local association is barred from readopting its local MP and fellow party member after almost 50 years in the seat? For Labour nationally, it risks a repeat of the 2000 London mayoral election, when the party leader, Tony Blair, was adamant in rejecting Ken Livingstone as the Labour candidate. Livingstone stood as an independent and Labour nominated the cabinet minister Frank Dobson to oppose him. Livingstone romped home and Dobson – and Blair – were humiliated. Michael Meadowcroft Leeds • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Here’s a roundup of today’s news, as Thérèse Coffey launched the government’s latest plan to reduce water pollution, and the science secretary met the EU to negotiate rejoining the EU’s science and research scheme. Thérèse Coffey has been accused of a “dereliction of duty”, on the day she launched the government’s cleaner water plan. “There’s no way we can stop pollution overnight,” she said. She said critics who said they could solve the problem were “either detached from reality or being definitively dishonest with the public”. David Black, who chairs the water regulator, Ofwat, has suggested that water company bosses’ pay should be linked to performance. The science and technology secretary, Michelle Donelan, has said that the UK will commit to joining the EU’s Horizon research programme as an associate member only on “the right terms”. Ministers are developing contingency plans for a “bold alternative” to the EU Horizon Europe as it appears to be playing hardball over reentry. Keir Starmer celebrated three years since he was elected Labour party leader by travelling to Burnley to see a sporting initiative to keep people out of crime. Starmer said that the public does not think the government’s attempts to tackle antisocial behaviour are making any difference. “The government sometimes likes to pretend that it doesn’t really exist or it doesn’t really impact on people,” he said. Labour is 23-points ahead in latest opinion polling by Ipsos, with two-thirds of people wanting an end to more than a decade of Conservative-led governments at the next general election. Young people could be disfranchised in the local elections next month because of inadequate attempts by the government to make them aware of new voter ID rules, according to the Electoral Reform Society. Thanks for following along – we’ll be back tomorrow. Have a good evening.
This live blog is now closing. Thanks for following along. You can read our latest full report on this story here:
Kemi Badenoch has cast doubt on her department’s projections for how much the Asia-Pacific trade deal the UK government has signed will help economic growth. Rishi Sunak has sidestepped a question about his decision to pay for an upgrade to the local electricity grid so that he could heat his swimming pool meant he was out of touch. (See 2.13pm.) Kwasi Kwarteng, the former chancellor, has revealed that he is sometimes charging broadcasters £1,000 a time for interviews. These are from the i’s Paul Waugh.
Raw sewage was spilled into English rivers 825 times a day last year – despite the fact there was barely any rainfall and most of the country was in drought.
The government has disposed of more than 3bn items of personal protective equipment (PPE) it bought during the pandemic, figures have revealed. An estimated 3.14bn items have been shed through a mixture of recycling, energy from waste processes – including some incineration – donations and sales. Data from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in England showed that up to 28 February, 269,500 pallets of PPE had been removed from its stock. The document revealed that while 19,600 pallets were recycled (1.47bn items), 131,900 pallets were sent to make energy from waste (1.4bn).
An additional 6,100 pallets of PPE were donated to other countries and for events such as the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. It comes just months after Tory ministers were accused of making a “pitiful attempt” to recoup taxpayers’ money wasted on fraudulent Covid contracts. The criticism came after it emerged that only a fraction of the estimated total had been recovered so far. About £18m has been retrieved by the DHSC through checks on PPE contracts identified as “high risk” and through “contract management”. Will Quince, a health minister, said the figure was correct as of 12 December, and stressed that the government was working to “prevent loss”. However, the amount of taxpayers’ money clawed back is significantly less than that believed to have been lost through PPE fraud. The government has faced repeated criticism over its handling of acquiring PPE during the pandemic, including the purchase of useless items. Last year, the Commons public accounts committee said the government had lost 75% of the £12bn it spent on PPE in the first year of the pandemic to inflated prices and kit that did not meet requirements – including £4bn of PPE that could not be used in the NHS.
Your editorial (The Guardian view on tactical voting: it would help to oust Tories, 19 March) demonstrates how the Liberal Democrats might confidently confront the “blue wall” in the forthcoming local elections. Beyond that, they should consider how to complete the detoxification of their appeal to voters after entering into coalition with the Conservatives between 2010 and 2015. The obvious next step would be to collaborate with Labour and the Green party on a strategy for Scotland following the passing of peak nationalism. There are seats there to win and few to lose if they could each articulate the concept of progressive unionism, offering maximum devolution without separation. If they could agree on repurposing the discredited House of Lords as an elected senate to represent the different nations and regions, they might well find an enthusiasm for a progressive alliance spreading south of the border too. Are we really waiting for Boris Johnson to nominate Dilyn the dog for a peerage before declaring time on this Ruritanian relic in its present form? Paul Clarke Horsham, West Sussex • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
A decision on whether to bring forward the date when the state pension age rises to 68 has been postponed until after the next general election, the government has announced. The former business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said putting off the decision was “not exactly a sign of strength”. (See 2.30pm.) Margaret Ferrier MP is facing a 30-day suspension from the House of Commons for breaking Covid rules in the early days of the pandemic, raising the prospect of a byelection in her Glasgow seat. Keir Starmer has launched Labour’s campaign for the local elections saying Labour is “the party of lower taxes for working people”. (See 9.13am.) Humza Yousaf’s first appearance at first minister’s questions in Holyrood has been disrupted by climate activists who want the government to stop funding new oil and gas projects. (See 3.44pm.) The Conservative party received £3.5m from individuals and entities linked to climate denial, fossil fuels and high-pollution industries last year, according to new analysis.
Asylum seekers will be housed in the most basic accommodation possible, including disused army bases and possibly ships, to save money and to dissuade people from coming to the UK, the government has said. Angela Rayner has used a deputy leaders’ outing at prime minister’s questions to mock Dominic Raab for the claims of bullying against him, asking Raab if he will “walk before he’s pushed”. Scotland’s new first minister, Humza Yousaf, has revealed a majority-female cabinet, with half its members under the age of 40, as his attempts to unite the party stalled after a divisive leadership contest. Jeremy Hunt has pledged to find additional money to help fund public sector pay deals after admitting that Britain’s high level of inflation has made it impossible for Whitehall departments to end strikes without Treasury support. Rishi Sunak is facing questions over a potential conflict of interest after it emerged a childcare firm part owned by his wife is to benefit from major changes in the budget. Ministers have backed down over a refusal to publish “sensitive” internal government research into the effectiveness of benefit sanctions that has been kept under wraps by ministers for over two years.
Categorising Betty Boothroyd as a “rightwing party loyalist” may give a misleading impression of her political outlook, particularly towards some of the “reforms” of the New Labour era. Although she was scrupulous in her objectivity as speaker of the Commons, the fact that she never abandoned some deeply held socialist beliefs was brought home to me during the first term of the Blair government in the late 1990s. At home one weekend, I received a phone call from Betty saying how much she shared the concerns of some Labour MPs – I was the member for Wakefield – about increasing marketisation of the NHS at the time. She obviously could not go public, but my experience with Betty on this and other issues was that her approach to politics was a complex one.
The government survived the threat of a Tory rebellion during a five-hour debate on the illegal migration bill. Four amendments were rejected after a vote by MPs. These were regarding allowing individuals seeking asylum who claim to be victim of crime, human trafficking or deprived of their human rights to remain in the UK during their asylum process, introducing a safe passage pilot scheme, a provision for unaccompanied children asylum seekers coming from the EU to be allowed into the UK for the purposes of family reunion and the government creating reciprocal co-operation deals with the EU Member States regarding asylum seeker and illegal migration issues. Stephen Kinnock, a shadow immigration minister, said Labour had its own plan to stop small boat crossings. The government’s plan would not work because it was not credible, he said. Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union members will be on strike throughout April, culminating with another all-out strike by 133,000 civil and public servants on 28 April. It means civil and public servants will be taking strike action from today until the end of April, with workers in the Passport Office on strike for five weeks until 6 May. Members working for Ofgem in Canary Wharf and Glasgow today announced six days’ strike action from April 10-14 and on 17 April. During the statement on the antisocial behaviour action plan Kit Malthouse, the former policing minister, expressed concern that banning laughing gas could lead to supply being taken over by drug dealers. As part of the anti-social behaviour action plan, the government will make organising begging networks an offence. It will also give the police and local authorities powers to stop people engaged in “intimidating” begging, “including obstructing shop doorways and begging by cash points”. Charities that help the homeless have criticised these plans.
More than 133,000 civil and public servants will go on strike on 28 April at the end of a month of industrial action, a leading union has said. The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) said its members would be on strike throughout April, including another all-out strike by 133,000 civil and public servants on 28 April. It comes after the government previously made moves to end strikes in the transport and health sectors with revised pay offers but some civil service unions fear their members are being left behind. PCS members are taking industrial action over pay, pensions, redundancy terms and job security, with workers in the Passport Office going on strike for five weeks until 6 May. Members working for Ofgem in Canary Wharf and Glasgow also announced six days’ strike action from 10-14 April and on 17 April on Monday. The PCS union previously held a strike of workers from across 123 government departments on 15 March. Mark Serwotka, the general secretary of the PCS, said: “Our members are not backing down in this dispute. Ministers need to take notice that we’re escalating our action and they need to resolve the dispute by putting money on the table. “We know our strikes have already caused serious disruption. The new strikes and another national day of action will pile the pressure on a government that refuses to listen.”
Andy Burnham has been ordered to pay nearly £2,000 in fines, charges and costs and given six penalty points for speeding on the M62. The Greater Manchester mayor, who was elected in 2017 before being re-elected for a second term in May 2021, admitted driving at 78mph on a section of motorway where the limit had been reduced to 40mph. He said he became distracted when he realised the junction at which he usually exited the motorway had been closed and he was unaware that the smart motorway in operation had reduced the limit to 40mph as he made his way home to Golborne in Wigan in July 2022. He said: “On the night in question, I was travelling home on the M62 westbound in normal motorway conditions intending to come off at junction 10 for the M6. When I got close to the junction, it became clear it had recently been closed and I had to reroute quickly back on to the main motorway.” Burnham said was “not aware of any variable speed limit in place on the smart motorway at the time” and only found out about it when the letter notifying him arrived in the post. “If I had been aware, I would not have been travelling at that speed. That said, I acknowledge that, at 78 mph, I was going too fast and accept the court’s decision.” The Manchester Evening News reported that Burnham’s case was dealt with at Manchester and Salford magistrates court on 14 March. The court fined him £1,353 and ordered him to pay a victim surcharge of £541. He was also told to pay £90 court costs, bringing the total penalty to £1,984. Burnham, 53, admitted a single speeding offence. The particulars of the charge say he was at the wheel of a five-door Vauxhall Insignia on the westbound carriageway of the M62 between junctions 11 and 12 travelling at 78mph at a time when a temporary 40mph speed limit was in force.
Rishi Sunak’s Brexit deal for Northern Ireland has been formally signed off at a meeting in London, after a Conservative rebellion against the deal failed this week. Sunak emphasised the need to uphold democratic values when he met Benjamin Netanyahu for talks on Friday, the British prime minister’s office has said, in a reference to the Israeli government’s attempt to overhaul the judiciary. The government is planning to launch its revamped net zero strategy from the UK’s oil and gas capital, Aberdeen, in a clear signal of its intention to boost the fossil fuel industry while cutting key green measures, the Guardian has learned. London is to have a memorial commemorating the victims of the transatlantic slave trade, the first such monument of its scale in Britain, the mayor, Sadiq Khan, has announced.
During the 12 years (1994-2006) that Betty Boothroyd was chancellor of the Open University, she presided at many degree ceremonies across the length and breadth of the UK. Gina Bridgeland’s memories of the ceremony she attended in Harrogate are typical of Betty’s stagecraft, which made them such special occasions for so many. By that time, most of the venues had strict “no smoking” policies and it was the responsibility of one of the awards and ceremonies team to find a quiet corner for Betty to light up a Rothmans, between the end of the official lunch and the start of the ceremony procession.
Boris Johnson faces being formally reprimanded for recklessly misleading parliament after MPs investigating the Partygate scandal denounced his “flimsy” explanations and suggested he had wrongly interpreted Covid guidance. The former prime minister was left fighting for his political career after a tetchy three-and-a-half-hour evidence session in which he repeatedly claimed No 10 parties, with alcohol and little social distancing, had been “necessary” for work purposes. Harriet Harman, chair of the privileges committee investigating whether Johnson deliberately misled MPs over lockdown gatherings, expressed dismay at the “flimsy nature” of assurances he received that events were within the rules. Rishi Sunak’s financial records have been released to the public on the same day as the earlier vote on the Windsor Framework and the televised inquisition of Johnson. According to the release, he paid more than £1m in tax over the past three financial years. This included paying £432,493 in the 2021/22 financial year. Between his income and capital gains, Sunak made £4,766,962 in the past three financial years. This includes £3,760,588 made from a US-based blind investment fund - for which tax was paid in the US, as well as some in the UK. Twenty-two Conservative MPs voted against the government on the Northern Ireland protocol deal. There were also 48 Tory MPs who did not vote. Jacob Rees-Mogg, the former business secretary, told the World at One he would vote against the government even though he was in favour of the Stormont brake, which he said “could turn out to be useful”. He was voting against because “unfortunately” the government was treating this as a vote on the principle of the Northern Ireland protocol deal as a whole. The Conservative party deputy chair Lee Anderson has revealed he will be paid £100,000 a year for hosting a show on GB News, PA Media reports. Thank you for following today’s liveblog. Here is tonight’s main story:
Boris Johnson will face a “make or break” grilling by the House of Commons committee of privileges on Wednesday. MPs have been doing their own investigations into Partygate and they now have a 52-page defence from the former prime minister. But there are discrepancies between the various accounts that will need to be examined. Here are some of the questions the committee could ask. 1. After discovering he had misled MPs, did Johnson correct the parliamentary record as quickly as he could? 2. Why did he say all guidance was followed completely in No 10 on 1 December 2021 – when he was never told this by advisers? 3. What happened at the event in his flat (now known as the “Abba party”), and was it really a work meeting? 4. And when he denied there were any parties in Downing Street on 17 November 2020, was that misleading the Commons – given that fines were issued for a leaving drinks held that day? 5. Does Johnson believe the police were wrong to fine him? 6. Will Johnson accept the findings of the committee’s inquiry and any sanction recommended? 7. Why did Johnson’s principal private secretary question “whether it was realistic to argue that all guidance had been followed at all times, given the nature of the working environment in No 10”? 8. Does Johnson believe the Sue Gray report still stands, given she has now been offered a job with the Labour party? 9. Did Johnson’s senior advisers Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain warn him that the “BYOB” garden party might have been against the rules? 10. Does Johnson accept he set the tone for what happened at No 10, and that by condoning these events others may have been dissuaded from raising concerns?
After months of wrangling and years since the events in question took place, Boris Johnson will give his long-awaited evidence to parliament’s privileges committee on Wednesday. Here are five key questions he faces: 1) On 27 November 2020, Johnson attended and gave a speech at a gathering in the No 10 press office. According to witnesses, there was no social distancing and people were standing four to five deep. Did Johnson state, as is alleged, that it was “probably the most unsocially distanced gathering in the UK right now”? 2) On 1 December 2021, Johnson told the House of Commons that “all guidance was followed completely in No 10”. The following week, he told MPs he had been repeatedly assured there was “no party and that no Covid rules were broken”. How can that be true given what we know from photographic evidence? 3) Johnson is said by witnesses to have seen press office gatherings on his way to the No 10 flat, and to have occasionally joined these gatherings when his attendance had not been planned. The committee has confirmed that such a line of sight exists. Does he deny seeing these gatherings? 4) Despite Johnson’s repeated claim that he had been advised that no rules were broken, was this really his general view – or was it, as the committee has been told, an assertion taken primarily from a “line to take” developed by his director of communications? 5) Johnson denied to the House that rules had been broken, but evidence to the contrary was subsequently reported in the media. The former prime minister had plenty of opportunities to correct the official record had he felt it was necessary. Why didn’t he?
Intensive negotiations between the government and teaching unions in England are under way, holding out the possibility of a deal over teachers’ pay after a damaging series of strikes. Junior doctors could enter pay talks with the government imminently after ministers agreed a deal with other health unions. Passport Office workers are to strike for five weeks in an escalation of a dispute over jobs, pay and conditions. Ministers are poised to cut £250m from investment in the social care workforce in England, it has been reported, in a move that providers say could set back care “for years to come”.
The government has confirmed it is making a significant new pay offer to NHS staff in England, including a one-off bonus, which unions say amounts to £2.5bn. Rishi Sunak’s post-Brexit trade deal for Northern Ireland will face its first hurdle next week when MPs vote on a key part of the arrangement. The Scottish National party is under increasing pressure to release its membership figures after two of the three candidates to replace Nicola Sturgeon as leader questioned the integrity of the ballot process, prompting accusations of “baseless smears” and “Trumpian” behaviour. The president of the Law Society of England and Wales, Lubna Shuja, has said there is a “high chance” the government’s proposed illegal migration bill may not comply with international and domestic law. Britain is to ban the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok from ministers’ and civil servants’ mobile phones, bringing the UK in line with the US and the European Commission and reflecting deteriorating relations with Beijing. MPs will vote on Rishi Sunak’s deal to revise the Northern Ireland protocol on Wednesdsay next week, Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the Commons, has announced. Sinn Féin’s US fundraising arm has caused a row by calling for a referendum on Irish unity in adverts in the New York Times, Washington Post and other US publications.
Jeremy Hunt has said he is “proving the doubters wrong” as he used a stronger than expected economic performance to help fund new tax breaks for business investment and a drive to get people back into the workforce. Here is our at a glance summary of what was in the budget.
Here is an analysis by the Guardian’s economics editor, Larry Elliott.
Here is an extract. To be sure, the chancellor will be relieved that the independent Office for Budget Responsibility now thinks the economy will just about avoid the two consecutive quarters of falling output that would denote a technical recession, and that growth will be stronger in the likely pre-election year of 2024 than predicted last November at the time of his autumn statement. But doing less badly is not the same as doing well. Hunt said he was delivering a ‘budget for growth’ – a refrain that has been heard many times by Conservative chancellors over the past 13 years. The reality is that the UK is battling against three powerful headwinds: rising interest rates, rising taxes and a cost of living crisis. It could certainly do without the added pressure of a credit crunch caused by bank failures. Despite the chancellor’s bullish performance, living standards are on course for their biggest two-year fall since the mid 1950s while taxes as a share of national income will be at their highest since the second world war by 2027-28. And here are verdicts on the budget from a Guardian panel: Polly Toynbee, Miatta Fahnbulleh, Katy Balls, Frances Ryan, Louisa Britain, Rebecca Long-Bailey and Lucy Pasha-Robinson.
Rishi Sunak’s family have been spoken to by police after letting their dog roam free in Hyde Park. It came after the prime minister and his family were filmed apparently breaking the rules of the park in central London. In a clip posted on TikTok, Sunak’s two-year-old labrador retriever, Nova, is seen wandering around near the edge of Serpentine lake, in an area where signs clearly state that dogs must be kept on leads to avoid disturbing the local wildlife. In reference to the video, the Metropolitan police force said: “An officer, who was present at the time, spoke to a woman and reminded her of the rules,” apparently referring to Sunak’s wife Akshata Murty.
The police said the dog was then put back on the lead, adding they would take no further action. It is not clear when the video was filmed. Sunak’s spokesperson declined to comment. Earlier this year, the prime minister was fined by police for failing to wear a seatbelt in a moving car. Sunak apologised for “an error of judgment” and was handed a fixed-penalty notice by Lancashire police for the offence, which can result in a fine of up to £500. The incident came to light after Sunak posted a video of himself to social media while travelling in the back seat of a car. Last year, while serving as chancellor in Boris Johnson’s government, he was fined £50 for attending a party that broke Covid-19 lockdown rules, along with Johnson. The pair became the first sitting prime minister and chancellor to be criminally sanctioned.
That’s it for today. Thanks for following along.
Unlike the two Blackburn MPs she worked for, Janet Anderson was a keen advocate of electoral reform. In 1945 Barbara Castle had been the second candidate selected for a two-member constituency, an arrangement then abolished. Jack Straw favoured an alternative vote system, but Janet supported a more proportional approach. She joined the Labour Campaign for Electoral Reform before the 1992 general election and was elected along with other LCER sponsors – John Denham, Richard Burden and Anne Campbell. She spoke at our conference fringe meetings, and her husband, Jim Dowd, another former MP, also supported PR. They were ahead of their party, with the Labour conference backing PR only as recently as 2022.
Theresa May is to release a book about a series of political scandals, titled The Abuse of Power, which promises to reveal the way institutions close ranks in order to avoid dishonour. The former prime minister has never released a memoir but the book – due to be published in autumn 2023 – promises to reveal the story behind famous scandals including the Hillsborough and Grenfell tragedies, the Daniel Morgan police corruption case and parliamentary dramas. May was in office at the time of the Grenfell fire in 2017 and was a key backer of families of those killed in the Hillsborough disaster, both as prime minister and home secretary. She also promises to reveal more from behind the scenes of the Salisbury poisonings, as well as her own campaign to change stop and search. The book’s synopsis mentions little about May’s time in No 10 and nothing about the battles of the Brexit years. It says May will discuss how “the powerful repeatedly chose to use their power not in the interests of the powerless but to serve themselves or to protect the organisation to which they belonged”. It says she will argue for “a radical rethink in how we approach our politics and public life”. Announcing the book, May said it was part of her continued campaign to address “burning injustices” that she spoke about on the steps of Downing Street upon becoming prime minister. “Time and time again during my period in government, I saw public institutions abusing their power by seeking to defend themselves in the face of challenge rather than seek the truth. These were the very bodies whose job was to protect the public, but they sought to protect themselves,” she said. “From Hillsborough to Primodos to child sexual exploitation, this increased the suffering of victims and delayed justice. Our democracy depends on people having trust in their public institutions and politicians.”
It should not be, despite what Larry Elliott says, a case of “buying off” striking workers, but of the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, using the budget to end the crisis in the funding of public services (Jeremy Hunt’s 2023 budget: five things to look out for, 6 March). A sensible government would borrow and increase taxes on the rich and high earners to do this, but instead we will doubtless see nothing of the sort. We will, however, see some token gestures typical of these self-proclaimed One Nation Tories. Unwilling, just like the founder of the theory of One Nation conservatism, to make fundamental changes to reduce poverty, Hunt and Rishi Sunak will make ineffective window-dressing changes of the sort that Benjamin Disraeli introduced to try to trick voters. Almost certainly, especially as the government is failing to “make good on Britain’s net zero pledges to the world”, green policies will figure strongly in Hunt’s speech (Editorial, 6 March). We can expect something like the previous inflated pledge on installing 600,000 heat pumps annually, attempting to look serious and concerned, but without financial commitment. Let us hope that the shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, will be ready to expose One Nation Toryism for the sham that it is and to tell the country how Labour’s green policies will be funded. Bernie Evans Perth, Australia • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Hasn’t our honours system always been one of patronage and nepotism, only fractionally concerned with rewarding real merit (‘Ridiculous’: opponents pour scorn on Boris Johnson’s plan to knight his father, 6 March)? Hopefully Boris Johnson will hasten its demise with his blatant exploitation of its structural hypocrisies. Julie Warren Edinburgh • After years of marital conflict resulting from mishearings (Letters, 9 March) we have added a call of “ahoy ahoy” to the start of any question or request. We’ve worked out that failing hearing and long-term relationship complacency mean that we miss the beginnings of conversations – specially those shouted from room to room. Emma Woolf and Hugh Rickards Birmingham • One of the most baffling of my husband’s mishearings was when he thought I’d said “Would you like a margarita?” instead of “I’m going out to meet her”. This was at 9am and, as far as I know, he has never had a margarita in his life. Alex Percy Easton, Winchester • Re the arrival of frogspawn (Letters, 1 March), Judith Abbs says: “We moved house last year and the frogs came too.” Did they travel in the removal van? My first house move, aged four, included a toad in a bucket hanging from my tricycle’s handlebars. He arrived safely, but was never seen again. Jocelyn Hanson Hull • It’s a record! Six recipes from last week’s Feast (4 March) from print to platter in six days. Jo Somerset and Liz Clarke Manchester • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Sir Bernard Ingham’s obituary (27 February) brought back memories of when I was a neighbour of his in Purley, near Croydon. He was known locally as “battling Bernard”, apparently as much for his disputes with neighbours as in the world of politics. One had to secretly admire his determination as, once he had adopted a certain position, nothing would make him budge.
Boris Johnson previously warned Dominic Raab about his conduct, according to reports that claim the former prime minister has given evidence to the bullying investigation. Johnson has been interviewed by Adam Tolley KC, the independent lawyer who is investigating formal complaints made against Raab about his treatment of staff, according to the Daily Telegraph (paywall). The justice secretary faces claims from at least 24 civil servants, connected to not only the justice department but the Foreign Office and the Brexit department, his former cabinet posts. Raab last month confirmed he will resign from government if an inquiry into his conduct concludes he bullied civil servants, as alleged by a series of officials. “If an allegation of bullying is upheld, I would resign,” Raab, who also holds the post of deputy prime minister, told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday. Raab has denied any bullying or other mistreatment of staff.
A spokesperson for Johnson declined to comment on the reports, adding: “It would be inappropriate to comment on an ongoing inquiry.” The Conservative MP and former party chair Jake Berry said Raab should temporarily step aside from government pending Tolley’s report. Raab said he believed this was not the correct thing to do. “First of all, that’s ultimately for the prime minister to decide,” he said. “But if by lodging complaints you can knock out a cabinet minister or a senior figure, I’m not sure that’s right. We believe in innocent till proven guilty in this country.” The investigation features potentially damaging allegations over bullying behaviour when dealing with civil servants, some of whom held senior roles, including that Raab “belittled and demeaned” them and was “very rude and aggressive” on multiple occasions each day. A Cabinet Office spokesperson said it “would not be appropriate to comment further” while Tolley’s investigation is ongoing.
Suella Braverman has been accused of potentially breaking ministerial rules by questioning the impartiality of public servants over small boat crossings in a Conservative campaign message. Rishi Sunak’s plan to stop small boat crossings will “drive a coach and horses” through protections for women who are trafficked to Britain as victims of modern slavery, Keir Starmer has said.
Ylva Johansson, the EU’s commissioner for home affairs, has told Suella Braverman that her illegal migration bill is unlawful, Politco’s Suzanne Lynch reports. Johansson said: I spoke to the British minister yesterday on this and I told her that I think that this is violating international law.
James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, has criticised plans to house asylum seekers at an RAF base in his constituency as part of a controversial scheme announced on Tuesday to detain and deport people en masse. The UK’s trade agreement with the EU could be immediately terminated if the British government quits the European convention on human rights over the issue of stopping small boat crossings across the Channel, legal experts have said. China’s leading genomics research company was given a Covid testing contract in the UK despite ministers knowing it had repeatedly sought to hack into the NHS’s genetic datacentre, a government minister has said.
Zoe Williams’ piece about Boris Johnson’s immediate family receiving honours is timely, and perhaps part of a process that started in December 2019 (I thought my opinion of Boris Johnson couldn’t be lower. Then he nominated his father for a knighthood, 6 March). On election night, it was impossible to turn on the television without coming across a Johnson on ITV, the BBC and Channel 4. In fact, all four of the personalities in the photograph accompanying Zoe’s article were spread across the media. Is it any surprise that they are to be rewarded now and in the future for their work? The broadcast media must take some of the responsibility. Without vigilance over areas of interest on public platforms, we are stuck with TV and radio stations that have undeclared links to the extreme right and royalty, which claim to operate in an impartial setting. How did the Johnson debacle happen, and when is it going to end? Teresa Rodrigues Crediton, Devon • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
I am pleased that Matt Hancock feels massively betrayed (Matt Hancock calls Isabel Oakeshott WhatsApp messages leak ‘massive betrayal’, 2 March). Now he knows how we all feel. Dan Martin Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire • Re Partygate (Boris Johnson in battle for political future amid fresh evidence he misled MPs, 3 March), perhaps Cincinnatus would now be kind enough to return to his plough. Chris Ainsworth Rawtenstall, Lancashire • Has the government underestimated the huge number of people suffering fuel poverty and unable to claim the support of £400 from energy companies? I’ve been trying to help a friend register online at the new government portal, but it seems to be swamped by the demand. Even in the cold of the night. Mike Vallely Seaford, East Sussex • Even before the correspondence about Mark, Marks, Marx, Spencer and Spenser (Letters, 2 March), if anyone had asked me who were my favourite writers on cricket, I would have said (Vic) Marks and (Matthew) Engel. But no one ever asked. Roger Bardell Welwyn, Hertfordshire • Alison White (Letters, 3 March) is being too kind. I’d pay good money to throw unboiled turnips at Hancock, Williamson and Johnson. Shirley Browne Dundee • Try having the Irish first name Máiréad and combining it with the surname Jennette (Letters, 5 March). My wife does, daily. James Jennette Coventry • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Almost twice as many voters believe Labour under Keir Starmer has the nation’s best interests at heart than say the Tories do under Rishi Sunak, according to the latest Opinium poll for the Observer. The findings will disappoint Conservatives after a week in which Sunak managed to strike a well-received deal with the EU on the Northern Ireland protocol, an international negotiating success that enhanced his position as party leader and prime minister. Opinium also found the Tories have yet to register any poll “bounce” from the broadly positive reactions to the protocol agreement. Labour still retains a hefty 17-point lead and is unchanged compared with a fortnight ago on 44%. The Conservatives are down one point on 27%. The Reform party is on 8% (+1), the Lib Dems 7% (-2), and the Greens are also on 7% (+1). While his party remains far adrift of Labour, Sunak’s approval ratings have improved, however, rising from a net score of -15% to -8% (when the proportion who disapprove of his leadership is subtracted from that which approves). Starmer’s net approval rating is up two points on +2%. Starmer and his team will be encouraged that Labour is seen as better at supporting the national interest than the Tories, as they seek to recover their party’s reputation for patriotism after it was damaged under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn. The poll found 41% of voters believed Labour had the nation’s best interests at heart against just 23% who said the Tories showed the same quality. The Conservative party has improved its rating when voters are asked if it is united, albeit from a very low base. Since November last year, when it recorded a net score of -45% on the unity question, it has recovered to -37%. By contrast, Labour is seen as far more united with a net score of +6%, (up six points on November).
Much as I detest Tories on principle, I think Isabel Oakeshott’s behaviour has violated every notion of journalistic integrity, and in this instance Matt Hancock is almost to be pitied (Ministers rally behind Covid inquiry after Hancock WhatsApp revelations, 1 March). Then I remembered that Oakeshott is a Tory too, so my principle appears to hold good. Philip Clayton London • The letter from Jane Harding (1 March), wondering where Mark Spencer, the minister for food, might do his shopping, reminded me of a debating society motion when I attended Leeds University in the 1950s. This read: “This house has got more from Marks & Spencer than it has from either Marx or Spenser.” As I recall, the motion was carried. Tony Ingham Goosnargh, Lancashire • Adrian Chiles, who writes about young people using subtitles when watching TV (My kids often baffle me. But at least we agree on subtitles, 2 March), should listen to the wonderful Michael Rosen interviewing a professional subtitler, Karli Witkowska, on a recent episode of BBC Radio 4’s Word of Mouth – a programme that, together with More or Less, repays my licence fee. Easily found on BBC Sounds. Margaret Squires St Andrews, Fife • The Inuit people of northern Canada say: “If you whistle, they will dance for you” (Northern lights dazzle across Scotland, Ireland and south through England, 27 February). Elaine Steane Oxford • This is the perfect opportunity for a classical composer to mark Charles’s coronation with a Suite Caroline (Pass notes: The coronation concert, 1 March). Bev Maydon Enfield, London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our Letters section.
Boris Johnson has said he will find it “very difficult” to vote for Rishi Sunak’s revised deal for post-Brexit trade arrangements in Northern Ireland, arguing that the plan ties the UK to EU regulations that will crush efforts to innovate and diverge. For a full summary and analysis of his speech, see 2.30pm. Jean-Claude Juncker, who was president of the European Commission during most of the Brexit negotiations, has said the Northern Ireland protocol deal gives more authority to the EU than some in Britain are suggesting. (See 2.30pm.) The Partygate investigator Sue Gray is set to be Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, in a coup for the Labour leader who has been looking to appoint a veteran civil servant to prepare the party for government. A Labour party spokesperson said: The Labour party has offered Sue Gray the role of chief of staff to the leader of the opposition. We understand she hopes to accept the role subject to the normal procedures. Keir Starmer is delighted she is hoping to join our preparations for government and our mission to build a better Britain. Isabel Oakeshott, the journalist, who handed more than 100,000 of the former health secretary Matt Hancock’s messages to a newspaper has defended her actions, saying she was acting in the national interest.
Kemi Badenoch, the minister for women and equalities, has dismissed a call for the government to pilot menopause leave for women, complaining it was being proposed from “a leftwing perspective”. (See 5.45pm.) Helen Whately, the care minister, has dismissed claims that Matt Hancock ignored scientific advice over Covid tests for care homes. Heather Hallett, the Covid-19 public inquiry’s chair has insisted the investigation will not be a “whitewash”, after the journalist Isabel Oakeshott claimed that concern over the inquiry’s integrity prompted her to publish private messages shared with her by Matt Hancock. Keir Starmer has urged Rishi Sunak to give the Covid inquiry the resources it needs to be able to publish its findings by the end of the year. (See 12.12pm.) Replying to Starmer at PMQs, Sunak said the inquiry had the powers it needed and should be left to get on with its job. David Frost, Boris Johnson’s former Brexit negotiator, has fired a shot at Rishi Sunak’s Northern Ireland protocol deal, admitting it would “help” but would not remove EU law from Northern Ireland.
If you would like to ask Guardian reporters questions about the new Northern Ireland agreement, we would like to hear from you. If you have any questions about the details and expected impact of the Windsor framework, please get in touch and our experts will try and provide the answers.
I note with interest your article about attendance of peers in the House of Lords (Evgeny Lebedev goes full year without contributing to House of Lords, 21 February). There is of course no requirement under the appointments system for individual peers to undertake work in the upper house, leaving those who wish to regard their peerage purely as an honour free to do so. I think it is important to note, however, that the Lords itself plays no part in the selection of its members. There is a debate to be had over whether we wish to continue with a system under which prime ministers – and recently resigned prime ministers – choose the vast majority of peers, who are vetted by the House of Lords Appointments Commission (Holac) only for propriety. There is often talk about the upper house being “overstuffed” with more than 800 peers, but the core of regular attenders who carry out the bulk of its work is much smaller. Our current system depends on individual prime ministers being ready to “play by the rules” and be sparing in their award of peerages. In recent years, only one of them – Theresa May – has done so. A bill now being taken through the upper house by the constitutional expert Lord Norton of Louth would extend Holac’s brief by requiring PMs to seek its advice on whether nominees merit the award and are willing to contribute to the work of the Lords. Government support for such legislation might go some way to addressing the issues raised in your article and allaying any public concern over peers’ work rate. It would also provide an opportunity to consider shifting the balance between political appointments by prime ministers and independent appointments by Holac. Timothy Kirkhope Conservative, House of Lords
I was not a supporter of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership. I did not vote for him in either of the two leadership elections in which he was a candidate. I have, however, known him for more than 40 years, and I regard him as a thoroughly decent human being. I deprecate the way in which he has been treated by the current Labour leadership. He is a member of the Labour party. He has an outstanding record as a constituency MP and he has every right to put his name forward to the Islington North Labour party as a candidate at the next election. In April 2020, Keir Starmer said of Corbyn: “He’s a colleague, he’s a friend and he’s led us through some really difficult times in the Labour party … I respect him …” I stand with the Starmer of April 2020 and not the Starmer of February 2023. Chris Mullin MP for Sunderland South 1987-2010 • Jeremy Corbyn was right on Iraq and austerity, but wrong on almost everything else. If he has the country’s best interests at heart, he will accept that his role in frontline politics has ended and urge unity. Des Senior Aylesbeare, Devon
After reading about the dehumanising abuse that women in politics face on social media (‘It could be your nextdoor neighbour’: how female MPs cope with misogynistic abuse, 17 February), I was outraged to read that the former Conservative party chairman Sir Jake Berry had said that Liz Truss’s political interventions “should be like sex in a long and happy relationship: infrequent but anticipated with glee” (Report, 17 February). It seems that some politicians don’t even recognise the sexist abuse they inflict on women in their own party. Politicians should reflect the changes they are elected to deliver and be held accountable if they do not. Liz Mason Trowbridge, Wiltshire
We’re going to close this live blog down now. Thanks for reading and commenting. Here’s a summary of the day’s political news: The three candidates to succeed Nicola Sturgeon as Scottish first minister and SNP leader were officially announced. They are the Scottish health secretary Humza Yousaf, the country’s finance secretary Kate Forbes, and the former community safety minister Ash Regan. Regan launched her leadership campaign with an attempt to pitch herself as the unity candidate for the independence movement. “In recent years, the wider yes movement has become marginalised in the fight for independence. If elected, I intend to change that,” she told the Herald. A new post-Brexit deal for Northern Ireland appeared to be close at hand, with Conservative MPs being ordered to be in parliament on Monday. The prime minister Rishi Sunak was said to have held a “positive” call over the Northern Ireland Protocol with the EU’s Ursula von der Leyen. Sir Bernard Ingham, the longstanding press secretary to Margaret Thatcher, died after a short illness, his family said. They said the former reporter, who was 90, died with his relatives around him on Friday lunchtime. MPs observed a minute’s silence in the Commons chamber to mark a year since the invasion of Ukraine began. Proceedings were halted at 11am during a Friday sitting, when a small group of backbench MPs usually attend to consider private member’s bills.
Boris Johnson has escalated his criticism of Rishi Sunak’s approach to the Northern Ireland protocol, saying that the “best way forward” would be to carry on with the legislation drafted under his leadership that would allow the government to just ignore the protocol. (See 5.38pm.) Keir Starmer has admitted he is already planning his second term in government, as he set out his five “national missions” which will form the building blocks of Labour’s next election manifesto. Keir Starmer has defended dropping key pledges made during his Labour leadership bid, saying they have been adapted in the face of unprecedented global events. Thérèse Coffey, the environment secretary, has caused a furore after she suggested people should “cherish” seasonal foods, such as turnips, as bad weather cleared supermarket shelves of tomatoes and other fresh produce.
Polly Toynbee says “a party can’t be a little bit racist. The damning findings [of the Equality and Human Rights Commission] had to be swallowed whole”, as justification of the ban on Jeremy Corbyn from running as a Labour candidate (Starmer is right to stop Corbyn standing for Labour at the next election – but he mustn’t purge dissent, 15 February). It sounds impressive, but surely the logic here is flawed. A party, like a person, can be more or less racist. Indeed, most people are probably “a little bit racist”, as implicit association tests consistently show. And a party with an ideology declaring racial superiority, or even a party that has no such explicit ideology, but which consistently discriminates against one group, can be said to be more racist than one where racist attitudes are held by a fringe minority. I am a Jewish member of the Labour party, and I am well aware of some egregious examples of antisemitism that occurred during the Corbyn years, and before. I feel real distress for anybody who suffered abuse linked to such attitudes. But it surely does not make me antisemitic to point out that my own experience in Labour has been one of friendship and common purpose, and that the image of the party I saw in much of the media was not one that I recognised. Indeed, among my Jewish friends on the left of Labour, many of whom were wholehearted supporters of Corbyn, there is real fear now that they will be branded as racists. My understanding is that it is now much more likely for a Jewish person to be disciplined for antisemitism than for a non-Jew. I hope to see the return of a Labour government at the next election, but I am sickened by the way that the issue of antisemitism has been used as a factional weapon, as Martin Forde showed in his report commissioned by the party. Antisemitism and other forms of racism must be dealt with, but the party must not use this issue as part of a fight against any particular section. Dr Ian Saville London
I am mystified by the vituperative response of some readers to your editorial on the Equality and Human Rights Commission concluding its monitoring of Labour after its investigation into the party and antisemitism (Letters, 21 February). If they have read the EHRC’s report, they will be aware that, of about 220 complaints that it received via two campaigning organisations, it found unlawful conduct in only two individual cases. In these it held the party responsible for alleged antisemitic statements made by members labelled as agents of the party. The two members are seeking to challenge these findings in the high court. Two other findings were made of indirectly discriminatory practices by the party. One was of interference by the leadership in the investigation of complaints in a manner adversely affecting Jewish members. The recent report commissioned by the party from Martin Forde KC and three Labour peers questions this finding. The remaining finding was that the party’s inadequate training of its staff was unfairly detrimental to Jewish complainants. The Labour party chose not to challenge any of the EHRC’s conclusions, though it had the right to do so, and accepted its recommendations for improvements in its arrangements for investigating complaints. The EHRC report makes no criticism of Jeremy Corbyn. Geoffrey Bindman Highgate, London
Rishi Sunak held overnight talks with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, fuelling fresh speculation that the UK is nearing a deal with the EU over the Northern Ireland protocol. Keir Starmer has accused Rishi Sunak of being too weak to take on Brexit “malcontents” on the Conservative benches and reach a deal with the EU over Northern Ireland, as the pair tussled over Brexit at prime minister’s questions. The health union Unison has announced new strike action and warned there could be no “pick and mix solution” to the NHS dispute, after it was excluded from talks between the health secretary, Steve Barclay, and the Royal College of Nursing. London Underground drivers are to strike on 15 March – budget day – in a dispute over pensions and working arrangements.
The Royal College of Nursing has suspended its 48-hour strike in England planned for early March after the government agreed to conduct “intensive talks” on pay. (See 5.27pm.) The health secretary, Steve Barclay, said the government was committed to a “fair and reasonable settlement”.
According to the BBC, other health unions were not aware of the joint RCN/government statement about this issued earlier, which has prompted speculation that ministers might be planning a special offer just for nurses. The European Research Group of Eurosceptic Conservative MPs is demanding to see the full text of any deal on the Northern Ireland protocol, piling pressure on the prime minister to meet their demands of radical changes to the Brexit trading arrangements. SNP leadership candidate Kate Forbes has denied her attempt to replace Nicola Sturgeon is over before it has begun, after her comments about her personal opposition to equal marriage prompted an immediate and furious backlash.
Suella Braverman, the home secretary, has hinted Rishi Sunak should not abandon the Northern Ireland protocol bill in his quest for a deal to break the deadlock, as hopes faded that an agreement could be struck by Tuesday. Humza Yousaf has emerged as the frontrunner to replace Nicola Sturgeon as Scotland’s first minister after pledging to uphold her socially progressive policy agenda. James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, has said countries should not hold back from supplying Ukraine with arms. Opening a Commons debate on Ukraine within the last hour, he said: If anyone in the international community or amongst our allies was thinking of holding back their stocks for a rainy day – this is the rainy day. Rishi Sunak’s government is “barking up the wrong tree” by trying to get people in retirement back to work to fix chronic staff shortages, according to a report that warns long-term sickness and pressure on the NHS is having a bigger impact on the jobs market. Tens of thousands of junior doctors in England will strike for 72 hours next month in a dramatic escalation of the row between NHS staff and the government. Rishi Sunak has intervened in the row over the rewriting of parts of Roald Dahl’s books to remove language deemed inappropriate, portraying it as an attack on free speech.
Whatever else may be said of her, Nicola Sturgeon has certainly had an impact. In more than 50 years of reading the Guardian, I can never recall when an item of Scottish news has exclusively occupied the first nine pages of the newspaper (16 February), let alone news about a woman. Sturgeon’s departure was also the lead in the Journal section. The travails of Labour were relegated to a strap on the bottom of the front page directing readers to page 10. Even the Scottish rugby team have never been granted such comprehensive coverage. Alex Macleod Edinburgh • I have vivid memories of a wee, dark-bobbed-haired, goth-ish girl standing outside the John McIntyre building at Glasgow University every day in the late 1980s and early 90s, handing out leaflets come rain or shine. I was pleasantly amused, but not in the least surprised, to see her ascend the ranks of Scottish politics. She is principled and decent, and has stuck to her beliefs for decades. It’s just taken the rest of the country a bit too long to catch up with her. I wish her a happy and healthy retirement should she choose to leave parliament. Thank you for your dedication, Ms Sturgeon. Will be great to get to ditch the suits and shoes, and get back into your old DMs. Linda MacPherson Christchurch, New Zealand • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Re the University and College Union’s dispute (Work-life balance as important as pay, says university staff union, 10 February), there is always a focus on lecturers in articles about it. But the UCU is made up of more than lecturers. I am a burnt-out administrator, struggling to have my issues taken seriously by my university and by the country. In the past year, I have been spread across three projects, all full-time roles in themselves, yet classified as only needing one or two days a week of work. All these were time-limited contracts. My contract is now permanent, but my job description is six pages long. It seems the universities now want blanket contracts so you’re on the hook for any work they want to dump on you. I have co-workers who are so snowed under with their workload that they’re afraid to strike lest they come back to an even larger mountain of work. I know many people in professional services jobs at the university who have been off sick with stress. It’s time to stop focusing on lecturers and start realising that those of us behind the scenes are suffering as well. Name and address supplied • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s longest-serving first minister, has announced that she will stand down as first minister. She said she will remain in the role until her successor is chosen and denied her resignation was due to “short-term pressures”. We would like to hear from people in Scotland about their views on the first minister’s resignation. What are your hopes for the future? Do you have concerns? What do you think Sturgeon’s legacy will be? Share your views If you are 18 years or over, you can get in touch by filling in the form below or contacting us via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding +44(0)7766780300. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details. We will only use the data you provide us for the purpose of the feature. We will delete any personal data when we no longer require it for this purpose. For more information please see our terms of service and privacy policy. If you’re having trouble using the form, click here.
A man who runs a food bank charity is pursuing a libel claim against the new vice-chair of the Conservatives, a law firm has said. Michael Hollis alleges that Lee Anderson, who once claimed that people could feed themselves on 30p a day, defamed him in a Facebook post that he later refused to take down. According to Hollis, the MP for Ashfield, who was appointed deputy Tory chair last week by Rishi Sunak, allegedly told his 35,000 followers that Hollis had exchanged cash in brown envelopes in relation to a planning application. Hollis has instructed legal firm Bindmans to pursue a libel claim against Anderson. In a statement published on its website on Monday, the firm alleged: “On February 1, 2023, Mr Anderson made defamatory allegations of bribery against a local man, Michael Hollis, who runs a food bank charity. “Mr Anderson claimed in a Facebook post published to his 35,000 followers that money had changed hands in brown envelopes in relation to a planning application made by Mr Hollis. “Mr Hollis is outraged by this allegation and, after Mr Anderson refused to remove his post, has taken the first steps towards a libel claim against him.” Anderson’s social media post included a screenshot of a planning application made in Hollis’s name, referring to a property in Silverhill Lane, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire. It is not the only libel case with which Anderson has been threatened, after the activist Jack Monroe instructed lawyers to start a claim after the Tory MP alleged the writer and food blogger was profiteering from the poor. The politician is known for his forthright political opinions. The former Labour councillor told the Spectator, in an interview that took place before his Tory party appointment but published afterwards, that he supported bringing back the death penalty. Anderson has been approached for comment.
What a gift Shell has given to Keir Starmer (Calls for bigger windfall tax after Shell makes ‘obscene’ $40bn profit, 2 February), one that could lead him into No 10 and the Labour party into government. But only if he grasps the nettle immediately, is bold and decisive, and discards his normal cautious, conservative and “sit on the fence” approach to controversial events. Shell’s excess/windfall profits, if taxed in the interests of the majority, would fund pay increases for teachers, nurses, care workers and other deserving employees and show their paltry pay offers to be truly disgraceful by comparison. The company’s profits have been achieved not by increased productivity and efficiency but by the vagaries of an unregulated global energy sector, of which Shell and others have taken advantage. Starmer must take on the company, the energy sector and the government now, with the full force that his status as leader of the opposition allows. Such an initiative would garner massive public support and show an exciting side to Starmer, for which we have all been waiting. The country needs you to rise to the occasion, Keir Starmer: what’s stopping you? Michael Freedman London • Shell’s global profits are reported to be $40bn (£32bn) and its British windfall taxes $134m for 2022. The scale of this “obscenity” is totally obscured by the seemingly trivial difference between “bn” and “m”. The reality is that Shell paid 0.335% of its profits to the British exchequer. I am happy, so to speak, paying my taxes; but I would be even happier if we really were all in it together. Fr Alec Mitchell Holyhead, Anglesey
If we had crippled the economy and lost it billions by sheer incompetence and bad decision-making, most of us could expect to be unemployable or even in jail. Not so Liz Truss, who is still picking up the perks of office and an MP’s salary, as well as planning her comeback. In an excruciatingly self-pitying and self-absolving article in the Sunday Telegraph, the former prime minister brazenly defended herself against an imagined “leftwing economic establishment”, as well as exploiting the divisions within her own party (Liz Truss says she didn’t get ‘realistic chance’ to enact tax-cutting agenda, 4 February). Having laid out her stall of tax cuts and growth, she will simply join the swelling ranks of current and former ministers, MPs and members of the upper house who are turning public service into self-service on an industrial scale. This is not prohibited either by custom or law. And there are no sanctions against a minister of the crown who loses her state a fortune Graham Lane London • Of the many dubious claims made by Liz Truss in her article for the Sunday Telegraph, a particularly galling one is her belief in a “mandate” for her disastrous economic programme. One would imagine she had arrived in Downing Street by means of a glorious election victory, rather than a pie fight between Conservatives in which close to 40% of the membership voted for her opponent and the rest of the population had no say whatsoever. In a word: delusional. Daniel Peacock Manchester • Liz Truss is wasted in politics. Her natural talent is comedy. Like Tommy Cooper and the fictional David Brent, she has that rare comedic ability to appear ridiculous while trying to be serious. Who else but our Liz could blame her fall on Marxist financiers, while insisting that to import cheese “is a disgrace”. Fantastic. She should follow in the footsteps of Michael Portillo, Ed Balls and Matt Hancock and learn how to sit in trains, dance and eat bugs. Showbiz beckons. Barry Tighe London
Simon Jenkins makes a good case for reviving royal commissions (Royal commissions transformed Britain in the 1960s – we desperately need them now, 3 February); but his praise for Roy Jenkins’ admirable achievements as home secretary misses the point that those reforms were purely legal and social. Abolishing theatre censors, legalising homosexuality and easing divorce cost not a penny, and disturbed no financial interests. Harold Wilson’s 1960s administration achieved many liberal but few socialist goals. Hopes for national economic planning and new labour-management relations “in place of strife” were never realised. Our problems today, meanwhile, are all financial-political, and require solutions that won’t be enacted without upsetting many private and sectional interests – often among those who are happy to be accounted among the liberally “woke”, but whose actual interests won’t necessarily be helped by egalitarian economic reforms. Royal commissions might well be a means to cut this Gordian knot of class interests, but we shouldn’t underestimate the political problems that they will encounter. Brian Hatton London • Simon Jenkins’ call for the revival of royal commissions is to be welcomed. So how about one on the honours system? Here there is widespread criticism of the current situation, but realistically some sort of consensus is needed outside the political arena to effect any change. Perhaps Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and the nationalist parties could consider putting the establishment of such a commission in their manifestos for the next general election? Julian Harber Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire
The RMT union has rejected “dreadful” pay offers from Network Rail and train operators, prolonging the long-running dispute on the railway. Labour has retained the West Lancashire constituency in a byelection called after its MP, Rosie Cooper, resigned last autumn, with a 10.5% swing. Dominic Raab has said he “behaved professionally at all times” as a minister, despite facing criticism of his behaviour from dozens of officials. A third of 15-year-olds have been persistently absent from classrooms in England during the current school year, according to research that shows absence rates remain stubbornly higher than before the coronavirus pandemic.
Funny how “nothing is off the table” for Rishi Sunak when it comes to supplying Ukraine with expensive armaments (Volodymyr Zelenskiy makes appeal for jets in address to British parliament, 8 February), and yet nothing is on the table to negotiate with all those striking public sector workers whose salaries have been seriously eroded by inflation and who have a reduced standard of living. Vicky Wolmuth London • On Tuesday, at zero temperature, we saw a tortoiseshell butterfly alight on the wall of the M&S store in Biggleswade. A moment to treasure, and to remind us about how climate change is threatening the lives of this and other delicate creatures. I’d be relieved to be told that butterflies can withstand these kinds of temperatures. Michael Newman Shefford, Bedfordshire • Opening Tuesday’s Guardian, I had the most wonderful surprise. There was my name spread across G2. Unfortunately, you printed the wrong picture of me (instead it was one of some costume designer), but I am still very happy. Thank you. Patricia Field Hedgerley, Buckinghamshire • Re Rebecca Solnit’s article (The serious side of ‘mansplaining’ has been lost. That’s where the harm begins, 9 February), last week I attended The Songs of Jim McLean, a concert in Glasgow. During the interval, a man asked me if I liked the songs. “Yes,” I replied. “But I’ve heard them all before.” Jim McLean London • Re HS2 cost-cutting, when can we expect the announcement that it will terminate at Heathrow, with onward travel by plane (HS2: ministers to cut services and speeds to drive down costs, reports say, 7 February)? Peter Fellows Bradford
Rishi Sunak returned to London from Dorset by helicopter on Wednesday evening and flew back to south-west England by jet the next morning, Downing Street has said, in the latest example of the prime minister’s fondness for short-distance air travel. Elections for the Northern Ireland assembly are to be delayed again, with a new deadline of 18 January next year for the Democratic Unionist party to return to power-sharing, the UK government has announced. Rishi Sunak has rebuked Lee Anderson just 48 hours into Anderson’s career as Conservative party vice-chair after he said he supported the death penalty because “nobody has ever committed a crime after being executed”. Kemi Badenoch, the business secretary, appointed an equalities commissioner who had previously donated to her leadership campaign, the Guardian can reveal. The former Labour MP Jared O’Mara has been sentenced to four years in prison after abusing his elected position to make fraudulent expense claims to fund his cocaine and alcohol habits.
Rishi Sunak has said that “nothing is off the table” when it comes to supplying Ukraine with military equipment, including fighter jets. He made the comment at a press conference this evening hours after Boris Johnson said the UK should supply Ukraine with some of its jets now. At his joint press conference with Sunak, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian president, said he heard “the desire to provide fighter jets” from Sunak when they spoke in private. There is further coverage of Zelenskiy’s visit on our Ukraine live blog.
A controversial and long-awaited report that claimed the government’s Prevent counter-terrorism programme needed to concentrate more on Islamist extremism has been severely criticised as “deeply prejudiced” and having “no legitimacy”. One of the Russians targeted by UK sanctions on Wednesday to mark Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s visit to London is Vladimir Putin’s alleged former lover, Svetlana Krivonogikh.
I see that Greg Hands has been appointed as the new Tory party chair, with Lee Anderson as his deputy (Sunak reshuffles cabinet in attempt to stamp authority on party, 8 February). Are we to expect a world-class level of storytelling from this new Hands-Anderson team? Valerie Kent Robertsbridge, East Sussex • I know that Fawlty Towers featured a sign where the letters were rearranged in some episodes (Farty Towels, anyone?), but there is no reason to do so with Sybil’s name just to make it fit the quick crossword (8 February). Fawlty clues? Ian Henderson Nottingham • Many thanks to Emma Beddington for her informative article (Stop ‘wishcycling’ and get wise: how to recycle (almost) everything, 7 February). It would be excellent to see a sister article headlined “How to reuse (almost) everything”. Repurposing material is by far the greener option, as very little if any energy is required, other than a little brainpower. Sally Edwards Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire • My eyebrows were raised by Emma Beddington’s piece when I got to the subheading “Jar lids”. Surely a better use for these is to seal the matching pots filled with homemade jam next autumn. Iain Mackay Braishfield, Hampshire • Our Cardiganshire corgi howls like a wolf whenever he hears high-pitched noises, car sirens, reversing bleeps or church bells (Beware the shih-tzu! Why your dog may be closer to a wolf than you think, 7 February). They can be more than a mile distant. Luckily, we have no near neighbours. Eryl Sheers Llanddewi Rhydderch, Sir Fynwy • I misread the headline for the country diary (The only movement is a party of rooks, 6 February) by unconsciously adding a C to the final word and assuming there were more anti-government letters. Bob Epton Brigg, North Lincolnshire
Jessica Elgot says Liz Truss compares herself to Barry Goldwater, the losing Republican in the 1964 US presidential election, and is attracted by his slogan, “In your heart, you know he’s right” (Liz Truss seems keen to make comeback, but is anyone else on board?, 5 February). The words that his opponents responded with are more apt here: “In your guts, you know he’s nuts!” Katherine Jarman Chichester • Peter Grieve compares the end of Browning’s My Last Duchess to Delilah and asks why the poem should not also be banned (Letters, 6 February). The difference is that My Last Duchess isn’t sung by crowds of small children, following the words from big screens in the arena. I saw that at the Kia Oval a few years ago and raised it with the management; I’m hoping it’s not on the playlist next time I go. Jane James Worcester Park, London • Peter Grieve is right. Poetic works should be judged in the same way as popular songs, and I look forward to a ban on mass recitation of Victorian poetry at future rugby matches. John Tarpey Manchester • I have been helping someone prepare for the UK citizenship test. One practice question is: “True or false: there is no place in British society for extremism or intolerance.” Could readers help me (and the home secretary et al) know what the correct response is? Adam Moliver Cheltenham, Gloucestershire • Rishi Sunak is creating a new department – for science, innovation and technology (SIT). Given the government’s record, science, history, innovation and technology is more appropriate. Toby Wood Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
Rishi Sunak has promoted the trade minister, Greg Hands, to replace Nadhim Zahawi as Conservative party chair as he carried out a mini-reshuffle to try to reassert his grip over his divided party and reshape the government to reflect his priorities. To coincide with the reshuffle, No 10 has published a 15-page report explaining how the machinery of government changes will work. The lord chief justice, Lord Burnett, revealed at a briefing that Rishi Sunak told him at a recent meeting that he regarded respect for the rule of law as “absolutely non-negotiable”. This came as Sunak appointed Lee Anderson as Conservative party deputy chairman. Anderson recently suggested to Tory MPs in a WhatsApp exchange that officials opposing the government’s Rwanda deportation policy on human rights grounds might be guilty of “treason”. Richard Sharp, the BBC chair, has revealed he personally informed Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak that he wanted the job before he applied, as he underwent a sometimes brutal interrogation from MPs over alleged conflicts of interest. John Major has launched a scathing attack on Boris Johnson’s handling of Brexit, saying his administration agreed to the Northern Ireland protocol despite knowing it was unworkable.
Liz Truss has said that it would be “unfair” to blame her mini-budget for interest rate rises last autumn. She made the comment in an interview with Spectator TV broadcast this afternoon (see 5.28pm), after she broke her post-premiership silence with a long article in the Sunday Telegraph yesterday about why she thinks her mini-budget crashed, forcing her removal from No 10. Keir Starmer said that she had done enough damage already and that his heart sank when he learnt she was speaking out again. (See 2.42pm.) Downing Street has declined to rule out the UK withdrawing from the European convention on human rights if it was seen as needed to stop small boat crossings, despite serious misgivings among some Conservative MPs. A union leader has accused the government of choosing to “punish” nurses after a health minister insisted there would be no re-examination of NHS pay for this year, as the health service in England faces what is expected to be the biggest strike in its history. Ministers have quietly dropped restrictions on spending controls, allowing Whitehall departments to spend millions more on external consultants.
Thank you for highlighting the plight of the former civil servants Josie Stewart and Raphael Marshall (Fall of Kabul whistleblower sues UK government after sacking, 3 February), and thank heavens for their allegiance to the truth, even at such a high personal cost. Their courage is a powerful reminder of those in public life who show real integrity, and gives grounds for hope. Lawrence Sail Exeter • The business secretary, Grant Shapps, says he find it abhorrent that vulnerable people unable to pay their bills have had prepayment meters forced upon them (Grant Shapps tells Ofgem to toughen up over prepayment meter scandal, 5 February). Does he not find it even more abhorrent that they cannot afford these bills in the first place? Katy Jennison Witney, Oxfordshire • On top of weathering an unstable government, an unstable monarchy, a dubious police force and an overworked health service, I am told that I cannot seek comfort in my wood-burning stove (‘A serious threat’: calls grow for urgent review of England’s wood-burning stoves, 2 February). I am going down the garden – to my compost heap – to eat worms. Ruth Hine Reading • In the light of the Delilah controversy, what would readers think about students studying Browning’s My Last Duchess, whose sinister end is similar to Delilah’s (Bye, bye, bye Delilah: Wales rugby choirs banned from singing Tom Jones hit, 1 February)? Should it be banned, or are different standards applied when judging poetic works of art and popular songs? Peter Grieve West Wickham, Cambridgeshire • New line for Delilah: “Showed her a picture of Raab and she laughed no more.” John Richards Oxford
The RCN and the GMB have called off strikes in Wales by nurses and ambulance staff planned for next week. But Unite says its ambulance staff in Wales will go ahead with their strike on Monday. The RCN and GMB acted after the Welsh government tabled an improved pay offer. (See 3.17pm.) The RCN and Unison have said that the Scottish and Welsh government have left Rishi Sunak looking unreasonable because they have shown a willingness to revise their pay offers to NHS staff. (See 3.37pm and 4.36pm.) Downing Street has said Rishi Sunak continues to have confidence in Simon Case, the cabinet secretary – despite a report suggesting that Case may have failed to fully alert Sunak to a complaint made about Dominic Raab before Raab was appointed to the cabinet. (See 1.15pm.) Afghan refugees have protested against plans to move them 200 miles from London to Yorkshire amid claims that they could challenge the government’s decision in the courts. A whistleblower who revealed Britain’s chaotic response to the fall of Kabul has said the civil service has become so dangerously politicised that officials who speak out risk being sidelined or sacked.
The UK government’s new register brought in to increase transparency over offshore UK asset holders is welcome (Thousands of offshore companies with UK property still not stating real owners, 30 January). Should it now be followed by a register to increase transparency over who funds the thinktanks that have such a hold over government policy? Tom Hardy MP Watch • Your cocktail of the week (Ramael Scully’s barley water with coconut caramel, 27 January) involves eight hours soaking, 40 minutes to simmer, leaving to cool, then chill. Caramel takes another 30 minutes. Sure the tongue would be hanging out of you with the thirst. Siobhán Ní Chuanaigh Dublin, Ireland • Oh dear, Guardian, how far you have strayed from your roots! In your Wordsearch (1 February), the “words associated with dinner” included “port”. In my Yorkshire childhood, dinner was taken at midday, with a glass of Vimto and a straw on Sundays. Lindy Hardcastle Groby, Leicestershire • An enjoyable meal of cumin-spiced chickpeas and spinach (£1 meals, 7 January), but the electricity for the meal worked out at 51p (excluding VAT and the daily standing charge). Times are hard when the energy used significantly raises the cost of a meal. Alan Roberts Barnoldswick, Lancashire • Miguel Barclay’s £1 meals are so good in the current cost of living crisis, and to an 86-year-old, keen on cooking but now living alone, they are just right – not too many ingredients and perfect for one. Anne Leslie Tetney, Lincolnshire
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Sunak cites his football team Southampton and their famous escapes to avoid relegation from the Premier League in the 1990s, comparing it to his task as PM. He also agrees for Morgan to interview him again at the end of the year to judge whether he has fulfilled his objectives. And that brings the interview to an end.
Your report of David Lammy’s Chatham House speech (Labour will reconnect ‘tarnished UK’ with European allies, say Lammy, 23 January) states that he would “stress Labour has no intention of returning either to the EU single market or the customs union, regarded by Labour as issues that were settled irrevocably by the 2016 referendum”. Let’s be clear: leaving the single market and customs union was not part of the leave prospectus in 2016; indeed, several prominent Brexiters gave assurances that the UK’s place in the single market and customs union was not at risk. It was Theresa May, in her Lancaster House speech in January 2017, who made the decision to leave the single market and customs union. Labour should not be colluding in the fiction that these issues were “settled irrevocably by the referendum”. They were not. If Labour is serious about correcting the damage caused by “the government’s bad Brexit deal” it should start from a correct account of the historical record: the decision to leave the single market and customs union was taken by the Conservative government, not by the people. Prof Paul Willner Oxford
Nesrine Malik’s excellent article (England’s old boys’ club has evolved into ‘the network’, made up of high rollers and City slickers, 30 January) calls to mind the two great architects of Britain’s recent decline, George Osborne and David Cameron – network insiders who exemplify the blurred vision of the public that Nesrine describes. This enabled the “two posh boys who don’t know the price of milk” (Nadine Dorries) to do the financials over public sector cuts without caring about the effects. Their austerity, and Brexit, decimated services for the poorest and reduced our resilience to cope with the events of the last few years. The current refusal to properly fund health, social care and education by the joyriders who followed them is, as Nesrine says, not because the money isn’t there but because of where it might have to come from. Gary Woodhouse Radcliffe-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire ﻿• Nesrine Malik should be exalted for her wonderful sentence on the sleaze at the heart of this government: “Democracy doesn’t ‘die in darkness’, it dies at dinner.” Roger McGarva Nottingham
Downing Street has repeatedly refused to say whether Rishi Sunak knew of any informal complaints about Dominic Raab’s behaviour before making him a minister, after Keir Starmer attacked the government’s “addiction to sleaze and scandal”. Dominic Raab is facing fresh calls to be suspended from his post, after the Guardian revealed three senior civil servants who worked with him had been interviewed by the official inquiry into his alleged bullying. Unions and the government appeared as far apart as ever, after Wednesday’s widespread strike action closed thousands of schools across England and Wales. Rishi Sunak is considering a trip to visit Joe Biden in the US next month as talks between the UK and EU over the Northern Ireland protocol intensify. The Labour MP Kim Johnson has apologised to the Commons after provoking anger by calling the Israeli government “fascist” during prime minister’s questions. Boris Johnson, the former Tory prime minister, has told the Atlantic Council thinktank in Washington that the process of admitting Ukraine to Nato and the EU should begin as soon as the war is over. The argument that this would provoke Russia was no longer relevant, he suggested. This is from the BBC’s Alex Partridge.
Today marks the third anniversary of our leaving the EU and, simultaneously, the 90th anniversary of Hitler’s first full day as chancellor. The Germans who voted for him needed 12 years and a national catastrophe to realise they had been lied to. We can only hope that it does not take as long or as much in this country. Jonathan Myerson London • Anand Menon needs to get a sense of history in his piece on the EU ((Brexit was meant to be ‘done’, but in 2023 UK-EU harmony will still be a distant dream, 24 January). Let’s be 40 years out after 40 years in, then decide on the real benefits of being a self-governing country that took a democratic decision. Malcolm Rivers Isleworth, London • Another reason to love Radio 3 (Letters, 25 January): without ever compromising the BBC’s impartiality rules, they remind us daily that we are Europeans. David Martin Glasgow • I hope that when the MP for North East Somerset is on TV (Jacob Rees-Mogg to host own chatshow on GB News, 26 January), people keep popping into his parliamentary office to leave notes saying “Sorry you were out when I visited. I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon.” John Illingworth Bradford • “Egrets, they had a few” in the print-edition headline on your article about bird numbers being boosted by wildlife-friendly farming (25 January) is up there with “Tirana boom today”. Sally Howel London • Surely team HMRC must be first in line for an award under a Labour government (Nadhim Zahawi sacked as Tory party chair over tax affairs, 29 January)? Vic Stanbrook Framlingham, Suffolk
Downing Street has said that people will suffer “significant disruption” from mass strikes taking place tomorrow. In what is being described as the biggest day of industrial action for at least a decade, teachers, train drivers, civil servants, university lecturers, bus drivers and security guards all taking action. See 1.10pm. Lord Frost, the former Brexit minister, has said that he is not surprised that people feel disappointed by what has been achieved since the UK left the EU three years ago today. (See 5.43pm.) The anniversary has prompted much comment on what has been achieved, with Tories who strongly supported it still talking up the advantages, but opinion polls showing that a majority of Britons now view it as a mistake. In his own statement on the anniversary, Rishi Sunak did not acknowledge any drawbacks, but was notably less upbeat about the potential gains than Boris Johnson and Liz Truss used to be when they were in Downing Street. The former cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has said “we mustn’t be too snowflakey” about bullying allegations levelled against the deputy prime minister, Dominic Raab. The UK has fallen sharply down the global corruption league table after a report warned of “woeful inadequacies” in upholding political integrity. The amount of time people over 80 spend in A&E in England has almost doubled in a year, leaving them at increased risk of coming to harm and dying, emergency care doctors are warning.
A Labour MP has said she has been “bombarded” with rape and death threats after speaking out against the “toxic” influence Andrew Tate had over schoolboys. Alex Davies-Jones received abuse over email and directly to her office, soon after she raised the issue at prime minister’s question’s earlier this month. At the time, the shadow technology minister told MPs: “Teachers are now having to develop their own resources to re-educate boys who are being brainwashed online by his deeply toxic messaging.” Davies-Jones went on to criticise Rishi Sunak for being “too slow to recognise the damage this is causing”. “What has he done?” she asked. “What is his government doing to tackle this misogyny? This incel culture? And the radicalisation of young men in this country? Will he [Sunak] commit to giving teachers the resources they need to address this problem head on?” But speaking during a Commons debate on neighbourhood policing on Tuesday, the MP for Pontypridd said: “I’d like to put on record my own thanks to … all of the local police in my south Wales area who have been an immense support to me in the recent weeks after I have spoken out about the horrendous abuse and behaviour of Andrew Tate online. “As a result, my own inbox and my office have been bombarded with death threats, rape threats.” Davies-Jones fears not all victims will get the same “brilliant” response time from police as she did. Tate, a former kickboxing world champion, amassed millions of followers on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok for his divisive content. He is now facing allegations of human trafficking and being part of an organised crime gang. He denies the allegations. Following his arrest in Romania, he will remain in detention until late February after a judge granted a request to extend his detention by 30 days for a second time.
Firefighters across the UK have voted for a national strike over pay for the first time in 20 years after an “overwhelming” ballot result. Strikes by teachers in England and Wales will go ahead this week after last-ditch talks between union leaders and the government broke up without any progress. Rishi Sunak has said he can “restore the integrity back into politics” as he began a fightback against the political damage from sacking Nadhim Zahawi as Conservative party chair for breaches of the ministerial code over his tax affairs. The head of an investigation into Richard Sharp’s appointment as the BBC chair has recused himself from the process, admitting the pair have met several times.
Matt Hancock has so far donated just 3% of the fee he was paid for appearing on I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! to charity, it has been revealed. The former health secretary received £320,000 for his stint on the reality show, of which £10,000 was donated to charity, according to the register of MPs’ financial interests. As a result of the appearance, he lost the Tory whip. The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, said he was “disappointed” at Hancock’s decision to travel to Australia. The West Suffolk MP, who is still suspended from the Conservative party, also received £48,000 for his Pandemic Diaries book, the register reveals. A spokesperson for Hancock told BBC News: “As well as raising the profile of his dyslexia campaign in front of 11 million viewers, Matt’s donated £10,000 to St Nicholas hospice in Suffolk and the British Dyslexia Association.” Earlier this month, Hancock declared he had received £45,000 for appearing on another reality TV show, Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins. It was also revealed that the former prime minister Boris Johnson had picked up an advance of more than £500,000 for his forthcoming memoir. That came as it emerged that Johnson could get more taxpayers’ money to cover extra legal support as the inquiry into his Partygate denials drags on. Johnson’s latest entry in the register of members’ interests says he “received £510,000 as an advance on an upcoming book yet to be published”. The publisher HarperCollins said this month that it had acquired the rights to what was described as a prime ministerial memoir “like no other”.
Re your report (UK will be 15 years late in hitting £1tn annual export target, figures show, 22 January), we already knew that exports were previously forecast to hit £1tn by 2035 when we launched our export strategy. Indeed, that is precisely why we launched it – to speed up our “race to a trillion”, with an ambitious goal to hit that target by 2030. The Office for Budget Responsibility’s projection of £739bn of exports for 2022, used in your article, is already out of date. In the year to November, total exports of goods and services reached £741bn. The total for the whole year is likely to be around £800bn. Getting to £1tn in 2030 from £800bn in 2022 implies an annual growth rate of 2.8% a year. The growth rate from 2012 to 2022 was 4% a year, so the growth rate needed to get to £1tn by 2030 is perfectly achievable, unremarkable even. Indeed, the independent forecaster Oxford Economics has estimated that UK exports of goods and services will reach £1tn in 2030. The Department for International Trade is already on track, with a 24% current-prices rise in exports in the 12 months to November last year. And we will continue promoting exports, removing barriers and securing high-quality trade deals so more of our great British goods and services are sold around the world. Andrew Bowie MP Minister for exports
There was another occasion, long before Rishi Sunak was fined last week, when a prime minister was spotted in a car without a seatbelt. When Margaret Thatcher opened the last section of the M25, I was there for the Guardian (Report, 30 October 1986). I wrote: “With the rejoicing over it was time for the tour, with the prime minister sitting in the front seat of the Daimler – without the regulation seatbelt: ‘What do you want me to do – knock her off?’ said a policeman, overhearing the comments.” And that was that. Geoff Andrews Bath • Gavin Ewart bemoans the BBC referring to “serious professional women tennis players” as “girls” (Letters, 9 July 1986) . More to the point, the phrase is a double oxymoron: being pointless and without meaning, sport is the antithesis of seriousness and, while some do it for a job, it should be called professional only sarcastically. Francis Harvey Bristol • I trust that Prof Julie Lovegrove (Beans in toast: UK should switch to broad bean bread, say researchers, 18 January) will make it clear that fava beans can cause major problems for people with G6PD deficiency. This condition particularly affects those with a Mediterranean heritage, some African populations, and me from Yorkshire. Rosalind Cook Leatherhead, Surrey • The most effective way to solve the NHS funding crisis (Gordon Brown warns of Tories ‘testing the water’ for two-tier healthcare, 23 January) will be to renationalise the hospitals whose finances are sinking under disastrously heavy financial commitments to PFI. Dr Elizabeth Waterston Newcastle upon Tyne
Rishi Sunak has finally said that he has never paid a penalty to HM Revenue and Customs. (See 5.49pm.) Keir Starmer has suggested that the job of prime minister is “too big” for Rishi Sunak. (See 1.33pm.) He delivered the jibe during exchanges at PMQs where he also directly linked questions about the Conservative party chair’s finances to the prime minister’s own family tax situation. Michael Gove has promised to bring the “spirit” of Thatcherism to the north of England, at a conference where he failed to meet most of the region’s leaders. The Treasury is reviewing its procedures after the Russian founder of a mercenary army was given permission to circumvent sanctions to attempt to silence a British journalist. The government’s economic forecaster has cut its prediction for UK growth this year, limiting the Treasury’s spending firepower in the forthcoming budget, according to a report.
Re Polly Toynbee’s article (Zahawi, Sunak, Johnson: this is rule by plutocrat. It’s like a stench that’s worse each day, 23 January), I used to put Steve Bell’s cartoons on the kitchen wall day by day. I stopped on 21 January 2011, with his skewering of David Cameron as an inversion of Marx, saying: “From each according to their vulnerability, to each according to their greed.” I despair that I still have no need to change it. Sue Jolley Altrincham, Greater Manchester • Politicians have no need for a chatbot to reply to members of the public (Letters, 22 January); they have staff to do that. Working at the Department of Trade in the 1980s, part of my job was to draft replies for the minister. The recipient of one letter I had drafted complained later that it was a “masterpiece of non-answer”. When my boss saw this, he congratulated me on having “cracked it”. Sue Firth North Hykeham, Lincolnshire • As a long-term allotment holder, I object strongly to Zoe Williams’ inclusion of allotments in her “flag-waving stoicism” comment (Don’t keep calm and carry on: how Britain got a furious new attitude, 24 January). Now more than ever, with the climate in crisis (to say nothing of food politics), tending an allotment is a radical act. Sue Hogg Colne, Lancashire • The fact that Rishi Sunak needs to engage an ethics adviser for advice about Nadhim Zahawi (Report, 24 January) merely confirms the lack of ethics within the Tory party. Or perhaps it’s just an example of Tory outsourcing. Arthur Stansfield Wickham Market, Suffolk • Might the Wombles consider moving to Dartmoor (Thousands march across Dartmoor to demand right to wild camp, 21 January)? Tim Watson Worcester
Downing Street has said that it wants the inquiry by its ethics adviser into Nadhim Zahawi, the Conservative party chair, to conclude “swiftly”. Last night Caroline Nokes, a Tory former minister, said Zahawi should stand aside while the inquiry takes place. Zahawi has not taken her advice, he remains in office, and there have been no futher high-profile calls for his resignation from Conservatives. But government MPs have not been giving him their full support either and, in a sign that No 10 may be happy to see him go, the PM’s spokesperson declined to say that Rishi Sunak was confident Zahawi had always told him the truth about his tax affairs. (See 12.32pm.) Richard Sharp has insisted he had no conflict of interest when he was appointed the chair of the BBC by Boris Johnson, despite allegations he helped secure a loan of up to £800,000 for the prime minister only a week earlier. British lawyers were given government dispensation to bypass sanctions in order to help Yevgeny Prigozhin, the controversial Russian businessman and Wagner group founder, sue a journalist, according to documents made available to the website Open Democracy. The archbishop of York has called for checks on “unscrupulous people making profit inappropriately” from social care as the Church of England launched a sweeping plan to reform how vulnerable people are looked after. Almost one in 10 local bus services were axed in Great Britain in the last year despite the government having promised to improve local transport connectivity as a key pillar of its levelling up agenda.
Labour has called for Nadhim Zahawi to be sacked as Conservative party chair following the revelation by the Guardian that he agreed to pay a penalty to HMRC as part of a seven-figure settlement over his tax affairs. (See 4.49pm.) Downing Street has apologised again for Rishi Sunak not wearing a seatbelt while in the back seat of a moving car earlier this week. The UK has offered qualified support for the creation of a special tribunal capable of holding the Russian civilian and military leadership, including Vladimir Putin, to account for war crimes in Ukraine. Ambulance workers have announced a series of fresh strikes including one next month that was already predicted to be the biggest day of stoppages in NHS history. The mystery behind the deaths of thousands of crabs and lobsters along England’s north-east coast has developed a further twist, with experts saying it could be down to a new disease.
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Andy Street, the Conservative mayor of the West Midlands, has delivered a damning assessment of the way the government administers its levelling up fund. He was speaking as the government announced how 111 communities would receive funding worth a total of £2.1bn from the fund. This is the second round of awards from the fund, which is worth £4.8bn in total. Echoing Labour criticisms of the way local authorities are forced to bid for money from central government, Street said today’s announcements showed “why Whitehall’s bidding and begging bowl culture is broken, and the sooner we can decentralise and move to proper fiscal devolution the better”. (See 3.11pm.) Labour said the fund was “in chaos” because of payment delays and allegations of “favouritism”. (See 9.15am.) Rishi Sunak has suggested the government cannot afford any immediate tax cuts, saying people are “not idiots” and understand what is unaffordable. Sunak has been criticised for taking a domestic flight in an RAF jet for the third time in 10 days. The RMT has received a fresh offer from train operators, the union said, raising hopes of a breakthrough in the long-running pay dispute.
Labour has called for an inquiry into whether Nadhim Zahawi broke the ministerial code or misled the public over his tax affairs during his time as chancellor. But No 10 has defended Zahawi, the Conservative chair. (See 3.13pm.) Keir Starmer has urged Rishi Sunak to apologise for ambulance waiting times and the “the lethal chaos under his watch”. The NHS is facing a day of massive disruption next month when tens of thousands of nurses and ambulance staff strike on the same day in their ongoing pay dispute. The UN agency for workers’ rights and the US labour secretary have distanced themselves from the UK government’s claims that its strikes bill has the “international seal of approval”. Inflation in the UK fell for a second month in December but remained at one of the highest levels in 40 years, as a near 17% increase in the price of food kept pressure on households amid the cost of living crisis. MPs have just started voting on a Labour amendment to the retained EU law (revocation and reform) bill that would change the date by which all remaining EU rules lapse, if a decision has not been made to reform or keep them, from the end of 2023 to 2026. The government is expected to win the vote comfortably.
Your letter from Pat Stevenson (11 January) highlighted my long-held suspicion that our memories of political events in our childhood are dependent on the political atmosphere in which we are raised. With a seven-year head start on your correspondent, I can remember (aged three) Hugh Gaitskell’s election to lead Labour, the Suez crisis (four), Labour’s rejection of unilateralism (eight) and Harold Macmillan’s “winds of change” speech in 1960. Before my retirement, my colleagues of a similar age had no such memories. But they didn’t grow up in a working-class home with a father steeped in local Labour party history, who was more likely to discuss Rab Butler or the allocation of tax liabilities in the impending budget than he was to condemn pop singers who mumbled their lyrics. Of course, it could all be genetic, this retention of early memories (yes, Pat Stevenson and I are siblings). Anne Cruise Swindon, Wiltshire • I remember clearly the day King George VI died. My sixth birthday fell on 6 February 1952, and I was excited as this was my first birthday at infant school. But we were not allowed to have playtime that day out of respect. Not been a lover of the royals since. Sally Bunyan Billericay, Essex • An abiding memory for this pensioner is the ecstatic cheering of my parents when the results of the 1964 election came in. Similarly for my sons in 1997 and hopefully my grandchildren one day. Bob Epton Brigg, Lincolnshire • Pat Stevenson is proud that she remembers various historic events from her 1960s childhood. It used to be said that if you remember the 60s then you weren’t there. Martin Cooper Bromley, London
Thank you for printing the photograph of Boris Johnson alongside his oven-ready satellite launcher (Spot the difference: Boris Johnson appears scrubbed from photo posted by Shapps, 10 January). With his oven-ready Brexit deal and his oven-ready social care package, we’ll soon have the full set. Hugh Cooper Charing, Kent • I have a dual-language M&S packet of “sauce chapelure avec l’oignon, du poivre noir et des clous de girofle” in the cupboard for emergency use (bread sauce, after all, being not just for Christmas). And good to have further evidence of international appreciation (Letters, 13 January). Neil Angrave London • William ignoring Harry at school was surely so common as to be unremarkable (Brother, where art thou? Prince William bears the brunt of Harry’s angry book, 10 January). At secondary school, my elder sister spoke to me only to tell me not to show off and show her up. Margaret Squires St Andrews, Fife • While there must be a correlation between getting older and becoming more rightwing (Letters, 9 January), my own theory is that wealth is the dominant correlation. Wealth seems to make people meaner. At age 75, I believe I have become more progressive. Rob Good Bentworth, Hampshire • Peter Butler’s answer (Letters, 15 January) to your article (Pass notes, 9 January) on four-minute showers reminds me that at school (a long, long while ago) that kind of strip wash was known as a “pits and parts” wash. Judith Patten Richmond, Surrey • (Letters, 15 January) Brian Smith Berlin, Germany
During the back end of a political year of barely contained mayhem, the government released – with little fanfare – the latest details on its new voter ID laws. Gone are the days when you could stroll into a polling station, give your name and address and then receive a ballot. From May, everyone intending to vote in person will have to prove who they say they are with one of a limited range of acceptable ID. The Guardian’s political correspondent Peter Walker tells Nosheen Iqbal that this delivers on a promise laid out in a previous Tory manifesto, but comes with barely any explanation of why it is necessary. While Northern Ireland already requires it, voter impersonation fraud is barely detectable in the rest of the UK. It has led to opposition parties accusing the government of cynical US-style ‘voter suppression’ tactics: young and marginalised people (who are least likely to back the Tories) will be most likely to struggle with the new rules. As the government launches its awareness campaign about the changes, the May local elections approach. Will the message get through? Or could we see crowds of potential voters turned away from polling stations, leading to results being contested?
The contributions of Nesrine Malik (When state services fail, citizens pay extra or sink. This is Sunak’s Britain now, 9 January) and John Harris (Sweeping social care reforms can wait – homes need money and workers right now, 8 January) made me wonder, not for the first time, just how much the reduction by stealth in the basic rate of tax from 33% to 20% over the past 40 years or so might have affected state provision, not only of health and social care, but a range of other public services. The reduction in tax has clearly afforded substantial benefits in terms of personal prosperity. It has enabled many people to change cars more frequently (or buy new rather than used vehicles); to afford more holidays; to enhance the amenity and financial value of their homes by adding extensions and conservatories or moving up market; and to gain privileged access to a range of services. All these things are understandably desirable, but the personal advantages must incur some corresponding loss in terms of wider public good. In making these points I am not necessarily advocating a return to 1970s tax levels – at least in the short term – but I suspect that analysis of the comparative gain to government revenues and public service expenditure which could have accrued from retention of the 33% rate (or various stepped decreases) would make very interesting reading. Perhaps your economics team or other contributors to the letters column could oblige. Dr Gerald Dunning Tonteg, Rhondda Cynon Taff
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Zoë Billingham is right to argue that transport is crucial for improving regional economies (England’s transport system is a creaking misery – and an easy win for Keir Starmer, 3 January). But Labour should be wary of simply endorsing the massively expensive HS2 scheme, which delivers little for deprived areas of the north, as evidenced by its very low benefit-cost ratio. Instead, the party should focus on local improvements to bus services, the lifeblood of many communities, and on tram schemes in urban areas that have demonstrable wider benefits. When he was transport secretary, John Prescott drew up plans to build 20 tram schemes in the first decade of the 21st century. Sadly, only one was completed because his efforts were not supported by his New Labour colleagues, but it is time for Keir Starmer to come up with similar visionary ideas – and this time to see them through. Christian Wolmar London • While Britain undoubtedly has an entrenched car culture, is it really true that the rising cost of motoring is trapping people in “transport poverty”? Your report (‘Entrenched car culture’ leaves millions of Britains in transport poverty, 9 January)notes that people are reluctant to get out of their cars because bicycles are too expensive. But oddly, no mention is made of another option – the bus. In England, 88% of people live within a short walk of a bus stop with at least one service an hour. And for the next three months the cost of a single fare on most buses is capped at £2. Two-thirds of public transport journeys are by bus. On average, each Briton travels 107 miles by bus every year. In reality, few people truly need to feel trapped by car ownership. Switching more journeys from car to bus can be a solution. Mark Anderson Customer and commercial director, The Go-Ahead Group
Re your editorial (The Guardian view on disability and living costs: ministers must close the gap, 6 January), don’t worry about disabled people – we all got a letter from the DWP saying we were getting a whole £10 Christmas bonus. It also explained that we’d be sanctioned if we were paid it twice and didn’t report the discrepancy, just in case anyone’s worried that we’re gaming the system. Karen Abbott Macclesfield, Cheshire • Having sat through the horrifying, riveting and ultimately educational Ken Burns documentary The US and the Holocaust on BBC Four (TV review, 10 January), I am now firmly of the opinion that Rishi Sunak has it all wrong. It is not maths that should be compulsory until age 18, it is history. Alison Fowles Knowl Hill, Berkshire • It appears that the postal system is helping to keep NHS demand low. On 10 January, I received a letter about my cataract operation, posted by the hospital on 15 December. The date of the op was 10 January. Paresh Motla Thame, Oxfordshire • Airbrushing Boris Johnson out of a photo is easy (Spot the difference: Boris Johnson appears scrubbed from photo posted by Shapps, 10 January), but how do people get him and his actions out of their memories? Dennis Fitzgerald Melbourne, Australia • Look carefully at the doctored photograph and you can see that Boris Johnson still got his elbow in. Mark Knight Sevenoaks, Kent • Some years ago, Chardonnay was in vogue as a baby’s name (Pass notes, 11 January). My hairdresser at the time told me her friend had named her baby girl Tia Maria. She had no idea what it meant. Linda Lee Swarkestone, Derbyshire • MPs looking into Partygate have been meeting “in a dusty parliamentary committee room” (What is at stake for Boris Johnson in Partygate inquiry?, 11 January). Can the government not afford cleaners? Rory Murphy London
More than 100,000 civil servants will join one-day strike action on 1 February in a major escalation of action by the PCS union. Health unions will not submit joint evidence to the NHS pay review body about the rise staff should get in 2023-24, in a move that threatens the system by which most health service pay is decided. A deal could be close to end the long-running RMT strikes on the railway, industry bosses have told MPs, adding that customers’ confidence is “ebbing away” as they start to switch to rival modes of transport. Rishi Sunak has said he is now registered with an NHS GP, having previously used private healthcare, during a prime minister’s questions dominated by the state of the NHS and the strikes by health and ambulance staff. Boris Johnson said he was at “the most unsocially distanced party in the UK right now” at a No 10 Partygate event for which he was not fined by the police, ITV has reported. The Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen has lost the party whip, probably permanently, after he provoked widespread fury among colleagues and elsewhere by comparing the use of Covid vaccines to the Holocaust.
John Stonehouse was a Walter Mitty figure and the bizarre aspects of his life, once again portrayed and enhanced in a new television drama, should not obscure his genuine commitment to colonial freedom and other less than popular political issues (Stonehouse story ‘far more fascinating’ than TV drama suggests, relative says, 3 January). Both sides of his personality were displayed on a mission to Bangladesh in January 1972 that we were both members of, together with a fine political “fixer”, the late Donald Chesworth. We were charged with investigating atrocities by the Pakistan army in the Bangladesh civil war. Stonehouse was a genuine and committed supporter of Bangladeshi independence, but he tried to ride on his contacts with the provisional government to obtain a contract for the production and supply of postage stamps for the new country. Also, he would make time to pursue personal financial deals on the spot by suggesting to Chesworth and me that “we can cover more ground if we follow separate investigations”. While in Dhaka, Stonehouse became frustrated with the lack of initiative by British diplomats in befriending the provisional government, unlike various communist regimes. He therefore hosted a big reception for the new government ministers, the media and heads of diplomatic missions in the only large hotel – and sent the bill to the UK government. When the news of his apparent disappearance appeared in the media, Chesworth and I never believed it – not least because Sheila Buckley, his long-serving secretary and mistress (and later wife), remained serene around Westminster. Michael Meadowcroft Leeds • The House of Commons library, in which I worked for many years, has a book in which MPs can make written requests for books to be purchased for its stock. One such request, in the early 1960s, is from John Stonehouse MP. This was for Nevil Shute’s novel On the Beach. All the more odd as the library doesn’t stock fiction. Rob Clements Flowton, Suffolk
Prof Rob Ford seems to have a very dim view of the ability of individuals to remember anything before they were adult if he really thinks that you need to be aged over 60 to have any “meaningful memory” of 1978 (Carrots, sticks and Thatcher replays: what is Sunak’s strikes strategy?, 6 January). I am over 60, but I vividly remember Churchill’s state funeral (when I was not yet six), the moon landing (aged 10), Harold Wilson as the first Labour prime minister in my lifetime (11), Ted Heath and the three-day week, and so on. Pat Stevenson Holywell, Northumberland • Re your report (Public sector strikes row escalates as unions plan coordinated ‘day of action’, 10 January), could we turn this anti-strike legislation on its head and hold the government responsible for the unsafe levels of provision of essential services on “normal”, non-strike days? Jane Davidson Edinburgh • An American scientific colleague has asked if I might explain the difference between a “working royal” and a “non-working” one (Prince Harry says any return to royal fold would be ‘unsurvivable’, 9 January). Can anybody help? Prof Stephen Holloway Liverpool • In your Wordsearch on 15 words associated with royalty (G2, 10 January), I note that, although king and queen are to be found, prince is not. Is this a deliberate omission, given the current climate? Ros Jones Ilkley, West Yorkshire • Very brave of James Cottis to come out as a property developer in Rochford (Let me tell you what it’s like being gay in the straightest town in England and Wales, 9 January). Peter Cowperthwaite Southampton
Almost seven years on from the referendum, the final Brexit deadlines have passed and the dust has started to settle. We would like to hear from Brits living across the EU about life on the continent post-Brexit. Have you been treated differently in any way since Brexit? How do you think you (and the UK) are now viewed? Has your relationship with the UK – or the country you now call home – changed? We would like to hear your insights into the logistics and bureaucracy but also your personal experiences and stories. Share your experiences If you are 18 years or over, you can get in touch by filling in the form below or contacting us via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding +44(0)7766780300. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details. We will only use the data you provide us for the purpose of the feature. We will delete any personal data when we no longer require it for this purpose. For more information please see our terms of service and privacy policy. If you’re having trouble using the form, click here.
The business secretary, Grant Shapps, will be able to decide statutory minimum service levels for a number of public services under the terms of a new anti-strike bill condemned by Labour as likely to increase stoppages. Trade unions are meeting to discuss holding a coordinated “day of action” across the public sector in an attempt to maximise pressure on the government to give workers a better pay deal. Labour has challenged Rishi Sunak to say how much money he “wasted” by using a jet to fly from London to Leeds for a health visit. (See 2.46pm.) Ministers have come under increasing pressure to say whether they will drop promises to implement major changes made after the Windrush scandal. As my colleagues Rajeev Syal and Amelia Gentleman report, stepping in for the home secretary, Suella Braverman, the junior Home Office minister Sarah Dines faced pressure from MPs across the house after telling the Commons she would not comment “on speculation in the Guardian”. Grant Shapps has indicated that he did not know Boris Johnson had been airbrushed out of a picture from Spaceport Cornwall before he posted it on Twitter. A Labour government would overhaul routes into work for sick or long-term unemployed people, including a guarantee that those who move into work will not have to face gruelling benefit re-assessments, Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow work and pensions secretary, has said. Rishi Sunak has been told he risks “re-toxifying” his government’s record on LGBTQ+ rights and introducing “an effective trans travel ban” after the equalities minister announced a review of countries whose process for changing gender on legal documents is recognised by the UK.
Steve Barclay, the health secretary, has agreed to discuss the possibility of a lump sum payment or backdating pay in order to end NHS strikes, according to multiple sources, though strikes will go ahead for nurses and ambulance staff next week. The news emerged after Barclay held talks with health unions about the strikes, while Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, and Huw Merriman, the rail minister, held similar talks with the teaching and transport unions. Rishi Sunak invited unions to the talks last week in a conciliatory gesture, but at the time the government said it was not willing to reconsider the pay offers for 2022-23 already on the table. The education talks did not seem to make much progress. (See 2.11pm.) After the health talks, one union official claimed that Barclay’s stance was an “insult”, and some other unions were very negative in public. But in private they were more positive, and Barclay has opened up the prospect of health workers getting some sort of increase in the payment on offer for the current financial year. After his talks at the Department for Transport, the RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said almost nothing to reporters, suggesting that substantial negotiations are ongoing. England is suffering its worst flu season for a decade, Barclary has said. Scottish hospitals will be allowed to cancel non-urgent operations and move patients into care homes to help tackle “exceptional and severe” pressures on the NHS, Nicola Sturgeon has announced. Britain is considering supplying a handful of Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, the first time a western country has indicated it may supply its homemade heavy armour to Kyiv in the war against Russia, the Guardian reports. The former Tory minister Claire Perry has quit the party and is now publicly praising Keir Starmer, the Times’ Henry Zeffman reports.
Mike Grindley, leader of the historic 13-year fight for trade union rights at GCHQ, died on New Year’s Day. Mike’s life changed for good when Margaret Thatcher’s government unilaterally ended the right to belong to a union at GCHQ in 1984. Defying Thatcher, he was one of the 14 brave GCHQ employees who refused to sign away their long-established right to be represented by their civil service trade union. They were sacked. The fight for the right to belong to a trade union at the spy agency – led by the British civil service trade unions and the Trades Union Congress, and supported around the globe – was long and hard. Mike finally led the sacked workers back into GCHQ in 1997, when the New Labour government restored the right to union membership there. Mike, who had worked for GCHQ since 1961 as a Chinese linguist specialist, was a humble and kind man who, over 13 years of campaigning, demonstrated the power of collective trade union action, providing a rare victory over the Tories in the Thatcher era. He is an example for us all – and his death is a timely reminder of the importance of a tenacious fightback and perseverance, as we face yet another determined Tory attack on trade union rights. Mike will be greatly missed by all of us involved in GCHQ and the civil service unions. John Sheldon Former general secretary, and Hugh Lanning Former deputy general secretary, Public and Commercial Services Union
Rishi Sunak has said that trade unions have been invited to talks with the government on Monday for a “reasonable” conversation about pay. But the talks are not due to cover this year’s pay settlement, which is the cause of the strikes and which ministers do not want to reopen, but instead next year’s pay settlement. In an interview, Sunak gave no indication that he was willing to put this year’s pay settlement on the table. And he also declined to respond to a compromise offer from the Royal College of Nursing, which said it was willing to meet the government “halfway” on pay. (See 11.12am.) Train operating companies have offered the drivers’ union a two-year pay deal in a bid to resolve the dispute which has led to a series of strikes, PA Media reports. PA says the Rail Delivery Group said it was offering a “landmark outline proposal” that would deliver more reliable services for passengers, in exchange for a pay increase of 4% for 2022 and 4% for this year It also includes a commitment to no compulsory redundancies until at least 31 March 2024. Unite ambulance workers will strike on 23 January across England and wales, the union has announced, joining Unison members. Mick Lynch has admitted that public support for rail unions has been dented by weeks of strikes, but said the government was still “losing the argument” in the long-running pay dispute. More than a quarter of ambulance patients in England waited more than an hour to be admitted to A&E in the last week of 2022, amid “one of the most difficult” winters in NHS history. The headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh has quit as the UK government’s social mobility head after little more than a year, admitting her outspoken views meant she was “doing more harm than good”.
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Matt Hancock has closed his personal app, five years after its launch made it a 24-hour social media hit. The Matt Hancock MP app was launched in 2018 when the West Suffolk MP was culture secretary as part of Theresa May’s government. He said he hoped it would keep his constituents up-to-date and “promote a healthy, open and impartial debate within its community”. However, within hours it was full of users, many who were journalists or people trolling the MP, who realised that they did not have to live in Hancock’s patch to become members. One early post that gained popularity was someone posing as Ed Balls, mimicking his famous “Ed Balls” tweet. Settings were later changed to discourage non-constituents from registering. In a post released on the app on Tuesday, Hancock announced he was calling time on his virtual venture. He said: “After almost five gloriously fun years, it’s time to bid a fond farewell to the ‘iconic’ Matt Hancock App – a platform that secured multiple exclusives, including my backing of Rishi Sunak for PM. “While the news will come as a blow to those who can’t remember life before the app, fear not …,” he said, before recommending people follow him on TikTok. “Thanks for the memories and see you all soon,” he added. The app wasn’t Hancock’s only foray into the digital world. He also planned to speak to the 2018 Conservative party conference as a hologram. However, his alternative address did not go ahead. In December the former health secretary announced he would be standing down as an MP at the next election. He had appeared on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! as a contestant, and finished third – losing the Conservative party whip in the process.
Anne McElvoy is right (‘It’s the economy, stupid’ says the US campaign slogan. Starmer would do well to learn it, 26 December); Labour has to move beyond “simply redistributive ideas, to those that move the needle on growth”, but she fails to confront one essential component to achieve this. Taxation and borrowing from the private sector remain central to any government economic policy. So far, “borrow to invest” has conditioned even leftwing thinkers to accept the unequal distribution of wealth. But there is an alternative that will also aid redistribution: print and regulate. The opposition to the government printing money is that it would cause inflation by increasing demand on resources. But this is only true if private finance is allowed the same capacity to invest. If the latter’s investment capability is restricted by the same amount as increased public spending, then demand for resources would remain unchanged and inflationary forces contained. Assume a starting point with the nation having 10 units of national resources balanced by 10 units of financial wealth, comprising one public and nine private. The conventional theory goes like this: if the government wishes to invest an extra financial unit, it must borrow it from the private if demand for resources does not exceed 10 units: two public and eight private. However, what seemed to have escaped governments, opposition and economists alike, is the government need not borrow the additional financial unit it aims to spend. The government can instruct the Bank of England to create the additional unit of financial wealth and reduce the private sector’s ability to invest by one financial unit. Not only would this not add to the burden of the nation’s debt to private finance, but it will simultaneously redistribute wealth away from the private to the public sector. A win-win. Fawzi Ibrahim Author, Capitalism Versus Planet Earth: An Irreconcilable Conflict
Downing Street has insisted the NHS is getting “the funding it needs”. The prime minister’s spokesperson was speaking at a lobby briefing (see 12.55pm) after the vice president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine said ministers were in denial over the extent of problems facing hospital A&E departments (see 11.19am). The No 10 spokesperson also declined to accept claims the NHS is “in crisis”. My colleague Peter Walker has more on the briefing here.
Downing Street has expressed optimism that a solution to the current wave of rail strikes could be imminent, after the chief negotiator for Network Rail said a deal was “in touching distance”.
Your report (One in 10 Tory peers have given more than £100,000 to party, 29 December) and the analysis piece alongside it (The ‘indefensibles’: donors, cronies and lackeys embody case to abolish Lords, 29 January) covered criticism of appointments to the House of Lords and calls for its replacement. However, neither article addressed two key questions: what does the House of Lords do? And does it do it well? The Lords is a revising chamber that does the heavy lifting of improving legislation that has often been given scant scrutiny in the Commons. It does so through consensus and persuasion. In the 2019-21 parliamentary session 1,029 improvements to the laws that govern us all were made in the Lords; only 83 of those required a government defeat in a vote. Would a second elected chamber be as effective at quietly and expertly making these changes to legislation without getting into a standoff with the Commons? It is important that appointments to the House of Lords are done on the right basis and steps are taken to avoid the accusation of cronyism. A strengthened appointments commission whose advice was binding on prime ministers could achieve this. A proposal for such a change is available in the form of Lord Norton’s private member’s bill. The government could make real progress by taking up its proposals. Timothy Kirkhope Conservative, House of Lords
If Nigel Farage can mobilise voters around immigration issues, the unseating of Conservative MPs will be the least of our worries (Senior Tories risk losing seats if Nigel Farage returns to politics, experts say, 25 December). Postwar Labour governments have been easily spooked by agitation on immigration. The groundwork was laid in Harold Wilson’s white paper Immigration from the Commonwealth. Thereafter, Labour participated in the “dutch auction” on immigration, passing the 1968 Commonwealth Immigration Act and the 1969 Immigration Appeals Act. Labour was drafting the explicitly racist measures which became the 1971 Immigration Act under the Ted Heath government. Tony Blair’s government gave us the 1999 Immigration and Asylum Act, followed by four more acts on asylum and immigration, while the 2004 Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act brought the border inland to define eligibility to services. Meanwhile, Labour built three new detention centres for migrants and asylum seekers. Whatever benefits flow from the loss of Tory seats at the next general election, the ending of the downward spiral on immigration policy will not be one of them. Robert Moore Emeritus professor, department of sociology, social policy and criminology, University of Liverpool
Rishi Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty, undertook a makeover of the No 10 flat with opulent curtains and velvet sofas in jewel colours at their own expense, according to a new profile of the couple in the society magazine Tatler. John Challis, the upholsterer behind the transformation, told the magazine that the redesign got rid of the “very tired” decor largely installed for the family of former chancellor George Osborne.
But in contrast to Sunak’s predecessor, Boris Johnson, the refurbishment was carried out at the prime minister’s own expense. Johnson was subject to an investigation over the funding of the refit of his flat in No 11 Downing Street while in office, which was paid for by a wealthy Tory donor, Lord Brownlow. Johnson later repaid the cost of the £112,000 project, which was carried out by designer Lulu Lytle. The Sunaks employed the upholsterer John Challis from Richmond, the PM’s North Yorkshire constituency, who told Tatler what his work for No 10 involved: “We made long, fully interlined curtains for all five windows overlooking the garden, hand-pleated and held back with heavy coordinating tassels in red, gold and the ivory of the damask.
“The ornate cornicing was hand-gilded, as it would have been originally, and a rug was commissioned to almost fill the room. Akshata was very involved and keen to see how things are made. She is also not afraid of getting stuck in and helping, either,” he said. Challis also described “window seats in most of the rooms in a complementary colour. Most of the sofas were velvet, in jewel colours, and the cushions also became a work of art.” He described the previous decor as “all very tired” and said that in comparison it had “far less glitz” than the Lytle makeover of No 11. The full profile of Murty is due to appear in the February issue of Tatler from 5 January.
No 10 has said it is “very concerning” that MPs were reportedly met by sex workers in their hotel rooms and engaged in raucous drinking while on parliamentary trips abroad. The prime minister’s deputy official spokesperson said the oversight of trips taken by all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) was a matter for parliament but expressed concern about some of the behaviour reported by Politico and the Times. “We have seen some of the reports and some of the behaviour reported is clearly very concerning,” he said. “The prime minister believes MPs should be working hard for the public and the vast majority are focused on trying to solve our shared challenges, whether that be supporting the most vulnerable or working to making our schools better and streets safer. “The regulation of APPGs is a matter for the House[s of Parliament] and the standards committee is conducting an ongoing inquiry into APPGs. The process around them is a matter for the house rather than government.” There has been longstanding concern about the operation of APPGs, which often organise fact-finding trips for MPs abroad where there can be hospitality paid for by foreign governments or companies. The Times reported on Wednesday that some senior government figures are concerned that MPs and peers are engaging in “sex and heavy drinking” on foreign visits, and that incriminating evidence could be used against those who are misbehaving. An investigation by Politico earlier this month claimed that one former Conservative MP asked where the nearest brothel was when he visited a country in south-east Asia, and that a former minister stayed on after official trips to pursue his “interest in women”. APPGS are the subject of an inquiry by the Commons standards committee.
Your article on the honours system (Honours committees ‘pressured by No 10 to reward Tory donors’, 21 December) quotes some of the remarks I made in a Channel 4 News interview. In a part of the interview that was not broadcast, I stressed that honours committees’ members were generally robustly independent, as was the civil service secretariat supporting them. The government clearly has a role in the honours system; indeed, David Cameron rightly pushed for more diversity. But my impression at the time was that there was far less attempted interference in the particulars of the regular honours lists than the public probably believes. This is as it should be. Public confidence in the probity of government and public bodies has taken quite a knock over the last three years. The honours system is difficult to get right at the best of times. However, if the matters revealed on the programme have become systemic over this time, then respect for the whole system will erode. Your article also quotes an exchange I described on the Channel 4 show that I had with the late Jeremy Heywood, who chaired the honours committee at the time. The quotes in the show related to a particular nomination from another committee, which I felt was the wrong time to bring forward. To be clear, I never felt that Lord Heywood committed any wrong. He was simply trying to flag that there were strong interests promoting this candidate. Moreover, he chaired the two meetings at which the candidate was rejected by the main committee. As I said in the Channel 4 programme, I have the highest regard for Lord Heywood, and respected his integrity and effectiveness. I feel confident that in his time as cabinet secretary, he would have been resistant to attempts to use the honours system to reward people in favour with the government. Sir Vernon Ellis Chair, arts and media honours committee 2012-15
Rishi Sunak has confirmed that the UK government is considering blocking Scotland’s new law designed to make it easier for trans people legally to change their gender, setting the stage for a potentially bitter clash over constitutional and culture war issues. A senior GMB official has urged ministers to make a pay offer to striking workers, insisting it does not necessarily have to beat inflation. Postal workers and Border Force staff have been on strike today. There has been live coverage on our strikes live blog.
Humza Yousaf, the Scottish government’s health secretary, has said he will press on with implementing a pay deal for health staff worth 7.5% following a meeting today with unions. The offer has been accepted by Unite and Unison, but rejected by the GMB, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and Royal College of Midwives (RCM). After his meeting today, Yousaf said: Given that the majority of unions representing the majority of unionised Action for Change staff have accepted the pay deal, we will now move to implement this record pay deal. We believe it is right to get additional money into the pay packet of NHS staff in the midst of a cost of living crisis. Yousaf said he had no more money for pay in 2022-23. But he said he would continue to talk to unions “on significant non-pay issues that are important for the sustainability of the workforce, and also how we make early progress on next year’s pay deal”.
The Scottish government has hailed a “historic day for equality” after MSPs approved plans to make it easier and less intrusive for individuals to legally change their gender, extending the new system of self-identification to 16- and 17-year-olds for the first time. In response, Alister Jack, the Scottish secretary, said the UK government was considering blocking the legislation, using a power under the Scotland Act that has never been used before, on the grounds that it would have a negative impact on equality law in the rest of the UK. (See 5.06pm.) Rishi Sunak has appointed a former banker and quango head to be his ethics adviser after a six-month delay in filling the post, but will not allow the new incumbent to launch his own investigations into potential wrongdoing. More than three-quarters of firms say the government’s post-Brexit trade deal with the EU has not helped them to expand their business in the last two years despite promises that Brexit terms were “oven-ready”.
Simon Jenkins (Even England’s police want to decriminalise hard drugs. Why won’t our posturing politicians listen?, 20 December) understandably calls for a more treatment-based approach to tackling hard drugs. He rightly cites frontline experience by police in evolving their approach. In Middlesbrough we introduced the first heroin-assisted treatment (HAT) programme in the UK over a three-year period. There is much evidence, collated by Teesside University; much expertise, of the Foundations medical practice, which provided a three-times-daily service; and much experience, of a public health and criminal justice group I brought together and chaired to oversee it. HAT was this year endorsed by the home affairs select committee as a model of good practice – not only saving money, reducing crime and saving lives, but also helping people to move on and grow from their addiction, in a town and a region with some of the highest death rates in the country. It sadly closed at the end of this year through lack of funding being committed. I’ve always maintained it’s not about being “soft” on crime or “tough” on crime, but smart on crime – the question is how many more lives have to be lost before we as a society wise up? Barry Coppinger Police and crime commissioner for Cleveland 2012-20 • Simon Jenkins makes a compelling case for decriminalising “hard drugs”. Given the annual UK tax revenue from tobacco is £10.9bn, and alcohol £12.7bn, it is likely that a comparable income would be generated if the sale of hard drugs was similarly legalised and monetised. More than enough to pay for a wage rise for all public sector workers that meets the rate of inflation. Dr Michael Symonds Loughborough, Leicestershire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
You are right – financial regulation should protect from speculation, but the objective of promoting competitiveness will fuel rather than tame those casino-like behaviours (Editorial, 18 December). The financial sector’s idea of becoming more competitive is to devise financial products that give ever-higher financial returns, regardless of their sustainability. That is what drove the speculative frenzy that created the 2007-08 international financial crisis, and consequent 2009 global recession, followed in the UK by a lost decade of austerity. With that financial crisis, many of the new financial products proved worthless. Their competitiveness was unsustainable. These points were made to the government in May 2022, in a letter regarding the dangers of a competitiveness objective for financial regulators, from me and 58 other economists, including Sir Vince Cable, Sir John Kay and Prof Joseph Stiglitz. Our letter concluded: “The UK instead needs clear regulatory objectives that promote economy-wide productivity, growth and market integrity, and also protect consumers and taxpayers, advance the fight against climate change, and tackle dirty money to protect our collective security.” It was ignored. Prof Jonathan Michie President, Kellogg College, Oxford • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Thousands of nurses have been on strike in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and an ambulance strike in England and Wales is set to go ahead tomorrow after Steve Barclay, the health secretary, concluded talks with trade union without opening new talks on pay. (See 5pm.) Rishi Sunak has restated his determination to bring inflation under control in evidence to the Commons liaison committee. (See 3.54pm.) Earlier, in an interview with the Daily Mail, he warned that the strikes could go on for months. (See 8.41am.) Unions and ambulance trusts in most parts of England and Wales have struck deals to ensure “life and limb cover” during a strike on Wednesday, MPs have been told. Members of the public have been urged to avoid getting drunk or taking part in “risky activities” on Wednesday because strike-hit NHS ambulance services may not be able to treat them. Train drivers have called a fresh 24-hour strike on 5 January in the long-running dispute over pay and conditions on UK railways. The Labour former cabinet minister Douglas Alexander is understood to be trying to stand again as an MP at the next election, in the latest sign of Labour “big beasts” returning to frontline politics.
Suella Braverman has reaffirmed her commitment to sending people seeking refuge in the UK on a one-way ticket to Rwanda after the high court ruled on Monday that the policy was lawful. The UK government has commenced legal action to recover more than £100m from the company that was awarded two large PPE contracts after the Conservative peer Michelle Mone lobbied ministers. Ambulance staff would require a definite commitment from ministers on pay rather than just a promise of talks to call off their planned strike on Wednesday, according to a union leader who said trust had largely broken down with the government.
Owen Jones’s view that strikes have helped build our society is absurd (The right says strikes are abusive and wicked. I say they have helped build our society, 13 December). Strikes are damaging to the economy and harmful to both strikers and the general public. If you are in doubt about this, ask anyone living or working in our industrial heartlands. Strikes are failures of an economic system created by both Labour and Conservative governments. Instead of working out ways to give both unionised and non-unionised workers a voice in formulating industrial policy, both parties seem content to retain a system that pits employees against both government and employers. Damaging strikes are an inevitable outcome. Clearly the Tory government has no interest in changing the system which has benefited its donors and created massive income inequalities. One might hope for better from Labour but, sadly, the party’s manifestos in 2017 and 2019 did not show any imagination in developing a system in which the strength of trade unions lay in their capacity not to call strikes but to influence industrial, pay and fiscal policies. This can be done and was done for several decades in Germany post-1945. The lack of any strategy to ensure that governments share responsibility with worker and employer organisations to achieve a fair incomes policy means the opposition is in a weak position when the government tries to force it to declare its position on strikes. In fact, how easy it is to call a strike is an irrelevance; what matters is how to avoid strikes in the first place. Prof Philip Graham London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
I was delighted to see this story told, but a crucial part of it is missing (London’s lost mega-motorway: the eight-lane ring road that would have destroyed much of the city, 13 December). In the mid-1960s a small group of us, mainly transport economists, got together to fight the then policy of solving congestion in cities by building roads, because it was actually counterproductive. The more people take to their cars, the more public transport deteriorates, setting off a further switch to cars – a vicious circle already in evidence. One member of the group, Michael Thompson, carried out a cost-benefit analysis of the three ring road plan. It showed that the inner Motorway Box would be disastrous while the middle one, now the M25, was worth building. This was published later as Motorways in London. The problem was how to get politicians to take notice. We started by convincing Camden, Islington and two other large civic societies that they should oppose the scheme not by the usual nimby arguments, but by showing that the policy was bad for everyone. With their support, we approached all civic societies in London, and most joined together as the London Amenity and Transport Association to adopt this united approach. They in turn put pressure on local councils already desperately worried about the destruction of housing required for the plan. This bottom-up groundswell of opinion and its effect on the councils was crucial to the formation of the London Motorway Action Group led by Peter Jay, the winning-over of the London Labour party, and their victory in the GLC elections. I think it is a good example of what local action can do. Terri Banks London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Rishi Sunak has refused to concede to the pressure from health leaders and some senior Conservatives to negotiate pay with nurses to prevent further strikes. Mick Lynch, the head of the RMT union, raised hopes that future rail strikes could be averted as travel was disrupted by a fresh 48-hour walkout and nurses warned their action could escalate. Planned strikes next week will be “very challenging” for the health service, hospital bosses have warned, after they conceded that Thursday’s nurses strikes had had a “significant impact”. The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has said he is working “flat out” to try and restore the powers sharing executive in Northern Ireland but warned that an imminent breakthrough is unlikely. Keir Starmer has said “it’s time for a Labour government”, after the party held the Stretford and Urmston constituency in a byelection. The Earl of Shrewsbury (Con) and Lady Goudie (Lab) have both been recommended to be suspended from the House of Lords after having been found to have breached the House of Lords code of conduct for providing parliamentary advice and services in return for payment. Wes Streeting declined to say whether a Labour government would agree to a pay rise for nurses. The general secretary of the Unite union, Sharon Graham, has urged the government to convene NHS pay talks or see the strikes spread.
Rishi Sunak is facing mounting pressure in the dispute over the nurses’ strikes, with a senior Tory MP telling him to compromise and increase the pay rise on offer while a health minister insisted unions’ demands could not be met. There is more detail on our separate live blog about the nurses’ strike.
John Swinney, Scotland’s finance minister, has told MSPs in his budget speech that anyone earning more than £43,662 in Scotland will pay an extra penny in the pound in income tax. He said that cash would go into the NHS, and he presented it as an example of how the Scottish government was making progressive choices and rejecting austerity. His full statement is here. Rishi Sunak is to visit Northern Ireland later on Thursday to meet politicians as efforts to break the impasse over the Brexit trade arrangements and get the Democratic Unionist party back to Stormont are stepped up.
The Politics Weekly UK team wants to know what questions you want answered on the podcast as we look to 2023. Whether it’s what will happen next year, or what the hell happened in 2022, John Harris will be joined by Pippa Crerar and Gaby Hinsliff in a special end of year review. Send us your questions We will only use the data you provide us for the purpose of the feature. We will delete any personal data when we no longer require it for this purpose. For more information please see our terms of service and privacy policy. If you are 18 years or over, you can get in touch by filling in the form below. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details. If you’re having trouble using the form, click here.
Four weeks of disruption on the railways begin on Tuesday with the first 48-hour strike of the festive period, the day after it was revealed that the largest rail union voted to reject the latest offer. Two major health unions in Scotland have called off strike action after narrowly voting for an upgraded pay offer following ministerial intervention. Nurses’ strikes will go ahead this week after a meeting between the union and the health secretary ended in deadlock, with the Royal College of Nursing condemning ministers’ “belligerence” for refusing to discuss pay. Britain has moved to dump the baggage of a Global Britain creating a network of liberty, in favour of building long partnerships with a modest number of countries, many of which will not share Britain’s democratic values. Civil service graduates on the fast stream will consider strike action in an unprecedented move over frustration with low pay. Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, has urged Rishi Sunak and his UK government colleagues to follow her example and get involved in trying to resolve disputes with the public sector unions. (see: 17.05) A “decade of neglect” by successive Conservative administrations has weakened the NHS to the point that it will not be able to tackle the 7 million-strong backlog of care, a government-commissioned report has concluded. Fears are growing over the state of the UK economy as it emerged that the manufacturing sector shrank by about 4% this year and is forecast to decline by a further 3.2% in 2023.
Rishi Sunak was called out last week for saying it would cost £28bn to prevent inflation eating into public sector wages. According to No 10, a 10% pay rise would cost Britain’s 28m households £1,000 a year in higher taxes. Not according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, which says the Treasury’s sums don’t add up. So how much would it cost to give public sector workers a pay rise? A pay rise of 10% Ben Zaranko, an economist for the thinktank, says that even using Sunak’s methodology, the figures are wrong. The total public sector pay bill in 2021/22 was £233bn. Using the 10.1% average figure for the consumer price index forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility, “the cost would be £23.5bn”. The government has already agreed to finance a 3% rise, so the extra cost is only £18bn, he says. It could be as low as £13bn if the government’s fresh concessions for teachers and other groups are factored in as “already paid for”. Ministers should also expect to get back about 30% of the extra spending from higher income tax and VAT receipts, reducing the bill to £8.5bn. A pay rise of 7% The RMT has called for a minimum of 7%, while some healthcare unions have suggested they would accept a similar amount. If all public sector workers were offered 7% rather than 10%, the total extra bill would come down from £18bn to nearer £12bn – about £9bn with extra concessions stripped out. About £4bn would flow back to the Treasury in higher tax receipts, leaving an extra £5bn bill. Will a pay rise push up inflation? A below-inflation public sector pay rise will not increase inflation, especially if lower-paid staff are the biggest beneficiaries of a deal. The public sector does not increase its charges to reflect higher staff pay, as private-sector firms might. The extra spending power given to public-sector workers pay is also likely to be spent on energy bills and food, which are costs dictated by global markets.
Lord Young of Graffham, a cabinet minister under Margaret Thatcher and a successful businessman, has died aged 90. A Conservative party spokesperson confirmed the death of the peer, who became secretary of state for employment in 1985 and was appointed secretary of state for trade and industry after the 1987 election. Young, who never took a salary for his cabinet roles, served as right-hand man to Thatcher during the controversial state privatisations of the 1980s. He would later serve as an enterprise adviser to David Cameron when he was prime minister, and retained a keen interest in education and youth employment. Earlier this year, he called for exams to be replaced by continuous assessment. Sometimes referred to as a favourite of Thatcher’s, David Ivor Young began his rise through politics as chair of the Manpower Services Commission and was appointed to the Lords in 1984.
Thatcher once said: “Others bring me problems. David brings me solutions.” The peer, who was initially a lawyer, led numerous businesses in the UK and overseas including Cable & Wireless. Young, who was appointed Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in the 2015 new year honours list, retired from the Lords earlier this year. Lance Forman, a former Tory London MEP, wrote on Twitter: “Sad to hear of the death of Lord Young today. “He was at the heart of Thatcher’s Govt – promoting an Enterprise culture – so much needed today.
“He started political life as Special Adviser to the Secretary of State for Trade & Industry. I was proud to follow in those footsteps.” In November 2010, Young was widely criticised for suggesting most Britons had “never had it so good” during the “so-called recession”. The peer was forced to withdraw his remarks after a firm rebuke from Downing Street. He subsequently wrote to Cameron to apologise and to express his “profound regrets”, and resigned from his role as an adviser.
Suella Braverman, the home secretary, has urged people to rethink flying during the Christmas break as she warned of “undeniable, serious disruption” for thousands if planned Border Force strikes go ahead. Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, has backed widening the list of workers banned from striking, suggesting it could include NHS staff and others in “critical infrastructure” jobs. Ministers giving the green light to Britain’s first coalmine in 30 years is “like celebrating the opening of a Betamax factory”, Cumbrian MP Tim Farron has said. A major campaign will target more than 60 seats to oust Conservatives by tactical voting, in order to build a Commons majority among progressive parties.
The leader of Grimsby council, Philip Jackson, attributes unemployment in the town in part to “attitudinal issues” and says that some families have not seen work in two or three generations (‘It has hit Grimsby very hard’: health in decline after years of austerity, 5 December). This is merely regurgitating the same tired Tory talking points that were debunked a decade ago by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), whose researchers – “despite strenuous efforts” – were unable to locate any such families with three generations of worklessness. “Even two generations of complete worklessness in the same family was a very rare phenomenon,” the JRF said, and there was no evidence of a “culture of worklessness” of the sort that Jackson refers to. Three years later, further research from the foundation acknowledged that the number of households where no one had ever worked had doubled in little more than a decade, but found that most of these were in fact younger single people or lone parents – and again, there was little or no evidence of “intergenerational worklessness”. These ideas were a myth when elaborated by Iain Duncan Smith to justify welfare reforms that many claimants experienced as punitive and immiserating, and they are no less so today. It’s profoundly depressing to find the same myths – though now disproved, perhaps more accurately characterised as delusions – making a comeback. Without a true diagnosis of the problem, how will an effective solution ever be identified? Carolyn McAllister Burntisland, Fife • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Rishi Sunak has agreed to amend the levelling up bill to remove mandatory housebuilding targets for councils in response to a rebellion said to be backed by more than 100 MPs. Labour said that was “unconscionable” given the housing crisis, and proof that Sunak is “in office but not in power”. (See 5.14pm.) Labour has unveiled its blueprint for an overhaul of the UK constitution, based on tackling regional inequalities and moving political power away from London, and described by Keir Starmer as an end to short-term “sticking plaster politics. Rejoining the EU’s single market would not boost UK economic growth, Keir Starmer has argued, saying it would create “years of uncertainty” for UK businesses, which would be worse than the closer trade links that would come. A meeting of Ministry of Justice officials at which Dominic Raab’s conduct was discussed was told “people had died” in the Afghanistan evacuation because of his refusal to review documents in formats which he did not like, the Guardian has been told. A report partially endorsed by the UK home secretary, Suella Braverman, calling for a radical crackdown on those seeking asylum has been criticised by a UN body for “factual and legal errors”.
The Conservatives will take action against a Tory MP facing allegations of rape and sexual assault if the police do, the party’s new chairman has said. Nadhim Zahawi said he had commissioned legal advice on the situation as one of his first acts in the job, after the unnamed MP was reported to the party and police by some of his colleagues. The alleged victims in the case have not made a complaint to the party or the police but a group of Conservative MPs raised their concerns, first reported by TalkTV and the Sun. The party has been under pressure to suspend the whip from the MP, but Zahawi said he needed independent legal advice before taking a decision. He told Sky’s Ridge on Sunday: “These allegations are third-party allegations that have been handed to the police. If the police decide to take action, we will take action as well.” Scotland Yard said on Friday it had received allegations of “serious sexual assault” and that officers were making inquiries. Zahawi later told Times Radio he could not say whether the MP would be suspended because he was “waiting for the legal advice that I have asked for”. He added: “If there is an investigation by the police, then we will obviously take action. But at the moment, I’m waiting for the legal advice on safeguarding on this. It’s right to do this properly. And that’s what I did the moment I walked into the building.”
It’s been a quiet afternoon in Westminster despite things getting off to a busy start this morning, with Labour clinching a key victory at the Chester byelection. Keir Starmer hailed the move as sending “a clear message to prime minister Rishi Sunak that people are fed up and they want to change”. Here are the other main events of the day: The former health secretary Sajid Javid tweeted to say he will not be standing again at the next general election, which is expected to be held in 2024. He said his decision had been accelerated by a request from the Conservative party for MPs to confirm their intentions at an early stage in order to enable early preparations for the election. He is the latest in a steady stream of Tory MPs who have revealed they will step down at the next election. Matt Hancock made a triumphant return to parliament after a surprisingly successful appearance on ITV’s I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! He appeared as an independent member, having had the Tory whip suspended, to contribute to the second reading of his private members’ bill on dyslexia screening and teacher training, and provided ample fodder for jokes among his parliamentary colleagues. Boris Johnson gave a speech to a conference on blockchain, the technology behind cryptocurrency, as part of his lucrative post-No 10 lecture circuit, despite controversy surrounding the industry after the multibillion-dollar collapse of the FTX exchange. Thanks for following today. I’m closing the blog for the evening but we’ll be back on Monday.
It’s been a fairly quiet day in Westminster, bar Ian Blackford’s announcement that he would be resigning as the SNP’s leader in the House of Commons. Here are all the main events of the day: Opposition parties in Scotland claimed Blackford’s resignation showed the SNP is “in disarray” as the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, struggles to retain control amid infighting. In a statement, Sturgeon paid tribute to Blackford, who she said has “done an outstanding job in holding the Tory government to account and in promoting the case for independence”. The former prime minister Boris Johnson announced his intention to stand again as an MP in the next election, expected to take place in 2024. But if an ongoing Commons investigation finds him to have been in contempt of parliament by misleading MPs over lockdown-busting parties in Downing Street, he could struggle to retain his seat in a byelection before then. Downing Street urged public sector unions planning strikes in the run-up to Christmas to consider the impact on the public and call off their “unnecessary” industrial action. Instead a spokesperson asked that unions return to the negotiating table. Labour condemned the government for voting down a cross-party opposition amendment in the Lords that would have sought to block future governmental use of “VIP lanes” for suppliers with links to MPs or peers. In the first electoral test for Rishi Sunak, polls in the City of Chester constituency are open until 10pm to replace the Labour MP Chris Matheson, who resigned in October after allegations of sexual misconduct. Labour is expected to retain the seat – but it’s not a done deal in the swing seat. Thanks for following today. I’m closing the blog for the evening but we will be back again tomorrow morning.
The first Westminster byelection since the resignation of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss and the financial fallout from the mini-budget takes place on Thursday. Polls will close at 10pm in the City of Chester constituency in the first electoral test for Rishi Sunak. The byelection was triggered by Labour MP Chris Matheson resigning in October after allegations of sexual misconduct. Parliament’s bullying and harassment watchdog and the standards commissioner found he had violated the Commons’ sexual misconduct policy. The byelection comes after a year of turmoil for the Conservatives, including byelection losses in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton in June and the Partygate scandal, which contributed to Johnson’s resignation in July. His successor, Truss, resigned after only 45 days in office. Labour, which has a majority of 6,164 votes in the affluent constituency, is expected to retain the seat. However, its history is more mixed. In 2015, Labour won by just 93 votes, making the City of Chester seat the most marginal in the country. In 2010, the Conservatives took the seat from Labour with a 2,583 majority. Labour could also be concerned because the last time a byelection was held due to one of their MPs standing down in disrepute they lost what was seen as a safe seat. Mike Hill resigned from his seat in Hartlepool in 2021 after allegations of sexual harassment and Labour went on to face an embarrassing defeat in the resulting byelection, losing the seat for the first time in its history. Local councillor Samantha Dixon is Labour’s candidate in Thursday’s byelection. In the past month, senior party figures including Angela Rayner, Ed Miliband and Richard Burgon have visited to campaign. The Conservative candidate is Elizabeth Wardlaw, a nurse who is also a local councillor. A result is expected at around 3am on Friday.
Keir Starmer has used prime minister’s questions to make a pointed and personal attack on Rishi Sunak over tax benefits for private schools, saying the policy of continued VAT exemption for school fees amounted to “trickle-down education”. More than 10,000 ambulance workers have voted to strike across nine trusts in England and Wales in an escalation of the row over NHS pay with ministers, raising the threat of widespread industrial action across the health service before Christmas. The UK is not in a significantly better place to deal with a new pandemic, the former vaccine taskforce chief has said, as a leading public health expert suggested Covid infections may be on the rise again. The UK has announced a fresh round of sanctions against 22 Russians, including those the Foreign Office says were involved in enlisting criminals to fight in Ukraine.
Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister, has told MPs that the Home Office will no longer disperse asylum seekers with diphtheria symptoms around the country. (See 4.46m.) He was speaking at the UK Health Security Agency published a report saying said that between 1 January and 25 November 2022 there were 50 cases of diphtheria involving migrants who had recently arrived in England. There were two cases of “severe respiratory diphtheria requiring hospitalisation and treatment with diphtheria anti-toxin and antibiotics” and one fatality where a PCR test had confirmed the disease but the post-mortem examination will confirm the cause of death. Downing Street appears likely to allow new onshore wind projects in England after years of an effective ban, Grant Shapps has indicated, with ministers giving way in the face of a growing backbench Conservative rebellion. Several candidates have turned down the role of Rishi Sunak’s ethics adviser, to which the prime minister had pledged to appoint someone when he entered No 10, the Guardian understands. The cabinet minister Oliver Dowden received more than £8,000 in fees for “policy advice” to the company of a hedge fund manager who hosted a champagne reception for the former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng on the day of the disastrous mini-budget. The government will not be able to achieve its nature targets by 2030, even though they are “embarrassingly poor”, the shadow environment minister, Alex Sobel, and leading wildlife groups have said.
Re Matt Hancock’s I’m a Celebrity stint and his plea for forgiveness (Report, 27 November), surely for him to atone for his sins of giving PPE contracts to mates and putting Covid patients into care homes for the disease to run riot, he has two options. Either give his reported £400,000 fee to the nurses on strike or work in a care home for the rest of his life. My dad died of Covid and I couldn’t say goodbye to him because of people like Hancock. Eating a camel’s penis will not bring forgiveness from me. Paul Wellings Sheringham, Norfolk • It’s so depressing. Just when I’m about to join Labour to do what I can to get the Tories out, Keir Starmer does something to put me off (Keir Starmer rules out return of free movement between Britain and EU, 27 November). Without free movement, this country is locked into a downward spiral of lower skills, lower wages and lower productivity. Mark Walford London • When drinking this amount of water (Eight glasses of water a day excessive for most people, study suggests, 24 November) was first promulgated by medical, scientific and media fools, the obvious rule, in the absence of a medical condition, was simply PPP: pale pee is perfect. Dr George Duckworth Eastleigh, Hampshire • It was a relief to get to the end of Mya Bambrick’s wonderful account of her kingfisher encounter with both kingfishers alive and well (Country Diary, 28 November). I’m still traumatised by a Country Diary last year (1 February 2021) that had a very different ending for the concerned bird. James Agnew Hadfield, Derbyshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Will there ever be world government, and would we want it? Neil Stuart, Abergavenny Post your answers (and new questions) below or send them to nq@theguardian.com. A selection will be published next Sunday.
The levelling up minister Dehenna Davison has become the latest Tory MP to announce they are standing down at the next election. Davison is only 29, and was only elected in 2109. See 4.29pm and 4.53pm. Downing Street has expanded the inquiry into alleged bullying by Dominic Raab to include a third formal complaint, relating to claims about his behaviour in a third ministerial role. Rishi Sunak has said the pay rise being asked for by the Royal College of Nursing is “obviously unaffordable”. (See 2.13pm.) The RCN is asking for RPI inflation plus 5%, which has been estimated by the government at either 17.6% or 19.2% (depending on whether you use September’s inflation figure, or October’s). The government claims this would cost either £9bn or £10bn. But the RCN does not accept these figures, which the government calculates by assuming all NHS staff, apart from doctors, would get the same pay rise because they are all under the same Agenda for Change pay regime. Rishi Sunak has been criticised over the reappointment of Jacob Rees-Mogg’s business partner as a trade minister after the Conservative peer suggested farmers could be helped to turn their barns into “offices or whatever” if they are hit by post-Brexit trade deals. Universities could go bankrupt if the government limits the number of foreign students in a bid to bring down net migration, an adviser on immigration policy has warned.
Martin Kettle overstates the difficulties in using the next general election as a de facto Scottish independence referendum (Opinion, 23 November). While such an election is “a wide-ranging exercise in choosing a government” in England, most aspects of Scottish home affairs are devolved, leaving the electorate clear to register their views. The Scottish Greens are pro-independence too, so a majority of SNP/Green votes will be a majority for independence whether other parties “play” or not. Mark McKergow Edinburgh • I have two questions in response to Martin Kettle’s article. First, is the UK a voluntary union of nations? Second, if it is, how does one of the participant nations leave if it wishes? Donald MacKay Crossford, Fife • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
The foreign secretary, James Cleverly, travelled to Kyiv on Thursday to meet the Ukrainian leadership and promise the UK’s support for as long as it takes to defeat Russia’s brutal efforts to break the country’s resolve. In his first visit to Ukraine since his appointment as foreign secretary, Cleverly presented a package of support including money for the reconstruction of schools, ambulances, the victims of sexual violence, and grain sales to the world’s poorest markets, such as Sudan and Yemen. With Kyiv under regular bombardment, his visit, which follows a trip to the Ukrainian capital by Rishi Sunak on Saturday, was conducted with a high level of security. The new Conservative leadership is eager to reassure the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, that Boris Johnson’s departure from No 10 will not lead to waning levels of British moral, military and financial support. Cleverly said: “As winter sets in, Russia is continuing to try and break Ukrainian resolve through its brutal attacks on civilians, hospitals and energy infrastructure. Russia will fail. “Our support will continue for as long as it takes for this remarkable country to recover.” Cleverly said the bulk of the infrastructure funding would go to newly liberated areas in southern Ukraine such as Kherson. This week, Johnson, speaking at a CNN Portugal event, urged the west to meet Ukraine’s calls for fixed-wing aircraft to help it strike back against the Iranian-supplied drones that are hitting its infrastructure. Apart from meeting most of the Ukrainian political leadership, Cleverly is also due to visit a refugee centre and a school that is due to reopen shortly after being rebuilt by volunteers, including parents and teachers, with UK support. He will also see UK embassy staff and people working to protect human rights in Ukraine.
Keir Starmer has pledged to take a “zero-tolerance approach” to violence against women and girls as fresh statistics reveal that almost 97% of sexual offences are failing to result in charges. He said his Labour government will roll out tougher sentences for rape, stalking and domestic murder, and introduce a domestic abuse register to make it easier for officials to track offenders. Marking White Ribbon Day, Starmer will visit a domestic violence refuge in the Midlands as he recommits to fast-tracking rape cases and supporting survivors. Home Office figures show that under the Conservatives, the charge rate for rape is at a record low of 1.5%, with sexual offences at just 3.1% over the last year, despite a record number of such offences being recorded by the police.
Starmer, the former director of public prosecutions, said the issue has become personal for him. He worked with families such as Jane Clough’s who successfully pursued Jane’s law, an amendment to the legal aid, sentencing and punishment of offenders bill, to ensure that victims’ safety was better protected. Jane Clough, an A&E nurse, was murdered by her ex-partner while he was awaiting trial for her rape. “This issue is personal for me,” Starmer said. “It is a blight on society that destroys lives. That’s why, when I was director of public prosecutions, I worked tirelessly to tackle violence against women and girls. “Under my Labour government, the law will protect women and girls – with tougher sentences for those who harm them, proper steps introduced to monitor violent perpetrators, and a court system that is on the side of brave victims and doesn’t leave them waiting years for justice.”
Mick Lynch, the RMT general secretary, has said his union is no closer to calling off its rail strikes, despite a meeting with Mark Harper, the new transport secretary, that he described as “positive”. (See 2.02pm.) After the meeting, Harper said he thought there was “a deal to be done”. (See 3.03pm.) Michael Gove is facing mounting pressure to fully explain his role in the government’s award of large PPE contracts to a company that was first recommended to him by the Tory peer Michelle Mone. Net migration to the UK has reached a record level of 504,000 after the arrival of Ukrainians and Hongkongers under government schemes and a jump in the number of international students. The cost to the government of shielding households from soaring energy bills is expected to double in the new year to up to £5bn a month, as ministers prepare to push the button on a public information campaign to reduce usage.
Nicola Sturgeon has committed to running the next general election as a “de facto referendum” on Scottish independence after the UK supreme court ruled unanimously that her government could not legislate for another vote without Westminster approval. Hundreds of people gathered by Holyrood and the Scottish parliament following the supreme court’s result earlier today. The rally in Edinburgh was one of around 15 across the country and six in Europe, from Rome to Munich and Paris. Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, confirmed that universal energy support would not be extended past spring 2024 even if bills remain very high. But he said people could save £500 a year if they reduced their annual energy use by 15%, in line with a national target. Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor has asked Treasury officials to look at how much could be raised by closing the non-dom tax loophole. Hunt questioned claims that this would raise £3bn. The privileges committee inquiry into whether Boris Johnson misled the Commons may be delayed until January, after No 10 finally handed over a cache of evidence relating to Partygate four months after it was requested, Rishi Sunak has appointed a top employment barrister, Adam Tolley KC, to investigate formal complaints into his deputy prime minister, Dominic Raab, who has been accused by multiple civil servants of bullying behaviour across several government departments. Boris Johnson’s claim that Germany wanted Ukraine to quickly “fold” after Russia’s invasion has been dismissed as “utter nonsense” by German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit.
Owen Paterson, the former MP at the centre of a lobbying scandal that engulfed Boris Johnson’s government, is taking the UK to the European court of human rights to challenge the finding that he repeatedly broke the rules on paid advocacy. A peer, Lord (Nazir) Ahmed, has launched a similar legal action over an inquiry in the House of Lords that upheld a complaint of sexual misconduct against him. (See 5.44pm.) Ahmed was jailed earlier this year over unrelated sexual offences. Keir Starmer has issued a challenge to business leaders, vowing to end the “short-term fix” of using foreign workers to plug labour shortages and seeking to toughen up his party’s stance on immigration. The government is postponing a vote scheduled for Monday on the levelling up bill in the face of a potential rebellion by Tory MPs backing an amendment that would abolish mandatory housing targets, my colleague Jessica Elgot reports.
The amendment has been tabled by Theresa Villiers, the former cabinet minister. Priti Patel is threatening to launch a formal complaint after Home Office sources made a “categorically untrue” claim that she oversaw a two-month summer “pause” in finding hotel rooms for asylum seekers. The Conservatives are bracing themselves for a slew of departures by MPs, with many expected to be announced by the end of the year, as the former work and pensions secretary Chloe Smith became the latest to decide not to stand at the next election. Rail passengers will face further disruption across Britain at Christmas after the RMT union announced a series of 48-hour strikes in December and January.
Rishi Sunak has kept open the door to closer ties with the European Union but tried to pacify angry Brexiters in his own party by laying down a red line that the UK must remain free to set its own standards and regulation. The boss of Britain’s biggest airport group has said there is “no doubt” that Brexit has damaged the UK economy, adding that it has “massively exacerbated” worker shortages. Ed Miliband, the shadow secretary for climate change and net zero, has said Cop27 failed on the key issue of keeping global heating to just 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. (See 4.23pm.) He was speaking in the Commons during an urgent question where he also said UK leadership on the issue was at risk. He also said the UK was failing to show leadership on the climate crisis. He said: The government at home is indulging in a dash for new fossil fuel licences which won’t even make a difference to bills and it refuses to rule out a new coal mine in Cumbria. Can the minister say, what kind of leadership is it, if we tell others not to have new fossil fuel exploration, but we say it’s okay for us to do it here at home ... I urge the government to show consistent leadership, to lower bills, create jobs and act before it’s too late. Nusrat Ghani, the industry minister who was responding, said at the summit the prime minister pledged to “speed up the transition to renewables, to create new, high-wage jobs, protect UK energy security, and deliver on net-zero, and chaired a high level meeting on forests, and announced new support for climate vulnerable countries”. But Caroline Lucas, the Green party MP, said that Sunak’s response to the conclusion of the summit showed he was not taking the issue seriously. (See 3.06pm.) The Conservative MP David Warburton has not been formally disciplined despite breaching rules on declaring interests after being lent £150,000 by a businessman for a rental property and then writing to a financial watchdog to praise the same person.
Following on from your fine obituary of David Butler (9 November) and, of course, Michael Crick’s wonderful 2018 Sultan of Swing: The Life of David Butler, I would like to add to the affectionate portrait from the perspective of one of a long list of David’s co-authors. The Butler name opened all doors and it was a pleasure and a privilege to sit in on interviews with politicians and party officials – many of whom David had taught. He was a great puncturer of pomposity – though done always with amused tenderness. And, although his own writing process may have slowed down a little by the time I had the privilege of working with him, he was a stickler for deadlines (our children were greatly amused by David’s peremptory telephone style: “Is Martin there? It’s an emergency!”). But perhaps the greatest pleasure and privilege of all was wandering around this lovable man’s childhood and youthful haunts in Bloomsbury and Westminster as he recounted anecdotes about the people and places he had known, from Churchill to Blair and beyond. Martin Westlake Brussels, Belgium • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
You report that Nadine Dorries is writing a book with the working title The Political Assassination of Boris Johnson (Nadine Dorries to write book about Boris Johnson’s ‘dramatic downfall’, 16 November). No doubt the title of the book will be changed in due course to something more appropriate. I suggest The Lies Have It. Mike Pender Cardiff • What a stroke of luck that I happened to have both shiso leaves and Haku Japanese vodka lurking in my kitchen store-cupboard and thus could enjoy Josh Parrales’ wasabi mule drink (Cocktail of the week, 18 November). You really are spoiling us. Dr Iain Ferris Pembrey, Carmarthenshire • Brian Cox and Brian Cox could avoid Brian-freeze and hotel receptionist Cox-ups (‘I don’t watch television’: how two Brian Coxes stumped one hotel receptionist, 18 November), if they’d use our well-tried Irish dual name software: Brian Óg Cox (the young fella) and Brian Cox (the ould fella). Sorted. Bob Corkey Castlegregory, County Kerry, Ireland • It’s no great surprise that Keir Starmer has kissed a Tory (‘I’ve kissed a Tory and I’m not ashamed’ Keir Starmer reveals, 18 November). The more interesting question is has he ever kissed a socialist? Alan Gray Brighton • What a delightful picture of a methane-emitting lamb in Friday’s paper (Peta launches $1m competition to find vegan wool alternative, 17 November). Is it one of Bio Peep’s? Fr Alec Mitchell Holyhead, Anglesey • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
The chief executive of the Royal Society of Arts, Andy Haldane, says the worsening health of Britons is holding back the UK economy (Report, 10 November). It’s the other way round: the UK economy is failing the health of Britons. The type of economic growth over the past decades has increased inequalities and environmental degradation, with a detrimental impact on our wellbeing. Governments have undermined and weakened social welfare mechanisms (including the NHS). We are now faced with all sorts of health-related and environmental problems. Only a shift away from the blind pursuit of growth towards a wellbeing-centred economy will restore the vitality of our societies and the planet. Prof Lorenzo Fioramonti Institute for Sustainability, University of Surrey • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Keir Starmer has tried to reveal a little more about himself, confessing that he has broken the “never kiss a Tory rule” and that he is not ashamed. The Labour party leader said he was “not tribal” when it came to personal relationships and politics because he entered the political scene relatively late in life. Speaking to Times Radio, he suggested only people in the political bubble were focused on maintaining division. Asked about other Labour figures who wear “never kissed a Tory” badges, Starmer said: “I’m afraid I’ve broken that rule. I’m not tribal. I’m on very good terms with many Tory MPs. I’m not ashamed about it and I’ve got very good friends who are Tories and they’ve been very, very good friends of mine for a very, very long time, and long may that last.” Over the summer, Lucy Powell, a member of Starmer’s shadow cabinet, faced criticism after she was pictured wearing a T-shirt with the phrase “never kissed a Tory” at Manchester pride. The Tory MP Sara Britcliffe complained that the phrase created a sense of “us versus them”, while James Cleverly, then the education secretary, joked that if Powell had asked nicely then “one [Tory] will say yes eventually”. Starmer described his attempts to keep life “as normal as possible” for his family and said he did his best to spend time with his children. He said: “I don’t want to be the man in 10 years’ time saying ‘I wish I’d spent more time with my children’. I’ve got a rule of a hard stop on a Friday at 6pm. I won’t be doing any work; I’ll be at home.”
That’s all for our live coverage of the chancellor’s autumn statement, as Britain faces the biggest hit to living standards on record. You can read our main story featuring Jeremy Hunt’s announcement against the backdrop of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s analysis of the state of the economy.
Here are the key elements from the chancellor’s speech to the House of Commons on Thursday.
Zoe Wood, the Guardian’s consumer affairs correspondent has written a summary of how today’s measures may affect you.
Thanks for following along. Have a good evening.
Rishi Sunak will appoint an independent investigator to examine claims of alleged bullying against Dominic Raab, after the deputy prime minister requested an inquiry into two formal complaints that have been made against him. Sunak has played down the prospect of any US trade deal in the near future, just days after suggesting he was in no rush to complete a deal with India before he had re-examined the package. Sunak has said the government has been working “incredibly hard” to make sure the decisions in the autumn statement tomorrow are based on fairness and compassion. He made the comment at a press conference in Bali, before he left for home at the end of the G20 summit. See 9.28am for a full summary of what he said. Sunak has promised he will publish his tax return and hopes to do so by Christmas once he receives the formal advice from the Cabinet Office.
I read with interest Gordon Brown’s article (Nationalism is the ideology of our age. No wonder the world is in crisis, 15 November). He observes the increasing use of nationalistic impulses in world politics and the dangers associated with this. I was wondering if this was the same Gordon Brown whose speech promising “British jobs for British workers” as prime minister in 2007 enabled the far right to scapegoat immigrants. Huw Williams Bristol • The answer to nurses’ pay appears simple (Nurses across UK vote to go on strike for first time in dispute over pay, 9 November). When commodities are in short supply the cost goes up, as we all know too well with energy, petrol and food. Nurses are in short supply, so pay goes up. Surely a 50% rise is reasonable in the circumstances? Michael Dawson London • Taxpayers pay for an MP earning £85,000 a year to be served subsidised lunches in the Commons dining room, including a “Somerset Pomova apple and almond cake with apple brandy custard” for £2.80. Meanwhile, a nurse earning £22,000 a year in the north of England reportedly pays £3 in the staff canteen for a tuna sandwich. Dr Peter Lindsay Leeds • Now that the chancellor and prime minister are taking their cues for financial stability from the markets, I wonder if the UK’s position would be strengthened by joining a free trade organisation (Sunak says higher taxes and spending cuts needed to satisfy markets, 13 November). Alan Rigby Taunton, Somerset email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Conservative MPs have joined unions and refugee groups in condemning a £63m deal signed by Suella Braverman with her French counterpart to reduce the number of people attempting to cross the Channel in small boats. George Eustice, the former environment secretary, has said the UK “gave away far too much for far too little in return” in its free trade deal with Australia, which he had to defend when he was in government. In a Commons debate, Eustice also blamed Liz Truss, international trade secretary when negotiations opened, for the fact that the UK gave too much away. (See 6.03pm.) Rishi Sunak has defended his deputy prime minister and justice secretary, Dominic Raab, saying he does not recognise claims from multiple civil servants that he bullied staff. Brexit is the ultimate reason why the UK now faces a fresh round of austerity, a former interest rate-setter at the Bank of England has said.
Your report (11 November) on the measures taken by the Ministry of Justice to protect staff from the behaviour of their returning boss, Dominic Raab, quotes a source as saying he “makes no apologies for having high standards”. Lest we forget, this is a man who, as Brexit secretary, hadn’t realised the importance of the Dover-Calais crossing to British trade – something that any key stage 3 pupil might be expected to know. Dr Chris Howell Newcastle upon Tyne • High standards? Would those be the high standards Dominic Raab employed as foreign secretary while lying on a Greek beach during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021? Sandra Middleton Guildford, Surrey • Regarding the correspondence on accents (Letters, 11 November), when I had a stall in Barnstaple Pannier Market a customer told me that he used to buy “heron” there. I was amazed by this, and only later realised that he meant “herring”. Peter Hames Northam, Devon • In a pub near Lincoln’s Inn Fields in London, I was asked to buy a ham sandwich with the next round. The barman said “Mastodon?” and the person who it was for shouted “Mastodon”. The sandwich was presented with the ham spread with mustard. Robert Spooner Kenilworth, Warwickshire • The case for the Oxford comma was clearly made by one sentence in your report (10 November): “There were four choices of sandwiches – sausage, chicken and mayonnaise, tuna and cheese.” Ciarán Ó Maoláin Armagh • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Jeremy Hunt has warned of a “tough road ahead” after Britain’s economy shrank in the three months to September, in what is expected to be the beginning of a lengthy recession. Hunt has appeared to reject suggestions by his predecessor that the “black hole” in Britain’s finances cannot be blamed on the short-lived Truss administration. Labour has said it is “disgraceful’” that the former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng is claiming his mini-budget is not to blame for the poor state of the public finances. (See 1.10pm.) Senior civil servants at the Ministry of Justice were offered “respite or a route out” of the department when Dominic Raab was reappointed last month, amid concerns that some were still traumatised by his behaviour during a previous stint there, the Guardian has revealed. The Liberal Democrats have called for an inquiry. Responding to the Guardian’s story, Daisy Cooper, the deputy Lib Dem leader, said: This government hasn’t got a shred of integrity left - every day more chaos, sleaze and scandal is unearthed. These latest reports are deeply disturbing and must be investigated immediately by the Cabinet Office. Britain has had enough of bullies running the country. Dominic Raab now joins a long list of Conservative ministers to have allegations made against them for inappropriate behaviour.
Matt Hancock’s first appearance on I’m a Celebrity has got off to a sludge-covered start after he was voted by the public to take part in a “Beastly Burrows” trial. Hancock’s decision to join the show has been widely criticised as he is a serving MP. He had the Conservative party whip removed, while Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson said the prime minister believed that “at a challenging time for the country, MPs should be working hard for their constituents, whether that’s in the house or in their constituency”. We would like to hear your thoughts on Hancock’s appearance on the show. Share your views We will only use the data you provide us for the purpose of the feature. We will delete any personal data when we no longer require it for this purpose. For more information please see our terms of service and privacy policy. If you are 18 years or over, you can get in touch by filling in the form below. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details. If you’re having trouble using the form, click here.
A Labour MP has claimed there is a “whisper list” of roughly 40 politicians to keep at arm’s length in Westminster – including two former cabinet ministers. Charlotte Nichols, the MP for Warrington North, said she was warned of colleagues to never accept a drink from or be alone with. The list, which is not written down, includes people known for “bullying or sexual misconduct”. She said: “We need to be aware of these MPs from a range of political parties for our friends’ sake who may visit parliament, for our staffers’ sake and of course for our own safety and professional reputation as well.” In order to stay safe, she admitted she would avoid them “as far as possible”, even if it meant dodging trying to work with them. Nichols said the list “is not 100%”, as someone whom most people would deem “good and safe” had left her facing a harrowing ordeal. “Everyone will know of a whisper network list of people to avoid in parliament. When I joined, I was sat down and told of people I should never accept a drink from, never be alone with and avoid as far as possible to stay safe.” Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Nichols, who was elected in 2019, said she would have the “perfect job” if it was not for abuse online and “the culture of toxicity” within Westminster itself. She added: “We all know [who they are] and nothing is done and they continue to walk around and do their jobs – and there’s that kind of culture of impunity on it.” Nichols did not identify any of these politicians, but said there were roughly 40 on the list, with two of them once having served as cabinet ministers. “I think I was quite staggered at how long the list was,” she said, adding that new names appeared “all the time”. A senior Tory female MP who did not wish to be named said she had been warned of which male journalists to avoid in parliament, and she wished women did not “have to share this sort of info – but it’s what we do”.
Britain faces a further round of strikes. Civil servants working in multiple government agencies have voted to go on strike, teachers in Scotland have also voted overwhelmingly for industrial action, and train drivers have announced a further rail strike on Saturday 26 November (see 1.22pm). Rishi Sunak has been meeting Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, at the British-Irish Council gathering in Blackpool. (See 9.28am.) This is from UTV’s Tracey Magee.
Nadine Dorries, the former culture secretary, has expressed concern about reports that Sunak will shelve Boris Johnson’s plan to impose a cap on social care costs. (See 2.35pm.) Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, has walked away from a Liz Truss commitment to spend 3% of GDP on defence by 2030 – just a few weeks after speculation he might resign from the government if the target was not met. Simon Wolfson, the chief executive of the clothing and homeware retailer Next, has urged the government to make it easier to allow foreign workers into the UK and said this is “not the Brexit I wanted”. Hopes that a planned northern high-speed railway line may include Bradford after all have been raised after the new rail minister, Huw Merriman, said he was still “working on options” to link in the city. Labour has dissolved a local selection panel in a row over candidates for the prized seat of Camberwell and Peckham, currently held by Harriet Harman, with officials reinstalling a key adviser to Sadiq Khan on to the shortlist.
Rishi Sunak proved unable to stand up to “a cartoon bully with a pet spider”, Keir Starmer said during PMQs, as he focused on the departure of Gavin Williamson from the cabinet and castigated the prime minister for being weak and lacking principle. Elections for the Northern Ireland Stormont assembly could be delayed until next April to give talks between the UK and the EU on post-Brexit trade arrangements a chance, the government has announced. Nurses have voted to stage strikes across the UK for the first time in their history in pursuit of a better pay deal, in a move that will seriously disrupt NHS care. Labour will soon be defending another seat in a byelection after the MP Kate Green was announced as Andy Burnham’s choice for deputy mayor of Greater Manchester.
Gavin Williamson has many faults as a politician, for which he is rightly criticised. I do wish, however, that his former job as a fireplace salesman could stop being used as a term of ridicule (The politics sketch, 8 November). If more of us who do ordinary, humdrum jobs came into politics, it might make for a more balanced and representative political class. These jobs are not something to be mocked. Tim Cowen Whitstable, Kent • You risked perplexing your readers when reporting that a former senior civil servant claimed that “Gavin Williamson told them to ‘cut your throat’” (7 November). May I propose that the Guardian lead the way in rejecting plural pronouns for gender-neutral purposes. For he, she and they, I suggest “zhee”. For him, her and them, may we have “thim”? Alan Fairs Bewdley, Worcestershire • Re Adrian Chiles’s article (I don’t quite know how, but the supermarket is taking me for a mug. I’m cutting up my loyalty card, 3 November), loyalty cards frequently generate money-off vouchers. If you are fortunate enough not to need them for yourself, I suggest you use them to buy items for your local food bank. The supermarket gets the sales, the food bank gets the goods, and it costs you nothing. Tom Atkinson Winchester • Regarding the 20mph residential speed limit to be introduced in Wales (Report, 7 November), being a resident in the pilot zone in north Cardiff, I have had increasing fun enforcing the speed limit on vehicles queueing behind me desperate to break it. John Dinning Cardiff • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Gavin Williamson has resigned as a minister after messages emerged in which he berated the former Conservative chief whip for not ensuring he was invited to the Queen’s funeral. Williamson, who was sacked as defence secretary by Theresa May for leaking confidential information, and by Boris Johnson after a disastrous two-year stint as education secretary, was brought back to government last month by Rishi Sunak as a Cabinet Office minister.
However, his position was placed in jeopardy almost immediately after it was reported, initially by Tortoise Media, that he had sent furious messages to Wendy Morton, Truss’s chief whip, after learning he would not be among those going to the monarch’s funeral. Full details of the messages, acquired by the Sunday Times, show Williamson, who also served as chief whip, accusing Morton of showing political preference over which ministers or former ministers attended the funeral. It was, he texted, “very poor and sends a very clear message” that members of the privy council who were not “favoured” by Truss were being deliberately excluded. This looked “very shit”, Williamson added. “Also don’t forget I know how this works so don’t puss [sic] me about,” he wrote. Another read: “Well let’s see how many more times you fuck us all over. There is a price for everything.” Several ministers condemned the tone of the messages but said they had been sent in “the heat of the moment”.
We’re keen to hear from people who work in UK politics whether they have experienced bullying or harassment. Whether you have been bullied or have witnessed bullying in the workplace, or have been sent abusive communication by a colleague, we’d like to hear about it. Share your experiences If you are 18 years or over, you can get in touch, anonymously if you wish, by filling in the form below or contacting us via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding +44(0)7766780300. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details. We will only use the data you provide us for the purpose of the feature. We will delete any personal data when we no longer require it for this purpose. For more information please see our terms of service and privacy policy.
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Your article (Labour plans expansion of state nursery sector in England to ease pressure on parents, 5 November) suggests some welcome fresh thinking about England’s deeply flawed early childhood system. But rather than an “extensive childcare offer”, the lesson to take from Estonia and other countries that have successfully transformed their systems is that the Labour party should be working on a universal early childhood education offer; England’s obsession with childcare is misconceived and a dead end. Successful transformation requires other changes: a well-educated, well-paid workforce, ending our exploitative dependence on cheap childcare workers; a “birth to six years” early childhood sector, not starting children at school at the ridiculously early age of four; and 12 to 15 months of well-paid parental leave, replacing our poorly paid and too-long maternity leave, followed by an entitlement to early childhood education. The article says Labour is looking to expand “state nursery schools”. England certainly needs to move away from its current reliance on privatised nurseries. Nursery schools are one option. The other is public children’s centres, providing a universal early childhood education, plus a range of other services for children and families. These, together with “extended schools”, another initiative of the last Labour government, could give England comprehensive and holistic services to be proud of. Peter Moss Emeritus professor, UCL Institute of Education • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Your list of Channel 4’s 40 best shows (2 November) describes A Very British Coup as “Alan Plater’s conspiracy thriller”. While it is true that Alan Plater wrote a brilliant script, the television series was based on a novel I published in 1982, six years earlier. Chris Mullin Callaly, Northumberland • It is a good idea not to buy things you don’t really need just to get points on your loyalty card (Adrian Chiles, 3 November), but some supermarkets’ cards are worth keeping. For example, with Tesco and Sainsbury’s you can donate your points or vouchers to charity, so you are doing your bit without really noticing. Alison Chapman Aberdour, Fife • There must be thousands of alluring images of Paul Newman available, so there was no need for you to glamorise smoking by choosing one of him with a cigarette between his lips (‘How I became a sexual creature’ – Paul Newman reveals all in newly discovered memoir, 31 October). Margaret Pelling Oxford • John van Someren, who couldn’t find “legilium” in any dictionary (Letters, 28 October), will be interested to hear that the word appeared in Wiktionary two days after his letter was published. Geoff Walmsley Wirral, Merseyside • Was the attire of the UN secretary general, António Guterres, mentioned because it was “tattered”, because it was “green” or because it was a “cardigan” (How UN secretary general became an outspoken voice for climate action, 4 November)? Dr John Doherty Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Rishi Sunak has said he wants to await the outcome of the inquiry into the aggessive messages sent by Gavin Williamson to a fellow Tory MP before deciding whether or not to sack him from his ministerial post. See 3.35pm. Sunak has stressed the importance of working with countries like France to cut the number of small boat Channel crossings, and said that talks with EU leaders on the subject at Cop27 left him with “renewed confidence and optimism” about being able to address the problem. See 4.32pm. Sunak has pledged the UK’s continued support for conserving threatened forests around the world, through a funding programme covering a third of the world’s forests, at the Cop27 UN climate summit in Egypt. China has criticised the British government for sending the trade minister Greg Hands to Taiwan and said the UK must cease “sending the wrong signals” to pro-independence forces on the self-ruled island that Beijing regards as its territory. That is all from me. Our Cop27 coverage continues on our live blog.
Electoral administrators are right to warn about the potential chaos of rushing in requirements for voters to take photo ID to polling stations from next May (Report, 3 November). A simple solution to prevent such chaos, and save the potential £180m that the government estimates the scheme could cost, was presented to the House of Lords last April. The official poll card should have been allowed as one of the forms of identity. Stolen poll cards could be reported and replaced, and those using the original cards would run a high risk of being apprehended. Labour secured a concession in the elections bill related to trade union funding. However, while your article says that “Labour has opposed voter ID”, when I moved the crucial amendment to allow the use of poll cards as ID, 69 Lib Dem peers voted for it (82% of our number), but only 59 Labour peers did so (35% of their number). Up to 2 million people may be deprived of their vote because they lack the requisite form of ID prescribed by the government. Older person’s bus passes will be acceptable, but young person’s rail cards will not. This act of voter suppression should have been more strongly opposed. Chris Rennard Liberal Democrat, House of Lords • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Jonathan Freedland’s excellent piece was timely (Rishi Sunak is the best choice the Tories could have made – but Labour can still beat him, 28 October). It is now that the narrative needs to be developed for why the Tories’ approach is doomed to failure. A week of listening to Rishi Sunak’s coronation speeches showed they have a caring side after all – a deep concern for the health of that abstract entity “the economy”. But the economy does not feel frozen to the bone, feel gnawing hunger, or fear being thrown on the mercy of relatives or neighbours. It doesn’t have its life chances ruined by poor education or curtailed by lack of access to a GP or hospital waiting lists. There can be no economic revival without a broad-based revival of fortunes of its population. It is this that needs to be stressed at every point. Andrew Climo Kingscote, Gloucestershire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
A series of planned strikes from Saturday by railway workers have been suspended, the RMT union has announced. Downing Street has said plans to build a new nuclear power plant in Suffolk have not been scrapped as part of a drive to make sweeping government spending cuts. Nicola Sturgeon has “utterly” refuted allegations that a decision to award a major ferries contract to an ally of the Scottish government was “jobs for the boys”. Fresh elections for the Northern Ireland assembly have been put back to the new year amid claims that the EU and the UK are close to agreement on some elements of the controversial Brexit arrangements that have caused a Democratic Unionist party (DUP) boycott of Stormont. Sir Mark Carney, the former governor of the Bank of England, has defended his claim that the UK economy has shrunk from being 90% the size of Germany’s to 70% the size of it since Brexit. See 9.25am. Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the Conservative 1922 Committee, has said the former prime minister Boris Johnson had the backing of enough MPs to mount a challenge to Rishi Sunak in last month’s leadership contest. Boris Johnson has accepted another £10,000 of accommodation from the Bamford family, taking their contributions to his lifestyle to almost £50,000 since he resigned as Conservative leader.
The Bank of England has increased the cost of borrowing by 0.75 percentage points to 3%, despite predicting that higher interest rates would push the economy into the longest recession since the 1930s. Lawyers on behalf of charity Detention Action are threatening legal action against Suella Braverman, the home secretary, over conditions at the Manston migrant holding centre in Kent. (See 4.35pm.) The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, is under pressure from campaigners, unions and his own MPs to set out plans for “wealth taxes” on the richest in society in order to support public services and help the poorest through the cost of living crisis. The UK has agreed to open negotiations with Mauritius over the future handover of the Chagos Islands, in a major reversal of policy after years of resistance and legal defeats in international courts. Ministers may order a public inquiry into mental health care and patient deaths across England because of the number of scandals that are emerging involving poor treatment. The BBC has found that an episode of its newspaper review programme broadcast on the night Boris Johnson pulled out of the most recent Conservative leadership contest failed to meet its editorial standards on impartiality. The Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen faces suspension from the House of Commons and has been asked to apologise after a cross-party committee found that he repeatedly breached rules on paid lobbying and declaring interests.
In 2014 I was a mature student doing a degree in politics at the University of Westminster and decided to examine the success or otherwise of the Integrated Education process on community relations in Northern Ireland. I interviewed several people for this project; Lady Blood not only gave freely of her time but was also willing to be open and honest. The whole process made me appreciate how important it is to be able to speak with someone who really understands complex issues. In Lady Blood I was fortunate to find such a person.
Odd that the Conservative whips should be so concerned about Matt Hancock’s absence during the sitting of parliament (Matt Hancock loses Tory whip after agreeing to appear on I’m a Celebrity, 1 November). They didn’t seem to care that Boris Johnson was on his third holiday and only came back because he thought he was in with a chance of being prime minister again. Alan McElevey Southampton • Did Matt Hancock not make the cut for Love Island? Kelvin McGowan Chagford, Devon • When I worked for BBC Radio Kent in the 80s, local Conservative MPs often visited our cramped little premises, keen to speak to their constituents. At least one of these, Roger Gale, is still in the Commons. Now that BBC local radio is under such threat (Report, 30 October), will he speak out in its defence? Somehow I doubt it. Michael Bath Rochester, Kent • In the early 60s at my Catholic primary school, I asked whether the little boy we had been reading about in geography, who lived in the Amazon rainforest, would be able to go to heaven, since he didn’t know about Jesus. I was sent to the headmaster, who told me: “You don’t come to school to ask questions” (Letters, 31 October). Ros Napier Birmingham • Please print a double-page spread of the wonderful art of home decoration shown by the women of Zimbabwe taking part in the My Beautiful Home contest (Report, 31 October). Such amazing talent deserves a much larger exposure. Ann Lynch Skipton, North Yorkshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister, said he would “choose his words very carefully” when asked if he would defend Suella Braverman calling migrant boats “an invasion”, but refused to criticise the home secretary. Child asylum seekers who have recently arrived in the UK on small boats say screening officials have put pressure on them to say they are adults, the Guardian has been told. The Tory MP Sir Roger Gale has said he does not trust Suella Braverman, the home secretary, on the issue of the Manston migration centre, which is in his constituency. (See 10.08am.) Matt Hancock, the former health secretary, has had the Tory whip suspended after it emerged he was entering the jungle for I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! A controversial and chaotic vote on fracking last month did involve some MPs shouting and crowding closely together, but there is no evidence to indicate bullying or intimidation, an official report for the Commons speaker has concluded. There has been a surge of social media attacks on Rishi Sunak drawing on antisemitic conspiracy theories, casting the former banker as part of a “globalist” plot, with a sharp spike after Boris Johnson pulled out of the Conservative party leadership race.
Suella Braverman, the home secretary, has said she “never ignored legal advice” on keeping asylum seekers at an overcrowded immigration centre. In a Commons statement, she claimed she never blocked proposals for asylum seekers to be housed in hotels (despite reports quoting multiple sources claiming she did). But Braverman also seemed to accept that the overcrowding at the Manston immigration centre was partly her responsibility, because she said she refused to “prematurely release thousands of people into local communities without having anywhere for them to stay”. (See 5.27pm.) She also outraged charities representing refugees by saying that asylum seekers were staging an “invasion” of the south coast of England. (See 6.43pm.) Some Tory MPs strongly backed her stance in the Commons, and while others are privately alarmed at what she is doing at the Home Office, they did not speak out in the chamber this afternoon. Braverman’s performance may boost her standing in her party in the short term, but it is unlikely to quell allegations that she mishandled the situation. These are from ITV’s Robert Peston.
For the Telegraph’s Christopher Hope, the crucial claim she made was that illegal immigration is out of control.
Ministers are planning to scrap the target of cutting 91,000 civil service jobs and resume recruitment of graduates through the fast-stream scheme in a reversal of Boris Johnson-era policies.
Downing Street has been forced to deny that a slick new video of Rishi Sunak’s first week as prime minister contains music by the convicted paedophile Gary Glitter. No 10 published the video on Twitter on Friday morning with the caption: “Together we can achieve incredible things. Now let’s get to work”. The video features backing music that many on social media said was strikingly similar to Glitter’s hit song Rock ‘n’ Roll. Glitter, 76, whose name is Paul Gadd, was jailed for 16 years for attempted rape, unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 and four counts of indecent assault in 2015. In 2002, he was expelled from Cambodia over unspecified allegations, and in March 2006 he was convicted of sexually abusing two girls, aged 10 and 11, in Vietnam. The prime minister’s spokesperson said “stock music” had been used for the backing track. She added: “I’m not aware of it costing anything additional to the work that we do in communicating for the prime minister.”
Sunak’s 90-second video features him walking along Downing Street before making his first speech as PM, walking into No 10 and greeting his supporters before he tells his team: “Let’s get back, back to it.” In the same clip, Sunak addresses the US president, Joe Biden, who says his name correctly after he publicly mispronounced his name as “Rashee Sanook” during a congratulatory speech. The White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, also mispronounced Sunak’s name before correcting herself. The prime minister is known for releasing slick videos showcasing his work, and having a penchant for photo ops from his time as chancellor. During the summer Tory leadership race, Sunak’s team released a swanky three-minute video kicking off his leadership campaign with a vow to not promise “fairytales”.
Labour is rightly pursuing the “prawn cocktail offensive 2.0” with business leaders, but the first offensive was not led by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown (Report, 23 October). It began when John Smith was the shadow chancellor, and Mo Mowlam was one of its leading lights. Disparaging its success, Michael Heseltine said: “Never have so many crustaceans died in vain.” Paul Richards Eastbourne, East Sussex • The letters on Hartshead Moor services (23 October) reminded me of a story told by the late John Peel. On his way home from DJ-ing in Newcastle late one night, he called in at Washington services on the A1(M) and was surprised to see Morrissey hunched over a cup of tea. Peel asked what he was doing there, and Morrissey replied: “Well, it’s my favourite service station.” Ben Ruston Richmond, North Yorkshire • Vince Cable “laments the dismantling of his legacy” (‘You have to be thick-skinned’: what is it like to lose the status of a top job?, 25 October). He was directly responsible for splitting Royal Mail from the Post Office and privatising these treasured national assets. I certainly do lament his legacy, as his Tory allies allow both to fail. Chris Hardy West Wittering, West Sussex • I once taught at a school where, at lunchtime one day, the children were talking loudly as they ate. The master in charge stopped the noise and said: “Dinners will be eaten in silence until you show me you can talk quietly” (Letters, 25 October). Peggy Nicholson Littlehampton, West Sussex • I was born in 1936, the Year of the Three Kings. I’d rather like to survive the Year of the Three PMs – or are there more in waiting? Robin Milner-Gulland Washington, West Sussex • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
That’s it for UK politics live for today. Thanks for following along and you can find our latest report on Rishi Sunak here:
Am I the only person who isn’t remotely interested in the race or age of the new prime minister? All I care about is his competence. Nina Young Collingham, Nottinghamshire • Rishi Sunak is teetotal, yet he has promised us IPA – integrity, professionalism and accountability (Report, 25 October). We could all drink to that. Les Bright Exeter, Devon • Why is a breach of the ministerial code a resignation matter last week, but no bar to appointment in the same post now (Outcry over Suella Braverman’s return as home secretary, 25 October)? Owen Davies London • Having read that Jacob Rees-Mogg resigned on St Crispin’s Day (Report, 25 October), I found out that St Crispin is the patron saint of cobblers. How appropriate. Alyssa Ford London • In view of the rapid turnover of prime ministers, would it not help the economy if they stopped commissioning personalised lecterns and were loaned a simple folding legilium instead (Strong and stable? Maybe, maybe not. What we can learn from No 10’s cavalcade of lecterns, 25 October)? You can get new ones for about £250. Fr Alec Mitchell Holyhead, Anglesey • Has the Tory party turned the UK into Dr Who? The country constantly under threat from aliens, occasionally timeshifted to some historic glory, the lead character regenerating periodically. Boris Johnson must look on David Tennant with envy. David Nunn Bristol • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Good evening and thank you for reading today’s live coverage of the appointment of the UK’s third prime minister in as many months, Rishi Sunak. My name is Charlie Moloney and I have taken you through the last few hours of updates. We are closing the blog now but here is a summary of some of the most significant UK leadership news from today: Suella Braverman returned as home secretary. Downing Street announced her reappointment as home secretary, less than a week after she was forced to resign from the role. Sunak’s leadership rival Penny Mordaunt has been reappointed Commons leader. Downing Street said Mordaunt would be lord president of the council and leader of the House of Commons. Jacob Rees-Mogg resigned as business secretary by sending Sunak a handwritten note. The so-called Member for the 18th Century dated the letter “St Crispin’s Day”. Rishi Sunak said he has spoken with Mark Drakeford and Nicola Sturgeon. Scotland’s first minister confirmed she had spoken to Rishi Sunak in what she said was a “constructive call”. Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden discussed the war in Ukraine during a call on Tuesday evening, as the US president called the UK his country’s “closest ally”.
We would like to hear from constituents of Richmond in North Yorkshire about what kind of local MP Rishi Sunak is. Did you vote for Rishi Sunak? What is he like as a local MP? What has he achieved locally? You can share your thoughts using the form below. Share your experiences We will only use the data you provide us for the purpose of the feature. We will delete any personal data when we no longer require it for this purpose. For more information please see our terms of service and privacy policy. If you are 18 years or over, you can get in touch by filling in the form below or contacting us via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding +44(0)7766780300. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details. If you’re having trouble using the form, click here.
Rishi Sunak, the UK’s prime minister-designate, will formally become prime minister on Tuesday, despite losing the Conservative leadership contest to Liz Truss only six weeks ago. The former chancellor, who resigned dramatically from Boris Johnson’s government in July, will become the third Conservative prime minister in less than two months and the fifth in six years. Sunak takes on the role at a time of deep economic crisis, and is expected to make tough decisions on taxation and public spending that may prove unpopular. During his brief speech to Conservative MPs on Monday, he emphasised a commitment to levelling up, to a net zero policy on the climate crisis and continued support for Ukraine. Below is a timeline of the day’s proceedings: Tuesday 9am: Liz Truss chaired her final cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street before she formally resigns from her role. Notable around the cabinet table were Jeremy Hunt and Grant Shapps who replaced her original chancellor and home secretary Kwasi Kwarteng and Suella Braverman. 10.15am: Truss made her resignation speech outside 10 Downing Street, before travelling to Buckingham Palace to meet King Charles, where she will have her final audience with him and formally resign. Sunak will then travel to Buckingham Palace, where he will be invited to form a government after his first audience with the king in a ceremony known as the “kissing of hands”, although there is no actual kissing involved. 11.35am: Sunak, who will then officially become prime minister, will make his first statement outside No 10, before entering the building as the UK’s third prime minister of 2022 and the first British Asian PM. He is then expected to start making his cabinet appointments.
Here’s a roundup of today’s news, as Rishi Sunak wins the Conservative party leadership, as the only candidate after Penny Mordaunt decided not to run. Rishi Sunak has become Conservative party leader, after the result of the first round of the leadership contest was announced on Monday afternoon. In a speech Sunak told his party it must “unite or die” and in a stilted TV address he said Britain faces “a profound economic challenge”. Penny Mordaunt announced she would withdraw from the race, minutes before the 1922 committee announcement. Allies have shown evidence she was less than 10 MPs away from making the 100 MP threshold. Sunak will meet King Charles at the palace on Tuesday where he will be asked to form a government, and become prime minister. Sunak will give a speech outside Downing Street before midday. Liz Truss will chair her final cabinet at 9am before going to the palace to resign. YouGov has released new polling suggesting that Keir Starmer is seen as likely to make the best prime minister by voters in three times as many constituencies as Sunak. That’s all for today. Thanks for following along.
Jonathan Freedland speculates that Liz Truss’s failure may have killed off the extreme “ideological project” of a “low-regulation society” (Truss has discredited high-octane, free-market economics – perhaps for ever, 20 October). If Conservative MPs agree, they will vote against the retained EU law bill, which is due to be debated in the House of Commons on 25 October. This bill could sweep away more than 2,000 laws that protect the environment and safeguard workers’ rights, consumer safety and animal welfare. It will tie up governments and parliaments across the four nations in a costly and time-consuming review process. And its clear purpose is to remove protections so that Britain can become the buccaneering, low-regulation, free-market state that some Brexiteers dreamed of in 2016. The last two months have shown that this is no time for fantasy politics. We need seriousness and stability. There is no support for a bonfire of EU-derived laws, either from business or the electorate. Rishi Sunak should bin the bill. Shaun Spiers Executive director, Green Alliance • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
My daughter tried to explain the Conservative party leadership election to her six-year-old son on Monday morning. She then said she herself wished for a general election. He thought about it for a moment and then said: “But before there’s a general election do all the Conservatives have to have a turn at being the leader?” Out of the mouths of babes… Stella Acton Cambridge • The day we left the UK to come to France in July, the prime minister resigned. On Thursday we left the UK to come to France again. Another prime minister resigned. Is there anyone prepared to pay the travel costs for our next trip in the hope of a hat-trick? Ted Pawley Dordogne, France • Should Uxbridge and South Ruislip voters describe their MP as an “idler” (as described by Liz Truss) or a “shirker” (George Osborne) for languishing on a beach in recent weeks rather than put in the time at his place of work? Frances Sweetman Hampton on the Hill, Warwickshire • At least Liz Truss wasn’t in Downing Street long enough to replace the wallpaper at £840 a roll. Ian Ferguson Thornton Dale, North Yorkshire • So Rishi Sunak’s priority is “fixing the economy” (Report, 23 October). Yes, but in whose favour? Pete Lavender Woodthorpe, Nottinghamshire • Will Cincinnatus be returning again to his plough? Aidan Roddy Dublin, Ireland • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Rishi Sunak has won the Conservative party leadership race and will become the next prime minister after Penny Mordaunt dropped out of the contest. We would like to hear from people across the UK from across the political spectrum about their views on the announcement and the issues they want the government to prioritise. Share your views We will only use the data you provide us for the purpose of the feature. We will delete any personal data when we no longer require it for this purpose. For more information please see our terms of service and privacy policy. If you are 18 years or over, you can get in touch by filling in the form below or contacting us via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding +44(0)7766780300. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details. If you’re having trouble using the form, click here.
This blog is closing now but you can continue to read our UK political coverage here. Our latest wrap on the twists and turns of a very busy Sunday is here. Thank you for reading.
Here is the text of Boris Johnson’s statement ruling out a dramatic attempt to return as Tory leader and prime minister. Johnson said: In the last few days I have been overwhelmed by the number of people who suggested that I should once again contest the Conservative party leadership, both among the public and among friends and colleagues in parliament. I have been attracted because I led our party into a massive election victory less than three years ago – and I believe I am therefore uniquely placed to avert a general election now. A general election would be a further disastrous distraction just when the government must focus on the economic pressures faced by families across the country. I believe I am well placed to deliver a Conservative victory in 2024 – and tonight I can confirm that I have cleared the very high hurdle of 102 nominations, including a proposer and a seconder, and I could put my nomination in tomorrow. There is a very good chance that I would be successful in the election with Conservative Party members – and that I could indeed be back in Downing Street on Friday. But in the course of the last days I have sadly come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do. You can’t govern effectively unless you have a united party in parliament. And though I have reached out to both Rishi [Sunak] and Penny [Mordaunt] – because I hoped that we could come together in the national interest – we have sadly not been able to work out a way of doing this. Therefore I am afraid the best thing is that I do not allow my nomination to go forward and commit my support to whoever succeeds. I believe I have much to offer but I am afraid that this is simply not the right time.
Boris Johnson will not stand in the Conservative leadership race, leaving Rishi Sunak very likely to enter No 10. The former prime minister had not formally declared but he had told supporters he wanted to run, drumming up backing from seven cabinet ministers – Jacob Rees-Mogg, James Cleverly, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Nadhim Zahawi, Alok Sharma, Simon Clarke and Chris-Heaton Harris. After cutting short a Caribbean holiday, Johnson spoke to rivals Sunak and Penny Mordaunt in an attempt to persuade them to get on board with his attempted political comeback. However, Johnson has said he is not running after only making it to about 60 declared backers by Sunday evening – well short of the 100-MP threshold required to make it on to the ballot. The former prime minister claimed that he did have the required support but had decided not to run as “this would simply not be the right thing to do” as “you can’t govern effectively unless you have a united party in parliament”. He said that due to the failure to reach a deal with Sunak and Mordaunt, “I am afraid the best thing is that I do not allow my nomination to go forward and commit my support to whoever succeeds.” “I believe I have much to offer but I am afraid that this is simply not the right time,” the former prime minister said. His statement released on Sunday night added that he had 102 backers. “I believe I am well placed to deliver a Conservative victory in 2024 – and tonight I can confirm that I have cleared the very high hurdle of 102 nominations, including a proposer and a seconder, and I could put my nomination in tomorrow. There is a very good chance that I would be successful in the election with Conservative party members. But in the course of the last days I have sadly come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do.” Sunak has more than 140 declared supporters, while Mordaunt is lagging behind on 25.
Never mind the catalogue of his other failings. Boris Johnson receives a publicly funded salary as an MP to represent the constituents of Uxbridge and South Ruislip. And yet he has spent the last couple of weeks, while the Commons has been in session, on a holiday (his third in three months) in the Caribbean and in the US making obscene amounts of money giving a speech. Surely this utter dereliction of his duty towards his constituents, at a time when many of them will be dealing with potentially life-changing financial pressures, should disqualify him from holding any position of responsibility, least of all that of prime minister. It actually makes me cry with rage to imagine him back in Downing Street. Robert Foster Reading, Berkshire • I am reminded of the return of Napoleon from Elba. That did not turn out well. Martin Marsh Riding Mill, Northumberland • Rishi Sunak has declared that he wants to “unite our party and deliver for our country”. Surely it must be obvious by now that there is no more chance of anyone uniting the Tory party than there is of Glasgow, Liverpool or Manchester uniting their respective cities behind a single football team. Mike Turnbull North Chailey, East Sussex • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Aditya Chakrabortty describes the democratic failure endemic in British politics (Opinion, 19 October). It must be time for Labour to embrace the single transferable vote to ensure that the UK is never again subjected to the whims of a small section of society. While Labour may win by a landslide at the next election, a complete reversal cannot be ruled out five years later. The country deserves a meaningful vote that breaks this destructive cycle. Felicity McGowan Cardigan, Ceredigion • I feel some sympathy for Gina McKee telling people she was a tree surgeon rather than an actor (Interview, 20 October). As a professional archaeologist in the 70s, I’d say I was a teacher when asked what I did, to head off conversations about Erich von Däniken. Bill Britnell Shrewsbury, Shropshire • During a rehearsal for Oliver!, a small boy was high up on a long platform, slowly – and painfully – reading in for someone absent. As he approached a very long paragraph, in exasperation I called out: “Just skip to the end.” He did so – literally (Letters, 20 October). Margaret Harris Isleworth, London • I note from your Birthdays list in the print edition (22 October) that, at 83, George Cohen is a former footballer, whereas at 82, Pelé is a footballer. Which team does he play for? Richard Ellerker Warboys, Cambridgeshire • To refer to Liz Truss’s tenure as prime minister as an “era” seems a massive overstatement (The trauma of the Truss era will afflict British politics for years to come, 21 October). Perhaps it should be referred to as the Liz Truss error. Paul Collins Sale, Greater Manchester • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Rishi Sunak, who has yet to declare whether he will enter the race to become the next prime minister, has the support of 126 Tory MPs, according to the Guardian’s tally. Boris Johnson has the backing of 55 MPs and Penny Mordaunt, the only candidate to declare her interest publicly thus far, has 24. Kemi Badenoch announced she is supporting Rishi Sunak to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. In an article for the Sunday Times, Badenoch, secretary of state for international trade, writes: “Mrs Thatcher won the public’s trust and three elections in a row by making it about us, not about her. We need someone who can do the same. I believe that person is Rishi Sunak.” The former Brexit minister David Davis pledged his support for Rishi Sunak. Steve Barclay, Boris Johnson’s former chief of staff, tweeted his support for Rishi Sunak. The former cabinet minister David Frost announced he is backing Rishi Sunak. A meeting between Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson took place tonight in London, sources told the BBC and Sunday Times. The former home secretary Priti Patel is backing Boris Johnson. She said the events of recent weeks have been “painful” for the Conservative party and that it must unite behind the winner of this week’s leadership contest “to restore our reputation for financial discipline” and deliver on its election manifesto commitments. The veteran Tory MP Sir Roger Gale said he will “resign” from the Conservative whip if Boris Johnson is chosen as the next prime minister. Speaking on LBC, he said he was backing Penny Mordaunt but would be “equally content to row in behind” Rishi Sunak.
Pulling pints, playing pool, at the helm of a ship and hugging constituents: Penny Mordaunt has released a new campaign video which she said represents “the real me”. The Conservative leadership candidate, who was trailing Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson for MP nominations by a significant margin on Saturday, describes in a voiceover how she has spent her life in Portsmouth. In a personal portrayal of the MP for Portsmouth North, the video describes how her mother died when she was 15. “From then on I looked after my family,” she says. “We relied on the NHS during that time and I will never forget it.” When her family was short of money she worked in factories and pubs, she says, adding: “I know about the cost of living and how frightening it can be.” Her home city, she says, is proud, patriotic and “likes a pie and a pint” … “And quite frankly, so do I.” The former defence secretary says: “I’ve done some amazing things in my life. I’ve had a seat at the table at the World Bank and Nato, I’ve been to war zones and humanitarian hotspots. I owe it all to the people of Portsmouth and to this country as a whole.” Mordaunt was forced to re-edit her campaign video for the last leadership race, in which she was eliminated in July after coming third with 105 votes, in response to complaints from people featured in it, including the British Paralympian Jonnie Peacock. The original also featured Oscar Pistorius, the South African sprinter convicted of murder. Perhaps having a dig at her rival candidates, in her latest video Mordaunt tells potential supporters: “There are many people that think they know me, just like they think they know you. “But ask yourself this: do they understand the life you live? Have they experienced it? Will they make that experience count? I have and I will.”
As we approach midnight in the UK, here’s a roundup of today’s developments in the Conservative party leadership contest. Rishi Sunak reportedly has the backing of the 100 MPs needed to go through in the race. He is yet to formally declare his candidacy, and the Guardian’s count has him on 88 MPs, but Tobias Ellwood claimed that he had helped the former chancellor cross the threshold. Among Sunak’s backers to declare on Friday were Matt Hancock, Tom Tugendhat and Sajid Javid. Boris Johnson is on his way back from a holiday in the Dominican Republic, as he trails Sunak. The former prime minister has already secured the backing of six cabinet ministers, including Jacob Rees-Mogg. Johnson was reportedly booed as he boarded the plane home, according to Sky News. He will land at London Gatwick at 9.30am on Saturday. A Johnson-supporting MP has said Johnson told him he is “up for it” and will fly back to the UK from his Caribbean holiday to stand in the Tory leadership contest. Lord William Hague, the former Conservative party leader, has said that Johnson’s election would send the party into a “death spiral”. Former Daily Telegraph editor and biographer of Margaret Thatcher, Lord Charles Moore, who is an ally of Johnson has urged him not to run in the contest and “sit this one out”. Penny Mordaunt officially launched her leadership bid, saying she had been “encouraged by support from colleagues who want a fresh start, a united party and leadership in the national interest.” Polling by Opinium suggests that Sunak will beat Mordaunt and Johnson in a leadership contest, and that Mordaunt will also beat Johnson. Here’s our night lead – as Johnson heads back to the UK and momentum continues to build behind Sunak. If you’re struggling to sleep in the small hours of the morning, you can always follow Johnson’s British Airways flight home.
Following Liz Truss’s resignation and reports that Boris Johnson may run for leader again, we would like to hear from UK voters who have contacted their MPs about the developments in Westminster. What have you said? Is it your first time writing to them? Why have you done so now? Share your experiences We will only use the data you provide us for the purpose of the feature. We will delete any personal data when we no longer require it for this purpose. For more information please see our terms of service and privacy policy. If you are 18 years or over, you can get in touch by filling in the form below or contacting us via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding +44(0)7766780300. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details. If you’re having trouble using the form, click here.
In an act of public service to headline writers, I browsed Milton’s Paradise Lost for alternatives to the word “chaos” (All in a day’s debacle: 24 hours that undid Liz Truss, 20 October). There, on the brink of hell, “where eldest Night / And Chaos, ancestors of Nature, hold / Eternal anarchy” with their companions “Rumour next, and Chance / And Tumult and Confusion, all embroiled, / And Discord with a thousand various mouths”, I found “the dreaded name / Of Demogorgon”. Though easily confused with demagogue (no relation), it turns out that this character is probably an early scribal corruption of the powerful “demiurge”, so possessing too much intention really to stand for chaos. In fact, says the art historian Jean Seznec, “Demogorgon is a grammatical error, become god.” Well, Liz Truss is a moral and economic error become PM, and chaos too kind a word to be used for this self-styled disruptor, so maybe Demogorgon comes close. But note that the dreaded Demogorgon is not required for chaos still to reign. It is to be hoped that her whole party can soon join her in Milton’s “nethermost Abyss”, and ordinary political disorder is restored. Dr Adrian Paterson University of Galway • Might the UK in 2022 yet rival AD69 in Rome, the Year of the Four Emperors? Nero had been bumped off in late 68 to be followed by Galba, assassinated in favour of Otho, who was dispatched to make way for Vitellius, leaving Vespasian finally to clean up in December, bringing 10 years of relative peace and stability to Rome. Methods of dispatch may now be less violent, and pitched battles restricted, so far, to scuffles in the Commons division lobbies. But the head count could be the same. George Smith Oxford • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
What contempt for their constituents and the wider British public certain Tory MPs must have. These advocates for the return of Boris Johnson apparently think all we deserve as the holder of the highest office in the land – from which he has already had to resign – is a self-serving narcissist who has barely a nodding acquaintance with either the truth or public service. How do these people sleep at night? Mary Munford Norwich • Liz Truss’s No 10 press briefing podium seems to symbolise the state of her party. A twisted column of wooden elements spiralling down toward a pale base on very shaky ground. Needs more labour? Bob Corkey Castlegregory, County Kerry, Ireland • What happens if none of the infighting Tory wannabes secures the required 100 nominations by Monday? Another U-turn? Phil Murray Linlithgow, West Lothian • Perhaps Steven Gerrard could run the country and Liz Truss could manage Aston Villa. Peter Russell Tunbridge Wells, Kent • Please can we have a “Guardian-reading, tofu-eating, wokerati” badge/mug/T-shirt? Juliette Stephenson Exeter • Better to be woke than asleep at the wheel. Jacqueline Barry St-Lanne, France • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the House of Commons, has become the first person to announce her candidacy for the Conservative party leadership – her second such attempt this year. Mordaunt, a former defence secretary, was ousted from the year’s first Tory leadership contest in the fifth round, losing out to Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss. Announcing her bid on Friday, Mordaunt tweeted: “I’ve been encouraged by support from colleagues who want a fresh start, a united party and leadership in the national interest. “I’m running to be the leader of the Conservative party and your prime minister – to unite our country, deliver our pledges and win the next GE [general election].”
Mordaunt is not considered the frontrunner but has about 19 public endorsements. She is likely to hope that formally declaring her candidacy could trigger enough people to swing in behind her before the deadline to reach 100 Tory MP supporters by 2pm on Monday. The former chancellor Rishi Sunak and ex-prime minister Boris Johnson are considered the leading candidates. If Mordaunt trails behind them, she could become the kingmaker by giving her support to one of the others and taking many of her backers with her. She previously came third in the last leadership contest behind Truss and Sunak in second place. Her supporters include Maria Miller, a former culture secretary, and Andrea Leadsom, a former business secretary and ex-leadership candidate against Theresa May. Mordaunt is considered to be on the liberal wing of the Tory party but also supported Brexit.
Nadine Dorries will stand in for Piers Morgan on his TalkTV show, Uncensored, next week as the Conservative leadership contest is expected to play out. The Tory MP and former culture secretary, who is one of Boris Johnson’s most vocal and prominent supporters, will guest-host on Monday and Tuesday joined by Emily Sheffield, the former editor of the Evening Standard. The announcement of her appearance on the fledgling news and current affairs channel, operated by News UK, came after the resignation of Liz Truss as prime minister triggered the second Tory leadership contest of the year. Dorries said: “I try to avoid TV these days and I’m not one of the MPs you find running across to the cameras on the green or in and out of TV studios, but I’m excited about TalkTV and the opportunity to do this during what could turn out to be one of the most eventful weeks we have ever known in British politics.” On Wednesday, TalkTV’s Kate McCann will present alongside the Sun’s political editor, Harry Cole, while the author and columnist Douglas Murray and Sheffield will take the helm on Thursday. Dorries fought hard against Johnson’s ousting in July and has since called repeatedly for his return, arguing he is the only MP with an electoral mandate as prime minister. She told Sky News: “He is a known winner and that is certainly who I’m putting my name against because I want us to win the general election. Having a winner in place is what the party needs to survive.” Richard Wallace, the head of TV at TalkTV’s News UK Broadcasting, said: “It’s set to be another explosive week in British politics and this line-up of guest hosts will be able to help TalkTV viewers analyse and dissect the issues that really matter as events unfold.”
Liz Truss resigned as prime minister after just 45 days in office. Truss will be the shortest-serving prime minister in UK history. She said: “I recognise though given the situation I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative party.” Nominations for the next PM opened tonight and will close at 2pm on Monday. Candidates will need a minimum of 100 nominations to proceed to the ballot. There will be an indicative vote of MPs once there are two candidates. The first ballot of MPs will then be held between 3.30pm and 5.30pm on Monday. If there are three candidates, the candidate with the fewest number of votes will be eliminated. The result will be announced at 6pm on Monday. If a second vote is needed (indicative), this will be held between 6.30-8.30pm on Monday. The result will be announced at 9pm. If there are two candidates, the Tory membership will get to vote again and a winner will be picked by Friday. Labour leader Keir Starmer said his party has a manifesto “ready to go” if there is an early election. He told the BBC if the Tories were to replace Liz Truss with Boris Johnson, that would make the case for an early election even stronger. The Liberal Democrats say the Conservative party should block Boris Johnson from standing again. A senior MP in Rishi Sunak’s previous leadership campaign said they expect him to stand again, according to the Guardian’s Jessica Elgot. Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman are also expected to stand as leadership candidates. Michael Gove and Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, have been ruled out of the leadership race.
Liz Truss has resigned as prime minister after just 45 days in office. Truss said an emergency leadership election will be completed within the next week and she will remain in post until then. Labour leader Keir Starmer has called for an immediate general election. We’d like to hear from voters in the UK from across the political spectrum about their reaction to the development and what they want to happen next. Share your views We will only use the data you provide us for the purpose of the feature. We will delete any personal data when we no longer require it for this purpose. For more information please see our terms of service and privacy policy. If you are 18 years or over, you can get in touch by filling in the form below or contacting us via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding +44(0)7766780300. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details. If you’re having trouble using the form, click here.
Liz Truss has resigned as prime minister and will step down after a week-long emergency contest to find her successor, she announced outside Downing Street on Thursday. Here is her resignation statement: I came into office at a time of great economic and international instability. Families and businesses were worried about how to pay their bills. Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine threatens the security of our whole continent. And our country had been held back for too long by low economic growth. I was elected by the Conservative party with a mandate to change this. We delivered on energy bills and on cutting national insurance. And we set out a vision for a low-tax, high-growth economy that would take advantage of the freedoms of Brexit. I recognise, though, given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative party. I have therefore spoken to His Majesty the King to notify him that I am resigning as leader of the Conservative party. This morning I met the chair of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady. We have agreed there will be a leadership election to be completed in the next week. This will ensure we remain on a path to deliver our fiscal plans and maintain our country’s economic stability and national security. I will remain as prime minister until a successor has been chosen. Thank you.
Liz Truss is to issue a statement resigning as prime minister after just 45 days, following the near-complete evaporation of her political authority, a process begun by last month’s disastrous mini-budget. “It’s over,” a source said. Truss, who would become the shortest-serving prime minister in UK history, has been under pressure from Tory MPs to quit after the resignation of Suella Braverman as home secretary and as the Tory party plunged into chaos. It is unclear whether she will step down immediately or set out a timetable for departure, with the Conservative party so far unable to coalesce around a successor, although Rishi Sunak, Jeremy Hunt, Penny Mordaunt and Ben Wallace have all been mentioned as possible successors. The final straw for many Tory MPs appeared to be the chaotic scenes on Wednesday, in which a vote on a Labour motion over fracking led to mayhem in the voting lobbies, with shouting and jostling. Afterwards, a dozen or more Conservative MPs who rebelled did not even know whether they still had the whip. This came just five days after Truss sacked her chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, replacing him with Jeremy Hunt, the former foreign secretary and health secretary. Truss made Kwarteng take the blame for September’s mini-budget, despite it being widely seen as a joint project. A panicked market reaction to the £45bn of largely unfunded tax cuts caused the pound to slump and the cost of new government debt to soar. Truss, facing a mutiny by her MPs as mortgage costs rocketed, sacked Kwarteng but was unable to explain why she should stay on when the tax-cutting measures had been strongly advocated by her as well. Another humiliation came when Hunt announced the scrapping of almost all the tax cuts, and the scaling back of Truss’s flagship scheme to cap energy bills, in an attempt to restore stability. More details soon…
Jokes at Suella Braverman’s expense were served thick and fast on social media after she resigned as home secretary – featuring lashings of tofu. On Tuesday in the Commons, her last full day as home secretary, Braverman sprayed accusations over the disruption caused by the climate protest groups Insulate Britain and Just Stop Oil. “It’s the Labour party, it’s the Lib Dems, it’s the coalition of chaos, it’s the Guardian-reading, tofu-eating wokerati, dare I say, the anti-growth coalition that we have to thank for the disruption that we are seeing on our roads today.” On Wednesday, as Braverman’s departure was broken by the Guardian, Paul Waugh, the chief political commentator at the i paper, tweeted: “When the going gets tofu, the tofu get going.”
The Daily Star’s live stream, which has posed to viewers whether Liz Truss’s premiership will outlive some lettuce, has added some tofu to the table.
There was this from the Sun’s Noa Hoffman …
… and this from the Times’s Henry Zeffman …
And here the FT’s Jim Pickard …
The Guardian contributor Jason Okundaye said:
And the writer Séamas O’Reilly concluded:
Suella Braverman has resigned after sending an official document from a personal email, which she said was a “technical infringement” of the rules. She has become the shortest-serving home secretary in modern political history, lasting just 43 days. Here is a list of the shortest-serving home secretaries of modern times: 1 Suella Braverman, Conservative, 43 days A critic of Liz Truss’s U-turn on the top rate of tax, Braverman departed after suggesting she thought the prime minister had fallen victim to a “coup” earlier this month. 2 Donald Somervell, Conservative, 62 days Somervell held the post from May to July 1945 in Winston Churchill’s caretaker government before it was defeated in a general election.
3 Alan Johnson, Labour, 340 days He was in the post from June 2009 until the 2010 general election, before going on to be touted at one time as a possible Labour leader, and holding shadow cabinet posts. 4 David Waddington, Conservative, 398 days Waddington was in the post from October 1989 until November 1990 under the premiership of Margaret Tatcher. 5 Kenneth Clarke, Conservative, 412 days Under John Major, Clarke was home secretary from April 1992 to May 1993, when he was appointed chancellor of the exchequer, the role for which he is best known.
Before 1900, the role of home secretary was often combined with other posts in government. The Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, held the role of de facto home secretary at the same time as serving as prime minister in a caretaker capacity for a month between November and December 1834.
Liz Truss channelled Peter Mandelson at prime minister’s questions on Wednesday when she repeatedly insisted she was “a fighter not a quitter”. Mandelson, a key figure in the creation of New Labour alongside Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, used the phrase in Hartlepool on the night of the 2001 general election result, when he was returned as an MP after his second resignation from cabinet – this time after being accused of helping an Indian billionaire get a British passport. While the Tory leader may have bought herself a little more time by using the line, her apparent inspiration for it was less than impressed. “At least I said it with some panache,” the man once known in the corridors of Westminster as “the prince of darkness” told the FT. Variations of the phrase have littered political obituaries in the past, not least those of Richard Nixon and Iain Duncan Smith, who insisted at different times that they were not quitters. Theresa May and David Cameron also attempted to underline their fighting credentials as they reached the end of the line. But Truss’s version appears to most closely resemble the emotionally charged performance given by Mandelson after he had faced a challenge to his seat from Arthur Scargill’s Socialist Labour party. In his victory speech, he said: “It was said that I was facing political oblivion, my career in tatters, apparently never to be part of the political living again. “Well, they underestimated Hartlepool and they underestimated me because I am a fighter and not a quitter.” Mandelson was later cleared by an inquiry of any impropriety and went on to have third political life after leaving the Hartlepool seat he had held since 1992, going on in 2004 to be appointed as EU trade commissioner.
As a member of the coalition of “Guardian-reading, tofu-eating, wokerati” that Suella Braverman blamed for disruptive protests on Tuesday, I am anxious to learn the singular of this intriguing sobriquet. Is it wokeratus, wokerato, wokerata or wokeratum, and is it a gender-neutral noun? Robert Earl Mereworth, Kent • Perhaps the Guardian could include a special feature on tofu in Feast this Saturday, in honour of Suella Braverman’s comments? I was inspired to marinate some this morning for dinner with my family tonight; I’m sure it’ll taste better with her seal of disapproval. Matthew Kaner London • When the real SS Politician (Letters, 18 October) sank in 1941 near Eriskay, in the Outer Hebrides, it lost its cargo of 250,000 bottles of whisky, many of which were “found” by locals, an incident that was memorably portrayed in the film Whisky Galore! Paul Jenkinson Zollikon, Switzerland • I recall one day when the deputy head took the school assembly and went to great lengths to emphasise that we must all close our eyes for the prayers. After a suitable pause, she began: “Oh Lord, open our eyes…” (Letters, 18 October). Janet Lang Redbourn, Hertfordshire • Maybe the spuggies (sparrows) missing from Mary Julian’s garden in London (Letters, 18 October) have moved 300 miles north. I’m watching about 30 fighting over birdseed and breadcrumbs, and a dozen others playing “port and starboard” in the birdbath. Janet Mansfield Aspatria, Cumbria • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
We’re closing this liveblog now. Thanks for reading.
Our new chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, once participated in the exportation of English marmalade. So while we should not expect jam today at such short notice, it is not unreasonable to think there might be jam tomorrow, when we might at last be, as an older relative of mine used to sing, “in that happy land … where they eat bread and jam three times a day”. Ronald Fairfax Hull • Neil Macfarlane shouldn’t worry too much about the elderly struggling to answer questions on UK current affairs when taking memory tests during this period of political turbulence (Letters, 14 October). My 86-year-old mother recently passed hers with flying colours and attributes this success to reading the Guardian every day. Matthew Ryder Buckden, Cambridgeshire • You write that the new first mate of Liz Truss’s “listing ship of government … dumped the ballast of her tax changes” (Editorial, 17 October). It is more likely that he opened the bilge – ballast is intended to stop the ship listing and to set in on an even keel. Either way, it looks as if the SS Politician is still headed for the rocks. Austen Lynch Garstang, Lancashire • In the 1960s, our grammar school headmistress solemnly announced that a girl in the sixth form had got pregnant and then added: “I can’t think what got into her” (Letters, 17 October). Fred Lowe Furbo, Galway, Ireland • Every morning assembly would end when we were told: “You may now pass out.” Louise Cumiskey West Molesey, Surrey • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
As the Labour party’s education policy officer, I worked closely with Giles Radice (obituary, 2 September) during his time (1983-87) shadowing Keith Joseph as education secretary. Both were cerebral, courteous, had attended Magdalen College, Oxford, and were a tad uncomfortable in the Commons bear pit. Laid back and intellectual, Giles was often unfairly buffeted by some teacher unions. Yet he did important, ground-breaking policy work on such areas as raising school standards and increasing parental involvement in their children’s schooling. These were built on by his successor, Jack Straw.
Another eventful day, as we saw Jeremy Hunt reverse nearly all of the measures introduced in the “mini-budget” that has been the cornerstone of Liz Truss’ time so far in Downing Street. Jeremy Hunt has dropped Liz Truss’s economic plans, including tax cuts and slashing the energy price freeze which the prime minister had championed. The universal provision will now end in April. Hunt refused to rule out a windfall tax, as well as cuts to defence spending and the pensions triple lock. He told Channel 4 news that a combination of tax rises and spending cuts will be used to help patch up a £40bn hole in the budget. The chancellor has appointed a four-person advisory panel to give counsel on the economy, including George Osborne’s former chief-of-staff Rupert Harrison. Truss did not turn up to answer an urgent question on the economy from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. Leader of the Commons Penny Mordaunt answered in her place, but was forced to say that she was not “hiding under a desk”. Truss apologised in an interview on BBC News, saying that she acknowledged that mistakes had been made. Earlier in the evening Truss had apologised to the One Nation group of Conservative party MPs. An election will take place tomorrow for the 1922 Committee, the group of backbench Conservative MPs, that could pave the way for a confidence vote in the prime minister. Defence secretary Ben Wallace said he will not stand as a unity candidate if Truss stands down, in an interview with the Times. Two polls by Deltapoll and Redfield and Wilton Strategies puts the Labour party 32 and 36 points ahead of the Conservative party respectively. It would leave the Tories with less than 100 seats, and Labour with a majority of more than 300. US president Joe Biden’s press spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre has said he did not regret his criticism of Truss’ “mini-budget”. That’s all for today, thanks for following along. I leave you with the round up of today’s events.
A senior Conservative MP has had the whip restored after being suspended from the party for missing a confidence vote in the summer. Tobias Ellwood, chair of the Commons defence select committee, had the whip withdrawn after failing to vote for Boris Johnson’s government in a confidence vote in July. He said at the time he was “very sorry” to have missed the vote, but that he had been unable to attend because of difficulties travelling back from a meeting with the Moldovan president. Ellwood represents the constituency of Bournemouth East and served in a variety of ministerial roles in the governments of Theresa May and David Cameron. He had been an open critic of Johnson’s conduct in office, particularly in relation to the Partygate scandal. On Saturday, Ellwood said in a tweet he was glad to be “off the naughty step” and back in the party “as we enter this reset”. A spokesperson for the whips’ office confirmed Ellwood had had the whip restored. His return to the parliamentary party comes at a tumultuous time for the government.
On Friday, the prime minister, Liz Truss, was forced to sack Kwasi Kwarteng as chancellor, after his mini-budget sparked panic in UK markets, causing the pound to plummet and the cost of government borrowing to soar. Kwarteng was replaced by former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt, who ran against both Johnson and Truss in their respective leadership campaigns. The move has been seen as an attempt to reassure the markets and shore up Truss’s premiership, but has so far not succeeded in quelling unrest on the Tory backbenches. Ellwood’s tweet welcomed Hunt’s appointment, calling it a “wise inclusion” in the government. “We thrive when governing as ‘One Nation’ Tories harnessing a coalition of talent – solving economic crises via sound money & fiscal responsibility,” he said.
George Osborne, the chancellor who enthusiastically swung the wrecking ball of Tory austerity, is complaining that Liz Truss’s damaging policies may wipe out the Conservative party (Liz Truss on verge of major U-turn on real-terms benefits cut, 9 October). It’s as if a person who connived with arsonists is whining about a fellow pyromaniac chucking petrol on the remaining embers. Amanda Baker Edinburgh • Dominic Norman-Taylor is on to a loser in wanting to express the size of an American (gridiron) football pitch in terms of a British (soccer) one (Letters, 10 October). Whereas the former is fixed, the latter is variable, with quite a wide range. Better to think of it as 17 tennis courts. Michael Bulley Chalon-sur-Saône, France • As a republican, I’d like to thank King Charles III for setting the date for his coronation on the final day of the English Football League season, as this will give many of us something far more interesting to do (Report, 11 October). Ian Grieve Gordon Bennett, Shropshire Union canal • As a teacher in primary, secondary and special schools between 1956 and 1990, a frequent exhortation of mine was: “Please can you shout quietly?” It may or may not have been cherished (Letters, 12 October), but it was almost always effective. Jill Westby Nottingham • The only pie that Liz Truss needs to grow is a humble one. Helen Pendrous Stourbridge, West Midlands • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Liz Truss has said the Conservatives will push ahead with tax cuts without cutting public spending, instead allowing borrowing to rise over the next few years. But Truss is under increasing pressure to delay some of the unfunded tax cuts in the mini-budget. The Tory chair of the Commons Treasury committee, Mel Stride, has said Truss’s pledge on public spending today has made this more essential. (See 4.54pm.) And Damien Green, the former first secretary of state, told the PM programme that Tory MPs are discussing the need for a U-turn of this kind. He said: If you do need some big numbers to change, one of the obvious ways would be possibly to defer some of the tax cuts or the failure to put taxes up and move some of those further to the right-hand side of the column. That would save billions in the early years because I imagine a lot of the changes will have to be in the later years of this five year plan. Kitty Donaldson from Bloomberg says that in private some Tory MPs are saying a U-turn of this kind is inevitable.
The cost of government borrowing has continued to soar after the Bank of England said it would end its emergency bond-buying programme on Friday as planned, countering claims it was considering an extension. Senior economists have dismissed Truss’s chances of reaching 2.5% economic growth in the next few years, as they said her government’s “guerrilla tactics” in last month’s mini-budget played a major role in spooking markets. Fracking and drilling for new oil and gas in the North Sea is green and good for the environment, Graham Stuart, the climate minister, has said.
Since Margaret Thatcher’s time at least, “U-turn” has been used as a derogatory label for a change of heart. Can journalists please stop using it when a politician reverses a bad decision (Report, 11 October)? These rare moments of sense should be celebrated, not denigrated as weakness. Julian Stanford Hurley, Berkshire • Re King Charles’s coronation on 6 May (Report, 11 October), was any consideration given to the local elections on 4 May? Given that counting is likely to still be taking place, who thought this would be a good date? Unless the lack of elections in London was noted and those in the rest of the UK ignored. Catherine Stephenson Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire • The compiler of Monday’s Wordsearch (words associated with holidays) evidently has a different lifestyle to me. Safari, cruise, hotel and ski trip were all included, but what about train, tent and wellies? Peter Keam Wigmore, Herefordshire • Regarding “Hundreds of skeletons found beneath old Pembrokeshire department store” (12 October), did they also find the sign for the customer complaints desk? Martin Stallion Braintree, Essex • My cherished exhortation from a teacher in 1955 – “Form two, keep quiet and listen to the noise you’re making” (Letters, 11 October). Geoff Lewis Hartford, Cheshire • I recall my geography teacher saying: “Today I would like to run quickly through Switzerland.” David Moores York • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
As well as being a first-rate intellectual, committed socialist and thoroughly decent person, Anthony Arblaster was incredibly sharp-witted. In the 1980s, when the dean of our social sciences faculty at Sheffield University proposed the establishment of a chair in entrepreneurship, Anthony summed up the collective horror at such a politically rightwing-inspired idea by responding: “Why don’t you ask us to approve a chair in trade union militancy?”
I was mystified to see that Nicola Sturgeon saying “I detest the Tories and everything they stand for” created a stooshie among Scotland’s unco guid (Sturgeon accused of using ‘dangerous language’ about Tories, 9 October). After all, many in the Tory party itself think that the cruel policies of Liz Truss, Suella Braverman and Kwasi Kwarteng go much too far. These three are like the Faragists whom David Cameron once memorably described as “fruitcakes” and “loonies”. That Cameron’s odious policies of austerity seem to fall within Truss’s critique of previous Tory administrations (being tainted by a politics of redistribution) signals her even nastier brand of rightwing extremism. Why, then, should a social democrat like Sturgeon even try to be polite about the Tory party, which for years has ruled over Scotland despite being consistently rejected at the ballot box? Alastair McLeish Edinburgh • I detest the Tories and everything they stand for. Prof Gary Craig York
Did you vote for the UK to leave the European Union in 2016 and later have a change of heart? We would like to hear from people in the UK who voted for Brexit but reconsidered their position. What led you to change your mind? When did it happen? How do you feel about it? If you haven’t changed your position, let us know as well. We are also interested in hearing from people who voted to Remain and believe the UK has benefited from leaving the European Union. Share your views We will only use the data you provide us for the purpose of the feature. We will delete any personal data when we no longer require it for this purpose. For more information please see our terms of service and privacy policy. If you are 18 years or over, you can get in touch by filling in the form below or contacting us via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding +44(0)7766780300. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details. If you’re having trouble using the form, click here.
There are not just wolves at the door of 10 Downing Street these days. Larry the cat, who serves as chief mouser to the Cabinet Office, has been captured on camera chasing a fox from outside the prime minister’s residence. In footage sure to appear in the next BBC natural history series, Larry is seen stalking the emaciated fox as it prowls up the famous street. You can almost hear David Attenborough’s intimate tones as the fox raises its hackles and submissively retreats from Larry’s confident approach. Larry has been in residence at Downing Street since 15 February 2011 and was the first cat at No 10 to be bestowed with the official title chief mouser. He was recruited from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home on recommendation for his mousing skills, according to No 10.
“Larry spends his days greeting guests to the house, inspecting security defences and testing antique furniture for napping quality,” the Downing Street website says. “His day-to-day responsibilities also include contemplating a solution to the mouse occupancy of the house.” Larry was frequently seen sparring with Palmerston, his Foreign Office counterpart, around the time of the Brexit referendum in 2016, perhaps another potential casualty of one of the most divisive acts in British political history.
Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng, the chancellor, have abandoned plans to impose an outsider as the new permanent secretary in the Treasury. In a move that marks a significant retreat from the agenda championed by Truss during the Tory leadership campaign, when she identified “Treasury orthodoxy” as one of the factors holding back Britain, Truss and Kwarteng gave the Treasury job to James Bowler, who has spent most of his career at the department, instead of Antonio Romeo, the outsider who last week was all but guaranteed to get the job. Truss’s disregard for financial orthodoxy in her first five weeks in office has alarmed the financial markets, and put Conservative party poll ratings into freefall, and today’s move amounts to a significant reset. (See 1.28pm and 3.37pm.) It suggests she wants to govern more consensually, in collaboration with the UK’s economic establishment, not at war with it. The Bowler appointment coincided with the Treasury bringing forward by three weeks the publication of its fiscal plan and the Office for Budget Responsibility’s economic forecast (which will rule on the financial credibility Kwarteng’s £43bn tax cuts). See 10.18am. This was also a concession to Truss’s critics, who have complained about the way Kwarteng sidelined the OBR by not letting it publish a forecast alongside his mini-budget. Nicola Sturgeon has told the Scottish National party’s annual conference that independence makes the “case for optimism” in troubled times, and promised Scotland “a steady and compassionate hand on the tiller”. Conor Burns has said that the decision to sack him as a minister over a groping allegation that has not yet been investigated, and which he denies, was a breach of natural justice. (See 4.01pm.) Downing Street has distanced itself from reports that Suella Braverman wished to reclassify marijuana as a class A drug amid sniping from parliamentary colleagues that the home secretary was failing to fall into line with government policies.
It was joyous to read Nadia Khomami’s interview with the glorious Beverley Knight (Beverley Knight: Suffragettes’ struggle still relevant today, 6 October). A bright light in dark days. And it was heartening to see how Nadia and Beverley did justice to Emmeline Pankhurst’s daughter Sylvia – the socialist Pankhurst. Nadia and Beverley both did a great job of relating the relevance of Sylvia’s lifelong fight against poverty and for equality to the politics of today. This relevance is exactly why we are campaigning to put up a statue of Sylvia, so that her life’s work calling out inequality, injustice and racism inspires future generations to remain vigilant. I saw the work-in-progress version of the musical in 2018 – it was fantastic. How Sylvia would have approved of the casting. I can’t wait to see it again when it returns to the Old Vic theatre in London. Our campaign is on Facebook and Twitter – @sylviastatue – and we are crowdfunding at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/sylviastatue Philippa Clark Sylvia Pankhurst Memorial Committee • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
That’s all from me for today. Thanks for reading. Here’s a summary of the day’s main events: Conor Burns was sacked as trade minister after a complaint of serious misconduct was made against him, Downing Street said. Tory whips confirmed Burns was also suspended from the party pending an investigation. Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, described as “absurd” the fact that she has not heard from Liz Truss since she became prime minister. “I don’t know whether that is arrogance, lack of respect, or insecurity or whatever it is. It’s not the right way to do government in a grown-up way.” Ireland is looking for a ‘nil-all draw’ in negotiations between the UK and the EU, its foreign affairs minister said. “What we’re after here is a nil-all draw, where everybody can walk away feeling that they haven’t won or lost, but they can live with the outcome,” Simon Coveney said. The UK and Ireland agreed to do “everything possible” to restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland. Following a meeting of the British-Irish intergovernmental conference in London, a joint communique set out that both countries “noted the ongoing discussions to address issues around the Northern Ireland protocol and to find an agreed way forward”. Public feuding between senior Tories continued. The former culture secretary Nadine Dorries should “settle down a little while”, the climate minister Graham Stuart said, amid an increasingly bitter row among Conservative MPs. The UK government’s representative on the morning media round repeatedly refused to rule out energy rationing. Graham Stuart said: “Events move on … We’ve seen all sorts of threats to our energy security.”
Rafael Behr depicts “Truss’s Tories” as being largely indifferent to endorsing a decontaminated nasty party (Liz Truss’s Tories are higher than ever on ideology – and they’re refusing to sober up, 4 October). Kwasi Kwarteng may assert that “we are a humane society”, but his ministerial colleagues offer evidence to the contrary. Suella Braverman pillories a “Benefit Street culture” that, she says, needs “more stick”. Jake Berry tells those facing higher energy bills that they “can either cut their consumption, get a higher salary, or go out there and get that new job”. The prime minister, for her part, refuses to apologise to homeowners slammed by mortgage hikes and will not rule out using what Behr memorably calls her “jagged shard” of a shattered party to slash the promised increases to benefits. Meanwhile, the government intends to throw millions to the richest members of this “humane society” by borrowing enough money to throw the markets into turmoil. This is the rise of a neo-nasty party intent on the pursuit of gain at the expense of the humane. Austen Lynch Garstang, Lancashire • Suella Braverman has a dream: “I would love to have a front page of the Telegraph with a plane taking off to Rwanda, that’s my dream, it’s my obsession,” she said at the Tory party conference. I remember hearing Martin Luther King Jr speak in 1963. He had a dream. He spoke of freedom and equality for the enslaved and dispossessed. It was one of the greatest speeches in the English language, and still resounds today. How shameful and morally repellent that our home secretary can think that a plane full of asylum seekers flying to Rwanda would fulfil her dream. Jennifer Basannavar Twickenham, London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
The cabinet minister Nadhim Zahawi has apologised for the economic turmoil that followed the government’s mini-budget. The chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster made the apology after clashing with the Talk TV presenter Piers Morgan on Thursday night’s Question Time on BBC One. The pair appeared on the political panel show, along with the Succession actor Brian Cox, the farmer Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones and the Labour MP Lisa Nandy. The pound plummeted in value against the dollar after Kwasi Kwarteng’s announcement of a series of tax cuts, including scrapping the 45p rate of income tax for higher earners, a move which Liz Truss abandoned in the middle of her party’s conference. Morgan challenged Zahawi to say sorry to the country for the economic turmoil that followed the mini-budget. Zahawi said: “Liz said: ‘I’ve listened and I get it,’ which is why 95% of her economic policy, of her growth plan, she wanted to protect and she will deliver, and the 5% which was damaging she cut, you cut and you move forward.” The minister attempted to argue that Vladimir Putin would want the country to be divided, which caused the audience to erupt into laughter. “Ask yourself this question: what would Vladimir Putin want us to do? He would want us to be divided right now, because he’s using energy …” he said. Morgan then asked Zahawi again if he was sorry, and the former chancellor said “of course” he was. “Of course I’m sorry, absolutely,” he said. He added: “By the way there’s nothing wrong with saying: ‘I get it, I’ve listened, and I’ve acted, and 95% of what I want to do I’m going to deliver, and I’ll drop the 5%’ – that’s a good thing.”
Your report (Tory MPs plot to avert benefit squeeze after humiliating U-turns, 3 October) quotes an unnamed cabinet member as saying: “We have not had true cabinet government since the days of Margaret Thatcher.” Really? Does this minister not remember the Westland affair, which led to the resignation of two of the strongest members of Mrs Thatcher’s cabinet, Michael Heseltine and Leon Brittan? At the very heart of this dispute was the refusal of the prime minister to allow a discussion in full cabinet of the issues involved. Even worse perhaps was the decision in 1984 to withdraw trade union rights from staff working at the Government Communication Headquarters in Cheltenham on national security grounds. The decision was taken here by a very small group of ministers, leaving most of the cabinet unsighted. Whatever else may be said about Margaret Thatcher’s period of office – and I was in the cabinet virtually throughout – it certainly was not an example of “true cabinet government”. Norman Fowler House of Lords • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
It seems that even Liz Truss shares George Monbiot’s view of the Institute of Economic Affairs (Rightwing thinktanks run this government. But first, they had to capture the BBC, 5 October). Like him, she is opposed to, in her words, “vested interests dressed up as thinktanks” (Truss takes aim at ‘anti-growth coalition’ on final day of turbulent conference, 5 October). Let’s hope the BBC was listening. Geoff Booth Knebworth, Hertfordshire • Kirkcaldy high school, when Gordon Brown attended it, was not a comprehensive (Letters, 5 October). I attended nearby Beath high school in Cowdenbeath in the 1960s, and often played hockey against Kirkcaldy high. Both were grammar schools. Those who failed to gain a place were relegated to secondary moderns. Jill Wallis Aston Clinton, Buckinghamshire • There was plenty to criticise in Liz Truss’s speech to the Tory party conference. I was surprised that you chose to home in on her outfit choice (Why did Liz Truss wear the same outfit as a fictional fascist?, 5 October). This is exactly the kind of low-level sexism that puts many women off entering politics. Ju Owens Labour party member, London • I do wish people would stop referring to Liz Truss as having been “elected”. She was merely “voted in” by less than half of the tiny Tory membership, and wasn’t even supported by a majority of Tory MPs. She has no mandate. Jennifer Jenkins London • Can pies grow? Rev Canon Michael Ainsworth Manchester • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Liz Truss delivered her first speech as prime minister at the Conservative party conference wearing a dress that appeared identical to that of a fictional tyrannical female dictator. The red dress worn by Truss is very much like the one worn by Emma Thompson for her portrayal of Vivienne Rook – a Nigel Farage-meets-Katie-Hopkins figure – in the dystopian science fiction miniseries Years and Years. The drama, written by Russell T Davies, is set between 2019 and 2034 and follows Rook’s inexorable rise to power as the leader of a far-right populist party amid increasingly chaotic global affairs. In the scene where Thompson’s character is wearing the structured, V-neck dress – the “forever” dress, by Karen Millen – she’s introducing concentration camps to Britain. Declan Cashin, who tweeted photographs of the matching outfits under the caption “Huh”, added that they had paired “down to the belt and everything”. “This is getting weird,” Davies posted to Instagram alongside images of the two women. The response was a resounding “yes”. Truss was spotted wearing the dress in 2019, just before the release of Years and Years, prompting commenters to ask: who is influencing who? Surely, it’s purely coincidence – and kudos to the dress as a cartoonish (but effective) way of power-dressing. Big shoulders (see Rick Owens spring/summer 23 collection, or Alexander McQueen’s autumn/winter 22 triangular shapes) are a useful way to look bigger. After all, as the old rule goes: if you can’t wear heels, hoick up the shoulders. Truss, who vowed to defeat “enemies of enterprise” in her speech, had another run-in with pop culture at the same time, angering the 1990s band M People by walking on stage to their hit song Moving on Up. The band’s founder, Mike Pickering, said they were “livid”.
Let’s hope that Polly Toynbee is correct, and that this really is a “changing Britain, kinder and fairer” (These Tories are heading for oblivion, and no amount of U-turns can change that, 3 October). It sounds good news for Labour, but sadly there will probably be plenty of time for voters to change their minds before the next election. That is why Labour must ensure that it dictates the economic narrative about the responsibility for this crisis, as Jonathan Freedland recently said (Keir Starmer can lock the imploding Tories out for a decade – if he gets the message right, 30 September). It needs to guarantee, too, that enough attention is paid to the research by Resolution Foundation that the richest households will gain around 40 times as much as the poorest from the mini-budget, despite the government U-turn on its plans to abolish the 45% income tax rate for earnings over £150,000. Bernie Evans Liverpool • I read Polly Toynbee’s predictions of imminent Tory demise with a growing sense of alarm. If there is one thing that the past years of Tory rule have shown it is that they are utterly ruthless when it comes to saving their collective electoral necks. They are the party of reinvention and reframing the narrative. They are already softening the edges of the mini-budget. See how quickly Liz Truss adjusted her feet of clay to shift responsibility for the mess on to her chancellor. What is needed is not wishful thinking but a vigorous, sustained and penetrating critique of the impact of Tory policies. Only if this is put front and centre will the slippery machinations of the Conservatives be clearly exposed as self-serving, destructive cant that is ruining so many lives. Martyn Taylor London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Liz Truss has promised Britons she has “got your back” and set out a plan for “growth, growth and growth” in a conference speech disrupted by protesters asking who voted for her plan. My colleague Peter Walker has five takeaways from the speech here.
Truss has been criticised by a leading conservation charity for implying that all environmentalists are part of a malign “anti-growth coalition”. (See 2.21pm.) As my colleague Helena Horton explains, this came at the end of a conference in which environmentalists and their concerns were routinely criticised or ignored.
Suella Braverman’s plan to stop people entering the UK through irregular routes from claiming asylum could be in breach of the refugee convention, the United Nations’ refugee agency has said.
Liz Truss’s government is in chaos after the chancellor refused to confirm he would bring forward his budget to calm the markets and the home secretary accused fellow MPs of a coup against the prime minister. Suella Braverman has revived a previous Conservative pledge to reduce net migration to tens of thousands of people, despite the failure of successive governments to hit the same target over a nine-year period. Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng are being warned not to stretch their plans for medium-term growth beyond the traditional definition of three to five years amid concerns in Whitehall that the fiscal plan may take the best part of a decade to deliver. Liz Truss has said she is still in principle in favour of cutting the 45% top rate of tax – even though she has shelved plans to abolish it now. (See 3.14pm.)
No one should be fooled into thinking that Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng have had a genuine Damascene conversion (Liz Truss abandons plan to scrap 45p top rate of income tax amid Tory revolt, 3 October). They have already demonstrated what Tory ideology is – helping the very rich and penalising those in poverty. Dr Stephen Pacey North Muskham, Nottinghamshire • Kwasi Kwarteng claims that he feels “humility and contrition” after the tax U-turn, but he refuses to apologise, showing that he has, in fact, no humility or contrition. If he were capable of humility, he wouldn’t have announced his damaging tax plans without any economic impact assessment. Adrian Ward Le Bez, Tarn, France • Liz Truss reminds me of an idiosyncratic chemistry teacher of my youth. He would launch into semi-coherent rants that contained nuggets of comedy gold. One favourite went: “Every time I open my mouth, some fool speaks.” David Chaloner Oldham, Greater Manchester • One fringe event at the Tory conference is “Tackling the most severe forms of disordered gambling” (Tory conference cheat sheet: all you need to know about party summit, 30 September). I do hope Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng attend. Fr Chris Benson Manaton, Devon • John Crace’s description of the prime minister as Radon Liz is worrying (The politics sketch, 2 October). Radon has a half-life of 3.8 days and decays into polonium, which is fatal to humans. Stephen Walkley Lutterworth, Leicestershire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Kwasi Kwarteng delivered his address to the Tory conference after a bruising day in which he U-turned on his plan to cut tax for high earners. He admitted his economic plan had caused “a little turbulence” and that it had been a “tough day”. Much of the response inside the hall where the chancellor was delivering his speech appeared muted – with one of the loudest cheers reserved for repealing EU laws – and media commentators were left underwhelmed by one of the shortest conference speeches delivered by a chancellor in modern times. Here is a roundup The Guardian’s Rafael Behr said Kwarteng should have kept the speech to under five minutes.
James Forsyth from the Spectator said not announcing new policy was sensible.
George Eaton from the New Statesman said the speech was empty.
Tom Newton Dunn from Talk TV said he did not think the speech would impress Tories.
Hatty Collier from the i said some thought Kwarteng was guilty of understatement.
Freddie Hayward from the New Statesman found the speech contradictory.
The Guardian’s Jessica Elgot made a similar point.
Kevin Schofield from Huffpost UK points out what’s missing.
The Guardian’s John Crace called it vacuous.
Duncan Weldon, the economist and former BBC journalist, decided that the speech’s narrative was a confused one.
The broadcaster Sangita Myska said most of the speech sounded like a rehash.
Sam Coates, the deputy political editor at Sky News, picked up on how the chancellor’s words were an implicit criticism of Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, the former chancellor.
The Guardian’s Gaby Hinsliff said Kwarteng mostly ignored the problems with the mini-budget.
Kevin Maguire of the Daily Maguire was particularly scathing.
And Christopher Hope had picked up on the initial reaction in the room as Kwarteng arrived.
We are closing this blog now, thanks for reading along. Find all our UK politics coverage here
The City business partner of Jacob Rees-Mogg has been handed a peerage and job as a senior minister by Liz Truss’s government in a move likely to trigger accusations of cronyism. Dominic Johnson, a financier who cofounded Somerset Capital Management with Rees-Mogg, was appointed as a minister in the Cabinet Office and the Department for International Trade. The announcement was slipped out on the government’s website, which said he had been appointed as of Sunday. “Dominic Johnson CBE was appointed a minister of state jointly in the Department for International Trade and the Cabinet Office on 2 October 2022,” the statement said. The appointment is likely to be controversial at a time when Truss, her chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, and Rees-Mogg face questions about being too close to the City, after the mini-budget handed substantial tax cuts to financiers and the wealthy. Johnson is a substantial party donor who has given more than £250,000 and was vice-chair of the Conservative party between 2016 and 2019. He replaces Gerry Grimstone, the former chair of Barclays and Standard Life, in his role as trade minister, encouraging inward investment. The shadow trade secretary, Nick Thomas-Symonds, said it “beggars belief that the Conservatives have appointed an unelected asset-fund manager to the government, who just happens to be a crony party donor”. Somerset Capital Management is reported to be up for sale, with two of its founding partners now in senior government roles. Johnson recently said he was stepping down as chief executive of Somerset Capital Management. Rees-Mogg still holds a substantial stake in the investment firm, despite the potential conflict of interest with his role as business secretary.
The Mirror has apologised after it mistakenly used a picture of the wrong person to illustrate a story about the chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, on its website. Condemning the “terrible error”, which occurred on the first day of Black History Month, the publication said: “This morning a picture in a story about Kwasi Kwarteng was wrongly captioned on the Mirror website. This was a terrible error and we apologise to Mr Kwarteng and all our readers.” The apology came after Kwarteng tweeted a screenshot of an online story about the mini-budget, featuring a picture of Bernard Mensah, the president of international for Bank of America. The photograph was incorrectly captioned with the words: “Kwasi Kwarteng said he had to do ‘something different’ with mini-budget.” “That isn’t me… @DailyMirror” wrote the chancellor on Saturday morning in a tweet published just before 10am.
Pledging to “redouble our efforts” to fight racism, the statement, released more than an hour after Kwarteng pointed out the mistake, added: “The Mirror has a long history of working against racism and we will redouble our efforts on this.” Among those to condemn the error was Ben Obese-Jecty, the chair of the Hornsey and Wood Green Conservatives. He said: “Good to see the Daily Mirror kicking off its coverage of Black History Month with this they-all-look-the-same-don’t-they clanger. “You’d think, given the coverage he’s received this week, that most people in the press would know what Kwasi Kwarteng looked like …” Kwarteng became Britain’s first black chancellor when he took up the role last month. The Guardian has contacted the Treasury for comment. The Bank of America declined to comment.
Michael Meadowcroft argues that “the problem of directly elected heads of state is that the power it confers all too often becomes an addiction that drives them to manipulate the constitutional safeguards” (Letters, 23 September). He then cites Ireland as an example of indirect election of presidents. In fact, the Irish presidency is directly elected. Mr Meadowcroft also cites the example of Donald Trump to support his argument. The issue in respect of Trump is not that the head of state is directly elected, it is that the head of state in the US is also effectively head of government. I agree that some politicians become addicted to power, but that is caused by the drug of governmental power, not the drug of presidency. I doubt that Trump would have had any interest in the presidency if the US had an Irish-style system where he would have had only ceremonial duties. In another letter, Margaret Squires expresses concerns about a President Thatcher or Blair. Again, I would doubt that a limited, ceremonial presidency would have held any attraction for them. And even if an electorate does choose a questionable president, they get the chance to get rid of them a few years later. If you have a questionable monarch, you have no choice but to wait for them to expire or abdicate. Dr Michael Holmes Catholic University of Lille • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.