Markus Andrews

Millions of public sector workers have been awarded pay rises of between 4 and 5 per cent – prompting unions to prepare for autumn strike action, as chiefs lashed out at ”brutal” below-inflation increases.About 2.5 million staff across Britain will soon see a hike in their pay packets after the government accepted “fair and sustainable” increases recommended by state review bodies.But unions warned that they would ballot members on industrial action, pointing out that the “kick in the teeth” settlements will not keep pace with soaring inflation – currently running at 9.1 per cent.Most full-time nurses in the NHS will only get a basic pay rise worth 4 per cent, a salary increase of about £1,400, though new nursing staff will see starting pay rise by 5.5 per cent to £27,055.The vast majority of teachers will get only a 5 per cent increase, while salaries for new teachers outside London will be increased 8.9 per cent to £28,000 as part of a recruitment drive.And police officers will get a 5 per cent pay rise – an annual salary uplift of around £1,900 – after home secretary Priti Patel accepted the recommendations of the pay review body.RecommendedThe Public Commercial Services (PCS) general secretary Mark Serwotka described the awards as an “outrage” and warned of widespread strikes in the autumn. “We’ll be talking to our colleagues in other unions about organising co-ordinated national strike action,” he said.Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “We expected the inevitable betrayal but the scale of it is an affront,” before warning that Unite would back “all and every action” members wish to take.The GMB union, representing hundreds of thousands of NHS workers, said members would now be balloted on industrial action. “They deserve so much better than this,” said the union’s Laurence Turner.“GMB will now ballot our members on the offer … Everyone has their breaking point, and without a fundamental change we will not be able to deliver the public services the country needs,” he added.Eligible doctors and dentists will receive a 4.5 per cent increase, according to the Department for Health and Social Care, while the lowest earners in the health service will receive a boost of up to 9.3 per cent.But the Royal College of Nursing described the 4 per cent basic pay increase – which will see average basic pay for nurses increase from about £35,600 to £37,000 – as a “grave misstep by ministers”.RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said members would be asked if they want to strike. “Living costs are rising and yet they have enforced another real-terms pay cut on nursing staff,” she said. “It will push more nurses and nursing support workers out of the profession.”The British Medical Association said the 4.5 per cent increase awarded to some doctors this year amounted to a “brutal pay cut” that will come as a “bitter blow”.The National Education Union (NEU) condemned the “very poor pay proposal” of 5 per cent for teachers, and said members would be consulted on strikes in the autumn. “We will have no hesitation in recommending our members take action,” said Kevin Courtney, the NEU’s joint general secretary.“Teachers don’t want to strike – they want to be in the classroom teaching our pupils. But we cannot stand by and watch the biggest real-terms decline in teacher pay this century,” he added.Patrick Roach, the NASUWT teaching union’s general secretary, said: “Teachers will be dismayed to hear that the government expects them to stomach the largest real terms cut to their pay.” More

Nadhim Zahawi has promised to repeal hundreds of pieces of EU finance law on UK statute books, part of government push to deregulate the City of London in a post-Brexit “Big Bang”.The chancellor told the annual Mansion House bankers’ dinner that he wanted to replace Brussels rules with a more “agile approach” to financial regulation.Mr Zahawi confirmed that the financial services bill will be introduced in parliament on Wednesday – claiming it would “unleash growth” in the banking sector.It is partly aimed at allowing reform of Solvency II regime which governments the insurance market across Europe, aimed at give insurers more flexibility to invest in infrastructure.The bill would give UK financial regulators a new objective to “promote growth” in the sector, rather than acting simply as a watchdog.The Treasury also said the bill would consider new powers for ministers to “call in” regulatory decisions made by the Bank of England that the government does not like.RecommendedMr Zahawi’s predecessor Rishi Sunak, a favourite to win the Tory leadership contest, had promised a post-Brexit “Big Bang 2.0” – a reference to the regulation of the City during the mid-1980s.But the plans set out by the recently-appointed chancellor are set to put the government on a collision course with the Bank of England, where there are concerns that regulation will increase risk.Governor Andrew Bailey suggested earlier this month that he would oppose any changes that would allow ministers to meddle. “The independence of the regulators is important because much of our international standing depends on this,” he told MPs.Mr Zahawi told the audience on Tuesday evening that the government was “delivering the benefits of Brexit” when it came to the financial sector.He added: “The measures I have announced tonight will unleash growth across our financial services sector and will allow us to unlock tens of billions of pounds of investment into the UK economy.”Meanwhile, MPs will take part in the third reading debate of Boris Johnson’s highly-controversial Northern Ireland Protocol Bill on Wednesday.It comes as one MEP warned the UK was on course for a full-blown trade war with the EU if Mr Johnson’s successor insists on ripping up parts of the Brexit withdrawal deal.RecommendedIreland South MEP Sean Kelly warned of “serious consequences” if the next prime minister ditched protocol checks without consent from Brussels.“If the United Kingdom push it, and go ahead [with the legislation], then the ultimate occurrence is going to be a trade war,” he told the BBC. More

Boris Johnson was presented with a set of books by his hero Winston Churchill as a farewell present from ministerial colleagues as he chaired his final cabinet meeting today.Cabinet ministers – who paid for the first edition copies of Churchill’s six-volume history of the Second World War out of their own pockets – applauded the PM as he concluded the weekly meeting for the last time.Addressing ministers on the first anniversary of the lifting of Covid restrictions, Mr Johnson set out what he clearly hopes will be seen as his legacy as PM, stating that the swift rollout of vaccines and early move out of lockdown had allowed the UK’s economy to recover faster than other countries. More

A new government video explains the costly and time-consuming barriers that must be overcome to trade with the EU since Brexit – running to three-and-a-half minutes.The mountain of paperwork required – as the price for leaving the EU single market and customs union – takes in form-filling, recruiting a customs agent and meeting rules of origin.The video lists around 15 stages to go through in order for “Edward to sell thousands of pounds worth of glassware to Elise’s shop in France”, a frictionless process before Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal.It makes a mockery of the prime minister’s claims when he signed the agreement on Christmas Eve 2020, when he promised the country “there will be no non-tariff barriers to trade”.Mr Johnson hailed “a deal which will if anything should allow our companies and our exporters to do even more business with our European friends”.RecommendedIn fact, as the video – described as “A simple guide to exporting” – explains, cross-Channel traders must now:* Recruit a customs agent to help submit declarations.* Obtain an Economic Operators’ Registration and Identification (Eori) number, for customs processes.* An Eori number is also required by the importer in the EU.* Both parties must agree ‘Incoterms’ – international commercial terms – which set out their responsibilities.* The exporter must supply an invoice purchase order and transportation details to their customs agent (as well as the Eori number).* They must also supply proof that the goods meet rules of origin – to avoid tariffs.* The goods must also be complaint with EU labelling rules.* Guidance for HGV operators should be checked.* Export declarations for customs and safety and security export declarations must be submitted.* A consignment reference is then sent to the haulage company to add to their goods movement paperwork.* That is used to register to use the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS), which links customs paperwork into a single IT record.* Import declarations and safety and security declarations must be completed on the EU side* This generates an import Movement Reference Number (MRN) which is sent to the haulage company* Customs on the EU side must be notified that the goods have arrived by updating the import declaration.* The importer must then account for any VAT.The video concludes, cheerily: “George drives to Elise’s shop and delivers the goods, which he can now sell in France.”RecommendedSome of the replies to the Cabinet Office are less cheery, one saying: “This so unbelievably complicated and burdensome. What a waste of everyone’s time and money for nothing.”Another states: “Leaving the EU has made it much harder, lengthier and more expensive to export to our largest customer, the EU. No wonder exports are falling and UK companies going out of business.” More

Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership team wants Liz Truss to win the Tory leadership contest because they believe her “wooden style” would make him look “less unexciting” and boost his chances of winning power, according to Labour sources. The Labour leader’s office believes the foreign secretary’s attempt to model herself on Margaret Thatcher will help his party woo back working-class voters.Labour see Penny Mordaunt as a more difficult opponent partly because of her reputation as an effective Commons performer, the sources said.And they are neutral about the prospect of facing former chancellor Rishi Sunak, who remains the leadership frontrunner after the latest round of voting.Ms Truss gained ground on runner-up Ms Mordaunt in Tuesday’s ballot but remained third on 86 votes, six short of second place. Kemi Badenoch was eliminated.RecommendedThe claim that the Labour leadership is privately hoping for a Truss victory is at odds with repeated statements by Mr Starmer that he does not care who succeeds Boris Johnson.The Labour leader told Andrew Marr on LBC last week: “I really don’t mind who I go up against because it’s not possible for the Conservatives to get us out of the mess we are in.”Privately, however, The Independent has been told Labour is hoping for a Truss victory.Senior party figures claim she would help their party because she would “continue Boris’s right-wing policies without his charisma” and would be a weaker parliamentary adversary than her predecessor.One Labour source said: “Her tax-cutting agenda would fit our tactic of portraying the Tories as the party of the rich. She is so wooden Keir would look less unexciting.“Selling Truss as the new Thatcher may go down well with right-wing Tory members but not many other people.” More

Kemi Badenoch has been eliminated from the Tory leadership race, leaving Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt and Liz Truss vying for a place in the final two to replace Boris Johnson.Announcing the results of the fourth ballot, the Conservatives’ 1922 Committee revealed the former chancellor Mr Sunak, had secured the most votes among MPs with 118 backers.Ms Mordaunt came in second place with 92 votes, but was closely followed by the foreign secretary Liz Truss on 86 votes, who picked up momentum in the penultimate ballot.While Ms Mordaunt increase her share of votes by 10, Ms Truss won the support of 15 more colleagues as the right of the party appears to coalesce around her in the race for No 10.After securing the fewest number of votes with the support of 58 colleagues, Ms Badenoch, a former equalities minister, has been eliminated from the contest.RecommendedIt came just hours after she emerged as the favourite to defeat all contenders in a final run-off vote of Tory members, according to a YouGov poll.With Mr Sunak now highly likely to progress to the final run-off after the final ballot of MPs on Wednesday, Ms Truss and Ms Mordaunt will now be fighting to remain in the race and secure the backing of Ms Badenoch’s supporters.In a statement shortly after the results, Ms Mordaunt said: “We are so nearly across the finish line. I am raring to go and excited to put my case to members across the country and win. She also heaped praise on eliminated rival Ms Badenoch, whose votes will be crucial in deciding which candidates make the final two.“I want to pay tribute to my friend Kemi Badenoch who electrified the leadership contest with her fresh thinking and bold policies,” she said.“She and I both know that the old way of government isn’t working as it should. Voters want change and we owe it to them to offer a bold new vision for this country. Kemi’s passion for this showed and I’m glad she put herself forward to be heard.” More

Watch: Boris Johnson’s government wins confidence with 349 votesKemi Badenoch has been knocked out of the Conservative leadership race, leaving the final three hopefuls to battle it out ahead of the final MP ballot.Rishi Sunak, who retained his lead over his fellow candidates, will be joined by Penny Mordaunt and Liz Truss in vying for a place in the final two to face the vote put to party members.Mr Sunak was backed in today’s vote by 118 MPs, while Ms Mordaunt beat Ms Truss to second place with 92 votes to 86.The foreign secretary, however, hoovered up more transfered votes from Tom Tugendhat than Ms Mordaunt, gaining 15 votes to her opponent’s 10.It comes after a members’ poll found that the former chancellor and current MP favourite could be beaten by all three of his rivals in the final vote of the leadership contest members.Meanwhile, Boris Johnson has stripped the Tory party whip from senior MP Tobias Ellwood for his “failure to support” the government in Monday’s confidence vote.RecommendedShow latest update

1658242253Truss backers hopeful she will pick up eliminated Badenoch votesProminent Truss supporter Steve Baker said he was hopeful that the foreign secretary will pick up significant numbers of former Badenoch supporters in the final round of voting by MPs on Wednesday.“I would have thought most of the people attracted to Kemi would not be attracted to Penny,” said Mr Baker.“So I’m hopeful that Liz will be able to attract their support. But one must never take anything for granted.”In an indication that the Truss camp is now aiming to woo Badenoch supporters, Mr Baker hailed the 42-year-old as an “extremely talented” MP who had performed well in the contest.A senior Sunak backer denied the former chancellor was “lending” votes to rivals in the hope of ensuring he faces his favoured opponent in the final ballot.“It’s entirely possible that individual MPs have chosen to vote tactically, but we are encouraging every colleague who supports Rishi to vote for him,” said the MP.He said today’s result was positive for Mr Sunak: “We continue to move in the right direction and put on support. We are very content with that.“There is now a significant number of votes in play. Obviously we will be making all the arguments to them about why Rishi is the right candidate. That is about electability, and the fact that polls show voters see Rishi as the person who can win a general election. And it’s about who can be prime minister – I think it is clear he is the person that is utterly across the detail not only on the economy but other issues.”Andrew Woodcock19 July 2022 15:501658241475Badenoch brought ‘courage and substance’ to leadership contest, says TugendhatEmily Atkinson19 July 2022 15:371658241071Sunak would rather face Mordant than Truss, says backerRishi Sunak backer Chris Skidmore suggested Liz Truss is the candidate his camp fears mos when the final two candidates go before members.The Tory MP told Sky News: “Rishi versus Liz is going to be the most feared contest, in terms of that will be a battle for ideas rather than a battle of personalities.”Asked if he would find it easier to go up against Ms Mordaunt, Mr Skidmore said: “It’s a question of competence and experience, and Rishi has those.”Lee Anderson MP, a Badenoch backer, claimed she would be prime minister within 10 years. He did not say who he and other Badenoch supporters would now back. “We’ve got to have that conversation between ourselves,” he told Sky News.Senior MP Andrea Leadsom, a key Mordaunt backer, said she was still “incredibly optimistic” of making it into the final two.She did not accept that most Badenoch backers were now more likely to switch to Truss than Mordaunt. “It’s simply not true that all MPs vote as a block.”Adam Forrest19 July 2022 15:311658240155Tory leadership vote: The fourth round results in fullConservative MPs have voted in the fourth round of their leadership contest, eliminating right-winger Kemi Badenoch from the race.Former chancellor Rishi Sunak topped the ballot again with the backing of 118 MPs, while Portsmouth MP Penny Mordaunt beat Liz Truss for second place with 92 votes to 86.Our policy correspondent Jon Stone has more: More

Conservative MPs have voted in the fourth round of their leadership contest, eliminating right-winger Kemi Badenoch from the race.Former chancellor Rishi Sunak topped the ballot again with the backing of 118 MPs, while Portsmouth MP Penny Mordaunt beat Liz Truss for second place with 92 votes to 86.But foreign secretary Ms Truss picked up more transfers from eliminated candidate Tom Tugendhat than Ms Mordaunt, gaining 15 votes to her opponent’s 10. Mr Sunak gained three votes and Ms Badenoch just one.The table after the third round looks like this:RecommendedRishi Sunak – 118 votesPenny Mordaunt – 92 votesLiz Truss – 86 votesThe candidate eliminated is:Kemi Badenoch – 5 votesMPs are set to vote again and will continue to eliminate more candidates, until two just two remain. The final two will be put to the wider rank-and-file Tory membership, who will elect the new leader – who will become Britain’s new prime minister. More