Markus Andrews

Labour has won the flagship Tory council of Wandsworth in London for the first time since 1978, as results of the local election began trickling in.The seat first switched to the Conservatives a year before Margaret Thatcher’s election as prime minister and was reputedly her favourite council, renowned for its low taxes.As the result became clear, a Labour source said: “Boris Johnson losing Wandsworth is monumental. This was the Tories’ jewel in the crown.”“Voters in Wandsworth have put their trust in the change Keir Starmer’s Labour represents,” they added.The outgoing Conservative leader of Wandsworth Council, Ravi Govindia, said: “Let’s not be coy about it, of course national issues were part of the dilemma people were facing”.He also told the BBC that “other events have clouded the judgement of people in Wandsworth… consistently on the doorstep the issue of Boris Johnson was raised”.Just moments after the loss of Wandsworth, the Conservative leader of Barnet council, Daniel Thomas, conceded his party had also lost control of the council for the first time since 2002, saying it was a “warning shot” to the government. After results were declared from 58 councils, the Tories had lost control of three authorities and were down 79 councillors, Labour had a net gain of two councils and 34 councillors, the Lib Dems had one extra authority and 34 more seats while the Greens had put on 19 councillors.With dozens of Tory councillors losing their seats against a backdrop of the row about lockdown-busting parties in No 10 and the cost-of-living crisis, local Conservative leaders also criticised the Prime Minister.John Mallinson, leader of Carlisle City Council which will be replaced by the new Cumberland authority, also told the BBC: “I think it is not just partygate, there is the integrity issue.“Basically I just don’t feel people any longer have the confidence that the Prime Minister can be relied upon to tell the truth.”In Portsmouth, where the Tories lost four seats, Simon Bosher the leader of the Conservative group said Mr Johnson should “take a good, strong look in the mirror” because “those are people that are actually bearing the brunt on the doorstep of behaviour of what’s been going on in Westminster”.Elsewhere the Conservatives lost control of West Oxfordshire, where the party had held 27 of the 49 seats, after the Liberal Democrats made a series of gains. More

Boris Johnson ‘out of touch’ over cost of living crisis, says Keir StarmerVotes are being counted overnight in the UK’s local elections, with the Tories bracing themselves for the loss of some key council seats.But with results starting to come in after midnight, it was Labour who lost out in the first significant change of control on Friday morning, losing Hull to the Lib Dems.Significant Conservative losses are expected to follow — Wandsworth, which has been in control of the Conservatives for more than 40 years, is among the London boroughs expected to fall to Labour.The losses have prompted Conservative local leaders to call upon Boris Johnson to “take a good, strong look in the mirror.”Outside of London, it is looking like a good night for the Lib Dems. After their Hull victory, Baroness Kramer said it was “a community that in a sense has been taken for granted frankly by both Labour and Conservatives”.And meanwhile, Labour took control of the newly created Cumberland council, a strong result in an area that has three Conservative MPs.Show latest update

1651805405Local Conservatives ask PM to ‘take a good, strong look in the mirror’One local Tory has called on Boris Johnson to “take a good, strong look in the mirror” amid the council seat losses in his area.Leader of Portsmouth City Council’s Conservative group Simon Bosher told the BBC: “I have to say the results have been extremely disappointing, not totally unexpected I have to say. We have actually lost some very good working community councillors this evening.“Personally I think those in power in Westminster really do need to take a good, hard look in the mirror because it is the rank and file grassroots members they rely on that are actually losing their seats tonight and it is pretty disappointing across the board.”

I think Boris does need to take a good, strong look in the mirror as well because I think he needs to look at those people that we have lost tonight… because those are people that are actually bearing the brunt on the doorstep of behaviour of what’s been going on in WestminsterSimon BosherNamita Singh6 May 2022 03:501651804098Latest elections scoreboardNamita Singh6 May 2022 03:281651803986Labour take newly created Cumberland councilLabour has won a convincing majority on the newly created council of Cumberland.The party was “surpassing all expectations” with the result in a place where, as ITV’s Tom Sheldrick points out, all three local MPs are Conservatives. BBC correspondent Robert Cooper calls it “devastating” for the Tories here.Namita Singh6 May 2022 03:261651803461Baroness Kramer ‘delighted’ with Lib Dem win in HullLiberal Democrat peer Baroness Kramer said she was “obviously delighted” her party had taken control of Hull council.Lady Kramer told Sky News the party had had “high hopes in Hull”.She said: “It is a community that in a sense has been taken for granted frankly by both Labour and Conservatives.”The Lib Dem peer said that “big significant local issues” like the number of GPs locally came up on the doorstep, as well as the cost of living and partygate.

It is not just partygate, it is everything it stands for, this sort of whole sense of a Government in moral collapse. Baroness Kramer Namita Singh6 May 2022 03:171651803214Lib Dems win HullThe Liberal Democrats have taken control of Hull city council, in the first major swing of the night, after they won 29 seats out of 57, with results still pending on three.With this decisive victory, the Lib Dems have taken back the control of the council that has been under Labour since 2011.Namita Singh6 May 2022 03:131651798850Tories hold BasildonTory councillors hold 22 of the 42 seats on the authority, giving an overall majority, after the winners of 11 of the 14 wards that went to the polls were announced at the count at Basildon Sporting Village.Of the 11 wards announced, Conservative councillors held seven seats, Labour held one and gained one from a non-aligned candidate, one independent candidate held his seat and another independent candidate gained a seat from the Tories.The Conservatives have held overall control of Basildon Council in Essex, with the results of three wards still to be declared.Chris Baynes6 May 2022 02:001651797950Tories facing losses in LondonBoris Johnson’s Tories are braced for losses in London as the first votes start being counted following elections across the UK.Council seats are up for grabs in Scotland, Wales and many parts of England, while Northern Ireland is electing its new assembly in what could be the most significant vote of them all, with Sinn Fein seeking to become the largest party.Votes were being counted in some of the English contests overnight including key authorities in the capital, where the Tories fear their flagship council Wandsworth will fall to Labour.The south London borough is a totemic authority for the Tories. It was a favourite of Margaret Thatcher’s – turning blue in 1978 a year before her election as prime minister – and is renowned for its low taxes.But Tory insiders believe it is a “definite loss”, along with Barnet, while Westminster could also see a loss of Tory control in what would amount to a grim night for Mr Johnson’s party in the city he used to run.Labour sources said it was too early to tell, but the Conservatives are prepared for a difficult night.Chris Baynes6 May 2022 01:451651797106Labour ‘confident’ of taking BarnetThe leader of the Labour group on Barnet council said the party was confident of taking the council from the Tories.Barry Rawlings told the BBC: “I’ve been feeling confident for a while, I think we’ve had a very good campaign, got good candidates, it feels good on the streets.”The north London borough has a large Jewish community and he said the “stain” of anti-Semitism had been removed from the party under Sir Keir Starmer.”We’ve certainly turned a corner on anti-Semitism since Keir’s been the leader,” he said.”Obviously I’ve been leader [in Barnet] for six years so it hasn’t always been the most comfortable six years to represent Labour in a place like Barnet, where there’s about 15% of the population – but if you’re talking about regular voters, it’s probably about 20 per cent are Jewish.”But of course it means that there’s a lot of non -Jewish people who have Jewish friends and so anti-Semitism was a stain on us. We were a tainted brand.”Sir Keir launched Labour’s London election campaign in Barnet, which showed the “symbolic value” of the borough, which his party has never before had overall control of.Chris Baynes6 May 2022 01:311651797050Tories ‘threw kitchen sink’ at SunderlandThe Conservatives “threw the kitchen sink” at Sunderland Council, and still did not manage to gain it from Labour, a Labour MP has said.Speaking after Labour retained control of the council, Hampstead and Kilburn MP Tulip Siddiq told Sky News: “I am delighted to see the Sunderland result, mostly because speaking to MPs who are connected to Sunderland from the Labour Party … and local activists, the Conservatives have thrown the kitchen sink at it.”I mean, the prime minister was there. When you are in government you only send the prime minister to seats that you think you can overturn and change. So the prime minister was there on Bank Holiday Monday and we still held it.”Boris Johnson and the Chancellor Rishi Sunak both visited Sunderland on the campaign trail.Chris Baynes6 May 2022 01:301651796582First results declaredThe first results are in and pole position goes to Broxbourne, in Hertfordshire, where the Conservatives kept control of the council, winning nine of the 10 seats contested, with Labour taking the other one.Labour have kept control of Sunderland, where the Liberal Democrats gained two seats, and of Halton, where the Conservatives gained a seat from the Greens.Chris Baynes6 May 2022 01:23 More

Tech giants with deep-rooted market power will have to abide by new “fair-play” rules to drive up competition, under plans confirmed by the Government.The UK’s new technology regulator will also be granted fresh powers to issue fines of up to 10% of turnover for non-compliance, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said.However it is unclear when exactly the changes will come into force, as the Government has only said the necessary legislation will be introduced “in due course”.The Digital Markets Unit (DMU) swung into action in April last year, with the aim of boosting online competition for smaller players, as well as giving users more choice, control over their data, and ultimately fair prices.

The dominance of a few tech giants is crowding out competition and stifling innovationChris PhilpBased within the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the watchdog was instructed to work with Ofcom, looking at the relationships between platforms, such as Facebook and Google, and content providers like news publishers.However, the DMU has been constrained by the CMA’s existing powers, with the Government previously saying it planned to legislate to put it on a statutory footing as soon as parliamentary time allowed.The DCMS has now confirmed it intends to go ahead with its proposals to further empower the regulator, following a consultation.But it has only said the new legislation to give the DMU statutory powers will be introduced “in due course”.It comes after The Financial Times reported that a Bill to secure statutory underpinning for the watchdog would be missing from the upcoming Queen’s Speech, which sets out the Government’s legislative agenda.Once the legislation has passed, the DMU will have the power to enforce new tailored codes of conduct for firms dominating digital markets, outlining how they should treat their users and other companies fairly, with “tough sanctions” for those ignoring the rules, the DCMS said.Digital minister Chris Philp said: “Technology has revolutionised the way thousands of UK firms do business – helping them reach new customers and putting a range of instant online services at people’s fingertips.“But the dominance of a few tech giants is crowding out competition and stifling innovation.“We want to level the playing field and we are arming this new tech regulator with a range of powers to generate lower prices, better choice and more control for consumers while backing content creators, innovators and publishers, including in our vital news industry.”Andrea Coscelli, chief executive of the CMA, said: “The CMA welcomes these proposals and we’re pleased that the Government has taken forward a number of our recommendations that will allow the DMU to oversee an effective and robust digital markets regime in the UK.“The CMA stands ready to assist the Government to ensure that legislation can be brought forward as quickly as possible, so consumers and businesses can benefit.”Rocio Concha, director of policy and advocacy at Which?, said the Queen’s Speech on May 10 represented a “golden opportunity” for the Government to introduce the legislation to further empower the regulator.

Next week’s Queen’s Speech represents a golden opportunity to introduce the necessary legislation – and ministers must take itRocio Concha“The rules governing competition in the UK’s digital markets are in desperate need of an upgrade, so it’s encouraging that the Government intends to introduce new rules to tackle the entrenched power of tech giants,” she said.“For the sake of UK consumers and businesses, it is essential that the Digital Markets Unit is properly empowered.“The UK has the opportunity to set an international standard for promoting competition in digital markets.“Having taken the step of establishing and funding the DMU last year, the Government must give it the tools it needs to do its job.“Next week’s Queen’s Speech represents a golden opportunity to introduce the necessary legislation – and ministers must take it.” More

Former Conservative minister Nick Boles has revealed he voted Labour for the first time since Tony Blair’s 1997 general election landslide.It comes as polling stations closed in the local elections across England, Scotland, and Wales, with voters casting their ballots in thousands of council seats to select local representatives.Mr Boles – the former Tory MP for Grantham and Stamford – tweeted earlier on Thursday: “First time I’ve voted Labour since an equally glorious May morning in 1997”.Mr Boles, who served in David Cameron’s government, quit the Conservatives in April 2019, after accusing his former party of failing to compromise over Brexit and walked out of the Commons chamber.First elected under the Tory banner at the 2010 election, he remained as an Independent MP until November 2019 before deciding he would not seek re-election as a snap election sought by Boris Johnson.After sharing his decision to vote Labour on Thursday, Mr Boles also retweeted a message from Sir Keir Starmer, which read: “Today is our chance to send the Tories a message they can’t ignore: Britain deserves better.”“Make a plan to vote and tell your friends and family to do the same,” it added.In England, more than 4,000 councillors in 146 councils were standing for election in major cities including Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and all 32 London boroughs. All of Scotland’s 32 councils – last contested in 2017 – and 22 Welsh councils are also up for grabs.With counting now underway, the first results, including major Labour London targets of Wandsworth and Barnet, are expected to declare in the early hours of Friday morning.The results will be considered a major mid-term test for the Conservatives amid the ongoing Partygate scandal, with police still investigating events in No 10, and the deepening concern over the cost-of-living crisis.Writing for The Independent before voters headed to the polls, the polling expert professor Sir John Curtice claimed: “At first glance, the omens are not good for Boris Johnson.“His party shows no sign of recovering the poll lead it enjoyed in this parliament until his probity and ethics became the subject of controversy. On average the Conservatives currently trail Labour by six points. That represents as much as a nine-point swing since the 2019 general election.”He suggested the election could “well produce Tory losses of a few hundred seats – but it would not necessarily look like a tsunami that threatened to sweep Johnson out of Downing Street”. More

Boris Johnson is braced for the likely loss of hundreds of council seats in crucial local elections expected to trigger fresh Conservative infighting over his future.Voters across the country are delivering their verdict in the first big test of public opinion since the Partygate scandal broke – and with the Metropolitan Police set to announce further fines, once the polls have closed.The Conservatives are likely to lose “a few hundred seats”, according to the elections guru John Curtice, paying the price for a collapse in support over the No 10 parties and the cost-of-living crisis.At Westminster, Tory rebels hoping to topple Mr Johnson will resume “conversations” about their tactics as soon as the polls close at 10pm on Thursday, one MP has predicted.Polling day also brought fresh condemnation at the prime minister from his former chief aide Dominic Cummings, who repeated his call for “regime change”.A vote for the Conservatives was a vote for “more taxes regulation” he tweeted, as well as “neglect of security/armed forces” and “A&E disasters/NHS neglect” and “idiots babbling about trans”.The first results are due from midnight on Thursday, with the verdicts from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, South Tyneside and Wigan indicating whether Labour’s vote is holding up in its northern strongholds.After 2am, the result from Sunderland, where the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats hope to end 40 years of Labour control, will be a crucial “red wall” test.Key results from London will follow, first from Westminster, which is a Labour long shot and where a loss will be disastrous for the Tories who have run the council since 1964.After 5am, it will be revealed whether Labour has managed to retake Southampton from Conservative control and snatch Wandsworth, another flagship London Tory stronghold.All 32 councils in Scotland and all 22 in Wales are holding elections – as well as the Northern Ireland Assembly, where the nationalist Sinn Fein party is poised to secure a historic victory.Mr Johnson voted early at a polling station in Westminster, arriving on foot and waving to reporters, although one perplexed member of the public wondered aloud: “Is that Simon Cowell?”After voting, the prime minister tweeted a video in which he said of his party “it’s Conservatives who deliver, Conservatives who get the bins collected”.Keir Starmer held hands with his wife Victoria as he arrived at a polling station in Kentish Town, north London, to cast his vote in the local elections for Camden Council.The Labour leader tweeted afterwards: “Today is our chance to send the Tories a message they can’t ignore: Britain deserves better.”Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, voting in southwest London, predicted the Conservatives would be punished for failing to ease the pain of fast-rising living costs. More

A domestic abuse charity has urged the government to step in and halt the closure of cash machines with new legislation in next week’s Queen’s Speech.Refuge says the move towards a cashless society is “putting lives at risk” and makes it easier for abusers to control and exploit their victims.Almost a quarter of free-to-use ATMs have vanished since 2018, making it harder for people to get hold of physical money – with many banks also closing local branches.In 2020 ministers promised to protect access to cash, but a consultation launched last year has not yet led to any legislation.One economic abuse survivor, speaking under the pseudonym Katie, told The Independent how her ex-husband “wiped out my bank account” and that cash was her only refuge.“A cash safety net was really important when I tried to flee, he would track my spending so I couldn’t take lots of cash out of a machine in one go as he’d notice and be able to track the location of the cash point,” she said.”I had to save little pockets of cash gradually over time so it wasn’t detected and was easier to hide from him, this gave me confidence to know I was able to support myself and my son.”Katie said the importance of cash was also “really noticeable after I left my abuser and was left with the long-term debt he’d racked up in my name”. “It took ten years to clear the tens of thousands of pounds of debt that I was left with. Debt plans were very intrusive as all my spending was monitored and every penny had to be accounted for,” she said. “Cash was really important at that time as all my spending on my online statements had to be explained, I kept a cash fund of savings that allowed me to have some control and existed as a rainy day fund, it was awful that I had to sneak out my own money so that it was not traceable by debt collectors but it was essential especially as a mother. “She added: “If I didn’t have that cash or wasn’t able to use it, I wouldn’t have been able to give my son that life in his early years nor have some confidence and independence over my own spending which had been controlled by my ex-husband and was now being controlled by debt collectors. It was a very traumatic time but having a safety net of cash was really important throughout that period.” Consumer group Which? has suggested that the financial regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority, could oversee access to cash machines and make sure all areas have easy access to physical money.Last month research by the consumer champion group showed that since 2015, 4,685 bank branches have shut their doors, with a further 226 already scheduled to close by the end of the year – amounting to about half the UK’s total network.Age UK, a charity representing the interests of older people, has has also said millions of older people are at risk of being cut off without action.A consultation produced by the government said that “there may be significant benefit in giving a single authority overall responsibility for setting requirements to ensure that the retail distribution of cash meets the needs of consumers and SMEs”.Ruth Davison, CEO of Refuge, said: “The move towards a cashless society is putting lives at risk. Refuge knows just how vital being able to put aside small amounts of cash can be for survivors of domestic abuse, helping them flee an abusive partner. “Economic abuse plays a huge part in a perpetrators ability to control and monitor their partner, so the move towards digital first banking and away from cash enables perpetrators to monitor the spending of their partners more closely. Worse still, time and again we have heard from many women that they don’t even have access to their own bank accounts, making cash even more vital. “The Government must honour its commitments on access to cash and bring forward legislation that would make accessing cash easier for survivors. It could be the difference between women fleeing an abusive partner or forcing them to stay.” An HM Treasury spokesperson said: “We know that cash remains vital for millions of people and we are committed to protecting access to cash across the UK.“That’s why we have consulted on plans for new laws to make sure people only need to travel a reasonable distance to pay in or take out cash, and have already legislated to enable shops to offer cashback to customers without them having to make a purchase. “We have considered responses to the consultation and will set out next steps in due course.” More

Boris Johnson’s fresh attack on lawyers over attempts to ship asylum seekers to Rwanda has been condemned as “misleading and dangerous”.A legal body warned of “real-life consequences” from the government’s repeated targeting of the legal profession.A man is to stand trial later this year accused of plotting to kill an immigration solicitor in an attempted terror attack on a London law firm.Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, the prime minister said that “liberal-left lawyers will try to make this [Rwanda deal] difficult”.“We always knew this was going to happen,” he added. “I think it’s a humane, compassionate and sensible thing to do. I’m not going to pretend to you that is going to be without legal challenges … but we will get it done.”The Law Society, which represents solicitors in England and Wales, said they “serve the rule of law and keep the government accountable”.President Stephanie Boyce said: “Anyone at risk of such a life-changing order has a right to challenge its legality with the assistance of a lawyer, who has a duty to advise their client on their rights.“It is misleading and dangerous for the prime minister to name-call lawyers who are doing their job and upholding the law.“Attacks like this, from the highest politician in the land, undermine the rule of law and can have real-life consequences.“Britain’s standing internationally is underpinned by our reputation for democracy, fair play and the independence of our legal system.“We should all be proud that we live in a country where legal rights cannot be overridden without due process.”The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, said the government’s own factsheet on the Rwanda deal said that “everyone considered for relocation will have access to legal advice”.Chair Mark Fenhalls QC added: “It is unclear who will be making these decisions, or what criteria they will be applying. But, as the government acknowledges, the lawyers who provide legal advice in such cases will be fulfilling their professional duties. Attacks on men and women for simply doing their jobs are irresponsible and undermine the rule of law.” Theresa May clashes with Priti Patel over Rwanda asylum seeker policyDowning Street previously admitted that there has been no date set for the start of transfers to Rwanda, and that the process could take several months to start.The UN Refugee Agency has vocally opposed the deal, saying it “evades international obligations and is contrary to the letter and spirit of the Refugee Convention”.Legal action by groups Care4Calais, Detention Action and the PCS civil service union – which represents Border Force and Home Office staff – started last week.A pre-action letter challenged the Home Office’s failure to disclose the criteria governing which asylum seekers will be sent to Rwanda, and argued the plans were unlawful and contravene the Refugee Convention.Separately, the charity Freedom From Torture has demanded disclosure of underlying policy documents and says it could launch a judicial review claim.It is seeking information on the policy, risk assessments and documents related to cooperation between the governments of the UK and Rwanda. The prime minister and home secretary have made several public attacks on lawyers since 2020, frequently on issues relating to immigration and asylum.In November, the Lord Chief Justice said all lawyers were subject to the law, professional obligations and codes of conduct.“Lawyers act on instructions from their clients,” he added. “That is what I did, that is what every lawyer does, and everyone is entitled to have their case argued, their case presented.” More

A Tory-linked lobby group campaigning against net zero climate action has received hundreds of thousands of pounds from an oil-rich foundation with large investments in energy firms, it has been revealed.The Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF) – which has close links to Tory MP Steve Baker – refuses to disclose its donors in the UK and says it does not take money from fossil fuel interests.But US tax documents identified by investigative journalists at the OpenDemocracy website show the lobbyists, who also use the brand “Net Zero Watch”, have a donor with $30 million (£24.2 million) shares in 22 companies working across coal, oil and gas.It has also received half a million dollars through a fund linked to the controversial oil billionaire Koch brothers.Labour said the revelations showed US right-wing groups with links to big oil were “desperate to stop action against the climate crisis” and influence UK debate.The group’s US arm, the American Friends of the GWPF, received more than $1.3m from US donors, with at least $864,884 (£679,000) forwarded to the British group over the last four years.Of the £1.45m in charitable donations received by the UK-based group since 2017 at least 45 per cent has come from the US – raising questions about the influence of the American right in Westminster.The donations include $620,259 from the Donors Trust, a secretive organisation that has given hundreds of millions of pounds to more than 100 groups working to cast doubt on the scientific consensus on climate change.That group has received millions from the Koch brothers, who inherited their father’s oil empire. The GWPF claims the Donors Trust is “middleman, matching donors to those seeking funding” and that it was “able to vet [donors with which it was matched] in line with our funding policy”.The UK anti-climate action lobby group also received $210,525 in 2018 and 2020 from the Sarah Scaife Foundation – an organisation set up by the billionaire libertarian heir to an oil and banking dynasty. Greenpeace UK characterises the Global Warming Policy Foundation as an organisation which has “spent the last twenty years campaigning to preserve our addiction to fossil fuels”.Conservative MP Steve Baker is a trustee of the foundation, as is Labour MP Graham Stringer also sits on its board and has questioned the scientific consensus on the climate emergency.Through Mr Baker the group has links 20 Tory MPs and peers, who form the backbench Net Zero Scrutiny Group, which campaigns against net zero plans. Mr Baker and another Tory MP Craig Mackinlay are regularly quoted in press releases from Net Zero Watch – often repeating its talking points.Labour’s shadow secretary Ed Miliband said: “US right-wing groups with links to big oil are desperate to stop action against the climate crisis. Now they are trying to extend their reach into UK political debate.”The Global Warming Policy Foundation rejects the claim that the Sarah Scaife Foundation represented oil interests, telling openDemocracy: “The wealth that ultimately created the Scaife Foundation was created at the end of the nineteenth century and the start of the twentieth. It would be ludicrous to suggest that three generations on, it represents an oil company interest.”Tory MP Steve Baker said: “I understand the GWPF has already given a response to these allegations, which appear to be ridiculous.”It is an extraordinary fact that the same newspapers and commentators who would usually be the first to protest any kind of poverty are wasting the public’s time with these attempts to distract from the real issues at hand. “It would be better if the political world focused their attention on how our current energy strategy has driven up energy prices and contributed to the terrible cost-of-living crisis that so many are experiencing.”The Independent has contacted Mr Baker, the Global Warming Policy Foundation, and Net Zero Watch to offer the opportunity for further comment on this story. More