Markus Andrews

A Conservative MP facing bankruptcy proceedings following action by the HM Revenue & Customs has been more time to raise money by a judge.The case of Adam Afriyie, the Tory MP Windsor, was heard in the specialist Insolvency and Companies Court after the HMRC filed a bankruptcy petition against him.Judge Sally Barber approved a plan to give the MP more time to sell his “main private residence” to help pay his debts, saying the case would be reviewed in three months.The judge was told that the property set to be sold Mr Afriyie had a mortgage of about £3m.Details of the amount Mr Afriyie is said to owe to the HMRC and others did not emerge. The court heard that there were a number of creditors, but that the main creditor was the tax authority.News of possible bankruptcy proceedings involving Mr Afriyie first emerged in late 2019. In November last year it emerged that HMRC has filed a petition for bankruptcy against him in a dispute related to “past business interests”.The backbencher said in November that he was challenging the HMRC’s petition and hoped the matter could still be resolved without bankruptcy.Mr Afriyie, who has held his seat since 2005, said: “I will of course pay any tax that is due.”The MP set up the IT firm Connect Support Services in 1993. But the firm went into insolvency in 2017 – having reportedly substantial mounted up debts with HMRC.Connect Support Services is a creditor in Mr Afriyie’s bankruptcy case, according to The Guardian, which first reported on the HMRC’s petition last year.Any MP with a bankrupt restriction order must step aside under parliamentary rules – sparking speculation that Mr Afriyie may have to step aside in his Windsor seat.Earlier this year the Lib Dems announced Julian Tisi as the party’s parliamentary candidate to contest Mr Afriyie seat in preparation for any potential by-election.But Mr Afriyie insisted he would fight the next contest: “Let me be clear. There is not going to be a by-election in Windsor before the next general election,” he said in January.The MP, who is in his 50s, did not appear at Tuesday’s hearing, but the judge heard from a lawyer representing him.A background section on his website says: “Adam is known for his thoughtfulness, honesty and plain-speaking style.“Born in 1965 to a white English mother and a black Ghanaian father, Adam was brought up by his mother in social housing in South London.” More

Voters across the UK will head to the polls on Thursday 5 May for another round of local elections.More than 4,000 council seats in England are being contested, 1,200 in both Scotland and Wales and all 90 seats of the Northern Ireland Assembly in contention.Most of those seats were last fought in 2018, when Theresa May was still prime minister, Jeremy Corbyn and Sir Vince Cable were her challengers, Britain was still in the European Union and both the coronavirus pandemic and war in Ukraine were inconceivable to most.Now, with lingering anger over “Partygate” compounded by the eruption of new Westminster sleaze allegations and concern over the cost of living crisis only growing, the public is widely expected to cast its ballots as a verdict on Boris Johnson’s scandal-ridden leadership.Around 48.8 million people have registered to vote, according to the Office for National Statistics, with the deadline passing on 14 April in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and on 18 April in Scotland.Here is everything else you need to know about your voting status ahead of Election Day 2022. More

Sir Keir Starmer has said police in Durham have not contacted him again after closing an investigation into an alleged breach of lockdown rules.The Labour leader has been under pressure from Tory MPs over the beer and takeaway meal he and team consumed during a campaign meeting last April in a Durham constituency office.Although he appeared to avoid the question of whether or not Durham Constabulary had been in contact again on Tuesday, Sir confirmed on Wednesday they the force had not been back in touch.Speaking to ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, he said of the police: “I think they put out a statement last week saying they’re not reinvestigating, and they haven’t spoken to me.”Defending the takeaway meal on 30 April, he said the Labour team had “got on with their work” and again insisted that no Tier 2 rules in place at the time were broken.Starmer also denied an electoral pact with the Lib Dems and refused to commit to reversing the government’s hike in national insurance, saying Labour “can’t possibly set out in detail what we will do” this far from a general election.But he received the toughest grilling over the so-called “beergate” saga. “Restaurants and pubs were closed, so takeaways were really the only way you could eat,” the Labour leader told GMB.Sir Keir added: “So, this was brought in and at various points people went through the kitchen, got a plate, had some food to eat and got on with their work.”At the time of the gathering, non-essential retail and outdoor venues including pub gardens were open but social distancing rules, which included a ban on indoor mixing between households, remained in place.Durham Constabulary has been asked by Tory MP Richard Holden to reconsider their assessment that no offence was committed during the meeting. The force has acknowledged receipt of his letter.Enough food to feed around 30 people was reportedly at the campaign event in Labour MP Mary Foy’s constituency office. “Did all 30 really go back to work after they finished their biryanis? If not, they have breached the rules and police should investigate,” Mr Holden tweeted.However, barrister and Covid regulation expert Adam Wagner has said it the takeaway meal could be viewed as “reasonably necessary for work”.But Labour’s shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said there is a “world of difference” between the industrial scale of rule-breaking at No 10 and Labour leaders’ so-called “Beergate” saga.“Durham has been clear, there’s no case to answer. It didn’t break the rules and the Tory mudslinging is to try and distract from the rule-breaking at No 10 but also from the cost-of-living crisis,” she told BBC Breakfast.Meanwhile, Starmer told GMB that he still believed that the hike in national insurance was “wrong tax at the wrong time”, but would not spell out how he would match the expected extra annual revenue raised by the health and care levy.“We will set out our plans when we get to the election in full, we’ve set out the principles that we will apply, it will be a fair taxation system, particularly for working people. At this stage two years out, I don’t know what the state of the economy will be.” More

Cabinet minister George Eustice has suggested that struggling families use value brands to save money, but ruled out a windfall levy on oil and gas firms by arguing that fossil fuel giants pay enough tax already.The environment secretary said prices would continue to rise at the supermarket and will “undoubtedly put pressure” on household budgets amid the cost of living crisis.Asked what hard-pressed families could do, he told Sky News: “Generally what people find is going for some of the value brands, rather than own-branded products they can actually contain and manage their household budget.”Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner responded by tweeting: “Let them eat value cake? The Tories haven’t got a clue.”Mr Eustice claimed that “the price of food in and of itself doesn’t necessary cause poverty”, but acknowledged that the combination of “very sharp rise in energy costs” and other price hikes were placing a huge burden on people.However, the minister insisted that oil and gas companies already paid enough tax as he rejected growing calls for a levy on their windfall profits. “We need to see them investing,” said Mr Eustice.BP announced on Tuesday that its underlying quarterly profits more than doubled to £5bn thanks to the rocketing cost of crude. But Mr Eustice said the company already makes a “significant contribution”.It comes as Boris Johnson’s government comes under growing pressure to provide more support to ease the pressure on household finances.On Tuesday the prime minister pointed to the £200 “rebate” loan set out by the chancellor Rishi Sunak earlier this year – but admitted it isn’t going to be enough immediately to help cover everybody”.Mr Eustice conceded the £200 rebate was simply a “loan” – but insisted it will help people pay bills this year.Defending the chancellor over the failure to provide more help with bills, he said: “We can’t just keep borrowing huge amounts more money. … There’s a real risk inflation would rise further still.”The environment secretary was also asked about the case of 77-year-old ITV viewer called Elsie – who travels on buses all day to reduce her bills.“In that particular case, I really would advise the woman would be to go to the local authority and try to get some support from that Household Support Fund – it’s what it’s there for,” Mr Eustice said.The minister conceded the £200 rebate for energy bills was simply a “loan” – but insisted it will help people pay bills this year.Asked if BP and other oil and gas firms pay enough tax, he told Sky News: “For now, yes. And that’s why we’ve chosen not to do it [a windfall tax].”He told Sky News the situation would be kept under review but “for now we judge that, yes, it is right that these oil companies pay more and they already do pay more – the headline rate of income tax or corporation tax is already 10 per cent higher.”The minister added: “Nothing’s ever obviously ruled out, the tax system is kept under constant review, we have two key fiscal events a year.” More

The latest round of local elections takes place in the UK on Thursday 5 May, with 4,000 council seats in England being contested, 1,200 in both Scotland and Wales and all 90 seats of the Northern Ireland Assembly in contention.Most of those seats were last fought in 2018, when Theresa May was still prime minister, Jeremy Corbyn and Sir Vince Cable were her challengers, Britain was still in the European Union and both the coronavirus pandemic and war in Ukraine were inconceivable to most.Now, with lingering anger over “Partygate” compounded by the eruption of new Westminster sleaze allegations and concern over the cost of living crisis only growing, the public is widely expected to cast its ballots as a verdict on Boris Johnson’s scandal-ridden leadership.The PM’s handling of the Covid pandemic is also likely to be a motivating consideration, as is the prospect of change represented by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, although some constituencies will be dominated by more specific issues of their own, from waste collection and infrastructure to immigration.The deadline for registering to vote passed on 14 April in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and on 18 April in Scotland.If you were registered in time, you should have received a polling card through the post informing you of the location of your nearest ballot box.However, you are not required to bring the card with you to the polling station on Thursday as it is not considered proof of registration.Instead, you will simply be expected to give your name to a volunteer who will cross you off their list before inviting you to proceed.If you have lost your card and do not know where your polling station is, you can simply check out the Electoral Commission website and enter your postcode, where a wealth of tailored information is available.For more on this year’s local elections, The Independent has all you need to know about voting, how you can find out about what is happening in your local area, more information on the national picture by region, as well as a guide to when the results will be announced.We will be covering the local elections in depth this week and liveblogging both voting day itself and the aftermath on Friday once the results have been counted and compiled. More

Local elections are again being held in the UK on Thursday 5 May, with 4,000 council seats in England being contested across 146 local authorities against a backdrop of outrage over the “Partygate” scandal, fresh allegations of sleaze and sexism in Westminster and with the cost of living crisis a growing concern.In both Scotland and Wales, 1,200 seats are up for grabs across 32 and 22 councils respectively as citizens cast their vote on who should run the public services they rely on every day, from waste collection to library and park maintenance.Meanwhile, all 90 seats of the Northern Ireland Assembly are in contention, with five members being elected in each of the country’s 18 constituencies.Thursday’s events will also see four new councils involved for the first time – unitary authorities in North Yorkshire, Somerset and two in Cumbria – and seven mayoral positions up for consideration.The public is widely expected to cast its ballots as a verdict on Boris Johnson’s scandal-ridden leadership, the prime minister’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and the prospect of change represented by Sir Keir Starmer – or in reaction to other issues of particular regional significance, from immigration to infrastructure.To find exactly what is happening in your constituency this week, visit the Electoral Commission website and enter your postcode.From there, you will be invited to confirm your postal address, after which you will be presented with all the information you need about the candidates in contention and the location and opening hours of your nearest polling station.The Independent meanwhile has all you need to know about voting, more information on the national picture by region as well as a guide on when the results will be announced.We will be covering the local elections in depth this week and liveblogging both voting day itself and the aftermath on Friday once the results have been counted and compiled. More

Boris Johnson ‘out of touch’ over cost of living crisis, says Keir StarmerAngela Rayner claims Tory election candidates are ashamed to be linked with the prime minister, by running as “local Conservatives” and pleading with voters not to “punish” them for the Partygate scandal.“It speaks volumes that Boris Johnson’s own Conservative candidates are ashamed to be associated with him and trying to pull the wool over voters’ eyes,” Labour’s deputy leader said.The extraordinary attempts by some candidates to distance themselves from Mr Johnson’s troubles are revealed in election leaflets for the nationwide polls on Thursday.Earlier, she claimed the Conservatives hadn’t “got a clue” about the cost of living crisis after a government minister suggested poorer families buy value brands to save on food bills.George Eustice, the environment secretary, said: “Generally speaking, what people find is by going for some sort of value brand rather than own branded products they can actually contain and manage their household budget.”Show latest update

1651675352Sinn Fein eyes historic win in Northern IrelandIf opinion polls are right, tomorrow’s local elections will lead to Sinn Fein becoming the largest group in the 90-seat Northern Ireland Assembly, giving the nationalist party the post of first minister for the first time:Jane Dalton4 May 2022 15:421651674332Press watchdog rejects complaints over Mail’s Rayner articleThe press watchdog has rejected all complaints about an article claiming Angela Rayner crossed and uncrossed her legs in the Commons in a bid to distract Boris Johnson.The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) received more than 6,000 complaints.Jane Dalton4 May 2022 15:251651672839How local elections could make or break Boris JohnsonHanging on to the keys of Downing Street is not the only political challenge facing the prime minister, writes John Curtice.Read his full piece here: Matt Mathers4 May 2022 15:001651672239Senior Tory: Ukraine policy would get ‘stronger’ if PM replacedBritain’s support for Ukraine would get even “stronger” if Boris Johnson were to be replaced as prime minister, a senior Tory has claimed.Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the defence committee, spoke to BBC politics earlier and was asked whether it would be wise to remove Mr Johnson while the war continues in Ukraine.Mr Ellwood has publicly called for the PM to resign after being found to have broken Covid laws.More comments below: Matt Mathers4 May 2022 14:501651672229Tories ‘ashamed’ of Johnson linksLabour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner says Conservative candidates in tomorrow’s local elections are ashamed to be connected to Boris Johnson.Jane Dalton4 May 2022 14:501651671339 ‘Beergate’ is Tory mudslinging, Starmer insistsSir Keir Starmer would not be drawn on providing further details in relation to allegations he broke lockdown rules while out campaigning on the last day before the elections.The Labour leader has come under pressure since footage emerged of him drinking a beer with colleagues in April 2021 in Durham during campaigning for the Hartlepool by-election.Sir Keir said he wanted to focus on the cost-of-living crisis and not Conservative “mudslinging”.Asked if Durham Police have contacted him in recent days, Sir Keir said: “I have not had contact from Durham Police and I think people are just about fed up with the mudslinging that’s going on.”We know there’s elections coming, we know what the Conservatives are up to. What we need to do, I think, is focus on the issue in hand, which is the cost of living.”Asked what he was doing at 11pm in Durham on the night in question, and if he went back to work having eaten, he said: “We were working, we stopped, we ate. “No breach of the rules. No party. And I think that’s enough for the mudslinging from the Tories on this.”Matt Mathers4 May 2022 14:351651670439Tories ‘ashamed’ to be linked to PM, says LabourAngela Rayner MP, Labour’s deputy leader has responded to reports that Tory council election candidates as running as “local Conservatives”, our politics reporter, Adam Forrest , writes.“It speaks volumes that Boris Johnson’s own Conservative candidates are ashamed to be associated with him and trying to pull the wool over voters’ eyes,” she said.“With no answers to the cost of living crisis, Tory candidates are trying to hide from their own government’s record.”Matt Mathers4 May 2022 14:201651669416Ed Davey – BP has called government’s ‘bluff’ on windfall taxOil and gas giant BP has called the government’s “bluff” on calls for a windfall tax on profits to help people struggling with their energy bills, Ed Davey has claimedThe Liberal Democrat leader spoke to Sky News following comments by BP chief executive Bernard Looney, who said the firm would still invest in the UK even if it was hit with the tax.He did, however, say that the policy could result in job losses and hit pensions.Prime minister Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, have both ruled out a windfall tax on energy companies, saying it would deter investment in renewable energy.More comments for Mr Davey below: Matt Mathers4 May 2022 14:031651668654Starmer: Tories have ‘no answers’ on cost of living crisisBoris Johnson’s government has “no answers” to the cost of living crisis, Keir Starmer has claimed.The Labour leader spoke to Sky News earlier on the final day of campaigning before the local elections.More comments from Mr Starmer below: Matt Mathers4 May 2022 13:501651667937Breaking: Neil Parish officially resigns after watching porn in CommonsNeil Parish has formally resigned as an MP after admitting watching pornography in the Commons, the Treasury has announced.Our politics correspondent Ashley Cowburn has this breaking story: Matt Mathers4 May 2022 13:38 More

Some energy suppliers have excessively hiked customers’ direct debit payments beyond what is required, the business secretary has said as he gave them a three-week deadline to explain themselves or face “substantial fines”. Household energy bills have soared in the UK after the regulator Ofgem raised its price cap by 54 per cent in April in response to a record rise in wholesale gas prices – bringing an average increase of £693. But the regulator warned a fortnight later that it had seen “troubling signs” of “bad practices” by some suppliers, including potentially “increasing direct debit payments by more than is necessary”, amid reports that some customers have seen their payments double – or even triple.In a blog post on 14 April, Ofgem’s chief executive, Jonathan Brearley, said there were also concerns regarding some suppliers’ “troubling” treatment of vulnerable customers when they fall into difficulties, and of firms potentially “directing customers to tariffs that may not be in their best interest”.Mr Brearley said Ofgem was commissioning a series of market compliance reviews that would include “stricter supervision of how direct debits are handled” by suppliers and ensure they are “held to higher standards for overall performance on customer service and protecting vulnerable customers”.Upping the ante on Tuesday afternoon, Kwasi Kwarteng outright accused some suppliers of “increasing direct debits beyond what is required” – and said some could face “substantial fines”.He said: “Some energy suppliers have been increasing direct debits beyond what is required.“I can confirm Ofgem has today issued compliance reviews. Suppliers have three weeks to respond. The regulator will not hesitate to swiftly enforce compliance, including issuing substantial fines.”Dozens of energy suppliers have collapsed in the UK in the space of little more than a year, leaving behind millions of customers, and potentially adding billions of pounds to the cost of energy bills.But Mr Brearley claimed last month that “one of the root causes of the failures of many of those suppliers” is related to the way that they have managed the money paid to them by customers.The Ofgem chief accused some firms of using customer credit balances “to prop up their finances, enabling them to follow more risky business models with reduced financial resilience and higher likelihood of failure”.A spokesperson for Energy UK, which represents energy companies, told the BBC on Tuesday: “Suppliers are required to set [direct debits] at a fair and reasonable level based on the customer’s individual circumstances, taking into account factors like previous energy use or record with previous payments.“It is right that the regulator is looking to ensure that suppliers are complying with those requirements. Customers who do have concerns with the level of their direct debit payments should contact their supplier.”Inflation and the cost of living crisis have emerged as the top issues in local elections across the UK on Thursday, and Boris Johnson has faced increasing calls from opposition parties to impose a windfall tax on energy giants to ease the burden of household bills.But Cabinet divisions over such a move were exposed this week, as Mr Kwarteng argued firmly against an “arbitrary” windfall tax, just days after the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, indicated he was ready to consider the move.Pressed repeatedly over the idea in interviews on Tuesday, Mr Johnson rejected the move, saying: “If you start whacking huge taxes on business, in the end you deter investment and you slow down growth.”“If BP wants to pay a windfall tax then that’s another matter but the clear advice we have is that we need those big companies to invest,” he told Times Radio, adding: “We are in constant discussion with them.” More