Markus Andrews

A Conservative peer has called for Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to be included in a wartime coalition government to see Britain through the Ukraine crisis. Lord Patrick Cormack said the Russian invasion was the “most crucial time” since World War II – when the UK had a national government made up of ministers from both main parties.“The time for a national government is, I think now,” said the Tory peer told ITV News after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s historic address to parliament.Urging senior Tory and Labour figures to “get together” and discuss a coalition, Lord Cormack said: “The time is coming when we should think of a national government.“I think Keir Starmer was very good in there today – statesmanlike, patriotic, all the things we expect a leader of the opposition to be.”The peer said: “I think the time should now come when those who hold high positions in both parties should get together. We have to have our priorities in order, and the priority is the defence of democracy and the free world.”He added: “We’ve never had to play and argue for higher stakes, not since the Second World War … We are plunged in deep darkness. It’s the most crucial time we have had in our country’s history since 1939. All politicians should work together.”The last national government seen in Britain was the coalition lead by Winston Churchill between 1940 and 1945, which included Labour and Liberal ministers such as Clement Atlee and Sir Archibald Sinclair.Sir Keir appeared to withdraw his previous calls for Mr Johnson to resign at the weekend, when he called for “unity” in the face of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.Clarifying his remarks on Monday, the Labour leader said: “My position on the prime minister and what I think of him hasn’t changed, I don’t think he’s fit to be prime minister.“But at a time when we’re seeing these desperate scenes from Ukraine, my arguments today, my focus today, is on Ukraine.”Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Zelensky earlier echoed Winston Churchill and compared his country’s fight against Russia to Britain’s battle against the Nazis in an historic address to parliament.The embattled leader said: “We will fight until the end, at sea, in the air. We will continue fighting for our land whatever the cost. We will fight in the forests, in the fields, on the shores, in the streets.”Mr Johnson said the speech had “moved the hearts of everybody”, while Sir Keir added: “He has shown his strength and we must show him, and the Ukrainian people.” More

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky echoed Winston Churchill and compared his country’s fight against Russia to Britain’s battle against the Nazis in an historic address to parliament.The embattled leader urged Boris Johnson to increase the pressure on Vladimir Putin’s regime by going further on sanctions, asking the prime minister to declare Russia a “terrorist state”.Mr Zelensky also repeated his call for a no-fly zone to be established by Britain and its Nato allies, pleading for the UK to “make sure that our Ukrainian skies are safe”.He added: “We are the country that are saving people despite having to fight one of the biggest armies in the world. We have to fight the helicopters, the rockets.”In his 10-minute video address, Mr Zelensky told parliament: “We do not want to lose what we have, what is ours, our country Ukraine, just the same as you did not want to lose your country when the Nazis started to fight your country and you had to fight for Britain.”Echoing Britain’s war leader, the Ukrainian leader said: “We will not give up and we will not lose. We will fight until the end, at sea, in the air. We will continue fighting for our land whatever the cost. We will fight in the forests, in the fields, on the shores, in the streets.”Paraphrasing Shakespeare, he added: “The question for us now is to be or not to be. For 13 days this question could have been asked, but now I can give you a definitive answer. It’s a yes – to be.”Addressing Mr Johnson personally, Mr Zelensky said: “I am grateful to you, Boris. Please increase the pressure of sanctions against this country [Russia] and please recognise this country as a terrorist country. Please make sure that our Ukrainian skies are safe.”The speech to the Commons was greeted before and after by standing ovations from MPs, and speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle praised the “courage” of Mr Zelensky and the people of Ukraine.The prime minister also praised the president’s courage. Mr Johnson said the speech had “moved the hearts of everybody”, adding: “Never before in all our centuries of our parliamentary democracy has the house listened to such an address.”Although he did not address Mr Zelensky’s plea for a no-fly zone, the PM vowed to “press on with supplying our Ukrainian friends with the weapons they need to defend their homeland as they deserve, to press on with tightening the economic vice around Vladimir Putin”.Mr Johnson added: “At this moment ordinary Ukrainians are defending their homes and their families against a brutal assault and they are, by their actions, inspiring millions by their courage and their devotion.”Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said all sides of the house had been “moved by the bravery, the resolve, and the leadership of President Zelensky”, adding: “He has shown his strength and we must show him, and the Ukrainian people.”Sir Keir told the Commons: “He has reminded us that our freedom and our democracy are invaluable. He has prompted a world into action, where too often we have let Putin have his way. He has inspired the Ukrainian nation to resist and frustrated the Russian war machine.”Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said Mr Zelensky deserved an honorary knighthood, and said he “looked forward to the day” when the Ukrainian president would be able to visit the Commons in person.SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford told the Commons: “President Zelensky, we salute you. We stand with the people of Ukraine on the basis of the act of aggression, on the act of war of Putin,” before adding that Ukrainians who need sanctuary must find a “welcoming hand” in the UK.The historic address came shortly after Mr Johnson’s government announced the UK will phase out the import of Russian oil and oil products by the end of 2022 as part of a ratcheting up of sanctions on Moscow for the invasion.The prime minister said the move to phase out Russian oil and gas is an important “first step … it’s something I think is an important thing to do.”Mr Johnson has defended the need for visa checks on refugees fleeing to Britain from Ukraine. “I think having some sort of check, some sort of control is an important feature of the way we do things. It doesn’t mean we aren’t going to be massively, massively generous.” More

Ministers ploughed ahead with international aid cuts despite a warning of the harsh impact on women and girls suffering sexual violence, a leaked document reveals.The secret impact assessment – obtained by a committee of MPs – forecast a big reduction in services to victims of “violence including sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment”.The aid cuts slashed spending on a United Nations contraceptives programme by 40 per cent. 700,000 fewer girls are expected to be supported in education.In the Commons, the foreign secretary Liz Truss was urged to explain why the assessment, from March 2021, was suppressed.Its exposure also raises questions for Dominic Raab, who was foreign secretary when the cuts were being made last year – when he refused to reveal details.In April 2021, Mr Raab told MPs that the equalities assessment “showed no evidence that programmes targeting those with protected characteristics were more likely to be reduced than other programmes”.In fact, ministers knew the cuts were likely to fall hardest on poor and marginalised groups, such as people with disabilities, as well as on gender-based violence programmes and sexual health education.Sarah Champion, chair of the Commons international development committee, called the government’s behaviour “appalling”.“Our committee was denied access to the equalities assessment, seemingly for ministers to dodge the humiliation of admitting their own aid cuts undermined the government’s key development objective: to support women and girls.“To deny parliamentary scrutiny of key documents showing who was impacted by the aid cuts is simply shameful. The public have a right to know how their taxes are spent, and the advice ministers are given.”The government broke a manifesto pledge by slashing £4bn a year from overseas aid spending, a reduction – from 0.7 to 0.5 per cent of national income – that will not be restored until 2024 at the earliest.The cut came back to bite Boris Johnson at the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow, when the UK was accused of undermining its claims of leadership on tackling the climate emergency.Meanwhile, the “minister for international development” has been handed eight other jobs, prompting protests a promise to protect the UK’s aid effort has been broken.The assessment warned of “a significant reduction in the number and size of targeted programme activities aimed at reaching those furthest behind – including women, girls and people with disabilities”.The cuts would also “reduce services available to women and girls who are subject to sexual violence, including sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment”.Rose Caldwell, chief executive of the charity Plan International UK, said: “Even as the government made the shameful decision to cut overseas aid, it was aware of the severe impact this would have on women and girls.”Stephanie Draper, chief executive of Bond, the UK network of aid organisations, said: “It’s saddening that the harmful impact of the aid cuts on women and girls was known before it happened – and that nothing was done.” More

Good Morning Britain reflects on women of Ukraine on International Women’s DayPriti Patel has been condemned by cross-party MPs for telling the Commons on Monday that a visa centre had been set up in Calais to help Ukrainian refugees trying to enter the UK – a claim now known to be false.Roger Gale, a senior MP in the home secretary’s own party, went as far as suggesting she should resign over the matter. “The home secretary said yesterday that a visa centre had already been set up in Calais,” he said. “This was untrue and under any normal administration that would be a resigning matter.”Meanwhile, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper added that Ms Patel should have come to the Commons herself on Tuesday – instead of sending her colleague Kevin Foster – to be scrutinised.It comes after No 10 admitted that Ukrainians trapped in Calais would need to travel 70 miles to Lille to find out if they are even eligible to be given a UK visa, despite Ms Patel’s claims 24 hours earlier. Elsewhere, Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky will address the Commons later today via video link.Show latest update

1646750616Boris Johnson to announce move away from Russian oil and gas – reportBoris Johnson will make an announcement at around 4pm today on reducing dependence on Russian oil and gas imports, according to Politico reporter Alex Wickham.The prime minister said yesterday that the world could not simply stop using oil and gas from Russia but it could take a “step-by-step” approach away from reliance.Downing Street denied suggestions the government could relax its targets for achieving net zero or lifting the moratorium on fracking in response to the crisis.US president Joe Biden is expected to announce a ban on Russian oil in remarks at 3.45pm (10.45am ET), sources familiar with the matter said.Liam James8 March 2022 14:431646749588John Bercow suspended by Labour after report brands him ‘serial bully’Former Commons speaker John Bercow has been suspended from the Labour Party after an independent probe branded him a “serial bully”.It is understood the party will now conduct its own investigation.Mr Bercow receieved a lifetime ban from holding a parliamentary pass due the bullying probe’s findings. He was also found to be a “serial liar”.Updates from Ashley Cowburn here:Liam James8 March 2022 14:261646749187Liz Truss claim that Labour tried to slow down oligarch sanction ‘does not stand up to scrutiny’Anneliese Dodds hit back at accusations levelled against her by Liz Truss that she tried to slow down the UK’s ability to sanction individual Russians.The Labour frontbencher suggested the foreign secretary had made up claims against her.She said: “The accusations the foreign secretary made against me do not stand up to scrutiny – I’m using parliamentary language here.”She went on: “At no point did I seek to slow down the government’s ability to sanction indiciduals who pose a threat to the UK,”“Quite the opposite.”She said she pushed for sanctions against Russian oligarchs, “which were actually then blocked by the Conservative government who shut down the relevant committee debate after half an hour to prevent the issue being put to a vote”.Liam James8 March 2022 14:191646747637Government ‘misread’ UK on refugee approach, says Lib Dem Tim Farron, the former Lib Dem leader, appears to accuse the Home Office of misreading the country’s approach to welcoming refugees. He says, like other MPs, he has been inundated by people offering to sponsor refugees. But they cannot, because the scheme has not been set up.Foster repeats his point about how the government is working “at pace” to rectify this.After a few more questions on the point, the urgent question session is over. Now over to a point of order concerning foreign secretary Liz Truss. Sam Hancock8 March 2022 13:531646747198Lucas condemns Patel for failing to come to CommonsCaroline Lucas, the Green MP, has condemned the home secretary for sending a colleague – Home Office minister Kevin Foster – to the Commons after “yesterday’s day of chaos, confusion & wrong information from her on cruel & unjust policy”.Sam Hancock8 March 2022 13:461646747078Ukraine: Family visa scheme extended to include cousins and in-lawsIn some good news, the UK has said it is extending its family visa scheme for Ukrainian refugees to include aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and in-laws.The announcement was made in the House of Commons by Home Office minister Kevin Foster, who claimed that the government was making “significant progress” in responding to the refugee crisis and had now processed more than 500 Ukrainian applicants for sanctuary in the UK.Our political editor Andrew Woodcock reports:Sam Hancock8 March 2022 13:441646746993Tory MP says ‘days not weeks’ needed for sponsorship schemeOver to Mark Harper, the former Tory minister, in the Commons, who says he appreciates the difficulties Foster and the Home Office faces. But he adds the government needs to act more quickly. He says he was concerned by Foster’s suggestion that it might take weeks or months for the Ukrainian sponsorship scheme to be set up. He says it should happen more quickly. Foster says he would like to hear an announcement by Thursday at the latest. “This should be a matter of days, not weeks,” he insists.Sam Hancock8 March 2022 13:431646746895Watch: Senior Tory calls on Patel to resignSir Roger Gale has tweeted a clip of the moment he suggested Priti Patel should resign over the erroneous claims she made about a visa centre in Calais. Here it is:Sam Hancock8 March 2022 13:411646746817Leadsom condemns Labour for ‘jeering’ at security concernsFollowing my last post, Dame Andrea Leadsom, the former Tory cabinet minister, says it is “shocking” to hear opposition MPs jeering at the argument that checks are needed to protect Britons from Salisbury-style attacks. But she admits she is concerned about the speed at which visa applications are being processed.Sam Hancock8 March 2022 13:401646745243Home Office: Ukrainians need visas because govt won’t ‘take chances’ with securityKevin Foster, who is in the Commons representing the Home Office, has made repeated claims during this session that the government has to be selective at the borders due to the high number of people supposedly masquerading as Ukrainian refugees.He says visas are required for security reasons, and that there have been cases of people using false documents and claiming to be Ukrainian.“With incidents like Salisbury still in our minds, the government’s will not take chances with the security of this country and our people, our friends in the United States, Canada and Australia are rightly taking the same approach as we are,” he tells MPs.He is referring to the infamous Salisbury poisonings, carried out by Russian agents. For context, EU countries are not requiring Ukrainains to obtain visas to enter, whereas the UK is. Sam Hancock8 March 2022 13:14 More

The UK is extending its family visa scheme for Ukrainian refugees to include aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and in-laws.The announcement was made in the House of Commons by Home Office minister Kevin Foster, who claimed that the government was making “significant progress” in responding to the refugee crisis and had now processed more than 500 Ukrainian applicants for sanctuary in the UK.But the minister – who suggested at the outset of the invasion that Ukrainians fleeing war could apply for visas to pick fruit in the UK – was blasted by shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper.She condemned the Home Office for a bureaucratic and “chaotic” response which had seen hundreds of desperate people turned away at Calais as they tried to reach the UK.And Mr Foster faced a hail of criticism from MPs who said their constituents had been unable to bring Ukrainian relatives to safety in the UK.Tory Tracey Crouch said MPs had been advised to tell people seeking help to go to the city of Rzeszow in Poland for biometric tests, but added: “Word on the ground is that there are no biometric appointments in Rzeszow until the end of next month.”Labour MP Labour MP Clive Efford said he had heard that one visa centre in Poland had closed its doors.“It’s no longer allowing walk-in appointments,” he told MPs. “It’s 81 degrees outside, there’s an 81-year-old woman outside and women and children.“There’s plenty of room inside but they won’t open the doors. This is complete chaos and unacceptable.”And SNP MP for Motherwell Marion Fellows said a constituent had been trying since 12 February to bring his wife to join him in Scotland but had been “lost in the system”. She said he had gone to Rzeszow, but found the unit was able to process only seven people in a day and he was told to go to the embassy in Warsaw instead. Ms Cooper welcomed the extension of the family visa scheme, which was initially limited to spouses, partners, children under 18 and parents of under-18s but was later expanded to include grandparents and children over 18.But she told the Commons that the Home Office should now “issue emergency visas for Ukrainians – all family but not just family – so they can come here and the UK can do our historic bit to help refugees fleeing war in Europe, as we’ve done before”.Mr Foster rejected calls for visas to be waived, telling MPs that people had already been detected at Calais with false documents, trying to get through immigration checks by pretending to be Ukrainian.He suggested that this might be a route for Russia to infiltrate dangerous people into the UK.To groans of disbelief from opposition MPs, Mr Foster said: “I appreciate that some may think that’s not an issue, but we only need to look at some of the statements coming out the Kremlin to see which countries are very much in the crosshairs of Mr Putin’s Russian regime.”In reference to the poison attack on former spy Sergei Skripal in Salisbury in 2018, he urged MPs to “look back a short period of time to see the impact on this country of attacks by those pretending they came here to look at a cathedral spire”.But Scottish National Party home affairs spokesperson Stuart McDonald retorted: “Don’t quote Salisbury at us. That has absolutely nothing to do with this.”And Tory former minister Caroline Nokes derided Mr Foster’s claim that the Home Office was moving “at pace” to help Ukrainians, telling him: “Snails also move at a pace.”Conservative MP Steve Brine said: “Surely we are past the time for the UK saying we’re going to have a generous scheme. It’s time to deliver a generous scheme. “The family scheme is too slow. The humanitarian response visa is still in design… At the very least can we have a very simple online gateway up and running tomorrow, where constituents who want to help can at least register their interest? There’s so much compassion and want to help, and people are not able to do so.”The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page. More

Former Commons speaker John Bercow has been suspended from the Labour Party after a highly critical independent probe branded him a “serial bully”.The former Tory MP, who left the Commons in 2019, announced last year he had joined Sir Keir Starmer’s party, labelling the Conservatives “reactionary, populist, nationalistic and sometimes even xenophobic”.But The Independent understands Mr Bercow’s membership has now been suspended – pending the outcome of an internal Labour probe – after a damning inquiry by the Independent Expert Panel (IEP) into bullying claims.Published on Tuesday, the 89-page report upheld 21 allegations against Mr Bercow across three complainants, and concluded his behaviour “had no place in any workplace”.Mr Bercow’s conduct was “so serious that he should never be allowed a pass to the Parliamentary estate; and that if he were still a MP it would have recommended expelling him from the House”, the IEP said.The sanction means he becomes the second former MP to have the privilege of retaining a pass to the parliamentary estate revoked for life after the ex-Labour MP Keith Vaz faced a similar sanction in 2019.The probe by the IEP was launched after Mr Bercow appealed the findings of an initial investigation by Kathryn Stone, the parliamentary commissioner for standards, who had upheld 21 allegations made by Lord Lisvane, the former clerk of the Commons, and private secretaries Kate Emms and Angus Sinclair.They included events between 2009 and 2015, with the report detailing verbal abuse, displays of anger and “undermining behaviour” against Mr Sinclair.Ms Stone also upheld allegations made by Ms Emms, a current member of the House staff, who had claimed Mr Bercow mimicked her, created an “intimidating and hostile environment”, and was responsible for “intimidating, insulting behaviour involving an abuse of power” towards her. The former Commons speaker, who left the post in 2019 and was at the centre of heated rows during the divisive Brexit votes, denies the allegations of bullying and in a statement today said the investigation was a “travesty of justice”.But the IEP sub-panel chaired by Sir Stephen Irwin said: “The findings of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, which we have upheld, show that the respondent has been a serial bully.“Like many bullies, he had those whom he favoured and those whom he made victims. His evidence in the investigations, the findings of the Commissioner, and his submissions to us, show also that the respondent has been a serial liar.“His behaviour fell very far below that which the public has a right to expect from any Member of Parliament.It added: “The ICGS Bullying and Harassment Policy was breached repeatedly and extensively by the most senior Member of the House of Commons.“In all, 21 separate allegations were proved and have been upheld. The House may feel that his conduct brought the high office of Speaker into disrepute.“This was behaviour which had no place in any workplace. Members of staff in the House should not be expected to have to tolerate it as part of everyday life.”In a further statement today, the former MP Mr Bercow said: “Parliament is supposed to be the highest court in the land. This inquiry, which lasted a ghastly 22 months at great cost to the taxpayer, has failed dismally. More

The UK is facing a hefty fine from Brussels after a European court ruling that it was negligent in allowing EU markets to be flooded with cheap Chinese-made clothes and shoes.The European Court of Justice found that Britain had “failed to fulfil its obligations” on customs controls while an EU member by failing to “combat fraud with regards to undervalued imports of textiles and footwear from China”.However, the court rejected the European Commission’s demand for fines totalling 2.7bn euros (£2.2bn), ordering Brussels to recalculate the level of losses suffered before the penalty is fixed.The failures by HM Revenue and Customs date back to the period 2011-17, and despite Brexit the UK is still liable for breaches of EU law committed during its membership.The EU’s anti-fraud office Olaf said British authorities had allowed criminals to evade customs duties by making false claims about clothes and shoes imported from China. More than half of textiles and footwear were “below the lowest acceptable price”, it found.The Luxembourg court found that Olaf had informed EU member states as early as 2007 of the risk of “extreme undervaluation” of these products by Chinese shell companies registered for the sole purpose of “giving fraudulent transactions the appearance of legitimacy”.The UK declined to participate in a EU-wide scheme to tackle the problem, arguing that its checks for undervalued goods were disproportionate to the scale of the issue.Olaf argued that “inadequate” checks in the UK encouraged the shift of fraudulent operations from other member-states to the UK.In a statement released today, the court said: “The United Kingdom has failed to fulfil its obligations under EU law by failing to apply effective customs control measures or to enter in the accounts the correct amounts of customs duties, and accordingly to make available to the Commission the correct amount of traditional own resources in respect of certain imports of textiles and footwear from China”.The ruling said the full amounts involved have not yet been established “to the requisite legal standard”, adding it is now for the Commission to “recalculate the losses of EU own resources remaining due by taking account of the findings of the court regarding the quantum of the losses and the value to be attributed to them”.A UK government spokesperson said: “We will consider the judgment in full and respond in due course to the European Commission.”Throughout, we’ve made the case that we took reasonable and proportionate steps to tackle the fraud in question and that the Commission vastly overstated the size and severity of the alleged fraud.”The UK has always and continues to take customs fraud very seriously and evolves its response as new threats emerge.” More

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will speak live to Britain’s Parliament via video link on Tuesday afternoon about the brutal invasion of his country by Vladimir Putin’s Russia and the ensuing refugee crisis in Eastern Europe.Mr Zelensky will address MPs in the House of Commons from 5pm after the speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, had screens returned to the chamber for the first time since the pandemic’s work-from-home orders were in place in order to host him.“Every parliamentarian wants to hear directly from the president, who will be speaking to us live from Ukraine, so this is an important opportunity for the House,” Sir Lindsay said.Mr Zelensky’s speech will be broadcast live on Indy TV, on BBC Parliament and the major news networks and otherwise covered extensively online across The Independent.MPs will wear headsets to hear a translation of his remarks but will not be invited to submit questions.Mr Zelensky, a former sitcom actor and comedian who was elected in May 2019, has become the unlikely face of the resistance and a hero across the world over the last 13 days for his brave leadership of Ukraine against unprovoked Russian military aggression.Despite the very real threat to his own life – Mr Zelensky’s assassination is believed to be a key priority for Mr Putin, determined to deal a devastating blow to Ukrainian morale – he has rejected multiple invitations to flee in order to remain in Kyiv with his fellow citizens, projecting a weary but defiant calm, speaking frankly about the horrors unfolding and calling on the international community to do more to intervene and bring an end to Russian hostilites.He has worked hard to rally his fellow countrymen and women, posting regular videos to social media in which he often appears in the streets of the capital alongside his ministers and advisers clad in military green, an approach that poses a stark contrast to the old-fashioned, dead-eyed television addresses of Mr Putin from the Kremlin, casting the former as a 21st century man of the people and the latter as an isolated Soviet throwback.While the UK has continued to supply Ukraine with military aid and weapons and has hit Russia with tough economic sanctions, Mr Zelensky is expected to appeal once again to Boris Johnson’s government to support a no-fly zone over his country and to take in more refugees, the UK’s dismal record on offering asylum so far falling well below that of other countries like Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Moldova.His repeated requests for a no-fly zone is the more complicated issue because, while its implementation would effectively eliminate the threat posed by the Russian Air Force, it would require policing by Nato jets, which Moscow would consider an act of war, potentially triggering a much greater conflict over Europe.It is rare for foreign leaders to address the House of Commons but not unheard of.Barack Obama, Angela Merkel and Aung San Suu Kyi have all done so in the past but Donald Trump – who famously tried to extort Mr Zelensky in 2019, threatening to withhold American military aid unless he was presented with “dirt” on his election rival and eventual successor Joe Biden, leading to his first impeachment – was banned from taking to the lectern by then-speaker John Bercow in 2017. More