Markus Andrews

British lawmakers voted Wednesday not to suspend a Conservative legislator who was found to have broken lobbying rules — a decision that instantly brought accusations of corruption from opponents of the Conservative government.The House of Commons voted by 250 to 232 not to approve the 30-day suspension of Owen Paterson recommended by the Commons standards committee. It is the first time in decades that lawmakers have not followed through on the standards committee’s decisions.Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Kathryn Stone said last month that Paterson lobbied the government in 2016 and 2017 on behalf of two companies that were paying him — the clinical diagnostics company Randox and the meat-processing firm Lynn’s Country Foods.The Commons Standards Committee said Paterson’s actions were an “egregious case of paid advocacy” and had “brought the House into disrepute.” It recommended that he be suspended from the House of Commons for 30 sitting days. Paterson, a former environment minister who has been a member of Parliament since 1997, called the investigation “biased” and said he had not been allowed to present his own evidence. He said anxiety about the probe played a part in the death of his wife Rose, who killed herself in 2020.Paterson’s cause gained support from many other Conservatives, who secured Wednesday’s decision not to suspend him immediately, but instead to review the case and look at overhauling the Commons’ disciplinary process.Paterson said the move would allow him to clear his name after “two years of hell,” but anti-corruption campaigners and opposition politicians condemned the decision.Angela Rayner, deputy leader of the main opposition Labour Party, accused the Conservatives of “wallowing in sleaze.”“Today the Tories voted to give a green light to corruption,” she tweeted, adding that “The Prime Minister, Conservative Ministers and MPs have brought shame on our democracy.” More

Boris Johnson has claimed there are “opportunities” for the UK from melting ice caps – as he hosts the Cop26 international summit on climate change.The prime minister told MPs on Wednesday afternoon, “the retreat of the ice towards the North Pole”, could open up new sea routes that would benefit Scottish ports.Environmentalists said Cop26 was the “worst possible time” to talk about a supposed tiny “silver lining” from the climate crisis which is expected to wreak havoc with extreme weather.Mr Johnson made the comments during his statement to parliament about progress in the summit, at which he is trying to convince leaders to commit to stricter climate targets to avert disaster.After a Tory MP suggested China might benefit from new sea routes, Mr Johnson said: “My right honourable friend is completely right to point out the consequences for the world of the retreat of the ice towards the North Pole. “I’m afraid it will offer opportunities not just for China but actually also for ourselves. Scapa Flow and other parts of Scotland will become potentially very important for sea traffic of a clean, green variety.”Mr Johnson’s comment follows a similar statement this year from Russia’s president Vladimir Putin, who hailed, “the consequences of possible climate change”, for potentially opening up a northern shipping route.Responding to Mr Johnson’s comments, a spokesperson for Greenpeace UK said: “The Prime Minister’s compulsion for going off script seems to be getting the better of him at the worst possible time.“It’s unclear who Johnson is trying to reassure with this tatty, little scrap of silver lining but he sounds like a doctor telling you what amazingly good value undertakers are these days.”Scientists believe the Arctic could be free from summer ice as soon as 2040. The region is warming twice as fast as anywhere else on earth and sea ice is declining by more than 10 per cent every year.Mr Johnson said on Tuesday at Cop26 that, “if we don’t fix our climate, it will be an economic catastrophe as well”. More

A French court has ruled that the British fishing trawler impounded in a dispute over post-Brexit fishing rules can leave immediately and its captain will not have to pay a deposit for the release of the ship.Macduff Shellfish, owner of the vessel, said everyone at the company was “delighted” at the news, as the crew of the Cornelis Gert Jan set sail from Le Havre for home on Wednesday afternoon.“We’ve just been informed that our vessel has been released by the French authorities,” MacDuff director Andrew Brown told The Independent. “The court determined that no bond was required for the release of the vessel.”Mr Brown said: “We are pleased to have this matter resolved and delighted that our crew and vessel are now able to return home. The crew have acted with calmness and professionalism throughout the entire incident.”The fishing firm director added: “They are in good spirits, looking forward to return to their loved ones and are grateful for all the messages of support received from the British public.”Irish skipper Jondy Ward was arrested along with his seven crew members in off the Normandy coast last Wednesday by the French Maritime Gendarmerie. The boat and crew were escorted to Le Havre quayside, where they spent the next seven days.French authorities claimed the Cornelis Gert Jan had been caught fishing for scallops in French territorial waters without a proper licence.The ship’s owner was facing having to pay a deposit of up to £125,000, but Wednesday’s court hearing overturned an initial decision made last week and allowed the boat to be released without any bond.However, Mr Ward has been charged with illegal fishing without a licence in French territorial waters and he faces trial next August regardless of Wednesday’s ruling. His lawyer said the charges could still be dropped before then.Both the owner and Mr Ward’s lawyer said the crew had been used as a pawn in a wider political row between Paris and London over fishing rights after Britain’s departure from the EU.Lawyer Mathieu Croix told reporters after the hearing: “We’re clearly caught in a political game as there is a whole story spun around this entire case, whereas in fact it is a rather mundane affairs over fishing in an area that is supposedly out of bounds and about licences that may or may not have been given and catch amounts that are relatively modest.”He added: “From then on, given the current political climate, the case blew up to levels that in our view are totally disproportionate.”Menna Rawlings, the UK’s ambassador to France, welcomed the release of the Cornelis Gert Jan following the dispute on Wednesday afternoon.“Glad to hear the Cornelis is free to leave Le Havre and that the Brits on board are on their way home tonight,” she said on Twitter. “A huge thank you to our UK in France team for their excellent consular support.” More

Cabinet minister Alok Sharma is under fire after claiming bankers and City traders are as committed to fighting the climate emergency as the activist Swampy.The famous protester made his name in the 1990s, getting arrested as he fought to stop new road schemes – while financiers have signed up to Rishi Sunak’s Cop26 project to achieve net zero carbon emissions.That initiative is already being criticised for lacking any legal targets and after a Treasury minister admitted investments in coal power will still be permitted.But Mr Sharma, president of the Cop26 summit, said: “When I started my career in finance in the 1990 in the City, there was a guy called Swampy – some of you may recall him?“He spent his time occupying trees and tunnels and he was the main face of climate action in the United Kingdom.“But today the Swampys of the world are all around us, in boardrooms, in government departments, in multilateral development banks and trading floors all around the world – you, my friends, are the new Swampys, so be proud.”The comments were attacked by Dr Larch Maxey, a fellow campaigner of Swampy – real name Dan Hooper – who accused Mr Sharma of “appropriation”.“It is attempting to take resistance, to take the truth and commercialise it and commodify it for the corporate agenda,” Dr Maxey said.“If only what he was saying was true. If only we were all Swampys – then we wouldn’t be in the greatest threat humanity has ever faced.”He criticised the government for sending out the message of “just trust us, the experts, the bankers, the politicians, and your future is safe”.“Well, it’s not. The future is in danger because of their actions over the last 30 years and because they are carrying on,” Dr Maxey added.The Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) scheme will see all listed companies in Britain forced to produce their own binding plans to reduce carbon emissions or face fines.Mr Sunak said 40 per cent of global assets will be aligned to the 1.5C limit for global warming, adding: “Six years ago Paris set the ambition. Today in Glasgow we’re providing the investment we need to deliver that ambition.”But Lucie Pinson, executive director of the Reclaim Finance, said: “Not a single rule to prevent even one dollar from being invested in the expansion of the fossil fuel sector.”In Glasgow, Mr Sharma defended his Swampy comparison, saying: ‘“The point I was making is that there is a big momentum from the private sector in pursuing green growth and that is something we should all welcome.” More

Leading UK meat producers are having to send carcasses to the EU to be butchered before re-importing them again because of the ongoing post-Brexit staffing crisis.The British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) said several “major” firms were now sending beef to the Republic of Ireland due to the shortage of local skilled butchers.“It’s all a bit desperate,” the BMPA’s chief executive Nick Allen told The Independent. “The labour is over there [in Ireland] so it makes sense to have prime cuts shipped over then so it can butchered and brought back here.”Leading British meat producers have sister companies in the Republic of Ireland where they can access skilled butchers, the industry chief said.But the transport and administration costs involved in moving meat carcasses between the UK and the EU country means spending £1,500 for each lorry load of carcasses.As well the export of meat carcasses, some British pork producers are considering whether they may have to send pigs to the Netherlands for butchering before re-importing back to the UK, Mr Allen said.The industry chief said the UK’s meat production workforce is down by around 15 per cent of normal levels – at least 10,000 skilled workers short of what the industry needs.The BMPA called for the government to relax the immigration rules so the industry can get experienced people without having to train them to help solve the immediate labour crisis.Last month, ministers agreed to issue 800 temporary visas for skilled overseas butchers to work in the UK for six months to help ease the problem, but the industry body says it is not enough.“We have been saying we are between 10,000 and 12,000 short of these skilled or semi-skilled butchery workers – 800 doesn’t go very far,” said Mr Allen.“The government is resolute that we need to pay people more and we need to recruit from the home market,” he added. “But it’s just very difficult to get people at the moment, and the training of new people will take some time.”The BMPA chief has said Britain’s supply crisis are coming from the underlying labour problems happening since Brexit. “It’s certainly Brexit-related, but it’s also the immigration decisions our politicians are making since Brexit,” he said.Earlier in the autumn the National Pig Association (NPA) estimated that tens of thousands of pigs that should have already gone to slaughter were clogging up British farms – warning of a mass pig cull ahead.Zoe Davies, chief executive of the NPA, told The Independent she was “hopeful” the 800 temporary visas would help get the immediate backlog of pigs and “help stop people having to kill animals on farms”.Meanwhile, tensions between Britain and France over post-Brexit fishing licences appeared to be easing ahead of meeting between Brexit minister Lord Frost and French Europe minister Clement Beaune on Thursday.French transport minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari said the UK was showing a “constructive” spirit in talks, while a spokesman for the EU Commission said talks in recent days have led to a “better understanding of the outstanding issues”.But Boris Johnson’s spokesman said on Wednesday that Britain would not weaken the evidence requirements for granting licences to French fishing boats as part of attempts to resolve the row.Asked if the solution could involve lowering the evidence threshold, the No 10 spokesman said: “No, we remain confident that we are enforcing the rules as set out.”It comes as a French court ruled on Wednesday that a British scallop trawler impounded by the French authorities over fishing rules can leave immediately, and its captain will not have to pay a deposit for the release of the ship. More

Remainers must “never” give up trying to rejoin the European Union, Lord Heseltine has said.Speaking during a lecture on Wednesday afternoon the former deputy prime minister quoted Nigel Farage, who claimed ahead of the 2016 vote that “a 52-48 referendum” would be “unfinished business”.”Thinking he was about to lose he was preparing for the fight ahead,” the Tory peer and staunch retainer told his audience at Nottingham University.”The last opinion poll I saw showed that that narrow Brexit vote has been replaced by a 10 point lead for those who took the opposite view. I agree therefore that it is unfinished business.”Lord Heseltine cited figures from the government’s own Office for Budget Responsibility, suggesting that leaving the EU would reduce GDP by about 4 per cent in comparison with the Covid-19 pandemic reducing it by a further 2 per cent.And he listed other effects of leaving the bloc, such as “gaps in the supermarket shelves”, “queues in doctors surgeries” and “well over a million European workers” who he said had gone home.Conceding that the British public “may have voted narrowly for Brexit” he warned that everyone would “end up paying higher prices and having lower standards of living as a result of this ill thought out and cynical political decision by the Prime Minister to get into No.10”.Lord Heseltine, now a rare pro-EU voice on the government benches, argued that the Conservative party would eventually come to support re-entry into the European Union, adding: “It will take time. It will require energy and leadership. There is a lesson to be learnt from the Brexiteers. They never gave up. Our purpose is clear. We must restore Britain’s position in the corridors of European power. That is our natural home and not only much of our history but also much of our future will lie.”It is sad beyond measure that this government, by contrast, will bequeath to our younger generation an empty chair, voiceless, devoid of influence over European affairs. They will come to reject such a diminished role for our country. Europe will welcome them back.”A survey released in October and conducted by pollsters Savanta ComRes found that 52 per cent of the public believe that Brexit had delivered little, while 36 per cent believe it has been a success. More

Labour has revealed that personal information given by party members and supporters is among data breached in a “cyber incident” at a firm which helps run its IT systems.The opposition said it had been told a “significant quantity of party data” had been affected by the incident on 29 October, and has reported the matter to the authorities.The National Crime Agency (NCA), National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) have all been informed, the party said.In a statement to members, Labour said: “We wish to inform you that a third party that handles data on our behalf has been subject to a cyber incident.”Labour also said: “The third party told us that the incident had resulted in a significant quantity of party data being rendered inaccessible on their systems.”The statement added that the breached data “includes information provided to the party by its members, registered and affiliated supporters, and other individuals who have provided their information to the party”.The party is “working closely and on an urgent basis” with the IT firm in order to understand the full scope and impact of the incident – but it is not yet know how many people have been hit by the breach.Labour’s membership website has been down in recent days due to the cyber incident at the IT firm, the party confirmed – though a spokesman said Labour’s own data systems were “unaffected” by this incident.The party urged members and supporters who may have been affected to take extra precautions online precautions online, in line with NCSC guidance.A NCSC spokesman said: “We are aware of this issue and are working with the Labour Party to fully investigate and mitigate any potential impact.“We would urge anyone who thinks they may have been the victim of a data breach to be especially vigilant against suspicious emails, phone calls or text messages and to follow the steps set out in our data breaches guidance.”It is not the first time Labour has seen its IT systems compromised. In November 2019, during the general election campaign, the party was the victim of a “large and sophisticated” cyber attack as hackers attempted to take down the website.And in May 2020, personal information held by Labour was among the data breached following a cyber-attack on cloud computing provider Blackbaud. More

Boris Johnson has confirmed he backs plans to rip up parliament’s procedures for punishing MP sleaze following a finding against Conservative former minister Owen Paterson, in a move which Labour said marked “a return to the worst of the 1990s Tory sleaze culture”..Government whips are said to be telling Tory MPs to today vote against imposing a 30-day suspension on Owen Paterson by backing an amendment motion arguing the independent probe into his behaviour was flawed.Mr Paterson was found to have committed an “egregious” breach of standards rules as he lobbied ministers and officials for two companies paying him more than £100,000 per year.The move was denounced by anti-corruption academics who described it as consistent with the kind of “state capture” used by governments to undermine democratic checks and balances on their activities.In a statement, 10 Downing Street said that Mr Johnson backs changes to the parliamentary system to create an appeals system for MPs who are found guilty of wrong-doing.Under the current system, allegations are investigated by an independent Standards Commissioner, who reports to a 14-member Standards Commission made up of seven MPs and seven lay members. Any sanction against MPs found to have breached the rules must then be approved by the House of Commons.But an amendment put forward by Tory MP Dame Andrea Leadsom ahead of a planned vote on the case today would see the creation of a new committee examining – among other issues – whether the findings against Mr Paterson should be reviewed.As part of Dame Andrea’s proposals, MPs on a new Conservative-dominated committee led by former Tory minister John Whittingdale would examine whether the system should mirror misconduct probes in other workplaces – including the right of representation and the right of appeal.The No 10 spokesperson confirmed that Mr Johnson backed the change, saying: “As in any normal workplace and all walks of life, people should be entitled to the right to appeal. This is sacrosanct in providing fairness and natural justice, and ensuring there is an opportunity to check due process and that the right procedures were followed.“This isn’t about one case but providing Members of Parliament from all political parties with the right to a fair hearing.“Therefore the Commons should seek cross-party agreement on a new appeals process whereby the conclusions of the standards committee and the Commissioner can be looked at. This could include judicial and lay member representation on the appeals panel.”A Downing Street source later insisted that Mr Johnson’s action was not prompted by the Paterson case but was a response to long-standing concerns from MPs at the absence of an procedure for appeal against the commissioner’s findings.The current system lacked “natural justice”, said the source, adding: “This is absolutely not a case of MPs marking their own homework. This is about setting up an appeals process to strengthen the system.”But Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner accused the PM of “wallowing in sleaze”.“As we can see, it’s one rule for everybody else and one rule for the Conservatives, Ms Rayner told MPs at prime minister’s questions in the Commons.“When they break the rules, they just remake the rules.“If it was a police officer, a teacher, a doctor, we would expect the independent process to be followed and not changed after the verdict – it’s one rule for them and one rule for the rest of us.”Ms Rayner pointed out that Tories had previously said it was impossible to change parliamentary rules in order to allow a recall petition on former Conservative MP Rob Roberts from Westminster after he was found to have sexually harassed staff.The director of the Centre for the Study of Corruption at the University of Sussex, Prof Elizabeth David-Barrett said: “In a case where evidence that the rules have been breached is so clear, this attempt to undermine the process is another example of those in power acting like the rules don’t apply to them. And if the rules threaten to constrain them, they try to change the rules.“That is behaviour consistent with state capture, which we see around the world from several governments who are deliberately moving away from democracy by undermining the checks and balances on power which are fundamental to democratic government.”The Centre’s lecturer in corruption analysis, Dr Sam Power, said the attempt to overturn the findings of the Paterson inquiry was “incredibly worrying”.“It is essential in any democracy that MPs uphold basic standards, and are sanctioned if they have not,” said Dr Power.“This amendment would confirm a pattern – including the proposed changes to the Electoral Commission in the Elections Bill – that rules regulating political behaviour are being unpicked. And, importantly, the independence of those in charge of regulating said behaviour is now in question.”The chair of the UK Open Government Network, Kevin Keith, said the move was “shocking”, coming just days after a report by the Committee on Standards in Public Life found that more than 40 per cent of voters view MPs’ ethical standards as “low or very low”.“The only possible inference to take from this action is that the government holds the public in utter contempt when it comes to ethical standards,” said Mr Keith.And the Prospect union, which represents many parliamentary workers, said that Tory MPs risk “shattering the fragile trust” that staff have in the system for dealing not only with financial sleaze but also bullying, sexual harassment and abuse.“If MPs are allowed to sit as judge and jury to themselves we risk returning to the bad old days where parliamentary staff suffer in silence as unaccountable MPs bully their way around Westminster with little fear of comeback,” said the union’s deputy general secretary Garry Graham.“Parliamentary staff who have been bullied, sworn at or sexually harassed by MPs must not be collateral damage in this latest attempt by some MPs to erode the standards of public life they are elected to observe and uphold.”The investigation by standards commissioner Kathryn Stone found Mr Paterson broke the rules by repeatedly lobbying on behalf of two companies for which he was acting as a paid consultant – Randox and Lynn’s Country Foods – in an “egregious case of paid advocacy”.Mr Paterson angrily disputed the findings of the report – claiming he had not been given a fair hearing. He also said the manner in which the investigation was carried out had “undoubtedly” played a “major role” in the decision of his wife Rose to take her own life last year.A senior Tory MP backing the bid to reform the Commons disciplinary rules and possibly spare colleague Mr Paterson from suspension admitted the move “looks terrible” but insisted there is “no alternative”.Bernard Jenkin, who sits on the standards committee, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We’ve had a bad system for years and years and years. I just see this as an opportunity to fix it.” More