Markus Andrews

Conservative Party co-chair Ben Elliot has been told by the government’s lobbying watchdog that he must uphold a “clear distinction” between his political role and his private business interests.The lobbying watchdog launched an investigation following claims he had helped arrange access to Tory minister for clients of his own concierge firm Quintessentially.Reports indicated Mr Elliot had used his business partner and his Quintessentially email address to conduct “political activities” on behalf of the Conservatives.The Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists (ORCL) concluded that Quintessentially “had not been engaging in consultant lobbying activity” so did not need to register as a lobbyist.However, the watchdog issued Mr Elliot with a warning – advising that he should be more careful “about the possibility of engaging in consultant lobbying activity (perhaps unintentionally) by not making a clear enough distinction between his role as a director of Quintessentially and his other activities connected to government”.Labour said Boris Johnson should sack Mr Elliot, claiming the warning showed why he was not a suitable person to be Tory Party co-chair.“The lobbying regulator is sending a clear message to Boris Johnson about the actions of the co-chair of the Conservative Party,” said Labour chair Anneliese Dodds.The Labour frontbencher added: “Boris Johnson appointed this man to his post, so the prime minister must take responsibility and remove him immediately.”Mr Elliot’s activities first fell under the spotlight last month when the Financial Times reported a Conservative donor club – which includes members who have given at least £250,000 – was developed in a bid to connect Tory backers with senior figures.Mohamed Amersi, a top Tory donor, said the club is “like the very elite Quintessentially clients membership: one needs to cough up £250,000 per annum or be a friend of Ben”.Mr Elliot had used his business partner Jakob Widecki, co-director in a separate company, to conduct “political activities” on behalf of the Tories, according to The Times.A spokesperson for Mr Elliot said: “The registrar has made clear that Quintessentially does not lobby government and therefore does not need to register as a lobbyist.” More

Labour has taken a surprise poll lead after support for the Conservatives slumped to its lowest level since the general election on the back of Boris Johnson’s tax rise.Backing for the Tory Party fell five points to 33 per cent while Labour share increased by one point to 35 per cent, according to the latest YouGov survey.It puts Sir Keir Starmer’s party ahead for the first time since January. It marks a remarkable turnaround for Labour over the summer, having been 18 points behind the Tories in a YouGov survey in May.The findings suggest the government’s plans to invest in NHS and social care with a National Insurance hike has proved unpopular with voters.YouGov’s Anthony Wells said: “We should be cautious of leaping to too many conclusions from a single poll, but it looks as if the government may have sacrificed their reputation for low taxes amongst Tory voters without actually getting much credit for helping the NHS.”Six in ten voters said they did not think Mr Johnson or the Tories care about keeping taxes low compared with only two in ten who thought he and his party do care about low taxes, according to the YouGov poll for The Times.The prime minister this week claimed that the Tories are now “the party of the NHS”, but the poll suggests voters do not share his view.Less than one third of voters think Mr Johnson and the Tories care about improving the NHS, compared with more than half of voters who do not think they care about the health service.Culture secretary Oliver Dowden responded to the YouGov poll by saying he thinks the electorate could “reward” the government for its plan to hike National Insurance to pay for social care.“In the end, the electorate reward governments who are willing to take difficult decisions in order to protect the long-term national interest, and that is what that decision is all about,” he told Sky News.Sir Keir has received flak for failing to set out an alternative plan for social care reform. Labour mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham warned that the party has no time to waste in setting out its own proposal to fund the ailing sector.“My advice to my party would be not to leave it too long before presenting one. Criticism of the Tory plan alone won’t cut through unless we say what we would do,” Mr Burnham wrote in the Evening Standard.Sir Keir told Sky News on Thursday he was still looking at the various options for “a wealth tax in the broadest sense of the word”, but gave little detail as to how it would work.While Labour gained only one point in the latest poll, the party has successfully cut down the Tory poll lead over the summer.The latest results mark a resurgence since May, when YouGov gave the Tories an 18-point lead over the opposition and Sir Keir was accused of being “invisible” by one of his own MPs. More

The leader of Canada’s Conservative party said Thursday he is personally “pro choice” and voters can trust his leadership after being asked during an election debate about some of his candidates who have more conservative views than him on issues like abortion and climate change. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the election last month hoping to win a majority of seats in Parliament but polls indicate his Liberal party could lose power to the Conservatives and its leader Erin O’Toole in the Sept. 20 vote. O’Toole has changed positions and moderated his party’s platform on a wide variety of issues including climate change in effort to draw support from Trudeau’s Liberal party. O’Toole favors a carbon tax, something unpopular with most conservatives. Asked how can voters trust that he would be in the driver’s seat if elected prime minister, O’Toole said. “I am driving the bus.”O’Toole, 48, won the leadership of the Conservative party by advertising himself as a “true blue conservative” and campaigning to the right of a more moderate conservative but he has since adopted more moderate positions. Trudeau said O’Toole is beholden groups on the right like the gun lobby and anti-vaxxers and his words should not be trusted.“He can’t even convince his own candidates to get vaccinated,” Trudeau said. “Mr. O’Toole can’t even convince his party that climate change is real.”O’Toole has not mandated his candidates be vaccinated. Trudeau has said all his have been vaccinated except one who received a medical exemption.All the opposition party leaders criticized Trudeau on his overall record. “Trudeau has ambition, he doesn’t have achievement,” O’Toole said at the only English language debate of the campaign. Trudeau, the son of the late Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, became the second youngest prime minister in Canadian history when he was first elected with a majority of seats in Parliament in 2015 after almost a decade of Conservative Party government. But there is some fatigue with Trudeau after six years, and scandals combined with high expectations have damaged his image for some Canadians. He won re-election in 2019 but with less than a majority of the seats. More

Boris Johnson’s plan to boost health spending will not be enough for the NHS to deal with its coronavirus demands past 2024, a leading economic think tank has warned.The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said the new funding announced by the prime minister this week would only cover the health service in dealing with pandemic-related pressures for two years.The economists said another £5bn – not included in the government’s plan for health and social care – would be needed in 2024-25 to allow the NHS to cope with the enormous extra demands caused by the Covid crisis.“Based on our best estimates the funding announced by the prime minister this week should be enough to meet these pressures for the next two years,” said Max Warner, research economist at the IFS.The think tank said it was “almost inevitable” that NHS funding would have to be increased again or budget cuts would have to be made. Longer-term demands “would likely require additional funding, or large savings from elsewhere in the NHS budget”, the IFS warned.The analysis will raise fears that extra cash promised for Britain’s ailing social care sector will be swallowed up by the NHS in the years ahead.Mr Johnson’s government revealed its plan to hike national insurance from 2022 to raise £36bn over three years, earmarking £5.4bn for the social care sector over the period.But ministers have offered only vague pledges that the balance will shift towards social care after 2025, refusing to say what proportion it will receive. Care leaders claim the plan does nothing to address low pay and staff shortages in the cash-strapped sector.After removing the money set aside for social care, the NHS would only enough deal with Covid-related pressures for two years, the IFS said – with £9bn of additional funding for the NHS in 2022-23 and £7bn in 2023-24.The think tank’s report warned that the new funding is “far less likely to be sufficient in the medium-term”, since the impact of the pandemic will put pressure on the health service for many years to come.Although direct costs such as treating patients with Covid, test and trace, vaccinations, PPE and other infection control measures would likely fall away, the indirect costs and pressures would be “greater and more persistent”, said the think tank.The IFS report said: “Millions of people missed out on NHS care during the pandemic. Much of this care will need to be delivered eventually and waiting lists are likely to rise rapidly as these ‘missing’ patients come forward.”Health secretary Sajid Javid said tackling the growing NHS treatment backlog was a “top priority”, having been warned the waiting list could reach 13 million. But the minister said he could not “guarantee” the extra money for the NHS would clear the current backlogFigures released on Thursday showed hospital waiting lists in England hitting a new record high. A total of 5.6 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of July, said NHS England.Speaking on a visit to visited Moorfields Eye Hospital in London on Thursday, Mr Javid said the NHS would need to be “more innovative, more creative, more efficient and get more done” in order to tackle the waiting lists.Labour MP Jonathan Ashworth, shadow health secretary, called for a clear plan to tackle the backlog. “Tory MPs are imposing an unfair, punishing and permanent tax rise on working people while failing to detail any credible long-term plan to bring the soaring waiting times back to the 18-week standard,” he said.Ms Ashworth added: “Given ministers are forcing many patients and staff to pay more tax, the least they could do is explain when and how they plan to clear the backlog.”It will be up to chancellor Rishi Sunak will decide how much of the £12bn annual proceeds from the national insurance hike will go to the NHS and how much will go to the social care sector after 2025.The health and social care levy bill show the proceeds of the tax hike will be allocated “in such shares as between health care and social care, and in such shares as between England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as the Treasury may determine”.Although MPs voted to approve a plan to raise national insurance contributions at the first reading, they will be asked to pass the bill in a single day, next Tuesday.Labour MP Thangam Debbonaire, shadow Commons leader, accused the government of trying to “ram the bill through in just one day”, adding: “Why the urgency … Is it because the so-called plan is nothing more than a Tory tax rise?”Meanwhile, Labour mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham warned Sir Keir Starmer that the party has no time to waste in setting out an alternative to Mr Johnson’s plan for social care.“My advice to my party would be not to leave it too long before presenting one. Criticism of the Tory plan alone won’t cut through unless we say what we would do,” he wrote in the Evening Standard.Labour voted against the plan on the basis that the national insurance rise will hit young people and those on low incomes disproportionately hard. Sir Keir said his plan for social care was to “ensure those with the broadest shoulders pay their fair share”. More

France has warned the Channel could become a “theatre of human tragedies” as it vowed to block Priti Patel’s controversial plan to “push back” migrant boats, sparking a major diplomatic row.Relations between London and Paris plunged to a new low as the UK was accused of breaking maritime law and of “blackmail”, after the British government threatened to withhold funds for France to beef up its coastal patrols.The clash came as leading lawyers, a senior Tory MP, the union representing Border Force officers, and a former chief of the naval staff all agreed that the pushback policy was likely to be unworkable without French cooperation.Lord West, the ex-naval chief, also warned that the plan – which Ms Patel hopes to launch within weeks – could easily end up with “someone being killed”.Nicolas Pillerel, diplomatic adviser to the French interior minister, echoed Lord West’s fear, saying: “Intercepting boats in the sea when they don’t want to be escorted is extremely dangerous. And this can lead to tragedies.”“It risks the Channel becoming a new theatre of human tragedies, as we have already seen in other seas,” continued Mr Pillerel, referring to mass drownings in the Mediterranean and Aegean.However, The Independent understands that the home secretary is determined to plough ahead, believing French officials will have no choice but to cooperate if boats are forced back into French waters.Ms Patel intends to speak personally to any Border Force commanders who have assessed that migrant boats can be pushed back, to make clear she fully supports that decision.Training has been going on for 18 months already and is expected to finish by the end of September, with Border Force officials being trained to physically bump boats backwards.The home secretary’s plan, which came in response to orders from Boris Johnson to curb the crossings, sparked a furious reaction when the French interior minister met with Ms Patel on Wednesday.Gerald Darmanin tweeted: “France will not accept any practice that is contrary to the law of the sea, nor any financial blackmail.”The minister said he had told Ms Patel that “Great Britain must stick to its commitments”, adding: “The friendship between our two countries merits better than posturing, which harms the cooperation between our services.”The Home Office said it had received legal advice indicating that boats could be turned back in some circumstances, but it was thought that this would not require any maritime laws to be broken, or place passengers at risk.Colin Yeo, a specialist immigration lawyer, said it was a policy that “sounds tough but will never be implemented”, akin to earlier UK threats to “install wave machines or a floating fence”.Pushback has been used previously by the Italian authorities in the Mediterranean, and by the Australian and US governments, but there has always been another nation willing to accept refugees back.James Turner, a QC specialising in shipping disputes, agreed with the view that turning back migrant boats in the middle of the Channel would “not be lawful under international law”.Lucy Moreton of the ISU union, which represents Border Force staff, called the idea “dead in the water”, saying: “In practical terms, if this happened even once I’d be surprised.“You also need the consent of the French to do it because, as you turn the vessel back towards France – when it crosses the median line – it has to be intercepted and rescued by the French, and it appears the French will simply not engage in this.”Ms Moreton told The Independent that officers were concerned migrants and refugees would “panic” and put themselves at even greater risk, now that the policy had been made public.Tim Loughton, a Conservative member of the Commons Home Affairs Committee, agreed the plan was unworkable, saying: “In practice it’s just not going to happen.”And Lord West, the former first sea lord, said: “People forget how dangerous the sea is. It’s flat, calm, and people have been coming across, but it doesn’t take much suddenly for people to go into the water and drown.”Mr Johnson’s spokesperson refused to discuss the new approach, saying: “I’m not going to get into the operational tactics used by Border Force staff.”However, they denied any plan to rewrite maritime laws, and brushed off the French protests and refusal to cooperate, insisting that the UK was “confident” the policy would work.The spokesperson said: “It’s right that our Border Force has the right range of tactics to address this problem. They will make sure it is tested and that it is carried out by trained Border Force staff and that it is safe and legal.”More than 12,500 migrants have arrived from France so far this year – including 1,500 in the last week alone – a sharp rise from around 8,000 in 2020. More

PayPal is increasing fees that will affect business with the EU – British companies will be charged a 1.29 per cent fee for payments from the European Economic Area (EEA) and vice versa. Most businesses currently pay a 0.5 per cent fee for similar charges, a figure that has remain unchanged since before the UK left the EU customs union and single market. PayPal said it is incurring extra costs such as the rising interchange fees between the UK and EEA as European rules capping debit and credit card interchange fees at 0.3 per cent and 0.2 per cent, respectively, no longer apply to UK businesses. Visa and Mastercard have announced that such fees will be increased fivefold from mid-October. Most businesses can expect their current 0.5 per cent charge raised to 1.29 per cent, which is still lower than PayPal’s standard 1.99 per cent fee for the rest of the world. PayPal said the move will help “simplify” its cross-border fees. “In a highly competitive market, this will make it easier for these businesses to compare PayPal’s pricing with that of other providers and to better appreciate the value we provide,” it said.The new charges will apply to all of the UK, including customers in Guernsey, Jersey, Gilbraltar and the Isle of Man. The tech giant announced last month that it would also accept Bitcoin and customers in the UK are now able to use PayPal to buy, hold and sell cryptocurrency, with investments starting at £1. The Federation of Small Businesses told BBC News that any rise in payment would be “unwelcome news” for small businesses and entrepreneurs. “Since the start of the year, around one in four small exporters have stopped exporting to the EU, citing amongst other reasons the costs involved in selling to EU-based customers,” vice chairman Martin McTague said.“We need to see stronger support for small exporters from the government, including a relaunched SME [Small and Medium Enterprises] Brexit Support Fund and a reformed Tradeshow Access Programme,” Mr McTague said. More

Cabinet Office minister and Tory MP Michael Gove has recently accepted £100,000 in donations from a British-German property magnate.Two payments of £50,000 each from millionaire property developer Zachariasz “Zak” Gertler have been recorded last month in the Houses of Parliament’s Register of Members’ Interests.In 2019, Mr Gertler had also donated £10,000 to Mr Gove during the Conservative Party leadership contest.It was triggered by the resignation of Theresa May – in which Mr Gove stood against now-PM Boris Johnson.In 2016, he also donated £10,000 to Mr Gove to the Tories’ leadership contest sparked by the post-EU referendum resignation of David Cameron that year – taking the total to at least £120,000 over five years.Mr Gertler has been called “one of London’s leading property developers” by The London Magazine, and Companies House lists the 65-year-old as a resident of Israel.His family has owned commercial properties in Britain and Germany, mainly offices and retail units in central London and Frankfurt. The company Gertler Estates was established by his father Moritz, who was a Holocaust survivor.Frankfurt-born Mr Gertler is a close friend of former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and hosted his 70th birthday party at his house, according to a report by Jerusalem Post in 2019.That same year, Mr Gove – who is a staunch critic of the pro-Palestine boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement – had said in a speech at a United Jewish Israel Appeal fundraising dinner: “One thing I have always been since I was a boy is a Zionist.”When the Independent approached Mr Gove’s office to comment on his link to Mr Gertler, a spokesperson said: “The Conservative Party, and its elected representatives, are supported by membership, fundraising and donations. “All reportable donations are properly and transparently declared to the relevant authorities, published by them, and comply fully with the law.” More

Related video: Government wants to ‘deter’ migrants from making Channel crossings, says minister France won’t be “blackmailed” by the UK over Priti Patel’s plans to crack down on migrant crossings in the English Channel, the country’s interior minister has said.Gérald Darmanin insisted France won’t accept any “financial blackmail” from the UK after the home secretary threatened to withhold millions of pounds promised to France in order to fund efforts to intercept small ships in the Channel carrying migrants.Mr Darmanin also said Paris would reject any practices which break maritime law in response to Ms Patel’s plans to turn migrant boats around when the reach England.Meanwhile, a coordinator with Channel Rescue has warned that such action could put “the lives of thousands of innocent women, children and men have been put at greater risk”.Show latest update

1631199346Kim Leadbeater pays tribute to ‘extraordinary’ sister Jo Cox in maiden Commons speech Kim Leadbeater, Batley and Spen’s newly-elected MP, has paid tribute to her “extraordinary” sister Jo Cox who was murdered while representing the constituency in 2016. In her maiden speech to the House of Commons, Ms Leadbeater said that she would “give literally anything not to be standing here today in her place”. She added that her sister’s assertion in June 2015 that “we are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides” is “as true today as when she said it then”. Ms Leadbeater concluded her emotional speech by saying: “If I can be half the MP my sister was, then it will be a huge privilege to get on with the job of representing the wonderful people of Batley and Spen.”She was elected to the Yorkshire constituency in a by-election in June. Joanna Taylor9 September 2021 15:551631198302Andy Burnham: Criticising Tories without alternative plan won’t ‘cut through’ Andy Burnham has called on his party to present an alternative future for health and social care to the public, writing in the Evening Standard that simply criticising the Conservative Party’s proposals won’t “cut through”. The government’s plan to raise National Insurance to fund NHS backlogs and social care reforms presents the “biggest opportunity Labour has had for some time to present a plan for a better, fairer country,” the Greater Manchester mayor wrote. He added: “My advice to my party would be not to leave it too long before presenting one. Criticism of the Tory plan alone won’t cut through unless we say what we would do.” Joanna Taylor9 September 2021 15:381631197610Irish PM: ‘All parties’ want more flexible operation of NI Protocol Taoisearch Michael Martin has responded to the DUP’s threat to pull ministers from Stormont in protest of the Northern Irish Protocol, saying that it has “created new challenges”. The Irish PM said that “all parties” across the UK and Ireland would like to see “more flexible operation of the protocol” and that Europe is in “solution mode”. Joanna Taylor9 September 2021 15:261631197259 Furlough: 1.6 million workers still on government scheme in JulyThere were 1.6 million workers on furlough at the end of July, according to government figures.Economists now believe 1 million workers could be pushed into unemployment when the scheme ends this month.The latest update comes as political pressure has been put on the government to reconsider the “double whammy” effect of discontinuing furlough and cutting the £20-per-week uplift in early October.Read more: Joanna Taylor9 September 2021 15:201631196635Opinion: Priti Patel is willing for a price to be paid over migrant boats in the Channel – just not by herHow long will it be before some poor desperate Afghan who once helped Western forces – maybe even British troops in their worst days in Helmand Province – and who was left behind in Kabul finally makes his way to Europe and tries to get across the English Channel? What will his fate be?Is it to be that they – and any family – will be “turned back” in their flimsy boat, now that Priti Patel plans include training for the Border Force to “turn back” the “illegal” migrants.And what happens if the French simply refuse to escort and accept them back in France? They will be sticky in limbo, waiting to sink and drown, unwanted by two rich western powers, whose values they once thought they were trying to defend. Britain’s mission in Afghanistan really will be dead in the water.Read more from Sean O’Grady: Joanna Taylor9 September 2021 15:101631196020Lord West: Priti Patel’s migrant plan is ‘highly problematic’ Alan West, Baron West of Spithead, who was appointed the first sea lord and chief of the naval staff from 2002 to 2006 and later a Labour minister, has called Priti Patel’s migrants proposal “highly problematic”. But while the retired Royal Navy admiral criticised Ms Patel’s plan to send migrant boats attempting to reach the UK back across the Channel, he also said that he can “understand” the Home Secretary’s annoyance with the current situation. “I can understand the Home Secretary and people’s annoyance with what’s going on,” Lord West told the BBC. “I mean, one has to sort of, I have to say rather jokingly, that there must be a sort of Inspector Clouseau running this operation in France that they’ve had all this time and lots of extra people, and in fact the number of people coming across has grown and grown and grown.” But, he added, “when you start playing games about pushing ships back and pushing boats back, that is, as I say, it’s highly problematic. Very, very difficult to do.” Joanna Taylor9 September 2021 15:001631194948Irish minister: ‘No positive agenda’ served breakdown of Good Friday Agreement institutions Ireland’s Foreign Affairs Minister has said that “no positive agenda” would be served by the breakdown of Good Friday Agreement institutions after Jeffrey Donaldson removed the DUP from such cross-border institutions established in Ireland to protest the Northern Ireland Protocol. Simon Coveney said that “no positive agenda is served by blocking practical north/south cooperation or by the breakdown of the other institutions of the Good Friday Agreement”. He added: “The North South Ministerial Council has an important agenda this autumn, including on improving health services, managing environmental challenges, cooperating in education and investing in infrastructure.“As we emerge from the Covid pandemic, we should be focused on working together to support communities and businesses across the island.”Joanna Taylor9 September 2021 14:421631194655‘Tensions rising’: How French media reported on Priti Patel’s migrant boat planFrench media has highlighted rising tensions between France and the UK as it reported on Priti Patel’s new plan to push migrant boats back across the Channel.Both countries have become embroiled in a war of words over efforts to tackle migrants crossing the Channel by boat.France has “strongly rejected” the latest tactic reportedly sanctioned by Ms Patel, which would redirect migrant boats in the Channel back to France, according to Le Monde.Read more from Zoe Tidman: Joanna Taylor9 September 2021 14:371631193525Boris Johnson accuses Churchill charity of trying to ‘airbrush’ former PM’s legacy Boris Johnson’s official spokesperson has said that a charity set up in Winston Churchill’s name is trying to “airbrush” the wartime prime minister’s legacy after they announced that they would be distancing themselves from some of his views. “The Prime Minister believes that Winston Churchill was a hero who helped save this country and the whole of Europe from a fascist and a racist tyranny by leading the defeat of Nazism,” the spokesperson said. “It is completely absurd, misguided and wrong to airbrush his giant achievements and service to this country. The trust should think again.”The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust said in a statement that many of Churchill’s views on race are “widely seen as unacceptable today, a view that we share” as they announced that they would rename themselves The Churchill Fellowship. The charity also removed some images of Churchill from its website, but denied they were seeking to disown his legacy. It is not the first time that the government has waded into so-called “culture war” issues: last year senior ministers criticised the BBC for scaling back the Proms, while a group of Conservative MPs hit out at the National Trust for acknowledging the link between colonialism and slavery with figures such as Churchill. Joanna Taylor9 September 2021 14:181631192035Calais politician says Patel’s migrant proposals ‘trample on international law’ A French politician has criticised Home Secretary Priti Patel’s proposals to send migrant boats headed for the UK back across the Channel, saying that Brexit meant leaving the EU — not the international community. Pierre-Henri Dumont, a National Assembly member whose constituency includes Calais, tweeted that Ms Patel’s plans are “contemptible” and called on the British government to “change its domestic law and labour market” to discourage illegal immigration before “trying to trample on international law”. “The British Minister Priti Patel proposes to turn back migrant boats in the English Channel,” he wrote. “It is contemptible. Brexit means leaving the European Union, not leaving the international community.” “By flouting international maritime law, by preventing migrants from applying for asylum, by risking drowning, the United Kingdom is de facto breaking the rules commonly accepted by all UN member states,” he continued. “I call on the British government to come to its senses and fundamentally change its domestic law and its labour market – which encourage illegal immigration – before trying to trample on international law.” Joanna Taylor9 September 2021 13:53 More