Markus Andrews

The former head of the government’s legal service has hit out at the justice secretary for suggesting judges are becoming “politicians by proxy”.Jonathan Jones, who quit in response to ministers’ plans to break international law over Brexit, said recent comments by Robert Buckland about a new balance being needed on rule of law were “startling”.In an article for The Independent the former permanent secretary of the Government Legal Department argued that the minister was wrong to claim the courts were straying into politics.“Obviously it is possible to disagree with decisions of the courts in individual cases. Judges of course sometimes disagree with one another,” he said.“I happen to agree with the lord chancellor that the Supreme Court went wrong in the [Guardian journalist Rob] Evans case on the Freedom of Information Act and the Prince of Wales’s letters, and should have given effect to the ministerial veto which parliament had created.“But I don’t see this case, or the small number of others mentioned by the lord chancellor, as evidence of a systemic tendency for judges to overplay the rule of law, or become ‘politicians by proxy’ as he puts it.”The lord chancellor, Mr Buckland, had claimed in a speech at University College London on Thursday that the idea of the rule of law was being used by critics of the government to “weaponise the courts against political decision making”.The rule of law, he said, was not a legal concept, and been “the victim of conceptual creep”, leaving it open to being hijacked by “politically motivated interests”. But Sir Jonathan said: “‘Law’ and ‘policy’ are not separate self-contained categories. Parliament and the executive use the law as a means of giving effect to policies. “And there’s nothing new or particularly surprising in people bringing judicial review claims because they disagree with the substance of the relevant policy or its application. “Many judicial reviews involve heavily contested areas of policy, as well as law. So it’s not realistic to suppose that the courts can somehow be ‘kept out of’ policy or politics, and I don’t suppose they feel they need to be ‘protected’ from it.”Sir Jonathan said it was “the job of the courts to apply the law, not adjudicate on the merits of policy”, but said there was no “confusion” about this, as claimed by the government.The government has come to blows with the courts on a number of issues in recent years, with judges often declaring government policy unlawful.High-profile cases include the government’s attempt to prorogue parliament, and the requirements to hold meaningful votes on the Brexit withdrawal agreement.In response, the government has unveiled plans for a bill to make judicial reviews more difficult, arguing that they should be “a more subtle tool”. It has also briefed newspapers that it plans to make it harder to crowdfund legal challenges against government policy.Sir Jonathan resigned from his government role in September last year. Friends and colleagues said he had clashed with ministers over their intention to break international law by overriding parts of the Brexit withdrawal agreement.Mr Buckland concluded his speech at UCL this week by saying: “My aim is quite simple: to protect the courts from this unsatisfactory state of affairs and to prevent them from being dragged into politics by another name. “As a former part-time member of the judiciary, I think that is a noble endeavour. As a member of this government, I believe it can restore the balance that we have always managed to maintain in the past – without losing one of our most important checks on the power of the state – and I am interested to hear your thoughts.” More

Community divisions are being sown into the Batley by-election by people from outside the area, the sister of murdered MP Jo Cox – and Labour’s contender for the seat – has suggested.Kim Leadbeater hit out at candidates who she said would only “cause problems for our community” in what appeared to be a swipe at rival George Galloway.The firebrand Scot, who lives in London but is contesting the West Yorkshire seat, has been accused of weaponising local anger over Israel’s bombing of Palestine to suggest that, under Sir Keir Starmer, Labour does not care about supposed Muslim priorities.One poster outside his campaign headquarters also insinuates that Batley receives less investment from the local authority, Kirklees Council, than neighbouring towns, a suggestion which appears baseless. Speaking to The Independent while on the campaign trail, Ms Leadbeater said: “I think sadly there are a number of people who are going to come here and try and sow division and cause problems for our community, and actually this area needs an MP who can bring people together. “And on the back of the work I’ve done over the last few years, I think I’m that person. We need to build bridges, not cause division.”The 45-year-old, who is the only one of the 16 runners who actually lives in the constituency, added: “Lots of people are going to come here in the next couple of weeks and they will have their own agendas and own egos but this isn’t about them. It’s about local people and who they think the bext person to represent them in parliament is.”Her words come five years to the week after her sister, Ms Cox, was stabbed and shot to death by a right-wing terrorist on the streets of the town.“I think about Jo every day and have done for the past five years so, of course, this [running in her old seat] is emotional and it’s difficult,” she added. “I’m incredibly proud to be Jo Cox’s sister but it’s also important I get in on the merits of being Kim Leadbeater.”The by-election was called after former Labour MP Tracy Brabin had to stand down from the seat in May when she was elected to the new post of mayor of West Yorkshire.Although the constituency is not exactly part of the so-called “red wall” – it was Tory for 14 years up until 1997 – losing it would be seen as a massive blow to Sir Keir’s leadership, coming less than two months after the humiliating defeat in the Hartlepool by-election and on the back of Labour racking up just 1.6 per cent of the vote in this week’s Chesham and Amersham by-election.While it is thought Mr Galloway is unlikely to win the seat, it looks increasingly plausible that he could take enough votes – most likely from Labour – to make a significant difference in the 1 July vote.Neither Mr Galloway, standing for his own Workers Party of Britain, nor Conservative candidate Ryan Stephenson responded to The Independent’s request for an interview. More

All employees should be given the right to work from home after the Covid-19 pandemic ends, Labour has said.The party’s shadow employment rights secretary Angela Rayner said on Saturday that the government should introduce a “default presumption” that flexible working would be permitted in law.It comes after the Downing Street said it had no plans to bring in the reforms, despite a 2019 Tory manifesto commitment to make home working “the default unless employers have good reasons not to”.A government Flexible Working Taskforce is currently reviewing the issue, which has shot up the agenda since the Covid-19 pandemic.Under the current regulations a quarter of employees worked remotely in 2020, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.But legal restrictions encouraging employees to work from home where possible are expected to end over the next few months when the government plans to lift the remaining Covid-19 restrictions.“As we emerge from this pandemic we have an opportunity to fundamentally change working practices for the better and to improve the lives of working people,” said Labour’s Ms Rayner.”Giving workers the right to work flexibly if they want to and the right to switch off will enable more people to enjoy the benefits of flexible working, from a better work-life balance to spending less time commuting and more time with their family.”She added: “As restrictions lift and we adjust to a ‘new normal’, we need a new deal for working people. As a starting point this must mean the right to flexible working – not just the right to ask for flexibility – and a duty on employers to accommodate this unless there is a reason a certain job can’t be done flexibly.“It is clear that the government won’t act to strengthen rights for working people, and we cannot have a drawn out consultation process that simply kicks this urgent issue into the long grass, leaving workers in a vulnerable position and allowing employers to dictate terms to their staff.”Labour says there should be not just a right to flexible working for all workers by default, bu also “an accompanying duty on employers to accommodate this as far as is reasonable and practical where there is no reason a job cannot be done flexibly and remotely”.Ms Rayner also said it was important that workers be given the “right to switch off” to that homes were not turned into “24/7 offices”.She said there should be plan to help small and medium sized businesses adapt to the new normal, and new rights to protect people from remote surveillance by bosses, as well as proper sick pay for those who need to self-isolate.Asked about the issue on Thursday, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “We’ve asked people to work from home where they can during the pandemic, but there are no plans to make this permanent or introduce a legal right to work from home… it is important to stress that there are no plans to make working from home the default, or introduce a legal right to work from home.” More

Keir Starmer is on course for another electoral battering at the Batley and Spen by-election next month, according to a new constituency poll.The new survey of the ‘red wall’ seat published by Survation found the Tories taking the West Yorkshire constituency with 47 per cent of the vote.Labour would trail in second place on 41 per cent of the vote, while former Labour and Respect MP George Galloway would take six per cent.If the figures are repeated on 1 July the result would amount to the second formerly safe Labour seat lost by Sir Keir’s party in the space of two months.The party got a battering at the Hartlepool by-election in early May, a seat held by Labour since its creation in 1974.The Labour leader’s critics have urged him to be clearer and more distinctive on policy, with voters telling pollsters they don’t know what what he stands for. But virtually all senior Labour figures have so far shied away from calling on him to resign despite a lacklustre performance. Sir Keir this week launched a policy review chaired by MP Anneliese Dodds.It comes after the party recorded its lowest score in recent history at a by-election in Amersham in Chesham this week, winning just 1.6 per cent of the vote and trailing the Green Party. That contest was effectively a two-horse race between the Lib Dems and Tories.Sir Keir has blamed Labour’s poor ratings on the success of the vaccination drive, though there is little evidence for a substantial increase in support for the Conservatives. The Tories are currently polling at a lower level than they were during the first lockdown, but support for Labour has fallen away from a high late last year that saw them draw level with Mr Johnson’s party. The new poll of Batley and Spen found that Boris Johnson was a net asset there, with a positive favourability rating of +18 per cent. This compares to Sir Keir’s rating of -32 per cent. 55 per cent of voters there say Mr Johns would make the best prime minister compared to 18 per cent Sir Keir.Mr Johnson was most trusted on all main policy areas polls with large margins on Brexit, Covid-19, and the economy. The Tory leader was even ahead of the NHS, traditional Labour territory, by 45 per cent to 30 per cent.Activists in the constituency have reported the issue of Palestine being brought up by many voters on the doorstep, with Labour’s support for the cause during the latest conflict seen as muted.Labour’s candidate in the consituency is Kim Leadbeater, the sister of Jo Cox. The late Ms Cox represented the seat for Labour until 2016 when she was assassinated by a right-wing extremist during the EU referendum campaign. Labour has held the seat at every election since 1983. More

Andrew Lloyd Webber has rejected prime minister Boris Johnson’s offer for his musical Cinderella to be included in a pilot scheme for live events.Earlier this week Mr Johnson said he was in talks with Lord Lloyd-Webber about including the West End show in the scheme, saying he will “do whatever we can to be helpful”.Lord Lloyd-Webber was criticised by a government source after he rejected the offer on Friday.They said they were “bemused” by his “baffling” decision, adding that he had previously provisionally registered to take part in the pilot scheme.Lord Lloyd-Webber, who quit as a Conservative peer in 2017, said in a statement theatre had been treated as “an afterthought and undervalued”.He added: “I have made it crystal clear that I would only be able to participate if others were involved and the rest of the industry – theatre and music – were treated equally. This has not been confirmed to me.“It has become clear that, while sporting events like Wimbledon had obviously been working with the government for some time on this pilot, and were even able to start selling tickets yesterday, the theatre industry and its audiences is, once again, an afterthought and undervalued.”He said the production, which is being staged at the Gillian Lynne Theatre, would open on 25 June with an audience capacity of 50 per cent.The composer previously said he would be prepared to be arrested in order to fully reopen his theatres on 21 June in the event of a delay to the easing of lockdown restrictions.However, on Friday he said if he went ahead with the plan it “would be very likely that every member of my cast, crew and orchestra, the front and backstage staff, plus our loyal audience members, could be individually fined hundreds of pounds, which I couldn’t possibly risk”.He added: “If it were just me, I would happily risk arrest and fines to make a stand and lead the live music and theatre industry back to the full capacities we so desperately need.”Lord Lloyd-Webber said he “could not look my young cast and crew in the eyes to tell them we were delaying or closing down” because of the delay to lockdown easing.He said he would personally bear the losses until he can fully reopen the theatre at maximum capacity.Cinderella “is the product of hundreds of people’s tireless effort for years”, he said, adding: “Win, lose or draw, we have to continue.”Lord Lloyd-Webber also thanked the “thousands” of people who had contacted him to express their support, “including those who wanted to come and bring me cake in jail”.The government source said: “We are bemused that Andrew Lloyd Webber has decided not to take part in the ERP (Events Research Programme).“This would have given him the opportunity to have audiences at 100 per cent for Cinderella and at the same time play a crucial part for his sector in the fuller reopening.“It’s baffling that he’s pulled out and is instead opening his theatre at 50 per cent given all the noise he’s been making about opening fully and threatening to sue.“It’s completely false that the arts and culture sector hasn’t been part of the ERP programme.“We tested an array of settings including festivals, club nights, the Brits and the Crucible Theatre and are now in discussions with other theatres as part of the next phase of the programme.”Mr Johnson revealed earlier this week that 19 July is the new date that has been earmarked for the lifting of the remaining coronavirus restrictions.Lord Lloyd-Webber’s statement was welcomed by music industry trade body LIVE.Greg Parmley, chief executive of the organisation, said in a statement: “The live music industry has spent months participating and paying for pilot events so we could reopen at full capacity safety.“These events were a huge success and show, alongside every other international pilot, that with the right mitigations full capacity live events are safe.“Despite this the government has refused to publish this data, forced us to remain closed and then tried to hand-pick a number of high profile events to go ahead whilst the rest of our industries are devastated.”Actors’ union Equity also welcomed the move by Lord Lloyd-Webber.In a statement to the PA news agency, general secretary Paul W Fleming said: “What our industry needs right now is solidarity across the workforce and all producers, and it’s admirable that Andrew Lloyd Webber is continuing to stand with the whole sector on the issue of reopening.“The government needs to provide insurances, grants, and above all else a proper income support scheme for the self-employed to accompany any ongoing public health measures, as well as looking to decouple live performance from international travel and other unlocking elements.“The risk here is acute – the loss of a workforce, and perhaps even the UK’s place as the pre-eminent global hub for theatre. Andrew Lloyd Webber knows that, and so does Equity.”A spokesman for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said: “We are disappointed that Lord Lloyd-Webber has decided not to take part in the Events Research Programme, having engaged with his team on exactly the same basis as a wide range of other cultural and sporting events.“We will be setting out details of the next stage of the programme very shortly, once all public health considerations have been finalised, and this will include a number of other theatres.“This research will build on successful pilot events in the arts, music and sport sectors.”Press Association More

One of Keir Starmer’s closest advisers is standing down after Labour’s worst ever performance in a by-election.Ben Nunn announced on Friday that he is quitting as the Labour leader’s director of communications after the party won just 622 votes in the Buckinghamshire constituency of Chesham and Amersham.The result – which saw the party trail in fourth place behind the Greens and lose its £500 deposit – came on the back of the crushing defeat in Hartlepool last month. In his departure email to staff, Mr Nunn continued to back the Labour leader despite the setback but said he wanted to “go forward and do something different”.”I remain as convinced today as I ever have been that he will be a great prime minister and make this a better, stronger, more prosperous country,” he wrote.”The decision to step down has been one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever had to take.”Mr Nunn, who has worked with Sir Keir since 2017, added: “In that time I’ve worked through the junior doctors’ dispute, EU referendum campaign, a leadership contest, Brexit, a general election, another leadership contest and a global pandemic.”I’ve had the opportunity to learn and experience so much. Now is the chance for me to go forward and do something different.”Deputy communications director Paul Ovenden also stood down – but his departure was understood to be because of family reasons and unconnected to political events.Thursday’s by-election saw the Liberal Democrats overturn a Tory majority of 16,000 to seize the Conservative stronghold by 8,028 votes.Chesham and Amersham had belonged to the Tories since its creation in 1974.Polling expert Sir John Curtice told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he made it the “worst Labour performance in any by-election”.Additional reporting by Press Association More

Senior Tories say Boris Johnson must change course or face more defeats in southern seats, with a warning the Liberal Democrats could become the “natural party for the home counties”.Former Cabinet ministers are among worried Conservatives calling on the prime minister to accept the danger that his “blue wall” will crumble – in a “mirror image” of Labour’s plight in the north.They spoke out after a defiant prime minister defended his planning shake-up – despite it being blamed for the crushing Chesham and Amersham by-election defeat – claiming it had been misunderstood.Damian Green and David Davis told The Independent the controversial changes, attacked for allowing developers to ride roughshod over local democracy, must be rethought. But other Tories pointed to a deeper problem of a government that proclaimed itself as “One Nation”, but whose “actions don’t match its words”, as ex-health minister Stephen Hammond put it. “The Conservatives need to prove they are not guilty of the charge laid against Labour of complacency and taking communities for granted,” Mr Hammond said.Meanwhile, David Gauke, exiled from the Conservatives over Brexit, suggested “30 or 40 seats in the south of England” were vulnerable to the Lib Dems, warning: “Then the political map does begin to change.“If they can make the case that they are the natural party for the home counties, that they can represent pro-business, centre right voters, then there’s an opportunity for the Liberal Democrats that they could take,” the ex-justice secretary said.There are 23 Tory seats which the Lib Dems would snatch on a 10 per cent swing – less than half that achieved in Chesham and Amersham – one recent analysis found. The Lib Dems have overturned a large Tory majority to win the Chesham and Amersham by-election, claiming a seat that had been a Conservative stronghold for decades. The result sees Lib Dem Sarah Green become the country’s newest MP, taking 56.7 per cent of the vote to secure a majority of 8,028 over the second-placed Tories.The Lib Dem victory “sends a shockwave through British politics”, said the party’s leader Ed Davey, exposing the potential fragility of Mr Johnson’s party in the “blue wall” of southern England.The contest was triggered by the death of former minister Dame Cheryl Gillan, who won in Chesham and Amersham with a majority of 16,233 in the last general election in 2019.They include the Surrey constituencies of foreign secretary Dominic Raab and his predecessor Jeremy Hunt’s, as well as Mr Hammond’s Wimbledon seat.Mr Green, Theresa May’s de-facto deputy prime minister, said, of the shock result: “In many ways it’s an old-fashioned by-election protest, but we have to hear the obvious message about planning and over-development.” And Mr Davis, the former Brexit Secretary, said: “Governments should always pay careful attention to by-election setbacks, even ones dominated by tactical voting and Liberal tricks.“The Chesham result implies that we should think hard about both HS2 and our prospective planning policy.”Former cabinet minister Theresa Villiers, writing in the Telegraph, also urged ministers to “rethink their approach to planning reform” saying the current housing targets in the south east of England were “very high”.Gavin Barwell, Mrs May’s former chief-of-staff, said the by-election result in true-blue Buckinghamshire was a “mirror image” of Labour’s defeat in Hartlepool last month.“If you could replicate that at a general election, there will be other Conservative MPs in the southeast of England who will be quite worried about that,” he predicted.The criticism comes after Andrew Mitchell, another former cabinet minister, warned of defeat unless the Conservatives remained “a broad church”, as he attacked the overseas aid cuts.But, speaking on a college visit, Mr Johnson rejected warnings of trouble in the south, calling them “a bit peculiar, a bit bizarre” and pointing to local election gains “all over the place” last month.He appeared to point to the construction of the HS2 high-speed rail line as the reason for the shock defeat, referring to “particular circumstances there”.And, on planning, the prime minister said: “I think there’s some misunderstanding about the planning reforms – even some wilful misunderstanding on the part of some of our opponents.“What we want is sensible plans to allow development on brownfield sites. We’re not going to build on greenbelt sites, we’re not going to build all over the countryside.”In an article for The Independent, Mr Davey wrote: “The pundits said it was impossible for any party to beat the Conservatives in Buckinghamshire.“Our resounding victory demonstrates the discontent, the frustration and the anger that so many people – even many who have voted Conservative all their lives – feel towards Boris Johnson.”But Mr Hammond told The Independent: “The government says and wants to be One Nation, but its actions don’t match its words.”Hinting at southern voters feeling neglected in the push to win the north, he added: “If levelling up is good for north then it is good for Buckinghamshire and London.” More

Boris Johnson tells planning critics they’re wrong despite by-election humiliationBoris Johnson has described his party’s defeat in the Chesham and Amersham by-election as “disappointing” and “a bit peculiar” – and appeared to blame a public misunderstanding of Tory reforms to planning rules.The Lib Dems overturned a huge Tory majority to score an historic win, with Sarah Green wining by 8,000 votes in a seat which had been a safe Conservative stronghold since its creation but has seen growing opposition to the HS2 high speed railway line and plans for large-scale housing developments in the region.Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said the result showed that the “blue wall” of Tory seats in the south could be demolished. One former Tory minister said it showed that some voters in the south considered Boris Johnson to be a “charlatan”.Meanwhile, the DUP is yet looking for another new leader after the short tenure of Edwin Poots – forced out last night after only 20 days in charge of the party.His resignation came after an angry party revolt against his decision to agree a deal with Sinn Fein and nominate a new first minister – leaving power-sharing arrangements at Stormont in disarray.Meanwhile, Mr Johnson is set to strip the Electoral Commission of the power to prosecute law-breaking – just weeks after it launched an investigation into his controversial flat refurb.Show latest update

1624027585‘I’m furious over HS2,’ says Chesham ex-Tory voterLong-term Tory voters in Chesham have confirmed that HS2 was a major reason for turning away from the party and handing the Liberal Democrats a shock by-election victory.Alan Price, 82, told Press Association that it was key to his decision to vote for Lib Dem candidate Sarah Green.He said: “I just wanted to see a change. Like many, I’m so fed up and furious over the building of HS2. It’s a big, big bugbear for me.“My partner lives in Maidenhead and I used to be able to travel there in 30 minutes or so, now it takes me at least two hours. It’s chaotic.“It’s been really hard as she’s become ill. I don’t think they realise how many people it has affected.”Shabaz Nawaz, an employee of Simply The Best launderette, said: “It’s the railway, HS2, that’s done it. Everywhere around here the traffic is unbearable.”Jit Mistry, owner of Chesham Post Office, said: “This is a beautiful place but people are totally against what’s happening with the railway, and I think that’s what has driven this.”Peter Stubley18 June 2021 15:461624027021’Extremely boring? It’s all part of the plan’The president of the Cop 26 climate summit, Alok Sharma, claims he has deliberately cultivated his image as an “extremely boring” politician who prefers the “minimum of fuss”.Is that what the global environmental crisis needs? We shall see when the conference arrives in November.Peter Stubley18 June 2021 15:371624026348Former Tory minister rounds on ‘charlatan’ PMVoters think Boris Johnson is a “charlatan”, a senior Tory and former minister has said in a withering attack on the prime minister following his party’s by-election defeat to the Liberal Democrats.Dominic Grieve, who served as attorney general, spoke out against Mr Johnson after Sarah Green overturned a huge Conservative majority to record a stunning victory at the Chesham and Amersham contest.Peter Stubley18 June 2021 15:251624024903Irish Taoiseach calls for ‘calm heads’ in Northern IrelandIrish premier Micheal Martin has urged those at the centre of the political crisis in Northern Ireland to remain “calm”, as the province emerges from a “very turbulent” 24 hours.Mr Martin said it was important everyone worked collectively to maintain stability in Northern Ireland.Edwin Poots announced he was quitting as leader of the DUP on Thursday, just weeks after taking up the role.The DUP is now searching for a new leader, after party members rebelled against Mr Poots’ decision to nominate Paul Givan as Northern Ireland First Minister.Speaking in Dublin, Mr Martin said it had been a difficult period for Northern Ireland.“I think it is very important that we all work collectively on the island towards maintaining stability and calm heads and staying focused on what is important to the people within Northern Ireland,” he added.Alastair Jamieson18 June 2021 15:011624021207Speaker to welcome Pelosi for G7 conference Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle will host the G7 Speakers’ conference in his Lancashire constituency from 17 to 19 September. Nancy Pelosi, Washington’s house speaker, is expected to attend, along with representataives from the EU, France, Italy, Germany, Canada and Japan. The politicians will share experiences and information on parliamentary matters at the summit, which will be held at Astley Hall in Chorley. “I look forward to welcoming my counterparts to one of the most beautiful parts of the UK – to the town where I was born and brought up – to Lancashire and the north west,” Sir Lindsay said. Rory Sullivan18 June 2021 14:001624020187What happens next for the DUP? Edwin Poots lasted less than three weeks as the DUP’s leader, handing in his resignation on Thursday evening. Who is likely to replace him? And what will this mean for the tense power-sharing arrangements with Sinn Fein? Rory Sullivan18 June 2021 13:431624019107Downing Street rejects Cummings’ claim PM is ‘gaffe machine’ Downing Street has rejected Dominic Cummings’ claim that Boris Johnson is a “gaffe machine”. The prime minister’s former chief aide tweeted the comment in reference to his advice that Mr Johnson should not be interviewed by Andrew Neil ahead of the 2019 general election. Mr Cummings said it made no sense to put a “gaffe machine clueless about policy & government up to be grilled for ages”. In response to the allegation, a No 10 spokesperson said: “Of course that is not a characterisation that we would accept.“But I’m not going to get into specific allegations.”Rory Sullivan18 June 2021 13:251624018189Defiant Johnson tells planning critics they’re wrong A defiant prime minister has insisted that his party’s planning shake-up is “sensible”, despite an embarrassing defeat in the Chesham and Amersham by-election. Describing the lose as “a bit peculiar, a bit bizarre”, he argued that there had been “some misunderstanding” about the reforms. “What we want is sensible plans to allow development on brownfield sites. We’re not going to build on greenbelt sites, we’re not going to build all over the countryside,” he said. Here’s more on this breaking story: Rory Sullivan18 June 2021 13:091624017167PM calls by-election defeat ‘disappointing’Boris Johnson has described yesterday’s by-election result as “disappointing”, before pledging to continue with his government’s “levelling up” programme.When asked if the Conservatives were ignoring southern voters in favour of northern ones, the prime minister said his programme was interested in “uniting and levelling up” the whole country. Mr Johnson also thanked Peter Fleet, the Tory candidate in Chesham and Amersham, calling him “an outstanding local candidate”. Rory Sullivan18 June 2021 12:521624016885Why did Lib Dems win by-election? The Liberal Democrats thinks the party’s by-election win in Chesham and Amersham has sent “shockwave through British politics”. Regardless of whether this is borne out by future results, it was a significant victory in itself. But what helped them to such a large win? Was it their stance on planning rules, HS2, Brexit or a combination of the three that tipped them over the line?Adam Forrest takes a look: Rory Sullivan18 June 2021 12:48 More