Markus Andrews

Keir Starmer should stand down as Labour leader if the party loses the upcoming Batley and Spen by-election, senior members of Jeremy Corbyn’s front bench have suggested.Diane Abbott said that failure in the West Yorkshire stronghold should spell “curtains” for Starmer, following the humiliating loss of HartlepoolAnd she suggested that the party’s left could swing behind Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham as an alternative leader.Meanwhile, Rebecca Long-Bailey, who lost out on the Labour succession to Starmer in 2020, said there would have to be “serious discussions” about the leadership if Batley and Spen falls to Tories.No date has yet been set for the parliamentary by-election, triggered by former MP Tracy Brabin’s victory in the contest for West Yorkshire mayor earlier this month.The seat, formerly held by murdered MP Jo Cox, has been Labour since 1997.But Ms Brabin’s majority over her Conservative challenger in 2019 was just 3,525 votes – smaller than the margin in Hartlepool, which fell to Tories on a 23 per cent swing earlier this month.And Tories will be hoping to scoop up many of the 6,000-plus votes which at the last general election went to the Heavy Woollen District Independents, founded by a local Ukip leader, as well as almost 1,700 won by the Brexit Party.Ms Abbott’s comments came after Mr Burnham made clear he was ready for another tilt at the Labour leadership when it becomes vacant, having lost out in both 2010 and 2015. However an early contest might bar the former minister from taking part, as he is not currently an MP.The close Corbyn ally told The Guardian that victory in Batley and Spen was far from certain.“Support from the large minority ethnic electorate may enable the party to hold the seat and Starmer to hang on as Labour leader,” Ms Abbott said.“But if Labour loses again, it must surely be curtains for him. And then it may be that Andy Burnham’s time will have come.”Ms Abbott made clear that Burnham, who served in Mr Corbyn’s shadow cabinet and took no part in efforts to unseat him, would not be viewed as a toxic candidate by the left.She said he was seen “by the largely pro-Corbyn Labour party activist base as a neutral figure: becoming mayor of Manchester also enabled Burnham to reinvent himself as a plucky insurgent, rather than a New Labour clone”.Meanwhile, Ms Long-Bailey, who was sacked by Starmer in an early sign of his intention to shake off the hold of the party left, told ITV’s Peston: “I don’t want to lose Batley and Spen and I think the party and Keir and his leadership team, need to recognise where we’re at at the moment in terms of our footing with the electorate.”Labour went into this month’s local elections “offering very little”, she said. “There was no policy other than focus groups, slogans and shiny suits, and that’s not enough to win the trust of the electorate. So we need to work very hard to develop policy and develop an offering and show the electorate what the Labour Party actually stands for.”Pressed by Peston on whether Starmer’s future was at stake, she said: “I think there are going to have to be serious discussions if there is a loss in Batley and Spen but as I say I don’t want it to come to that, I want us to win that election. And I think if we pick a fantastic candidate, we’ll be in with a very good chance.” More

The UK has handed Australia the whip hand in their post-Brexit trade deal talks by being “desperate” for an agreement, a trade expert is warning.It was not “the smartest of moves” to make public that London wants signatures on a deal by the G7 summit in Cornwall, now only three weeks away, David Henig said.“We do look desperate, I think it is a problem – setting a deadline, and our own guidelines for the G7 summit to make an announcement then, doesn’t look like the smartest of moves,” said the head of UK Trade Forum.“It gives the Australians the ability to then say, ‘we’ll dig in, if you want your announcement on 11 June here are our terms, but we’re not going to budge’.”The warning comes after Boris Johnson threw his weight behind Liz Truss, the trade secretary, in what she called “a sprint” to sign the deal by the June summit.Farmers fear ruin from the plan to axe tariffs on Australian meat, produced on huge farms, allegedly to lower food and welfare standards than exist in Britain.But the prime minister brushed aside the concerns – shared by some Cabinet ministers – and said farmers should not be “frightened of free trade”.Mr Henig, speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, added: “I think we are desperate to get those deals – that is the modus operandi of this government.”Under the plans being negotiated, the tariffs of 20 per cent that Australia pays on all exports of beef to the UK would be cut to zero over the next 15 years.Michael Gove is believed to be concerned that the controversy will boost support for Scottish independence, because farmers north of the border could be hardest hit.But ministers backing the deal say tariffs are protectionist and scrapping them will cut prices in the shops delivering a tangible benefit for leaving the EU.A further controversy surrounds the effect on the climate emergency of encouraging greater meat-eating, when government advisers say the public needs to eat less.The stakes could not be higher for what would be the UK’s first new trade deal since Brexit – with Mr Johnson and Ms Truss desperate to claim a victory.But farming groups fear it would set a dangerous precedent for future agreements – particularly with the US – which would leave British farmers struggling to compete with cheap imports.The criticism of the UK’s tactics follows the ridicule heaped on the trade secretary over a bizarre threat to make her Australian counterpart sit “in an uncomfortable chair for nine hours”.It was briefed that Ms Truss would throw down the gauntlet over the “glacially slow” progress in negotiations, when she met Dan Tehan last month.The source reportedly described Mr Tehan as “inexperienced” compared to Ms Truss, adding: “He needs to show that he can play at this level.” More

Control of mainland Britain’s railways will be handed to a new public sector body under the most sweeping rail reforms since privatisation, it has been announced.The government pledged to end the “fragmentation” of Britain’s railways with trains and tracks both becoming the responsibility of the new body Great British Railways (GBR).The new organisation will set fares and timetables, own and maintain infrastructure, and specify contracts for private companies to run services.The changes will see vast swathes of powers moved from the Department for Transport and private train operating companies to the new railway planning body, which will resurrect the British Rail “double arrow” symbol and oversee ticket sales.Some questions remain open, such as whether trains will be painted with a unified national GBR brand or whether the individual identities of different operators such as Avanti, South Western Railway, and GWR will be maintained.The Department for Transport told The Independent on Wednesday that specifics around the branding of services had not been finalised.But for the first time since transport secretary Alastair Darling abolished the Strategic Rail Authority in 2006 the railways will have a single public body overseeing their direction and development.The government is keen to stress that the changes are not a return to public ownership – and says there could even be a bigger role for the private sector in some cases.Under the system, private companies will be paid a flat management fee in a model similar to the “concession” system used on the London Overground. GBR would keep the fare revenue and also bear any risk.Though the government has for years been looking at the future of the railways under its Williams Review, the necessity of the reforms became even clearer during the coronavirus pandemic, which effectively collapsed the franchising system. With passengers staying at home during lockdown, private companies collected no fares – prompting the government first to step in with assistance and then to assume the revenue risk of fares.Though the latest change has been characterised by some observers as a “renationalisation”, the services are still operated by private companies – and will be under the planned future model.But a publicly accountable body will have control over the specification of the railway and be able to plan how it develops at a national level, with private companies mostly relegated to the status of contractors. The move also signals a break with EU rail rules, which mandates the separation of train and track management to foster competition.“I am a great believer in rail, but for too long passengers have not had the level of service they deserve,” Boris Johnson said. “By creating Great British Railways, and investing in the future of the network, this government will deliver a rail system the country can be proud of”. Transport Secretary Trans Shapps said that “years of fragmentation, confusion and over-complication” had “failed” passengers.“The pandemic has seen the Government take unprecedented steps to protect services and jobs,” he said.”It’s now time to kickstart reforms that give the railways solid and stable foundations for the future, unleashing the competitive, innovative and expert abilities of the private sector, and ensuring passengers come first.“Great British Railways marks a new era in the history of our railways. It will become a single familiar brand with a bold new vision for passengers – of punctual services, simpler tickets and a modern and green railway that meets the needs of the nation.”The announcement has been given a cautious welcome across the rail industry and by passenger groups.Darren Caplan, chief executive of the Railway Industry Association (RIA), said it was “good to see the Williams Review published today, giving some certainty to the Government’s plans for the railways as we emerge from the Coronavirus pandemic”.He said that the industry thought it was important that the restructuring of UK rail should “not cause any hiatus in work being done to renew and enhance railway infrastructure or rolling stock, to ensure everyone in the industry can help rail to build back better as we emerge from the pandemic”.Maria Machancoses, chief executive of Midlands Connect, the midlands’ sub-national transport body said: “This raft of changes is what the rail industry and its passengers have been waiting for, and if implemented correctly, could have huge benefits for travellers. “By specifying timetables, service levels and operating standards, this concession model will reward operators for delivering what passengers want most – trains that run on time, friendly service and clean stations.”But Johnbosco Nwogbo, campaigns officer at We Own It, which campaigns for public ownership, said the review promised “no meaningful change”.”The reality is that the government’s proposals are merely rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic – the changes are cosmetic and nothing more. “After more than two decades of privatisation, it is abundantly clear the experiment has been a failure. Passengers have been whacked by sky-rocketing fares, endless cancellations and a shoddy service, all while private companies keep pocketing their juicy profits.”The pandemic has only exposed this further – with the government having to step in to pay the private companies to keep doing what they were doing and protect their profit margins.”He called on the government “face reality” and “ditch their ideological obsession with privatisation and build a publicly owned, world class rail service fit for the 21st century”.Labour’s shadow transport secretary, Jim McMahon said the government’s report “raises more questions than it answers” and was “another example of ministers talking a good game, with very little substance underneath”. “A lack of proper detail on flexible tickets and whether it will make travel cheaper for the average commuter renders it meaningless for millions and completely fails to meet the scale of challenge required to encourage people back onto the rail network post-pandemic,” he said. “When long term sustainable funding is promised, it must be delivered on. Labour has long argued that public ownership of the rail network will provide better value for the taxpayer and for passengers, who deserve more than rhetoric from this Government.” More

Although somewhat more optimistic at Prime Minister’s Questions about the government’s Covid roadmap, in recent days Boris Johnson has been a striking a cautious tone about the next significant date, 21 June. This is the moment when, according to the official roadmap guidance, “the government hopes to be in a position to remove all legal limits on social contact”. Specifically: “We hope to reopen remaining premises, including nightclubs, and ease the restrictions on large events and performances that apply in Step 3. This will be subject to the results of a scientific Events Research Programme to test the outcome of certain pilot events through the spring and summer, where we will trial the use of testing and other techniques to cut the risk of infection. The same Events Research Programme will guide decisions on whether all limits can be removed on weddings and other life events.”Much obviously depends on how effective the vaccine programme will be against the spreading Indian variant of the coronavirus, which is becoming more prevalent. Last Friday the chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, gave this assessment of the danger: “There is now confidence … that this variant is more transmissible than B.1.1.7 (Kent variant), now the question in practical terms over the next two to three weeks is is this somewhat more transmissible than B.1.1.7 or is this a lot more transmissible and that will have implications for the long-term prospects of this epidemic in the UK and indeed the pandemic internationally?”Now, the prime minister says that there is “increasing confidence” about the vaccines’ ability to fight the virus, and to prevent severe illness in individuals. The evidence will need to be sifted carefully in the coming days. It will come from the piloted mass outside events; from an analysis of the general relaxation measures already taken; about the effects of more international travel; about trends in infection, hospitalisation and deaths; the geographical spread from the hot spots; the efficacy of the vaccines for Indians and the wider community; and a more precise idea about the specific characteristics of the Indian virus. More

Anger over the Brexit deal for Northern Ireland could “definitely creep over into violence”, a group associated with loyalist paramilitary groups has warned MPs.One member of the Loyalist Communities Council told the committee that the Northern Ireland protocol negotiated by Boris Johnson was not compatible with the Good Friday Agreement, which underpins the peace process.And another refused to rule out a violent reaction, telling the House of Commons Northern Ireland Committee: “There are certainly certain circumstances where violence is the only tool you have left.”The group’s chairman, David Campbell, said that anger in the unionist community over the border in the Irish Sea created by Mr Johnson’s deal was stronger than at any point since the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement which gave Dublin an advisory role in the governance of the North.Representatives of the LCC, which was founded in 2015 by organisations linked to the three main loyalist paramilitary groups, were giving evidence to the committee just days after a controversial meeting with Brexit minister David Frost, the architect of the protocol.Mr Campbell said that Lord Frost had told them the European Commission should hear their concerns, but added that EU negotiator Michel Barnier and commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic had so far refused to meet them.The LCC chairman said that he had been arrested for taking part in protests against the Anglo-Irish Agreement, just as young members of the Protestant community were now being arrested at protests against the protocol.He told the committee there was a “deep sense of hurt and anger right across the unionist community”.“I’ve never witnessed such anger since 1985 when the Anglo-Irish Agreement was imposed,” said Mr Campbell. “And I thought, particularly with the 25 years I’ve spent actually trying to build peace and build relationships on this island, that the days of imposition had gone.”Asked if there was a danger of anger spilling over into violence, Mr Campbell said: “I think we definitely could creep over into violence. I have described this as probably the most dangerous situation for many years. But I do hope common sense will prevail.”Another member of the LCC, Joel Keys, told the committee he could not rule out the use of violence, telling MPs: “There are certainly certain circumstances where violence is the only tool you have left … The minute you rule violence out completely, you’re admitting you are not willing to back up anything you believe in with anything really important.”Mr Campbell told the committee that he regarded Dublin’s warnings during Brexit negotiations that a hard border would increase the risk of violence as effectively amounting to “threatening the resumption of a bombing campaign along the border”.He insisted he was not threatening a resumption of violence, but told the committee: “We are not in the business of issuing threats but we are in the business of issuing warnings.”Leading loyalist and LCC member Jim Wilson was asked if he felt “betrayed” by the Northern Ireland protocol.He replied: “Absolutely. We’re being left as a part of the United Kingdom inside an economic Europe with no say and not not being able to deal with anything, because our government has given that away because it was the easiest road to go down.“As a loyalist, I believe what they’ve done as well is they have made an easier route to union in Ireland, because we’re economically tied into the Irish Republic and the EU. That makes it far easier for the next steps.“So I believe that I have been betrayed … You can’t have both, you can’t have the protocol and the Good Friday Agreement. I withdrew my support for the Good Friday Agreement simply because it was not allowed for us to have a say in what our future is.”Mr Campbell called on the Republic of Ireland to “join the effort to rectify this protocol”, adding that this may have to involve foreign minister Simon Coveney “falling on his sword [as] the chief architect of this mischief”.He said that he would like to see Brussels, London and Dublin together agree to invoke Article 16 of the protocol, which allows one side to suspend elements of the border arrangements if they are found to cause significant economic, societal or environmental difficulties.“Is the peace process not much more important than the Northern Ireland protocol?” he asked.“The starting point has to be the realisation that, however well-intentioned it may have been, the Northern Ireland protocol isn’t acceptable to both communities here.“Therefore I suspect one of the solutions might be for Europe and the United Kingdom, with the support of the Irish government, to collectively agree to trigger Article 16, to pause the protocol completely and allow a period of dialogue to find a workable solution.” More

The RSPCA is up in arms over Boris Johnson’s plans for a free-trade deal with Australia that would mean the UK buying the produce of practices considered too cruel to be carried out in Britain.The animal-welfare charity is warning giving the country tariff-free access to the UK would “betray the public, farmers and animals” and could set back animal welfare by decades.And other activists say a deal would undermine the government’s overhaul of animal-welfare laws, which ministers announced with great fanfare last week as “the biggest shake-up and standards for generations”.Boris Johnson made clear at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday that he backed signing a deal with Australia, after it was revealed a “furious” row was raging in the cabinet over whether to opt for one.Animal-welfare organisations are horrified by the prospect of a deal because Australia has much lower legal standards on animal welfare than the UK, including:·         mulesing – cutting off sheep rear ends, including skin and flesh, often without anaesthetic·         barren battery cages for hens·         chlorinated chicken·         sow stalls – extreme confinement for pregnant pigs·         growth hormone treatment for beef·         journey times of up to 48 hours without rest and live exportsRSPCA chief executive Chris Sherwood said: “Just days ago, the government vowed to be a global leader for animal welfare, with Defra publishing a wide-ranging and comprehensive strategy. Now the Department for International Trade is looking to sign a quick trade deal with a country still using worse systems which could undermine that pledge.“We’d urge the prime minister not to betray the public, farmers and animals.”It’s believed the government plans to include animal welfare language in the agreement, but activists warned that would be meaningless if the deal still allowed the import of cruelly produced goods.Australian imports would, on the face of it, fly in the face of the Conservative election manifesto, which stated: “In all of our trade negotiations, we will not compromise on our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards.”And ministers including trade secretary Liz Truss and Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove have repeatedly promised not to allow standards to be reduced as the government does post-Brexit deals.But millions of Merino lambs in Australia each year are subjected to mulesing, when their rears are painfully sliced off to create scar tissue resistant to “fly strike”.Pain relief is not mandatory in most states, and Humane Society International/UK said the UK government “should not be giving a free pass to wool that has been tainted by the cruel practice”.In 2018, Australia exported 119 tonnes of wool to the UK, a figure predicted to spiral under a free-trade deal.An estimated 9 million laying hens in Australia – 70 per cent of the country’s egg-laying flock – are confined to tiny barren battery cages no bigger than an A4 piece of paper. Battery cages are illegal in the UK and Europe.The Alliance to Save our Antibiotics says Australian farmers use at least 16 times more antibiotics on poultry than the UK, and nearly three times as much on pigs.Compassion in World Farming said beef from Australian cattle reared in intensive conditions should not be permitted.And Claire Bass, executive director of HSI/UK said: “The government cannot claim to champion animal welfare one minute, and the next have its pen poised to sign up to encourage imports of goods that are the result of appalling animal suffering.“If the government’s action plan for animals is to be worth the paper it’s written on, ministers from all departments have to take pride in protecting animal welfare and not treat it like an inconvenience to be bartered away.”Mr Sherwood said any deal must include safeguards – tariff or non-tariff – to ensure only products produced to higher standards could enter the UK.“The UK public have made clear they do not want lower welfare imports like eggs from hens reared in barren battery cages, chlorinated chicken, hormone-treated beef and products from sheep that have been mutilated using practices banned in the UK coming into the country,” he said.He condemned the lack of independent scrutiny to ensure standards. “This agreement is being hurried through before the Trade and Agriculture Commission is even set up.“Without protection built into free-trade agreements, we risk setting back animal welfare by decades and betraying British farmers.”The government should use the agreement to encourage Australia to raise its standards, he added.At PMQs, Mr Johnson hailed a deal as “a massive opportunity for Scotland and the whole of the UK” to export agricultural produce.The Independent has asked Downing Street and the department for environment, food and rural affairs how the prime minister can reconcile promises not to lower standards with signing a deal. More

The British government has given its strongest statement yet in support of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, saying the country has a “legitimate right to defend itself”.Speaking in the House of Commons on Wednesday Middle East minister James Cleverly made only a brief mention of making sure “all actions are proportionate” and avoiding civilian casualties.He focused condemnation of “acts of terrorism by Hamas” and said Israel was reacting to provocation by Hamas.”The UK unequivocally condemns the firing of rockets at Jerusalem and other locations within Israel,” Mr Cleverly said.”We strongly condemn these acts of terrorism by Hamas and other terrorist groups who must permanently end their incitement and rocket fire against Israel. There is no justification for the targeting of civilians.”Israel has a legitimate right to self-defence and to defend its citizens from attack. In doing so, it is vital that all actions are proportionate, in line with international humanitarian law and make every effort to avoid civilian casualties.”At least 217 people, including 63 children, have been killed in Gaza since Israel’s airstrikes resumed a week ago, with some 1,500 Palestinians also wounded. Rockets fired by the militant group Hamas, which also runs Gaza’s government, have killed 12 people in Israel, two of whom were children. Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran, who is of British-Palestinian heritage, said of the deaths of children: “My heart was broken before, it’s shattered now. We need a ceasefire and the UK shouldn’t have left it to France to be the main sponsor of a UN resolution calling for it. This Government is shirking its historic responsibility and it’s time to step up.”Labour MP Richard Burgon added: “How many Palestinian children have to be killed, how many more Palestinian homes have to be reduced to rubble, how many more Palestinian schools and hospitals have to be bombed before the British government takes the action necessary to finally force the Israeli government to stop its war on the Palestinian people?”Surely now is the time for all UK weapons sales to Israel to be stopped. Surely now is the time for sanctions on the Israeli government for its repeated violations of international law. Surely now is the time – this House voted for it back in 2014 – to recognise the state of Palestine because Palestine has the right to exist.”In response, Mr Cleverly laid out what he said was the “sequencing” of the latest conflict – stating that Mr Burgeon should understand that “Israel’s actions were in response to indiscriminate rocket attacks from an internationally recognised terrorist organisation”. However, the rocket attacks began after Israeli security forces attacked worshipers at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. That followed protests by Palestinians over the eviction of Palestinian families from occupied East JerusalemIn his own contribution, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn questioned the nature of “Britain’s military relationship with Israel”.”Can he tell the House if any weapons sold by Britain or munitions sold by Britain to Israel have been used to bomb places in Gaza or if any drone equipment supplied or bought by Britain has been used as a surveillance method on either the West Bank or Gaza that has been followed up by destruction of civilian life and the death of many people?” he said.Foreign Office minister Mr Cleverly replied: “The UK has a robust arms export licensing regime and all export licences are assessed in accordance with it.”Official figures collated by Campaign Against the Arms Trade show that since the Conservative government was elected in May 2015 the UK has licensed over £400 million worth of arms to Israeli forces, including aircraft, bombs, armoured vehicles, and ammunition. More

Watch live as Boris Johnson faces Keir Starmer in PMQsAnger in Northern Ireland over the effects of Brexit could turn violent, Boris Johnson has been warned.The Loyalist Communities Council, which is associated with loyalist paramilitary groups, said that unionist anger was stronger than at any point since the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement which gave Dublin an advisory role in the governance of the North.“I thought … that the days of imposition had gone,” said its chair, David Campbell.It came amid warnings that tens of thousands of EU citizens could lose their legal status in the UK at the end of June due to an “arbitrary” Brexit deadline. More than 50 parliamentarians have written to the government concerning the “cliff edge” imposed by the scheduled closing date of the European Settlement Scheme (ESS) on 30 June.Show latest update

1621434029PM tells UK farmers not to be ‘frightened of free trade’ Boris Johnson has told British farmers not to be “frightened of free trade”, after the SNP and Plaid Cymru warned the government against allowing free access to Australian beef and lamb as part of a post-Brexit trade deal. “Farmers will lose their livelihoods, rural businesses will collapse and families will be driven off the land,” Ian Blackford, the SNP’s Westminster leader, alleged.The prime minister rejected this suggestion, claiming the deal would be “a massive opportunity for Scotland and for the whole of the UK”.Our deputy political editor Rob Merrick reports:Rory Sullivan19 May 2021 15:201621432829Government ‘shirking its historic responsibility’ over Gaza, says British-Palestinian MPLayla Moran, a Liberal Democrat MP who is of British-Palestinian descent, has accused the government of “shirking its historic responsibility” over Gaza. After saying that 63 Palestian children have died in the past nine days of hostilities, she told the Commons: “My heart was broken before, it’s shattered now.“We need a ceasefire and the UK shouldn’t have left it to France to be the main sponsor of a UN resolution calling for it. This government is shirking its historic responsibility and it’s time to step up.”Labour MP Richard Burgon then called on the government to stop UK weapons sales to Israel in response to “its repeated violations of international law”. Rory Sullivan19 May 2021 15:001621431751Opinion: This is a dangerous moment for Boris Johnson – his vaccine honeymoon is definitely overSuddenly, Boris Johnson’s vaccine honeymoon seems over, writes Andrew Grice.It’s as if he has been propelled back in time to the hard slog and agonising decisions on coronavirus. The Indian variant has changed everything.Ministers give mixed messages on foreign travel; if they are confused about whether we can go on holiday to a country on the amber list, it’s no wonder the rest of us are. The amber list stems from Johnson’s voracious appetite to have his cake and eat it.Jon Sharman19 May 2021 14:421621430611Post Office inquiry to get statutory powers, government saysAn independent inquiry into the Post Office’s Horizon IT scandal will be put on a statutory footing, business minister Paul Scully has announced.Mr Scully told the Commons on Wednesday: “On 27 April, I made an oral statement to the House following the Court of Appeal’s decision on 23 April to quash the convictions of 29 postmasters who had been convicted of Horizon-related shortfalls.”As I said then, the government recognises the gravity of the court’s judgment and the scale of the miscarriage of justice that it makes clear.”Sir Wyn [Williams] and I are both of the view that the context for the inquiry has changed in the light of the Court of Appeal’s judgment and that now is the right moment to convert the inquiry to a statutory footing.””Therefore, I can now inform the House that with the agreement of the prime minister I will convert the inquiry to a statutory footing on 1 June 2021.”The move is one ex-employees wronged by the Post Office had demanded.Jon Sharman19 May 2021 14:231621430071Labour to pick Batley and Spen byelection candidate this weekendLabour’s candidate in the Batley and Spen byelection will be chosen on Sunday, a party source has confirmed.Applications are open for the candidacy, with the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) set to draw up a shortlist on Saturday and members choosing the final pick on Sunday.The by-election triggered by former MP Tracy Brabin’s election as West Yorkshire mayor is expected to take place around late July.It is understood Labour’s selection process could have been completed sooner, were it not for the chaos surrounding the sacking of Angela Rayner as party chair.Additional reporting by PAJon Sharman19 May 2021 14:141621429471Opinion: We need to resist the government’s new immigration planMy first act as Labour leader was to address a demonstration supporting refugees, writes Jeremy Corbyn. Thousands gathered in Parliament Square to demand action following the horrific and avoidable death of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi in the Mediterranean Sea.It seemed as if the tide might turn. Even usually anti-migrant tabloids couldn’t avoid reporting on this tragedy. But six years on, thousands more people have perished in the region due to negligence or deliberate policy.Jon Sharman19 May 2021 14:041621428326Anger over Northern Ireland Brexit deal ‘could creep over into violence’, loyalists warnAnger over the Brexit deal for Northern Ireland could “definitely creep over into violence”, a group associated with loyalist paramilitary groups has warned MPs.One member of the Loyalist Communities Council told the committee that the Northern Ireland Protocol negotiated by Boris Johnson was not compatible with the Good Friday Agreement, which underpins the peace process, writes Andrew Woodcock.And the group’s chairman, David Campbell, said that anger in the unionist community over the border in the Irish Sea created by Mr Johnson’s deal was stronger than at any point since the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement which gave Dublin an advisory role in the governance of the North.Jon Sharman19 May 2021 13:451621426829Ministers ‘concerned’ by Israeli strikes in GazaJames Cleverly has said the government is “concerned” that media buildings in Gaza have been destroyed by the Israeli military. The minister for the Middle East and North Africa said: “We are aware of medical institutions, a number of schools and many homes in Gaza that have been destroyed or seriously damaged.”“We call on Israel to adhere to the principles of necessity and proportionality when defending its legitimate security interests,” he added. The Tory MP also called on all parties to allow the entry of humanitarian aid. Rory Sullivan19 May 2021 13:201621425408Government says it is calling for ceasefire in Israel and GazaJames Cleverly, the minister for the Middle East and North Africa, has told the Commons that the government wants to see a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza.The Tory MP said ministers condemned “acts of terrorism by Hamas” and support Israel’s “legitimate right to self-defence”.Speaking of Israel’s attacks on Gaza, he added: “It is vital that all actions are proportionate, in line with international humanitarian law and make every effort to avoid civilian casualties”. Wayne David, a Labour MP, questioned whether the UK was doing as much as countries like France and Jordan to broker a ceasefire via the UN.“I would also urge the government to do everything it can to restart a meaningful peace process as a matter of urgency. If further conflagrations are to be preented, we need a process that will uphold international law, end the illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories and create a viable Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel,” he said. Rory Sullivan19 May 2021 12:561621424419Labour criticises government over failure to increase statutory sick pay Labour has criticised the government for failing to increase statutory sick pay, meaning that some workers who need to self-isolate cannot afford to do so. Shadow Wales secretary Nia Griffith said “Rising concerns about new variants of coronavirus remind us that the pandemic has not gone away. Now the vast majority of people want to play their part to keep us all safe.“But the UK Government’s failure to increase statutory sick pay is forcing many on low incomes to choose between going to work to support their families or staying at home to keep us safe.”David Davies, the Wales minister, said the government “have always been clear that people are going to suffer as a result of this pandemic”.He added that ministers had given an extra £8.6 billion to the Welsh government. Rory Sullivan19 May 2021 12:40 More