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Keir Starmer has been warned by his predecessor that a shadow cabinet reshuffle will not be enough to restore the party’s election hopes after its drubbing at the polls last week.The warning from Jeremy Corbyn came as the Labour leader struggled to reassert control over the party with a shake-up of his top team. After deputy leader Angela Rayner’s dramatic removal as party chair and campaign coordinator, there were increasingly mutinous noises from the Labour left, with one former member of Mr Corbyn’s shadow cabinet saying a challenge to the leadership could not be ruled out.Writing in The Independent, Mr Corbyn accused his successor of failing to inspire supporters to turn out to vote and urged him to “learn the lessons from this disaster” and set out a vision based on policies from the last two Labour manifestos.“People turn out to vote when they are inspired,” said Mr Corbyn, who is currently suspended from the parliamentary Labour Party. “With millions simply not turning up to vote in these elections, even in the context of the pandemic, these results show a loss of hope. It is new ideas from across our movement – not reshuffles or cosmetic tweaks – that will bring hope back.”Mr Corbyn said there was a consensus across Labour for a programme based on a living wage, rights at work, safe and secure housing, transport, broadband and energy, properly funded healthcare and education and “an economy that puts the planet before profit, and the needs of the many before the greed of the few”.And he pointedly added: “They are the programme Keir Starmer was elected on. They are not mine or anyone else’s, but the product of a movement of 600,000 party members and trade unions representing millions of workers, and a programme that inspired hundreds of thousands to organise in their communities and persuade people around them, during and beyond election time.”Mr Corbyn’s 2017 campaign coordinator Jon Trickett said that local constituency parties are already preparing motions of no confidence in Sir Keir’s leadership, after accusations that he has failed to keep promises from his leadership campaign to continue with a raft of policies drawn up under Mr Corbyn.Mr Trickett told left-wing commentator Owen Jones in an online discussion: “If it comes to the question ought there to be a leadership challenge, I don’t think we should rule it out.“I don’t think we should rule it out for several reasons, but perhaps the most important is that a leader who won the vote on the back of promises that were reneged on – some of them quite quickly – needs to come clean.”And Richard Burgon, who served Mr Corbyn as shadow justice secretary, said: “It’s clear that the Labour leadership’s current approach is not working.“There should now be a special Labour Party conference where the leadership outlines its plan to turn this around and seeks the confidence of the party for it.”But former Labour leader Neil Kinnock said Sir Keir should not be blamed for the debacle.“From 2019 and before, and particularly in the year of Covid, we’ve lacked definition,” Lord Kinnock told The Independent. “Given the long-running trends and the pandemic, little of the deficiency is on Keir Starmer’s account.“In this age of insecurity, we must manifestly be the party of personal, family, community and national security. That must apply across all policy areas and with deliberate focus and promotion.“It is directly relevant to the needs of British people everywhere, consistent with Labour values and purposes and therefore authentic, and Keir exudes the intelligence and steadiness which embodies security.” More

Keir Starmer has sacked his shadow chancellor in a bid to inject renewed vigour into the party in the wake of disastrous election results.In another significant reshuffle of his team, Rachel Reeves takes up the top Treasury post, shadowing Rishi Sunak. She replaces Anneliese Dodds, who was given the job of party chair.Ms Reeves tweeted: “Honoured to accept the role of Shadow Chancellor. Our economic recovery must be fair. We must transform lives & back businesses in every part of our country.”The former party chair and campaign coordinator Angela Rayner, who remains deputy leader, was given the job of taking on Michael Gove as shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, as well as a newly created role on the future of work. Her allies said the move made her more powerful in the party.But the former leader Jeremy Corbyn warned that a reshuffle will not be enough to restore the party’s hopes, urging Sir Keir in an article for The Independent to return to the left-wing “vision” of the 2017 and 2019 manifestos.And there were mutinous noises from the left of the party, with close Corbyn ally Jon Trickett saying a challenge to Sir Keir’s leadership could not be ruled out.Sir Keir aimed to deliver decisively on his promise of change with a reshuffle just three days after the super Thursday elections which delivered humiliation for Labour in Hartlepool, Tees Valley and the West Midlands, but saw the party cement its power in Wales and claim a string of mayoral successes including London, Greater Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol, West Yorkshire and the West of England.Sir Keir said that the “fantastic” metro mayor and Welsh results, coupled with signs that Anas Sarwar was beginning to turn round Labour fortunes in Scotland, gave him “optimism and inspiration for the future”.But it was clear that he had faced awkward negotiations with Ms Rayner over her new role, as a reshuffle announced to the press early on Sunday morning took until almost 10pm to complete.And there were grumblings within the party, with one insider greeting the deputy leader’s move with the comment: “Who would want to be national campaign coordinator in name only with no power when you’re just made the scapegoat for the failures of Keir’s team?”Ms Dodds had faced criticism for failing to establish a public profile in her year shadowing Rishi Sunak, though allies said she had led the fight on government waste and the Greensill affair, as well as closing the polling gap with Tories on management of the economy.Former Bank of England economist Ms Reeves is regarded as a combative Commons performer who has kept sleaze allegations against Boris Johnson in the headlines in recent months.Birmingham Ladywood MP Shabana Mahmood took the campaign coordinator job as one of a slew of lower-ranking changes, which also saw Wes Streeting join the shadow cabinet as shadow secretary for child poverty.Lucy Powell entered the shadow cabinet with the housing brief, while Thangam Debbonaire replaced Valerie Vaz as shadow leader of the Commons.But some senior figures tipped for redeployment hung onto their jobs in a shake-up which was less wide-ranging than some had expected. Lisa Nandy kept her foreign affairs post, Jonathan Ashworth remains at health and Nick Thomas-Symonds at home affairs.Veteran MP Nick Brown – who served in both the Blair and Brown governments – was replaced as chief whip by his former deputy Alan Campbell. Mr Brown said he thought it was a “reasonable” time to move on and parted from Sir Keir’s team “on good terms”.Announcing the line-up late on Sunday evening after a long day of discussions, Sir Keir said: “The Labour Party must be the party that embraces the demand for change across our country. That will require bold ideas and a relentless focus on the priorities of the British people. Just as the pandemic has changed what is possible and what is necessary, so Labour must change too.“I look forward to working with our refreshed and renewed team to take on that challenge, deliver that change and build the ambitious programme that will deliver the next Labour government.”As widely trailed, Sir Keir also appointed Gordon Brown’s onetime pollster Deborah Mattinson as Labour’s director of strategy. Ms Rayner’s removal as party chair sent shockwaves through the party on Saturday, with Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham going public with his dismay, tweeting: “I can’t support this.”But an ally of Ms Rayner suggested she had gained from the move to a role where she will be “much more visible now she isn’t being held back”.The ally said: “She will lead both party reform and the development of a policy agenda that is credible, radical and actually connects with the voters we need to win.“She will set out our vision, develop policy across the board and lead the fight to win back voters across former Labour heartlands and take on the government’s sham ‘levelling up’ agenda.”Sir Keir is facing a difficult by-election within weeks of the traumatic Hartlepool defeat, as Tracy Brabin confirmed she will step down as MP for Batley and Spen after her election as West Yorkshire metro mayor. Her 3,525 majority in the 2019 general election was smaller than the 3,595 margin comprehensively overturned by Tories in the northeast seaside town. More

Boris Johnson’s multimillion pound plan to introduce mandatory voter ID at elections has been criticised as an “illiberal solution in pursuit of a non-existent problem” by a former Tory cabinet minister.As the prime minister prepares to set out his legislative agenda for the coming year at the Queen’s Speech, the senior MP David Davis told The Independent the “unnecessary” and “pointless” proposals should be abandoned by the government.Civil liberties groups and race equality campaigners also sounded the alarm over plans, reiterating concerns that barriers could be erected for millions of eligible voters who lack photo identification, which they said were “disproportionately” from ethnic minority and working-class backgrounds.Mr Johnson’s government first committed to introduce ID checks at polling stations in October 2019 – for both parliamentary elections in Great Britain and local elections in England –  but the plans failed to materialise during the last Parliament.It is now expected requirements for ID will be included in an Elections Integrity Bill – forming one of around two dozen pieces of legislation that will be unveiled on Tuesday during the State Opening of Parliament.“It’s yet another unnecessary ID card approach from the government,” the former cabinet minister Mr Davis said. “There’s no evidence that I’m aware of that there is a problem with voter fraud at polling stations.”“It’s actually quite difficult to do,” he stressed. “Somebody else might turn up, they might have voted already. It’s addressing a problem that is not there and it’s impinging on people’s privacy and convenience.”“It’s illiberal. It’s an illiberal solution in pursuit of a non-existent problem. If you’ve got an ID card, you’re putting a barrier in the way of people to exercise their own democratic rights, which is not necessary and shouldn’t be there.”Pressed on whether the government should abandon the proposals, the former cabinet minister replied: “Yes. It should never have taken it up in the first place.“It’s pointless, it’s a waste of time, it’s a waste ministerial effort and as I say it’s an illiberal solution in pursuit of a non-existent problem. And it will be expensive… for nothing.”According to most recent data from the Electoral Commission, 595 cases of alleged voter fraud were investigated by police in 2019, with just four leading to a conviction and two individuals given a police caution. The electoral watchdog concluded in the same year that the UK has “low levels of proven electoral fraud” and that there “remains no evidence of large-scale electoral fraud”.Critics of the plans have also argued that the legislation is disproportionate when compared to recent trials of voter ID schemes in England, with hundreds being turned away from polling stations for failing to bring along the correct identification.Alba Kapoor, a policy officer at the race equality think tank Runnymede Trust, told The Independent: “One in five people in the UK electorate do not have any form of photo ID. These people are disproportionately BME and working class, who will effectively become disenfranchised as a result of this legislation.“Focus should be on the fact that voter registration numbers are far lower among the BME electorate, instead of unnecessary Voter ID legislation.”In October, the government attempted to allay some of these concerns, confirming plans for a new free-of-charge “local electoral identity document” for those without passports or driving licence to be made available to those that apply.Cat Smith, the shadow minister for young people and democracy, however, echoed Mr Davis’ views, describing the government proposals as a “solution looking for a problem that doesn’t exist”.Referring to voter ID requirements in some American states, she told The Independent: “To be very blunt about it, I think it sends the message that the Conservative party in the UK is taking lessons on democracy from the Republican playbook on voter suppression from the US.”“We don’t have a massive issue with voter impersonations at polling stations in Britain, and it’s therefore not a problem that needs to be addressed. By doing so it will make it more difficult for literally millions of legitimate voters to cast their ballots.”The Electoral Reform Society that has been pushing against the ID plans since they were first floated by Mr Johnson’s administration, insisted: “Voting is safe and secure in the UK, so rather than inventing problems, the government should focus on the real issue in politics – including 9 million people missing on the electoral roll, and the glaring loopholes in our lobbying laws.”Dr Jess Garland, the director of policy at the organisation, added: “At a cost of up to £20m per election, mandatory ID is an expensive distraction and the wrong priority right now. These proposals should be dropped before they damage political equality in the UK.”A spokesperson for the Cabinet Office said: “Showing identification to vote is a reasonable approach to combat the inexcusable potential for voter fraud in our current system and strengthen its integrity.“Evidence shows that voter identification does not impact turnout and it has been operating in Northern Ireland with ease for decades. A broad range of photographic documents will be accepted, not just limited to passports and driver’s licences. We have also been clear that a free voter card will be available if needed.” More

The UK elections that took place on 6 May included seven contests for combined-authority metro mayors in England. These “metro mayors” run large, metropolitan areas outside London, presiding over a group of local council leaders, a group of business leaders who make decisions about local economic growth (local enterprise partnerships) and, in some places, the police and crime commissioner.After the votes, there were nine metro mayors in England. There was a brand new contest in West Yorkshire this year, and six mayors stood for a second term. The other two were elected in 2018 and 2019 so are not up for re-election this year.England’s combined authorities have significant responsibilities, handed to them as part of the devolution agenda. They have a collective influence on regional economic decision-making and each has various levels of freedom when it comes to funding. All have a portfolio that includes transport and spatial planning, post-16 skills training, business support services and economic development. They will now play a crucial role in recovering and growing economically out of the pandemic.Despite these important powers, there is a severe lack of gender representation. All the current metro mayors are men. Of the 31 candidates who stood in the 2021 elections for mayoral roles, only six identify as women.Downstream from the mayors themselves, the majority of council leaders with responsibilities on the combined authorities are also men. This is a huge problem for the representation of women in political and economic leadership. It’s also an issue because we know that the gender of the people in the room where the decisions are made does not reflect the gender make-up of the people those decisions affect.It is widely accepted now that including women in decision-making creates better outcomes for all. If most people around the table are men, there will inevitably be a gap in thinking about what regions and cities need.

Gender and diversity are essential to fulfilling economic potential in a region. Women need to be seen in leadership positions, as role models and to develop diverse and inclusive strategiesDecades of government planning for growth has failed to include women and their contribution to the economy. Time and time again, gender and ethnicity are ignored in economic growth plans. This is short-sighted and ultimately leads to a lack of growth for everyone.The Covid-19 pandemic has radically changed the economic landscape of the English regions. Industries that largely employ women such as the care sector, hospitality and retail have been hit harder than construction or manufacturing. Care sector workers are in high demand but are often in low paid, insecure and hazardous work. Many hospitality and retail workers have been furloughed or made redundant.Women make up 51 per cent of the population. As our regions recover, we need to make sure that local leaders and economic decision-makers include the huge variety of experiences from different communities, including women and ethnic groups.An example from LiverpoolLocal economic growth is often driven by an “industrial strategy” – a plan put in place by governments to boost certain industries they believe will increase economic productivity and prosperity. Recent strategies have tended to look similar to those produced in previous decades. Investment is focused on car manufacturing, transport, construction and pharmaceutical research, for example.Frustrated by the same industries receiving support time and again, one group of women came together in Liverpool to face the problem head-on. In March 2020, they offered some new ideas for economic growth to the Liverpool City Region (LCR) Combined Authority.In a report offering their collective perspectives, the women highlighted several areas for inclusive economic development. This included a concentrated effort to fund women-led businesses and financial investment in the care sector. It also urged decision-makers to recognise that businesses who support social aims while making a profit will reap better outcomes for their local economy and community.The findings from the report fed into the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority immediate response to Covid in 2020. The LCR worked with the local community to set up the Kindred fund to support socially trading businesses. The second round of the pilot LCR Future Innovation Fund was awarded to a more diverse group of companies including women-led organisations.Gender and diversity are essential to fulfilling economic potential in a region. Women need to be seen in leadership positions, as role models and to develop diverse and inclusive strategies. The care and hospitality sectors are core industries that add significantly to a region’s economic productivity. They must offer fair wages and decent conditions for the women that work in them. This will start to address the gender pay gap and the disproportionate effect on women and their families.People’s skills in creativity, innovation and resilience support economic growth, too. This was shown by the local businesses that have a dual mission to be financially viable and benefit their community – known as social enterprises. During lockdown, many of these local businesses appear to have been more responsive and agile than traditional firms.And safe housing and transport open up opportunities for women to choose where, when and how they work. Safe access to work is how everyone will thrive and contribute to the economy. Incoming mayors, councils and police commissioners, therefore, need to make sure these issues are not separate agendas but a joined-up response.Read More:This is where the post-Covid recovery project becomes an opportunity. For too long, local economic growth has been measured by financial outputs. Rebuilding after this destructive public health crisis could give the metro mayors an opportunity to use different ways to measure success. In the future, we could measure the value of health, wellbeing and self-sustainability.There is a small chance that a woman could lead a combined authority after this election, if Labour candidate Tracy Brabin wins in West Yorkshire. But even if she does beat the odds, she would still be a tiny minority. Metro mayors are accountable to the public they serve and must include women and ethnic groups in their plans. This will drive the much-needed recovery and future growth to England’s devolved regions.Fiona Armstrong-Gibbs is a senior lecturer at Liverpool Business School, Liverpool John Moores University. This article first appeared on The Conversation. More

Labour has accused trade secretary Liz Truss of a “catastrophic blunder” which could mean that UK companies which sign up to the government’s flagship freeport programme will be shut out of export markets worth £35bn a year.Rollover free trade deals signed with 23 countries including Canada, Switzerland, Norway and Singapore feature clauses specifically excluding manufacturers benefiting from freeport tax breaks, said shadow trade secretary Emily Thornberry.She said this meant companies taking advantage of new freeport zones at East Midlands Airport, Felixstowe & Harwich, Humber, Liverpool City Region, Plymouth & South Devon, Solent, Thames and Teesside will have to pay tariffs at potentially punitive rates on exports to these countries, which together make up almost 10 per cent of the UK’s global export market.But a government spokesperson denied there had been an error, insisting that companies will be able to choose between benefiting from either the “duty drawback” arrangements available to them in freeport zones or the preferential tariff rates negotiated in the free trade deals.Boris Johnson has promoted freeports as a key benefit from Brexit, even though the UK was able to operate them as a member of the European Union and did so from the 1980s to 2012, when the Conservative-led government decided not to renew licences.Manufacturers based in the zones will be allowed to import raw materials and components duty-free before converting them into finished products for export around the world. The prime minister and chancellor Rishi Sunak believe they will provide a boost to local economies, though some experts believe they will simply relocate economic activity from one area of the country to another and offer companies an opportunity to minimise tax.The rollover trade deals signed by Ms Truss aim to reduce the economic damage from Brexit by allowing UK companies to continue to enjoy the tariff-free trade available to them while Britain was an EU member.But trade ministers failed to remove “duty exemption prohibitions” contained in 23 of the agreements. These prohibitions state that any business which has not paid duty on its imports cannot benefit from reduced tariffs on its exports, potentially affecting all manufacturing firms taking advantage of the freeports initiative.Ms Thornberry pointed out that a warning about the impact of the clauses was included in the small print of a Treasury prospectus issued in November last year inviting bids for freeport status.But Ms Truss went ahead to sign a further 10 deals including duty exemption prohibitions even after the Treasury warning was issued. Only one deal, with Turkey, included a restriction on the scope of prohibitions which mean they will not apply to the vast majority of UK exports.Ms Thornberry said: “When I asked Liz Truss recently what she was doing to promote the nation’s new freeports, I was told in response that it was a ‘domestic policy’ and not something her department was focused on, and now I fear that we are seeing the cost of that inattention.“Last November, when the Treasury invited applications for its new freeports scheme, the small print warned potential bidders of the prohibition clauses contained in several continuity trade agreements the Department of Trade had signed in the previous two years.“But despite that warning, Liz Truss went on to sign trade agreements with 10 more countries containing the same clauses, including key markets like Canada, Singapore and Mexico.“It would have taken an hour of discussion and the stroke of a pen to explain the UK’s freeports policy to negotiators from these countries and remove the prohibition clauses from those agreements, and I cannot understand why Liz Truss failed to do that.“On the surface of it, this looks like a catastrophic blunder by a minister stuck in her silo, and as a result, I fear that manufacturers in towns, cities and regions across our country who have succeeded in bidding for freeport status risk missing out on access to key markets.“I’ve written to Liz Truss asking her to clarify the situation, and if it needs fixing, I’ve urged her to go back to the negotiating table immediately with these 23 countries and get these clauses removed before Britain’s freeports come into operation later this year.”A government spokesperson said:“There is no error and it is not uncommon for free trade agreements to have these provisions. Businesses will not be shut out of markets we have negotiated free trade deals with. They will benefit from both our free trade programme, and also from freeports, which provide tax breaks, simpler planning restrictions and cheaper imports.“Where these provisions apply, businesses can choose to either benefit from the duty drawback, or the preferential rates under the free trade agreement – provided they meet the rules of origin test under that agreement –  depending on what suits them best.”Export partners affected by the prohibition clauses and the value of UK goods exports in 2019, are: Switzerland (£11bn), Canada (£5.7bn), Singapore (£5.5bn), Norway (£4bn), Israel (£1.5bn), Mexico (£1.5bn), Egypt ((£1.4bn), North Macedonia (£1.3bn), Chile (£726m), Morocco (£672m), Ukraine (£552m), Lebanon (£325m), Iceland (£321m), Jordan (£298m), Tunisia (£192m), Serbia (£169m), Georgia (£84m), Faroe Islands (£28m), Moldova (£26m), Liechtenstein (£22m), Albania (£19m), Kosovo (£10m) and Palestine (£2m). More

Boris Johnson will on Monday give the formal go-ahead for the latest relaxation of lockdown restrictions in England on 17 May – including the green light for hugging friends and family.From Monday next week, pubs and restaurants will be able to reopen for indoor eating and drinking, while cinemas, hotels and B&Bs will be able to open their doors to customers for the first time in many months.Industry leaders welcomed the move, which they said would allow 1 million workers to return from furlough, but urged the prime minister to bring forward confirmation of the final unlocking of society on 21 June. Kate Nicholls, the chief executive of UK Hospitality, warned that the future of many businesses will remain uncertain unless Mr Johnson accelerates his current timetable of delaying that announcement until mid-June.Next week’s relaxation of lockdown comes despite Michael Gove saying that there was “genuine worry” over virus mutations. Cases of the Indian variant more than doubled in England over the last week, but PHE said there was “insufficient evidence” to suggest that it causes more severe illness or makes Covid-19 vaccines any less effective. After securing approval from the cabinet in a video call on Monday morning, Mr Johnson will announce the third major step towards normality in line with the fastest schedule set out in his roadmap to recovery in February.In a press conference at Downing Street, the prime minister will confirm that England is meeting the four tests for further easing, with the vaccine deployment programme continuing successfully; hospitalisations and deaths falling; no unsustainable pressure on the NHS; and no fundamental increase in risk from Covid-19 variants.He will say: “The data reflects what we already knew – we are not going to let this virus beat us. The roadmap remains on track, our successful vaccination programme continues – more than two-thirds of adults in the UK have now had the first vaccine – and we can now look forward to unlocking cautiously but irreversibly.“It’s because of the British public’s unwavering commitment that we are saving lives, protecting the NHS and controlling the virus.”Ms Nicholls told The Independent: “It is very welcome to have confirmation that we can move to step 3 and reopen indoor hospitality from 17 May. This will allow us to bring over a million workers back from furlough and provide a route back to viability for many thousands of businesses.”But she added: “However, until we have confirmation that all restrictions will be lifted on 21 June, businesses will struggle to break even and their future will continue to be uncertain. From 17 May, groups of up to 30 will be permitted to meet outdoors in England, while indoor gatherings will be limited to six people or two households.Most businesses will be able to reopen, except for the most high-risk sectors, like nightclubs.Covid-secure guidance on masks and social distancing will remain in place, but indoor hospitality will reopen with no curfews.Also opening their doors will be cinemas, children’s play areas, hotels, hostels and B&Bs, along with indoor adult group sports and exercise classes. Audiences can also return to concerts, performances and sporting events, with a limit of 1,000 people or half of venue capacity indoors and 4,000 or half of capacity outdoors. In the largest outdoor seated venues, where crowds can be spread out, up to 10,000 people will be able to attend – so long as numbers remain below one-quarter of total capacity.Up to 30 people will be able to attend weddings, receptions and wakes, as well as funerals and other significant life events like bar mitzvahs and christenings.Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, said: “This is another important step on the road to freedom and the recovery of our sector. We know Brits cannot wait to get back inside a warm pub.“However, inside opening with restrictions is still not enough to secure the survival of pubs. We need them to be fully reopened without any restrictions at all from 21 June to survive and trade viably.”More than 50 million vaccine doses have been administered in the UK and the government says it remains “on track” to offer all adults a first dose by the end of July.Infection rates are at the lowest level since September, and hospital admissions are at levels similar to July last year. Latest estimates suggest 1 in 1,180 have Covid-19, down from 1 in 480 at the start of April.Speaking ahead of the lifting of restrictions, Mr Gove said: “I’m genuinely worried, as everyone should be, about incidents of variants of concern, but there’s no indication at the moment that it need slow down the relaxation that we have as part of the roadmap.” More

The Conservative candidate to be Wiltshire’s next police and crime commissioner has been disbarred due to a historic drink-driving offence, the party has said — less than 24 hours before the result was due to be declared.Jonathon Seed is widely expected to be elected as PCC for Wiltshire and Swindon when votes are counted on Monday.A Conservative spokesperson said: “Due to a historic driving offence that has come to light, the candidate has been disbarred from becoming the police and crime commissioner.”Mr Seed told BBC Radio Wiltshire he declared the 30-year-old offence to party officials before his candidacy.It means he will be unable to take up the job even if he wins at Monday’s count.But officials said the counting process would still go ahead.Terence Herbert, returning officer for the Wiltshire and Swindon police and crime commissioner area, said: “Once a candidate’s nomination paper has been accepted by the returning officer, they are formally a candidate and their name must appear on the ballot paper.“As the election was held on Thursday May 6, the ballot papers must be verified and counted and the result declared, in accordance with electoral law.“The Wiltshire and Swindon police and crime commissioner election count will take place as planned on Monday May 10 at Five Rivers Health and Wellbeing Centre in Salisbury.”Mr Seed, who is a Conservative councillor in Melksham, said: “To the best of my knowledge and belief when I applied for, and became the police and crime commissioner candidate for the Conservative Party in Wiltshire and Swindon, I was an eligible candidate.“I have declared my 30-year-old driving conviction to the Party in my applications both to be a Parliamentary candidate and more recently a PCC candidate.“Party officials confirmed my belief that my offence did not disqualify me.“I have now been advised that this is not the case, and that I am disqualified as a PCC candidate. I have therefore withdrawn.“I am bitterly disappointed that I will not be able to take up the post if I were to be elected.” More

Michael Gove repeatedly dodges questions over government blocking Scottish referendum in courtLegislation for a referendum on Scottish independence could be put before the country’s parliament by early next year, Nicola Sturgeon has said. Speaking on The Andrew Marr Show, Ms Sturgeon said she “wouldn’t rule” the possibility out. “The people of Scotland re-elected me as First Minister with the first task of continuing to steer us through this pandemic, getting us into recovery,” she said. However, she asserted that the next focus would be on “what kind of recovery do we want? What kind of country are we rebuilding to?” “That brings into sharp focus where do decisions lie,” she continued, adding: “I am not sure the kind of recovery Boris Johnson envisages is one that the majority of people in Scotland would support.” Ms Sturgeon acknowledged that the road to independence would not be “challenge-free”, but she said “it is absolutely the right thing for Scotland because it puts control over our future and the kind of country we become into our own hands.” Prime MinisterBoris Johnson has invited the SNP leader for crisis talks, telling her in a letter that UK residents are “best served when we work together”. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer is expected to reshuffle Labour’s top team today following the party’s disastrous local election results, The Independent understands.The move comes after Mr Starmer already sacked his deputy Angela Rayner from her frontbench role following the party’s disappointing results, including losing a key by-election in Hartlepool and losing seats across England.Show latest update

1620571840‘All politics is local’, says Beccy Cooper amid Worthing winBeccy Cooper, who was the first Labour councillor to be elected in Worthing for 41 years back in 2017, has said it is key for leaders not to “lose sight of local focus”. Speaking to PA, Ms Cooper said she was excited her party had gained five seats. “All politics is local, if you lose sight of local focus, you can become irrelevant, and voters will move to more entertaining people instead,” she said. “I support the national team, but you need to find a voice, to listen to communities and reflect the best of the communities through leadership,” she asserted.“(We should) not be interested in what opposition parties are saying.”Additional reporting by PAChantal Da Silva9 May 2021 15:501620571327Starmer imminently expected to reshuffle top team Keir Starmer is imminently expected to reshuffle his top team amid frustrations over the Labour party’s poor electoral performance. An announcement around the reshuffling is expected to come today, so stay tuned to our live blog as we follow the latest developments. You can also read more on the expected changes here: Chantal Da Silva9 May 2021 15:421620571081Tories must be more than ‘party of no to IndyRef2’ Douglas Ross says The Tories must be more than just the “party of no to indyref2” in order to pose a real challenge to the SNP for power, Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has said. Asserting that his party was “starting on the long road to building that credible alternative to the SNP”, Mr Ross said: “We know there is a lot of hard graft to be done to get into that position and that right now it may seem incredible to some.” “But we proved yesterday that 2016 was no fluke, that the Scottish Conservatives are here to stay as Scotland’s second party,” he said, as he insisted the Scottish Tories saw their best-ever result in a Holyrood election under his leadership.The party has maintained 31 seats, the same number it won in 2016, representing a record total. Noting victories such as in west Aberdeenshire, where the Tories increased their majority, Mr Ross said: “We have actually increased our vote share, so it is the best-ever result for the Scottish Conservatives.”However, he said now, the Tories must seize the “opportunity to move on from just being seen as party against another independence referendum”.While he said that would “always” be his party’s position, he said the Tories needed to show they have the “ideas and ambition to take Scotland forward. Additional reporting by PAChantal Da Silva9 May 2021 15:381620570326UK has seen third of adults vaccinated against Covid-19The UK has seen a third of adults fully vaccinated against Covid-19, the latest figures show. A total of 17,669,379 people have so far received both jabs – the equivalent of 33.5% of all people aged 18 and up.England and Northern Ireland are estimated to have given two doses to 33.6% of their respective adult populations, with Wales seeing 33.4% given the jab and Scotland 33.1%. Meanwhile, 35,371,669 people in the UK have now received a first jab – the equivalent of 67.2% of the adult population.Wales has given a first jab to 76.2% of adults, with Northern Ireland seeing 66.9% of the adult population given an initial dose, ahead of England (66.8%) and Scotland (65.4%).“Yet another incredible NHS milestone has been reached as one in three adults in England have now had both doses of the Covid vaccine – meaning that they have maximum protection from the virus,” Dr Nikki Kanani, GP and medical director for primary care at NHS England, said in a statement to PA.“Reaching this milestone is no accident – it is down to months of hard work and everyone in the NHS who has played a role in this is helping to protect millions of people from serious illness and saving lives,” Dr Kanani said.Chantal Da Silva9 May 2021 15:251620568193Photo of Starmer and Rayner gets Broadchurch comparisonsMany across the UK are already watching the dramatic scenes within Labour unfold as the party reels from its disastrous election results – but now, a picture of Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner is drawing comparisons to hit crime drama Broadchurch too.Can you see the resemblance? Chantal Da Silva9 May 2021 14:491620567656Labour gains five seats in Worthing Labour has gained five seats in Worthing, with the Conservatives only narrowly retaining control of the council in their Sussex heartlands.The Conservatives lost four seats, and now have 19, with Labour on 15 and the Liberal Democrats three.Chantal Da Silva9 May 2021 14:401620566714Scottish independence referendum could reach parliament by early next year, Sturgeon saysLegislation for a referendum on Scottish independence could be put before the country’s parliament by early next year, Nicola Sturgeon has said. Speaking on The Andrew Marr Show, Ms Sturgeon said she “wouldn’t rule that out”.“The people of Scotland re-elected me as First Minister with the first task of continuing to steer us through this pandemic, getting us into recovery,” she said.“Then, of course, there is a question about what kind of recovery do we want? What kind of country are we rebuilding to?“That brings into sharp focus where do decisions lie. I am not sure the kind of recovery Boris Johnson envisages is one that the majority of people in Scotland would support.”She said the SNP would “lay out frankly the challenges an independent Scotland would face” in advance of any referendum.Ms Sturgeon acknowledged that the road to independence would not be “challenge-free”, but she said “it is absolutely the right thing for Scotland because it puts control over our future and the kind of country we become into our own hands.”Chantal Da Silva9 May 2021 14:251620566118Michael Gove wants to see ‘intimate contact’ restored on 17 MayCabinet Office minister Michael Gove has said he hopes to see “intimate contact” between friends and family restored come 17 May, when coronavirus restrictions are eased. Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday May 9 Mr Gove said: “All being well the prime minister will confirm tomorrow that there will be a relaxation”.“Friendly contact, intimate contact between friends and family is something that we want to see restored,” he said.Prime minister Boris Johnson will announce details of the UK’s roadmap out of lockdown tomorrow. Watch Mr Gove’s comments: More