Markus Andrews

The government tonight saw off a backbench Tory revolt to defeat measures which would have blocked trade deals with any country guilty of genocide. The vote came after the House of Lords three times passed amendments targeted at preventing a deal with China while it remains under accusation of committing genocide against the Uighur Muslims of Xinjiang province.The so-called “genocide amendment” to the government’s Trade Bill was defeated by 318 votes to 300 in the House of Commons, despite passionate speeches in its favour from Tory MPs.Some 29 Conservative MPs rebelled including former health secretary Jeremy Hunt, ex-party leader Iain Duncan Smith and former Brexit secretary David Davis.The amendment would have created a parliamentary judicial committee to make independent assessments of whether allegations of genocide are substantiated. Mr Duncan Smith told the Commons that the proposal gave MPs a chance “to send a message … that we simply won’t put up with this, we’re not frightened of finding that this is genocide and we’re not frightened of saying it from the steeple-tops”. Shadow international trade secretary Emily Thornberry urged MPs to “vote with their conscience”,.Inside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayInside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayRead more:Ms Thornberry asked: “Should Britain be willing to sign trade deals with governments which are engaging in torture, mass detention, slave labour, organ harvesting and non-judicial executions – not on an isolated basis, but on an industrial scale against the Uighur population in Xinjiang? “Should Britain be willing to sign trade deals with a government which is separating hundreds of thousands of children from their parents and re-educating them in different languages, religion and history in an attempt to wipe the Uighur culture off the Chinese map?”But trade minister Greg Hands said that the parliamentary judicial committee would “destabilise the balance of powers between parliament and judiciary, whilst not actually helping those suffering at the hands of the Chinese authorities”.The vote came after foreign secretary Dominic Raab announced that the UK, US, Canada and EU have slapped sanctions on Chinese officials deemed to be responsible for appalling human rights abuses in Xinjiang.Mr Raab announced a package of travel bans and asset freezes against four senior officials and the state-run Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Public Security Bureau (XPCC PSB).The foreign secretary said the abuse of the Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang was “one of the worst human rights crises of our time” and the international community “cannot simply look the other way”.- Tory rebels were: Adam Afriyie, David Amess, Bob Blackman, Crispin Blunt, Peter Bone, Andrew Bridgen, Rehman Chishti, Christopher Chope, David Davis, Richard Drax, Iain Duncan Smith, Mark Francois, Nusrat Ghani, Sally-Ann Hart, Philip Hollobone, Jeremy Hunt, Bernard Jenkin, Andrew Lewer, Julian Lewis, Tim Loughton, Craig Mackinlay, Kieran Mullan, Caroline Nokes, Matthew Offord, Andrew Rosindell, Bob Seely, Derek Thomas, Charles Walker and David Warburton. More

The UK has announced sanctions against four Chinese officials accused over atrocities committed against Uighur Muslims, in coordinated action with the EU and US.Dominic Raab said the individuals would face an asset freeze and a travel ban – with the public and companies also expected to be barred from providing them with financial assistance.The international community “will not turn a blind eye to such serious and systematic violation of human rights,” the foreign secretary told MPs.Canada will also join the joint approach to calling out “industrial scale human rights abuses” in the “largest mass detention” of an ethnic group since the Second World War.Beijing hit back almost immediately with retaliatory sanctions against pro-democracy politicians in the EU – with measures against UK organisations expected to follow. Read more:But Lisa Nandy, his Labour shadow, accused the foreign secretary of “grubby and cynical” timing, designed to head off a Tory revolt later over the UK’s refusal to accuse China of genocide.Inside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayInside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayIn a statement, Mr Raab said the sanctions would be imposed against:* Zhu Hailun, former secretary of the political and legal affairs committee of the Xinjiang Uighur autonomous region (XUAR).* Wang Junzheng, deputy secretary of the party committee of XUAR.* Wang Mingshan, secretary of the political and legal affairs committee of the XUAR.* Chen Mingguo, vice chairman of the government of the XUAR and director of the XUAR public security department.* The Xinjiang Public Security Bureau, the state-run security organisation running so-called “training centres” in areas controlled by the XPCC. “State control in the region is systemic. Over a million people have been detained without trial, there are widespread claims of torture and rape in the camps, based on first-hand survivor testimony,” Mr Raab told MPs.“People are detained for having too many children, for praying too much, for having a beard or wearing a headscarf, for having the wrong thoughts.“It’s the largest mass detention of an ethnic or religious group since the Second World War and I believe one thing is clear – the international community cannot simply look the other way.”But, in the Commons, the government still faced pressure from its own backbenchers over its refusal – unlike the US – to say China is committing genocide. More

Today’s daily politics briefingNicola Sturgeon did not breach the ministerial code in her handling of allegations against her predecessor Alex Salmond, an independent inquiry found.An investigation published by former public prosecutor James Hamilton on Monday afternoon cleared the first minister of breaching the code and misleading parliament in relation to meetings she had with Mr Salmond and others in 2018.Responding to the release of the report, the first minister said she welcomed the “comprehensive, evidence-based and unequivocal” conclusions of the report, adding: “I sought at every stage in this issue to act with integrity and in the public interest.”Elsewhere, the UK announced sanctions against four Chinese officials accused of atrocities committed against Uighur Muslims, in coordinated action with the EU and US.Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said the individuals would face an asset freeze and a travel ban – with the public and companies also expected to be barred from providing them with financial assistance.Earlier on Monday, Boris Johnson condemned scenes from a Bristol as “absolutely unacceptable” after violence broke out in the city during a protest against the government’s proposed policing bill. Twenty officers were injured in the demonstration, which saw a police station attacked and marked police cars set on fire. Inside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayInside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayShow latest update

1616398830Hello, and welcome to The Independent’s rolling coverage of Brexit and UK politics. Get ready for a busy day at Westminster.Sam Hancock22 March 2021 07:401616399232‘Teach China a lesson and cut all trade,’ senior Tory MP warnsThe government will seek to overturn an amendment to the Trade Bill on Monday, which would limit its ability to strike agreements with countries involved in the most serious human rights abuse.But former Tory leader, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, said MPs can “send a signal” to China and “give hope” to victims of human rights abuses by supporting the amendment instead. Sir Iain joined the voices of senior Tories who have called for relations with China to be cooled, despite Boris Johnson’s integrated review of security, defence, development and post-Brexit foreign policy published last week calling for a “positive trade and investment relationship” with Beijing in the run-up to 2030.“The report refers to China as a competitor, when I believe it is, in reality, a growing threat, not just to the UK but to the free world itself,” he wrote in The Times.“A good place to start would be in passing the Lords amendment today, to send a signal not just to the Chinese government but to those who labour under this terrible oppression that the free world recognises their struggle.“Genocide is the crime of all crimes and the UK must offer a beacon of hope to those who suffer.”It comes after Labour appealed to Tory MPs to defy the whips and back the amendment and following a rebellion last month by 31 Conservative MPs.The rebellion slashed the government’s majority of 80 to just 15 amid accusations of “dirty tricks” by ministers to scupper an earlier amendment by the upper chamber to give the courts a role in deciding whether trade deals can go ahead.Human rights concerns were largely sparked by China’s treatment of its Uighur minority in the Xinjiang province.Sam Hancock22 March 2021 07:471616399352Government’s move to cut international aid budget ‘was unlawful’The government’s decision to cut the international aid budget below its legal target was unlawful, a former director of public prosecutions has said.Lord Macdonald of River Glaven said new legislation would have been required to ditch the target of spending 0.7 per cent of international income on aid. He made the claim in a formal legal opinion commissioned by Conservative MPs campaigning to reverse the cut.Former international development secretary Andrew Mitchell, one of the MPs in question, said the finding was “not unexpected”.Our policy correspondent Jone Stone has the full report:Sam Hancock22 March 2021 07:491616400466Recap: Why PM faces opposition over Trade Bill amendmentEarlier in March, Boris Johnson faced a major internal rebellion over the Trade Bill’s apparent sanctioning of the UK’s continued trading with countries committing “atrocities” against human rights.Here’s our political correspondent Ashley Cowburn explaining all that as it happened:Since then, audio of foreign secretary Dominic Raab was leaked in which he appeared to say the UK should strike trade deals with nations that do not meet European standards on human rights.The clip was published by the website HuffPost UK, prompting Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg to accuse the journalist responsible, Arj Singh, of “low-quality” reporting.Mr Rees-Mogg was later slapped down by Mr Johnson who condemned his colleague for using parliamentary privilege to smear a journalist. You can read our full report on that here:Sam Hancock22 March 2021 08:071616401275Another Tory MP throws support behind trade rebellionA Conservative MP, who has signalled she will rebel to back a House of Lords amendment to the Trade Bill on Monday, questioned why the government would want to strike a trade deal with a country accused of committing genocide.Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme earlier, Nusrat Ghani said: “I think the important thing to note here is that we are talking about genocide, the absolute destruction of a group of people.“To assume that countries that are involved in genocide at any point are going to stop to ensure they get a preferential trade deal is a curious way to go about this.“The interesting thing about this is the government’s own amendment, the (Sir Bob) Neill amendment, will allow many groups of people around the world to come and present their case, but somehow does not allow the Uighur to come forward and make their case.”She asked why “we have a two-tier system within the government’s own amendment” in the first place. “I’m going to be asking a minister (about why that is) later today but it is incredibly curious, and that’s what’s concerning a lot of our colleagues, that the whole process began because countries like America and Canada have determined a genocide against the Uighur and we were, of course, anxious that we could assess the data as well,” Ms Ghani said. “So why would we have an amendment on the floor of the House that the government is pushing that seems to exclude the Uighur?”Sam Hancock22 March 2021 08:211616402586Booking summer holiday now would be ‘premature’, minister warnsElsewhere, a government minister has said it would be “premature” to book an overseas summer holiday now, adding to the confusion around guidance for booking trips abroad. “If we were to be reckless in any way, and import new variants that put out risks, what would people say about that?” defence secretary Ben Wallace told Sky News on Sunday.It comes amid increasing uncertainty about Covid vaccine passports and what they could mean for people hoping to get a foreign holiday in this year.Our policy correspondent Jon Stone reports:Sam Hancock22 March 2021 08:431616404521‘Very ugly’ Bristol riots will not hold back police bill, says minister Health minister Helen Whately has said Bristol’s “disgraceful” Kill the Bill protest, which took place on Sunday, would not result in any shift on the controversial Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.Ms Whately told Sky News: “What we’ve seen in Bristol, those protests were completely unacceptable, just disgraceful behaviour in fact.“It was one of these occasions where, if I understand it right, there was a peaceful protest and then a small minority from that protest then turned it very ugly and we saw those scenes of completely unacceptable violence.”She added: “Not only the damage and the vandalism of police property but, worse still, injuring police officers, so we’re seeing officers with serious injuries and going to hospital. That clearly should not happen, it is unacceptable and inexcusable.”Former Bexit secretary David Davis later appeared on the news channel to give his verdict on the protesters. He said they “did their own cause a great deal of harm” and called the actions of those demonstrating “a disgrace”. Sam Hancock22 March 2021 09:151616405951NI protocol protestors will not ‘bring down Assembly,’ DUP saysThe DUP’s Peter Weir has rejected a suggestion his party is considering pulling down the Stormont institutions in protest at the Northern Ireland protocol.The education minister was responding to comments from David Campbell, chairman of the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC), an umbrella group representing loyalist paramilitary groups.Mr Campbell claimed DUP leader Arlene Foster had told the LCC that collapsing the Executive was within her party’s “thinking” but only after all other avenues to ditch the protocol had been exhausted. But Mr Weir said the issue was not raised at the meeting between the LCC and the DUP leadership last month.“I think we’re somewhat bemused by the comments and I think we’re seeking David to clarify the situation, whether he’s misinterpreted,” Mr Weir told BBC Radio Ulster earlier. “But you know the reality is in terms of the meeting that was held between the DUP and David’s group, we didn’t raise the issue of bringing down the Assembly, it wasn’t discussed, it’s not within our thinking, and I think that would be counterproductive.”He added: “I think what we are looking to see across the board, across unionism as a whole, is constructive co-operation on an entirely sort of peaceful constitutional manner to see what actions can be taken against the protocol and that’s where the focus of our activities is. We’re not and we haven’t suggested bringing down the Assembly or the Executive nor indeed was it discussed at the meeting.”Sam Hancock22 March 2021 09:391616406851Kill the Bill protest explainer: What has happened so far?Plans to introduce new laws feared to heavily infringe on the nation’s right to protest have been met with violence, as the latest in a series of “Kill the Bill” demonstrations saw police officers injured.Sunday’s march was initially described by Bristol Live as having a “festival atmosphere”, with thousands – many wearing face masks and socially distancing – gathering typically enough at the city’s College Green, carrying placards opposing a “police state” and warning against the “silencing” of the public.But a “small minority” eventually attacked the police station in Bridewell Street and were met with mounted officers, police dogs and riot shields. Footage showed rioters smashing the station’s windows, while two heavily graffitied police vehicles were set alight and two officers hospitalised with broken bones, according to Avon and Somerset Police.My colleague Andy Gregory reports: More

A Conservative MP has asked why the BBC’s annual report does not feature any images of the union jack.In a discussion on the BBC’s role as a representative of Britain on the world stage, James Wild MP asked new director-general Tim Davie more than once why no flags featured.Mr Davie said the number of flags was a “strange metric” by which to measure the BBC’s British credentials, adding there was “no problem” with the BBC’s role “championing Britain abroad”.He said he had not been briefed on the matter before the meeting of the Public Accounts Committee, but added that a union flag flies above the BBC headquarters in London on many days of the year.Mr Wild, a Norfolk MP of the 2019 intake, referenced last week’s dispute over mockery of a minister’s flag by BBC Breakfast hosts, and said his constituents would “expect to see probably more than one flag” appearing in the report.Read more:”You may not, but licence fee payers may do,” Mr Wild told the director-general during an appearance before the Public Accounts Committee to discuss the BBC’s financial management.Inside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayInside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayMr Wild then asked the same question of another recent BBC report, which featured no images of the flag, before suggesting the corporation include some in the next annual report. Mr Davie replied: “We’re very proud of being British and we’ve been out there sowing Britain abroad, and the UK creative industries, for many years.”It’s not just about the flag, let’s face it, it’s about the UK and us getting out there and building business for the country.” More

“You can see sadly there is a third wave underway,” the prime minister said, as lockdowns are introduced in several EU countries.“And people in this country should be under no illusions that previous experience has taught us that, when a wave hits our friends, I’m afraid it washes up on our shores as well.” Read more:And, condemning the violent scenes at a protest in Bristol, as “unacceptable”, he said: “People obviously have a right to protest in this country, but they should protest peacefully and legally.”Inside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayInside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayMr Johnson insisted that – despite the worsening picture across the Channel – “we will just bash on the with the roadmap we set out, with the programme we’ve got”.“We’re getting on with our vaccination programme as fast as we can, but a vaccination campaign and developing vaccines, rolling them out – these are international projects and they require international co-operation,” he added.On the Brussels’ threat to block exports to the UK – ahead of likely talks with national leaders in the coming days – Mr Johnson played down the conflict. EU officials have briefed that the bloc would reject any UK request for AstraZeneca vaccines produced at a factory in the Netherlands, ahead of a crunch meeting of leaders on Thursday.There is growing anger that about 10m vaccine doses have been exported from plants in EU member states to the UK, largely by Pfizer-BioNTech.Meanwhile, under the deal struck by London with AstraZeneca, when the company partnered with Oxford University, its UK-produced supplies have not been shared with the EU.There is talk activating Article 122 of the EU’s treaty, last used in the 1970s oil crisis, allowing the bloc to take emergency measures to control the distribution of essential goods.But Mr Johnson, speaking at BAE Systems in Preston, said: “I’m reassured by talking to EU partners over the last few months that they don’t want to see blockades, I think that’s very important.“Clearly what matters to us in the UK is we get on with the rollout of the vaccine programme. I think we’ve now done over half the adults in the country, which is very good news.“We’re on course to do everybody in priority groups 1-4, they’ve been done, but groups 1-9, all the over 50s, by April 15 – and then we’ll just bash on with the roadmap we’ve set out.” More

The European Union on Monday imposed sanctions on 11 officials in Myanmar mostly top military officers, accused of involvement in last month’s coup and the violent crackdown on peaceful protesters that followed.Ten of the 11 targeted with asset freezes and travel bans are senior members of the Myanmar Armed Forces, including Commander-in-Chief, Min Aung Hlaing, and Deputy-Commander-in-Chief, Soe Win, EU headquarters said in a statement. The other heads the election commission and is accused over his role in cancelling last year’s polls.Myanmar’s military junta prevented Parliament from convening on Feb. 1. It claimed that last November’s elections, won by Aung San Suu Kyi’s party in a landslide, were tainted by fraud. The election commission that confirmed the victory has since been replaced by the junta.The coup reversed years of slow progress toward democracy in Myanmar after five decades of military rule. In the face of persistent strikes and protests against the takeover, the junta has responded with an increasingly violent crackdown and efforts to limit the information reaching the outside world. Internet access has been severely restricted, private newspapers have been barred from publishing, and protesters, journalists and politicians have been arrested in large numbers.The statement, issued during a meeting of EU foreign ministers, said the sanctions are part of the 27-nation bloc’s “robust response to the illegitimate over-throwing of the democratically-elected government and the brutal repression by the junta against peaceful protesters.”Inside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayInside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekday“The EU will continue to review all of its policy options, including additional restrictive measures against economic entities owned or controlled by the military,” the statement said, while ensuring that the “measures do not have an adverse effect on the general population.”German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that “what we are seeing in the way of excesses of violence there is absolutely unacceptable; the number of killings has taken on intolerable dimensions.”“We don’t want to punish the population in Myanmar with sanctions, but those who are blatantly violating human rights there,” Maas told reporters. More

The six-month-old Airbus A321 was photographed at Stansted airport at the weekend with the new red, white and blue paintwork.A government spokesperson insisted the second aircraft, which it said had been repainted with a “Global Britain livery”, represents “value for money”. They declined to comment on the cost of the lease or new paintwork.The aircraft will be used when Mr Johnson, cabinet ministers or members of the royal family are making short or medium-haul trips, with a range that could take them to destinations elsewhere in Europe or even as far as the US east coast. The larger RAF Voyager, an Airbus A330, will continue to be used when ministers or royals are flying further afield. Photographs showed the aircraft was painted in an all-black livery before it was delivered new from the Airbus facility in Hamburg to Titan Airways in October. It is understood the A321 – used by carriers around the world, including British Airways and easyJet – is being leased by the government from Titan Airways. Read more: Inside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayInside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayAccording to data from tracking service FlightRadar24, the aircraft was flown from Norwich to Stansted airport on Friday evening. On Sunday a photo of the jet, which features the same livery as the RAF Voyager, with “United Kingdom” in gold font and a union flag adorning the tail plane and “sharklet” wingtips, was posted on an aviation forum, and subsequently shared on social media. A government spokesperson told The Independent: “Ministers and members of the royal household sometimes require the use of non-commercial air travel. “The aircraft with its Global Britain livery will promote a strong image of the role the UK plays on the international stage when it is used by the prime minister, government ministers and senior members of the royal household.“It also offers value for money compared to the ad-hoc hire of private planes.“The spokesperson added that commercial flights were the “preferred option” for ministers and that costs were “taken into account in all travel decisions”.They said details of the contract with Titan Airways and the associated costs would be revealed at a later date.It is unclear when the prime minister will first travel on the new plane. More

Labour’s shadow health secretary has said he will back NHS staff if they take industrial action over a 1 per cent pay offer from the government. Jonathan Ashworth called on health secretary Matt Hancock to withdraw the offer and sit down with staff to discuss a multi-year settlement, which he said was essential to fill a 100,000 NHS vacancy gap.And he said recruitment and retention of staff was a vital part of preparing the UK for future pandemics.With epidemiologists warning that it will only be a matter of time before another novel illness hits, Mr Ashworth said it was no longer possible to run the NHS “on a shoestring” with little or no slack in the system to absorb unexpected demands.Mr Ashworth’s comments come after a Savanta ComRes poll for The Independent found a majority of voters would support strike action by NHS nurses.The Royal College of Nursing has set up a £35m strike fund to prepare for possible industrial action over the offer, branded “measly” by general secretary Dame Donna Kinnear, who has called for a 12.5 per cent increase.Read more:Inside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayInside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayMinisters argue that the contribution made by NHS staff in the fight against coronavirus has been recognised in their exemption from the pay freeze imposed on public sector workers with salaries over £24,000, and say the proposed hike is above the current inflation level of 0.9 per cent.But with economists expecting inflation to rise over the coming year, the increase is likely to equate to a real-terms cut in spending power, once higher prices are taken into account.Mr Ashworth told The Independent that “our NHS staff deserve a fair and decent pay rise” and would get one under Labour.The shadow health secretary said he did not expect nurses to withdraw their labour over pay, but made clear he would back them if they did.“I’ve stood by NHS staff when they’ve been on strike,” he said.“I don’t actually think they will go on strike because I know how torn NHS staff will be, because tending to  sick patients is such a vocation. “But look, I’ve always stood by staff when they take industrial action. It’s their right to do so and this is a democracy and we respect their right to do that.”The Savanta ComRes survey forThe Independent found 53 per cent support for industrial action by NHS nurses, against just 28 per cent in opposition.The unusually high level of backing for walkouts by essential frontline health workers was reflective of strong opposition to the government’s pay offer to NHS staff in England.Just 11 per cent said that nurses should receive a 1 per cent hike, compared to an overwhelming 77 per cent who said the settlement should be more generous – including 25 per cent who said the rise should be 10 per cent or more.Mr Ashworth responded: “Of course our NHS staff deserve a fair and decent pay rise. And they would get a pay rise if I was health secretary.”“Given that we’ve got 100,000 vacancies in the NHS, we need a long-term funded staffing plan for the NHS. “That means Matt Hancock should withdraw his real- terms pay cut – because that’s what 1 per cent is, a pay cut. He should take it off the table, and he should sit down with NHS staff and negotiate a multi-year pay deal, a pay rise over a number of years, which addresses recruitment and retention in the NHS.” He added: “If this crisis has shown us anything, it shows you how we need more staff, we need more capacity and resilience in our healthcare system. So, not only should we be paying them more we should be recruiting more.“If experts are correct and we’re going to see more infectious viruses spread across the world and hit us, then we cannot run our NHS on a shoestring anymore. We cannot run it ‘hot’ as we are doing at the moment – absolutely at capacity constantly.“The independent panel that advises the government on NHS salaries – covering nearly all hospital staff, but not GPs and dentists – is due to make its own pay recommendations in early May, when ministers will make their final decision.The Savanta ComRes poll showed similar support for pay increases for NHS doctors, with 13 per cent of those questioned backing the 1 per cent offer, against 71 per cent saying it should be higher.Just 5 per cent said nurses should join other public sector workers in taking a pay freeze to help pay down the debts incurred during the pandemic, with 8 per cent saying the same for NHS doctors.Just 14 per cent agreed with a pay freeze for teachers, 13 per cent for the police, 17 per cent for the armed forces and 31 per cent for civil servants.But a majority – 57 per cent – agreed with the decision that MPs will receive no pay rise this year.Some 40 per cent said they would support strike action by teachers, 35 per cent industrial action by police, 33 per cent by the armed forces and 24 per cent by civil servants.- Savanta ComRes interviewed 2,092 UK adults between 12 and 14 March. More