Markus Andrews

Keir Starmer has refused to say that Labour will make gains in May’s elections, suggesting Covid-19 and campaign restrictions will cost the party votes.The party in power traditionally takes a buffeting in mid-term elections, especially when – as in the case of the Conservatives – it has been in government for more than a decade.But, launching Labour’s campaign, Sir Keir twice refused to say that he must demonstrate progress across Great Britain in order for the elections to be a “success”.“They’re going to be tough, these elections,” the Labour leader said, “we are in a pandemic and we are constrained in the way we can campaign”.Sir Keir added: “There’s no doubting it’s a tough environment for us with the pandemic and the way in which we’re working.”He also backed away from a confrontation with Buckingham Palace over whether any enquiry into Meghan Markle’s allegations should be made public, saying that was a matter for the royal family.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 weekdayThe 6 May elections – including those postponed from 12 months ago – will be the biggest in years, with crucial mayoral races in London, the Midlands, Bristol, Tees Valley and elsewhere.The Scottish and Welsh parliaments will go to the polls and seats will be up for election in more than 140 county councils, district councils and unitary authorities.However, turnout is expected to be extremely low, partly because of the pandemic and with England, Scotland and Wales only slowly emerging from lockdowns.Sir Keir was asked: “What does success actually look like? Surely the baseline for Labour success has to be gains in England, Wales and Scotland?”But, in a clear attempt to manage expectations, he said: “We’re fighting hard in England, Wales and Scotland in those council elections, in the mayoral elections. In Scotland, we’ve got a new leader, a lot of work to do there.” The Labour leader risked disappointing party supporters by declining to back the 12.5 per cent pay rise for nurses demanded by the Royal College of Nursing.“The rise for the NHS front line should be above inflation, a real rise. I think the starting point should be the 2.1 per cent that was promised and was, of course, budgeted for,” he said.He attacked Boris Johnson’s stance on LGBT issues, after three government advisers quit with one warning of a “hostile environment”.“The government has clearly got a blindspot here,” Sir Keir said. “It’s got a problem and the prime minister needs to address it, not least because it’s a pattern of behaviour.”Labour would “absolutely” ban conversion therapy, with the government accused of refusing to act. “It’s abhorrent and we’re 100 per cent against it,” he protested.On the furore that has engulfed the royal family, Sir Keir said: “The palace has now responded and I do think it is a matter now for the family and I do hope it is resolved as soon as possible.” More

MPs have warned there is an “epidemic” of violence against women in the UK which is not taken seriously enough after a woman disappeared in south London.Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, went missing after leaving a friend’s flat in Clapham last week and police are now questioning a male police officer on suspicion of kidnap and murder. Human remains were found in Kent woodlands on Wednesday. The case has sparked an outpouring of anger as women have told of instances where they were threatened or sexually harassed by men while walking home alone and MPs have noted the daily fear many women feel on the streets after dark.Jess Phillips, Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding, told Radio 4’s Today programme, random attacks on the street were a “rarity, if that is what this was”, before adding: “The reality is that it’s not a rare crime. Since last week since when Sarah first went missing, six women and a little girl have been have been reported as being killed at the hands of men.“So it’s not particularly rare and the fear that women live with is an everyday thing. For most women, they have had some form of experience that they feel frightened of and the message that they [the Metropolitan Police] should be sending out is not one about what women should or shouldn’t do.“It is about how serious violence against women and girls is and how it is an epidemic that we have to put far more attention and resource into.”The politician will be speaking at the annual International Women’s Day debate in parliament on Thursday where she will pay tribute to all the women murdered by men over the last year by reading out their names.Dawn Butler, the Labour MP for Brent Central, tweeted: “I may have had three hours sleep. Getting ready to go into Parliament. For #IWD2021 debate. I’m thinking about the police officer who patrolled the corridors of Westminster with guns and now he has been arrested. It totally blows my mind.”The former Shadow Women and Equalities Minister added: “And to think that the man, a policeman who is supposed to make people feel safe may have done this has shaken people to their core. I have cried for Sarah today. A life so brutally taken.”Stella Creasy, Labour MP for Walthamstow, tweeted: “We don’t know true scale of violence and harassment women face on our streets because it is underreported, to know whether it is ‘thankfully rare’. It’s time all police force’s treated women as equally worthy of protection and started recording hate we face.”PC Wayne Couzens, a serving officer, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and a separate allegation of indecent exposure. The 48-year-old serves in the Metropolitan Police Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command with his chief role being uniformed patrol of diplomatic sites.Caroline Nokes, a Conservative MP who is chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, said: “We must be safe to walk home alone, without needing our keys in our hand, with our headphones on if we choose, wearing what we like.”Charlotte Kneer, who runs Reigate and Banstead Women’s Aid refuge for domestic abuse victims at risk of murder in their own homes, told The Independent: “Women are dying in their own homes regularly in the UK and I have been calling for too many years for more investment in this huge issue.“We need investment in early education about equality and healthy relationships. We need investment in supporting victims of male violence against women and girls. We need to stop telling women how to protect themselves and start telling men to stop hurting them.“You don’t need to look very far to find examples of misogyny in everyday life and everyone, especially men should be calling that out whenever they hear it.”Ms Kneer, a domestic abuse survivor whose violent partner was jailed for seven years in 2011, called for sentencing in the criminal justice system to show violence against women and girls “will not be tolerated”. She added: “Men, instead of saying not all men do this, start saying I’m going to do everything in my power to stop those that are doing it.”Two women a week are killed in England and Wales by a current or ex-partner, while one in four women will suffer domestic abuse at some point during their lives.Farah Nazeer, chief executive at Women’s Aid, told The Independent: “Violence against women and girls is a crisis of global proportions, which is driven by women’s inequality in society. The pandemic has shone a light on the fact that women are not safe at home, and… they are not safe in public either.“The £165 million that the government has announced for domestic abuse support services in 2021-22 falls far short of the £393 million that Women’s Aid estimates is needed for domestic abuse alone.”Ms Nazeer said the government needs to include domestic abuse within the Violence Against Women and Girls strategy, otherwise we will be “put in reverse.” She added: “We need a joined-up strategy that tackles these crimes as a cause and consequence of women’s inequality.“Her comments come after a study this week found nearly all young women in the UK have endured sexual harassment including being groped, followed and coerced into sexual activity.YouGov, who surveyed more than 1,000 women aged between 18-24 for UN Women, found 97 per cent said they had been sexually harassed, while 80 per cent reported experiencing sexual harassment in public spaces. More

The government is giving private contractors profiting from the beleaguered test-and-trace programme and other areas of the pandemic tailored advice on how to win honours.Serco, Capita, Deloitte, and Amazon are amongst firms who have been written to by civil servants urging them to apply for gongs like like knighthoods and MBEs.Sarah Munby, the permanent secretary at the government’s business department, wrote to the companies asking them “to submit honours nominations” on behalf of their organisations.She also invited the companies’ bosses to online classes on “how to master and award honours nomination”.The classes were billed as “a behind the scenes look at how the honours system operators” and “top tips on what to include in your nomination”.The apparently cosy relationship between the government and the companies was revealed after a civil service data leak.The government’s test-and-trace programme 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 weekdayRachel Reeves, shadow cabinet office minister, said the letter to the companies was “unbelievable”.”The Conservatives’ priorities: a pay cut for our nurses and a gong for Serco. The mask is slipping,” she said.Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: “This is beggars belief.”On the day Test and Trace was slammed for costing the taxpayer billions while failing to control this horrific virus its staggering government were offering to spray gongs around like confetti to firms involved.”Ministers should be focusing on fixing Test and Trace not offering up rewards for failure.”
UK news in picturesShow all 50 More

Two more government LGBT advisers have quit an official panel amid growing concern that ministers are creating a “hostile environment” for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.The further resignations come after Jayne Ozanne, the first adviser to announce her departure, criticised equality ministers Kemi Badenoch and Liz Truss for being “ignorant” and rejecting official advice.Now, ITV news reports that a second adviser, James Morton, has also quit, along with a third, Ellen Murray.Ms Ozanne has said she had been “increasingly concerned about what is seen to be a hostile environment for LGBT people among this administration”.Mr Morton meanwhile said ministers had ignored concerns that they were damaging LGBT people’s lives by “fuelling culture wars”.The catalyst for the resignations is the government’s foot-dragging on banning so-called “gay conversation therapy”. Theresa May had pledged to end the practice years ago, and Boris Johnson has also endorsed the policy – but has yet to bring forward any actual proposals to change the law. 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 weekdayThere are fears the government will fail to totally prohibit the practice after Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch told MPs on Monday she wanted to “end” conversions, but repeatedly avoided using the term “ban”. The government’s approach to trans rights is also a source of contention. Ms Ozanne told ITV News: “They are known among the community as the ‘ministers for inequality’.”I don’t believe that they understand LGBT people, particularly transgender people.”I’ve sat in meetings and I’ve been astonished about how ignorant they are on issues that affect the real lives, particularly of younger people.”Mr Morton, the second advisor to quit, meanwhile said there had been no “genuine engagement” with the advisory panel in the last year.”For the last 12 months, I’ve been increasingly concerned about the direction of travel around trans rights,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.”I didn’t have any naive expectation that an advisory panel would manage to get a government to make massive improvements to LGBT people’s lives.”But I did hope that there would be some kind of genuine engagement with the panel and interest in learning about the needs and experiences of LGBT people, and it just felt like in the last 12 months there just wasn’t.”Asked about his experience in the panel’s meetings, Mr Morton said: “I don’t feel like I’m at liberty to talk about exact words that were used in the meetings, but I can talk about the comments that have been made by ministers publicly.”After we have been trying to explain to them how badly fuelling culture wars affects trans people and their day-to-day lives, they continue to make comments about ‘war on wokeness’, and how LGBT and race equality have become ‘too fashionable’ and therefore need to be de-prioritised.
UK news in picturesShow all 50 More

The Speaker of the House of Commons has issued a stinging slapdown to Boris Johnson, after Downing Street indicated that the prime minster would not correct a misleading statement to MPs. Mr Johnson was accused of lying to MPs during the weekly session of prime minister’s questions when he twice wrongly stated that Labour had voted against a document proposing an above-inflation pay rise for nurses.But his press secretary Allegra Stratton indicated that he would not apologise or correct his statement, saying that the matter was closed after the Speaker accepted a “point of clarification” from Labour pointing out the PM’s falsehood.In a stern rebuke, Hoyle today made a statement to the Commons, in which he said he should not be dragged into political rows over the accuracy of statements made by MPs.The Speaker said MPs “must take responsibility” for correcting the record if they make a mistake in the chamber, adding: “It is not dishonourable to make a mistake, but to seek to avoid admitting one is a different matter.”Mr Johnson clashed with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer on Wednesday over proposals for a below-inflation pay rise for NHS workers in England.Mr Starmer said the original funding package had included a 2.1 per cent increase rather than the 1 per cent now recommended by ministers.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 twice claimed Labour voted against the settlement for the NHS – but the NHS Funding Act was approved “on the nod” without a vote in early 2020 after Starmer’s party offered no formal opposition.Shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth accused Mr Johnson of misleading MPs and later used a social media post to say Mr Johnson “lied at PMQs”.It was the third time in as many weeks that the prime minister has been accused of misleading MPs at PMQs.At a post-PMQS media briefing on Wednesday, Ms Stratton was repeatedly challenged over Mr Johnson’s comments and did not dispute claims that they were incorrect, but indicated he would neither apologise nor correct the record.In response to around 20 questions on the issue, she repeatedly stated: “This issue was raised in the proper place, which is the House of Commons chamber. The Speaker listened to the shadow health secretary and accepted a point of clarification, and he regarded the matter as having been dealt with.”The ministerial code of conduct states that it is “of paramount importance that ministers give accurate and truthful information to Parliament, correcting any inadvertent error at the earliest opportunity”. Ministers who knowingly mislead Parliament “will be expected to offer their resignation to the Prime Minister”, the code states.There is no reference in the ministerial code of any role for the Speaker in correcting a misleading statement made to MPs by a member of the government.Mr Hoyle, in his statement, told the Commons: “All members should correct the record if they make an inaccurate statement to the House.“They can do so by raising a point of order or in debate or, in the case of ministers, they can make a statement or issue a written ministerial statement.“The Government’s own ministerial code could not be clearer about what is expected of ministers. It says, ‘It is of paramount importance that ministers give accurate and truthful information to Parliament, correcting any inadvertent error at the earliest opportunity’.“The Speaker cannot be dragged into arguments about whether a statement is inaccurate or not. This is a matter of political debate.“All members of this House are honourable. They must take responsibility for correcting the record if a mistake has been made. It is not dishonourable to make a mistake, but to seek to avoid admitting one is a different matter.“I said when I was elected Speaker that we needed to treat each other and the electorate with respect.“What I have talked about today is an important part of that and I hope all members will act in that spirit.”Ms Stratton later denied that Mr Johnson’s comments in the chamber were incorrect.She claimed that the PM’s comments to Starmer related not to the NHS Funding Bill, which covered nurses’ pay, but to Labour voting against the Queen’s Speech, which includes the government’s whole agenda for the year ahead.There was no mention of the Queen’s Speech in the PMQs exchange, when Mr Johnson referred only to “the last time that we put this to a vote”.Ms Stratton said: “The prime minister’s view is that Labour in January of 2020 voted against the Queen’s Speech, which is a document that included in it the government’s proposals to increase massively funding for the NHS, and also to bring in more nurses and increase the equipment that hospitals up and down the country have.“The Labour Party voted against that and that is the basis for what he said at prime minister’s questions.” More

Sir Keir Starmer has said the allegations made bythe Duke and Duchess of Sussex in their Oprah interview were a “matter now for the [royal] family” to resolve.The Labour leader said earlier this week that Meghan and Harry’s claims of racism and lack of support when she had suicidal thoughts must be taken “very, very seriously”.Buckingham Palace responded by saying race and mental health claims would be “taken seriously” and addressed privately. Prince William said on Thursday that the royals were “very much not a racist family”.Asked again about the row at his party’s local election campaign launch, Sir Keir said: “The issue that Meghan raised of race and mental health are serious. The palace has now responded and I do think it is a matter now for the family, and I do hope it is resolved as soon as possible.”The Labour leader added: “But the wider issues in society about race and mental health are something for all of us to take seriously.”The palace came under huge pressure to respond to the interview after Meghan claimed that questions had been asked about the skin colour of the couple’s son Archie prior to his birth.She also claimed she was discouraged from seeking help with her mental health when feeling suicidal.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 weekdayBoris Johnson has admitted to watching the Sussexes’ interview with Oprah Winfrey, but has been at pains to stay out of the controversy. “I’ve spent a long time now not commenting on royal family matters and I don’t intend to depart from that,” he said earlier this week.One of his ministers, Zac Goldsmith, managed to avoid a rebuke after he accused Prince Harry of “blowing up his family” and stating: “What Meghan wants, Meghan gets.”While several Labour MPs have applauded the Duchess of Sussex for speaking out, some Tory MPs have condemned those perceived to be critical of the royal family or the British press.
UK news in picturesShow all 50 More

The Conservatives’ London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey can “absolutely” still run for office despite a controversial tweet relating to the ongoing Sarah Everard case, a government minister has said.But Downing Street declined to offer Boris Johnson’s endorsement for the tweet, in which the Tory candidate appeared to apportion some blame for the crime to Labour’s mayor of London Sadiq Khan.Mr Bailey was accused of an “utterly grotesque” attempt to politicise her disappearance after he tweeted that “it doesn’t have to be this way” and vowed to “deliver for the safety of women” if he wins.Human remains have been found in the search for Ms Everard, whose disappearance in south London a week ago has sparked a huge police hunt and the arrest of a police officer on suspicion of murder.Business minister Paul Scully said people should not be “distracted” from the serious crime, following questions that Mr Bailey had tried to use the case as “political capital”.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 first thing people want to be is safe in their homes and Shaun has been doing a lot of work around (that),” the minister told Sky News. “But we shouldn’t be distracted from the fact that there is a serious crime that’s gone on here.”But Downing Street declined to offer Mr Johnson’s endorsement for the Tory mayoral candidate’s approach. Asked repeatedly whether the prime minister backed Mr Bailey’s actions, the PM’s press secretary Allegra Stratton told reporters: “This is a conversation to have with Shaun Bailey. You’ve seen the prime minister’s approach today, and you’ve seen the home secretary’s approach today, and today we in government, like all of you, our thoughts are with the family of Sarah.”Challenged over whether the PM was refusing to stand by his candidate, Ms Stratton replied: “Today, we believe, is a day to give sympathy to the family of Sarah in an incredibly difficult and distressing time for them.”She pointed reporters to a tweet in which Mr Johnson said: “I am shocked and deeply saddened by the developments in the Sarah Everard investigation. Like the whole country my thoughts are with her family and friends. We must work fast to find all the answers to this horrifying crime.”Mr Scully also claimed that the government was “absolutely” doing enough to keep women safe and that it was addressing problems of domestic violence.Mr Bailey’s Liberal Democrat rival Luisa Porritt said the Tory candidate’s comments – made following the arrest of an officer but before police said he was being held on suspicion of murder – were “utterly grotesque”.“Her disappearance has nothing to do with his campaign and he should apologise immediately,” said Ms Porritt. “My thoughts are with Sarah Everard and her loved ones today.”Catherine West, Labour MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, said: “This is really not the time for cheap, political point scoring. All our thoughts should be with Sarah, her family and friends at this unimaginably difficult time.”In a statement, Mr Khan said: “All women and girls should be able to feel safe on the streets of London at all times, and I know how shocked and worried Londoners are by Sarah’s disappearance and developments in the case.”Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick said the discovery of human remains was made on Wednesday in an area of woodland detectives had been searching in Ashford, Kent.Wayne Couzens, a serving officer, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and a separate allegation of indecent exposure. He was previously detained on Tuesday on suspicion of kidnap. More

A significant number of Scots have turned against the SNP’s plan another referendum on Scottish independence in the near future, a new poll indicates.The latest YouGov survey shows 50 per cent of voters in Scotland do not want a referendum to be held in 2021 – an increase of six points since polling company asked the same question in November.The proportion of voters who support the idea of a referendum in the event Nicola Sturgeon’s party wins a majority at May’s Holyrood election is now at 36 per cent – a fall of seven points since November.The latest poll results also show support for the union holding a narrow lead over separation. Some 51 per cent of Scots back the union while 49 per cent favour of independence, the YouGov poll for The Times discovered.A separate survey by Savanta ComRes for The Scotsman has found 47 per cent would vote ‘No’ against independence, while 45 per cent said they would vote ‘Yes’.Ian Blackford, SNP leader at Westminster, has said a second independent referendum could be held later in 2021 should the party wins a majority in May. “It could be the case we could face a referendum as early as late 2021,” he said last week.However, Ms Sturgeon has been more circumspect on the precise date, saying she would like another ballot to be held “in the earlier part” of the next Scottish parliamentary term.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 weekdayWhile the latest poll numbers suggest a majority of Scots are not keen holding an independence anytime soon, with the country still attempting to recover from the Covid pandemic, there appears to be a greater appetite for a ballot further down the line. YouGov found 42 per cent of Scots believe a co-called “indyref2”vote should be held in the next five years, while 39 per cent do not.The polling firm found that the SNP vote down by four points in the constituency vote for May’s Holyrood election. YouGov’s projection found Ms Sturgeon’s party is still on course to win 71 seats in the Scottish parliament – a majority of 13.However, the latest Savanta ComRes poll, which shows a six-point fall in constituency vote support for the SNP, found the party would win only 64 seats – missing out on a majority by one seat.Polling guru Professor Sir John Curtice said the ongoing rift over the Alex Salmond inquiry had clearly had a damaging impact on support for the party.“The SNP cannot afford to lose many supporters if they are to win an overall majority in May,” he said.“And there is a minority of former SNP voters, around one in eight, who do not believe that Ms Sturgeon has been telling the truth [about her involvement in the Salmond inquiry saga].Commenting on the YouGov poll, Sir John said results suggest that some of those SNP supporters sceptical of Ms Sturgeon’s account of events “are no longer inclined to back the party in May”. More