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Now that Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon have both given lengthy testimony to the Scottish parliamentary inquiry into the events of recent years, things may go a little quiet. The opposition parties will continue to press the Scottish government by tabling questions and confidence votes, and they will demand more documents be disclosed, but the main action is probably fine. Further witnesses seem unlikely to add much that is conclusive to the areas presently in dispute. For the next few weeks, then, the committee of MSPs, divided on partisan lines, will try to move forward to a conclusion about how the Scottish government handled its response to allegations about the behaviour of Salmond when he was first minister; and also how and why the Scottish government fought against the judicial review into the investigation that Salmond launched in 2018. Or, to put it into lurid but understandable terms, did Nicola Sturgeon engage in some conspiracy to “get” her predecessor as SNP party leader and first minister?As the saying goes, the jury is out. More

SNP plans for Scottish independence would be a “Brexit 2.0” that would harm the NHS and cost jobs, Sir Ed Davey has said.With Scottish Parliament elections due to take place in May, the Liberal Democrat leader hit out at the government for taking the UK out of the European Union in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, complaining that Boris Johnson’s response to “the worst economic downturn in 300 years is to make it more difficult to trade”.Sir Ed added that Brexit had made it “more difficult to do business, more difficult to keep your job”, claiming that “the Tories seem determined to make us smaller, poorer and more isolated”.Of those who campaigned to leave the EU, he said: “They didn’t write that on the side of their bus.”And in Scotland, this situation could be worsened, he claimed, by a “hapless SNP government who would impose independence – Brexit 2.0”.In a speech to the Scottish Liberal Democrat spring conference, he contrasted his party’s plans with those of Nicola Sturgeon, adding: “Liberal Democrats want to put recovery first. The SNP want to break up first.“Liberal Democrats have plans to recover the health and jobs of the Scottish people, SNP plans would harm the NHS and hit jobs across Scotland.”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 weekdayHe argued that voters care more about the NHS and care services than they do about the constitution, but said his party should work with leading figures from Labour to push for a more federal UK.With former Lib Dem party leader Sir Menzies Campbell taking a “fresh look” at the party’s policies on federalism, he said there was now “momentum behind our efforts to make the UK work for everyone”.“Keir Starmer has recognised that he needs to get serious about how the UK works. Gordon Brown, too, has recognised that it’s time to fix the foundations that our house of nations stands upon. These are allies we should work with.”Scottish Lib Dem Willie Rennie has previously vowed his MSPs will oppose holding a second independence referendum “at any point” int the next Holyrood term. A spokesman for the Scottish constitution secretary, Mike Russell, hit back at the suggestions, saying: “Independence is the opposite of Brexit, and will allow Scotland to flourish as an equal member of the EU.“That is why support for independence is at record high levels, and why it is becoming the settled will of the people, who can see that the Lib Dems have joined Labour and the Tories in becoming a pro-Brexit party.“Allowing Westminster to make decisions for Scotland directly threatens key public services like the NHS, which could be on the table in post-Brexit trade deals. Independence will mean we take decisions for ourselves and ensure we protect our health service.” More

Massive cuts in overseas aid to many of the world’s poorest countries will be made within weeks, according to government plans kept secret from MPs.The move comes despite the outrage over a near-60 per cent cut to war-torn Yemen, the first stark evidence of Boris Johnson’s widely criticised decision to slash £4bn-a-year from the aid budget.Now proposals for the next cuts – reaching a staggering 88 per cent in Lebanon, still reeling from last year’s Beirut port explosion – are revealed in information obtained by the investigative website openDemocracy.Seen by The Independent, they also include plans to remove Sudan’s “entire CSSF budget”, the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund which is a strand of the aid programme.They have been condemned by Andrew Mitchell, the former Conservative international development secretary, as flying in the face of a pledge to protect “humanitarian relief” from the cuts.Christian Aid in South Sudan warned that “cuts on the scale being reported couldn’t come at a worse time for a country in crisis”.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“Peace talks are at an extremely delicate stage,” said director James Wani, adding: “Without funding for peacebuilding, the talks risk failure. And without peace, development and humanitarian work can’t succeed.”And Mohamud Mohamed Hassan, Save the Children’s director for Somalia, warned: “These reports are worse than we feared and, if true, the impact on children would be inconceivable.”MPs had made repeated attempts to obtain the details of the cuts planned, but were rebuffed by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, had promised legislation – admitting the cut from 0.7 to 0.5 per cent of national income could be unlawful without it – but the vote was shelved and may not take place at all.The reductions, however, will start from April. Only around £3.5bn is available for direct aid projects, but – until now – which countries will be hit the hardest was unknown.The figures obtained show Lebanon (an 88 per cent cut), Syria (67 per cent), Libya (63 per cent), Somalia (60 per cent), the DRC (60 per cent), South Sudan (59 per cent), Nigeria (58 per cent) and West Balkans (50 per cent) all in the firing line.Yet the Disaster Emergency Committee has recently warned of starvation in many of those countries, as the pandemic fuels existing economic and humanitarian crisis.It said the number of people in Somalia requiring humanitarian assistance had risen by 700,000 and that 190,000 babies had missed their vaccinations last year.In Nigeria, 7 million more people are expected to fall into poverty this year, according to the World Bank.Mr Mitchell added: “The foreign secretary assured parliament that he would protect seven strategic priorities from cuts, including humanitarian relief.“Nothing like what is being suggested here should be considered until parliament has given its express consent, which I rather doubt will be forthcoming.”And Mr Mohamed Hassan warned: “UK-aid funded programs in Somalia are not optional extras.“They are critical and lifesaving – food, water, help for malnourished babies, vaccines for remote communities, and learning programs for kids who are out of school. This would be felt by millions of Somali children now, and for years to come.”Amid the secrecy, only the Yemen cut has been revealed – a reduction to £87m, from £197m last year – and only because an international donor conference was staged.Criticised by Sir Keir Starmer in the Commons, Mr Johnson drew fresh condemnation for saying Labour should not be focusing “on the interests of the people of Yemen”. The FCDO declined to comment on the figures, but said the pandemic had “forced us to take tough but necessary decisions, including temporarily reducing the overall amount we spend on aid”.“We are still working through what this means for individual programmes and decisions have not yet been made,” a spokesperson said. More

Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, could be drawn into the bullying investigation launched amid the royal rift over the Duke and Duchess of Sussex just as the government is  facing  the challenges of coronavirus, Brexit and Scottish independence.Mr Case may have to answer questions in an investigation announced by Buckingham Palace into allegations of bullying of staff by the duchess.He was told about the allegations, it is claimed, 16 months ago while working as the Duke of Cambridge’s private secretary.Mr Case has since been appointed cabinet secretary, succeeding Mark Sedwill, and  becoming the youngest head of the civil service for a century. Boris Johnson is reported to have personally approached Prince William to bring the highly regarded civil servant back into government in September. His previous posts have included strategy director at GCHQ, policy adviser at the Ministry of Defence and director general at the Northern Ireland Office.Mr Case is reported to have received an email in October 2018 from a colleague, Jason Knauf, then communications secretary at Kensington Palace, saying, “I am very concerned that the duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year”.  The email, leaked to The Times, said the treatment of another member of staff was “totally unacceptable” and that, “the duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights. She is bullying Y [name withheld] and seeking to undermine her confidence. We have had report after report from people who have witnessed unacceptable behaviour towards Y.”Buckingham Palace announced on Wednesday evening that an investigation will be launched into the bullying claims.It said: “We are clearly very concerned about allegations in The Times following claims made by former staff of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Accordingly our HR team will look into the circumstances outlined in the article. “Members of staff involved at the time, including those who have left the household, will be invited to participate to see if lessons can be learned.” The royal rift is due to widen further on Sunday with Meghan appearing in a “tell-all” interview with Oprah Winfrey screened on CBS in America. ITV will broadcast the interview in the UK on Monday.A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan has denied the allegations of bullying, calling them a “calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful information”.In a legal letter to the The Times, they added that the duchess was, “saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself and is deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma”.On Thursday, the government reached a settlement – reportedly worth around £340,000 – with Sir Philip Rutnam, the former permanent secretary in the Home Office, who had threatened to take Priti Patel, the secretary of state, to an employment tribunal, claiming he was forced out for trying to stop her bullying staff, which she denied. A senior Whitehall official said:  “This is a big distraction for Simon Case at a difficult and busy time for us all. He has been dragged into this and will probably have to speak to this investigation.“As far as one knows, the conclusions [of the investigation] aren’t expected to be made public for quite a while but one thing one can bet on is there’s going to be lots of leaks in the media.“There are likely to be legal repercussions If it’s proved that bullying did take place,  then, presumably, there will be people seeking compensation, especially if there was any kind of cover-up over this. This is a pretty toxic subject.”Another Whitehall official held it was highly unlikely that any evidence will be found that Mr Case is culpable of wrongdoing.The official said: “As far as I am aware Simon’s remit did not include handling this sort of issue with staff, and he passed the matter on to the HR people.“Anyone who knows Simon will know he is not a person to condone bullying. But there’ll be a fair amount of publicity, no doubt, with so much briefing now going on by both sides.”Asked about Mr Case and the bullying allegations, the prime minister’s spokesperson said, “it is a matter for the palace”. More

Gavin Williamson is examining the possibility of changing the school calendar and introducing a five-term school year as part of government plans to help children to catch-up on missed learning.Just days before all children in England are due to return to classrooms — the first step in easing the national lockdown — the education secretary said it was “right” to have the discussion about school terms. His remarks came as the Ofsted chief inspector stressed that “we need to make sure children get their full allocation of schooling” and said many families had been stretched “almost to breaking point” with remote learning.Speaking to the i newspaper, Mr Williamson said the government “should never be nervous about looking at new routes and different ways of doing things” when asked if the current six-week summer holidays were too long.“There’s been discussion about five-term years,” the cabinet minister added. “It’s right to have that discussion, look at the evidence and make and assessment as to what are the best options, about how we can really drive children’s attainment in schools, especially children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds.”Mr Williamson reiterated that he had asked Sir Kevan Collins to lead catch-up plans for students and “look at all the options”.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 weekdayHowever, child psychologists wrote to Mr Williamson in February, suggesting that young people should be allowed to play with friends over the summer for their mental health, instead of extra lessons.“This spring and summer should not be filled with extra lessons,” they said. “Children, teachers and parents need time and space to recover from the stress that the past year has placed on them.”Pressed on whether school days should be longer, or holidays shorter, the Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think we need to make sure children get their full allocation of schooling.“Around the world we see quite a bit of variation in the number of hours of teaching that children get across the school year. What is important is that we make sure that children get the full amount of schooling that we know that they can cope with and benefit from.”Ms Spielman, who stressed she understood the need for infection control, also said she hoped measures such as rapid coronavirus tests for pupils and the wearing of face coverings in secondary schools would be in place for “as short a time as possible”.Ahead of the return of children in both primary and secondary schools across England next week, the Independent Sage group, set up to mirror the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), reiterated concerns about the risks of reopening on Covid transmission rates.According to a poll published by Save the Children, around two in five parents are not confident that schools will remain open for the rest of the academic year, with 56 per cent worried about their child’s mental wellbeing.  More

Labour’s Henry McLeish ‘s comments come after Mr Salmond said there was “no doubt” Ms Sturgeon broke the ministerial code.Giving evidence at the Scottish Parliament committee inquiry into the Scottish government’s botched investigation into allegations of sexual harassment against him last week, Mr Salmond stopped short of calling for Ms Sturgeon’s resignation.Appearing before the committee on Wednesday, Ms Sturgeon rejected his accusations and said she felt “let down” by his “absurd” claims of a plot of SNP figures against him.Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland, Mr McLeish said: “The First Minister, I think, has rebutted most of the challenges, the assertions, the allegations that have been made.“In my view there is no serious path to the First Minister either resigning or suffering with a vote of no confidence in the parliament.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“What we should be doing now is for both the committee of inquiry at Holyrood and the separate inquiry into the breach of the ministerial code to be completed as soon as possible, get on with the election and get Scotland back to some normality.”He said “two distinguished, prestigious people” can’t continue to be seen “knocking hell out each other in public”.“That’s got to be left behind,” he said. Mr McLeish continued: “I hope at the end of all of this the parliament and the government learn lessons. That’s the important thing. There are reforms required and that should be the first priority after we get this initial mess sorted out.”Ms Sturgeon told the cross-party committee of MSPs that Mr Salmond had been one of the “closest people to me in my entire life,” and that she “would never have wanted to ‘get’ Alex Salmond.”Ms Sturgeon said: “I would never, ever have wanted any of this to happen. I had no motive, intention or desire to ‘get’ Alex Salmond.”Mr Salmond was acquitted of 13 charges of sexual assault following a criminal trial last year.The committee was set up after a successful judicial review by Mr Salmond resulted in the Scottish Government’s investigation being ruled unlawful and “tainted by apparent bias.” A separate inquiry is investigating if Ms Sturgeon breached the ministerial code, which she denies. More

Boris Johnson misled parliament over the publication of coronavirus contracts, a court order appears to show.The prime minister had claimed that the contracts, which are subject to a legal challenge and cronyism allegations, were “there on the record for everybody to see”.But a final order handed down by the High Court on Friday says the government had in fact only published “608 out of 708 relevant contracts”.The revelation comes after a High Court judge found Matt Hancock had acted unlawfully by handing out contracts without publishing details in a timely way after a case was brought against the government by the Good Law Project.The order, by judge Mr Justice Chamberlain says: “The Defendant has published 608 out of 708 relevant contracts for supplies and services relating to COVID-19 awarded on or before 7 October 2020. “In some or all of these cases, the Defendant acted unlawfully by failing to publish the contracts within the period set out in the Crown Commercial Service’s Publication of Central Government Tenders and Contracts: Central Government Transparency Guidance Note (November 2017).”But Mr Johnson had told parliament on 22 February: “All I will say is that the contracts are there on the record for everybody to see.”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 weekdayCampaigners say the latest document from the court confirms that the prime minister misled MPs even after it was ruled that the government had broken the law.The Good Law Project, which brought the legal challenge, said in a statement: “Remarkably, the Judge’s Order is based on Government’s own figures – so at the same time as Johnson was falsely reassuring MPs, Government lawyers were preparing a statement contradicting him – revealing 100 contracts and dozens of Contract Award Notices were missing from the public record.The campaigners added: “Government has not only misled Parliament and placed inaccurate information before the Court, it has misled the country. “Unless contract details are published they cannot be properly scrutinised – there’s no way of knowing where taxpayers’ money is going and why. Billions have been spent with those linked to the Conservative Party and vast sums wasted on PPE that isn’t fit for purpose. “We have a Government, and a Prime Minister, contemptuous of transparency and apparently allergic to accountability. The very least that the public deserves now is the truth.”Last year, a report by the National Audit Office (NAO) examined how firms were awarded contracts — including many without competition — worth £18 billion to secure essentials such as PPE equipment in the initial months of the pandemic.It criticised an “inadequate” documentation of cases and noted that a cross-government PPE team established a “high priority lane” to deal with leads from officials in government, ministers’ offices, MPs, peers, senior NHS staff and other health professionals.The NAO also noted: “A number of contracts were awarded retrospectively, or have not been published in a timely manner.“This has diminished public transparency, and the lack of adequate documentation means we cannot give assurance that government has adequately mitigated the increased risks arising from emergency procurement or applied appropriate commercial practices in all cases.
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Today’s daily politics briefingBoris Johnson misled parliament over the publication of coronavirus contracts, a court order suggests.The prime minister had claimed that the contracts, which are subject to a legal challenge and cronyism allegations, were in the public domain. However, a High Court order on Friday shows that the government had only published “608 out of 708 relevant contracts”.Gemma Abbott, the legal director of the Good Law Project, said: “Unless contract details are published, they cannot be properly scrutinised — there’s no way of knowing where taxpayers’ money is going and why.”Elsewhere, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has set up a £35 million fund to support frontline nurses if they strike over the government’s “pitiful and bitterly disappointing” 1 per cent pay hike for health workers.Keir Starmer branded the government’s proposal “insulting”, while shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said it was “cowardly” for Rishi Sunak not to announce the decision in his Budget on Wednesday.Speaking on Friday, health minister Nadine Dorries defended the government’s proposal by saying that “the 1% offer is the most we think we can afford”. 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
1614955975Welsh health minister says communication from Downing Street has ‘fluctuated’Welsh health minister Vaughan Gething has accused Downing Street of not holding enough meetings with the UK’s devolved administrations.Mr Gething said at a news conference on Friday that it would be “better for all of us” if regular meetings were arranged.Speaking of a “fluctuation” in communications from the UK government, he told reporters: “We haven’t had a regular pattern of the Prime Minister engaging directly with the other national governments of the United Kingdom,”“What has improved, though, from a long period of radio silence effectively from the UK Government, for a number of months now there have been regular meetings that Michael Gove has chaired, and those have been useful.”Rory Sullivan5 March 2021 14:521614954732‘No serious path’ to Sturgeon’s resignation, says former Labour first minister As noted earlier, former first minister Henry McLeish has advised Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond to stop their heated public row. The former Labour MP added – in the wake of their separate appearances before a Holyrood inquiry – that he saw “no serious path” leading to Ms Sturgeon’s resignation. Ella Glover reports: Rory Sullivan5 March 2021 14:321614953459Starmer blames vaccine rollout for Labour’s dip in polls Labour leader Keir Starmer has suggested the vaccine rollout is behind Labour’s recent drop in the polls. He told reporters: “I think during a pandemic like this people want the government to succeed and you see that reflected in the polls.“Of course we’ve got a lot of work to do – I accept that – but I think in the middle of a pandemic, particularly with the vaccine rollout, people do want the government to succeed.”His remarks follow a YouGov polls for the Times which says Tory support is up four points to 45 per cent, while Labour support is down four points to 32 per cent. Rory Sullivan5 March 2021 14:101614952240Scottish Tories ‘distinct’ from UK Conservatives, says Ross Douglas Ross, the leader of the Scottish Tories, has said that he – and not Boris Johnson – is in charge of the Conservatives’ Holyrood election campaign. He said: “I lead the party in Scotland, it is the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, it is distinct from the UK party.“I’m the leader, I’m standing for election to Holyrood with my colleagues and it is our manifesto that is agreed in Scotland by me… and my team.”Rory Sullivan5 March 2021 13:501614951063PM ‘misled parliament’ over Covid contracts, court order showsBoris Johnson misled parliament over the publication of coronavirus contracts, a court order appears to show.The prime minister had claimed that the contracts, which are subject to a legal challenge and cronyism allegations, were “there on the record for everybody to see”.But a final order handed down by the High Court on Friday says the government had in fact only published “608 out of 708 relevant contracts”.Jon Stone5 March 2021 13:311614950198 Northern Ireland protocol undermines principle of Good Friday Agreement, says Jonathan Powell The Northern Ireland protocol has upset the balance created by the Good Friday agreement, Tony Blair’s former chief of staff has warned.Jonathan Powell said he understood why the economic border imposed by the protocol angered unionists, but added that Brexit created an “insoluble problem”. He said that “Brexit was always going to have an impact on the Good Friday Agreement” if the UK left the single market and the customs union. Mr Powell added: “If you put the border on the island of Ireland you’re going to disrupt the rights of nationalists and republicans who under the Good Friday Agreement could feel Irish, or British, or both.“If you put it in the Irish Sea then you’re obviously infringing the rights of the unionist community.”Rory Sullivan5 March 2021 13:161614948540Online Budget calculator: What the changes mean for you See how the latest freezes, cuts and hikes announced in the Budget will affect your wallet. Jane Dalton5 March 2021 12:491614948314Defence review outcome due this monthBoris Johnson will announce the outcome of the government’s review of foreign, defence, security and development policy on 16 March, Downing Street says. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said it would be followed by the publication of a detailed paper on 22 March, setting out the Ministry of Defence’s plans to modernise the armed forces.Jane Dalton5 March 2021 12:451614945476Independence referendum could take place in late 2021, SNP saysAs mentioned earlier, the SNP has indicated that an independence referendum could be held in Scotland “as early as late 2021”.Joanna Taylor has the story: Rory Sullivan5 March 2021 11:571614944412Nursing union sets up £35m industrial action fundThe Royal College of Nursing has set up a £35 million fund to support frontline nurses if they strike over the government’s recommended 1 per cent pay hike for health workers. Here’s our health correspondent Shaun Lintern with the details: Rory Sullivan5 March 2021 11:40 More