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Ministers are being urged to publish an internal government assessment probing the impact of removing the £20-per-week increase in universal credit payments on low-income families and poverty levels in Britain. It comes as discussions between the Treasury, No 10 and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) continue over the future of the uplift, which was introduced at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic to give struggling families extra support.Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, is reported to be pushing against the extra payments, costing £6 billion annually, becoming permanent despite intense opposition from some Conservative MPs, opposition parties and anti-poverty campaigners.In response to a freedom of information request, the DWP told The Independent it had carried out an analysis of the impact of removing the £20-per-week uplift on low income families and poverty in Britain.The department declined to release the information, however, citing an exemption because ministers are still formulating the universal credit policy. It said the “DWP is satisfied in this instance the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure”.In response, the shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Reynolds told The Independent: “The government’s planned cut of £1,000 a year for millions of families will be a hammer blow to family finances, they should be honest about that fact. 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 public deserve to know what assessment the government has made on the impact this cut will have on poverty. Britain has had the worst recession of any major economy because of this government’s incompetence and indecision – yet they want struggling families to pay the price.”The Scottish government published its own impact assessment on withdrawing the emergency benefit measure last year, claiming that more than 60,000 people in the country, including 20,000 children, would “be plunged into poverty”.In January, the Resolution Foundation think-tank also warned that millions face the sharpest drop in living standards in a generation and the decision on whether to keep the benefit boost “will help define whether this is to be a parliament of ‘levelling up’ living standards, or pushing up poverty”. Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader who described the uplift in universal credit as a “lifeline” for millions of families, added: “Government must immediately publish the impact assessment in question, so their plans can receive proper scrutiny.”“Instead of plotting to pull the rug from under the feet of struggling families, the government should commit to extending the uplift in the March budget, and give countless households the security they need.”A government spokesperson told The Independent: “We are committed to supporting the lowest-paid families through the pandemic and beyond to ensure that nobody is left behind. “That’s why we’ve targeted our support to those most in need by raising the living wage, spending hundreds of billions to safeguard jobs, boosting welfare support by billions and introducing the £170 million Covid winter grant scheme to help children and families stay warm and well-fed during the coldest months.”It is expected that Mr Sunak will announce a final decision at the Budget next month, but is also reportedly considering a one-off payment of £1,000 or £500 to claimants to avoid the universal credit uplift becoming permanent. More

Ministers are reportedly discussing proposals to extend the school day in order to help children catch up on missed learning during the coronavirus lockdown.It comes as Boris Johnson faces pressure from Tory backbenchers to bring forward the phased reopening of schools in line with Wales and Scotland where devolved administrations have announced some children will return on 22 February.The prime minister is due to set out the “roadmap” to easing the lockdown during the same week, but has insisted that schools in England will not return before 8 March.According to The Daily Telegraph, officials at the Department for Education (DfE) are considering a range of proposals to help children try and recover lost learning, including the lengthening of the school day. Conservative MP Robert Halfon, who chairs the Commons Education Committee, told the newspaper he had discussed the idea with officials at the department. The plan could include charities and volunteers running out-of-hours class and extra-curricular activities, meaning teachers may not be required to stay late.“They are definitely considering all these ideas,” he said. “I think they are receptive and thinking about it seriously.”“The catch-up money can be used to fund civil society groups to help with the extended school day. Kids have been locked inside, their mental health has suffered, so there needs to be a lot of mental health support as well as academic help if needed.”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 Department for Education declined to be drawn on the reports, but a government spokesperson said: “We will invest a further £300 million in tutoring programmes, building on the existing £1 billion Covid catch up fund, but the prime minister has been clear that extended schools closures have had a huge impact on pupils’ education, which will take more than a year to make up.“The government will work with parents, teachers and schools to develop a long-term plan to make sure pupils have the chance to make up their lost education over the course of this parliament — and we have just appointed Sir Kevin Collins to the role of education recovery commissioner, to specifically oversee this issue.”Speaking on BBC Breakfast, the children’s commissioner Anne Longfield stressed the classrooms must reopen at the “first opportunity”, saying the impact on children being away from school was “absolutely immense” on their wellbeing.“At the heart of all this is that children are getting very different experiences and in every likelihood, those children who started behind and most disadvantaged have fallen further behind, we know that now.”She added: “The pressure now on getting that catch-up in place, getting children to the point where they can start to get their confidence back and rebuild really needs to start in huge earnest.“Which is why I’m really pushing for not only a kind of one year catch-up, but something that will go over the next two to three years to try to get children, as many as possible, not only back to where they should have been but also ahead.” More

Boris Johnson has made a personal appeal for caution telling the public it’s “still early days” to discuss unwinding England’s national lockdown amid “very, very high” coronavirus infection rates.The prime minister is due to set out a “roadmap” on 22 February on how the government intends to reopen society after analysing the findings of a critical report being produced by Public Health England (PHE) on the effectiveness of the vaccine rollout and data on transmission.In a short video posted on social media, Mr Johnson reiterated his promise to announce a “steady programme for beginning to unlock” in just over two weeks’ time and said the vaccine programme was proceeding at “huge rate of knots”, with 10.9 million people now having received a first dose.Of the plan he said the government would be “giving everybody some clarity insofar as we can about how we hope to unlock” beginning with ministers’ priority of a phased reopening of schools from 8 March.However, the prime minister warned: “I want to stress that it is still early days and we have rates of infection in this country [that are] still very, very high and [have] more people almost twice as many people in our hospitals with Covid now than there were back at the peak in April.The newspaper said hospitality venues will initially be restricted to serving takeaway drinks so that customers are encouraged to stay outdoors because of the reduced transmission risk compared to sitting inside.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 so-called ‘Scotch Egg rule’ – under which alcohol could only be served with a substantial meal – is also believed to be on the way out after the prime minister ordered a “simplification” of the rules when the country exits the national lockdown.The Telegraph also suggested ministers were considering the reopening of “dry” pubs in April to allay concerns of scientific advisers who have warned about the potential effects of drinking and social distancing. But a government source told The Independent: “We are not going to open pubs that can’t sell booze. What would be the point of that?”. Dr Clive Dix, the new interim head of the UK’s vaccine taskforce, appeared bullish about meeting of the new pledge on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.“Every time we’ve been set an objective in the taskforce, we’ve met it and we will work day and night to ensure we meet whatever the target that is feasible can be met,” he said.“I’m very optimistic we’ll definitely meet the May target. I’m not sure where the June number came from, but we’ve still got then quite a few people to vaccinate — 25 maybe 30 million. Whether it will be done in a month I’m not sure about that.”But confirmation of the date also led to immediate calls from Tory backbenchers for the government to accelerate the reopening of society, with the chairman of the Covid Recovery Group Mark Harper saying it would be “almost impossible to justify having any restrictions in place” once the over-50s had been vaccinated.He said: “Just like Covid, lockdowns and restrictions cause immense harm to people’s health and livelihoods and we need to lift them as soon as it is safe to do so. Further, once the top four risk groups have been vaccinated by 15 February, and protected by 8 March, the Government must start easing the restrictions. The former chief whip also asked the prime minister to consider getting pupils back into classrooms this month rather than delay until his target date of March 8. More

But the former chief prosecutor for northwest England Nazir Afzal said that he will seek further avenues for bringing legal action against Boris Johnson’s ex-adviser.Mr Afzal said it was “hugely disappointing but not surprising” that Durham Police decided to take no further action on the basis of the material he submitted, alleging offences against coronavirus regulations.The dossier stated that the legal test had been met for prosecution over the trip by Mr Cummings and his journalist wife Mary Wakefield to his parents’ home last March, at a time when both believed themselves to be carrying coronavirus, and a later trip to beauty spot Barnard Castle, which Mr Cummings said was undertaken to test his eyesight before the journey back to London.It alleged that claims made by Mr Cummings about his lockdown trip in a press conference in the garden of 10 Downing Street on 25 May had affected the course of justice.But in a letter to Mr Afzal’s lawyers, Durham Police’s deputy chief constable Dave Orford said: “Durham Constabulary has considered your submissions and the allegations raised that are relevant to the force’s area of responsibility.“We have considered all of the material provided. However, it does not change our decision from that outlined in our press release dated 28 May in respect of Mr Dominic Cummings, and we take a similar view in respect of his wife Mary Wakefield.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“We do not consider the relevant tests are made out in relation to any potential offences raised within your submission. Therefore, Durham Constabulary will be taking no further action.”The earlier press release stated that Mr Cummings may have breached lockdown rules in his Barnard Castle trip on 12 April, but the force decided to take no further action. It made no finding on his decision to leave London for Durham, and said there was “insufficient evidence” to support an allegation that he travelled to Durham a second time on 19 April, which Mr Cummings denies.In a video statement, Mr Afzal said: “I’ve read the decision and, to coin a phrase, I don’t understand it.“It’s not clear whether the view of the Crown Prosecution Service was sought on our 225-page submission, which included new evidence, including witness evidence over the alleged third breach.“I am now considering with my legal team what further avenues to pursue because millions of you would want me to.“This is also going to form part of my recent decision to examine the legal implications of the whole extent of the Government’s failures on Covid.”“I have spent a lifetime prosecuting cases without fear or favour. We are nothing without the rule of law and it applies to everybody or to nobody.“When I learnt that one of the architects of the rules – and that’s what distinguishes him from others – rules that we all complied with to keep each other safe, rode a coach and horse through them and then his political masters decided to put a ring of steel around him, I had no choice but to take this further.“All the research tells us that that one act diminished public confidence in lockdown.”Addressing supporters who had helped crowdfund the effort, Mr Afzal said: “Justice takes time. I’ll carry on working for you.”Mr Cummings left 10 Downing Street in December following an internal power struggle and is no longer an adviser to the prime minister.He has always insisted he acted reasonably in driving north to be near his parents’ home at a time when he feared he and his wife may need help with childcare for their son. More

Boris Johnson is coming under pressure to end Britain’s support for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen following a reversal of policy from the United States.New US president Joe Biden on Thursday said the conflict had created a “humanitarian and strategic catastrophe” in his first foreign policy speech in office.Adding that the war “has to end”, he announced an end to “relevant” US arms sales to Saudi Arabian forces.In common with Mr Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump, the UK has been steadfast in its support of Saudi Arabia, which has been bombarding Yemen for six years.The UK is providing technical support for the attack, has deployed troops to defend Saudi oil fields, and went as far to reinstate arms sales after a court ordered a pause on humanitarian grounds.In a statement on Friday Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy said “the government’s support for Saudi campaign in Yemen is not only morally wrong but increasingly leaves Britain isolated on the world stage”.“President Biden’s decision to end US support for operations in Yemen shows just how far global opinion has shifted and leaves the UK worryingly out of step with our allies,” she added.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“Ministers must now take long overdue action to stop arms sales to Saudi Arabia and end the UK’s role in a conflict which has caused the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.”David Miliband, a former foreign secretary and chief executive of International Rescue Committee, told the BBC that there was “an important role for Britain to play, frankly” in ending the war.”It hasn’t yet come out in support of the Biden position of abandoning the Saudi-led coalition’s war strategy which of course Britain is in part party to,” he said.Mr Miliband called on the US and UK to reconsider the designation of the Houthi rebel group as an international terrorist organisation, and called for a “massive infusion of aid” and a ceasefire with “political and diplomatic action”.Since the bombing began in March 2015, Britain has licensed at least £5.4 billion worth of arms to the Saudi regime, mostly bombs and aircraft. In June 2019 the Court of Appeal told the government to pause arms sales because of the possibility that they were being used to commit war crimes.But in July last year International trade secretary Liz Truss ordered the resumptions of sales. Ms Truss said that while some “credible incidents of concern” related to Saudi forces’ conduct had been classified as “possible” breaches of international humanitarian law (IHL), the UK government viewed these as “isolated incidents”.
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No 10’s senior adviser of ethnic minorities considered resigning over fears the Conservative Party was pursuing “politics steeped in division” and claimed that tensions in government were “unbearable”.According to the BBC, the leaked resignation letter, however, was retracted by Mr Kasumu on Thursday evening after the special adviser held a discussion with Nadhim Zahawi, the minister responsible for the Covid vaccine rollout.In his correspondence to Boris Johnson, Mr Kasumu wrote: “It is well documented that black and Asian people are significantly less likely to vote Conservative, despite often having values that are aligned. The gains made under David Cameron in 2015 have been eroded in subsequent elections.“Though we now have a coalition of voters to provide us with a much coveted majority, I fear for what may become of the party in the future by choosing to pursue a politics steeped in division.”He said “the damage that is often caused by our actions is not much considered”, adding: “As someone that has spent his whole adult life serving others, that tension has been at times unbearable.”In his letter, Mr Kasumu did not name the equalities minister Ms Badenoch directly, but said: “Last week, the actions of a minister were concerning. I believe the ministerial code was breached. 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“However, more concerning than the act, was the lack of response internally. It was not OK or justifiable, but somehow nothing was said. I waited, and waited, for something from the senior leadership team to even point to an expected standard, but it did not materialise.”In a highly unusual departure from normal procedures, instead of responding to the press query, the minister posted a series of tweets publicly attacking the journalist, claiming it was “creepy and bizarre to fixate on who didn’t participate in a video and demand they explain themselves”.Ms Badenoch added the questions were a “sad insight into how some journalists operate” and accused HuffPost of attempting to sow distrust. Her actions were condemned by the National Union of Journalists and the publication said Ms White was forced to make her Twitter account private as she was receiving so much abuse.In response to the leaked letter from Mr Kasumu, a Downing Street spokesperson told The Independent: “It would not be appropriate to comment on individual staff members. “The government is committed to inclusion and bringing communities together and is the most ethnically diverse in this country’s history. Last year we established a Commission on Race and Ethnic disparities to examine and tackle inequality and discrimination wherever it is found. It is due to report shortly.” More

British travellers could be issued with coronavirus immunisation documents to enable them to take holidays abroad, a government minister has indicated.The government has insisted it has no plans to issue “vaccine passports” to grant greater freedoms to those who have had the jab.But Foreign Office minister James Cleverly said the UK was ready to work with other countries to “help facilitate” proof of vaccination if required by destinations abroad.Greece has said it will waive quarantine requirements from May for arrivals who can prove they have been vaccinated against Covid-19.Asked if the UK would help in providing certificates, Mr Cleverly told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: “It is often the case that the entry requirements for countries are for vaccines or inoculations, and that is not an uncommon practice.“We will work with international partners to help facilitate their border arrangements and their immigration arrangements.”According to The Times, the Foreign Office, Department for Transport and Department of Health and Social Care are working on arrangements should countries require proof of vaccination as a condition of entry.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 weekdayIt is not yet clear whether the proof would come in the form of a stamp in a passport or a separate official document.Mr Cleverly said: “The decisions that individual countries make about their own incoming arrangements is obviously up to them.“We are incredibly proud of the speed and the breadth of our vaccination rollout and of course, I think the whole world hopes, that the vaccination programme will be a way of getting back to normality.”Mr Cleverly told Sky News that at present most countries, including the UK, require a negative test result on arrival.“And we’ll have to see what countries, what the international community, put in place once vaccines around the world are as effectively distributed as they are here in the UK,” he added.A Downing Street spokesman said: “There are still no current plans to roll out vaccine passports.”Going on holiday is currently illegal but we have always been clear that we will keep the situation under review.” More

Downing Street has denied the government is planning a new carbon tax which could force up the price of staples like meat and cheese as well as gas heating.Speculation over the levy was sparked by a leaked Whitehall memo revealing that Boris Johnson and chancellor Rishi Sunak had written to all departments asking for suggestions on how “some form of carbon pricing” could be introduced sector-by-sector across the economy over the next decade.And No 10 and the Treasury did nothing to quash the idea on Thursday, refusing to comment on the issue ahead of Mr Sunak’s 3 March Budget.An apparently well-source article in The Times suggested that proposals being drawn up to help the UK meet Mr Johnson’s pledge of net-zero emissions by 2050 could include a direct tax  on the most carbon-intensive services, such as meat and cheese production, or a shift in climate change levies from electricity to gas.After reports that the tax could send prices of meat products soaring, a senior No 10 official today said: “This is categorically not going to happen. We will not be imposing a meat tax on the great British banger or anything else.”Proposals are being drawn up for a carbon reduction blueprint to be unveiled ahead of the UN COP26 climate change summit being hosted by the UK in Glasgow in November.Last year’s Energy White Paper set out plans for a national carbon trading scheme which ministers describe as “the foundation on which the UK achieves net-zero emissions cost effectively”.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 weekdayA cap on carbon emissions would initially continue to be applied only to energy-intensive industries such as electricity generation and aviation, but would then be expanded across the economy to encourage reductions in greenhouse gas production, the paper said. More