Markus Andrews

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailJust days after promising to fight and win a vote of no confidence in his leadership, Humza Yousaf fought back tears as he threw in the towel.His resignation is the latest twist in the chaotic tale of the SNP since the 2019 general election and the 2021 Scottish election.Then, the party was riding high under the leadership of Nicola Sturgeon, whose smooth communication style helped reassure the people of Scotland during the Covid crisis and saw her become a household name across the UK.Humza Yousaf fought back tears as he quit as first minister More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe Reform UK candidate for the 2024 London Mayoral Election has vowed to scrap the Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) and refund all fines. Howard Cox is the founder of Fair Fuel UK, a lobbying group that campaigns to reduce charges on motorists, particularly fuel duty.“As the founder of the FairFuelUK campaign, I am the only Mayoral candidate with a proven track record of making a difference to your lives by helping to reduce your cost of living,” he said.“Since 2011, every driver, business and charity has benefited from paying thousands of pounds less to fill up their motorbikes, cars, vans and trucks – all because of my campaign against fuel duty increases.“No other Mayoral candidate has an equivalent record in successful campaigning, or my detailed knowledge of road user transport – both essential to get London moving again.“I want our city back. I will be strong on crime and take a zero tolerance approach to violent offenders. I will always listen to you, and from day one I will scrap all policies that do not benefit the majority of Londoners.”Speaking at an anti-Ulez protest earlier this year, Mr Cox describe the low-emission scheme as unnecessary. “Good, decent, honest, taxpaying, hardworking people are being impacted by Ulez,” he said. “It’s such a sad thing because we do not need Ulez. Science proves we don’t need it.“Stop picking on the motorists, they’re the commercial heartbeat of the economy.”Mr Cox said that while he has an Ulez compliant vehicle, he had been “bombarded by people like plumbers and sole traders, people like that who can’t afford to change.”Figures released by TfL in October showed around 60,000 vehicle owners a day were paying the charge.A taxi with an advert for Howard Cox More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe Liberal Democrat candidate for London mayor has said his top priority is policing and crime following his own experience of being violently mugged. Rob Blackie had his neck fractured and was fitted with a titanium replacement following the attack and his perpetrators were never caught. Mr Blackie told The Independent he will focus on “fixing” the Met Police and tackle violence against women and girls. “After eight years, Londoners are feeling let down by Sadiq Khan, particularly on crime,” he said. “I see this myself going around London. Every week, I’ll knock on people’s doors. It might be a burglary, might be a car theft, it could be a stabbing nearby.“I am the only candidate with a serious and credible plan to tackle violence against women and girls. It’s time the Mayor had a proper plan too – that’s why I would create a new Mayoral Strategy for Violence Against Women and Girls and set up a new Sexual Offence Unit to drive up the number of sexual offenders caught in the capital.“That’s the thing that drove me to want to stand. Because I thought nobody’s offering particularly serious solutions to that.“I know first-hand from having my neck broken how horrible it is be attacked,  so my top priority is to fix Metropolitan Police.”Rob Blakie Kingston Women’s Hub launching his violence against women and girls plan More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailHumza Yousaf has stepped down as Scotland’s first minister amid mounting pressure in the face of two upcoming no confidence votes.Mr Yousaf was facing two votes of confidence after he terminated the powersharing deal between the SNP and Scottish Greens last week.Despite previously saying he would not stand down and intended to win the confidence votes, the first minister has now announced that he is leaving his role during an impromptu press conference.Announcing his decision, he said he had “clearly underestimated the level of hurt and upset” his decision had caused. He added: “I’ve concluded that repairing a relationship across the political divide can only be done with someone else at the helm.“I have therefore informed the SNP national secretary of my intention to stand down as party leader and ask that she commences a leadership contest for my replacement, as soon as possible.”The crisis in Mr Yousaf’s government began after he ripped up the powersharing agreement he had with the Scottish Greens, which had been brokered by his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon after the 2021 Holyrood election.Following the break down in relations, the Greens immediately agreed to support a motion of no confidence in Yousaf’s leadership brought by the Scottish Conservatives.A second no-confidence vote against the entire Scottish government was brought forward by Scottish Labour, which would have required the first minister and his ministers to resign if successful.Humza Yousaf announced his resignation during a press conference More