Markus Andrews

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe head of the Post Office is the subject of an internal investigation, a former chair of the organisation told a Commons committee on Tuesday, highlighting the disarray at the top of the group.During an extraordinary hearing in parliament, Henry Staunton also reignited a furious row with the business secretary Kemi Badenoch, saying he had been the victim of a “smear campaign” after he said he was told to delay payments to subpostmasters. But lead campaigner Alan Bates, a former subpostmaster, told MPs the government should just “get on and pay people”. He also described the Post Office as a “dead duck” and said it should be sold off for £1 to Amazon.More than 700 subpostmasters were prosecuted by the Post Office between 1999 and 2015 because of Fujitsu’s faulty Horizon system made it appear money was missing from their branches.Hundreds, including Mr Bates, whose story was told in the ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office, are still awaiting compensation.Henry Staunton told MPs he stood by his claim a top Whitehall official told him to stall on compensation payoutsIn a sometimes explosive evidence session, Mr Staunton told MPs on the business and trade committee that he stood by his claim a top Whitehall official told him to stall on compensation payouts. That was disputed by Post Office CEO Nick Read, who told MPs he did not believe anyone at the company was told by the government to slow down payments. Mr Staunton, who was sacked by Ms Badenoch last month, has said the move would help the Tories “hobble” into the election.In response, Ms Badenoch accused him of a “blatant attempt to seek revenge following dismissal”.But Mr Staunton told the committee: “Why does everything remain so slow? I’ve spoken up on matters of genuine public concern, have been fired, and am now subject to a smear campaign.” He also said that Mr Read had threatened to quit because he was “unhappy with his pay”.He also rejcted Ms Badenoch’s claims he was under investigation, saying: “This is an investigation, not into me, this is an investigation… into the chief executive Nick Read.”He said that an 80-page report, prepared by the company’s human resources director about Mr Read, contained just one paragraph on his behaviour, claiming “politically incorrect comments attributed to me which I strenuously deny”.Alan Bates in London yesterday ater giving evidence The report was written after Mr Read “fell out” with the HR director, Mr Staunton said. He also told MPs that Mr Read had threatened to resign on a number of occassions – just an hour after Mr Read denied he had ever tried to quit.Their testimony left MPs scratching thier heads, with committee chair Liam Byrne saying Mr Staunton gave “bombshell revelations about a boardroom that is in disarray, a chief executive [Nick Read] that is under investigation and a chief executive who has sought to resign, even though he told us on oath that he has not”.In another twist, a director at the Post Office, Ben Tidswell, told staff after the hearing: “To my knowledge he has never tendered his resignation.”Mr Staunton said the 80-page document “alleges… that Nick was going to resign because he was unhappy with this pay”.He added that he himself “must have had four conversations when he said he was going to chuck it in”.One MP on the committee, Tory Jonathan Gullis, called the admission a “shambles” and said: “There may be another drama: Mr Read and Mr Staunton vs the Post Office.” The department for Business and Trade later confirmed that Mr Read was under investigation, but said it would await the outcome “before making any further judgement”. In his evidence, Mr Read also warned correct legislation must be put in place if “mass exoneration is the right thing” in relation to convicted subpostmasters – adding that the process “may well” result in guilty people being absolved.Mr Bates also told MPs he had considered getting all the former subpostmasters involved in the initial High Court case to “stand as MPs when the next election comes”, adding: “Then we’ll sort it out once and for all.”Meanwhile, Mr Bates told the committee that the government should “pay” the subpostmasters affected. “We keep coming back to this time after time after time – pay people.“There’s a lot of distractions, a lot of other things brought up, thrown up all the time – but just get on and pay people.”He said: “My personal view about [the] Post Office is it’s a dead duck and it has been for years, and it’s going to be a moneypit for the taxpayer in the years to come.”He added: “You should sell it to someone like Amazon for £1, get really good contracts for all the serving sub-postmasters and within a few years you’ll have one of the best networks around Britain.”Mr Bates also said he could see no end to the scandal: “It’s very disappointing and this has been going on for years, as you well know, and I can’t see any end to it.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailA quarter of all children are now using generative AI tools to help with schoolwork, according to a new study.Research from online safety charity Internet Matters found that over half of 13-to-14-year-olds were actively engaging with AI chatbots, and that 41% of children believe AI tools will be beneficial to their education.But parents are more sceptical, with only 29% agreeing the technology was helpful.With just a few prompts, an entire essay can be crafted, or an image can be generated, fundamentally changing the way we produce and share content, and how children learnCaroline Bunting, Internet Matters co-chief executiveThe charity has called on the Department for Education (DfE) to provide more advice and support to schools to help teachers, parents and pupils benefit from AI tools and understand the potential benefits and limitations, while also using the technology safely.Generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini have become increasingly prominent in daily life over the last year, with the technology seen by many as being an innovation that could rival the creation of the internet in its impact.Social media platforms including Meta, Snapchat and Elon Musk’s X have also entered the AI space with their own chatbots.Internet Matters co-chief executive, Carolyn Bunting, said: “Generative AI is here to stay and tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Snap’s My AI are increasingly a part of children’s lives.“Already a quarter of children are using AI for schoolwork and nearly half of 13-14-year-olds are using AI tools regularly.“With just a few prompts, an entire essay can be crafted, or an image can be generated, fundamentally changing the way we produce and share content, and how children learn.“However, our survey shows that both parents and children are unprepared for the AI revolution and most have many unanswered questions about the impact of AI on their daily lives, their children’s safety and wellbeing online, their education, and their futures.“Many are being left in the dark by the lack of guidance for schools, and it is clear more support, guidance and training is needed urgently.“The Department for Education’s recent work on AI policy and regulation in schools is welcome, but too narrow.“Fundamental questions about how children can and should interact with generative AI need to be considered.“Not least of which is how AI will impact the nature of their education, exams, teaching and homework – these are no longer talking points for the future – rapid change is happening now.“Government must provide more advice and support in the immediate term to schools to support teachers, parents, and children to benefit safety from the worthwhile applications of AI tools.”A poll distributed by the International Baccalaureate (IB) also found that 43% of young people said they had used artificial intelligence to help with their schoolwork.The poll, which ran in November and December 2023, received more than 2,000 responses from students in UK schools that offer the IB.More than half of the respondents were in state schools.It found that 72% of students said they had used an AI Chatbot before while 13% of students who responded to the poll believed it is still possible for their education system to avoid the influence of AI.IB director general Olli-Pekka Heinonen said: “As educational leaders, we can’t attempt to hold back the inevitable tide and so must make sure that AI is used and developed for the purposes of teaching and learning.“We need to be intentional about how we approach students’ use of AI and how we moderate it.“School is the right place to learn how AI can be used ethically and sustainably and to understand its strengths and weaknesses.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailLee Anderson has launched a fresh attack on Sadiq Khan days after he claimed the London mayor was controlled by “Islamists”.The former deputy chair of the Conservatives was suspended by the party over the remarks. But ministers have still refused to say his comments were Islamophobic, stating only that they were wrong. Now Mr Anderson has accused the Labour mayor of enjoying protest scenes in Whitehall which cause disruption to parliament and cast the government “in a bad light”. His comments will pile more pressure on the government to distance themselves from the East Midlands MP. But he has also piled pressure on the Tory leadership by hinting he could defect to Nigel Farage’s Reform party and stand at the next general election. Tory MPs are already fearful of the impact Reform will have at the election. The party is not currently on course to take any seats at Westminster. But senior Conservatives are concerned they could win enough votes in key constituencies to hand victory to Labour. In his latest comments made during an interview with Channel 5 news, Mr Anderson was asked if he would take back last week’s remarks. He said he would “probably change my words slightly”. He added: “I think it’s all political, I think he almost enjoys seeing these scenes on Whitehall and on Parliament Square, which disrupts parliament, which puts my government in a bad light. I think he just turns a blind eye. It’s politics.”Mr Anderson lost the Tory whip at the weekend after he claimed “Islamists” had “got control” of the mayor of London. Pressed over whether he would join the right-wing Reform UK party, the former Labour councillor declined to comment but told GB News he had “been on a political journey”.He said: “You’ll say ‘Lee Anderson rules out/doesn’t rule out joining the Reform party’, so I’m making no comment on my future.”He also said he intended to stand at the next election.His comments came as senior Conservatives faced mounting pressure to describe his attack on Sadiq Khan as “Islamophobic”. Radio station LBC abruptly halted an interview with illegal immigration minister Michael Tomlinson, accusing him of failing to answer the question.In questions from broadcasters on Tuesday, Mr Tomlinson refused 11 times to explain why he thought Mr Anderson’s comments were “wrong”.His Home Office colleague Tom Pursglove also refused to use the term, telling Times Radio: “I don’t think Lee personally is racist but what he said was unacceptable.”The prime minister and others have condemned Mr Anderson’s comments, but have so far shied away from calling them “Islamophobic”.Labour has criticised that stance as “weak”, with one frontbencher saying the prime minister was “in hock” to “a strange coalition of MPs”.Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, said on Tuesday: “He [Anderson] should know better than that, he has been a senior figure within the Conservative Party.“But I think it speaks to Rishi Sunak’s weakness on this that his response has been wholly inadequate.”On Tuesday morning, Downing Street said the PM regarded Mr Anderson’s comments as wrong because they had conflated all Muslims with Islamist extremism.The row over Lee Anderson’s attack on Sadiq Khan has entered its fifth dayIn a separate move, James Cleverly, the home secretary, joined calls for Mr Anderson to apologise.The prime minister also declined to criticise former home secretary Suella Braverman, who claimed “the Islamists, the extremists and the antisemites are in charge now”.“I think that those comments were not about an individual in particular,” he said, adding that “it’s important that we call out” the kind of “unacceptable” scenes “we have been witnessing on our streets in recent times”.On Tuesday, Mr Tomlinson said he thought Ms Braverman was “not right” in her comments, but added he did not think she should have the whip withdrawn.Reform UK leader Richard Tice did not rule out opening the door to Mr Anderson after his suspension, saying MPs considering defection “have my number”.Later, GB News, where Mr Anderson works, revealed he held “one to one” talks with Mr Tice at a Holiday Inn off junction 28 of the M1 just 24 hours after he lost the Tory whip.The Liberal Democrats have tabled a so-called censure motion calling on parliament to rebuke Mr Anderson’s comments and demanding he come to the House and apologise. More

Lee Anderson offered a blunt response to journalists quizzing him on his future as he walked out of a building in London on Tuesday 27 February.The former Tory deputy chairman was suspended from the party after he refused to apologise for remarks that sparked an Islamophobia row.“What are you waiting here for?” he asked reporters after being questioned about joining Reform UK.He also refused to answer when asked again if he would like to apologise for his comments, or if Rishi Sunak was right to suspend him.Instead, Mr Anderson got straight into his car. More

Tory MPs, including prime minister Rishi Sunak and his deputy Oliver Dowden, have refused to explicitly describe Lee Anderson’s comments about Sadiq Khan as Islamophobic.The Ashfield MP received widespread criticism and had the Tory whip suspended after claiming the London mayor is being controlled by “Islamists”.Mr Anderson has refused to apologise and insisted he will be standing at the next election.Mr Sunak described Mr Anderson’s comments as “wrong” but he and a string of his colleagues have not explicitly said whether the remarks were Islamophobic or racist. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailReform UK’s Rochdale by-election candidate has said George Galloway’s rival campaign is “whipping” people “into a frenzy” after he received a death threat on social media.Simon Danczuk, an ex-Labour MP for Rochdale who is now standing for the right-wing challenger party, received a string of direct messages on social media and a video where an online troll appears to threaten to gun him down.Speaking to the Independent, Mr Danczuk said he links the threats to Mr Galloway’s campaign: “It’s just outrageous really, and I do actually link it to the campaigning that Galloway’s been doing in Rochdale. He’s really whipping up division, and I think that’s really unfortunate”.In the footage, which has been posted on the Reform UK’s social media feed, the online creator is heard uttering expletives before threatening to “put one in his head”.Reform UK leader Richard Tice has said political leaders are running in fear of extremists (Joe Giddens/PA)In the string of direct messages, the individual tells Mr Danczuk: “How dare you send such letters in our Muslim [sic] community”, and says “I am going to assault you when I see you and I care not of the consequences”.Mr Danczuk said the comments were “disconcerting” and he took it “very seriously, not least because the guy said he didn’t mind the consequences.”The Reform UK candidate said he was talking to a senior Rochdale counsellor prior to receiving the threat, who remarked that “[Since] Galloway has come into town, particularly in terms of young people, he’s is really whipped them up into a frenzy around Gaza”.The threats come after a particularly chaotic by-election campaign in Rochdale. The Labour candidate, Mr Azhar Ali, was suspended from the party after he repeated a conspiracy theory that Israel had allowed the October 7 attack to take place. George Galloway, the candidate for the Workers’ Party, has used the Palestinian flag in his campaign materials and has targeted local Muslim voters by focusing on the issue of Gaza. He is currently the bookies favourite to win.Mr Galloway has also claimed that his campaign materials across Rochdale have been “ripped down and destroyed”.A video posted to social media last week appeared to show Mr Danczuk being told he was not allowed to take part in a local by-election hustings in the town.Mr Danczuk told the Independent that his wife has now been taken of the campaign trail for her own safety and the Reform party have sent Mr Danczuk two security personnel for the remainder of his campaign.The Worker’s Party of Britain and Greater Manchester police have been approached for comment. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailMP Lee Anderson has been suspended from the Conservative Party following controversial comments on GB News which have been branded Islamophobic and racist.Mr Anderson, who is paid £100,000 a year to be host on the TV channel, said on Friday: “I don’t actually believe that the Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is they’ve got control of Khan and they’ve got control of London, and they’ve got control of Starmer as well.”“People are just turning up in their thousands, and doing anything they want, and they are laughing at our police. This stems with Khan, he’s actually given our capital city away to his mates.”The comments were made during a discussion about pro-Palestine protests that have been taking place in central London since the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel and subsequent Israeli invasion of Gaza.What has the criticism against Lee Anderson been?In response to Mr Anderson’s comments, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan called the comments “Islamophobic, anti-Muslim, and racist,” adding that “these comments pour fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred.”The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) likewise slammed Mr Anderson’s comments for “endorsing common talking points that peddle conspiracy theories and Islamophobic tropes of alleged Muslim takeovers of our country.”“Former Deputy Chair, Lee Anderson’s claim that the Islamists have taken charge of London and of the Mayor is a disgusting slur that has no place in our public life.”Lee Anderson arrives at the official launch event for the ‘Popular Conservatism’ movementRishi Sunak, after sustained criticism for inaction, suspended Mr Anderson from the Conservative Party on 25 February, two days after his comments were made.The prime minister later criticised Mr Anderson’s comments, but stopped short of calling them Islamophobic or racist: “Lee’s comments weren’t acceptable, they were wrong. That’s why he’s had the whip suspended.”“Words matter, especially in the current environment where tensions are running high,” he added. “I think it’s incumbent on all of us to choose them carefully”.The MCB welcomed Mr Anderson’s suspension, but argued that more needs to be done: “The Conservative Party has an Islamophobia problem. They need to own up to it.”Speaking on Monday, Keir Starmer said that the PM “lacks the backbone to call this out for what it is”.“I think this is straightforward. It’s Islamophobia and the Prime Minister should call it out for what it is,” the Labour leader added. “The reason he won’t is because he is so weak”.In his own defence, now-independent MP Lee Anderson shared a statement via GB News: “When you think you are right you should never apologise because to do so would be a sign of weakness. My words may have been clumsy but my words were borne out of sheer frustration at what is happening to our beautiful capital city.”Mr Anderson has indicated that he intends to run again in his seat of Ashfield whether a Conservative party member or not. He has also refused to rule out whether he could now join right-wing Reform UK party, saying that he’s “been on a political journey”. More

Illegal Migration minister Michael Tomlinson repeatedly refused to say whether comments made by Lee Anderson about London mayor Sadiq Khan were Islamophobic.Appearing on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday (27 February), Richard Madeley asked Mr Tomlinson: “Was it Islamophobic?”Mr Tomlinson replied: “It was wrong.”“Was it Islamophobic?”, Mr Madeley asked.“It was wrong,” Mr Tomlinson replied.Mr Madeley said: “Every single minister we have spoken to refuses to use the word Islamophobia. Is this some instruction you have been given?”Susanna Reid then asked: “Are you allergic to the word Islamophobic?” More