Markus Andrews

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email The outgoing Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, told delegates at the COP28 United Nations climate conference his country is “committed to accelerating our efforts” to tackle climate change.Whether that happens in this nation — large parts of which are under sea level and protected by dikes — depends on talks that are underway to form a new ruling coalition.Rutte’s potential successor wants to trash the country’s climate policies.One of far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders’ pledges ahead of the Nov. 22 election his PVV party won set alarm bells ringing at environmental groups.“The climate law, the climate deal and all other climate measures will go straight into the shredder,” his PVV party’s election manifesto said. “No wasting billions on useless climate hobbies, but more money for our people,” it added.“Wilders really denies climate change as something that the Netherlands should worry about. Which is interesting given that a large part of the country is below sea level,” Rem Korteweg, a senior research fellow at the Clingendael Institute think tank, said after the election.Greenpeace agrees. A day after the election, activists hoisted banners outside the prime minister’s office in The Hague that read: “No climate denier as our prime minister.”“He is a climate denier,” said Greenpeace campaigner Meike Rijksen. “He wants to take all climate policy and put it through the shredder. That’s climate denial. He’s denying the urgency of the climate crisis and what we need to do in the Netherlands.”She fears that such messages are spreading across Europe as the continent puts in place plans like the Green Deal and Fit for 55, aimed at tackling climate change head on.“We do see this trend of populist, far right political parties on the rise. And … we’re worried by that because they often are climate deniers. They’re not telling the truth. And that’s … very unhelpful in this crucial decade for climate action.”Wilders’ party beat a center-left alliance led by former European Union climate czar Frans Timmermans into second place.In April, the Dutch government unveiled a package of measures to slash carbon emissions by promoting clean energy, sustainable homes and industry and the use of electric cars.Climate and Energy Minister Rob Jetten said the package would cost a total of 28 billion euros in coming years and lead to a 55%-60% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 benchmark levels.Wilders is advocating an end to the package, but he may have to tone down his climate policy and other pledges in his election manifesto if he wants to secure the support of other parties to form a coalition.The process of forming a new government after the election has only just begun, but as the largest party, Wilders’ PVV is in pole position to lead the next coalition with other right-leaning parties, including one that was born out of massive protests by farmers against government plans to slash nitrogen emissions.That could also mean that plans to reduce farm pollution get scrapped or watered down. The Netherlands began moves to clamp down on nitrogen after Dutch courts ruled that the country needed to do more to meet European Union rules on protected nature areas.Wilders’ sweeping election victory — his party won 37 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament, more than double its previous total — came days after tens of thousands of people marched through Amsterdam in the biggest climate march ever seen in the Netherlands calling for more action to tackle global warming.And less than a week after the election, the country’s official statistics agency reported that 76% of adults in the low-lying Netherlands are concerned about the impact of climate change on future generations.But despite climate activism and concerns, Wilders won the election and now gets to call the shots in coalition talks. What stays of his climate policies after talks with potential partners remains to be seen. The last Dutch coalition talks took nine months.“If Wilders was the only party in the Netherlands, it would be very disastrous for the climate,” said Greenpeace’s Rijksen.” But fortunately, we live in a coalition country, which means that Wilders needs other parties to form a government and to take those kinds of steps. We don’t think that will happen. There are a lot of parties who do want to continue with climate action.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe three-year public inquiry looking into the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic – has already seen damning revelations, WhatsApp messages and statements which have exposed the government and its failings.Former prime minister Boris Johnson is at the centre of all of this, with a two-day hearing set to commence on Wednesday 6 December.The team leading the Covid-19 inquiry includes Baroness Heather Hallet, a former Court of Appeal judge – who is chair of the inquiry. Ben Connah, inquiry Secretary and Martin Smith who works as a Solicitor to the inquiry.Hugo Keith is currently leading as Counsel to the inquiry and plays a significant role in the investigation. So far, Mr Keigh has by no means made the probe an easy ride for those in the hot seat.Here’s everything you need to know about Hugo Keith and the Covid-19 inquiryWho is Mr Keith and what are some of his key moments?Hugo Keith KC’s role is to give independent legal advice to Baroness Hallet, present the evidence, question the witnesses and lead the wider counsel.In November, Michael Gove was shut down during his Covid inquiry hearing for suggesting the virus may have been man-made.Michael Gove apologises for Government mistakes during pandemic.When Mr Gove was asked about the government’s lack of preparation for Covid as the pandemic unfolded, he admitted the government was “not as well prepared as we should have been”.“The nature of our preparation was for a flu pandemic,” he told the inquiry.He then went on to suggest the virus may be man-made adding: “It turned out that we were not as well prepared as we should have been, ideally.“The nature of the fact the virus was novel … and this probably goes beyond the remit of the inquiry, but there is a significant body of judgment that believes the virus itself was man-made. And that presents a set of challenges as well.”Mr Keith stepped in and told Mr Gove it was not the place to discuss the matter.“It forms no part of the terms of reference of this inquiry Mr Gove, to address that somewhat divisive issue, so we are not going to go there,” he said.Lead counsel KC also grilled Mr Gove about WhatsApp messages sent by Cabinet Secretary Simon Case saying working with Mr Johnson’s team was like “taming wild animals”.Matt Hancock’s Covid hearing Former health secretary Matt Hancock giving evidence to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry In another hearing, Mr Keith questioned former health secretary Matt Hancock on his claim that he first told the then PM, Mr Johnson to call a nationwide lockdown on 13 March 2020.Mr Keith then showed Mr Hancock his own book, Pandemic Diaries, and asked why he had not made a note of the intervention at the time.Mr Keith said: “It’s not in your diary, so-called, I should say, Mr Hancock. The entry for March 13 makes no reference to you telling the prime minister this vital piece of information that he should lock down immediately.”“Telling the prime minister of this country, for the first time, that he had to call an immediate lockdown, is surely worthy of some recollection, is it not?,” he asked.Mr Hancock responded and said: “I didn’t have full access to my papers for the writing of that, and this came to light in researching the papers ahead of this inquiry.”He also referenced an email from himself to Mr Johnson which he said was a “suppression strategy” to tackle coronavirus.Mr Keith, highly unimpressed by Mr Hancock’s reply, said: “The inquiry is well aware of that email… Do you use the word immediate or lockdown?”.In response to Mr Keith, Mr Hancock said he was unable to answer the question as he did not have the email in front of him.Matt Hancock Vs Dominic CummingsDuring his hearing, Mr Hancock was also shown a WhatsApp message he sent to then-Downing Street adviser Dominic Cummings in which he said the Government needed to “up a gear on winning the public argument”.This included telling the public that “we are better prepared than other countries” and that the UK’s “contain phase” had been “better than other countries”.Mr Hancock also accused Mr Cummings of creating a “culture of fear” in government which undermined the pandemic response.The former health secretary also said Mr Cummings was a “malign actor” who subjected his staff to abuse during the pandemic.“Was it unpleasant? Yes, it was unpleasant for a whole load of my staff as well who were subject to this sort of abuse from the chief adviser,” Mr Hancock told the inquiry.“It went further, wider than I thought at the time, but my job was to lead the health and care system, the whole thing.”Mr Hancock further rejected claims he lied to colleagues about having a plan for the outbreak, describing these as “false allegations”.Instead, he pointed the finger at Mr Cummings for, he suggested, presiding over an atmosphere in which blame was attributed rather than allowing people to “spend all of their effort solving the problems”.“It was deeply, deeply frustrating… we’ve discussed the structural problem which was essentially an adviser trying to take executive authority away from the prime minister for a period until the cabinet secretary stopped it and put in place the MIG (Ministerial Implementation Group) process,” Mr Hancock said.Mr Cummings later rebuked Mr Hancock’s account on X/Twitter, accusing him of “flat out lying” by claiming to have pushed for a lockdown on March 13.The former aide wrote: “Hancock flat out lying to Inquiry claiming he privately pushed for lockdown on 13th with PM – but admits there’s no evidence for it – and again on 14th in mtngs – when evidence from ALL others & paper trail is that he was still pushing Plan A herd immunity 13-15th – and his Perm Sec was still pushing Plan A on 18/3 to Cabinet Secretary (email uncovered by media) – the reason I physically stopped him coming to the second mtng on 14/3 was cos he was arguing AGAINST a change of plan & bullshitting everybody about herd immunity & ‘best prepared in the world’ (see evidence from multiple witnesses).” Additional reporting from PA agency More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who led Britain through the coronavirus pandemic before being ousted by scandal, is set to defend his record on Wednesday at a public inquiry into the country’s handling of COVID-19.Johnson will be grilled under oath by lawyers for the judge-led inquiry about his initial reluctance to impose a national lockdown in early 2020 and other fateful decisions.Johnson arrived at the inquiry venue at daybreak, several hours before he was due to take the stand, avoiding a protest by relatives of COVID-19 victims.Among those wanting answers from the inquiry are families of some of the more than 200,000 people in the U.K. who died after contracting the virus. A group gathered outside the office building where the inquiry was set, some holding pictures of their loved ones. A banner declared: “Let the bodies pile high” — a statement attributed to Johnson by an aide. Another sign said: “Johnson partied while people died.” Johnson was pushed out of office by his own Conservative Party in mid-2022 after multiple ethics scandals, including the revelation that he and staff members held parties in the prime minister’s Downing Street offices in 2020 and 2021, flouting the government’s lockdown restrictions.Former colleagues, aides and advisers have painted an unflattering picture of Johnson over weeks of testimony at the inquiry.Former Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance said Johnson was “bamboozled” by science. In diaries that have been seen as evidence, Vallance also said Johnson was “obsessed with older people accepting their fate.” Former adviser Dominic Cummings, now a fierce opponent of Johnson, said the then-prime minister asked scientists whether blowing a hair dryer up his nose could kill the virus.The U.K. has one of the highest COVID-19 death tolls in Europe, with the virus recorded as a cause of death for more than 232,000 people.Johnson agreed in late 2021 to hold a public inquiry after heavy pressure from bereaved families. The probe, led by retired Judge Heather Hallett, is expected to take three years to complete, though interim reports will be issued starting next year.The inquiry is divided into four sections modules, with the current phase focusing on political decision-making. The first stage, which concluded in July, looked at the country’s preparedness for the pandemic. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailSir Keir Starmer would be welcomed into the Conservative Party with “open arms”, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg has said.The top Tory and arch-Brexiteer said the Labour leader’s recent article in the Telegraph, in which Sir Keir praised Margaret Thatcher, sounded like a Conservative minister launching a leadership bid.Sir Keir’s article, under the headline “voters have been betrayed on Brexit and immigration”, read like something by “the most ardent of Eurosceptics” or a “Trussite”, Sir Jacob added.He added: “As a Tory member, I would like to extend a welcome to the Leader of the Opposition with open arms.”The Tory former minister was commenting after Rishi Sunak suggested Nigel Farage would be welcome to join the Conservatives – insisting his party was a “broad church”.“The more pressing question is not whether Nigel Farage will join the Tory Party, but whether Keir Starmer is planning to defect and launch a Tory leadership bid,” he told GB News.A Labour spokesman said: “What Jacob Rees-Mogg knows is that the travel is all in the opposite direction with former Tory voters backing Keir Starmer’s changed Labour Party to end thirteen years of Tory decline and give Britain its future back.”The Labour leader sparked a backlash with his article, in which he said Mrs Thatcher had effected “meaningful change” and “set loose Britain’s natural entrepreneurialism”.He also sought to outflank Mr Sunak by appealing to Tory voters on Brexit and migration.In a shift from his staunch opposition to Britain leaving the EU, Sir Keir said the Tories have “failed to realise the possibilities of Brexit”.He said  he “profoundly disagrees” with the idea Labour should duck topics such as small boat crossings and immigration.And he added: “This is a government that was elected on a promise that immigration would ‘come down’ and the British people would ‘always [be] in control’. For immigration to then triple is more than just yet another failure – it is a betrayal of their promises.”Sir Jacob, who served as business secretary under Lizz Truss, said: “A man wrote an article for The Telegraph last week entitled ‘Voters have been betrayed on Brexit and Immigration.’“This reads as if it were vintage Farage. The man in question went on to hail Margaret Thatcher, as the leader who dragged Britain out of its stupor by setting loose our natural entrepreneurialism.“He then went on to criticise the wasted money, the high debt and the record-high tax burden. He sounds as if he could be a member of the ERG!”Sir Jacob added: ““So, who is this man? This great Conservative-sounding figure? Is he a cabinet minister waiting in the wings for a Tory Party leadership bid? One setting out his stall – along with a number of other ministers who seem to be circling.“He must be among the most ardent of Eurosceptics, a member of the ‘Go for Growth’ movement, a Thatcherite – a Trussite even – a capitalist, a sensible, free market Conservative.“But – the man I’m referring to is not Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss or even me, for that matter.“I’m of course talking about the leader of the Labour party – the socialist party – Sir Keir Starmer.” More