Markus Andrews

Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UKSign up to our Brexit email for the latest insightRishi Sunak has called on all those on the right of politics to “come together” – with him – after disastrous double defeats in the Wellingborough and Kingswood by-elections.The Tories lost votes to Labour and a strengthened Reform UK, the successor to Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party. The results mean the government has suffered more by-election losses than any administration since the 1960s, surpassing John Major’s eight defeats. Mr Sunak sought to play down the losses, blaming “challenging” circumstances which led to each vote. But he has now called on right-wing and Conservative voters to unite behind him to prevent Sir Keir Starmer winning the keys to Number 10.In an article in the Telegraph, he said: “At the next election, I will need the support of everyone who wants lower taxes and secure borders because the alternative, Keir Starmer, believes in neither of those things.“The Conservative family must come together to defeat Labour and ensure a brighter future for our country. A vote for anyone other than the Conservatives will just help Starmer.”Mr Sunak has come under pressure to change course from many within the so-called ‘five families’ inside his own party, including the New Conservatives who on Friday called on him to “change course”. The by-elections were called after former Tory MP Peter Bone was found to have subjected a staff member to bullying and sexual misconduct, while ex-minister Chris Skidmore resigned in protest at plans to boost drilling for fossil fuels in the North Sea.Polls opened at the same moment that official figures showed the UK slipped into recession at the end of last year.Earlier in the week there had been some good news for the Tories, as the rate of inflation defied expectations to hold steady. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called on the wider conservative movement to unite to keep Sir Keir Starmer out of Number 10 (Dan Kitwood/PA)The party also received a major boost when Labour was forced to dump its candidate in a separate by-election, in Rochdale at the end of the month, after he said Israel had allowed the Hamas massacre that killed 1,200.But Labour romped to victory in both of Thursday’s votes, leading Sir Keir to say the results showed “the country is crying out for change”. “Things aren’t working. Their NHS isn’t working. They’ve got a cost-of-living crisis. I think they’ve concluded that the Tories have failed after 14 years.”In the wake of the defeats, Mr Sunak is facing further pressure from within the right of his party to bring in tax cuts in the Budget and take a harder stance on immigration. Many Tory MPs are concerned that while Reform is unlikely to win any seats in this year’s general election it has the ability to take enough votes in certain constituencies to ensure they switch to Labour. Labour overturned majorities of 11,220 and 18,540 with the results, the government’s ninth and 10th by-election defeats of the current parliament. But Reform scored more than 10% of the vote for the first time in a by-election, mirroring an increase of support for the party in opinion polls. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailKeir Starmer paid £99,431 in tax last year, according to a summary of his returns released by the Labour Party.The summary showed nearly half the total – £44,308 – was paid in income tax while the Labour leader also handed over £52,688 in capital gains following the sale of a field in December 2022 partly owned by himself and partly owned by his father’s estate.It was previously reported that Mr Starmer had sold a plot of land he had bought in the 1990s for his parents, who used it to care for neglected donkeys.Reports at the time put the sale at £400,000. According to the latest tax summary, Mr Starmer gained £275,739 from the land sale.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has released a summary of his latest tax return (Joe Giddens/PA)Rishi Sunak published a summary of his own tax affairs earlier this month, showing that he paid £163,364 in tax on a total income of £432,884.The PM also paid £359,240 in tax on around £1.8m in capital gains from a US-based investment fund.It was the second time he has published details of his earnings since entering No 10 in October 2022 after replacing Liz Truss.Similarly to Mr Sunak, the Labour leader published “a summary” of his UK taxable income, capital gains and tax paid over the last tax year as reported to HM Revenue & Customs, prepared by his chartered accountants.The one-page document showed that he earned £79,098 as an MP, with an added salary of £49,193 for his role as leader of the opposition, bringing his income to £128,291. More

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsUS Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday placed blame for the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny squarely on the shoulders of Russian president Vladimir Putin, leading a string of world leaders who have reacted in horror to the news.Ms Harris told attendees at the annual Munich Security Conference that the US government is still working to confirm the facts and circumstances of Navalny’s passing, but called the development “terrible news” while offering prayers to his family, including his wife Yulia Navalnaya, who is also attending the conference.“If confirmed, this would be a further sign of Putin’s brutality,” said Ms Harris, who then added: “Whatever story they tell, let us be clear, Russia is responsible”.Ms Harris’ comments echoed remarks made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the hours after Navalny’s death was announced in Russian state media. Mr Blinken, who is attending the conference as part of the US delegation led by Ms Harris, told reporters travelling with him in Germany that Russia had “persecuted, poisoned, and imprisoned” the anti-corruption activist for decades and said the report of his death, if true, “underscores the weakness and rot at the heart of the system that Putin has built”. “Russia is responsible for this,” Mr Blinken said.He added that he and other US officials would be “talking to the many other countries concerned about Alexei Navalny, especially if these reports turn out to be true”.Mr Blinken’s British counterpart, Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron, said there should be “consequences” for Vladimir Putin as he blamed Alexei Navalny’s death on the “action that Putin’s Russia took”. Speaking to broadcasters in Munich, the Foreign Secretary said: “Alexei Navalny was an incredibly brave fighter against corruption and he gave up everything in campaigning for what he believed in, and my heart goes out to his wife and to his family. “We should be clear about what has happened here. Putin’s Russia imprisoned him, trumped up charges against him, poisoned him, sent him to an Arctic penal colony and now he’s tragically died.” “We should hold Putin accountable for this, and no one should be in any doubt about the dreadful nature of Putin’s regime in Russia after what has just happened.” Asked whether there should be consequences, Lord Cameron said: “There should be consequences because there’s no doubt in my mind that this man was a brave fighter against corruption, for justice, for democracy, and look what Putin’s Russia did to him. “They trumped up charges, they imprisoned him, they poisoned him, they sent him to an Arctic penal colony and he’s died, and that is because of the action that Putin’s Russia took”.Other world leaders weighed in on reports of Navalny’s death in similar fashion, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak describing it as “terrible news”. “As the fiercest advocate for Russian democracy, Alexei Navalny demonstrated incredible courage throughout his life,” he added.Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he was “deeply saddened and disturbed” by the news. “We need to establish all the facts, and Russia needs to answer all the serious questions about the circumstances of his death,” he warned.Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky went further, saying it was “obvious” Putin was directly behind the death.That view was backed by Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics, who said Mr Navalny had been “brutally murdered by the Kremlin”.”Whatever your thoughts about Alexei Navalny as the politician, he was just brutally murdered by the Kremlin. That’s a fact and that is something one should know about the true nature of Russia’s current regime. My condolences to the family and friends,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. The European Union also said it holds Russia responsible for the death, EU Council President Charles Michel said. “Alexei Navalny fought for the values of freedom and democracy,” he said. “For his ideals, he made the ultimate sacrifice. The EU holds the Russian regime solely responsible for this tragic death.”Sweden’s minister of foreign affairs Tobias Billstrom said that if the news was true it was another “terrible crime” by Putin’s regime. US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told National Public Radio (NPR): “If it’s confirmed, it is a terrible tragedy. And given the Russian government’s long and sordid history of doing harm to its opponents, it raises real and obvious questions about what happened here.” More

Sunak breaks silence after double by-election defeat in Wellingborough and KingswoodSign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has insisted that his government’s “plan is working” as he urged voters to stick with the Conservatives in the wake of a devastating double by-election defeat. The prime minister said the circumstances surrounding the by-elections in Kingswood and Wellingborough were “particularly challenging” as Labour overturned massive majorities of 11,220 and 18,540.The results mean the government has now suffered the most by-election defeats of any government since the 1960s, surpassing the eight defeats suffered by John Major in the run-up to Tony Blair’s 1997 landslide victory.The results provided Labour with a boost after a U-turn on the party’s pledge to spend £28 billion on green projects and an antisemitism row that forced it to drop its candidate for another by-election in Rochdale in two weeks’ time.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer admitted the past week had been turbulent for the party as he told BBC Breakfast: “I did something that no leader of the Labour party has done before which is remove a candidate in a by-election where they cannot be replaced.”Show latest update 1708092667Tories can still win general election if we unite – Rees-MoggThe Conservative Party can still win the general election if it unites, former cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has insisted.“If the Tory family unites it will win,” the North East Somerset MP wrote on X.Earlier, Mr Rees-Mogg said that Rishi Sunak’s leadership was “solid” despite the double by-election losses in Wellingborough and Kingswood.Speaking to the BBC, the right-leaning Tory MP said: “Rishi Sunak’s leadership is solid and has support and by-elections don’t change that.”A plot to oust Mr Sunak by allies of Mr Rees-Mogg recently bubbled to the surface at the time of a crucial vote on his Rwanda legislation, but quickly fizzled out after being met with scorn from other prominent Tories.Matt Mathers16 February 2024 14:111708091964Lord Frost says Tory vote is ‘collapsing’ as he calls on Sunak to adopt ‘more Conservative’ policiesFormer Brexit minister and Rishi Sunak critic Lord David Frost has warned that the Conservative vote is “collapsing” and the government must now shift to “more conservative policy”, Zoe Grunewald reports.Posting on social media site X, Lord Frost said: “In brief these by-elections show the same story as previous ones: former Conservative voters are simply not coming out and voting Conservative.“The Labour vote isn’t going up, but ours is collapsing.”He added: “To get voters back we need a shift to more conservative policy, on tax and spend, immigration, net zero, public sector reform, and more. It’s late, but not – yet – too late.”Matt Mathers16 February 2024 13:591708091202New Conservatives call on Sunak to change course following ‘unequivocal byelection defeatsA right-wing faction of Conservative MPs – known as the New Conservatives – have called for Rishi Sunak to “change course” and “adapt to the reality that the by-elections reveal”, Zoe Grunewald reports.In a public statement, co-chairs of the group Danny Kruger MP and Miriam Cates MP said that government policy so far “is plainly not enough”.“All of this is plainly not enough. In 2019 the British people voted for change, and they haven’t seen it yet. We have many good excuses – the disruptions and distractions of Brexit, Covid and the Ukraine war – but so far, we have not delivered on the promises we made at the last election.”They called for the government to repeal the Human Rights Act if foreign courts stop illegal migration plans, introduce further cuts to legal migration, reform the welfare state and cut taxes.They state: “There is still time – but our Party must change course. We are calling on the Government to adapt to the reality that the by-elections reveal. Our target voters want a different and a better offer.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email Poland’s prime minister said on Friday that his country will upgrade the wall on its border with Belarus to better insulate the frontier against unauthorized migration.Donald Tusk also said that Poland and Finland both see the need for changes in the European Union’s asylum legislation, which he called “inadequate” in the face of the current migration challenges and threats posed by Russia’s and Belarus’s policies that are pushing unauthorized migration into the EU. Tusk spoke alongside visiting Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo following their talks on regional security. Both nations share borders with Russia while Poland also borders Belarus and Ukraine, which is fighting a war against Russia’s aggression.“Finland and Poland are ready to cooperate toward a tough, pan-European policy toward illegal migration,” Tusk said. “We are also interested in a reform of the asylum law because the legal environment today in the European Union is inadequate to the threats posed by the policy of Russia and Belarus.”Tusk said both Poland and Finland countries want to cooperate with other nations in the region toward the strengthening of their borders and defenses, and also civilian defenses in response to Russia’s aggressive policies. Orpo called the current security situation “critical” and stressed the two countries will continue supporting Ukraine and will develop their own cooperation in the defense and armaments sector. ___Follow AP’s global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration More

Rishi Sunak has broken his silence after the Conservative party suffered a double by-election defeat in Wellingborough and Kingswood on Thursday, 15 February.While on a visit to Harlow police station on Friday, the Prime Minister called the circumstances of the losses “particularly challenging.”“I think if you look at the results, very low turnout, and it shows that we’ve got work to do to show people we are delivering on their priorities.”Mr Sunak said that the low turnout also showed that “there isn’t a huge amount of enthusiasm for Keir Starm and the Labour Party.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has suffered a devastating double blow as Labour stormed to back-to-back by-election victories overnight.Hours after official figures showed Britain has fallen into a recession, the prime minister saw Labour overturn huge Tory majorities in Kingswood and Wellingborough.The devastating losses will add to pressure on Mr Sunak from Tory backbenchers worried about losing their seats with a general election looming. And strong performances from Reform UK will set alarm bells ringing in Downing Street, with the party living up to its 10 per cent plus national poll ratings in by-elections for the first time.Labour’s Gen Kitchen overturned a huge Tory majority in Wellingborough In the Kingswood contest to replace Chris Skidmore, who resigned in protest at the government’s plans to boost North Sea oil and gas drilling, Damien Egan overturned an 11,000 Tory majority, winning with a majority of 2,501 votes.And hours later, in the Wellingborough by-election to replace disgraced former Conservative MP Peter Bone, Labour’s Gen Kitchen secured 13,844 votes to beat the Tories’ Helen Harrison by more than 6,000.Labour sources pointed to the huge 28.5 per cent swing from the Tories to Labour in the seat, the second largest swing from Tory to Labour at a by-election since the Second World War. They said if the trend was replicated at a general election the Tories would hold just four seats.The result is also the largest drop in the Conservatives’ vote share ever in a by-election, surpassing Christchurch in 1993.And the back-to-back losses mean the Conservatives have suffered more by-election defeats in this Parliament than any previous government since the 1960s, surpassing the eight defeats experienced by John Major between 1992 and 1997.Chris Hopkins, director of polling company Savanta, told The Independent the results were “really positive” for Labour after a difficult week for the party.But he added: “I think we have to express a bit of caution. The swing in Kingswood isn’t perhaps as large as some polling tends to indicate it should have been, and while Wellingborough is a great result, I think we’ve got to assume the reason for the by-election and the subsequent choosing of the Tory candidate [Mr Bone’s partner] has had a perhaps larger-than-usual benefit for Labour.”The back to back losses put Rishi Sunak on course for electoral disaster Mr Hopkins said the contests were a reminder that “the Tories are losing an unprecedented amount of by-elections, and often they’re losing large majorities”.And pollster Luke Tryl, of More In Common, said it was a “horrible night for the Tories” and a “great night for Labour”, with Sir Keir “further on course for No10”.After the results of the Wellingborough contest were confirmed Sir Keir said the “fantastic” wins show “people want change and are ready to put their faith in a changed Labour Party to deliver it”.He said: “By winning in these Tory strongholds, we can confidently say that Labour is back in the service of working people and we will work tirelessly to deliver for them.”The Tories have failed. Rishi’s recession proves that. That’s why we’ve seen so many former Conservative voters switching directly to this changed Labour Party.”Wellingborough was the second most marginal seat in Sir Tony Blair’s 1997 election win, when Paul Stinchcombe turned the seat red by 187 votes.And Ms Kitchen’s win puts Sir Keir on course to repeat the success of his predecessor, with an election expected this autumn.Ms Kitchen said: “The people of Wellingborough have spoken for Britain. This is a stunning victory for the Labour Party and must send a message from Northamptonshire to Downing Street.”And Mr Egan launched a scathing attack on the prime minister, calling for voters to oust the Tories when Mr Sunak “finds the courage” to call a general election.Labour’s Damien Egan said the Conservatives have ‘sucked the hope out of Britain’ He added: “In Kingswood, as across the country, 14 years of Conservative government have sucked the hope out of our country with a feeling that no matter how hard you work, you just can’t move forward. “And with Rishi’s recession we’re left again paying more and getting less. It doesn’t have to be this way, you know it, I know it, we all know it.”The prime minister will also be concerned by strong performances for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in both seats, with the party securing enough votes in Kingswood to deprive the Tories of a win.Meanwhile in Wellingborough, former MEP Ben Habib came third, winning 3,919 votes, compared with Tory candidate Ms Harrison on 7,408. The party’s vote share was the highest it has recorded in a by-election yet, at 13 per cent, higher than it is currently polling nationally.The Tories fear that a surge in support for Reform, which could be exacerbated if Mr Farage rejoins the party in a formal role, would cost them tens of seats at the general election.The country’s most senior pollster, Sir John Curtice, said last night’s results show the Conservatives are in “deep, deep electoral trouble”. Sir John told the BBC that although the 21-point drop in Kingswood is in line with what the party are “currently suffering in the opinion polls”, it is the Wellingborough result of 37-38 points that is “the biggest Tory loss the Conservatives have ever managed to suffer in a post-war by election”. Tory former business secretary Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said the Conservatives needed to “learn from the result” in Kingswood.He said: “I think we should learn from this result and look at what happened with the Reform Party vote. Conservative Party votes are most likely to come from people who stay at home or who voted Reform.”How do we win them back to the Tory family?”He suggested the party cut taxes, pull back from net zero measures and “take more of the advantages of Brexit”.The prime minister has defended his party’s drubbing in the recent double by-election defeats, stating that the “very low turnout” shows there “isn’t a huge amount of enthusiasm for the alternative in Keir Starmer and the Labour party”.Speaking to ITV News, Mr Sunak said:“Mid-term elections are always difficult for incumbent governments in the circumstances of these elections were, of course, particularly challenging.“Now, if you look at the results, very low turnout, it shows that we’ve got work to do to show people that we are delivering on their priorities and that’s what I’m absolutely determined to do.”He added: “But also shows that there isn’t a huge amount of enthusiasm for the alternative in Keir Starmer and the Labour party and that’s because they don’t have a plan and if you don’t have a plan, you can’t deliver real change when the general election comes.”The prime minister also insisted that his government’s “plan is working” despite the technical recession and two record by-election losses.Mr Sunak told reporters that “our plan is working” and he can “give everyone the piece of mind that there is a better future for them and their families”.He added: “We’ve clearly been through a lot over the past couple of years as a country, but I genuinely believe at the start of this year we’re pointing in the right direction.“Now we’re not out of the woods yet, but across all the priorities that I set out we’re making progress.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email Beleaguered British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday urged voters and his party to stick with him, after two English districts elected opposition-party lawmakers in seats that Sunak’s Conservatives had held for years.The results will worsen fears among Conservatives that, after 14 years in power, the party is heading for a drubbing when a national election is held in less than a year. The Tories consistently lag between 10 and 20 points behind the left-of-center Labour Party in opinion polls.Labour candidate Damien Egan won the House of Commons seat of Kingswood in southwest England, and Labour’s Gen Kitchen took Wellingborough in the country’s center, results announced Friday showed. The Conservatives won both by large margins at the last national election in 2019 but saw support collapse in Thursday’s special elections.Reform U.K. — formerly known as the Brexit Party — came third, leaving the Conservatives facing pressure from the right as well as the left.”Stick with our plan, because it is starting to deliver the change that the country wants and needs,” Sunak said.“We’ve clearly been through a lot over the past couple of years as a country, but I genuinely believe at the start of this year we’re pointing in the right direction,” he told reporters.Labour leader Keir Starmer said the results “show people want change.”Thursday’s elections replaced two lawmakers who left suddenly, one in protest, the other under a cloud.Lawmaker Chris Skidmore quit the Kingswood seat last month to protest Sunak’s lack of commitment to green energy. Long-serving Wellingborough legislator Peter Bone was ousted over allegations of bullying and sexual misconduct.The Conservatives have now lost 10 by-elections since the last general election, more than any administration since the 1960s. That includes six defeats — and one win — since Sunak took office in October 2022. He replaced Liz Truss, who rocked the economy with a plan for unfunded tax cuts and lasted just seven weeks in office.Sunak, the fifth Conservative leader since 2016, has restored a measure of stability, but failed to revive the governing party’s popularity.The Conservatives have been in power nationally since 2010, years that saw austerity following the world banking crisis, Britain’s divisive decision to leave the European Union, a global pandemic and a European war that triggered the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades.Polls show the Conservatives are losing support across the country, from affluent southern voters turned off by Brexit to working-class northern voters who switched from Labour for the 2019 election, when then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised to spread prosperity to long-neglected areas.Those promises remain largely unmet, and Britain’s economic growth has come to a virtual standstill, with the country slipping into recession at the end of 2023 for the first time since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. That limits the government’s scope for wooing voters with pre-election tax cuts.“In Kingswood, as across the country, 14 years of Conservative government have sucked the hope out of our country with a feeling that no matter how hard you work, you just can’t move forward,” Egan said in his victory speech. “It doesn’t have to be this way — you know it, I know it, we all know it.”Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden called the results “very disappointing,” though the party said the low turnout — less than 40% of eligible voters cast ballots — was a sign British electors are not enthusiastic about Labour.But University of Strathclyde polling expert John Curtice said the results confirmed that the Conservatives are in “very, very considerable electoral trouble.”“The Conservatives are going to have to defeat the historical record to come back from where they are,” he told the BBC.The Conservative losses may embolden Sunak’s many rivals in the fractious party, who are already positioning themselves for the leadership contest that would likely follow an election defeat. Some even want to oust Sunak sooner, replacing him with a low-tax, low-immigration right-winger who might win back voters from Reform, which wants to curb migration, cut taxes and scrap green-energy measures. Others warn that foisting another unelected leader on the country might backfire.Sunak’s only consolation is that Labour is also experiencing turbulence. Last week the party watered down a key green investment pledge, saying the Conservatives had left the economy too weak to honor the commitment. Starmer also is struggling to stamp out allegations of antisemitism within the party. This week the party disowned its candidate for another special election after a newspaper published remarks he had made during a local party meeting claiming that Israel allowed Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack to happen as a pretext to invade Gaza.Critics say it’s evidence Labour has not rooted out the antisemitism that festered under previous leader Jeremy Corbyn, a staunch supporter of the Palestinians and a critic of Israel. It’s unclear whether the controversy has hurt Labour in opinion polls. More