UK Politics

Boris Johnson is braced for the likely loss of hundreds of council seats in crucial local elections expected to trigger fresh Conservative infighting over his future.Voters across the country are delivering their verdict in the first big test of public opinion since the Partygate scandal broke – and with the Metropolitan Police set to announce further fines, once the polls have closed.The Conservatives are likely to lose “a few hundred seats”, according to the elections guru John Curtice, paying the price for a collapse in support over the No 10 parties and the cost-of-living crisis.At Westminster, Tory rebels hoping to topple Mr Johnson will resume “conversations” about their tactics as soon as the polls close at 10pm on Thursday, one MP has predicted.Polling day also brought fresh condemnation at the prime minister from his former chief aide Dominic Cummings, who repeated his call for “regime change”.A vote for the Conservatives was a vote for “more taxes regulation” he tweeted, as well as “neglect of security/armed forces” and “A&E disasters/NHS neglect” and “idiots babbling about trans”.The first results are due from midnight on Thursday, with the verdicts from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, South Tyneside and Wigan indicating whether Labour’s vote is holding up in its northern strongholds.After 2am, the result from Sunderland, where the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats hope to end 40 years of Labour control, will be a crucial “red wall” test.Key results from London will follow, first from Westminster, which is a Labour long shot and where a loss will be disastrous for the Tories who have run the council since 1964.After 5am, it will be revealed whether Labour has managed to retake Southampton from Conservative control and snatch Wandsworth, another flagship London Tory stronghold.All 32 councils in Scotland and all 22 in Wales are holding elections – as well as the Northern Ireland Assembly, where the nationalist Sinn Fein party is poised to secure a historic victory.Mr Johnson voted early at a polling station in Westminster, arriving on foot and waving to reporters, although one perplexed member of the public wondered aloud: “Is that Simon Cowell?”After voting, the prime minister tweeted a video in which he said of his party “it’s Conservatives who deliver, Conservatives who get the bins collected”.Keir Starmer held hands with his wife Victoria as he arrived at a polling station in Kentish Town, north London, to cast his vote in the local elections for Camden Council.The Labour leader tweeted afterwards: “Today is our chance to send the Tories a message they can’t ignore: Britain deserves better.”Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, voting in southwest London, predicted the Conservatives would be punished for failing to ease the pain of fast-rising living costs. More

A domestic abuse charity has urged the government to step in and halt the closure of cash machines with new legislation in next week’s Queen’s Speech.Refuge says the move towards a cashless society is “putting lives at risk” and makes it easier for abusers to control and exploit their victims.Almost a quarter of free-to-use ATMs have vanished since 2018, making it harder for people to get hold of physical money – with many banks also closing local branches.In 2020 ministers promised to protect access to cash, but a consultation launched last year has not yet led to any legislation.One economic abuse survivor, speaking under the pseudonym Katie, told The Independent how her ex-husband “wiped out my bank account” and that cash was her only refuge.“A cash safety net was really important when I tried to flee, he would track my spending so I couldn’t take lots of cash out of a machine in one go as he’d notice and be able to track the location of the cash point,” she said.”I had to save little pockets of cash gradually over time so it wasn’t detected and was easier to hide from him, this gave me confidence to know I was able to support myself and my son.”Katie said the importance of cash was also “really noticeable after I left my abuser and was left with the long-term debt he’d racked up in my name”. “It took ten years to clear the tens of thousands of pounds of debt that I was left with. Debt plans were very intrusive as all my spending was monitored and every penny had to be accounted for,” she said. “Cash was really important at that time as all my spending on my online statements had to be explained, I kept a cash fund of savings that allowed me to have some control and existed as a rainy day fund, it was awful that I had to sneak out my own money so that it was not traceable by debt collectors but it was essential especially as a mother. “She added: “If I didn’t have that cash or wasn’t able to use it, I wouldn’t have been able to give my son that life in his early years nor have some confidence and independence over my own spending which had been controlled by my ex-husband and was now being controlled by debt collectors. It was a very traumatic time but having a safety net of cash was really important throughout that period.” Consumer group Which? has suggested that the financial regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority, could oversee access to cash machines and make sure all areas have easy access to physical money.Last month research by the consumer champion group showed that since 2015, 4,685 bank branches have shut their doors, with a further 226 already scheduled to close by the end of the year – amounting to about half the UK’s total network.Age UK, a charity representing the interests of older people, has has also said millions of older people are at risk of being cut off without action.A consultation produced by the government said that “there may be significant benefit in giving a single authority overall responsibility for setting requirements to ensure that the retail distribution of cash meets the needs of consumers and SMEs”.Ruth Davison, CEO of Refuge, said: “The move towards a cashless society is putting lives at risk. Refuge knows just how vital being able to put aside small amounts of cash can be for survivors of domestic abuse, helping them flee an abusive partner. “Economic abuse plays a huge part in a perpetrators ability to control and monitor their partner, so the move towards digital first banking and away from cash enables perpetrators to monitor the spending of their partners more closely. Worse still, time and again we have heard from many women that they don’t even have access to their own bank accounts, making cash even more vital. “The Government must honour its commitments on access to cash and bring forward legislation that would make accessing cash easier for survivors. It could be the difference between women fleeing an abusive partner or forcing them to stay.” An HM Treasury spokesperson said: “We know that cash remains vital for millions of people and we are committed to protecting access to cash across the UK.“That’s why we have consulted on plans for new laws to make sure people only need to travel a reasonable distance to pay in or take out cash, and have already legislated to enable shops to offer cashback to customers without them having to make a purchase. “We have considered responses to the consultation and will set out next steps in due course.” More

Boris Johnson’s fresh attack on lawyers over attempts to ship asylum seekers to Rwanda has been condemned as “misleading and dangerous”.A legal body warned of “real-life consequences” from the government’s repeated targeting of the legal profession.A man is to stand trial later this year accused of plotting to kill an immigration solicitor in an attempted terror attack on a London law firm.Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, the prime minister said that “liberal-left lawyers will try to make this [Rwanda deal] difficult”.“We always knew this was going to happen,” he added. “I think it’s a humane, compassionate and sensible thing to do. I’m not going to pretend to you that is going to be without legal challenges … but we will get it done.”The Law Society, which represents solicitors in England and Wales, said they “serve the rule of law and keep the government accountable”.President Stephanie Boyce said: “Anyone at risk of such a life-changing order has a right to challenge its legality with the assistance of a lawyer, who has a duty to advise their client on their rights.“It is misleading and dangerous for the prime minister to name-call lawyers who are doing their job and upholding the law.“Attacks like this, from the highest politician in the land, undermine the rule of law and can have real-life consequences.“Britain’s standing internationally is underpinned by our reputation for democracy, fair play and the independence of our legal system.“We should all be proud that we live in a country where legal rights cannot be overridden without due process.”The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, said the government’s own factsheet on the Rwanda deal said that “everyone considered for relocation will have access to legal advice”.Chair Mark Fenhalls QC added: “It is unclear who will be making these decisions, or what criteria they will be applying. But, as the government acknowledges, the lawyers who provide legal advice in such cases will be fulfilling their professional duties. Attacks on men and women for simply doing their jobs are irresponsible and undermine the rule of law.” Theresa May clashes with Priti Patel over Rwanda asylum seeker policyDowning Street previously admitted that there has been no date set for the start of transfers to Rwanda, and that the process could take several months to start.The UN Refugee Agency has vocally opposed the deal, saying it “evades international obligations and is contrary to the letter and spirit of the Refugee Convention”.Legal action by groups Care4Calais, Detention Action and the PCS civil service union – which represents Border Force and Home Office staff – started last week.A pre-action letter challenged the Home Office’s failure to disclose the criteria governing which asylum seekers will be sent to Rwanda, and argued the plans were unlawful and contravene the Refugee Convention.Separately, the charity Freedom From Torture has demanded disclosure of underlying policy documents and says it could launch a judicial review claim.It is seeking information on the policy, risk assessments and documents related to cooperation between the governments of the UK and Rwanda. The prime minister and home secretary have made several public attacks on lawyers since 2020, frequently on issues relating to immigration and asylum.In November, the Lord Chief Justice said all lawyers were subject to the law, professional obligations and codes of conduct.“Lawyers act on instructions from their clients,” he added. “That is what I did, that is what every lawyer does, and everyone is entitled to have their case argued, their case presented.” More

Voters across the UK are heading to the polls in local elections taking place in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.Polling stations opened at 7am on Thursday and will close at 10pm, with most of the results known by the end of Friday.During the campaign, Oliver Dowden, the Conservative Party chairman, accused the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats of forging an electoral pact which he said was designed to ensure the Tories suffered losses in England.In a letter to Labour leader Keir Starmer, leaked to the Mail on Sunday last week, Mr Dowden accused the party of denying “voters a proper democratic choice”.He claimed Labour was putting forward fewer candidates in the south of England than it did in the 2018 elections, in seats where the Lib Dems are stronger. More

The government has shelved plans to bring in legislation that would ensure restaurant and other hospitality workers get to keep the tips they are given.The bill, which was endorsed by the government as recently as September, will not be included in the Queen’s Speech, according to insiders cited by the Financial Times.In September business minister Paul Scully said it would become “illegal” to withhold tips and a new law would “ensure tips will go to those who worked for it”.He said the legislation was necessary because of the move towards tipping on cards saw employers exert more control over tips that were taken.The idea had first been proposed by Sajid Javid when he was business secretary in 2016 and was due to eventually become law.“Every year this government promises action to ensure fair tipping, and then does precisely nothing to deliver on that promise,” Unite union general secretary Sharon Graham told the newspaper.Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, said it would “betray some of the lowest paid and most vulnerable workers in Britain” to ditch the plan, adding: “They will have conned working people.”Under existing rules tips cannot be counted towards minimum wage laws, but some employers withhold a share of them.But the situation is complicated as in other cases tips are redistributed between front of house and back of house staff to ensure non-customer-facing workers also get a share. A spokesperson for the business department would not confirm or deny that the bill had been dropped, but encouraged restaurants to adopt “industry best practice”. “Workers should absolutely get the tips they deserve, and customers should have reassurance that their money is rewarding staff for their hard work and good service,” the spokesperson said. More

Boris Johnson is poised to pull back from an imminent confrontation with the EU over the controversial post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol.It comes after the government reportedly threatened a new law at next week’s Queen’s speech to override parts of arrangement, but the Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis signalled last night this would not happen.According to The Times, the prime minister, who signed the agreement in 2019, is also said to be giving talks with the EU “one last chance” and will use the upcoming election result in Northern Ireland to urge the bloc to agree reform.It comes as voters in Northern Ireland head to the ballot box today to vote on the next 90 members of the Assembly representing 18 constituencies — before crucial talks begin over forming the next Stormont executive.Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP leader, has urged the government to act on unionists’ concerns around the post-Brexit trading arrangements, criticising them as harmful to the union and calling for Northern Ireland’s position in the UK internal market to be protected.Earlier this week Sir Jeffrey said he wanted to lead the DUP into a new executive, but stressed issues around the Protocol needed to be “resolved now” and urged the UK government to take “decisive action”.Asked whether the government is planning to introduce a new law allowing it to waive elements of the controversial protocol, Mr Lewis signalled on Wednesday evening it would not be in the Queen’s Speech on 10 May.He told an interview with ITV’s Robert Peston: “Our focus is on resolving the issues with the Protocol, ideally we want to do that by agreement with the European Union.”Pressed on whether an announcement would come next week, the cabinet minister replied: “No… we’ve not said that”.“What we’ve been clear about is at the moment, the Protocol is causing problems in civic society, it’s causing problems with the Good Friday Agreement,” he added. “Our duty to the people of Northern Ireland is to resolve those issues. Yes, we want to do that with the EU and that’s what Liz Truss has been focused on”.Mr Lewis later tweeted: “We will do whatever it takes to protect the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. It is clear that the Protocol does not have the support of the unionist community and is not working for people and businesses in Northern Ireland.“We have to address the outstanding issues and we want to do that by agreement with the EU, but as we have always made clear, we will not shy away from taking further steps if necessary.”The European Commission has previously stressed that it is “fully committed” to working with the UK government to “find long-lasting solutions for Norther Ireland”, including certainty for business.A spokesperson added last month: “Only joint solutions can do that: jointly-agreed solutions. And if you look at it, this approach is working. Only a couple of days ago we reached the solution on medicines for Northern Ireland which was agreed in record time. It’s important to underline that.“As you know, last October, we came forward with a number of serious, wide-ranging solutions for Northern Ireland. We’ve been working on them since and our intention is to continue working on these solutions with the UK over the coming weeks.” More

People in Britain are voting Thursday in local elections that will decide the makeup of local authorities across the country — and possibly the fate of embattled Prime Minister Boris Johnson.Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. in contests for thousands of local council seats in England, Scotland and Wales. Voting ends at 10 p.m. (2100GMT), with most of the counting taking place Friday. Opinion polls suggest the governing Conservatives will lose hundreds of seats in elections that are considered a barometer of public opinion.In Northern Ireland, voters are electing a new 90-seat Assembly, with polls suggesting the Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein could win the largest number of seats, and the post of first minister, in what would be a historic first.The local-authority elections will decide who collects garbage, fixes potholes and handles other essential services across the country. Conservative Party Chairman Oliver Dowden said the elections “are about one thing: who do you want running your council?”But many voters also have other things on their mind. Across the U.K., the elections are dominated by increasing prices for food and fuel, which have sent household bills soaring.Opposition parties are demanding the government do more to ease the cost-of-living crunch — driven by the war in Ukraine, COVID-19 pandemic disruption and economic aftershocks from Britain’s exit from the European Union. Both left-of-center Labour and the centrist Liberal Democrats advocate a windfall tax on energy companies, which have reported record profits amid rocketing oil and gas prices.Johnson’s Conservative government argues taxing big firms like Shell and BP would deter much-needed investment in renewable energy that’s key to meeting Britain’s climate commitments.The election also comes after months of turmoil for Johnson, in which he became the first prime minister to be sanctioned for breaking the law in office. He was fined 50 pounds ($62) by police for attending his own surprise birthday party in June 2020 when lockdown rules barred social gatherings.Johnson has apologized, but denies knowingly breaking the rules. He faces the possibility of more fines over other parties — police are investigating a dozen gatherings — and a parliamentary investigation into whether he misled lawmakers about his behavior.The prime minister also faces discontent within his own party. A bad result for the governing party on Thursday could lead Conservatives to try to replace Johnson with a less tarnished leader.Labour leader Keir Starmer said the government was consumed by “a constant drip-drip of sleaze and scandal.”“Their failure to get on with their jobs would be shameful at any time,” Starmer wrote in the Daily Mirror newspaper. “But during a once in a lifetime cost-of-living crisis, it’s a disgrace.” More