UK Politics

Subterms

    More stories

    • 125 Shares159 Views

      in UK Politics

      Elections 2022: Do I need a polling card to vote?

      by

      The latest round of local elections takes place in the UK on Thursday 5 May, with 4,000 council seats in England being contested, 1,200 in both Scotland and Wales and all 90 seats of the Northern Ireland Assembly in contention.Most of those seats were last fought in 2018, when Theresa May was still prime minister, Jeremy Corbyn and Sir Vince Cable were her challengers, Britain was still in the European Union and both the coronavirus pandemic and war in Ukraine were inconceivable to most.Now, with lingering anger over “Partygate” compounded by the eruption of new Westminster sleaze allegations and concern over the cost of living crisis only growing, the public is widely expected to cast its ballots as a verdict on Boris Johnson’s scandal-ridden leadership.The PM’s handling of the Covid pandemic is also likely to be a motivating consideration, as is the prospect of change represented by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, although some constituencies will be dominated by more specific issues of their own, from waste collection and infrastructure to immigration.The deadline for registering to vote passed on 14 April in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and on 18 April in Scotland.If you were registered in time, you should have received a polling card through the post informing you of the location of your nearest ballot box.However, you are not required to bring the card with you to the polling station on Thursday as it is not considered proof of registration.Instead, you will simply be expected to give your name to a volunteer who will cross you off their list before inviting you to proceed.If you have lost your card and do not know where your polling station is, you can simply check out the Electoral Commission website and enter your postcode, where a wealth of tailored information is available.For more on this year’s local elections, The Independent has all you need to know about voting, how you can find out about what is happening in your local area, more information on the national picture by region, as well as a guide to when the results will be announced.We will be covering the local elections in depth this week and liveblogging both voting day itself and the aftermath on Friday once the results have been counted and compiled. More

    • 75 Shares169 Views

      in UK Politics

      Where are the elections taking place?

      by

      Local elections are again being held in the UK on Thursday 5 May, with 4,000 council seats in England being contested across 146 local authorities against a backdrop of outrage over the “Partygate” scandal, fresh allegations of sleaze and sexism in Westminster and with the cost of living crisis a growing concern.In both Scotland and Wales, 1,200 seats are up for grabs across 32 and 22 councils respectively as citizens cast their vote on who should run the public services they rely on every day, from waste collection to library and park maintenance.Meanwhile, all 90 seats of the Northern Ireland Assembly are in contention, with five members being elected in each of the country’s 18 constituencies.Thursday’s events will also see four new councils involved for the first time – unitary authorities in North Yorkshire, Somerset and two in Cumbria – and seven mayoral positions up for consideration.The public is widely expected to cast its ballots as a verdict on Boris Johnson’s scandal-ridden leadership, the prime minister’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and the prospect of change represented by Sir Keir Starmer – or in reaction to other issues of particular regional significance, from immigration to infrastructure.To find exactly what is happening in your constituency this week, visit the Electoral Commission website and enter your postcode.From there, you will be invited to confirm your postal address, after which you will be presented with all the information you need about the candidates in contention and the location and opening hours of your nearest polling station.The Independent meanwhile has all you need to know about voting, more information on the national picture by region as well as a guide on when the results will be announced.We will be covering the local elections in depth this week and liveblogging both voting day itself and the aftermath on Friday once the results have been counted and compiled. More

    • 200 Shares179 Views

      in UK Politics

      Boris Johnson news – live: PM ‘out of touch and mired in sleaze’ ahead of elections

      by

      Boris Johnson ‘out of touch’ over cost of living crisis, says Keir StarmerAngela Rayner claims Tory election candidates are ashamed to be linked with the prime minister, by running as “local Conservatives” and pleading with voters not to “punish” them for the Partygate scandal.“It speaks volumes that Boris Johnson’s own Conservative candidates are ashamed to be associated with him and trying to pull the wool over voters’ eyes,” Labour’s deputy leader said.The extraordinary attempts by some candidates to distance themselves from Mr Johnson’s troubles are revealed in election leaflets for the nationwide polls on Thursday.Earlier, she claimed the Conservatives hadn’t “got a clue” about the cost of living crisis after a government minister suggested poorer families buy value brands to save on food bills.George Eustice, the environment secretary, said: “Generally speaking, what people find is by going for some sort of value brand rather than own branded products they can actually contain and manage their household budget.”Show latest update

      1651675352Sinn Fein eyes historic win in Northern IrelandIf opinion polls are right, tomorrow’s local elections will lead to Sinn Fein becoming the largest group in the 90-seat Northern Ireland Assembly, giving the nationalist party the post of first minister for the first time:Jane Dalton4 May 2022 15:421651674332Press watchdog rejects complaints over Mail’s Rayner articleThe press watchdog has rejected all complaints about an article claiming Angela Rayner crossed and uncrossed her legs in the Commons in a bid to distract Boris Johnson.The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) received more than 6,000 complaints.Jane Dalton4 May 2022 15:251651672839How local elections could make or break Boris JohnsonHanging on to the keys of Downing Street is not the only political challenge facing the prime minister, writes John Curtice.Read his full piece here: Matt Mathers4 May 2022 15:001651672239Senior Tory: Ukraine policy would get ‘stronger’ if PM replacedBritain’s support for Ukraine would get even “stronger” if Boris Johnson were to be replaced as prime minister, a senior Tory has claimed.Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the defence committee, spoke to BBC politics earlier and was asked whether it would be wise to remove Mr Johnson while the war continues in Ukraine.Mr Ellwood has publicly called for the PM to resign after being found to have broken Covid laws.More comments below: Matt Mathers4 May 2022 14:501651672229Tories ‘ashamed’ of Johnson linksLabour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner says Conservative candidates in tomorrow’s local elections are ashamed to be connected to Boris Johnson.Jane Dalton4 May 2022 14:501651671339 ‘Beergate’ is Tory mudslinging, Starmer insistsSir Keir Starmer would not be drawn on providing further details in relation to allegations he broke lockdown rules while out campaigning on the last day before the elections.The Labour leader has come under pressure since footage emerged of him drinking a beer with colleagues in April 2021 in Durham during campaigning for the Hartlepool by-election.Sir Keir said he wanted to focus on the cost-of-living crisis and not Conservative “mudslinging”.Asked if Durham Police have contacted him in recent days, Sir Keir said: “I have not had contact from Durham Police and I think people are just about fed up with the mudslinging that’s going on.”We know there’s elections coming, we know what the Conservatives are up to. What we need to do, I think, is focus on the issue in hand, which is the cost of living.”Asked what he was doing at 11pm in Durham on the night in question, and if he went back to work having eaten, he said: “We were working, we stopped, we ate. “No breach of the rules. No party. And I think that’s enough for the mudslinging from the Tories on this.”Matt Mathers4 May 2022 14:351651670439Tories ‘ashamed’ to be linked to PM, says LabourAngela Rayner MP, Labour’s deputy leader has responded to reports that Tory council election candidates as running as “local Conservatives”, our politics reporter, Adam Forrest , writes.“It speaks volumes that Boris Johnson’s own Conservative candidates are ashamed to be associated with him and trying to pull the wool over voters’ eyes,” she said.“With no answers to the cost of living crisis, Tory candidates are trying to hide from their own government’s record.”Matt Mathers4 May 2022 14:201651669416Ed Davey – BP has called government’s ‘bluff’ on windfall taxOil and gas giant BP has called the government’s “bluff” on calls for a windfall tax on profits to help people struggling with their energy bills, Ed Davey has claimedThe Liberal Democrat leader spoke to Sky News following comments by BP chief executive Bernard Looney, who said the firm would still invest in the UK even if it was hit with the tax.He did, however, say that the policy could result in job losses and hit pensions.Prime minister Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, have both ruled out a windfall tax on energy companies, saying it would deter investment in renewable energy.More comments for Mr Davey below: Matt Mathers4 May 2022 14:031651668654Starmer: Tories have ‘no answers’ on cost of living crisisBoris Johnson’s government has “no answers” to the cost of living crisis, Keir Starmer has claimed.The Labour leader spoke to Sky News earlier on the final day of campaigning before the local elections.More comments from Mr Starmer below: Matt Mathers4 May 2022 13:501651667937Breaking: Neil Parish officially resigns after watching porn in CommonsNeil Parish has formally resigned as an MP after admitting watching pornography in the Commons, the Treasury has announced.Our politics correspondent Ashley Cowburn has this breaking story: Matt Mathers4 May 2022 13:38 More

    • 138 Shares159 Views

      in UK Politics

      Energy suppliers given three weeks to explain ‘excessive direct debit hikes’

      by

      Some energy suppliers have excessively hiked customers’ direct debit payments beyond what is required, the business secretary has said as he gave them a three-week deadline to explain themselves or face “substantial fines”. Household energy bills have soared in the UK after the regulator Ofgem raised its price cap by 54 per cent in April in response to a record rise in wholesale gas prices – bringing an average increase of £693. But the regulator warned a fortnight later that it had seen “troubling signs” of “bad practices” by some suppliers, including potentially “increasing direct debit payments by more than is necessary”, amid reports that some customers have seen their payments double – or even triple.In a blog post on 14 April, Ofgem’s chief executive, Jonathan Brearley, said there were also concerns regarding some suppliers’ “troubling” treatment of vulnerable customers when they fall into difficulties, and of firms potentially “directing customers to tariffs that may not be in their best interest”.Mr Brearley said Ofgem was commissioning a series of market compliance reviews that would include “stricter supervision of how direct debits are handled” by suppliers and ensure they are “held to higher standards for overall performance on customer service and protecting vulnerable customers”.Upping the ante on Tuesday afternoon, Kwasi Kwarteng outright accused some suppliers of “increasing direct debits beyond what is required” – and said some could face “substantial fines”.He said: “Some energy suppliers have been increasing direct debits beyond what is required.“I can confirm Ofgem has today issued compliance reviews. Suppliers have three weeks to respond. The regulator will not hesitate to swiftly enforce compliance, including issuing substantial fines.”Dozens of energy suppliers have collapsed in the UK in the space of little more than a year, leaving behind millions of customers, and potentially adding billions of pounds to the cost of energy bills.But Mr Brearley claimed last month that “one of the root causes of the failures of many of those suppliers” is related to the way that they have managed the money paid to them by customers.The Ofgem chief accused some firms of using customer credit balances “to prop up their finances, enabling them to follow more risky business models with reduced financial resilience and higher likelihood of failure”.A spokesperson for Energy UK, which represents energy companies, told the BBC on Tuesday: “Suppliers are required to set [direct debits] at a fair and reasonable level based on the customer’s individual circumstances, taking into account factors like previous energy use or record with previous payments.“It is right that the regulator is looking to ensure that suppliers are complying with those requirements. Customers who do have concerns with the level of their direct debit payments should contact their supplier.”Inflation and the cost of living crisis have emerged as the top issues in local elections across the UK on Thursday, and Boris Johnson has faced increasing calls from opposition parties to impose a windfall tax on energy giants to ease the burden of household bills.But Cabinet divisions over such a move were exposed this week, as Mr Kwarteng argued firmly against an “arbitrary” windfall tax, just days after the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, indicated he was ready to consider the move.Pressed repeatedly over the idea in interviews on Tuesday, Mr Johnson rejected the move, saying: “If you start whacking huge taxes on business, in the end you deter investment and you slow down growth.”“If BP wants to pay a windfall tax then that’s another matter but the clear advice we have is that we need those big companies to invest,” he told Times Radio, adding: “We are in constant discussion with them.” More

    • 150 Shares199 Views

      in UK Politics

      Nicola Sturgeon says Tories have ‘run out of excuses’ for cost-of-living ‘inaction’

      by

      The Conservatives have “run out of excuses for their negligent inaction” on the cost-of-living crisis that is “hammering families across Scotland”, Nicola Sturgeon has said. Speaking ahead of Thursday’s local elections, the first minister also claimed that voting for the SNP would “put Boris Johnson under real pressure to act now and help families out” as the crisis continues to spiral.Ms Sturgeon made the comments from the party’s campaign bus which was set to arrive in Edinburgh on Wednesday, the final day of campaigning.“The only thing that will make the Tories sit up and take notice is when they think their own jobs are on the line – and that’s why this election is so important,” she said.“While all this is going on, the Tories are neglecting the spiralling cost-of-living crisis – while the SNP are focused at all levels of government to support households through tough times.“Every SNP councillor elected this week will stand firm against the Tories, ready to lock them out of power. Our priority will be supporting families through the cost-of-living crisis – not just in words but in action – working tirelessly for local communities and local services.“Every SNP vote this Thursday will have that impact. Together we can put Boris Johnson under real pressure to act now to help families out.” More

    • 125 Shares139 Views

      in UK Politics

      All Covid fines should be scrapped after Partygate, lawyer argues

      by

      Every Covid fine issued should be overturned after prime minister Boris Johnson defended his attendance at a lockdown-busting Downing Street party, a lawyer has argued.Penalties written up for more than 20 businesses in the gym sector have been waived in recent months.Lucinda Nicholls, who successfully represented the 23 firms and is still fighting on behalf of seven more, said evidence presented against her clients was seriously deficient.The validity of the penalties – issued to at least 100,000 individuals and about 900 businesses – has also been called into question after Mr Johnson claimed in his Partygate defence that he was confused by his own government’s rules, she added.Ms Nicholls, a lawyer from the London-based law firm Nicholls & Nicholls, said: “Boris Johnson said he found the regulations confusing. Considering they changed about 12 times, it is understandable someone might be confused.”“In the context of Partygate, the government should be overhauling all of the Covid fines issued to individuals and businesses,” she added.“If the government that brought in the legislation had difficulties with regard to the exemptions and the defences, then that demonstrates that there is clearly going to be confusion among the local authorities and the police in relation to enforcement.”Police in England and Wales issued 877 notices under business regulations while more than 100,000 were imposed on people over various other allegations, data released by the National Police Chiefs Council in March showed. Local councils have also issued similar fines.Gainz Fitness & Strength, an independent gym in Bedford, was one of the firms Ms Nicholls has represented. The gym’s owner, Alex Lowndes, risked being fined £10,000 when he decided to stay open in November 2020 after rules ordering gyms to be closed had come into force. More

    • 138 Shares189 Views

      in UK Politics

      Rwanda deportation plan ‘could easily unravel’ as Boris Johnson announces delay

      by

      Ministers have abandoned plans to send the first asylum-seekers to Rwanda this month as promised, prompting accusations that they are blaming legal challenges rather than admit that the idea is “unworkable”. When the multi-million pound deal was announced last month, Boris Johnson said the first flights would take off within “weeks” – but his spokesperson on Tuesday said it would now be “a matter of months”.No 10 has blamed legal challenges against the policy but also insisted court action would not put the controversial project “on hold”.Charities and lawyers said the delay indicated that ministers had accepted that the challenges of implementing the policy were “far greater than it had anticipated”, and that there was now a likelihood that it could “easily unravel” because the logistics have “simply not been thought through”. Meanwhile, one Home Office source believes the government “actually wants” legal challenges so that ministers can “point to their frustration at being blocked by the courts and push for more power over court decisions.”The source told The Independent that the current policy “will be difficult” to implement, but added: “I don’t think politically they will abandon the idea though, it will carry into the next election manifesto I would guess.”Experts had questioned Mr Johnson’s claim that the scheme – which he has said will see tens of thousands of people deported there after arriving in the UK via irregular means – could start almost immediately, with some doubting whether any refugees would ever be sent to Rwanda.The prime minister’s spokesman acknowledged that the legal action was not “unexpected” and described it as only “one of the variables” affecting hopes for the scheme.“We are working to get the first flights moving – I don’t know definitely what timescale that will be,” he added.An analysis by the Refugee Council last month found that fewer than 200 asylum seekers would be deported to the east African country under existing immigration rules, casting doubt over the prime minister’s claims.Enver Solomon, chief executive of the charity, said: “The government’s desire to treat people as human cargo and expelling them to Rwanda is not only appallingly and unprincipled – it also unworkable.“The government now seems to be accepting that the challenges of making it a reality are far greater than it had anticipated. There’s a likelihood that it could now easily unravel and certainly never be on a scale the prime minister said it could be.”Sonya Sceats, chief executive at Freedom from Torture, a charity bringing one of the legal challenges, said: “It is obvious that ministers are hiding behind court cases rather than admit that this inhumane plan is unworkable.“Critical operational considerations have simply not been thought through, including the risks of sharing sensitive data about refugees with a repressive state known to practice torture.”Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said the “cruel” plan was “rapidly turning into yet another expensive mess”, adding: “It isn’t deterring people from crossing the Channel, and it’s already mired in predictable delays. “Everything the Conservatives have done has only made this problem worse. It’s time they realised that the best way to prevent the crossings, and combat the smuggling and trafficking gangs, is to provide safe and legal routes to sanctuary for refugees.”Around 550 people have crossed from France in small boats in the last two days following an 11-day pause, casting doubts over claims by some Conservative MPs that the Rwanda threat is already acting as a deterrent.The government has argued legal powers already exist to allow asylum-seekers to be sent to Rwanda, but critics argue it breaches both the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the Geneva Convention.Toufique Hossain, director of public law at Duncan Lewis, which is representing the civil service union (Public and Commercial Services Union) and two charities in a court challenge against the policy, said the delay “could suggest that the home secretary has finally worked out what most people already know – the plans are unworkable, unlawful and a huge waste of tax payers’ money”. Immigration lawyer Alasdair Mackenzie echoed his remarks, saying: “Legal challenges will undoubtedly – and rightly – happen, but they’d be a convenient smokescreen for the fact that the practical mechanics of the Rwanda plan – who qualifies, where will they live, how do you stop them coming back, etc – have blatantly not been thought through.”A Home Office spokesperson said: “This world-leading Migration Partnership will overhaul our broken asylum system, which is currently costing the UK taxpayer £1.5bn a year – the highest amount in two decades.“It means those arriving dangerously, illegally or unnecessarily can be relocated to have their asylum claims considered and, if recognised as refugees, build their lives there.“Our new Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda fully complies with international and national law. We will defend any legal challenge robustly.” More

    • 163 Shares129 Views

      in UK Politics

      Boris Johnson says he has not received police questionnaire over staff leaving do

      by

      Boris Johnson said he has not received a police questionnaire in relation to claims of a rule-breaking leaving party for a former communications director.The Metropolitan Police sent people more than 100 questionnaires earlier this year in relation to allegations of law-breaking parties in government buildings while pandemic-related restrictions were in place.Mr Johnson received a questionnaire then and has since been fined in relation to a gathering on his birthday in June 2020.But he has now been pressed on reports that some government staff have received new questionnaires from the Met in relation to a leaving party for the prime minister’s former communications director, Lee Cain, on November 13, 2020.Asked by Times Radio whether he had received a Metropolitan Police questionnaire about the event, Mr Johnson said: “I am not commenting on this stuff generally, but the answer to that is no, not so far, or certainly not to my knowledge.“All of this will become clear with the end of the investigation.”He added: “I have been very clear with people, I don’t want to give a running commentary on the thing, so let’s wait until it is all concluded and then I will have plenty more to say.”The prime minister also said he wanted to “focus on the stuff” for which he was elected.Speaking to ITV’s Good Morning Britain earlier in the day, Mr Johnson insisted he is an “honest” politician, saying he was “inadvertently” wrong in his comments to parliament about the Partygate row.And he said he should not resign over Partygate because he is “getting on with the job that I was elected to do”.Mr Johnson is now facing an investigation over misleading parliament after he told the Commons that no laws were broken in Downing Street.In response to a suggestion that some people believe he is a liar, Mr Johnson said: “If you are talking about the statements I’ve made in the House of Commons, I was inadvertently… I was wrong, and I’ve apologised for that.”Later he said: “I have apologised for the things we got wrong during the pandemic,” as he was asked about breaking the law.Further pressed on the issue, he said: “With great respect, I’m going to have to ask you to wait until the end of the investigation.”He added: “I will make sure that as soon as I’m able to say something on the conclusion of the investigation, you will have a lot more on it.”Asked why he should not resign, as Matt Hancock did as health secretary and Allegra Stratton did as Downing Street press secretary, the prime minister said: “I’m getting on with the job that I was elected to do and discharge the mandate that I was given and I’m proud of what we have been doing.”Asked on BBC Radio Wiltshire why he wants to continue as prime minister, Mr Johnson said: “Because I have a massive mandate to deliver and I was elected with an 80-seat majority to take the country forward, to unite and level up.”His comments come despite ongoing calls for his resignation from opposition MPs as well as his own backbenches, he after he and his wife Carrie Johnson, along with the chancellor Rishi Sunak, were fined last month for breaking Covid laws.MPs have since approved the Privileges Committee launching an inquiry once the police have finished their own investigation into the gatherings.So far the police have announced they have issued at least 50 fines as part of their investigation. More