UK Politics

Boris Johnson speaks Russian as he urges citizens to find out truth about Ukraine ‘atrocities’Prime minister Boris Johnson has admitted that the hike in national insurace contributions has arrived at a “tough time”, but insisted the government had made “unquestionably the right move.”The NI rise came into force today and was criticised by the Liberal Democrats who say the tax hike comes at the “wrong moment” as Britons face a growing cost of living crisis.When asked how struggling households should save money, Mr Johnson said: “We’ve got to help families in any way that we can. And that’s why we’re putting another £22 billion into supporting families through what are unquestionably tough times caused by the end of the pandemic, the global inflation problem, the energy price spike that we’re seeing.“We’re abating that, we’re helping people.“But what we’re doing today is unquestionably the right thing for our country, it’s the right thing for the NHS.He added: “And look, I’ve got absolutely no problem with it. We’ve got to do the difficult things, we’ve got to take the big decisions, the right decisions for this country.Show latest update

1649256335Watch: Boris Johnson defends not banning trans conversion therapyBoris Johnson defends not banning trans conversion therapyEmily Atkinson6 April 2022 15:451649255653Keir Starmer offers support to boost sanctions against RussiaLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said his party will support any new sanctions the government poses against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.Speaking during a visit to Bacup in Lancashire, Sir Keir said Britain should provide the Ukrainians with all the support it can.“That means military support to help them defend their cities and defend their country,” he said.“It means being absolutely clear with one voice that these war crimes, and they are war crimes, will end up with those responsible being hunted down.“If the government wants tougher sanctions it knows what it needs to do. Put a package before Parliament, we’ll vote for it, it will go through very quickly.”Emily Atkinson6 April 2022 15:341649254489UK eating disorder charity slams government over menu calorie countsA UK eating disorder charity has hit out at the government’s new measure which compels food businesses to reveal the calorie information of non-prepacked food and soft drinks.Tweeting today, BEAT said: “We’re extremely disappointed that the government is making calories on menus mandatory in England from 6 April. “We know it causes anxiety for people affected by eating disorders. We know it can increase fixations on restricting calories for anyone with anorexia or bulimia.“We know it can increase feelings of guilt for anyone with binge eating disorder. And there’s very limited evidence that the legislation will improve our eating habits. “On multiple occasions, we called on the government to reconsider the impact this legislation will have on people with eating disorders. And we’ve asked them to take an evidence-based approach when creating health policies – which include consulting with eating disorder clinicians and experts by experience.”The charity has urged anyone struggling to cope with the introduction of calories on menus to read its guide on dining out here.More direct support is also available 365 days a year through its Helpline, online support groups and web chat.Emily Atkinson6 April 2022 15:141649252729Boris Johnson defends not banning trans conversion therapy claiming it would harm children with gender doubtsBoris Johnson has defended his decision to scrap plans to ban trans conversion therapy, arguing it would be harmful for children who have doubts about their gender.Quizzed about the controversial move – which has forced the government to cancel a showpiece LGBT+ conference – the prime minister urged his critics to consider the “complexities and sensitivities”.Our deputy politics editor Rob Merrick reports: Matt Mathers6 April 2022 14:451649251247Not the right time to raise taxes, Starmer saysSpeaking against the national insurance rise, Sir Keir Starmer told Jeremy Vine on BBC Radio 2: “This is a tax that hits businesses and working people. It doesn’t hit others.”So, if you’re a landlord with 20 or 30 properties, you are not getting a penny more taxed today. If you’re a tenant of that landlord in work, you’re getting whacked with the national insurance tax.”Sir Keir stressed a Labour government “will always support the NHS and “there is obviously a need to deal with the backlog of waiting lists, etc”, but added: “The problem I have got with this tax today is that it’s going to raise about £12 billion or so, £11 or £12 billion.”That is the money that has been lost in the last two years through Covid, through equipment we didn’t need or fraud, and the Government is not going to try to recover that money.”When asked if the country is heading towards the next election with Labour promising lower tax and lower spending than the Conservatives, the Labour leader said: “We have declared that now is not the time to be putting up taxes.”I think most people know the last two years have been really, really tough. All the businesses in Bacup I have spoken to this morning are saying ‘look, Keir, it has been tough on us, we have kept going and now what we need to do is get back on our feet, get people back into the high streets, give us a bit of breathing space so we can grow the economy’.”I think they’re right about that. So, I’m not saying that, you know, we don’t need to raise money to pay for the health service. Of course I’m not, but I am saying that the single biggest problem the moment is growing the economy.”Matt Mathers6 April 2022 14:201649250234PM: NI tax hike ‘unquestionably right move’Boris Johnson said he has “absolutely no problem” with increasing national insurance for millions of workers in order to fund the NHS and social care.The Prime Minister said the 1.25 percentage point rise is “unquestionably the right thing” and shows the Government is prepared to take the “big decisions” for the country.Speaking at the New Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, Mr Johnson said: “What we are doing today is unquestionably the right thing for our country, it’s the right thing for the NHS.“Because we’ve got, here in the UK, we’ve now got backlogs, waiting lists of six million people.“Everybody across the country knows somebody who is waiting for cancer treatment or some sort of procedure that’s crucial for their health.“We’ve got to give our doctors and our nurses the wherewithal, the funding, to deal with that.”Matt Mathers6 April 2022 14:031649249108Sunak’s popularity plunges among voters since spring statementChancellor Rishi Sunak’s popularity with voters has plunged amid continuing debate over the Government’s reaction to surging living costs, according to a poll.His net favourability was down 24 points since just before his spring statement on March 23, to reach minus 29, the survey by YouGov found.The poll put the Chancellor’s support below that of Sir Keir Starmer (minus 25) for the first time since the Labour leader took office.Minus 29 is Mr Sunak’s lowest ever result and is a 24-point decrease since March 22-23, and a 14-point drop since immediately after the spring statement, the figures showed.The poll found more than half of Britons (57%) have an unfavourable opinion of the Chancellor, compared with 28% who view him in a positive light.Matt Mathers6 April 2022 13:451649248321Stop ‘pathetic excuses’ on transgender conversion therapy ban, ex-adviser urges No 10A former LGBT Government adviser has urged leaders to stop making “pathetic excuses” after the Prime Minister said there are “complexities and sensitivities” around banning conversion therapy for transgender people.Jayne Ozanne said the LGBT+ community’s trust in the Government is “completely and utterly broken” by a series of U-turns last week and its backtracking on commitments to include transgender people in upcoming legislation to ban the practice.It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson defended the decision not to include trans people in the Government’s proposed ban, saying there are “complexities and sensitivities” which need to be worked through.Speaking during a visit to a hospital in Welwyn Garden City, the PM said there are still things to be worked out, and that he was “sad” at the reaction of groups which pulled out of a UK-hosted global conference in protest, which has since been cancelled.He said: “I’m sorry we haven’t been able to reach agreement with the organisations concerned but that will in no way diminish our determination to tackle prejudice wherever we can.”Matt Mathers6 April 2022 13:321649247299’Opposite of levelling up’: Cost-of-living crisis set to widen gap between north and south, research warnsThe economic chasm between the north and south of England is set to be widened by the cost-of-living crisis, new research suggests.Our North of England correspondent Colin Drury reports: Matt Mathers6 April 2022 13:141649246708Public opinion is leading the way on climate – while NIMBY MPs lag behindThe prime minister hopes to be able to parade his green credentials while at the same time keeping his net zero-sceptical backbenchers happy, writes Cathy Newman.Read Cathy’s full piece here: Matt Mathers6 April 2022 13:05 More

The author of a government review calling for an independent regulator for English football has attacked plans to shelve the move – warning it could kill the idea altogether.Boris Johnson promised MPs he would act – after criticism that the national game is “lurching from crisis to crisis” – but there will be no Bill in next month’s Queen’s Speech, a leaked letter revealed.Nadine Dorries, the sports secretary, admitted the delay would look like “the government kicking the issue of football regulation into the long grass,” in her letter to the prime minister.Now Tracey Crouch, the former sports minister asked to carry out the review, has criticised the hold-up, while welcoming the commitment to legislate.“However, and I don’t want to appear churlish, I am not comfortable with the government saying it will bring forward a Bill in the next session, more than a year away,” she told The Independent.“We had three elections in four years, so my confidence in the stability of a normal electoral cycle is low and I am nervous as to whether it will actually happen.”The Crouch report, last year, came hard-on-the-heels of fury over the attempt by leading clubs to create a European Super League, which was defeated by the opposition of fans.The Conservative MP warned that, although that threat had receded, many clubs were in a precarious financial position, following the demise of Bury and Macclesfield.Ms Crouch criticised “poor financial controls” and “reckless behaviour by owners”, a danger exacerbated by “an unwillingness of the authorities to intervene”.The idea was for the regulator to oversee financial regulation in football, establish new owners’ and directors’ tests and create a new corporate governance code.In the Commons last month, Mr Johnson – urged to recognise that “now is the time” to act – told MPs: “We should indeed have an independent regulator for football.”The Football Supporters Association is pushing for the move, but it has been opposed by the Premier League, the Football Association and the English Football League.In her letter to the prime minister, Ms Dorries proposed a beefed-up “suitability test” for owners, but argued the new plan required fuller consultation before pressing ahead.A white paper is planned for the summer, with legislation to follow in this parliament’s final session next year – bang up against the expected general election in 2024.The sports secretary wrote: “Some will express their concern that this is the government kicking the issue of football regulation into the long grass.”However, she argued: “I believe that it is the opposite; it is the government committed to unprecedented regulation that protects fans, while preserving the economic value of our national game.”Last month, the Premier League told an inquiry by MPs that statutory regulation is unnecessary, arguing the FA would be “effective” in the role. More

Boris Johnson’s plan for new nuclear power plants is expected to raise bills by over £80 a year, an analysis based on energy companies’ figures has found.The prime minister is expected to “bet big” on nuclear power in an upcoming energy strategy and build up to eight stations, with billions in costs being met through bills.But Mr Johnson was accused of making matters worse for bill-payers because of the high cost of energy from the plants compared to the alternatives.Nuclear plants produce large amounts of low-carbon energy – but they are now comparatively expensive compared to renewables, whose cost has plummeted.Yet the government has de facto banned the construction of new on-shore wind turbines, one of the cheapest forms of renewable energy, through restrictive planning rules.Mr Johnson’s push for nuclear comes despite reservations from chancellor Rishi Sunak about the cost – but some Conservative activists are resolutely opposed to the visual impact of onshore wind turbines.Energy company EDF estimates that the cost of funding the Sizewell C nuclear power plant, the only one currently under construction, will add up to £12 a year to household energy bills at its peak.Opposition politicians say that if the costs of the plans were writ large over eight new similar projects they would amount to an £84-a-year increase in bills.The increase would come about because the government’s ‘Regulated Asset Base’ funding mechanism for new plants allows constructors to share financial risk with consumers with a levy on bills.The approach is intended to reduce the risk for companies undertaking the projects, because they require such high up-front capital costs.“These eye-watering costs show why nuclear power simply isn’t the right approach. At a time where household bills have risen to unprecedented levels, increasing them even more is not the solution,” Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Climate Change said.Ms Hobhouse, whose party based its cost calculations on the EDF estimates, said: “The Tories are simply ignoring the obvious solution. Renewables, particularly on-shore and off-shore wind, are far cheaper than nuclear power and combined with an energy efficiency programme we would see bills fall for millions.”“Instead the Tories seem happy for people’s record bills to get even higher.”UK government estimates published by the department for business and energy (BEIS) in 2020 say nuclear power plants generate power at a cost of £102 MW/h. This figure is over twice the cost of onshore wind, whose equivalent cost estimate is £46 MW/h – a number that has tumbled by £49 MW/h since previous estimates published in 2013. By contrast the cost estimates for nuclear has slightly increased, with nuclear’s initial 2013 estimate at £95 MW/h.By comparison the figure for offshore wind is £57 MW/h, while large solar installations clock in at £44 MW/h and gas with carbon capture storage £85MW/h. All the department’s estimates are aimed at establishing the costs of projects to be commissioned in 2025.The government’s energy strategy is being rushed out by minister this week as the war on Ukraine raises energy costs because of a surge in gas prices.But critics say that aside from raising bills compared to renewable alternatives, new nuclear power will also take too long to come online and will not fix the problems the strategy is seeking to create. The much-delayed Hinkley Point C reactor was ultimately approved in 2016 but is not expected to start generating electricity until 2027 at the earliest.Last month Boris Johnson met with nuclear industry leaders ahead of the energy strategy. Tom Greatrex, a former Labour shadow energy minister who is now chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said after the meeting: “Accelerating nuclear projects is absolutely essential to keep energy costs down, cut expensive gas imports and strengthen our energy security as we move towards net zero.”That means urgently investing in a fleet of large and small nuclear stations, alongside renewable investment, to deliver the clean, sovereign power we need.”The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has been contacted for comment on this story. More

Boris Johnson has defended his decision to scrap plans to ban trans conversion therapy, arguing it would be harmful for children who have doubts about their gender.Quizzed about the controversial move – which has forced the government to cancel a showpiece LGBT+ conference – the prime minister urged his critics to consider the “complexities and sensitivities”.Mr Johnson claimed the decision did nothing to “diminish our determination to tackle prejudice wherever we can”, despite some leading Tory MPs joining the outcry.And, asked why he is pulling back, he pointed to the need for parents to be fully involved in their children’s decisions about whether to undergo “irreversible treatments”.Speaking at a hospital, the prime minister pointed to the issue of “Gillick competence”, a term in medical law to decide whether a child is able to consent to treatment, such as changing gender.“I don’t think that it’s reasonable for kids to be deemed so-called Gillick-competent to take decisions about their gender or irreversible treatments that they may have. I think there should be parental involvement at the very least,” he said.Mr Johnson also argued “biological males” should not be competing in women’s sports and that hospitals, prisons and changing rooms should have spaces “dedicated to women”.“That’s as far as my thinking has developed on this issue. If that puts me in conflict with some others, then we have got to work it all out,” he said.Revealingly, the prime minister said he was learning about what he called “novel concepts”, saying: “This is something that, frankly for people like me, it wasn’t something I thought I would have to consider in great detail.”But Keir Starmer accused the government of “distraction tactics” in creating the row over conversion therapy, insisting int should be banned in all its forms.And a former LGBT government adviser accused the government of “pathetic excuses” that were wrongly “conflating two very different things”.Jayne Ozanne, who quit as an adviser over the “hostile environment” being created for LGBT+ people, said their trust in ministers is now “utterly broken”.“Conversion therapy is about being told that you can never be trans, that there is an ideology at heart which stops someone being who they are,” she said.“Of course these issues are complex, but that is why other international countries have found a way through.”Mr Johnson said he was “sad” about the criticism that has forced the government to take the embarrassing step of cancelling the international conference in June.“We will have a ban on gay conversion therapy, which to me is utterly abhorrent,” he said.“But there are complexities and sensitivities when you move from the area of sexuality to the question of gender. There, I’m afraid, there are things that I think still need to be worked out.” More

Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s popularity with voters has plunged amid continuing debate over the Government’s reaction to surging living costs, according to a poll.His net favourability was down 24 points since just before his spring statement on March 23, to reach minus 29, the survey by YouGov found.The poll put the Chancellor’s support below that of Sir Keir Starmer (minus 25) for the first time since the Labour leader took office.Minus 29 is Mr Sunak’s lowest ever result and is a 24-point decrease since March 22-23, and a 14-point drop since immediately after the spring statement, the figures showed. More

Black households in the UK are up to four times more likely to be suffering from food insecurity than the national average as the cost-of-living crisis grips the nation, fresh analysis indicates.New figures from the Department for Work and Pensions Family Resources Survey show that in the 2020/21 financial year, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, some 21 per cent of households headed by someone from a Black African, Black Caribbean or Black British background didn’t have enough food to stay healthy and active. This figure is three times more than the UK national average of 7 per cent.Moreover, the proportion of Black households with very low food security status stood at 12 per cent – four times the national average of 3 per cent. Households with this status would “anticipate substantive disruption to their food intake”. This means that 280,000 Black people across the UK struggled to get enough to eat at the height of the pandemic, the Labour Party has calculated.Taiwo Owatemi MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities, said: “Families in the country are reeling from Conservative failure that will leave them £2,620 worse off. But for the 4.6 million households already grappling with food poverty during the pandemic, the cost of living crisis started a long time ago.“The Conservatives should be particularly appalled that their failure to tackle structural inequality left Black households three times more likely to suffer from food insecurity during the pandemic, with one in ten struggling to get enough to eat at the height of the crisis.”Some 12 per cent of households led by someone from a Bangladeshi heritage also suffered from very low food security, while households led by someone from a Pakistani background are the second most food insecure overall at 17 per cent.The figures come at a time when evidence shows people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds are also significantly more likely to be living in poverty and are disproportionately affected by the cost of living crisis.Analysis by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation published in January found that poverty rates are significantly higher among people from Bangladeshi (53 per cent), Pakistani (48 per cent) and Black (40 per cent) ethnic groups than among white people (19 per cent).Nearly four in five Black households have less than £1,500 in savings, according to another Labour analysis for Race Equality Week in February which The Independentfirst reported on.A recent study from the Trades Union Congress (TUC) highlighted that ethnic minority workers are significantly overrepresented on zero-hours contracts compared to white workers by 4.3 per cent compared to 3 per cent.“Black, Asian and minority ethnic people deserve better than a Conservative Government that denies structural racism even exists,” Ms Taiwo said, adding that the next Labour Government would introduce a landmark Race Equality Act to tackle racial inequality and cut energy bills by up to £600.The Government, however, neglected to address the racial disparity in food security when approached for comment by The Independent.A Whitehall spokesperson said: “We spent billions to help those most in need and combat food insecurity throughout the pandemic. This included the £429.1m Covid Local Support Grant, which was created to help families with food and fuel bills.“We also recognise the pressures people are currently facing with the cost of living, which is why we’re providing support worth over £22 billion across this financial year to help, and we’re developing the Food Strategy White Paper with colleagues across Government to build on existing work, identifying new opportunities to make the food system healthier, more sustainable, more resilient, and more accessible for those across the UK.” More

A senior Conservative MP has said he can “see no logic” in the government’s widely-criticised decision to U-turn on a conversion therapy ban for trans people.William Wragg, who chairs the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, said: “If banning conversion therapy will stop the likes of me being subjected to mental cruelty in repressing my true self, why not so for someone who is trans?”“I can see no logic in excluding trans people from legislation banning conversion therapy,” he added. “Let’s have some empathy”.It comes as Boris Johnson continues to face pressure over the move and the resignation of the government’s LGBT+ business adviser, who accused ministers of attempting to wage a “woke war” on the LGBT+ community.Last night, the government also cancelled its long-touted global LGBT+ conference – an event due to be held in London towards the end of June to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first official Pride marches in the capital.Liz Truss, who holds the equalities brief alongside her role as foreign secretary, championed the event last year, saying it would “take aim at the prejudices LGBT people still face” and bring together members of the community.The commitment to hold the “first ever international LGBT conference” was contained in the Conservatives’ election manifesto, which said the government would “support marginalised communities in the developing world”.But the conference was thrown into doubt earlier this week after 100 LGBT+ charities and HIV groups pulled out of the event in protest at the decision to exclude trans people from a conversion therapy ban.Responding to the cancellation of the conference, Dehenna Davison — a Tory MP for the 2019 intake — said: “We had such a huge opportunity to prove the UK (and the Conservative party) is a defender of freedom.“As a Conservative member of the LGBT+ community, it is so wrong it has come to this”.Labour’s shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry also described the cancellation of the LGBT conference as a “sickening waste”, adding: “ For three years, they did nothing except talk up their ‘Safe To Be Me’ conference. And now where are we?”Last week, officials and ministers, including Ms Truss, were blindsided by Mr Johnson’s leaked plan to U-turn on a pledge to introduce a legislative ban on so-called conversion therapy.After promoting outrage, No 10 partially backtracked, insisting legislation would be introduced, but only for gay conversion therapy — a discredited practice that seeks to change or suppress an individual’s sexual identity. More