UK Politics

A Labour frontbencher has broken ranks in the discussion over trans rights and declared that “men have penises, women have vaginas”.Characterising his comments as a “biology lesson”, Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary said he however believed trans rights should be debated in a “respectful” way.It comes after Keir Starmer and his deputy Angela Rayner both rejected the framing of the question about genitalia – which broadcasters have taken to asking politicians. MPs touring the studios in recent weeks have been subjected to questioning over whether they believe someone with a penis can identify as a woman.Appearing on TalkRadio with host Julia Hartley-Brewer, Mr Steeting replied: “Men have penises, women have vaginas, here ends my biology lesson.” He added: “That doesn’t mean by the way that there aren’t people who transition to other genders because they experience gender dysphoria and we should acknowledge that and conduct the debate in a respectful way that respects those people’s rights and dignity.”His comments come on the morning Jamie Wallis, a Conservative, came out as the first trans member of parliament. Mr Streeting’s reply prompted delight from radio host Ms Hartley-Brewer, who started clapping and replied: “Wes Streeting, can I just say, I’ve got a Labour MP on who can answer that question and who did biology.”The MP added: “Oh god, I’m getting a clap from Julia Hartley-Brewer, this is the end of my lefty street-cred, if I ever had any.” His response to the question contrasts with the approach taken by the Labour party leadership – which has said the framing is unhelpful and upsetting.Asked the same question on Monday Keir Starmer told LBC radio: “I don’t think that discussing this issue in this way helps anyone in the long run. “What I want to see is a reform of the law as it is, but I am also an advocate of safe spaces for women. “I want to have a discussion with anybody who genuinely wants to find a way through this. “I do find that too many people retreat to or hold a position which is intolerant of others. And that’s not picking on any individual at all, but I don’t like intolerance, I like open discussion.”And deputy leader Angela Rayner had previously replied that the framing of the question “really debases the serious issues that people face” and “really upsets me”.“When we debase it to what genitalia you’ve got, I think all that does is damage people and it doesn’t help us go forward on some of the real issues that people are facing,” she said.Mr Streeting, asked by Ms Hartley-Brewer whether he could “have a word with Keir Starmer”, said: “He doesn’t need any advice from me … we want a respectful debate about these issues and we recognise that there’ve been tensions on the gender identity debate and sex-based rights debate and we’ve just got to acknowledge that and find a way through that maybe not everyone loves but maybe everyone can live with.” More

Government ministers will “inevitably” have to reveal any fines they receive over breaches of Covid laws, the deputy prime minister Dominic Raab has conceded.No 10 has only promised to confirm if Boris Johnson or his cabinet secretary Simon Case are given a fixed penalty notice, after the Metropolitan Police said it was issuing the first 20 fines over Partygate.However, Mr Raab said any minister fined would also have to be named. Asked if other ministers would disclose fixed penalty notices, Mr Raab told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think that’s inevitably the case, yes.”The justice secretary said the public would not necessarily be told if Mr Johnsons’ wife, Carrie, was issued with a fine – and defended the principle of protecting civil servants.“She is not a minister or a politician. The Metropolitan Police do not publish the identities of people subject to fixed penalty notices,” he told the Today programme. “I don’t think it is right to have double standards.”Asked if the top civil servants should be named, given the huge public interest in the case, Mr Raab said: “I don’t think you should have double standards from the normal rules that apply.”Mr Raab refused to be drawn on whether Mr Johnson would have to step down if he did receive one. “I am not going to comment on hypothetical questions or speculate on an ongoing police investigation,” he told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.The deputy PM said he did accept Covid laws had been broken. No 10 said on Tuesday that Mr Johnson did not formally accept that the law had been broken – despite the 20 police fines.Asked on Sky News if the issuing of a fixed penalty notice meant the law had been broken, Mr Raab said: “Yes, inevitably fixed penalty notices (are issued to) those that have breached the regulations.” The Met would not say how many individuals will get a fine – it is possible some will get more than one if they attended multiple illegal events. The force would also not say which parties the fines relate to.No 10 has declined to say whether fined individuals can carry on working in No 10, though former chief whip Mark Harper suggested law-breaking civil servants or advisers would have to be sacked.In a tweet, the senior Tory MP posted a screenshot of the Civil Service Code, highlighting a passage saying they must “comply with the law”.The College of Policing has said forces must apply proportionality when considering what information to hold back – adding: “The police can consider the details of any investigation to make decisions in the best interests of the public.”’It’s not a party, it’s colleagues getting together’: Tory MPs deny dinner with PM is ‘party’Meanwhile, Mr Raab also denied that Mr Johnson deliberately misled parliament over government gatherings – saying he had been telling the truth “to the best of his ability”.The prime minister told the Commons in December that “all guidance was followed completely”. Challenged over the remarks, Mr Raab said: “I don’t think there was an intention to mislead … The prime minister in good faith updated parliament on what he knows.”The senior cabinet minister also told BBC Breakfast: “To jump from that to say he deliberately misled parliament rather than answering to the best of his ability I’m afraid is just not right.”Mr Johnson will face MPs following the police conclusion that coronavirus laws were broken at the heart of his government – likely to endure a difficult session of PMQs before a further grilling from senior MPs at the Liaison Committee. More

The Foreign Office has said it is “no longer tenable” for UK judges to sit on Hong Kong’s top court due to the impact on human rights of the national security law imposed by Beijing.The department added the legislation – imposed on Hong Kong in 2020 – was having a “chilling effect”, with China using the legislation to undermine “fundamental rights and freedoms”.It comes after the UK Supreme Court said its justices cannot continue to serve on the court of final appeal without appearing to endorse a regime “which has departed from the values of political freedom, and freedom of expression”.The decision — to withdraw serving judges from the Hong Kong court — was taken following discussions between the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, the justice secretary Dominic Raab, and the Supreme Court president, Lord Reed.Lord Reed and deputy president Lord Hodge have both now quit as non-permanent judges at the Hong Kong court of final appeal where UK judges have continued to sit since the territory was handed back to China in 1997.In a statement on Wednesday, Ms Truss said: “We have seen a systematic erosion of liberty and democracy in Hong Kong.“Since the national security law was imposed, authorities have cracked down on free speech, the free press and free association.“The situation has reached a tipping point where it is no longer tenable for British judges to sit on Hong Kong’s leading court, and would risk legitimising oppression.“I welcome and wholeheartedly support the decision to withdraw British judges from the court.”Mr Raab, the deputy prime minister, added that since the introduction of Beijing’s national security law in 2020, the government’s assessment of the situation in Hong is “that it has shifted too far from the freedoms we hold dear — making free expression and honest critique of the state a criminal offence”.He added: “This flies in the face of the handover agreement we have had with China since 1997 and, having discussed at length with foreign secretary and the president of the Supreme Court, we regretfully agree that it is no longer appropriate for serving UK judges to continue sitting in Hong Kong courts.” More

A Conservative politician has come out as transgender, making him the UK’s first openly trans member of parliament.Jamie Wallis, MP for Bridgend and Porthcawl, said he had been diagnosed with gender dysphoria and wanted to transition.In a statement posted online on Wednesday morning the MP said he was not sure how to proceed, but wanted to make the situation public.”I’m trans. Or to be more accurate, I want to be. I’ve been diagnosed with gender dysphoria and I’ve felt this way since I was a very young child,” Wallis said.”I had no intention of ever sharing this with you. I always imagined I would leave politics well before I ever said this out loud.”Mr Wallis added: “I have never lived my truth and I’m not sure how. Perhaps it starts with telling everyone.”In a follow-up statement the MP said that for now he would continue to use he/him pronouns and “continue to present as I always have”.Wallis added he was suffering from post traumatic stress disorder triggered by a previous attempt to blackmail him about his gender, and an incident of rape, which had left him “not OK”.The MP won praise from across the political spectrum for show “bravery” in talking about his situation.Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “Well done Jamie Wallis for speaking out and your brave statement. We stand with you.” Labour’s shadow foreign secretary David Lammy added: “An incredibly brave and dignified statement from Jamie Wallis. This sends a powerful message to the whole of the Commons and the whole of the country.”Liberal Democrat Layla Moran said: “Sending loads of support, Jamie. I hope you’ll be overwhelmed by love for taking the plunge and revealing your truth.” while SNP frontbencher Stewart McDonald said: “The step you have taken in sharing this with us all is one of exceptional courage, and the next steps won’t be alone. All power to you, Jamie.”Boris Johnson – who the night before had cracked a joke about trans people at a dinner of Conservative MPs – said: “Sharing this very intimate story would have taken an immense amount of courage. Thank you Jamie Wallis for your bravery, which will undoubtedly support others.”The Conservative Party I lead will always give you, and everyone else, the love and support you need to be yourself.” More

Deputy prime minister Dominic Raab has denied that Boris Johnson deliberately misled parliament over the Partygate scandal – saying he had been telling the truth “to the best of his ability”.The prime minister told the Commons in December that “all guidance was followed completely”, but the Metropolitan Police handed out 20 fines over law-breaking events held during the Covid pandemic.“I don’t think there was an intention to mislead,” Mr Raab told Times Radio on Mr Johnson’s previous remarks.The cabinet minister also told BBC Breakfast: “To jump from that to say he deliberately misled parliament rather than answering to the best of his ability I’m afraid is just not right.”Mr Raab said Mr Johnson had been “updating parliament to the best of his knowledge and understanding” before suggesting he may have said things that “turned out not to be true”.He added: “But I think it’s rather different to say he lied – to suggest he was deliberately misleading parliament.”Asked on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme if he accepted Mr Johnson had said things that were not true, Mr Rabb said: “Yes, look it’s clear that … his understanding of events which he spoke to best of his ability.”Challenged on whether Mr Johnson knew he had been at social gathering at the time he made his remarks, given the photo of the PM relaxing with staff in the No 10 garden, Mr Raab told the BBC Breakfast: “You’re conflating all sorts of things.” He added: “The PM has not, to date, been issued with a fixed penalty notice. You’re asserting he was at parties in relation to photos which I don’t think demonstrated that.”Asked about what Mr Johnson’s understanding was of “events he was at”, Mr Raab told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Let’s not conflate things. You’re talking about 20 fixed penalty notices. It’s quite right to say we weren’t aware of those infractions at the time.”Mr Raab refused to say whether Mr Johnson would have to step down if he was issued with a fixed penalty notice. “I am not going to comment on hypothetical questions or speculate on an ongoing police investigation,” he told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.Mr Raab also said the “caricature” of boozy parties at No 10 and Whitehall offices during the Covid period was wrong – though he did accept Covid laws had been broken.No 10 said on Tuesday that Mr Johnson did not formally accepted that the law had been broken despite the 20 fixed-penalty notices issued by Scotland Yard.Asked on Sky News if the issuing of a fixed penalty notice meant the law had been broken, Mr Raab said: “Yes, inevitably fixed penalty notices (are issued to) those that have breached the regulations.” More

Dominic Raab is set to unveil new plans that could see the government overrule some Parole Board decisions to keep in prison the criminals deemed to be the most dangerous to the public.The justice secretary is expected to reveal in the House of Commons on Wednesday his “root-and-branch” review of the parole system. The Parole Board are responsible for deciding when to release offenders who are subject to life sentences, indeterminate sentences for public protection, extended sentences, and certain recall sentences.It is reported that Mr Raab, who is the de facto deputy to Boris Johnson, is aiming to focus on protecting the public – rather than the rights of offenders – by offering more prescriptive guidance on when prisoners should be freed. He is also hoping to reintroduce powers allowing ministers to check releases in cases involving murder, rape, terrorism and causing or allowing the death of a child, with a view to protecting the public. This could see Mr Raab block Parole Board decisions in certain cases. Victim participation in parole hearings is also due to be announced, giving victims the right to attend parole hearings in full for the first time, in a nod to the Conservative Party’s 2019 manifesto. The Parole Board will now be required to take into account submissions made by victims and they will be allowed to ask questions in the submissions. Mr Raab’s changes to the parole system comes after a public outcry over the decision to release double child killer and rapist Colin Pitchfork from jail as well as London taxi driver and rapist John Worboys. The release of Worboys was later formally overturned after the case was examined by a new panel, while Pitchfork was recalled to prison for a breach of licence conditions in November.Mr Raab said: “As justice secretary, I have the responsibility to keep the public safe but to do this I need to be able to exercise authority when it comes to releasing dangerous criminals. “I’m not satisfied our current approach is as robust as it needs to be which is why I am making changes to restore public confidence in the system.” More

An estimated £2.7bn of taxpayers’ money is at risk from government PPE contracts, with millions being spent on items in storage, a new report by the National Audit Office has warned.The public spending watchdog said the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) was still dealing with the result of emergency procurement decisions during the Covid pandemic, with 3.6 billion items deemed unsuitable for use currently in storage. In total 14.2 billion items of PPE remain in storage – at an estimated £7m-a-month cost – with DHSC attempting to reduce excess stock by selling, repurposing, donating, or recycling equipment.Over half (53 per cent) of the 51 VIP lanes suppliers – firms suggested by government officials, ministers’ offices, MPs and health staff – provided some PPE that the government considers not currently suitable for frontline services, the body added.In its report, the NAO stated: “The department is managing 176 contracts where it believes it may not achieve full value for money, with an estimated £2.7bn at risk.“The total value of these contracts is £3.9bn, but the department’s assessment is that not all of this money is at risk as at least some PPE from these contracts may have passed quality checks.”Responding to the “staggering” figures, the chair of the Public Accounts Committee, Meg Hillier, said that DHSC must urgently “get a grip” of PPE stocks and contracts while Angela Rayner described it as the “latest shameful chapter in the government’s cocktail of sleaze and incompetence”.The report by the NAO into the management of PPE contracts found that two years on from the start of the pandemic, the department was still dealing with issues over some of the almost 10,000 contracts drawn up to purchase almost 38 billion items at a cost of £12.6bn. The watchdog recognised that officials had rushed to buy equipment in an “extremely over-heated global market, with desperate customers competing against each other, pushing up prices and buying huge volume of PPE”.In order to secure the “unprecedented amount” of items needed, ministers established two new procurement routes, including the parallel supply chain in late March 2020 and the UK Make route in April 2020 to purchase PPE specifically from UK-based manufacturers. While 9,492 contracts worth £5.2bn were agreed through the existing NHS supply chain, a further £7.9bn was awarded across 394 contracts through the two new routes, the NAO report detailed.Of the 394 contracts, 115 of those went to 51 VIP lane suppliers and 46 of these contracts did not go through full due diligence checks, which were only put in place from May 2020 onwards, but some measures were in place.The report said DHSC paid out £2.5bn to suppliers upfront – before PPE was received – to “prevent contracted PPE being gazumped while in transit”. Five of those upfront payment contracts, worth £19m, are at risk of not being delivered, the report said.Of the PPE which has been received, 17.3 billion items (55 per cent) have been sent to frontline staff, but 14.1 billion items – worth £8.5bn – remain in storage, either in one of 50 warehouses, with suppliers, or in shipping containers.By November 2021 it had cost the government £737m to store PPE. Some £436m of that was penalty charges, because DHSC could not move the items out of shipping containers in time.Gareth Davies, the head of the NAO, said: “The Department of Health and Social Care is still dealing with the results of its emergency procurement decisions, some two years after it first needed to rapidly buy PPE in unprecedented circumstances.“The department is continuing to manage 176 contracts where it believes it may not achieve full value for money, with an estimated £2.7bn at risk”.The chair of the Commons Public Accounts Committee, Ms Hillier added: “The numbers are staggering – over 30 billion items of PPE received so far with 5 billion more on the way and 3.6 billion items that can’t be used by front-line services. Storage alone has cost over £700m, with DHSC continuing to spend £7m a money storing PPE it doesn’t need.“Whatever forbearance the taxpayer may have had at the start of the pandemic, this will quickly wear thin if DHSC can’t now manage the consequences. The department must urgently get a grip of its PPE stocks and focus on protecting value for taxpayers. It has to claw back contract costs where it can, get rid of unusable PPE, and cut down on expensive storage.”A DHSC spokesperson said: “Our priority throughout the pandemic has been saving lives, and we have delivered over 19.1 billion items of PPE to frontline staff to keep them safe.“Having too much PPE was preferable to having too little in the face of an unpredictable and dangerous virus, given this was essential to keep our NHS open and protect as many people as possible.“Where contracts are in dispute, we are seeking to recover costs from suppliers and we expect to recover significant amounts of taxpayers’ money.” More

Tory ministers were heckled by bereaved families of Covid victims shouting “off to another party are we?” as they attended a dinner held by Prime Minister Boris Johnson at a luxury central London hotel.Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove were among those to arrive at the Park Plaza near Westminster Bridge shortly before 8pm on Tuesday. More