UK Politics

Boris Johnson’s plan to keep the lights on as the world weans itself off Russian oil and gas in response to the invasion of Ukraine as been delayed and may not appear until the end of March, it has emerged.News of the delay emerged amid expectation that the prime minister will shortly visit Saudi Arabia to ask the oil-rich kingdom to step up production to give buyers an alternative to Russian supplies.Any trip would be diplomatically awkward, coming soon after Saudi Arabia announced it had executed 81 people in the largest mass use of the death penalty for many years.The prime minister said a week ago on 7 March that a new energy supply strategy would be unveiled in the coming days to set out a “step by step” move away from Russian hydrocarbons. He later said the UK will stop imports of Russian oil, but not gas, by the end of 2022.And he repeated the promise to MPs at prime minister’s questions last Wednesday, when he said his “energy independence plan for this country” would be set out “in the course of the next few days”.He indicated that it would involve a boost to nuclear and renewable sources of energy, but was also likely to include stepping up North Sea oil and gas production in the shorter term to help the transition to carbon-free energy.And he sparked speculation that he may give the green light to fracking for shale gas, after Downing Street said he was looking at “all options” to boost the UK’s homegrown energy supply.But it is now understood that the plan is unlikely to be published this week and may not come until the end of March.Mr Johnson was today hosting leaders of the UK’s offshore oil and gas industry at Downing Street to discuss energy security and investment in the North Sea.But No 10 continued to set its face against calls for a windfall tax on the companies, which are enjoying surging profits as the war in Ukraine and international sanctions drive energy prices sky-high.Labour and Lib Dems have called for a one-off tax to cushion the blow of household gas and electricity bill rises expected to total as much as £1,700 for the typical household this year and fuel prices which have topped £1.60 a litre at the petrol pumps.But Mr Johnson’s spokesperson said: “The government’s view remains a windfall tax could deter investment opportunities, put jobs at risk and could risk the security of our energy supply. That remains our position.”The PM’s official spokesman said government wanted to reduce volatility in the oil market and bring down prices.Asked whether the UK would like to see the Saudis increase oil production, the spokesman said: “We will be speaking to the Saudis about a range of issues, not just energy supply.“Diversifying our energy supply is important, as is boosting renewable energy. There are no quick fixes but we do want to reduce the volatility and bring prices down.” More

Boris Johnson hosting Ukrainian refugees in No 10 would present “security challenges”, Downing Street has said.Asked whether the prime minister would take part in the government’s new scheme to help people fleeing the Russian invasion Mr Johnson’s spokesperson said it would also represent a “significant commitment” And No 10 said Mr Johnson may not be able to unilaterally decide to put anyone up in the prime minister’s country mansion of Chequers as it is owned by a private trust.It comes as the government launches a new humanitarian programme that will pay households £350 a month to open their homes to people fleeing the war in Ukraine. Under the new Homes for Ukraine scheme, people will be able to nominate a named Ukrainian individual or a family to stay with them or in another house they own for at least six months, rent-free.Asked if Boris Johnson would offer to take in a Ukrainian individual or family, the prime minister’s spokesperson said: “There are specific challenges around the security of having someone in No 10. Various ministers have been asked about this and it will come down to individual circumstances. “It’s a significant commitment and it will depend on individual circumstances and is a matter for them.”Later asked if PM was ruling out taking in a Ukrainian, the spokesperson told reporters that he hasn’t asked Mr Johnson directly.Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is among prominent politicians to commit to taking in a Ukrainian refugee under the scheme. “We’ve spent the past few weeks as a family discussing the devastating situation in Ukraine, and so we intend to apply today to join other UK households in offering our home to provide refuge to Ukrainians until it is safe for them to return to their country,” he said in a message at lunchtime on Monday.The new scheme comes amid criticism of the UK government’s approach to helping people fleeing the Russian invasion. Britain has not followed EU member states’ lead in putting in place an open border policy for Ukrainians and instead is still requiring lengthy visa applications for people with links to the UK or a nominated sponsor. More

Boris Johnson is heading for a trouncing in crucial London local elections in May, according to a new poll giving Labour a massive 30-point lead.The Tories are failing to gain a bounce in support from the war in Ukraine, the survey suggests – with worries over a deepening cost of living crisis foremost in voters’ minds.At the last borough council elections in London in 2018, Labour beat the Conservatives by 15 points, but that margin has now doubled according to the research by Deltapoll.Keir Starmer’s party leads in the capital by 54 per cent to 24 per cent – compared with a victory by 44 per cent to 29 per cent four years ago.Crucially, the “totemic” Tory-held London boroughs of Wandsworth and Westminster are expected to be the key to the election battles on 5 May, which could still determine Mr Johnson’s fate.The Ukraine war has made it highly unlikely that Conservative MPs will topple him over the Partygate scandal – even if he is fined for breaking his own Covid rules, when the police investigation concludes.However, the prime minister remains vulnerable to evidence at the ballot box that voters have turned decisively against his premiership.Worryingly for the Conservatives, National Insurance payments, energy bills and council tax will all rise sharply next month – one month before polling day.A spring statement next month gives Rishi Sunak the opportunity to ease the pain, but the chancellor is not expected to announce further expensive help for households just yet.The poll was carried out on behalf of the London Communications Agency, whose board director, Jenna Goldberg, said: “From this poll, Labour would appear to be approaching May’s elections in the capital from a position of strength.”London’s voters are able to “blame the government for the cost of living crisis”, she said, even as ministers attempt to point to global factors.The poll, of 1,026 Londoners, carried out online between 3 and 7 March, found 52 per cent pointed to the cost of living as a major cause of concern.This was far ahead of other issues such as housing (26 per cent), the Ukraine war (26 per cent), crime (25 per cent) and inflation (23 per cent).Wandsworth, in south London, has been Tory-controlled since 1978, shortly before Margaret Thatcher entered Downing Street, but is vulnerable to both changing voter opinion and boundary changes.The Conservatives have run Westminster since 1964, but face an “uphill fight” to hang onto it, local elections expert Rob Hayward has said.The Deltapoll puts the Liberal Democrats on just 9 per cent in London, with the Greens on 5 per cent.On 5 May, elections will be held for 146 councils in England, all 32 Scottish councils, all 22 Welsh councils and seven directly elected mayoralties. More

The UK remains at risk of fraud on the scale of “the Mafia in southern Italy” because of gaping loopholes in its anti-oligarchs crackdown, a former Conservative minister is warning.Theodore Agnew – who quit dramatically over the failure to tackle massive fraud in Covid business loan schemes – has highlighted stark weaknesses in the flagship Economic Crime Bill.The legislation is being rushed through after criticism of the government for dragging its heels on sanctioning oligarchs close to Vladimir Putin, with many more expected to be targeted as early as tomorrow.But Lord Agnew warned the Bill falls badly short, because:* It will still be possible to “cloak the real property owners in anonymity”, using nominee directors and companies – with stronger powers to demand information needed.* There may be no extra funding for enforcement – after the National Crime Agency had its funding cut by 4 per cent “despite soaring levels of economic crime”.* There is a “mishmash of over 20 counter fraud related agencies” – with “no single overseeing minister or coordinating authority”.* Of badly-regulated Electronic Money Institutions (EMIs) – with evidence that more than 40 “have senior figures linked to money laundering”.* The “failure” of crown dependencies and British overseas territories to create open registers of beneficial ownership of companies allows “corruption and money laundering”.* Companies House allows 300,000 firms a year to be registered with no proper checks – in “moments, at minimal cost”.Lord Agnew said the loopholes must be closed if the UK is to win “the wider fight against dirty money, be it illicit finance from Russia, fraud or economic crime”.“We need only look around the world at civilised countries caught in the grip of white-collar fraud, for example the Mafia in southern Italy, to see where the road leads if we continue to tolerate industrial scales of illegal behaviour,” he said.Writing in The Times, the peer added: “Ultimately bad money chases out good money and we all lose.”Lord Agnew hit the headlines in January, when he quit at the despatch box accusing the Treasury of “arrogance, indolence and ignorance” over fraud – with no plan to recover the billions lost.The Economic Crime Bill is expected to achieve royal assent late on Monday, but ministers have acknowledged its weaknesses by admitting a second Bill will be needed.Lord Agnew demanded “clarity and a commitment on what will come next”, fearing the second piece of legislation may not follow.“The war in Ukraine and Russia’s unprovoked and naked aggression has focused the government’s mind,” he has written.“It seems unlikely but, should the war in Ukraine drag on so long that it fades from the headlines, there is a danger that the government’s interest could wane.” More

The Health Secretary has been branded “shameful” after he falsely claimed Ukrainian NHS staff were covered by the government’s refugee scheme. Sajid Javid on Monday said a Ukrainian on a work visa employed in the National Health Service could bring their family to the UK.But the scheme is not open to those in Britain on a work visa, and the opposition says the government has “repeatedly refused” to help the families in question. Mr Javid was quizzed over the hole in provision for those fleeing the Russian invasion on Monday Morning and appeared to flounder.Asked about Ukrainians on work visas in the NHS, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “In the situation that you just gave, a Ukrainian living in working here, you will be able to bring their family here into the UK under the extended family scheme. “And that scheme is already up and running. It will be made a lot easier and a lot simpler from tomorrow when it will become a online only process.”However, the conditions of the scheme as laid out on the government website say it covers only British nationals, EU nationals, people with settled status or permanent residence, or refugee status themselves.Asked whether he was sure, because the government’s website said the opposite of what he was claiming, Mr Javid instead said another not-yet-launched scheme could be of assistance.The government is today expected to announce a hosting scheme whereby British nationals will be able to sponsor Ukrainians coming to the UK.But it will still not give Ukrainians living in Britain on work visas – including in the NHS – the automatic right to having their family join them.”Well, what I can say for sure is that under the hosting scheme for anyone that is living in Britain they can host a Ukrainian family,” Mr Javid told the broadcaster. “There’s two separate schemes and and I think taken together these schemes will mean that anyone, whether they have a relative in the UK or not, will be able to get safe passage and sanctuary in the UK. These are two very broad schemes.”Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Sajid Javid said on the Today programme that Ukrainian NHS staff on work visas can bring family to UK under Family Scheme.But the government’s website says no. Their families are still being turned away. The government has repeatedly refused to include those families. Truly shameful.”The department for health and social care, which Mr Javid leads, has been contacted for comment on this story.Britain has stood out among European countries in not offering an open door policy to Ukrainian refugees – with the government coming in for international criticism.At the start of the week French interior minister Gerald Darmanin, wrote a strongly-worded letter to his British counterpart Priti Patel, accusing the UK of a “lack of humanity” for not opening its doors.Ms Patel announced more measures to relax biometric checks on Thursday but Labour has said the measures will still result in delays. The opposition says emergency protection visas should be introduced, though it has also stopped short of calling the UK to emulate the UK’s open door policy and waive visas entirely.The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page. More

Labour is calling on the government to act over the “spiralling cost-of-living crisis” as figures suggest families face a near £400 annual rise in the cost of petrol.The party said its analysis of official statistics found the average family is facing a yearly rise of £386 on the cost of petrol.The total was calculated by taking the increase in petrol prices over the past year and an average for the number of cars owned by families across the country, as well as how far they travel.Labour found the cost of a litre of unleaded petrol increased by 38p from March 2021 to March 2022, and the average family has 1.2 cars and travels 8,040 miles in a year.The record rise comes as 25 million Brits are also set to be hit with a tax hike this spring, which will cost the average worker £255 a year.Labour reiterated its call for the government to halt the national insurance increase and back a one-off windfall tax on the soaring profits of oil and gas producers to help households through the crisis with up to £600 in support.Louise Haigh, Labour’s shadow transport secretary, said: “This is a savage extra cost for millions of working people.“The Conservatives could help working people being hit hard by soaring prices – instead they’ve rejected the choice of a one-off windfall tax on oil and gas producers raking in billions.“And to add insult to injury, within weeks they want to clobber families with a huge tax hike.“Labour would put working people first. Our plan would help households through this crisis with up to £600 cut off energy bills, funded by one-off windfall tax on the booming profits of oil and gas producers.“And we would turbocharge our transition to clean transport so never again are the British people left so exposed to unstable foreign oil.”Last month, chancellor Rishi Sunak announced plans for an energy rebate loan, giving all households discounts of around £200 in October, which is then to be repaid over five years.But the national insurance hike is expected to wipe out the loan.Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves told the Daily Mirror: “He’s trapping us in a cycle of high taxes and low growth, with working people paying the price.“The government has allowed the cost-of-living crisis to spiral out of control and will now make it even worse with an unfair tax hike.”A think tank last week warned households in Britain could be facing the sharpest decline in real incomes since the 1970s.Real household incomes across Britain could fall by 4 per cent for working-age people in the financial year 2022 to 2023, marking the biggest squeeze since the mid-1970s, according to estimates in the Resolution Foundation’s Living Standards Outlook for 2022.The real incomes drop would represent a fall of £1,000 per household for non-pensioners – a scale of decline which would normally be associated with recessions – according to researchers.A government spokesperson said: “The global price of crude oil has increased sharply over the past year, leading to increased petrol prices across the world, not just in the UK.“But we will do everything we can to mitigate that and to help the people of this country.“The £12bn in support that we’ve already announced to help with the cost of living includes a freeze on fuel duty for the twelfth year in a row – the longest sustained freeze in British history.” More

Refugee charities said the government’s new sponsorship route for Ukrainian refugees falls short of the response required, as fears grow that it will be too “slow and cumbersome” to meet the scale of the crisis.Cabinet minister Michael Gove said he hoped “tens of thousands” would be able to use the route set to be opened up this week, as he announced that local authority areas would get £10,000 per Ukrainian refugee sponsored in their area.But opposition parties said the scheme – which will also provide £350 per month to Britons who provide homes to Ukrainian refugees – placed too much of the burden on the public and community groups.The minister for levelling up said he hoped individuals and community groups would be able to “match” with refugees using social media, adding that charities would help in the process.Labour cautioned that “too many questions remain unanswered” about the new scheme – and ridiculed its reliance on social media.Shadow levelling up minister Lisa Nandy told LBC: “We’re asking people to ask to take to social media at a time they’re fleeing a war zone. This is a serious crisis – it’s not an online dating situation.”Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer claimed the government’s handling of refugees fleeing Ukraine was “far too slow, far too mean” and had been “an embarrassment for the United Kingdom”.Questioning the lack of detail in the sponsorship plan, Sir Keir told Sky News: “What would comfort me more frankly is if I heard from Michael Gove that there were plans in place for the support that’s actually going to be needed on arrival.”The Refugee Council said ministers were still putting too many “bureaucratic hurdles” in the way of those in danger. Chief executive Enver Solomon said the new scheme “falls short” of what is needed and would “inevitably be restricted to those who are known to people in the UK”.Louise Calvey of Refugee Action said the government were “tinkering at the margins” and had not set out a “well resourced” programme that deals with the scale of the refugee crisis now enveloping Europe.She said it was “really disappointing that we haven’t been able to collaborate on the development of this programme”, adding: “It worries me enormously … scaling up at this type of pace in a safe and sustainable fashion.”Mr Gove told Sky News the public could register interest in housing a refugee when a new website launches on Monday, and said he expects the first refugees making use of the route to come to the UK “in a week’s time”.Asked how sponsors and refugees were supposed the find each other, the minister told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday that the government believed they could try to form links on Instagram or Twitter.“We know charities, and we are working with them, who are working to identify people on the ground, and helping to identify people here to create the matching process,” he added.Sponsors will be expected to guarantee a minimum stay of six months – but will be encouraged to keep up the offer for as long as they can. Both those offering accommodation and Ukrainian applicants will undergo security checks.Sponsored refugees will be granted 36 months leave to remain in the UK, and will be entitled to work, benefits and public services.Councillor James Jamieson, chairman of the Local Government Association, said councils “will be central in helping families settle into their communities”. He called on Mr Gove’s department to work closely with local leaders so the scheme “can move at pace and scale”.First minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said on Sunday that Scotland “stands ready” to take 3,000 Ukrainian refugees immediately as a “super sponsor”.But Ms Sturgeon said she was worried the UK sponsorship scheme would be too “slow and cumbersome”, and may not be sustainable for the length of time that people may need to stay in the UK. More

Boris Johnson has been urged to sack home secretary Priti Patel over her department’s handling of the Ukrainian refugee crisis.Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said Ms Patel’s response to the “humanitarian catastrophe” had been “utterly shameful”.In a speech at the party’s spring conference on Sunday, the Lib Dem leader said: “She has answered desperation with delays; crisis with confusion; pain with paperwork.”Sir Ed alleged that Ms Patel has shown “incompetence, indifference and sheer inhumanity”, which “does not befit our United Kingdom, with its proud history of providing sanctuary to those in need”.He added: “It couldn’t be clearer that Priti Patel is not up to the job. The buck stops with the prime minister. So Boris Johnson must sack her now.”Levelling up secretary Michael Gove has announced details of a new sponsorship scheme to help people fleeing the Russian invasion, allowing Britons to offer homes to Ukrainian refugees and receive a “thank you” payment of £350 per month.Mr Gove said “tens of thousands” of refugees are potentially set to benefit from the new route, with the first expected to come the UK “in a week’s time”.The government has been criticised over the speed and scale of its efforts to bring people fleeing the war to the UK, with access previously limited to those with family members settled in this country.Labour also cautioned that “too many questions remain unanswered” about the new scheme – accusing the government of being “far too slow, far too mean” in its approach to refugees.Scottish first minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said on Sunday that Scotland “stands ready” to take 3,000 Ukrainian refugees immediately.Ms Sturgeon also said she was worried the UK sponsorship scheme will be “slow and cumbersome”, lack proper support and safeguarding, and may not be sustainable for the length of time that people may need to stay in the UK.Earlier this week, Conservative MPs joined the opposition in launching a furious attack on the Home Office’s “snail’s pace” response to the crisis.Davey told the Lib Dem conference that “people across the UK have said loud and clear: we want to welcome them, with open arms”, adding: “The British people want to offer them a home – but Priti Patel has slammed the door in their face.”Mr Gove said on Sunday that “more than 3,000 visas” have now been issued, up from the 1,305 figure given by Home Office minister Baroness Williams on Friday.Ms Patel and the Home Office have been approached for comment.In a previous statement, the government said: “We are standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukrainians, which is why we’ve made it easier for those with valid Ukrainian passports to come here. This is alongside changes to visas to ensure Ukrainians in the UK can stay here.”Meanwhile, Irish prime minister Micheal Martin said his country’s humanitarian response trumps security checks on arriving Ukrainians. “Our primary impulse is to assist those fleeing war,” he told the BBC.He said Ireland has so far accepted 5,500 people fleeing the Russian invasion, a response to what he termed “the worst displacement of people since World War Two”. More