UK Politics

Former Commons speaker John Bercow has been suspended from the Labour Party after a highly critical independent probe branded him a “serial bully”.The former Tory MP, who left the Commons in 2019, announced last year he had joined Sir Keir Starmer’s party, labelling the Conservatives “reactionary, populist, nationalistic and sometimes even xenophobic”.But The Independent understands Mr Bercow’s membership has now been suspended – pending the outcome of an internal Labour probe – after a damning inquiry by the Independent Expert Panel (IEP) into bullying claims.Published on Tuesday, the 89-page report upheld 21 allegations against Mr Bercow across three complainants, and concluded his behaviour “had no place in any workplace”.Mr Bercow’s conduct was “so serious that he should never be allowed a pass to the Parliamentary estate; and that if he were still a MP it would have recommended expelling him from the House”, the IEP said.The sanction means he becomes the second former MP to have the privilege of retaining a pass to the parliamentary estate revoked for life after the ex-Labour MP Keith Vaz faced a similar sanction in 2019.The probe by the IEP was launched after Mr Bercow appealed the findings of an initial investigation by Kathryn Stone, the parliamentary commissioner for standards, who had upheld 21 allegations made by Lord Lisvane, the former clerk of the Commons, and private secretaries Kate Emms and Angus Sinclair.They included events between 2009 and 2015, with the report detailing verbal abuse, displays of anger and “undermining behaviour” against Mr Sinclair.Ms Stone also upheld allegations made by Ms Emms, a current member of the House staff, who had claimed Mr Bercow mimicked her, created an “intimidating and hostile environment”, and was responsible for “intimidating, insulting behaviour involving an abuse of power” towards her. The former Commons speaker, who left the post in 2019 and was at the centre of heated rows during the divisive Brexit votes, denies the allegations of bullying and in a statement today said the investigation was a “travesty of justice”.But the IEP sub-panel chaired by Sir Stephen Irwin said: “The findings of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, which we have upheld, show that the respondent has been a serial bully.“Like many bullies, he had those whom he favoured and those whom he made victims. His evidence in the investigations, the findings of the Commissioner, and his submissions to us, show also that the respondent has been a serial liar.“His behaviour fell very far below that which the public has a right to expect from any Member of Parliament.It added: “The ICGS Bullying and Harassment Policy was breached repeatedly and extensively by the most senior Member of the House of Commons.“In all, 21 separate allegations were proved and have been upheld. The House may feel that his conduct brought the high office of Speaker into disrepute.“This was behaviour which had no place in any workplace. Members of staff in the House should not be expected to have to tolerate it as part of everyday life.”In a further statement today, the former MP Mr Bercow said: “Parliament is supposed to be the highest court in the land. This inquiry, which lasted a ghastly 22 months at great cost to the taxpayer, has failed dismally. More

The UK is facing a hefty fine from Brussels after a European court ruling that it was negligent in allowing EU markets to be flooded with cheap Chinese-made clothes and shoes.The European Court of Justice found that Britain had “failed to fulfil its obligations” on customs controls while an EU member by failing to “combat fraud with regards to undervalued imports of textiles and footwear from China”.However, the court rejected the European Commission’s demand for fines totalling 2.7bn euros (£2.2bn), ordering Brussels to recalculate the level of losses suffered before the penalty is fixed.The failures by HM Revenue and Customs date back to the period 2011-17, and despite Brexit the UK is still liable for breaches of EU law committed during its membership.The EU’s anti-fraud office Olaf said British authorities had allowed criminals to evade customs duties by making false claims about clothes and shoes imported from China. More than half of textiles and footwear were “below the lowest acceptable price”, it found.The Luxembourg court found that Olaf had informed EU member states as early as 2007 of the risk of “extreme undervaluation” of these products by Chinese shell companies registered for the sole purpose of “giving fraudulent transactions the appearance of legitimacy”.The UK declined to participate in a EU-wide scheme to tackle the problem, arguing that its checks for undervalued goods were disproportionate to the scale of the issue.Olaf argued that “inadequate” checks in the UK encouraged the shift of fraudulent operations from other member-states to the UK.In a statement released today, the court said: “The United Kingdom has failed to fulfil its obligations under EU law by failing to apply effective customs control measures or to enter in the accounts the correct amounts of customs duties, and accordingly to make available to the Commission the correct amount of traditional own resources in respect of certain imports of textiles and footwear from China”.The ruling said the full amounts involved have not yet been established “to the requisite legal standard”, adding it is now for the Commission to “recalculate the losses of EU own resources remaining due by taking account of the findings of the court regarding the quantum of the losses and the value to be attributed to them”.A UK government spokesperson said: “We will consider the judgment in full and respond in due course to the European Commission.”Throughout, we’ve made the case that we took reasonable and proportionate steps to tackle the fraud in question and that the Commission vastly overstated the size and severity of the alleged fraud.”The UK has always and continues to take customs fraud very seriously and evolves its response as new threats emerge.” More

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will speak live to Britain’s Parliament via video link on Tuesday afternoon about the brutal invasion of his country by Vladimir Putin’s Russia and the ensuing refugee crisis in Eastern Europe.Mr Zelensky will address MPs in the House of Commons from 5pm after the speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, had screens returned to the chamber for the first time since the pandemic’s work-from-home orders were in place in order to host him.“Every parliamentarian wants to hear directly from the president, who will be speaking to us live from Ukraine, so this is an important opportunity for the House,” Sir Lindsay said.Mr Zelensky’s speech will be broadcast live on Indy TV, on BBC Parliament and the major news networks and otherwise covered extensively online across The Independent.MPs will wear headsets to hear a translation of his remarks but will not be invited to submit questions.Mr Zelensky, a former sitcom actor and comedian who was elected in May 2019, has become the unlikely face of the resistance and a hero across the world over the last 13 days for his brave leadership of Ukraine against unprovoked Russian military aggression.Despite the very real threat to his own life – Mr Zelensky’s assassination is believed to be a key priority for Mr Putin, determined to deal a devastating blow to Ukrainian morale – he has rejected multiple invitations to flee in order to remain in Kyiv with his fellow citizens, projecting a weary but defiant calm, speaking frankly about the horrors unfolding and calling on the international community to do more to intervene and bring an end to Russian hostilites.He has worked hard to rally his fellow countrymen and women, posting regular videos to social media in which he often appears in the streets of the capital alongside his ministers and advisers clad in military green, an approach that poses a stark contrast to the old-fashioned, dead-eyed television addresses of Mr Putin from the Kremlin, casting the former as a 21st century man of the people and the latter as an isolated Soviet throwback.While the UK has continued to supply Ukraine with military aid and weapons and has hit Russia with tough economic sanctions, Mr Zelensky is expected to appeal once again to Boris Johnson’s government to support a no-fly zone over his country and to take in more refugees, the UK’s dismal record on offering asylum so far falling well below that of other countries like Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Moldova.His repeated requests for a no-fly zone is the more complicated issue because, while its implementation would effectively eliminate the threat posed by the Russian Air Force, it would require policing by Nato jets, which Moscow would consider an act of war, potentially triggering a much greater conflict over Europe.It is rare for foreign leaders to address the House of Commons but not unheard of.Barack Obama, Angela Merkel and Aung San Suu Kyi have all done so in the past but Donald Trump – who famously tried to extort Mr Zelensky in 2019, threatening to withhold American military aid unless he was presented with “dirt” on his election rival and eventual successor Joe Biden, leading to his first impeachment – was banned from taking to the lectern by then-speaker John Bercow in 2017. More

Grassroots aid destined for Ukraine is spending day stuck in lorries at the port of Dover because of Brexitborder checks.Charity workers say that five tonnes of donations are still in the UK because of confusion over paperwork.Britain’s exit from the EU single market and customs union caused a dramatic rise in bureaucracy for imports and exports between Britain and the EU.The red tape is now making it harder to send supplies to help in the wake of the Russian invasion, where the UN says need is “growing at an alarming pace”. According to the UN’s humanitarian assistance office as of Monday there are now 12 million people in need in the country and a $1 billion (£760 million) shortfall in funding.Over the weekend UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a cease fire to allow the passage of life-saving humanitarian aid to those encircled by Russian forces in the country.But some aid sent from the UK is getting stuck even closer to home because of Brexit delays.Agnieszka Lokaj, who runs the Lewisham Polish Centre in south London, told the PoliticsHome website that despite mounting donations, “we are not exporting”.”I don’t want to send drivers to the border where they will be stuck for several days. It doesn’t make sense to spend so much time and money dealing with the bureaucracy,” she said.Last month lorry queues of up to six miles (10km) into the port of Dover we’re recorded by Highways England – from the Roundhill Tunnel to the Western Heights Roundabout HMRC, which oversees customs and other regulatory checks on goods crossing the border, recommended that people donate to the UN’s Disasters Emergency Committee as the best way of helping the country.Since 1 January 2022 lorries have had to use the Goods Vehicle Movement System (GVMS) to get through customs at the port. The new governemnt IT system deals with customs, transit and security declarations needed to cross the Channel.Before this year goods could be exported and paperwork dealt with afterwards, but this grace period has now elapsed. Even lorries with the right paperwork – which is complicated and often filled in by specialists rather than the lorry drivers themselves, are taking 15 minutes to clear the border. Those without the right paperwork or where an error has been made are not allowed through.”The UK has committed a £120 million humanitarian aid package for Ukraine to help aid agencies respond to the deteriorating situation, creating a lifeline for Ukrainians with access to basic necessities and medical supplies,” a spokesperson for the organisation said. “Our humanitarian aid takes the UK’s overall aid support for Ukraine during the current crisis to £220 million, after a £100 million economic package for Ukraine was announced earlier this month”. The Independent has approached HMRC for further comment. More

Former Commons speaker John Bercow has been handed a lifetime ban for holding a parliamentary pass after an inquiry concluded he was a “serial bully”.In a damning report, the Independent Expert Panel (IEP) upheld 21 allegations against Mr Bercow across three complainants, saying the behaviour “had no place in any workplace”.Mr Bercow’s conduct was “so serious that he should never be allowed a pass to the Parliamentary estate; and that if he were still a MP it would have recommended expelling him from the House”, it said.He now becomes the second former MP to have the privilege of retaining a pass to the parliamentary estate revoked for life after the ex-Labour MP Keith Vaz faced a similar sanction in 2019.The IEP was tasked with producing its 89-page report after Mr Bercow appealed the conclusions of an inquiry by Kathryn Stone – the parliamentary commissioner for standards.The commissioner had upheld 21 allegations from three former parliamentary staff relating to events between 2009 and 2015, including verbal abuse, displays of anger and “undermining behaviour” against his secretary Angus Sinclair.Ms Stone also upheld allegations made by Ms Kate Emms, a current member of the House staff, who had claimed Mr Bercow mimicked her, created an “intimidating and hostile environment”, and was responsible for “intimidating, insulting behaviour involving an abuse of power” towards her.Mr Bercow, who stood down as Commons speaker in 2019 and denies the accusations, has previously denounced the investigation as “materially flawed” and hit out a the “amateurish and unjust process”.But the IEP sub-panel chaired by Sir Stephen Irwin said: “The findings of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, which we have upheld, show that the respondent has been a serial bully. “Like many bullies, he had those whom he favoured and those whom he made victims. His evidence in the investigations, the findings of the Commissioner, and his submissions to us, show also that the respondent has been a serial liar.“His behaviour fell very far below that which the public has a right to expect from any Member of Parliament.It added: “The ICGS Bullying and Harassment Policy was breached repeatedly and extensively by the most senior Member of the House of Commons.“In all, 21 separate allegations were proved and have been upheld. The House may feel that his conduct brought the high office of Speaker into disrepute.“This was behaviour which had no place in any workplace. Members of staff in the House should not be expected to have to tolerate it as part of everyday life.”In a further statement today, the former MP Mr Bercow said: “Parliament is supposed to be the highest court in the land. This inquiry, which lasted a ghastly 22 months at great cost to the taxpayer, has failed dismally.“At the end of, the panel has simply said that I should be denied a parliamentary pass which I have never applied for an do not want. That is the absurdity of its position. Don’t fall for the establishment spin that I have been banned for life.“I can still attend debates with the help of a friendly pass-holder or go as a member of the public.”The former Commons speaker added: “All I can say is that the case against me would have been thrown out by any court in the land since it is based on the flimsiest of evidence, rooted in hearsay and baseless rumour, and advanced by old school dogmatists once intent on resisting change at all costs and now settling some ancient scores with me.“Add to that a dash of personal spite and you have some idea of the vengeful vendetta mounted against me. It is a travesty of justice and brings shame on the House of Commons.Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA union which represents senior civil servants, said bullying had “flourished unchallenged” under John Bercow.“No remorse, no contrition and willing to sacrifice the first independent process that investigates complaints, simply to save his own reputation,” he added.Downing Street added that it hopes the finding that Mr Bercow was guilty of bullying staff will encourage others at Westminster who suffer harassment to come forward.A No 10 spokesman said: “The prime minister has spoken before about the fact that there is no place for bullying or harassment in Parliament, and MPs should always be held to the highest standards.“We hope that today’s decision gives all those in Westminster the confidence to come forward and report their cases, and that they will be fairly heard.”In 2019, after leaving Parliament, Mr Bercow was nominated for a peerage by the former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, but it was ultimately blocked due to the investigation into bullying allegations. In 2021, the former Tory MP also defected to the Labour Party, and branded the Conservatives “reactionary, populist, nationalistic and sometimes even xenophobic”. More

Ukraine refugees trapped in Calais will have to make a 70-mile journey to Lille to apply for visas to reach the UK, No 10 has insisted.Downing Street ruled out a U-turn, despite mounting pressure for an application centre to be set up in the Channel port town, where nearly 300 refugees have gathered.On Monday, Priti Patel – who wrongly told MPs there is help available in Calais – suggested a new centre would be established close to the town, saying it would be “en route”.But Boris Johnson’s spokesperson said the application centre would be in Lille, where it would be will be set up “in the coming days”.Asked what Ukrainians in Calais should do, No 10 pointed to “a helpline in place” and to “facilities and staff in neighbouring countries to Ukraine”.France has condemned the UK’s “lack of humanity”, after women and children in Calais were told to travel back to Paris to apply for visas giving permission to cross the Channel.But Ms Patel, the home secretary, appeared to argue an application centre in Calais would help people smugglers, by creating “choke points”.“We have set up a bespoke VAC [visa application centre] en route to Calais. but away from the port because we have to prevent that surge from taking place,” she said, on Monday.Now it has emerged that the “en route” application centre will actually be in Lille – a 70-mile journey from Calais, rather than near the town.In the Commons, Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, protested that Ms Patel had told MPs the centre was open – but “it still doesn’t exist”.She also warned that the Brussels centre is open only three days a week, while the next available appointment at the centre in Paris is on 15 March – one week away.Caroline Nokes, a Conservative MP and former Home Office minister, poured scorn on ministerial claims to be moving “at pace”, protesting: “Snails also move at pace”.Warning there is no date for a promised sponsorship scheme to start, she added: “Those people coming forward with generous offers are advising their UK friends to apply for visitor visas.“What of those who do not have passports? What of those children who are completely undocumented?”Answering an urgent question on the crisis, the Home Office minister Kevin Foster refused to say if the sponsorship scheme would take “weeks or months” to get underway.Answering an urgent question on the crisis, the Home Office minister Kevin Foster suggested the sponsorship scheme would take “weeks” rather than “months” to get underway.Asked why the application centre will be in Lille, the No 10 spokesman said: “We obviously want to make sure that we can provide the appropriate level of support that those who are seeking to enter the UK require.“Obviously, the Home Office and Border Force are best placed to make a call on where that would be best based to help support those people who are making their way through France.” More

The Home Office has been condemned for “dirty propaganda” after appearing to protest that Ireland’s welcome for Ukraine refugees is a security threat to the UK.Dublin is expected to admit 100,000 refugees from the invasion, after joining the rest of the EU in easing visa rules – which the UK has refused to do, triggering chaos and mounting criticism.The Home Office is already under fire for a series of false claims about its hardline stance, including that is offering help to people stranded in Calais without visas when there is none.Now the UK is reported to have raised concerns about Ireland’s liberal policy, claiming Ukrainians will be able to travel on to the UK without biometric checks because of the common travel area (CTA).“Ireland has basically opened the door to everyone in Ukraine, which creates a problem due to the CTA,” a government source told The Daily Telegraph.“We’ve seen before with migrants from Albania that they have come through Dublin, into Belfast and across to the mainland to Liverpool. That’s created a drug cartel route.”But it was quickly pointed out that the visa-free common travel area only applies to UK and Irish citizens, not to migrants from other countries.Simon Cox, a barrister at the Doughty Street Chambers firm, attacked the claim that refugees would not face security checks – which Ireland has said will be carried out after arrival.“Home Office anonymous dirty propaganda. Ireland has security checks on Ukrainians arriving without visas. Just as UK has for French people arriving without visas,” he tweeted.Donald Tusk, the former president of the European Council, poured scorn on Boris Johnson’s claim of being “very, very generous” to refugees.“Solidarity in action. The UK has granted 50 visas to the Ukrainian refugees while the Poles have welcomed 1.2 million Ukrainians in two weeks,” he tweeted.That number has now increased from 50 to 300, but it represents just 3.4 per cent of the 18,900 applications for visas made so far.Meanwhile, officials in Calais have reported that almost 300 Ukrainians attempting to reach the UK have been turned away and told to go to Paris or Brussels to apply.There is no Home Office team in Calais – despite Priti Patel telling the Commons on Monday that “we have staff in Calais, we have support on the ground”.The home secretary sparked confusion by saying she is “investigating the legal options to create a humanitarian route” – but appeared to be talking about a scheme, already promised, for firms and individuals to sponsor refugees.The UK is allowing family members to join Ukrainians already in this country, but has refused to copy the EU in offering asylum to all Ukrainians for three years.Jeremy Hunt is leading a group of nearly 40 Tory MPs who have signed a letter calling on the prime minister to “provide a more generous system for those fleeing the war”He said: “1.7 million people have now fled and no one could possibly argue they don’t have good cause.” More

European Union officials on Tuesday defended the 27-nation bloc’s decision to ban Russian state-controlled media outlets from broadcasting in the region as decisive steps to check a Kremlin-led “information war.”Speaking at the European Parliament during a debate on foreign interference and disinformation, the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell brushed off critics who say the EU is threatening freedom of information with the ban on Sputnik and RT/Russia Today.“They are not independent media, they are assets, they are weapons, in the Kremlin’s manipulation ecosystem,” Borrell told lawmakers. “We are not trying to decide what is true and what is false. We don’t have ministers of the Truth. But we have to focus on foreign actors who intentionally, in a coordinated manner, try to manipulate our information environment.” The EU has decided to suspend the broadcasting activities of Sputnik and RT/Russia Today in the bloc until Russia ends its war in Ukraine and stop disinformation campaigns in member states.Borrell said Moscow-controlled outlets are part of a well-oiled propaganda machine providing biased news about Vladimir Putin’s true intentions.“If the information is bad, democracy is bad,” he said, adding that information should be a protected good. “If the information is systematically contaminated by lies and twisted, citizens can’t have a clear understanding of reality and their political judgment is similarly twisted.” Borrell insisted that Sputnik was created by a presidential decree with the aim of reporting on Russia’s sate policies abroad, and said that Russia Today is capable of conducting an “information war” against the western world. Borrell said he will soon propose a new mechanism that will allow the EU to sanction disinformation actors. Lawmakers from the special committee on foreign interference and disinformation are also proposing to establish a sanctions regime to deal with foreign meddling.MEP Sandra Kalniete, the author of the report, said it’s crucial for the EU to counter foreign threats in a bid to prevent third countries damaging democracies.“Let’s call a spade a spade. Russia, China and other authoritarian regimes have funneled more than $300 million into 33 countries to interfere in democratic processes,” she said. “Putin’s propaganda machinery wasn’t just switched on on 24 February. It has already been working in Europe for decades, attempting to poison and divide our societies.”Kaniete said online platforms and tech companies need to suspend all social accounts engaged in “denying, glorifying and justifying Putin’s aggression, war crimes and crimes against humanity.”She also proposed to reinforce content in Russian and Ukrainian to resist the pressure from Russia’s disinformation.“In short, any tech platform giving space to Putin’s propaganda or complying with his censorship request is an accomplice to Putin’s aggression,” she said.European Commission Vera Jourova said Putin wants his people to be “apathetic” and praised streaming platform Netflix’s decision to suspend its Russian services.“Because president Putin wants the people to be entertained, not to pay attention to what is happening,” she said. “It would not be right to see Russians being entertained, and next door Ukrainians being killed.” Both Borrell and Jourova expressed deep concerns about the imposed censorship in Russia that threatens independent journalists with jail terms and deprives citizens access to verified information about what their government is doing in Ukraine.“It is more important than ever to reach the Russian people, and provide them with information,” Jourova said. “Every possible channel should be used.” More