UK Politics

A Russian invasion of Ukraine remains “highly likely”, foreign secretary Liz Truss has said following talks with Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg.Ms Truss’s pessimistic assessment came despite US president Joe Biden’s agreement to direct talks with Vladimir Putin to try to avert military action.In the latest warning to Moscow over the consequences of any attack on Ukraine, the foreign secretary said that the international community must make the cost of an invasion “intolerably high” for Russia.After lengthy talks with Putin on Sunday, French president Emmanuel Macron last night proposed a summit involving the Russian and US presidents to discuss “security and strategic stability in Europe”.Mr Biden accepted the meeting – pencilled in for Thursday – “in principle” but only “if an invasion hasn’t happened”.But the Kremlin said no firm plans for a summit have been made.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “It’s premature to talk about any specific plans for organising any kind of summits.”It came after the White House said Russia appears to be continuing plans for an imminent “full-scale assault” on its neighbour.White House press secretary Jen Psaki said: “The president has repeatedly made clear, we are committed to pursuing diplomacy until the moment an invasion begins.”Following her talks with Stoltenberg in Brussels this morning, Ms Truss said: “Diplomacy must be pursued but a Russian invasion of Ukraine looks highly likely. “The UK and allies are stepping up preparations for the worst-case scenario. We must make the cost for Russia intolerably high.” More

Iain Duncan Smith has lashed out at the government for dragging its heels on ripping up EU rules, exposing Tory tensions over how to find a Brexit “dividend”.Ministers have “done absolutely sweet FA” since being handed a taskforce’s report proposing around 100 deregulatory measures last summer, the former Conservative leader protested.Sir Ian, who led the taskforce, warned time is running out because it would be too difficult to make big changes close to the next general election, in 2023 or 2024.“If you want me to write the epitaph to this government, it is full of wishful hope, but not of delivery,” he said.“If we don’t get this done in the next nine months, most of this stuff, it is never going to get done, because we will be into the pre-run to an election. At that stage, what are you going to show?”The attack comes despite fears that new legislation will lead to a bonfire of EU laws on everything from data privacy to road standards being forced through behind MPs’ backs.A single bill will remove unwanted “retained law” – using backstage regulations, instead of full votes – as ministers insist Brexit can cut “red tape”, despite the huge queues of truckers trapped in Channel port checks.Jacob Rees-Mogg has been appointed Brexit opportunities minister, to identify deregulatory changes and calm backbench tensions over the slow rate of progress.The hard Brexit supporter has called for a rapid rewriting of continuing EU financial rules – so-called Solvency II – to create an “investment big bang” in Britain.Ministers believe looser rules would make it easier for insurance companies to invest billions in green infrastructure, but change is believed to have been delayed by a wrangle with regulators.Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Mr Duncan Smith protested: “The government has done absolutely sweet FA about this since we delivered the report to them.“They should have been getting on with it now, and they still haven’t done a single element of deregulation since I produced the report.” More

European Union foreign ministers on Monday discussed ways to ease tensions in Bosnia and prevent the possible breakup up of the ethnically divided Balkan country as the peace agreement brokered over 25 years ago continues to unravel.“The nationalist and separatist rhetoric is increasing in Bosnia and Herzegovina and jeopardizing the stability and even the integrity of the country,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in Brussels, where he chaired a meeting of the 27-country bloc’s foreign ministers.He said the “ministers will have to take a decision on how to stop these dynamics in Bosnia and Herzegovina and to avoid that the country can fall apart in pieces. This is a critical situation.”The United States last month announced new sanctions against Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, who has for years been advocating that the Serb-run part of Bosnia should leave the rest of the country and unite with neighboring Serbia.The U.S. accused him of “corrupt activities” that threaten to destabilize the region and undermine the U.S.-brokered Dayton Peace Accord. Dodik says he and Bosnian Serbs are being unfairly targeted and wrongly accused of corruption. The agreement in 1995 ended the war in Bosnia, which killed more than 100,000 people and left millions homeless. The accord established two separate governing entities in Bosnia — Republika Srpska run by Bosnia’s Serbs, and another other dominated by Bosniaks, an ethnic group that is primarily Muslim, and Croats. The two are linked by shared, state-wide institutions, and all actions at a national level require consensus from all three ethnic groups.Most EU countries also want to hit Dodik with sanctions, but Hungary, Croatia and Slovenia are notably opposed and likely to scupper any attempt to impose restrictive measures on him.Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said that “the announcements of Dodik and Republika Srpska are extremely dangerous and playing with the integrity of the state, and this is for us a no-go.”He warned that Bosnia and the Balkans must not become “a playground for actors outside Europe.” Russia has notably pledged support for Dodik and his associates.The EU is also demanding that electoral reform be passed ahead of polls in Bosnia later this year.What the EU wants to see, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said, is “a full reform package agreed and implemented in advance of the elections so that we can have elections that then successfully result in the formation of a government that can function.””We want to see peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and I think that reform package would certainly help that to take place,” Coveney told reporters. More

Priti Patel has written to MPs urging them to back controversial anti-protest legislation after it was rejected by the House of Lords.Peers inflicted a string of defeats on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill last month after critics said some of its measures would effectively ban some non-violent protests.The mammoth bill was defeated over plans to give new powers to police to stop disruptive protests, and on a separate clause which would have imposed noise restrictions on demonstrations.Peers also torpedoed new powers that would make it illegal for protesters to lock themselves to things, and that would give police powers to stop and search those who they suspect of taking part in illegal protests.Labour’s Lord Hain had called the move “the biggest threat to the right to dissent and the right to protest in my lifetime”, while the Green Party’s Baroness Jones said the laws were “oppressive” and “plain nasty”.Peers also amended the bill so that it would make misogyny a hate crime, introduce new powers to tackle the problem of sex for rent, and creating a “duty of candour” on police – but Ms Patel said in her letter to MPs that she would oppose these changes.The bill contains other measures such as maximum penalties for child cruelty offences, extending football banning orders to include online abuse, and a new offence to ban filming breastfeeding without consent.It will be back in the Commons for consideration on Monday and now faces an extended round of parliamentary ping-pong, where it is likely to be sent between the Commons and the Lords. The unelected chamber can delay, though not entirely block, legislation, but its actions can often prove a thorn in the side of the government. Announcing that she would write to MPs, the home secretary said: “We are putting more police officers on the streets, removing dangerous weapons, and bearing down on violent criminals who prey on vulnerable people in our communities.“But while violent crime has fallen, there are still too many criminals getting off with inadequate sentences for appalling acts of violence and sexual offences, and still people who feel unsafe walking the streets or in their own homes.“This bill is vitally important as we overhaul the criminal justice system and make our streets safer.“It must be passed soon so that we can continue to cut crime, reduce violence and protect women and girls.”Yvette Cooper, Labour’s shadow home secretary, countered that crime was “rising” and said the home secretary was “refusing” to take “major steps” to keep communities safe.“Priti Patel is also still trying to criminalise people for protesting noisily or singing in the street, rather than tackling serious crime,” she said. “Too often under the Tories, criminals are getting away with it and victims are being let down.” More

Boris Johnson has said scrapping requirements for people to self-isolate if they have Covid is a “moment of pride” as he prepares to remove restrictions that have been in place since the start of the pandemic.The prime minister’s cabinet is expected to confirm the policy change on Monday, which will make it legal for people to mix with other members of the public, such as getting on a crowded train, while having the virus for the first time since the start of the pandemic. MPs will be updated on the decision in the House of Commons in the afternoon, with a general press conference expected to follow for the wider public.Mr Johnson said the proposal would be about “finally giving people back their freedom” after “one of the most difficult periods in our country’s history”.The prime minister’s announcement comes just 24 hours after it was announced that the Queen, who is 95 years old, had caught coronavirus.As well as scrapping the requirement to self-isolate, the government’s “living with Covid” plan, to be unveiled tomorrow, is also expected to roll back the availability of free coronavirus tests for all.The move to lift all restrictions and end free testing has been critcised by the government’s scientific advisers who have said it could fuel a sharp rise in Covid infections.A sub-committee of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) said transmission could increase by between 25 per cent and 80 per cent if people “return to pre-pandemic behaviours” without any mitigations in place.Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said he was “particularly concerned” about the change on testing, stating: “It’s a bit like being one up with 10 minutes left to play and subbing your best defender.“We are not out of the woods yet on Covid. It’s important that when the government publishes its plan for living with Covid tomorrow that is a robust plan that enables everyone to live well with Covid.”He said keeping the tests would help people “live well with Covid without impacting on people’s lives, livelihoods and liberties”.But Mr Johnson told the BBC’s Sunday Morning programme that the UK had spent around £2bn on testing in January alone. He suggested such high expenditure was not sustainable.Speaking before his announcement on Monday, the prime minister said: “Today will mark a moment of pride after one of the most difficult periods in our country’s history as we begin to learn to live with Covid.“It would not be possible without the efforts of so many – the NHS who delivered the life-saving vaccine rollout at phenomenal speed, our world-leading scientists and experts, and the general public for their commitment to protecting themselves and their loved ones.“The pandemic is not over but thanks to the incredible vaccine rollout we are now one step closer towards a return to normality and finally giving people back their freedoms while continuing to protect ourselves and others.”As of Sunday, UK government data suggests that 11,555 people are currently in hospital beds with the illness, with 331 of those under ventilation. More

Boris Johnson refused 17 times to answer questions about rule-breaking lockdown parties at Downing Street in an excruciating interview broadcast on Sunday morning.The prime minister was grilled on the subject for a total of 11 minutes by a BBC presenter but refused to say what had happened or whether he felt ashamed – despite there being no obvious legal barrier to him doing so.Repeatedly pushed on the matter during the interview the prime minister attempted to change the subject many times, and at other points simply refused to answer.He said there was “not a bean I can tell you about that, much as I would like to”. Mr Johnson notably refused to commit to resigning if he was issued with a fine by the police.And other questions the PM refused to answer include whether he was ashamed of his actions, whether parties took place at his flat, and whether he was just burying his head in the sand about the issue.“I understand your curiosity, but you’re just going to have to accept that for the time being – you won’t have long, alright, I hope – but for the time being you’re going to have to contain your interest,” he at one point said, among many similar responses.The prime minister also tried to bring the conversation back to the war in Ukraine despite the fact he had discussed the issue at length with the interviewer prior to the questioning over Partygate.Told on BBC’s Sunday Morning programme that public found some of his excuses for attending No 10 parties “implausible”, particularly the “bring your own booze” event in May 2020, the PM replied: “You’re just going to have to wait until the process is complete.”Downing Street confirmed on Friday that Mr Johnson has now responded to a police questionnaire about which parties he did or did not attend. More

Voters in Malta will elect a new Parliament in a few weeks in balloting that will also decide the island nation’s next government. During a political event on Sunday, Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela announced that the election will be held on March 26 in the European Union nation. He said he will advise the Maltese president to dissolve Parliament to clear the way for the election.The Labour Party has been in power since 2013, after winning back-to-back elections. The Nationalists are Malta’s other main political party. The government’s five-year-term was set to end in June.In the last election in 2017, Labour triumphed by taking 55% of the votes.This balloting will be the first time that both the prime minister and his political opponent who leads the Nationalist Party will contest an election as heads of their political parties.Abela replaced Joseph Muscat as Labour Party leader and prime minister in January 2020. Muscat stepped down in the wake of protests that erupted after the arrest of businessman Yorgen Fenech in connection with the car bomb assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who investigated corruption and ties between business and politicians in Malta.Fenech was involved in a major power station deal with the government. Last August, an indictment was issued against Fenech on charges of complicity in the journalist’s murder. The case is ongoing. Heading the Nationalist Party is Bernard Grech, who took over in October 2020 after the party was plagued by internal divisions.In the last five years, opinion polls have showed the Labour Party comfortably ahead of their rivals. The same polls also found a substantial number of undecided voters.Recent political scandals swirling around Abela or his government might affect the mood of voters. One of the scandals centered on Abela’s 2018 work as a lawyer on a property deal that allegedly could have been used as a legal loophole to avoid taxes. Abela has written off such scandal news as “political spin” by opponents. In a possible boost to Labour’s fortunes, Malta’s economic prospects look bright. According to the European Commission’s economic forecast, its economy is expected to grow 6% this year, the highest percentage among EU nations. More

The planned tightening of the benefits system is “deeply concerning” and could have “serious negative consequences” on claimants’ mental health, according to a leading body representing psychologists in the UK.The warning from the British Psychological Society (BPS) comes after work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey last month hailed a new government target to get 500,000 jobseekers back into work by June.Under the existing benefits rules, individuals claiming universal credit while looking for work are given three months to find a job in their preferred sector – or face the possibility of sanctions.But under changes expected to be ushered in next month, claimants will have to apply for roles outside their area after just four weeks. They risk having their benefits cut if they are deemed not to be making “reasonable efforts” to secure a job in any sector.Ms Coffey said the move would ensure people can get “any job now” while critics warned it would force some skilled workers to accept insecure, short-term employment.In a statement to The Independent, the British Psychological Society (BPS), said the decision by the government to reduce the time limit is “deeply concerning, and could have serious negative consequences on claimants’ mental health”.Sarb Bajwa, the organisation’s chief executive, added: “The effects of poverty can reduce individuals’ ability to improve their own circumstances. That is why people looking for jobs need all the help they can get to find suitable employment to help lift them out of poverty, not punitive measures that fail to appreciate the complexities of why they might be out of work and struggling to find a job.“We know that many people struggle to find fulfilling employment due to mental health difficulties, and that proper support can help people with mental health problems live independent and fulfilling lives.”He added that the benefits system should be designed to support vulnerable individuals and “must not cause or exacerbate psychological harm and distress”.Announcing the new Way to Work scheme, Ms Coffey said “helping people to get any job now means they can get a better job and progress into a career.“Way to Work is a step change in our offer to claimants and employers, making sure our job centre network and excellent work coaches can deliver opportunities, jobs and prosperity to all areas of the country.”Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow work and pensions secretary, described the changes heralded by Ms Coffey as a “complete misunderstanding of what’s really happening in the labour market”.“Those out of work for long term sickness, including ill mental health, is already at a twenty year high and this ill-thought-through gimmick will do little to truly support those who need tailored help find good jobs,” he told The Independent.It remains to be seen whether the changes will have an impact on the sanction rate, but last month the government also faced criticism for blocking an evaluation into the effectiveness of the sanctions regime commissioned three years ago.The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) claimed the research did not “represent a comprehensive picture of sanctions”.A spokesperson for DWP said: “As part of the way to work campaign, our work coaches will provide tailored, individual support, taking into account mental and physical health when agreeing work requirements.“The intention isn’t to force people into unsuitable work but to encourage people to take up available roles that they are capable of, as we know work is good for mental wellbeing and the best way for people to improve their lives and support their families. People are at least £6,000 better off in full time work than on benefits.” More