UK Politics

Botched renovation works in the Houses of Parliament may have exposed dozens of people working on the estate to asbestos, it has emerged.Parliamentary staffers and contractors are among those who have been warned they may have been exposed to the potentially-deadly substance between October and November 2021.Authorities this week said they had called a “temporary pause” to renovation works on the Victorian gothic palace to ensure “lessons” are learned and implemented. The incident is reported to have involved work on the Speaker’s apartments, which sit on the parliamentary estate.Parliament’s buildings are in a very poor state of structural repair and an official report found in 2016 that it was “riddled with asbestos”. Visitors to the estate are often surprised to find a complex of buildings permanently propped up by scaffolding and in a state of constant renovation. The inquiry recommended that MPs and staff be temporarily relocated to another building so that “a thorough renovation of the Palace [of Westminster] would allow this asbestos to be removed safely and more cost-effectively”.However the plans are up in the air because the House of Commons Commission wants to examine options that could involve keeping parliamentary business on the estate during the renovation period. Jacob Rees-Mogg, who as leader of the Commons until week was the most senior MP in charge of overseeing the process, cast doubt on whether leaving the estate was required for safety reasons, saying last month: “We seem to be surviving.” A House of Commons spokesperson said: “The House is currently working with our contractors, supply chain and the Health and Safety Executive following an incident of possible asbestos exposure on the estate. “A temporary pause in construction projects was implemented to ensure lessons learned from this incident are rapidly implemented.” More

Boris Johnson is being allowed to read evidence gathered about him by the inquiry into the No 10 parties before answering police questions, a leaked letter reveals.Sue Gray has granted permission to everyone under investigation – all Downing Street staff and the prime minister – limited access to notes taken about them by her inquiry.The letter, seen by ITV News, says she is allowing the access “as an exceptional measure”, pointing to the “particular circumstances surrounding this set of events”.Dated 17 February, it reads: “I appreciate that this is a worrying time for those affected by this process, which I do not wish to compound,” ITV said.The move – revealed ahead of Friday night’s deadline for Mr Johnson to submit his legal questionnaire – means he and all those under investigation will know what information the police hold on them, before responding.It raises questions about whether, if an individual learns there is nothing incriminating in the notes on them, he or she will volunteer any additional information to the Met.Mr Johnson is believed to be working in Downing Street today, ahead of flying to the Munich security conference on Saturday to deliver a speech on Russia’s threat to Ukraine.Ms Gray has set strict conditions on the access allowed, including that it must be “with a member of the investigation team present” and be “time limited”.“You will, in line with the process for investigations of this kind and in keeping with the interview process, not be allowed to bring any legal representative with you.” ITV said she has written.“You will not be permitted to bring phones, tablets, computers or any other recording equipment into the room with you.“You will not be permitted to challenge, suggest changes or amendments to the notes or otherwise challenge their contents.”Mr Johnson is still fighting for his political life and will come under huge pressure to quit if it is confirmed he attended, or knew about, any parties that broke the law.He has hired a personal lawyer to help him draft his response to questionnaire, in which he will argue it was part of his working day when he attended as many as six different gatherings.The prime minister is in greatest danger over the ‘bring your own bottle’ party in the No 10 garden, in May 2020, which he has admitted attending – while claiming he did not realise it was a party.He has also not denied attending the ‘ABBA party’ in his flat in November 2020 – to celebrate Dominic Cummings’ departure – and appears to be preparing to argue he was working while it went on.Last month, Ms Gray passed her evidence – including around 300 photographs – to the Met, which launched a separate investigation that has delayed the publication of her report.Questionnaires have been sent to around 80 people under investigation, who may be issued with fixed-penalty notices if they have broken Covid rules.Staff will not be allowed to view any information Ms Gray gathered on anyone except themselves. More

The Conservative MP for Dover has claimed that Brexit is benefiting her town because new border bureaucracy is creating jobs there. Natalie Elphicke said the work enforcing new red tape on goods passing through the town was a “Brexit divided”.She characterised the £100 million cost to the public purse of two new inspection facilities as an “investment” in her constituency by the government. Two large new sites are required because leaving the EU has added new frictions to trade between Britain and the continent.Vast armies of inspectors and experts are needed to check cargo which was previously able to flow freely. The red tape has contributed to a record fall in exports to the bloc, which were down 12 per cent between January and December of last year compared to the previous year.But representing the change as a win, Ms Elphicke told the BBC’s Newsnight programme: “Here in Dover and Deal we’ve already been benefiting from the so-called Brexit dividend. “We’ve had £100 million invested in our border facilities here. It’s going to bring with it 650 extra jobs.”The two facilities will be at Bastion Point and in Whitfield.Brexit has had other effects on the town, some of which appear to be less positive.Last month Conservative MP Huw Merriman, a member of the transport select committee, reportedly stepped in human faeces while on a fact-finding missing to look at disruption to trade.The new bureaucracy and checks have created vast tailbacks of lorries, and the lack of adequate facilities has led to some desperate lorry drivers defecating by the roadside.Speaking to the same programme Ms Elphicke said the problems were not caused by Brexit but by “Brussels bureaucracy”. “There was Brussels bureaucracy before we left, it’s no surprise that it continues,” she said.”That red tape is really a challenge for business and I work with local businesses, and I work with a cabinet office and it’s essential that we actually get a grip of this.” More

Boris Johnson’s government is seeking a series of “mini” agreements with individual US states after Joe Biden poured cold water on the prospect of a free trade deal with the UK.The Department for International Trade (DIT) said it was “exploring” ways to boost state-level ties in the hope of opening up new opportunities for British businesses.But Labour accused ministers of “shifting the goalposts” on a promise to deliver a free trade agreement with the US after Brexit – claiming Britain now appeared to be at “the back of the queue”.Mr Biden downplayed the prospect of a trade deal with the UK when he met Mr Johnson in September, when the prime minister was forced to admit: “Joe has a lot of fish to fry.”The US president is understood to be reluctant to enter talks because of his concerns about the UK’s row with the EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol.The White House said officials had again raised the need to preserve “the gains of the Good Friday agreement” during Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis’ trip to Washington earlier this month.Mr Johnson’s trade team believes the federal structure of the US government opens up opportunities to forge new arrangements on services, with ministers said to be on a “charm offensive” with state capitals.While only the Biden administration can change tariffs on goods, there is hope that “mini” agreements can be struck with states on non-tariff barriers like services regulation.Trade minister Penny Mordaunt – who visited California, Georgia, Tennessee, Oklahoma and South Carolina at the end of last year – has reportedly held further talks with officials from several other states.“We want to make it easier and cheaper for UK and US businesses to work together,” a trade department spokesperson told The Independent.The DIT spokesperson added: “Whether it is a recognition of professional qualifications, increased uptake of state-level procurement contacts, or closer ties between key sectors – we are exploring ways to help businesses take full advantage of these opportunities, benefitting communities across the UK and the US.”The government insists it has not given up hope of a deal with Washington. Sources in the department made clear that any agreements with individual states are not a replacement for a free trade agreement with the Biden administration.However, Labour mocked the current ambitions of the government – pointing out that the last Conservative manifesto promised a comprehensive US trade deal by the end of 2022.Nick Thomas-Symonds, shadow international trade secretary, said: “Now it seems the government is shifting the goal posts and pretending that they have not broken a manifesto commitment.”The senior Labour MP added: “For years Britain has enjoyed a special relationship with the US but under the Tories this is being damaged.“Ministers need to urgently come clean and tell the public why we appear to be at the back of the queue for a free trade deal.” More

Wind energy generated a staggering 42 per cent of all electricity in Great Britain on Friday morning as Storm Eunice battered the coastline.Millions have been urged to stay at home as the Met Office issued a red “danger to life” warning across parts of the country including London.But one silver lining from the Eunice’s strong winds has been a major surge in electricity generated at wind farms.National Grid figures reported at 8.30am showed wind as by far the largest electricity source in Great Britain at 42 per cent.Fossil fuel natural gas was the second biggest generator at 22 per cent, and nuclear third at 15 per cent.10 per cent of energy was supplied from imports over interconnectors, while 5 per cent was from biomass. Hydropower accounted for 3 per cent of generation, solar 2 per cent, and coal burning 1 per cent.The 42 per cent figure for wind – 14.4 gigawatts in total – compares to the renewable resource generating an average of 19.3 per cent of electricity on average across the year.Wind is however highly seasonal and over the past month it has covered a healthy 31.2 per cent of generation. Winds at speeds of up to 90 mph are battering the British isles and the storm is expected to cause widespread disruption to transport and may cause power blackouts and other problems.55,000 homes in Ireland, mostly in the south and west of the country, were left without electricity on Friday morning as Eunice swept in from the Atlantic. More

Boris Johnson’s government could revoke so-called “golden visas” already issued to oligarchs and other wealthy foreign nationals living in the UK, a Home Office minister has said.Home secretary Priti Patel has shut down the Tier 1 visa system – which had offered British residency routes to those investing at least £2m – citing concerns over “dirty money”.But the government is facing calls to go further and “kick out” associates of Vladimir Putin’s government living in the UK under Tier 1 visas.Asked if the government would revoke some of the existing golden visas granted to the super-rich, security minister Damian Hinds told Times Radio: “There are routes to take to revoke [visas] when needed.”Mr Hinds: “We’ve done a review of past cases with these visas, and clearly it’s because there are concerns about the visa, and how it can be used. That is why the route is being stopped.”Those who had been eligible for the visa launched in 2008 must have at least £2m invested in the UK – giving wealthy foreign nationals residency for five years and allowing apply to settle in the country after further investments.The Tier 1 investor visa route will be shut to all new applicants from all nationalities with “immediate effect”, the government said on Thursday.The Home Office said that a review of existing Tier 1 visas granted had created “security concerns”, including people “acquiring their wealth illegitimately and being associated with wider corruption”.The Liberal Democrats have called for the government to revoke visas obtained by those linked to the Kremlin.Layla Moran, the party’s foreign affairs spokeswoman, said: “Shutting the door to Putin’s cronies is not enough – too many of them have already walked through it with virtually no questions asked.”The senior MP added: “The government must immediately publish the long overdue report into those who currently hold and came here on these visas. It’s time to kick out associates of the Kremlin who have used golden visas to launder their dirty money, and reputations, in our country.”There have been just over 13,000 “golden” visas issued since 2008. Since then, 2,581 have been issued to Russians, with 55 in the same nine months in 2021.Ms Patel said the government wanted to stop “corrupt elites who threaten our national security and push dirty money around our cities”. She said the closure of the Tier 1 visas was “just the start” of a crackdown on illicit finance. More

The government’s emergency response committee Cobra will meet on Friday to prepare for Storm Eunice, as the public was warned the weather posed “a risk to life and limb”.Senior ministers will meet in Whitehall this afternoon to work on responses to the 90mph winds set to batter Britain, with the latest storm sparking red alert weather warnings.Home Office minister Damian Hinds said the Army was on “high readiness standby” to help if needed. “Cobra have been convened about making sure the readiness is in place for this storm,” he told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.The Met Office issued two ultra-rare “red” weather warnings – along the coastline of Devon, Cornwall and Somerset and the south coast of Wales, and over the east of England and London – due to the combination of high tides, strong winds and storm surge.“It is unusual to have a red weather warning. It is very unusual to have two,” said Mr Hinds – who warned that the danger to life alert is “exactly what it is says it is … there is a risk to life and limb.”Asked if people could get “cut off” by the storm, Mr Hinds told Sky News that was “absolutely a risk”, adding: “We are strongly encouraging people to take precautions and make sure they stay safe.”The secretary minister said the government had learned “a lot of lessons from previous events like Storm Arwen and others”.He added: “There are troops as you know at readiness if needed, if military assistance is called for, the Environment Agency are of course on the ground, the [power] network operators themselves are also in readiness.”Millions of people have been urged to stay at home for the day, as one of the worst storms in a generation hits the UK.Schools, roads and businesses have shut, with major disruption to the travel network due to concerns over flying debris caused by gusts of up to 90mph because of Storm Eunice.Mr Hinds said on Friday it “appears” that climate change was linked to the increasing number of storms hitting the UK.Asked if events like Storm Eunice could become more common with climate change, he told Sky News: “It does appear, doesn’t it, from the pattern that there has been an increase in the frequency of these big weather events.”Mr Hinds said: “I leave it to the scientists to talk about the exact trends and exactly how much you can ascribe to climate change, but it certainly does appear that way, doesn’t it, that we’ve had this increased frequency.”The security minister added: “We certainly know that climate change on a global level is associated with more freak weather events, and can indeed cause danger.” More

The Metropolitan Police has admitted it was “unacceptable” for one of its official accounts to tweet criticism of London mayor Sadiq Khan following a row over its outgoing commissioner Dame Cressida Dick.Mr Khan denied reports that he had issued an ultimatum to Dame Cressida demanding that she dismiss officers involved in the Charing Cross scandal or face suspension herself.The Met chief announced last week that she was stepping down after losing the “confidence” of the mayor in the wake of revelations about officers at Charing Cross sending racist and misogynistic messages.The Times had earlier reported that Dame Cressida told senior colleagues that Mr Khan had made the ultimatum to her to sack officers.Speaking to LBC, Mr Khan said: “Some of that is accurate. I was angered and disgusted by what a number of Metropolitan Police officers – serving officers – said. It is not the case that the commissioner was given an ultimatum to sack them or she would be sacked.”Mr Khan also criticised the Metropolitan Police after its Twitter account had shared information about him that was “misleading”.On Thursday, the verified Met Police Taskforce Twitter account retweeted a tweet which read: “If the Mayor of London doesn’t understand that the process for sacking officers is independent of chief constables … well that’s a bit of a problem.”The Met Police account quote-tweeted the original and added the words “Exactly this”. The tweet has since been deleted and was described as “unacceptable” by a spokesman for the force.Mr Khan told LBC: “When you have Met Police accounts amplifying information that is misleading, how is it possible for officers concerned about behaviour or other officers to come forward?”The mayor added: “Why are we surprised when whistleblowers don’t come forward if this is the attitude both the IOPC talked about and you’ve exemplified in relation to a blue-ticked account?”Mr Khan also suggested on LBC that there had been improvements at the Met Police since he was a child, saying: “There are so many decent dedicated, brave officers. But there has got to be an acknowledgement that there are deep cultural issues.“We are not talking about unconscious bias, we’re not talking about unwitting prejudice. We’re talking about overt racism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, discrimination and the like.”Mr Khan said victims of serious crimes including rape, sexual abuse and knife crime “are not coming forward because they don’t trust the police”. He said witnesses are also not coming forward in some cases.Elsewhere, the mayor said he would not necessarily back the home secretary Priti Patel’s choice to replace Dame Cressida.“One of the things I have got to say to Londoners is I will not support the appointment of the next commissioner if I don’t have confidence that he or she understands the importance of addressing these deep cultural issues.”Ms Patel is ultimately responsible for appointing the most senior officer of the Metropolitan Police. “The legislation is quite clear that the home secretary appoints the commissioner,” Mr Khan said.“The good news is that legislation also says, ‘with due regard to the mayor of London’ … I have got no doubt the home secretary will be incredibly professional.”Commenting on the tweet by the Met Police Taskforce, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: “This tweet was unacceptable and shouldn’t have been shared from a Metropolitan Police account.“Senior officers are addressing the matter and will be reminding officers that they are expected to be independent and impartial at all times, on and off duty, including on social media.” More