UK Politics

A majority of voters believe MPs who switch allegiances and join a different political party should resign their seat and contest a by-election, according to a new survey.The finding comes just days after the former Conservative MP Christian Wakeford defected to Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party and called on Boris Johnson to resign in dramatic scenes moments before prime minister’s questions.In a scathing assessment of Mr Johnson’s leadership, the Bury South MP, who was elected in 2019, lashed out the “disgraceful” conduct of his former party over allegations of Covid rule-busting parties in No 10.Immediately after his defection, however, it was highlighted that Mr Wakeford had previously pledged his support for a backbench bill, which called for any MP who switched parties to face a recall petition.Labour has since resisted calls from Tory cabinet ministers and left-wing member in their own ranks to hold a by-election, with the shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves instead saying she would welcome a general election.But the online survey by YouGov found 63 per cent of those asked believed an MP should fight a by-election if they switch to another party. Just 17 per cent said they should continue to serve their term until the next general election and over 20 per cent of the 5,505 of respondents replied “don’t know”.Bury South, a parliamentary constituency that has elected Labour MPs since 1997, was one of many seats that switched to the Conservatives at the 2019 general election when Mr Johnson won the biggest Tory majority in decades.Since the defection of Mr Wakeford, who won the seat two years ago with a slim majority of just over 400 votes, Tory activists and MPs have already begun canvassing. The leader of the local Conservative party posted on social media at the weekend: “The campaign to return a Conservative MP for Bury South has started.”Earlier this week the left-wing group Momentum — set up during Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour Party — highlighted Mr Wakeford’s voting record and insisted he should be “booted out” of the party and a by-election be called immediately.The former shadow chancellor John McDonnell told The Independent he had “always held the view that when a person elected on one party ticket changes party that person has a democratic responsibility to go back to the people who elected him or her”.The senior Labour MP also described the defection of Mr Wakeford — just over 10 minutes before prime minister’s questions — as a “political stunt” on Times Radio and raised questions over his previous votes in Parliament.“Looking at some of his past statements and his voting record, to be honest I don’t see him as a Labour MP and I was brought up a Roman Catholic, so I’m a great believe in the power of conversion, but on this one it strained even my belief in the conversion,” he added.But speaking on Thursday, the Labour frontbencher Ms Reeves said she did not think there needed to be a by-election in Bury South, adding: “You’ll remember in the last Parliament many Labour MPs left the Labour Party, some of them joined other parties, some of them created their own parties. I didn’t call then for there to be by-elections and I won’t call for a by-election now.”“I would say to the government, if you want a by-election in Bury South, let’s have a by-election in every constituency, it’s called a general election, and let’s see what the country think about the direction the Tories are taking this country in,” the shadow chancellor added. More

A British politician who accuses the government of blackmailing opponents of Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he will take his allegations to the police.William Wragg, a lawmaker from the governing Conservative Party said legislators calling for a challenge to Johnson’s leadership have faced “intimidation” that amounted to “blackmail.” He alleged that rebellious lawmakers had been threatened with a loss of public funding for their constituencies and had had embarrassing stories about them leaked to the press.Johnson has said he’s “seen no evidence” to support Wragg’s claims.Wragg told Saturday’s Daily Telegraph newspaper that he would meet police early next week to discuss his claims of bullying and intimidation.“I stand by what I have said. No amount of gaslighting will change that,” he told the newspaper.London’s Metropolitan Police force said that “should a criminal offense be reported … it would be considered.”The prime minister is facing a political crisis over allegations that he and staff held lockdown-flouting parties while Britain was under coronavirus restrictions.A handful of Conservative lawmakers, including Wragg, have called for him to resign, while others are awaiting a report by Sue Gray, a senior civil servant appointed to investigate the “partygate” claims. Her findings are expected to be published next week.Wragg’s allegations have cast a light on the shadowy world of whips — lawmakers tasked with maintaining party discipline and ensuring their colleagues back the government in key votes.They use subtle and not-so-subtle pressure, and have sometimes been accused of crossing a line and using threats.Christian Wakeford a lawmaker who defected from the Conservatives to the opposition Labour Party on Wednesday, said he was told he would not get a new high school for his constituency “if I did not vote in one particular way.”Other Conservative lawmakers said they had never been threatened by whips.Labour lawmaker Chris Bryant, who heads the House of Commons standards committee, said the claims were reminiscent of U.S.-style “pork barrel politics,” and should not become part of the British system.“We are meant to operate as MPs without fear or favor,” he said. “The allocation of taxpayer funding to constituencies should be according to need, not according to the need to keep the prime minister in his job.” More

The chairman of the Commons sleaze committee Chris Bryant has claimed he has spoken to “about a dozen” Tory MPs threatened by whips, as hit out at the government’s “complete abandonment of any kind of moral compass”.The Labour MP’s remarks came after the Conservative MP William Wragg — who first made the incendiary allegations of “blackmail” by government whips — said he will meet with and officer from the Metropolitan Police to discuss the claims next week.Mr Wragg claimed on Thursday that the prime minister’s Conservative critics were receiving threats to “withdraw investments” from constituents, as well as “intimidation” from No 10 staff.The MP for Bury South, Christian Wakeford, who defected from the Tories to Labour earlier this week, also said he was told funding for a new schools in his constituency would be withheld if he did not vote with the government over free school meals.Mr Bryant, who chairs the Commons Standards, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Saturday that threats to withdraw funding from MPs’ constituencies amounted to “misconduct in public office” and should be referred to the police.He also revealed: “It’s not just a couple of incidences… I must have spoken to about a dozen Tory MPs in the last few days who have made similar allegations about whips either offering to withdraw financial support for their constituencies… or saying they will get something if they vote the right way”.Despite Mr Johnson’s claim to not have heard or seen any evidence to substantiate the claims. Mr Bryant continued: “I have even heard MPs alleging that the prime minister himself has been doing this”.“What I have said to all of those people is that that is misconduct in public office. The people who should be dealing with such allegations are the police.”He added: “It is illegal. We are meant to operate as MPs without fear or favour. The allocation of taxpayer funding to constituencies should be according to need, not according to the need to keep the prime minister in his job.“The levelling up funds that have been introduced in the last two years are an open opportunity for government ministers to corruptly hand out money to some MPs and not to others.”Mr Bryant also claimed: “This is the end strikes to the heart of whether or not we have a government that understands the proper way of doing things.“The big problem for me is what we’ve seen for the last nine months is that there’s a complete abandonment of any kind of moral compass around all of these issues.”Mr Wragg, who revealed last week he had submitted a letter of no confidence in the prime minister, told The Telegraph that he had arranged to meet with a detective in the Commons “early next week”, with whom he would briefly discuss “several examples” of bullying and intimidation, and in some cases involving public money.“I stand by what I have said. No amount of gas-lighting will change that,” said Mr Wragg, who chairs the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee.A Scotland Yard spokesperson told The Independent that the force could not discuss any planned meetings, adding of the potential blackmail claims: “As with any such allegations, should a criminal offence be reported to the Met, it would be considered.”And last night, lawyers also threatened legal action, warning that alleged threats to withhold government funding from rebel MPs’ constituencies were an “unlawful misuse of ministerial powers” which may amount to misconduct in public office.Speaking on Friday, a Downing Street spokesperson confirmed that no inquiry was being launched into allegations of bullying of MPs by whips, saying only that evidence would be looked at “if it came forward”.Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng had said threats to withhold government funding were “completely unacceptable” and ministers need to “get to the bottom” of Mr Wragg’s assertion. But he stressed he had not come across such activities in his 12 years as an MP and thought it “very unlikely” to be true. More

Boris Johnson is under pressure to ensure all evidence in the Sue Gray report into rule-busting parties at No 10 during Covid restrictions is published in its “entirety”.It comes amid reports the prime minister has regrouped allies from his victorious 2019 leadership campaign in order to shore up support among Conservative MPs in the face of the looming prospect of a no confidence vote.While some Tory backbenchers have openly called for Mr Johnson to resign — including the former cabinet minister David Davis — many are reserving judgement until the publication of Ms Gray’s report, which is expected next week.But in a row over the publication of the document, Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, stressed that “all accompanying evidence” must be disclosed after Ms Gray, the senior civil servant, presents her report to the prime minister.It comes after The Guardian reported that some evidence, including emails, text messages and transcripts of interviews, will not be made public. Under the terms of reference of the internal inquiry — set by the government — it made clear only the “findings” of the probe will be revealed.In a statement, however, Ms Rayner said: “Boris Johnson cannot be allowed to cover-up or obscure any of the truth when he has insisted on a hugely protracted internal probe to tell him which parties he attended and what happened in his own home”.“The Sue Gray report must be published in its entirety with all accompanying evidence,” she insisted.Ms Rayner also claimed: “Under Boris Johnson, transparency in government has been eroded. The Conservatives have shown us how little respect they have for the rules, we’ve seen: private WhatsApp’s, missing phones, a Freedom of Information Clearing House, lost minutes of lobbying meetings – their cover-up culture has lost the trust of the British public. “Bereaved families, our key workers and all those that diligently followed the rules have been insulted enough by the Prime Minister’s cover-ups and lies.”Her call was echoed by the Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Ed Davey, who also told The Guardian: “Aside from personnel and employment issues, Boris Johnson owes it to parliament, and above all to the people, to publish this report and the transcripts in full. Anything else will be seen as the usual lies and bending of the rules.”According to The Times, Mr Johnson and his allies are using a spreadsheet to detail the positions of MP, including those who are loyal or wavering over his leadership, with Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, said to playing a key role in the operation.The prime minister is also expected to spend the weekend at his countryside residence, Chequers, calling MPs and trying to win them over before a possible confidence vote. More

Revelations that Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his staff partied while Britain was in a coronavirus lockdown have provoked public outrage and led some members of his Conservative Party to consider ousting their leader.If they manage to push Johnson out — or if he resigns — the party would hold a leadership contest to choose his replacement.Here’s a look at who could rise if Johnson falls: RISHI SUNAK, TREASURY CHIEFSunak, 41, is widely regarded as the brightest rising star in the party, the best known of the contenders to the public — and the bookies’ favorite to succeed Johnson.Sunak was thrust into the spotlight when he became treasury chief in early 2020, tasked with the unenviable job of steering the British economy through its worst economic slump on record due to the pandemic. Sunak has dished out billions of pounds in emergency spending to help businesses and workers, and his pandemic policies have generally been seen in a positive light. A big “Star Wars” fan, Sunak nurtures his personal brand with a slick Instagram account. Opinion polls have suggested that he is one of the most popular Conservative ministers among voters, though his elite education and past work for the investment bank Goldman Sachs and a hedge fund means some see him as out of touch with ordinary people.He would be Britain’s first prime minister who is not white. Born to Indian parents who immigrated to the U.K. from East Africa, Sunak attended the exclusive Winchester College private school, studied at Oxford University, and is married to Akshata Murthy, daughter of an Indian billionaire.___LIZ TRUSS, FOREIGN SECRETARY Truss, 46, took on the high-profile job of foreign secretary in September after serving as trade minister and has been gaining momentum as a contender since.As well as serving as Britain’s chief diplomat, she is the U.K.’s new lead negotiator with the European Union to deal with lingering issues following Britain’s exit from the bloc.Once a campaigner for remaining in the EU, Truss has become a fervent champion for Brexit. Her prior role as international trade secretary saw her signing post-Brexit trade deals around the world and channeling Johnson’s ambitions for “Global Britain.”Truss is popular with many Conservatives who see in the free-market-loving politician echoes of the party’s first female prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. Her supporters have coined the slogan “In Liz We Truss.”She is less well known to the general public. “When you ask about Liz Truss 50% of voters say ‘Liz who?’” said Chris Curtis, a pollster at Opinium Research.___SAJID JAVID, HEALTH SECRETARYJavid, 52, has been health secretary since June, leading Britain’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.Before that he served as treasury chief, but resigned in early 2020 after clashing with Johnson over the prime minister’s order to fire his team of advisers.The fact Johnson brought him back to the government to handle the coronavirus response reflects his reputation as a competent and safe pair of hands.The son of Pakistani immigrants, Javid has billed himself as a common-man alternative to his private school-educated rivals — although he had a lucrative career in investment banking before entering politics. As with Sunak, he’d make history if he were to win.___MICHAEL GOVE, LEVELLING UP SECRETARYGove, a party heavyweight, has held many key Cabinet posts and is currently in charge of delivering on the government’s promise to “level up” Britain, that is, address inequality by increasing opportunities in deprived areas.Gove, 54, played a key role in the campaign to take Britain out of the EU and is widely respected in the party, but not completely trusted. In the 2016 Conservative leadership campaign, he backed Johnson for leader before deciding he would rather run himself — a betrayal that many Conservatives have not forgotten.To the public, he may be best known for being filmed dancing to techno music at a nightclub in Aberdeen, Scotland, in August, in a clip that drew a lot of chuckles when it went viral on social media.___JEREMY HUNT, FORMER CABINET MINISTERHunt, a former health secretary and foreign secretary, ran against Johnson in the 2019 leadership race, billing himself as the more sensible, serious candidate. He lost heavily, and was dumped from the Cabinet when Johnson took over. In a recent interview, the 55-year-old was quoted as saying that his ambition to lead the country has not “completely vanished.”He has remained a lawmaker, and kept himself in the public eye by grilling ministers and experts as head of the Health and Social Care Select Committee in Parliament.As a critic of the government’s response to the pandemic, he may appeal to those seeking a change from Johnson — though some look on him unfavorably for implementing unpopular policies when he was health secretary. More

The senior Tory MP who spoke of blackmail by government whips against colleagues who considered votes of no confidence in Boris Johnson, has said he will meet with police next week to discuss the claims.Conservative MP William Wragg made the allegations on Thursday that threats were being made to “withdraw investments” from constituencies of those who oppose the prime minister, who is trying to cling on to his premiership in the face of the Partygate scandal. Despite Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, saying there should be an investigation into “completely unacceptable” allegations, Downing Street has refused to conduct an inquiry, and has said only that evidence will be considered “if it comes forward”.But on Friday evening, Mr Wragg – one of the first MPs to publicly declare having submitted a letter of no confidence in the prime minister – said he wanted to leave any inquiry “to the experts”.He told The Telegraph that he had arranged to meet with a Metropolitan Police detective in the House of Commons “early next week”, with whom he would briefly discuss “several” examples of bullying and intimidation, in some cases involving public money. “I stand by what I have said. No amount of gaslighting will change that,” said Mr Wragg, who chairs the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee.A Scotland Yard spokesperson told The Independent that the force could not discuss any planned meetings, adding of the potential blackmail claims: “As with any such allegations, should a criminal offence be reported to the Met, it would be considered.”Neither the Conservative Party, nor Mr Wragg immediately responded to a request for comment. Questioned on the claims on Thursday, Mr Johnson said that he had neither seen nor heard any evidence of intimidation of MPs.According to The Telegraph, one source in the government’s whips’ office said that the claims of threats and blackmail were untrue, and asked rebel MPs for “for a single shred of evidence”.A group of red wall MPs were said on Friday to be gathering “an increasing level of evidence”, allegedly including a recording of chief whip Mark Spencer and text messages sent to MPs who were considering sending a no confidence letter to the backbench 1922 Committee chairman, Sir Graham Brady.Following Mr Wragg’s claims on Thursday, Christian Wakeford – the Bury South MP who defected from the Tories to Labour minutes before PMQs this week – alleged that he had been told funding for a new school in his constituency would be withheld if he did not vote with the government over free school meals.And on Friday, former Tory MP Ben Howlett claimed that he had been threatened over funding for a link road in his Bath constituency if he rebelled during votes on Brexit. While other Conservatives have denied ever experiencing such behaviour, the row has sparked debate over the role of the whips, long-renowned for their sometimes ruthless enforcement of discipline among MPs.Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons speaker, warned that obstruction of MPs in their work could constitute contempt of parliament, adding that MPs and their staff are “not above the criminal law”.“While the whipping system is long-established, it is of course a contempt to obstruct members in the discharge of their duty or to attempt to intimidate a member in their parliamentary conduct by threats,” he said.Earlier, Mr Kwarteng said: “Any form of blackmail and intimidation of that kind simply has no place in British politics. We need to get to the bottom of the matter. But I find it very unlikely that these allegations are true.” More

Boris Johnson has reportedly reinstated his Tory leadership team and set up a spreadsheet to keep tabs on MPs’ loyalties amid concerns he will face a no-confidence vote over the party scandal. The prime minister is relying on the group who helped him triumph in the 2019 leadership contest and has started scrutinising every Conservative MP to determine if they are on side, undecided, or eager to kick him out, according to The Times. Transport secretary Grant Shapps is reportedly playing a central role in shoring up support for the beleaguered PM and has dusted off the spreadsheet of MPs he used to help secure Mr Johnson’s leadership victory in 2019.Three former whips – Chris Pincher, Nigel Adams and Chris Heaton Harris – as well as other loyalists began work this week, the newspaper reports.Mr Johnson is set to spend the weekend in his study at Chequers, his country retreat, calling up wavering MPs and trying to win them over.Fifty-four Tory MPs must submit letters to the chairman of the 1922 Committee to trigger a no-confidence vote, and insiders now believe it is a case of “when, not if” the threshold is passed, the paper reports. The prime minister’s team are said to think they have the backing of about 300 of 359 Tory MPs.There are reportedly fears inside Downing Street that Sue Gray’s report on lockdown parties could be more damning than first thought.Mr Johnson’s chief of staff Dan Rosenfield is said to have told colleagues: “We might all need to fall on our swords here.”It comes as fresh details emerged about a party held in Downing Street on the eve of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral. No 10 staff reportedly partied until the early hours of the morning in a seven-hour drinking session and ordered in pizza.At the time, Covid restrictions banned socialising indoors except with members of the same household or support bubble.Opposition parties have called for evidence of Downing Street parties to be published in full, instead of an edited summary.Meanwhile the senior Tory backbencher who accused No 10 of trying to “blackmail” MPs seeking to remove Mr Johnson is to meet police next week to discuss his allegations.MP William Wragg said he will be meeting a Scotland Yard detective in the House of Commons, raising the prospect police could open an investigation.Downing Street has said it would not be mounting its own inquiry into the claims, despite calls to do so by both Conservative and opposition MPs. More

Boris Johnson’s brand has been “permanently damaged” by the No 10 parties row, a Tory peer has said, after a destablising week for the prime minister.Speaking to The Independent, Lord Hayward said that while it was “not impossible” for the prime minister to win a second majority at the ballot box for the Conservatives, it now appeared “unlikely”.The elections guru suggested that Mr Johnson could still reap the electoral rewards from a “vaccine bounce 2.0”, however, with the booster campaign continuing and Covid restrictions being eased across England.His comments came as the senior Tory MP Tobias Ellwood told The Independent that there needed to be an “absolute reset” in No 10 – even before the publication of senior civil servant Sue Gray’s report into alleged rule-busting parties held during lockdowns.With the findings of Ms Gray’s investigation expected to be presented to Mr Johnson next week, Downing Street will be braced for yet more turbulence.In the last few days, the prime minister has been threatened with a no-confidence vote, told to resign by former cabinet minister David Davis during dramatic scenes in the House of Commons, and confronted with the first defection of a Tory MP to the Labour Party in 15 years. And with opinion polls now showing more than 30 consecutive leads for Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, Lord Hayward said they had taken a “massive dive for the worse and particularly in Boris’s own personal ratings”, which have also tumbled.Asked whether Mr Johnson’s personal brand had been permanently damaged by the allegations that have emerged over recent weeks, he replied: “Yes, yes. You can’t go through what he’s gone through without being damaged, permanently damaged.”But he stressed that the extent of the damage would depend on the outcome of Ms Gray’s inquiry. “I could sit with anybody and we could agree that he’s been damaged in the long term, but the extent of that damage we will not know until we get to post-Gray,” he said.On the prospect of Mr Johnson winning a majority again, the Tory peer said he believed it was “unlikely”, but added: “I don’t know whether anybody else would be able to. With the current circumstances I don’t think he could, but with the Conservative Party in the current state, if somebody else took over, there’s a possibility – I don’t know.”He continued: “The reason I say it’s unlikely is because if coronavirus goes really well for him, and he’s able to survive Gray, then the Tory party could be in a very different position, and he would be in a position to actually lead the Tory party and probably win a majority, but it has to be coronavirus-led. It’s not impossible.”Pressed on whether the prime minister could recover, Lord Hayward replied: “I think the improvement over Christmas [and] new year showed that the position could improve. Whether it would improve completely back to where the Tory party were previously, I think it’s unlikely. But I think now the possibility is much reduced.”However, he emphasised the potential impact of Covid-related developments, saying: “Vaccination bounce. Freedom bounce. That may actually save both Boris and the Tory party. He had a huge bounce this time last year – it really showed up in the May local elections.“But that is the one thing that might have a dramatic effect on the opinion polls to the benefit of the Tory party. You can call it ‘vaccine bounce 2.0’. “If we were in an ordinary era of politics, the answer is no, but we’re not in an ordinary era – one, because Boris is the prime minister, and two, because of coronavirus.”Meanwhile, Mr Ellwood told The Independent that the publication of Ms Gray’s report would “of course be significant and everyone will scan it carefully”, but cautioned: “We seem to be in almost a state of flux right now, and we should be utilising this time to begin the very tough slog of earning trust back with the British people.”“You can do that with a major overhaul of No 10 – show that we mean business,” he continued. “It has to happen anyway. Whoever is in charge of No 10, this prime minister or otherwise, they will know that No 10 needs an absolute reset.”While some Conservative backbenchers have publicly declared that they have submitted letters of no confidence to Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the 1922 Committee, many are reserving judgement on Mr Johnson’s leadership until the inquiry by Ms Gray has concluded.Asked whether Mr Johnson should stay in post, Mr Ellwood echoed the view of many of his colleagues, saying: “Nobody can make that judgement until they’ve seen the report, I don’t think.”Senior Conservative backbencher and Brexiteer Steve Baker also told The Independent that the report was “absolutely essential”, saying: “I think we’re all waiting for it one way or another, and I feel confident many members of parliament will be hoping it will give them a clear basis on which to take important decisions.”Asked whether Mr Johnson’s premiership hung in the balance over the report, he replied: “I don’t see how anyone can objectively say otherwise.”However, Mr Baker went on: “I am as convinced as ever that the Conservative Party is the best hope we have of good government, so I very much hope this report and the next few weeks will decide matters one way or the other.” More