UK Politics

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailFormer defence secretary Ben Wallace has warned that there is “no other alternative” to Rishi Sunak amidst reports of a plot amongst backbench Conservative MPs to depose the prime minister.Mr Wallace – who has announced his intention to step down as an MP at the next election – called on his colleagues to “march towards the sound of the guns” and put an end to the speculation that they might force a leadership contest.Speaking to Times Radio, he said: “There comes a moment in time in the electoral cycle where you effectively put on your best suit, you stand up and you march towards the sound of the guns and you get on with it.“There is no other alternative. And that’s just the reality of it. And some of those people missed the boat. Maybe it’s what they wanted, something different. But ultimately the only victor of this type of shenanigans is the Labour Party. But actually, look we are 14 years into a government, time to put our best case forward, whenever that may be.”Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has urged colleagues to ‘stick to the plan’ Mr Wallace’s warning comes after a challenging week for Mr Sunak which saw the defection of former Conservative MP Lee Anderson to the Reform UK party, a public row over alleged “racist” comments made by a major Tory donor and disastrous polling results.The prime minister has had to ward off challenges to his leadership on a number of occasions, but grumblings amongst colleagues last week have fuelled more speculation than ever about his fate. Business secretary Kemi Badenoch dismissed suggestions of a brewing coup and insisted that the party “works very well together”.Ms Badenoch said that infighting was “just part and parcel of politics” and that we “need to move away from disagreements being portrayed as plots or rows”.“The facts are that the party works very well together,” she told LBC. “Yes of course, there will be some people who are unhappy, I’m not going to deny that.”Mr Wallace also acknowledged unhappiness against Conservative colleagues but called on them to acknowledge Mr Sunak’s successes:“Rishi Sunak is the prime minister. He set out his plan. He set out his idea and vision, which I think is to effectively, quite rightly, fix the economy, get inflation down. If we get inflation down, we can see interest rates drop. “Whether colleagues are happy with him or not, it’s too late, right? Get on with it. Stand up. And, you know, at some stage this year, commit to engage in the general election and put our best case forward.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe first piloted flying taxi could take to the UK skies in two years under Government plans which could also see regular drone deliveries by 2027.The Department of Transport (DoT) has released its Future of Flight Action Plan which also proposes flying taxis without pilots on board by 2030.It also foresees regular use of crime-fighting drones and critical 999 care deliveries by the end of the decade.The “roadmap” – or more precisely flight plan – would mean the adoption of technology “once confined to the realm of sci-fi”, according to the DoT, with drone technology boosting the country’s economy by £45 billion by 2030.Aviation and technology minister Anthony Browne said: “Cutting-edge battery technology will revolutionise transport as we know it – this plan will make sure we have the infrastructure and regulation in place to make it a reality.Aviation stands on the cusp of its next, potentially biggest, revolution since the invention of the jet engineSophie O’Sullivan, Civil Aviation Authority“From flying taxis to emergency service drones, we’re making sure the UK is at the forefront of this dramatic shift in transportation, improving people’s lives and boosting the economy.”The proposals would also allow drones to fly Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) so the sector can grow without limiting the skies for other aircraft.They also aim to reinvigorate smaller aerodromes by setting out how they can operate as vertiports for electric aircraft that take off vertically (known as electric vertical take-off and landing or eVTOL aircraft).The plans develop standards to improve security for drones to boost public safety and look at ways of involving communities and local authorities so they can benefit from the potential economic and social benefits.The action plan was announced as Mr Browne was set to visit Vertical Aerospace in Bristol – one of the UK companies making flying taxis which are currently undergoing the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) authorisation process.Stephen Fitzpatrick, founder and chief executive of Vertical Aerospace, said: “With Government and business working together, we can unleash the huge economic, environmental and social benefits of zero emissions flight globally.”Sophie O’Sullivan, CAA head of future safety and innovation, said: “Aviation stands on the cusp of its next, potentially biggest, revolution since the invention of the jet engine.“Drones, eVTOL, and other different vehicles have the potential to change transportation options forever.“Our role in this bright future of aviation will be enabling technological advances and providing regulatory support, while ensuring that all forms of new aviation technology enjoy the same high safety standards as traditional aviation.”The plans aim to build on current uses of drone technology, such as the use by West Midlands Police to tackle violent crime and anti-social behaviour.In July 2023, a drone team successfully identified two offenders and another suspect at a speed and distance that would have taken ground officers hours to track down.In the NHS, drone service provider Skyfarer has partnered with University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust and Medical Logistics UK to test drones to deliver surgical implants and pathology samples between sites, cutting delivery times by up to 70%. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak is bracing for a rebellion over plans to exempt Afghan heroes who have supported UK troops from being deported to Rwanda.The House of Lords backed an amendment to the prime minister’s flagship small boats bill which would prevent deportation of anyone who supported British armed forces in an “exposed or meaningful manner” to the east African country.It comes after extensive reporting by The Independent on the plight of Afghan heroes who helped the British but were left behind after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.Rishi Sunak has made stopping the boats one of his key pledges to voters And, as the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill this week returns to the House of Commons, MPs are set to vote on whether to strip out amendments made by peers. Labour is poised to back the 10 amendments sent back by peers, including on Afghans, meaning a Tory rebellion could force the PM’s hand. The amendment was backed by two former chiefs of the defence staff, a former defence secretary and a former British ambassador to the US.It was one of several defeats for Mr Sunak over the Rwanda bill in the House of Lords this month.The Independent has documented several cases of asylum seekers who supported the UK armed forces efforts in Afghanistan and who have since been threatened with removal to Rwanda after arriving in the UK via small boat.The bill will now go through an extended tussle between the Commons and Lords during “ping-pong”, where legislation is batted between the two Houses until agreement is reached.The prime minister had previously warned the Lords against frustrating “the will of the people” by hampering the passage of the bill, which has already been approved by MPs.Mr Sunak’s government is using the bill to try and prevent any legal challenges by asylum seekers to their deportation.It also currently gives ministers the power to ignore emergency injunctions from the European Court of Human Rights, aiming at clearing the way to send asylum seekers on flights to Rwanda by spring.The Home Office is considering widening an existing voluntary scheme for migrants to RwandaOther amendments which the PM will seek to strip out of the bill include one that would overturn the government’s plan to oust the domestic courts from the process of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda.Peers also voted to enable UK courts to consider appeals against age assessment decisions before a person claiming to be an unaccompanied child is removed to Rwanda.The Afghan amendment was brought forward by former Labour defence secretary Lord Browne of Ladyton, who highlighted his concerns with the proposed law by citing four examples of cases uncovered by The Independent.They include former members of the Afghan special forces units, known as The Triples, who fought alongside and were paid and trained by the UK special forces. One former senior British diplomat said it “beggared belief” that these soldiers, who were forced to flee the Taliban, could face being deported to the east African country after all they had been through.Under the terms of the Illegal Migration Act, the government is required to remove illegal migrants who entered the country after 20 July 2023, when the act received royal assent. The act also bans ministers from granting asylum to anyone who entered the UK illegally on or after 7 March 2023, when it had its first reading.The new clause, which is also being proposed by crossbench peers Lord Houghton of Richmond, Lord Stirrup, and Lord Kerr of Kinlochard, would mean that people of any nationality who supported the armed forces overseas in an “exposed or meaningful manner” or who were “employed by or indirectly contracted to provide services to the UK government in an exposed or meaningful manner” would be ineligible for Rwanda deportation. It would also exempt their family members from deportation.Tory MP Julian Lewis indicated he was “sympathetic” with Afghans at risk due to their work helping British and Nato forces fight the Taliban.But Mr Lewis said it should not be necessary for them to come to Britain in small boats, which would mean they should not have to risk deportation to Rwanda.Stephen Kinnock MP, Shadow Immigration Minister, said: “We owe many Afghans a debt of gratitude for supporting British aims in Afghanistan, yet the government’s Operation Warm Welcome has fast become Operation Cold Shoulder.“It beggar’s belief that, instead of processing their claims, the Tories are leaving them in indefinite limbo, unable to get on with their lives, and threatening to send them to Rwanda. It’s time for the government to rethink.”A Downing Street source said there were no “particular concerns” about a potential rebellion this week. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email Vaughan Gething’s election as the next leader of Wales marks a milestone: For the first time, none of the U.K.’s four main governments is led by a white man.It’s a striking moment in a country still grappling with racism and the legacy of empire. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has Indian heritage and is Britain’s first Hindu leader. Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf – who, like Gething, heads a semi-autonomous government — comes from a Pakistani Muslim family. Northern Ireland’s regional administration is jointly led by two women, Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly.Gething, son of a Welsh father and a Zambian mother, said his election on Saturday as the first Black leader of the governing Welsh Labour Party marked a moment when “we turn the page in the book of our nation’s history, a history that we write together.” DIVERSITY AT THE TOP There’s no denying British politics has changed, and quickly. Before 2002, the country had never had a non-white Cabinet minister. Sunak likes to point out that his Cabinet is one of the most diverse in British history. It includes Home Secretary James Cleverly and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch, who are Black, and Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho, whose parents immigrated from India.Sunak told last year’s Conservative Party conference that he is “proud to be the first British Asian prime minister,” but “even prouder that it’s just not a big deal.”The government’s diversity reflects years of work by the center-right party to shake its “pale, male and stale” image and encourage people of color to run for Parliament.Sunder Katwala, who heads equality think-tank British Future, wrote in The Guardian that “ethnic diversity right at the top has become the ’new normal.’”But critics say an increase in diversity in high office hasn’t been accompanied by government policies to reduce wider social inequalities.Some also accuse Sunak’s administration of deliberately politicizing race as a wedge issue during an election year in which the Conservatives trail far behind Labour in opinion polls.They point to politicians like former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who claims multiculturalism has failed and says Britain faces an “invasion” of asylum-seekers. Braverman, whose Indian parents moved to Britain from Kenya and Mauritius, was fired by Sunak in November but remains a powerful and ambitious Conservative lawmaker.“Some of our most divisive politicians are people like Suella Braverman,” former government adviser Samuel Kasumu told the BBC on Sunday.“It is not the color of your skin that matters when it comes to tackling racism, discrimination and bringing communities — it has to be the content of your character and your willingness to lead. And that is not happening now.” CONSERVATIVE RACISM CLAIMS Claims of racism within the Conservative Party have made headlines in recent weeks.Last month, Sunak suspended a senior Conservative lawmaker for saying London’s Muslim mayor is controlled by Islamists. Lee Anderson, who has since defected to the right-wing party Reform U.K., said Islamists had “got control” of Mayor Sadiq Khan, who had “given our capital city away to his mates.”Sunak said the comments “weren’t acceptable,” though he denied they showed the Conservatives have an Islamophobia problem.Sunak also has denounced comments by a party donor about a Black female politician. Software entrepreneur Frank Hester, who has given the Conservatives at least 10 million pounds ($12.8 million) in the past year, said Labour lawmaker Diane Abbott made him “want to hate all Black women” and that she “should be shot.”Sunak called the comments racist, but has ignored calls to return Hester’s money.Sayeeda Warsi, a former chairwoman of the Conservative Party, said she felt there was more overt racism now than in 2010, when she was the only person of color in the then-Prime Minister David Cameron’s Cabinet.Warsi told Times Radio that while she had celebrated Sunak’s appointment as prime minister, “I think, tragically, his tenure will be remembered as him presiding over a terribly racist period within the party.”Opponents also accuse the Conservatives of deliberately raising tensions over pro-Palestinian protests that have drawn hundreds of thousands of demonstrators since the Israel-Hamas war began in October.Sunak claimed last month there has been “a shocking increase in extremist disruption and criminality.” In response, his government has drawn up a new definition of extremism. Critics say it could disproportionately target Muslims and limit free speech. A CONTESTED HISTORY Britain’s diversity, and its divisions, are rooted in the country’s imperial past. About 18% of the population is non-white, and many people have roots in countries the British Empire once ruled, including India, Pakistan and Caribbean nations such as Jamaica.How to remember and reconcile with that legacy is a hotly contested issue. It erupted into headlines in 2020, when Black Lives Matter protesters toppled a statue of 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston in the city of Bristol.Since then, several major institutions have begun to address their ties to slavery. The Church of England aims to raise 1 billion pounds ($1.27 billion) to address its historic complicity in the trans-Atlantic slave trade by investing in disadvantaged Black communities.Not everyone thinks that is the right approach. Sunak opposes removing contentious statues, and has said that “trying to unpick our history is not the right way forward.”Black academic Tony Sewell, who produced a contentious 2021 report on racism in the U.K., said church leaders were “using the race element as a mechanism to solve their own uncertainty in the world.”Sewell led the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, set up by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson after the 2020 protests. It concluded that there is racism in Britain, but it’s not a systematically racist country that is “deliberately rigged” against non-white people.Critics said the report downplayed racism, noting that Black and other ethnic-minority Britons still have more poverty and worse health than their white compatriots, a gap bleakly exposed by higher death rates in the COVID-19 pandemic.But Sewell told the Times of London that race is no longer the defining factor in whether people succeed or fail in Britain.“Class, geography, family structure, how you speak, is more defining here,” he said. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has been warned his “stick to the plan” slogan is useless because voters feel worse off than when the Conservatives came to power in 2010.The prime minister has been told that repeatedly contrasting his own “plan” with Labour, who he says will take the country “back to square one”, will likely backfire.“Most people would really quite like to go back to square one instead,” pollster Luke Tryl, of More in Common, told The Independent.Rishi Sunak has been warned his ‘stick to the plan’ mantra will not win over voters who feel worse off His warning came after polling the country on the infamous so-called “Reagan question”, to find out whether the public feel better off than when David Cameron entered Downing Street 14 years ago.Ronald Reagan asked voters during a debate in the final week of the 1980 US presidential election if they were “better off today than you were four years ago”. Mr Reagan’s rival, then-incumbent Jimmy Carter, saw his polling numbers plummet and Mr Reagan won by a huge margin.And More in Common’s latest poll, seen by The Independent, showed voters in the UK also feel worse off with the general election looming. More than half of the public say they are worse off than they were 14 years ago, with just a quarter saying they feel better off.Meanwhile, 48 per cent of those who backed the Tories under Boris Johnson in 2019 say they feel poorer, with just a third of Conservatives saying they feel better off than 14 years ago.As well as the public themselves feeling poorer, eight in 10 voters said they think the country as a whole is worse off than 14 years ago, with only one in 10 saying it is better off.Mr Tryl told The Independent: “Asked Ronald Reagan’s famous maxim of whether they are better, voters across the board answer that both they and the country are worse off than they were 14 years ago when the Tories took over.Mr Sunak has claimed that Sir Keir Starmer will take the country ‘back to square one’ “That is the fundamental problem the Tories face with trying to convince the public to ‘stick with the plan’ – most people would really quite like to go back to square one instead.”Mr Sunak has repeatedly urged voters to “stick” with the Tories in the next general election – saying that while his party was now “starting to deliver”, putting Labour into power would “take the UK back to square one”.The poll comes after Mr Sunak ruled out a snap election on 2 May amid mounting speculation in Westminster that he wanted to coincide with the local elections.Mr Sunak did not indicate when the election would be called, but Downing Street sources told The Independent that the date has been pencilled in for 10 October.Polls have repeatedly put the Conservatives on course for a landslide defeat, with Sir Keir comfortably on course to win the keys to No 10 Downing Street.And a poll on Friday will add to the headache facing Mr Sunak. British Polling Council member PeoplePolling found the Tories were backed by just 18 per cent of voters, 28 points behind Labour on 46 per cent of the vote.With Nigel Farage’s Reform UK on 13 per cent, it would spell electoral oblivion for the party, likely setting them on course to lose hundreds of seats.The Conservatives declined to comment. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailBoris Johnson’s secret trip to meet Venezuela’s autocratic president Nicolas Maduro last month was paid for by a hedge fund that stands to gain from improved relations between the West and the Latin American republic, it has been claimed.The former prime minister was accompanied on the visit by Maarten Petermann, the founder of Merlyn Advisors, for which he works as a paid consultant.Mr Johnson took time out from a holiday in the Caribbean to travel by private jet for the talks, and Mr Peterman sat in on discussions with the president, The Sunday Times reported.Boris Johnson’s spokesman said the visit was to ‘emphasise the need for Venezuela to embrace a proper democratic process’ He has said the talks were to “emphasise the need for Venezuela to embrace a proper democratic process”.A spokesman for Mr Johnson also said he “set out the case for the cause of Ukrainian victory to the government of Venezuela.”And they said the ex-PM “repeatedly made clear there can be no hope of normalisation in relations until Venezuela fully embraces democracy and respects the territorial integrity of its neighbours”.The UK does not accept the legitimacy of Mr Maduro’s administration, with the president having been in power for 11 years.But Mr Johnson did not mention that the trip was funded by Merlyn and that he has been paid for consultancy work and speeches by the firm, or that Mr Petermann had accompanies him.But The Sunday Times reported that Mr Petermann, a former senior banker at the investment bank JP Morgan, sat in on his talks with the Venezuelan president.Mr Petermann has privately expressed frustration at the state of relations with Venezuela, warning that it would drive Mr Maduro into the hands of hostile countries such as Russia.Sources told The Sunday Times Mr Petermann has repeatedly raised his inability to trade the country’s sovereign debt, the buying and selling of which was banned under Trump-era US sanctions designed to force Mr Maduro from office.And, describing the exchange between Mr Johnson and Mr Maduro, one told the paper: “It was a robust exchange which focused entirely on democracy and human rights and Ukraine. The Chavistas have banned their principal opponent Maria Corina Machado from appearing on the ballot paper. Boris Johnson told Maduro that in a democracy the people, not politicians, decide who should be elected.“He said there was no hope of normalisation with the West as long as she was off the ballot paper. Maduro said she was a traitor who sided with the United States. Boris said it should be up to the people to judge.”Mr Maduro was re-elected in 2018 but only after judges banned his main opponents from taking part, a move which plunged the country into a severe political and economic crisis.Nicolas Maduro was re-elected in 2018 but only after judges banned his main opponents from taking part Since then, Venezuela has come under intense international pressure to hold a free and fair election.Tensions were also inflamed last year when the country claimed sovereignty over a disputed oil-and-mineral-rich area of neighbouring Guyana.The UK minister for the Americas and Caribbean, David Rutley, met with Guyanese president Irfaan Ali in December to stress the government’s backing for the former British colony.Foreign secretary Lord Cameron was told of the summit via text message when Mr Johnson was already en route.Boris Johnson and Merlyn Advisors have been contacted for comment. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailA number of factions of the Conservative Party are reported to have held discussions about replacing Rishi Sunak as prime minister – and uniting around Penny Mordaunt instead.In a desperate bid to boost their dire electoral prospects, MPs on the Tory right have met with both moderates and members of Ms Mordaunt’s team this week, according to The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail.The mutinous Tories are said to have discussed replacing the prime minister in a “coronation” following a no-confidence vote, as opposed to putting their party and country through another leadership contest ahead of the looming general election, after Mr Sunak finally ruled out a May ballot.Mutinous Tories are said to have discussed replacing the prime minister in a ‘coronation’ following a no-confidence voteThey are said to be hoping that a new cabinet resignation will trigger the collapse of Mr Sunak’s premiership and usher in the party’s fourth leader since the last election – despite the fact that the recent departure of moderate-turned-hardliner Robert Jenrick from his post as immigration minister failed to inspire others to follow suit.The outlook among Tory MPs darkened this week after the Budget failed to make a dent in polling, which has recently put support for their party at a 40-year low, and as No 10 struggled to deal with the fallout from allegations that racist remarks were made by major donor Frank Hester. Mr Sunak eventually condemned the comments as “racist and wrong” after cabinet ministers broke ranks to do so.Some Tory MPs were baffled by Mr Sunak’s speech on extremism outside No 10 following George Galloway’s by-election victory, while others were exasperated by his failure to anticipate former deputy chair Lee Anderson’s defection to Reform, claimed GB News, quoting one as saying: “The sad reality is he’s just not very good at politics.”A source on the Tory right told the Telegraph: “Some Right-wing MPs met with Team Penny this week, where they expressed the view they were prepared to back her. They take the view that Penny is preferable to Rishi Sunak right now.”The source added: “Penny Mordaunt is now seen as the most likely person to stem the losses.” Ms Mordaunt, currently the leader of the House of Commons, was the last to fall to Mr Sunak and eventual victor Liz Truss in the 2021 Tory leadership race, since when her profile has been somewhat boosted by her sword-wielding role in the coronation.Penny Mordaunt carrying the sword of state at the coronation of King Charles III in May 2023 A spokesperson for Ms Mordaunt told the paper: “Penny is getting on with the job of serving the nation as leader of the House of Commons and serving her constituents in Portsmouth North.”While Ms Mordaunt has previously lacked the support of some Tory right-wingers who view her as too liberal on transgender rights, despite her protestations to the contrary, a rebel source claimed a deal was emerging in which they could support her if she “sub-contracts” the issue to them, according to the Telegraph.“The mood has shifted a long way this week,” the source said. “There is a feeling that we cannot go on as we are, and that even Penny would be better. “She would have to allow social policy to be set by others, but if you got over that hurdle, you could see the right prepared to swing behind her if it was the only way to get rid of Rishi and avoid a contest.”A former minister on the moderate wing of the party also told the paper that replacing Mr Sunak was becoming “much more likely” – and that Ms Mordaunt was the only candidate the party could unite around without a contest.The source said: “Until very recently, I thought the idea of changing leader again was ridiculous. But No 10’s handling of some recent events has been so astonishingly bad that I think it is becoming much more likely to happen.”Last week, Ms Mordaunt overtook fellow leadership favourite Kemi Badenoch to top the cabinet popularity rankings in the Conservative Home website’s regular survey of Tory members for the first time since June 2019, when she was defence secretary. More