UK Politics

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe UK government has been accused of “going backwards” on energy security after it committed to building new gas power stations beyond 2030 to avoid the risk of “blackouts”.Energy secretary Claire Coutinho will be making a case for “unabated” gas power to continue in the UK’s electricity system beyond 2030 in a speech at Chatham House. Unabated means the harmful carbon dioxide produced from these power plants will not be captured – a measure which limits the pollution to a certain extent. The decision is being made to avoid what the government believes is a “genuine prospect of blackouts”. The government said the new plants will serve as backup when renewables like wind and solar don’t deliver.However, the move does not only threaten the legally binding commitment the UK government made to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, but also hampers the country’s energy security, climate groups say. “The North Sea will continue its inevitable decline with or without new licences, leaving us ever more dependent on foreign gas unless we lower demand,” Jess Ralston, energy analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), said. “The UK is going backwards on energy security because of the government fumbling its latest auction for British offshore wind farms, failing on its home insulation schemes and dithering on heat pumps.“Without carbon capture technology, these gas plants may only have a decade or two before they are decommissioned, and who’s going to pay for that?”However, the government claimed that the UK would still be on track for net-zero and it was being “realistic” by prioritising energy security. “There are no two ways about it. Without gas backing up renewables, we face the genuine prospect of blackouts,” Ms Coutinho is expected to say. “Other countries in recent years have been so threatened by supply constraints that they have been forced back to coal.”“If countries are forced to choose between clean energy and keeping citizens safe and warm, believe me they’ll choose to keep the lights on. We will not let ourselves be put in that position.”“There are no easy solutions in energy, only trade-offs,” she will add. The government’s cunning plan to boost energy security and meet our climate goals is to make Britain more dependent on the very fossil fuel that sent our bills rocketing and the planet’s temperature soaring.” Doug Parr, policy director at Greenpeace UKThe move comes after the amount of electricity generated by the UK’s gas and coal power plants fell by 20 per cent last year, with consumption of fossil fuels at its lowest level since 1957, according to a report by Carbon Brief. However, backing the move for more gas power, prime minister Rishi Sunak said he would not “gamble with our energy security”.“I will make the tough decisions so that no matter what scenario we face, we can always power Britain from Britain,” he said. The move has prompted backlash from Labour which accused the Tories of leaving Britain facing another 10 years of high energy bills and energy insecurity. “Today, the energy secretary has confirmed that, after 14 years of failed Conservative energy policy, under the Tories Britain would face at least another 10 years of high energy bills and energy insecurity because of their plans,” shadow energy security and net zero secretary Ed Miliband said. “Of course, we need to replace retiring gas-fired stations as part of a decarbonised power system, which will include carbon capture and hydrogen playing a limited back-up role in the system.“But the reason the Tories cannot deliver the lower bills and energy security we need is that they are specialists in failure when it comes to our clean energy future: persisting with the ludicrous ban on onshore wind, bungling the offshore wind auctions, and failing on energy efficiency.”Liberal Democrat energy and climate change spokesperson Wera Hobhouse MP said that announcement was “another step backwards on the critical road to net zero”.“We need to wean ourselves off this reliance on expensive fossil fuels by investing in cheap, clean renewable power and insulating every home,” she said.Doug Parr, policy director at Greenpeace UK, said: “The government’s cunning plan to boost energy security and meet our climate goals is to make Britain more dependent on the very fossil fuel that sent our bills rocketing and the planet’s temperature soaring.“The only route to a low-cost, secure and clean energy system is through attracting massive private investment to develop renewables and upgrade our aging grid, but this government has failed on both fronts.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe Tories’ biggest donor told colleagues that looking at Diane Abbott makes you “want to hate all black women”, a media report has revealed.Frank Hester, who has donated £10m to the Conservatives in the past year, also said the long-serving former Labour MP “should be shot”, it is claimed.Mr Hester, founder and chief executive of The Phoenix Partnership (TPP), made the comments at a 2019 meeting at the firm’s headquarters, according to a Guardian investigation.Discussing a female executive from another company, he reportedly said: “She’s s***. She’s the s***test person. Honestly I try not to be sexist but when I meet somebody like [the executive], I just …“It’s like trying not to be racist but you see Diane Abbott on the TV, and you’re just like I hate, you just want to hate all black women because she’s there, and I don’t hate all black women at all, but I think she should be shot.“[The executive] and Diane Abbott need to be shot. She’s stupid … If we can get [the executive] being unprofessional we can get her sacked. It’s not as good as her dying. It would be much better if she died. She’s consuming resource. She’s eating food that other people could eat. You know?”Frank Hester has boosted Rishi Sunak’s general election war chest Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds said Mr Hester’s comments were “reprehensible” and called on the Tories and Rishi Sunak to hand back his donations in full.Ms Dodds said: “These comments are reprehensible. Frank Hester is the Conservative Party’s biggest ever donor, as well as a personal donor to the prime minister, it is therefore vital that Rishi Sunak and the Tories return his donations, in full without delay.“Rishi Sunak has claimed that ‘words matter’, and he must know that holding on to that money would suggest the Conservatives condone these disturbing comments. Sunak must return every penny.”Tory MP Sir Bob Neil said Mr Hester’s alleged comments were “stupid and offensive”.He told Times Radio: “It may have been hyperbolic. That’s not the sort of language that you should use about anyone, frankly.“You can disagree with people’s politics… but let’s fight our enemies on clean ground, on the honest disagreements of policy, and show them up for where they’re wrong. But not to, that sort of type of divisive language.”And the Liberal Democrats called for the Tories to return Mr Hester’s donations and rule out awarding him a peerage.Lib Dem chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said: “These comments are inexcusable and disgusting. Ultimately the buck stops with Rishi Sunak.“He must reassure the public that the Conservative Party does not tolerate these remarks. That means confirming that his party will return every penny of these donations and won’t take any more from this donor in future.”The Conservatives declined to comment on Mr Hester’s alleged remarks.But lawyers for TPP told The Guardian the company fosters a diverse and inclusive workplace with a significant number of staff from diverse backgrounds. They also said Mr Hester’s comments had been taken out of context and distorted and did not accurately represent him or the company.And the company released a statement saying: “Frank Hester accepts that he was rude about Diane Abbott in a private meeting several years ago but his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin. “The Guardian is right when it quotes Frank saying he abhors racism, not least because he experienced it as the child of Irish immigrants in the 1970’s. “He rang Diane Abbott twice today to try to apologise directly for the hurt he has caused her, and is deeply sorry for his remarks. He wishes to make it clear that he regards racism as a poison which has no place in public life.”The comments emerged as part of a broader investigation which The Guardian said also uncovered Mr Hester allegedly calling all of his “foreign” staff to a meeting to defend himself against allegations of racism from former staff.In that meeting, he is alleged to have said: “I make a lot of jokes about racism, about our different creeds and cultures. But I just want to assure you that it is just the most abhorrent thing.”He reportedly added: “I want to clear the air and make sure we all know where we are, what we stand for, and we take the piss out of the fact that all our Chinese girls sit together in Asian corner, which they do.”TPP’s lawyers said the fact he donated heavily to a party led by Britain’s first Hindu prime minister, who is of Indian heritage, was evidence he embraces diversity.In an interview with The Daily Telegraph in February, after becoming the largest ever Tory donor, Mr Hester said he supported the PM because of his interest in artificial intelligence.He said: “The future is AI and we’ve got a prime minister who gets it.“I’ve had some quite long conversations with Rishi about AI and it’s not just that he understands it, we were talking about different algorithms. He does fundamentally get it and I think we’re blessed in this country.”He had given £5m to the party ahead of the interview, ahead of a further £5m donation last year.In 2015, the businessman was given an OBE for his services to healthcare. Mr Hester has been invited on several government trade missions in the past, including visiting India with then-prime minister David Cameron in 2013.He appeared at number 321 on the 2023 Sunday Times Rich List, with the newspaper estimating his wealth at £415m.The rich list said Mr Hester spotted an opportunity to build IT software for the NHS “when his GP wife grumbled about her computers at work”. TTP has been contacted for comment.Diane Abbott has consistently received a disproportionate amount of abuse compared with other MPs Ms Abbott was a Labour MP until her suspension in April last year for writing a letter suggesting Jewish people are not subjected to the same racism as some other minorities.The first black woman to become an MP, she has represented Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987.She has consistently been subjected to a disproportionate amount of abuse compared with other MPs, and Amnesty International research during the 2017 election found she was the victim of almost half the abuse directed at women MPs on Twitter, which has since been renamed X.TPP’s main clients are the NHS and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)The government, NHS and local authorities have paid TPP more than £440m since 2016, according to analysis by contract specialists Tussell.A TPP spokesperson told The Guardian: “As the safe and trusted custodians of 80 million medical records in the UK and around the world, we always hire the best people for the job, regardless of race, gender, sexuality or any other characteristic.“We take care of our people and celebrate diversity in our workplace. We reward our staff well, encouraging them to work collaboratively, to take ownership of their responsibilities, and to demonstrate the commitment and professionalism that the NHS, patients and our customers around the world deserve.“Having recently witnessed the tragic consequences that can be caused when software systems of major public services fail, we are proud to demand the highest standards of our staff to ensure we can continue to safely and reliably support our health service.”A Conservative spokesperson said: “Mr Hester has made clear that while he was rude, his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor the colour of her skin. He has since apologised.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailLee Anderson has joined Nigel Farage’s Reform UK with a furious attack on the Conservative Party after he was suspended by the Tories for making Islamophobic remarks about London mayor Sadiq Khan. The former Tory deputy chair said he had done “a lot of soul-searching” but had decided to join Reform in a bid to take “my country back” – a move that makes him the right-wing populist party’s first ever MP. Mr Anderson, who represents Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, confirmed the news as he accused the Conservative Party of stifling “free speech”, adding that he found it “unpalatable” that he had been disciplined for “speaking my mind”.The defection was announced during a chaotic event in Westminster by Reform leader Richard Tice, in what was billed as a “major” moment for the party.Mr Tice, who said he expected “more [defections] to follow”, welcomed Mr Anderson as a “champion” of the red wall who is “trusted by voters to tell it as it is”. As recently as January, Mr Anderson branded Mr Tice a “pound-shop Nigel Farage” and said Reform was “not a proper political party”. Asked what had changed, the MP, who is also a presenter on GB News, said: “There’s not been a turning point. We all know that sometimes politicians are about as trustworthy as journalists in what they say and do.”Lee Anderson has joined Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in a blow for the ConservativesIn a speech, Mr Anderson said his parents, who live in his constituency, had told him they could not vote for him at this year’s election if he did not defect to Reform.He said: “All I want is my country back. Now this may sound offensive to the liberal elite. But it’s not offensive to my friends or family, my constituents – and some of my constituents, like my mum and dad, who told me they could not vote for me unless I joined Reform UK.”“My parents are both nearly 80, and they get it, and I must not let them down,” he added. “But it’s been a gradual journey, and I think there’s been several tipping points over the past few months. And when I find myself suspended for speaking my mind – and, by the way, speaking up on behalf of millions of people up and down the country who agree with me – that, for me, is unpalatable. It’s a shocker, if I’m honest.”Mr Anderson will now sit as an MP for Reform – which was formerly known as the Brexit Party and was set up by Mr Farage when he left Ukip – and will stand for the party at the next election. Projections based on current polling show Mr Anderson is on course to lose the seat to Labour’s candidate Rhea Keehn by a significant margin. But asked if he would remain an MP after the election, Mr Anderson replied: “My mailbag tells me I’m going to win.”His defection will pile fresh pressure on Rishi Sunak, with the Tories at risk of losing tens of seats at the next election if the insurgent populist party splits the right-wing vote.Rishi Sunak faces a mounting headache as Reform UK continues to gain on the Tories in the polls Mr Anderson is also hugely popular with the Tory grassroots and was given a standing ovation at a Conservative fundraiser even after his suspension. He was suspended by the Conservative Party last month after claiming that “Islamists” had “got control” of Mr Khan and of London. Mr Sunak and a series of ministers repeatedly refused to say his comments were racist, but suspended him when he refused to apologise for his remarks.In an appearance on GB News, Mr Anderson had said: “I don’t actually believe that the Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is they’ve got control of Khan and they’ve got control of London… He’s actually given our capital city away to his mates.”Sir Keir Starmer said it was right that Mr Anderson had been suspended from the party over his “appalling racist and Islamophobic outburst”.Speculation that Mr Anderson was set to join Reform mounted immediately after his suspension. A meeting between Mr Anderson and Mr Tice at a hotel off the M1 only fuelled expectations that he would defect to the party. He has previously claimed to have been offered “a lot of money” to join the party set up by Mr Farage.Reform is currently polling at around 12 per cent, while the Conservatives are on 24 per cent. Pollsters have repeatedly warned that Reform could deprive the Tories of tens of seats by splitting the vote, even if the party itself fails to send any MPs to Westminster.Anderson, right, with Sunak, lost the Tory whip last month after claiming ‘Islamists’ had ‘got control’ of London mayor Sadiq Khan Two February by-elections saw Reform score double-digit shares of the vote in what Mr Tice called a “defining moment”, as he claimed that the party had become a “significant force now in British politics”.Mr Tice and Mr Anderson ruled out holding a by-election after the defection, saying there would be a general election “within weeks or months”. But in 2020, Mr Anderson backed a bill that would have seen a recall petition sparked for any MP who voluntarily changed parties. Sir Keir said on Monday that “in the end, it’s a matter for him” whether Mr Anderson calls a by-election. And he said voters across the country are fed up, as he suggested that Mr Sunak should call a general election instead.The Labour leader told Sky News: “This is not just about Lee Anderson. It’s about 14 years of failure. I do think there’s a profound sense now, that so many people say we just need change, we need to move on from this.“The Tories have failed. They can see the Labour Party has changed and that we’ve got a plan to change the country, and I think there’s a lot of people that [would] say ‘Forget about Lee Anderson, let’s have a general election.’”The Labour Party’s national campaign coordinator Pat McFadden said Mr Sunak is “too weak” to lead the “extreme” Conservatives. He added: “What does it say about Rishi Sunak’s judgement that he promoted Lee Anderson in the first place?”Reform founder Mr Farage said: “Lee Anderson moving to Reform is huge. I don’t think Westminster really understands this yet.” There is speculation that Mr Farage could return to take up a formal role with Reform ahead of the general election, which would only add to the Conservatives’ woes. Home secretary James Cleverly, meanwhile, said his former Tory colleague had made a “real mistake”.Reform UK leader Richard Tice announced the defection at a press conference“Reform is not the answer,” said Mr Cleverly. “As he has said, in his own words, Reform is not the answer, and a vote for Reform will only let in a Labour government.”The New Conservatives group of around 25 right-wing Tory MPs reacted furiously to Mr Anderson’s defection, but said that the “responsibility sits with the Conservative Party”.“We have failed to hold together the coalition of voters who gave us an 80-seat majority in 2019,” co-founders Miriam Cates and Danny Kruger said in a statement.The pressure group said the Tories “cannot pretend any longer that ‘the plan is working’ … our poll numbers show what the public think of our record since 2019”, adding: “We need to change course urgently.”But senior Tory MP Tobias Ellwood said Mr Anderson was engaging in “Trumpism and populism”. He told TalkTV that his former colleague was “building on people’s fears, saying ‘the establishment hasn’t got it right’” and that Mr Anderson was failing to offer any solutions. And the Liberal Democrats said Mr Sunak’s authority “lies in tatters” after the man he appointed deputy Tory chair defected to a rival party.Mr Anderson’s defection means he is representing his third political party in six years. He was previously a long-time Labour member and served as a local councillor for the party before joining the Tories in 2018.Labour’s Ashfield candidate Ms Keehn said the constituency “deserves so much better than this”, calling for a “fresh start with a Labour government and MP”. She said: “People are fed up with politicians playing political games just to suit themselves. It’s clear Rishi has lost control of his party.”A Tory spokesperson said: “Lee himself said he fully accepted that the chief whip had no option but to suspend the whip in these circumstances. We regret he’s made this decision. Voting for Reform can’t deliver anything apart from a Keir Starmer-led Labour government.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailLee Anderson has joined the right wing populist Reform UK party following his suspension from the Conservatives for Islamophobic comments about Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.The news was announced by Reform UK leader Richard Tice at a special event in Westminster. Mr Anderson, former Tory deputy chairman, confirmed the move with a scathing attack on the Conservative Party.“All I want is my country back. Now this may sound offensive to the liberal elite.” he said.“But it’s not offensive to my friends or family, my constituents and some of my constituents like my mum and dad, who told me they could not vote for me unless I joined Reform UK”.The move makes Mr Anderson the first-ever MP for Reform UK. It marks a new milestone for the populist party, which has re-risen to prominence over the past few years. However, its roots go back to 2018, and figurehead Nigel Farage.Here’s everything you need to know about Reform UK:Could Reform UK win any seats at the next general election?While it’s unlikely Reform UK will win any seats at the next general election, they could prove to be a difficult obstacle for Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives to overcome.Recent YouGov polling puts the right wing populist party as high as 14 per cent for voting intention. That places it third after Labour and the Conservatives – and ahead of the Lib Dems or Green.Mr Tice has said Reform UK’s aim at the next general election is to cause the government to “lose seats,” as the party undercuts the Conservatives on several key issues.‘Let’s Make Britain Great’ reads Reform UK’s slogan, with key policies including tighter immigration controls, lower taxation, cutting NHS waiting lists, and reforming the BBC and House of Lords.The party also calls for an overhaul of the government’s Net Zero plans, calling them ‘net stupid’.Reform UK stood candidates in all three of the February 2024 by-elections, gaining 13 per cent in Wellingborough, 10.4 per cent in Kingswood, and 6.3 per cent in Rochdale.Mr Anderson’s defection now gifts Reform UK an increased political legitimacy, as the party suddenly gains a voice in parliament.What is Reform UK?Brexit Party and 2019 general electionReform UK was founded with backing from Mr Farage in November 2018 as the Brexit Party. The party was originally led by co-founder Catherine Blaiklock, who stood down in March 2019 following a row over Islamophobic tweets she had written.Shortly after Mr Farage took over, claiming that Ms Blaiklock was “never intended to be the long-term leader” and dismissing the issue as “teething problems”.The Brexit Party gained political traction after winning a majority in the UK’s 2019 European elections. Amongst the winners was Brexit campaigner and businessman Richard Tice, who has been chairman since May 2019.Mr Farage publicly offered a pact to then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson ahead of that year’s December general election, offering to withdraw candidates from traditionally Conservative-voting seats.In return, he asked his party be allowed to run uncontested in traditionally Labour-voting seats.Although Mr Johnson refused the request, Mr Farage still withdrew 317 candidates from Conservative-voting seats, standing 275 overall.The party went on to secure no seats at the general election, gaining only 2 per cent of the vote. Despite the poor result, Mr Farage claimed victory, saying that his party had taken thousands of votes from the Tories and quashed hopes of a second EU referendum.“I killed the Liberal Democrats and I hurt the Labour Party,” he added.Becoming Reform UK and the Covid pandemicIn November 2020, Mr Farage and Mr Tice announced that they had applied to the Electoral Commission to rename the party to Reform UK. The move was approved in January 2021.Alongside the rebrand, the pair outlined a new campaign agenda for the party focusing on opposing Covid lockdowns and ‘reforming’ institutions like the House of Lords.Mr Farage stepped down as leader in March 2021, and was replaced by Mr Tice. In a letter to members, the former UKIP leader said he would remain as the party’s “honorary president” but “relinquish any executive power within the party”.“I now feel I can do just as much to shift public opinion through media and social media as I can as a campaigning party leader,” he added.The party unsuccessfuly attempted to gain representation in Wales’ Senedd and Scottish Parliament in 2019 and 2021. At the 2023 local elections, they gained 6 seats nationally, averaging 6 per cent of the vote in wards where they party stood.On 20 October 2023, Mr Tice confirmed Reform UK would stand candidates in every UK seat and “make sure the Tories lose”. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email The former deputy chairman of Britain’s Conservative Party, who drew condemnation last month for saying the mayor of London is controlled by Islamists, has defected to the smaller right-wing Reform U.K. Party.Lee Anderson was suspended as a Conservative lawmaker in Parliament after he claimed that Islamists had “got control” of London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who is a Muslim, amid heightened tensions in the U.K. over the Israel-Hamas war. Speaking at a news conference Monday, Anderson accused the governing Conservatives of stifling free speech. He said he had been disciplined for speaking his mind and for “speaking up on behalf of millions of people up and down the country who agree with me.”Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemned Anderson’s comments on Khan, and denied that his party had an Islamophobia problem.In defecting Anderson becomes the first lawmaker for the Reform U.K., which was founded by right-wing populist politician Nigel Farage. The party, formerly known as the Brexit Party, is seeking to attract dissatisfied Conservative voters mainly over the issue of immigration. Reform finished in third place in two recent special local elections, and is seen by some Conservatives as a challenger with growing support, polling at around 10% of support from voters. Critics say Anderson’s defection highlighted the bitter divisions within the Conservative Party, which is polling far behind the opposition Labour Party and faces a tough battle to win voters at the general election, expected some time this year. “The truth is that the prime minister is too weak to lead a party too extreme to be led,” Labour lawmaker Pat McFadden said. More