UK Politics

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailFuel retailers will be forced to share information on price changes within half an hour under Government plans to make it easier for drivers to find the cheapest petrol and diesel.This freely available data will enable tech companies to develop new price comparison tools, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) said.These systems, part of a so-called PumpWatch scheme, are expected to be accessible on mobile apps, websites, online maps, journey planning tools and in-car devices.The move, which is being consulted on, could save drivers 3p per litre on fuel by helping them find the lowest prices in their area, according to the DESNZ.This will put motorists back in the driving seatEnergy Security Secretary Claire CoutinhoGovernment figures show the average price of a litre of petrol on January 8 was at its lowest level since October 2021, at 139.7p.This has been attributed to a fall in oil prices.Energy Security Secretary Claire Coutinho said: “Our work on competition and transparency is working. Drivers are now paying the lowest average price at the pump for two years.“We are forcing retailers to share live information on their prices within 30 minutes of any change in price, helping drivers to find the best deal at the pump.“This will put motorists back in the driving seat and bring much-needed competition back to the forecourts.”Twelve major fuel retailers – including all four fuel-selling supermarkets – signed up to an interim voluntary scheme launched by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) last year to share daily prices.The DESNZ plans would make data-sharing a legal requirement.This is a really important day as it should pave the way for fairer fuel pricing for everyone who drivesSimon Williams, RACA similar scheme in Queensland, Australia, saw drivers save an average of 93 Australian dollars (£49) per year on fuel, the department said.Last year, the CMA said that in 2022 UK motorists paid around £900 million in additional costs due to supermarkets failing to pass on savings from lower oil prices.RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “This is a really important day as it should pave the way for fairer fuel pricing for everyone who drives.“Sadly, there have been far too many occasions where drivers have lost out at the pumps when wholesale prices have fallen significantly and those reductions haven’t been passed on quickly enough or fully enough by retailers.“We badly need to see competition in the wider market match that of Northern Ireland where fuel prices are consistently 5p cheaper.”Pump prices are generally lower in Northern Ireland than the rest of the UK because of competition from forecourts in the Republic of Ireland.The Government’s proposal should stimulate fairer pricing through free market competition, and takes advantage of the latest information technologyEdmund King, AAAA president Edmund King said: “The Government’s proposal should stimulate fairer pricing through free market competition, and takes advantage of the latest information technology.“It gives leeway to fuel retailers to price according to their circumstances but, by directing motoring consumers to where they can get their fuel at a better price, keeps competitive pressure on the trade.”Howard Cox, the Reform UK candidate for London mayor and founder of fuel price campaign FairFuelUK, said: “Years of lobbying the Government seems to have paid off.“I am delighted that a PumpWatch consumer pricing watchdog will roll out with teeth to protect UK’s millions of hard-pressed drivers from perennial profiteering by the fuel supply chain.” More

Tory MP Simon Clarke vows to vote against Rishi Sunak’s flagship Rwanda policySign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak is staging a last-ditch bid to win over right-wing Conservatives MPs threatening to defeat his Rwanda deportation legislation.The PM faces a mounting rebellion over the flagship immigration policy, with Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith poised to back rebel amendments to the bill.Mr Anderson and Mr Clarke-Smith said they would defy the Government by joining more than 60 Tory MPs who are seeking to disapply international law from the Bill and curtail asylum seekers’ rights to appeal against flights to Kigali.But any attempt by Mr Sunak to placate them would be opposed by more moderate Tories, who are keen to protect the legislation against breaches of international law.It comes as the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has concluded after a legal assessment of the UK government’s new Rwanda bill that it’s not compatible with international law.The UNHCR said the modified Rwanda scheme “does not meet the required standards relating to the legality and appropriateness of the transfer of asylum seekers and is not compatible with international refugee law”.Show latest update
1705368600MP calls for DNA tests in parliament: ‘Migration shouldn’t be a dirty word’MP calls for DNA tests in parliament: ‘Migration shouldn’t be a dirty word’Joe Middleton16 January 2024 01:301705365000Voters turn on ‘spineless’ Sunak as dire poll results and Rwanda row spark fresh leadership crisisRishi Sunak is facing a landslide general election defeat because he is seen as “spineless and false” and makes people “cringe”, according to a top pollster.Joe Middleton16 January 2024 00:301705363037UNHCR concludes Sunak’s new Rwanda Bill violates international lawThe United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has concluded after a legal assessment of the UK government’s new Rwanda bill that it’s not compatible with international law.The UNHCR said the modified Rwanda scheme “does not meet the required standards relating to the legality and appropriateness of the transfer of asylum seekers and is not compatible with international refugee law”.In its published analysis on Monday evening the UNHCR concluded: “UNHCR has reviewed the updated UK-Rwanda scheme in light of the principles and standards set out in its 2022 analysis and summarised in Part I above. “It maintains its position that the arrangement, as now articulated in the UK-Rwanda Partnership Treaty and accompanying legislative scheme23 does not meet the required standards relating to the legality and appropriateness of the transfer of asylum seekers and is not compatible with international refugee law.”Joe Middleton15 January 2024 23:571705362517Voters turn on ‘spineless’ Sunak as dire poll results and Rwanda row spark fresh leadership crisisRishi Sunak is facing a landslide general election defeat because he is seen as “spineless and false” and makes people “cringe”, according to a top pollster.Joe Middleton15 January 2024 23:481705362465 Tory deputy chair Lee Anderson joins right-wing Rwanda bill rebellionThe Conservative party’s deputy chairman Lee Anderson has rocked Rishi Sunak’s authority by backing rebel MPs defying the prime minister over his Rwanda bill.The senior Tory figure has effectively dared Mr Sunak to sack him by announcing that he is supporting the right-wingers who are pushing for last-minute changes to the deportation legislation.Almost 60 Conservative MPs have now backed amendments by ex-immigration minister Robert Jenrick aimed at toughening the bill ahead of a showdown vote on Wednesday.Joe Middleton15 January 2024 23:471705360326Welcome to the Independent’s coverage of the crunch Rwanda voteRishi Sunak is staging a last-ditch bid to win over right-wing Conservatives MPs threatening to defeat his Rwanda deportation legislation.It came as the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has concluded after a legal assessment of the UK government’s new Rwanda bill that it’s not compatible with international law.The UNHCR said the modified Rwanda scheme “does not meet the required standards relating to the legality and appropriateness of the transfer of asylum seekers and is not compatible with international refugee law”.Barney Davis15 January 2024 23:12 More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak is facing a landslide general election defeat because he is seen as “spineless and false” and makes people “cringe”, according to a top pollster.The verdict came as a major new survey indicated that Labour is heading for a repeat of Tony Blair’s crushing victory over the Tories in 1997.Conservative alarm at the results – allied to a fresh split over the controversial Rwanda bill – prompted speculation that the Tories could face their third leadership contest in less than 18 months.Tory deputy chair Lee Anderson rocked Mr Sunak’s authority by backing right-wing rebels trying to force the PM to toughen up the deportation bill ahead of a showdown vote on Wednesday.Hardline MPs are vowing to vote against the government if Mr Sunak refuses to back down – with one telling The Independent that the chances of a seismic defeat that could end his time at No 10 are “underpriced”.The Tory leader was left reeling as a YouGov poll of 14,000 voters found Labour would achieve a stunning 120-seat Commons majority if the election took place today.And the PM’s hopes of improving his plummeting ratings suffered another blow as details of the devastating findings of a separate survey emerged.Focus group research, carried out by JL Partners, found that members of the public now regard Mr Sunak with barely concealed contempt.Tory chair Lee Anderson has backed rebel amendments to Sunak’s Rwanda bill Words commonly used to describe him by the focus group, conducted last week, included “limp, spineless, out of touch, full of himself and false”. Mr Sunak – once known as “Dishy Rishi” – was also said to make voters “cringe”.James Johnson of JL Partners told The Independent: “The way to win elections in 2024 is by being the strongman. People value plain speaking in a leader more than managerial style competence.“The reason they liked Sunak so much as chancellor in the pandemic was because he stepped up to the plate and stood up to Boris Johnson at times. That is not how he comes across any more,” added the former No 10 pollster.Mr Johnson had some blunt advice for Sunak’s team: “They appear to think he is as popular as he was during the pandemic, posting jolly videos of him on social media. He isn’t. They could make a start by stopping pretending he is a rock star and banning him from smiling.”Despite Sir Keir Starmer’s party’s huge poll lead the focus group verdict on the Labour leader was only slightly better. Common reactions to him were “Sir Flip Flop”, a “people pleaser”, “says what people want to hear” and “no plan”.Mr Johnson said: “Starmer is winning more by accident, because voters are so fed up with the Conservatives and because he isn’t Jeremy Corbyn, than out of any genuine enthusiasm for him.”Rishi Sunak played down the grim YouGov survey, saying the general election was the ‘only poll that matters’ The landmark YouGov survey of 14,000 people found that the Tories were headed for as few as 169 seats, while Labour would sweep into power with 385 – giving Sir Keir a massive 120-seat majority.The survey, commissioned by Tory donors working with arch-Brexiteer David Frost, also predicts that chancellor Jeremy Hunt could be one of 11 cabinet ministers to lose their seats, in what would be the biggest collapse in support for a governing party since 1906.The Tories’ election chief Isaac Levido fired backed at Lord Frost at a meeting of backbenchers’ 1922 committee. The strategist said those who organised the timing of the poll – ahead of the Rwanda vote – are “intent on undermining this government” and “more interested in what happens after the election than fighting it”.And Mr Sunak played down the sobering results during a visit to Essex, telling broadcasters: “The only one that matters is the one when the general election comes.”Sir Keir told his troops to “ignore” the poll in a bid to keep complacency at bay. “We have to earn every vote, respect every vote and we should always, always, fight like we’re 5 per cent behind.”Mr Anderson heaped further misery on Mr Sunak by revealing on X/Twitter, that he was backing amendments to the Rwanda bill by Tory grandee Sir Bill Cash and ex-immigration minister Robert Jenrick. “I have signed the Cash and Jenrick amendments. I will vote for them.”Asked if the Tory whips have told him he can still remain in his role as deputy chair, Mr Anderson told reporters: “No, I haven’t been told that.”The home secretary James Cleverly joined Sunak in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, on Monday Although he did not resign from the job, Mr Anderson’s allies believe he is more likely to quit before he is fired by Mr Sunak.Earlier on Monday, grilled on whether he would sack Mr Anderson if he rebelled, Mr Sunak said only: “I’m frustrated about the situation … I’m confident that the bill we’ve got is the toughest that anyone’s ever seen.”To make matters worse for No 10, Brendan Clarke-Smith became the second deputy Tory chair to join the Rwanda rebellion. He said he was backing the amendments because he wanted the legislation “to be as strong as possible”.Senior Tory rebel Sir Simon Clarke pounced upon the dire YouGov polling to warn that the party could be “destroyed” at the general election unless it takes tougher action on small boats.Vowing to vote against Mr Sunak’s Rwanda bill if the PM does not accept right-wing amendments, Mr Clarke told the BBC: “I’ve been clear with the whips, if the bill goes forward unamended I will be unable to offer it my support.”Almost 60 right-wingers have now backed amendments by Mr Jenrick, with votes on the proposed changes to come on Tuesday and Wednesday.Tory MPs Mark Francois and David Jones of the ERG have warned the rebellion is big enough to threaten the Rwanda billAs well as trying to block any role for the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in deportation cases, Mr Jenrick and others have demanded that Mr Sunak restricts the grounds on which illegal migrants can bring claims.It would take just 29 Tory MPs to overturn Mr Sunak’s 56-seat parliamentary majority and defeat the government at the final Commons vote on Wednesday.Hardliners in the New Conservatives and the European Research Group (ERG) met on Monday to discuss their amendments ahead of the crucial third reading showdown.One senior right-wing Tory MP involved in the discussions said there was a “growing feeling it is better not to have any bill than a bill that doesn’t work”.And John Hayes, chair of the Common Sense Group, told The Independent: “There is significant support for the amendments – it’s more than I think the government were anticipating. I’m hopeful the government will listen.”But another senior Tory MP – a hardliner on immigration – said the rebellion would “fade away in the end”. They added: “Most realise to defeat the government to bring down one of its major policies on this would be political madness. We’re only months away from an election.”Business secretary Kemi Badenoch is said to have warned the PM over the Rwanda bill No 10 refused to comment on any conversations with Mr Anderson or cabinet minister Kemi Badenoch, who is said to have warned the PM’s team that the Rwanda bill does not go far enough.In an apparent bid to keep right-wingers happy, the Tory leader talked up his willingness to use the bill to ignore any injunctions from the ECHR on deportation flights.Mr Sunak told GB News: “If you’re asking me … are there circumstances in which I’m prepared to ignore those rule 39s [ECHR injunctions]? Then yes, of course there are.”Former culture secretary Nadine Dorries said the YouGov poll shows why the party should bring back Boris Johnson. “Get Boris into a seat and out campaigning or consign us to socialism forevermore,” she said on Twittter/X.And Zac Goldsmith, another staunch ally of Mr Johnson, added sarcastically: “Thank God for those clever-clog ‘Tory grandees’ who got rid of Boris … Genius.”But Gavin Barwell, Theresa May’s former chief of staff at No 10, fired back: “The party was on course to lose under Johnson. By the time Sunak took over, the situation was probably irrecoverable.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak warned that his government remains “prepared to back our words with actions”, as Houthi missile attacks continued against ships in the Red Sea despite last week’s airstrikes against the rebels in Yemen.The prime minister’s defiant statement in the Commons on Monday – suggesting he was prepared to sanction further strikes if necessary – came shortly after a missile struck a US-owned ship off the coast of Yemen.Earlier, defence secretary Grant Shapps said Britain will “wait and see” before deciding to launch any fresh strikes – but also warned that if Houthi attacks don’t stop “we will then have to take the decisions that need to be taken”.The US military’s central command on Monday afternoon confirmed the latest attack – putting the blame on Iran-aligned Houthi rebels. “The ship has reported no injuries or significant damage and is continuing its journey,” the central command said. United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which oversees Middle East waters, also reported that missile fire had struck a ship in the Gulf of Aden, about 100 miles southeast of the southern Yemen border.“As a result of the impact, the vessel suffered limited damage to a cargo hold but is stable and is heading out of the area,” the US-based operator Eagle Bulk Shipping said in a statement. There were no reports of injuries or significant damage.Rishi Sunak insisted that UK strikes against Houthis were ‘not escalatory’ Mr Sunak defended his decision to sanction UK strikes against Houthi targets last week, insisting that military action need not lead to a wider escalation of violence in the region.“The threats to shipping must cease. Illegally detained vessels and crews must be released. And we remain prepared to back our words with actions,” the Tory leader told the Commons.The prime minister said all 13 planned targets were destroyed, with no evidence of civilian casualties. “I do not take decisions on the use of force lightly,” Mr Sunak said. “That is why I stress that this action was taken in self-defence. It was limited, not escalatory.”The UK joined the US in targeting Houthi locations in Yemen last week as part of efforts to ensure international cargo vessels can travel through the vital shipping route after assaults by the Iran-backed militants.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said his party backed the “targeted action”, but warned that any military operation must be “underpinned by a clear strategy”.Some opposition leaders condemned Mr Sunak’s failure to seek the approval of parliament for strikes, with Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey calling it “regrettable”, and the SNP’s Westminster leader urging the Tory leader to “do better”.Sir Keir acknowledged that it is not always possible to hold a vote beforehand. But he warned Mr Sunak: “Scrutiny is not the enemy of strategy. Because while we back the action taken last week, these strikes still do bring risk; we must avoid escalation across the Middle East.”The Houthis, who support Hamas in the Palestinian group’s war against Israel, claim they have targeted ships with links to Tel Aviv. But Mr Sunak told MPs that “we shouldn’t fall for their [the Houthis’] malign narrative that this is about Israel and Gaza”, adding: “They target ships from around the world.”RAF air strikes, carried out alongside American allies last week, had looked to curtail the militants’ ability to disrupt international shipping, with cargo firms forced to reroute around the southern tip of Africa to avoid the Red Sea.Washington on Saturday launched a new strike against a Houthi location in Yemen that was determined a threat, according to US officials.Grant Shapps delivered a speech on the UK’s air strikes in Yemen Mr Shapps, asked whether the UK could join more strikes, told Sky News: “If we have to take further action, that is something that we will consider.”During a later speech in central London, he said the strike against the Houthis was intended as a “single action” rather than a planned campaign.The defence secretary also told the audience that the UK should prepare for further conflicts involving China, Iran, Russia and North Korea in the next five years.Mr Sunak told Sky News that the UK government “will not hesitate to protect our security where required” when grilled on the possibility of fresh strikes in Yemen.He also told MPs that he remained “committed” to parliamentary convention when it came to consulting parliament on military action, but it had been necesssary to hit the Houthis “at speed” at the end of last week.The PM also said the UK was considering “all diplomatic tools” – including using sanctions against Iran if necessary – amid reports that the country has stepped up its weapons grade uranium enrichment.It came as the government moved to ban the extremist Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir. Home secretary James Cleverly laid before parliament a draft order to proscribe the organisation under the Terrorism Act.Security minister Tom Tugendhat said the group “encourages and promotes terrorism” as he condemned its “disgraceful celebration” of Hamas attacks on Israel. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe Conservative party’s deputy chairman Lee Anderson has rocked Rishi Sunak’s authority by backing rebel MPs defying the prime minister over his Rwanda bill.The senior Tory figure has effectively dared Mr Sunak to sack him by announcing that he is supporting the right-wingers who are pushing for last-minute changes to the deportation legislation.Almost 60 Conservative MPs have now backed amendments by ex-immigration minister Robert Jenrick aimed at toughening the bill ahead of a showdown vote on Wednesday.Mr Anderson announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he was backing the hardline amendments tabled by Bill Cash and Mr Jenrick.“I have signed the Cash & Jenrick amendments. I will vote for them,” the controversial MP for Ashfield in Nottinghamshire tweeted.Asked by if the Tory whips have told him he can still remain in his role as deputy chairman, Mr Anderson told reporters: “No, I haven’t been told that.”Although he did not immediately resign from the job, Mr Anderson’s allies believe he is more likely to quit before he is fired by Mr Sunak over the act of rebellion.Earlier on Monday, grilled on whether he would sack Mr Anderson if he rebelled, Mr Sunak said only: “I’m frustrated about the situation … I’m confident that the bill we’ve got is the toughest that anyone’s ever seen.”Hardline MPs are vowing to vote against the government if Mr Sunak refuses to back down by Wednesday’s vote – with one telling The Independent that the chances of a seismic defeat that could end his time at No 10 are “under-priced”.It would take just 29 Tory MPs to overturn Mr Sunak’s 56-seat parliamentary majority and defeat the government at the final Commons vote on Wednesday.As well as trying to block any role for the European court in deportation cases, Mr Jenrick and others have demanded that Mr Sunak restricts the grounds on which illegal migrants can bring claims.Lee Anderson with Sunak during visit to school in Ashfield earlier this month Hardliners in the New Conservatives and the European Research Group (ERG) met on Monday to discuss their amendments ahead of the crucial third reading showdown.One senior right-wing Tory MP involved in the discussions said there was a “growing feeling it is better not to have any bill than a bill that doesn’t work”.And John Hayes, chair of the Common Sense Group, told The Independent: “There is significant support for the amendments – it’s more than I think the government were anticipating. I’m hopeful the government will listen.”In an apparent bid to keep right-wingers happy, the Tory leader talked up his willingness to use the bill to ignore any injunctions from the European Court of Human Rights on Rwanda deportations flights.Mr Sunak told GB News: “If you’re asking me … are there circumstances in which I’m prepared to ignore those rule 39s [section 39 injunctions]? Then yes, of course there are.”No 10 refused to comment on any conversations with Mr Anderson or cabinet minister Kemi Badenoch, who is said to have warned the PM’s team that the bill does not go far enough. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailBritain should prepare for further wars involving China, Russia, Iran and North Korea in the next five years, Grant Shapps has warned.In his first speech as defence secretary, Shapps presented a dark picture of a “pre-war world” in which old and new enemies have redrawn battle lines against Britain and the West.In the wide-ranging address, in which he called on Nato members to increase their defence spending to at least 2 per cent of their GDP, he warned that the foundations of the rules-based international order are being “shaken to the core”.The conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine were forerunners of future strife, with the “era of the peace dividend” which came with the end of the Cold War truly over.“We find ourselves at the dawn of this new era – the Berlin Wall a distant memory – and we’ve come full circle, moving from a post-war to pre-war world,” said Mr Shapps.Confrontations are very likely between a number of hostile states and the West. Russia has already “parked its tanks” in Ukraine; North Korea is supplying missiles to Moscow; Iran is conducting hostilities through proxy forces; and China is watching to see whether the West will stand by Kyiv after the election of an anti-Beijing candidate in last weekend’s Taiwan elections, he said.The defence secretary continued: “In five years’ time we could be looking at multiple theatres including Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. Ask yourself, looking at today’s conflicts across the world, is it more likely that that number grows or reduces? I suspect we all know the answer. It’s likely to grow, so 2024 must mark an inflection point.”Grant Shapps warned that Britain should prepare for further wars involving China, Russia, Iran and North Korea in the next five yearsMr Shapps foresaw further military clashes in the Red Sea region, where the US and UK are carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen. These came after the militia carried out repeated attacks against commercial shipping in one of the world’s busiest sea lanes.“Enough was enough,” he said in his speech at Lancaster House in London. The UK wanted to join the US mission in Yemen, he said, and the result is that the “Houthis have been dealt a blow. We have sent a very clear and I hope unambiguous message”.The Pentagon has estimated, however, that no more than 25 per cent of the militia’s arsenal of missiles and drones have been destroyed. The Houthis vowed to continue the attacks, and on Sunday evening fighter aircraft from the American destroyer, USS Laboon, had to shoot down an anti-ship cruise missile from Yemen aimed at the fleet.Mr Shapps maintained that Iran were the puppet masters of the Houthis. “We see that the connection [between Iran and the Houthis] is very clear. We really want Tehran, so the Iranian regime, to be reining in these proxies, who are trained by Iran, equipped by Iran, often [with] intelligence passed to them by Iran. We want to see them step in here and say ‘look, enough is enough, because we don’t want to see this escalate’,” Mr Shapps said.However, senior American and British defence and security officials dismiss claims that Tehran has direct control over the Houthis. A US security official said: “It is much more nuanced than that. The Houthis have a fair degree of autonomy in their action. I think our British [intelligence] counterparts have the same understanding.”Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has traditionally had strong links with the Houthis. But as a senior British military officer pointed out: “Qasem Suleimani [the late head of the IRGC] could go around to the Iranian-backed militias in Syria and Iraq and instruct them on what they will be doing. He didn’t do that with the Houthis because he knew that wasn’t going to work.” General Suleimani was killed by an American drone strike in 2020.Announcing the sending of a 20,000-strong UK task force to take part in the biggest Nato exercise since the end of the Cold War, Mr Shapps stressed that multiple threats being faced by the West meant defence spending must be bolstered.He said that Britain has been a leader in this, and Western allies needed to follow. “We made the critical decision to set out our aspiration to reach 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence, and as we stabilise and grow this economy, we’ll continue to strive to reach that as soon as possible. But now is the time for all allied and democratic nations across the world to do the same thing and ensure their defence spending is growing too,” he said.Mr Shapps pointed to help given by the UK to the Ukraine, along with the training of 60,000 Ukrainian troops. The government has announced a further £2.5m support package for Kyiv; ammunition, artillery and tanks have been sent to the country since the start of the Russian invasion.There is, however, rising concern that the army, in particular, has been “hollowed out”. New, modern equipment which was due to replace what has been sent to Ukraine has been slow in coming. Earlier this year a US general reportedly told then defence secretary Ben Wallace that the force would struggle to meet its Nato obligations. A senior army officer said: “What we haven’t had for the army is anything like adequate recapitalisation. There is funding for further down the line, but simply not enough for here and now.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe Conservative space minister has apparently confused Mars with the Sun.Andrew Griffith, who has been in charge of the space sector since November, also mistook Jupiter for Saturn.On a walk around the Science Museum in London, Mr Griffith pointed to an exhibit showing the surfaces of different planets, the House magazine reported. “Now we have got Mars,” he said, before being told by a member of museum staff that it was actually the Sun.He went on to say “that one is Saturn”, after the display changed, before the employee said “no, no, that is Jupiter”, according to the magazine. Insisting he is learning on the job as space minister, he said: “I’m not an encyclopaedia.”Space minister Andrew Griffith mistook the Sun for Mars In an interview with the House, Mr Griffith also said he would not want to visit space, saying it is a “fascinating” but one “for other people”.He said: “Would I want to be the first minister in space? I think the whole idea of space exploration is fascinating.“It’s enormously good that people like Tim Peake and others do that, but I’m very respectful of the amount of proficiency that goes into that.”When pressed on whether he would go up into the stratosphere, he replied: “That’s for other people.”A year on from the failure of Britain’s first rocket launch, Mr Griffith insisted that the UK “is a great spacefaring nation”.He added: “We’re one of about half a dozen countries in the world that have got real credibility in space.”The former investment banker and businessman said that in order for humans to colonise Mars, “you’re going to need a lot of the British research and innovation that we’re funding right now”.Peregrine Mission One, which was the first American attempt to land on the Moon in 50 years, was carrying an instrument built by UK scientists before its journey was brought to an end by a run of technical problems.Onboard was the Peregrine Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer (PITMS), which was developed in the UK by scientists from The Open University (OU) and the Science Technology Facilities Council (STFC) RAL Space – the UK’s national space lab.The device was supposed to analyse the thin lunar atmosphere as well as find out more about how water might be moving around the moon.Discussing the UK’s ambitions for space, Mr Griffith added: ““How do we crowd in private capital alongside the substantial public capital we’re putting in? I think the classic things will be raising awareness. It’s a category that people need to understand,” he says.“I think having things like a space strategy, which the UK didn’t have until recently, gives people a long-term roadmap so they understand what we’re doing as a government.” More