UK Politics

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailWatch as David Cameron is questioned for the first time as foreign secretary in front of a Lords committee on Thursday, 14 December.Lord Cameron will be questioned on the UK-EU relationship by the House of Lords European Affairs Committee, chaired by Lord Ricketts.Possible questions could focus on the overall state of UK – EU relations after the Windsor Framework agreement, whether Ukraine becoming a member of the EU would be in the strategic interests of the UK, and UK-EU foreign and security policy cooperation.It comes after Lord Cameron’s comments on post-Brexit trading arrangements, which were deemed likely to infuriate unionist politicians in Northern Ireland, in which he hailed the revamped deal as “a superb negotiation”.Critics of the Windsor Framework, which reformed the Northern Ireland Protocol, argue that it retains a border in the Irish Sea and disrupts trade with the mainland. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak is set for a fresh by-election headache as a former Tory MP faces a 35-day suspension from the Commons.Scott Benton had the Tory whip suspended after a sting exposed him offering to lobby for gambling industry investors.Mr Benton was prepared to leak market-sensitive information to an investment fund and ask parliamentary questions on its behalf, in breach of parliamentary lobbying rules, an undercover investigation for The Times found.After a lengthy investigation, Parliament’s standards committee said he had repeatedly indicated “his willingness to disregard the House’s rules”.It said a “serious sanction” was needed, recommending he be suspended from Parliament for 35 days.Any suspension of at least 10 days triggers a recall election in a member’s constituency. If more than a tenth of the voters in an MP’s constituency then sign the petition, a by-election is called.Mr Benton has a majority of just 3,690 in his Blackpool South constituency, won in the 2019 Tory landslide. Polls show Labour would be expected to regain the seat if a contest were held.A contest in Mr Benton’s seat would be the latest challenge for Mr Sunak, who has faced a slew of brutal by-election defeats this year. With a 20-point lead in the polls, Labour has overturned historic majorities in seats across the country such as Mid Bedfordshire, Tamworth and Selby and Ainsty.There is also an ongoing recall petition in Wellingborough after Tory MP Peter Bone after he was found to have exposed himself to an aide.The petition closes on Tuesday, setting up yet another potentially tricky by-election for the PM. In a damning verdict on Mr Benton’s behaviour, the Committee on Standards found he had given a “false impression of the morality of MPs”. The committee said if the public were to accept Mr Benton’s comments as accurate, it would be “corrosive to respect for Parliament and undermine the foundations of our democracy”. Mr Benton was caught on camera telling undercover reporters posing as investors how he was willing to take actions which would break Parliament’s lobbying rules.In a meeting in early March, Mr Benton described how he could support a fake investment fund, which he believed was set up by an Indian businessman looking to make investments in the UK betting and gaming sector, by attempting to water down proposed gambling reforms.offered a “guarantee” to provide a copy of an upcoming gambling White Paper to the business at least two days before publication, potentially allowing it to benefit from market-sensitive information.He also said he could table parliamentary written questions and said he had previously done it on behalf of a company.Mr Benton said he could offer “the direct ear of a minister who is actually going to make these decisions” and speak to them outside the Commons voting lobby.The MP agreed with a fee proposed by the reporters in the range of £2,000 to £4,000 a month for two days’ work.Parliamentary commissioner for standards Daniel Greenberg said that during his investigation Mr Benton admitted he had breached House of Commons rules in the past, said would do so again and claimed that other MPs had done the same. Labour said the report was “damning” and said Blackpool South deserves a “fresh start”. Shadow leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell said: “This is not an isolated case, but comes off the back of a wave of Tory sleaze and scandal.“In Chris Webb [Labour’s candidate for the seat] Blackpool South has an opportunity to elect its first ever Blackpool born MP, they deserve an MP they can be proud of, and a fresh start.”Mr Benton apologised “profusely” for his behaviour during the meeting, but said no parliamentary rules were broken. “Representing my constituents is a profound honour in my life and it is a responsibility I hold in the highest regard. The meeting was a lapse in judgment and I deeply regret my comments,” Mr Benton said. He added: “My sincere hope is that I will be granted the opportunity to make amends for it throughout the remainder of my time in Parliament and I can continue representing my constituents effectively.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak said he would be “open” to changing his Rwanda bill in a bid to quell growing dissent among Tory MPs over the flagship deportation legislation.The PM won a crunch first hurdle vote in the Commons on his emergency bill aimed at sending illegal migrants on one-way flights to Kigali.But faces opposition from the Tory right – who want the bill toughened up – and senior Tory moderates who have told The Independent they also want to amend the bill in a bid to soften its impact.Speaking to broadcasters on Thursday, Mr Sunak said: “If there are ways that the legislation can be improved, to be made even more effective – with a respectable legal argument and maintaining the participation of the Rwandans in the scheme – of course we would be open to that, who wouldn’t be?”Right-wing Tory factions including the European Research Group (ERG) have threatened to vote down the bill unless it is hardened – including by denying asylum seekers individual appeals.But this could risk losing the backing of more centrist Tories in the ‘One Nation’ wing, who are keen to protect the legislation against breaches of international law.Leading moderate Sir Robert Buckland confirmed that he was also considering how it might be “tweaked” to make it comply with global treaties.“If anything, it probably should be tweaked in the other direction, and if it was, I would think there are numbers within the House of Commons… and certainly the House of Lords, to amend the bill to make it legally more workable,” the ex-justice secretary told LBC.RIshi Sunak visits Wren Academy school in Finchley, north London on Thursday Mr Sunak dismissed all the dissent as “debating society” behaviour – but in a bid to pre-empt Tory rebellion he said that Rwanda will not take deportees who have no legal recourse to the European Court of Human Rights.“What the country wants is a practical government that is making a difference to their lives and changing things for the better, not a debating society,” he said in a new interview with Spectator.“People are frustrated that the pace of change is not fast enough. I get that. I am working night and day, tirelessly, to keep making a difference,” he said.Mr Sunak has refused to say how soon flights to Rwanda take off if he gets the legislation through parliament – but No 10 has said the plan remains to see deportations begin by spring. “I’m keen to crack on with it,” is all the PM would say when asked about timings.The 40 or so leading right-wing MPs who attended meetings of the “five families” with European Research Group (ERG) chairman Mark Francois on Tuesday were said to be evenly split between abstaining or voting against.A Tory rebel source said: “This bill has been allowed to live another day. But without amendments it will be killed next month. It is now up to the government to decide what it wants to do.”No 10 refused to be drawn on “private conversations”, amid speculation that discussions aimed at appeasing MPs will continue over the Christmas break before parliament’s return in January.But Mr Sunak’s spokesman struck a more generous tone when pressed on Tory amendments on Thursday. “A number of people have made suggestions, we will continue to listen … We are keen to very hear more from MPs.”On Wednesday, justice secretary Alex Chalk suggested the government will not cave to pressure from the right of the Tory party by watering down the bill’s commitment to international obligations.The legislation seeks to enable parliament to deem Rwanda “safe” generally, but makes limited allowances for personal claims against being sent to the east African nation under a clause disliked by Conservative hardliners.Mr Sunak has tried to find a middle ground with the Bill, which is designed to prevent migrants who arrive in Britain via unauthorised routes from challenging deportation, after the Supreme Court ruled the flagship policy unlawful.It allows ministers to disapply the Human Rights Act, but does not go as far as overriding the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which MPs on the Conservative right have argued is necessary to get the grounded £290mn scheme running. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email Albanian opposition lawmakers on Thursday disrupted the opening of a new session of Parliament, demanding an investigation into the government for alleged corruption. Bodyguards blocked the entrance to the Parliament building, refusing admission to opposition lawmakers who were punished for previous outbreaks of violence in the assembly. That sparked some friction and opposition lawmakers from the center-right Democrats blocked their Socialist counterparts on the government side from entering the hall. The latter used a back entrance instead.The disturbances in Parliament started in October just before prosecutors accused Sali Berisha, 79, former prime minister and president and now the main leader of the center-right Democratic Party, of corruption over of a land-buying scheme that’s under legal investigation in the capital, Tirana.Opposition parliamentarians regularly pile up chairs, use flares, start small fires and even physically grab microphones when their Socialist counterparts take the floor.Inside the hall Thursday, opposition lawmakers could not pile up their chairs in the middle of the hall as usual but lit flares and made noise to disrupt the session.Parliament was supposed to be voting on a contentious migration deal with Italy, but Speaker Lindita Nikolla removed the item from the agenda after the Constitutional Court on Wednesday put ratification on hold. The court will hold a public hearing on Jan. 18 to determine whether the agreement violates Albania’s constitution. Opposition lawmaker Gazmend Bardhi hailed the court’s decision. “On behalf of the public interest, we ask for an impartial and independent judging of that deal which runs counter to many articles of the country’s constitution and of many international agreements,” he said.The session lasted about 10 minutes with some draft laws passed in a quick vote from the governing Socialists of Prime Minister Edi Rama, the same method they have used in approving many laws, including next year’s budget.Socialists hold 74 of the 140 seats in Parliament, enough to pass most of the laws.The Parliament passed tougher new rules for lawmakers who disrupted proceedings, for example by using flares. Bardhi said they would not obey.The opposition wants to create parliamentary investigative commissions to probe alleged cases of corruption involving Rama and other top government officials, but the Socialists say the plans are not in line with constitutional requirements.The disruption in Parliament is an obstacle to much-needed reforms at a time when the European Union has agreed to start the process of harmonizing Albanian laws with those of the EU. A day earlier that was mentioned in a bloc’s meeting with Western Balkan leaders in Brussels. Albania is ready to begin negotiating specific chapters with the bloc.___Follow Llazar Semini at https://twitter.com/lsemini More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailMore than 170,000 homeowners will be hit with higher bills this month as their fixed-term mortgages come to an end, The Independent can reveal.In what Labour has called a “Christmas crunch”, the households will see their monthly payments jump by an average of £240 a month, or almost £3,000 a year, new analysis shows.It comes as inflation remains at more than double the Bank of England’s two per cent target and hard-pressed families grapple with a spiralling tax burden.Labour blamed the increase on 13 years of Conservative governments leading to “disastrous management of housing and mortgages”.Shadow economic secretary Tulip Siddiq said: “This will be terrible news for families who are already struggling to pay for Christmas during the cost-of-living crisis.”“The Tory Government’s disastrous management of housing and mortgages is still having very real consequences every single day for people across the country,” she added.The analysis is based on Financial Conduct Authority data showing the number of households whose fixed-rate mortgages come to an end in December is 173,715.Meanwhile the Bank of England has said anyone renewing their mortgage faces an average increase of £240 per month, or £2,880 a year.Mortgage rates have soared since the Bank of England started putting up interest rates to curtail spiralling inflation.The central bank pushed the rate, which affects the cost of borrowing products including mortgages, from 0.25 per cent at the start of 2022 to 5.25 per cent now. Part of the rise is blamed on former prime minister Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-budget last September, which spooked financial markets and pushed up borrowing costs.On Thursday the Bank is expected to hold rates steady for the third time in a row, in a slight boost for mortgage holders.But those who have not yet renewed fixed rate deals taken out when interest rates were low are still bracing for huge uplifts.In the coming three years, almost five million UK homeowners are still set to see their mortgage repayments jump by hundreds of pounds, the Bank of England has said.About half of mortgage holders have moved to a new fixed-rate deal since interest rates started rising in late 2021, amounting to more than five million households.But a further five million homeowners are still due to face higher borrowing costs by the end of 2026, the Bank’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) said in its latest stability report.While the average mortgage holder will pay an additional £240 a month, around 500,000 households could experience a monthly increase of more than £500 by the end of 2024.The latest analysis also showed that the proportion of households’ incomes spent on mortgage payments is set to rise to 9 per cent by the end of 2026, from 6.8 per cent earlier this year.The Bank of England’s meeting on Thursday comes after key economic data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this week also showed signs of cooling in the economy.On Wednesday, the ONS said UK gross domestic product (GDP) fell 0.3 per cent in October, as the manufacturing and construction sectors were impacted by poor weather.It came a day after the statistics body revealed that wage growth slowed at the fastest pace for two years.The ONS said private sector regular earnings, excluding bonuses, rose by 7.3 per cent in the three months to October, down from 7.8 per cent in the previous three months, pointing towards weakening in the labour market.Economists have increased their expectations for the interest rate cuts next year as a result.Previously, the financial markets had priced in 0.75 percentage points of interest rate cuts in 2024, but on Wednesday they were expecting a 1 percentage point drop, which would take interest rates to 4.25 per cent by the end of 2024.Nevertheless, experts are still expecting rates to remain steady in Thursday’s vote and in the early months of the New Year.A Treasury spokesman said: “Inflation has halved, but we know some people are continuing to struggle, which is why we are committed to staying the course and getting it all way back down to 2 per cent. We are also helping households by providing £3,700 on average in cost of living support over the last three years, and our Mortgage Charter is giving extra protections against repossessions as well as making it easier to manage monthly repayments.“Our Autumn Statement will deliver the largest boost to potential growth on record without fueling inflation, and we are cutting taxes for hard working people, saving the average employee £450 a year.” More

Rishi Sunak wins Rwanda vote despite Tory rebellion
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has been hit by a fresh headache on his flagship Rwanda bill, as senior Conservatives on the left said they would join right-wing rebels in pushing for changes ahead of an expected second vote in January.The embattled PM had believed he could count on Tory MPs in the moderate “One Nation” wing, as he fights to appease their rivals on the right who are demanding tougher deportation legislation.Justice Secretary Alex Chalk suggested the government would not cede to right-wingers by toughening up the bill, despite their threats to vote it down.But, as No 10 prepares for crunch talks with the right-wingers over Christmas, senior Tory moderates told The Independent they were considering how to amend the bill to soften it.Earlier, Sir Keir Starmer mocked Tory MPs who criticised Rishi Sunak in the press in PMQs.The Labour leader goaded the Tory benches, saying: “Come on, come on. Who was it who said he’s a really bad politician? Hands up.”Meanwhile, Mark Drakeford announced he was standing down as Welsh Labour leader, triggering a contest to find his successor.Show latest update
1702510993We’re pausing for the night – be back tomorrow for more updatesAlex Ross13 December 2023 23:431702504833Tory minister takes brutal swipe at David Cameron over ChinaJane Dalton13 December 2023 22:001702501233Badenoch warned against accusing MP of lyingEqualities minister Kemi Badenoch has been warned about the use of “unparliamentary language” after she accused an MP of lying.During an appearance at the Women and Equalities Select Committee on Wednesday, the Cabinet minister took exception with Labour MP Kate Osborne saying she had previously used “inflammatory language that likens children and young people coming out as trans to the spread of a disease”.Ms Badenoch, who is also the Business and Trade Secretary, said: “I have never said that, that is a lie.“That is a lie and I think you should withdraw that statement. That is a lie. You are lying.”Ms Osborne, MP for Jarrow, said she was “not lying to you” but Ms Badenoch shot back: “You are lying. I have never used the word ‘disease’ and this is exactly what I am talking about – you are making statements at a select committee that are untrue.”Caroline Nokes, committee chairwoman, interrupted to say: “Can I just remind the minister that that is unparliamentary language to use?”The equalities minister said: “For many years, many transgender people were living their lives peacefully, nobody had an issue.“It wasn’t until predators started exploiting the loopholes that we are having to tighten this.Ms Badenoch said action was needed to protect single-sex spaces because there are “more people who are predators than there are people who are trans”. More