UK Politics

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak’s popularity among grassroots Tories has crashed to a record low, as a major study revealed he is now faring worse than Liz Truss with the wider electorate.The prime minister is by far the least popular member of his cabinet, with an approval rating of -25.4, according to Conservative Home.It marks a dramatic fall from grace for Mr Sunak, who was expected to turn the party’s fortunes around after Ms Truss’s premiership. And it comes after a disastrous month for the PM, in which his flagship Rwanda asylum policy was rejected by the Supreme Court and he faced a growing backlash over record high migration. An in-depth study by JL Partners found Mr Sunak has presided over a “year of decline” leading to an “implosion” in the Tory vote, leaving Labour on course to win the next general election.Just 59 per cent of voters who backed the Conservatives in 2019 under Boris Johnson are sticking with the party under Sunak, the report, seen by Bloomberg, found. That was down from 74 per cent last August and 63 per cent following Ms Truss’s disastrous “mini-budget” in September 2022. The polling found that Nigel Farage’s Reform UK is doing the most damage to Mr Sunak’s party, with one in six 2019 Tory voters switching to the right-wing party. It will set alarm bells ringing in Downing Street, and comes as the Conservative Home survey revealed Mr Sunak’s plummeting support among Tory members. A separate survey by Conservative Home, seen as a bible for the Tory grassroots, described Mr Sunak’s latest rating as “dire” and said every piece of good news for Mr Sunak has been overshadowed by something bad.In a sign of growing unease within the party at the failure of its flagship Rwanda asylum policy, the Conservative Home rankings saw home secretary James Cleverly fall from the top spot to 22nd most popular.It comes after Mr Cleverly said the plan, to deport asylum seekers arriving in Britain to Rwanda, was not the “be all and end all” of the government’s approach on small boats.His approval rating among Tory members plummeted from 72 points last month to just 10,6 points in the latest poll.Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s popularity continues to plunge “It’s fair to say that whatever you think of the new Home Secretary’s performance since he was appointed, pleasing Conservative activists seems to have been just about the last thing on his mind, for better or worse,” Conservative Home’s Paul Goodman and Henry Hill said.The most popular cabinet minister among the Tory grassroots is Kemi Badenoch, with a commanding 63.4 points. The business secretary is seen as a potential successor to Mr Sunak should the Conservatives lose the next election.She was backed in last summer’s leadership race by levelling up secretary Michael Gove,who at the time praised her “first class brain”.Ms Badenoch, an anti-woke firebrand, came fourth in the contest, which eventually saw Liz Truss become prime minister.Behind her in the Conservative Home survey are leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt, veterans minister Johnny Mercer and the new so-called minister for common sense Esther McVey.James Cleverly has also seen his fortunes plummet Lord Cameron, who made a sensational return to frontline politics when he took over as foreign secretary in last month’s reshuffle, is fourth from bottom in terms of popularity.“Some of this will be Leave-ish sentiment, some an unease about his record on China, some perhaps a memory of the Greensill saga,” Conservative Home said.He returned to the monthly survey on a rating of -4.9 points.The prime minister’s ratings among Tory members has been wildly fluctuating for months, with Mr Sunak having been unable to dodge negative headlines.Just hours after he met his key pledge to halve inflation this year, the government’s Rwanda scheme was ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court.And just days after Mr Sunak and Jeremy Hunt’s tax-cutting autumn statement, figures showed net migration to the UK had soared to a record high.The devastating rating for Mr Sunak among Conservative members come as his party sits 19 points behind Labour in the polls. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe BBC will come under growing financial strain as the government blocks an expected 9 per cent licence fee increase, the culture secretary has suggested.Under a funding agreement struck by Boris Johnson, the levy is supposed to rise in line with inflation from April, and in the three years after that.It has been frozen for the past two years amid the rising cost of living, piling pressure on the corporation’s spending power.But on Monday morning, Lucy Frazer effectively confirmed the BBC will have to cope with a below-inflation rise amid reports Rishi Sunak wants to block the hike in the annual charge. Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lucy Frazer said no decision has been made on the licence fee (PA)The rise in the annual fee, if in line with inflation, would be by around £15 to £173.30, but Ms Frazer said she was concerned this would be “high” while the cost of living crisis is ongoing.She said the licence fee will still rise, but added: “As it rises, the BBC needs to be realistic about how much it can rise by.” She added: “We will be making an announcement on this very shortly.”Her comments came after the prime minsister told reporters on the way back from the Cop28 climate summit that the BBC “should be realistic about what it can expect people to pay at a time like this”.The licence fee pays for BBC services including TV, radio, the BBC website, podcasts, iPlayer and apps.Its existence is guaranteed until the end of 2027 at least by the BBC’s royal charter, which sets out its funding and purpose.The BBC is already under pressure because of the two-year licence fee freeze – which has left its funding flat despite spiralling inflation.It is scaling back its programming to make £500 million of savings and last week announced that nightly current affairs show Newsnight would be reduced to a 30-minute programme, with more than half of its staff being cut.Mr Sunak said over the weekend that “final decisions haven’t been made” about the future of the licence fee, but that the corporation should “cut its cloth appropriately”. A BBC spokesman pointed to the agreement, announced by former culture secretary Nadine Dorries last January, which froze the licence fee for two years with increases in line with inflation from 2024.Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries announced a BBC licence fee freeze last January (PA)The current culture secretary denied that the government was “ripping up” the deal.Put to her on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she insisted that ministers were looking at the planned rise amid concerns over the cost of living.”I wouldn’t put it like that at all, no. What we’re concerned about is the cost of living. And as the government we have taken a number of steps to protect people from the rise of the cost of living over the course of the last few years.””What we’re looking at is the appropriate rate of inflation. And we’re considering that with an eye on the fact that we want to ensure that people continue to be able to afford their bills.”She said a decision would be made “very soon”.”I regularly speak to the BBC. I’ve spoken to (director general) Tim Davie, probably around five times over the last few weeks alone. I spoke to the chair last week. This is an issue we have been discussing with the BBC for a number of months.”A BBC spokesperson said: “The government and BBC agreed a six-year licence fee settlement in January 2022, which froze the licence fee for two years with increases in line with inflation from 2024.“As is usual practice the Government sets and confirms the cost of a licence each year and this remains unconfirmed for 2024/25.“The BBC will continue to focus on what it does best: working to deliver world-class content and providing great value for all audiences.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email Glenys Kinnock, a former British cabinet minister, member of the European Parliament and wife of former Labour leader Neil Kinnock, has died. She was 79.Kinnock died Sunday at her London home some six years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, her family said.Kinnock went from being a schoolteacher to an outspoken politician to cabinet minister under former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and was known for her work to reduce poverty and starvation in Africa and other parts of the world.Tony Blair, the former prime minister, said she had been a huge support to her husband but was a leader herself and her passing would be mourned in many places around the globe. “She was a huge figure in progressive politics for decades: incredibly smart, brave, determined and resolute in standing up for what she believed was right,” Blair said. “Whether in fighting the cause of development, and the eradication of global poverty, social justice in Britain, equality for women or making the case for a European Union of weight and influence in the world, Glenys was passionate and persuasive.”Kinnock served as a member of the European Parliament from Wales for some 15 years before being made a baroness by Brown in 2009 so she could serve as his minister for Europe. During her time in Brussels, she was caught up in a scandal with scores of other European Parliament members for signing in each day to collect a daily 175-pound ($222) allowance and then departing. Born Glenys Elizabeth Parry on July 7, 1944, in England, she graduated from high school on the Welsh island of Anglesey and went to University College, Cardiff, where she met her future husband. They were married in 1967 and had two children, Stephen, a Labour Party member in the House of Commons, and Rachel.The family said in a statement that they were devastated. They said she endured Alzheimer’s “as long as she could, sustained her merriment and endless capacity for love, never complaining and with the innate courage with which she had confronted every challenge throughout her life.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailSir Keir Starmer is facing a growing backlash after piling praise on Margaret Thatcher in a bid to win over disillusioned Tory voters.The Labour leader has been attacked by critics on the right who accused him of trying to “ride on the coattails of Thatcher’s success”. But he has also angered MPs on the left, with one saying the former PM “caused poverty and deprivation not seen since the Dickensian era”.Sir Keir heaped praise on Thatcher, claiming the former prime minister effected “meaningful change” and “set loose Britain’s natural entrepreneurialism”.Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, Sir Keir said: “Every moment of meaningful change in modern British politics begins with the realisation that politics must act in service of the British people, rather than dictating to them.“Margaret Thatcher sought to drag Britain out of its stupor by setting loose our natural entrepreneurialism. Tony Blair reimagined a stale, outdated Labour Party into one that could seize the optimism of the late Nineties.”He followed in the footsteps of his predecessor Sir Tony, who also praised the so-called Iron Lady in the run-up to his 1997 general election landslide.But left-wing Labour MP Beth Winter said the Thatcher government, which ran from 1979 to 1990, “devastated communities with the deliberate destruction of the mining industry”.She added: “Policies like the grossly iniquitous poll tax and the great privatisation rip-off offs were the hallmarks of Thatcherism.“Most of those forced to rely on food banks today are from communities that have never recovered from the Thatcher government’s assault on working-class communities.“Her government’s attacks on the working class and trade unions is well remembered in my [Cynon Valley] constituency.” Another Labour MP Ian Byrne said Thatcher’s legacy was “inequality, hunger, destitution and misery”.North of Tyne metro mayor Jamie Driscoll, who was blocked from standing for re-election as a Labour candidate, said Sir Keir had now “abandoned the red wall”.The left-wing mayor said: “The northeast lost 100,000 manufacturing jobs under Margaret Thatcher, my Dad’s job included. This is adding insult to injury.”Pro-Jeremy Corbyn campaign group Momentum said Sir Keir’s praise of Thatcher was “a failure of Labour values”. A spokesperson said: “Margaret Thatcher laid waste to working-class communities, privatised our public services, and set in train the destruction of the post-war settlement founded by Labour. “Starmer’s praise of her isn’t smart politics. It’s a shift to the right, and a failure of Labour values.” Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf attacked Sir Keir for the comments – arguing that “what Thatcher did to mining and industrial communities was not ‘entrepreneurialism’, it was vandalism”.In a post on X, he said: “Starmer praising Thatcher is an insult to those communities in Scotland, and across the UK, who still bear the scars of her disastrous policies.”Sir Keir hit back at critics, saying the point of his article was to “distinguish political leaders … between those that had a plan and those that drifted essentially”. In an interview with the BBC, he said: “And that’s why I referenced: Attlee, who obviously had a strong plan, New Jerusalem; Tony Blair, who captured the optimism of the 1990s having changed the Labour Party; and Thatcher, who did have a plan for entrepreneurialism, had a mission, it doesn’t mean I agree with what she did but I don’t think anybody could suggest that she didn’t have a driving sense of purpose.” Shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds was asked on Sky News whether he was a “Thatcher fan”. “No, I’m not but I can recognise that she was a formidable opponent,” he said.Meanwhile, Tory health secretary Victoria Atkins accused Sir Keir of trying to “ride on the coattails of her success”. Ms Atkins said Thatcher would not appreciate Sir Keir’s praise, touting a famous quote from the former PM saying: “No. No. No.”She told Sky News: “I think the public will see this for what it is… don’t forget he wasn’t appealing to Margaret Thatcher’s entrepreneurial spirit when he was courting votes from the hard left, and I suspect the great lady herself would view a man who is trying to ride on the coattails of her success with the following words: No. No. No.”Tory party chair Richard Holden piled in, accusing Sir Keir of “saying what he thinks people want to hear, despite having a track record of doing exactly the opposite”.Sir Keir’s article in the Tory-supporting paper also said Labour has undergone “shock therapy” since he took over the party from Mr Corbyn in 2020, adding that it has “changed dramatically”.And, in a sign of his growing confidence as Labour leader, Sir Keir sought to outflank Rishi Sunak by appealing to Tory voters on Brexit and migration.In a shift from his staunch opposition to Britain leaving the EU, he said the Tories have “failed to realise the possibilities of Brexit”.He added that he “profoundly disagrees” with the idea Labour should duck topics such as small boat crossings and immigration.He added: “This is a government that was elected on a promise that immigration would ‘come down’ and the British people would ‘always [be] in control’. For immigration to then triple is more than just yet another failure – it is a betrayal of their promises.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailBaroness Glenys Kinnock died peacefully in her sleep on Sunday with her husband and former Labour Party leader Lord Kinnock by her side, her family said.She served as a minister in Sir Tony Blair’s Labour government and also represented Wales in the European parliament as an MEP.Her family, which includes Labour MP Stephen Kinnock and daughter Rachel, said they were “devastated” by her death.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called her a “true fighter” for the party while former prime minister Sir Tony said she was “resolute in standing up for what she believed was right”, as both men paid tribute to her life and career.The 79-year-old had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s six years ago.Baroness Kinnock has been hailed as a ‘true fighter’ for the Labour Party In a statement, her family said: “It is with the deepest sorrow that we announce the death of Glenys Kinnock.“Glenys died peacefully in her sleep in the early hours of Sunday morning, at home in London. She was the beloved wife and life partner of Neil, the cherished mother of Steve and Rachel and an adored grandmother.“Neil was with her in her final moments. They had been married for 56 years.“A proud democratic socialist, she campaigned, in Britain and internationally, for justice and against poverty all her life.”A former teacher, Baroness Kinnock served as an MEP for some 15 years before leaving Brussels in 2009 to take up a life peerage when then prime minister Gordon Brown appointed her minister for Europe.In their statement, the family continued: “Passionate to the end about education, she was a valued and respected school teacher before she began her own political career, as a member of the European parliament, then being made a peer in the House of Lords from where she served as minister for three of the great passions of her life, Europe, Africa and the UN.“She was a great friend to many people and causes and was truly loved.“Glenys endured Alzheimer’s after being diagnosed in 2017 and, as long as she could, sustained her merriment and endless capacity for love, never complaining and with the innate courage with which she had confronted every challenge throughout her life.“The family is of course devastated and would ask that their privacy be respected. Funeral details will be communicated in due course.”Sir Keir said Baroness Kinnock was a “passionate lifelong campaigner for social justice at home and abroad” who had an “impressive political career” in her own right.“Neil and Glenys had the most wonderful partnership, there for each other through thick and thin, with a love and commitment that was instantly obvious when you saw them together,” he said.“As the family have detailed, in recent years that meant looking after Glenys as Alzheimer’s did its worst.“But what we will all remember is Glenys as a true fighter for the Labour Party and the values of the labour movement, a pioneering woman, to whom we owe an enormous debt.“My sincere condolences to Neil, Stephen, Rachel and all the family at this sad time.”Sir Tony said Baroness Kinnock’s death would be “mourned in many countries and corners of the Earth”.In a statement, the former Labour PM said: “Cherie and I are so sad the hear the news about Glenys. She was a huge figure in progressive politics for decades: incredibly smart, brave, determined and resolute in standing up for what she believed was right. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailMPs charged taxpayers almost £300,000 for energy bills and other utilities at their second homes over the past year, a new analysis by The Independent has found.Campaigners said the record-high figure shows that Britain’s politicians are “insulated” from the cost of living crisis, since so much of their energy costs are covered by the public purse, while millions struggle to pay.Tory ministers Suella Braverman, James Cleverly, Alex Chalk, Victoria Prentis, Alister Jack and James Heappey are among senior figures who claim gas and electricity costs at their second homes.MPs’ claims for gas, electricity and water amounted to £292,000 in 2022-23, according to an analysis of data from the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA).It marks a significant increase on last year’s bill for MPs’ utilities, which totalled £253,000 – a reflection of the spike in gas and electricity prices since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last February.MPs have claimed more than £1m to pay utility bills at their second homes in the past four yearsRuth London, founder of the Fuel Poverty Action campaign group, said the expenses figures showed that MPs “live in a different world from most of the people they are paid to represent”.The campaigner added: “As more and more people find energy bills unpayable, this difference only grows greater. Claims that the pressure is easing do not help when in reality it’s only getting worse.”Politicians with seats outside London are allowed to put utility costs at one of their homes on expenses – whether it is in London or in their constituency.The Independent’s analysis shows that MPs have claimed more than £1m to pay utility bills at their second homes in the past four years.Ms Braverman has claimed more than any other current minister over the four-year period. The home secretary has charged the taxpayer £10,280 for gas and electricity costs since 2019-2020.Suella Braverman is among highest spenders on taxpayer-funded fuel bills Records also show that the foreign secretary Mr Cleverly has put more than £6,550 of his energy bills on expenses since 2019-2020, while justice secretary Alex Chalk has charged £3,735 for utilities at his second home.Ms Truss – the former PM who blocked a windfall tax on the energy giants saying she didn’t “believe” in it – put £3,220-worth of energy bills at her Norfolk constituency home on expenses during the period.Ex-health secretary Matt Hancock has been one of the highest spenders on utilities since 2019 – racking up taxpayer-funded fuel and water bills of £9,380 at his constituency home.Labour frontbenchers Angela Rayner, Ed Miliband, Liz Kendall, Louise Haigh, Hilary Benn, Nick Thomas-Symonds, Pat McFadden are among the senior party figures who put in similar claims.Labour party deputy leader Angela Rayner claims for gas and electricity Ms Rayner, the deputy Labour leader, has claimed more than £4,000 for utilities at her London home in the past four years. Mr Miliband, the shadow climate secretary, has charged just over £2,600 to the taxpayer in the period.Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, commented: “While MPs are insulated from the pain of the energy bills crisis, their constituents have been paying twice what they were a couple of years ago for their electricity and gas.”He called on MPs to help “reform Britain’s broken energy system” – urging them back moves to ease utility bill debt and improve energy efficiency of rented properties.John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: “Although energy prices are coming down, MPs are still being insulated from persistently high costs that taxpayers are having to bear the brunt of.”The campaign group boss called on the parliamentary authorities to “consider whether these expense rules are too generous” on second homes.While water bills have remained steady, MPs’ gas and electricity costs have jumped over the past year. Energy bills charged to the taxpayers rose from £195,000 in 2021-22 to £241,000 in the past year.The Independent has contacted the MPs mentioned in this piece for comment. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailTherese Coffey has blamed the stress of being a minister for a brain abscess which almost killed her.The former deputy prime minister revealed she was diagnosed with a rare brain abscess in 2018, having suffered from pain in her head for several days, before spending a month in hospital.Ms Coffey, who has also served as health secretary and environment secretary, said her sister Clare raised the alarm after she began hallucinating and slurring her words – prompting her to seek treatment.In an interview with the Sunday Times, Ms Coffey blamed the brain abscess on the stress of her role at the time as a junior environment minister.She said: “I just overdid it and burned the candle at both ends.“Michael Gove had come in as environment secretary and had really upped the pace and was really pushing on a variety of issues, and we were working very long hours trying to get stuff done and really trying to make a difference.“I came close to dying, and I think looking back that if my sister hadn’t phoned St Thomas’s [hospital] and they hadn’t done that scan, I probably would have been dead in a matter of days.”Ms Coffey described how Clare, who works in her parliamentary office, had “never known me the way I was” and phoned the hospital to raise concerns.A scan was performed at St Thomas’ Hospital, near parliament, and the abscess was discovered.The hospital then phoned her home and said “somebody needs to get here quickly”, Ms Coffey added. She said: “So my mum, who must have been in her eighties by then, came up and we did the flashing blues and twos down to King’s College hospital and I was operated on that night.”Ms Coffey said: “I woke up the next morning, and the thing I was most distressed about was that I had lost my eyebrows. They had just gone. I think it was just the stress of it all.”Ms Coffey resigned as a minister last month ahead of Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle and now tries to “live in the moment” after giving up the pressure of her role on the front bench.Ms Coffey said: “I do value life more now than ever. I came close to dying, and I think looking back that if my sister hadn’t phoned St Thomas’ Hospital and they hadn’t done that scan, I probably would have been dead in a matter of days.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailA Tory MP is pushing for parliament to strip Harry and Meghan of their royal titles, leaving them as simply “Mr and Mrs Sussex”, as the fallout over the royal race row continues.Bob Seely is proposing the “nuclear option” of denying the couple their standing in the Royal Family amid damaging claims made in a palace exposé, relating to the Sussexes bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview in 2021.The Isle of Wight MP wants to adapt laws originally passed in the First World War to deny enemy German nobles their British titles.His Bill would force MPs to consider turning Harry and Meghan into Mr and Mrs Sussex as pressure mounts on the couple over revelations in the new book Endgame, by royal author Omid Scobie.A Dutch translation of Mr Scobie’s book identified King Charles and the Princess of Wales as the two senior royals who allegedly raised “concerns” about the skin colour of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son.The apparent “translation error” meant the Dutch versions were dramatically pulled from shelves and pulped at the eleventh hour, but not before the names began circulating on social media.Piers Morgan used his TalkTV show on Thursday night to give the names to the British audience, claiming those in the country “who actually pay for the royal family are entitled to know, too”.And Buckingham Palace is understood to be “considering all options” including legal action but is yet to respond.Mr Seely said attempting to smear the Royal Family using race was “poisonously insidious” and insisted he had to act.Writing in the Mail on Sunday, he said: “Of all the damaging insults to throw, ‘racism’ is the most poisonously insidious, guaranteed to leave a whiff of stigma and impossible to prove when false. It is the catch-all slur of the modern era.“The allegations jar with so much of what we know about the Royals and this country.“The late Queen and King Charles have done extraordinary work over decades reaching out to everyone in the country, including ethnic minorities and those from Commonwealth nations.”He went on to say it “is time they dropped their titles – or were made to – and lived by their own talents”.“The sooner the Duke and Duchess become just Mr and Mrs Sussex, the better for us all,” Mr Seely said.The senior Tory is applying for his Titles Deprivation 1917 Amendment Bill to be listed on the Commons’ Order Paper next week, The Mail on Sunday reported. It would resurrect the wartime powers by removing references to “enemies” and “present war”. He is believed to have cleared the wording with Parliament’s Table Office, which oversees draft legislation. More