UK Politics

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email Home furnishings giant Ikea recently placed billboards in Portugal advertising a self-assembly bookcase, with a wink at the country’s political upheaval. “A good place to stash books. Or to stash 75,800 euros,” it said.That’s the amount of cash, equivalent to $82,000, police found stuffed in envelopes on bookshelves when they searched the office of the prime minister’s chief of staff last year during a corruption investigation.The discovery triggered a scandal that brought down the government and led to an early general election on Sunday.Corruption is a high-profile issue in the election after the cases “caused a lot of public dismay,” said Paula Espirito Santo, an associate professor at the University of Lisbon’s Superior Institute for Social and Political Sciences.The outrage could give further momentum to a rightward drift in European politics as a radical right populist party benefits from disenchantment with mainstream political parties. Similar trends gripped neighboring Spain and France.Portugal’s center-left Socialist Party and center-right Social Democratic Party have alternated in power for decades. They are expected to collect most of the 10.8 million potential votes this time.But both are tainted by charges of graft and cronyism.The election is taking place because Socialist leader António Costa resigned after eight years as prime minister amid the corruption investigation. He hasn’t been accused of any crime.Also, a Lisbon court recently decided that a former Socialist prime minister should stand trial for corruption. Prosecutors accuse José Sócrates, prime minister between 2005-2011, of pocketing around 34 million euros ($37 million) from graft, fraud and money laundering during his time in power.The Social Democratic Party is not unblemished, either.A recent graft investigation in Portugal’s Madeira Islands triggered the resignation of two prominent Social Democrat officials. The scandal erupted on the same day the party unveiled an anti-corruption billboard in Lisbon that said, “It can’t go on like this.”Yet Portugal’s malaise runs deeper than corruption.Despite tens of billions of euros in European Union development aid in recent decades, it remains one of Western Europe’s poorest countries.In 2022, the average monthly wage before tax was around 1,400 euros ($1,500) — barely enough to rent a one-bedroom apartment in Lisbon as prices have shot up amid a housing crisis.Close to 3 million Portuguese workers earn less than 1,000 euros ($1,085) a month. The average old-age pension is around 500 euros ($543) a month. Hardship has grown due to a surge in inflation.The frustrations have come into sharper focus because the election roughly coincides with the 50th anniversary next month of the Carnation Revolution. That army coup swept away António Salazar’s right-wing dictatorship, which had kept the country in shackles for four decades, and introduced a democratic system of government.The landmark event is a powerful symbol of hope in Portugal. In the opinion of many left-leaning people, its lofty ideals have been replaced by grubby political interests.“I’m a bit disillusioned, of course. I think we’re all going through a period of disillusionment … We believed in something,” said Osvaldo Sousa, an opera singer at Lisbon’s Sao Carlos theater who as a 20-year-old student witnessed tanks and troops in the streets on April 25, 1974.“Our dreams came up short,” he said at his apartment in the capital’s suburbs, pointing to current difficulties with housing and public health care.Even more frustrating for people like Sousa is that a radical right party could now have access to power through the ballot box.The Chega (Enough) party may end up in the role of kingmaker if, as expected, the main parties need the support of smaller rivals to form a government.Just five years old, Chega collected its first seat in Portugal’s 230-seat Parliament in 2019. That jumped to 12 seats in 2022, and polls suggest it could more than double that number this time.Party leader André Ventura is tapping the public disenchantment. “For 50 years the Portuguese have voted for the same parties and nothing’s changed,” he said recently.Ventura has forged friendly relations with Matteo Salvini, Italy’s deputy prime minister and head of the populist, right-wing League party, and French far-right leader Marine Le Pen. Like them, he prefers the EU to be a grouping of sovereign states with no federal obligations. He also wants tighter controls on immigration.Ventura has indicated he is prepared to drop some of Chega’s more controversial proposals, such as chemical castration for some sex offenders, if that opens the door to a governing alliance with other right-of-center parties.He has made use of social media to reach younger voters. One is 21-year-old Carolina Pereira, who said she had to drop out of university because she couldn’t afford to continue.Now she can’t find a job as the work available pays badly, and young people from her city of Almada near Lisbon are seeking work abroad.“I identify (with Ventura) because I want things to change,” she said.___AP videojournalist Helena Alves contributed to this report.___Follow AP’s global elections coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/global-elections/ More

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the worldSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailPeers have voted to exempt Afghan heroes who have supported UK troops from being sent to Rwanda as part of Rishi Sunak’s flagship small boats bill. The House of Lords backed an amendment on Wednesday night that would prevent the government from removing anyone who supported British armed forces in an “exposed or meaningful manner” from being deported to the African country. It comes after extensive reporting by The Independent on the plight of Afghan heroes who helped the British but were left behind after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.Two former chiefs of defence staff, a former defence secretary and a former British ambassador to the US were among the Lords who supported the clause. Peers voted 244 to 160 in favour of the amendment tabled by Labour peer Des Browne, which also covers the family members of those who supported British troops. The Independent has documented a number of cases of asylum seekers who supported the UK armed forces efforts in Afghanistan and who have since been threatened with removal to Rwanda after arriving in the UK via small boat. Peers inflicted a number of heavy defeats against Mr Sunak’s bill on Wednesday night. The House of Lords also backed an amendment that would overturn the government’s plan to oust the domestic courts from the process of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda. The clause, backed by 278 votes to 189, restores the jurisdiction of the domestic courts in determining the safety of Rwanda and allows them to intervene in certain cases. Ahead of the next election, Rishi Sunak has made ‘stopping the boats’ a key pledge of his leadershipMr Sunak’s government is using the Safety of Rwanda Bill to try and prevent any legal challenges by asylum seekers to their deportation. The bill also currently gives ministers the power to ignore emergency injunctions from the European Court of Human Rights, aiming at clearing the way to send asylum seekers on flights to Rwanda by spring. Peers in the House of Lords also voted by 265 to 181 to enable UK courts to consider appeals against age assessment decisions before a person claiming to be an unaccompanied child is removed to Rwanda. The latest government setbacks to its Rwanda Bill follow five defeats on Monday, setting the stage for an extended tussle between the Commons and Lords during “ping-pong”, where legislation is batted between the two Houses until agreement is reached.The prime minister had previously warned the Lords against frustrating “the will of the people” by hampering the passage of the bill, which has already been approved by MPs.Ahead of the next election, Mr Sunak has made “stopping the boats” a key pledge of his leadership.Speaking against the bill on Wednesday, Labour frontbencher Lord Coaker said: “The courts are there to ensure justice is done and I think justice in this case does require the ability for the law, as it impacts on an individual, to be tested in the courts.“That strikes me as something which is fundamental to the way rule of law operates.“Sometimes that’s really inconvenient to governments… but justice is an important part of our democracy.”Speaking in favour of the amendment to stop the deportation of age-disputed children, Lord Dubs, a former child refugee from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, said: “It’s difficult assessing the age of children, officials can get it wrong, and this modest amendment simply seeks to provide a safeguard against getting it wrong. Yes, the minister can say, ‘If we get it wrong the child can be brought back from Rwanda’. What a terrible thing to subject a child to.“Asylum-seeking children are among the most vulnerable of all asylum seekers.”Lord Alf Dubs is veteran campaigner for refugeesThe Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Rev Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, a former child refugee from Iran, said: “Safeguarding is not some burdensome requirement, but a legal and moral imperative.”She asked: “Would you consent for this course of action for your own child or grandchild? I do not believe there is any one among us who would.”The government’s own provisions in the Safety of Rwanda Bill would mean a person claiming to be an unaccompanied child is assessed by two Home Office officials and a decision is made based on appearance and demeanour.If they are judged to be an adult, they will be sent to Rwanda. The unamended bill would allow judicial review if certain conditions are met, but the person claiming to be a child would need to engage with the process from Rwanda.They would also only be able to challenge the decision based on an error in the law, not on the basis of an error in fact. More

Tim Farron was adamant Jeremy Hunt’s spring Budget will not “shift the dial” on the Tories’ poll woes.Speaking outside parliament on Wednesday (6 March), the Former Liberal Democrat leader maintained that the public won’t vote based on polls, rather “on the basis of how do they and their family feel”, regarding NHS waiting times and food prices.Mr Farron’s comments came after it emerged support for the Conservative Party plunged to the lowest level since 1978 with a fifth of British voters backing Rishi Sunak’s party in a new poll.Regarding the chancellor, Mr Farron said: “Nice man. Don’t think it’ll shift the dial.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailPolice use of drones as first responders was one of the more eye-catching measures that will affect law enforcement in the Budget.Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said he would prioritise schemes that will save money in the next five years, pledging £230 million for new technology including increased used of video calls and drones.Plans for trials where drones are used as first responders to the scene of emergencies were unveiled by police chiefs in November, with the firsts tests due to be carried out in Norfolk in the coming months.If testing is successful, the devices would be stationed on buildings and operated remotely to be sent first to scenes to give police early information.While initial trials, under a scheme dubbed Project Eagle X, will take place in Norfolk, further trials are planned for Thames Valley Police and Hampshire.Norfolk is one force in England and Wales that has limited access to the helicopters flown by the National Police Air Service because they are stationed so far away.Police in England and Wales are working with officers in the US as similar trials have taken place in San Diego.The hope is the drone would give more accurate information on the potential scale of an incident that a shocked member of the public who has called 999, and get there more quickly than a helicopter.Currently, police forces in England and Wales use about 400 drones that cannot be flown out of the operator’s line of sight.Plans are in place to amend those rules to allow police operators to do so, with initial trials taking place in areas with closed-off airspace later this year.Alan Pughsley, who worked on a Home Office-commissioned national review of policing productivity, said technological advances could help with tasks including redacting documents for use in court, and Rapid Video Response, where officers speak to victims via video call instead of attending in person.He said: “We’re pleased the work of our independent team has highlighted the huge time savings that could be achieved through better use of technology; time that could be spent attending more burglaries, more cases of domestic abuse, more incidents of antisocial behaviour.“The Policing Productivity Review has found that technology can enable the acceleration of existing tasks – such as redacting documents for use in court – and provide less resource-intensive ways of delivering services, for example by Rapid Video Response; something that has been well-received by victims of domestic abuse.Policing cannot afford to fall behind in this area, which is why today’s funding announcement is so importantAlan Pughsley“Around 97% of today’s science and technology investment in policing is spent on maintaining existing systems.“There is a balance to be struck between ensuring these tools are fit for purpose and making the most of new innovations.“Policing cannot afford to fall behind in this area, which is why today’s funding announcement is so important.”The Chancellor also said £170 million would be used to fund “non-court resolution, reduce reoffending and digitise the court process”.And he pledged £75 million to roll out violence reduction units and hotspot policing across the country.The policing productivity review demonstrated the breadth of work our officers and staff undertake on a daily basis and highlighted the importance of the greater adoption of science and technology to boost efficiency and free up officers’ timeGavin Stephens, National Police Chiefs’ CouncilMr Hunt said the spending review would prioritise schemes that would make annual savings within the next five years, equal to the total cost of the measure.National Police Chiefs’ Council chairman Gavin Stephens said: “The policing productivity review demonstrated the breadth of work our officers and staff undertake on a daily basis and highlighted the importance of the greater adoption of science and technology to boost efficiency and free up officers’ time.“We welcome the announced investment in today’s budget and will examine it in detail to ensure additional funding has the maximum impact and supports us in tackling criminality, ensuring the safety of all communities.“The Office for Budget Responsibility assumes non-protected departments, including policing, will see a real-terms cut of 2.3% by 2028/29, which they acknowledge as challenging.“All police forces continue to face significant financial challenges and, to ensure that these investments are fully utilised, this must be underpinned by stronger long-term financial resilience.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailJeremy Hunt has unveiled a further 2 per cent cut to national insurance in his 2024 Budget, as the chancellor seeks to entice voters ahead of this year’s general election.Combined with last autumn’s identical national insurance cut, Mr Hunt claims the two tax giveaways will leave the average worker £900 better off.Other measures to support people that were announced on Wednesday include an extension of the Household Support Fund and a rise in the earnings threshold for child benefit, from £50,000 to £60,000.But economists have warned that the national insurance reduction will still plunge thousands of families into poverty, with nearly half of the £10.4bn giveaway set to end up in the pockets of the richest 20 per cent of households.Follow our live blog on the Budget for more on Jeremy Hunt’s announcements by clicking hereThe New Economics Foundation had warned that a 1p cut alone would push more than 55,000 people into relative poverty, whereas it said Mr Hunt could instead have lifted 384,000 people out of poverty if he had chosen to put the same amount into boosting universal credit. The Independent’s Budget calculator, created by tax advisory firm Blick Rothenberg, below will help you to determine whether you are better or worse off following Wednesday’s statement. Enter a few details such as how much you earn, whether you are single, if you in a couple or have a family to see how your finances will be impacted. More

Listen to Jeremy Hunt’s U-turn over abolishing the non-dom tax status across two years.In November 2022, the chancellor told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he would rather the super-rich “stayed here and spent their money here”.“The Treasury did not tell me it was going to help the economy to do this, that’s why I chose not to do it,” he said at the time.However in Wednesday’s (6 March) Budget, Mr Hunt committed to scrapping the non-dom status for wealthy foreigners, putting the £2.7 billion a year raised as a result towards tax cuts, mirroring a Labour policy. More

Martin Lewis has explained what Jeremy Hunt’s Budget child benefit changes mean for families.Wednesday’s (6 March) announcement revealed that around 170,000 families will be taken out of paying a tax charge.Speaking to LBC, the MoneySavingExpert founder said: “Currently the cut-off is a single earner of £50,000… from the sixth of April, you’ll start to lose child benefit at £60,000.“Currently, you lose it altogether at 60 grand, from the sixth of April you will lose it altogether from £80,000. So people earning under 80 grand will still get some form of child benefit.” More

Sir Keir Starmer joked that Jeremy Hunt “has been taking lessons on marketing from the Willy Wonka experience in Glasgow” over promises on childcare.The chancellor announced the government will guarantee pay rates to childcare providers for the next two years, to deliver on its care offer for children over nine months old and get more working-age parents back into employment.The Labour leader added: “All is not as it seems and with just over three weeks to go, he has to come clean because up and down the country parents need to know will they get their entitlement in April or is it just another of their reckless promises on governing?” More