UK Politics

Humza Yousaf fought back tears as he announced his resignation as Scottish first minister on Monday (29 April).Mr Yousaf announced he was stepping down during a press conference at Bute house in Edinburgh, just days before a vote on his leadership was expected.The 39-year-old said: “After spending the weekend reflecting on what is best for my party, for the government and for the country I lead I have concluded that repairing our relationship across the political divide can only be done with someone else at the helm.”Mr Yousef then became emotional when speaking about his family, saying: “It takes its toll on your physical and mental health; your family suffers alongside you.” More

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsWatch live as Humza Yousaf, the SNP Scottish first minister speaks live amid preparations ‘to resign’ on Monday (29 April).The Scottish National Party leader will step down at his official residence of Bute House, Edinburgh, after the Scottish Conservatives and Scottish Labour tabled two no confidence motions.The 39-year-old, who now runs a minority administration at Holyrood, sacked the Greens on Thursday and they have joined the opposition in confirming they will vote to oust him.He reportedly rejected a potential agreement with the Alba Party under Alex Salmond as “doing a deal with the devil” and “knows it’s time for someone else” to lead his party, sources said.He would need the support of at least one member of the opposition at Holyrood to survive the vote, which could take place as early as Wednesday. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailHumza Yousaf has quit as SNP leader after just 398 days in office.The Scottish first minister’s decision to collapse a power-sharing agreement with the Greens spectacularly backfired, and on Monday he stepped aside.The once-dominant nationalist party is in meltdown. Ex-leader Nicola Sturgeon’s husband Peter Murrell, who ran the party for 22 years, has been charged in connection with the embezzlement of SNP funds.Humza Yousaf vowed last week to fight and win a vote of no confidence in his leadership More

Rishi Sunak poured himself a “£900 cup of coffee” in a bizarre attempt at a TikTok trend to highlight the National Insurance cut about to kick in.The trend sees social media users write hidden messages on a clear mug, pouring milk into the drink to reveal the text.Mr Sunak’s £900 written on the cup appeared to refer to the government’s claim that the cut will save the average worker earning £35,400 more than £900 a year when combined with a cut in the autumn statement.According to fact-checking charity Full Fact, the IFS calculates that an employee on an average wage of £35,000 will lose more than £500 due to personal tax threshold freezes since 2021. More

Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater has welcomed calls for Humza Yousaf to resign, describing how he tore up a relationship “based on trust and mutual respect” in ending the powersharing deal last week.The first minister is reportedly considering stepping down, sources close to Mr Yousaf cited by the BBC and The Times have indicated.Speaking on Monday, 29 April, the MSP for the Lothian region said: “I think [resigning is] the right thing for him to do.“We’d worked together really well… in a relationship based on trust and mutual respect and to tear that up suddenly was, was a poor decision.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailA Tory MP and former government minister claims he was deported during a trip to Djibouti because of the east African country’s close relationship with China.Tim Loughton, who was santioned by Beijing in 2021, said he was held at the airport for seven hours, barred entry from the country and then sent back to the UK on the next available flight.China imposed sanctions on a number of MPs, including Mr Loughton, after the country said they had “maliciously spread lies and disinformation” about human rights abuses against the Uighur people.The MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, who was in Djibouti for a 24-hour visit on 8 April, described the experience as “very lonely and frightening”.He told the BBC: “I told them I was a member of parliament and then it went all very frosty.“Djibouti is effectively a vassel state of China – what China wants, Djibouti kowtows to and having a troublesome MP who has been sanctioned by China turning up on their doorstep was clearly something they didn’t want to entertain.”Mr Loughton said he was held for an hour in the arrivals hall, before later being taken to a holding room for three hours and then sent back on a flight to Britain.He added: “This was another example of how the tentacles of the Chinese Communist Government extend far and wide, and their malign influence in sensitive parts of Africa is particularly worrying.“Yet the intimidation of countless others who have dared to speak out against China’s industrial scale human rights abuses and who do not have the platform an MP raises serious concerns.”The UK’s Chinese embassy has been contacted for comment.Mr Loughton is co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Tibet, which has previously shone the spotlight on China’s record on human rights abuses.He has previously called for a UN investigation into the “use of slave labour” in China and said the country is a “serial abuser” of human rights.Mr Loughton is one of more than 100 MPs who are standing down at the next election.The veteran backbencher, who has represented East Worthing & Shoreham since 1997, wrote in April that it was “wiser to leave five minutes too soon than to continue for five years too long”.In a letter to his local Conservative association, Mr Loughton said: “It has been a great honour to have served as the Member of Parliament for the newly created East Worthing and Shoreham constituency since 1997.“With the help of a fantastic local party association, we have fought seven general elections successfully.“By the time of the next one I will have spent more than 27 years in Parliament. After much reflection I have decided now is the right time for me to move on and hand over to someone new.“As former Cabinet Minister John Biffen appropriately put it: ‘In politics I think it is wiser to leave five minutes too soon than to continue for five years too long’.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailNew laws protecting consumers from hacking and cyber attacks come into effect on Monday, with all smart devices required to meet minimum-security standards.Manufacturers of products including phones, TVs and smart doorbells are now legally required to protect internet-connected devices against access by cyber criminals, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said.Weak default passwords such as “admin” or “12345” will be banned, with users prompted to change any common passwords.Manufacturers have to publish contact details so bugs and issues can be reported, and be transparent about timings of security updates.From today, consumers will have greater peace of mind that their smart devices are protected from cyber criminalsViscount CamroseThe new measures will help give customers confidence in buying and using products, according to the department.Science and technology minister Viscount Camrose said: “As everyday life becomes increasingly dependent on connected devices, the threats generated by the internet multiply and become even greater.“From today, consumers will have greater peace of mind that their smart devices are protected from cyber criminals, as we introduce world first laws that will make sure their personal privacy, data and finances are safe.“We are committed to making the UK the safest place in the world to be online and these new regulations mark a significant leap towards a more secure digital world.”The laws are taking effect as part of the product security and telecommunications infrastructure (PSTI) regime, which aims to strengthen the UK’s resilience from cyber crime. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe Home Office has confirmed it will start detaining asylum-seekers within weeks for the first planned flights to Rwanda – after reports of a surprise move to round up people for deportation from Monday sparked anger from human rights groups.Rishi Sunak insisted this week that flights carrying asylum-seekers to Rwanda would take off in July, as the Rwanda Bill passed through parliament and into law.Despite still facing a host of difficulties in delivering on his flagship policy, Mr Sunak will be keen to show progress on illegal migration before calling a general election as pressure mountson his leadership.On Sunday, The Guardian published a report claiming the Home Office was set to launch a surprise two-week operation on Monday to detain refugees turning up for routine meetings at immigration service offices for deportation.The article claimed they would be immediately transferred to detention centres, which have already been prepared for the operation, before flights taking them to Rwanda. The passed legislation means deported asylum seekers’ applications will be dealt with by the east African country.The Home Office would neither confirm nor deny the paper’s claims, but said that, following the passage of its legislation, the “government is entering the final phase of operationalising this landmark policy to tackle illegal migration and stop the boats”. “At some stage inevitably this will include detaining people in preparation for the first flight, which is set to take off to Rwanda in 10-12 weeks. It would be inappropriate to comment further on operational activity,” the spokesperson said.Human rights advocates were quick to condemn the reported plan, warning such a move would further traumatise people fleeing torture and persecution.“Make no mistake, this latest attack on refugees by this government will further traumatise people who have fled from torture chambers seeking safety and a chance to rebuild their lives in the UK,” said Sonya Sceats, chief executive of charity Freedom from Torture.“We know from our clinical services that even survivors of torture who are completely safe from harm tend to live in a semi-permanent state of hypervigilance to threats, because of their history of being rounded up, detained, and abused in authoritarian states. Around 500 people crossed the Channel on small boats over the course of Friday and Saturday, the latest Home Office data suggests More