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 plans to stop young people from ever smoking risk making smoking cooler, a Tory MP has warned.If passed, the tobacco and vapes bill would prevent anyone who turns 15 this year, or younger, from ever being able to legally buy tobacco products in England. It will be debated in parliament for the first time on Tuesday.But Conservative MP Simon Clarke said he is “both sceptical and downright opposed” to the plans, claiming they could help create a black market. He said: “There are good ways to tackle a problem like this and then there are bad ways, and I think that an outright ban risks being counterproductive.“I think it actually risks making smoking cooler, it certainly risks creating a black market, and it also risks creating a unmanageable challenge for the authorities.”Sir Simon said education and the tax system should be used as tools to deter people from smoking.Sir Simon has previously called for Mr Sunak to go before the election (Danny Lawson/PA) More

Lizz Truss squirmed as she was questioned over a lettuce lasting longer than her time as prime minister.Ms Truss. who lasted just 49 days as prime minister, claimed the lettuce reference was “just pathetic point scoring” when she was questioned by BBC News political editor Chris Mason on Monday (15 April).Mr Mason said: “Your time as prime minister left the UK an international laughing stock.”Ms Truss responded: “I don’t think that’s true.”“But, all the stuff about lasting less than the lettuce?”, Mr Mason asked.“This is just pathetic point scoring,” Ms Truss replied. “This is the kind of thing that obsesses the London elite.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailFormer prime minister Liz Truss has endorsed Donald Trump to win this year’s US presidential election. Ms Truss, Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister, said the “world was safer” under Trump’s presidency as she criticised incumbent Joe Biden. The former PM, who was in office for 49 days, suggested it “has to be” Trump following the US presidential election due to take place in November.“I don’t think (President Joe) Biden has been particularly supportive to the United Kingdom. I think he’s often on the side of the EU. And I certainly think I would like to see a new president in the White House,” she told LBC. Read the latest updates on Truss’s new book hereMs Truss claimed the former president’s economic policies “were actually very effective”, adding: “He cut regulation, he cut taxes, he liberated the US energy supply. And this is why the US has had significantly higher economic growth than Britain.. In foreign affairs, he was more effective at preventing aggressive regimes expanding and I think we’d be in a different position if he got re-elected in 2020.”She doubled-down on these comments, telling the BBC: “I do agree that under Donald Trump when he was president of the United States, the world was safer.“I want to work with fellow conservatives to take on what I believe is a real threat of Western society and civilization being undermined by left-wing extreme ideas.”However, Ms Truss added she doesn’t agree with “absolutely everything he’s ever said”. Liz Truss speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in February More

Peers were urged to “calm down” and allow the government’s Rwanda deportation legislation to progress, as MPs voted to overturn amendments made by the House of Lords on Monday 15 April.The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill will not receive royal assent until both the House of Commons and the Lords agree its final wording, a process known as parliamentary ping-pong.MPs returned from the Easter recess on Monday to discuss six further changes made by peers, with the government tabling motions to disagree with them – while also moving its own proposal in a bid to ease concerns over how the bill operates in relation to modern slavery victims. More

A Labour peer was scolded in the House of Lords after she shouted at a health minister during a debate on Monday, 15 April.Baroness Shami Chakrabarti shouted “Why did we block the Trips waiver?” twice after health minister Lord Markham said he was proud of the UK’s record on distributing the Covid vaccine globally.The former shadow attorney general was reprimanded by Lords leader Lord Nicholas True, who told her: “The noble lady knows better than to shout at another member when other members before her are also trying to get in to ask a question.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailCreating a sexually explicit “deepfake” image is to be made an offence under new legislation, the Ministry of Justice has announced.Under the new legislation, anyone who creates a sexually explicit deepfake without consent will face a criminal record and an unlimited fine.They could even face jail, if the image is shared more widely.The creation of a deepfake will be an offence irrespective of whether the creator intended to share it or not, the department added.The new offence will be introduced through an amendment to the controversial Criminal Justice Bill, which is still making its way through Parliament.Minister for Victims and Safeguarding Laura Farris said the creation of deepfake sexual images is “unacceptable irrespective of whether the image is shared”.“It is another example of ways in which certain people seek to degrade and dehumanise others – especially women,” she said.“And it has the capacity to cause catastrophic consequences if the material is shared more widely. This Government will not tolerate it.“This new offence sends a crystal clear message that making this material is immoral, often misogynistic, and a crime.”Deborah Joseph, European editorial director of Glamour welcomed the planned amendment.“In a recent Glamour survey, we found 91% of our readers believe deepfake technology poses a threat to the safety of women, and from hearing personal stories from victims, we also know how serious the impact can be,” she said.“While this is an important first step, there is still a long way to go before women will truly feel safe from this horrendous activity.”Yvette Cooper, Labour’s shadow home secretary, welcomed the announcement too.“Superimposing somebody’s image onto sexually explicit photos and videos is a gross violation of their autonomy and privacy, which can cause enormous harm, and it must not be tolerated,” she said.Ms Cooper said it was “vital” the Government gets ahead of “fast-changing threats”.She added: “It’s essential that the police and prosecutors are equipped with the training and tools required to rigorously enforce these laws in order to stop perpetrators from acting with impunity”. More

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the worldSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailTory MPs have again rejected a plan to stop Afghan heroes who supported British troops from being deported to Rwanda. Parliamentarians on Monday night overturned multiple amendments to the Safety of Rwanda Bill by the House of Lords, including one that would have exempted anyone who supported British armed forces in a meaningful way from being deported to Rwanda. MPs voted 312 to 253, majority 59, to reject Lords amendment 10B, which sought to exempt agents, allies and employees of the UK overseas from being removed to Rwanda. The exemption included people eligible for entry to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).The Bill will return to the Lords on Tuesday for further scrutiny.The Lords and the Commons have been debating the Rwanda Bill, with the legislation going back and forth between the houses as peers try and force the government to make changes to the proposed legislation. Mr Sunak’s government is using the Safety of Rwanda Bill to try and prevent any legal challenges by asylum seekers to their deportation. 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 emailsRishi Sunak has doubled down on Britain’s backing for Israel after Iran’s “unprecedented” attack, but urged all sides to “show restraint” amid fears the Middle East crisis could spiral out of control.The prime minister said the “reckless and dangerous escalation” by Iran on Saturday night risked plunging the region into a deeper crisis, as he hit out at Tehran for trying to “sow chaos in their own back yard”. Addressing MPs for the first time since Iran launched more than 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles and 120 ballistic missiles on the nation, Mr Sunak said G7 countries were united in condemning the assault and were working on a package of measures to pile pressure on Iran.He added that he would speak to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to express Britain’s solidarity and discuss “how we can prevent further escalation” – warning that Israel’s security “is non-negotiable” as part of a “fundamental condition for peace in the region”. But in a sign that Britain’s support for Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza is unwavering, the PM repeated that Israel has the “right” to seek to defeat the militant organisation. Mr Netanyahu is considering how to respond to Tehran, with the UK, France, Germany and the European Union all echoing calls by the US for Israel to avoid an escalation that could spark a wider war. Rishi Sunak condemned the ‘reckless and dangerous’ escalation by Iran More