UK Politics

Rishi Sunak has outlined the “pathway to peace” in the Israel-Hamas war.The prime minister addressed the House of Commons on Tuesday 23 January and said the government wants to “see an end to the fighting as soon as possible”.“But to achieve that, Hamas must agree to the release of all hostages. They can no longer be in charge of Gaza. The threat from Hamas terror and rocket attacks must end,” Mr Sunak said.“An agreement must be in place for the Palestinian Authority to return to Gaza to provide governance, services and security. That is the pathway to peace.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email The European Commission chief and the prime ministers of the Netherlands and Croatia told Bosnia on Tuesday to press on with reforms and seize a chance to begin accession negotiations with the European Union before the 27-nation block holds a parliamentary vote in June.The three officials said at a news conference in Sarajevo that while Bosnia has made progress in achieving the criteria to formally start the talks, the troubled Balkan nation must do more to win a positive recommendation in March from the European Commission.“We have seen some progress, we have seen a real commitment to the accession goal with important laws adopted,” said Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president. “And the more you deliver, the more convincing you are and the better it is, the more you help me to produce a report that reflects this movement forward.”Bosnia was granted candidate status in 2022 and the European Council said last year that the accession negotiations can start once the necessary degree of compliance is achieved. There will be “no shortcuts” for Bosnia, said Dutch caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte.“EU accession has to be and always will be a merit-based process,” Rutte said. “Unfortunately, at the moment … we have to see what happens in the next six weeks.”Bosnia is among the six Western Balkan nations that have been seeking EU entry following a period of wars and crisis in the 1990s. The process was stalled for years but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has rekindled the prospects. EU officials are now offering a 6 billion euro ($6.4 billion) package for Western Balkan countries to encourage reform. “It’s a huge opportunity to increase the prosperity of this country,” von der Leyen said. Bosnia, she said, could expect 1 billion euros in funds from the package when it carries out necessary economic reforms. Reform laws that Bosnia still needs to pass to begin the accession talks relate to fighting corruption and money laundering, judicial reform and the rule of law. Bosnian Prime Minister Bojana Kristo promised “we will remain focused and work hard” to achieve the goals. Bosnia is still ethnically divided and politically unstable long after the 1992-95 war that left more than 100,000 people dead and displaced millions. Pro-Russian Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik has repeatedly threatened secession of the Serb-run half of the country from the rest of Bosnia.Western officials fear that Russia could try to stir instability in Bosnia and the rest of the Balkans to divert attention from its attacks on Ukraine. They have said that stepping up the bloc’s engagement with Western Balkans nations is more crucial than ever to maintaining European security.Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic urged Bosnia to grasp what he said were “tectonic” changes in EU policies because of Ukraine. He warned that “if we miss March, the whole year will be lost” because of the expected vote for the European Parliament on June 6-9.“My message, my appeal to all our friends and partners, is to use this opportunity, this window that has been opened,” he said. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailWatch as Rishi Sunak delivers a statement on fresh strikes against Yemen’s Houthis on Tuesday 23 January.The latest round of UK and allied strikes against Houthi targets was designed to “send the clearest possible message” to the rebels that attacks on cargo ships are “unacceptable”, foreign secretary David Cameron said.Britain joined the US in carrying out a fresh set of joint air strikes in Yemen in response to the rebels targeting international shipping along vital Red Sea and Gulf of Aden trade routes.Lord Cameron said UK armed forces will “continue to degrade” the Houthis’ ability to carry out attacks as long as their “completely indiscriminate” campaign of harassment in the Middle East continues.London and Washington targeted rebel sites overnight on 11-12 January, with further US attacks in recent days.Mr Sunak is set to update MPs during an appearance in the House of Commons on Tuesday. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailA government minister has accused the former presenter of Art Attack of anti-Tory bias in a bungled attack on the BBC.In an extraordinary gaffe, Huw Merriman mistakenly lashed out at Neil Buchanan for his reporting of the government’s work on Universal Credit.But Mr Buchanan never reported on Universal Credit, and was in fact the presenter of the children’s arts and crafts show between 1990 and 2007.Instead, Mr Merriman appeared to be referring to BBC social affairs correspondent Michael Buchanan, who has previously reported on the rollout of Universal Credit.Mr Merriman said the ex-Art Attack presenter always gave one side of the story Transport minister Mr Merriman, who was working in the Department of Work and Pensions at the time, said Mr Buchanan had “always given one side” of the story about Universal Credit.The extraordinary gaffe came as Mr Merriman was grilled over claims by culture secretary Lucy Frazer that the BBC is biased.Ms Frazer said she believed the broadcaster had been biassed “on occasion”, as she discussed a potential move for media regulator Ofcom to have more powers over the BBC News website.Neil Buchanan did not write about Universal Credit Mr Merriman was quizzed by Sky News presenter Kay Burley, who demanded evidence of the claim. He said: “When I worked at the Department of Work and Pensions doing work on Universal Credit there was an individual there who would report on it, Neil Buchanan, who I always felt gave one side of the story and not the other side, which was the government side.”He also suggested the corporation was biassed against the Conservatives because of its popular News Quiz.Mr Merriman told Sky News: “Let me give you an example, I know that you were searching for them yesterday. I was listening to the News Quiz, which is on Radio 4 at 6.30pm on Friday when I was driving to my constituency office.”For 10 minutes all I heard, and it wasn’t satirical, it was just diatribe against Conservatives, not the government. And I did listen to that and think ‘for goodness sake, where’s the balance in that? So yes, I’m afraid to say despite the fact I’ve always been a big supporter of the BBC, that struck me as completely biassed.”Ms Burley pointed out that the News Quiz is a comedy show, while others noted that the show has criticised left wing politicians in the past.Labour’s shadow culture secretary Thangam Debbonaire said: “The government spending another day undermining the BBC, this time for supposed bias in a satirical news quiz, is laughable.“Is this the Tories for the next few months? Is this really all they have to offer working people? Scraping the barrel.” More

Conservative rail minister Huw Merriman was mocked by Sky News presenter Kay Burley during a live interview on HS2.Mr Merriman claimed Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer had “no plan” when it came to high-speed rail, during an interview on Tuesday morning (23 January).He said: “He doesn’t have a plan, he hasn’t confirmed whether HS2 will go ahead or not.”Ms Burley responds: “Did you just say he’s not got a plan? You know you guys say this every day, don’t you?”Mr Merriman was then shown a montage of Tory MPs claiming Labour “has no plan”. More

A Tory MP has said that she would like to see a comeback from Boris Johnson and Donald Trump, describing the pair as a “dynamic duo.””We’d be a safer place if Trump came back actually, looking at the situation with Ukraine and Russia,” Dame Andrea Jenkyns said.The MP for Morley and Outwood’s comments came as the former US president opened up an 11 percentage point lead over Nikki Haley, his rival for the Republican presidential nomination, according to the latest poll from CNN and the University of New Hampshire. More

Rishi Sunak’s controversial Rwanda asylum bill has suffered its first defeat in the House of Lords.The unelected chamber sought to delay a treaty with the east African nation that paves the way for the divisive deportation scheme with a defeat backed by 214 votes to 171, majority 43.Peers supported a call by the Lords International Agreements Committee (IAC) that parliament should not ratify the pact until ministers can prove Rwanda is safe.Mr Sunak’s bill states that Rwanda must be treated as a “safe country” under UK law, which the government believes will allow deportation flights to the country to begin. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailA £6 million donation from Sir James Dyson to his local state primary school has been given the green light by the Government.Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has approved the donation from the billionaire inventor to build a centre for science, technology, engineering, mathematics (Stem) and arts at Malmesbury Church of England primary school in Wiltshire.The expansion at the school would see purpose-built rooms equipped for design, technology, art, science and mathematics-based activities, as well as additional classrooms.If planning permission is approved by Wiltshire Council, it is expected to be open from September 2027, the Department for Education (DfE) said.I welcome this generous donation from the Dyson Foundation which will support cutting edge education for local pupils, helping to develop the scientists and engineers of the futureEducation Secretary Gillian KeeganIn November, Sir James announced a £35 million donation to his former fee-paying school – Gresham’s School in Holt, Norfolk – which allowed him to continue his studies there for free after the death of his father.In a letter to The Times last year, Sir James said his donation to Malmesbury Church of England primary school had been blocked by officials – a claim denied by Downing Street.The billionaire businessman said he had been trying to give a grant to the state school through his charitable foundation to help with the building of its new science and technology centre and expansion by 210 places.“But the local authority and Department for Education say no, citing the risk of other schools having insufficient numbers,” Sir James wrote in the letter to The Times in October.Announcing the approval of the donation on Monday, Ms Keegan said: “I welcome this generous donation from the Dyson Foundation which will support cutting edge education for local pupils, helping to develop the scientists and engineers of the future.“This new centre will provide world-class facilities for pupils in Malmesbury and the surrounding areas to inspire them and develop the skills we need to compete on the world stage.“The £6 million donation builds on the work we have been doing to boost the uptake of Stem subjects in schools and through apprenticeships and further education, boosting growth and opportunity in these vital sectors.”A James Dyson Foundation spokesman said: “The Secretary of State’s approval is conditional on the local authority approving the school’s expansion before any building work can commence, which takes us back to square one.”Wiltshire Council has raised concerns around having all the investment in one location, and the impact that the expansion of pupil numbers at Malmesbury Primary School could have on neighbouring schools.Laura Mayes, cabinet member for children’s services, said: “We have an important responsibility to ensure all our school pupils can access opportunities that inspire them and help them achieve their potential.“Our school places strategy is our long-term plan, based on clear evidence, which maps out how we will secure sufficient school places for the future.“Our strategy shows we have sufficient places in the three local schools to cater for expected demand and we have expressed concern about the impact that adding 210 additional places at Malmesbury Primary School could have on neighbouring schools.“However we now have the Government’s final decision and we will work with everyone involved to ensure we achieve the best outcomes for all our pupils.” More