Home News

The government has confirmed it has continued to use P&O Ferries despite condemning the firm over the law-breaking sacking of nearly 800 staff without notice.It comes after the government terminated its “one-of-a-kind” agreement with the operator in response to the firm’s “unacceptable” treatment of its former employees.It followed a review by the Department for Transport into government contracts with the operator in the wake of the mass sackings.The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has since confirmed it used P&O for an army exercise taking place in Germany after the RMT transport union said it saw evidence the MoD had occupied slots on the operator’s Dover-Calais service.Previously, the same exercise was completed using military air transport, but due to the ongoing support to Ukraine, the MoD said that was not possible. RecommendedThe department also said that it was the first part of the exercise which required the use of ferries.A government spokesperson said: “We do not have any contracts with P&O. The Ministry of Defence occasionally require specific logistics operations to support national and international security arrangements.“P&O Ferries are the provider of last resort in such situations, on an exceptional basis only.”RMT general secretary Mick Lynch slammed the MoD’s use of the P&O services as a “new low, even by this zombie government’s sinkhole standards”.Mr Lynch also called on the government to issue a statement barring public contracts with P&O Ferries and its parent company DP World.P&O was widely condemned after it replaced 786 crew members with cheaper agency workers on 17 March.Politicians and trade unions said the decision put the safety of ships at risk. More

Senior Conservatives across the north of England are growing increasingly concerned that the government’s flagship levelling up policy will be dropped by whoever becomes the party’s new leader.Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen and Jake Berry, chair of the party’s Northern Research Group in parliament, have both separately warned that the huge red wall gains made at the last election will be lost without an ongoing strategy for the region.They have separately written to all candidates demanding commitments on investment and greater powers for the area.But almost a week on from Boris Johnson’s resignation, none of the eight remaining runners and riders to replace him have yet offered any concrete pledges – or even views – on the outgoing PM’s flagship policy.The fear is that “levelling up” has become a politically toxic term because of its association with Mr Johnson and that the entire initiative may be dropped as a result.RecommendedNow, Conservatives in the north fear that such action could lead to defeat at the next election with swathes of the traditionally Labour seats that voted blue in 2019 turning red once again.“I don’t particularly care if the term ‘levelling up’ is kept or not because I’m not convinced it caught on with the public anyway,” says Dr Anthony Mullen, the leader of the Tories on Sunderland City Council. “But if nothing comes in to replicate what it was trying to do – improve investment and civic pride in these great northern cities and towns – then people will see that as a promise broken and a job half done, and they will vote accordingly.”In Bury – where the Conservative constituency of Bury North is the most marginal in the country – Russell Bernstein, leader of the Tory group on the borough council, said that the party should be shouting about what levelling up had achieved.“We’ve had in excess of £100m spent or promised here,” he reckoned.But he added that if the policy was discontinued mid-term, the backlash from voters would be severe. “If we ride back now, it’s not going to go down well because this is something voters bought into and believe in,” he said.Asked if he feared it was likely, he said not with his preferred candidate Tom Tugendhat.But with others? “I’m less convinced all the candidates have that same commitment,” he replied without expanding on who he meant.The growing disquiet comes after Mr Houchen – a much-admired figure among northern Tories – went public to reveal his own worries.“It is absolutely a huge concern to me at the moment that we’re not hearing anything from the contenders because I genuinely believe that the thing that got Boris Johnson his massive majority was obviously Brexit and his pitch to the country but also levelling up,” he told Channel Four news. Recommended“Certainly to first-time Conservative voters, and people who voted Labour for generations, it is a hugely important thing.”Meanwhile, Mr Berry – who is MP for Rossendale and Darwen – has written to each candidate suggesting that to win support from northern MPs, they must “commit” to a series of pledges including a new funding formula and a dedicated minister for the region. More

It was the jacket worn by Andy Burnham when he gave his now famous impromptu speech accusing the government of “playing poker with people’s lives” over coronavirus restrictions. On Wednesday, that navy blue coat became a museum piece.The item – sported by the Greater Manchester mayor while he told reporters that his region was being placed into a new Covid-19 lockdown against its will – is to go on display at the People’s History Museum in the city.The centre requested it after Mr Burnham’s October 2020 speech went viral and led to a new title being bestowed on the Labour stalwart: King of the North.“As a museum, we knew that it was important to collect the political story of Covid for future generations,” said Sam Jenkins, collections manager at the centre. “We got a copy of the speech from that day but we also felt that the jacket was a great visual representation of the changing situation that autumn and of the split between Westminster and the regions.“It struck a note with people because it is a very working class jacket and it feels authentic [on Mr Burnham], and it was very much in stark contrast to the suits being worn in those Westminster briefings.”RecommendedThe garment joins other items of political fashion at the museum, which is dedicated to democracy and radicalism. They include Michael Foot’s so-called donkey jacket – a Tweed item worn to a 1981 Remembrance Day – and the leather jacket worn by veteran campaigner Harry Elliot Lesley Smith.“Clothes are important,” said Jenkins. “In the years to come – 2050, 2100 – they will give a sense of the age.”The coat worn by Mr Burnham was bought in the 2012 Boxing Day sales from House of Fraser in Manchester, he has said.He only wore it on the day of the speech after his wife Marie told him not to put on a favoured North Face cagoule because he had been wearing it so often.Yet quibblers might argue that, while the garment has come to symbolise a moment of Greater Manchester history, it was probably not even the best coat in camera shot that day. That perhaps belonged to then Oldham Council leader Sean Fielding, stood solemnly in the background sporting a knee-length number. There is, as yet, said Jenkins, no plans to request that for the museum. More

The UK could see its first-ever national heatwave emergency this weekend amid fears of record-breaking temperatures, with officials braced to take unprecedented action if it is deemed necessary.Forecasters at the Met Office are predicting that the mercury will exceed 35C on Sunday – but have warned that some meteorological models are producing maximum temperatures in excess of 40C.Ministers held a Cobra meeting yesterday as a weather warning was issued and the Cabinet Office is coordinating a cross-government response between a host of departments and agencies.According to the official Heatwave Plan for England, the decision on whether to declare a state of emergency would be taken following a cross-government assessment of weather conditions, coordinated by the Cabinet Office.Southern parts of the country have already been placed on the second-highest level of alert this week by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), a measure which requires health and social services to take action to protect vulnerable people.RecommendedHowever, a UKHSA official was reported as saying that “if it gets above 40C then it is likely to be a level 4 heatwave for the first time”, meaning a state of national emergency will be declared, adding: “I don’t see how it couldn’t be in those temperatures.”Approached by The Independent, the agency insisted it did not recognise the quote cited by the Daily Telegraph, and emphasised that national emergency status is dependent on whether a heatwave is so severe or prolonged that its effects are felt beyond the health and social care system – such as causing power or water shortages – rather than a specific temperature being reached.The UKHSA’s head of extreme events and health protection, Dr Agostinho Sousa, said: “Heat-health alerts have now been issued to the majority of the country, with temperatures set to remain consistently high throughout the duration of this week.“Most of us can enjoy the hot weather when it arrives, but it is important to keep yourself hydrated and to find shade where possible when UV rays are strongest, between 11am and 3pm. If you have vulnerable family, friends and neighbours, make sure they are aware of how they can keep themselves protected from the warm weather.”Heatwaves are the deadliest extreme weather event in the UK, and according to the Met Office there an average of 2,000 heat-related deaths each year.But scientists have warned that such events will only become more frequent and severe as a result of climate breakdown, and earlier this year the Met Office raised the threshold for weather to be considered a heatwave in parts of the UK to reflect the country’s warming climate.The highest temperature ever recorded in the UK was 38.7C, reached at Cambridge Botanic Garden in July 2019.RecommendedMet Office forecaster Simon Partridge told the Press Association news agency that Sunday holds a 30 per cent chance of seeing that record broken.His colleague Rebekah Sherwin added: “Weather forecast models are run hundreds of times to determine the most likely weather outcome. For late next weekend and early next week, some runs of these models are allowing exceptionally high temperatures to develop, which is something we’ll be monitoring closely and adding details in the coming days.“Some models have been producing maximum temperatures in excess of 40C in parts of the UK over the coming weekend and beyond. At longer time scales temperature forecasts become less reliable, so whilst these figures can’t be ruled out, they are still only a low probability.”Weather extreme enough to trigger a national emergency has the possibility to cause illness and death among the fit and healthy, and not just in high-risk groups, government guidance states.Disruption to road and rail travel, issues at power stations, higher concentrations of air pollutants, classroom closures and crop failures are among the other risks anticipated during a heatwave severe enough to merit a national emergency, according to the government’s official heatwave plan. More

The government will not attempt another flight to Rwanda until September at the earliest, as it awaits a decisive court hearing and the result of the Conservative leadership contest.The next prime minister will be announced on 5 September, the same date that the High Court will review whether the policy is legal.A hearing, originally set for next Tuesday, was delayed at the request of the charities bringing the legal challenge, to give them extra time to prepare their case.A Home Office source told The Independent no asylum seekers would be put on flights until September at the earliest because of the court case, denying reports that the delay was linked to the leadership election.All leadership candidates running so far have committed to continuing the Rwanda policy, despite concerns over its legality and effectiveness after the Home Office’s chief civil servant refused to approve the plans.RecommendedThey were forced through by Priti Patel, using a rare ministerial direction, following a letter from Matthew Rycroft warning: “Evidence of a deterrent effect is highly uncertain and cannot be quantified with sufficient certainty to provide me with the necessary level of assurance over value for money.”The government refused to answer a Freedom of Information request on costs lodged by The Independent, on the basis it needed a “safe space” to negotiate bilateral agreements.A plane intended to take the first group of asylum seekers to Kigali was grounded in June, after several passengers were granted last-minute injunctions by the European Court of Human Rights.Care4Calais, which is one of three charities to tell the High Court the policy is unlawful, said it was working with more than 20 people who have been detained and issued with legal notices claiming they will be removed to Rwanda.Founder Clare Moseley added: “Many of those from [the flight] last time remain detained, exhausted and alone, and terrified for what the future might bring. “These people have suffered some of the very worst things that can happen on this planet. They have appalling physical and mental scars, and now face the threat of further extreme trauma.”Detention Action, which is also part of the legal challenge, welcomed the news that a temporary pause had been put on flights.How did the ECHR stop the first Rwanda deportation flight?The charity had urged the Home Office not to “defy the courts” by sending people to Rwanda in the knowledge that they may have to be brought back if it loses the case.Whatever the High Court’s judgment in the judicial review, the losing side is expected to challenge the ruling in the Court of Appeal, and then potentially the Supreme Court and ECHR (ECHR) – continuing the case for months or possibly years.The PCS union, which represents Border Force staff and is also part of the legal action, is calling for the government to halt all flights to Rwanda until the result of the case is known.General secretary Mark Serwotka said: “We’re pleased the court has listened to our representations and granted the adjournment. This is a serious matter that has potentially grave consequences for all concerned. It, therefore, requires the most careful scrutiny.”Ms Patel and other ministers have argued that the policy is necessary to reduce the number of small boat crossings over the English Channel.Asylum seekers are being selected for removal to Rwanda after being declared “inadmissible” on the basis that they travelled through safe third countries.The definition is based on the UK’s immigration rules, which were redrawn by the government last year, and has been criticised by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), which said there is no requirement under the 1951 Refugee Convention to seek protection in the “first safe country”.The UK was cut out of an EU-wide agreement to transfer asylum seekers to countries deemed responsible for them during Brexit, and has not replaced the deal, creating a huge backlog of asylum seekers who have been declared “inadmissible” but cannot be sent to European countries as they were before.Home Office decision-making has also slowed down, leaving a record number of asylum seekers waiting for decisions on their claims.More than 13,300 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year, more than double the total by the same point in 2021.Last week, dozens of arrests were made in the biggest international police operation of its kind targeting a people-smuggling gang thought to have been responsible for around 10 per cent of all migrant crossings last year.The National Crime Agency said the arrests, and seizure of inflatable boats and equipment had damaged smugglers’ capabilities and would put a “dent” in crossing numbers.But an official warned that crossings would continue because of demand from migrants who have no safe or legal route to reach the UK from northern France.RecommendedA Home Office spokesperson said: “Our world-leading partnership with Rwanda is a key part of our strategy to overhaul the broken asylum system. We have been clear from the start that we expected legal challenges however we are determined to deliver this new partnership. “This is vital to prevent loss of life in the Channel and break the business model of people smugglers. No court has actually ruled that this partnership is unlawful and we are ready to defend the partnership in the courts.” More

As he delivered his historic resignation speech in Downing Street, Boris Johnson had a message for the British public. “I know that there will be many people who are relieved and perhaps quite a few who will also be disappointed,” he said.“And I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world.“But them’s the breaks.”A phrase that deliberately breaks grammatical rules – involving a singular verb with the plural pronoun – would not come naturally to an Eton- and Oxford-educated prime minister, a former journalist and accomplished writer.But it was shorthand for suggesting he was unlucky – and that he accepted the way things had ended.RecommendedAccording to Grammarist.com, the phrase comes from North America and the game of pool or billiards.“When the balls are racked up in formation, one player ‘breaks’ or takes the first shot to try and send the balls around the table. The result of this break cannot be changed and the players must make do with what they are given,” Grammarist says.Them’s the Breaks is also a crowdfunded Irish documentary film about a feminist movement battling gender inequality in the arts.According to linguaholic.com, the phrase is informal so not to be used when talking to your boss.It was this casual turn of phrase that annoyed some of the prime minister’s critics, who drew comparisons to the Queen attending Prince Philip’s funeral in dignified silence during the Covid pandemic, and listing the many problems Mr Johnson leaves the country to face.Other ways of saying the same thing include “that’s (just) the way it goes”, “that’s the way the cookie crumbles” and the French “c’est la vie” – that’s life.RecommendedAny of those phrases, suggesting absolute resignation to a situation, would have underplayed the dramas that faced Mr Johnson in office – the Covid pandemic, being found out over lockdown-breaking parties in No 10, war in Ukraine or the crippling cost-of-living crisis.To his credit, he did not resort to them then. But when more than more than 50 of your MPs resign from government or party roles, demanding you stand down, you probably want a phrase a little stronger than simply “that’s life”. More

While the focus of the international community has been on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it is China that poses the most dangerous long-term threat to the security of the West, MI5 and FBI leaders have warned.They have accused Beijing of conducting a vast, secret economic and political offensive that is looting billions of pounds’ worth of advanced technology, trying to influence elections, and infiltrating academia.Ken McCallum, director-general of MI5, said that while the US and UK “strain every sinew to support Ukraine in resisting appalling aggression” another great threat is looming.“The most game-changing challenge we face comes from an increasingly authoritarian Chinese Communist party. It’s covertly applying pressure across the globe… We need to talk about it. We need to act,” he declared.Mr McCallum revealed that his service has had to double operations investigating China’s illicit activities while being stretched by threats from the Kremlin, and both Islamist and far-right terrorism.“Today we are running seven times as many investigations as we were in 2018. We plan to grow as much again,” he said.Speaking alongside FBI director Christopher Wray, Mr McCallum also disclosed that 50 Chinese students linked to the country’s Peoples’ Liberation Army (PLA) have been forced to leave Britain in the last three years after being suspected of exploiting “research” to gain “cutting edge national security advantage”.He continued: “The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) doesn’t just use intelligence officers posing as diplomats. Privileged information is gathered on multiple channels, in what is sometimes referred to as the ‘thousand grains of sand’ strategy.”He referred to an ‘Interference Alert’ earlier this year warning that an alleged Chinese agent had infiltrated parliament to interfere in the political system. The service said Christine Ching Kui Lee, who ran a legal firm, had “established links” for the CCP with current and aspiring MPs.Mr McCallum said the United Front Work Department (UFWD) – part of the CCP and once described by Mao Zedong as a “magic weapon” – ran “patient, well-funded, deceptive campaigns to buy and exert influence… aiming to amplify pro-CCP voices and silence those that question the CCP’s legitimacy or authority.”Giving an example of individuals being targeted, Mr McCallum spoke of a British aviation expert who had been approached online and offered an attractive job opportunity. The man travelled to China twice to be ‘wined and dined’ before being asked for technical information on military aircraft by a company that was actually a front for Chinese intelligence officers. “That’s where we stepped in,” said Mr McCallum.Mr Wray said China “has for far too long counted on being everybody’s second-highest priority,” adding: “They are not flying under the radar anymore.”He described the challenge from Beijing as “immense” and “breathtaking”.China’s military threat, he said, could lead to global commercial meltdown. “There’s been a lot of discussion about the potential that China may try to forcibly take over Taiwan,” he said. “Were that to happen, it would represent one of the most horrific business disruptions the world has ever seen.”Beijing is drawing “all sorts of lessons” from Russia’s war in Ukraine, he said, including attempting to insulate itself from the impact of any future sanctions. If China did invade Taiwan, Western investments in China would be seized and supply chains disrupted.“I don’t have any reason to think their interest in Taiwan has abated in any fashion,” Mr Wray stressed.There is also massive covert aggression, Mr Wray said, from China’s “lavishly-backed hacking programme that’s bigger than that of every major country combined,” adding: “The Chinese government sees cyber as the pathway to cheat and steal on a massive scale.”While Russia was accused of interfering in the US election to secure victory for Donald Trump, US intelligence agencies have also stated that China has also been actively involved in political interference.Mr Wray described how Beijing had directly interfered in a Congressional election in New York this spring because they did not want a former protester at Tiananmen Square to be elected. The regime hired a private investigator to dig up derogatory information about the candidate and, unable to find anything, there were efforts to manufacture a controversy using a sex worker and even suggestions of a physical attack by staging a car accident. More

A bookmaker has suspended betting on Boris Johnson resigning as prime minister after two cabinet ministers quit the cabinet on Tuesday night.Mr Johnson was dealt a double hammer blow when Sajid Javid, the health secretary and Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, walked out in protest at Downing Street’s handling of a series of recent scandals.Mr Sunak said “the public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously”, adding “I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning.”In an incendiary letter, Mr Javid said the British people “expect integrity from their government” but voters now believed Mr Johnson’s administration was neither competent nor “acting in the national interest”.The resignations came as Mr Johnson was forced into a humiliating apology over his handling of the Chris Pincher row after he claimed he had forgotten about being told of previous allegations of “inappropriate” conduct.Bookmaker Coral said it had suspended betting on the PM quitting this year following the resignations.“In what has been a fast-moving dilemma for Boris Johnson, we’ve pulled the plug on our betting on his future, as it is hard to see a way forward for the PM now,” said Coral’s John Hill.“Betting is available on Johnson’s successor, and it is Penny Mordaunt who is the early favourite,” added Mr Hill.Mr Pincher quit as deputy chief whip last week following claims that he groped two men at a private members’ club, but Mr Johnson was told about allegations against him as far back as 2019.The PM acknowledged he should have sacked Mr Pincher when he was told about the claims against him when he was a Foreign Office minister in 2019, but instead Mr Johnson went on to appoint him to other government roles.Asked if that was an error, Mr Johnson said: “I think it was a mistake and I apologise for it. In hindsight it was the wrong thing to do.”I apologise to everybody who has been badly affected by it. I want to make absolutely clear that there’s no place in this Government for anybody who is predatory or who abuses their position of power.”The PM’s authority had already been damaged by a confidence vote which saw 41 per cent of his MPs vote against him.The loss of crunch by-elections in Tiverton and Honiton and Wakefield in June triggered the resignation of party chairman Oliver Dowden.But the resignations of Mr Javid – a former leadership contender – and Mr Sunak, viewed as a potential successor to the PM, mean Mr Johnson’s position is now perilous.Mr Sunak, who had been due to make a joint economic speech with Mr Johnson next week, said “it has become clear to me that our approaches are fundamentally too different”.”I firmly believe the public are ready to hear that truth,” he said.Mr Javid said: “I am instinctively a team player but the British people also rightly expect integrity from their fovernment. The tone you set as a leader, and the values you represent, reflect on your colleagues, your party and ultimately the country.”Conservatives at their best are seen as hard-headed decision-makers, guided by strong values. We may not have always been popular, but we have been competent in acting in the national interest.”He added: “Sadly, in the current circumstances, the public are concluding that we are now neither. The vote of confidence last month showed that a large number of our colleagues agree. It was a moment for humility, grip and new direction.”I regret to say, however, that it is clear to me that this situation will not change under your leadership – and you have therefore lost my confidence too.”Further cabinet resignations were expected on Tuesday night. More