Indy TV

A Tory minister appeared to confuse Art Attack presenter Neil Buchanan for a BBC journalist as he discussed “bias” at the broadcaster.Huw Merriman appeared to accuse the children’s TV star of giving “one side of the story” in his reporting on Universal Credit – but he has never done so, instead presenting the arts and crafts show from 1990 until 2007.BBC social affairs correspondent Michael Buchanan has reported on Universal Credit.It came after culture secretary Lucy Frazer accused the BBC of bias amid plans for Ofcom’s reach over the broadcaster to be extended. More

Dawn Butler was overcome with emotion as she joined MPs in paying tribute to Sir Tony Lloyd in the House of Commons on Tuesday, 23 January.Remembering her former colleague’s kindness when she was first elected, the Labour former minister recalled how Sir Tony advised her not to worry as she was “often going to feel lost” in parliament and invited her to ask “any silly questions” she might have.“I have passed that on to new MPs that come in,” Ms Butler said of Sir Tony’s legacy.Sir Tony died on 17 January days after announcing that he was suffering from an incurable form of leukaemia. More

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

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

Tory London Mayor candidate Susan Hall has hit out at those in power making “false promises” as she announced a £200m police funding pledge.Ms Hall appeared on LBC radio on Monday (22 January) and told presenter Nick Ferrari it was “wrong to make promises on the radio without knowing how to fund them”, before vowing to deliver more police officers.Ms Hall said: “I won’t make promises on the radio unless I know they are funded.“You get so many different people on the radio promising everything. You should not promise anything unless you know where the money is coming from.” More

Tory London Mayor candidate Susan Hall has admitted she does not know the price of bus fares in London.Ms Hall appeared on LBC radio on Monday (22 January) and was quizzed by presenter Nick Ferrari.Mr Ferrari asked Ms Hall: “What is the bus fare? How much do you pay to get on a bus currently?”“I don’t use them, I use trains all the time,” Ms Hall responds.A seemingly shocked Mr Ferrari asks: “You don’t know what a bus fare is?”“No,” she replies. More