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Two individuals and a company linked to the Chinese state have been sanctioned over attacks on the Electoral Commission between 2021 and 2022, Oliver Dowden told the House of Commons on Monday, 25 March.The same company also carried out “reconnaissance” activity against UK parliamentary accounts in a separate campaign in 2021, the deputy prime minister added.British intelligence services believe Chinese spies are likely to use details stolen by hacking the elections watchdog to target dissidents and critics of Xi Jinping’s government in the UK. More

Tory deputy chair James Daly dismissed Sir Chris Bryant’s criticism of the Conservative Party’s biggest-ever donor Frank Hester as the shadow minister “tried to get Jeremy Corbyn elected as prime minister.”Mr Hester is alleged to have made incendiary comments about Diane Abbott including that she “should be shot” and made him “want to hate all Black women”.As Sir Chris criticised the Tories’ accepting of millions in donations from Mr Hester, Mr Daly said: “Your party had certain views which I think the whole country called into question.“Talking from an alleged moral high point on this is not really where the Labour Party needs to be.” More

Labour MP Chris Bryant compared Owen Jones leaving the political party to Elton John announcing he was gay.Mr Jones quit the party in a video message on Thursday (21 March) with a somewhat personal attack on leader Keir Starmer claiming “the party’s over”.Mr Bryant discussed Mr Jones’s decision to stand down when he appeared on Politics Live on Monday (25 March).The MP said: “You could have blown me over with a feather when Owen Jones left the Labour Party. It was almost as shocking as when Elton John announced that he was gay.” More

Rishi Sunak has refused to comment on the police investigation into alleged racist comments made by Conservative Party donor Frank Hester.The prime minister was asked on Friday 22 March if it was time to hand back the money donated to the party by Mr Hester, and to refuse any future donations.West Yorkshire Police are investigating comments made by Mr Hester about Diane Abbott at a meeting that took pace in Horsforth, Leeds, in 2019.“It wouldn’t be right for me to comment on police matters, but as I’ve said previously, what he’s said was wrong and racist, and he rightfully has apologised for it,” Mr Sunak responded. More

Labour’s shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry laughed as she admitted “I smoked dope” during a live interview today (22 March).Ms Thornberry appeared on LBC’s breakfast show on Friday and was asked by presenter Nick Ferrari: “Emily Thornberry, did you do drugs at university?”The MP replied: “Yeah, I smoked dope.”“Does it matter?”, the presenter asked, as he spoke of the “fixation” the public has on politician’s past drug use.The Labour MP replied: “It’s up to the public really, I mean it was a long time ago.”Mr Ferrari then asked Ms Thornberry: “When did you last light up a joint?” More

Angela Rayner has said she is the victim of a “non-story manufactured to try and smear”her over the sale of her council tax home.The Labour deputy leader was criticised for turning a £48,500 profit on the property in Stockport, Greater Manchester, which she bought in 2007 with a 25 per cent discount.Speaking in her first TV interview since claims emerged that she may have owed capital gains tax on the 2015 sale, Ms Rayner told BBC Newsnight: “I’ve been very clear there was no rules broken. They [the Conservatives] tried to manufacture a police investigation.” More

The youngest ever life peer has taken her seat in the House of Lords, which she wants to abolish.Plaid Cymru’s Carmen Smith, 28, will go by the title Baroness Smith of Llanfaes.She has succeeded as the youngest ever life peer Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge, who was made a life peer in July 2023 at the age of 30.The average age in the unelected chamber is 71.Wearing a a fake fur robe, rather than a traditional ermine one, she swore the oath of allegiance to King Charles III in both English and Welsh. More