Indy TV

Conservative MP Jonathan Gullis said he does not want the foreign aid budget “to exist at all” after it was revealed £3.2 billion has been allocated to the Home Office to house migrants in hotels.Appearing on BBC Politics Live today (13 March), Mr Gullis and Labour MP Sarah Champion joined the panel to discuss whether migrants should be paid to go to Rwanda.Ms Champion said: “I can announce £3.2 billion of UK foreign aid has been allocated to the Home office, for hotels for the next financial year.”Mr Gullis replied: “I don’t want the foreign aid budget to exist at all.” More

Rishi Sunak claimed Sir Keir Starmer “let antisemitism run rife’ in the Labour Party during a heated Prime Minister’s Questions today (13 March).Discussing alleged racist comments made about Labour MP Diane Abbott by top Tory donor Frank Hester, Sir Keir asked Mr Sunak: “What does the Prime Minister think it was about the hundreds of millions of pounds of NHS contracts given to Frank Hester by his Government that first attracted him to giving £10 million to the Tory Party in the first place?”Mr Sunak said he was “absolutely not going to take any lectures” from Sir Keir who he said “chose to serve a leader who let antisemitism run rife in his Labour Party”. More

Sir Keir Starmer claimed the Conservative party is being “bankrolled” by someone using “racist” language during a fiery Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, 13 March.The Labour leader’s comments came in the wake of a continuing row over a Tory donor’s alleged comments about Diane Abbott.Frank Hester, who donated £10m to the Tories last year, allegedly made a series of incendiary comments about the MP, including that she made him “want to hate all Black women”.A statement from Mr Hester’s firm said he “accepts that he was rude about Diane Abbott… but his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin.” More

A Tory donor’s alleged comments about Diane Abbott were “racist” but they “don’t necessarily mean he’s a racist,” Kevin Hollindrake has said.The Conservative minister told Sky News on Wednesday (13 March): “His comments were clearly racist and wrong… I don’t think that means Frank Hester is necessarily a racist.”Mr Hester, who donated £10m to the Tories last year, allegedly made a series of incendiary comments about the MP, including that she made him “want to hate all Black women”.A statement from Mr Hester’s firm said he “accepts that he was rude about Diane Abbott… but his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin.” More

Ed Balls accused a Tory minister of “smearing” him during a heated conversation about a Tory donor’s alleged remarks about Diane Abbott.Graham Stuart appeared on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday (12 March), discussing Frank Hester after he was alleged to have said the MP “should be shot.”The energy minister appeared to enrage the former Labour MP by saying: “If every quote you ever said about Tories got taken out of context and plastered all over the television, you could be made to look pretty vile as well.”Mr Balls responded: This is not the normal political mockabout… Don’t just smear me.” More

**_If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offer support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch._**Dame Esther Rantzen made a powerful plea for assisted dying to become law during a phone call with Sir Keir Starmer.The broadcaster and campaigner, who has terminal cancer, has previously expressed her wish for an assisted death.She told the Labour leader during a phone call with ITV News on Tuesday (12 March): “What I do not want is my family’s last memory of me to be painful and for me to be begging to be assisted in dying.”Sir Keir Starmer said that he wants assisted dying to be legalised after the next election and said he is “personally committed” to a change in the law. More

Post Office minister Kevin Hollinrake has said he would accept another £10 million donation from top Tory donor Frank Hester.Mr Hester allegedly made a series of incendiary comments about Labour MP Diane Abbott including that she made him “want to hate all Black women”.BBC Breakfast presenter Jon Kay today (13 March) today asked Mr Hollinrake: “If Frank Hester, today, offered to give the Tory Party another £10m, would you take it?Mr Hollinrake replied: “On the basis that he is not racist, yes.” More

George Galloway hit out at Labour and the Conservatives in his first House of Commons speech on returning to parliament, claiming most people “feel a wish for a plague on both their houses”.The leader of the Workers Party of Britain criticised the chancellor’s Budget as an “absolute nothing burger” which would not help Rochdale, the town he now represents.In his first Commons outing since he swore the oath of allegiance to the King and took his seat, Mr Galloway also paid tribute to his Labour predecessor Sir Tony Lloyd, whose death from cancer triggered the by-election which led to his victory. More