News

Gordon Brown and John Swinney were among Scottish political figures who remembered Alex Salmond at a memorial service in Edinburgh on Saturday, 30 November.The former Scottish first minister died suddenly in North Macedonia in October at the age of 69.His family paid their respects at a private funeral earlier in November.Saturday’s memorial service was helped to celebrate his love of Scotland and his commitment to the cause of independence.The Proclaimers performed Cap in Hand – a pro-independence song which features the line “I can’t understand why we let someone else rule our land, cap in hand”. More

Esther Rantzen hailed Kim Leadbeater, who sponsored the assisted dying bill, as “extraordinary” after MPs voted in favour of a law that would support terminally ill adults with a life expectancy of six months or less to end their lives.The Labour MP put forward the private members’ bill, which she said would “give society a much better approach towards end of life.”The bill passed in the House of Commons with 330 voting in favour and 275 against.It has some way to go before it becomes law, with more than 200 amendments already tabled.Broadcaster Ms Rantzen, who is terminally ill, has been an advocate for changing the law.The 84-year-old revealed in December last year that she had joined Dignitas, to give her the choice of an assisted death in Switzerland. More

Assisted dying could be legalised in England and Wales after a historic vote saw proposed legislation clear its first hurdle in Parliament.A four-and-a-half hour debate in the Commons on Friday (29 November) heard arguments from MPs about a need to give choice to dying people.A majority of MPs supported a Bill that would allow terminally ill adults with a life expectancy of less than six months to end their lives.MPs voted 330 to 275, majority 55, to approve Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill at second reading. More

Independent MP Adnan Hussain was booed for bringing up Labour’s winter fuel payment cut during the assisted dying debate on Friday (29 November).The Blackburn MP said the time to make a decision was “wrong” given some terminally ill pensioners have “lost their winter fuel allowance”.Mr Hussain’s comments were met with boos.A historic five-hour debate kickstarted at 9:30am on Friday with the House of Commons chamber full of MPs on both sides.Labour MP Kim Leadbeater has said the bill is about giving people the autonomy to choose how and when they die. More

Kim Leadbeater made a passionate plea to legalize assisted dying in the UK, claiming the “right to choose doesn’t take away the right not to”.The LabourMP for Spen Valley opened the historic five-hour debate on Friday (29 November) with the House of Commons chamber full of MPs on both sides.Addressing MPs, Ms Leadbeater said: “Giving the choice of an assisted death to those who want it would of course not stop anyone who is terminally ill from choosing not to do so.”Ms Leadbeater added: “We need to be clear, a vote to take this Bill forward today is not a vote to implement the law tomorrow. It is a vote to continue the debate.” More

Jacob Rees-Mogg admitted the Conservatives failed on immigration in a public apology – but refused to blame Brexit.The former Cabinet minister appeared on BBC Question Time on Thursday (28 November) and apologized to the public.Mr Rees-Mogg conceded the Tories “failed”, adding “We were culpable for that because we were in charge”.Asked how he felt as a strong supporter of Brexit that the figures for net migration were lower pre-Brexit than post-Brexit, he said the figures were “completely wrong” before. More

Nigel Farage stormed out of an interview as he was quizzed about Reform MP James McMurdock’s assault conviction.Mr Farage was asked about the party’s more “vigorous vetting standards” during an interview with Sky News on Thursday (28 November).When asked specifically about former investment banker Mr McMurdoch’s assault conviction 18 years ago, which The Times reported last week, Mr Farage appeared somewhat frustrated, before storming out, declaring he was “off for lunch”.The former investment banker did not publicly disclose his conviction for assault before being elected and claimed he had “pushed” his partner when details were first revealed this summer.But an official record of his sentencing obtained by the newspaper showed he was detained in a youth offenders’ institution for 21 days for kicking the victim “around four times”. More