News

Rishi Sunak’s security minister defends the prime minister taking a private jet to the Cop28 summit in Dubai.Mr Sunak, King Charles, and foreign secretary David Cameron have all taken separate jets to the conference, prompting fresh outrage from climate campaigners.UK security minister Tom Tugendhat was quizzed on the decision by Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway on Thursday morning (30 November).Mr Tugendhat said: “There are many reasons why travel might be separate and it would be unusual, to put it politely, for senior members of government to travel on the same aircraft.” More

An MP described grey squirrels as the “Hamas of the squirrel world” during a debate in Parliament on Tuesday, 28 November.Jim Shannon, DUP MP for Strangford, compared the animals to the militant group while MPs discussed control of the grey squirrel population.Thanking a local group for their work protecting the future of the red squirrel in his constituency, Mr Shannon said: “The issue is the very presence of grey squirrels.”The Woodland Trust says the introduction of grey squirrels has had a “disastrous” on the red species as they carry the squirrelpox virus and compete with the native species to food. More

Sir Lindsay Hoyle issued a warning to MPs before Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, 29 November, not to visit each other’s constituencies on official business without giving notice.Without naming any specific MPs, the Speaker warned “colleagues in Lancashire” to “think about when they are going to others and just to let people know when you are going there. I believe this did not happen.”The House of Commons Members and Constituency Etiquette states that MPs intending to visit another constituency, other than on a purely private or personal matter, should inform the relevant colleague – failing to do so is “regarded as very discourteous.” More

Dominic Cummings acted as prime minister in “all but name” during his time as Boris Johnson’s chief adviser, Sajid Javid has told the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.Mr Javid said he resigned as chancellor in February 2020 because Mr Cummings made “many key decisions” on behalf of the former prime minister.“I felt that the elected prime minister was not in charge of what was happening in his name and was largely content with Mr Cummings running the government,” he told the inquiry on Wednesday 29 November.The inquiry was also shown a diary entry by former chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, in which he accused Mr Javid – the former health secretary – of “making policy on the hoof”. More

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused Rishi Sunak of “losing his marbles” in a Greek artifact jibe during Prime Minister’s Questions.In his opening remarks, Starmer joked:” In an effort to hide from his failures, the Prime Minister spent this week arguing about an ancient relic that only a tiny minority of the British public have any interest in – Mr Speaker, that’s enough about the Tory Party.”Starmer added: “Never mind the British Museum – it’s the prime minister who has obviously lost his marbles”. A diplomatic row over the sculptures was triggered when Prime Minister Rishi Sunak cancelled Tuesday’s planned meeting with Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis. More

James Cleverly apologised in the Commons for using “inappropriate language” against a Labour MP but denied he called Stockton a “s*******”.The Home Secretary was accused of making the remark after Labour’s Alex Cunningham challenged Prime Minister Rishi Sunak over the level of child poverty in his Stockton North constituency. Mr Cleverly told MPs on Monday (27 November): “I know what I said. I rejected the accusation that I criticised his constituency.“My criticism, which I made from a sedentary position, about the honourable gentleman used inappropriate language for which I apologise.“But I will not accept that my criticism was of his constituency because it was not.”Mr Cunningham said: “He has not apologised to me, he’s not apologised to the people of my constituency, he has apologised for using unparliamentary language.” More

Lord Cameron visited Israel on Thursday 23 November, following the announcement of a truce in the war with Hamas.The foreign secretary arrived amid uncertainty about when the pause in the fighting will begin, as an agreement for a four-day ceasefire in Gaza appears to have hit a last-minute snag.A senior Israeli official said it would not take effect before Friday, a day later than originally expected.The deal will see the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, with Palestinian prisoners expected to be freed by Tel Aviv.The lull in the fighting is also expected to clear the way for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza to ease the suffering of citizens who have been bombarded and besieged by Israel following the 7 October Hamas attack. More

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has been compared to Oliver Twist’s Fagin after the autumn Budget.Sky News presenter Kaye Burley told Mr Hunt: “I heard you described this morning, by somebody I was coming in, as a 21st Century Fagin, picking pockets where you went.”Mr Hunt smiles and explains that the taxes he has brought down are the ones that are going to help “businesses grow” and that will “increase long-term prosperity”.The chancellor was heckled yesterday (Wednesday 22 November), as he announced a new crackdown on welfare payments as part of his autumn statement. More