UK Politics

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak’s decision not to address calls for an investigation into reports of Conservative-run Facebook groups engaging in “gutter politics” is an “abject failure of leadership”, Labour has claimed.The Prime Minister faced calls to condemn the groups and launch a probe into reports that Tory candidate for London mayor, Susan Hall, is a member of them.The Observer newspaper reported over the weekend that Ms Hall is a member of a Facebook group said to contain Islamophobic speech and threats to incumbent Labour Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.Mr Sunak was asked about such groups and their links to Conservative campaigners twice during Prime Minister’s Questions, taking place on the eve of local elections across England and Wales.He insisted that his party was campaigning “on the substance of the issues that Londoners face”.The Conservative Party has meanwhile said it is reviewing its policies regarding Facebook groups.Speaking after PMQs, a Labour spokesman told reporters: “I think it is bizarre that the Prime Minister couldn’t speak out and say that these things are inappropriate.“We know that the Government dragged its feet when it came to producing the online harms bill (Online Safety Act), and across the board it just isn’t taking the influence that these groups have seriously enough.“We would urge the Tories to clamp down on this sort of activity.”They added: “To me, I think I would describe it as an abject failure of leadership.”In the Commons, Labour MP Catherine West (Hornsey and Wood Green) had asked: “It has been revealed by the Observer newspaper that the Conservative candidate for the mayor of London is actually a member of the six Facebook groups which was mentioned by the member for Edinburgh North.“They are full of Islamophobia, antisemitism and the most disgraceful incitement to damaging property and the worst bit, for those of us who were in the House when our Members of Parliament were taken, death threats to the current Mayor of London, Mr Khan.“Will he close down these Facebooks which have been begun by Conservative members of staff, and will he investigate the role of the current candidate and her membership of those disgraceful racist Facebooks?”Mr Sunak replied: “The election tomorrow will be fought on the substance of the issues that Londoners face and the Labour record is crystal clear. Housebuilding in London has collapsed, knife crime is rising, mayoral taxes are up 70% and drivers have been hit with Ulez (ultra low emissions zone) charges, and the Labour mayor just simply panders to unions, and has decimated London’s night-time economy.“That is his record, that his how he will be judged and people across London know that they will be safer with the Conservatives, with lower taxes and better services.”SNP MP for Edinburgh North, Deidre Brock, had earlier said: “Can the Prime Minister shed some light on these shady groups spreading abuse, their funding, their links to his party, and whether he is aware of similar operations existing elsewhere in the UK?“If he won’t, will he at least commit today to investigate and take action to tackle the sources of this grubby gutter politics?”The Prime Minister responded: “I am not aware about the topic that she raises, but I am not going to make any apology for Conservatives pointing out the record of whether it is the SNP in Scotland or the Labour Government in Wales, because that is exactly what democratic process is about.”A Conservative Party spokesperson said: “The Conservative Party unequivocally condemns all discriminatory language, and never encourages nor condones vandalism or criminal activity.“The Conservative Party is reviewing its processes and policies regarding Facebook groups.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailA cabinet minister was among senior Tories who pushed for Reform UK’s Howard Cox to be their candidate for London mayor instead of the beleaguered Susan Hall, The Independent understands.A source close to the prime minister’s inner circle has claimed they wrote to Rishi Sunak pleading with him to select the right-wing motorist campaigner Mr Cox ahead of the decision by London party members to nominate Susan Hall.The claims come as Ms Hall’s former deputy leader in Harrow Council, Barry Macleod-Cullinane, today endorsed Labour’s Sadiq Khan as a Savanta poll put him 10 points ahead of his Conservative rival.The source said: “Howard has worked with [the minister] and other [Conservative] MPs for many years on the Fair Fuel UK campaign and he is a great campaigner. [The minister] thought he would make an excellent candidate for London mayor and told the PM but was ignored.”Sources close to Mr Cox have also told The Independent that he has been lobbied by a number of senior Tory MPs including ministers even after he committed to Reform.Tory ministers preferred Reform’s Howard Cox to Susan Hall More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailUnions have backed Labour’s commitment to worker’s rights in the face of claims that the party is planning to water down their workers rights reforms to appease business. The Trade Unions Congress and GMB union have backed Keir Starmer’s commitment to the deal, despite May Day reports that Labour may be about to weaken their proposals.Paul Nowak, the general secretary of the TUC said he still expects Labour to “deliver the employment bill in the first 100 days” and said Sir Keir had “re-affirmed his commitment to delivering the New Deal, in full, just yesterday to hundreds of shop workers at USDAW’s national conference.”A GMB spokesperson also said that Sir Keir has been “clear about the importance of the agreement” and said that their union “looks forward to it being honoured”.The unions have intervened amid reports from the Financial Times that shadow ministers have been discussing their New Deal for Workers with corporate leaders and are looking to unveil a watered down version of the plan as part of their pro-business push.Deputy leader Angela Rayner has spearheaded the New Deal for Workers More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak risks inflaming his row with Ireland over the return of asylum seekers after he accused the Irish government of “cherry picking” international agreements. The prime minister said his administration was seeking “urgent clarification” there would be no new checkpoints at or near the border with Northern Ireland as tensions between London and Dublin escalate. Ireland has hit out at what it says is a high number of recent arrivals coming from the UK. It has said it will redeploy 100 police officers to deal with the problem, although it has denied that these will be used along the border, the scene of much violence during the Troubles. The Irish cabinet has also approved a plan to start returns to the UK, something Mr Sunak says the UK will not accept.An open border is a key tenet of the Good Friday Agreement, which brought the Troubles to an end. Mr Sunak told MPs there could no be “cherry-picking” of international agreements from the Irish government. He said the UK had “made commitments to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland and … the Irish government must uphold its promises too.”We can’t have cherry-picking of important international agreements and so the Secretary of State is seeking urgent clarification that there will be no disruption or police checkpoints at or near the border.” He added: “And I can confirm that the United Kingdom has no legal obligation to accept returns of illegal migrants from Ireland.” Rishi Sunak speaks during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons, London (House of Commons/PA) More

The Home Office has detained the first set of migrants for deportation to Rwanda, with flights set to take off at the beginning of July. A week after Rishi Sunak’s controversial Safety of Rwanda Bill gained royal assent, the government said the first phase of detentions was underway for deportation flights. James Cleverly said enforcement teams are working “at pace to swiftly detain those who have no right to be here” as part of the “pioneering” scheme. James Cleverly said enforcement teams are working ‘at pace to swiftly detain those who have no right to be here’ More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailWatch live as Rishi Sunak faces Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, 1 May, after the government paid an asylum seeker £3,000 to relocate to Rwanda.The failed asylum claimant became the first person to be paid under a voluntary return scheme running alongside the government’s controversial deportation agreement with the country.He is understood not to be from Rwanda originally.He is also understood to now be in Rwanda after his commercial flight left on Monday evening, The Sun reported.Labour has criticised the move as an expensive attempt by the Conservative Party to gain votes ahead of Thursday’s local elections, in which the Tories are expected to endure heavy losses.“Stopping the boats” is one of the prime minister’s five pledges to the public.Kemi Badenoch said the decision of the failed asylum seeker to voluntarily relocate to Rwanda shows it is a safe country.The business and trade secretary told Times Radio: “One of the big arguments about this scheme was Rwanda wasn’t a safe country, and actually people are volunteering to go there.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe government has been accused of an “extortionate pre-election gimmick” after paying an asylum seeker £3,000 to relocate to Rwanda.Under a scheme running alongside the government’s controversial deportation agreement with the east African nation, ministers can pay failed asylum applicants up to £3,000 to get on a flight to Kigali.And on Tuesday, an African man became the first to take the government up on its offer, just in time for Thursday’s local elections.Rishi Sunak has moved to end the parliamentary deadlock over his Rwanda Bill which will pave the way for deportation flights to get off the ground once it becomes law (PA) More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailBrian Rose, the London Real Party candidate for London Mayor, has hit out at the Labour and Tory candidates for being obsessed with political attacks rather than substance.MrRose is a banker-turned-broadcaster who previously ran in the 2021 election, placing seventh with 31,111 votes. He was responding to the dispute between incumbent Mr Khan and The Tory’s Susan Hall, over alleged plans to charge London drivers by the mile.The London Real Party candidate said: “This is such a depressingly good example of politicians being obsessed with politics rather than people. There is a huge debate to be had about how we fund investment in our capital’s transport infrastructure, while keeping the air clean.“Yet Khan and Hall have become bogged down in a meaningless tit-for-tat over when and where Khan claimed he was looking at a pay-per-mile approach for London motorists.“Meanwhile, out in the real world, drivers are being milked dry by Khan, TfL remains a case study in how not to fund transport, and London’s main roads remain jammed and polluted because of Khan’s obsession with Low Traffic Neighbourhoods.”‘Khan and Hall have become bogged down in a meaningless tit-for-tat’ More