UK

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailIsrael is “making the decision to act” in response to Saturday’s attack by Iran, the Foreign Secretary has said on a visit to the country for talks with its leaders.Lord Cameron called on Tel Avivto respond in a way that will do ‘as little to escalate this” as possible. He travelled to Israel late on Tuesday to discuss its response to the barrage of drones and missiles. The UK and other countries have led calls for restraint in retaliation. Rishi Sunak delivered a similar message to Mr Netanyahu in a phone call on Tuesday, saying it was “time for calm heads to prevail”.However, speaking to broadcasters in Jerusalem on Wednesday, the Foreign Secretary said Israel appeared to be preparing to act.He said: “It is right to have made our views clear about what should happen next, but it is clear the Israelis are making the decision to act.”We hope they do so in a way that does as little to escalate this as possible and in a way that, as I said yesterday, is smart as well as tough.”Lord Cameron is expected to hold meetings with senior Israeli figures, including Mr Netanayahu and visit the West Bank. He will then head to a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Italy.Lord Cameron said he hoped the meeting would result in more “co-ordinated sanctions” against Iran, saying a ” clear and unequivocal message” had to be sent to Tehran. The UK has already sanctioned several Iranians along with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).But ministers have rejected calls from MPs to proscribe the IRGC as a terrorist organisation, warning it jeopardise Britain’s ability to engage diplomatically with Iran.The UK helped defend Israel when Iran launched around 350 drones and missiles at Israel on Saturday. British jets shot down a number of the drones.The attack came after Iran blamed Israel for the targeting of a diplomatic compound in Syria earlier this month.Israel’s government has said the attack “will be met with a response”. Separately, foreign office minister David Rutley said the government was “pushing as hard as it can” to get more aid into Gaza.He told the Commons the humanitarian situation was “dire”. The Iran attack had not changed “our focus on ensuring Israel meets its commitments to enable at least 500 aid trucks a day to enter Gaza,” he said. “We are pushing as hard as we can to get aid to Palestinian civilians and as this House knows we have been urging Israel at the highest levels to take immediate action on the bottlenecks holding up humanitarian relief.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailBritain is set to ban the next generation from ever being able to smoke after Rishi Sunak proposal cleared its first House of Commons hurdle. The legislation would make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born after January 1 2009, with the aim of creating a “smoke-free” generation.MPs voted 383 to 67, majority 316, to give the Tobacco and Vapes Bill a second reading.The prime minister relied on Labour votes to see off opponents on his own benches, led by the former PM Liz Truss. Conservative MPs were given a free vote on the Bill, meaning those who voted against the Government’s position will not face punishment.This allowed serving ministers, including Business Secretary and future Tory leadership hopeful Kemi Badenoch, to publicly reveal they would vote to reject the Bill. She said it undermines the principle of equality under the law by treating adults differently even if they were born just a day apart.MPs tipped as future Tory leadership candidates, including former immigration minister Robert Jenrick and former home secretary Suella Braverman, also voted against the ban, alongside several serving ministers, while leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt abstained.Use the searchable table below to see how you local MP voted on the historic bill. In the end, 57 Tory MPs defied Mr Sunak’s call and voted against the ban, while more than 100 did not vote.Tory MPs voting against the bill were joined by 7 DUP MPs, Reform Party MP Lee Anderson, and Workers Party of Britain MP George Galloway.Some 178 Conservatives supported the bill, according to the division list, alongside 160 Labour MPs, 31 SNP MPs, 5 Liberal Democrats, 3 Plaid Cymru MPs, 2 independents, and the Alliance Party’s Stephen Farry.Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting confirmed Labour’s “wholehearted” support to the Bill, and added his party is “only too happy to defend the Health Secretary against the siren voices of big tobacco” gathered on the Tory benches.Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said she understood colleagues’ concerns about freedom of choice, and conceded Conservatives were “not in the habit of banning things”, but warned the Commons there was “no liberty in addiction”.“Nicotine robs people of their freedom to choose. The vast majority of smokers start when they are young, and three-quarters say that if they could turn back the clock they would not have started,” she added. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is at the forefront of European Union citizens’ minds, with defense and security seen as key campaign issues ahead of the June elections, according to a study published Wednesday. At national level, the EU’s defense and security is mentioned first in nine countries, in contrast with sentiments five years ago when the last EU Parliament elections were held.“The EU’s defense and security was far from a prominent topic in 2019, before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022,,” the latest edition of the EU Parliament’s Eurobarometer said.The report, a collection of opinion surveys across the 27 EU nations, showed that defense and security — alongside the economy and jobs — now come in third place (31%) behind poverty and social exclusion (33%) and public health (32%). Climate change and the future of Europe follow closely.The Eurobarometer also noted that EU citizens put defense and security as first priorities in reinforcing the EU’s global position, ahead of food security and agriculture.Looking at the next legislative mandate, peace and democracy are considered the main values to defend in the coming years, ahead of the protection of human rights, freedom of speech and thought and the rule of law. Peace is the most valued goal in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland. In the Baltic states, Russia’s belligerence toward Ukraine has led some tp worry that they could be the next target, while Finland’s relationship with Russia has significantly deteriorated due to the Nordic country’s membership in NATO and over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and related sanctions. The report also highlighted a surge of interest in the June 6-9 elections.Some 60% of Europeans said they are interested in the next European elections, an 11-point increase since 2019, and 71% said they are likely to cast a ballot.The majority of respondents said voting is even more important considering the global situation.The survey was carried out between Feb. 7 and March 3 in all 27 EU countries. In total, 26,411 interviews were made. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email Inflation in the U.K. fell to its lowest level in two and a half years in March after a further easing in food prices, official figures showed Wednesday.Consumer prices rose by 3.2% in the year to March, down from 3.4% in February, the Office for National Statistics said. That’s the lowest level since September 2021.The fall in the annual rate was not as big as anticipated. Economists had predicted a reading of 3.1% for the month.Inflation is still running higher than the Bank of England’s target of 2% but the direction of the move appears clear. Inflation hit a high above 11% at the end of 2022 in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which led to sharp increases in energy costs.Inflation is set to fall further in April, possibly to below 2%, as a result of sharply lower domestic energy bills, which economists think could prompt rate-setters at the Bank of England to consider a cut in interest rates in the next few months. However, a number of the nine policymakers have warned that the fight against inflation isn’t over yet as they expect prices to start rising again in the second half of the year.The Bank of England, like the U.S. Fed and other central banks around the world, raised interest rates aggressively in late 2021 from near zero to counter price rises first stoked by supply chain issues during the coronavirus pandemic and then by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Higher interest rates — which cool the economy by making it more expensive to borrow, thereby bearing down on spending — have contributed to bringing down inflation worldwide.Britain’s governing Conservative Party hopes that lower inflation and falling interest rates may trigger a feelgood factor ahead of a general election that has to take place by January 2025. Opinion polls show the main opposition Labour Party way ahead and headed for a big victory over the Conservatives, who have been in power since 2010. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailMillions of people in the UK with physical immigration documents are being invited to switch to an eVisa as the Government aims for a fully digital immigration and border system by 2025, the Home Office has said.From Wednesday April 17, individuals in the UK with physical immigration documents will receive an email from the Home Office, inviting them to create a UK visas and immigration (UKVI) account to access their eVisa.The rollout of digital status is the next stage in the Government’s plan to digitalise the immigration system.Physical documents will be gradually phased out and nearly all visa holders living in the UK will have access to an eVisa by 2025, the Home Office has said.Tom Pursglove, the minister for legal migration and the border, said replacing physical documents, called biometric residence permits, with a digital system “will ensure firm control over who comes here to live, work or study”.Mr Pursglove added: “We’ve already taken really significant steps to digitally transform the border and immigration system, and this wider rollout of eVisas is a key part of that process.“Replacing physical immigration documents with eVisas will ensure firm control over who comes here to live, work or study, strengthening border security and preventing abuse of the immigration system, while delivering cost-savings for UK taxpayers.”The Government hopes the introduction of eVisas will reduce the risk of fraud, loss and abuse of physical documents and strengthen border security.Those who inspect immigration status will be able to conduct one check using an online service and visa customers will be able to access their digital status anywhere and in real time.An eVisa is linked with the holder’s biometric information to protect against identity fraud.Invitations will initially be issued in phases.The process will open to anyone in the UK who holds physical immigration documents in summer 2024.Customers will be able to create a free UKVI account to access their eVisa.Creating an account will not change, impact or remove their current immigration status or their rights in the UK. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailBritain is on course to ban smoking for an entire generation after Rishi Sunak forced through a historic vote in the House of Commons. The prime minister relied on Labour votes to see off opponents on his own benches, led by the former PM Liz Truss, winning by 383 votes to 67. The legislation, which if passed will mean that anyone aged 15 or younger today will never be able to buy cigarettes legally, will see the UK slowly become a smoke-free country. Earlier Mr Sunak urged members of his cabinet to think of “future generations” and back his flagship plan as he sought to avoid a humiliating backlash at the hands of his own party. But the business secretary Kemi Badenoch was among those who voted against the plan, saying it undermines the principle of equality under the law by treating adults differently even if they were born just a day apart. Other MPs tipped as future Tory leadership candidates, including former immigration minister Robert Jenrick and former home secretary Suella Braverman, also voted against the ban, alongside several serving ministers, while leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt abstained.Ms Badenoch downplayed suggestions that her opposition to the policy demonstrated she was posturing for a future leadership bid, saying it was “a shame” people would view it that way. “We need space for people to be able to have disagreements without it being put down to ulterior motives,” she told an LBC phone-in. “Everything we do is looked at through the prism of the worst possible intention. And I think that’s one of the reasons why politicians feel they don’t get a fair hearing, that many people decide not to do this job.”Ms Truss earlier hit out at what she described as a “virtue-signalling” piece of legislation and urged true Tories to reject it, saying there were enough “finger-wagging, nannying control freaks” on Labour’s benches. In the end, 57 Tory MPs defied Mr Sunak’s call and voted against the ban, while more than 100 did not vote. Ms Truss said it was “emblematic” of a “technocratic establishment” that wanted to “limit freedom”. She also told MPs that she feared that the “health police” would push on other issues if a ban was introduced. “People are concerned about this,” she told the Commons. “They want to be able to make their own decisions about what they eat, what they drink and how they enjoy themselves.” Former health secretary Kenneth Clarke also warned that the move risked being difficult to enforce.“You will get to a stage where if you are 42 years of age, you will be able to buy them, but someone aged 41 will not be allowed to,” he told The Daily Telegraph. “Does that mean you will have to produce your birth certificate? It may prove very difficult to enforce. Future generations will have to see whether it works or not.”MPs had a free vote on the ban, plans for which were announced at the Tory conference in 2023 More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailBusiness secretary Kemi Badenoch has said she will be voting against Rishi Sunak’s flagship plan to ban young people from ever smoking.Ahead of a vote on Tuesday night, Ms Badenoch announced her decision on social media, saying: “We should not treat legally competent adults differently in this way, where people born a day apart will have permanently different rights.”She added: “I do not support the approach this bill is taking and so will be voting against it.”The cabinet minister’s decision comes after hours of speculation as to whether or not she would back the prime minister’s public health proposals.There have been divisions within the Conservative Party over the bill as senior Tories from the right of the party – including former prime minister Liz Truss – have expressed concerns over the workability of the legislation and its impingement on personal freedom.Mr Sunak earlier urged his cabinet to think of “future generations” and back the plan as he sought to avoid humiliation at the hands of his own party.No 10 said the prime minister believes that building “a better future for our children” involves tackling the habit, which costs 80,000 lives a year.But he is braced for more than 50 Tory MPs to defy his call and vote against the plans, which would prevent those born after 1 January 2009 from ever buying cigarettes.Rishi Sunak has urged his cabinet to back the bill More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email Belgian police shut down a gathering of far-right politicians and supporters on Tuesday, citing concerns about public order, while attendees protested curbs on free speech and vowed to find another venue for Day 2.The annual National Conservative conference, held this year in Brussels, comes ahead of Europe-wide elections. As campaigning for the June 6-9 event heats up, mainstream parties fear that disenchanted voters might turn to the people at NatCon 2024.“This is what we’re up against. We’re up against a new form of evil ideology,” Nigel Farage, the man credited with taking Britain out of the European Union, told the gathering of a few hundred stridently nationalist and fundamentalist Christian politicians and think-tankers.Anti-migrant sentiment featured in a number of speeches. Some targeted what they saw as the follies of climate policy, “narco-socialism” or “woke indoctrination,” often with sharp opposition to multinational organizations like the EU.Lashing out at the bloc’s treaties, and the pledge in the preamble of the founding EU texts to an “ever-closer Union” among the 27 member countries, Polish lawmaker Ryszard Legutko said it all makes “medieval monks look almost like intellectual anarchists.”Surveys suggest that mainstream political parties are likely to retain power after the June elections, but quite possibly with a reduced majority.Belgian police quietly shut down the conference by barring attendees from re-entering the venue if they dared to leave. A dozen or so officers blocked the main entrance. It was the third venue for the gathering after the owners of two other locations shied away when anti-fascist protesters vowed to disrupt proceedings.This year’s NatCon, organized by the conservative U.S. think tank the Edmund Burke Foundation, was held under the banner of “National Conservatism, Preserving the Nation-State in Europe.”French far-right figurehead Eric Zemmour was scheduled to criticize the EU’s new migrant and asylum rules but was turned away by police. Suella Braverman, who served as U.K. home secretary for just over a month in 2022 before being fired, railed for 27 minutes against the European Court of Human Rights.Politicians and former leaders from Spain, Poland and the Netherlands were also on the agenda. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was due to speak on Wednesday.“I guess they couldn’t take free speech any longer,” Orban posted on the social media platform X. “The last time they wanted to silence me with the police was when the Communists set them on me in ’88. We didn’t give up then and we will not give up this time either!”Speakers summoned the grand ideas of figures like the Pope, Homer, Dostoyevsky, Leo Strauss, Tocqueville and Gramsci. English was the common language, spattered with classical Latin. Modern liberal democracy was likened to a form of “neo-Marxist authoritarianism.”Mostly though, those who could speak before the gathering was shut down for the day focused on their “enemies” among the mainstream political parties.“We have to know our enemies are in panic and they show it every day,” said EU lawmaker Hermann Tertsch, from Spain’s far-right Vox party. “The enemy knows their time is running out.”As Brussels police warned that the conference’s time was limited, too, Edmund Burke Foundation Chairman Yoram Hazony invited participants to stay as long as they dared.“The new democracy works in mysterious ways. Your goal as someone in the new democracy is to prevent the other guy from speaking,” Hazony said. More