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Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailSuella Braverman will appear at a major Conservative conference alongside right-wing Hungarian autocrat Viktor Orban next month.The former home secretary and Mr Orban have been unveiled as a keynote speakers at the National Conservatism (NatCon) conference in Belgium.Mr Orban is widely seen as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest ally in the European Union and has been accused of launching a crackdown on gay rights and press freedom.Ms Braverman faces a backlash over her decision to attend the NatCon conference in Brussels Ms Braverman, who was sacked by Rishi Sunak in November after accusing Metropolitan Police chiefs of bias in their handling of the pro-Palestine protests, risks a backlash for appearing alongside the Hungarian prime minister.Mr Orban has previously spoken at the annual conference of the International Organisation of the Family (IOF), described by the Human Rights Campaign as a “dangerous group of activists spreading anti-LGBT rhetoric and promoting laws and policies that criminalise LGBT people”.He has also implemented a Russian-style law forbidding discussions about LGBT+ issues in schools.A Hungarian news outlet, Hungary Today, said the “woke British press” was already in “uproar” over Ms Braverman’s appearance at the conference.The Liberal Democrats criticised Ms Braverman over her plans to “share a platform with a far-right authoritarian”. Lib Dem foreign affairs spokesman Layla Moran said: “No politician should be sharing the stage with an ally of Vladimir Putin as he carries out his barbaric invasion of Ukraine.”She added that it was “staggering” that a former home secretary “would think that this is the right thing to do”. “From cries of a conspiratorial deep state to sharing a platform with a far-right authoritarian, the Conservative Party has gone completely off the rails,” she added. A backer of Ms Braverman dismissed the controversy around the conference, telling the Daily Telegraph: “MP speaks at same event as another EU leader.”Hungarian prime minister Victor Orban has been accused of a clampdown on press freedom and LGBT+ rights Ms Braverman used a speech at the last NatCon conference, in London last May, to set out her hardline vision for British Conservatism and railed against “experts and elites” amid claims of fresh government splits over immigration.The then home secretary launched into a tirade against multiculturalism, “political correctness”, transgender people and identity politics.She also said the government “needs to get overall immigration numbers down” and said some immigrants needed to “learn English and understand British social norms”.The conference is the project of a think tank called the Edmund Burke Foundation, which declares its aim to be “strengthening the principles of national conservatism in Western countries”.When Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski attended the conference in Rome in 2020 alongside Mr Orban he was forced to apologise by the party and faced calls to be kicked out.A spokesman for the Conservatives said at the time: “Daniel Kawczynski has been formally warned that his attendance at this event was not acceptable, particularly in light of the views of some of those in attendance, which we utterly condemn, and that he is expected to hold himself to higher standards.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailPolice are reviewing claims that Angela Rayner may have broken electoral law in the early 2010s when she lived between two council houses in Stockport.On Monday the police confirmed that a detective chief inspector had been assigned to reconsider the case, just days after Ms Rayner accused the Conservative party of attempting to “smear” her and insisted that controversy about her tax affairs was “manufactured”.Police had originally said that Ms Rayner would not face an investigation over claims she gave false information about where she was living for the electoral roll, but have now confirmed in a letter to deputy Tory party chairman James Daly that they will “review the circumstances”, according to the Times. Mr Daly, the MP for Bury North, said Greater Manchester police had failed to properly investigate claims the Labour deputy leader may have broken the law.The original investigation was triggered by former Conservative party deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft, who suggested that she failed to properly declare her main residency in his book Red Queen? The Unauthorised Biography of Angela Rayner, leading some to suggest that Ms Rayner may owe capital gains tax on the sale of her property.Deputy Labour Party leader Angela Rayner (PA)Government guidance says tenants can apply to buy their council home through the right-to-buy scheme if it is their “only or main home”.HMRC rules state married couples or civil partners can only count one property as their primary residence.Earlier this month, Greater Manchester Police said there was no evidence that Ms Rayner had committed any offence after Mr Daly had asked them to investigate if she had given false information.According to the Times newspaper Cheryl Hughes, a detective chief inspector at Greater Manchester police, wrote to Mr Daly on Monday: “I have read your letter outlining your concern over the lack of investigation into the matters you raised in your initial complaints to GMP on the 25th February regarding Angela Rayner MP.“Following receipt of your recent letter dated 13th March 2024, I have been requested to review the circumstances you have outlined to reassess our decision around an investigation. I will update with the outcome.”The Labour MP has staunchly defended her actions and insisted that there had been “no unlawfulness”.She told BBC Newsnight: “I’ve been very clear there’s no rules broken. They [the Conservatives] tried to manufacture a police investigation … I got tax advice which says there was no capital gains tax. It’s a non-story manufactured to try and smear me.”Ms Rayner has maintained that she formally lived apart from her husband for the first five years of their marriage between 2010 and 2015. Greater Manchester police have been approached for comment. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has mocked his predecessor Liz Truss after being quizzed about her deep state conspiracies. Ms Truss, Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister, has previously blamed the “deep state” for “sabotaging” her tax-cutting plans from Kwasi Kwarteng’s notoriously disastrous 2022 mini-budget.She has echoed the rhetoric of Donald Trump, who claimed a secretive network of powerful officials and state institutes were plotting his downfall. In a recent article for Fox News TV she said: “In too much of the free world, the left has been in charge for too long and the results are all too plain to see. Their agents are only too active in public and private institutions and what we have come to know as the administrative state and the deep state.”Mr Sunak was questioned about the comments by MPs at the Commons Liaison Committee on Wednesday. Tory MP William Wragg asked the prime minister: “What are your thoughts or comments on your predecessor when she says she was undermined by, quote, ‘the deep state’.”Mr Sunak laughed as he replied: “I think that’s probably a question for her rather than me.”Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was quizzed about conspiracies Mr Wragg pressed him on the issue again: “Is there a deep state? Are you part of it? Am I part of it?”The laughter continued as the Tory leader replied: “Probably a question for her… I probably wouldn’t tell you if I was, would I? And we wouldn’t tell anyone else either, would we?” Ms Truss has previously been criticised for her claims stating she had seen it for herself first-hand as unnamed figures and bodies “sabotaged my efforts in Britain to cut taxes, reduce the size of government and restore democratic accountability”.She has struggled to explain what she means by the deep state.Liz Truss continues to blame shadowy figures for her failed tenure as prime minister Her brief period in No 10 is best remembered for her catastrophic mini-Budget which sent the pound into a nose dive and sparked a crash in the markets.The failed PM is now striving to place herself at the forefront of a new brand of right-wing politics, recently lauching her so-called Popular Conservatism movement. The Popular Conservatism group claims it is not a direct challenge to Mr Sunak’s leadership, but it wants to pile pressure on the prime minister to cut taxes, adopt hardline policies on immigration and leave the European Convention on Human Rights. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailLabour has a 99 per cent chance of winning the next general election in a bruising blow to the Tories, Sir John Curtice has said.The polling guru said the chances of the Conservatives being able to turn around their chances were small, and added that “the Labour party will be in a much stronger position to negotiate a minority government than the Conservatives because, apart from possibly the DUP, the Conservatives have no friends in the House of Commons”.The leading psephologist’s warning to Politico will pille yet more pressure on beleaguered Conservatives following the resignation of two cabinet ministers who are stepping down at the next election.Robert Halfon unexpectedly quit as skills, apprenticeships and higher education minister, while James Heappey followed through on his stated intention to step down as armed forces minister ahead of exiting parliament at the general election.His departure means 63 Conservative MPs have said publicly they are either standing down from parliament or not contesting their current seat at the general election.Sir John Curtice is Britain’s leading pollster The resignations follow a series of appalling opinion poll ratings for the Conservatives, most recently culminating in the Telegraph-Savanta poll tracker which put the Tories at their lowest rating since the aftermath of Liz Truss’ disastorous mini-budget which forced her from office, on 24 percent. Labour are consistently holding a 20 point-lead, adding to the speculation that the party will storm to victory and form the next government. As the House of Commons goes into recess, Rishi Sunak is gearing up for his biggest challenge yet as the local council elections loom on May 2. His party are set to face mass losses as the country kicks back against depleted local council funding, the cost of living and discontent with the ruling party.Mr Sunak launched his local election campaign earlier in the week, attacking Labour leader Keir Starmer for “arrogantly” taking voters for granted and “assuming he can just stroll into No 10”.But a recent poll by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher have said Conservative losses are “inevitable” and if the party repeat their “poor performance of 2023, when the NEV put them below 30%, they stand to lose up to 500 seats – half their councillors facing election.”Mr Sunak has urged unity amongst his colleagues in the face of the poor surveys and Tory infighting. Some backbench MPs have privately warned that a dire performance during the locals could force another a leadership election – or push the prime minister toward calling an early general election. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailMPs have launched a fresh bid for an investigation into Sir Keir Starmer‘s handling of last month’s Gaza ceasefire vote, which led to chaotic scenes in the Commons. A parliamentary motion signed by more than 50 MPs is calling for the privileges committee to investigate “whether undue pressure” was placed on the Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle. It has been signed by a number of senior Tories as well as the Westminster leaders of two parties – the SNP and Plaid. The Labour leader has previously denied that he “threatened the Speaker in any way” over the contentious vote. There were angry scenes at Westminster after Sir Lindsay was accused of ripping up the parliamentary rule book to select a Labour amendment on the war in the Middle East. Had the Speaker not acted Sir Keir could have faced a potentially damanging rebellion, as a number of members of his frontbench broke ranks to back a ceasfire. In the wake of the row, the Speaker was accused of breaking Commons rules to benefit Labour and dozens of MPs signed a petition calling for a vote of no confidence in his leadership.He later apologised saying he had made a mistake. But he said he had been acting with good intentions, after threats were made to the safety of MPs. The motion, submitted by senior Conservative MP William Wragg, says: “This House notes the Speaker’s decision on selection and calling of amendments on 21 February 2024 was not in accordance with the established precedent for Opposition days”.“And accordingly considers that… the matter of whether undue pressure was placed on Mr Speaker in relation to the decision on selection and calling of amendments on 21 February, should be referred to the Committee of Privileges.”Sir Lindsay is also under pressure after he failed to call Diane Abbott, the former Labour MP who now sits as an independent, during a discussion of alleged racist remarks made about her by a Labour donor. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailAs many as eight million jobs in the UK could be lost to artificial intelligence in a “worst case scenario”, according to a report.Analysis by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said the UK was facing a “sliding doors” moment around its implementation of generative AI, and called on the Government to ensure that a fair industrial strategy was in place.The report identified two key stages of generative AI adoption: the first wave, which is already under way, and a second wave in which companies will more deeply integrate AI tech into their processes – a stage at which it suggests as many as 59% of tasks done by workers could be vulnerable to being replaced by AI automation if no intervention occurs.History shows that technological transition can be a boon if well managed, or can end in disruption if left to unfold without controlsCarsten Jung, Institute for Public Policy Research It said that back office, entry level and part-time jobs were at the highest risk of being disrupted during the first wave – including secretarial, customer service and administrative roles – with women and young people the most likely to be affected as they are more likely to be in those roles.Those on lower wages were also identified as being the most exposed to being replaced by AI.The study’s worst case scenario for the second wave of AI would be around 7.9 million job losses and no GDP gains.However, the report suggests that if government and industry are proactive in protecting workers as the use of AI increases, there could be substantial economic benefits.Its best case scenario for the second wave said no jobs would be lost as they are augmented to work alongside AI, which it claimed could lead to an economic boost of 13% to GDP, around £306 billion a year.Carsten Jung, senior economist at the IPPR, said: “Already existing generative AI could lead to big labour market disruption or it could hugely boost economic growth, either way it is set to be a game changer for millions of us.“Many firms are already investing in it, and it has potential to speed up many more tasks as more businesses adopt it.“Over the next five years it could transform knowledge work.Technology isn’t destiny and a jobs apocalypse is not inevitable – government, employers and unions have the opportunity to make crucial design decisions now that ensure we manage this new technology wellCarsten Jung, Institute for Public Policy Research “The question now is less whether AI can be useful, but rather how fast and in what manner employers will use it.“History shows that technological transition can be a boon if well managed, or can end in disruption if left to unfold without controls.“Indeed, some occupations could be hard hit by generative AI, starting with back office jobs.“But technology isn’t destiny and a jobs apocalypse is not inevitable – government, employers and unions have the opportunity to make crucial design decisions now that ensure we manage this new technology well.“If they don’t act soon, it may be too late.”The IPPR report recommends a job-centric industrial strategy for AI be put in place, including tax incentives and subsidies to encourage training of staff in AI so they can work alongside the technology rather than be replaced by it, as well as regulatory change to ensure human responsibility of key issues, such as in healthcare.The Government is yet to bring forward any legislation specifically aimed at the rise of AI, but last month did announce plans to spend more than £90 million on new AI research hubs across the UK that will look into ways of using AI responsibly across areas such as healthcare, chemistry and mathematics.Those plans were announced as part of a wider package of more than £100 million in the Government response to a consultation on its own AI Regulation White Paper, which was first published last year. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailNearly one in six adolescents have experienced cyberbullying, an international study has found.More school-aged children have reported being cyberbullied compared to before the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Europe.A study, which looked at bullying among adolescents from 44 countries and regions, including England, Wales and Scotland, found 15% reported being cyberbullied at least once or twice in the past couple of months.The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey, of more than 279,000 people aged 11, 13 and 15 years old in 2021/22, suggests the proportion of adolescents who reported being cyberbullied has increased since 2018, from 12% to 15% for boys and 13% to 16% for girls.On average, across all the participating countries and regions in Europe, central Asia and Canada, around one in eight (12%) adolescents reported cyberbullying others at least once or twice in the past couple of months.This is both a health and a human rights issue, and we must step up to protect our children from violence and harm, both offline and onlineDr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO regional director for EuropeIn England, where more than 4,200 young people were surveyed, nearly one in five (19%) reported being cyberbullied at least once or twice in the past couple of months, and 11% reported cyberbullying others.In Scotland, where more than 4,300 young people were surveyed, 18% said they had experienced cyberbullying and 11% reported cyberbullying others.Meanwhile, in Wales, where nearly 37,000 young people were surveyed, 17% reported experiencing cyberbullying and 9% reported cyberbullying others.The report said there was an “urgent need” to educate young people, families and schools of the forms of cyberbullying and its implications as it is now a “dominant form of peer violence” among young people.Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said: “As young people’s social engagement switched to the online environment during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, so it appears that perpetration and experience of cyberbullying increased.“Focusing on virtual types of peer violence is now an urgent priority to safeguard the health and wellbeing of populations of adolescents and young people, and cyberbullying must be viewed as a major issue for societies.”It’s crucial for governments, schools, and families to collaborate on addressing online risks, ensuring adolescents have safe and supportive environments to thriveDr Joanna Inchley, international coordinator of the HBSC studyHe added: “With young people spending up to six hours online every single day, even small changes in the rates of bullying and violence can have profound implications for the health and wellbeing of thousands.“From self-harm to suicide, we have seen how cyberbullying in all its forms can devastate the lives of young people and their families.“This is both a health and a human rights issue, and we must step up to protect our children from violence and harm, both offline and online.”Dr Joanna Inchley, international coordinator of the HBSC study, said: “The digital world, while offering incredible opportunities for learning and connecting, also amplifies challenges like cyberbullying.“This calls for comprehensive strategies to protect our young people’s mental and emotional wellbeing.“It’s crucial for governments, schools, and families to collaborate on addressing online risks, ensuring adolescents have safe and supportive environments to thrive.”Sarah Hannafin, senior policy adviser for school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “These figures showing an increase in cyberbullying among children are a real concern, and while schools work hard to help keep pupils safe, online bullying can take place anywhere, at any time.“Schools alone cannot tackle the issue and the Government must ensure the Online Safety Act is implemented swiftly and properly enforced, while social media platforms must do much more to provide a safe online environment.“This must include better monitoring, robust age verification, clear ways to report concerns and more transparent codes of conduct, setting out the implications of misuse.”A Government spokesperson said: “The Online Safety Act will make the UK the safest place in the world for children to be online, requiring companies to take robust action to protect children from harmful content, illegal activity, and abuse – including keeping children safe from bullying.“Companies that do not comply with the new can face fines of up to 10% of their global annual revenue, potentially up to billions of pounds.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe chief executive of GB News has defended employing serving politicians as presenters, insisting he wants to recruit more MPs of other parties to join the fray. Angelos Frangopoulos, appearing in front of the House of Lords communications and digital committee hearing on Tuesday, said the channel has been trying to encourage MPs of other parties to join them.Questioned on the lack of political diversity among GB News presenters, Mr Frangopoulos said: “This is not by design, we would love to have a wide range of MPs on our channel in the same way that stations like LBC do, etc. We’ve had discussions with political parties, some say ‘well, we’re not encouraging our MPs to take second jobs.’”Among the lineup is Reform Party leader Richard Tice; former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson, who has recently defected to Reform UK; and Conservative MP Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg.Former Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, former Conservative MP Michael Portillo and former Labour MP Gloria De Piero are also among its on-screen presenters.Angelos Frangopoulos is a former Sky News Arabia journalist and is now CEO of GB News “It’s purely because we’re yet to find someone who will say yes,” he added.The channel has come under fire from communications regulator Ofcom after it found that five episodes of GB News programmes presented by Tory MPs were found have broken broadcasting rules.Two episodes of Jacob Rees-Mogg’s State Of The Nation, two of Friday Morning With Esther And Phil, and one of Saturday Morning With Esther And Phil, broadcast during May and June 2023, broke due impartiality rules, Ofcom said.It comes six months after the regulator found an episode of GB News’s The Live Desk, aired in July 2023, broke the same rules.Ofcom said: “We found that host politicians acted as newsreaders, news interviewers or news reporters in sequences which clearly constituted news – including reporting breaking news events – without exceptional justification.Serving politicians Esther McVey and Phillip Davies were two politicians named in the Ofcom ruling against GB News “News was, therefore, not presented with due impartiality.”Ofcom added that politicians played a “partial role in society”, and news content presented by them was “likely to be viewed by audiences in light of that perceived bias”.“In our view, the use of politicians to present the news risks undermining the integrity and credibility of regulated broadcast news,” it added.The channel was also recently rapped by Ofcom after it ruled misogynistic comments made by actor Laurence Fox about a female journalist had broken broadcasting rules that protect “viewers from offensive content”.The communications regulator has warned that further breaches by GB News could result in a statutory sanction, which range from an order not to reuse the offending content, to revoking a broadcaster’s licence.Mr Frangopoulos told peers that his channel had received 50 inquiries from Ofcom over the past three years and said the channel had cooperated with each one.He also argued that audiences have “different expectations” for impartiality from different channels and that GB News is part of the “ecosystem” of news and he maintained that “our brand has trust”. More