UK

Sunak breaks silence after double by-election defeat in Wellingborough and KingswoodSign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has insisted that his government’s “plan is working” as he urged voters to stick with the Conservatives in the wake of a devastating double by-election defeat. The prime minister said the circumstances surrounding the by-elections in Kingswood and Wellingborough were “particularly challenging” as Labour overturned massive majorities of 11,220 and 18,540.The results mean the government has now suffered the most by-election defeats of any government since the 1960s, surpassing the eight defeats suffered by John Major in the run-up to Tony Blair’s 1997 landslide victory.The results provided Labour with a boost after a U-turn on the party’s pledge to spend £28 billion on green projects and an antisemitism row that forced it to drop its candidate for another by-election in Rochdale in two weeks’ time.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer admitted the past week had been turbulent for the party as he told BBC Breakfast: “I did something that no leader of the Labour party has done before which is remove a candidate in a by-election where they cannot be replaced.”Show latest update 1708092667Tories can still win general election if we unite – Rees-MoggThe Conservative Party can still win the general election if it unites, former cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has insisted.“If the Tory family unites it will win,” the North East Somerset MP wrote on X.Earlier, Mr Rees-Mogg said that Rishi Sunak’s leadership was “solid” despite the double by-election losses in Wellingborough and Kingswood.Speaking to the BBC, the right-leaning Tory MP said: “Rishi Sunak’s leadership is solid and has support and by-elections don’t change that.”A plot to oust Mr Sunak by allies of Mr Rees-Mogg recently bubbled to the surface at the time of a crucial vote on his Rwanda legislation, but quickly fizzled out after being met with scorn from other prominent Tories.Matt Mathers16 February 2024 14:111708091964Lord Frost says Tory vote is ‘collapsing’ as he calls on Sunak to adopt ‘more Conservative’ policiesFormer Brexit minister and Rishi Sunak critic Lord David Frost has warned that the Conservative vote is “collapsing” and the government must now shift to “more conservative policy”, Zoe Grunewald reports.Posting on social media site X, Lord Frost said: “In brief these by-elections show the same story as previous ones: former Conservative voters are simply not coming out and voting Conservative.“The Labour vote isn’t going up, but ours is collapsing.”He added: “To get voters back we need a shift to more conservative policy, on tax and spend, immigration, net zero, public sector reform, and more. It’s late, but not – yet – too late.”Matt Mathers16 February 2024 13:591708091202New Conservatives call on Sunak to change course following ‘unequivocal byelection defeatsA right-wing faction of Conservative MPs – known as the New Conservatives – have called for Rishi Sunak to “change course” and “adapt to the reality that the by-elections reveal”, Zoe Grunewald reports.In a public statement, co-chairs of the group Danny Kruger MP and Miriam Cates MP said that government policy so far “is plainly not enough”.“All of this is plainly not enough. In 2019 the British people voted for change, and they haven’t seen it yet. We have many good excuses – the disruptions and distractions of Brexit, Covid and the Ukraine war – but so far, we have not delivered on the promises we made at the last election.”They called for the government to repeal the Human Rights Act if foreign courts stop illegal migration plans, introduce further cuts to legal migration, reform the welfare state and cut taxes.They state: “There is still time – but our Party must change course. We are calling on the Government to adapt to the reality that the by-elections reveal. Our target voters want a different and a better offer.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email Poland’s prime minister said on Friday that his country will upgrade the wall on its border with Belarus to better insulate the frontier against unauthorized migration.Donald Tusk also said that Poland and Finland both see the need for changes in the European Union’s asylum legislation, which he called “inadequate” in the face of the current migration challenges and threats posed by Russia’s and Belarus’s policies that are pushing unauthorized migration into the EU. Tusk spoke alongside visiting Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo following their talks on regional security. Both nations share borders with Russia while Poland also borders Belarus and Ukraine, which is fighting a war against Russia’s aggression.“Finland and Poland are ready to cooperate toward a tough, pan-European policy toward illegal migration,” Tusk said. “We are also interested in a reform of the asylum law because the legal environment today in the European Union is inadequate to the threats posed by the policy of Russia and Belarus.”Tusk said both Poland and Finland countries want to cooperate with other nations in the region toward the strengthening of their borders and defenses, and also civilian defenses in response to Russia’s aggressive policies. Orpo called the current security situation “critical” and stressed the two countries will continue supporting Ukraine and will develop their own cooperation in the defense and armaments sector. ___Follow AP’s global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has suffered a devastating double blow as Labour stormed to back-to-back by-election victories overnight.Hours after official figures showed Britain has fallen into a recession, the prime minister saw Labour overturn huge Tory majorities in Kingswood and Wellingborough.The devastating losses will add to pressure on Mr Sunak from Tory backbenchers worried about losing their seats with a general election looming. And strong performances from Reform UK will set alarm bells ringing in Downing Street, with the party living up to its 10 per cent plus national poll ratings in by-elections for the first time.Labour’s Gen Kitchen overturned a huge Tory majority in Wellingborough In the Kingswood contest to replace Chris Skidmore, who resigned in protest at the government’s plans to boost North Sea oil and gas drilling, Damien Egan overturned an 11,000 Tory majority, winning with a majority of 2,501 votes.And hours later, in the Wellingborough by-election to replace disgraced former Conservative MP Peter Bone, Labour’s Gen Kitchen secured 13,844 votes to beat the Tories’ Helen Harrison by more than 6,000.Labour sources pointed to the huge 28.5 per cent swing from the Tories to Labour in the seat, the second largest swing from Tory to Labour at a by-election since the Second World War. They said if the trend was replicated at a general election the Tories would hold just four seats.The result is also the largest drop in the Conservatives’ vote share ever in a by-election, surpassing Christchurch in 1993.And the back-to-back losses mean the Conservatives have suffered more by-election defeats in this Parliament than any previous government since the 1960s, surpassing the eight defeats experienced by John Major between 1992 and 1997.Chris Hopkins, director of polling company Savanta, told The Independent the results were “really positive” for Labour after a difficult week for the party.But he added: “I think we have to express a bit of caution. The swing in Kingswood isn’t perhaps as large as some polling tends to indicate it should have been, and while Wellingborough is a great result, I think we’ve got to assume the reason for the by-election and the subsequent choosing of the Tory candidate [Mr Bone’s partner] has had a perhaps larger-than-usual benefit for Labour.”The back to back losses put Rishi Sunak on course for electoral disaster Mr Hopkins said the contests were a reminder that “the Tories are losing an unprecedented amount of by-elections, and often they’re losing large majorities”.And pollster Luke Tryl, of More In Common, said it was a “horrible night for the Tories” and a “great night for Labour”, with Sir Keir “further on course for No10”.After the results of the Wellingborough contest were confirmed Sir Keir said the “fantastic” wins show “people want change and are ready to put their faith in a changed Labour Party to deliver it”.He said: “By winning in these Tory strongholds, we can confidently say that Labour is back in the service of working people and we will work tirelessly to deliver for them.”The Tories have failed. Rishi’s recession proves that. That’s why we’ve seen so many former Conservative voters switching directly to this changed Labour Party.”Wellingborough was the second most marginal seat in Sir Tony Blair’s 1997 election win, when Paul Stinchcombe turned the seat red by 187 votes.And Ms Kitchen’s win puts Sir Keir on course to repeat the success of his predecessor, with an election expected this autumn.Ms Kitchen said: “The people of Wellingborough have spoken for Britain. This is a stunning victory for the Labour Party and must send a message from Northamptonshire to Downing Street.”And Mr Egan launched a scathing attack on the prime minister, calling for voters to oust the Tories when Mr Sunak “finds the courage” to call a general election.Labour’s Damien Egan said the Conservatives have ‘sucked the hope out of Britain’ He added: “In Kingswood, as across the country, 14 years of Conservative government have sucked the hope out of our country with a feeling that no matter how hard you work, you just can’t move forward. “And with Rishi’s recession we’re left again paying more and getting less. It doesn’t have to be this way, you know it, I know it, we all know it.”The prime minister will also be concerned by strong performances for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in both seats, with the party securing enough votes in Kingswood to deprive the Tories of a win.Meanwhile in Wellingborough, former MEP Ben Habib came third, winning 3,919 votes, compared with Tory candidate Ms Harrison on 7,408. The party’s vote share was the highest it has recorded in a by-election yet, at 13 per cent, higher than it is currently polling nationally.The Tories fear that a surge in support for Reform, which could be exacerbated if Mr Farage rejoins the party in a formal role, would cost them tens of seats at the general election.The country’s most senior pollster, Sir John Curtice, said last night’s results show the Conservatives are in “deep, deep electoral trouble”. Sir John told the BBC that although the 21-point drop in Kingswood is in line with what the party are “currently suffering in the opinion polls”, it is the Wellingborough result of 37-38 points that is “the biggest Tory loss the Conservatives have ever managed to suffer in a post-war by election”. Tory former business secretary Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said the Conservatives needed to “learn from the result” in Kingswood.He said: “I think we should learn from this result and look at what happened with the Reform Party vote. Conservative Party votes are most likely to come from people who stay at home or who voted Reform.”How do we win them back to the Tory family?”He suggested the party cut taxes, pull back from net zero measures and “take more of the advantages of Brexit”.The prime minister has defended his party’s drubbing in the recent double by-election defeats, stating that the “very low turnout” shows there “isn’t a huge amount of enthusiasm for the alternative in Keir Starmer and the Labour party”.Speaking to ITV News, Mr Sunak said:“Mid-term elections are always difficult for incumbent governments in the circumstances of these elections were, of course, particularly challenging.“Now, if you look at the results, very low turnout, it shows that we’ve got work to do to show people that we are delivering on their priorities and that’s what I’m absolutely determined to do.”He added: “But also shows that there isn’t a huge amount of enthusiasm for the alternative in Keir Starmer and the Labour party and that’s because they don’t have a plan and if you don’t have a plan, you can’t deliver real change when the general election comes.”The prime minister also insisted that his government’s “plan is working” despite the technical recession and two record by-election losses.Mr Sunak told reporters that “our plan is working” and he can “give everyone the piece of mind that there is a better future for them and their families”.He added: “We’ve clearly been through a lot over the past couple of years as a country, but I genuinely believe at the start of this year we’re pointing in the right direction.“Now we’re not out of the woods yet, but across all the priorities that I set out we’re making progress.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email Beleaguered British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday urged voters and his party to stick with him, after two English districts elected opposition-party lawmakers in seats that Sunak’s Conservatives had held for years.The results will worsen fears among Conservatives that, after 14 years in power, the party is heading for a drubbing when a national election is held in less than a year. The Tories consistently lag between 10 and 20 points behind the left-of-center Labour Party in opinion polls.Labour candidate Damien Egan won the House of Commons seat of Kingswood in southwest England, and Labour’s Gen Kitchen took Wellingborough in the country’s center, results announced Friday showed. The Conservatives won both by large margins at the last national election in 2019 but saw support collapse in Thursday’s special elections.Reform U.K. — formerly known as the Brexit Party — came third, leaving the Conservatives facing pressure from the right as well as the left.”Stick with our plan, because it is starting to deliver the change that the country wants and needs,” Sunak said.“We’ve clearly been through a lot over the past couple of years as a country, but I genuinely believe at the start of this year we’re pointing in the right direction,” he told reporters.Labour leader Keir Starmer said the results “show people want change.”Thursday’s elections replaced two lawmakers who left suddenly, one in protest, the other under a cloud.Lawmaker Chris Skidmore quit the Kingswood seat last month to protest Sunak’s lack of commitment to green energy. Long-serving Wellingborough legislator Peter Bone was ousted over allegations of bullying and sexual misconduct.The Conservatives have now lost 10 by-elections since the last general election, more than any administration since the 1960s. That includes six defeats — and one win — since Sunak took office in October 2022. He replaced Liz Truss, who rocked the economy with a plan for unfunded tax cuts and lasted just seven weeks in office.Sunak, the fifth Conservative leader since 2016, has restored a measure of stability, but failed to revive the governing party’s popularity.The Conservatives have been in power nationally since 2010, years that saw austerity following the world banking crisis, Britain’s divisive decision to leave the European Union, a global pandemic and a European war that triggered the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades.Polls show the Conservatives are losing support across the country, from affluent southern voters turned off by Brexit to working-class northern voters who switched from Labour for the 2019 election, when then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised to spread prosperity to long-neglected areas.Those promises remain largely unmet, and Britain’s economic growth has come to a virtual standstill, with the country slipping into recession at the end of 2023 for the first time since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. That limits the government’s scope for wooing voters with pre-election tax cuts.“In Kingswood, as across the country, 14 years of Conservative government have sucked the hope out of our country with a feeling that no matter how hard you work, you just can’t move forward,” Egan said in his victory speech. “It doesn’t have to be this way — you know it, I know it, we all know it.”Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden called the results “very disappointing,” though the party said the low turnout — less than 40% of eligible voters cast ballots — was a sign British electors are not enthusiastic about Labour.But University of Strathclyde polling expert John Curtice said the results confirmed that the Conservatives are in “very, very considerable electoral trouble.”“The Conservatives are going to have to defeat the historical record to come back from where they are,” he told the BBC.The Conservative losses may embolden Sunak’s many rivals in the fractious party, who are already positioning themselves for the leadership contest that would likely follow an election defeat. Some even want to oust Sunak sooner, replacing him with a low-tax, low-immigration right-winger who might win back voters from Reform, which wants to curb migration, cut taxes and scrap green-energy measures. Others warn that foisting another unelected leader on the country might backfire.Sunak’s only consolation is that Labour is also experiencing turbulence. Last week the party watered down a key green investment pledge, saying the Conservatives had left the economy too weak to honor the commitment. Starmer also is struggling to stamp out allegations of antisemitism within the party. This week the party disowned its candidate for another special election after a newspaper published remarks he had made during a local party meeting claiming that Israel allowed Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack to happen as a pretext to invade Gaza.Critics say it’s evidence Labour has not rooted out the antisemitism that festered under previous leader Jeremy Corbyn, a staunch supporter of the Palestinians and a critic of Israel. It’s unclear whether the controversy has hurt Labour in opinion polls. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailTop polling guru Sir John Curtice has sent the Conservatives a stark warning following their disaster double by-election defeat, stating the party is in “deep, deep electoral trouble”.Sir John told the BBC that although the 21-point drop in Kingswood is in line with what the party are currently suffering in the opinion polls, it is the Wellingborough result of 37-38 points that is “the biggest Tory loss the Conservatives have ever managed to suffer in a post-war by-election”.The pollster acknowledged that the “circumstances around Peter Bone’s downfall” may have added to the losses, but that “this morning, we are still looking at a government that, at the moment, is staring defeat in the face”. Sir John said: “[This] confirms that the Conservatives are still in deep, deep electoral trouble. “The 21 point drop in support in Kingswood in line with the 19-20 point drop that they’re currently suffering in the opinion polls. “The 37 to 38 points drop in Wellingborough is actually the biggest Tory loss the Conservatives have ever manage to suffer in a post war by election.”He added: “Now, it may well be that the circumstances surrounding Peter Bone’s downfall and his replacement by his partner perhaps added to the lead party’s woes in Wellingborough, but there is no gainsaying the fact that this morning we are still looking at a government that, at the moment, is staring defeat in the face of the next general election.”Mr Bone received a six-week suspension from the Commons when an inquiry found he had subjected a staff member to bullying and sexual misconduct.Labour Party candidate Gen Kitchen was declared the winner in the Wellingborough by-electionThe Conservatives faced two crushing by-election results overnight, as Labour overturned huge Tory majorities in Kingswood and Wellingborough. In the Kingswood contest, Damien Egan overturned an 11,000 Tory majority, winning with a majority of 2,501 votes, while the Wellingborough by-election saw disgraced former Conservative MP Peter Bone replaced with Labour’s Gen Kitchen, who secured 13,844 votes to beat the Tories’ by more than 6,000.The back-to-back losses place more pressure on Rishi Sunak, as strong performances in both constituencies by the right-wing challenger party Reform UK are likely to embolden party critics about the prime minister’s direction.The results come just hours after official figures show that Britain has fallen into a recession, after economic growth had stalled as gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 0.3 per cent in the fourth quarter, following a decline of 0.1 per cent in the previous three months.Tory former business secretary Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said the Conservatives needed to “learn from the result” in Kingswood.He said: “I think we should learn from this result and look at what happened with the Reform Party vote. Conservative Party votes are most likely to come from people who stay at home or who voted Reform.”He suggested the party cut taxes, pull back from net zero measures and “take more of the advantages of Brexit”.Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden has said both by-election results were “very disappointing”.Mr Holden told Sky News: “Very disappointing results – no need to shy away from that – in both Kingswood and Wellingborough.“I think one of the most disappointing things for me though is the turnout in the by-elections was so significantly down compared to the previous general elections in both seats. I want to see people actively participating in democracy.“I think that shows we’ve got a lot to do to get people out there and enthused to vote again, and probably the Opposition have a similar challenge.”He added: “I think we’ve got to look at both these by-elections in the context in which they happened as well.“We had an MP in Kingswood who stood down and also obviously in Wellingborough we had a parliamentary investigation, which led to a recall petition which led to an MP being forced to stand down.“Not ideal circumstances for any form of by-election for any party.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailA Tory minister has disowned a misleading video clip shared by his own party which showed Sadiq Khan mistakenly calling Labour a party of antisemitism.Business minister Kevin Hollinrake said he had “no idea” why his party would publish the shortened video clip, which failed to show the mayor of London go on to correct his mistake, and was captioned: “Labour saying the quiet part out loud.”Asked whether the clip – published on the official Tory X/Twitter account – signals “how low the Conservatives are going to go“ in the upcoming general election, he told BBC Newsnight: “I think we should give an accurate portrayal of what somebody’s said. Clearly he’s made a mistake. “I wouldn’t support something which is clearly an honest mistake from Sadiq Khan.”Pressed on why his party had used the video, he said: “I’ve no idea. That’s a question to ask CCHQ, and I’m sure questions will be asked.”But Tory party chair Richard Holden defended the video, telling Times Radio the following morning: “What it highlights is an issue of antisemitism at the heart of the Labour Party. And it’s not been edited. It was clipped.”“I think we both know the difference between editing something to misconstrue or clipping something. And I think the issue we’re trying to highlight, and I think which is really important, is that the Labour Party hasn’t changed, whether it comes to antisemitism within it under Keir Starmer.”The Labour Party suspended two prospective MPs this week after news outlets published a recording of comments made at a meeting in Rochdale. Sir Keir Starmer faced questions after initially declining to suspend ex-Tony Blair aide Azhar Ali as the party’s candidate for the upcoming Rochdale by-election, after he suggested Israel allowed the 7 October massacre by Hamas as a pretext to invade Gaza. Sir Keir was forced to U-turn the following night after further comments of Mr Ali’s complaining about the influence of “certain Jewish quarters” in the media were published by the Daily Mail. Mr Ali will now sit as an independent if he wins the by-election.A further recording from the same meeting, published by Guido Fawkes, then saw Hyndburn candidate Graham Jones swiftly suspended, after he was heard saying “f***ing Israel” and mistakenly saying Britons who fight for the Israel Defence Forces are breaking British law and should be “locked up”.In the fuller clip of Mr Khan’s Sky News interview, the mayor of London said: “It certainly shouldn’t be acceptable in a party like mine that is proud to be both anti-racist, but also antisemitic – I beg your pardon, tackling antisemitism.”It came as the Conservatives suffered two devastating by-election defeats, in Kingswood and Wellingborough, where the huge 28.5 per cent swing to Sir Keir‘s party marked the second largest at a by-election since the Second World War. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailGen Kitchen has just become the first Labour MP for Wellingborough since Peter Bone turned the seat blue in 2005.The Northamptonshire constituency was the second most marginal seat for Labour in Sir Tony Blair’s 1997 landslide, with Paul Stinchcombe winning by just 187 votes.And Labour figures are confident that Ms Kitchen’s win, beating Tory candidate Helen Harrison by more than 6,000 votes, puts the party on course for a landslide under Sir Keir Starmer later this year.Gen Kitchen campaigned with Keir Starmer ahead of polls opening in Wellingborough Amid the fallout of another dramatic by-election win for Labour The Independent asks, who is the new MP for Wellingborough?Ms Kitchen was born in Northamptonshire to navy parents who think the idea of her becoming an MP is “a bit mad”.But the 28-year-old, who went to a local state school during the last Labour government, is determined to fight for the constituents she says have been “left behind under Conservative leadership”.She graduated in 2016 from Queen Mary University of London with a degree in history and politics and spent the next seven years working in the charity sector. Her most recent role was running philanthropy for a children’s health charity.Ms Kitchen is also a former councillor in Newham, London, where she was responsible for economic recovery in the area as well as boosting residents’ health.Gen Kitchen will join the House of Commons in the coming days as one of its youngest MPs She is set to join the House of Commons in the coming days as one of its youngest MPs.An avid Taylor Swift fan, with tickets to the popstar’s Eras tour in May, Ms Kitchen has earned the nickname “zen Gen” among her campaign team, partly due to her penchant for spa days and partly for her ability to remain calm throughout the gruelling campaign.Ms Kitchen had been hoping to fight to become Wellingborough’s MP in this year’s general election. But, midway through her honeymoon in Suffolk, disgraced ex-MP Mr Bone was found to have indecently exposed himself to a staff member and trapped him in the bathroom of a hotel room.It became obvious a by-election was coming and, with fish and chips in one hand and her two dogs in the other, Labour’s regional director rang her and she came back early.Ms Kitchen was helped to victory by the Tories’ selection of Mr Bone’s girlfriend Ms Harrison to fight the seat for them. And she was likely boosted by Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, which stood ex-MEP Ben Habib in the seat as part of its war on the Conservatives. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email Former Illinois lawmaker and gubernatorial candidate William “Sam” McCann abruptly pleaded guilty on Thursday to nine felony counts of wire fraud, money laundering and tax evasion, halting his federal corruption trial over misusing up to $550,000 in campaign contributions. McCann, who cut off negotiations over a plea deal last fall when he dismissed his court-appointed attorneys, made the reversal on the third day of a bench trial before U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Lawless. His latest lawyer, Jason Vincent, of Springfield, asked that he be released from custody as part of the deal, but Lawless nixed the idea, telling McCann his only option was to offer a no-strings open plea. The seven counts of wire fraud and single count of money laundering each carry a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison. For tax evasion, it’s three. But a complex set of advisory guidelines before Lawless, who set sentencing for June 20, will likely yield a far shorter term.“Are you pleading guilty because you are in fact guilty?” Lawless asked. The 54-year-old McCann, wearing the gray-and-black striped jumpsuit of the nearby county jail where he’s held, replied, “Yes, your honor.”Lawless set a hearing for Friday on McCann’s release request, but it’s certain to draw opposition from the government and not just because McCann violated probation last week when he left the state to check himself into a hospital with chest pains. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Bass told Lawless he would introduce as further evidence of McCann’s unreliability a bizarre social media video posted just this week in which McCann claims a government conspiracy involving an “ungodly pack of lies” is against him. A state senator from 2011 to 2019, McCann formed the Conservative Party of Illinois to campaign for governor in 2018. A criminal indictment in 2021 outlined numerous schemes McCann employed to convert contributions from his campaign committees to buy vehicles, pay an overdue loan, two mortgages, credit card bills and fund a family vacation, entertainment and other purchases.For his unsuccessful run for governor, he collected more than $3 million dollars from Local 150 of the International Union of Operating Engineers alone. Despite being questioned four times by FBI and IRS agents in summer 2018 about alleged improper spending, he tore through $340,000 in leftover campaign funds for personal expenses in the year after the election.McCann’s trial was repeatedly delayed. On the day it was supposed to start last November, McCann announced he had dismissed his court-appointed attorneys and would represent himself, telling reporters afterward, “God’s got this.” The proceeding was reset for Feb. 5, but McCann didn’t show, sending a weekend email that he was in a St. Louis-area hospital. Back in court Feb. 12, a circumspect Lawless questioned McCann closely when he told her he was “medically and psychologically” unable to go to trial and ceded control of his defense to Vincent. At that point, McCann told the judge he had very little memory of anything that occurred after his Feb. 7 discharge from the hospital, including a 55-mile (89-kilometer) drive last Friday from his home to Springfield to surrender for skirting probation guidelines. He drove a pickup that matched the description of the one the indictment said he used $60,000 in campaign funds to partially purchase. On Tuesday, while McCann was in jail, the video appeared on Instagram. McCann was driving what appeared to be a truck and told his viewers he was innocent of the charges. He claimed an “Orwellian” government had attempted to nail him for failing to provide assistance on other investigations, offering an extravagant tale about a probe into McCann’s “unholy alliance” with then-House Speaker Michael Madigan to “rig an election.“I wouldn’t play ball. They came back to me and said, ‘Well, we have you on this,’” McCann says in the video. “And if you just tell us what we want to hear, we’ll stop digging. And I said ‘No, I’m not going to tell you what you want to hear. I will speak the truth.’”So federal agents continued digging and, McCann said, managed to “turn everything I’ve ever touched” into “these machinations of wrongdoing.” More