UK

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailDavid Cameron has denied he was paid £10m by the collapsed financial firm Greensill Capital, but has refused to say how much he was paid by the scandal-hit company.In a painstaking exchange, the foreign secretary declined to answer a barrage of interview questions on how much he had earned lobbying for the company.The Greensill scandal saw the exposure of Lord Cameron’s aggressive lobbying efforts on behalf of Greensill Capital during the pandemic.Lord Cameron dodged a series of questions over how much he earned lobbying for Greensill CapitalHe has previously faced questions about his relationship with financier Lex Greensill, who set up the now-defunct firm, and his extraordinary access to ministers and officials after leaving No 10.Asked about the alleged £10m payment, he told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “No, that isn’t true.”Lord Cameron tried to deflect the question by talking about his work on behalf of Alzheimer’s Research UK, and declined to set the record straight by revealing how much he had been paid for his lobbying for Greensill.He said: “Because I was a private citizen, I had a number of different interests – the things I did, including important charitable work – and I think, as a private citizen, you’re entitled to do that.”After persistent questioning by Laura Kuenssberg, he repeated that he was a “private citizen” and insisted he had declared his interests since returning to government.Lex Greensill’s financial firm Greensill Capital collapsed in 2021 The lobbying scandal that surrounded Lord Cameron’s work for Greensill sparked a series of inquiries at Westminster. And Greensill’s failure was estimated by a parliamentary inquiry in 2021 to have cost taxpayers up to £5bn – though the final burden borne by the taxpayer is not yet known.The former prime minister insisted he had broken no rules on behalf of the company, but admitted he should have communicated with the government through “formal channels” rather than via text and WhatsApp.Lord Cameron repeatedly attempted to secure access to a government-backed Covid loan scheme for Greensill. He and his staff sent ministers and officials around 73 increasingly desperate emails, texts and WhatsApp messages relating to the collapsed firm in under four months. He claimed it was “nuts” and “bonkers” for the firm to be denied the loans.A parliamentary investigation found that Lord Cameron had shown a “significant lack of judgement” over the lobbying saga. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailSir Keir Starmer has promised special training for mental health professionals to support people who self-harm in a bid to bring down suicide rates.The Labour leader said “too many families are being ripped apart” by suicides, rates of which have been increasing since the Conservatives came to power in 2010.Then, there were 9.3 deaths by suicide per 100,000 people in England and Wales, compared with 10.7 in 2022.And, with a general election expected this autumn, Sir Keir pledged a focus on self harm to reverse the trend, saying mental health professionals will be trained to spot cases and intervene early.He said prevention would be at the heart of a Labour government, saying: “The value of getting in front of problems is no more apparent than when it comes to our children’s mental health.”Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer promised to reverse the trend of rising suicide rates (Peter Byrne/PA)“The number of children showing signs of acute distress is heart breaking, and behind those stats are millions of families going through hell. Urgent action is vital, and my government will deliver it,” he added.And, expanding on the party’s focus on suicide, Sir Keir said: “Almost all of us can think of someone who has tragically lost their life to suicide. Too many families are being ripped apart by grief after losing a loved one to suicide. It is a raw pain – that fact alone should shock us all into action.”Labour has promised to recruit 8,500 new mental health professionals, to offer specialists in every school and guarantee treatment within four weeks to anyone who needs it.It says the change is funded by scrapping a tax loophole used by private equity companies.And it has now promised the 8,500 new mental health professionals will be given “specialist self-harm training”.Research by the charity Samaritans has found that people who self-harm can be turned away from primary mental health services for being “too high risk”, meaning they are left without the vital support that they need.And analysis of NHS England figures shows hospital admissions due to intentional self-harm and overdose have more than doubled since 2011.Samaritans welcomed Labour’s pledge, with chief executive Julie Bentley saying “more specialist trained mental health staff would play a big part in ensuring that there is ‘no wrong door’ in the health system for people who self-harm or experience suicidal thoughts”.Mental health charity mind also welcomed the promise, saying “in many cases, it could save lives”.Chief executive Dr Sarah Hughes said: “The ongoing fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, coupled with a deepening cost of living crisis, have led to more and more people struggling with their mental health, many to the degree they are self-harming. We know that young people have been hit particularly hard.“So, we welcome this promised step towards making sure people get the support they need.”And Brian Dow, deputy chief executive at Rethink Mental Illness, called it a “sensible idea which could reduce the risk of people taking their own lives”.“We will never address the chasm between rising levels of demand and the lack of provision within mental health services unless we have a workforce with the skills to help people with their problems as early as possible,” he added. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailSuella Braverman has taken her latest shot at Rishi Sunak, accusing the PM of relying on “bad weather” to stop small boat crossings.The former home secretary lashed out at the PM after Britain saw the first arrivals across the channel this year.The country had seen zero arrivals in 26 days, which was the longest period of no small boat crossings since 2020.But, as the poor weather eased, around 50 people were reported to have been brought ashore from the channel by the UK Border Force.Suella Braverman has said she will vote against the Government’s Rwanda Bill next week if there are ‘no improvements’ (Justin Tallis/PA)“‘Bad weather’ is not a sustainable policy for stopping the boats,” Ms Braverman said.Labour took advantage of the infighting, saying Mr Sunak and home secretary James Cleverly “spent the festive period crowing about their small boats policies, but [crossings resuming] proves what experts said the whole time”.“The pause in crossings had nothing to do with them and everything to do with the wet, windy weather,” shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock said. The interventions come days before MPs vote on Mr Sunak’s backup Rwanda bill, aimed at reviving plans to deport asylum seekers to the east African nation.It was deemed illegal by the Supreme Court in November, but Mr Sunak is seeking to pass a fresh bill to get planes in the sky. It is a key part of the PM’s pledge to “stop the boats”, set out last January.Right-wing MPs are demanding a backup bill, designed to salvage the policy, is strengthened to allow the government to override international laws such as the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).But moderate MPs from the One Nation caucus have threatened to vote the bill down if it risks breaching Britain’s international obligations.Her latest attack on the PM came after Ms Braverman threatened to vote against Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda Bill next week unless he commits to toughening up the flagship legislation.She told GB news that the British people are “fed up with the boats” and “fed up with broken promises” and that this is the “last chance” for the government to get it right.Former immigration minister Robert Jenrick has called for tougher measures to stop the boats (Stefan Rousseau/PA)She said: “What my objective is, is to deliver a bill that works. And it’s far better to defeat this bill, because it doesn’t work, and start again with a new bill that will work than proceed on a false premise, than proceed on a basis that amounts to something that won’t stop the boats.”She was joined by fellow right-wing rebel and former immigration minister Robert Jenrick, who said the bill “will not work” without amendments.And he said the measures failing would lead to an illegal migration “catastrophe”.He wrote in the Daily Telegraph: “In short, as currently drafted, every single small boat arrival will be able to concoct a personal reason for why Rwanda is unsafe for them and they can’t be removed.“This will lead to individuals being taken off flights, the courts being overwhelmed and the operational collapse of the policy, with illegal arrivals being released on bail from detention as the backlog of hearings grow.”He added: “As legislators, we have the power to avert this catastrophe, for in our sovereign parliament the law is our servant, not our master. We owe it to our constituents – whose interests we are sent to Parliament to advance – to deliver.“They will tolerate nothing less.”Mr Jenrick has tabled amendments to the bill to strengthen it, which are backed by 10s of right-wing MPs. But if the bill is toughened up, it risks losing the support of more than 100 moderate One Nation Conservatives and failing. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has not ruled out further military action in Yemen after Houthi rebels warned of reprisals for overnight airstrikes and the leader of Turkey accused the UK and the US of trying to create a “sea of blood”.As international tensions escalated as a result of the bombing, the prime minister said Britain had sent a “strong signal” that the militants’ attacks in the Red Sea cannot be carried out with “impunity”.Downing Street rejected the idea the UK was at war with the Iran-backed group and said the UK’s actions, targetting military facilities used by rebels, had been proportionate and carried out in self-defence.But pressed on what happens if the air strikes fail to deter attacks, Mr Sunak said ministers would monitor the situation, adding: “It’s clear that this type of behaviour can’t be met without a response. We need to send a strong signal that this breach of international law is wrong. People can’t act like this with impunity and that’s why together with allies we’ve decided to take this action.”President Biden has also said he will not hesitate to take further action if necessary. Houthi rebels said the strikes killed at least five people and wounded six, and would “not go unanswered and unpunished”. As concerns over tensions in the Middle East grew, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the UK and the US are trying to turn the Red Sea into a “sea of blood”. Huge explosions were seen in Yemeni cities, including Sanaa and Hodeidah, in the early hours of Friday. The US military said 60 strikes were launched at 16 sites linked to the Houthis’ military operations.The Ministry of Defence said four Royal Air Force jets struck two Houthi facilities involved in their targeting of HMS Diamond and US Navy vessels on Tuesday.One was a site at Bani and the other the Abbs airfield, used to launch drones and cruise missiles.The Houthis on Friday said the US-led operation resulted in at least five deaths and six injuries.A military spokesperson for the group warned the strikes will not go unpunished and will not deter the militia from supporting Hamas by targeting ships associated with Israel.Sophia Gaston, head of foreign policy at the think tank Policy Exchange, said: “We are moving into a much riskier terrain because the United States and the United Kingdom certainly do not want to be in a situation where we are required to engage beyond a limited targeted strike capacity and certainly not one that may invite the participation of other regional powers.” She added that the existence of so many proxies for different states, such as the Houthis and Hezbollah for Iran, “necessarily makes this a kind of tinderbox”.”And I think there are a lot of these players who believe that the stakes at the moment are becoming existential. So I think that always is a recipe for a higher risk of conflict.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailInfected blood victims have welcomed the idea of a Post Office scandal-style drama about their own experience of injustice, a lawyer said.Des Collins, senior partner of Collins Solicitors, which represents 1,500 victims and their families, said most of his clients would welcome a TV drama as it would attract more attention than news coverage.He said since ITV programme Mr Bates Vs The Post Office began, families had come forward asking why they had not had the same coverage.“They phone up and say ‘have you seen it, why aren’t we getting this coverage’ and they do feel marginalised,” Mr Collins said.“But it is not a question of – we’re entitled to it, they’re not – it’s the question of everyone who is wronged in these circumstances as a result of whatever went wrong.Infected blood victims would welcome a Post Office scandal-style TV drama about their experience“Whether it’s the Post Office scandal or the contaminated blood crisis, it requires the Government to react properly, objectively and fully,” he added.In the 1970s and 1980s, thousands died in what is widely recognised as the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS after being given blood products contaminated with HIV and Hepatitis C.It comes as Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt said it would not take an ITV drama for compensation to victims of the scandal to be resolved.Ms Mordaunt was speaking in the Commons as she faced calls to speed up justice for the victims of other scandals after recent Government announcements on compensating wrongly convicted subpostmasters following the airing of the ITV drama on the issue.While the Commons Leader defended the Government’s actions in trying to resolve “some very difficult and long-running issues”, she said she would speak to the Cabinet Office to ensure lessons are learned “particularly” from the last few weeks.Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt said it would not take an ITV drama for compensation to victims of the scandal to be resolvedBut Mr Collins said his clients would like to see “less words and more action”. He said: “Penny Mordaunt says, well this is very serious, and it is, and that we can rely on the Government to do the right thing, they regard it as important but so far that has not been the evidence which has presented itself to the victims.“Similarly, with the Post Office victims, there was a lot of talk over the last two or three years insofar as the postmasters were concerned that it was being looked at very seriously and they were going to do the right thing, but they didn’t until someone basically, took a stick to them, the world’s press took a stick to them.“It’s good that that happened, and it wasn’t before time, but clearly my clients are concerned that that will never happen to them and they are concerned that the response of the Government to the compensation framework, which should have been set up six months ago, at least six months ago, is now pushed forward at the earliest opportunity.“All very well for Penny to say something in the House this afternoon but I think my clients would like to see less words and more action.”Mr Collins added that the Infected Blood Inquiry does not seem to have “cut through the impasse” but his clients feel that the ITV drama has.He said: “They think that would be something which would assist them or their cause and I can’t disagree with them.”Mr Collins said he believes if the Infected Blood Inquiry and the interim report had been given the same coverage as the Post Office scandal, then the Government “would have reacted”.He said the families have the “utmost sympathy” for the victims of the Post Office scandal but that the Government will “only react in a certain way at a certain time” and the reaction to the Infected Blood Inquiry has been “woefully inadequate”.A Government spokesperson said: “This was an appalling tragedy, and our thoughts remain with all those affected.“We are clear that justice needs to be delivered for the victims and have already accepted the moral case for compensation.“The report covers a set of extremely complex issues – and the Government intends to respond in full to Sir Brian’s (Langstaff) recommendations for wider compensation following the publication of the Inquiry’s final report in March 2024.” More

Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UKSign up to our Brexit email for the latest insightBrexit is set to leave Britain’s economy £311bn worse off by the middle of the next decade, a damning new report by top economists has found.The scathing study by Cambridge Econometrics found that the decision to leave the EU had already cost the UK £140bn.The shock findings put the scale of the damage far higher than previous warnings by independent economists that Brexit caused a £33bn loss to the economy.The new report warned that Britain will continue to have lower investment, weaker trade and fewer jobs in the decade ahead as a consequence of being outside the bloc.The Cambridge study – commissioned by London mayor Sadiq Khan – said the country will have three million fewer jobs by 2035 than if it had stayed inside the EU.And the economists estimated that Brexit will be responsible for a mammoth 10 per cent hit to Britain’s gross value added (GVA) – the overall value of goods and services – by the same date.Using data Office for Budget of Responsibility data and forecasts based on the organisation’s data, the report predicts that the UK’s GVA will hit £2,771bn by 2035.But this is £311bn lower than the £3,082bn GVA figure the nation would have reached without deciding to leave the EU.Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said report showed ‘Brexit isn’t working’ The economists worked to isolate the “Brexit effect” from other factors such as Covid and the Ukraine war in its modelling.They found Britain will have 32 per cent lower investment, 16 per cent lower imports and 5 per cent lower exports by the middle of the next decade than without Brexit.The study also found that Brexit would further widen the productivity gap between the capital and the rest of the country.Shyamoli Patel, principal economist at Cambridge Econometrics, said: “Our study reveals that London’s economy would have grown faster if Brexit hadn’t taken place.“Looking ahead, we project that Brexit will continue to have an impact on the UK and London economies in the medium term.”A majority of voters believe Brexit has damaged the economy The Labour mayor of London said the findings showed it was “now obvious that Brexit isn’t working”.In speech at Mansion House on Thursday evening, he said: “The cost of Brexit crisis can only be solved if we take a mature approach and if we are open to improving our trading arrangements with our European neighbours.”Mr Khan – who has called for a debate on re-joining the EU single market – added: “I agree with the shadow foreign secretary [David Lammy], who has said we urgently need to build a closer relationship with the EU.”However, Labour has insisted it will keep Britain out of the single market and customs union if it wins power at the 2024 general election.Leader Sir Keir Starmer has offered a vague promise to seek a new veterinary agreement to ease current trade friction, and examine Boris Johnson’s trade deal when it comes up for review in 2025.The most recent Opinium poll showed that more than 60 per cent of voters feel Brexit had been bad for prices in the shops, and 53 per cent said it had hampered the UK’s ability to control immigration. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailScotland’s first minister, Humza Yousaf, is expected to urge Scotland to vote for the Scottish National Party in order to “kick the Tories out”, as his party prepares to launch its 2024 general election campaign.In a speech on Friday, Mr Yousaf will say that Rishi Sunak is “finished” and will implore voters across Scotland to “take the opportunity to kick them out of Scotland completely” as “the damage they have caused to Scotland is unforgiveable”.He will call upon the Scottish electorate to vote for the SNP, explaining that his party is “best placed” to remove the Conservatives as the SNP is currently second in every Tory-held seat across Scotland.Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has said that voting Labour offers the best chance of a Conservative wipeout Mr Yousaf’s speech comes just days after a rival speech from the leader of Scottish Labour, Anas Sarwar, who opted for a similar message and urged supporters of Scottish independence to defect from the SNP and lend their vote to Labour in order to vote the Conservatives out, exhorting them to “unite to change the country”.The last time Scotland saw a Conservative wipeout was during the 1997 election, when all of the Scottish Conservative MPs lost their seats to Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the SNP.In 2005, the Conservatives managed to claw back one Scottish constituency when David Mundell won the seat of Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale and was made shadow secretary of state for Scotland by the then Conservative leader, David Cameron.So low was the number of Scottish Conservatives in the early 2000s that in 2010, Mr Mundell became the butt of the infamous joke that there are “more pandas in Scotland than Scottish MPs” after Edinburgh Zoo gained two giant pandas.Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross will leave Westminster at the next election Now, some are predicting that the Conservatives could suffer a similar defeat in Scotland, following their poor performance in opinion polls and the resignation of both the leader of the Scottish Tories, Douglas Ross, and the current Scottish secretary Alister Jack, both of whom are set to stand down at the end of the current parliament.Mr Sunak has, however, strongly rebuffed the suggestion that his party will see enormous losses in Scotland, and told journalists in December that he was “very confident” about his party’s prospects north of the Scottish border.Meanwhile, the Labour Party may be quietly confident about its chances in Scotland, following the Labour gain of an SNP seat at the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election in October last year.Labour saw a seismic 20 per cent swing in its vote share, which led polling guru Michael Thrasher to suggest that if the result were replicated in a 2024 general election, it could equate to a 42-seat gain by Labour in Scotland.Scotland is expected to be a key battleground at the next election, with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer having remarked that “the route to a Labour election win at the next general election runs through Scotland”. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak is holding a full Cabinet call on Thursday evening amid mounting speculation that UK and Western allies could take action against Houthi rebels following attacks in the Red Sea.The meeting was set to begin at around 7.45pm after defence secretary Grant Shapps had warned the Iranian-backed group to “watch this space” if disruption continues in the key global shipping route. Foreignsecretary Lord David Cameron was seen entering No 10 shortly before 8pm.Sir Keir Starmer and shadow defence secretary John Healey will be briefed after the call, it is understood, while Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle was seen arriving at the Cabinet Office.The prime minister used a conversation with the Egyptian president earlier on Thursday to discuss the disruption and emphasise that Britain would continue to “take action to defend freedom of navigation and protect lives at sea”, No 10 said.It comes after UK and US naval forces destroyed “multiple attack drones” deployed by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea on Wednesday, believed to be the largest attack yet from the Yemen-based militants.Rishi Sunak will reportedly hold a full Cabinet call on Thursday evening (Jordan Pettitt/PA)Mr Shapps has warned further action would be taken if attacks persist, amid growing global concern about the disruption in the key global shipping route.He also said he believed the Houthis, a Shia group which has held Yemen’s capital since 2014, were acting with the support of Iran.“Be in no doubt at all, Iran is guiding what is happening there in the Red Sea, providing them not just with equipment to carry out those attacks but also often with the eyes and ears to allow those attacks to happen,” Mr Shapps told Sky News.“We must be clear with the Houthis that this has to stop and that is my simple message to them today, and watch this space.”The Royal Navy air defence destroyer HMS Diamond was involved in the response to the latest in a series of attacks, which the Houthis have claimed are a response to the Israeli bombardment of Gaza.Mr Shapps also posted on X, formerly Twitter: “Overnight, HMS Diamond, along with US warships, successfully repelled the largest attack from the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea to date.“Deploying Sea Viper missiles and guns, Diamond destroyed multiple attack drones heading for her and commercial shipping in the area, with no injuries or damage sustained to Diamond or her crew.“The UK alongside allies have previously made clear that these illegal attacks are completely unacceptable and if continued the Houthis will bear the consequences.“We will take the action needed to protect innocent lives and the global economy.”The Royal Navy air defence destroyer HMS Diamond has destroyed “multiple attack drones” deployed by Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red SeaIt remains to be seen what form any further action might take from the US, the UK and other allies.There has been speculation that a response could involve strikes on the Houthi command centres.The Prime Minister’s official spokesman told reporters on Wednesday: “I am not going to speculate about how we will or will not respond to continued attacks.“We do reserve the right to take further steps to protect commercial shipping and avoid the risk of further destabilising the region. That is something we will keep under review.”US secretary of state Antony Blinken, speaking in Bahrain, renewed warnings of a response.He said: “I’m not going to telegraph or preview anything that might happen.“All I can tell you again, we’ve made clear – we’ve been clear with more than 20 other countries – that if this continues, as it did yesterday, there will be consequences. And I’m going to leave it at that.”Houthi supporters shout slogans as they attend a ceremony at the end of the training of newly recruited fighters in SanaaSome major shipping lines and oil giant BP have already diverted vessels around southern Africa, adding time and costs to journeys, rather than risk the Red Sea.If the crisis continues, the increased costs could be passed on to consumers, hampering efforts to curb inflation and reduce interest rates.Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey said he was monitoring the situation closely when he appeared before MPs.US Central Command said the Houthis had launched a “complex attack” and a total of 18 attack drones, two anti-ship cruise missiles and an anti-ship ballistic missile were shot down in the operation which involved Diamond, US warships and F/A-18 fighter jets.It said the attack was the 26th Houthi attack on the Red Sea shipping lanes since November 19.Lord Cameron told MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday that Houthi attacks in the Red Sea which had come in the wake of the Gaza conflict were “unacceptable” in one of the “most important sea lanes”. More