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Sunak takes aim at Starmer: ‘We expel antisemites, he makes them Labour candidates’Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailGeorge Galloway is confident of becoming the next MP for Rochdale as voters go to the polls in the town’s by-election.The Workers Party of Britain candidate, who was expelled from the Labour Party in 2003, is the bookies’ favourite, following the implosion of Labour’s campaign.Labour withdrew its support from its candidate, Azhar Ali, over his suggestion Israel was complicit in the massacre of its own people on 7 October. The party no longer has a candidate.Rishi Sunak used Mr Galloway and Mr Ali to accuse Keir Starmer of making “antisemites” Labour candidates at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.The prime minister said voters in the Greater Manchester town would have the choice of “three former Labour candidates, two of which are antisemites”.“We expel antisemites, he makes them Labour candidates,” he said. Mr Galloway and Mr Ali deny being antisemitic.Simon Danczuk, an ex-Labour MP for Rochdale who is standing for the right-wing challenger party, has accused Mr Galloway’s campaign of “whipping people into a frenzy”.Other candidates are Iain Donaldson (Liberal Democrats), Paul Ellison (Conservatives), Michael Howarth (Independent), William Howarth (Independent), Ravin Rodent Subortna (Official Monster Raving Loony Party) and David Tully (Independent).Show latest update 1709160126Key timings in the Rochdale by-electionVoters go to the polls tomorrow in a by-election called after the death of Labour MP Sir Tony Lloyd. Polling stations will open at 7am and close at 10pm, with the result expected early on Friday morning. We’ll be bringing you all the latest updates throughout the day and into Friday morning. Katy Clifton28 February 2024 22:421709143359Why Lee Anderson is accused of IslamophobiaJane Dalton28 February 2024 18:021709137821Rochdale by-election: Chaotic contest overshadowed by antisemitism row and Gaza war leaves voters frustratedOnce a Labour safe-seat, Rochdale is facing a chaotic byelection this week where the party isn’t represented at all, writes Zoe Grunewald.Read the full report here: Matt Mathers28 February 2024 16:301709135980Reform candidate blames George Galloway for ‘whipping up division’ in Rochdale after receiving death threatFull report: Matt Mathers28 February 2024 15:591709135912ICYMI: Has Labour’s Rochdale debacle gifted George Galloway an open goal?What was set to be a straightforward contest to replace the late Labour MP Tony Lloyd, who died of blood cancer aged 73, has been mired by a series of scandals. Archie Mitchell asks how we got here, and what will happen next.Full report below: Matt Mathers28 February 2024 15:581709135763What could happen if George Galloway wins the Rochdale by-election?This Thursday’s vote in a deprived town in Greater Manchester has generated something of a circus in recent weeks. Sean O’Grady looks at what a Galloway win could mean, not just for Rochdale but for British politics as a whole.Read the piece in full here: Matt Mathers28 February 2024 15:561709133321Scheme to insulate 300,000 homes over 3 years helps just 2,900 in first 8 monthsA government scheme aimed at insulating 300,000 homes in three years in a bid to reduce energy bills has only helped 2,900 homes in its first eight months.Ministers are now assessing whether the programme – the £1bn Great British Insulation Scheme – is viable, The Times reports.“The government knows that the scheme isn’t working and isn’t going to work in its current form,” an industry source told the paper. “The question they still haven’t answered is what they’re going to do instead.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has refused to back Post Office chief executive Nick Read after it emerged he is under investigation.The prime minister told MPs that it would be “inappropriate” for him to comment when challenged in the Commons to back Mr Read’s leadership of the company.His response came a day after Downing Street offered assurances over Mr Read after former Post Office chairman Henry Staunton highlighted the existence of an 80-page report compiled by the organisation’s HR director.Our focus remains working closely with the Post Office to ensure it delivers justice for postmasters caught up in this historic scandalPrime minister Rishi SunakMr Staunton, who claims he has been the victim of a “smear campaign” since his public fallout with business secretary Kemi Badenoch, said his own behaviour was only referenced once in the document about Mr Read.Rishi Sunak said it would be inappropriate to comment before the investigation had concluded (James Manning/PA)Speaking at PMQs, Labour MP Kevan Jones told the Commons: “After yesterday’s revelation that Nick Read, the CEO of the Post Office, is under investigation for an 80-page report written by the former head of HR at the Post Office, does the prime minister and the business secretary have confidence in Nick Read’s leadership at the Post Office?”Mr Sunak replied: “It would clearly be inappropriate for me to comment on an investigation before it has been completed.“Our focus remains working closely with the Post Office to ensure it delivers justice for postmasters caught up in this historic scandal and that is why we will imminently bring forward legislation that we promised.”On Tuesday, asked if the government and No 10 has confidence in Mr Read, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: “Yes.”Downing Street would not be drawn on when No 10 became aware of the investigation into Mr Reed, with the prime minister’s official spokesman saying he would not comment on “internal matters”.Labour former minister Dame Angela Eagle questioned why Mr Sunak had opted not to comment, adding: “And yet he allows his trade secretary to comment freely, loudly and often on Twitter.“Is he content with her activities and her behaviour in this respect?”Mr Sunak replied: “The business secretary set out her position explicitly and clearly in the House last week, and actually since then, and despite some of the claims that were made by the party opposite, the former permanent secretary at the department has completely refuted the claims that were made, and yesterday the current CEO and the director of business resilience at the department refuted Mr Staunton’s recollection.”What there is, actually, is Mr Read fell out with his HR director and she produced a ‘speak up’ document which was 80 pages thick. Within that was one paragraph… about comments that I allegedly madeHarry Staunton in evidence to MPsDowning Street was repeatedly challenged about Ms Badenoch’s decision to reveal that Mr Staunton had been the subject of a bullying investigation.Mr Staunton said the investigation was actually into Mr Read.The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “I’m not going to offer any further commentary on HR investigations and HR matters.”Asked if Ms Badenoch lied to the Commons, he said: “I have nothing further to add to what the business secretary has already said on the floor of the House in relation to this matter.”Mr Staunton’s comments about the 80-page report came at an evidence session with MPs on the Business and Trade Committee on Tuesday.He previously said he had been told to delay payouts to subpostmasters affected by problems with the Horizon computer system, which led to Ms Badenoch accusing him of spreading “made-up anecdotes”.Asked if he was informed that his behaviour was under investigation in November last year, Mr Staunton said: “What there is, actually, is Mr Read fell out with his HR director and she produced a ‘speak up’ document which was 80 pages thick.“Within that was one paragraph… about comments that I allegedly made.“So, this is an investigation, not into me, this is an investigation made into the chief executive Nick Read.“That one paragraph you could say was about politically incorrect comments attributed to me which I strenuously deny.“This was not an investigation into me, this was an investigation based on the 80-page document prepared by the HR director.”Mr Staunton continued: “This 80-page document was actually taking a terrible toll on Nick Read.“He said: ‘I’m not being supported by the board, this is just bad news for me and my family, I’m going to resign tomorrow, I’ve just had enough’.”The Post Office said it was investigating a complaint against a number of people including Mr Read, but that he had never offered to resign.The Horizon IT scandal saw more than 700 subpostmasters prosecuted by the Post Office and handed criminal convictions between 1999 and 2015 as Fujitsu’s faulty Horizon system made it appear as though money was missing at their branches.Hundreds of subpostmasters are still awaiting compensation despite the government announcing those who have had convictions quashed are eligible for £600,000 payouts. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailWatch as Rishi Sunak faces Sir Keir Starmer in Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday 28 February.The pair go head-to-head for the first time since Lee Anderson was suspended from the Conservative Party for refusing to apologise over comments made about Sadiq Khan.Senior Tories have faced mounting pressure in recent days to describe the former deputy chairman’s attack on the Mayor of London as “Islamophobic” as the row over his comments entered its sixth day.The prime minister and others have condemned Mr Anderson’s comments, but have so far shied away from calling them “Islamophobic”.Their reluctance to use the term has been criticised by Labour as “weak”, with one frontbencher saying the prime minister was “in hock” to “a strange coalition of MPs”.Mr Sunak will also take questions from MPs for the first time since the House of Commons descended into chaos last week over a vote about a ceasefire in Gaza – leading to more than 80 MPs calling for speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle to resign. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailMembers of Generation Z are shunning traditional news outlets in favour of social media, despite saying they trust its content less, according to a study on the UK’s media habits.The research also found 18-24 year olds were twice as likely to get their news from TikTok than the BBC.Lee Cain, the former No 10 communications director and founding partner at Charlesbye, the communications firm which commissioned the study, said the findings indicated so-called Gen Z was ushering in a “post-truth media age”.The report, Talking to the Nation: How To Speak To Modern Britain, saw Research Interactive, acting on Charlesbye’s behalf, conduct polling and focus groups with more than 8,000 people.The study, said to be one of the largest of its kinds in the UK, asked people to rank their most trusted media outlet.Among Gen Z participants — traditionally defined as those born between 1997 and 2012 — television news channels scored highest with 31%, newspapers topped a fifth of lists and dedicated news websites scored highly with 13% of respondents.All three ranked above commentators on social media, which was most trusted among 11% of so-called Zoomers.Despite that, more than a third of people surveyed aged between 18-24 and who said they followed the news stated that social media feeds were their primary news source, compared to almost a fifth who said television, 13% who said newspapers and 12% who said news websites.Traditional media was found to still dominate among older people.According to the report published on Wednesday, nearly half of 45-54 year olds who follow news said they received at least 40% of their news from TV, 16% from newspapers and a fifth from news websites.This generation is ushering in a post-truth media age where they prioritise content over truthOnly 12% in that age bracket said their primary news source was social media.Mr Cain said: “Gen Z is overwhelmingly turning to social media for news, despite trusting it far less than traditional news sources.“This generation is ushering in a post-truth media age where they prioritise content over truth.“This trust deficit could have huge implications in a year of elections across the world and geopolitical uncertainty — preparing the ground for an explosion of deep fakes and disinformation campaigns.”Mr Cain is a former journalist who was part of the Vote Leave campaign during the Brexit referendum.He later served as director of communications under Boris Johnson’s premiership and was involved in the decision to unlawfully prorogue Parliament in 2019 during the row around exiting the European Union.His Downing Street leaving do in November 2020 was among the events investigated as part of a probe by former senior civil servant Sue Gray into the coronavirus partygate scandal.The report commissioned by Mr Cain’s firm also found that young people are twice as likely to get their news from TikTok than the BBC.More than 40% of 18-24 year olds receive news from the Chinese-owned social media giant once a day or more, compared to 19% for the BBC, the study found.Instagram (44%), Facebook (33%) and Elon Musk’s X (24%), formerly known as Twitter, were also more frequented than the national broadcaster by those in Gen Z, the study found.The report says that 18-24 year olds are the least engaged in current affairs, with only a third specifically reading, listening or watching news outlets to keep in touch with what is going on.Elsewhere, Britons were found to still be avid consumers of news, with three-quarters of the population consuming news on a daily basis, while more than two-thirds said they read a newspaper at least on a monthly basis.Older generations are significantly more likely to stay on top of current affairs, with nearly 90% of over-55s doing so on a daily basis.Television was found by the survey to be Britain’s most trusted source of news. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe head of the Post Office is the subject of an internal investigation, a former chair of the organisation told a Commons committee on Tuesday, highlighting the disarray at the top of the group.During an extraordinary hearing in parliament, Henry Staunton also reignited a furious row with the business secretary Kemi Badenoch, saying he had been the victim of a “smear campaign” after he said he was told to delay payments to subpostmasters. But lead campaigner Alan Bates, a former subpostmaster, told MPs the government should just “get on and pay people”. He also described the Post Office as a “dead duck” and said it should be sold off for £1 to Amazon.More than 700 subpostmasters were prosecuted by the Post Office between 1999 and 2015 because of Fujitsu’s faulty Horizon system made it appear money was missing from their branches.Hundreds, including Mr Bates, whose story was told in the ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office, are still awaiting compensation.Henry Staunton told MPs he stood by his claim a top Whitehall official told him to stall on compensation payoutsIn a sometimes explosive evidence session, Mr Staunton told MPs on the business and trade committee that he stood by his claim a top Whitehall official told him to stall on compensation payouts. That was disputed by Post Office CEO Nick Read, who told MPs he did not believe anyone at the company was told by the government to slow down payments. Mr Staunton, who was sacked by Ms Badenoch last month, has said the move would help the Tories “hobble” into the election.In response, Ms Badenoch accused him of a “blatant attempt to seek revenge following dismissal”.But Mr Staunton told the committee: “Why does everything remain so slow? I’ve spoken up on matters of genuine public concern, have been fired, and am now subject to a smear campaign.” He also said that Mr Read had threatened to quit because he was “unhappy with his pay”.He also rejcted Ms Badenoch’s claims he was under investigation, saying: “This is an investigation, not into me, this is an investigation… into the chief executive Nick Read.”He said that an 80-page report, prepared by the company’s human resources director about Mr Read, contained just one paragraph on his behaviour, claiming “politically incorrect comments attributed to me which I strenuously deny”.Alan Bates in London yesterday ater giving evidence The report was written after Mr Read “fell out” with the HR director, Mr Staunton said. He also told MPs that Mr Read had threatened to resign on a number of occassions – just an hour after Mr Read denied he had ever tried to quit.Their testimony left MPs scratching thier heads, with committee chair Liam Byrne saying Mr Staunton gave “bombshell revelations about a boardroom that is in disarray, a chief executive [Nick Read] that is under investigation and a chief executive who has sought to resign, even though he told us on oath that he has not”.In another twist, a director at the Post Office, Ben Tidswell, told staff after the hearing: “To my knowledge he has never tendered his resignation.”Mr Staunton said the 80-page document “alleges… that Nick was going to resign because he was unhappy with this pay”.He added that he himself “must have had four conversations when he said he was going to chuck it in”.One MP on the committee, Tory Jonathan Gullis, called the admission a “shambles” and said: “There may be another drama: Mr Read and Mr Staunton vs the Post Office.” The department for Business and Trade later confirmed that Mr Read was under investigation, but said it would await the outcome “before making any further judgement”. In his evidence, Mr Read also warned correct legislation must be put in place if “mass exoneration is the right thing” in relation to convicted subpostmasters – adding that the process “may well” result in guilty people being absolved.Mr Bates also told MPs he had considered getting all the former subpostmasters involved in the initial High Court case to “stand as MPs when the next election comes”, adding: “Then we’ll sort it out once and for all.”Meanwhile, Mr Bates told the committee that the government should “pay” the subpostmasters affected. “We keep coming back to this time after time after time – pay people.“There’s a lot of distractions, a lot of other things brought up, thrown up all the time – but just get on and pay people.”He said: “My personal view about [the] Post Office is it’s a dead duck and it has been for years, and it’s going to be a moneypit for the taxpayer in the years to come.”He added: “You should sell it to someone like Amazon for £1, get really good contracts for all the serving sub-postmasters and within a few years you’ll have one of the best networks around Britain.”Mr Bates also said he could see no end to the scandal: “It’s very disappointing and this has been going on for years, as you well know, and I can’t see any end to it.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailA quarter of all children are now using generative AI tools to help with schoolwork, according to a new study.Research from online safety charity Internet Matters found that over half of 13-to-14-year-olds were actively engaging with AI chatbots, and that 41% of children believe AI tools will be beneficial to their education.But parents are more sceptical, with only 29% agreeing the technology was helpful.With just a few prompts, an entire essay can be crafted, or an image can be generated, fundamentally changing the way we produce and share content, and how children learnCaroline Bunting, Internet Matters co-chief executiveThe charity has called on the Department for Education (DfE) to provide more advice and support to schools to help teachers, parents and pupils benefit from AI tools and understand the potential benefits and limitations, while also using the technology safely.Generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini have become increasingly prominent in daily life over the last year, with the technology seen by many as being an innovation that could rival the creation of the internet in its impact.Social media platforms including Meta, Snapchat and Elon Musk’s X have also entered the AI space with their own chatbots.Internet Matters co-chief executive, Carolyn Bunting, said: “Generative AI is here to stay and tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Snap’s My AI are increasingly a part of children’s lives.“Already a quarter of children are using AI for schoolwork and nearly half of 13-14-year-olds are using AI tools regularly.“With just a few prompts, an entire essay can be crafted, or an image can be generated, fundamentally changing the way we produce and share content, and how children learn.“However, our survey shows that both parents and children are unprepared for the AI revolution and most have many unanswered questions about the impact of AI on their daily lives, their children’s safety and wellbeing online, their education, and their futures.“Many are being left in the dark by the lack of guidance for schools, and it is clear more support, guidance and training is needed urgently.“The Department for Education’s recent work on AI policy and regulation in schools is welcome, but too narrow.“Fundamental questions about how children can and should interact with generative AI need to be considered.“Not least of which is how AI will impact the nature of their education, exams, teaching and homework – these are no longer talking points for the future – rapid change is happening now.“Government must provide more advice and support in the immediate term to schools to support teachers, parents, and children to benefit safety from the worthwhile applications of AI tools.”A poll distributed by the International Baccalaureate (IB) also found that 43% of young people said they had used artificial intelligence to help with their schoolwork.The poll, which ran in November and December 2023, received more than 2,000 responses from students in UK schools that offer the IB.More than half of the respondents were in state schools.It found that 72% of students said they had used an AI Chatbot before while 13% of students who responded to the poll believed it is still possible for their education system to avoid the influence of AI.IB director general Olli-Pekka Heinonen said: “As educational leaders, we can’t attempt to hold back the inevitable tide and so must make sure that AI is used and developed for the purposes of teaching and learning.“We need to be intentional about how we approach students’ use of AI and how we moderate it.“School is the right place to learn how AI can be used ethically and sustainably and to understand its strengths and weaknesses.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailLee Anderson has launched a fresh attack on Sadiq Khan days after he claimed the London mayor was controlled by “Islamists”.The former deputy chair of the Conservatives was suspended by the party over the remarks. But ministers have still refused to say his comments were Islamophobic, stating only that they were wrong. Now Mr Anderson has accused the Labour mayor of enjoying protest scenes in Whitehall which cause disruption to parliament and cast the government “in a bad light”. His comments will pile more pressure on the government to distance themselves from the East Midlands MP. But he has also piled pressure on the Tory leadership by hinting he could defect to Nigel Farage’s Reform party and stand at the next general election. Tory MPs are already fearful of the impact Reform will have at the election. The party is not currently on course to take any seats at Westminster. But senior Conservatives are concerned they could win enough votes in key constituencies to hand victory to Labour. In his latest comments made during an interview with Channel 5 news, Mr Anderson was asked if he would take back last week’s remarks. He said he would “probably change my words slightly”. He added: “I think it’s all political, I think he almost enjoys seeing these scenes on Whitehall and on Parliament Square, which disrupts parliament, which puts my government in a bad light. I think he just turns a blind eye. It’s politics.”Mr Anderson lost the Tory whip at the weekend after he claimed “Islamists” had “got control” of the mayor of London. Pressed over whether he would join the right-wing Reform UK party, the former Labour councillor declined to comment but told GB News he had “been on a political journey”.He said: “You’ll say ‘Lee Anderson rules out/doesn’t rule out joining the Reform party’, so I’m making no comment on my future.”He also said he intended to stand at the next election.His comments came as senior Conservatives faced mounting pressure to describe his attack on Sadiq Khan as “Islamophobic”. Radio station LBC abruptly halted an interview with illegal immigration minister Michael Tomlinson, accusing him of failing to answer the question.In questions from broadcasters on Tuesday, Mr Tomlinson refused 11 times to explain why he thought Mr Anderson’s comments were “wrong”.His Home Office colleague Tom Pursglove also refused to use the term, telling Times Radio: “I don’t think Lee personally is racist but what he said was unacceptable.”The prime minister and others have condemned Mr Anderson’s comments, but have so far shied away from calling them “Islamophobic”.Labour has criticised that stance as “weak”, with one frontbencher saying the prime minister was “in hock” to “a strange coalition of MPs”.Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, said on Tuesday: “He [Anderson] should know better than that, he has been a senior figure within the Conservative Party.“But I think it speaks to Rishi Sunak’s weakness on this that his response has been wholly inadequate.”On Tuesday morning, Downing Street said the PM regarded Mr Anderson’s comments as wrong because they had conflated all Muslims with Islamist extremism.The row over Lee Anderson’s attack on Sadiq Khan has entered its fifth dayIn a separate move, James Cleverly, the home secretary, joined calls for Mr Anderson to apologise.The prime minister also declined to criticise former home secretary Suella Braverman, who claimed “the Islamists, the extremists and the antisemites are in charge now”.“I think that those comments were not about an individual in particular,” he said, adding that “it’s important that we call out” the kind of “unacceptable” scenes “we have been witnessing on our streets in recent times”.On Tuesday, Mr Tomlinson said he thought Ms Braverman was “not right” in her comments, but added he did not think she should have the whip withdrawn.Reform UK leader Richard Tice did not rule out opening the door to Mr Anderson after his suspension, saying MPs considering defection “have my number”.Later, GB News, where Mr Anderson works, revealed he held “one to one” talks with Mr Tice at a Holiday Inn off junction 28 of the M1 just 24 hours after he lost the Tory whip.The Liberal Democrats have tabled a so-called censure motion calling on parliament to rebuke Mr Anderson’s comments and demanding he come to the House and apologise. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailReform UK’s Rochdale by-election candidate has said George Galloway’s rival campaign is “whipping” people “into a frenzy” after he received a death threat on social media.Simon Danczuk, an ex-Labour MP for Rochdale who is now standing for the right-wing challenger party, received a string of direct messages on social media and a video where an online troll appears to threaten to gun him down.Speaking to the Independent, Mr Danczuk said he links the threats to Mr Galloway’s campaign: “It’s just outrageous really, and I do actually link it to the campaigning that Galloway’s been doing in Rochdale. He’s really whipping up division, and I think that’s really unfortunate”.In the footage, which has been posted on the Reform UK’s social media feed, the online creator is heard uttering expletives before threatening to “put one in his head”.Reform UK leader Richard Tice has said political leaders are running in fear of extremists (Joe Giddens/PA)In the string of direct messages, the individual tells Mr Danczuk: “How dare you send such letters in our Muslim [sic] community”, and says “I am going to assault you when I see you and I care not of the consequences”.Mr Danczuk said the comments were “disconcerting” and he took it “very seriously, not least because the guy said he didn’t mind the consequences.”The Reform UK candidate said he was talking to a senior Rochdale counsellor prior to receiving the threat, who remarked that “[Since] Galloway has come into town, particularly in terms of young people, he’s is really whipped them up into a frenzy around Gaza”.The threats come after a particularly chaotic by-election campaign in Rochdale. The Labour candidate, Mr Azhar Ali, was suspended from the party after he repeated a conspiracy theory that Israel had allowed the October 7 attack to take place. George Galloway, the candidate for the Workers’ Party, has used the Palestinian flag in his campaign materials and has targeted local Muslim voters by focusing on the issue of Gaza. He is currently the bookies favourite to win.Mr Galloway has also claimed that his campaign materials across Rochdale have been “ripped down and destroyed”.A video posted to social media last week appeared to show Mr Danczuk being told he was not allowed to take part in a local by-election hustings in the town.Mr Danczuk told the Independent that his wife has now been taken of the campaign trail for her own safety and the Reform party have sent Mr Danczuk two security personnel for the remainder of his campaign.The Worker’s Party of Britain and Greater Manchester police have been approached for comment. More