UK

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak said he would be “open” to changing his Rwanda bill in a bid to quell growing dissent among Tory MPs over the flagship deportation legislation.The PM won a crunch first hurdle vote in the Commons on his emergency bill aimed at sending illegal migrants on one-way flights to Kigali.But faces opposition from the Tory right – who want the bill toughened up – and senior Tory moderates who have told The Independent they also want to amend the bill in a bid to soften its impact.Speaking to broadcasters on Thursday, Mr Sunak said: “If there are ways that the legislation can be improved, to be made even more effective – with a respectable legal argument and maintaining the participation of the Rwandans in the scheme – of course we would be open to that, who wouldn’t be?”Right-wing Tory factions including the European Research Group (ERG) have threatened to vote down the bill unless it is hardened – including by denying asylum seekers individual appeals.But this could risk losing the backing of more centrist Tories in the ‘One Nation’ wing, who are keen to protect the legislation against breaches of international law.Leading moderate Sir Robert Buckland confirmed that he was also considering how it might be “tweaked” to make it comply with global treaties.“If anything, it probably should be tweaked in the other direction, and if it was, I would think there are numbers within the House of Commons… and certainly the House of Lords, to amend the bill to make it legally more workable,” the ex-justice secretary told LBC.RIshi Sunak visits Wren Academy school in Finchley, north London on Thursday Mr Sunak dismissed all the dissent as “debating society” behaviour – but in a bid to pre-empt Tory rebellion he said that Rwanda will not take deportees who have no legal recourse to the European Court of Human Rights.“What the country wants is a practical government that is making a difference to their lives and changing things for the better, not a debating society,” he said in a new interview with Spectator.“People are frustrated that the pace of change is not fast enough. I get that. I am working night and day, tirelessly, to keep making a difference,” he said.Mr Sunak has refused to say how soon flights to Rwanda take off if he gets the legislation through parliament – but No 10 has said the plan remains to see deportations begin by spring. “I’m keen to crack on with it,” is all the PM would say when asked about timings.The 40 or so leading right-wing MPs who attended meetings of the “five families” with European Research Group (ERG) chairman Mark Francois on Tuesday were said to be evenly split between abstaining or voting against.A Tory rebel source said: “This bill has been allowed to live another day. But without amendments it will be killed next month. It is now up to the government to decide what it wants to do.”No 10 refused to be drawn on “private conversations”, amid speculation that discussions aimed at appeasing MPs will continue over the Christmas break before parliament’s return in January.But Mr Sunak’s spokesman struck a more generous tone when pressed on Tory amendments on Thursday. “A number of people have made suggestions, we will continue to listen … We are keen to very hear more from MPs.”On Wednesday, justice secretary Alex Chalk suggested the government will not cave to pressure from the right of the Tory party by watering down the bill’s commitment to international obligations.The legislation seeks to enable parliament to deem Rwanda “safe” generally, but makes limited allowances for personal claims against being sent to the east African nation under a clause disliked by Conservative hardliners.Mr Sunak has tried to find a middle ground with the Bill, which is designed to prevent migrants who arrive in Britain via unauthorised routes from challenging deportation, after the Supreme Court ruled the flagship policy unlawful.It allows ministers to disapply the Human Rights Act, but does not go as far as overriding the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which MPs on the Conservative right have argued is necessary to get the grounded £290mn scheme running. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email Albanian opposition lawmakers on Thursday disrupted the opening of a new session of Parliament, demanding an investigation into the government for alleged corruption. Bodyguards blocked the entrance to the Parliament building, refusing admission to opposition lawmakers who were punished for previous outbreaks of violence in the assembly. That sparked some friction and opposition lawmakers from the center-right Democrats blocked their Socialist counterparts on the government side from entering the hall. The latter used a back entrance instead.The disturbances in Parliament started in October just before prosecutors accused Sali Berisha, 79, former prime minister and president and now the main leader of the center-right Democratic Party, of corruption over of a land-buying scheme that’s under legal investigation in the capital, Tirana.Opposition parliamentarians regularly pile up chairs, use flares, start small fires and even physically grab microphones when their Socialist counterparts take the floor.Inside the hall Thursday, opposition lawmakers could not pile up their chairs in the middle of the hall as usual but lit flares and made noise to disrupt the session.Parliament was supposed to be voting on a contentious migration deal with Italy, but Speaker Lindita Nikolla removed the item from the agenda after the Constitutional Court on Wednesday put ratification on hold. The court will hold a public hearing on Jan. 18 to determine whether the agreement violates Albania’s constitution. Opposition lawmaker Gazmend Bardhi hailed the court’s decision. “On behalf of the public interest, we ask for an impartial and independent judging of that deal which runs counter to many articles of the country’s constitution and of many international agreements,” he said.The session lasted about 10 minutes with some draft laws passed in a quick vote from the governing Socialists of Prime Minister Edi Rama, the same method they have used in approving many laws, including next year’s budget.Socialists hold 74 of the 140 seats in Parliament, enough to pass most of the laws.The Parliament passed tougher new rules for lawmakers who disrupted proceedings, for example by using flares. Bardhi said they would not obey.The opposition wants to create parliamentary investigative commissions to probe alleged cases of corruption involving Rama and other top government officials, but the Socialists say the plans are not in line with constitutional requirements.The disruption in Parliament is an obstacle to much-needed reforms at a time when the European Union has agreed to start the process of harmonizing Albanian laws with those of the EU. A day earlier that was mentioned in a bloc’s meeting with Western Balkan leaders in Brussels. Albania is ready to begin negotiating specific chapters with the bloc.___Follow Llazar Semini at https://twitter.com/lsemini More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailMore than 170,000 homeowners will be hit with higher bills this month as their fixed-term mortgages come to an end, The Independent can reveal.In what Labour has called a “Christmas crunch”, the households will see their monthly payments jump by an average of £240 a month, or almost £3,000 a year, new analysis shows.It comes as inflation remains at more than double the Bank of England’s two per cent target and hard-pressed families grapple with a spiralling tax burden.Labour blamed the increase on 13 years of Conservative governments leading to “disastrous management of housing and mortgages”.Shadow economic secretary Tulip Siddiq said: “This will be terrible news for families who are already struggling to pay for Christmas during the cost-of-living crisis.”“The Tory Government’s disastrous management of housing and mortgages is still having very real consequences every single day for people across the country,” she added.The analysis is based on Financial Conduct Authority data showing the number of households whose fixed-rate mortgages come to an end in December is 173,715.Meanwhile the Bank of England has said anyone renewing their mortgage faces an average increase of £240 per month, or £2,880 a year.Mortgage rates have soared since the Bank of England started putting up interest rates to curtail spiralling inflation.The central bank pushed the rate, which affects the cost of borrowing products including mortgages, from 0.25 per cent at the start of 2022 to 5.25 per cent now. Part of the rise is blamed on former prime minister Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-budget last September, which spooked financial markets and pushed up borrowing costs.On Thursday the Bank is expected to hold rates steady for the third time in a row, in a slight boost for mortgage holders.But those who have not yet renewed fixed rate deals taken out when interest rates were low are still bracing for huge uplifts.In the coming three years, almost five million UK homeowners are still set to see their mortgage repayments jump by hundreds of pounds, the Bank of England has said.About half of mortgage holders have moved to a new fixed-rate deal since interest rates started rising in late 2021, amounting to more than five million households.But a further five million homeowners are still due to face higher borrowing costs by the end of 2026, the Bank’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) said in its latest stability report.While the average mortgage holder will pay an additional £240 a month, around 500,000 households could experience a monthly increase of more than £500 by the end of 2024.The latest analysis also showed that the proportion of households’ incomes spent on mortgage payments is set to rise to 9 per cent by the end of 2026, from 6.8 per cent earlier this year.The Bank of England’s meeting on Thursday comes after key economic data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this week also showed signs of cooling in the economy.On Wednesday, the ONS said UK gross domestic product (GDP) fell 0.3 per cent in October, as the manufacturing and construction sectors were impacted by poor weather.It came a day after the statistics body revealed that wage growth slowed at the fastest pace for two years.The ONS said private sector regular earnings, excluding bonuses, rose by 7.3 per cent in the three months to October, down from 7.8 per cent in the previous three months, pointing towards weakening in the labour market.Economists have increased their expectations for the interest rate cuts next year as a result.Previously, the financial markets had priced in 0.75 percentage points of interest rate cuts in 2024, but on Wednesday they were expecting a 1 percentage point drop, which would take interest rates to 4.25 per cent by the end of 2024.Nevertheless, experts are still expecting rates to remain steady in Thursday’s vote and in the early months of the New Year.A Treasury spokesman said: “Inflation has halved, but we know some people are continuing to struggle, which is why we are committed to staying the course and getting it all way back down to 2 per cent. We are also helping households by providing £3,700 on average in cost of living support over the last three years, and our Mortgage Charter is giving extra protections against repossessions as well as making it easier to manage monthly repayments.“Our Autumn Statement will deliver the largest boost to potential growth on record without fueling inflation, and we are cutting taxes for hard working people, saving the average employee £450 a year.” More

Rishi Sunak wins Rwanda vote despite Tory rebellion
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has been hit by a fresh headache on his flagship Rwanda bill, as senior Conservatives on the left said they would join right-wing rebels in pushing for changes ahead of an expected second vote in January.The embattled PM had believed he could count on Tory MPs in the moderate “One Nation” wing, as he fights to appease their rivals on the right who are demanding tougher deportation legislation.Justice Secretary Alex Chalk suggested the government would not cede to right-wingers by toughening up the bill, despite their threats to vote it down.But, as No 10 prepares for crunch talks with the right-wingers over Christmas, senior Tory moderates told The Independent they were considering how to amend the bill to soften it.Earlier, Sir Keir Starmer mocked Tory MPs who criticised Rishi Sunak in the press in PMQs.The Labour leader goaded the Tory benches, saying: “Come on, come on. Who was it who said he’s a really bad politician? Hands up.”Meanwhile, Mark Drakeford announced he was standing down as Welsh Labour leader, triggering a contest to find his successor.Show latest update
1702510993We’re pausing for the night – be back tomorrow for more updatesAlex Ross13 December 2023 23:431702504833Tory minister takes brutal swipe at David Cameron over ChinaJane Dalton13 December 2023 22:001702501233Badenoch warned against accusing MP of lyingEqualities minister Kemi Badenoch has been warned about the use of “unparliamentary language” after she accused an MP of lying.During an appearance at the Women and Equalities Select Committee on Wednesday, the Cabinet minister took exception with Labour MP Kate Osborne saying she had previously used “inflammatory language that likens children and young people coming out as trans to the spread of a disease”.Ms Badenoch, who is also the Business and Trade Secretary, said: “I have never said that, that is a lie.“That is a lie and I think you should withdraw that statement. That is a lie. You are lying.”Ms Osborne, MP for Jarrow, said she was “not lying to you” but Ms Badenoch shot back: “You are lying. I have never used the word ‘disease’ and this is exactly what I am talking about – you are making statements at a select committee that are untrue.”Caroline Nokes, committee chairwoman, interrupted to say: “Can I just remind the minister that that is unparliamentary language to use?”The equalities minister said: “For many years, many transgender people were living their lives peacefully, nobody had an issue.“It wasn’t until predators started exploiting the loopholes that we are having to tighten this.Ms Badenoch said action was needed to protect single-sex spaces because there are “more people who are predators than there are people who are trans”. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has been hit by a fresh headache on his flagship Rwanda bill, as senior Conservative on the left said they would join right-wing rebels in pushing the PM for changes ahead of an expected second vote in January.The embattled PM believed he could count on the support of Tory MPs in the moderate “One Nation” wing, as he fights to appease their rivals on the right who are demanding tougher deportation legislation.But, as No 10 prepares for crunch talks with the right-wingers over the Christmas break, senior Tory moderates told The Independent they are considering how to amend the bill in a bid to soften its impact.Tobias Ellwood said he wanted to explore ways to stop the bill “clashing with international law”. Fellow moderate Sir Robert Buckland confirmed that he was also considering how it might be “tweaked” to make it comply with global treaties.It comes as home secretary James Cleverly insisted that Tory rebels would not “kill the bill” in the new year – saying that the party was still “united” after the government survived a first hurdle vote in the Commons.Despite the PM’s relief in winning through on Tuesday night, 29 mostly right-wing Tory rebels defied the whips by abstaining. They have warned that they reserved the right to “kill the bill” when it returns next year.The One Nation caucus – which boasts around 100 MPs – agreed to back the bill – but its leading figures have stressed they will resist any amendments from the Tory right that risk the UK breaching the rule of law.James Cleverly rejected the idea rebel Tories could ‘kill the bill’ in January Damian Green, the One Nation wing’s chairman, said he hoped the “third reading would go through reasonably easily” so long as Mr Sunak and his team “stick to that [narrow] landing strip”.However, Mr Ellwood said he wanted to explore “improving” the bill. The senior moderate – who abstained on Tuesday night – said he was concerned the plan “could see us clashing with international law”.Mr Ellwood said he was uncomfortable with the push to stop the courts from having a say in deciding if Rwanda is safe, and giving ministers the power to overrule the Strasbourg court which oversees the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR).“We all have to look in the mirror and decide what we believe in,” the former foreign affairs committee chief told The Independent. “We will have to look at how we might finesse those aspects [in the bill], so it fits in with international law.”Sir Robert – the former justice secretary who is keen to avoid any breach of international law – suggested on LBC Radio that he would consider pushing to soften the bill.“If anything, it probably should be tweaked in the other direction, and if it was, I would think there are numbers within the House of Commons… and certainly the House of Lords, to amend the bill to make it legally more workable.”Warning Mr Sunak of the “battle” to come, Sir Robert suggested he could not back the bill if it was made more draconian. “I think there will be a problem from people like me, frankly,” he said. The ex-cabinet minister later confirmed he was considering amendments.Former justice secretary Robert Buckland said there would be support for moderate ‘tweaks’ to the bill On the other side, hardliner former home secretary Suella Braverman and her key ally ex-immigration minister Robert Jenrick, who quit last week, were among the high-profile Tories to abstain, despite being issued a three-line whip.The 40 or so leading right-wing MPs who attended meetings of the “five families” with European Research Group (ERG) chairman Mark Francois on Tuesday were said to be evenly split between abstaining or voting against.A Tory rebel source said: “This bill has been allowed to live another day. But without amendments it will be killed next month. It is now up to the government to decide what it wants to do.”Mr Jenrick told reporters on Wednesday that he still “hopes” that he can persuade Mr Sunak to make significant changes to the Rwanda bill.“The public expect us to secure our borders so I will always fight for that and I am pleased that it sounds as if there is a way forward where we can make the bill better,” said the hardliner, among those who abstained.Some Tory right-wingers claim that the 29 abstentions underestimate the number of potential rebels, unhappy with the bill, who could vote it down at the showdown third reading stage.Others think the Tory right is “all talk”, and that some who abstained will back the bill when it comes to the crunch. “This was the moment of maximum leverage for opponents of the bill and the government rightly told them to f*** off,” another senior Tory MP who backed the bill told the FT.Sunak and his team are facing crucial talks over the Christmas break Pressed on the push from the Tory right on the Rwanda bill, Mr Sunak’s official spokesman said: “We will have discussions with colleagues, we will listen to any suggestions on amendments.”The PM’s spokesperson did not deny that Mr Sunak could hold meetings with Tory rebels over the Christmas break, saying only that “discussions will continue”. There was no clarity on the timetable for the bill in January – but No 10 insisted the bill remained “urgent”.Put to him that the right-wingers would vote the bill down next year, Mr Cleverly told Sky News earlier: “I don’t agree.”Asked about the objections of Mr Francois and other rebels, he said: “I will talk to Mark and I’ll talk to others … to understand their thinking on this and try to harvest their ideas to make things better.”Sir Keir Starmer dubbed Mr Sunak a festive “donkey” as he used PMQs to mock Christmas party plans for the divided Tories. “They’ve obviously found the donkey for their nativity – the search for three wise men may take longer.”The Labour leader also went on to ridicule the “five families” plotting on the Tory backbenches, saying Mr Sunak’s MPs are “swirling around… pretending to be members of the mafia”.Conservative party is ‘united’ on making Rwanda bill work, home secretary insistsSir Keir challenged Tory MPs who have anonymously criticised Mr Sunak in the press to identify themselves. “Who was it who said he’s a really bad politician? Hands up.”Meanwhile, justice secretary Alex Chalk said any suggestions the Sunak government is behaving like a “dictatorship” with the bill are “a long way wide of the mark”.SNP MP Joanna Cherry KC put to him that parliament would be “usurping part of the judicial function” during his appearance at the human rights committee. Mr Chalk replied: “I think suggestions of a dictatorship are a long way wide of the mark.”Mr Ellwood warned Tory colleagues not to overstate the importance of the bill. “The Rwanda policy has been ramped up, where’s it become this totemic statement of success of migration. That’s unfortunate. We shouldn’t look sight of all the good things the prime minister has done in tackling [illegal] migration.”Right-wing Tory MP Philip Davies warned that the party could be “sleepwalking” into a Starmer government, if the infighting on Rwanda continues. He urged the Tory factions to get behind Mr Sunak and “turn our guns [on Labour] rather than on ourselves”. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe first minister of Wales Mark Drakeford has announced he is standing down as the country’s Labour leader – triggering a surprise winter contest to find his successor.The 69-year-old Labour politician, who has been Welsh leader since December 2018, said he hoped his replacement could be in place before Easter 2024.At a news conference in Cardiff, Mr Drakeford said he would remain as first minister until then “in the full sense of that job”.Mr Drakeford said he would continue to work “tirelessly” for a Labour government to “start repairing the huge damage which has been inflicted by the Tories over the last 13 years”.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer praised Mr Drakeford as a “true titan” of Welsh politics and his party, paying tribute to “an outstanding career”.Mr Drakeford has suffered a major slump in poll ratings, and has come under fire for recent policies including the widespread use of 20mph limits on Welsh roads.A YouGov poll of Welsh voters for ITV and Cardiff University earlier this month found his popularity is at an 18-month low – with 56 per cent believing he was doing a bad job.Mark Drakeford will remain in place until Easter 2024 Mr Drakeford was first elected to the Senedd, the Welsh Assembly, back in 2011 as the member for Cardiff West. He served in various ministerial roles from 2013 under the leadership of Carwyn Jones, before succeeding him as first minister in 2018.In a resignation statement posted to X, formerly Twitter, Mr Drakeford said he had vowed to stand down during the current term. “That time has now come.”He added: “It has been a great privilege to serve as leader of this party. Together, we have achieved a huge amount over the last five years in some of the toughest times we have known.”“Despite all the chaos in Westminster, the ongoing impact of Brexit, climate change and the pandemic, by working together, we have delivered record results for Welsh Labour in the local government and Senedd elections.Mr Drakeford added: “I will work tirelessly to secure that Labour victory and to continue delivering on the promises we made to people all across Wales in 2021 to deliver a stronger, fairer and greener Wales.”Sir Keir said the resigning Welsh leader had “set a clear standard for public service in UK politics – always putting others before himself”.The Labour said Mr Drakeford had delivered for Wales with “steely determination and quiet authority” against a backdrop of austerity, instability in Westminster and the Covid pandemic.“Above all, Mark is a kind and decent man, who lives his Labour values,” said Mr Starmer. “A proud Welshman, Wales too can be proud of Mark, for his fight for working people.He added: “He’s a true titan of Welsh and Labour politics. It has been a pleasure to work alongside him and we all wish him the very best for his retirement.”Rishi Sunak said he wished Mr Drakeford “all the best as he moves on from his many years of public service”, adding that the Tory government would “continue to work closely” with the administration in Wales.Tory chairman Richard Holden thanked Mr Drakeford “for his service” – but also attacked his leadership and said Labour’s “25 years of failure running Wales cannot be ignored”.He added: “With falling schools standards, blanket 20mph speed limits, and blocking meal deals in supermarkets, the Labour government in Wales have been focused on short-term soundbites.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe Government expects to have “robust mechanisms” in place to stop the spread of AI-powered disinformation before the next general election, the Technology Secretary has said.Michelle Donelan said the Government was working with social media companies on tools to combat AI-generated content which could be used as part of disinformation campaigns.Giving evidence to MPs on the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, Ms Donelan said the Government was “concerned” about the potential impact of AI being used to create deepfakes and other kinds of disinformation during an election campaign and was taking the issue “extremely seriously”.The UK is due to hold its next general election no later than January 2025.Nobody has a silver bullet answer on this topic, but this is something that the Government is taking extremely seriouslyMichelle Donelan – Technology SecretaryThe Secretary of State said the rise of generative AI – which can be used to create written, audio and video content – had “made it easier” for people to create “more sophisticated” misleading content and “amplifies an existing risk” around online disinformation.Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have all been the subject of manipulated images, video or audio in recent months that have been circulated online.Fact-checking charity Full Fact has warned that AI-generated content is reducing the public’s trust in everything they see online, and has called on the Government to put more funding into media literacy to help people better spot fake content.In response to the issue, Ms Donelan told MPs the UK was working with allies on its approach to the issue and was also “working very closely with leading tech companies” on potential solutions to combat it, including watermarking content that is AI-generated to identify it and stop it spreading further, as well as detection software capable of spotting content which has been AI-generated.The Technology Secretary said the work was being lead by Security Minister Tom Tugendhat and the Defending Democracy Taskforce, but that her department had “a seat at the table” for discussions on the issue.“What I can say is that we are working with social media companies to make sure that something would be in place relatively soon,” Ms Donelan told MPs.“I’m fully aware of the timeframes that we’re working to in this country, and the potential risks here as well.“Nobody has a silver bullet answer on this topic, but this is something that the Government is taking extremely seriously.“We’ve got work streams that are working apace and we’re working with our international counterparts as well, and we do have the Electoral Commission as well.“We are working to be able to deliver something with social media companies that will be effective in this space.“Do I expect that by the next general election we will have robust mechanisms in place that will be able to tackle these topics? Absolutely, yes.”In its annual review, published last month, the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre said that artificial intelligence posed a threat to elections, warning that the large language models (LLMs) used in generative AI software would almost certainly be used to generate fake content as part of disinformation campaigns to disrupt the democratic process. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailA Conservative cabinet minister took a swipe at David Cameron over his past support for closer ties with China in the latest sign of Tory infighting.Security minister Tom Tugendhat appeared to mock the changed stance by the foreign secretary – who once hailed a “golden era” of UK relations with Beijing while he was PM.Mr Tugendhat – one of the Tory party’s leading “hawks” on the Chinese government – re-posted a Foreign Office tweet showing Lord Cameron with Sebastien Lai.Mr Lai’s father is the leading Hong Kong dissent Jimmy Lai, a politician who has been detained by the Chinese authorities after the crackdown on the territory’s autonomy.Mr Tugendhat said on X, formerly known as Twitter: “I guess the golden era is over.”As Tory prime minister, Mr Cameron hailed a “golden era” of UK-China ties, and even took Chinese premier Xi Jinping for a pint at his local pub during a state visit.Lord Cameron was given a speedy peerage by Rishi Sunak as the PM brought the former leader back into government during a shock reshuffle last month.The foreign secretary now sits at the cabinet table with Mr Tugendhat, with who is supposed to work closely on security issues.David Cameron has defended his foreign policy as PM On the meeting with Mr Lai, the Foreign Office said Lord Cameron had met him “to listen to his concerns for his father, Jimmy Lai, detained in Hong Kong”.The department added: “The UK opposes the National Security Law and will continue to stand by Jimmy Lai and the people of HK [Hong Kong].”Earlier this month Lord Cameron said Britain would continue its engagement with China after speaking to his counterpart in Beijing for the first time in his new job.The foreign secretary said he and Wang Yi had spoken about their aim for “constructive” UK-Sino relations.Relations between the West and China have deteriorated dramatically in the years since Mr Cameron left No 10 in 2016.Lord Cameron has also acknowledged that the Asian power had become “much more aggressive, much more assertive” since he left No 10, while defending the foreign policy of his period in office.He insisted that engaging with China – a “fifth of humanity” – today was necessary to solve challenges such as climate change.Mr Sunak has insisted Lord Cameron’s shock political comeback will not mean the return of his golden era approach to Beijing. The PM described the pursuit of closer economic ties over the previous decade as “naive”.Some Tory MPs have pushed Mr Sunak to go further and brand China a “threat”, amid concerns about recent attempts to reduce tensions. More