UK

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailA top Tory MP has defected to the Labour Party after claiming the Conservatives have become a “nationalist party of the right”.Dr Dan Poulter, the MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, who also works part-time as a mental health doctor in the NHS, said he would not stand at the next election but would join Labour until the vote, likely to be anytime between later this year and early 2025. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer welcomed Dr Poulter to the party, describing his defection as a “fantastic” boost to their attempts to unseat the Conservatives. “It’s fantastic to welcome Dr Dan Poulter MP to today’s changed Labour Party,” Sir Keir wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “It’s time to end the Conservative chaos, turn the page, and get Britain’s future back. I’m really pleased that Dan has decided to join us on this journey.”A Conservative Party spokesman said that Dr Poulter’s defection would be “disappointing” for his constituents.In an interview with the BBC, Dr Poulter said he could no longer look his NHS colleagues in the eye and remain a Conservative as the party was not focused on public services. “The difficulty for the Conservative Party is that the party I was elected into valued public services,” he said. “It had a compassionate view about supporting the more disadvantaged in society. “I think the Conservative Party today is a very different place.” He said his experiences over more than 20 night shifts over the last year in an overstretched A&E department had been “truly life changing”, adding that those experiences had persuaded him to defect. NHS A&E departments are suffering huge waiting times, according to the latest NHS data More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailHumza Yousaf has not ruled out a Holyrood election after writing to the leaders of Scotland’s political parties to seek “common ground” ahead of a crucial no confidence vote.It comes as the Alba Party, whose sole MSP Ash Regan could hold a vote key to Mr Yousaf’s future, were holding an emergency meeting to discuss the way forward.The first minister is attempting to build bridges with the other political leaders at Holyrood, inviting them to talks at his official residence. He hopes to hold separate meetings with each group at Bute House in Edinburgh to discuss how they can “contribute constructively”, while acknowledging that there are “strong feelings” about the upcoming confidence votes.Mr Yousaf sent letters to the Scottish Conservatives, Scottish Labour, the Scottish Greens, the Scottish Liberal Democrats, and the Alba Party on Friday night.Mr Yousaf terminated the power-sharing deal between the SNP and Scottish Greens on Thursday, leading to the smaller pro-independence party announcing it would back the motion of no confidence in his leadership.Mr Yousaf spoke to Sky News on Saturday, saying he hoped to hear from the other Holyrood leaders soon.It was put to Mr Yousaf that, given the lack of support from the Greens, Ms Regan could be crucial to his political survival.He said: “That would be really disappointing if that is the Greens’ position.”As I say, I’ve reached out to them, they are saying publicly that they’re going to support a Conservative motion against a First Minister, an independence government.”I think that would be, I think, a poor choice to make. So, of course, I have written to Ash Regan, as well. I look forward to speaking to her too.”The ruling body of the pro-independence Alba Party, which is led by former first minister Alex Salmond, is holding an emergency meeting over the weekend where Ms Regan will set out “the areas of importance to the people of Scotland that she will seek movement on”.Asked if there might be a Scottish election if he doesn’t win the vote, Mr Yousaf replied: “Can’t rule it out.”In his letters, Mr Yousaf emphasised that the Scottish Parliament has previous experience of minority administrations that had delivered benefits for “people, communities and businesses”.He said: “I recognise the strong feelings in relation to the confidence debate our parliament is set to have next week.”Notwithstanding that, I am writing to all Holyrood party groups to ask them to meet me next week, in separate meetings, to discuss their concerns and indeed priorities, in a hopefully constructive spirit.”The meetings at Bute House would “discuss matters and establish the scope for common ground”, he said.Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, who lodged a motion of no confidence in Mr Yousaf, suggested he is in little mood for compromise.Mr Ross said: “The only letter Humza Yousaf should be writing is one offering his resignation.”He says it’s important for the Scottish people, communities and businesses to have effective government as if he’s just discovered it, when he is the one who has ignored their priorities and failed to listen to concerns.”But given how much his views have changed in the last week, perhaps I’ll go along to Bute House, if there’s a possibility I can convince him to support my motion.”The Scottish Greens said they would respond formally to the First Minister in due course, but otherwise their position is unchanged.Scottish Green co-leader Patrick Harvie has said it is “pretty clear” Mr Yousaf will not be able to unite Holyrood – urging the SNP to consider finding a replacement for him.Leaders of the other parties have not yet issued responses to the letters.Speaking on Friday, Scottish Labour’s Anas Sarwar said: “I am more than happy to engage with people of all parties, but it is clear that Humza Yousaf is out of time.”On Saturday, Mr Yousaf’s former leadership rival Kate Forbes urged colleagues to back him in the upcoming votes of no confidence.Ms Forbes, who came second in the race to succeed Nicola Sturgeon last year, said recent events had been “an embarrassment for every parliamentarian in every party”.Amid the tight parliamentary arithmetic at Holyrood, the vote of Alba Party Holyrood leader – and former SNP MSP – Ms Regan could be crucial to Mr Yousaf’s political survival.In a BBC interview on Friday, Ms Regan said she had not spoken to Mr Yousaf since the leadership contest last year. She said she is still considering how to cast her vote.She said: “I think that potentially some of the things he said about me when I left to go to a different political party last year probably shows that it’s always wise to have that level of professional courtesy to people that you work with.”In October last year, Mr Yousaf said Ms Regan’s defection to Alba was “no great loss”.PA More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has pounced on claims that migrants are heading to Ireland from the UK over fears of being sent to Rwanda as evidence that his deportation plan is working – despite no flights having taken off. Deputy Irish premier Micheal Martin claimed on Friday there had been a rise in migrants crossing the border from Northern Ireland into the Republic over fears of being sent on a one-way flight to the east African nation under Mr Sunak’s flagship policy.The prime minister responded on Saturday claiming that this was evidence that the deterrent effect of the Rwanda plan was “already having an impact”. This is despite not a single flight having left for Rwanda since the plan was proposed more than two years ago.The legislation ensuring the plan is legally sound, the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act, cleared its passage through parliament this week and was signed into law on Thursday. But Mr Sunak acknowledged it could still take 10 to 12 weeks to get flights in the air, in a blow to his earlier target of the spring of this year.In an interview with Sky News’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, which will air in full on Sunday, the prime minister was challenged over whether the UK is simply exporting the problem.Mr Sunak said: “My focus is on the United Kingdom and securing our borders. But what [Mr Martin’s] comment illustrates is a couple of things.“One, that illegal migration is a global challenge, which is why you’re seeing multiple countries talk about doing third-country partnerships, looking at novel ways to solve this problem, and I believe will follow where the UK has led.“But what it also shows, I think, is that the deterrent is, according to your comment, already having an impact, because people are worried about coming here and that demonstrates exactly what I’m saying.“If people come to our country illegally, but know that they won’t be able to stay, they’re much less likely to come, and that’s why the Rwanda scheme is so important.”Migrants wave to a smuggler’s boat in an attempt to cross the English Channel, on the beach of Gravelines, near Dunkirk More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailGrant Shapps has warned agitating Tory MPs against ousting Rishi Sunak and said the prime minister should be left to “get on with the job” – amid speculation the PM could announce an election next week.The defence secretary said said Mr Sunak should be “given the space” to do his job. “He’s doing a great job, he’s doing it under difficult circumstances,” he said.“There was never an instruction book to get these difficult things [done] and actually steer us through a difficult course”.Multiple No 10 sources have played down claims that the prime minster may call an election as early as Monday, pointing to Mr Sunak’s repeated insistence that a vote will take place in the second half of this year.Speculation is mounting the PM will announce the election date on Monday More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe UK Home Office has asked civil servants to apply for jobs relocating them to Rwanda to help oversee their controversial deportation plan.The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill finally became an act of parliament on Thursday after months of pushback and debate.Campaigners have already called for the law, and other sweeping asylum reforms introduced by the government, to be repealed – warning they could cause a “system meltdown” costing the taxpayer billions of pounds.However, plans are being pushed ahead, with the Home Office reportedly advertising for people in the asylum decision-making team in the UK to move overseas.The move to Kigali is set to be as early as next month in order to offer assistance to Rwandan officials dealing with asylum claims, the i reported.The move to Kigali is set to be as early as next month More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email An aspiring challenger to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán renewed his calls for change Friday as he led a protest of several thousand people demanding a more robust child protection system and the resignation of Orbán’s government. The demonstrators gathered outside Hungary’s Interior Ministry in Budapest and called for its head, Sándor Pintér, to step down over what they see as his failure to prevent the sexual abuse of children in state-run institutions, a crime which has led to political upheaval in Hungary in recent months. Peter Magyar, a 43-year-old lawyer who has emerged as a new voice of opposition to Hungary’s right-wing government, took aim at Orbán’s portrayal of himself as a defender of families and traditional values, and called for genuine reforms to address child welfare.“We have a government that claims to be family friendly. It is a government that pretends to be Christian. A government that lies about being child-friendly. A government that lies about being pro-peace,” Magyar told the crowd. “The opposite is true. They lie in the morning, they lie at night, they lie everywhere they can.”The demonstration was the latest in a series of large anti-government protests that Magyar has mobilized in recent weeks, and comes as the political newcomer is campaigning for European Union elections this June with his new party, Respect and Freedom (TISZA). He has called for Orbán and his government to step down, and vowed to represent a third option for Hungarians disillusioned by both Orbán’s 14 years of governance and Hungary’s fragmented and ineffectual opposition parties. A one-time insider within Orbán’s Fidesz party and the ex-husband of former justice minister and Orbán ally Judit Varga, Magyar shot to prominence when he publicly accused the government of corruption and cronyism following a child sexual abuse scandal that led to the resignations in February of the president and justice minister. The scandal erupted after it was revealed that the former president, Katalin Novák, had issued a presidential pardon to a man convicted of trying to cover up child sexual abuse in a rural youth home. The case went to the heart of Orbán’s image as a Christian conservative who protects families and children from what he calls “LGBTQ propaganda.” Magyar on Friday said that Hungary’s child protection policies, which have been criticized for conflating homosexuality with pedophilia and abridging the rights of sexual minorities, have allowed abuses to go on unpunished, and demanded that Orbán apologize to the survivors of abuse in the orphanage. Hungary’s government has dismissed Magyar as an opportunist seeking a new career after he lost several positions in state companies following his divorce with the former justice minister. But his message has had wide appeal, and opinion polls showed that his new party is likely to gain seats in the European Parliament in June elections.László Horváth Etele, one of the demonstrators on Friday, said he sees Magyar as capable not only of mounting a real challenge to Orbán, but of disrupting the opposition parties that have been unable to unseat him in 14 years. “To be able to defeat the currently reigning government, this opposition needs to be changed. The current Hungarian opposition was only able to deliver a two-thirds majority for Fidesz,” he said. “I think that whoever loses so many times in a row should leave the field and give his place to new challengers who may have a chance.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe Conservatives are doomed to lose the election because voters will not forgive the behaviour of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, according to Britain’s top pollster.Professor Sir John Curtice said Mr Johnson’s No 10 lockdown parties and Ms Truss’s economic catastrophe have made it impossible for Rishi Sunak to cling on to power.The prime minister threw away his only hope of mending the electoral damage caused by Mr Johnson and Ms Truss when he failed to condemn their conduct sufficiently strongly, said Prof Curtice.John Curtice says Boris Johnson and Liz Truss ruined the Tories’ reputation More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailHumza Yousaf, Scotland’s first minister and the SNP leader, has spent little over a year in the job but could find himself ousted from office as he faces a no confidence vote following the collapse of his party’s power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens.The confidence motion was tabled after Mr Yousaf, who replaced the once dominant Nicola Sturgeon, ended the Bute House agreement, which saw the SNP and Greens cooperate on climate and other policies.With the Greens saying they will back the no confidence motion, it is unclear if Mr Yousaf can win the vote.Attention has focused on how Ash Regan, a former SNP minister and leadership candidate who lost to Mr Yousaf and then defected to Alex Salmond’s Alba Party after becoming “disillusioned” with the SNP’s “wavering commitment” to Scottish independence, will vote as the SNP has 63 MSPs, leaving Mr Yousaf one short of the minimum tally he needs to reach to win the vote.Alison Johnstone, the parliament’s Presiding Officer, traditionally does not vote. She would only cast a ballot if there was atie, and by convention the presiding officer uses their vote to support the status quo – so would back the first minister.What was the Bute House Agreement?After the May 2021 Scottish parliament election, the SNP – then led by Ms Sturgeon – emerged as the largest party but failed to win an overall majority.The Scottish Greens saw their best-ever result with eight MSPs, enough to give the two pro-independence parties a working majority at Holyrood.Negotiations began soon after the election and the deal cleared its final hurdle at the end of August 2021 when Green members voted to approve it – with 1,169 members (83 per cent) backing the deal, 234 voting against and nine abstaining.The Bute House Agreement takes its name from the first minister’s official residence in Edinburgh, where the draft deal was signed.Ms Sturgeon said the deal was a “historic” moment, and that Green co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater were “tough” negotiators.Humza Yousaf spoke to the media during a visit to a housing site in Dundee (Andrew Milligan/PA) More