Category: News Story

STORY

Jan Thompson has been announced as the next Ambassador to Norway in succession to Richard Wood. Her previous role was as the Deputy High Commissioner in New Delhi and she will take up her new role in April 2023.

RESOURCES

Foreign Office Press Release

Foreign Office Page about Jan Thompson

Jan Thompson’s Twitter Page

STORY

Katy Ransome has been appointed as the Ambassador to the Republic of Mali, replacing Barry Lowen who is transferring to another role within the Diplomatic Service.

RESOURCES

Foreign Office Press Release

Katy Ransome’s Twitter Account

GOV.UK Page for Katy Ransome

STORY

Andrew Bridgen, the MP for North West Leicestershire, has had the Conservative whip removed after a series of comments about the vaccine not being effective. Referencing some of the comments made by Bridgen, the Conservative Party chief whip Simon Hart said “Andrew Bridgen has crossed a line, causing great offence in the process”.

RESOURCES

Statement by Simon Hart, Chief Whip, on the Suspension

Andrew Bridgen’s 2022 Speech on the Potential Harms of Vaccines

Andrew Bridgen’s 2021 Speech on Covid Restrictions

Andrew Bridgen’s Twitter Account

EXTERNAL NEWS LINKS

Guardian News Story

STORY

Samantha Dixon, the newly elected Labour MP for City of Chester, has made her maiden speech in the House of Commons during the Procurement Bill debate. As is traditional for a maiden speech, she gave a background to her constituency and also paid tribute to her predecessors. She concluded her speech saying:

“Chester was a pioneer for social value in that, 21 years ago, our city became the very first Fairtrade city in the country. I am proud that in our city we live and breathe the principles of social value. Most importantly, I am honoured to have been elected to serve the people of Chester, and I will work hard for them every day. I have lived in Chester for nearly all of my life. It is where my home is and where my heart is. I want the very best for my city, and I promise that this Chester woman will be a determined and dedicated public servant for those who voted for me and for those who did not. I will be an MP for all the people of Chester. I look forward to serving them here in this place.”

RESOURCES

Maiden Speech

News Story – Samantha Dixon wins by-election

City of Chester

EXTERNAL NEWS LINKS

Chester Standard News Article

STORY

James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, is visiting Northern Ireland today to meet political leaders to discuss the future of the Northern Ireland Protocol. The British Government has claimed that the Northern Ireland Protocol arrangements that they had agreed with the European Union as part of the Brexit deal are not working and there is a need to update the agreement. Cleverly is expected to meet leaders from all the main parties in the Province to discuss how to progress the situation.

RESOURCES

Government Press Release on the Visit

Northern Ireland Office Press Release

Jeffrey Donaldson Claiming Northern Ireland Protocol Destroyed Cross-Community Balance

Kevin Brennan – Parliamentary Question on Solving Problems with Protocol

Doug Beattie – Comments on the Northern Ireland Protocol

Diane Dodds – Comments on the Northern Ireland Protocol

Caoimhe Archibald – Comments on the Northern Ireland Protocol

Michael Ellis – Speech on the Northern Ireland Protocol

Peter Kyle – Speech on the Northern Ireland Protocol

Brandon Lewis – Speech on the Northern Ireland Protocol

EXTERNAL NEWS LINKS

RTE News Story

STORY

Claire Perry O’Neill, the former Conservative MP for Devizes and Climate Minister, has expressed support for Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, in an article for The Times. Perry O’Neill, who left the Conservative Party at the end of 2022, said in the article that “my former party’s often cavalier approach to business and academia coupled with a post-Brexit reluctance to strategically engage with our European neighbours has damaged our ability to deliver the energy system we need”. She ended the article noting that “building a low-carbon, secure, affordable energy system for the UK is an immense challenge that needs sober, fact-driven, competent political leadership. I sense that is exactly what we will get should Labour win the next general election”.

RESOURCES

Extracts from Article

Speeches by Claire Perry O’Neill

EXTERNAL NEWS LINKS

Full article in The Times

Guardian News Story

STORY

The Government has confirmed that it requires longer to make a decision on whether to approve the A47 Wansford to Sutton dualling. The Department for Transport was required to issue a decision by 11 January 2023 but Huw Merriman, the Minister of State at the department, said in a Commons statement that it was being delayed “to allow for further consultation on a number of outstanding issues and to allow sufficient time for the analysis of responses to the consultation”.

RESOURCES

Statement made by Huw Merriman

EXTERNAL NEWS LINKS

Timeline from the Planning Inspectorate

National Highways Information Page on Work

Highways England Information Sheet on the Project from Autumn 2020

STORY

Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, has made a keynote speech on his plans for what the Labour party would do if elected into Government. Using and repurposing a slogan from the Brexit referendum campaign, Starmer said that his Government would “take back control” saying that “the control people want is control over their lives and their community”. The Labour leader also worked with the theme that his party would make decisions for the long-term benefit of the country and not what he called the Conservative’s “sticking plaster politics”.

RESOURCES

Keir Starmer’s Speech

EXTERNAL NEWS LINKS

BBC News Story

STORY

Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, has made a keynote speech on the future of Britain, referencing his plans to extend the teaching of maths and also commenting on the current problems in the NHS. Speaking early on in his speech about the NHS, the Prime Minister said that he was taking action by “increasing bed capacity by 7,000 more hospital beds and more people cared for at home and providing new funding to discharge people into social care and the community, freeing up beds”.

On education, Sunak said that he expected every child to study some maths under the age of 18, an increase from the half of 16 to 19 year olds who currently study the subject. The Prime Minister also said that he wanted to roll out the ‘Family Hubs’ project to support parents, saying that “I believe deeply that family – not just government – can help us answer the profound questions we face as a country”.

Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Labour Party, has yet to comment on the speech, but Jeremy Corbyn, the former Leader of the Labour posted on Twitter:

“If Rishi Sunak wanted to reform our education system, he would give teachers a decent pay rise, end the privatisation of our universities, and create a National Education Service to provide free lifelong learning for all.”

The Green Party issued a statement saying:

“Here’s a sum for the Prime Minister – Lack of action on climate change ➕ Spiralling cost of living ➕ Underfunded public services ? Broken Tory Britain”

RESOURCES

Text of speech

Press Release from Downing Street on Prime Minister’s Top Five Priorities

EXTERNAL NEWS LINKS

Guardian News Story

Telegraph News Story

STORY

Viscount Younger of Leckie (in photo) has moved from his role as a Lords whip to become a Parliamentary under Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions following the departure from government of Baroness Stedman–Scott. The new Lords whip will be Lord Evans of Rainow.

Viscount Younger’s roles will include responsibilities for:

– spokesperson for DWP business in the House of Lords
– child maintenance and family test
– parental conflict
– bereavement benefits
– maternity benefits
– coordination of departmental legislation
– Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) relationship management
– departmental business, including oversight of:
– departmental capability in commercial and digital affairs
– commercial contracting policy
– resourcing and estates
– transparency and data-sharing issues
– research and trialling

Lord Younger was elected as a hereditary peer in 2010 and served as a party whip before joining the Government in 2012. Lord Younger was a Lord in Waiting from June 2012 until January 2013 and served as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Intellectual Property at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills from January 2013 until July 2014. He was also Lords spokesperson for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport from September 2012 until January 2013, and Lords spokesperson on higher education business from July 2016 to July 2019. He was educated at Cargilfield School, Edinburgh and Winchester College. He read medieval history at the University of St Andrews and holds an MBA from Henley Management College.

RESOURCES

Press Release detailing Ministerial Changes