STORY
An attack was made today on the British Library’s copy of the Magna Carta, with security staff who were unharmed managing to protect the document. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that two individuals have been arrested for the attack and the British Library confirmed that only minimal damage had been done to the glass casing of the document and that no members of the public or staff were injured.
STORY
Natatlie Elphicke, the MP for Dover, has defected to the Labour Party and launched a stinging attack on the Premiership of Rishi Sunak. Elphicke said in a statement:
“Rishi Sunak’s government is failing to keep our borders safe and secure. Lives are being lost in the English Channel while small boat arrivals are once again at record levels. It’s clear they have failed to keep our borders secure and cannot be trusted.”
Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Labour Party, said:
“What is the point of this failed government staggering on when the Tory MP for Dover on the frontline of the small boats crisis says the prime minister cannot be trusted with our borders and joins Labour?”
RESOURCES
STORY
Andy Street has been beaten in the West Midlands Mayoral elections by Labour’s Richard Parker, in a surprise result which puts pressure on Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister. Parker won by 1,508 votes, beating Street who had served in the role since 2017.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Swing |
| Labour | Richard Parker | 225590 | 37.8 | 1.8 |
| Conservative | Andy Street | 224082 | 37.5 | 1.2 |
| Independent | Akhmed Yakoob | 69621 | 11.7 | NaN |
| Reform UK | Elaine Williams | 34471 | 5.8 | 3.59 |
| Green | Siobhan Harper-Nunes | 31036 | 5.2 | 0.59 |
| Liberal Democrats | Sunny Virk | 12176 | 2 | 1.55 |
STORY
Conservative Ben Houchen has remained as the Mayor of Tees Valley, securing 81,930 against the 61,341 votes for Labour’s Chris McEwan. The victory for the Conservative was one of the few pieces of good news for Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, amidst a wave of losses across local councils. Labour secured a 16.5% swing from the Conservatives, with Houchen saying of his win:
“To be re-elected for a third term in my home, in my community, is absolutely the greatest honour”.
STORY
Chris Webb has won the Blackpool South by-election for the Labour Party, securing a 26.3% swing from the Conservative Party who won the seat at the 2019 General Election. The by-election was caused by the resignation of disgraced Scott Benton who was found guilty of a “very serious breach” of Parliamentary rules. Chris Webb won the seat with 10,825 votes with David Jones from the Conservatives securing 3,218 votes and Mark Butcher from Reform securing 3,101 votes.
STORY
Humza Yousaf has resigned as the leader of the SNP and as Scottish First Minister after ending a power sharing coalition with the Green Party. He apologised for “under-estimating” the hurt that he caused by bringing the power sharing coalition to an end, but said that it was a huge honour to have led Scotland.
STORY
Dan Poulter, the MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, has announced that he has defected from the Conservative Party to the Labour Party in a damaging move to the Prime Minister. Poulter, who also announced his intention to stand down at the General Election, said:
“I found it increasingly difficult to look my NHS colleagues in the eye, my patients in the eye, and my constituents in the eye with good conscience.”
Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Labour Party, said:
“It’s time to end the Conservative chaos, turn the page and get Britain’s future back.”
Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, has yet to respond.
STORY
Mark Menzies, the MP for Fylde, has been suspended from the Conservative Party following allegations of the misuse of money and inappropriate behaviour. He is also accused of asking a volunteer for money in order to pay people who had threatened to harm the MP. Menzies denied the allegations and the Conservative Party have said that they have launched an investigation. Menzies had represented the constituency since 2010 and was acting as a Government trade envoy to Colombia, Chile, Peru and Argentina, although he was suspended from this position earlier today.
Menzies said in a statement:
“I strongly dispute the allegations put to me. I have fully complied with all the rules for declarations. As there is an investigation ongoing I will not be commenting further.”
Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, called on the Prime Minister to launch a police investigation into the allegations.
RESOURCES
STORY
The Government had suggested that under-funding in the road network has led to £8.3 billion needing to be transferred from the rail infra-structure investment, saying car owners may now save “£440 on vehicle repairs” due to the number of potholes. Mark Harper, the Transport Secretary, said:
“We’re on the side of drivers, which is why this government is getting on with delivering our plan to invest an additional £8.3 billion in the biggest ever funding increase for local road improvements, made possible by reallocated HS2 funding.”
Andy Street, the Conservative Mayor of the West Midlands, said that the HS2 cutback was challenging from the region and said earlier in the year that “to do nothing is not an option”. Street said following the announcement that HS2 would be scrapped that:
“HS2 was about uniting the nation by building a transport spine connecting its major cities, a totemic project linking and levelling up communities at the same time. It was about delivering for the Northern Powerhouse and creating a more balanced national economy. It was about thinking big, showing ambition and building something for future generations.”
STORY
David Smith, the former Managing Director of the Post Office, has apologised for saying that the imprisonment of Seema Mistra, an innocent victim of the Project Horizon scandal, was “brilliant news”. Smith, answering questions at the Horizon IT inquiry made an allegation that Paula Vennells told him that the IT system was “tamper proof”. Smith also accepted responsibility for not reflecting on the growing scandal “in the way that I have should have done”. Smith almost admitting under questioning that he was not aware of important information reaching him and he couldn’t explain why that was.
The Post Office Horizon scandal is widely considered one of the UK’s largest miscarriages of justice. Horizon, an accounting system installed in Post Offices branches starting in 1999, displayed significant errors which led to shortfalls in accounts, for which subpostmasters were held personally liable. The Post Office aggressively pursued these subpostmasters, resulting in prosecutions, bankruptcy, imprisonment, and even suicides. Despite subpostmasters’ claims that the system was flawed, the Post Office maintained Horizon was robust. It took years of legal battles before the courts determined Horizon was riddled with bugs with the scandal leading to the establishment of the independent Horizon Inquiry.
RESOURCES