Category: News Story

STORY

A protest has taken place yesterday evening outside an asylum-seeker hotel in Knowsley, Merseyside, England which turned violent. A police van was set on fire and destroyed, with three people being arrested on suspicion of violent disorder.

Clare Moseley, the founder of refugee charity Care4Calais, was among the people from pro-migrant groups who went to the Suites Hotel in Knowsley to oppose the anti-migrant protesters who were gathering. She said that the situation became like a war zone, with residents at the hotel having come from extreme conditions overseas and being terrified by what was taking place. There is a suggestion that the demonstration was triggered by a rumour that had been shared on social media. The local police condemned the incident, with Paul White, the Assistant Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, saying:

“We will always respect the right to protest when these are peaceful, but the scenes tonight were completely unacceptable, putting those present, our officers and the wider community in danger. Thankfully we have not had any serious injuries reported up to this point, but for officers and police vehicles to be damaged in the course of their duty protecting the public is disgraceful”.

George Howarth, the local Labour MP, said:

“The people of Knowsley are not bigots and are welcoming to people escaping from some of the most dangerous places in the world in search of a place of safety”.

RESOURCES

Statement by George Howarth

Statement by Merseyside Police

George Howarth

STORY

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a Conservative politician and former leader of the party, is part of a cross-party group of MPs who are putting pressure on the UK government to cancel the planned visit of the governor of Xinjiang, Erkin Tuniyaz. The governor has been accused of human rights violations in the region and his visit has been opposed by a number of campaign groups.

In a letter addressed to the Attorney General, Sir Iain has requested the governor’s arrest if he visits the UK, arguing that the visit would risk becoming a propaganda win for the Chinese government. The UK government has defended their stance on holding talks with the governor, despite the allegations of rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. The visit is expected to occur next week despite numerous MPs speaking against this in the House of Commons.

Speaking for the Government, the Minister Leo Docherty said in the Commons:

“China’s actions in Xinjiang are abhorrent and we will not legitimise them in any way. However, robust engagement to challenge human rights violations and to stand up for the rights of the oppressed is at the core of the UK’s diplomatic work around the world. We must be prepared to use diplomatic channels to achieve that end, hence officials would be prepared to offer him a meeting”.

Duncan Smith replied:

“I find that response from my hon. Friend, for whom I have the highest respect, to be a very weak turn from the Foreign Office. The Uyghur region in north-west China has been the site of severe human rights violations, crimes against humanity and genocide for more than six years. In 2017, satellite imagery confirmed that a network of internment camps had been set up throughout the region. Throughout this time, Erkin Tuniyaz has been responsible for the murderous and repressive policy, alongside its architect, Chen Quango”.

RESOURCES

Iain Duncan Smith’s Speech in the House of Commons

Minister Leo Docherty’s Speech in the House of Commons

Brendan O’Hara’s Speech in the House of Commons

Catherine West’s Speech in the House of Commons

Alicia Kearn’s Speech in the House of Commons

EXTERNAL NEWS LINKS

Guardian News Story

STORY

Ashley Dalton has won the West Lancashire by-election for the Labour Party, with a 10.5% swing from the Conservative Party. The by-election was held following Labour’s Rosie Cooper standing down to become the Chair of Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust. She secured 14,068 votes, a majority of 8,326 over the Conservative candidate Mike Prendergast.

Following her victory Dalton said:

“Tonight the people of West Lancashire constituency have spoken on behalf of the country. They’ve sent a message to this Conservative government: they do not have confidence in them to govern or the prime minister to lead. The people of Lancashire have put their trust in Keir Starmer’s Labour. We’ve provided hope, a hope that we can build a better Britain, which means a better Lancashire”.

RESOURCES

West Lancashire Constituency Result

News Story – Rosie Cooper Stands Down

Rosie Cooper’s 2022 Statement Standing Down as MP

EXTERNAL NEWS LINKS

Ashley Dalton’s Twitter Account

Mike Prendergast’s Twitter Account

STORY

Ben Wallace, the UK Defence Secretary, has announced that there will be no immediate transfer of military jet fighters to Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, has asked the British Government to supply aircraft in advance of an expected fresh assault on his country from Russia. Wallace said that he didn’t rule out the transfer of jet fighters in the future, but said that in the short-term he would look at providing other forms of air cover to Ukraine.

The UK had previously declined to send jets, but had said this week that it was reviewing this situation. The Russian Embassy to the UK has already warned against any attempt to send fighter jets to Ukraine, saying that it would risk escalating the situation.

Speaking the previous day in Westminster Hall, Zelenskyy had said:

“I am proud of our air force. And I brought a present from them to you, Great Britain. Open, please. I will explain. It’s the helmet of a real Ukrainian pilot. He is one of our most successful aces. He is one of our kings. And the writing on the helmet reads: “We have freedom. Give us wings to protect it.” I trust this symbol will help us form our next coalition – coalition of the planes. I appeal to you and the world with simple and yet most important words: Combat aircrafts – for Ukraine! Wings – for freedom!”

RESOURCES

Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Speech at Westminster Hall

Speeches made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy

STORY

Jared O’Mara, the former Labour MP for Sheffield Hallam, who was found guilty earlier this week for fraud has today been sentenced to four years imprisonment. O’Mara, who attempted to steal £52,000 from the tax-payer, was convicted of six counts of fraud with Judge Tom Bayliss saying:

“You must have realised early on that you were wholly unsuited to the role, but you carried on regardless, you brazened it out; drawing a salary, but doing little or no parliamentary work”.

The Judge added before sentencing:

“You are here because you abused your position to commit fraud and you have shown not the slightest degree of remorse in respect of that”.

RESOURCES

News Story of Jared O’Mara Being Found Guilty

Sheffield Hallam

Jared O’Mara’s Maiden Speech in the House of Commons

Speeches by Jared O’Mara

STORY

Lee Anderson, the Deputy Chair of the Conservative Party has called for the reintroduction of capital punishment in an interview with the Spectator Magazine. In the interview he said:

‘Yes. Nobody has ever committed a crime after being executed. You know that, don’t you? 100 per cent success rate.’

Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, was a form of punishment in the United Kingdom criminal justice system up until 1965. The death penalty was abolished for murder in 1965, and for all remaining capital crimes in 1969 (in 1973 in Northern Ireland). The last execution in the UK took place on August 13, 1964, when Peter Allen and Gwynne Evans were hanged for the murder of John Alan West. The death penalty remained on the statue books for treason until 1998 and it was prohibited by UK’s membership of the European Convention on Human Rights.

A spokesperson for the Conservative Party said that the party had no plans to re-introduce capital punishment and that Anderson was speaking in a personal capacity.

RESOURCES

Comments Made by Lee Anderson on Capital Punishment

Speeches made by Lee Anderson

Contact Lee Anderson

EXTERNAL NEWS LINKS

Spectator News Article

STORY

Jared O’Mara, the former Labour MP for Sheffield Hallam, has been found guilty of six counts of expenses fraud at a trial in Leeds. The allegations of fraud relating to his period as an MP between 2017 and 2019 when he submitted fake invoices to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA). O’Mara had denied the claims with his co-defendant Gareth Arnold also being found guilty, although another defendant John Woodliff was found not guilty of charges against him. The sentence will be announced on Thursday.

RESOURCES

Sheffield Hallam

Jared O’Mara’s Maiden Speech in the House of Commons

Speeches by Jared O’Mara

STORY

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, has visited the UK for the first time since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He met with Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, and will later meet the King before speaking to Parliament. He is also expected to meet Ukrainian troops who are currently undergoing weapons training led by the British army.

RESOURCES

Press Release from Downing Street

Speeches by Volodymyr Zelenskky

EXTERNAL NEWS LINKS

Guardian News Story

STORY

The HM Treasury and the Bank of England have announced that they are currently considering plans to develop a digital pound or central bank digital currency (CBDC). The digital pound would be a currency that does not exist as physical money in the form of notes or coins, but instead exists in the form of an amount on a computer. The Bank of England and the Treasury are designing the digital pound, which will be launched in the second part of this decade. The Treasury and the Bank of England stressed that one digital pound would equate to the same value as one physical pound coin and that there would be no divergence in their values.

The Bank of England said in a statement:

“The money we issue as the UK’s central bank is the anchor of confidence in our monetary system. This type of money supports the UK’s monetary and financial stability. Today, banknotes are the only type of money we provide for the public to use. Having a digital pound could help us to keep providing this anchor for the UK”.

They added that there were no plans to stop issuing cash:

“Cash is also very important to ensure people are able to exchange one type of money for another. For example, you can withdraw the money you have in a bank account as banknotes at a cash machine. This is known as ‘uniformity’ of money. Having a digital pound could help us to keep this uniformity in a future where the majority of payments are digital”.

RESOURCES

Treasury and Bank of England Press Release

EXTERNAL NEWS LINKS

Government Consultation on the Digital Pound

Bank of England Resources on the Digital Pound

STORY

Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, has appointed Greg Hands to replace Nadhim Zahawi who was sacked for breaching the Ministerial Code. Greg Hands is the Conservative MP for Chelsea and Fulham, a constituency that he has represented since 2005. Hands posted on Twitter about his new appointment:

“I am excited to be asked by Rishi Sunak to be Chairman of the Conservative Party. I joined the Party in 1986 – a ward chairman in 1992, a councillor in 1998, a Group Leader in 1999, an MP in 2005, a Minister in 2011 – an honour to chair it in 2023!”

RESOURCES

Greg Hands’s Comments on Twitter

Speeches Made by Greg Hands

2005 Maiden Speech

Contact Greg Hands

News Story on Nadhim Zahawi

Chelsea and Fulham Constituency

EXTERNAL NEWS LINKS

Guardian News Story