The comments made by Chris Bryant, the Labour MP for the Rhondda, on Twitter on 20 October 2022.
Problems with Johnson.
1. Privileges investigation
2. His poll ratings with public rather than Tories
3. Ministers who resigned can hardly support him
4. Pincher
5. Adviser on ministerial code
6. He makes unforced errors time and again
7. He lies and can’t help it
The comments made by Douglas Ross, the Conservative MP for Moray, on Twitter on 20 October 2022.
I wish Liz Truss and her family well. She has made a tough choice but it is the right decision.
We must now move forward quickly and the new Leader and Prime Minister will have to restore stability for the good of the country.
![PRESS RELEASE : New Welsh Language Commissioner announced [October 2022]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/welshgovernment.png)
The press release issued by the Welsh Government on 20 October 2022.
The First Minister has announced the appointment of Efa Gruffudd Jones as Welsh Language Commissioner.
She will take up the position in January 2023, taking over the role from the late Aled Roberts.
The Commissioner has an important role to play in increasing the provision of services in Welsh and the use of the language and upholding the rights of Welsh speakers.
Efa Gruffudd Jones is currently the chief executive of the National Centre for Learning Welsh. The centre is responsible for all aspects of learning Welsh from the curriculum and course development to resources for tutors, research, marketing and digital learning.
An independent selection panel recommended that Efa has the skills, experiences, and credibility to be appointed Welsh Language Commissioner. This view was endorsed by the Senedd’s Culture, Communications, Welsh language, Sport and International Relations Committee.
First Minister Mark Drakeford said:
I congratulate Efa on her appointment as the Welsh Language Commissioner. The language has been central to Efa’s career – both as chief executive of the National Centre for Learning Welsh and as chief executive of the Urdd.
She comes to the post with years of experience of working for the benefit of the Welsh language and of working with Welsh speakers and learners across Wales.
Minister for Education and the Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles said:
I am delighted to welcome Efa to her new role as Welsh Language Commissioner. We have ambitious aims to increase not only the number of Welsh speakers but also the everyday use of Welsh.
The Commissioner’s role in working to increase the use of Welsh and Welsh language services is an important part of us achieving this target, and I look forward to working closely with Efa on this.
Efa Gruffudd Jones said:
It will be a privilege to be the Welsh Language Commissioner, and an honour to follow in Aled Roberts’ footsteps. I want to see a Wales where people can enjoy using Welsh every day. I look forward to doing all I can to ensure that the Welsh language, our national treasure, belongs to all.
![PRESS RELEASE : £65 million support for drugs services in Scotland [20 October 2022]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/scottishgovernment.png)
The press release issued by the Scottish Government on 20 October 2022.
Frontline and third sector organisations invited to apply.
Drug support services are benefitting from a £65 million boost to drive down the number of drug deaths each year.
Life-saving organisations which help people who use drugs turn their lives around and offer support to their families are invited to apply for this Government funding which will help people on their road to recovery.
The cash will go to initiatives like Aberdeen Alcohol and Drugs Action which was given almost half a million pounds earlier this year to deliver a “Sharp Response Service” to people in their homes, ensuring they were given immediate access to advice and support to help them get back on track.
The money, from the additional £250 million national mission funding, is being channelled through the Local Support Fund which is open all year round and two further funding pots, which are reopening today (20 October) – the Improvement Fund for organisations delivering residential rehabilitation and associated services and the Children and Families Fund which gives financial help to those working with the loved ones of those affected. All funds are administered through the CORRA Foundation, a charity which aims to make grants available to projects which make a difference to people and communities.
Drugs Policy Minister Angela Constance said:
“The number of lives lost to drugs is still too high in Scotland and these funds are vital for those services working on the frontline to help those affected and their families.
“These organisations save lives and we want to support them so they can extend as far into their communities as possible and offer people the support they need when and where they need it.
“£65 million of the additional £250 million set aside for the national mission on drug deaths over the course of this Parliament will go directly to these funds and we are determined to make every penny count.”
Aberdeen Alcohol and Drugs Action Service Manager Simon Pringle said:
“The Drug Improvement Fund has allowed ADA to offer a more flexible service to clients who find accessing mainstream or statutory services – including treatment – difficult.
“Since receiving the funding we have offered help to over 150 individuals helping them access support, engage with NHS Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), re-engage with services and receive sterile injecting equipment.
“We have been able to target those most at risk and see them quickly – usually the same day – therefore reducing the risks of overdose or other harms. Without the fund we wouldn’t have been able to achieve this.”
![PRESS RELEASE : General Secretary Mick Lynch has written to Transport Secretary Anne Marie Trevelyan [October 2022]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/rmt.png)
The press release issued by the RMT on 7 October 2022.
General Secretary Mick Lynch has written to Transport Secretary Anne Marie Trevelyan, urging the government to unshackle the railway companies and allow a negotiated settlement to be reached.
Over 40,000 railway workers will take an eighth day of strike action in an on-going national rail dispute with Network Rail and 14 train operating companies.
In the letter, Mr Lynch acknowledged the comments made by the Transport Secretary at the Tory conference that there was a “deal to be done.”
But said that it was a major problem for the government to be paying over £100m to train operators to cover the costs of the dispute.
Mr Lynch wrote:
“I am writing following your comments at the Conservative Party Conference last weekend in which you said that there is a ‘deal to be done’ between the rail unions and train companies in relation to the ongoing industrial disputes.
“I am also hopeful that a negotiated settlement between the RMT and the employers can be reached. However, for this to be achieved, your Government must unshackle the train operators who currently take their mandate directly from yourself.
“Furthermore, your Government continues to pay the Train Operating Companies, covering the cost of the dispute at taxpayers’ expense on condition that the train operators hand over control of the dispute and your Department agrees their ‘dispute handling plans’. This means there is essentially no imperative on the train companies to reach a meaningful settlement with RMT.
“We estimate that the cost of this policy to the taxpayer is now in the region of £170 million.
“Rather than using taxpayers’ money to cover the cost of this dispute, it would be far better if you were to unshackle the train operators and give them the remit to negotiate a settlement with the RMT that meets our members’ aspirations around job security, pay and working conditions.”
![PRESS RELEASE : Announces the introduction of the Transport Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill [October 2022]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/transport.png)
The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 20 October 2022.
The government is today (20 October 2022) introducing the Transport Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill. This meets the Prime Minister’s commitment to introduce this bill within her first 30 days of Parliament sitting and delivers on a commitment in the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto.
The bill paves the way for the introduction of minimum levels of service on transport services, like those already seen in other countries including France and Spain. The bill will ensure that specified transport services – which could include, for example, rail, tubes and buses – will not completely shut down when unions impose strikes.
This bill will balance the right to strike with ensuring commuters can get to their place of work and people can continue to make vital journeys to access education and healthcare during strikes. The bill sets out the legal framework for establishing minimum service levels. It will allow relevant employers and trade unions to negotiate and reach agreement between themselves on minimum service levels referred to as minimum service agreements (MSAs), provide for circumstances in which the MSA can be changed and include enforcement arrangements to ensure parties follow due process in their negotiations.
The bill also provides for an independent determination process should employers and unions fail to reach agreement on an appropriate minimum service level after 3 months, whereby if an agreement has not been reached the Central Arbitration Committee will determine the minimum service level.
The bill also includes a power for the Secretary of State to set interim minimum service levels by regulations which will apply where neither an MSA has been agreed nor an independent determination reached. These regulations will also be consulted upon and will need to be agreed by both Houses of Parliament before they are made.
Under the bill there will also have to be a minimum 3-month gap between these regulations being made and their coming into force. The specific details of how minimum service levels would apply to transport services will be set out in secondary legislation following appropriate consultation. A minimum service level would only be applied to an individual transport service once that secondary legislation has been agreed by Parliament.
The provisions of the bill extend and apply to England, Wales and Scotland. The bill’s provisions relate to the reserved matter of employment rights and duties and industrial relations, and the subject matter of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, and do not engage the legislative consent process.
The comments made by Johnny Mercer, the Conservative MP for Plymouth Moor View, on Twitter on 20 October 2022.
On one level I’m relived. On another this is a deeply personal human tragedy that is awful to watch. Liz isn’t a bad person – quite the reverse.
But this requires a total change from those who facilitated her because it was best for them, and not the Nation.
Time to get serious.
The comments made by Steve Baker, the Conservative MP for Wycombe, on Twitter on 20 October 2022.
Whatever the outcome of this contest, every Conservative MP must accept the result and back the new Prime Minister.
The comments made by John Redwood, the Conservative MP for Wokingham, on Twitter on 20 October 2022.
The PM was wrong to accept the Home Secretary’s resignation. She had the legal expertise and the determination to control our borders to enforce a fair immigration policy.
The comments made by Michael Fabricant, the Conservative MP for Lichfield, on Twitter on 20 October 2022.
To be clear: he [Boris Johnson] may not be the 1st choice of MPs (I may be wrong) but he most certainly is amongst the membership. He’s a #winner and the only MP with legitimacy having been overwhelmingly elected by the country. Without him calls for a General Election will grow.