Tag: News Story

STORY

Robert Jenrick has resigned as the Immigration Minister, saying that the emergency Rwanda legislation to deport immigrants doesn’t go far enough. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Jenrick wrote:

“In our discussions on the proposed emergency legislation you have moved towards my position, for which I am grateful. Nevertheless, I am unable to take the currently proposed legislation through the Commons as I do not believe it provides us with the best possible chance of success.”

He added:

“A Bill of the kind you are proposing is a triumph of hope over experience. The stakes for the country are too high for us not to pursue the stronger protections required to end the merry-go-round of legal challenges which risk paralysing the scheme and negating its intended deterrent.”

Pat McFadden, the Labour Party’s campaign spokesperson said:

“The British people deserve a government that will fix the issues that matter to working people, not a Tory circus of gimmicks and leadership posturing.”

STORY

Lee Anderson, the Vice-Chair of the Conservative Party, has said that the Government should break the law following the Supreme Court’s announcement that the policy is illegal. James Cleverly, the Home Secretary, confirmed in the House of Commons that Anderson was not speaking for the Conservative Party and that the Government would abide by the rule of law. Anderson has yet to comment or confirm if he had earlier believed that the Government had been intending to break the law by ignoring the court’s judgement.

RESOURCES

Supreme Court States Rwanda Plan is Illegal

Supreme Court Statement

STORY

The Supreme Court has judged that the Government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is unlawful. The five judges said that asylum seekers sent to the African country were in danger of having their claims wrongly assessed or being placed in danger. Downing Street has yet to comment on the decision, with the policy having been delivered by Suella Braverman, who was sacked as Home Secretary earlier this week.

RESOURCES

Text of Judgement

STORY

David Cameron, the former Prime Minister, has been appointed as the new Foreign Secretary in succession to James Cleverly, who has been appointed as the new Home Secretary. David Cameron, speaking on their differences, said:

“Though I may have disagreed with some individual decisions, it is clear to me that Rishi Sunak is a strong and capable Prime Minister, who is showing exemplary leadership at a difficult time. I want to help him to deliver the security and prosperity our country needs and be part of the strongest possible team that serves the United Kingdom and that can be presented to the country when the General Election is held.”

David Lammy, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, said:

“David Cameron was a disastrous PM. This is a last gasp act of desperation from a government devoid of talent and ideas. Amid international crisis, Sunak has chosen an unelected failure from the past who MPs cannot even hold to account.”

RESOURCES

David Lammy’s Comments on the Appointment

David Cameron’s Comments on his Appointment

NEWS STORY

A Downing Street spokesperson has confirmed that the Prime Minister’s Office had not cleared a controversial article which Suella Braverman wrote for The Times newspaper. The revelation may mean that Suella Braverman is in breach of the Ministerial Code which requires all major press releases to be agreed with the No. 10 press office. Braverman had resigned on 19 October 2022 during an earlier period as Home Secretary for a previous serious breach of the Ministerial Code, with Downing Street saying that there would be a further statement later today on the matter.

STORY

Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, has launched an attack on the policing of rallies which has led to calls for his resignation from the Labour Party. Writing in the Times newspaper, Braverman said:

“During Covid, why was it that lockdown objectors were given no quarter by public order police yet Black Lives Matters demonstrators were enabled, allowed to break rules and even greeted with officers taking the knee? Rightwing and nationalist protesters who engage in aggression are rightly met with a stern response yet pro-Palestinian mobs displaying almost identical behaviour are largely ignored, even when clearly breaking the law? I have spoken to serving and former police officers who have noted this double standard.

Football fans are even more vocal about the tough way they are policed as compared to politically connected minority groups who are favoured by the left. It may be that senior officers are more concerned with how much flak they are likely to get than whether this perceived unfairness alienates the majority. The government has a duty to take a broader view.”

Yvette Cooper, the Shadow Home Secretary, posted on Twitter:

“Suella Braverman is out of control. Her article tonight is a highly irresponsible, dangerous attempt to undermine respect for police at a sensitive time, to rip up operational independence & to inflame community tensions. No other Home Secretary of any party would ever do this. She’s deliberately seeking to stir up political division around Remembrance Day, a moment when the whole country can come together to pay our respects for sacrifices of the past. And at same time she’s deliberately undermining police ability to deal with problems she whips up”

David Lammy, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, posted on Twitter:

“Suella Braverman seeking to exploit the sensitivities of this moment, and an ignorance of Northern Ireland’s history, to inflame community tensions for her own leadership campaign is an appalling new low. Rishi Sunak must sack her. But he’s too weak.”

The Home Secretary appeared without support in the House of Commons following Labour’s urgent question, with just two MPs backing her, Theresa Villiers and Michael Ellis.

EXTERNAL NEWS LINKS

Times Newspaper

STORY

King Charles III has delivered the King’s Speech to members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons, making it the first King’s Speech to be made in over seventy years. The speech contains the Government’s programme for the next Parliament, with it likely being the last one before the General Election.

On environmental matters:

“Legislation will be introduced to strengthen the United Kingdom’s energy security and reduce reliance on volatile international energy markets and hostile foreign regimes. This Bill will support the future licensing of new oil and gas fields, helping the country to transition to net zero by 2050 without adding undue burdens on households.”

On education:

“My Ministers will strengthen education for the long term. Steps will be taken to ensure young people have the knowledge and skills to succeed, through the introduction of the Advanced British Standard that will bring technical and academic routes into a single qualification. Proposals will be implemented to reduce the number of young people studying poor quality university degrees and increase the number undertaking high quality apprenticeships.”

On the NHS:

“Working with NHS England, my Government will deliver its plans to cut waiting lists and transform the long-term workforce of the National Health Service. This will include delivering on the NHS workforce plan, the first long-term plan to train the doctors and nurses the country needs, and minimum service levels to prevent strikes from undermining patient safety. Record levels of investment are expanding and transforming mental health services to ensure more people can access the support they need. My Government will introduce legislation to create a smokefree generation by restricting the sale of tobacco so that children currently aged fourteen or younger can never be sold cigarettes, and restricting the sale and marketing of e-cigarettes to children.”

And on defence:

“My Government will continue to champion security around the world, to invest in our gallant Armed Forces and to support veterans to whom so much is owed. My Ministers will work closely with international partners to support Ukraine, strengthen NATO and address the most pressing security challenges. This includes the consequences of the barbaric acts of terrorism against the people of Israel, facilitating humanitarian support into Gaza and supporting the cause of peace and stability in the Middle East.”

RESOURCES

2023 King’s Speech

STORY

The Guardian newspaper has published a second day of stories about companies linked to Michelle Mone, who they claim did have links with PPE Medpro despite her denials. The Australian Government said that they were supplied with health equipment which couldn’t be used by a company called ABM, similar to the £122 million claim made against by PPE Medpro. The newspaper wrote:

“According to documents seen by the Guardian, two of ABM’s suppliers were Cyprus-registered companies named Neumer Holdings and Neumer Trading, which are owned by Ricky and Evan Neumann. The Neumer companies then paid a Hong Kong-based company, Eric Beare Associates, to source the majority of the PPE from Chinese factories. Neumer Trading and Eric Beare were also involved in sourcing the PPE for two UK government contracts worth a total of £203m awarded to PPE Medpro, the company with which Mone and her husband, Douglas Barrowman, were involved.”

The Guardian story notes:

“Australia’s Department of Health and Aged Care told the Guardian that of 50m face masks supplied to fulfil a government contract awarded to a small online retailer, Australian Business Mobiles (ABM), the overwhelming majority – 45.7m – were deemed unusable for its health service. A department spokesperson said five of seven manufacturers that supplied the masks were “deemed non-compliant with quality regulations”.

According to documents seen by the Guardian, two of ABM’s suppliers were Cyprus-registered companies named Neumer Holdings and Neumer Trading, which are owned by Ricky and Evan Neumann. The Neumer companies then paid a Hong Kong-based company, Eric Beare Associates, to source the majority of the PPE from Chinese factories. Neumer Trading and Eric Beare were also involved in sourcing the PPE for two UK government contracts worth a total of £203m awarded to PPE Medpro, the company with which Mone and her husband, Douglas Barrowman, were involved.”

RESOURCES

House of Lords Commissioners Statement on the Personal Conduct of Michelle Mone

News Story – Guardian Newspaper Publishes Further Allegations about the Personal Conduct of Michelle Mone

EXTERNAL NEWS LINKS

Guardian News Story

STORY

The Guardian Newspaper has alleged that Michelle Mone was involved with PPE Medpro despite her firm denials that she wasn’t, including using a solicitor to threaten the newspaper. Mone, who took leave from the House of Lords in December 2022 following a series of serious allegations about her personal conduct, has refused to comment on the latest allegations from the Guardian.

The Guardian reported on her and her husband Douglas Barrowman:

“A representative of Barrowman told the Guardian that the Isle of Man-based businessman was an investor in PPE Medpro, and chaired and led the operation to supply personal protective equipment. The admissions raise questions about years of denials from the couple. Until now, Mone and Barrowman have consistently and emphatically denied to the Guardian, via lawyers, that they were involved in the company.”

The Guardian was previously told by Mone’s solicitors that any allegation that Mone was involved with PPE Medpro was “inaccurate, misleading and defamatory”. Mone has refused to comment on the latest allegations, as the Government continues with a £122 million claim against the company for providing inadequate products. The National Crime Agency is also continuing its investigations into PPE Medpro.

RESOURCES

House of Lords Commissioners Statement on the Personal Conduct of Michelle Mone

EXTERNAL NEWS LINKS

Guardian News Story

STORY

Lee Anderson, the Deputy Chair of the Conservative Party, has apologised and paid compensation over comments he made on Twitter on 6 October 2023. He had alleged that Dr Tom Dolphin had boasted of being paid a large sum of money for a strike cover shift. In a statement, Anderson said:

“On October 6 2023 I shared a link on X to a MailOnline article entitled ‘Militant union leader at the heart of doctors strikes is a Labour activist who boasted of charging the NHS for a strike cover shift’. I accept that my words were misleading as the subject in question, Dr Tom Dolphin, was not on strike on the date of the shift in question but was simply covering a shift as a consultant for junior doctors who were on strike on August 11 2023.

I would like to offer my sincerest apologies to Dr Dolphin for any distress, upset caused. I will also like to add that I understand that Dr Dolphin actually donated his pay for the covered shift which I believe was £1,870 to the BMA strike fund and, whilst I do not agree with the strikes, I want to go on the record to say that I think it is a very unselfish act on the part of Dr Dolphin to put his money into something he strongly believes in. I will make the same contribution to compensate the upset I may have caused Dr Dolphin. Please repost.”

Responding to Anderson’s statement, Dolphin stated:

“A very gracious apology, thank you Lee Anderson. Thanks also for the donation. I hope it inspires others to donate to the strike fund as well.”

The BMA issued a statement noting:

“Doctors have been repeatedly misrepresented by the Government during this industrial dispute so it is good that these false claims about Dr Thomas Dolphin have now been corrected.”