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Chris Pincher, the Conservative MP for Tamworth, has announced that he intends to stand down from the House of Commons following the loss of his appeal against an eight week suspension over groping allegations. Pincher said that “I will make arrangements to resign and leave the Commons”, leaving the seat that he first won in 2010. The Conservative Party won the constituency at the 2019 General Election with a majority of 19,634.
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Gillian Keegan, the Education Secretary, has said following an interview that “does anyone ever say you’ve done a good job because everyone else has sat on their arse and done nothing? Any sign of that, no?” Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, has earlier denied responsibility for the crisis and stated that he made funding available when Chancellor of the Exchequer.
The BBC reported that Downing Street condemned the conduct of the Education Secretary, starting that she was “completely wrong”. Keegan has yet to issue a statement on the comments from Downing Street.
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Rishi Sunak Interview with Sky News on Concrete Crisis
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The BBC has reported that Simon Byrne, the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, has announced his resignation. He was appointed to the role in June 2019, but there have been a number of controversial events which have taken place in the force including a substantial data loss and two officers being unlawfully disciplined. Byrne had refused to stand down over recent days, but his resignation was accepted today following a meeting of the Policing Board.
Despite the recent challenges, Byrne has been praised by many for his commitment to policing in Northern Ireland. He has spoken out against sectarianism and violence, and since taking over the role, he has worked to build relationships between the PSNI and the communities that it serves. He has also been a vocal advocate for the rights of victims of crime. Byrne will leave the role on December 31, 2023.
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Angela Rayner, the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, will now also take on the role of Shadow Levelling Up Secretary, replacing Lisa Nandy who will now shadow International Development. Liz Kendall becomes the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary with Jonathan Ashworth, the previous holder of the role, becoming the Shadow Paymaster General. Thangam Debbonaire becomes the new Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, swapping roles with Lucy Powell, who becomes the Shadow Leader of the House. Jim McMahon, the Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, retired on health reasons and is replaced by Steve Reed.
Hilary Benn rejoins the Shadow Cabinet as the Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, replacing Peter Kyle, who becomes the Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology. Darren Jones becomes the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Shabana Mahmood becomes the Shadow Secretary of State for Justice. Sources close to Keir Starmer, the Labour Leader, have suggested that this will form the team that he intends to maintain in their roles until the General Election.
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A by-election will be held in the constituency of Mid-Bedfordshire following the resignation of Nadine Dorries. The vote will be held on 12 or 19 October, with the Government expected to confirm the exact timing imminently. Dorries took the unusual decision to refuse to resign until an explanation was given to her as to why she wasn’t elevated to the House of Lords, but following public pressure she submitted a formal resignation in late August. Dorries had represented the constituency from 2005 and at the last election there was a Conservative majority of 24,664.
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Grant Shapps has been appointed as the new Defence Secretary, replacing Ben Wallace who announced he was standing down from his role and from Parliament at the next General Election. Claire Coutinho, who was the Minister for Children, will take Shapps’s role of the Secretary of State for Energy Security.
Shapps said in a statement:
“I’m honoured to be appointed as Defence Secretary by Rishi Sunak. I’d like to pay tribute to the enormous contribution Ben Wallace has made to UK defence & global security over the last 4 years. As I get to work at DefenceHQ I am looking forward to working with the brave men and women of our Armed Forces who defend our nation’s security. And continuing the UK’s support for Ukraine in their fight against Putin’s barbaric invasion.”
John Healey, the Shadow Home Secretary, said:
“I congratulate Grant Shapps today. The first duty of any government is to keep our country safe & I will always work with the new Defence Secretary on this basis, especially on Ukraine. But after 13 years of Tory defence failures, a change at the top will not change this record.”
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Downing Street has confirmed that the Prime Minister used a helicopter to visit Norwich, despite the availability of a regular rail service from London to Norwich. A spokesperson for Downing Street said in a statement:
“The Prime Minister regularly uses all forms of travel. His travel plans will vary and are always decided with consideration to the most efficient and best use of his time, in the interests of the taxpayer.”
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Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, has met with Sheikh Mishal al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, the Crown Prince of Kuwait, at Downing Street. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister said that they discussed a new UK-Kuwait Investment Partnership as well as opportunities to partner in defence.
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Mark Harper, the Secretary of State for Transport, has apologised for the difficulties with air traffic control at the weekend which caused long delays to flights. He said that although the issue had been resolved promptly, there had been substantial delays and he pledged to ensure that there was no repeat of the incident.
Harper said:
“I echo the apology offered by NATS to everyone caught up in the disruption following yesterday’s technical issue with air traffic control. My priority continues to be making sure passengers get where they need to be as quickly as possible. I am grateful to airlines, airports and Border Force for the work being done to get passengers to their destinations and to provide support while they wait.
Airlines are clear about their responsibilities to their customers and I stand ready to provide further appropriate support from the government should the industry request it. Although the air traffic control system is back up and running, the knock-on effects of yesterday’s disruption are likely to continue over the coming days. Passengers due to travel should check with their airlines before heading to the airport.”
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James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, has confirmed that he will be attending the Women’s World Cup Final in Australia this weekend as Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, will be unable to make it. Lucy Frazer, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, will also be attending the final when England take on Spain. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister said that he would have liked to have attended, but his diary engagements meant that it wasn’t possible.