The UK newspaper front pages cover a tumultuous day in politics with accusations of bullying in the Commons and the home secretary’s resignation
A highly chaotic day in parliament and the resignation of home secretary Suella Braverman dominate UK front pages on Thursday.
The Guardian says “Braverman’s bombshell puts Truss on the brink”, after a “chaotic fracking vote brings fresh revolt from mutinous Tories”.
Continue reading...Home secretary departs after sending an official document by personal email but uses resignation letter to criticise PM
Plans to create Great British Railways, a public sector body to oversee Britain’s railways, have been delayed, MPs have been told.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the transport secretary, told the Commons transport committee that the transport bill, which would have set up the new body, has been delayed because legislation to deal with the energy crisis is being prioritised. She said:
The challenges of things like the energy legislation we’ve got to bring in and various others has meant that we have lost the opportunity to have that [bill] in this third session.
What we are continuing to pitch for will be what I would call a narrow bill around the future of transport technologies, the legislation around things like e-scooters.
Continue reading...Purchase of 1953 painting beloved by football fans made possible by gift from charitable foundation
A painting by LS Lowry beloved by football fans and art enthusiasts has been bought by the Lowry museum and gallery in Salford, saving it from disappearing into a private collection.
The museum paid £7.8m including fees for Going to the Match, painted in 1953, at an auction on Wednesday evening. The purchase was made possible by a gift from the Law Family charitable foundation, which was set up by the hedge fund manager and Conservative party donor Andrew Law and his wife, Zoë. The painting had been estimated to fetch £5m-£8m.
Continue reading...Johnson’s former transport secretary, an aviator with multiple names, has been parachuted in to replace Suella Braverman
Answering the question “who is Grant Shapps?” is more complicated than it would be for most MPs.
The new home secretary has had a varied political career, with rapid rises and precipitous falls – serving as transport secretary, international development secretary, Conservative party chairman, housing minister and now home secretary.
Continue reading...Jokes at home secretary’s expense came thick and fast on social media after her departure
Jokes at Suella Braverman’s expense were served thick and fast on social media after she resigned as home secretary – featuring lashings of tofu.
On Tuesday in the Commons, her last full day as home secretary, Braverman sprayed accusations over the disruption caused by the climate protest groups Insulate Britain and Just Stop Oil. “It’s the Labour party, it’s the Lib Dems, it’s the coalition of chaos, it’s the Guardian-reading, tofu-eating wokerati, dare I say, the anti-growth coalition that we have to thank for the disruption that we are seeing on our roads today.”
Continue reading...Newborn twin allegedly murdered by nurse died just over a day after birth, trial hears
The death of a baby allegedly murdered by the nurse Lucy Letby came as a “big surprise” and was “completely out of the blue”, her trial has heard.
The newborn twin died at the Countess of Chester hospital following a sudden collapse just more than 24 hours after his premature birth.
Continue reading...Outgoing home secretary sticks boot in and throws down gauntlet to embattled Liz Truss
The official release of letters by Downing Street between a prime minister and a resigning member of the cabinet usually offer only the sparsest glimpses of real emotion.
They use heavily coded language to hint at anguish, to avoid the departure sparking a bitter divide between two senior members of the same party. Not so with the outgoing home secretary, Suella Braverman.
Earlier today, I sent an official document from my personal email to a trusted parliamentary colleague as part of policy engagement, and with the aim of garnering support for government policy on migration. This constitutes a technical infringement of the rules … nevertheless it is right for me to go.
Pretending we haven’t made mistakes, carrying on as if everyone can’t see that we have made them, and hoping that things will magically come right is not serious politics. I have made a mistake; I accept responsibility; I resign.
It is obvious to everyone that we are going through a tumultuous time. I have concerns about the direction of this government. Not only have we broken key pledges that were promised to our voters, but I have had serious concerns about this government’s commitment to honouring manifesto commitments, such as reducing overall migration numbers and stopping illegal migration, particularly the dangerous small boats crossings.
In even the brief time that I have been here, it has been very clear that there is much to do, in terms of delivering on the priorities of the British people.
I accept your resignation and respect the decision you have made. It is important that the ministerial code is upheld, and that Cabinet confidentiality is respected.
Continue reading...Bob Chan backs calls for UK government to expel any Chinese officials involved in peaceful protest
A pro-democracy protester who appeared to be beaten up by men from China’s consulate in Manchester has condemned the attack as “barbaric” and backed calls for the UK government to expel any Chinese officials involved.
Speaking for the first time since the incident, which was captured on video, Bob Chan said: “I’m shocked and hurt by this unprovoked attack,” adding he had been taking part in a “peaceful protest”.
Continue reading...International Centre of Justice for Palestinians says diplomatic move in Israel in breach of international obligations
A legal group that supports the rights of Palestinians has written to Liz Truss to tell her that it plans to launch a judicial review in an attempt to block any UK government movement of the British embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) has commissioned a legal opinion in support of its argument that such a move would be in breach of the government’s international obligations.
Continue reading...UK data shows authoritarian or neglectful parenting linked to higher weight in children and adolescents
Children whose parents lack warmth are more likely to grow up overweight or obese, according to the first study of its kind.
The effects of different parenting styles on children’s weight have been determined for the first time – and suggest parental warmth is key to a healthy weight, researchers at the International Congress on Obesity in Melbourne, the biennial congress of the World Obesity Federation, will say on Wednesday.
Continue reading...Leaders tell TUC congress they stand ready to coordinate action, although there are no calls for a general strike
Trade union leaders are warning of a wave of synchronised strikes by civil servants and public sector workers in Britain this winter, as a new poll for the TUC showed one in seven people across the UK are skipping meals because of the cost of living crisis.
As trade unionists met for the annual TUC congress in Brighton, Mark Serwotka, the head of the PCS union, representing 150,000 civil servants, said it stood ready to strike on the same day as others if its workplaces voted for industrial action in November.
Continue reading...Opposition motion drafted to make it very difficult for government to ignore or allow mass abstentions
Labour will attempt to force a binding vote on fracking on Wednesday, as Tory MPs mull backing a bid which would allow the opposition to put down a bill banning shale gas extraction.
The motion submitted by Labour for its opposition day debate is drafted to make it very difficult for the government to ignore the vote or allow mass abstentions.
Continue reading...UK heading for ‘Victorian levels of poverty’ unless pay and benefits rise with inflation, says union body
One in seven people in the UK are skipping meals or going without food, according to new polling data released by the Trades Union Congress (TUC).
The data from an MRP poll by Opinium reveals that more than half of British people are cutting back on heating, hot water and electricity in the cost of living squeeze, and one in 12 have missed the payment of a household bill.
Continue reading...NI secretary Chris Heaton-Harris indicates second poll of the year in mid-December unless power sharing quickly restored
Northern Ireland will face assembly elections before Christmas unless power-sharing is restored in the next 10 days, the government has confirmed.
Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland secretary, hinted at an 8 or 15 December polling day during evidence at a House of Commons select committee. It would be the second election for Northern Ireland this year.
Continue reading...Action is planned for 3, 5 and 7 November; London Overground and tube staff will strike on 3 November
Network Rail workers are to stage fresh strikes in the bitter row over pay, jobs and conditions, threatening fresh disruption to services.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will strike on 3, 5 and 7 November.
Continue reading...Defence secretary Ben Wallace flies to Washington to discuss dangerous new phase in invasion of Ukraine
Iran has deepened its commitment to supplying arms for Russia’s assault on Ukraine by agreeing to provide a batch of medium-range missiles, as well as large numbers of cheap but effective drones, according to US and Iranian security officials.
The surface-to-surface missiles are designed to supplement the severely run-down stock of Russian missiles, as part of a bid to systematically destroy Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure ahead of a brutal winter.
Continue reading...UK government lawyers tell asylum seekers they can return to Sri Lanka or be removed to undisclosed country
Tamil refugees seeking asylum from the British-claimed Chagos Islands face being forcibly removed to a third country under Rwanda-style plans drawn up by the UK government.
Government lawyers have told the asylum seekers that if they cannot be returned to Sri Lanka they will instead be removed to another undisclosed country.
Continue reading...Latest updates: James Heappey, defence minister, also claims that Truss deserves credit for admitting she made mistake
Liam Fox, the Tory former international trade secretary, told Sky News this morning that Liz Truss’s future would partly depend on whether the financial markets settle down following the latest mini-budget U-turns. He said:
We can all read the polls and I don’t need to tell you what the atmosphere is like at Westminster. People will be weighing up what the prime minister said last night - that she had made mistakes, that she learned from those, and that the measures that Jeremy Hunt had put in place seemed to be providing the necessary economic stability in the markets.
If the markets don’t believe that a Conservative government is able to manage public finances sensibly then that government has had it.
Continue reading...Founder of online shopping group cements control as Japanese firm offloads its holding at £450m loss
THG shares have jumped on the news that Japan’s SoftBank will sell its stake in the troubled British online shopping group to its co-founder Matthew Moulding and Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund.
The move has cemented Moulding’s control of THG, formerly known as The Hut Group, which owns a range of internet health and beauty retailers, and ended speculation about SoftBank’s disastrous investment.
Continue reading...Chinese recruitment ‘to understand the capabilities of our air force’ of concern, says James Heappey
Ministers want to change the law to prevent former RAF pilots from training the Chinese military, amid reports at least 30 British personnel are believed to have taken advantage of “very generous” recruitment packages offered by the superpower.
It emerged overnight that British defence intelligence is to issue a rare “threat alert”, warning that China’s military is trying to recruit serving and former RAF jet pilots to help train its own air force.
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