Shadow justice secretary stands by comments made in March amid criticism including from a Tory colleague
Robert Jenrick has been accused of fuelling a “fire of toxic nationalism” after he doubled down on his complaint about “not seeing another white face” in part of Birmingham.
The shadow justice secretary was criticised by politicians across the parties, local leaders and the bishop of Birmingham after the Guardian published his remarks from March.
Continue reading...Shadow chancellor distances himself from words after Robert Jenrick accused of racism in comments he made about Handsworth
Asked about the Jenrick story, Badenoch again suggests Guardian reporting is reliable.
Q: Jenrick was making a distinction between white faces and brown faces.
Continue reading...Party source says shadow justice secretary’s comments are attempt to disguise his own poor grip of the law
Robert Jenrick has been accused by Labour of resorting to an unwarranted personal attack after comparing the attorney general, Lord Hermer, to a mafia lawyer and calling him a “useful idiot” for Britain’s “enemies”.
In a combative speech to Conservative conference in Manchester, the shadow justice secretary also promised to remove judges with links to migrant charities, saying they “dishonour generations of independent jurists”.
Continue reading...Ex-Conservative ministers denounce Robert Jenrick’s intention to abolish body that develops court guidelines
A Conservative plan to abolish the judge-led Sentencing Council and hand its powers to the Ministry of Justice has been described as “bonkers”, “unimplementable” and “potentially dangerous” by former Tory ministers.
The shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick will announce on Tuesday that the independent public body responsible for developing guidelines for judges and magistrates in England and Wales would be closed down by a future Conservative government because it was “not fit for purpose”.
Continue reading...Misprinted wrappers pulled from Manchester goodie bags after derision on social media
A chocolate bar given out by the Conservatives at their annual party conference misspelled the name of the country they are hoping to govern.
The confectionery, in a blue wrapper, featured a slogan from the Tory party leader with an incorrect spelling of Britain.
Continue reading...Investors rattled by resignation of French PM but country is not alone in trying to grapple with political maths
Macron asks outgoing French PM to make last-ditch effort to avoid political crisis
What happened on a chaotic day in French politics – and what next?
Sébastien Lecornu’s abrupt resignation as the French prime minister on Monday after less than a month in the role marked the latest clash between France’s stretched public finances and its polarised politics.
Lecornu was the latest prime minister to try and fail to cobble together a package of spending cuts and tax rises that would pass muster in a parliament without a clear majority, and contain mounting bond market pressures.
Continue reading...Shadow chancellor sets out spending plans as party conference continues in Manchester
Mel Stride, the shadow chancellor, was doing an interview round for the Conservatives this morning, and Miatta Fahnbulleh, the faith and communities minister, was on the air on behalf of the government. They were both asked about the latest development in the flag phenomenon – the former footballer turned property developer Gary Neville saying that he took down a union flag flying at one of his building sites because he felt it was being used in a “negative fashion”.
Asked if Neville (a Labour supporter) had a point, Fahnbulleh told ITV’s Good Morning Britain:
I think he’s really right, that there are people who are trying to divide us at the moment …
I spent a lot of time going around our communities, talking to people. People are ground down. We’ve had a decade-and-a-half in which living standards haven’t budged and people have seen their communities held down. And you will get people trying to stoke division, trying to blame others, trying to stoke tension.
I think people that put up flags, the vast majority of people that do, do so for perfectly reasonable patriotic reasons. And I think reclaiming our flag as a flag of unity and decency and tolerance, which is the way most people see our flag, is a very positive thing.
So I’m afraid I really cannot agree with the comments that he’s made.
Continue reading...Mel Stride outlines plans to slash £47bn a year from public spending, including £23bn welfare cut
Overseas nationals denied benefits under a Conservative plan to limit social security to UK citizens would have the option to return to their own countries, the shadow chancellor, Mel Stride, has said.
Before his speech to the Conservative conference on Monday, Stride set out Tory proposals to cut £47bn a year from public spending, with the biggest chunk, £23bn coming from reductions in welfare.
Continue reading...Footballer turned developer questions spate of flag raisings and says ‘we’re all being turned on each other’
Gary Neville has revealed he removed a union flag from one of his Manchester development sites because it was being “used in a negative fashion”, as he urged his followers to question what it means to be patriotic.
In a video posted on Friday, the day after a deadly attack at a Manchester synagogue, the former footballer turned property developer said he believed that “we’re all being turned on each other”, attributing much of the blame for the divide to “angry, middle-aged white men … who know exactly what they’re doing”.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Chinese officials warned that targeting its security apparatus would negatively affect relations
China threatened to retaliate against the UK government if ministers targeted parts of its security apparatus under foreign influence rules, the Guardian can disclose.
Chinese officials warned the Foreign Office that the move would have negative consequences for relations soon after the Guardian reported it was under consideration, according to two government sources with knowledge of the discussions.
Continue reading...Party leader uses conference speech to outline proposal for UK to exit ECHR as part of wider bonfire of protections
A future Tory government would be open to dismantling more treaties as a means to deport people from the UK, Kemi Badenoch has said at the start of a Conservative party conference focused almost exclusively on immigration policy.
Making the first of two addresses to the gathering in Manchester, the Tory leader formally set out her proposal for the UK to quit the European convention on human rights (ECHR) as part of a wider bonfire of protections including an end to legal aid in immigration and asylum cases and the right to take migration decisions to tribunals or judicial review.
Continue reading...Conservative leader grilled over her removals proposal ahead of party conference opening later today
The polling firm Opinium has released some research this morning suggesting that some Conservative party policies are popular with voters – but that, if people are explicitly told that they are Kemi Badenoch policies, their popularity goes down.
There is some evidence that Keir Starmer’s unpopularity has the same effect – and that, once a policy is associated with him, voters are less inclined to back it.
Continue reading...Move follows arrest of almost 500 people at latest pro-Palestinian demonstration in London on Saturday
Ministers are to give police new powers to target repeated protests, aimed particularly at cracking down on demonstrations connected to Gaza, the Home Office has said.
The announcement, made the morning after almost 500 people were arrested in London for expressing support for Palestine Action, a proscribed organisation, could allow police to order regular protests to take place at a different site.
Continue reading...Leader says move is is necessary ‘to protect our borders, our veterans and our citizens’
Kemi Badenoch has announced that a Conservative government under her leadership would pull the UK out of the European convention on human rights.
The move marks a lurch to the right for the Tories, who are attempting to stem a loss of support to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. Farage has long been a critic of the ECHR and has pledged to leave it if he becomes prime minister.
Continue reading...No 10 announces decision although role will not legally be taken on until January, before an enthronement service
Sarah Mullally has been named as the first female leader of the Church of England as Downing Street announced the 106th archbishop of Canterbury nearly a year on from Justin Welby’s resignation over the handling of a safeguarding scandal.
This is the first time an archbishop of Canterbury has been chosen since the Church of England allowed women to become bishops in 2014.
Continue reading...New leader to make case for immigration, more investment in public services and a wealth tax as Green party membership hits record high
In an interview on the Today programme, Zack Polanski, the Green party leader, was asked at length about anti-Israel comments by the co-deputy leader, Mothin Ali, and other Green members. Polanski said some of the comments referenced were “totally unacceptable”, but he also said it was important to understand the context, and he said Ali deserved credit for apologising.
Justin Webb, the presenter, said that after 7 October Ali described Israelis as colonialists and defended the right of indigenous people to fight back. Ali apologised. But Ali had also targeted a Leeds-based rabbi who went to Israel after 7 October to serve as a reservist in the IDF, Webb said. He asked if Ali was the right person to be deputy leader of a political party.
Well, I want to be clear that I’m a Jewish person, and I feel this genocide incredibly deeply.
As a Muslim man, I can only imagine what it feels like to know that every single day in Palestine the equivalent of a classroom of children are dying.
It doesn’t excuse it, but I think it’s contextual. This rabbi went off to fight for the IDF … I absolutely defend [Ali’s] right to be annoyed and upset about what is happening.
I think there is a context to this. I think if someone goes to fight with an army who’s committing a genocide, that there are consequences.
Now I don’t stand by what Mothin said, and neither does he. But ultimately, I do think we need to have a context on this.
Continue reading...Beefed-up packaging tax will triple pub chain’s costs from the levy to £2.4m a year, says Tim Martin
The boss of the pub chain Wetherspoon’s has vowed to keep price increases to a “minimum”, after blaming a beefed-up packaging tax and rising energy bills for extra costs.
Tim Martin said the recently introduced “extended producer responsibility” levy on packaging would lead to the company’s costs from the tax tripling from £800,000 to £2.4m a year.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Temporary deal to shield UK exporters from levy’s impact is now viewed by both sides as likely
The EU and Britain are poised to agree a deal sparing British businesses from a carbon border tax being introduced in 2026, with officials targeting late spring for the next EU-UK summit.
The EU is introducing a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) on 1 January targeting imports produced using carbon-intensive methods, such as steel, glass and fertiliser.
Continue reading...People granted asylum will have to earn right to invite family in plan charities call ‘straight from populist playbook’
People granted asylum will no longer be given “the golden ticket” of resettlement and family reunion rights, Keir Starmer said, amid deepening concerns from charities that his words are demonising refugees.
As the prime minister prepared to discuss illegal migration with European leaders, No 10 outlined plans to strip successful claimants of the right to automatically invite spouses and children to join them.
Continue reading...Commissioner Mark Rowley says prejudice has ‘put down deep roots’ within force after BBC Panorama investigation
Metropolitan police officers have been recorded calling for immigrants to be shot, bragging about excessive force, being dismissive about a rape complaint and making anti-Muslim and anti-women comments.
The BBC Panorama programme followed seven months of undercover filming at Charing Cross police station.
Continue reading...