Category Archives: Scottish politics

No 10 declines to say Sunak confident Zahawi has always told him truth about his tax affairs – UK politics live

Posted on by

Downing Street spokesperson also says inquiry into former chancellor’s affairs to be ‘conducted swiftly’

There are two urgent questions in the Commons later. At 12.30pm Caroline Lucas (Green) is asking one about the child asylum seekers who have gone missing from hotel accommodation provided by the Home Office, and that will be followed by Ben Bradshaw (Lab) asking one about the Church of England’s stance on equal marriage.

After those are over Damian Hinds, the justice minister, will deliver a statement about the probation inspectorate.

Continue reading...

Minister unable to say whether Zahawi was telling truth when he first said taxes were fully paid – as it happened

Posted on by

Labour MP asks whether Zahawi statement in the summer was untrue, with Cabinet Office minister saying he does not know the answer

Nadhim Zahawi, the Conservative party chair, has welcomed the decision by Rishi Sunak to ask the No 10 ethics adviser to investigate his case. “I am confident I acted properly throughout,” Zahawi said.

Zahawi seems to be using a narrow definition of “properly”. In the statement he issued yesterday, he accepted that his original decision not to pay the tax that HM Revenue and Customs subsequently concluded he should have paid was down to a careless error. He said:

Following discussions with HMRC, they agreed that my father was entitled to founder shares in YouGov, though they disagreed about the exact allocation. They concluded that this was a ‘careless and not deliberate’ error.

Integrity and accountability is really important to me and clearly in this case there are questions that need answering …

That’s why the independent adviser has been asked to fully investigate this matter and provide advice to me on Nadhim Zahawi’s compliance with the ministerial code, and on the basis of that we’ll decide on the appropriate next steps.

Continue reading...

Nicola Sturgeon says Scotland secretary is acting like a governor general

Posted on by

First minister says Alister Jack’s block on gender law marks ‘new and more dangerous phase for devolution’

Nicola Sturgeon has accused the Scotland secretary of acting “like a governor general” in a further escalation of hostilities between the Westminster and Holyrood governments.

Scotland’s first minister said Alister Jack’s decision to block her government’s gender recognition law marked “a new and more dangerous phase for devolution”, hours after he refused an invitation from the Holyrood equalities committee to discuss the move.

Continue reading...

Scottish government to challenge Westminster decision to block gender recognition bill in court – UK politics live

Posted on by

Nicola Sturgeon says her government will be ‘vigorously defending’ democracy as well as the bill passed in Scotland

I am sorry the comments are closed at the moment. There has been an update this morning that has created a glitch with the system, but the developers are trying to fix it as quickly as possible.

Labour has been anxious to avoid taking sides on the Scottish gender recognition reform bill. Although Keir Starmer has criticised aspects of the bill, and argued it might have an impact on UK equality laws, he has accused both the UK and Scottish governments of politicising the issues and implied that Labour would adopt a more consensual approach.

Continue reading...

Keir Starmer says SNP and Westminster using gender recognition bill for political advantage – UK politics live

Posted on by

Labour leader tells LBC issue is being used as a political football after Scottish Tory MSP urges PM not to block bill

This is what Keir Starmer said in his LBC interview about Scotland’s gender recognition reform bill, and the UK government’s reported intention to block it.

Starmer suggested the SNP and the Tories were both exploiting the Scottish gender recognition bill for political advantage. He said:

I am worried about the fact that I think this is being used by the SNP as a sort of devolution political football. And I think it’s being used by the government – or might be used – as a divisive football in relation to the particular issue.

On this whole issue of trans rights, I think the government is looking to divide people rather than bring people together.

He refused to say whether Labour would support the UK government if it did block the legislation. When it was put to him that, from what he was saying about his reservatations about the bill that he was minded to support Rishi Sunak on this, he did not accept that. He said he would want to see exactly what the government said before deciding how to react. Blocking Scottish legislation would be “a big step for a government to take”, he said. But he also said No 10 was treading “very, very carefully” (which rather undermines the claim he made about the Tories potentially exploiting this for party political advantage).

He said that he accepted the Gender Recognition Act needed to be modernised. But he confirmed that he thought people should not be able to self-certify their gender at the age of 16 (as they would be able to, under the Scottish law). And he said that he was worried about the potential impact of the Scottish bill on UK equality laws.

He said that only a tiny proportion of people were likely to want to change gender. He said:

I approach it on the basis that for 99.9-something percent of women it is all about biology, sex based rights matter, and we must preserve all those wins that we’ve had for women over many years, and including safe spaces for women.

Whilst I am sympathetic to the change that is made to make the rights of trans people in Scotland, I think we may have a clash between the position in the UK-wide legislation and the position in Scotland …

[The legislation] may mean – even though I suspect political mischief on the part of the Conservative Government and culture wars – they may have a point. It is arguable at least that what’s happened in Scotland has a potential impact on the legislation as it operates UK-wide.

Continue reading...

SNP MP proposes paid leave for UK parents who have experienced miscarriage

Posted on by

Angela Crawley’s private member’s bill aims to grant three days of statutory paid leave to grieving parents

Ministers have been urged to back proposals that would grant paid leave to parents who have experienced miscarriage.

Under current UK law, people are not granted maternity leave or pay if they have had a miscarriage.

Continue reading...

SNP restores whip to MP Patrick Grady after sexual assault suspension

Posted on by

Alleged victim says end of suspension is ‘slap in face to anyone who has experienced sexual harassment’

The SNP has restored the party whip to a senior MP who has sat as an independent since June after an independent parliamentary inquiry found he made an unwanted sexual advance towards a teenage party worker.

Patrick Grady quit the SNP group at Westminster after a two-day suspension from parliament, imposed after the independent parliamentary standards commissioner found he had made the advances to the then 19-year-old man in 2016. The man to whom he made the advances said the end of Grady’s suspension was “a slap in the face to anyone who has experienced sexual harassment”.

Continue reading...

UK government might block Scottish gender recognition reform bill – as it happened

Posted on by

Scottish secretary hints that Westminster may use rare power to block new law which removes need for diagnosis of gender dysphoria for gender recognition certificate

At the Scottish parliament Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister, is taking questions. Douglas Ross, the Scottish Conservative leader, asks about the gender recognition reform (Scotland) bill and amendments rejected by the Scottish government. He says the bill would allow a man standing trial for raping a woman to force his victim to refer to him as a woman, not a man, and he asks Sturgeon why she voted against an amendment that would have prevented this.

In response, Sturgeon says many amendments have been rejected in the past days. She says where amendments were rejected, it was often because there were alternative ways to add safeguards to the bill. These new safeguards covered sex offenders, she says.

Health and care is under huge strain in the run-up to Christmas. These figures suggest there is absolutely no slack in the system, which is dangerously close to overheating completely.

A key part of the problem is that the vast majority of hospital beds are full – around 95% – including with thousands of patients fit to be discharged. The lack of community and social care means they’ll be spending this Christmas in hospital.

Continue reading...

Scottish parliament vote on gender recognition changes delayed until Thursday

Posted on by

Vote on law that would remove need for diagnosis of gender dysphoria to obtain gender recognition certificate pushed back after fraught debate

The final vote on the Scottish government’s long-awaited changes to simplify how someone can legally change gender has been delayed until Thursday after two days of fraught, chaotic and sometimes emotional debate among MSPs.

With discussion of more than 150 amendments continuing late into Wednesday night, the decision was taken by Holyrood business managers to re-schedule the crunch vote for Thursday afternoon rather than have the session run on into the early hours.

Continue reading...

Scottish transgender reform looks imminent after marathon Holyrood debate

Posted on by

Crunch vote looms after debate prolonged by disruptions, attempted delays and uncertainty over possible amendments

Transgender 16- and 17-year-olds in Scotland are set to be able to apply to change the sex on their birth certificate for the first time as MSPs debated long into the night the Scottish government’s controversial gender recognition reforms.

The marathon session took place amid chaotic scenes at Holyrood, including disruption from the public galley, uncertainty over whether certain amendments opened the bill to legal challenge, and attempts to delay proceedings into the new year.

Continue reading...

Scotland to spend extra £1bn on health by raising taxes on higher earners

Posted on by

Scottish government promises to tackle health and social care crisis to protect weakest and poorest

The Scottish government has promised to spend another £1bn on tackling the crisis in health and social care by raising taxes on higher earners and holiday homes.

John Swinney, Scotland’s acting finance secretary, said the burden of increasing NHS funding would fall heavily on everyone earning more than £43,663 in Scotland as part of a “social contract” to protect the weakest and poorest.

The abolition of a cap on council tax increases next year, alongside £550m extra for councils.

The uprating of all Scottish welfare benefits by 10%, increasing welfare spending by £433m.

£222m on school support for the poorest and extra free school meals in primaries.

£15m for a pilot project to scrap peak-time rail fares.

£336m on home energy efficiency and reducing fuel poverty.

The abolition of non-domestic rates for 100,000 smaller shops and businesses and a freeze in business rates charges, which would cost £356m.

Continue reading...

RCN accuse government of ‘belligerence’ as talks to avert strike action fail; Wales strikes to go ahead – as it happened

Posted on by

Royal College of Nursing says Steve Barclay refused to discuss pay at meeting on Monday; Welsh nurses to strike after last-minute talks fail. This blog is now closed

Pat Cullen, the Royal College of Nursing’s general secretary, told ITV this morning that there was no point talking to Steve Barclay, the health secretary, if he was not prepared to discuss pay. She said

What I’m saying … to the health secretary this morning, is if you don’t want to speak to me directly about nurses’ pay, we have engaged with the conciliation service Acas, they can do that through Acas, but our door is absolutely wide open and it appears at the minute that theirs is totally shut …

Fundamentally, I need to get to a table and talk to them about pay. This isn’t just me, it’s the 320,000 nurses that voted for strike action … They voted through an independent ballot that we carried out and surely to goodness you couldn’t look at one of those people this morning in the eye and say: ‘You’re not worth an extra brown penny’. In my mind they absolutely are.

I think it’s a very challenging international picture. About a third of the world’s economies are predicted to be in recession, either this year or next.

We’re no different in this country and truthfully, it is likely to get worse before it gets better, which makes it even more difficult when we have big public sector strikes going on at the moment.

Continue reading...

Jeremy Hunt fails to quash claims Treasury vetoed pay offer that may have averted rail strikes – UK politics live

Posted on by

Chancellor did not contest claim when asked whether his department blocked a pay rise of around 10% for rail workers

Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, has refused to quash claims that the Treasury vetoed a pay offer that may have led to a resolution of the rail strike.

Last month the Daily Telegraph claimed that the Department for Transport wanted to offer rail workers a rise worth between 8% and 9% over two year, but that it was prevented from doing so by the Treasury.

There is unanimity across the government in that it wants high inflation to be temporary, and I think there is understanding that that is essential for the very people who are feeling most angry about their situation.

We have to be really careful not to agree to pay demands that have the opposite of the intended effect because they lock in high inflation.

So if we make the wrong choices now, we won’t have that 3.7% of inflation in January or February of 2024 and this will change from being a one-off problem, to being a permanent problem, which will be the worst possible thing for people working in public services. That is why it’s generally a very difficult issue.

I would urge everyone to boycott Netflix and make sure that we actually focus on the things that matter.

Continue reading...

Northern Ireland can create abortion clinic buffer zones, supreme court rules

Posted on by

Unanimous judgment in UK’s highest court means Stormont assembly can proceed with abortion services bill

The Northern Ireland assembly can legislate to create buffer zones around abortion clinics to protect users and staff, the UK’s highest court has ruled.

The supreme court’s unanimous judgment means the assembly can proceed with the abortion services (safe access zones) (Northern Ireland) bill, which criminalises people who enter the specified areas and influence people attending clinics.

Continue reading...

Aberdeenshire MP elected new SNP leader at Westminster

Posted on by

Stephen Flynn, 34, who won seat in 2019, expected to seek more independence from party’s Edinburgh leadership

An Aberdeenshire MP little known outside Scotland’s political bubble has been elected the Scottish National party’s new leader at Westminster, as the party tries to keep its independence dreams alive after a fresh vote was blocked by the supreme court.

Stephen Flynn, 34, a former city councillor who only won his seat in 2019, will face Rishi Sunak at prime minister’s questions on Wednesday after beating Glasgow Central MP Alison Thewliss, a surprise late entry into the race, to lead the UK parliament’s third biggest bloc.

Continue reading...

Keir Starmer says Labour’s decentralisation plans will address concerns that led to people backing Brexit – UK politics live

Posted on by

Labour leader says, though he argued for remain, he could not argue against leave voters calling for more control over their lives

Starmer is now taking questions.

Q: [Beth Rigby from Sky] When people are struggling with the cost of living, you are talking about constitutional issues. This might look to people as if you are out of touch. Are you talking to Westminster about stuff that won’t happen. What in this will improve people’s lives from day one of a Labour government?

When you come to the next election, it may be that the Scottish National party will have a one-line manifesto and want a one-issue general election.

But we have done a huge amount of research on Scottish public opinion and people want a better health service immediately, people want living standards improved immediately, people want jobs for young people immediately, people want better housing immediately and people of course want change in the way that we are suggesting immediately.

People up and down this country are crying out for a new approach. During the Brexit referendum I argued for remain. But I couldn’t disagree with the basic case that many leave voters made to me.

They wanted democratic control over their lives so they could provide opportunities for the next generation, build communities they felt proud of, and public services they could rely on.

Continue reading...

Thursday briefing: Nicola Sturgeon’s bid for a second Scottish referendum isn’t over … yet

Posted on by

In today’s newsletter: the UK supreme court shot down a legal attempt to force another vote. But that doesn’t mean the SNP is out of options

Good morning.

Yesterday, the UK’s supreme court unanimously ruled that the Scottish government cannot hold a vote on independence without permission from Westminster – something four consecutive prime ministers have refused to give the Scottish government. But going to the courts was just one route, among many, that the SNP were taking to make Indyref2 a reality, and they were prepared for an unfavourable outcome.

Michelle Mone | The Conservative peer and her children secretly received £29m originating from the profits of a PPE business that was awarded large government contracts after she recommended it to ministers, documents seen by the Guardian indicate.

NHS | Ambulance crews could not respond to almost one in four 999 calls last month – the most ever – because so many were tied up outside A&Es waiting to hand patients over, dramatic new NHS figures show.

Water | A report from Surfers Against Sewage has found that water companies have been dumping sewage on to beaches and rivers even when it is not raining. The report showed that 146 dry spills had been detected over a 12-month period.

Shamima Begum | Shamima Begum would face the death penalty if sent to Bangladesh, her parents’ country of origin, and is now effectively stateless, a court has heard. The court was told that then home secretary, Sajid Javid, did not consider the consequences of removing her UK citizenship.

Housing | Michael Gove has announced that the Rochdale housing association, where two-year-old Awaab Ishak died from exposure to black mould, will have its funding cut by £1m. Gove added that he would block new funding to other housing providers who were found to be failing their tenants.

Here’s a deeply enjoyable feature wheeze: the people clinging on to old tech, from BlackBerries to typewriters. I can get my head round most of it, but Lisa from Missouri’s abiding love for fax machines will forever be beyond my understanding. Archie

This piece by Erica Berry was a wonderful reminder of how fostering connections can change our lives for the better. Looking back at her own experiences, she explores the beauty and fun in intergenerational friendships. Nimo

Henry Hill, deputy editor of ConservativeHome, has a good piece explaining the unease within Tory ranks over theoretical claims of a Swiss-style deal with the EU but much more besides. The key line: “MPs never really bought into anything one might call ‘Sunakism’”. Archie

Tomorrow is Black Friday and with it comes the advent of sales season. Brittney Rigby has a great guide on how to navigate the Black Friday sales during a cost of living crisis. Nimo

As rumbles about pressure on Ukraine to seek peace talks continue, this Intelligencer piece by Eric Levitz is a smart, even-handed summary of the six questions anyone seeking to influence Kyiv needs to be able to answer. Archie

Continue reading...

Senior MPs grill Jeremy Hunt on autumn statement and UK economy – live

Posted on by

The chancellor is facing questions at the Commons Treasury committee

Reed says the Scotland Act gives the Scottish parliament limited powers. It cannot legislate on reserved matters. Those include fundamental matters, including the union of the UK.

If legislation related to the union, or the UK parliament, the Scottish parliament would have no power to enact it.

Continue reading...

Supreme court rules against Scottish parliament holding new independence referendum

Posted on by

Nicola Sturgeon says ‘Scottish democracy will not be denied’ after court blocks route to referendum

The Scottish parliament cannot hold a second independence referendum without Westminster approval, the UK supreme court has ruled, in a unanimous judgment likely to anger Scottish nationalists who say the country’s future is for Scottish voters to decide.

The first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said immediately after the ruling: “Scottish democracy will not be denied.”

Continue reading...

UK set for new wave of strikes as civil servants and train drivers vote for action – politics live

Posted on by

Around 100,000 civil servants, working in multiple government agencies, have voted to strike in a dispute over pay, pensions and jobs.

According to Pat Leahy, political editor of the Irish Times, the Irish government is doubtful about the prospect of a breakthrough in the coming weeks in the talks on the Northern Ireland protocol.

In his Sky News interview Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland secretary, also suggested that large number of politicians in parliament are voting for Matt Hancock to perform “grim” tasks on I’m A Celebrity. My colleague Aubrey Allegretti has the story here.

Continue reading...