Displaying items by tag: Politics

Rishi Sunak is being investigated by Parliament’s standards watchdog over a possible failure to declare an interest and if a declaration he made was ‘open and frank’. His wife Akshata holds shares in Koru Kids childcare agency, which could benefit from a new policy unveiled in the spring Budget. It is a pilot of payments for childminders, with more for those who sign up through agencies. Akshata was listed as a shareholder in Koru Kids as recently as 6 March. On 28 March Mr Sunak did not mention her links to Koru Kids when he was questioned over the childcare policy at a parliamentary hearing. When he was asked whether he had any interest to declare, he replied, ‘No, all my disclosures are declared in the normal way’. After the hearing, Mr Sunak sent a letter to the committee saying an updated statement of ministers' interests would be released shortly.

The SNP is reviewing party management after finance controversies. Colin Beattie was reappointed as treasurer in 2021 after previously holding the position for 16 years. Police arrested him on 18 April in an investigation into SNP finances. First minister Humza Yousaf said this arrest was a very serious matter but Mr Beattie was not suspended from the position as people are innocent until proven guilty. The next day Beattie resigned as treasurer, saying he would also step back from his role on the public audit committee until the police investigation had concluded. His arrest had come just hours before Mr Yousaf set out his government's priorities for the next three years. He said that he decided to resign to avoid further distractions to the important work being led by Mr Yousaf to improve the SNP's governance and transparency. Nicola Sturgeon’s husband was arrested two weeks ago but released without charge, pending further inquiries into this investigation.

Whether you're waiting for a hip operation, a new passport, wondering what you're going to do with your children when their teachers are on the picket line, or are a university lecturer worried about losing pay when you protest, walkouts aren't anywhere close to coming to an end. The nurses’ union leader told her members a 5% pay rise and a one-off payment of at least £1,655 was worth accepting. But they disagreed. So strikes continue, with staff being withdrawn from emergency departments for the first time. Junior doctors are set for further industrial action and could end up on strike at the same time as nurses in England. Civil servants are likely to walk out too, having missed out on a one-off payment for 2022/3, which other workers had been granted. Dave Penman, leader of the FDA civil service union, warns the consequence will be a ‘prolonged and damaging dispute’.

MP Scott Benton was stripped of the party whip after reporters posing as investors secretly filmed him saying he was prepared to leak market sensitive information to their bogus investment fund and ask parliamentary questions on its behalf, in breach of parliamentary rules. Under those rules, MPs are forbidden from advocating a particular matter in the House or raising it with ministers in return for payment. They are also prohibited from serving as paid parliamentary advisers or consultants or guiding firms on ways to influence Parliament. In a meeting, Mr Benton said he could support the fund, which he believed was set up by an Indian businessman looking to make investments in the UK betting and gaming sector, by attempting to water down proposed gambling reforms. This scandal comes as the Government carries out a major review of gambling laws, considering stricter regulations which could affect operators’ profits.

The shift in tone and mood was unmistakable as US president Joe Biden visited the Republic of Ireland, having spent a short time in Northern Ireland. Baseball cap on, and into a pub. ‘It feels like I'm coming home,’ he said in Dundalk, County Louth. The NI politics tightrope negotiated, it seems it is now time to unwind a little. His sister and son were in tow: it was not diplomacy but a return to family roots and a sense of belonging. 30 million Americans also have Irish ancestry, and Biden hopes for a political dividend the year before a presidential election. Meanwhile his visit to Northern Ireland, although talked about for months, only lasted 17 hours. There is no such thing as a low-key trip for an American president, but this came close. Quick, short, with Rishi Sunak's input minimal, not even appearing at Biden's only public appearance - raising some eyebrows in government.

The House of Lords debated a bill on 11 April, and if wise amendments are not made before it receives royal assent it is regarded as the gravest threat to our wildlife in decades by a number of wildlife and conservation charities. A new bill, officially called the Retained EU Law Bill, threatens to wipe out thousands of crucial laws which protect wildlife by the end of the year. This will lead to even more pollution poisoning rivers, more wild places at risk of being damaged - and potentially destroyed - and more wildlife threatened with extinction. It is an attack on nature, and environmentalists are urging the Government to bin it before it’s too late. The Government wants to halt the loss of biodiversity by 2030. If this bill is passed without change, it will undermine any possibility of achieving that goal. A Rocha believes the bill should be abandoned in its current state.

Peter Murrell, Nicola Sturgeon’s husband, was arrested, questioned for eleven hours and then released pending further investigation into the SNP’s fundraising and finances. Searches were carried out at a number of addresses including his home and SNP offices. The inquiry was launched after complaints about the SNP’s handling of £600,000 in donations raised by the party, ostensibly to campaign for and hold a second independence referendum. It is alleged that the money was used instead to help with the party’s day-to-day running costs. As the investigation is ongoing the police are unable to comment further. A report will be sent to the Crown Office and the Procurator Fiscal Service. On 19 March Murrell resigned after misleading the media about party membership numbers. He had been chief executive since 1999 and was responsible for running the SNP. On 1 April the SNP decided to review its governance and transparency. See

Humza Yousaf has a history of meeting with Hamas and has called for an arms embargo against the state of Israel. He is the first Muslim and at 37 the youngest person to hold the leadership position. But his meeting with Hamas has prompted concerns over his selection. In May 2021, when Israel retaliated to thousands of Hamas rockets he tweeted, ‘Wife in floods of tears all evening, her brother living in Gaza telling us it’s raining rockets’. Yousaf has also said, ‘People are starving and dying a slow death in the Gaza Strip.’ The Jewish Chronicle reported him having attended the high-level meeting with Hamas leader Mohammad Sawalha. The BBC has named Sawalha as having masterminded much of Hamas’ political and military strategy. Scottish parliamentary questions reveal that he attended the Holyrood meeting as a representative of Islam Expo, which was funded by a £2 million grant from Qatar.

Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to falsifying business records to hide damaging information ahead of the 2016 election. He was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records relating to hush money paid to a porn star who says they had an affair. He said the ‘fake case’ was a Democratic conspiracy to interfere with next year's presidential election, in which he is running. There's nothing in America’s constitution preventing him from running for election: even if imprisoned he could still campaign, but will white conservative Christians still accept  him? They previously stood by his side despite sexual assault accusations, fascination with authoritarian leaders, and his fondness for racists. Now that he has been formally charged in a sordid saga, will they finally turn away from their man? A prolonged legal fight and a trial will be a major diversion from a presidential campaign - in time and energy, and the scheduling of election rallies. See

Asylum-seekers will be housed in disused military bases in Essex and Lincolnshire and a prison in East Sussex, under plans to cut the £6 million a day spent on hotel accommodation for people landing in the UK in small boats. Housing them in barges and other floating accommodation has also been mentioned. Rishi Sunak has also brought forward proposals to use barracks at Catterick, in his constituency. The Refugee Council is deeply concerned, calling the suggested accommodation ‘entirely unsuitable’ for the needs of vulnerable men, women, and children who have come to our country in search of safety; it will add yet more cost and chaos to the system. The Home Office said that healthcare will be available along with catering facilities and 24/7 security, and ‘accommodation for illegal migrants should meet their essential living needs and nothing more’.