Category Archives: Conservatives

Ex-Minister Who Claims She Lost Job Over Muslim Faith Told To Make Formal Complaint

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A former Tory minister who claims she lost her job because of her Muslim faith has been urged to submit a formal complaint.

Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister, said that while Nusrat Ghani’s allegations were “incredibly serious” the party could not investigate them because she had not entered a formal complaint.

Ghani, the Conservative MP for Wealden and transport minister until a Cabinet reshuffle in early 2020, claims she had a conversation with a whip in which they said her “Muslimness was raised as an issue” and that her “Muslim woman minister status was making colleagues feel uncomfortable”.

In an unusual move, chief whip Mark Spencer identified himself on Twitter as the colleague in question and said the accusations were “completely false” and “defamatory”.

A No.10 spokesman said on Sunday that Boris Johnson met with Ghani to discuss her “extremely serious claims” and that he invited her to make a formal complaint, but she did not do so.

“The Conservative Party does not tolerate prejudice or discrimination of any kind,” the spokesman added.

In response, Ghani hit back, claiming Johnson told her he could not get involved, instead referring her to the Conservative party complaints process.

“When I told the prime minister in June 2020 what had been said to me in the government Whips’ office I urged him to take it seriously as a government matter and instigate an inquiry,” she said.

“He wrote to me that he could not get involved and suggested I use the internal Conservative Party complaint process.

“This, as I had already pointed out, was very clearly not appropriate for something that happened on government business – I do not even know if the words that were conveyed to me about what was said in reshuffle meetings at Downing Street were by members of the Conservative Party.”

She added: “Not a day has gone by without thinking about what I was told and wondering why I was in politics, while hoping for the government to take this seriously.

“Those that have not had their identity and faith questioned cannot fully appreciate what it does to you.”

A number of Ghani’s colleagues have rallied behind her since the allegations emerged.

Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi said Ghani was a “friend, a colleague and a brilliant parliamentarian” and that her claims had to be “investigated properly and racism routed out”. Caroline Noakes, chair of the women and equalities select committee, said she was “absolutely appalled”.

Asked by Sky News’ Trevor Phillips whether he believed Spencer of Ghani, Raab said: “I think if there’s any claim like this, a formal complaint should be made and as the chief whip has said, Nus was invited to make a formal complaint, she still is able to do so, and she hasn’t yet done so.

“So I’m not going to start getting into impugning anyone’s integrity.”

On the BBC’ Sunday Morning programme, Raab was asked why Ghani would “make up” the accusations.

“I can’t answer that, all I’m trying to give you a very clear account of what the chief whip said in response…I would say if Nus wishes to do so, she should make a formal complaint so it can be properly investigated.”

In her interview with the Sunday Times, Ghani described the impact the alleged interaction had had on her.

“It was like being punched in the stomach,” she said. “I felt humiliated and powerless.”

Ghani went on to say that she was warned that if she continued to raise the matter she would be “ostracised by colleagues” and her “career and reputation would be destroyed”.

“The feeling of isolation and powerlessness after this episode would not leave me, and I raised it several more times through official party channels and with some colleagues,” she told the newspaper.

“However, after the threats from whips, I was extremely careful to follow procedure, and when the procedure ran out of road I had no choice but to get on with my career and make a difference for my constituents and for the issues I care about from the back benches.”

Ghani’s claims are likely to lead to a further deterioration of relations between some backbenchers and the government following a dramatic week in which the whips were accused of using threatening and intimidating behaviour against MPs who were minded to vote against the government.

Christian Wakeford, the MP for Bury South who defected from the Tories to Labour, claimed he was threatened with having a new secondary school blocked in his constituency if he voted against the government on an issue.

He has since said former chief whip Gavin Williamson was behind the threat.

In response, Williamson has said he does not have “any recollection of the conversation as described but what I do remember is working tirelessly with Christian and others in order to be able to deliver this school, which I did”.

William Wragg, chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, is reportedly meeting with the police this week over allegations the whips tried to “blackmail” MPs who have been critical of Johnson’s leadership in the wake of the Downing Street party scandal.

At the beginning of a committee session, Wragg said: “Members of staff at No.10, special advisers, government ministers and others encouraging the publication of stories in the press seeking to embarrass those who they suspect of lacking confidence in the PM is unacceptable.”

Asked about claims earlier this week, Johnson said he had “seen no evidence to support any of those allegations” and Downing Street has said it will not launch an investigation because it had not seen proof.

This week all eyes will be on a report into the alleged Downing Street parties by senior civil servant Sue Gray.

A number of Conservative MPs have indicated they will wait for the outcome of the report before deciding whether to move against Johnson, making its publication a critical moment for his leadership.

In a further blow to the PM, the Sunday Times reported that Gray will also look at allegations that parties were held in his private Downing Street flat.

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Lib Dems Spy Another By-Election Opportunity Over Tory MP’s Bankruptcy Risk

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They may only have just finished counting their by-election victory in North Shropshire, but the Liberal Democrats have already set their sights on their next Tory “Blue Wall” target seat: Windsor.

The Lib Dems began campaigning in the seat with their new candidate, Julian Tisi, this weekend amid rumblings that another by-election could be on the cards pending the outcome of bankruptcy proceedings against sitting Tory MP Adam Afriyie.

Afriyie, the MP for Windsor since 2005, is being pursued by HMRC over unpaid taxes following the collapse of his IT firm in 2007, the Guardian reported in November.

Under parliamentary rules, a sitting MP who is declared bankrupt can be forced to stand aside if a bankruptcy restrictions order is made against them — potentially triggering a by-election.

Afiyie’s spokesperson told the newspaper that negotiations were ongoing and that his advisers were working towards an agreement. Afriyie said: “I will of course pay any tax that is due.”

Tisi, who stood for the Lib Dems in the 2019 general election, is hoping to build on successes in Chesham and Amersham and most recently in the North Shropshire by-election, where the party overturned a 23,000 Conservative majority.

At the last general election, he increased the Lib Dem vote share by more than 11 per cent. The party also picked up eight council seats in Windsor and Maidenhead at last May’s local elections, which saw the tories lose 15 seats.

Opposition to Conservative planning reforms pushed by then housing secretary Robert Jenrick were largely credited with the Chesham and Amersham win, while in North Shropshire the drip feed of party scandals coming from Number 10 and the resignation of former MP Owen Paterson over paid lobbying loomed large.

In Windsor, there is similar local angst regarding a plan to build a 2,000 home “garden village” in Jealott’s Hill that Tisi believes is incompatible with climate change goals and protecting the green belt.

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey told HuffPost UK that the Conservatives were “taking Windsor for granted”.

“As we saw last month in North Shropshire, people have had enough of Boris Johnson and his grossly incompetent government.

“The endless drumbeat of sleaze and scandal coming out from Downing Street is going down a stink in the Tory’s southern Blue Wall.

“Windsor is a winnable Blue Wall seat and it will clearly be a two horse race between a committed local Liberal Democrat team, and an out of touch Conservative party led by Boris Johnson.”

Meanwhile, Tisi said there was a “real sense of anger and frustration in Windsor at how the Conservatives have run the council”.

“The Conservative-led local councils have shown complete disregard for the views of local people and endlessly bulldozer through unpopular decisions.

“The Liberal Democrats are fighting for a fair deal for local people, including battling to save green spaces from unwanted development including the Windsor riverfront and Jealott’s Hill.”

A Conservative party spokesperson said: “The Conservatives are focused on delivering for people up and down the country as we build back better from the pandemic.”

HuffPost UK approached Afriyie for comment but did not receive a response.

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Senior Minister Defends Boris Johnson’s Integrity By Talking About…Brexit?

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Kwasi Kwarteng defended Boris Johnson on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme

Energy secretary Kwasi Kwarteng chose to defend Boris Johnson’s integrity and standards by talking about delivering Brexit – even though the UK left the EU more than a year ago.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4′s Today programme on Thursday, Kwarteng was attempting to defend the Conservative Party’s decision to let Tory MP Owen Paterson off the hook for breaching lobbying rules – even though the MPs’ watchdog recommended suspending him for 30 days.

Kwarteng said: “People look to Britain to maintain high standards which is exactly why I’m here in Glasgow [for COP26].

“That’s why we’re showing leadership – and that does extend to high standards of governance.”

Interviewer Nick Robinson seemed less convinced and asked for individual examples which back up Kwarteng’s claim that this “government is in favour of integrity and probity in public life”.

He added: “I’m pausing here Mr Kwarteng and maybe you can help me, let me just ask an open question – can you give name a single thing that Boris Johnson has done to deliver higher integrity and probity in public life. Just one.”

“I could do lots of things – we had a manifesto commitment to deliver Brexit and we delivered Brexit,” the senior minister said.

“That was something we promised to do and the prime minister led a government to do that.”

He said Downing Street were going to repeat this trend when it came to its climate pledges.

But Robinson pointed out that this was not really to do with the prime minister as a person, noting: “We’re talking about the standards of individuals aren’t we?”

Kwarteng maintained: “Holding yourself to a manifesto commitment and delivering those commitments is a feature of integrity.”

The prime minister has been heavily criticised for breaching public trust on several occasions during his time in office.

Most recently, he was accused of breaking his own lockdown rules last Christmas when his friend Nimco Ali was found to have spent the festive season with Johnson, his wife and their child.

Robinson also pointed out all the times the prime minister has let those in his close circles get away with breaking the rules.

The interviewer pointed out: “Was allowing Dominic Cummings to stay in his post when he broke the rules helping that?”

Cummings was Johnson’s most senior aide up until his resignation in 2020. He infamously breaching lockdown rules last April when he drove to Barnard Castle to “test his eyesight”. The prime minister stood by him despite the huge public backlash.

Kwarteng just said Cummings had now left the government, so the Radio 4 presenter moved on to question Kwarteng about Robert Jenrick, the former housing secretary.

He asked: “What about the housing secretary when he gave planning permission to a Tory donor?”

The senior minister just denied that was his recollection of what happened.

Robinson then pointed out how Priti Patel has been accused of bullying Westminster staff.

He said: “The home secretary was found guilty of bullying and the ministerial adviser on the conduct of decision left their job because they were ignored?

“Was that a way of getting integrity and probity into public life?”

But the energy minister just said the home secretary is “very moral” and “holds herself to high standards of conduct”.

Kwarteng also told reporters, “I don’t feel shame at all”, about voting against the suspension of Paterson on Thursday morning.

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Andy Burnham Interview: Boris Johnson Is Giving The Public False Hope

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Andy Burnham has denied he undermined Keir Starmer at Labour party conference, saying he instead brought “energy” and “value” to the gathering in Brighton.

The Greater Manchester mayor had been criticised by unnamed shadow cabinet members in the press for criticising Starmer from the sidelines during the annual meeting.

But in an interview with HuffPost UK, Burnham said he did “exactly the opposite” of what his critics have accused him of.

“I heard those noises from unnamed shadow cabinet, whoever they were, but I see it as us putting energy into the conference, because I did go and talk about the things that I am doing here, which I think are interesting for people,” he said.

“The London-style public transport – that is an idea that people can really get behind, I think. 

“The way I look at it is I made a very deliberate decision, I kind of thought, ‘What would I go to conference to do’ – it will be to add value to the policy debate, and that’s exactly what I did.”

Burnham has since said he is not gunning for the Labour leadership, despite reports – which he has denied – that his allies had given Starmer 12 months to turn the party’s prospects around.

The mayor made a series of interventions as Labour’s conference kicked off in Brighton, including that his party could not afford to wait until the next general election to unveil policies. 

He also criticised the Labour leader’s decision to overhaul its leadership rules and for failing to put northern mayors high on the agenda at the gathering – suggesting it meant the party was not “serious about winning back the north of England”.

As well as attending Labour’s conference, Burnham was also spotted at the Conservatives’ annual event in Manchester, where he pressed the government to respond to his levelling up deal for the city.

In his speech, Boris Johnson said the government would “do” Northern Powerhouse Rail – a project that would connect cities and boost journey times across the north of England – which was welcomed by Burnham.

But Johnson did not specify whether there would be a new line linking Leeds to Manchester or simply upgrades to existing lines which will worry the project’s proponents.

A dominant theme of the prime minister’s speech was to pitch what he called a “radical and optimistic Conservatism” against a “tired old Labour” that was “hopelessly divided”.

Burnham branded the dividing line a “simplistic characterisation” and accused Johnson of giving the public “false hope” even as the cost of living crisis spirals and there remains long petrol queues in parts of the country.

“I think the mood of the country doesn’t necessarily reflect what I think might be more wishful thinking on the prime minister’s part,” he said, adding that the £20-a-week cut to Universal Credit would have a “big impact here”.

“I don’t think the public are feeling massively optimistic about things but they probably want to be, but they haven’t been given a reason to be.”

Asked whether Starmer instilled the kind of hope in people in the way that Johnson attempts to do, Burnham replied: “Is that what people want – do people want a sense of false hope? 

“I think people want credibility, don’t they – seriousness, credibility.

“I think this is why it’s that there’s a choice there, it feels like they are different characters in terms of what they’re all about, and I think that very much comes through the two speeches.”

Despite welcoming climate change policies from shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves and from Starmer on greater mental health provision, Burnham expressed a sense of dismay that neither party showed they were “completely connecting to the mood of the country”.

“I think people are hurting after the pandemic, I think people are looking for hope and a lift, and I don’t think they got it in terms of the detail, from either party actually, in terms of ‘This is what we think takes us from where we are as a country now to where we should be’,” he said.

He is eager for both to unveil concrete announcements in October’s spending review, which he said was a “critical” moment for the country and as the UK prepares to host the United Nations COP26 climate change summit.

Burnham said now was the time for the government to “massively accelerate on both levelling up and decarbonisation” for it to feel real to the public before the next general election in 2023 or 2024.

“And certainly if we don’t have a massive gear change particularly on net zero, we’re not going to get there, and we’re not going to have anything to say on that at the COP,” he said.

“Both conferences were light on that to be honest, I mean this is a sort of window that’s kind of closing a little bit now.

“I’m not making party political points, we’re just making a sort of broader point about is the current political scene engaging enough with the current seriousness of that situation – I’ll be honest I didn’t hear enough of that at either party conference.”

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Rishi Sunak Defends ‘Reasonable’ £20-A-Week Universal Credit Cut

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Christopher Furlong via Getty Images

Rishi Sunak also warned there could be shortages in the run-up to Christmas caused by supply chain challenges.

Rishi Sunak has denied he is being “dogmatic” by sticking to the impending cut to Universal Credit, arguing that the government is “not done supporting people”.

The chancellor is under pressure to reverse his decision to end the £20-a-week uplift to Universal Credit as people struggle with higher energy bills and higher prices for goods.

But Sunak said it was “reasonable” that the benefit uplift was coming to its “natural end” and argued that it was only intended as a temporary measure.

He told BBC Radio 4: “We put in place a lot of things during the acute phase of coronavirus that were necessarily temporary – there’s things that are appropriate when you’re dealing with a hopefully once-in-a-century pandemic, and it’s reasonable that those things will come to a natural end.

“Whether it’s universal credit or indeed furlough, these things are coming to their end, but we’re not done supporting people.

“I don’t think anyone, given the support we’ve provided over the last year and a half, could accuse me or the government of being dogmatic or not wanting to support people, we just have a view about the best way to do that.”

The chancellor will give a speech to Tory party conference today in which he will unveil a £500m package to help people come off furlough and get back into work as the country recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.

Local councils will also be given £500m to support the most vulnerable households throughout the winter months. 

The Conservatives have already begun hammering the message that wages are rising as the economy recovers, but already there are warnings that this could soon be outstripped by inflation. 

Senior Conservative Jake Berry warned that families were being “kept up at night” by the higher costs of living and as the cut to Universal Credit approaches.

Berry, who chairs the Northern Research Group of MPs, said removing the £1,000-a-year uplift was going to be “really difficult for people”.

And he said that while wages were increasing in some sectors, they were not in all and prices for commodities were going up.

“If wages are going up at the same time as prices are going up – and the chancellor said yesterday inflation kept him up at night, I’m sure it keeps loads of families up at night who are managing their budget – then it will only work if the salary for all jobs goes up,” he said.

“And what we’re hearing about is certain sectors – transport and logistics, people working in the hospitality sector – their wages are going up but not necessarily everyone else.

“If your wage isn’t going up at the same time as prices are going up, you’re getting poorer aren’t you?”

The backdrop to Tory party conference has been set by rising food and energy prices and a high demand for petrol that has resulted in long queues at stations particularly in London and the south east.

A shortage in HGV lorry drivers has led to distribution problems with fuel and could also cause food supply issues this winter.

Sunak admitted there could be food shortages this Christmas and said that while the government would do its best to “mitigate” the problem, he could not “wave a magic wand” and make the problems disappear.

“It’s reasonable that people expect us to do what we can,” he told the BBC.

“But we can’t wave a magic wand and make global supply chain challenges disappear overnight.

“With regards to butchers, my understanding is that those are indeed on the shortage occupation list that we already have.”

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Marcus Rashford ‘Doing Government’s Work For Them’ Over Food Voucher Take Up

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Nick Potts – PA Images via Getty Images

Rashford said he feared registrations to the government-backed food voucher scheme were ‘plateauing’

Marcus Rashford has kickstarted a drive to get more disadvantaged families signed up to a food voucher scheme – prompting calls from Labour that the footballer is having to “do the government’s work for them”.

The England and Manchester United striker urged health professional to help get more children signed up to the government’s healthy start food voucher scheme after it emerged that 40% of those eligible were still not registered.

In an open letter published in the British Medical Journal, Rashford said he was worried that after an initial good start last year, numbers were now “plateauing”.

“Since November 2020, members of the child food poverty taskforce have used their channels and platforms to communicate about the healthy start scheme and to tell people how to access it, with the hope that we will be able to reach the majority of those most in need,” he said.

“While we have seen 57,000 more parents benefit from the scheme as a result, I’m concerned we are plateauing.

“More than 40% of those eligible for the vouchers are still not registered for the scheme, and I’m confident that the majority of these parents can be found in communities just like mine, where I grew up — no internet, no high street, no word of mouth.”

Labour’s shadow child poverty secretary Wes Streeting accused the government of having “no strategy for lifting children out of poverty”, adding: “Once again we see Marcus Rashford having to do the government’s work for them.”

Rashford’s letter is not the first time the footballer-turned-campaigner has intervened to provide decent food for children.

Last year he forced the government into a U-turn over free school meals so that they were provided to vulnerable children during the summer and Christmas holidays.

In May he became the youngest person to top the Sunday Times giving list by raising £20 million in donations from supermarkets to tackle child food poverty.

Rashford, who has spoken movingly about his own experience growing up in poverty, said the stigma attached to receiving help from the state was  “the most silly thing I’ve ever heard”.

In a letter to MPs last year urging them to back the child food poverty taskforce, Rashford recalled hearing his mum cry herself to sleep as she worried about how to make ends meet.

 “I remember the sound of my mum crying herself to sleep to this day, having worked a 14-hour shift, unsure how she was going to make ends meet,” he wrote at the time.

“That was my reality and thankfully I had the talent to kick a ball around to pull us all out of that situation.

“Many can’t find that way out and aren’t being offered a helping hand to do so.”

The department for health and social care has been contacted for comment.

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Now Health Minister Says Holidays Abroad Are ‘Dangerous’

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A health minister has added to the confusion over coronavirus travel rules after saying going abroad is “dangerous” and “not for this year”.

Lord Bethell’s comments come after environment secretary George Eustice was slapped down by No.10 for suggesting people could travel to so-called “amber list” countries to visit friends.

Boris Johnson also later stressed that amber list countries were “not somewhere you should be going on holiday”.

But Bethell went much further than government rules, which allows people to travel to Portugal, Iceland and nine other countries without having to quarantine on their return, opening the door to summer holidays.

The peer’s comments are the latest example of chaotic messaging on foreign travel from the government, and are likely to fuel confusion following the lifting of the ban on foreign holidays on Monday.

He made his remarks amid continuing concern over the rise in cases of the potentially more transmissible variant that originated in India in parts of England.

Labour said the confusion had created “dangerous chaos” and called for “a pause on international travel”, while Johnson’s former aide Dominic Cummings has labelled the UK’s border policy a “joke”.

Going much further than the government position, Bethell said: “Travelling is dangerous. That is not news to us or to the people who get on those planes in the first place.

“We do ask people, particularly as we go into the summer, travelling is not for this year, please stay in this country.”

Gareth Fuller – PA Images via Getty Images

Passengers prepare to board an easyJet flight to Faro, Portugal, at Gatwick Airport on Monday

Earlier, Eustice struck a markedly different tone, suggesting people could travel to even amber list countries if they “feel the need” to visit family or friends.

But the prime minister’s official spokesperson said travel to amber list countries was only permitted for a very limited number of reasons.

“The position remains that people should not travel to amber list countries and that is to protect public health,” they said.

“We recognise that the restrictions that have been placed are difficult for the public. 

“There may be essential reasons for which people still have to travel to amber list countries but of course strict quarantine and testing measures will apply.

“There are some limited reasons why it might be acceptable to travel – for work purposes, protecting essential services or compassionate reasons such as a funeral or care of a family member but otherwise people should not be travelling to these countries.”

Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said: “The Conservatives’ border policies have unravelled into dangerous chaos within a matter of hours since international travel was opened up.

 “There is a lack of strategy, which has meant the UK government, and their own ministers, are giving out conflicting and confused advice about whether people are allowed to travel, especially between ‘amber list’ countries.

“Labour has been clear that there should be a pause on international travel, to guard against further importing of dangerous strains, setting back hopes for ending restrictions.”

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