UK News and Discussions

[Time_Traveller]

MPs to vote on Rishi Sunak's smoking ban bill

31 minutes ago

Plans to stop young people born since 2009 ever smoking are to be debated and voted on later.

Rishi Sunak's bill aims to create the UK's first smoke-free generation in a major public health intervention.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill would ensure anyone turning 15 from this year would be banned from buying cigarettes, and also aims to make vapes less appealing to children.

A number of Tory MPs have told the BBC they won't back the bill.

Conservative MPs will get a free vote on it so they won't be ordered to vote with the government, but the bill is likely to pass as it has Labour support.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68816566

More on this:-

Rishi Sunak forces through vote for total ban on smoking for those born after 2009

8 hours ago

Britain is on course to ban smoking for an entire generation after Rishi Sunak forced through a historic vote in the House of Commons.

The prime minister relied on Labour votes to see off opponents on his own benches, led by the former PM Liz Truss, winning by 383 votes to 67.

The legislation, which if passed will mean that anyone aged 15 or younger today will never be able to buy cigarettes legally, will see the UK slowly become a smoke-free country.

Earlier Mr Sunak urged members of his cabinet to think of “future generations” and back his flagship plan as he sought to avoid a humiliating backlash at the hands of his own party.

But the business secretary Kemi Badenoch was among those who voted against the plan, saying it undermines the principle of equality under the law by treating adults differently even if they were born just a day apart.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/p ... 29725.html

[weatheriscool]

[Time_Traveller]

Latest Ipsos poll shows Tories at their lowest rating in 45 years

1 hour ago

Support for the Conservatives has fallen to its lowest level in 45 years, according to the latest Ipsos poll.

The Tories’ vote share has fallen to just 19 per cent – a record low for the second consecutive month – with Labour leading by 25 points on 44 per cent.

And in a further blow for Rishi Sunak, his personal approval ratings are now at the worst level in the history of Ipsos polling – equivalent only to John Major in 1994 and Jeremy Corbyn in 2019.

They have divebombed to -59, an all-time record low, as three quarters of voters say they are dissatisfied with the Conservative leader.

Meanwhile, the right-wing challenger party Reform UK are snapping at the Tory’s heels with 13 per cent of the vote share.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/p ... 30950.html

[Time_Traveller]

Nicola Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell charged in connection with embezzlement of funds from SNP

Thursday 18 April 2024 19:38, UK



Nicola Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell has been charged by police after he was arrested amid an investigation into the SNP's funding and finances.

Police said he has been charged in connection with the embezzlement of funds from the party.

The former SNP chief executive, 59, was questioned by detectives after being taken into Police Scotland custody on Thursday.

He was released from custody.

A report will be sent to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in due course.

https://news.sky.com/story/nicola-sturg ... p-13118056

[Time_Traveller]

Rishi Sunak pledges to remove benefits for people not taking jobs after 12 months

Friday 19 April 2024 12:22, UK



People who are fit to work but do not accept job offers will have their benefits taken away after 12 months, the prime minister has pledged.

Outlining his plans to reform the welfare system if the Conservatives win the next general election, Rishi Sunak said "unemployment support should be a safety net, never a choice" as he promised to "make sure that hard work is always rewarded".

Politics live: 'Moral mission' to end 'sicknote culture', says Sunak

Mr Sunak said his government would be "more ambitious about helping people back to work and more honest about the risk of over-medicalising the everyday challenges and worries of life" by introducing a raft of measures in the next parliament. They include:

• Removing benefits after 12 months for those deemed fit for work but who do not comply with conditions set by their work coach - such as accepting a job offer

• Tightening the work capability assessment so those with less severe conditions will be expected to seek employment

• A review of the fit note system to focus on what someone can do, to be carried out by independent assessors rather than GPs

• Changes to the rules so someone working less than half of a full-time week will have to look for more work

• A consultation on PIP to look at eligibility changes and targeted support - such as offering talking therapies instead of cash payments

• The introduction of a new fraud bill to treat benefit fraud like tax fraud, with new powers to make seizures and arrests.

https://news.sky.com/story/rishi-sunak- ... s-13118419

[Time_Traveller]

100 MPs to stand down at the next general election

4 hours ago

The number of MPs who have said they will leave Parliament at the next general election has reached 100.

Conservative Tim Loughton, who has represented East Worthing and Shoreham since 1997, became the 100th MP to announce he was leaving the Commons.

Most - 63 in all - are Tories, and they include former prime minister Theresa May.

That said, 56% of the 650 MPs (365) who won their seats in Boris Johnson's landslide general election victory in 2019 were Conservatives.

A total of 17 Labour MPs are also standing down, along with nine from the SNP, two from Sinn Fein, one from Plaid Cymru and one Green - the party's only MP, Caroline Lucas.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68839793

[wjfox]

Most - 63 in all - are Tories, and they include former prime minister Theresa May.

Rats abandoning the sinking ship, keen to avoid their Portillo moment.

(see also from 1:35 here. )

[Time_Traveller]

Blackpool South voters turn on ‘Richy’ Rishi Sunak ahead of crunch by-election

47 minutes ago

Disillusioned Conservative voters in Blackpool South have turned on “Richy” Rishi Sunak ahead of a crunch by-election, a focus group conducted with The Independent reveals.

With two weeks until the contest to replace disgraced former MP Scott Benton, a group of 10 Tory 2019 voters said the prime minister is “weak” and “just does not have a voice”.

Working in a range of industries, the group described Blackpool’s descent from a bustling beachside resort a town riddled with shuttered shops, antisocial behaviour and an overstretched health service which has driven some to go private.

The sense of disappointment was palpable, with Kathleen, a cleaner, warning her son not to walk down the deprived Central Drive, a once-thriving street with views of the iconic Blackpool Tower. Meanwhile Lorreta, a community support worker, bemoaned that there is nothing for children to do that does not “cost a fortune”.

While a third, David, a mechanic, said he has taken out private health insurance after being left waiting years for multiple surgeries on the NHS.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/p ... 30930.html

[Time_Traveller]

Brixton Academy to reopen for first time since fatal crush

14 hours ago

The Brixton Academy is due to reopen for the first time since a crush which killed two people in December 2022.

The south London venue's licence was suspended after a gig by Afro-pop singer Asake, when a large number of people tried to enter the foyer.

Gaby Hutchinson, 23, and Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, were killed. Another woman remains in hospital.

The Metropolitan Police says it is "focused on establishing exactly what happened that tragic evening".

The first performers at the reopened venue will be Nirvana UK, a Nirvana tribute band, and The Smyths, who perform tracks by The Smiths.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-68844216

[Time_Traveller]

MP Mark Menzies resigns from Conservative Party

2 minutes ago

Mark Menzies, who was suspended by the Conservative Party over allegations he misused campaign funds, is to quit as an MP at the next election.

Mr Menzies also confirmed he has left the Tory Party, which said he had shown a "pattern of behaviour that falls below the standards expected of MPs".

It said it could not conclude there had been a misuse of party funds after an internal investigation.

The announcement does not mean there will be an immediate by-election.

In a statement, Mr Menzies said he was standing down as the MP for Fylde in Lancashire "due to the pressures on myself and my elderly mother".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68870117

[Time_Traveller]

Rishi Sunak's Rwanda bill to become law after late-night showdown

1 hour ago

Rishi Sunak's flagship Rwanda bill is finally set to become law after months of wrangling ended in a parliamentary showdown shortly before midnight.

It designates Rwanda a safe country and is a key part of the government's plans to send some asylum seekers there.

The bill has been fiercely criticised by opposition parties but the Lords ended their objections late on Monday.

Mr Sunak has said flights to Rwanda will take off within 10 to 12 weeks, missing his original spring target.

But departures could still be held up in the courts or delays in securing the planes asylum seekers would travel on.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68840441

What a waste of taxpayers money will become law and only 1% of refugees will go to the country.

[firestar464]

No, Conscription Will Not Fix Britain’s Army Crisis

https://www.thedefensepost.com/2024/04/ ... tish-army/

TLDR young people need to actually get some sort of incentive for this

[Time_Traveller]

SNP ends power-sharing deal with Scottish Greens over climate strategy

Thu 25 Apr 2024 09.53 BST

The historic power-sharing agreement between the Scottish National party and Scottish Greens is to end after a crisis over the government’s climate strategy.

The Bute House agreement was signed in August 2021 by the then SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon, and the Scottish Greens co-leader, Patrick Harvie, bringing the Greens into government for the first time in the UK.

Humza Yousaf, Sturgeon’s successor as first minister, convened an emergency cabinet meeting early on Thursday after SNP backbenchers began openly attacking the deal.

In a statement issued half an hour before the first minister’s press conference, the Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater accused the SNP of “selling out future generations to appease the most reactionary forces in the country” by walking away from the Bute House agreement.

Slater accused the SNP of betraying the electorate, and added that “by ending the agreement in such a weak and thoroughly hopeless way, Humza Yousaf has signalled that when it comes to political cooperation, he can no longer be trusted”.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... eports-say

[Time_Traveller]

Labour pledges to renationalise most rail services within five years

34 minutes ago

Labour has promised to renationalise nearly all passenger rail services within five years if it wins the next election.

It says a new public body would inherit existing contracts when they expire, taking on responsibility for running services.

Automatic refunds for train delays and better internet connection on trains are also planned.

But Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the plans were "unfunded".

Responsibility for running train services was handed to private companies during the 1990s, since when there has been a boom in rail usage since the days of British Rail.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68889345

[wjfox]

Labour pledges to renationalise most rail services within five years

34 minutes ago

Labour has promised to renationalise nearly all passenger rail services within five years if it wins the next election.

It says a new public body would inherit existing contracts when they expire, taking on responsibility for running services.

Automatic refunds for train delays and better internet connection on trains are also planned.

But Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the plans were "unfunded".

Responsibility for running train services was handed to private companies during the 1990s, since when there has been a boom in rail usage since the days of British Rail.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68889345

Good. Privatisation has been an unmitigated disaster. Our train services are among the worst, most unreliable, most expensive in the Western world.

[Time_Traveller]

Tories doomed at next election because of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, says pollster John Curtice

36 minutes ago

The Conservatives are doomed to lose the election because voters will not forgive the behaviour of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, according to Britain’s top pollster.

Prof Sir John Curtice says Mr Johnson’s No 10 lockdown parties and Ms Truss’s economic catastrophe have made it impossible for Rishi Sunak to cling on to power.

The prime minister threw away his only hope of mending the electoral damage caused by Mr Johnson and Ms Truss by failing to condemn their conduct sufficiently strongly, says Sir John.

Mr Johnson and Ms Truss each ruined the reputation of the Tories, in power for 14 years, in the space of just weeks, he claims.

The Conservatives’ ratings fell six points in six weeks after the scandal of Mr Johnson’s Downing St lockdown parties was exposed, and another six points in the six weeks following the collapse of Ms Truss’ economic policies, says Sir John, professor of politics at Strathclyde University.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/p ... 35490.html

[Time_Traveller]

Lib Dems call for over-70s to get access to named GP

56 minutes ago



The Liberal Democrats have called for everyone over 70 or with a long-term health condition in England to get access to a named GP.

The party said a "return to the family doctor" would help avoid hospital appointments and save the NHS money.

Patients in England over 70 have had a named GP since 2013, with this extended to all patients in 2015.

But Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey told the BBC this was "a tick-box exercise" that had not been implemented.

The Conservative Party said the "huge unfunded spending commitment" from the Liberal Democrats was "just another empty promise".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68915875

[Time_Traveller]

Humza Yousaf resigns - live: SNP Scottish first minister quits in emotional speech to avoid no confidence vote

1 minute ago

Humza Yousaf has quit as Scottish first minister in an emotional speech to avoid being ousted by his opposition in a no confidence vote.

Mr Yousaf announced he was stepping down during an address at Bute House, Edinburgh, at midday today, just days before a vote on his leadership was expected.

As he choked up, the 39-year-old thanked “wonderful” wife and “beautiful” children for supporting him throughout his time in office.

He added: “After spending the weekend reflecting on what is best for my party, for the government and for the country I lead I have concluded that repairing our relationship across the political divide can only be done with someone else at the helm.

“I have therefore informed the SNP’s national secretary of my intention to stand down as party leader and asks that she commences a leadership contest for my replacement as soon as possible.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/p ... 36365.html

[firestar464]

Based on the latest opinion poll:

Constituency vote:
SNP: 26
Labour: 23
Con: 12
LibDem: 7
Green: 2
Other: 3

Regional vote:
SNP: 19
Labour: 17
Con: 10
Green: 5
LibDem: 4
Alba: 1

Total:
SNP: 45
Labour: 40
Con: 22
LibDem: 11
Green: 7
Alba: At least 1
Other, including Alba idk: 3

Expect to see SNP begging Labour for support

[wjfox]

Local elections in the UK today. Should be an interesting bellwether for the General Election later this year (we still don't know when that is, but seems likely it'll be October/November. By law, the latest it can be held is January 2025).

Mayoral elections are also being held today. Sadiq Khan (Labour) is likely to gain a 3rd term as Mayor of London, as he's polling 20 points ahead of the Conservative candidate Susan Hall, and she is rather incompetent in radio/TV interviews. The right-wing media has been making a huge deal about the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), as though it's a pivotal and damaging issue for Khan, but most Londoners support it.