Published 19 April 2021 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Scottish Parliament election 2021 Nicola Sturgeon has pledged to deliver a "wraparound system" of childcare in Scotland - providing year-round care before and after school. She said the least well-off families would pay nothing and others would be asked for an "affordable contribution". The SNP leader said the plans would be a "central pillar" to Scotland's economic recovery after Covid. Ms Sturgeon said Scottish childcare was "almost unrecognisable" from the system the SNP had inherited. Speaking on the Holyrood campaign trail in Ayr, she also announced plans to extended free early years education to all one and two-year-olds from low income families. Ms Sturgeon said: "By August this year, we'll have completed the expansion of childcare provision to 1,140 hours, benefiting tens of … [Read more...] about Scottish election 2021: SNP pledges ‘wraparound’ childcare for families
Green party election results
Kenya Election 2022: Why the count is taking so long
By Dickens Olewe Published 8 hours ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Kenya general election 2022 Kenyans still do not know who their next president will be more than 48 hours after polls closed. Election head Wafula Chebukati has urged people to be patient and not to panic that media houses are releasing differing tallies. Each organisation is making calculations based on its own manual entry of data from more than 46,000 polling stations. But it is only the electoral commission that can declare the winner. The media's tallies show that the two leading candidates - Raila Odinga and William Ruto - are neck and neck. "There should be no panic about the differences we are seeing on the media screens. The results are from the same public portal; the approach [of each broadcaster] is different," Mr Chebukati, the chairperson of the … [Read more...] about Kenya Election 2022: Why the count is taking so long
Tory leadership election: Meet the overseas voters picking the next PM
By Joshua Nevett Published 3 hours ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Tory leadership Beyond the shores of the UK, a small community of devoted Conservative supporters have had their eyes glued to the twists and turns of the party's leadership contest. As paid-up Conservative members who joined at least three months before the ballot closes, they get a vote in the election to pick the next British prime minister. Under party rules, these overseas members do not need British citizenship to cast a ballot, nor the right to vote in a UK general election. Provided they paid their annual membership fee, they can have a role in shaping the political future of the UK - as Giuseppe Dottore did this month. He is part of a voter base that makes up about 1% of the party's estimated 160,000-strong membership. An Italian lawyer who has never … [Read more...] about Tory leadership election: Meet the overseas voters picking the next PM
Tory leadership: How will the new party leader and PM be chosen?
Published 4 hours ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Either Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss will become the UK's next prime minister when the final stage of the Conservative Party leadership contest concludes early next month. A vote among the party's membership is deciding the winner, who will be announced on 5 September. The campaign Mr Sunak and Ms Truss are taking part in 12 hustings events around the UK - where they are being questioned about their policies. The events are open to Conservative members and are being streamed on the party's website. Journalists can attend - but can not ask questions. Conservative Party members are picking the winner. The candidate they vote for will automatically become prime minister, as the leader of the party with a majority in the House of Commons. To be able to vote, members must have joined the party on or before … [Read more...] about Tory leadership: How will the new party leader and PM be chosen?
These green targets waved through by MPs will make the cost of no deal look like small change
This legislation was approved with little scrutiny, all to boost the ego of one of Britain’s worst prime ministers Never let it be said that Parliament cannot get things done when it wants to. In the three years since the referendum, MPs have not only rejected Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement but have failed to produce a majority for every other conceivable plan to exit the European Union. Those who never wanted Brexit in the first place say that it will cost the country billions. Britain is too small and insignificant to stand alone, they say. Nobody voted to be poorer, they say. Contrast this parliamentary rigor mortis with the passage of the Climate Change Act 2008 (2050 Target Amendment) Order which was nodded through on Monday evening, just twelve days after being first laid before the House of Commons. Unanimously approved after a self-congratulatory, back-slapping debate that lasted 90 minutes, it is now on its way to the House of Lords for a second round of … [Read more...] about These green targets waved through by MPs will make the cost of no deal look like small change
Labour MP Gaurav Sharma launches broadside as Parliamentary Service, party whips work through ’employment matters’
Parliamentary Service has confirmed that it has been working through “employment matters” with Hamilton West MP Dr Gaurav Sharma for over a year, after the little-known Labour MP launched an extraordinary public broadside against his own party, Parliamentary Service and the prime minister’s office. In an opinion column published in the New Zealand Herald on Thursday, Sharma alleged widespread bullying at Parliament, including by his own party whips, the prime minister’s office and others, although no evidence was provided to support the claims. Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said the service had been involved in “employment matters” related to Sharma. He said the service had been “working closely with the Labour whip’s office over the past year to address employment matters with Dr Sharma”. The MP levelled criticism at his own party while also suggesting bullying was rampant across Parliament. He accused Parliamentary Service of failing in … [Read more...] about Labour MP Gaurav Sharma launches broadside as Parliamentary Service, party whips work through ’employment matters’
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang tests positive for Covid after Gabon team ‘party’ in Dubai ahead of Afcon
A turbulent month for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has taken another twist after the Arsenal striker tested positive for Covid upon his arrival at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon. The Gabonese football federation said Aubameyang tested positive after the squad touched down in Cameroon on Thursday morning, with coach Anicet Yala and former Southampton and Fulham midfielder Mario Lemina also contracting the virus. It follows the emergence of a video showing Aubameyang and Lemina partying with team-mates on their pre-tournament training camp in Dubai. Grosse préparation des Gabonais à Dubaï qui respectent évidemment les gestes barrières pour ne pas créer de cluster à 4 jours du début de la CAN. pic.twitter.com/WTHgbrs0KK https://t.co/g5QIgttzdB — Hanif Ben Berkane (@HanifBerkane) January 5, 2022 Gabon are set to play their first match of the tournament, against Comoros, in Yaoundé on Monday evening. Those who tested positive are now waiting for the results of … [Read more...] about Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang tests positive for Covid after Gabon team ‘party’ in Dubai ahead of Afcon
Lukashenko’s fearsome arch-nemesis unveils new plot to take down bloodthirsty despot
Lukashenko says Russia 'must be ready' to use nuclear arsenal SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya announced plans for a coup to overthrow Lukashenko as she revealed the creation of a transitional government of Belarus to “restore constitutional law and order" in the country. She said: "I made the decision to create a unified, provisional cabinet. Related articles Putin ally could launch nuclear strikes on THREE countries Lukashenko reeling as Belarus forced to break silence on explosions “This is a collective executive body that will work on our main goals every day, defend the independence and sovereignty of the Republic of Belarus, represent the national interests of … [Read more...] about Lukashenko’s fearsome arch-nemesis unveils new plot to take down bloodthirsty despot
First Tory MP switches support from Rishi Sunak to Liz Truss in leadership race
Chris Skidmore has become the first Conservative MP to publicly switch his backing from Rishi Sunak to Liz Truss in the in the Tory leadership race. Announcing his defection in an article for The Telegraph, Mr Skidmore said he had became “increasingly concerned” by the Sunak campaign’s “consistently changing position ” on policy. He urged other Tory MPs to join him in switching support to the Foreign Secretary , saying: “It is never too late to make the right decision”. The switch is especially noteworthy as Mr Skidmore, one of the most prominent Tory supporters of Net Zero , is seen as being on the party’s liberal wing, while many of Ms Truss’s most prominent backers are on the traditionalist Right. A Truss campaign source claimed the “floodgates could open” now Mr Skidmore, the MP for Kingswood and a former universities minister, had flipped support, with other defections possible later this week. Mr Skidmore wrote: “The status quo cannot be an option. Initially, … [Read more...] about First Tory MP switches support from Rishi Sunak to Liz Truss in leadership race
Liz Truss: ‘I want the biggest change in economic policy for 30 years’
She was one of the Government’s earliest and most enthusiastic adopters of Instagram. Now Liz Truss reveals the secret weapons in her social media strategy: her teenage daughters. And Frances, 16, and Liberty, 14, have also taken to providing advice on the Foreign Secretary’s leadership campaign. “My youngest daughter [Liberty] has been at quite a few campaign meetings and doesn’t hesitate to offer me a lot of political advice,” says Ms Truss. “And actually, I’m not going to tell you what her advice is, but it’s been 100 per cent spot on so far.” Frances is on her way back from an overseas school trip but has also “been keeping in touch”. Ms Truss, 46, is sitting in an upstairs reception room in an 18th century townhouse owned by Lord Howard of Rising, while her campaign team scuttle around downstairs. She has just finished a telephone call with Dmytro Kuleba, Ukrainian foreign minister, with whom she has been in regular contact since Russia’s invasion. The building, … [Read more...] about Liz Truss: ‘I want the biggest change in economic policy for 30 years’