Labour party

Boris Johnson moaned that Keir Starmer wouldn't stop asking questions about mass deaths and starving children in Yemen - and the UK's sales of billions in arms to Saudi Arabia to use in the conflict. As the government prepares to slash aid to help those devastated by the brutal civil war by 50%, the PM complained that the Labour leader didn't ask him questions about how well the Covid-19 roadmap was going. He said: "He can't even address a question on the issues of the hour. He could have asked anything about the Coronavirus Pandemic, instead he's concentrated his questions entirely to the interests of the people of Yemen." Starmer pressed Boris Johnson on whether arms sales to Yemen should be suspended. Opening PMQs , Sir Keir said: "Does the Prime Minister agree with President Biden that the sale of arms that could be used in the war in Yemen should be suspended?" The Prime Minister replied: "Ever since the tragic conflict in Yemen broke out this country has … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson moans over Keir Starmer asking questions about children starving in Yemen

Germany's domestic intelligence agency has put the opposition Alternative for Germany (AfD) party under observation on suspicion of extreme far-right sympathies, according to local media. The action by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) comes more than two years after it announced it was examining public comments by party members and links to extremist groups more closely. In January 2019, the agency put the youth wing of AfD as well as the party faction linked to a prominent leader in eastern Germany , Bjoern Hoecke, under covert surveillance over extremism allegations. At the time, the BfV cited the youth organisation's stated goal of creating an ethnically pure country and efforts by Hoecke's faction - known as "The Wing" - to downplay Germany's Nazi history. The Wing has also suggested it might pursue "revolutionary" means to achieve its political aims, warranting scrutiny from the BfV, which is tasked with monitoring all extremist … [Read more...] about Germany’s domestic intelligence agency ‘suspects Alternative for Germany party of far-right sympathies’

Rishi Sunak has been forced to deny handing Budget bonuses to Tory MPs, after it emerged almost 90% of a newly announced towns fund will go to Conservative constituencies. Of the 45 towns benefiting from the £1bn fund, unveiled by the Chancellor today, 40 have at least one Tory MP. And around half of the towns are in so-called “red wall” northern seats taken from Labour in the 2019 election - and which Boris Johnson is desperate to keep hold of. Of the £1bn in newly announced funding, some £886 million will go to towns with Tory seats - 88.6% of the total fund. But Rishi Sunak denied the fund was ’naked pork barrel politics’. At a Downing Street press conference, the Financial Times’ George Parker also noted that Mr Sunak’s constituency is in the “Priority One” list for the new Levelling Up Fund, also announced by the Chancellor today. The Chancellor denied targeting Tory seats. He said: “The formula for the grant payments for the new fund, to give them some … [Read more...] about Rishi Sunak hands 90% of £1bn new Towns Fund cash in Budget to Tory seats

Uncertainty around the future of the Northern Ireland protocol has seen the construction of purpose-built inspection facilities at ports halted. There will still be checks on agricultural and food products, but these will be carried out in existing buildings that have been repurposed for the post- Brexit task, the country's agriculture minister has said. Gordon Lyons of the DUP said that recruitment of inspection staff for the new port facilities at places like Belfast and Larne had been stopped, and charges levied on traders bringing goods from Great Britain into Northern Ireland were also shelved. Mr Lyons said his decision was based on "practical difficulties" caused by the protocol, which came as part of the UK's trade deal with the EU. The agreement struck saw trade checks enacted on products travelling between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, however these regulatory and customs checks were moved to the Irish Sea to avoid a border on the island of … [Read more...] about Construction of post-Brexit inspection facilities halted in Northern Ireland

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has spoken of the "moment she will never forget" when Alex Salmond showed her a letter detailing sexual harassment claims against him. She told a Scottish parliament committee: "What he described constituted, in my view, deeply inappropriate behaviour on his part - perhaps another reason why that moment is embedded so strongly in my mind." Recalling when Mr Salmond handed her the letter at her Glasgow home on 2 April 2018, Ms Sturgeon said: "My head was spinning, I was experiencing a maelstrom of emotions, I had been told something pretty shocking by Alex Salmond and there were a number of things in my head." Ms Sturgeon is facing calls from the Scottish Conservatives to resign following claims she misled parliament about the meeting with her predecessor. She said she did not "immediately record the 2 April meeting" as she did not want it to become public and risk "breaching the confidentiality of the process". … [Read more...] about Nicola Sturgeon on ‘moment she will never forget’ when Alex Salmond showed her letter of harassment claims he faced