Labour MP Andy McDonald gave an emotional speech today during a Private Members’ Bill debate on access to medical cannabis. Speaking in the House of Commons, the MP for Middlesborough said: “We were confronted with our beloved Rory locked in status. And I recall so vividly calling the ambulance and having him whisked off to…
Yvette Cooper has clashed with Priti Patel over the so-called ‘borders bill’ today in the House of Commons. In her first appearance at the despatch box as shadow home secretary, Cooper accused the home secretary of “letting vile people traffickers and criminal gangs off the hook” and said her speech was “a lot of rhetoric…
This week, the Government revealed its long-awaited ten year drug strategy, which seeks to cut crime and save lives. Whilst I welcome the boost in funding for drug treatment, the strategy largely appears to be a doubling down of a failed ‘war on drugs’ strategy that has only resulted in record-levels of drug deaths and…
Lying at the dispatch box would normally lead to a resignation. So we wonder whether the prime minister would be willing to take a lie detector test over the Downing Street party fiasco. After all, there was no party… and if there was no rules were broken… but there wasn’t… Or was there? The post…
The UK government says Russian president Vladimir Putin “needs to de-escalate now” over reports of a potential invasion of Ukraine. Answering an urgent question in the House of Commons on fears of a Russian incursion on Ukraine, minister for Africa Vicky Ford says such a move “should expect significant strategic consequences” for Russia. Ford added…
Tracey Crouch has brushed off suggestions that an independent regulator would damage elite football in England, as she presented her findings of a review into football governance in the UK. Following the botched attempt to create a European Super League, the government launched an independent fan led review of football governance, chaired by Tracey Crouch.…
Today, the Foreign Affairs Committee publishes written evidence submitted to the Committee by a whistleblower who worked on the Afghanistan Crisis Response within the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). The evidence will form part of the Foreign Affairs Committee’s inquiry into the withdrawal from Afghanistan. The whistleblower, Raphael Marshall, worked for the FCDO as a Desk Officer.…
Nadhim Zahawi said it was “impossible to imagine how any adult could commit such evil acts against a child”, as he provided a statement to the House of Commons on the death of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes. Arthur was killed in June 2020 by his stepmother Emma Tustin, after being submitted to a campaign of torture and…
It has become something of a joke that planning permission in the UK takes forever to attain. The government is trying to address this, as well as issues around affordable homes, with a drastic overhaul to planning rules. “The current planning system in the UK is highly discretionary,” explained Anthony Breach, a senior analyst for…
People in Hong Kong are leaving the country on the UK’s British National Overseas (BNO) passport scheme, due to a crackdown on democracy. The one country, two systems principle put in place when Hong Kong was returned to China by the UK, has been severely eroded in recent years. In 2019, widespread protests broke out…
