Former Conservative MP Rory Stewart says NATO’s inability to act independently from U.S. foreign policy is “very worrying”. Giving evidence to the foreign affairs committee on the UK’s foreign policy in Afghanistan, Stewart was asked by the chair Tom Tugendhat what the UK should have done differently. The former international development secretary argued the UK…
MPs have passed a controversial amendment to the health and care bill that will change the way the social care cap is calculated. The government has been criticised by a number of its own MPs in recent days over plans to change the calculation of the social care cap. The new proposals would see those…
The home secretary Priti Patel has batted away suggestions her department is failing to deal with increases in migrant Channel crossings, accusing Labour of “standing up for unlimited migration”.Responding to an urgent question on the government’s handling of the migrant Channel crossings by small boats, the home secretary claimed: “The only solution to this problem is…
Grant Shapps faced discontent in the Commons over the government’s plans to scrap the eastern leg of HS2 between Leeds and the East Midlands. Announcing £96 billion of new funding, the transport secretary said: “The HS2 track would not have reached the East Midlands and the North until the early 2040s.” Clearly, a rethink was…
The Home Office has confirmed that only five asylum-seekers have been returned to the European nations in 2021, amid post-Brexit difficulties on a returns agreement. Tom Pursglove, the parliamentary under-secretary of state for Immigration, confirmed to the home affairs committee that illegal Channel crossings rose to 23,000 this year, compared to 8,500 last year. Despite…
Christopher Chope, who yesterday blocked plans to undo Andrea Leadsom’s standards motion, was booed in the House of Commons today for telling a female Conservative MP to “apply her mind”. Alicia Kearns, MP for Rutland and Melton, asked how long the Christchurch MP would like to spend debating the issue, saying: “We’ve had almost four-and-a-half…
Former Yorkshire County cricketer Azeem Rafiq has outlined the extensive racist abuse he received whilst playing for the club. Talking to the digital, culture, media and sport parliamentary committee, Rafiq said: “I felt isolated, humiliated at times, constant use of the word ‘Paki’. “In 2017 pre-season tour we were in a place and Gary Ballance…
Members of the House of Lords questioned the government’s response to Iran’s continued detention of British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe today. The urgent question was proposed by Labour peer Lord Foulkes of Cumnock, who asked: “Can the minister use his undoubted influence with the prime minister to get him to make it his now, his top priority…
A woman who suffers from a rare type of kidney cancer has urged the NHS to widen the net for cancer tests. Katy Hall, who was diagnosed with an extremely rare cellular cancer, known as MiT family translocation renal cell carcinoma, was initially told the lump found on her kidney was a benign tumour. Speaking as an…
Opposition MPs have voiced their dissatisfaction at the government’s handling of Owen Paterson’s breach of parliamentary standards in an emergency House of Commons’ debate. Opening the debate, Liberal Democrat MP Wendy Chamberlain said the government’s actions last week had “tainted MPs with allegations of sleaze” in the eyes of the public. Cabinet minister Steve Barclay…
