Labour’s Rachel Reeves: Wragg resignation calls are ‘a query for the Conservatives’
Labour shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has been campaigning in Blackpool at present, forward of the Blackpool South byelection on 2 Might, and he or she has stated that whether or not William Wragg ought to resign after turning into embroiled in a sexting scandal was “a query for the Conservatives”.
PA Media quotes her saying
I’m very involved about what appears to have occurred on this incident, particularly about MPs’ phone numbers being handed on to unknown sources.
That’s actually regarding and it’s proper that there’s a correct investigation into this.
In positions of accountability we all the time have to consider our actions however there are additionally malevolent gamers on the market who’re attempting to affect politics.
Requested if Wragg ought to resign, she stated: “That’s a query for the Conservatives. The police investigation is now below manner and it’s proper that we enable that investigation to take its course.”
A Conservative supply informed the Guardian that Wragg, the Tory MP for Hazel Grove, wouldn’t be suspended from the celebration whip for now amid issues that he’s additionally a sufferer.
Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, appeared to provide his assist to Wragg on Friday morning, describing his apology as “brave and fulsome”, and treasury minister Gareth Davies stated the information was “extraordinarily troubling” whereas showing to point that Wragg would proceed to sit down as a Conservative MP.
Wragg informed the Occasions that he gave the knowledge after he had despatched intimate photos of himself, saying he was “scared” and “mortified”. Leicestershire police have launched an investigation in response to stories that express photos and flirtatious messages had been despatched to MPs as a part of an alleged “spear-phishing” assault.
London’s Metropolitan police have additionally confirmed that they’ve spoken to different police forces and parliamentary safety authorities concerning the stories.
Key occasions
Here’s a little bit extra from Rachel Reeves in Blackpool earlier at present, outlining how Labour have calculated the determine they provide of households being £870 worse off due to Rishi Sunak’s Conservative authorities.
Referring to the modifications in nationwide insurance coverage that come into impact throughout the UK tomorrow, she stated:
[The Conservatives will] say tomorrow that taxes are taking place. The entire numbers present that taxes are on the rise. Taxes at present are at a 70 yr excessive and are on account of improve in each single yr of the forecast interval.
Actually, by the top of the forecast interval, the typical household might be paying £870 extra in tax due to the frozen nationwide insurance coverage and revenue tax thresholds, and due to will increase in council tax too. That’s the Conservatives double whammy on tax.
The chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, earlier claimed that his nationwide insurance coverage reduce meant “£900 within the pocket of somebody on the typical wage”, and Sunak stated “the progress we’ve made on the economic system means we will reward work with a tax reduce price £900 for the typical earner”. The UK fell into recession within the final two quarters on 2023.
Whereas they had been in Blackpool, Rachel Reeves, Jonathan Ashworth and byelection candidate Chris Webb additionally posed for the compulsory photograph in entrance of the tower there, and Reeves took a flip holding Webb’s seven-week-old son Cillian.
Reeves: Sunak and Hunt ‘out of contact with the fact confronted by unusual British individuals’ on economic system
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has stated the prime minister and his chancellor are “out of contact they’re with the fact confronted by unusual British individuals” as they speak concerning the economic system having turned a nook whereas “persons are nonetheless being squeezed by the Conservatives’ price of residing disaster.”
Campaigning in Blackpool, Reeves stated:
In the event you hearken to the prime minister and the chancellor, and we heard it within the funds final month, the taxes are coming down, the economic system has turned a nook, their plan is working.
Effectively, all that goes to indicate is how out of contact they’re with the fact confronted by unusual British individuals.
Issues may look all proper from 10,000 toes up in Rishi Sunak’s helicopter, however down right here on planet Earth, and right here in Blackpool South, persons are nonetheless being squeezed by the Conservatives’ price of residing disaster.
Reeves was showing with shadow paymaster normal Jonathan Ashworth and the celebration’s parliamentary candidate for the Blackpool South byelection, Chris Webb.
Whereas they had been there, the Labour trio unveiled a brand new poster during which the celebration assaults what it calls the “Tory tax double whammy”, citing rising private taxes and rising council taxes as the price of a continued Conservative authorities below Sunak. It’s a callback to a 1992 election poster utilized by the Conservatives in opposition to Neil Kinnock, warning {that a} Labour authorities would result in a double whammy of upper taxes and better costs.
Labour is optimistic about its prospects of securing a victory in Blackpool South, which might be its eighth byelection achieve since 2019. The Conservatives are defending a majority of three,690 in a seat which they gained from Labour on the final election.
The byelection is happening as a result of former Conservative backbencher Scott Benton stop parliament after he was suspended for 35 days over his function in a lobbying scandal. The MP had supplied to foyer ministers on behalf of the playing trade and leak a confidential coverage doc for as much as £4,000 a month.
Labour’s Rachel Reeves: Wragg resignation calls are ‘a query for the Conservatives’
Labour shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has been campaigning in Blackpool at present, forward of the Blackpool South byelection on 2 Might, and he or she has stated that whether or not William Wragg ought to resign after turning into embroiled in a sexting scandal was “a query for the Conservatives”.
PA Media quotes her saying
I’m very involved about what appears to have occurred on this incident, particularly about MPs’ phone numbers being handed on to unknown sources.
That’s actually regarding and it’s proper that there’s a correct investigation into this.
In positions of accountability we all the time have to consider our actions however there are additionally malevolent gamers on the market who’re attempting to affect politics.
Requested if Wragg ought to resign, she stated: “That’s a query for the Conservatives. The police investigation is now below manner and it’s proper that we enable that investigation to take its course.”
A Conservative supply informed the Guardian that Wragg, the Tory MP for Hazel Grove, wouldn’t be suspended from the celebration whip for now amid issues that he’s additionally a sufferer.
Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, appeared to provide his assist to Wragg on Friday morning, describing his apology as “brave and fulsome”, and treasury minister Gareth Davies stated the information was “extraordinarily troubling” whereas showing to point that Wragg would proceed to sit down as a Conservative MP.
Wragg informed the Occasions that he gave the knowledge after he had despatched intimate photos of himself, saying he was “scared” and “mortified”. Leicestershire police have launched an investigation in response to stories that express photos and flirtatious messages had been despatched to MPs as a part of an alleged “spear-phishing” assault.
London’s Metropolitan police have additionally confirmed that they’ve spoken to different police forces and parliamentary safety authorities concerning the stories.
Whereas we’re with regards to tax, listed below are a couple of of the phrases chancellor Jeremy Hunt gave to broadcasters earlier at present, speaking up the nationwide insurance coverage reduce that comes into impact from tomorrow. He stated:
Immediately’s nationwide insurance coverage reduce may be very important, not simply because it’s £900 within the pocket of somebody on the typical wage in a interval the place individuals have been actually feeling price of residing pressures, but in addition as a result of if we’re going to develop the economic system, we’ve to make work pay for the six million adults of working age who are usually not in work.
Labour has been attacking the Scottish authorities over tax rises at present, with Labour’s chief in Scotland, Anas Sarwar, criticising what he stated was “SNP and Tory mismanagement” of the economic system, and saying first minister Humza Yousaf is “indifferent from actuality if he thinks that 1.5 million Scots ought to pay extra tax and oil and fuel giants ought to pay much less.” [See 10.24am]
Nevertheless, PA Media have spoken to Sean Cockburn, who’s chairperson of the Chartered Institute of Taxation’s Scottish technical committee. He argues that UK-level modifications to nationwide insurance coverage partially offset rises in revenue tax in Scotland.
It quotes him saying:
Though the Scottish authorities’s tax selections will lead to greater incomes Scots paying extra revenue tax from this month, these have been considerably offset by the UK-wide nationwide insurance coverage modifications.
It signifies that whereas Scots with earnings above £75,000 can pay extra revenue tax, these with earnings below £112,900 will truly be paying much less in tax and nationwide insurance coverage total in contrast with the yr simply previous. It illustrates what can occur when Scottish and UK tax selections work together with each other.
Deputy first minister Shona Robison has defended the SNP’s coverage, saying Scotland has the “most progressive revenue tax system within the UK”.
She stated “The brand new superior band builds on that progressive method, defending those that earn much less and asking those that earn extra to contribute extra. Solely 5% of Scottish taxpayers can pay the next tax charge in comparison with final yr, and the vast majority of taxpayers are nonetheless paying lower than they’d elsewhere within the UK.”
The mum or dad firm of privatised Thames Water which provides London has informed its collectors it has defaulted on its debt.
My colleague Alex Lawson writes:
Kemble Water has missed an curiosity cost that was due on Tuesday and stated it was requesting its lenders and bondholders to take no creditor motion in order to “present a secure platform whereas all choices are explored” with its stakeholders. It raises the prospect that the corporate may collapse or face a big restructure.
Thames Water stated final week its shareholders had refused to pay £500m promised to stabilise its funds, heightening issues over its survival.
Final week Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg stated the agency must be allowed to go bankrupt, arguing “It will proceed to be run by an administrator, the shareholders would lose their fairness however they took an excessive amount of money out so deserve no sympathy and the bond holders would face a partial loss. That is capitalism, it received’t have an effect on the water provide.”
Thames Water was established in 1989 in the course of the privatisation of the water trade in England and Wales below Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative authorities.
Julia Kollewe is following the newest on our enterprise reside weblog right here:
Staff on the Workplace for Nationwide Statistics (ONS) have voted to take industrial motion in a dispute over modifications to the way in which they’ve been allowed to work flexibly from residence.
The union stated residence and hybrid working had been profitable for the reason that begin of the pandemic, including that managers had reassured workers that these preparations would stay in place. They’re now being informed to work from the workplace two days every week.
PA media stories Fran Heathcote, normal secretary of Public and Business Companies union (PCS), stated:
ONS bosses have critically undermined the belief and goodwill of their workers by searching for to drive this coverage by means of in such a heavy-handed manner, heedless of the results. They now want to right away pause implementation of the coverage and speak to us about reaching a wise decision of this problem, which doesn’t carelessly drawback workers.
Members of the PCS backed industrial motion by round three to at least one.
Scottish Labour chief Anas Sarwar joins requires ban on UK arms gross sales to Israel
Peter Walker
Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour chief, has change into the newest senior celebration determine to induce a right away ban on UK arms gross sales to Israel, as ministers face stress to reveal the federal government’s official authorized recommendation on the commerce.
Sarwar told BBC Scotland that Israel had “clearly” breached worldwide legislation in Gaza and that UK arms gross sales must be halted instantly. On Thursday Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, made the identical name.
Labour’s official coverage is to await info on the authorized recommendation supplied to ministers and to solely push for an finish to arms gross sales if this says continued weapons gross sales may danger the UK breaching worldwide legislation.
In March, David Cameron, the overseas secretary, stated details about the recommendation could be revealed inside days, however ministers have since backtracked and are refusing to say if and when this may occur.
Learn extra of Peter Walker’s report right here: Labour’s Anas Sarwar joins requires ban on UK arms gross sales to Israel
Eleni Courea
Political correspondent Eleni Courea has this report on the newest developments with William Wragg:
A senior Conservative MP will maintain the whip whereas the celebration investigates his function in a sexting scandal.
A Conservative supply stated William Wragg, the Tory MP for Hazel Grove, wouldn’t be suspended from the celebration whip for now amid issues that he’s additionally a sufferer.
On Thursday, Wragg admitted to giving out the non-public telephone numbers of colleagues to an individual he met on the Grindr relationship app as a result of he feared the particular person had compromising materials on him.
Some Tory MPs have referred to as for Wragg to resign as an MP after his confession of handing over colleagues’ telephone numbers.
Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, appeared to provide his assist to Wragg on Friday morning, describing his apology as “brave and fulsome”.
The Conservative celebration has declined to remark due to the energetic police investigation, though the federal government chief whip was chatting with these affected.
Earlier this week, Politico reported that 12 males working in Westminster, together with a minister, had been contacted by a WhatsApp consumer purporting to be somebody who had met them at a current political or social occasion, in efforts to amass private or delicate info.
The Guardian spoke to a thirteenth one who was focused in the very same manner by a WhatsApp consumer calling themselves “Abigail” or “Abi”.
“I don’t have any sympathy for him,” the particular person stated of Wragg on Friday. “He was confronted with a alternative – go to the authorities, which is way simpler for him than most individuals – or hand over [phone numbers] and topic a complete load of individuals to that menace, not realizing the place that may lead. “We’re now alleged to really feel sorry for him?”
Learn Eleni Courea’s full report right here: Senior Tory MP to maintain whip throughout sexting scandal investigation