A summary of today's developments
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A 28-year-old white British man remains under arrest on suspicion of commission, preparation, or instigation of acts of terrorism, as well as on suspicion of the murder of Ann Widdecombe. Officers have been granted a warrant of further detention meaning the suspect can now be held for questioning for up to seven days under the Terrorism Act. Counter-terrorism police said Widdecombe, who was found murdered at her home last week, was clearly targeted and officers were still working to establish the motive.
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The Hillsborough Law will rewire the state and pass power to the hands of ordinary people, Andy Burnham said as it was backed by MPs in the House of Commons. The long-delayed Public Office (Accountability) Bill will impose a duty on public bodies and officials to tell the truth and proactively co-operate with official investigations and inquiries.
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Burnham said the legislation will “put decency back at the heart of the British state”, adding that it will be Sir Keir Starmer’s legacy as Prime Minister. Speaking in the House of Commons for the first time since being elected as MP for Makerfield, Burnham said: “I hope it ends the cover-up culture that has failed so many ordinary people in this country. “We can never forget that for 20 years an entire English city was crying injustice correctly, and yet this place ignored them for all of that time. We cannot forget that, and we cannot take away the hurt that that caused.”
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Keir Starmer told the Commons he remembers when he first met the Hillsbrough campaigners 15 years, ago, describing it as a “humbling experience and he was taken aback by their courage.”He added as a “father of teenager who comes to watch footballl with me, I dont think I could do that myself. To keep going, going and going” when the state kept obstructing them. Starmer said it was “a stain on our history”.
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Spies might be unable to prevent future tragedies if they are subject to the Hillsborough law duty of candour, the Conservatives claimed. Nick Timothy, the shadow justice secretary, said intelligence officers “have to protect their sources, their methods and their capabilities”. In comments reported by PA, he said: “The Hillsborough law, formally titled the public office (accountability) bill, is designed to create a duty for public officials and authorities to “act with candour, transparency and frankness”. Officials and authorities will have to flag information they hold to inquiry and investigation leaders, if they think it is relevant.”
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Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, has backed Andy Burnham’s criticism of Labour’s initial response to Israel’s actions in Gaza.
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Boris Johnson’s government wasted £10bn of public money because of the flawed way it went about buying personal protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic, an official inquiry has concluded.
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Ed Davey has encouraged Tories who are being purged from the Conservative party because they do not support leaving the ECHR or getting rid of net zero, including Gavin Barwell, Theresa May’s former chief of staff, to join the Lib Dems.
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Keir Starmer has become the first UK prime minister to be presented with the Légion d’honneur by a French president, in recognition of his work with France on the security of Europe.
The MP for Makerfield said the bill is “a rewiring of the state and a passing of power from the authorities to the hands of ordinary people here”.
Burnham concludes by saying victims of these scandals were “retraumatised” by the actions of the state, and reiterates his thanks to the PM for his “legacy”.
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Burnham hopes the bill will end a culture of cover-up and replace it with one built on honesty, accountability and respect for ordinary people, adding “this place ignored them for all that time”.
He also cites the Horizon Post Office scandal and the wrongful accusations levelled at hundreds of sub postmasters.
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Burnham adds the Hillsbrough Bill will hopefully be a “lift” for campaigners such as the Grenfell survivors, the Primodos families, the PIP implant campaigns, the Chinook families who were in court today.
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Andy Burnham is next up and starts by mentioning how himself and the PM worked together after the second Hillsbrough inquest about drafting the original bill.
He said its a “momentous” piece of legislation and a rewiring of authorities to ordinary people.
Burnham believes its happening because of Starmer for honouring his commitment to the Hillsbrough families and “rebalancing the scales of justice” and says “that is some legacy indeed”.
He said: “It feels fitting to be here tonight, and particularly to be with my right honourable friend, the prime minister, because I remember very clearly at the conclusion of the second Hillsborough inquest, how he worked with me as part of the shadow health team back then to draft the original bill that was presented to Parliament, and tonight is before this this house.
“It does feel tonight like life is coming full circle, and as we pass this momentous piece of legislation – a piece of legislation that will change the way this country thinks and works about justice – it truly is a rewiring of the state and a passing of power from the authorities to the hands of ordinary people.
“And it is happening because of the prime minister’s commitment to a country based on justice and fairness, and we thank him for that.”
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Shadow justice minister Dr Kieran Mullan says while what happened at Hillsbrough can’t be undone, what could have changed was the truth of what happened to their loved ones being told to them.
He is heckled as he accuses the government of taking too long to deliver the bill.
“I would challenge any MP, no matter how supportive this legislation, with such far-reaching consequences for the operation of a government, to say the progress of this bill, and particularly over the last 24 hours, is anything like careful and considered.”
He adds: “If the prime minister wanted to truly live up to that promise, he wouldn’t have introduced legislation with less than 24 hours’ notice on an issue of national security.
“Because, as the house is alluded to, I would have wanted the opportunity to make this moment purely a positive one. But I’m afraid the prime minister has made that impossible for me to fulfil the duties to my house.
“Less than 24 hours’ notice from consideration of a bill before us, that third reading, is simply unacceptable to the House. Those families deserve greater respect than that.
“There is simply no excuse but a series of mistakes by his government that have led us here, led us to the place where those of us that engaged in good faith, as I did, cannot possibly be expected to have any trust left on a bill that has trust at its heart.”
Starmer responses by saying he has kept his promise to the Hillsbrough families to deliver the bill.
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The PM added: “I come here today not to take credit for this government or this House, but as prime minister, to put on our national record exactly where the credit belongs, because it belongs to the families and to the campaigners. And I pay tribute to every one of them.”
Starmer concludes: “I am grateful to every member of this house and in the other place across the political divide who worked constructively with us to get us to this point and turn this long-denied cry for justice into the law of this land.
“It is long, long overdue.”
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Starmer says the Bill has been “too long coming” but with the third reading “we stand on the precipice of change”.
Starmer adds the Hillsbrough families, some of whom are in the Commons, fought so know one would go through what they went through.
He adds there is a “class element to this” and their appeals for help were ignored by the state because they are working class, or black, or were women and girls.
Keir Starmer is now starting the Hillsbrough Law debate.
The PM said he remembers when he first met the Hillsbrough bereaved and campaigners 15 years, ago, descring it as a “humbling experience and he was taken aback by their courage.
He added as a “father of teenager who come to watch footballl with me, I dont think I could do that myself. To keep going, going and going” when the state kept obstructing them.
Starmer said it was “a stain on our history”.
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The result is in on amendment 19. The ayes voted 104, the noes voted 412. A majority of 308.
MPs have now divided to vote on amendment 19 to the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, which has been tabled by Kieran Mullan, a Tory justice spokesperson.
It would require the Attorney General to consent to the prosecution of anyone for the offence of misleading the public.
The Lib Dem amendment has been defeated. Nadeem Badshah is taking over now, and he will be covering the Keir Starmer and Andy Burnham speeches in the third reading debate which is about to start.
In the Commons, MPs are now voting on an amendment tabled by the Conservatives. It has been tabled by Nick Timothy, the shadow justice secretary, and in his written explanation he says it “ensures that the duty of candour and assistance may require a person who works for an intelligence service, military intelligence, the NCA, Counter Terrorism Command or the armed forces to provide security or intelligence information with the consent of the head of their service”.
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In the Commons MPs are now voting on amendments to the Hillsborough law bill.
The main government amendments, removing the opt-out for the security services, have been gone through on the nod.
MPs are now debating an amendment tabled by the Liberal Democrats. It is amendment 3. In their explanation of it in the Commons list of amendments, they say it “requires public authorities or officials who are assisting an inquiry, investigation or inquest to demonstrate that they have taken steps to ensure relevant persons can safely disclose information relevant to an investigation”.
Government intends to make 'broad use' of duty of candour in Hillsborough law, minister tells MPs
In the Commons Catherine Atkinson, the victims minister, rejected suggestions the bill would endanger national security.
In her speech opening the report stage debate, she said:
Nothing in this bill or its practical effect changes our position in relation to national security.
Many in our public services work in sensitive roles, where revealing their identity could put them at risk, or others at risk.
The bill does not require anyone to breach any other law – it expressly states that it does not override existing legislation, including the Official Secrets Act 1989.
The bill contains a specific protection for the requirement to notify for employees of the intelligence services and other select bodies where they cannot come forward.
However, there may be other situations where notifying may carry a similar risk.
I want to make it clear that a public servant does not have to come forward until it is safe to do so but steps must be taken without delay to ensure a notification can be made safely.
Atkinson also said ministers “intend to make broad use” of the duty of candour, telling MPs it could extend to “investigations into police misconduct, serious healthcare incidents like major maternity reviews, such as the Leeds and Sussex maternity services review, serious health and safety investigations, and key ombudsman investigations”.
Tories claim Hillsborough law duty of candour could stop spies preventing further tragedies
Spies might be unable to prevent future tragedies if they are subject to the Hillsborough law duty of candour, the Conservatives have claimed. As the Press Association reports, Nick Timothy, the shadow justice secretary, said intelligence officers “have to protect their sources, their methods and their capabilities”. PA says:
The Hillsborough law, formally titled the public office (accountability) bill, is designed to create a duty for public officials and authorities to “act with candour, transparency and frankness”.
Officials and authorities will have to flag information they hold to inquiry and investigation leaders, if they think it is relevant.
People who disobey the law will face fines or spend time in prison.
The bill’s progress through parliament previously stalled because campaigners feared a carve-out for people in organisations such as MI5 and MI6 would create a way for the intelligence services to hide their failings behind claims of national security.
The government has unveiled a series of amendments to their draft new law, so “compliance directions” could be issued to individual intelligence officers.
But Timothy has proposed a further amendment, so individual intelligence officers are subject to the duty of candour and assistance “only if the head of the service or agency consents” to information being shared.
He told the Commons: “Our security and intelligence agencies, our soldiers and others like those working in counter-terrorism policing and the National Crime Agency all necessarily deal in secrets.
“They have to protect their sources, their methods and their capabilities.
“They have to protect information provided to them by agencies from allied countries, which are equally concerned to protect their sources, methods, capabilities and, in some cases, live operations.
“But now this bill takes decisions about which secrets should be shared over their heads and gives that responsibility to those leading investigations and inquiries.”
Timothy said: “It’s our job in this place to get the law right for if we do not, we may find ourselves back here in future debating another tragedy that could have been stopped, had it not been for the unintended consequences of what we’re debating today.”
He warned the disclosure of secrets could put inquiry leaders under pressure from ill-intentioned people.
“It is no exaggeration to say some of those people who may be appointed to lead investigations and inquiries might be influenced or pressured by those whose purpose is the destruction of the British state and British sovereignty itself,” Timothy said.
He added: “Irish republicans, Islamist extremists, useful idiots deployed by Putin’s Russia – they will all see the opportunity in this law.”
Davey encourages anyone being purged from Tories over ECHR or net zero views to join Lib Dems
Ed Davey has encouraged Tories who are being purged from the Conservative party because they do not support leaving the ECHR or getting rid of net zero, including Gavin Barwell, Theresa May’s former chief of staff (see 2.55pm), to join the Lib Dems. This is from the Spectator’s Noa Hoffman.
At his press conf this afternoon, Ed Davey tells me that Tories disillusioned with Kemi Badenoch’s policies on the ECHR and Net Zero are most welcome to join the Lib Dem’s. He says he’d encourage any of the Tory so-called wets to come to his party where they would welcomed with open arms - including Gavin Barwell
Ed Davey urges Burnham to back written constitution, in part to curb power of tech giants
Earlier I quoted Andy Burnham saying he wanted to challenge the views of those on the left who say that “constitutional issues don’t matter to voters”. (See 3.21pm.) Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, gave a speech to the Institute for Government this afternoon and he made exactly the same argument. He said: “Changing our politics is not some nerdy obsession of political anoraks. How we do politics really matters for solving the problems that ordinary people face every day.”
It was not a speech that will make it to the top of the news bulletins. But there were some interesting lines and, perhaps more significantly, it was notable for the extent to which Davey’s analysis of “the failure of the whole broken political system” and how Britain has a “political system that leaves millions feeling powerless and excluded” sounded just like Burnham’s. (See 11.34am.)
Here are the key points.
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Davey said he was worried “our democracy simply cannot bear another general election under our broken voting system”. Urging Burnham to implement PR now (see 10.56am), he said:
Andy Burnham, don’t listen to the voices in the Labour party who have always opposed PR.
They said it would split the Labour party. With the Corbynista Greens, it has split under first past the post already.
They said it would let the far right in. But it’s now crystal clear, first past the post risks putting Farage into No 10. On less than a third of the vote.
Those old Labour arguments against PR were always wrong. Now they are wrong in plain sight.
But Andy, if you act now, just think what a legacy you could leave.
Whatever else happens, you could be the prime minister who history remembers for finally tearing down the travesty of first past the post.
And replacing it with a system that delivers on the promise of our democracy:
Everyone’s votes counting equally. No matter who they are or where they live.
What a legacy that could be.
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Davey called for a written constitution. He said:
I believe our country needs a new Magna Carta moment for the twenty-first century.
A written constitution to protect our hard-won British rights and freedoms.
Enshrining the European Convention on Human Rights – a proud British creation. And once, a proud Conservative creation.
The Liberal Democrats have long called for a written constitution. But Davey may have noticed that a written constitution was top of the 10-point constitutional wishlist Burnham published in his book two years ago. (It does not seem to be there anymore; Burnham has not talked about that recently.)
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Davey said a new Magna Carta, or new constitution, was needed to curb the power of the tech giants. He said:
Eight hundred years ago, Magna Carta was about reining in the power of a tyrant king. Now, the challenge is reining in the power of tech tyrants.
After all, we are rightly pushing for a cap on political donations – and Reform’s many scandals show how badly that’s needed.
But how do you deal with Elon Musk donating the power of his multi-billion-dollar platform every time he retweets Rupert Lowe?
Or more insidiously, every time his algorithm boosts fake news that pushes voters towards Reform?
These are not easy questions, but there is no doubt in my mind that we are going to need tough new rules to answer them.
But more than that, the process of writing a new Magna Carta would involve the British people in answering that fundamental question of power and powerlessness.
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He said he thought Britain now had “the best chance we’ve had in my lifetime” to fix the problem with politics being broken.
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He said he was open to talks with Burnham on policies that would fix politics, “not least to discuss the ideas in this speech”.
Keir Starmer becomes first UK PM to receive France’s Légion d’honneur
Keir Starmer has become the first UK prime minister to be presented with the Légion d’honneur by a French president, in recognition of his work with France on the security of Europe, Pippa Crerar reports.
Pippa says:
Emmanuel Macron awarded the historic honour to Starmer for his leadership in setting up the coalition of the willing – a group of countries chaired by France and the UK that have pledged to support Ukraine – at a critical moment for Europe in early 2025.
The only other British prime minister to receive a similar award – at a higher level, the Grand-Croix of the Légion d’honneur – was Winston Churchill in 1958 in recognition of his leadership and close ties to France during the second world war.
Here is the full story.
The police inquiry into the murder of Ann Widdecombe will consider whether the suspect may have been targeting other Reform UK politicians, the police said.
At his briefing, asked if threats to other Reform figures would be part of the investigation, Laurence Taylor said:
So clearly, part of our responsibility when investigating offences of this nature is to assure ourselves and therefore the public and others of any extant of threat.
That will form a line of investigation to ensure that we are putting all appropriate measures in place to mitigate any threat, should it become apparent.
I’m not saying there is or there isn’t at this stage.
Here is a further quote from assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of Britain’s counter-terrorism policing, at his briefing this afternoon.
The two investigations [into planning for the attack, and into its motivation] are running in parallel.
In terms of the preparation and planning, we are aware that there has been some preparation and planning. I don’t want to go into the details of the extent of that at this stage.
Widdecombe murder suspect can now be held for questioning for up to 7 days under Terrorism Act, police say
At the counter-terrorism police briefing this afternoon, Laurence Taylor said a 28-year-old white British man remains under arrest on suspicion of commission, preparation, or instigation of acts of terrorism, as well as on suspicion of the murder of Ann Widdecombe.
Officers have been granted a warrant of further detention meaning the suspect can now be held for questioning for up to seven days under the Terrorism Act, he added.
He said:
There are multiple lines of inquiry that we are pursuing expeditiously, and that includes a number of digital forensic examinations.
It is important to remember that this is a murder investigation following a brutal attack on a 78-year-old lady in her home.
Widdecombe killed in 'targeted attack', but officers still trying to establish motive, police say
Counter-terrorism police said this afternoon that Ann Widdecombe, who was found murdered at her home last week, was clearly targeted. They said officers were still working to establish the motive.
At a briefing, assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of Britain’s counter-terrorism policing, told reporters:
It is clear that this was a targeted attack. We are still working to understand the extent of any planning or preparation and the motivation that sits behind that attack.
I don’t want to comment further on that motivation or preparation at this stage of our inquiries.
Local police arrested a white British man late on Saturday on suspicion of her murder. Counter-terrorism officers, who took over the investigation on Monday, have since rearrested him on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, Reuters reports.
Widdecombe, 78, who was a prominent member of Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK, was found dead at her home in rural southwest England last Thursday with what police described as “serious injuries”. She stood down from parliament in 2010.
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Cooper says she would like to see 'stronger action' against Israel in relation to abuses in Gaza
Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, has backed Andy Burnham’s criticism of Labour’s initial response to Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Giving evidence to the foreign affairs committee, where she was asked if she agreed with what Burnham said on this last week, she replied: “Yes, I do agree with that.”
She said his comments that “we should have been faster to call for a ceasefire, and also been clearer from the start about the importance of international humanitarian law” referred to the Labour Party’s position before entering office.
“I also think we need to have stronger action going forward,” Cooper said, pointing to trade with the illegal settlements and an expansion of the sanctions regime as areas that are being looked into.
She went on:
The broader point about international humanitarian law, I think, is important because we’ve seen a series of breaches of international humanitarian law, not just in terms of what’s happening in Gaza and in the West Bank, but in other parts of the world as well.
Our sanctions regime currently can’t effectively be used on breaches just of international humanitarian law. That’s what I believe we need to change, and that’s what we are looking at how to change, to expand the sanctions regime. That would then allow us to use sanctions in those cases where we have egregious breaches of international humanitarian law.
Asked if she had made that point to Burnham, Cooper replied: “We have had some of those discussions, and I’m sure those discussions will continue.”
What happens next to representation of people bill?
A reader asks:
You mentioned in the blog yesterday that the Representation of the People bill has been delayed until after the summer recess. Do you think the bill will come back in September? And might it be strengthened further given some of Andy Burnham’s previous statements on PR, devolution etc …
The representation of the people bill, the elections legislation that will lower the voting age in UK parliamentary elections to 16, among other measures, definitely will come back in the autumn.
There is a briefing paper on the bill here.
Although the bill is already quite significant, campaigners want to make it much more radical.
As Kiran Stacey reported in a Guardian story last week, Labour MPs are proposing amendments including ones that would impose a maximum £100,000 cap on individual donations, permanently ban cryptocurrency donations, cut the spending limits for election campaigns and limit the amount of money a party can have when it is set up (because these funds are not covered by donation laws).
There are also amendments that would make voting compulsory.
Although journalists have been told that the debate on the bill originally planned for today was postponed to make time for the Hillsborough law debate, the delay will allow Andy Burnham to think carefully about whether he wants to beef up the bill, either by adopting some of these amendments, or in other ways. Some electoral reform campaigners scent an opportunity.
Charles White from the Campaign for Compulsory Voting, told the Guardian:
The delay in bringing forward the next stage in the representation of the people bill should not be seen as a disappointment.
Instead, more time to reflect and plan raises the hope that the government will explore bolder electoral reform. We know Andy Burnham wants to change politics and what better way to do that than ensuring every voice is heard at the ballot box with compulsory voting?
Burnham will be unusual as a prime minister in that most of his recent predecessors have taken no interest in constitutional matters of this kind. He is different, and he explained why in Head North, the book he co-wrote with Steve Rotheram, mayor of Liverpool city region. Burnham and Rotheram said:
Another change the left needs to make is to challenge the received wisdom of political analysts who say constitutional issues don’t matter to voters. If people feel alienated from politics, surely changing the way politics works, if done in the right way, might capture their notice and approval?
Tories deny purge as Lord Barwell hits back after losing party whip
The Conservatives have denied they are purging prominent centrists after Gavin Barwell lost the whip in the wake of warnings from Kemi Badenoch that supporters of policies such as targets for net zero were no longer welcome in the party, Peter Walker reports.
Charity Commission committed contempt of parliament by trying to block critical report, inquiry finds
The Charity Commission should apologise to MPs for trying to block a report into its handling of abuse claims, a committee has said. The Press Association reports:
The body committed a “contempt of parliament” when it sought a judicial review in an attempt to stop the parliamentary commissioner for administration from laying a special report on safeguarding issues within charities before the Commons.
The privileges committee in a report said the watchdog’s chief executive should apologise to the house for claiming its legal action was not intended to quash the report “when that was precisely its purpose”.
The committee described the commission’s move as “wholly unacceptable”, and set out its “surprise the action was ever considered or taken”.
It comes after an abuse victim said the watchdog is not fit for purpose and is letting vulnerable people down.
Lara Hall complained to the body after a charity boss was not struck off after she claimed he sexually exploited her.
The Charity Commission is responsible for regulating charities in England and Wales.
Senior figures were scolded by a parliamentary committee for how it had treated her and other victims last month.
Chair of the public administration and constitutional affairs committee Simon Hoare expressed his astonishment at how Wilson Chowdhry, who had been head of the British Pakistani Christian Association, had not been disqualified as a charity director when he was found to have asked Hall for explicit photos of her twin sister when she was a minor.
The Charity Commission investigated her case and told Hall the charity would be wound up. However, this did not happen. The charity has since been rebranded as Help for Persecuted Christians.
Hall complained to the parliamentary and health service ombudsman (PHSO) watchdog about the Charity Commission response. The commission later took legal action in an attempt to stop the report being laid before parliament. This was overruled by MPs.
“The CEO of the Charity Commission should apologise to the House for repeatedly saying that the commission’s legal action was not intended to quash the laying of the reports when that was precisely its purpose,” the privileges committee said.
“The Charity Commission clearly committed a contempt of parliament in seeking through legal action to prevent the parliamentary commissioner for administration from laying special reports before the house.”
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Johnson government wasted £10bn on PPE, Covid inquiry finds
Boris Johnson’s government wasted £10bn of public money because of the flawed way it went about buying personal protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic, the Covid inquiry has concluded. David Conn has the story.
In the Commons Catherine Atkinson, the justice minister, is now opening the report stage debate on the public office (accountability) bill – aka the Hillsborough law.
The government has tabled more than 100 amendments. They are available here.
Keir Starmer and Andy Burnham are both planning to speak later in the debate, when the report stage is over and MPs give the bill its third readings. Their speeches will come at around 6pm.
Here is a picture of Keir Starmer with other European leaders at the Bastille Day parade in Paris.
Here is the line-up in the front row, left to right: Finland’s president Alexander Stubb, his wife Suzanne Innes-Stubb, Netherlands’ PM Rob Jetten, Romanian president Nicusor Dan, his partner Mirabela Gradinaru, Italian president Sergio Mattarella, European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen, German chancellor’s wife Charlotte Merz, president of the French Senate Gerard Larcher, Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French president’s wife Brigitte Macron, French president Emmanuel Macron, Britain’s PM Keir Starmer, French PM Sebastien Lecornu, president of the French National assembly Yael Braun-Pivet, Cyprus president Nikos Christodoulides and Maltese PM Robert Abela, Estonia’s PM Kristen Michal and European Council president Antonio Costa.
Jakub Krupa has more coverage of the parade on his Europe live blog.
We have now got comments open below the line. I am afraid they will only be open until 3pm but we thought an hour or so would be better than nothing. Reminder: please don’t comment on the Ann Widdecombe murder investigation, because criminal proceedings are active, any comments on the topic will be removed, and if that rule is abused, comments will have to be turned off.
Campbell denies misleading MPs when he claimed he did not know Tories planning vote on delaying recess
After the business statement by Alan Campbell was over, Paul Holmes (Con) used a point of order to say that Campbell should correct the record because Tory whips had told government whips what topic they wanted the Wednesday opposition day debate to cover.
Holmes also said that the opposition does not have to table the motion for an opposition day debate until close of business the day before.
In response, Campbell said Holmes was confirming the point he made. It was “not clear” what motion the Tories would choose, he claimed. That was why the government decided to hold an Iran debate instead.
Neil Shastri-Hurst (Con) told Campbell he was undermining his new argument. If the situation in the Middle East was really as serious as Campbell claimed, that was all the more reason why it would be wrong to go into the summer with a PM who had not faced parliament.
In response, Campbell said that, if the situation in the Middle East deteriorated during the summer, parliament could be recalled.
John Cooper (Con) said that, if Manchester is really as fantastic as Andy Burnham says it is, he should come to the Commons next week and explain why.
Campbell said that on Monday next week, when the Tories want Burnham to address parliament, Burnham will be appointing ministers and forming a government.
Commons leader Alan Campbell accuses Tories of preferring 'weird political game' to debating crisis in Middle East
Katie Lam (Con) said the Tories only wanted to delay the Commons recess by one day. She said Campbell should consider what voters would think of Andy Burnham avoiding parliamentary scrutiny having become PM.
In response, Campbell accused the Tories of playing games. He said:
People listening to this … will do so with a degree of incredulity that [the Conservative party] was preferring to go down a route of playing some weird political game while the Middle East is on the brink of conflagration.
In response to a question from Alec Shelbrooke (Con), Campbell said he was “totally unaware” not just of the wording of the Tory opposition day motion planned for tomorrow (see 1.04pm), but of the topic that it was going to cover. In a bid to convince MPs that this was not a lie, he said that he was standing at the despatch box and that MPs knew the importance of a minister “telling the absolute truth when they stand here”.
Tories accuse Burnham of 'running scared of scrutiny', claiming he blocked vote on delaying recess until he has become PM
In the Commons, Alan Campbell, the leader of the house, has just announced there will be a change in parliamentary business tomorrow. Wednesday was set aside for an opposition day debate – a debate on a motion tabled by the Tories. Instead, there will be a general debate on the situation in Iran. There will also be a vote on the regulations banning support for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
In response, Jesse Norman, his Tory shadow, claimed that the government was only doing this because Labour whips knew that the Tories were going to table a motion saying the Commons should delay the recess so that Andy Burnham can address MPs after he becomes PM on Monday next week.
Norman went on:
The government has a majority of more than 150 and it could not trust its MPs to vote the right way on that motion [delaying the recess], and it could not bear the idea of a new prime minister facing any scrutiny before September.
A prime minister, let me remind us all, who has been chosen by a coronation not a contest, with no known platform, almost no known policies, and no idea of his priorities or indeed his cabinet team.
Norman said people would conclude Burnham was “running scared of public scrutiny before he can even take office”.
Campbell, in his reply to Norman, did not accept that this was the reason for the timetable change. He said it was important for MPs to have a chance to debate what was happening in Iran. He said, until Norman read them out, he had not heard the words of the motion that Norman said the Tories were planning to table tomorrow.
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Green candidate for Greater Manchester mayor criticises Burnham for voting for immigration bill
Last night Andy Burnham voted for the government’s immigration and asylum bill. Sundus Abdi and Jessica Elgot have the story.
There were 14 Labour MPs who voted against.
The Green party has criticised Burnham for his vote. This is from Geraldine Coggins, the Green candidate in the byelection to replace Burnham as mayor of Greater Manchester.
It is shameful that Andy Burnham voted in favour of Shabana Mahmood’s cruel immigration and asylum bill which will undermine the rights of refugees.
As a key Burnham ally I am calling on Bev Craig [Labour’s candidate for Greater Manchester mayor] to disown this act of performative cruelty and to stand up for what is right, to celebrate immigration - which has hugely benefitted Greater Manchester both socially and economically - and treat some of the most vulnerable people in our communities with dignity and humanity. We are so much better than this in Manchester.
Burnham says Hillsborough law being debated today can change UK by shifting power and dismantling unaccountability culture
Andy Burnham describes the Hillsborough tragedy, the police cover-up and smear campaign against fans that happened afterwards, and the long campaign by survivors, relatives and Liverpudlians for justice that has been running ever since as the story that has done most to shape his political outlook. As a young culture secretary, he gave a speech at the Hillsborough 20th anniversary memorial in 2009 which was instrumental in persuading him that the government had to redouble its efforts to ensure the full truth came out.
Today he is expected to give his first speech in the Commons since his election as MP for Makerfield in the debate on the Hillsborough law bill.
In an article for the Liverpool Echo, he says the Hillsborough law is about more than just a single football disaster; it is about changing the way power is distributed in Britain, and dismantling its unaccountability culture.
He explains:
The truth on its own is not enough. Without accountability, there can be no justice. That is why I introduced the first Hillsborough Law almost ten years ago, supported by Keir Starmer, as one of my final acts in parliament. Its return this week is another major step towards ensuring no family has to endure what the Hillsborough families have endured.
Yet this is about more than Hillsborough alone.
The infected blood scandal. The nuclear test veterans. Grenfell. The Post Office scandal. Different tragedies, but too often the same pattern: institutions protecting themselves instead of the people they exist to serve.
Bishop James Jones described it perfectly as “the patronising disposition of unaccountable power”.
Those words have stayed with me ever since. The Hillsborough Law is our chance to begin dismantling that culture once and for all.
The lesson of Hillsborough goes beyond introducing a duty of candour. It asks us what kind of country we want to be. One where power is concentrated in distant institutions, or one where it is shared more fairly with the people and places those institutions are meant to serve. If an entire city could be ignored for two decades while telling the truth about the deaths of its own people, what other communities have gone unheard? Which voices have been overlooked simply because they lacked power?
For me, this has always been about changing that. It is why I believe we must continue to redistribute power, strengthen our towns and cities, and build a Britain where every community is treated with equal respect and where, in the face of injustice, nobody walks alone.
In the article, Burnham also recalls the impact of his speech at the 20th anniversary memorial.
On 15 April 2009, I stood on the Kop before the memorial service. One word echoed around Anfield: “Justice.”
That moment changed me. It forced me to confront uncomfortable questions about how power operates in our country, and why an entire city could spend twenty years telling the truth only to be ignored.
How could Liverpool be right all along, yet dismissed for so long? How could so many voices be raised, and so few people in authority be prepared to listen?
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MPs set to pass Hillsborough law bill today after government drops opt-out for spies
Today MPs are expected to pass the so-called Hillsborough law bill – which is officially known as the public office (accountability) bill – after the government dropped its insistence on provisions that would in practice have given the security services an opt-out. Before it becomes law, the bill will still have to go through the Lords.
Libby Brooks has a good account of what led up to this in her First Edition briefing.
Hillsborough law campaigners, including those whose family members were killed in the 1989 disaster, have welcomed the concession.
In a statement, Charlotte Hennessy, Sue Roberts, Steve Kelly and Margaret Aspinall said:
We have shown that true power belongs to ordinary people.
We did not stay silent, we were not ground down, we were not afraid to speak truth to power.
This is not just about legislation, but about changing the way the bereaved and survivors are treated and a change in culture and it is deeply empowering knowing that this protect others, forever.
Reeves to say UK has 'beaten the odds' during last 2 years, in probable last big speech as chancellor
Rachel Reeves will say Britain’s economy has “beaten the odds” during her time as chancellor, in a speech defending her record before her expected sacking or demotion next week when Andy Burnham becomes PM.
She is giving her Mansion House speech tonight, and according to extracts released in advance she will say:
Because of the choices I have made, I’m proud to report that the British economy is strong.
At the start of this year Britain had the fastest economic growth in the G7. Last year, borrowing fell from 5.2% to 4.3%, its lowest level in six years.
Investment is up, productivity is up, and wages are up too.
Waiting lists are falling faster than at any time in the last 17 years and half a million children will be lifted out of poverty by the end of this parliament.
She will also urge her successor to continue with her approach.
This government has made huge strides in delivering on the promise of change,” she is expected to say.
Fixing the foundations, restoring economic stability, and proving our capacity to deliver radical change.
That change is only possible if we maintain the credibility that we have earned, and the stability that we have built, with growth and opportunity in every town, city and region of the UK.
Ed Davey urges Burnham to 'be bold, be brave' and introduce PR now
Andy Burnham wants to introduce proportional representation (PR). But he accepts that Labour does not have a mandate to introduce PR now, because it was not in the party’s election manifesto, and he says as leader he would develop a PR plan for the party to include in its next manifesto.
In a speech today, Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, will urge Burnham to be bolder, and do it now. According to extracts released in advance, he will say:
So my challenge to Andy Burnham – as he makes the critical decision about what kind of prime minister he wants to be – is this:
Be bold. Be brave.
Fix the broken electoral system by introducing proportional representation. To give everyone an equal vote and an equal voice in our democracy, and make sure no politician or political party can afford to take them for granted.
And do it now. Don’t wait until it is too late. Don’t wait until after the next election – when you might be powerless to do anything about it.
Starmer attends Bastille Day parade in Paris, after coalition of willing allies pay lavish tribute to him
Keir Starmer attended Bastille Day celebrations in Paris today as one of his final engagements on the international stage. The Press Association reports:
The prime minister met British troops involved in the ceremonial events in the French capital before watching the parade alongside Emmanuel Macron and other leaders including Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Starmer will be succeeded as prime minister by Andy Burnham on Monday after the former Greater Manchester mayor secured enough support to make it mathematically impossible for anyone to stand against him for the Labour leadership.
The prime minister and other European leaders watched a military parade and flypast in Paris.
Troops from the Grenadier Guards marched alongside the French Garde Republicaine.
The celebrations follow Starmer’s final “coalition of the willing” summit on Monday, at which fellow leaders Macron, Zelensky and Germany’s Friedrich Merz paid tribute to his impact on the world stage.
Macron, the French president, told Starmer that “we owe you a lot, Prime Minister”, while Merz, the German chancellor, said he would “phone you occasionally to get your opinion on this or that”.
Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, thanked Sir Keir for his “constant, steadfast support”, which the prime minister said would continue under his successor.
Andrew McDonald and Megan McElroy have a more colourful account of Starmer’s reception at the summit yesterday in their London Playbook briefing for Politico.
The PM wakes up in a very hot French capital this morning to celebrate Bastille Day alongside Emmanuel Macron … and their farewell could get emotional. Playbook hears Macron introduced a football match-style minute’s applause at the top of the Coalition of the Willing meeting on Monday after thanking Starmer for what he’s done for Ukraine. Macron said the PM has played a “historic role” in setting up the CoW, before Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy described him as a “friend” and a “great PM and great man.”
Here is Kevin Schofield from Huffpost UK on Robert Jenrick boasting about his anti-establishment credentials on the Today programme. (See 9.41am.)
Reform MP Robert Jenrick, a former Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Housing Secretary, health minister and immigration minister, tells @BBCr4today: “We are not mainstream politicians, we are politicians who are fighting the establishment every single day.”
Robert Jenrick accuses Labour of 'playing politics' with safety of Reform UK politicians like Nigel Farage
Good morning. It didn’t last long. Yesterday afternoon in the House of Commons, as John Crace reports, there was a rare outburst of reasonableness as MPs debated the death of Ann Widdecombe. Earlier in the day Richard Tice, the Reform UK deputy leader, had been on social media claiming that the establishment wanted Nigel Farage dead and, after the police revealed counter-terrorism officers were now in charge of the murder investigation, demanding apologies all round from anyone who accused Reform UK of politicising the tragedy. But in the Commons Tice dropped these arguments, and instead focused mostly on a warm and funny tribute to Widdecombe. And Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, avoided the temptation to criticise Reform UK, and instead made a point of saying how much she understood Farage’s concerns.
It was an almost cordial end to a day that had started with social media reaction at its most unpleasant. There is more coverage on Today in Focus here, or in our overnight splash story here.
This morning it was back to normal. Robert Jenrick, the Reform UK Treasury spokesperson, was on the Today programme and he revived all the Farage security grievances from the weekend. Here are the key quotes.
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Jenrick accused Labour of “playing politics” with the safety of Reform UK politicians like Farage. He said:
The government chose not to give Nigel the security that he needed. They now have, as a result of Ann Widdecombe’s appalling murder, offered him a meeting.
The home secretary could have offered that meeting a year ago, two years ago. She chose not to.
That, I’m afraid, is playing politics with the safety of politicians.
And I suspect that’s because they don’t like the views the Reform politicians take forward.
Because we are not mainstream politicians. We are politicians who are fighting the establishment every single day. We are not backing down.
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Jenrick accepted that Farage had turned down a significant offer of government-funded security last year. He was asked about a report in the i saying Farage “turned down taxpayer-funded security including a bodyguard, car and trained driver last year”. In their story, Arj Singh, Caroline Wheeler and Kitty Donaldson say:
The Reform UK leader was offered the protection following police advice on the threats he faced.
He had already been receiving publicly funded security prior to this, and felt that his package had been downgraded.
It would have given Farage a similar level of security to Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and some high-profile Cabinet ministers.
Farage declined the offer because he considered the protection to be inadequate.
Asked about the story, Jenrick did not contest the details and accepted that Farage had turned down the security he had been offered because he did not view it as adequate.
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Jenrick dismissed claims that politics was not involved in the decision about what security Farage should be offered. Decisions about what security gets offered to politicians like Farage are taken by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec), the body in charge of VIP protection. In the Commons yesterday, Mahmood said this body, which is run by officials, was, and should be, “fiercely independent”. But, when this argument was put to Jenrick, he did not accept it. He said:
That’s a choice. The home secretary is not powerless … I think it’s within her power to overrule it if she wished to.
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Jenrick brushed off claims that Farage is deliberately talking up the security threats he faces because he wants to distract public attention from the controversy about his failure to register donations from the cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne and from the convicted fraudster George Cottrell. When this was put to Jenrick, he repeated his point about the security threats to Farage being genuine, and his claim that they weren’t being taken seriously by the government.
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But Jenrick did not go as far as endorsing a claim made by his Reform UK colleague Zia Yusuf, who yesterday said: “None of the government, the Speaker nor the police care at all about the security of Reform MPs.”. Jenrick just argued instead that the security concerns of Reform UK MPs were not being taken seriously because of their political views.
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Jenrick also argued Reform UK politicians were more at risk than people from other parties. He said:
Reform MPs are not asking for special treatment.
What Reform MPs want is to be able to go home to their family at the end of the day in safety, and to know that their homes and their loved ones are protected.
There is a legitimate concern that Reform MPs are more endangered than many others, because we raise issues that many mainstream politicians shy away from.
If you talk about Islamist extremism, as I do, and Nigel Farage has done for many years, you are likely to be in considerably more danger than those who don’t.
Nick Robinson, the presenter, pointed out that this was not a view that the family of Jo Cox, the Labour MP murdered 10 years ago by a rightwing extremist, would endorse, or Diane Abbott, the suspended Labour MP who receives a record amount of online abuse.
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Jenrick said Farage had been “vindicated” by the decision of the police to treat the murder of Widdecombe as politically motivated. He said:
I do think it was wrong that parts of the media claimed that Nigel was politicising the death of Ann Widdecombe, an appalling claim when he was about mourning the death of a loved colleague.
And he has been vindicated now because the police have admitted that the murderer may well have had a terrorist or political motivation.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9.45am: Andrew Bailey, the governor of the Bank of England, gives evidence to the Commons Treasury committee.
Morning: Keir Starmer attends the Bastille Day parade in Paris.
11.30am: James Murray, the health secretary, takes questions in the Commons.
Noon: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
After 12.30pm: MPs start their debate on the remaining stages of the public office (accountability) bill, aka the Hillsborough law bill. Keir Starmer is expected to lead for the government at third reading, which may not start until 6pm. First MPs will debate amendments at the report stage.
1.30pm: Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, gives a speech at the Institute for Government.
2pm: Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, gives evidence to the Commons foreign affairs committee.
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