End of day summary
Here’s a roundup of the key developments of the day:
Oliver Dowden suggested concerns about the Bibby Stockholm barge by the Fire Brigades Union are politically motivated. Asked on BBC Radio 4’s Today show about the FBU’s comments that the barge could be a floating “death trap” for asylum seekers, the deputy prime minister said: “Of course, we’ll take into account those concerns and that’s exactly what we’re doing. I would just gently say the Fire Brigades Union has donated £850,000 to the Labour party since 2010. It is affiliated to the Labour party.”
Greenpeace activists climbed on the roof of Rishi Sunak’s North Yorkshire mansion and draped it in oily-black fabric to “drive home the dangerous consequences of a new drilling frenzy”. The campaigners were later arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage and public nuisance after climbing down voluntarily.
The Bank of England has raised interest rates by a quarter of a point to 5.25%, marking a fresh 15-year high as it battles to bring rampant UK inflation back down to its 2% target. The Bank of England is being criticised from both ends of the political spectrum and has been accused of overreacting.
Rishi Sunak has insisted the government’s pay offer to doctors is “fair” and “final”. Writing in the Daily Express, Sunak said “there will be no more talks on this year’s pay” and he urged doctors to call off their strikes.
Police are investigating a leaflet distributed by the Welsh secretary and Monmouth MP, David TC Davies, which was described as bordering on racism. In what was billed as an “important update to constituents”, the leaflet encouraged people to give their thoughts on the local Labour-controlled council’s plans “to establish a number of Gypsy Traveller sites in the county”.
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Jeremy Hunt acknowledged the rise in interest rates would be a “worry” for families and businesses but insisted the government must stick to its plan to bring down inflation.
Hunt said it was important not to “veer around like a shopping trolley” and to follow the government’s current path in order to meet its key goal of halving inflation.
In a boost for the prime minister and chancellor, the Bank of England said earlier on Thursday it expects the government to meet that promise by the end of the year.
Hunt told broadcasters:
Any rise in interest rates is a worry for families with mortgages, for businesses with loans … What the Bank of England governor is saying is we have a plan that is bringing down inflation, solidly, robustly and consistently.
So the plan is working, but what we have to do as a government is that we stick to that plan, we don’t veer around like a shopping trolley.
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