Afternoon summary
Downing Street has said it had not ruled out beefing up the inquiry into the murders committed by Lucy Letby, and the circumstances behind them, by making it statutory. The prime minister’s spokesperson made this clear at a briefing for journalists only days after the Department of Health and Social Care said it wanted the inquiry to be non-statutory because it thought that would be more appropriate. (See 12.25pm.)
Rishi Sunak has confirmed that the government wants to change the law to ensure defendants have to be in court to hear their sentencing, and Keir Starmer has said this should happen too. (See 9.42am and 10.41am.) But legal experts question how this can be achieved in practice. (See 4.29am.) As the Law Society Gazette reports, Bill Waddington, a former chair of the Criminal Law Solicitors’ Association, said what Sunak wanted would be “very difficult” to achieve. He told the paper:
Nobody can force [defendants] to listen or force them not to disrupt proceedings if they were to do so. If a defendant were to disrupt proceedings, the judge would instantly say we will carry on the rest of the hearing without you. It is very difficult to see how any sort of change in the law could force people to come and sit in court if they choose not to do so.
Nadine Dorries, the former culture secretary, has been accused of abandoning her constituents by a town council in her Mid Bedfordshire constituency that is urging her to honour her promise to leave parliament immediately. (See 3.42pm.)
The two main political parties are united today in agreeing that the law should be changed to try to ensure that defendants have to be in court for sentencing. (See 9.42am and 10.41am.)
But legal commentators are much more sceptical about whether this can be done, or whether it should even be tried. Joshua Rozenberg has published a post on this on his Substack blog. It includes a link to a good blog on this topic written earlier this year by the Secret Barrister (a barrister who has published three books anonymously about the legal system).
Of course, defendants should attend court to hear victim impact statements and the judge’s sentencing remarks. That may bring some comfort to victims and their families. But, as I wrote yesterday, there is no point in punishing non-attendance by imposing an additional prison sentence on a defendant who is going to receive a whole-life order.
Sir Robert Buckland, the former justice secretary, has spoken about the practical difficulties of bringing unwilling defendants into court. The Secret Barrister wrote about this in April. I wrote about it in February. But the government is pressing ahead with legislation.
Updated
Alex Chalk, the justice secretary, has confirmed that the government wants to change the law so that offenders can be forced to attend sentencing hearings. He posted this on Twitter.
Lucy Letby is not just a murderer but a coward, whose failure to face her victims’ families – refusing to hear their impact statements and society’s condemnation – is the final insult.
We are looking to change the law so offenders can be compelled to attend sentencing hearings.
Lucy Letby is not just a murderer but a coward, whose failure to face her victims’ families – refusing to hear their impact statements and society’s condemnation - is the final insult.
— Alex Chalk KC MP (@AlexChalkChelt) August 21, 2023
We are looking to change the law so offenders can be compelled to attend sentencing hearings.
Updated
Recall rules to be eased on indefinite jail sentences in England and Wales
Prisoners released on licence after serving time under an abolished and much-maligned indefinite sentencing scheme in England and Wales could have the period in which they can be recalled to prison halved under new rules, Haroon Siddique reports.
Updated
Nadine Dorries accused of abandoning her constituents by local councillors urging her to resign immediately
Nadine Dorries has been accused of abandoning her constituents by a town council in her Mid Bedfordshire constituency that is urging her to honour her promise to leave parliament.
Shefford town council has become the second town council in Mid Bedfordshire to say that Dorries should resign because she is no longer doing her job properly.
Dorries said that she was resigning “with immediate effect” in June, after it emerged that she had not got the peerage she was expecting in Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list.
Later she said she would not formally trigger her resignation until she received more information about why her peerage was blocked, but for weeks now she has been declining to comment any further, or to respond to the growing complaints, including from Rishi Sunak, that she is not serving her constituents.
In a letter posted on Twitter following a meeting of Shefford town council, Ken Pollard, the mayor, said:
I have been asked to write to you formally on behalf of the residents of Shefford to raise the town’s concerns and frustration at the continuing lack of representation for the people of Mid Bedfordshire at Westminster.
In your role as the acting member of parliament of Mid Bedfordshire, residents of Shefford feel that, due to your scant interest in your constituency, your aversion to attending local events or services and your lack of a maintained constituency office, the local area has been ‘abandoned’ by yourself.
Your last spoken contribution in the House of Commons was on June 7, 2022, and your last written question was asked on the December 20, 2017. In addition, your behaviour and actions reported in the press are in direct violation of ‘The Seven Principles of Public Life’ (also known as the Nolan Principles, published on May 31 1995), which apply to anyone who works as a public officeholder and all those who are elected or appointed to public office.
Our residents desperately need effective representation now, and Shefford town council calls on you to honour your commitment and tender your resignation immediately.
Shefford is the second town council in the constituency to call for Dorries to go. Last month Flitwick town council issued a similar statement. Both councils say they do not operate on a party political basis.
Shefford Town Council call for MP Nadine Dorries to step down. pic.twitter.com/AQ3hcFaHGr
— Shefford Town Council (@SheffordTC) August 17, 2023
Commenting on the intervention from Shefford town council, Daisy Cooper, the Lib Dem deputy leader, said:
Nadine Dorries’ actions are a gross insult to the people of Mid Bedfordshire. Why on earth should their taxpayers’ money fund an MP who hasn’t worked in months?
If Nadine Dorries had a shred of integrity left, she would stand down now and give local people a chance to elect a new MP who will actually do the job.
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Starmer says inquiry into Letby murders should be statutory
Keir Starmer has said the inquiry into the Lucy Letby murders should be a statutory one. He told Sky News:
I think it should be a statutory inquiry and I’ll tell you why. One: because that’s what the victims’ family want and after what they’ve been through, I think that is a really important consideration.
Secondly: what a statutory inquiry gives you is the power to order documents, to order witnesses to come forward. So we get the fullest, proper, comprehensive analysis of what went wrong here.
So I think it has to be a statutory inquiry. I don’t think that needs to hold things up. We could get on with that very quickly.
In an interview covering the Letby case, Starmer also confirmed Labour would support the government in changing the law to try to stop defendants being able to avoid being in court for their sentencing. (See 9.42am.)
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Landlords not to blame for childminders being unable to work from rented properties, says trade body
The National Residential Landlords Associations says landlords are not to blame for people not being able to work as childminders if they are living in rented property, as a letter from the government implies. (See 10.06am.) In a statement, Ben Beadle, the NRLA chief executive, says mortgage lenders and insurers need to be more flexible in the terms they impose on his members. Beadle says:
No landlord wants to stand in the way of the provision of childcare, but the government must recognise that housing providers are not the issue.
The government’s encouragement to landlords to ‘be open-minded’ is no doubt well-meaning but fails entirely to acknowledge the very real issues facing the childcare industry or the legitimate concerns of housing providers.
Mortgage lenders and insurers need to be more flexible in enabling landlords to allow childminders to operate from the properties they let. Tenancy deposits must also be allowed to reflect the greater risk of damage to properties being used for childminding.
We will continue to work with the government on the difficulties and barriers landlords face in enabling tenants to become childminders but refuse to accept the blame for systemic issues in another industry.
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27% of voters think tackling 'woke' one of most important issues for election, poll suggests
According to polling by More in Common, an organisation that seeks to promote social unity, most voters do not approve of politicians using the f-word, as Lee Anderson, the Conservative party deputy chairman, did when he said migrants unhappy with barge accommodation should “fuck off back to France”. Luke Tryl, the More in Common director, has been tweeting the findings.
Woke & wedges, where do the public stand? Some of our latest polling. 1) Asked about Lee Anderson’s use of the f word the public say by a 71%-29% margin it isn’t appropriate for politicians to use the f word in public comments. Tory 2019 voters were a bit more likely to say it ok
Woke & wedges, where do the public stand? Some of our latest polling. 1) Asked about Lee Anderson's use of the f word the public say by a 71%-29% margin it isn't appropriate for politicians to use the f word in public comments. Tory 2019 voters were a bit more likely to say it ok pic.twitter.com/yMsh01RxwZ
— Luke Tryl (@LukeTryl) August 21, 2023
Anderson’s intervention was seen as a deliberate ploy by CCHQ to weaponise the Bibby Stockholm barge as a “wedge’” issue – one liable to drive a wedge between the Labour leadership and many of its supporters because (it was assumed) many potential Labour voters would agree with Anderson, while Labour MPs would denounce him. If 60% of 2019 Tory voters do not approve of language like Anderson’s, that suggests in this instance the tactic may not have been hugely successful. (Another factor was that Labour MPs largely refused to engage, meaning this time the wedge could not find purchase.)
For the Tories, the best wedge issues, apart from immigration, are so-called “woke” topics, such as trans rights. According to the polling, for almost three-quarters of voters these issues are not an election priority. But for 27% of them these are some of the most important issues on the table. Among what More in Commons call “loyal nationals”, voters who are particularly prevalent in “red wall” seats, the figure is even higher (32%).
What about making ‘woke issues’ a focus of the election campaign? By a 73%-27% margin the public feel that there are many more important issues than tackling woke/political correctness, including 72% of Tory 2019 voters.
What about making 'woke issues' a focus of the election campaign? By a 73%-27% margin the public feel that there are many more important issues than tackling woke/political correctness, including 72% of Tory 2019 voters. pic.twitter.com/r9XfsNeFbN
— Luke Tryl (@LukeTryl) August 21, 2023
As part of their “war on woke”, the Tories and their supporters in the media attack firms that allegedly spend too much time or energy focusing on issues such as diversity (so-called “woke capitalism”). The More in Common polling suggests that, overall, the public does not favour these attacks either. But there is significant minority support for them.
The public are more split on whether politicians should challenge businesses supporting woke causes. Overall the public think politicians should stay out of which causes businesses support 59%-41% but Tory 2019 voters are more likely to say they should challenge those businesses
The public are more split on whether politicians should challenge businesses supporting woke causes. Overall the public think politicians should stay out of which causes businesses support 59%-41% but Tory 2019 voters are more likely to say they should challenge those businesses. pic.twitter.com/DNHWR480Tr
— Luke Tryl (@LukeTryl) August 21, 2023
These figures may look demoralising for the Tories, because they show that most voters don’t support their preoccupation with “woke” issues. But they also show that, for a significant minority, these are issues that matter. At the very least, campaigning like this has capacity to shore up the core vote. For that reason it is likely to continue.
UPDATE: The tables with details of the polling are here.
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No 10 rejects claim councils face £5.2bn funding shortfall
And here is a full summary of the Downing Street lobby briefing.
Downing Street said it had not ruled out beefing up the inquiry into the murders committed by Lucy Letby, and the circumstances behind them, by making it statutory. (See 12.25pm.)
The PM’s spokesperson confirmed that the government plans to change to law to try to stop defendants refusing to turn up in court for sentencing. He said judges already had the power to order a defendant to attend court, and that if they failed to comply, that was a contempt of court for which they could face an extra two years in jail. But the government is looking to go further, he said. Asked if the government was considering the proposal for offenders to be made to listen to the sentencing if they stayed in their cell, the spokesperson did not rule that out. Asked if the government could legislate through an amendment to the victims and prisoners bill, which is going through parliament, the spokesperson said that legislation would not be appropriate because it only covered parts of the criminal justice system.
The spokesperson said it was still the government’s plan to return asylum seekers to the Bibby Stockholm barge “as soon as possible”, but he refused to say when that might be. He said the Home Office was still waiting for the results of further tests into the extent of legionella on the barge.
The spokesperson said Sunak still had confidence in Suella Braverman, the home secretary. This morning the i splashed on a story quoting Tory insiders as saying it was increasingly likely Braverman would be sacked in the next reshuffle.
The i: Tories tell Sunak to sack Braverman #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/ySiLPcwOT1
— George Mann (@sgfmann) August 20, 2023
The PM’s spokesperson said Sunak did have confidence in Braverman. But the spokesperson only gave an explicit answer on this point when asked for clarification. In response to the first question on this, asking if Sunak had confidence in Braverman and in the Home Office’s handling of the small boats issue, the spokesperson replied:
We’ve made a number of steps forward with regards to tackling this issue. Of course, there are some wider issues that are still subject to legal challenge, but there has been progress made. Crossings are down year on year, the legacy backlog has reduced by nearly a third since the start of September, 60% more forced enforced returns in the first half of 2023.
The spokesperson refused to comment on reports that Braverman pulled out of media appearances planned during what was dubbed “small boats week” (a week devoted to migration policy announcments) at the start of August.
The spokesperson rejected claims that councils face a £5.2bn funding shortfall. Asked about a BBC investigation suggesting this, he said councils had had a £5bn increase this year, “which we believe provides the support and funding that councils need”.
The spokesperson declined to call for pay restraint in the private sector. He said the government did not believe pay rises in the private sector were driving up inflation, and he said it was not the government’s job to tell private sector firms what they should pay their staff.
The spokesperson said the UK government was concerned about reports alleging hundreds of Ethiopian migrants have been killed by Saudi border guards. The government had raised its concerns with the Saudi Arabian authorities, the spokesperson said. Sunak is due to hold a meeting with the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, soon.
The spokesperson hinted that the Lionesses would be recognised in the next honours list for their achievement in the World Cup. Asked if they would receive honours, the spokesperson said that was for the honours committee. But he said: “No one’s in any doubt about the inspiration they have been.”
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No 10 confirms government has not ruled out beefing up Letby inquiry by making it statutory
At the Downing Street lobby briefing, which has just ended, the PM’s spokesperson confirmed that the government has not ruled out making the inquiry into the Lucy Letby murders, and the circumstances behind them, a statutory one. Rishi Sunak, and one of his junior ministers, this morning defended the current, non-statutory format chosen for the inquiry. (See 9.25am and 11.01am.) But, when asked if the government was ruling out a statutory inquiry, the spokesperson told journalists: “No.”
He went on:
As you heard the prime minister say this morning, we are focused on the outcomes. The most important thing is to make sure families get the answers they need, that’s it’s possible to learn the lessons based on transparency, [that] that happens as quickly as possible. And obviously we will have an inquiry on the right footing to achieve them.
Asked again if the inquiry could be statutory, the spokesperson said the government would put the government “on the right footing to achieve those outcomes”.
This is different from the line taken by the Department of Health and Social Care last week, when it implied a statutory inquiry would not be appropriate.
I will post more from the briefing shortly.
Staff at the Pensions Regulator are to strike for two weeks in a dispute over pay, PA Media reports. The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) said more than 1,000 Brighton-based workers will take action from 5 to 18 September. The union said they have been offered a 3% pay rise while civil servants in other government departments receive at least 4.5%.
Rishi Sunak and Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, were both given a chance to show off their painting skills when they visited a nursery in Harrogate this morning. According to PA Media, they were both painting bees. Keegan’s bee would merit a gold star. Sunak’s looks more like a parrot with a squint.
In his pooled TV interview, Rishi Sunak also stressed the government’s commitment to extending access to free childcare. He said:
It is really important to me that young families have access to high quality affordably childcare. That is why the government is expanding its offer of free childcare.
Currently working families can access 30 hours of free childcare for three and four-year-olds. As part of our big reforms we are extending that all the way down to little ones as young as nine months.
Sunak suggests plan to stop small boats will not fully succeed before general election – although he claims it is working
Rishi Sunak has claimed that figures showing a decline in the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats compared with last year show his plan to deal with the problem is working.
But he has also implied that he does not expect to fully solve the problem before the next general election.
Speaking to broadcasters this morning, on a visit to a nursery in North Yorkshire, Sunak said:
One of my five priorities is to stop the boats, the current system is both unsustainable and is completely unfair, but particularly unfair on British taxpayers who are forking out millions of pounds to house illegal migrants in hotels and local communities.
That’s not right. We’ve got to put a stop to that. And we’re working on it. It’s not an easy problem to fix. I never said we would be able to solve it overnight, it will take time and we have to attack it from lots of different ways. But I am pleased that the number of illegal migrants crossing this year is down for the first time in some years.
That shows that our plans are working but of course there’s still more to do and people should know I am determined to grip this problem and that’s why one of my five priorities is to stop the boats.
Sunak also said he was not complacent. He said:
I am not complacent. I never said this would be easy, I never said it could be fixed overnight.
We are going to attack it from every angle and not stop until we are done.
Asked if he would be able to solve the problem before the next general election, which must take place by January 2025 but which is generally expected next autumn, Sunak replied:
I want it to be done as soon as possible but I also want to be honest with people that it is a complex problem, there is not one simple solution and that it can’t be solved overnight and I wouldn’t be being straight with people if I said that was possible.
.@RishiSunak is unable to confirm whether he will be able to 'stop by the boats' by the next general election
— ITV News Politics (@ITVNewsPolitics) August 21, 2023
'I want it to be done as soon as possible but I also want to be honest with people that it is a complex problem,' he says pic.twitter.com/vdFO7MTT84
According to a tracker maintained by Migration Watch UK, which campaigns for tighter controls on immigration, the most recent figures suggest the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats is down 17% on the equivalent figure at this point in the year in 2022.
Updated
Sunak defends decision to make Letby inquiry non-statutory, saying it should conclude 'as quickly as possible'
Rishi Sunak has defended the government’s plan to make the inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the murders and attempted murders committed by Lucy Letby non-statutory – while not ruling out upgrading it to a statutory one.
Steve Barclay, the health secretary, announced the inquiry last week. At the time the Department of Health and Social Care said:
After careful consideration, a non-statutory independent inquiry was found to be the most appropriate option, building on the approach taken in other cases. It will focus on lessons that can be learned quickly.
But the government is under growing pressure to beef up the inquiry, making it statutory, so that it will have the power to compel people to give evidence.
Asked in his pooled interview this morning if he agreed, Sunak replied:
I think the important thing for the inquiry to do is make sure that families get the answers that they need, that it is possible for us to learn the lessons from what happened, everything conducted transparently and to happen as quickly as possible.
Those are the objectives that we want for the inquiry and we’ll make sure that it’s set up to deliver on those aims.
Sunak defends not flying to Australia to watch England in World Cup final in person
In his pooled interview Rishi Sunak defended his decision not to fly to Australia to support England in the final of the Women’s World Cup. (See 10.27am.) Asked if he should have been there, he replied:
Like many others, I watched the game in the pub locally in Northallerton at home.
I’d like nothing more than to be able to watch England play around the world. I love football. I love sport. I love cheering on England.
Sadly I wasn’t able to go to the World Cup in Qatar last year. I wasn’t able to go to this final but as I said, I enjoyed watching it in the pub with friends and constituents in Northallerton.
Here is the picture Sunak posted on Twitter yesterday showing him watching the game in a local pub.
We still believe! #Lionesses pic.twitter.com/V7claKzyJW
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) August 20, 2023
Updated
Sunak confirms government wants to change law to ensure offenders attend court for sentencing
Rishi Sunak has condemned the serial child killer Lucy Letby as “cowardly” for refusing to appear in court for sentencing today. He also confirmed the government wants to change the law to stop other offenders doing the same in future.
In a pooled interview this morning on a visit to a nursery in North Yorkshire, asked about this issue, Sunak said:
The first thing is to extend my sympathies to everyone affected by this.
I think, like everyone reading about this, it’s just shocking and harrowing.
Now, I think it’s cowardly that people who commit such horrendous crimes do not face their victims and hear first hand the impact that their crimes have had on them and their families and loved ones.
We are looking and have been at changing the law to make sure that that happens and that’s something that we’ll bring forward in due course.
Updated
Coutinho rejects claim Sunak would have flown to World Cup final if men had been playing
A minister has rejected suggestions that Rishi Sunak would have flown to Australia for the World Cup final if it had been the men’s team playing, not the women’s.
Once England made it into the final, Sunak was criticised for deciding to watch the match at home, instead of heading to Sydney. No member of the royal family attended in person either, and there have been claims that if it had been a men’s final, the UK VIP turnout would have been better.
In an interview with Sky News this morning Claire Coutinho, the education minister, defended Sunak’s decision not to attend in person, saying James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, and Lucy Frazer, the culture secretary were both present.
Asked if Sunak would have flown to Australia if the England men’s team were in the final, Coutinho replied:
I don’t think he would have because his schedule is so busy and I know that from working with him, but I do know how proud he is of the Lionesses like we all are. It’s such a tremendous achievement. It was absolutely just brilliant to see.
Updated
Education minister Claire Coutinho urges landlords to let childminders work from rented properties
The Department for Education says its mini-announcement on childminding today (see 9.25am) is partly prompted by figures showing that the number of childminders operating in England has more than halved over the past 10 years. It also quotes research saying that, of prospective childminders who start but fail to complete the registration process, one in eight say they cannot register because they cannot obtain permission to work from home.
That is why Claire Coutinho, the education minister, is urging landlords to lift restrictions where they apply. The DfE says:
Childminders who are living in leasehold properties are sometimes being blocked by so-called restrictive covenants, which say that the properties cannot be used for business purposes. Some who are living in rented accommodation have found that their tenancy agreements prevent them from registering their business or that their landlords’ mortgage agreements include restrictions from the lender.
Within the letter to landlords, Minister Coutinho has urged them to engage with prospective childminders to unblock these issues wherever possible, for the good of local communities.
In its news release, the DfE has also highlighted other moves intended to encourage people to join, or stay in, the profession. It says:
The government has already tabled amendments to the levelling-up and regeneration bill (LURB) that will mean that childminders can work together in groups of up to four childminders in total, and spend more time working outside of their own homes such as in a community centre or village hall.
The government will also consult on reducing registration times to around 10 weeks, make sure childminders are paid monthly by local authorities, and soon launch the childminder startup grant, worth up to £1,200 for all childminders who have joined the profession since the spring budget.
Updated
Starmer says Labour would close loophole allowing 'cowardly' offenders to avoid being in court for sentencing
Keir Starmer has said that Labour would close the “loophole” that allows offenders such as Lucy Letby to avoid being in court for sentencing. In a post on Twitter he said:
As Director of Public Prosecutions, I saw how crucial it is for victims and their families that perpetrators appear in court. That criminals can cowardly hide away is a shamefully exploited loophole, and one Labour will close. Victims must be at the heart of our justice system.
As Director of Public Prosecutions, I saw how crucial it is for victims and their families that perpetrators appear in court.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) August 21, 2023
That criminals can cowardly hide away is a shamefully exploited loophole, and one Labour will close.
Victims must be at the heart of our justice system.
The government has also said it will address this, although it has not said when. Given that there might be limits to the extent to which force could be used, one option would be to allow the courts to impose extra punishments on offenders who do not appear.
Asked about this issue on her media round this morning, Claire Coutinho, the education minister, said it would be “appalling’’ if Letby refused to appear in the dock for sentencing. She went on:
I know that the justice secretary has said he’s very committed to making changes that are needed to make sure that people who have committed awful crimes have to go to court so they can hear things like the victims’ impact statement, which is really their moment to tell that person how this has impacted them.
But Coutinho did not give details of how the government might address this.
Updated
Only 8% of voters think Rishi Sunak deserves credit for inflation falling, poll suggests
Good morning. The second half of August is normally the worst time of the year for political news, because the summer media campaigns pre-cooked by the political parties (like small boats week) are running out of steam, but today we will at least be hearing from Rishi Sunak, who has a visit planned.
Much of the focus this morning will by on the sentencing of Lucy Letby. It is primarily a horrific crime story, but there are implications for government and this morning Claire Coutinho, the education minister who has been doing an interview round, has been defending the government’s decision not to make the inquiry into the case a statutory one (a non-statutory one would be quicker, she argued) and insisting that ministers do want to change the law to try to stop offenders like Letby not attending court for sentencing. We will be covering these developments in detail in a separate live blog on the Letby proceedings.
Sunak’s visit this morning is linked to an announcement from the Department for Education this morning about childminding. Coutinho was promoting it during her morning media round, and it rather proves the point about late August news announcements from government being a bit thin. She has announced that “housing associations, social landlords and developers in England are being urged to allow childminders to work in their rented properties, to help encourage entry into the profession and increase availability of childcare for parents.”
There was good news for Sunak last week when inflation fell sharply. But there is less good news in the Times today, which is reporting the results of a YouGov poll suggesting that very few people think the PM deserves any credit for this, despite the fact that he has made cutting inflation one of his five key priorities for the year. In the write-up Matt Dathan reports:
A YouGov poll for the Times found that only 8% of voters credited government policy for the fall in inflation, which dropped to 6.8% last month, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics last week.
More people, 17%, believe the Bank of England is responsible despite criticism of its response to high inflation. In June Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, blamed flaws in the Bank’s economic forecasting after it failed to get a grip on runaway inflation.
The polling suggests that the most commonly believed reason for the fall in inflation is external factors such as global oil and gas prices. Thirty-eight per cent cited external factors, but 31% said they did not know what was responsible for the easing of price rises.
The polling is more stark in red wall seats in northern England, where only 5% thought government policy had brought inflation down.
Sunak is due to be speaking to the media on his visit later this morning, and so perhaps we will get a response from him then. We are also getting a No 10 lobby briefing at 11.30am, but otherwise the news diary is mostly empty.
If you want to contact me, do try the “send us a message” feature. You’ll see it just below the byline – on the left of the screen, if you are reading on a laptop or a desktop. This is for people who want to message me directly. I find it very useful when people message to point out errors (even typos – no mistake is too small to correct). Often I find your questions very interesting, too. I can’t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either in the comments below the line, privately (if you leave an email address and that seems more appropriate), or in the main blog, if I think it is a topic of wide interest.
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