Afternoon summary
Scotland’s new first minister, Humza Yousaf, has set out a “fresh vision” for his next three years in government that delays, redraws or reverses a number of his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon’s key policies. But, as Libby Brooks reports, opposition leaders said any attempt at a relaunch had been “utterly torpedoed” by the arrest earlier on Tuesday of the SNP treasurer, Colin Beattie, amid the ongoing police investigation into the party’s funding and finances.
Ministers ignored advice that would have stopped prisoners dying during Covid pandemic, MPs told
Ministers have not done enough to prevent deaths of prisoners in England and Wales, an independent reviewer has said.
Juliet Lyon, the chair of the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody until January this year, said ministers had ignored advice which would have helped to protect detainees during Covid, and the current state of prisons was “awful”.
Giving evidence to the Commons justice committee this afternoon, Lyon was asked if the government had done enough to protect prisoners during the Covid pandemic. She replied:
No ... They made a very rapid choice, as you know, to lock everyone down as their best way of trying to keep people safe. There were other choices that could have been made.
She said there had been talk of releasing 4,000 vulnerable prisoners during the pandemic, but in fact only 262 were released. Lyon said ministers ignored strong clinical advice that there should have been universal vaccination in prisons, as happened in care homes, because it was “not considered politically palatable”.
She told the committee:
That was a real revelation to me that ministers couldn’t accept the advice that was coming from every quarter because they feared that the public wouldn’t find it acceptable. I don’t believe that was a good enough reason to put people’s lives at risk.
The deprivations that happened particularly during Covid and the extreme imprisonment and the choices that were made to hold people in isolation, have ... continued in some shape or form.
Lyon suggested it would “concentrate minds” if ministers were made to apologise to families bereaved as a result of a death in custody.
Ending her evidence to the committee on a sombre note, she said:
Until and unless the prison service is able to be properly staffed and properly resourced and seen as a really important public service, with all that that involves, it’s really difficult for them to keep people safe.
Updated
DUP says Chris Heaton-Harris sounded like 'clueless Irish American' in 'patronising' speech on unionism
The DUP has just sent out a statement accusing Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland secretary, of being “patronising” and sounding like “a clueless Irish American congressman” in his speech this morning. (See 10.27am.) Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP leader, was implicitly critical earlier (see 5pm), but DUP HQ has now sent out a formal response, in the form of a statement from the DUP MP Gavin Robinson. Robinson says:
The [Northern Ireland Office’s] approach today has been patronising towards unionist concerns and stands in contrast to their approach when Sinn Féin blocked devolved government for three years over the Irish language.
The government must realise that getting the foundations right, supported by unionists as well as nationalists, rather than personal attacks and blackmail will restore Stormont.
The secretary of state’s rhetoric for the [Queen’s University Belfast] audience was more akin to a speech by a clueless Irish American congressman rather than a UK government cabinet minister.
This is about taking our time to get it right. We need stable and sustainable devolved government. For those who have forgotten, over the last 25 years, political progress in NI was hard won and is built on the foundation of support from unionists and nationalists. Not one unionist MLA supported the NI protocol and that was the critical mistake.
There is no solid basis for an executive and assembly until we have arrangements that restore NI’s place in the UK internal market and our constitutional arrangements are respected.
Updated
DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson implies his party will ignore appeals from 'the great and the good' to restore power sharing
Many leaders who have been in Belfast for events to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday agreement have been urging the DUP to resume power sharing. The US president, Joe Biden, made that point last week as diplomatically as he could. Yesterday George Mitchell, who chaired the talks leading up to the Good Friday agreement, made a moving appeal for compromise. Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland secretary, was more explicit this morning (see 10.27am), although he never referred directly to the DUP in his speech.
But Sir Jeffrey Donaldon, the DUP leader, says his party will not respond to lectures from “the great and the good”. He has tweeted a message implying his party will continue its boycott of Stormont until it gets further assurances on power sharing.
Well said @little_pengelly The great and the good can lecture us all they want for a cheap round of applause but it won’t change the political reality. The political institutions only work when there is cross community consensus. Berating unionists won’t solve the problem.… https://t.co/bLjYQs7dit
— Jeffrey Donaldson MP (@J_Donaldson_MP) April 18, 2023
Updated
Ben Wallace accused of concealing Russian ‘act of war’ against RAF plane
Tobias Ellwood, the Conservative chair of the Commons defence committee, has accused the defence secretary, Ben Wallace, of concealing a potential Russian “act of war” against an RAF spy plane. Ellwood made the point during a Commons urgent question earlier. Dan Sabbagh has the story.
Alex Cole-Hamilton, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, told MSPs that Humza Yousaf’s relaunch had been “utterly torpedoed”.
This First Minister’s relaunch has been utterly torpedoed.
— Scottish Lib Dems (@scotlibdems) April 18, 2023
This is a government in total paralysis and it is making reasonable-minded people rethink their support for the SNP.
Change is coming and Scottish Liberal Democrats will be part of what’s next. pic.twitter.com/gYqsui33k9
He also said Yousaf “already looks like a defeated man”.
A very plodding speech from the First Minister as he lays out an unambitious programme for government.
— Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP🔶🇺🇦 (@agcolehamilton) April 18, 2023
It’s clear the chaos in his party is utterly consuming him. He just isn’t focussed on what matters to the people.
He already looks like a defeated man.
The government has today announced a new crackdown on dangerous knives. It was briefed overnight, and this prompted complaints that Tory home secretaries have been making near-identical announcements for years. (See 11.47am.)
In his statement to MPs Chris Philp, the policing minister, said that the new measures would go beyond what was already on the statute book. The Offensive Weapons Act 2019 banned some of these weapons, but today’s measures will close loopholes in that legislation, he explained.
To follow the details, you need to understand the difference between “zombie knives”, which are already banned, and “zombie-style knives”, which are not – but which will be, under the proposals being announced today.
A “zombie knife” is a blade with a cutting edge, a serrated edge and “images or words that suggest that it is to be used for the purpose of violence”. A “zombie-style knife” is one that looks the same, but does not have the violent words or pictures on it.
Full details of the proposal are in the Home Office’s consultation document.
Updated
In his speech to MSPs, as well as announcing a delay to the introduction of the deposit return scheme (see 2.46pm) and a review of plans to restrict alcohol advertising (see 2.46pm), Humza Yousaf mentioned two other departures from Nicola Sturgeon policy.
He confirmed that a vote on the national care service bill was being delayed again, until the autumn.
And he said that Scotland would be rejoining two international schemes allowing educational outcomes to be compared across countries. This is from ITV Border’s Peter MacMahon.
Scotland already participates in the "widely-respected" PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment Studies). Will apply to rejoin Trends in International Maths and Science (TIMS), and Progress in International Reading Literacy (PIRLs). As revealed by @KieranPAndrews
— @petermacmahon (@petermacmahon) April 18, 2023
Updated
Yousaf 'not now running functioning government', says Scottish Labour
Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, goes next. He says Yousaf “is not running a functioning government”. He goes on: “This is an SMP that is mired in scandal, mired in division.”
The current scandal is a consequence of 16 years of command and control, and “lack of transparency”.
Yousaf criticises Sarwar for not asking about policy. He says Sarwar is a “master of the soundbite”, but “vacuous”.
He says a Keir Starmer administration would be “a pale immitation of a Tory government”.
UPDATE: Sarwar said:
What Humza Yousaf can’t escape from is that he is not now running a functioning government. This is an SNP that is mired in scandal, mired in division, talking to themselves about themselves.
And the crisis that now engulfs the SNP is not just an indication of how they govern their party, but also how they govern our country.
A 16-year culture of command and control, of financial mismanagement, and a lack of transparency, meaning secrecy and cover-ups, often with devastating consequences.
And no amount of spin or the pretence of a reset or a fresh start is going to hide what is now becoming clearer to the public every single day. Our country is now crying out for leadership, for hope, for new ideas and a new vision to confront the twin crises our nation faces – a cost of living crisis … and an NHS crisis.
Continuity won’t cut it. Incompetence has consequences. And, frankly, Scotland deserves better.
Updated
Yousaf tells Gallacher that it is brave of her to talk about propriety. He says her PM, her deputy PM and her former PM are all under investigations over standards.
Updated
Scottish Tories says SNP 'in total meltdown', and urge Yousaf to stop defending Sturgeon and show he is 'his own man'
Humza Yousaf has finished now. Meghan Gallacher, the deputy leader of the Scottish Conservatives, says the SNP is in “total meltdown”. She claims that Yousaf will not suspend SNP figures involved in the affairs being investigated by the police because they are his mentors.
UPDATE: Gallacher said:
The first minister makes this statement today as scandal continues to engulf his party. The SNP is in total meltdown. Its former chief executive and now its treasurer have been arrested amid a police investigation into the party’s finances. And leaked footage has shown Nicola Sturgeon trying to shut down scrutiny mere months before the investigation began. Yet Humza Yousaf is so indebted to his former mentors that he will not do the right thing and suspend them while the investigation is ongoing.
It is high time that Humza Yousaf tackled this scandal head on and proved to the Scottish public that he has his own man, instead of defending and deflecting from his predecessor’s tarnished legacy.
Updated
Yousaf says he has also ordered a review of the Scottish government’s plans to restrict alcohol advertising. He says he does not want to undermine “Scotland’s world-class drinks industry”.
Updated
Yousaf says Scotland to delay introduction of controversial bottle recycling scheme until next March
Yousaf says the Scottish government is delaying the introduction of the bottle deposit scheme until 1 March 2024.
That is a significant climbdown. As my colleague Kiran Stacey reported last month, the UK government was considering blocking the scheme because of concerns about how it would operate.
Updated
Yousaf says the second principle in his plan is based on the theme of opportunity.
He says a fair transition to net zero is part of that. He will never do to oil and gas workers what the Thatcher government did to coal and steel workers, he says.
He says businesses are a key part of his plan. He is the proud son of a business owner, he says. The government needs businesses to grow.
Here is the policy paper published this afternoon by the Scottish government. Its title is Equality, opportunity, community: new leadership – a fresh start.
Updated
Humza Yousaf is speaking to MSPs now. He is setting out his government’s priorities. The speech was scheduled when he did not know it would coincide with the arrest of his party’s treasurer.
He says the job of first minister “not without its challenges”. But it is “the honour of my life”, he says.
And he says the government is publishing a prospectus today setting out its plans.
There are three missions, built around the themes of equality, opportunity and community, he says.
On equality, he says the government will commit to continuing to tackle poverty in all its forms, and to substantially reducing poverty.
Updated
Former SNP leadership candidate Ash Regan says she has 'some sympathy' with people saying contest should be rerun
Ash Regan, who came last out of three in the SNP leadership contest, told Radio 4’s The World at One that she had “some sympathy” with those members who were saying the internal party turmoil meant the leadership contest should be re-run.
She said she was not calling for that herself. But she said that “some people” were making that argument, and she went on: “I do have some sympathy with that argument.”
She said that during the contest, when it turned out that the party had previously lied to the media about the size of the membership, she had argued for members to be allowed to change their vote, if they had already voted. That was not allowed. But if it had, “we might be in a different situation”, Regan told The World at One.
The argument for rerunning the contest is based on the idea that, if members had known the full extent of the problems allowed to accumulate under Nicola Sturgeon’s leadership, they might have been less keen to vote for the person most seen as the continuity candidate, Humza Yousaf.
Updated
Humza Yousaf rules out suspending SNP treasurer arrested by police, and says he does not think party now acting criminally
Humza Yousaf is giving a speech to the Scottish parliament this afternoon that was billed as the launch of his new administration’s programme. Beforehand, the first minister found himself having to asssure journalists that he did not believe the SNP is operating as a criminal enterprise right now.
That was one of the questions put to him in a brief Q&A with journalists. Here are the main points.
Yousaf said he was “surprised” to learn that Colin Beattie, the SNP treasurer, had been arrested.
He said he did not think the SNP was acting in a criminal way. Asked if he could guarante that the party was not “operating in a criminal way right now, since you became leader”, he replied: “I don’t believe it is at all.” He said he had ordered a review to into transparency and good governance. The party had to change the way it operated, he said.
He appeared to rule out suspending Beattie, saying he took the view that people are “people are innocent until proven guilty”.
But he said he would consider removing Beattie from the the Holyrood’s public audit committe. Asked if he would do this, he said:
I’ll consider that. I have to speak to Colin Beattie. My understanding is he is still in the police station being questioned. When he’s off that, I need to have a word with Colin, not about the live police investigation, we can’t speak about the detail of that, but clearly there are pertinent issues around his role on the public audit committee and his role, of course, as the national treasurer.
He described Beattie’s arrest as “not helpful” given he is making a statement to MSPs about his government’s priorities later.
This is from Sky’s Connor Gillies.
NEW: First Minister Humza Yousaf speaks for the first time following the arrest of the SNP treasurer Colin Beattie. @SkyNews pic.twitter.com/2726okGguS
— Connor Gillies (@ConnorGillies) April 18, 2023
Updated
Hague says critics of trans women joining Women's Institute should 'get over' it because trans people 'part of society now'
The Women’s Institute is reportedly facing a revolt from some members of its policy allowing transgender women to join. But on Times Radio this morning William Hague, the former Tory leader, said WI members unhappy with the policy should “get used” to the fact that trans women are part of society now. He said:
I think on this issue, there are some areas where there’s been a danger of going too fast, competitive sport is one of them. And world athletics has made clear that women in women’s sport can’t be transgender, otherwise it would be the end of women’s sport. And I think that is quite right.
I’m not sure that applies to the Women’s Institute, though. There are transgender people, they have changed their gender. This is part of our society now.
And I think large national organisations like the WI have to get over that and get used to that, and welcome new people. So that would be the side of the argument I’m on. I’ll probably get a lot of angry letters now from the from WI members but I would be on that side of the argument.
At the Downing Street lobby briefing the PM’s spokesperson was asked about Hague’s comment, and whether Rishi Sunak was also on that side of the argument. The spokesperson implied, not quite.
The spokesperson said he had not seen Hague’s comments, and that it was for the groups like the WI to decide for themselves who their members should be. He went on:
The prime minister has said that it is vitally important that transgender people are treated with compassion at all times as a starting point … But it will for a specific group to decide [what its policy is].
Updated
Sunak says he wants UK to be at 'forefront' of artificial intelligence, as GCHQ chief briefs cabinet on benefits and risks
Sir Jeremy Fleming, the director of GCHQ, the government’s secret surveillance centre, briefed cabinet ministers this morning on the potential benefits and risks of artificial intelligence.
Dame Angela McLean, the government’s chief scientific adviser, and Michelle Donelan, the culture secretary, also contributed to the discussion, No 10 said.
There is increasing concern around the world that AI is developing so rapidly that a system could emerge that might pose a threat to the human race. Elon Musk was one of many AI pioneers who recently signed an open letter calling for six-month pause in the development of the most powerful AI technologies, saying: “Recent months have seen AI labs locked in an out-of-control race to develop and deploy ever more powerful digital minds that no one – not even their creators – can understand, predict, or reliably control.”
According to the Downing Street readout from cabinet, while ministers discussed the pros and cons, Rishi Sunak told his team that he wants the UK to be at the forefront of this technology. No 10 said:
The prime minister said he wants the UK to be at the forefront of [science and technology] on the world stage so the UK reaps the economic and social benefits. He added that in no other area is this more important than artificial intelligence …
Cabinet agreed on the transformative potential of AI and the vital importance of retaining public confidence in its use and the need for regulation that keeps people safe without preventing innovation.
The prime minister emphasised that we need to ensure we remain competitive, which is why we confirmed our intention in the integrated review refresh to establish a new government industry taskforce on foundation models. It will be modelled on the vaccines taskforce.
The prime minister concluded cabinet by saying that given the importance of artificial intelligence to our economy and national security, this could be one of the most important policies we pursue in the next few years which is why we must get it right.
Updated
More than 5,000 people have been detected crossing the English Channel in small boats so far this year, Home Office figures show. As PA Media reports, the cumulative number of Channel crossings this year is currently running below the level for 2022. At the equivalent point last year, the number of crossings stood at just over 6,300.
At the Downing Street lobby briefing the PM’s spokesperson rejected suggestions that the measures announced so far were failing to have a deterrent effect on small boat crossings. The spokesperson said:
I think it’s too early to draw conclusions at this stage … So I think it will be the culmination of all the different policies we are introducing which will have a long-lasting impact.
He said the partnership with Rwanda, the legislation being introduced and the deal with the French to increase the number of small boats being stopped would all have an impact.
Updated
Starmer says SNP in 'real mess' and Scotland deserves better
Keir Starmer has said the SNP is in a “real mess” and letting down the people of Scotland.
Asked to comment on the arrest of the SNP’s treasurer, Starmer told journalists:
The SNP developments are deeply concerning.
Obviously there is a criminal investigation going on, so there is only so much I can say.
But after 16 years in power, it has descended to this – a real mess – and those being let down are Scottish voters who are entitled to better than this.
And if anything makes the case for change clear it is what is happening with the SNP just at the moment.
Scotland deserves better and with Labour they would get better.
No 10 resists calls from Starmer for Sunak to publish his entry in list of ministers' interests today
Keir Starmer has urged Rishi Sunak to publish his entry in the register of ministerial interests today. Speaking at the University of York, Starmer said:
The prime minister promised integrity and accountability when he came into office so I think he needs to clear this up and declare his interests.
The register of ministerial interests hasn’t been published for nearly a year so I invite the prime minister to publish, at least, his entry on this issue today, clear this up, because he promised transparency.
Don’t hide behind the process, just come clean and tell everybody what the interest is so people can see it and judge it. That’s what transparency is.
At the Downing Street lobby briefing the PM’s spokesperson said Sir Laurie Magnus, the independent adviser on ministers’ interests (who is more commonly known as the No 10 ethics adviser), would be publishing the updated list of ministers interests, and that he wanted to do this “as quickly as possible”. The work was still ongoing, the spokesperson said.
Asked if Sunak would publish his own personal entry before the publication of the full list, the spokesperson said he was not aware of any plans to do that.
Updated
Colin Beattie: profile of SNP treasurer arrested as part of police investigation into SNP finances
PA Media has filed a profile of Colin Beattie, the SNP treasurer arrested as part of the police investigation into SNP finances. PA says:
Originally working in international finance, a biography on his website claims Beattie spent 23 years living in the “Middle and Far East”, followed by 11 years in London, before settling in Dalkeith, Midlothian in 2001 with his wife Lisa – a former leader of the local authority.
First elected as a councillor in Midlothian in 2007, Beattie led the SNP group at the local authority.
But in 2011, he moved to Holyrood, being elected as an MSP for the newly-formed Midlothian North and Musselburgh constituency.
Despite the SNP being in power throughout his tenure as an MSP, Beattie has never achieved ministerial office, having never been invited by Alex Salmond, Nicola Sturgeon or Humza Yousaf to serve in government.
His highest office to date has been the national treasurer post, a role he was elected to in a vote by party members in 2004.
In the party’s 2020 internal elections, however, Beattie lost out to MP Douglas Chapman.
But Chapman’s tenure would be short-lived, with him resigning in May 2021, claiming he had not been given enough information to carry out the job.
The following month, Beattie was reinstated to the role.
But, in July 2021, Police Scotland opened an investigation into the use of about £600,000 of donations received by the party as part of a fundraising effort to finance an independence referendum campaign.
In August 2021, Beattie sought to reassure members in a statement released alongside the party’s accounts, saying: “There has been concern expressed in some quarters that this system does not result in a separate fund being officially recorded in the annual accounts of the party.
“Hence a claim from some that the money does not exist.
“In fact, the money is earmarked through the internal process set out above and will be deployed fully through future cash flow for the purpose of promoting a referendum on independence and campaigns intended to secure independence.”
He continued: “While these monies are not separated out, their existence in terms of the commitment as to what they will be spent on is tangible.”
Scottish Labour challenges Yousaf to explain why SNP treasurer has not been suspended
The Scottish Labour party is also calling for the suspension of Colin Beattie, the SNP treasurer arrested by the police. Jackie Baillie, the Scottish Labour deputy leader, said:
For too long, a culture of secrecy and cover-up has been allowed to fester at the heart of the SNP.
And while the investigation spreads, the SNP is still refusing to take the basic step of suspending MSPs who are the subject of police inquiries.
Humza Yousaf’s inaction raises questions - is his priority the cover up to protect the SNP or the people of Scotland?
Labour says crackdown on sale of zombie knives being announced today should have happened years ago
Chris Philp, the policing minister, will make a statement later about Home Office plans to ban the sale of so-called zombie knives. In time-honoured fashion, MPs will hear the details some hours after they were disclosed to readers of the Sun, which has published an article by Philp. He says:
There is no legitimate reason for someone to carry a machete or zombie knife on the streets of Britain. These knives, which have no practical purpose, are carried by criminals.
So-called ‘Rambo’ and ‘zombie style’ knives, spark fear and can cause unimaginable harm. They are often used to intimidate victims as part of a street mugging for a phone or a watch or used by drug gangs on the streets.
That is why we are moving to ban all these terrifying weapons.
The Home Office has also tweeted about the plans.
⚠️ Machetes and other menacing knives have no place on our streets.
— Home Office (@ukhomeoffice) April 18, 2023
Home Secretary @SuellaBraverman and Policing Minister @CPhilpOfficial explain how the government is taking action ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/KaXXLU0OvE
Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, says this should have happened years ago. She says:
These knives should have been banned years ago.
Knife crime devastates lives and rips apart communities and the government must do all it can to prevent it. Sadly, the Conservatives have dragged their heels and are only launching a consultation.
We have made it our mission in government to halve knife crime over the next decade.
As Rosa Prince writes in her London Playbook, Tory home secretaries have been promising a crackdown on the sale of zombie knives for at least seven years.
Labour claims every home secretary since 2010, bar the short-lived Grant Shapps, has made the same announcement. Here’s Theresa May in 2016, Amber Rudd in 2017, Sajid Javid in 2018 and Priti Patel in 2021.
Updated
Scottish Tories call for SNP treasurer to be suspended from party following his arrest
The Scottish Conservatives are urging Humza Yousaf, the SNP leader, to suspend Colin Beattie, the party treasurer who has been arrested by the police – as well as Peter Murrell, the former chief executive, and Nicola Sturgeon, the former first minister.
In a statement Craig Hoy, the Scottish Conservative chair, said:
The police investigation into the SNP’s murky finances is consuming the party – and Humza Yousaf has to get a grip of the situation, rather than stand by wringing his hands.
He must show some leadership and suspend Colin Beattie – along with Peter Murrell and Nicola Sturgeon.
That is the precedent the party set when politicians such as Michelle Thomson and Natalie McGarry were under investigation – and it must be followed here, for the benefit of everyone.
Colin Beattie should also stand down from membership of the public audit committee until the conclusion of the investigation.
This extremely serious matter is escalating by the day and everyone in the SNP has a duty to be as transparent as possible about what they knew and when.
Updated
Bill Clinton, the former US president who is in Belfast for the conference marking the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday agreement, told BBC Ulster this morning he had become “more optimistic” about power-sharing being resumed after talks with Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP leader, my colleague Lisa O’Carroll reports.
Bill Clinton says he's "more optimistic" that Stormont will return after a meeting with Jeffrey Donaldson.
— Lisa O'Carroll (@lisaocarroll) April 18, 2023
Tells BBC Ulster that "Brexit threw a clinker" into the situation
"I think that finding a political solution to that is taking some doing and I think they're pretty close"
Clinton: Said he cdn't talk about what Donaldson said but he thought "the barriers" to power-sharing "will be removed because I think everybody knows economically, socially, politically, they'd be worse off if they packed it in over the current level of disagreement" over Brexit.
— Lisa O'Carroll (@lisaocarroll) April 18, 2023
In the Commons there is one urgent question today, on the US leak of top secret documents, and one statement, from the policing minister Chris Philp, on a new crackdown on dangerous knives.
AFTER 1230 TODAY:
— Labour Whips (@labourwhips) April 18, 2023
1 UQ - @Tobias_Ellwood – Asking MoD for a statement on leaking of top secret documents
2 Statement - @CPhilpOfficial - Machetes Consultation
Hundreds of civil servants working in jobcentres are to stage a fresh strike in a long-running dispute over jobs, pay, pensions and conditions, PA Media reports. PA says:
The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) said more than 600 of its members at 13 jobcentres in Glasgow and Liverpool will strike for five days from 2 May.
The union said Glasgow hads been targeted for disruptive action because it is one of the areas piloting a scheme on claimants having to attend an office several times over two weeks, while Liverpool will face action because of plans to close a local jobcentre.
PCS members are this week on strike in the Passport Office, Ofgem, and Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency ahead of a nationwide walkout by 133,000 civil servants on 28 April.
Updated
Here is my colleague Severin Carrell’s story about the SNP arrest.
And this is what he says about the police investigation that led to the arrest of the party’s treasurer.
The police investigation was launched in 2021 after complaints were made about the SNP’s handling of over £600,000 in donations given to the party, ostensibly for a fresh independence referendum campaign launched in 2019.
It emerged that money was not put into a separate, segregated SNP account but Sturgeon said it was all accounted for, and the equivalent figure would be spent by the party on that referendum campaign.
Speaking in 2021, Sturgeon said: “Money hasn’t gone missing; all money goes through the SNP accounts independently all fully audited.
“We don’t hold separate accounts – we’re under no legal requirement to do that. Our accounts are managed on a cashflow basis, but every penny we raise to support the campaign for independence will be spent on the campaign for independence.”
So far, no campaign has been launched. Last week it emerged that Johnston Carmichael, the accountancy firm, quit as the SNP’s external auditors.
Power-sharing 'surest way' to maintain union, Northern Ireland secretary Chris Heaton-Harris tells DUP
Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland secretary, has used a speech in Belfast to urge the DUP to resume power-sharing. Here are some of the key lines from what he said at the Queen’s University conference to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday agreement.
Heaton-Harris said power-sharing was “the surest way” to maintain the union. He explained:
The simple reality is that people tend to change the status quo only when the status quo is not working, or people simply stop making the case for it.
Devolved power-sharing institutions created a status quo that those of us who value Northern Ireland’s place in the union can robustly and successfully promote and celebrate.
So let no one tell you that power-sharing is at any way at odds with unionism.
Instead it is the surest way by which Northern Ireland’s place in the union can be secured.
This line was applauded by the audience.
He said the “biggest threat” to the union was failure to deliver on what people wanted. Government in Northern Ireland has not been functioning properly since the DUP pulled out of the executive early last year, meaning power-sharing cannot operate. Government agencies are still functioning, but important decisions are being postponed, and decisions are being taken by officials, or by London, not by Northern Ireland’s politicians. Heaton-Harris said:
The people of Northern Ireland are rightly demanding better, more responsive public services, greater economic prosperity and a brighter future for their children.
The biggest threat to Northern Ireland’s place in the union is failing to deliver on these priorities.
He said claims that the Good Friday agreement was bad for unionism were wrong. He said he had been struck by a narrative that has “become louder in recent years – a narrative that the agreement struck in 1998 did not achieve great things for unionism”. He went on:
That it was somehow all-out wins for nationalism. That narrative is wrong. And all of those, all of us who support the agreement, must be vocal in countering it.
Today, the principle of consent is so often taken for granted but it was an important and hard-won guarantee that settled Northern Ireland to remain as part of the United Kingdom.
He said leadership was about saying yes. Unionism has been associated with saying no at least since the 1980s, but Heaton-Harris said:
Like David Trimble, David Ervine before in 1998, Dr Paisley in 2006, real leadership is about knowing when to say yes and having the courage to do so.
Updated
I’m afraid we have had to turn off comments because of the risk of people posting prejudicial matter in relation to the story about the arrest of the SNP’s treasurer. It is possible they may reopen later in the day.
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The arrest of the SNP’s treasurer (see 9.30am) is obviously a gift for Scottish Labour. The party has this morning posted this on Twitter, highlighting a speech Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, gave yesterday.
Scotland deserves better than the divided and distracted SNP.
— Scottish Labour (@ScottishLabour) April 18, 2023
We need an election now.https://t.co/2jgy0vOlgH
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Last night the Scottish government released an extract from the statement Humza Yousaf will deliver to MSPs today about his priorities for government. He will say:
In just under three weeks, this government has tripled our support for households struggling with high energy bills with our £30m fuel insecurity fund, announced an additional £25m to help the north-east become the net zero capital of the world, and reinforced our commitment to supporting families with a £15m investment in free high-quality school age childcare.
These measures will make a real difference, and have come as a response to the challenges presented by our ongoing recovery from the Covid pandemic and a cost of living crisis exacerbated by Brexit and the UK government’s economic mismanagement, as well as climate change impacts and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine …
My cabinet has considered how we can build a better future for Scotland and the outcomes necessary to achieve that – through a determined focus on reducing poverty and strengthening public services, seizing the opportunity to build a growing and green wellbeing economy through the net zero transition and supporting business, and reaffirming our commitment to equality, inclusion, and human rights in everything we do.
We will do so using the powers of devolution to their maximum, whilst making the case that as an independent nation, we can do so much more to make Scotland a wealthier, fairer, and greener country.
Yousaf is also due to publish a policy prospectus for his government.
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Today was meant to be the day Humza Yousaf, the new SNP leader and Scottish first minister, performed a government relaunch. He is due to address the Scottish parliament this afternoon to set out his priorities for Scotland. But instead the news is dominated by another SNP arrest.
This is from the Scottish commentator Iain Macwhirter.
Another arrest. Party treasurer Colin Beattie taken into custody in campervangate. On the very day of Humza's big speech to parliament. He must feel fate has it in for him. Me on what he'll say. Or not say. https://t.co/p1vrqRegWV
— Iain Macwhirter (@iainmacwhirter) April 18, 2023
And this is from the Herald’s Tom Gordon.
So much for Humza's reset day
— Tom Gordon (@HTScotPol) April 18, 2023
SNP treasurer arrestedhttps://t.co/w1IDlCzpvc
SNP treasurer Colin Beattie arrested by Scottish police as part of probe into party's funding and finances
The SNP’s treasurer, Colin Beattie, has been arrested in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National party, Police Scotland has announced.
A Police Scotland statement said:
A 71-year-old man has today, Tuesday, 18 April 2023, been arrested as a suspect in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National party.
The man is in custody and is being questioned by Police Scotland detectives.
A report will be sent to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
The matter is active for the purposes of the Contempt of Court Act 1981 and the public are therefore advised to exercise caution if discussing it on social media.
As the investigation is ongoing we are unable to comment further.
A 71-year-old man has today, Tuesday, 18 April 2023, been arrested as a suspect in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party. https://t.co/crTiTkBNTH pic.twitter.com/Pm3vwsQhqm
— Police Scotland (@PoliceScotland) April 18, 2023
The SNP has been in crisis since Nicola Sturgeon stepped down as first minister, and the police intensified their investigation into mishandling of party finances. To what extent Sturgeon’s resignation was linked to the party’s financial problems remains unclear, but last week her husband, Peter Murrell, who had been the SNP’s chief executive while she was leader, was arrested by police as part of the same investigation. He was released without being charged pending further investigations.
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Rishi Sunak’s integrity not in doubt, despite inquiry by parliament watchdog, says minister
Good morning. Rishi Sunak will be chairing cabinet this morning, in the awkward position of having joined the list of MPs being investigated by the parliamentary commissioner for standards. Chris Philp, the policing minister, has been giving interviews this morning and he told GB News that Sunak’s integrity was not in doubt.
Referring to Sunak’s appearance at the liaison committee last month, and an evasive answer that triggered the complaint to the standards commissioner, Philp said:
I think no one really doubts Rishi’s integrity and ethics. He has declared his wife’s interests in his ministerial declaration. He did draw attention to that to the committee when he gave evidence and he also wrote to them subsequently as well.
He will work with the standards commissioner to clear up any questions that are outstanding.
But I don’t think there’s anything sinister here, he has made his declaration.
Philp’s account rather glosses over the fact that, when Sunak, as he puts it, drew the committee’s attention to the fact that he had relevant interests to declare, what Sunak actually said was that he did not have anything to declare. And such declarations as he had made had been made in private, for publication in a document (the updated list of ministers’ interests) that is still not out. That is hardly a good example of the “accountability” he promised when he took office.
In her London Playbook briefing for Politico, Rosa Prince says No 10 is confident Sunak will be cleared and quotes this defence from an insider.
A government official suggested that Sunak had not been asked a specific question about Koru Kids, and could not be expected to be across every firm his wife invested in, given her wide range of financial interests. He told the committee he had made all the correct declarations because he had lodged his wife’s financial affairs with the Cabinet Office. And the fact that the register of interests has not been published in over a year is a result of the high turnover of ministers in recent months, and the fact there was no independent adviser until recently.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9.15am: Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland secretary, gives a speech at the Queen’s University Belfast conference on the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday agreement.
Morning: Rishi Sunak chairs cabinet.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
Morning: Keir Starmer is campaigning in York.
12.15pm: Angela Rayner, the deputy Labour leader, gives a speech to the Scottish TUC conference in Dundee.
2.20pm: Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s new first minister, gives a statement to MSPs setting out his priorities for government.
Also, James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, is at the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Japan, and Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, is in Washington.
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