Afternoon summary
Rishi Sunak has claimed that his plan to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030 won’t stop the government from cutting taxes and investing in public services. (See 1.38pm.)
Tributes from across the political spectrum have been paid to the former Labour minister and welfare campaigner Frank Field, who has died at the age of 81. And here is the Guardian’s obituary of Field, by Dennis Kavanagh.
Updated
Ministers are unable to say when the ban on no-fault eviction set out in the renters (reform) bill will actually come into force (see 3.16pm) because the government has tabled an amendment (new clause 30, or NC30) saying the Ministry of Justice must carry out a review of county court capacity first. This is one of the changes being made as a concession to landlords. The justification for it is that, if landlords cannot use no-fault evictions, they may end up spending a lot more time in court trying to persuade judges to allow them to remove their tenants.
This is one of more than 200 government amendments down for debate today. Most of them are very minor and technical, but they are needed because the government is making substantial changes to the bill too (like NC30). The bill has already gone through its committee stage in the Commons and it is unusual for so much re-writing to be taking place at this point.
In the debate this afternoon, defending NC30, Jacob Young, the housing minister, said:
If we don’t have a ready court system when we make this change, the biggest change in 30 years, if the courts aren’t ready for these changes that will not benefit tenants, it won’t benefit landlords, but it certainly won’t benefit tenants either …
New clause 30 will enable the government to assess the effects that our new tenancy system is having on the county courts before our reforms are rolled out more widely, giving us confidence that the sector is ready.
Tory MP Natalie Elphicke says renters (reform) bill has been made too favourable to landlords
The Conservative MP Natalie Elphicke has accused her own party of breaking a promise it made in its last election manifesto to ban no-fault evictions.
During this afternoon’s debate on the renters (reform) bill Elphicke echoed an argument made by Angela Rayner at PMQs (see 3.16pm), telling MPs:
This is a bill that the Conservative manifesto in 2019 promised would benefit tenants. Instead, this has become a bill where the balance too often is in favour of the landlords, particularly with the new clause 30 which could indefinitely delay the abolition of section 21 no-fault evictions.
If that were so, that would be nothing short of a betrayal for the Conservative manifesto that was promised in 2019 and, for that reason, I’m unable to support this today.
Referring to other features of the bill, which is being watered down by government amendments favourable to landlords, she said:
It is my view that this bill does not go far enough now in dealing with the fundamental challenges of the private rented sector. The private rented sector is no longer a flex or transitionary tenure. It is the main tenure for millions of people for much, if not all, of their lives.
Sadly, the original principle of the bill, which was to create a fair and responsible new rented sector, has been undermined by the government’s amendments.
Updated
Here are some of the pictures from today’s PMQs taken by Jessica Taylor, the official Commons photographer.
Don’t rescue people who scupper their Channel boats, says Reform UK deputy leader
Ben Habib, a deputy leader of Reform UK, has proposed not rescuing people in the Channel if they scupper their small boats and refuse new dinghies as they should “suffer the consequences of their actions”. Rowena Mason has the story.
A reader asks:
Is there any truth is the rumour that this “additional” defence spending will include the money spent/given to Ukraine and others abroad?
Yes, it will. I covered this on the blog yesterday, but here is the page from a Ministry of Defence document sent to journalists confirming that military aid to Ukraine is included in the sum linked to the 2.5% target.
According to polling by YouGov, while public concern about how the government was handling inflation went up at roughly the same rate as inflation itself, it is not going down at the same rate.
As inflation rose, public negativity on the government's handling of the issue rose in lockstep.
— YouGov (@YouGov) April 24, 2024
But with inflation now falling, public opinion is not improving nearly as quickly, suggesting a delay in electoral dividends (if any) to Rishi Sunak for meeting his inflation pledge… pic.twitter.com/2tejeenwew
What Mhairi Black and Oliver Dowden said at PMQs about mass graves in Gaza
A reader has asked for a fuller version of the exchange at PMQs between Mhairi Black, the SNP’s deputy leader at Westminster, and Oliver Dowden, the deputy PM, about mass graves in Gaza. (See 12.23pm.)
Black started:
Two years ago, when mass graves were discovered in Ukraine, this House united in condemnation and rightly treated those graves as evidence of war crimes, which Russia must be made to answer for. Yesterday, Palestinian officials uncovered two mass graves outside the bombed hospitals in Gaza. Those graves also constitute a war crime, do they not?
Dowden replied:
Of course, we would expect the democratic Government of Israel to investigate any allegations of misconduct. That is exactly what they are doing, and it is exactly what the foreign secretary and the prime minister urge them to do. However, I find it quite extraordinary that the hon. Lady seeks to draw parallels between the legitimate war of self-defence of Israel and the conduct of Russia.
Then Black responded:
Three hundred bodies, including of the elderly and the injured, some of which had been stripped naked and mutilated, with their hands tied behind their backs. The UK’s own arms policy states that if there is even a risk that war crimes may be taking place, that is reason enough to halt the sale of arms. Given all that we know, why is the prime minister yet to do so?
And Dowden replied:
We continue to urge the Israeli government to investigate any allegations of misconduct. The difference though is that we can trust the Israeli Government – a democratically elected Government – to properly investigate those things. Of course, we keep the advice under review. The foreign secretary has recently made it clear that he has conducted a determination and has not changed his advice regarding export licences, and I think that is the correct decision.
Dowden accused of being 'disingenuous' after suggesting at PMQs that no-fault evictions will end today
MPs are now debating the final stages of the renters (reform) bill. It is supposed to implement a commitment in the Conservative party’s 2019 manifesto to abolish no-fault evictions but amendments tabled by the government have watered this down.
At PMQs Angela Rayner, the deputy Labour leader, challenged Oliver Dowden, the deputy PM, to say when the ban on no-fault evictions would come into force. In an interview with the BBC this morning Michael Gove, the levelling up secretary, said he hoped the bill would become law before the election, and at PMQs Rayner asked Dowden:
This week the housing minister said there is no solid date for banning no-fault evictions, the housing secretary [Gove] now says it won’t happen before an election, so if he can give us a date, can he name it now?
Dowden replied:
I can name the date for [Rayner], today. It’s today that this house will be voting on it. And I’m confident that in line with our manifesto we will deliver on that commitment.
In response, the Renters’ Reform Coalition said Dowden was being “disingenuous”. Tom Darling, campaign manager at the coalition, said:
Michael Gove U-turned this morning to say he couldn’t guarantee the end of no-fault evictions. The deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden knows that no-fault evictions won’t be abolished today, so it’s disingenuous for him to say the practice will end today.
Renters facing these evictions up and down the country tomorrow, who have already been so badly let down by endless delays caused by Conservative landlord MPs, don’t deserve to have their hopes artificially raised yet again.
No 10 gives further details how it says civil service job cuts could save £2.9bn
Downing Street has now come up with an explanation for the discrepancy between the £1bn the government said it would save from civil service job cuts last autumn and the £2.9bn it now says those cuts will save. (See 2.15pm.)
No 10 says the £1bn figure was the amount that would be saved from capping headcount numbers at current levels. By March 2025 that would save £1bn, the Treasury said at the time.
But the figure quoted yesterday relates to how much would be saved by starting to reduce the civil service headcount from 2025-26 onwards. Those savings would get you to £2.9bn by 2028-28, No 10 says.
Updated
At the post-PMQs lobby briefing Downing Street was unable to explain why the government now expects to save far more from its plans to cut the size of the civil service than the amount it said it would raise when this proposal was first announced.
Explaining how it will fund the plan to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030, the government has said £1.6bn will come from an increase in R&D funding for defence and the remaining £2.9bn will come from a reduction in civil service headcount to pre-pandemic level – a reduction of 70,000 people.
But in October 2023, when Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, announced the plan to reduce civil service numbers at the Conservative party conferenve, he said this would save £1bn by 2025.
A No 10 spokesperson said there were no further details about how those reductions would lead to a saving of almost £2bn more. She said:
There has been work under way with the Treasury and departments after announcing that we would cap headcount and we have now come forward with the costings associated with that and confirmed that would be reallocated to defence spending.
We will set it out in spending reviews in the usual way, there will be a programme of work.
There is no spending review expected this year and one would not be expected to take place until after the election.
UPDATE: After the lobby briefing No 10 did come back to journalists with an explanation for the discrepancy between the £1bn figure and the £2.9bn figure. See 2.39pm.
Updated
Labour dismisses Tory claim they will raise defence spending by £75bn as 'fake figure'
Labour has described the government’s claim that it has a plan to raise defence spending by £75bn by 2030 as based on a “fake figure”. The Institute for Fiscal Studies has described this figure as misleading. (See 10.35am.)
Speaking in the Commons, in response to a statement from Grant Shapps, the defence secretary, his Labour shadow John Healey said:
If this 2030 plan had been in a budget, it would have been independently checked, openly costed, and fully funded. So where is the additional money coming from? How much from which other R&D (research and development) budgets? How much from cutting how many civil servants in which departments?
They’ve tried this trick before, in the 2015 defence review ministers pledged to cut 30% of the MoD civil servants to make their defence spending plans add up. Civil servant numbers didn’t go down, they went up. Not down to 41,000 but up to 63,000.
Now he’s mentioned an additional £75bn five times in his statement, over the next six years the government’s official spending plan are based on a 0.5% real annual growth in chore defence spending. Why has he invented his own zero growth baseline to produce this fake figure claiming an extra £75bn for defence. The public will judge ministers by what they do, not what they say.
In response, Shapps said:
He says judge us by our action, not our words. You know what, we will, because 11 members of that side’s frontbench voted against Trident. So it’s no good for him and the leader of the opposition to go up to Barrow and claim that they’re all in favour now of the nuclear weapons, of the nuclear defence.
Some 402 people were detected crossing the Channel on Tuesday, according to provisional figures from the Home Office, PA Media reports. PA says:
The cumulative number of arrivals by small boats in 2024 now stands at a provisional total of 6,667.
This is 20% higher than the total at the equivalent point last year, which was 5,546, but slightly lower (down 0.4%) than the total at this stage in 2022, which was 6,691.
Some seven boats were detected on Tuesday, which suggests an average of around 57 people per boat.
There were 29,437 arrivals across the whole of 2023, down 36% on a record 45,774 arrivals in 2022.
What Sunak said about how defence budget increase won't stop government cutting taxes and investing in public services
This is what Rishi Sunak said in response to the second question about the funding of the plan to raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by the end of the decade. (See 1.04pm.)
We have made a choice and I am not shying away from that choice. All governing is about prioritising. I have decided to prioritise defence because I think that is the right thing to do for our country.
I am not going to get into writing the next manifesto here and now, but what I am confident about is that, if you have a strong plan for the economy, as we have, and that plan is working, we stick to that plan, we will be able to continue increasing defence spending.
It is a completely funded plan. We have got a very clear idea of how to reduce civil service headcount, which has grown considerably over the last few years, and we can bring that back and use that to fund what I announced yesterday, and alongside that, continue to invest in public services and cut people’s taxes.
Q: How worried are you about Chinese spies?
Scholz says espionage will not be tolerated. From recent court cases, you can see that Germany has been quite successful at catching spies, he says.
He says allegations against the AfD candidates very worrying. He will not comment on the legal process. But what has been uncovered is a matter of concern, he says.
That is a reference to this story.
The press conference has now finished.
Q: Why won’t you deliver cruise missiles to Ukraine?
Scholz says Germany has sent missiles to Ukraine. But he is clear about his decision not to send cruise missiles.
Q: What is going to have to go to allow you to prioritise defence spending? Are more tax cuts off the table? And can you rule out further cuts to public services?
Sunak says the government has record investment in the public services, including the NHS. That is not going to change, he says.
The state pension is going up, he says.
But he says he has made a choice.
He says he will not write the next manifesto now. But he has a funded plan to increase defence spending. And, alongside that, he can “continue to invest in public services and cut people’s taxes”, he says.
This firms up what Sunak was saying earlier. See 12.53pm.
Sunak seems to be sending out a clear message to people in his party that, just because he has committed to more money for defence, that does not mean that he won’t be able to include tax cuts in the Conservative manifesto.
Yesterday Ben Wallace, the former defence secretary, told the PM programme that Sunak had told him that he was able to go ahead with the defence announcements because “other commitments” that might have been in the manifesto were being dropped. Wallace did not know what those were, but he speculated it might have been a tax cut.
Updated
Sunak praises Germany’s record on support for Ukraine. But he says every country can bring something different to the table.
On Nato defence spending generally, he says it is clear the world is becoming more dangerous. The UK recognises that it has to do more.
Germany has raised its defence spending. The UK is putting its defence spend up to 2.5%. Other European countries are doing the same. This is an “inflection point”, he says.
Q: [To Scholz] Are you convinced that Donald Trump is committed to Nato?
Rishi Sunak says US administrations have often said Nato countries should increase defence spending. That is now happening.
Scholz does not refer to Trump, but he defends Germany’s record on defence spending, which is rising.
Sunak claims defence spending plan won't affect government's ability to keep cutting taxes
At the press conference the opening statements are over, and Rishi Sunak and Olaf Scholz are now taking questions.
Q: [To Sunak] Are you really being honest with people about the funding of your defence spending plan?
Sunak does not accept he is misleading people.
He says the government will reduce the size of the civil service.
The government is making a choice, he says.
He thinks it is important for Britain to stand up for its values.
He says this announcement is consistent with the government’s ability to “keep cutting taxes”.
He mentions tax cuts already announced, but he seems to be hinting that the defence spending announcement does not mean that further tax cuts won’t be included in the Tory election manifesto.
UPDATE: Sunak said:
The plan that I announced yesterday, it’s fully funded.
It’s funded, rightly with a reduction in civil service headcount back to 2019 levels. Snce then we’ve seen a very significant rise that isn’t sustainable or needed. The chancellor has conducted a detailed exercise, he announced this at the end of last year, that exercise is completed, and that’s what gives us the confidence that we can release the savings needed to fund our defence plan, combined with an uplift in R&S spending, which we have already budgeted for …
It is the biggest strengthening of our national defence in a generation. It is fully funded. And it is based on the fact that we have a strong economy and an economic plan that is working …
And it’s because our economic plan is working that I’m able to make these announcements and they are entirely consistent with our ability to keep cutting people’s taxes.
Updated
PMQs - snap verdict
PMQs is has finished, and the press conference in Berlin is just starting.
We should have a live feed at the top of the blog soon.
As for PMQs? Very snap verdict – Angela Rayner has not been taken down by “housegate”, and she is still functioning effectively as an attack machine. It wasn’t her best performance, and if the best line she can come up with about Rishi Sunak is that he is a “pint-sized loser”, she really needs to try harder. Surely it’s time to abandon jibes about height. But she dealt with the attacks on her housing arrangements fairly effectively. She raised the issue before he did, and used it as a pivot into a question about the renters (reform) bill, where Dowden ended up giving a thin defence of legislation that does not do what it is meant to do. Rayner said:
I know this party opposite is desperate to talk about my living arrangements, but the public want to know what this government is going to do about theirs.
And she was right.
Chi Onwurah (Lab) says a constituent who gets the carer’s allowance made a mistake, and now faces a bill for £4,000. But the science secretary, Michelle Donelan, works as a part-time woke detector. She made a mistake, and cost the taxpayer tens of thousands, but has not had to pay that back. Why?
Dowden ignores the Donelan part of the question, but says the DWP should look into cases where mistakes have been made.
Updated
John Baron (Con) welcomes the extra money going on defence. But he says some of the funding should go on wages to help with recruitment.
Dowden says the government is putting the money in to allow the army to deal with the challenges the country faces. He says recruitment is going up.
Sally-Ann Hart (Con) asks about her local Labour council.
There has been a lot of that today. The local elections are a week tomorrow.
Dowden claims there are serious concerns about Labour councillors in Hastings.
Jeff Smith (Lab) says Dowden said earlier that Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt restored economic stability. Who does he think caused the instability?
This causes widespread laughter, and even Dowden seems to see the funny side. He ignores the question and says, when the Tories took office, Labour left a note saying there was no money left.
Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, asks about shoplifting in his constituency, and he mentions particular problems being faced by a Boots store. This is not a petty crime, he says. The government should take this more seriously.
Dowden claims the government is already taking this seriously.
Matt Western (Lab) asks about the Tees Valley mayor, Ben Houchen. He says Houchen has given away assets that should have belonged to the community to businessmen via his Teesworks development programme.
Dowden says Houchen has never imposed a precept on local taxpayers as mayor.
Sarah Jones (Lab) says Susan Hall, the Tory candidate for London mayor, has endorsed Islamaphobic tropes on social media, defended Enoch Powell and said black communities have a problem with crime. Can Dowden really support her?
Dowden ignores the points Jones raised, and attacks Sadiq Khan’s record on crime.
Virginia Crosbie (Con) asks if the government will support a third bridge to Anglesey, her constituency.
Dowden criticises the Welsh government for not prioritising new roads.
Dowden criticises SNP's Mhairi Black for comparing Israel to Russia as she asks why MPs not outraged by mass graves in Gaza
Mhairi Black, the deputy leader of the SNP, says when mass graves were discovered in Ukraine, the Commons was united in condemndation. Yesterday Palestinian officials uncovered two mass graves outside the bombed hosptials in Gaza. This is also a war crime, isn’t it?
Dowden says the government expects Israel to investigate allegations of misconduct, and that is what it is doing. But he says he is surprised Black is comparing Israel to Russia.
Black says the mere suspicion of war crimes should be enough for arms sales to be suspended.
Dowden says Israel is investigating these deaths. And he says the government recently considered the case for arms sales to Israel, and decided they could continue.
UPDATE: I’ve posted a fuller version of the exchange, with the direct quotes, at 3.31pm.
Updated
Rayner says both parties want defence spending to go up to 2.5%. But it is the Tories who have cut the size of the army to its smallest size since the Napoleon era.
She refers to reports claiming Dowden is recommending an early election to minimise Tory loses. When Dowden ditched Boris Johnson, did he realise the party was getting rid of its best election winner for a “pint-sized loser”.
Dowden ends with another jibe at Rayner’s housing arrangements.
Rayner says, unlike Dowden, she thinks housing is an issue for people. She says Tory councils have also faced bankruptcy proceedings.
People are at risk of losing their homes because of Liz Truss’s mini budget. But Truss says it was her proudest moment. Since she won’t apologise, will Dowden?
Dowden says the PM and the chancellor have brought inflation down. And they have promised the biggest increase in defence spending for a generation. Labour won’t say if it will match it. Rayner voted to scrap Trident, she says.
Rayner says Dowden has not read the leasehold legislation. The ban will not affect many people. It is like banning non-doms, but exempting the PM.
She says Andy Street has only built a tiny number of social homes as West Midlands mayor.
Dowden criticises the record of the Labour council in Birmingham. Tory mayors deliver more for less, he claims.
Rayner says the bill does not do that.
When will the government end leasehold for flats?
Dowden says the government is addressing this. He says government policies can only be paid for with a strong economy. But Rayner’s employment reforms would open the door to “French-style wildcat strikes”.
And the one Thatcherite reform Rayner will not repeal is the right to buy your council house.
Rayner says Dowden has not read the bill. The minister cannot say when no-fault evicitions will be ended. When will it be?
Dowden says they are voting today.
Rayner attacks Dowden over no-fault evictions and says Tories are obsessed with her house
Angela Rayner says Frank Field was a good friend and colleague. She pays tribute.
Tories are obsessed with her living arrangements, she says. But she says people are interested in what the government will do about theirs. She mentions the case of someone facing eviction, and asks what the Tories are doing to get rid of no-fault evictions.
Dowden says it is a pleasure to be facing Rayner again at PMQs. Any more sessions like this and she will be claiming this is her primary residence.
He says MPs are voting on no-fault evictions today.
Updated
Jonathan Gullis (Con) lists some of the things he has done as an MP for his constituents. But Labour-led Stoke council have undermined by what he has done through various measures, he claims. Crime and anti-social behaviour are increasing because of where the council is “dumping” people. He asks if Dowden agrees that Stoke-on-Trent Labour should “axe the garden tax”.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle interrupts Gullis, saying he has gone on enough.
Dowden says there is not much he can add. But he claims Labour councils across the council are letting people down.
And Gullis is right in “holding rogue landlords to account”, he says.
That is his first reference to Angela Rayner.
Oliver Dowden starts by saying MPs will want to offer their condolences to the family and friends of Frank Field. He was an outstanding parliamentarian, he says.
And he wishes the Jewish community a happy Passover. It is a celebration of freedom, he says. But he says we remember the hostages in Gaza.
Nigel Farage can host GB News show during election, says Ofcom
Nigel Farage will be allowed to present his nightly GB News programme throughout the general election campaign, Ofcom has confirmed, after the media regulator said there was no clear desire among the British public to stop politicians presenting shows on news channels. Jim Waterson has the story here.
Here is the list of MPs down to ask a question at PMQs.
Jonathan Gullis, who is down to ask the first question, is a deputy chair of the Conservative party and one of the Tories who has been most critical of Angela Rayner on social media. He may be tempted to use his slot to get “housegate” on to the agenda before the Rayner/Dowden exchanges start.
But, judging by his post on X this morning, he made ask something of more interest to his constituents.
Another opportunity to proudly stand up for Stoke-on-Trent North, Kidsgrove and Talke today at PMQs. pic.twitter.com/6tABARjEuZ
— Jonathan Gullis MP (@GullisJonathan) April 24, 2024
We would like to hear from readers who have a memory to share of Frank Field. If you are interested, please submit a contribution here.
Oliver Dowden to face Angela Rayner at PMQs
With Rishi Sunak in Berlin, it is deputies’ day at PMQs, and Oliver Dowden, the deputy prime minister, will be facing questions from Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader. It will be her first time at the despatch box since it was announced that Greater Manchester is fully investigating various allegations relating to the council house she bought and sold before she became an MP, and where she was living during that period. It has been reported that at least a dozen officers are on the case.
Rayner does not have to firm up her position with Labour MPs. She insists that she has done nothing wrong, and most people in the party believe that that the allegtions being made against her are little more than a smear (as Keir Starmer put it at PMQs last week).
But the Conservatives believe that the controversy – confected or otherwise – is working to their advantage. It has put Labour on the defensive, and it is filling a lot of print media space that might otherwise be taken up by stories more advantageous to Starmer.
In the past Rayner has been very effective as a critic of the Tories at PMQs. Today we may not learn anything new in relation to the substance of the allegations against her, but we may get a sense of whether or not her firepower has been diminished as a result of the row.
Frank Field was director of the Child Poverty Action Group from 1969 to 1979. During that period the CPAG was instrumental in persuading the Labour government to introduce child benefit, which Field described in his memoir, Politics, Poverty and Belief, as “the largest direct redistrubition of income to poorer families since the introduction of the welfare state”.
In a tribute Alison Garnham, the current head of the CPAG, said:
Frank was a steadfast, highly successful and diligent campaigner against child poverty. It is largely down to Frank that we have child benefit today, a truly towering achievement.
He gained support and respect from across the political spectrum and defined the concept of the ‘poverty trap’, now commonly used to describe the difficulties for working people of getting better off while claiming means-tested benefits because of the high rate at which benefits are withdrawn as earnings rise.
As CPAG director, Frank also helped pave the way for the minimum wage, free school meals and rent allowances for low-income families, all fundamental social protections.
Frank was a true champion for children and low-income families and with child poverty at a record high today, families need his like as never before. He will be greatly missed. Our deep sympathy and condolences to those closest to him.
PCS union says it will fight 'tooth and nail' against Tory plans to cut civil service jobs
The government says it will fund its proposed increase in defence spending (see 10.38am) partly by getting rid of 72,000 civil service jobs. Grant Shapps, the defence secretary, told Times Radio this morning:
That actually will take the civil service back to where it was before Covid, so I think that is a very reasonable thing to do.
Fran Heathcote, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, which represents civil servants, said the PCS would fight these plans “tooth and nail”. He said:
Yet again ministers shamefully see fit to scapegoat their own workforce.
It’s not right for our members to pay for a rise in defence spending with their jobs, so we’ll fight these proposals tooth and nail, just as we fought them under Boris Johnson.
Ben Zaranko, an economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies thinktank, has criticised the government for presenting its pledge to raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP as a £75bn increase. He posted these on X.
It's only a "£75 billion increase" over 6 years if you assume that spending would otherwise have been frozen in cash terms for 6 years - i.e. only if the government was, until today, planning to breach its NATO commitments. This is such an unhelpful way to present the figures. https://t.co/OI1q1Zzica
— Ben Zaranko (@BenZaranko) April 23, 2024
It’s only a “£75 billion increase” over 6 years if you assume that spending would otherwise have been frozen in cash terms for 6 years - i.e. only if the government was, until today, planning to breach its NATO commitments. This is such an unhelpful way to present the figures
To get the £75 billion number, the government has assumed a baseline with spending frozen in cash terms and then added up all of the differences. If you instead assume a baseline of spending frozen as a % GDP, it's an extra £20 billion over 6 years. Details here. pic.twitter.com/psKbaKbVSP
— Ben Zaranko (@BenZaranko) April 23, 2024
To get the £75 billion number, the government has assumed a baseline with spending frozen in cash terms and then added up all of the differences. If you instead assume a baseline of spending frozen as a % GDP, it’s an extra £20 billion over 6 years. Details here.
To make matters worse, when briefing the press the government said that this would "only" cost £4.4 billion in 2028/29. That assumes a baseline of 2.3% of GDP and so is inconsistent with the £75 billion number. They're just picking whichever baseline suits best.
— Ben Zaranko (@BenZaranko) April 23, 2024
To make matters worse, when briefing the press the government said that this would “only” cost £4.4 billion in 2028/29. That assumes a baseline of 2.3% of GDP and so is inconsistent with the £75 billion number. They’re just picking whichever baseline suits best.
Keir Starmer has said the death of Frank Field is “a profound loss to politics and to our nation”. In a tribute to the former minister, Starmer went on:
Frank dedicated his life to being a voice for the most vulnerable and marginalised people in the country.
Frank was principled, courageous, and independent-minded. He cared about the people he served, thought deeply about the issues he championed, and worked entirely for the good of the people of Birkenhead as their MP for 40 years. His honour and integrity were well known and admired.
On behalf of the Labour party, my thoughts are with his family.
All Nato nations should match UK’s defence spending target, says Shapps
All Nato countries should boost their defence spending to 2.5% of their GDP to meet the demands of a “more dangerous world”, Grant Shapps, the defence secretary, has said. Aletha Adu has the story here.
And here are more tributes to Frank Field from people who worked with him or knew him professionally.
From Alastair Campbell, the podcaster, writer and former No 10 communications director
Sad to hear Frank Field has died. A good man driven by convictions that never wavered. Perhaps more suited to life as a campaigner and policy thought leader than as minister but he could look back on a life well lived and a political career that made a difference. RIP
— ALASTAIR CAMPBELL (@campbellclaret) April 24, 2024
From the former Downing Street adviser John McTernan
Sad news about the death of Frank Field. A rare politician.
— John McTernan (@johnmcternan) April 24, 2024
He brought a sense of fun to politics.
I remember him saying that his Tory predecessor as minister in DWP had left behind a fine wine cellars - “It would be a shame to waste it, wouldn’t it John!”
He will be missed!
From the journalist Philip Collins
In 1989 I went for an interview with a Labour MP. We discussed the Anglican church service, about which I knew a bit and he knew a lot. I got the job over the naifs who tried to talk politics. Frank Field became my boss and in time my friend. Fare thee well, Frank.
— Philip Collins (@PhilipJCollins1) April 24, 2024
From the former Daily Mirror journalist Ben Glaze
Did a fair bit of work with Frank Field on foodbanks when I was @DailyMirror . Always so friendly and lovely. Genuinely decent chap.
— Ben Glaze (@benglaze) April 24, 2024
From the broadcaster Paul Lewis
I once went to interview Frank Field when he was a DWP Minister. The only Minister I’ve ever interviewed at his office who came down the stairs to reception to meet me rather than sending an aid. Not because it was me. It was what he did.
— Paul Lewis (@paullewismoney) April 24, 2024
From the BBC’s education editor Branwen Jeffreys
When I started work for the BBC on Merseyside Frank Field was already known as a fierce and radical thinker - deeply concerned about poverty - and unafraid to challenge orthodoxy. The kind of MP that every political party needs https://t.co/KGDfPf8qj9
— branwen jeffreys (@branwenjeffreys) April 24, 2024
UK accused by Amnesty of ‘deliberately destabilising’ human rights globally
The UK has been accused by Amnesty International of “deliberately destabilising” human rights on the global stage for its own political ends. As Karen McVeigh reports, in its annual global report, released today, Amnesty said Britain was weakening human rights protections nationally and globally, amid a near-breakdown of international law. Here is Karen’s full story.
Here are tributes to Frank Field from MPs, former MPs and peers.
From Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary
Rest in peace, Frank Field. A great parliamentarian, crusader for social justice and source of wise counsel. What a blessing to have known him and benefited from his advice and kindness, even as his illness gripped him. Deepest condolences to all who knew and loved him.
— Wes Streeting MP (@wesstreeting) April 24, 2024
From Diana Johnson, the Labour chair of the home affairs committee
Frank Field was simply a good decent human being. A @UniOfHull graduate, he was always kind, generous with his time and passionate on eradicating poverty. We worked together on the contaminated blood scandal and modern slavery, about which he cared deeply over many years. RIP pic.twitter.com/VWfTtzX6gJ
— Diana Johnson DBE MP 🇬🇧🇺🇦🌈 (@DianaJohnsonMP) April 24, 2024
From Margaret Hodge, the former Labour minister and former chair of the Commons public accounts committee
Frank Field was an exceptional campaigner and politician who made an enormous contribution to tackling poverty and disadvantage. From CPAG to Parliament he showed complete fearless integrity and was never afraid of speaking out with radical ideas. We will all miss him
— Margaret Hodge (@margarethodge) April 24, 2024
From Nadhim Zahawi, the Tory former chancellor
Frank Field was a giant, in the way MPs should be. As soon as I was made Children’s & Families Minister. He made a beeline for me & showed me what a holiday activities & food program can do to transform kids lives.
— Nadhim Zahawi (@nadhimzahawi) April 24, 2024
From John Mann, the peer and former Labour MP
Frank Field. A good and kind friend. We saw the world through different lenses , yet regularly reached the same vision. A man of deep faith, never an evangelist, ending food poverty amongst children should be how #Labour celebrates his life.
— John Mann (@LordJohnMann) April 24, 2024
From Steve Webb, the former Lib Dem pensions minister
Very sorry to read of the death of Frank Field. He will be remembered for many things but as well as encouraging me early in my career I think of his work in defence of BHS pension scheme members which made a huge difference
— Steve Webb (@stevewebb1) April 24, 2024
From Angela Eagle, the Labour MP whose Liverpool constituency was next to Field’s.
Very sad news. Always supportive of me as his Parliamentary neighbour, brimming with ideas to make society better - a great champion of his Birkenhead constituents: RIP Frank
— Angela Eagle DBE (@angelaeagle) April 24, 2024
Frank Field , former Labour minister and anti-poverty campaigner, dies aged 81 https://t.co/4iXt8jDs4q
From the former Tory minister Tracey Crouch
I am genuinely devastated to hear that Frank Field has died. He was one of Parliament's nicest people. Kind, softly spoken & generous in praise. He has been v poorly so there is comfort knowing he is now at peace but he will be hugely missed 💔🪽
— Tracey Crouch (@tracey_crouch) April 24, 2024
From John Glen, the Cabinet Office minister
I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of my dear friend Frank Field - an inspiring figure in British politics for over 45 years - we worked together on the APPG for Hunger and Food Poverty and he visited Salisbury to show support in the aftermath of the 2018 Novichok attack pic.twitter.com/jSlvzzjoSh
— John Glen MP (@JohnGlenUK) April 24, 2024
From Priti Patel, the former Tory home secretary
My thoughts and prayers are with the family of Frank Field. Frank was a kind and compassionate man and a great Parliamentarian.
— Priti Patel MP (@pritipatel) April 24, 2024
His unwavering moral compass, commitment to working cross-party and unshakable principles defined him and will be greatly missed. pic.twitter.com/f7Lc0VFhJs
From Sarah Champion, Labour chair of the interntional development committee
Former Labour minister Frank Field dies aged 81. He was a beautiful dandy and the kindest man, RIP xxx https://t.co/dgBoSDIESF
— Sarah Champion (@SarahChampionMP) April 24, 2024
From Labour MP Karen Buck
This is sad news. Frank was such a huge, fascinating, complex character. You didn’t have to always agree with him to enjoy working with him, and to be full of admiration for his passion, energy, humour, commitment and expertise. A true giant in his field. https://t.co/LagCYoyX9s
— Karen Buck (@KarenPBuckMP) April 24, 2024
From the Tory former minister Tim Loughton
Very sorry to hear the sad news about Frank Field. He was the nicest of MPs always ready to work across party to tackle the burning social justice issues that he so passionately advocated. Always ready to offer sound advice and friendship. We will miss him https://t.co/NCp1Hijdai
— Tim Loughton MP 🇺🇦 (@timloughton) April 24, 2024
From Zac Goldsmith, the Tory former Foreign Office minister
It was a privilege to have known & worked closely with Frank in the 10 yrs I was an MP. He was in many respects the model MP- independent minded, compassionate, intelligent & courageous
— Zac Goldsmith (@ZacGoldsmith) April 24, 2024
Frank Field obituary: free spirit devoted to helping the poorhttps://t.co/agdUr3u0rL
Tony Blair leads tributes to Frank Field, ‘an independent thinker always pushing at the frontier of new ideas’
Good morning. Tony Blair, the former Labour figure, has been among the many figures this morning paying tribute to Frank Field, the former Labour MP and campaigner against poverty, who has died at the age of 81, after a long illness.
Field was appointed minister for welfare reform when Blair became prime minister in 1997. It was a surprise appointment, because Field had not been a frontbencher and his proposals for welfare (often hard to place on a conventional left/right spectrum) were generally assumed to be too radical for his party. And so it proved; he clashed with Gordon Brown, the chancellor, and was out of office within about a year.
But Field is a good example of how politicians don’t have to be in government to make a difference. As director of the Child Poverty Action Group before he became an MP and as a backbencher, particularly as chair of the social security select committtee before Labour took power in 1997 and as a chair of the work and pensions select committee during the Brexit years, he had a huge influence on debates on welfare policy for decades.
And at a time when members of the public despair at the quality of MPs, he was a model of integrity and commitment to public: a person of deep faith, passionate and tireless when it came working on behalf of those, much liked, and capable of working with colleagues from all parties.
Blair said of him this morning.
Frank had integrity, intelligence and deep commitment to the causes he believed in.
He was an independent thinker, never constrained by conventional wisdom, but always pushing at the frontier of new ideas.
Even when we disagreed, I had the utmost respect for him as a colleague and a character.
Whether in his work on child poverty, or in his time devoted to the reform of our welfare system, he stood up and stood out for the passion and insight he brought to any subject.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons speaker, has also released this tribute.
As a former colleague, I watched in admiration as Frank Field navigated a career as a formidable MP, and as a minister, tasked with ‘thinking the unthinkable’ on social care.
He was neither cowed by the establishment or whips - which made his campaigns against hunger and food poverty, for climate change and the church, even more effective.
He was the driving force behind Parliament’s commitment to prevent slavery and human trafficking within our supply chains. Having worked with him on the modern slavery advisory group, and made him its chair, I am in no doubt his efforts saved many lives nationwide from this shameful criminal activity.
Suffice to say, he was one of a kind and he will be sorely missed.
I will post more tributes soon.
Here is the agenda for the day.
12pm: Oliver Dowden, deputy prime minister, faces Angela Rayner, deputy Labour leader, at PMQs.
12.45pm: Rishi Sunak holds a press conference in Berlin with the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz.
After 12.45pm: MPs resume their debate on the renters (reform) bill.
And David Cameron, the foreign secretary, is flying to Kazakhstan as he continues his tour of Central Asia.
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