Afternoon summary
- Boris Johnson has thrown his weight behind offshore wind in the drive to produce more electricity in the UK. In evidence to the Commons liaison committee, he said: “You have got to recognise that in the UK we have just failed, for a generation, to put in enough long-term supply”. He went on:
It’s been one of those colossal mistakes. Renewables are fantastic: offshore wind – and I stress offshore wind – I think has massive potential. But so does nuclear.
Johnson also told the committee that small nuclear reactors could be producing power for the UK by the end of the decade. (See 4.14pm.)
- The UK government has announced plans to block ferries with crews paid less than the minimum wage from British ports in response to widespread fury to P&O Ferries’ sacking of 800 workers without consultation. The shadow transport secretary, Louise Haigh, said the announcement from Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, meant the government had abandoned the commitment given by Boris Johnson to take the firm to court.
So when Boris Johnson told P&O workers he was taking legal action - he was making it up.
— Louise Haigh (@LouHaigh) March 30, 2022
Why on earth did he mislead 800 loyal workers? https://t.co/CCuRgJYhms
In the chamber, in response to Haigh, Shapps said:
She asks about court action and why the government hasn’t taken any. It’s because the government is not in the position to take the court action – that’s for the unions and workers, and we understand the limitations of that and that’s why I’ve described some of the items here.
Andy McDonald, a former shadow transport secretary, gave a qualified welcome to the plans.
Fair play @grantshapps you’ve delivered a very welcome package of measures, but there’s still a lot more to do. Sadly these welcome measures come too late for P&O workers who have lost their jobs.
— Andy McDonald MP (@AndyMcDonaldMP) March 30, 2022
You didn’t deal with P&O licences. As you say, people don’t want to work for them
But the RMT transport union said the measures were “too little, too late”. In a statement its general secretary, Mick Lynch, said:
The prime minister repeatedly said to parliament that the government would be taking legal action save British seafarers’ jobs but he has failed to keep his word.
This continued lack of action and courage has meant a ferry company owned by the Dubai royal family has been able to break our laws and disrupt our ports and ruin people’s lives with impunity and we will keep pressing the government to ensure justice for our members.
What has been announced today is far too little, far too late and we are calling for urgent action for speedier more radical reforms to save the UK seafarer from oblivion.
- Jamie Wallis has become the first MP to come out as trans, revealing he was diagnosed with gender dysphoria from a young age but wanted to show “how important it is to be yourself”.
- Ministers have been accused of using more than £100,000 of public money to flood local newspapers and Facebook with “Tory propaganda”, with just weeks to go before the local elections.
- Eight Russian oligarchs on the UK sanctions list over their links to Vladimir Putin were granted “golden visas” to live in Britain.
- Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, has announced that Scotland’s rules on compulsory mask-wearing will remain in force until 18 April.
- Public satisfaction with the NHS has sunk to its lowest level since 1997, with just 36% of voters content with the way the health service is run and performing.
- Dominic Raab said he plans to appeal against the Parole Board’s decision to free the mother of Baby P, who died after months of abuse.
Updated
Senior economists have reacted with surprise at the government’s decision not to raise benefits in last week’s spring statement, PA Media reports. PA says:
The Treasury committee were told that chancellor Rishi Sunak’s measures will leave the poorest, out-of-work households the worst-off group from his support packages.
Torsten Bell, chief executive of the Resolution Foundation (RF) think tank, said: “I was very surprised that the chancellor had chosen the overall package he had when it came to what was on offer for lower-income households.”
He pointed out that lower-income households will feel the pressure from rising energy bills - which is driving inflation.
The economist added: “It is an odd choice to have offered basically next to nothing to those households in this spring statement. I didn’t think he would do that and I was wrong.”
The RF has calculated that the cost of living crisis will push 1.3 million households into absolute poverty.
Middle-income households can expect to see disposable income fall 4% next year after housing costs.
For those in the poorest quarter, income falls 6%, and for out-of-work households it falls by 8%, the RF has said.
Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), agreed with an uprate in benefits and said there are mechanisms available to do it.
He told MPs: “These are really big falls in the real living standards for households that are budgeting over relatively short periods of time. It would be better [to raise benefits] than doing nothing.”
Updated
