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From innocent royal superfans being arrested following fresh Tory legislation to Labour living in "cloud cuckoo land", here is what we have for you this week...
Coronation chaos
IT was the weekend the Tories hoped would, for a brief moment at least, deflect attention away from their dire record in government and their struggle to hold on to voters as the General Election draws ever closer.
But the King’s coronation very quickly descended into utter chaos as scores of republican protesters were arrested under controversial new powers handed to police via the Public Order Bill.
A total of 64 people were arrested in London and police said 52 of them were related to concerns people were going to disrupt the event.
Among the arrests were six Republic protesters who were later released and told they would face no further action. The Met police says it regretted its actions, while Republic has said it is considering taking legal action.
Another Australian royal superfan was also detained for an astonishing 13 hours after she was spotted innocently standing next to a group of Just Stop Oil protesters on The Mall.
The Home Affairs Committee will now meet next Wednesday to probe the debacle, taking evidence from a number of witnesses. Committee chair Dame Diana Johnson said it will be interested in reviewing how broad the legislation is and “what guidance was given to frontline police officers and whether there is an issue about training”.
PM Rishi Sunak has defended the actions of police saying they should have powers to tackle “serious disruption”.
This Labour leader is not for turning
It has been some week for Keir Starmer, and we're not talking about any celebrations after some success for Labour in the English local elections.
He has decided he will not repeal either the Public Order Bill or the Illegal Migration Bill – both controversial bits of legislation passed under the Tory government.
The Labour leader’s spokesperson told the Byline Times that it may not be “necessary” for the Illegal Migration Bill - which will mean anyone who arrives in the UK "illegally" will not be able to stay - to be repealed to bring in his own reforms.
Even the Archbishop of Canterbury felt the need to stage a rare intervention in the House of Lords over the legislation. He said it presented “too many problems for one speech”.
Starmer also said the Public Order Bill – which says protesters can get a 12-month jail term if they interfere with roads and railways – was in its “early days” and suggested fresh guidance could make improvements.
Labour MP David Lammy had said Labour would not repeal the Public Order Bill if they were to form a government after the next General Election as it would take up “too much parliamentary time”. Ex-Labour MSP Neil Findlay said he was living in “cloud cuckoo land” if he thought that would win him an election.
Outside of this, reports suggested Starmer is allowing a senior adviser twice found guilty of sexual harassment to keep his job.
LibDems call for UK Government intervention
As if we needed someone to encourage the Tories anymore in meddling with devolution, Scottish LibDem MP Jamie Stone called on the UK Government to step in on the Scottish Government’s Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) proposals.
The plans will ban fishing and human activity in swathes of Scotland’s seas and Stone asked the UK Government during Prime Minister’s Questions to “work with” the Scottish Government to find an alternative.
His suggestion was met with jeers from the SNP benches – with one saying “there’s your pals, Jamie” – as he made the call for the two governments to work in tandem to devise a “conservation scheme that is acceptable in our fishing communities all round the UK”.
Scottish energy could power London financial hub
Scotland's green energy could be used to power the offices of banking “fat cats” in the City of London.
A new deal struck by major property developer the Canary Wharf Group and the renewables arm of investment giant Brookfield will result in the construction of a new on-shore wind farm in the UK.
It would give clients such as HSBC, BP and the accounting firm EY cheaper energy bills and access to 70% renewable energy, with the potential for “much more”.
A spokesperson for the Canary Wharf Group said the company was exploring “a number of options, including Scotland” for the project.
Alan Brown, the SNP's energy spokesperson at Westminster, said: "Scottish energy powering the UK’s financial base signals the potential and power of Scotland’s renewables sector which has been neglected by the Tory UK Government.”
AOB
- As interest rates rose for the 12th time in a row to their highest level since 2008, the SNP said that “millions of Scottish families are paying the price for Tory failure”. Seven members of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted to increase the base interest rate to 4.5% from 4.25%
- Scottish Tory MP Andrew Bowie boasted that Scotland’s oil and gas sector paid for half of all energy bills this past winter. Speaking on BBC’s Politics Live on Thursday, the nuclear minister claimed this was due to the UK-wide windfall tax.
- The Commons speaker slammed Tory minister Kemi Badenoch after she revealed details of a major policy change in the media without properly informing MPs. The Business and Trade Secretary was upbraided by a furious Lindsay Hoyle in Westminster after quietly announcing a substantial change to the Government’s proposed bonfire of EU law – while revealing further details in the Daily Telegraph on Wednesday.
