Thousands of people take to the streets of London to protest against childcare reform
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An urgent investigation has been called for after it was reported that Liz Truss’ mobile phone was hacked by agents believed to be working for Russia’s Vladimir Putin during the Conservative leadership race.
Opposition parties are seeking to know whether Russian spies hacked the then-Foreign Secretary’s phone this summer and, if so, why the matter was kept out of the public eye.
In his role at the time as outgoing Prime Minister, Boris Johnson is understood to have been immediately informed of the hack and agreed with his Cabinet Secretary, Simon Case, for a “total news blackout”.
The hackers are said to have gained access to sensitive information, including discussions with foreign officials about the war in Ukraine and details about arms shipments.
Meanwhile, the Resolution Foundation has warned that many public services would be reduced to levels seen in the austerity era of the 2010s if Rishi Sunak freezes public service spending.
Ahead of his Autumn Budget, the Prime Minister and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt are considering up to £50 billion in spending cuts and tax increases.
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Stormont leader says DUP ‘hides behind protocol’
Sinn Fein Stormont leader Michelle O’Neill said she believes the DUP is not comfortable entering a new executive led by her party.
“I don’t think it’s lost on the public in general that the DUP doesn’t like the result of the May elections, I don’t think it’s lost on the public in general that it’s difficult to form a government to be deputy prime minister minister my mandate is to be prime minister given the results of the recent election,” he told Sky.
“I think it’s not lost on people that that’s the real motivation here.
“The DUP is hiding behind the protocol issues, they are hiding behind all of this.
“What I want to see in the time ahead is a very mature and sensible political discussion between the British government and the EU.
“Let’s find an agreed way to resolve the issues around the protocol, and I would make this case again to disagree with Jeffrey Donaldson and the DUP, the protocol is a necessity and it is here to stay. There are things that they can be softened, there are things that can be made to work better, and I’m all for that and I hope that’s what we’re going to get in the coming weeks and months.”
Ms O’Neill also called for increased efforts to find an agreed way forward, saying this would provide certainty and stability as well as “eliminating any pretensions of the DUP in terms of forming an executive” with Sinn Fein.
Sinn Fein leader at Stormont Michelle O’Neill
(PA)
Sam Rkaina October 30, 2022 10:30 am
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Gove denies Braverman refused legal advice on asylum overcrowding
Michael Gove denied that Ms Braverman had rejected legal advice from senior officials about overcrowding at an asylum processing center in Manston in Kent and the need to move people to hotels.
The home secretary was told weeks ago that migrants were being held for unlawfully long periods at the center due to a lack of transfers, several sources told the Sunday Times.
Charities told The Independent that asylum seekers were held at the facility for several weeks when people were only meant to be held for 24 hours, with outbreaks of diphtheria and scabies amid the “inhumane” conditions.
“The situation in Manston is not what it should be,” Mr Gove told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday. “But it is important to stress that the Home Secretary did not ignore or dismiss legal advice. The Home Secretary was balancing a number of competing imperatives.”
Suella Braverman returns to cabinet despite resignation (Victoria Jones/PA)
(son PA)
Sam Rkaina October 30, 2022 10:18 am
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Braverman’s email “adds to the list of questions,” Labor says
Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the “delete and ignore” email “adds to the serious list of questions we have about this reckless renewal of Suella Braverman”.
He told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “Obviously there was the initial breach of the ministerial code, the security lapses involved, but now the question is whether he gave an accurate account of what happened. He said that he reported immediately.
“There are other reports that no, she didn’t do it and she dealt with it.”
Sam Rkaina October 30, 2022 10:17 am
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Greens say Sunak not attending Cop27 ‘shameful’.
Green Party MP Caroline Lucas has called Rishi Sunak’s decision not to attend the COP27 climate summit “shameful”.
Asked about reports Boris Johnson could attend the summit, she told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “I think it’s probably the first decision Boris Johnson has made that he could support.
“If it shames Rishi Sunak to reverse his shameful decision and get there himself, fine.
“I’m not necessarily suggesting that Boris Johnson is doing it for the sake of the planet, I suspect there’s a lot of self-promotion going on as well, but let’s take it, let’s go at it.
“It is absolutely wrong that Rishi Sunak is not going because the UK still hold the Copa presidency, symbols matter.
“If we’re really saying that in the sixth richest country in the world our prime minister can’t be bothered to get there because he’s busy, what about all those prime ministers in countries who are absolutely at the forefront of the climate emergency right now?
Sam Rkaina October 30, 2022 10:15 am
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The goal of 300,000 homes a year “still the Government’s goal”
Michael Gove has said the 300,000 homes a year target in the 2019 Tory manifesto remains the government’s target.
But the Equalization Secretary told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “No one can deny that it will be more difficult because of the economic circumstances we face.
“As Rishi (Sunak) said, we have to be honest with people: the cost of materials has gone up because of problems with global supply chains and also a very tight labor market means that the ability to build these houses at the pace that we want. is restricted”.
When pressed further on whether the target of 300,000 homes a year is “absolutely part of your programme” given that Housing Secretary Lee Rowley said in the summer that Liz Truss would abolish the targets for ‘top-down housing,’ Gove said: “The first thing is that the The top-down housing targets that Lee was referring to, and indeed Liz was referring to, are part of a wider and different calculation of the 300,000 in the manifesto.
“Here we are talking about two different things. But my view is that what we need is a fair way of allocating housing needs that takes population changes into account.”
Sam Rkaina October 30, 2022 10:10 am
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Students ‘struggling to survive’ as loans fail to keep pace with rising cost of living
It claims students are “struggling to survive” as government support fails to keep pace with the rising cost of living.
Universities have expressed concern that growing financial pressures will affect their degrees as they are forced to take on more paid work this year to try to meet skyrocketing living costs.
The Independent has spoken to students who are struggling to fit in academic work as they try to fund university in the economic downturn.
Tana Randle says she doesn’t want to drop out of college, but she’s worried it could come to that in a worst-case scenario.
(Supplied)
Sam Rkaina October 30, 2022 10:00 am
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Gove hit out at Braverman’s “delete and ignore” email
Suella Braverman has claimed she told officials about her security breach after she shared a confidential government document through her personal email.
Appearing with Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday, Michael Gove was confronted with a leaked email showing Ms Braverman had asked a recipient to “delete the message and ignore”, sent hours before officials were alerted.
Mr Gove said the request to “ignore and delete” the email was “standard practice” and would be “very appropriate”, and claimed Ms Braverman was “absolutely” a politician of integrity.
He added: “I am satisfied, more than satisfied, that by resigning, accepting responsibility, apologizing, and then being assured by the Cabinet Secretary and the Prime Minister that Suella’s return to office was the right thing to do, that Suella is now in a position to do the work to which he is dedicated.”
Michael Gove confronted by Suella Braverman’s ‘delete and ignore’ email
Sam Rkaina 30 October 2022 09:55
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Gove apologizes for selecting Liz Truss as Tory leader
Michael Gove apologizes for selecting Liz Truss as leader of the Conservative Party
Sam Rkaina 30 October 2022 09:51
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The former Tory chancellor says Sunak must focus on growth
Former Tory chancellor Philip Hammond said growth must be Rishi Sunak’s “relentless focus” now that Liz Truss’ plan is “dead in the water”.
Hammond told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg: “They will have to come up with a growth plan.
“Without growth we won’t be able to solve the problems facing our public services and solve this conundrum that people don’t want to pay higher taxes but they do want better public services – the only way to solve that is higher growth .
Former Chancellor Lord Hammond
(PA file)
Sam Rkaina 30 October 2022 09:45
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The Bank of England was expected to announce the biggest rise in interest rates in 33 years
The Bank of England is poised to unveil the biggest rise in interest rates for 33 years next week as the central bank continues its efforts to control inflation.
The key Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting comes amid warnings that spending…