In his Political Currency podcast, co-hosted with Ed Balls, the ex-shadow chancellor, Osborne stated:
Today, I will announce the date of the general election and put an end to all the rumors and speculation about holding an early election. This will prevent people from constantly speculating if it will be in October or November throughout the summer.
The added benefit that [Rishi Sunak] will receive by providing a surprise announcement in late October, mid November, or early December is overshadowed by the constant speculation.
When Balls asked if he thought such a move would kill leadership speculation, Osborne replied:
It is likely that the action I am discussing will occur. It is a revisit to a topic in which I previously participated, the Fixed-term Parliament Act. The Tories were delighted to eliminate this act, but I can assure you that it would benefit the Tory party if the Fixed-term Parliament Act had remained intact and not been abolished. This would allow Rishi Sunak to confidently declare, “I will disclose the date of the next general election, which will take place in January 2025.” By setting a firm date, it would put an end to speculations and prevent any leadership contests, ultimately placing the Tory party back in control of the situation.
The party Reform UK announced that Benjamin “Beau” Dade, who had advocated for large-scale deportations and the elimination of “foreign invaders”, is no longer a candidate for South Swindon. A spokesperson for the party stated, “We took action as soon as this came to our attention.”
Reform UK removed its candidate in Rutland and Stamford from their position due to racist content posted on X.
At 12:13pm, a reader inquires:
Can the Conservative Party find a new candidate for mayor of Manchester before the election?
Indeed, nominations have not yet even begun.
Rwanda bill before Easter, PA Media reports. PA says:
Last night, the House of Lords dealt seven setbacks to the government regarding their bill on ensuring the safety of asylum seekers and immigration in Rwanda. This included an attempt to re-establish the authority of courts to intercede in the deportation of individuals to Rwanda.
According to colleagues, the government had initially planned for Members of Parliament to address amendments from the House of Lords early next week. This would have given them enough time to engage in the “ping pong” method, where the bill is passed back and forth between the Commons and the Lords until a consensus is reached, before the Easter break.
The government has made it clear that the bill will not be discussed again until the Commons reconvenes on Monday, April 15th, following the Easter break.
In today’s session, Lord Forsyth of Drumlean, a past member of the Conservative cabinet, inquired: “Has the minister had the chance to review the articles in The Times, Telegraph, and other publications, which suggest that the House has needlessly postponed the progress of the Rwanda bill, potentially putting individuals at risk of crossing the Channel?”
Can he seize this chance to highlight that the house was ready to send the legislation back to the House of Commons for review before Easter, and that any delay is not the house’s fault? The house has merely been fulfilling its duties by asking the Commons to reconsider, and should not be held accountable for any delays in the legislation.
Peers expressed their vocal support from various areas of the house by shouting “hear hear”.
Lord Sharpe of Epsom, the minister for Home Office, expressed satisfaction in assuring the concerned individual that he has viewed the reports and can confirm that he relayed this information before the newspapers published it.
Last year, Rishi Sunak declared his intention to introduce the Rwanda bill in response to a supreme court decision declaring Rwanda unsafe. He referred to it as “emergency legislation”.
During the No 10 lobby briefing this morning, the Prime Minister’s spokesperson hesitated to use the identical wording. Rather, he referred to it as a law aimed at managing a migration crisis.
Emergency legislation refers to bills that are quickly passed through parliament. Government officials are aware that, after some back-and-forth negotiations, the House of Lords will likely concede and allow the government to finish these discussions before Easter.
Government officials have declined to provide a reason for the delay. However, the updated schedule indicates that the bill will receive final approval from the monarch approximately two weeks before the upcoming local elections. The first flight to Rwanda might then take place in the weeks following the elections, during which time expected losses for the Conservative party may lead Chancellor Rishi Sunak to seek out as much positive press as possible.
“The British Broadcasting CorporationBBC instead of COMCC should have some fully commercial services which can be viewed instead of the COMCC
According to PA Media, a report will investigate whether BBC, which is currently funded by the public, should offer fully commercial services. PA states that instead of the current funding model, the British Broadcasting Corporation should consider providing commercial services that are available for viewers.
The DCMS has named individuals to the expert panel responsible for making recommendations to the government on the sustainability of the licence fee.
The team consists of Sir Peter Bazalgette, who previously served as chairman of ITV, Amber de Botton, a former broadcast journalist and former director of communications for Downing Street, and David Elstein, a former executive at Channel 5 and BSkyB and former chairman of media website openDemocracy.
According to the terms of reference for the BBC Funding Model Review, potential options for the corporation’s services to operate on a fully commercial basis will be evaluated, as well as the potential amount of business revenue that the broadcaster could generate.
Lucy Frazer, the Culture Secretary, will lead the panel’s discussions with media minister Julia Lopez. Frazer stated, “The BBC plays a significant role in society and provides a valuable service in promoting our values and culture both domestically and internationally. We want to ensure its continued success for future generations. However, with changes in the media landscape and growing financial burden on licence fee payers, it is necessary for us to examine if the current funding approach is sustainable.”
As stated in the newly released terms of reference, the panel will explore the possibility of the BBC offering additional fully commercial services to its viewers and what those services might entail.
On Wednesday, 514 individuals crossed the Channel, marking the highest number for 2024, showing that the Rwanda policy is not effective.
As of yesterday, the largest daily sum for this year was 401, representing the amount of individuals who came to the UK via small boats on March 4th.
Yvette Cooper, the opposition’s spokesperson on home affairs, stated:
Yesterday, a greater number of individuals migrated across the Channel than what the Conservative party intends to relocate to Rwanda in a 12-month period. However, this Rwanda program will result in an astounding cost of five hundred million pounds for taxpayers. This reflects Rishi Sunak’s overall approach, which prioritizes superficial tactics and attention-grabbing tactics rather than addressing the situation effectively.
Despite more than 500 people arriving by small boats in a single day, government officials have acknowledged that they will only send a limited number of individuals to Rwanda. The Conservative party’s failure to address criminal activity in the English Channel has compromised our border safety and endangered lives.
The Labour party reports that there have been 4,043 small boat arrivals so far this year, while there were 3,683 during the same time period in 2023 and 3,229 in 2022. They also note that in 2021, it took until 5 April to reach 4,000 arrivals.
The specific number of individuals to be sent to Rwanda this year has not been stated by the government. This will only occur after the government safety of Rwanda (asylum and immigration) bill is passed and all legal obstacles are resolved. However, it is anticipated that the maximum number for 2024 would be in the low hundreds.
At 12:36pm, a representative from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) stated:
We will review the ombudsman’s findings and provide a response accordingly, as we have cooperated fully throughout the investigation.
The government has consistently shown its dedication to providing sustainable support for all pensioners, ensuring a respectable retirement while also maintaining fairness towards both the recipients and taxpayers.
The state pension serves as the base for retirement income and will continue to do so, with a projected 8.5% increase coming in April. This will result in a £900 raise for 12 million pensioners.
The analysis of the latest DWP poverty statistics by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has highlighted a significant new discovery. According to the JRF, the number of individuals living in absolute poverty has reached 600,000, with children making up half of that population. This marks the second consecutive year of increase in absolute poverty.
As previously mentioned, relative poverty is identified as having a household income that is less than 60% of the median income for that particular year. Absolute poverty is defined as having a household income below 60% of the median income from a baseline year, usually when a government took office (such as 2010-11 for these statistics), after adjusting for inflation.
Welfare professionals often consider the relative poverty statistics to be the most significant, as they provide insight into the existing levels of inequality.
However, political leaders in government often reference specific numbers for those living in poverty, as they are expected to decrease over time in a developing economy. During Question Time, Rishi Sunak frequently mentions a decrease in poverty since 2010, using the absolute measure of poverty.
According to JRF, there has been a sharp increase in absolute poverty, which is the largest annual rise in 40 years, equal to the increase seen between 2010-11 and 2011-12.
Based on the latest data, which considers the previous year’s rise in absolute impoverishment figures, there has been a growth of 900,000 individuals currently living in absolute poverty compared to the 2020-21 statistics. Out of this, 400,000 are children. (These figures pertain to the year 2022-23.)
”
The Chief Analyst at the JRF, Peter Matejic, stated that…
The recently released data on poverty rates for the year reveal that the government was unsuccessful in shielding the most at-risk individuals from the impact of the high cost of living. The preferred benchmark for poverty chosen by the government, absolute poverty, has experienced a consecutive increase for the second year in a row, the largest seen in the past 40 years.
Although the number of children in relative poverty has risen year on year by 100,000 (see 10.39am), the overall number of people living in relative poverty has fallen by 100,000. Matejic said that was “largely due to the incomes of middle-income households falling, rather than people on the lowest incomes being better off”. He added: “This is also likely to reverse now that earnings are growing faster than inflation.”
At 10:39 am, both Save the Children and CPAG agree that the most important piece of information is the increase of 100,000 in the number of children living in relative poverty. According to CPAG, this translates to 4.3 million children, which makes up 30% of all children in the UK, living in relative poverty. This is an increase from 3.6 million in 2010-11.
CPAG is highlighting the following statistics.
Around 69% of impoverished children reside in households with at least one working adult.
“In households with 3 or more children, 46% of children are living in poverty, an increase from 36% in the year 2011/12.”
More impoverished families have experienced a greater level of destitution: 2.9 million children were living in extreme poverty (meaning their household income was less than half of the median income after accounting for housing costs), which is an increase of 600,000 since 2010/11.
36% of children living in poverty come from households with a youngest child under the age of five.
– 47% of kids from Asian and British Asian backgrounds live in conditions of poverty, compared to 51% of kids from Black/African/Caribbean and Black British backgrounds, and 24% of kids from White backgrounds.
44% of kids from single-parent households lived below the poverty line.
.
34% of children in households with a disabled family member were living below the poverty line.
Relative poverty is when a household’s income is less than 60% of the median income for that particular year. On the other hand, absolute poverty is when a household’s income is below 60% of the median income in a baseline year, usually the year a government took office (for example, 2010-11 in this case), adjusted for inflation. Politicians tend to prefer using absolute poverty figures since, in a thriving economy, those numbers should decrease over time.
“The CEO of CPAG, Alison Garnham, stated”
During a year of national elections, it is vital for our political representatives to prioritize improving circumstances for the most disadvantaged children in our country.
Unfortunately, the number of children living in poverty has reached an all-time high, as 4.3 million kids are currently experiencing both inadequate housing and hunger.
It is understood that change can occur, but it is essential for all involved parties to show a dedicated effort in eliminating the two-child limit and raising child benefits.
Reform UK.
Sale resident Barker was chosen as the Conservative nominee to face Andy Burnham in the upcoming December 2023 election.
According to Barker’s post, Reform UK is the party that represents everyday individuals.
and I am proud to be a part of the new revolution.
Excited to be a member of Reform UK, the new hub for conservatism. This party speaks for the everyday citizens of our nation and I am honored to be a part of this significant change.
11.49am.)
Peter Aldous, a member of the Conservative party and a vice-chair of the group, expressed:
Millions of women have spent their lives working, caring for their families, and supporting their communities. It is only fair that they receive swift and dignified compensation.
As stated in the 2022 report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on State Pension Inequality for Women to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Parliament must come to a decision on providing compensation for category 6 injustices. The fight for justice for women born in the 1950s will continue until Parliament reaches a fair resolution.
Rebecca Long-Bailey, a member of the Labour Party and also a vice-chair of the APPG, expressed that she agrees.
It is imperative that the UK government corrects this significant injustice and exceeds the advice given by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman by promptly providing fair restitution to these women.
In 2019, Long-Bailey held the position of shadow business secretary while Labour, led by Jeremy Corbyn, put forth a proposal of a £58 billion compensation plan for Waspi women during the 2019 election.
Source: theguardian.com
