‘There have to be standards in public life’ says Tory mayor Andy Street over Suella Braverman speeding row
A Tory mayor has said there should be “no compromise” when it comes to standards in public life following accusations the home secretary may have breached the ministerial code over a speeding fine.
Andy Street, the mayor of the West Midlands, said there “have to be standards in public life” as Rishi Sunak comes under pressure to launch an investigation into Suella Braverman’s conduct.
Asked about the story on the Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme, Mr Street said he could not provide details of what happened but added: “The point is very simple – there have to be standards in public life.
“I’m not going to sit here and make a comment about the home secretary, I genuinely do not know.
“What I do know is the prime minister has made it absolutely clear that for him standards in public life is an absolutely critical issue. I hope that’s how I conduct myself, I hope that’s how my party conducts itself.
“But there is no compromise over it because the public sniff out when you are not doing that and if we serve the public we have to reflect their best standards.”
The home secretary is battling allegations that she asked civil servants to help her avoid a group speeding awareness course to dodge a fine after she was caught speeding last summer.
The Sunday Times reported that Ms Braverman opted to attend a driving awareness course rather than accept a fine and points on her licence.
A spokesman for the home secretary said she “accepts that she was speeding last summer and regrets doing so”.
“She took the three points and paid the fine last year,” they added.
But the newspaper reported that instead of signing up for an in-person course with other motorists, or completing one online that would show her name and face to other participants, Ms Braverman allegedly asked civil servants to arrange a private one-to-one course.
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When the civil servants refused, she sought help from a political aide, who requested the private course organiser provided a private session, or allowed her to use an alias or turn her camera off.
When the provider refused, Ms Braverman opted to take the three points on her licence, the paper reported.
The paper’s sources close to the home secretary dispute that she breached the ministerial code and say the case was settled by her taking the points.
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Sophy Ridge presses Therese Coffey for more details on accusations against Suella Braverman
Mr Street’s comments add to the increasing pressure the prime minister is under to launch an investigation into the allegations against Ms Braverman.
At a press conference of the G7 in Japan, Mr Sunak repeatedly failed to back the home secretary and said he had not spoken to her about the speeding fine, but that he understood that she had “expressed regret” for the offence and accepted the penalty.
Mr Sunak has lost three senior colleagues to conduct scandals.
Sir Gavin Williamson quit his cabinet post last November after he was accused of bullying behaviour.
He was followed by Nadhim Zahawi, who was sacked as Tory party chair in January after an ethics inquiry into the handling of his tax affairs found a “serious breach” of the ministerial code.
And just last month Dominic Raab, a close ally of Mr Sunak, resigned as justice secretary after an independent investigation by a Adam Tolley KC upheld two claims of bullying against him.
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Labour and the Liberal Democrats have demanded that the prime minister take action in wake of the allegations made against his home secretary.
Shadow health minister Liz Kendall told Sophy Ridge Mr Sunak should ask his independent adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, to launch an investigation into whether there had been a breach of the ministerial code.
“I think a lot of people watching this programme will think, you know, why is it always one rule for them and another rule for everybody else?” she said.
Ms Kendall also referred to Ms Braverman’s decision to resign as home secretary under Liz Truss after she was found to have sent confidential documents to a fellow Tory MP.
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Lib Dem Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael also joined calls for an investigation, claiming that Mr Sunak’s refusal to do so far amounted to “stealing page one from the Boris Johnson playbook”
“Time and time again Sunak has put Conservative politicians who think they are above the rules in his cabinet, and every time they have taken the British people for fools,” he said.
“The home secretary must undergo an urgent investigation, every second she doesn’t is another blow to the integrity of this already sleaze-ridden prime minister.”
US president-elect Donald Trump has suggested Israel and Hamas could agree a Gaza ceasefire by the end of the week.
Talks between Israeli and Hamas representatives resumed in the Qatari capital Doha yesterday, after US President Joe Biden indicated a deal to stop the fighting was “on the brink” on Monday.
A draft agreement has been sent to both sides. It includes provisions for the release of hostages and a phased Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza.
Qatar says Israel and Hamas are at their “closest point” yet to a ceasefire deal.
Two Hamas officials said the group has accepted the draft agreement, with Israel still considering the deal.
An Israeli official said a deal is close but “we are not there” yet.
More than 46,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its ground offensive in the aftermath of the 7 October attacks, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
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What’s in the proposed deal?
Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on beachfront cafe in Deir al Balah. Pic: Reuters
Biden hails possibility of agreement
President Biden said it would include a hostage release deal and a “surge” of aid to Palestinians, in his final foreign policy speech as president.
“So many innocent people have been killed, so many communities have been destroyed. Palestinian people deserve peace,” he said.
“The deal would free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide security to Israel, and allow us to significantly surge humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians who suffered terribly in this war that Hamas started.”
Qatari mediators have sent Israel and Hamas a draft proposal for an agreement to halt the fighting.
Analysis:
Deal might be close, but there are many unanswered questions
Pic: Reuters
Trump: ‘We’re very close’
President-elect Donald Trump has also discussed a possible peace deal during a phone interview with the Newsmax channel.
“We’re very close to getting it done and they have to get it done,” he said.
“If they don’t get it done, there’s going to be a lot of trouble out there, a lot of trouble, like they have never seen before.
“And they will get it done. And I understand there’s been a handshake and they’re getting it finished and maybe by the end of the week. But it has to take place, it has to take place.”
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Israeli official: Former Hamas leader held up deal
Speaking on Tuesday as negotiations resumed in Qatar, an anonymous Israeli official said that an agreement was “close, but we are not there”.
They accused Hamas of previously “dictating, not negotiating” but said this has changed in the last few weeks.
“Yahya Sinwar was the main obstacle for a deal,” they added.
Sinwar, believed to be the mastermind of the 7 October attacks, led Hamas following the assassination of his predecessor but was himself killed in October last year.
Under Sinwar, the Israeli official claimed, Hamas was “not in a rush” to bring a hostage deal but this has changed since his death and since the IDF “started to dismantle the Shia axis”.
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Biden: ‘Never, never, never, ever give up’
Iran ‘weaker than it’s been in decades’
Yesterday, President Biden also hailed Washington’s support for Israel during two Iranian attacks in 2024.
“All told, Iran is weaker than it’s been in decades,” the president said.
Mr Biden claimed America’s adversaries were weaker than when he took office four years ago and that the US was “winning the worldwide competition”.
“Compared to four years ago, America is stronger, our alliances are stronger, our adversaries and competitors are
weaker,” he said.
“We have not gone to war to make these things happen.”
The US president is expected to give a farewell address on Wednesday.
A draft ceasefire deal on the table between Israel and Hamas would see 33 hostages set free and a phased withdrawal of IDF forces from parts of Gaza.
President Joe Biden said an agreement to stop the fighting was “on the brink” and high level negotiations between the two sides resumed in Qatar on Tuesday.
The deal would see a number of things happen in a first stage, with negotiations for the second stage beginning in the third week of the ceasefire.
It would also allow a surge in humanitarian aid into Gaza, which has been devastated by more than a year of war.
Details of what the draft proposal entails have been emerging on Tuesday, reported by Israeli and Palestinian officials.
Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages hold photos of their loved ones during a protest on 8 January. Pic: AP
Hostages to be returned
In the first stage of the potential ceasefire, 33 hostages would be set free.
These include women (including female soldiers), children, men over the age of 50, wounded and sick.
Israel believes most of these hostages are alive but there has not been any official confirmation from Hamas.
In return for the release of the hostages, Israel would free more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
People serving long sentences for deadly attacks would be included in this but Hamas fighters who took part in the 7 October attack would not be released.
An arrangement to prevent Palestinian “terrorists” from going back to the West Bank would be included in the deal, an anonymous Israeli official said.
Read more:
A timeline of events since the 7 October attacks
The hostages who still haven’t returned home
Smoke billows as buildings lie in ruin in Beit Hanoun in Gaza. Pic: Reuters
Phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza
The agreement also includes a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, with IDF troops remaining in the border perimeter to defend Israeli border towns and villages.
Security arrangements would be implemented at the Philadelphi corridor – a narrow strip of land that runs along the border between Egypt and Gaza – with Israel withdrawing from parts of it after the first few days of the deal.
The Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza would start to work gradually to allow the crossing of people who are sick and other humanitarian cases out of Gaza for treatment.
Unarmed North Gaza residents would be allowed to return to their homes, with a mechanism introduced to ensure no weapons are moved there.
“We will not leave the Gaza Strip until all our hostages are back home,” the Israeli official said.
What will happen to Gaza in the future?
There is less detail about the future of Gaza – from how it will be governed, to any guarantees that this agreement will bring a permanent end to the war.
“The only thing that can answer for now is that we are ready for a ceasefire,” the Israeli official said.
“This is a long ceasefire and the deal that is being discussed right now is for a long one. There is a big price for releasing the hostages and we are ready to pay this price.”
The international community has said Gaza must be run by Palestinians, but there has not been a consensus about how this should be done – and the draft ceasefire agreement does not seem to address this either.
In the past, Israel has said it will not end the war leaving Hamas in power. It also previously rejected the possibility of the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited governing powers in the West Bank, from taking over the administration of Gaza.
Since the beginning of its military campaign in Gaza, Israel has also said it would retain security control over the territory after the fighting ends.
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