David Cameron to return to cabinet table as Rishi Sunak meets with new top team

Published

12 months ago

November 14, 2023

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Rishi Sunak will meet with his new cabinet today after a dramatic shakeup of his top team saw David Cameron make an unexpected return to frontline politics.

In a major gamble to revive his faltering premiership, the prime minister gave the former Tory leader a peerage in order to make him foreign secretary.

It means the now Lord Cameron will be back around the Cabinet table on Tuesday for the first time since he stood down as prime minister and quit as an MP after losing the Brexit referendum in 2016.

The reshuffle has risked inflaming Conservative divisions as it included the sacking of controversial home secretary Suella Braverman – a popular figure on the right of the party.

Ms Braverman was purged after she accused the Metropolitan Police of left-wing bias in its handling of protests in an article for The Times which was not fully authorised by Number 10. She had also come under criticism in previous weeks for saying that homeless people living in tents was a “lifestyle choice”.

Former minister Andrea Jenkyns submitted a furious letter of no confidence in Mr Sunak to the Tory backbench 1922 Committee in the wake of the decision.

She argued that Ms Braverman “was the only person in the cabinet with the balls to speak the truth of the appalling state of our streets and a two-tier policing system that leaves Jewish community in fear for their lives and safety”.

“If it wasn’t bad enough that we have a party leader that the party members rejected, the polls demonstrate that the public reject him, and I am in full agreement. It is time for Rishi Sunak to go,” the MP added.

The letter does not in itself threaten to provoke a vote of no confidence in the Conservative leader, as the threshold stands at 15% of sitting Tory MPs.

But Number 10 may be wary of more to come after a group of hardline Tory MPs held a meeting in parliament on Monday where concerns were shared about the reshuffle.

Around 12 MPs, including Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson and former cabinet minister Simon Clarke attended in person at the New Conservatives grouping led by Danny Kruger and Miriam Cates.

Other MPs to criticise Ms Braverman’s removal include Sir Jacob Rees Mogg, who warned that the Conservatives “are in danger” of losing votes to the right-wing Reform party.

The former Brexit minister said while Ms Braverman was prepared to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (EHRC) to enact the controversial Rwanda deportation plan, currently held up in the courts, her successor James Cleverly has signalled he does not want to do this.

“There is a distinct watering down on the migration policy,” he told BBC Newsnight.

Ms Braverman has said little about her departure so far but in a potentially ominous warning to Mr Sunak, said she would have more to say “in due course”.

Meanwhile former cabinet secretary Therese Villiers told the Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge she would be a “force to be reckoned with” on the backbenches.

Mr Cleverly, the former foreign secretary, has insisted he will be just as committed to the government’s “stop the boats pledge” in his new role.

His appointment is likely to face more scrutiny in the coming days, with a Supreme Court judgement due on Wednesday on whether the much-delayed Rwanda plan is lawful.

But for the moment it has largely been overshadowed by the political comeback of Lord Cameron.

Cameron comeback massive shock

The appointment was a massive shock in Westminster, not just because of the return of a former prime minister to government – the first since Alec Douglas-Home in the 1970s – but also because of his views on China.

During the Cameron administration there was a “golden era” of UK-China co-operation, something Mr Sunak described as “naive” last year following growing tensions with Beijing.

Lord Cameron has also been critical of Mr Sunak’s decision to scrap the northern leg of HS2, while the prime minister used his Tory conference speech to distance himself from the legacy of his predecessors.

But the former prime minister made it clear he backs Mr Sunak and will work with him to help the Tories win the general election, which is expected next year.

The new foreign secretary said: “Though I may have disagreed with some individual decisions, it is clear to me that Rishi Sunak is a strong and capable prime minister, who is showing exemplary leadership at a difficult time.”

The appointment has raised questions about how he will be held to account if he can’t answer to MPs in the Commons.

He also faces questions over the Greensill affair, in which he privately lobbied ministers in an attempt to win Greensill Capital access to an emergency coronavirus loan scheme.

This was seized on by opposition MPs who criticised the “clown show” reshuffle, which also saw Steve Barclay take Therese Coffey’s job as environment secretary, while Victoria Atkins became health secretary.

In another key appointment, GB News presenter and former work and pensions secretary Esther McVey was brought back into government as a minister without portfolio, reportedly to “speak common sense” on behalf of the government and push forward its “anti-woke” agenda, in a conciliatory move to the Tory right.

However many of the party’s One Nation MPs – closer to the centre of politics – may welcome the return of Lord Cameron, who secured them two victories at general elections and is well known internationally.

Former health secretary Matt Hancock said of the reshuffle: “Excellent for the Conservatives, showing Rishi Sunak will fight the election on the centre ground.”

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NHS league tables and cancelled pay rises for managers among government health reforms

Published

4 hours ago

November 13, 2024

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NHS league tables and cancelled pay rises for managers among government health reforms

NHS league tables revealing failing NHS trusts and cancelled pay rises or dismissal for managers who don’t turn things around are to form part of the government’s plans to improve the health service.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting is confirming new measures he hopes will boost failing hospital trusts and encourage successful ones.

The changes form part of the Labour government’s strategy to reduce waiting lists “from 18 months to 18 weeks”.

Politics latest: ‘Eye-watering’ climate target announced by PM

Health and the state of the NHS were consistently among the most important issues for voters at this year’s general election – with Labour blaming the Conservatives for “breaking” it.

As health is a devolved area, any reforms proposed in Westminster would only apply to England.

Chief among Mr Streeting’s proposals is a “league table” for NHS trusts.

An announcement from the Department for Health and Social Care said: “NHS England will carry out a no-holds-barred sweeping review of NHS performance across the entire country, with providers to be placed into a league table.

“This will be made public and regularly updated to ensure leaders, policy-makers and patients know which improvements need to be prioritised.”

It also promises to replace “persistently failing managers” – with “turn around teams” being sent in to improve trusts running sizeable deficits or offering poor service to patients.

The government says “senior managers” who fail to make progress will not be eligible for pay rises.

There will be “financial implications” for more senior figures such as chief executives if their trust does not improve.

On the flip-side, those trusts that are deemed to be “high-performing” will get “greater freedom over funding and flexibility”.

Senior leaders at these trusts will also be “rewarded”.

The government says the current system is not incentivising trusts to run a budget surplus, as they cannot benefit from it.

Mr Streeting said: “The budget showed this government prioritises the NHS, providing the investment needed to rebuild the health service.

“Today we are announcing the reforms to make sure every penny of extra investment is well spent and cuts waiting times for patients.

“There’ll be no more turning a blind eye to failure. We will drive the health service to improve, so patients get more out of it for what taxpayers put in.

“Our health service must attract top talent, be far more transparent to the public who pay for it, and run as efficiently as global businesses.

“With the combination of investment and reform, we will turn the NHS around and cut waiting times from 18 months to 18 weeks.”

Concerns from health representatives

Amanda Pritchard, the chief executive of NHS England, said: “While NHS leaders welcome accountability, it is critical that responsibility comes with the necessary support and development.

“The extensive package of reforms, developed together with government, will empower all leaders working in the NHS and it will give them the tools they need to provide the best possible services for our patients.”

Further plans on how monitoring will be published by the start of the next financial year in April 2025, the government said.

Matthew Taylor, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation – a body that represents all NHS trusts – said healthcare leaders welcome the “government’s ambition”.

However, he said he was concerned league tables and reducing pay may “strip out” the nuance of what’s going on.

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Mr Taylor said: “NHS staff are doing their very best for patients under very challenging circumstances and we do not want them feeling like they are being named and shamed.

“League tables in themselves do not lead to improvement, trusts struggling with consistent performance issues – some of which reflect contextual issues such as underlying population heath and staff shortages – need to be identified and supported in order to recover.”

UK

Princess of Wales’s annual carol concert to focus on ‘how much we need others in difficult times’

Published

4 hours ago

November 13, 2024

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Princess of Wales's annual carol concert to focus on 'how much we need others in difficult times'

The Princess of Wales will host her Christmas carol concert this year, reflecting on “how much we need each other, especially in the most difficult times of our lives”.

The service, which has become an annual festive event for Kate, will take place on the 6 December at Westminster Abbey, as part of her return to public duties after finishing her chemotherapy treatment earlier this year.

In September, the princess said her focus is “doing what I can to stay cancer-free”.

Last week, Prince William described how the past year had been “brutal” and probably “the hardest year in my life”, with his father, the King, also receiving cancer treatment.

Both the King and Kate joined other members of the Royal Family for the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in London on Sunday.

Announcing the date of the Together At Christmas carol service, Kensington Palace said: “This year’s service provides a moment to reflect upon the importance of love and empathy, and how much we need each other, especially in the most difficult times of our lives.

“The service will shine a light on individuals from all over the UK who have shown love, kindness and empathy towards others in their communities.”

It will be the fourth time Kate has staged the carol service, which is supported by her and her husband’s Royal Foundation.

Around 1,600 people will be invited to sing carols and see musical performances by stars including Paloma Faith, Olivia Dean and Gregory Porter.

Those who have supported others, either on a personal level with friends and family or through their work or volunteering, have been nominated to attend.

The palace added that this year Kate “wanted to celebrate the many people supporting those in need – individuals who have inspired, counselled, comforted, and above all else shown that love is the greatest gift we can receive”.

The theme takes inspiration from the Christmas story, “which encourages us to consider the experiences of others and the important human need of giving and receiving empathy”.

Across the UK, 15 Together At Christmas community carol services will also be held, including at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro and Blackpool Tower Circus.

The event will be filmed as part of a special programme which will air on ITV and ITVX on Christmas Eve.

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£10,000 fine for social media bosses who don’t remove knife adverts proposed

Published

4 hours ago

November 13, 2024

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£10,000 fine for social media bosses who don't remove knife adverts proposed

Fines of £10,000 for social media bosses who don’t remove illegal knife adverts are being considered by the government.

The proposals are part of attempts by Labour to fulfil their promise to halve knife crime levels in the next decade.

The Home Office wants to introduce the measures to stop the “unacceptable use of social media and online marketplaces to market illegal weapons and glorify violence” and ensure content is quickly removed.

Under the plans, police would be empowered to issue warnings to senior officials at online companies and demand specific adverts and content be removed – potentially within two days.

A second notice could then be given if action is not taken – with senior executives “personally liable” for a “significant fine” if nothing is done.

While the exact scale of the financial penalty has not been confirmed, a consultation suggested £10,000 for the worst offenders, according to the PA news agency.

Sir Keir Starmer previously spoke of his desire to make buying knives online harder.

In September, he hosted a meeting of a new anti-knife crime coalition including actor Idris Elba and bereaved families, among others.

Elba told the meeting: “Talk is good, but action is important.”

As well as reducing the sale of knives online, the government also wants to change the law around ninja swords.

Work is currently ongoing to decide a definition of the weapons.

It comes on the back of campaigning by Pooja Kanda, the mother of 16-year-old Ronan Kanda.

Ronan was killed in Wolverhampton by two 17-year-olds in 2022, who used a weapon purchased online under an alias and collected from a Post Office.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said perpetrators “must face the full force of the law” as she announced the “tough new sanctions”, adding: “The epidemic of knife crime that has grown over the last decade is devastating families and communities right across the country.

“That’s why this government has set out an unprecedented mission to halve knife crime over the next decade and today we’re taking determined action to get lethal blades off Britain’s streets.”

Commander Stephen Clayman, who leads the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s work on knife crime and is also heading a review of online sales of the weapons for the Home Office, said: “For far too long, deadly weapons have been far too easily accessible online, with content promoting their use for protection and combat rife on many platforms and seemingly little being done to remove it.

“We welcome the chance to take part in the consultation and explore the most effective means of achieving this, including using the findings of the ongoing online sales review.”