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The partner of disgraced ex-Tory MP Peter Bone has been chosen as the Conservative candidate to replace him in the Wellingborough by-election.

Helen Harrison, who is a Conservative councillor in Wellingborough’s North Northamptonshire area, was selected by members of the party on Sunday afternoon, according to party chair Richard Holden.

An election is being held after Mr Bone was found by parliament to have subjected a staff member to bullying and sexual misconduct. He has denied the allegations.

Mr Bone has had the whip suspended from him, meaning he sits as an independent MP in the Commons, rather than a Conservative one.

However, he has been seen campaigning with the party despite the suspension.

His constituents voted to recall him as part of a recall petition, and so a by-election will be held, although a date has not yet been confirmed.

Mr Bone is allowed to stand in the vote if he chooses, but it is not clear if he will.

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The other candidates for the election include Gen Kitchen for Labour, Ana Savage Gunn for the Liberal Democrats, Ben Habib for Reform UK and Will Morris for the Green Party.

This is not the first time Ms Harrison will have competed for a seat at Westminster, having previously tried to get elected as the Tory MP for Bolsover in 2017. She lost to the incumbent Dennis Skinner.

Any election win would need to be fought again at the next general election – most likely to take place this year.

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A report into Mr Bone’s behaviour found he had “committed many varied acts of bullying and one act of sexual misconduct” against a staff member in 2012 and 2013.

Parliament’s behaviour watchdog, the Independent Expert Panel, upheld a previous probe which found Mr Bone had broken the MPs’ code of conduct on four counts of bullying and one of sexual misconduct.

He was found to have indecently exposed himself to the complainant in the bathroom of a hotel room during a work trip to Madrid.

In a statement posted on X following the result of the recall election, Mr Bone said: “The recall petition came about as a result of an inquiry into alleged bullying and misconduct towards an ex-employee which was alleged to have occurred more than 10 years ago.

“These allegations are totally untrue and without foundation.

“I will have more to say on these matters in the new year. May I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year.”

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Mr Bone has been the MP for Wellingborough in Northamptonshire since 2005, and was re-elected with a majority of 18,540 at the last election in 2019.

The Conservatives have lost a series of by-elections in which they previously held five-figure majorities, including Selby and Ainsty, Mid Bedfordshire, and Somerton and Frome.

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Chancellor’s Mansion House speech vows to rip up red tape – saying post-financial crash rules went ‘too far’

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Chancellor's Mansion House speech vows to rip up red tape - saying post-financial crash rules went 'too far'

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has criticised post-financial crash regulation, saying it has “gone too far” – setting a course for cutting red tape in her first speech to Britain’s most important gathering of financiers and business leaders.

Increased rules on lenders that followed the 2008 crisis have had “unintended consequences”, Ms Reeves will say in her Mansion House address to industry and the City of London’s lord mayor.

“The UK has been regulating for risk, but not regulating for growth,” she will say.

It cannot be taken for granted that the UK will remain a global financial centre, she is expected to add.

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It’s anticipated Ms Reeves will on Thursday announce “growth-focused remits” for financial regulators and next year publish the first strategy for financial services growth and competitiveness.

Rachel Reeves
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Rachel Reeves


Bank governor to point out ‘consequences’ of Brexit

Also at the Mansion House dinner the governor of the Bank of England Andrew Bailey will say the UK economy is bigger than we think because we’re not measuring it properly.

A new measure to be used by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) – which will include the value of data – will probably be “worth a per cent or two on GDP”. GDP is a key way of tracking economic growth and counts the value of everything produced.

Brexit has reduced the level of goods coming into the UK, Mr Bailey will also say, and the government must be alert to and welcome opportunities to rebuild relations.

Mr Bailey will caveat he takes no position on “Brexit per se” but does have to point out its consequences.

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Bailey: Inflation expected to rise

In what appears to be a reference to the debate around UK immigration policy, Mr Bailey will also say the UK’s ageing population means there are fewer workers, which should be included in the discussion.

The greying labour force “makes the productivity and investment issue all the more important”.

“I will also say this: when we think about broad policy on labour supply, the economic arguments must feature in the debate,” he’s due to add.

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The exact numbers of people at work are unknown in part due to fewer people answering the phone when the ONS call.

Mr Bailey described this as “a substantial problem”.

He will say: “I do struggle to explain when my fellow [central bank] governors ask me why the British are particularly bad at this. The Bank, alongside other users, including the Treasury, continue to engage with the ONS on efforts to tackle these problems and improve the quality of UK labour market data.”

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18 US states file lawsuit against SEC and Gary Gensler

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18 US states file lawsuit against SEC and Gary Gensler

President-elect Trump has vowed to fire SEC Chairman Gary Gensler and replace him with a more crypto-friendly SEC head. 

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Pennsylvania lawmaker introduces bill for ‘strategic Bitcoin reserve’

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Pennsylvania lawmaker introduces bill for ‘strategic Bitcoin reserve’

The proposed legislation would allow the State of Pennsylvania’s Treasurer to invest up to 10% of its funds in Bitcoin, suggesting a multibillion-dollar investment.

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