Adam Boulton: Quitter politicians – an impossible job or the wrong people at the wrong time?
There goes another one. The Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar announced this week that he is quitting at the age of 45, explaining: “I don’t feel I’m the best person for that job any more.”
He is just the latest in a spate of national leaders to stand down voluntarily when seemingly at the peak of their powers.
Last year New Zealand’s former prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, found she had “no more in the tank” aged 43.
Nicola Sturgeon went at 53 to spend “a little bit more time on Nicola Sturgeon the human being”, since being first minister of Scotland “takes its toll on you”.
Politicians at the very top are not the only ones calling an early end to their careers.
The number of MPs standing down from the Commons has now reached 100 and counting.
That is what might be expected ahead of a likely “change election” when the opposition is poised to take over from incumbents. A major cause for concern is the comparatively young age of many of those giving up and quitting so soon.
From resigning prime ministers to departing MPs something must be going wrong if politics only holds such a passing attraction for people of talent.
Maybe the jobs of leader and people’s representative are more impossible than they have ever been in the social media age. Or perhaps the wrong people are going into politics at the wrong time. They are quitters not fighters.
“Poster Child” almost seems an apt description for some of those joining the exodus from Westminster: Nicola Richards 29, Mhairi Black 29, William Wragg 36 and Deheena Davison, 30.
Most of the MPs going prematurely have only known one government in their time at Westminster. The majority of those standing down have only been MPs since 2010 at the earliest. More than a dozen were first elected in 2017 and 2019.
The prospect of imminent or actual defeat has of course concentrated the minds of those handing in their parliamentary passes voluntarily. Two out of three who announced they are not standing again are Conservatives.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
‘I’m not the best person for the job’
Adverse circumstances higher up the food chain
Higher up the food chain, Varadkar, Ardern and Sturgeon were praised at first for going in their own time for no particular reason. It soon became apparent that they were in adverse circumstances.
Police Scotland’s Operation Branchform investigating alleged fraud by the SNP is still under way. Ms Sturgeon and her husband have both been interviewed under caution.
Meanwhile her party’s standing and support for Scottish independence have both headed south in opinion polls.
Ms Ardern once talked about seeking a third term as prime minister. Instead, under her successor as leader, her Labour Party was walloped by the conservative National Party in last year’s election, amid a reaction against the “woke” values she personified.
As his country’s youngest-ever prime minister, gay and from an Indian ethnic background, Mr Varadkar also embodied Ireland’s rapid liberalisation.
But this month, he and Dublin’s political establishment suffered the setback of resounding defeat in a double referendum attempting to modernise the constitution on “relationships” outside marriage and the role of women.
👉 Listen above then tap here to follow Electoral Dysfunction wherever you get your podcasts 👈
Read more:
Nicola Sturgeon dismisses ‘secret lesbian’ claim – as she addresses reasons for her resignation
Jacinda Ardern ‘driven from office’ by unprecedented hatred and constant abuse, politicians say
Mr Varadkar, from the right of centre Fine Gael party, owes his seven years in office to a series of pacts with the opposition Fianna Fail, which were largely designed to keep the republican Sinn Fein away from power.
A general election is due soon and Sinn Fein now tops the polls in the south under Mary Lou MacDonald. Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill is first minister in Northern Ireland.
Not like previous generations
Today’s quitter politicians certainly face some stark challenges but they are all going down without a fight, unlike many in previous generations.
William Gladstone and Harold Wilson both regained the premiership after losing it. Others like Ted Heath and Margaret Beckett stayed on for years after their glory days of power.
Most of the MPs going now plan to leave politics altogether. They complain that the pressures of the job have become intolerable. Some talk of worries for their mental health and even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Pay is not the main issue. The government has accepted IPSA’s recommendation of a 5.5% increase taking an MP’s salary to £91,346 a year.
Jacinda Ardern. Pic: PA
While it is true that wage inequalities have increased to the benefit of the very highest earners, MPs and ministers in the UK and elsewhere have more than maintained their differential above the average professional salary.
Some of those leaving now, perhaps with backgrounds in teaching or local government, say they are worried that they might not be able to earn as much. Some are announcing their intention to quit now hoping to be at the front of the queue for opportunities.
Being a minister in a failing government is not so attractive when it means an automatic six-month quarantine before taking up new employment.
Organised pile-ons and email campaigns
Mr Varadkar explained: “Politicians are human beings and we have our limitations.
“We give it everything until we can’t any more.”
He speaks for many of those calling it a day. They talk of the pressures of being on call 24/7. Thanks to the internet, constituents can contact them with less effort than ever and monitor their activities and apparent work rate. Organised pile-ons and email campaigns are a common hazard.
Far worse, a growing minority of the public regard MPs as fair game. At the extreme this has resulted in the recent murder of two MPs, Jo Cox and David Amess, and a number of other violent assaults.
Women MPs also have to deal with vile abuse and threats online every day. Some consider the male-dominated atmosphere at Westminster to be “toxic”.
Tony Blair was the first prime minister to have young children in Downing Street for a century. Since then Brown, Cameron, Johnson, Truss and Sunak have each taken families into Number 10.
Nicola Sturgeon
As the demand for younger political leaders grows, so do their difficulties bringing up children. Some of the women leaving office, including Ms Ardern, talk of the personal and private pressures. Blair was the most successful British politician of his generation but says he would be “really worried” if any of his four adult children wanted to go into politics.
Plenty of nutters and demagogues
Mainstream parties are now having trouble finding candidates who look like decent, long-term prospects. There are always plenty of nutters and demagogues looking for an opening but sensible men and women willing to serve their country with a career in parliament are in short supply.
As a result, both the Conservatives and Labour are having to pick young candidates with local links. A significant number of these potential MPs have some knowledge of the ropes thanks to family connections to politicians and others in “the Westminster Bubble”, including journalists. They are not necessarily good long-term bets.
Single people in their 20s and early 30s cannot know where their lives are heading. Those now leaving parliament after a few years presumably took a wrong turning when they became MPs. The electorate that has been paying to train them will not get the benefit of their expertise in future.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Most ex-prime ministers still have something to offer in the public realm. But they choose to do it away from the crumbling palace of Westminster. Theresa May is the latest to say that she can better concentrate on what she cares about by leaving the Commons.
Few linger long once they have been elected. The average tenure of an MP is falling. The average age of MPs is around 50 compared to 57 in the US House of Representatives and 64 in the Senate. Admittedly the US has its unique problems of gerontocracy, but elsewhere in the English-speaking world it ought to be possible to get more use out of our mature politicians.
As things stand we are all caught in a vicious cycle. The quality of those seeking to govern is diminishing; that in turn breeds disrespect for politicians, which makes the job less appealing than ever.
As Leo Varadkar put it: “We give our all until we can’t anymore.”
Politics
Health minister apologises as birth trauma report finds ‘shockingly poor quality’ maternity care
A health minister has apologised after a new report concluded that poor care in maternity services is “frequently tolerated as normal”.
The parliamentary inquiry found there was “shockingly poor quality” in maternity services, which resulted in care that lacked compassion and a system where “poor care is all too frequently tolerated as normal”.
Led by Conservative MP Theo Clarke and Labour MP Rosie Duffield, the Birth Trauma Inquiry considered evidence given by more than 1,300 women and has called for a national plan to improve maternity care.
It found that poor quality postnatal care was an “almost-universal theme”.
“Women shared stories of being left in blood-stained sheets or of ringing the bell for help but no one coming,” the report said.
It has made 12 recommendations, including that the government implement a maternity commissioner who would report directly to the prime minister.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
‘The joy was sucked out of having a baby’
A long-lasting problem
Health minister Maria Caulfield told Sky News maternity services had not been where they should be and apologised to mothers who had been affected.
“I recognise that maternity services have not been where we want them to be, but there is lots of work happening in this space,” Ms Caulfield said.
“This has been a problem for a long time, and it is why maternity is a priority area in the women’s health strategy.”
She said the inquiry aims to get expectant mothers better care during their pregnancy, rather than wait until they are just about to give birth.
Some £1.1bn – more than a third of the NHS’ total maternity and neonatal budget – was spent on cash payments relating to clinical negligence in 2022/23, a Department of Health and Social Care report showed.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
What is birth trauma?
Recommendations put forward by the Birth Trauma Inquiry include retraining and recruiting more midwives, offering a separate six-week check post-delivery with a GP for all mothers, provide support for fathers or nominated birth partners and better educate women on birth choices.
It also recommends extending the time limit for medical negligence litigation relating to childbirth from three years
to five years.
Read more:
Women ‘failed at every stage’ of maternity care
Mother left with injuries after giving birth breaks ‘silence’
Grieving parents demand nationwide guidance after failings
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said she was “determined to improve the quality and consistency of care for women throughout pregnancy, birth and the critical months that follow”.
Wes Streeting, shadow health secretary, called the report “groundbreaking” and said the Labour Party would work in the same bipartisan spirit to deliver results.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
‘A lot more work to be done’
After her own experience of a traumatic birth, Sandra Igwe set up The Motherhood Group and has spent the past eight years campaigning. When she gave birth earlier this year for the third time, she expected the outcome would be different.
“Sadly, the third time around, again, my concerns were dismissed and I was made to wait several days to give birth after being induced, and that added to my anxiety,” she told Sky News correspondent Shamaan Freeman-Powell.
“It has shown me there is a lot more work to be done.”
Sandra Igwe has spent the last eight years campaigning for better maternity services
She is now working with Councillor Evelyn Akoto, cabinet member for health and wellbeing at Southwark Council, to get the experiences of women from diverse backgrounds in a maternity commission.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
‘Poor quality’ in maternity services
Cllr Akoto, who also had her own experience of being dismissed and ignored during labour, said the statistics black and ethnic minority women face are “horrifying”.
“I see myself and other black women as walking statistics,” she said. “I see our lives in danger all the time.”
The councillor said that in order for the quality of care to be improved across maternity services, inequalities need to be addressed.
“If we get it right for those who are being negatively impacted, we get it right for everyone,” she added. “So it’s important we all come together and resolve this.”
When Humza Yousaf resigned as Scotland’s first minister, questions were raised over what his pension would be.
Some on social media have claimed the 39-year-old is entitled to £52,000 per year for the rest of his life – and payments will begin immediately.
There’s just one problem: this isn’t true.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Yousaf signs resignation letter
While such a pension scheme used to be in place, it was scrapped in 2009.
So what will he receive… and when?
When he reaches the Scottish Parliamentary Pension Scheme retirement age – which is currently 65 – Mr Yousaf will be entitled to up to around £2,600 per year for the period he served as first minister.
The former SNP leader is also entitled to further retirement payments from his time as an MSP and as a Holyrood minister.
A law introduced in 1999 said that “any person who has held the office of first minister or presiding officer shall, on ceasing to hold that office”, be entitled to a pension.
It added that “the annual amount of a pension payable under this article shall be equal to one half of the salary”.
But 10 years later, new legislation was passed that meant that anyone who became first minister after 2009 was no longer entitled to that type of pension.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
‘I’m sad my time is ending’
The first minister of Scotland is currently paid £176,780 per year – but £72,196 of that amount is for their work as an MSP and would not be included in such a calculation.
If the old rules were still in place today, Mr Yousaf would have been entitled to a pension of £52,292, which is half of £104,584 – his additional pay for being leader.
But Mr Yousaf was elected first minister on 19 March 2023, so is not covered by the previous law. Instead, that part of his pension entitlement will be based only on his time in office up to his resignation on 7 May.
MSPs have two pension options which mean they can contribute either a higher or a lower proportion of their salaries each year.
If an MSP contributes the higher rate, they are entitled to one-fortieth of their final annual salary as a pension. If they contribute the lower rate, they are entitled to one-fiftieth of their final salary as a pension.
👉 Listen above then tap here to follow the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts 👈
Because Mr Yousaf served for just over a year as first minister, he will be entitled to a pension of either one-fortieth or one-fiftieth of £104,584. That would equate to around £2,600 or £2,100 per year, depending on which option he chose.
He will also be entitled to a pension for the years he serves as an MSP. Mr Yousaf was elected as a regional Glasgow MSP in 2011 and in 2016 became the Glasgow Pollok MSP, an office he still holds.
If he were to step down today after 13 years in Holyrood – assuming he had been paying the higher contribution for that entire period – he would be entitled to a little under £23,500 per year, which is added to his first minister pension.
Read more from Sky News:
SNP finance probe heading to prosecutors ‘within weeks’
The 25th anniversary of the Scottish parliament
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Mr Yousaf is also entitled to further pension payments from his various ministerial roles.
He served as a minister for five years and nine months in the Scottish parliament and then as a Scottish secretary of state for four years and nine months. Combined, these entitle Mr Yousaf to another pension pot of a little over £7,200.
By the calculations on current figures, and assuming he has contributed the higher rate for all of his time as an MSP, Mr Yousaf is currently entitled to around £33,300 in yearly pension payments when he retires at, or beyond, age 65.
The police investigation involving Nicola Sturgeon’s husband is “moving on” with prosecutors to receive a file within weeks, Scotland’s most senior officer has told Sky News.
The former first minister and SNP leader’s spouse, Peter Murrell, has been charged in connection with embezzlement of party funds.
In her first interviews since taking on the UK’s second biggest police force, Chief Constable Jo Farrell insisted her officers are “objective” but refused to be drawn on whether the long-running probe will end imminently.
The investigation, dubbed Operation Branchform, was launched in July 2021 after officers received complaints about how SNP donations were used.
There were questions about more than £660,000 raised for a second Scottish independence referendum campaign.
Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell, who were both arrested as part of Police Scotland’s Operation Branchform. Pic: PA
Police Scotland has said Nicola Sturgeon remains under investigation after she was arrested and released without charge in 2023.
The SNP’s former treasurer, Colin Beattie, was also detained for almost 12 hours for questioning in spring last year.
The 72-year-old has told Sky News he had heard “nothing at all” from police recently.
Murrell, 59, was chief executive of the SNP for two decades.
He quit the role weeks before his arrest and resigned his SNP membership in the wake of his police charge.
The probe has involved detectives seizing a £100,000 motorhome from outside the home of one of Murrell’s elderly relatives.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Officers concluded in April there is sufficient evidence to charge Murrell in connection with embezzlement of party funds.
The next stage is for Scotland’s prosecution service, the Crown Office, to receive a report on the case from police and decide whether to proceed to court.
A Crown Office spokesman said: “All (of) Scotland’s prosecutors act independently of political interference.
“As is routine, to protect the integrity of ongoing investigations, we do not comment in detail on their conduct.”
Chief Con Farrell was questioned by Sky News about why the investigation was taking so long to conclude.
Chief Constable Jo Farrell described the investigation as ‘complex’
She said: “It’s a live investigation, complex investigation and the matter has been progressed, and we expect the report to go to the Crown Office in a matter of weeks.”
Asked about this probe continuing in a general election year, she said: “We’ve investigated allegations. That’s moving on.
“We have very skilled, professional, objective individuals working on that case.”
The senior officer refused to say when the SNP probe would be fully concluded or whether other individuals would face further questions.
“I’m not going to make a commentary on the length of it. One person’s been charged, the report will go to the Crown Office and it’s a live investigation,” she said.
Read more from Sky News:
The 25th anniversary of the Scottish parliament
Man dies in Glasgow hospital after two jet-skis crash
Ms Sturgeon unexpectedly announced her resignation as SNP leader and first minister of Scotland months before police arrested her and her husband.
She has always insisted the probe never played any part in her sudden departure from office.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Environment12 months agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports1 month agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports7 months agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment1 year agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Environment1 year agoTesla advances Powerwall pilot project with German electric company