Another council calls for Nadine Dorries to stand down as MP

Published

1 year ago

August 21, 2023

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A second council in Nadine Dorries’ constituency has called for her to resign, nine weeks after the Boris Johnson loyalist said she would stand down as an MP with immediate effect.

Ms Dorries said she wanted to leave parliament after she failed to get offered a peerage in Mr Johnson’s resignation honours list.

But despite saying she would stand down as Mid Bedfordshire MP with “immediate effect” in June, she is still yet to formally vacate the seat. A by-election is not able to take place until she goes.

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Shefford Town Council has now written to her saying she needs to resign “immediately”, joining Flitwick Council in demanding the MP leaves.

Both authorities are not politically aligned.

In a letter to the MP, Ken Pollard, the town mayor of Shefford, wrote: “Following a discussion at the full council meeting of Shefford Town Council on Friday 28 July, I have been asked to write to you formally on behalf of the residents of Shefford to raise the town’s concerns and frustration at the continuing lack of representation for the people of Mid Bedfordshire at Westminster.

“In your role as the acting member of parliament of Mid Bedfordshire, residents of Shefford feel that, due to your scant interest in your constituency, your aversion to attending local events or services and your lack of a maintained constituency office, the local area has been ‘abandoned’ by yourself.

“Your last spoken contribution in the House of Commons was on 7 June 2022, and your last written question was asked on 20 December 2017.

“In addition, your behaviour and actions reported in the press are in direct violation of ‘The Seven Principles of Public Life’ (also known as the ‘Nolan Principles’, published on 31 May 1995), which apply to anyone who works as a public officeholder and all those who are elected or appointed to public office.

“Early this year, you announced your intention to stand down as a member of parliament at the next election.

“Your intention to stand down as Member of Parliament with immediate effect was then announced on 9 June 2023. Nine weeks have now passed, and you have not resigned.

“Shefford Town Council has a long history of operating on a non-political basis, with a strong ethos that our council must represent the views and needs of residents regardless of party politics.

“Our residents desperately need effective representation now, and Shefford Town Council calls on you to honour your commitment and tender your resignation immediately.”

Ms Dorries has accused Mr Sunak of interfering in the process of her getting ennobled, and says she wants to wait for more information before leaving Westminster.

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick has called for her to step down – adding that Downing Street will “consider” a proposal to oust her.

The Liberal Democrats have called for Mr Sunak to strip the Conservative Party whip from Ms Dorries.

Politics

‘There is a global race underway for Bitcoin’ — Anthony Pompliano

Published

6 hours ago

November 16, 2024

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<div>'There is a global race underway for Bitcoin' — Anthony Pompliano</div>

The election of a pro-crypto President in the United States and growing macroeconomic turmoil will continue to drive investors to Bitcoin.

Politics

Sir Keir Starmer vows to defend budget decisions ‘all day long’ as farmers slam ‘disrespectful’ PM

Published

7 hours ago

November 16, 2024

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Sir Keir Starmer vows to defend budget decisions 'all day long' as farmers slam 'disrespectful' PM

Sir Keir Starmer has said he will defend the decisions made in the budget “all day long” amid anger from farmers over inheritance tax changes.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced last month in her key speech that from April 2026, farms worth more than £1m will face an inheritance tax rate of 20%, rather than the standard 40% applied to other land and property.

The announcement has sparked anger among farmers who argue this will mean higher food prices, lower food production and having to sell off land to pay for the tax.

Sir Keir defended the budget as he gave his first speech as prime minister at the Welsh Labour conference in Llandudno, North Wales, where farmers have been holding a tractor protest outside.

Sir Keir admitted: “We’ve taken some extremely tough decisions on tax.”

He said: “I will defend facing up to the harsh light of fiscal reality. I will defend the tough decisions that were necessary to stabilise our economy.

“And I will defend protecting the payslips of working people, fixing the foundations of our economy, and investing in the future of Britain and the future of Wales. Finally, turning the page on austerity once and for all.”

He also said the budget allocation for Wales was a “record figure” – some £21bn for next year – an extra £1.7bn through the Barnett Formula, as he hailed a “path of change” with Labour governments in Wales and Westminster.

And he confirmed a £160m investment zone in Wrexham and Flintshire will be going live in 2025.

‘PM should have addressed the protesters’

Among the hundreds of farmers demonstrating was Gareth Wyn Jones, who told Sky News it was “disrespectful” that the prime minister did not mention farmers in his speech.

He said “so many people have come here to air their frustrations. He (Starmer) had an opportunity to address the crowd. Even if he was booed he should have been man enough to come out and talk to the people”.

He said farmers planned to deliver Sir Keir a letter which begins with “‘don’t bite the hand that feeds you”.

Mr Wyn Jones told Sky News the government was “destroying” an industry that was already struggling.

“They’re destroying an industry that’s already on its knees and struggling, absolutely struggling, mentally, emotionally and physically. We need government support not more hindrance so we can produce food to feed the nation.”

He said inheritance tax changes will result in farmers increasing the price of food: “The poorer people in society aren’t going to be able to afford good, healthy, nutritious British food, so we have to push this to government for them to understand that enough is enough, the farmers can’t take any more of what they’re throwing at us.”

Mr Wyn Jones disputed the government’s estimation that only 500 farming estates in the UK will be affected by the inheritance tax changes.

“Look, a lot of farmers in this country are in their 70s and 80s, they haven’t handed their farms down because that’s the way it’s always been, they’ve always known there was never going to be inheritance tax.”

On Friday, Sir Keir addressed farmers’ concerns, saying: “I know some farmers are anxious about the inheritance tax rules that we brought in two weeks ago.

“What I would say about that is, once you add the £1m for the farmland to the £1m that is exempt for your spouse, for most couples with a farm wanting to hand on to their children, it’s £3m before anybody pays a penny in inheritance tax.”

Ministers said the move will not affect small farms and is aimed at targeting wealthy landowners who buy up farmland to avoid paying inheritance tax.

But analysis this week said a typical family farm would have to put 159% of annual profits into paying the new inheritance tax every year for a decade and could have to sell 20% of their land.

The Country and Land Business Association (CLA), which represents owners of rural land, property and businesses in England and Wales, found a typical 200-acre farm owned by one person with an expected profit of £27,300 would face a £435,000 inheritance tax bill.

The plan says families can spread the inheritance tax payments over 10 years, but the CLA found this would require an average farm to allocate 159% of its profits each year for a decade.

To pay that, successors could be forced to sell 20% of their land, the analysis found.