Today’s daily politics briefing
What were hoped to be “teething” problems with post-Brexit trade are in danger of becoming “permanent, systemic ones”, a leading UK businesses group has warned.
With firms still grappling with new bureaucracy and new costs, the Federation of Small Businesses said that more than one in four exporters had temporarily suspended trade with the EU or ceased it permanently.
Meanwhile, Len McCluskey – general secretary of Labour financial backers’ Unite – has warned that the party under Keir Starmer is suffering from a “lack of authenticity”, writing in The Independent: “Focus groups show that at best his Labour Party is seen as dull, absent of convictions.”
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Starmer calls for urgent inquiry into ‘rape culture’ in schools
The government should hold an urgent inquiry into claims of a “rape culture” in some schools, Labour has said.
It comes after the chair of parliament’s education committee said the government need to seriously look into claims made about more than 100establishments.
Labour leader Keir Starmer backed a call by the chair of the education select committee for an investigation into the allegations.
“I’m really worried about what we are seeing over recent days and I know many parents will be, many school teachers and staff and, of course, young people,” Sir Keir told reporters at lunchtime on Monday.
“There’s got to be an inquiry and it has got to get going very fast, this is serious.”
Adam Forrest29 March 2021 13:30
No 10 refuses to say if PM will give evidence to Arcuri inquiry
Boris Johnson’s press secretary has refused to say if the PM will give evidence to a Greater London Authority (GLA) inquiry into whether he acted with “honesty and integrity” in his relations with Jennifer Arcuri during his time as London mayor.
Press secretary Allegra Stratton insisted that Johnson does conduct himself in line with the Nolan Principles (which require public office-holders to behave with honesty and integrity).
But asked if he would be willing to provide evidence in person or in writing to the GLA inquiry into whether he had breached the principles, she said the question was “hypothetical”, adding: “Let’s cross all those bridges when they come.”
Arcuri has alleged had a four-year affair with Johnson between 2012 and 2016, making fresh claims in The Mirror on Monday that she slept with him at his family home.
Adam Forrest29 March 2021 13:24
‘You will never be English,’ Lammy told on LBC
Labour MP David Lammy has won praise for his handling of a LBC radio caller who told him: “You will never be English”.
“How can you be African-Caribbean and English?” asked Jean – who claimed she was “Anglo-Saxon” because she had “looked her name back right the way through to the Middle Ages.”
The shadow justice secretary calmly replied: “Here I am, having grown up in the country, having been born in this country, and actually, the truth is it’s a myth there is one English ethnicity – there’s not … all sorts of people have passed through.”
He added: “For me, the fact I was born here, and the fact that my sensibilities are English, mean that I want to claim that heritage as well.”
Journalist Andrew Quinn said it showed why Lammy was “wasted” in opposition. “The guy is without doubt one of the most capable MPs I’ve ever encountered.”
Adam Forrest29 March 2021 13:17
SNP to double Scottish child benefit top-up
Staying with Scottish politics for a bit, Nicola Sturgeon has promised that the SNP would double Scotland’s child benefit top-up payments if it is re-elected.
Scotland’s minister said ending child poverty would be a “driving mission” for her party in the next parliament.
The benefit is currently worth £10 a week to lower-income families with children up to the age of six – and it is set to be scaled up to children under 16 by the end of next year.
But Ms Sturgeon said in a speech on Monday that the payment would also be doubled from £10 to £20. “The message is this: if you want to put children’s rights before nuclear weapons – vote SNP.”
Adam Forrest29 March 2021 13:00
SNP councillor defects to Salmond’s party
SNP councillor Michelle Ferns has become the latest defector to Alex Salmond’s new pro-independence outfit, the Alba Party.
The Glasgow councillor intends to stand on the regional list for the Holyrood election in May, saying she wanted to help deliver on the Alba Party’s plan for a “super majority” for Scottish independence.
Mr Salmond claimed Ms Ferns – one of four SNP councillors to defect along with two SNP MPs – had “proven she is a strong advocate for social justice and women in the city”.
Adam Forrest29 March 2021 12:53
Brexiteers ask public for ‘treasures’ to put in Museum of Brexit
Organisers behind the Museum of Brexit want the public to donate money and mementos to create a permanent exhibition devoted to the UK’s exit from the EU, Adam Forrest reports.
Brexiteers said they are aiming aims to raise £650,000 to set up the museum after winning approval for fundraising plans from the Charity Commission.
Organisers also want “treasures” from both the Leave and Remain campaigns so the history of the long-running political battle can be told “fairly and in a balanced way”.
But anti-Brexit campaigner and commentator Alex Andreou questioned whether the museum set up by Brexiteers could ever tell the story in a “balanced” way. He said: “A Brexit Museum can never be neutral, because the notion behind it is not neutral.”
Adam Forrest29 March 2021 12:28
New multimillion-pound Downing Street media suite to get first airing
Downing Street has confirmed that Boris Johnson will lead a press conference at 5pm from its new £2.6m media suite in No 9, alongside Professor Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance.
Andy Gregory29 March 2021 12:17
Government updates Covid slogan to include importance of ‘fresh air’
The Department of Health and Social Care has updated its’ “hands, face, space” Covid messaging to include the somewhat clunkier – albeit important – component of “fresh air”.
Labour’s shadow health secretary welcomed the change, but said it should have happened months ago.
In a report published by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies on 30 September, the government’s advisory body wrote: “Ventilation should be integral to the Covid-19 risk mitigation strategy for all multi-occupant public buildings and workplaces.”
Andy Gregory29 March 2021 12:13
Why is David Cameron facing calls for an investigation?
Calls for an inquiry into David Cameron’s dealings with a scandal-hit financier have intensified, after new details emerged in the lobbying affair which threatens to tarnish his legacy as prime minister, Adam Forrest reports.
The former Tory leader is facing fresh questions on his relationship with Lex Greensill, the Australian founder of financial firm Greensill Capital, after an investigation by The Sunday Times alleged that Mr Greensill enriched himself through a government-backed loan scheme he designed after Mr Cameron gave him access to 11 different Whitehall departments and agencies during his time at No 10.
Here’s a comprehensive explainer of the debacle:
Andy Gregory29 March 2021 11:56
Northern Independence Party to field its first candidate
The news that the Northern Independence Party – a new secessionist party reportedly founded in the wake of Andy Burnham’s viral response to the government’s lack of coronavirus support in the autumn – is to field its first candidate, at the Hartlepool by-election, has fuelled significant discussion on social media.
Former Corbyn adviser James Mills is among those who think it could help to usher in the constituency’s first Tory MP since the seat was created in 1974.
And Novara Media’s Ash Sarkar frames the challenge to Labour partly in terms of questions over Keir Starmer’s authenticity, as raised by Unite’s Len McCluskey in The Independent.
But others appear somewhat less impressed with the party’s prospects.
Andy Gregory29 March 2021 11:46