‘Failed former Tory MPs’ who join Reform UK unlikely to be selected as candidates, Zia Yusuf says
“Failed Tory MPs” are unlikely to be chosen as parliamentary candidates for Reform Uk at the next election, Zia Yusuf, the party’s head of policy has said.
He made the comment in a post on social media promoting a Daily Telegraph story saying that “washed-up” former Conservative MPs who have joined Reform will not be prioritised when parliamentary candidates are being selected. The story was attributed to unnamed party sources.
This week it was announced that three more former Tory MPs have gone over to Nigel Farage’s party.
Yusuf said:
I’ve had many messages from Reform grassroots worried about former Tory MPs joining our party.
I want to be clear to our Reform grassroots: YOU will be prioritised in candidate selection for our next class of MPs, NOT failed former Tory MPs.
You didn’t just join Reform, you built it.
You built what is already the most extraordinary, historic political movement in British history.
According to the Telegraph, 20 former Tory MPs have joined Reform, as well as the two Reform MPs originally elected to parliament as Conservatives.
Telegraph list of former Tory MPs who have joined Reform Photograph: TelegraphShare
Updated at 17.26 CET
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Afternon summary
Keir Starmer told Kemi Badenoch that she had “lost the plot” after the Tory leader said that Rachel Reeves should be investigated by the Financial Conduct Authority for market abuse in relation to pre-budget speeches and briefings. (See 1.47pm.)
Eleven Labour members of the Senedd have sent a letter to Keir Starmer accusing him of bypassing devolution. They particularly criticised the plan to give money to towns through the Pride in Place programme bypassing the Senedd and the Welsh government. Acting like this was “at best deeply insensitive, at worst a constitutional outrage”, they said. The BBC has further details here. In response, Phyl Griffiths chair of the YesCymru pro-independence campaign, said:
When Westminster can ignore the Senedd, bypass Welsh ministers and take decisions about Wales from London, even in fully devolved areas, and even when the same party is in government in both Westminster and the Senedd, it shows clearly that devolution cannot protect Welsh democracy.
The Police Federation of England and Wales has published research showing that, by 2030-31, because of the government’s decision to freeze income tax thresholds for another three years, 98% of full-time police officers will be in the higher rate tax band.
For a full list of all the stories covered on the blog today, do scroll through the list of key event headlines near the top of the blog.
Kemi Badenoch at PMQs. Photograph: House of Commons/PAShare
Updated at 19.08 CET
Markus Campbell-Savours MP has Labour whip withdrawn after voting against plan to extend inheritance tax to farms
Markus Campbell-Savours has had the Labour whip suspended for voting against the government plan to extend inheritance tax to farms, Tom Sheldrick from ITV Border reports.
EXCLUSIVE: I understand that Penrith & Solway MP Markus Campbell-Savours has been suspended as a Labour MP after he voted against the government’s plans to impose inheritance tax on farms last night
See 2.30pm for more on the vote last night.
According to Sky News, Campbell-Savours has lost the whip because he voted against the government on a budget measures, and that counts as a confidence issue.
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Why CMA advised urged ministers to change rules to stop parents being lured into buying more expensive baby formula
Unicef UK, the children’s charity, has welcomed the government’s plan to encourage paents to buy cheaper formula milk. (See 3.13pm.) But it has urged the government to go further. Shereen Fisher, the director of its baby friendly initiative, said:
Infant formula is not optional – it’s a basic necessity for many babies and their families. Ensuring every child can be safely and affordably fed must be at the heart of any credible child poverty strategy.
For too long, families have faced inflated prices for this essential product. The CMA has shown that many formulas are vastly overpriced, with many families struggling as a result.
Today’s announcement signals the first step to tackle these issues, improve affordability and strengthen infant feeding support. The government should now look to implement the remaining CMA recommendations to bring down prices and curb marketing practices that put unfair pressure on families who want the best for their child. Children cannot wait.
As Peter Walker reports in his story, the government plan is based on recommendations in a report from the Competition and Markets Authority in February.
The CMA said the formula milk market had “a number of specific features that distinguish it from other consumer goods markets”. The CMA said:
Our evidence indicates that most parents and carers who need or choose to use infant formula experience a degree of vulnerability because most feeding decisions come with high pressure on a parent to do the best they can for their baby. Our consumer research found that ‘when it comes to choosing a brand for their infant, consumers want to purchase “the best’’– whatever that means to them.’ There is evidence that parents who experience feelings of guilt around formula milk use as opposed to breastfeeding are particularly vulnerable, as are those making unplanned decisions to use formula milk in hospital settings and/or under time-pressure.
Guilt is detrimental to consumer outcomes in this market because it puts parents at risk of spending more than they need to. Our consumer research found that the desire to purchase a premium brand is ‘felt particularly strongly amongst mothers who had hoped to exclusively breastfeed. They have heard “breast is best” and therefore feel even more guilt if they make a rational budgeting decision in their choice of formula brand.’ More generally, parents often use price as a proxy for quality and so would actively choose a higher priced product. We heard that, while the reasons are complex, lower income families may feel increased stigma and judgment, which may drive some of their choices towards brands deemed higher quality.
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‘Failed former Tory MPs’ who join Reform UK unlikely to be selected as candidates, Zia Yusuf says
“Failed Tory MPs” are unlikely to be chosen as parliamentary candidates for Reform Uk at the next election, Zia Yusuf, the party’s head of policy has said.
He made the comment in a post on social media promoting a Daily Telegraph story saying that “washed-up” former Conservative MPs who have joined Reform will not be prioritised when parliamentary candidates are being selected. The story was attributed to unnamed party sources.
This week it was announced that three more former Tory MPs have gone over to Nigel Farage’s party.
Yusuf said:
I’ve had many messages from Reform grassroots worried about former Tory MPs joining our party.
I want to be clear to our Reform grassroots: YOU will be prioritised in candidate selection for our next class of MPs, NOT failed former Tory MPs.
You didn’t just join Reform, you built it.
You built what is already the most extraordinary, historic political movement in British history.
According to the Telegraph, 20 former Tory MPs have joined Reform, as well as the two Reform MPs originally elected to parliament as Conservatives.
Telegraph list of former Tory MPs who have joined Reform Photograph: TelegraphShare
Updated at 17.26 CET
German president tells Starmer relations with UK in ‘far better shape’ than during Brexit period
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German president, has said that the UK-German relationship is in “far better shape” than in the “difficult” post-Brexit period.
Steinmeier is on a state visit to the UK and, meeting Keir Starmer in Downing Street, he said that the two countries were managing their relationship better then in the Brexit era.
He said relations had improved with the July signing of the so-called Kensington Treaty to deepen ties in areas ranging from defence to immigration. He went on:
We have a new security situation in Europe, if not in the whole world. So therefore there is a need of closer cooperation.
But we were talking also about economic and closer ties between our companies, about the exchange of people.
So therefore, after some years with growing difficulties after 2016, I think we are in a far better shape and we have to engage in improving the situation and coming closer in this changing world with new threats to all of us.
Keir Starmer (left) with the German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, outside Downing Street this afternoon. Photograph: Justin Tallis/PAShare
The Liberal Democrats aren’t convinced by Nigel Farage saying he is not planning a pact with the Tories. (See 9.33am.) A Lib Dem spokesperson said:
Nigel Farage and Robert Jenrick keep denying a Reform-Conservative pact in public but plotting one behind closed doors.
The public can see right through it. The Tories are so desperate they would happily do a deal to put Nigel Farage in Number 10.
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Jenrick rules out defecting to Reform UK
Some senior Reform UK figures think Nigel Farage should get Robert Jenrick to defect from the Tories, offering him the post of Reform’s candidate for chancellor, Steven Swinford from the Times reports. He also says Tory figures believe that Jenrick is unhappy because Kemi Badenoch is in a stronger position than she was, meaning that Jenrick’s chances of replacing her are fading a bit.
Jenrick himself does not sound keen to go. Asked on Times Radio this morning about the prospect of becoming Reform’s candidate for chancellor, Jenrick replied:
It wasn’t very long ago that I was running to be leader of the Conservative party, so I’m not going anywhere.
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Foreign Office lost ‘opportunities to influence’ US after Harry Dunn death, review finds
The Foreign Office failed to treat the Harry Dunn case as a crisis and lost “opportunities to influence” the US after diplomatic immunity was asserted on behalf of the suspect, an independent review has concluded.
In a written ministerial statement, Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, said:
The report provides a comprehensive assessment of the handling of the case by the FCO, and makes 12 recommendations, ten of which are specific to the FCDO. It finds that failings and omissions were made in response to the incident, including a failure to recognise the family as allies in achieving justice for Harry. I have accepted all the recommendations, and, with my department, I am committed to ensuring that any similar case in future will be handled with the benefit of improved practices in light of the Review, in particular with regards to family engagement and support for victims. No family facing a crisis of this kind should have to fight for the support they deserve like Harry’s did.
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The baby formula announcement (see 3.13pm) was the latest example of Keir Starmer using his opening remarks at PMQs to unveil some political news.
According to Ben Bloch at Sky News, Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker, does not like this habit and complained to him about it at PMQs. Judging by the “Labour source” comment, Starmer does not seem too worried about this.
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Help to cut baby formula costs could save parents up to £500, Starmer says
At PMQs Keir Starmer said that government has a new plan to save the parents of new babies up to £500 from cheaper formula milk. (See 12.01am.) But it was not clear from his brief comments exactly how this would work.
Peter Walker has more details in a story here.
Here is an extract.
Ministers will accept a series of recommendations made in February by the Competition and Markets Authority intended to help inform parents about baby formula products that are cheaper than the best-known brands, such as nutritionally identical supermarket own-brand ones.
The measures will include the use of standardised packaging in hospitals and other healthcare locations to stop the influence of marketing on new parents, and rules setting out that all infant formula products must be displayed together in shops.
People will be allowed to use gift cards, vouchers, loyalty points and coupons to pay for infant formula, something that has been barred in the past because of efforts to prevent deals for baby formula, so as to encourage breastfeeding instead where possible.
And here is the Department of Health and Social Care’s news release.
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No 10 won’t say if Labour MPs who abstained in vote on extending inheritance tax to farms face sanctions
Downing Street refused to say at its post-PMQs briefing what would happen to the Labour MPs who rebelled in a vote last night on the plan to extend inheritance tax to farms.
Only one Labour MP, Markus Campbell-Savours, actually voted against the government in this division. He represents Penrith and Solway.
But, from the division lists, it looks as though at least 20 Labour MPs deliberately abstained. Only 318 Labour MPs voted for the measure. Only 15 minutes earlier 347 Labour MPs voted for a different budget measure, and 15 minutes after the inheritance tax vote 340 Labour MPs voted for a further budget proposition.
The full list of Labour MPs who did not vote for the inheritance tax extension is here. But many of these MPs will have had permission to be away, and it is impossible to tell from the list whether someone was abstaining deliberately, or if they missed the vote for some other reason.
Asked if the rebels would be punished, No 10 said this was a matter for the whips.
The National Farmers’ Union asked Labour MPs to abstain in the vote and, after it happend, the NFU president Tom Bradshaw said:
The MPs who have shown their support are the rural representatives of the Labour party. They represent the working people of the countryside and have spoken up on behalf of their constituents.
Jon Craig from Sky News has compiled a list of Labour MP who did not vote who also represent rural constituencies.
In the debate, explaining why he was voting against the government, Campbell-Savours said:
There remain deep concerns about the proposed changes to agricultural property relief (APR).
Members across the house have made the case against these changes, changes which leave many, not least elderly farmers, yet to make arrangements to transfer assets, devastated at the impact on their family farms.
Many farmers feared this was coming. Some transferred in advance. Others contacted Labour candidates who reassured them, based on public commitments from the then shadow secretary of state for Defra [Steve Reed], that APR would not be touched.
I was one of those Labour candidates, and it’s for that reason I’ll be voting against the budget resolution enabling these changes.
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Updated at 15.31 CET
The Conservatives have again ruled out a pact with Reform UK. At their post-PMQs briefing, a Tory spokesperson said that, with Kemi Badenoch as leader, there “absolutely, 100%” would not be a pact with Nigel Farage’s party.
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No 10 says Tories should apologise for ‘baseless smears’ after report says government did not intervene in China spy case
Downing Street has said that the Conservatives should apologise for the “baseless smears” they made about Labour interfering to block the China spy prosecution.
The report out today from parliament’s joint committee on the national security strategy says:
We did not find evidence of a coordinated high-level effort to bring about the collapse of the prosecution. Nor did we find evidence of deliberate efforts to obstruct the prosecution, circumvent constitutional safeguards or frustrate our inquiry.
At the post-PMQs lobby briefing, the PM’s press secretary said:
The Tories have to apologise for throwing around for weeks baseless smears with Robert Jenrick going as far as to say that people should be sent to prison, despite the government making repeatedly clear that there was absolutely no political interference in the case.
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PMQs – snap verdict
According to polling by YouGov released this morning, the number of people who view Kemi Badenoch as a prime minister in waiting has risen from 9% at the start of November to 21%. That may have been a consequence of the speech she gave in response to the budget last week, which was remarkable both for its unpleasantness and its effectiveness. But, on the basis of today, she does not deserve to go much higher.
Badenoch’s position in her own party has strengthened in part because she had a good run in September at take-down politics. She went after Angela Rayner, who resigned as deputy PM, and, less than a week later, after a particularly strong PMQs performance on the topic, she took some of the credit when Peter Mandelson quit as ambassador to Washington.
But these two hits may have warped the thinking at CCHQ because, in their quest of another scalp, the Tories seem to have lost all judgment. For weeks they aggressively accused the government, and Jonathan Powell in particular, of leaning on the Crown Prosecution Service to drop the China spy trial, despite there being no evidence to support this claim at all. That has been confirmed by a parliamentary report out today. Badenoch demanded Reeves’s resignation over a housing rental mishap, even though it was quickly established that this was the fault of a lettings agency. At that point Badenoch was also saying Reeves should have to resign if she put taxes up in the budget. Then, after the budget, Badenoch said that Reeves should be sacked because she “lied” to the public with a speech about the state of the public finances. This claim also ran into the buffers when the OBR, which published the information that led Reeves to make her claim, yesterday said explicitly that it did not agree with Badenoch’s take on the chancellor’s speech.
But the Tory conspiracy machine went into full overdrive on Sunday when Mel Stride, the shadow chancellor, sent a letter to the Financial Conduct Authority claiming that Reeves’s pre-budget speech, and Treasury briefing, amounted to “market abuse” and calling for an investigation.
And this is what Badenoch was referring to at PMQs today with her second question, when she said:
We now know that the head of the OBR [Office for Budget Responsibility] was forced out for telling the truth that the chancellor did not need to raise taxes on working people. We also know that the chancellor was briefing the media, twisting the facts, all so she could break her promises and raise taxes.
If she was a CEO, she would have been fired and she might even have been prosecuted for market abuse. That’s why we’ve written to the Financial Conduct Authority [FCA], so will the prime minister ensure the chancellor fully cooperates with any investigation?
Starmer replied: “She’s completely losing the plot.”
The PM had a point. As Mel Stride knows full well, there is a huge difference between a FTSE 100 CEO trying to manipulate a share price for financial gain and a government minister trying to put a partial spin on economic data, which is something that happens at the time. Reeves may have been less than fully candid when she spoke about her budget choices on 4 November, but this is not unusual in Westminster politics and the idea that it merits an FCA investigation is fanciful. When Alex Burghart, the shadow Cabinet Office minister, tried to defend this in a Today programme interview, he accused Reeves of putting misleading information about the budget into the public domain for political advantage. Nick Robinson shot him down quite easily by pointing out that that is exactly what the Tories are doing when they claim taxes are only going up in the budget to fund higher benefits for people who don’t work.
As the PMQs exchanges went on, Badenoch did make some stronger points. And she was entitled to point out that the decision to remove the two-child benefit cap was a big reversal from Starmer’s position on this last year. But it felt as if her reasonable criticisms of the budget were devalued by the wilder conspiracy claims.
Does this matter? In the era of conventional politics, party leaders worried about their credibility, and they would avoid associating themselves with the kooky stuff because it would stop them being taken seriously. Badenoch just doesn’t seem to mind. It feels like a mistake, but perhaps she has concluded that it does not really matter any more because, with so much politics now online, the boundaries of reason have been swept away.
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