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A former Number 10 communications guru says Rishi Sunak needs to “wake up and smell the coffee” after a grim set of local elections results for the Tories – but a minister insists it’s still “key” to back the PM. Listen to this week’s Politics at Jack and Sam’s as you scroll.
Sunday 5 May 2024 16:28, UK
We’re pausing our live coverage for today – thanks for joining us and be sure to check back in tomorrow.
Before you go check out some of today’s stories below:
Suella Braverman wrote in the Daily Telegraph about her party that “the hole to dig us out is the PM’s, and it’s time for him to start shovelling”.
She also called for the party to take a stance further to the right of where it is now.
Tobias Ellwood – a Tory MP who is much more on the One Nation side of the party – has now called for her to get on board with the PM and help his election efforts.
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Ellwood says: “Why not be part of the efforts Suella Braverman?
“Why not be part of the team with the prime minister that grabs the shovels as well, rather than simply commentating from the sidelines.
“Let’s be bit more JFK about this – you know, every one of us, as the election approaches, especially parliamentarians, should be asking ourselves, do our actions, do our comments, help demonstrate unity or distract from that core message?
“Did they help win back the middle ground that’s vital for electoral success – or do they push to the extreme?
“Do they help retain Conservative seats, or do they help lose them?
“That’s the big test that we now face with just months away from the next general election.”
By Jennifer Scott, political reporter
SNP leadership hopeful John Swinney has warned rivals against entering the contest, saying it would “delay the ability for the [party] to start its rebuilding”.
The former deputy leader is currently the only candidate in the running to replace Humza Yousaf, who announced last week he would be stepping down as first minister after his decision to end a power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Green Party led to the collapse of his premiership.
But rumours have surfaced today that SNP activist Graeme McCormick has gathered enough support to launch his own bid for the top job, and if he submits an application before Monday’s midday deadline, the party would begin a three-week leadership contest.
Speaking to Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, Mr Swinney accepted there was a “democratic process” for any candidate with 100 signatures from 20 local SNP organisations to enter the race.
However, in what appeared to be a warning to any potential rival, he added: “My bid to become SNP leader has received very, very comprehensive support within the SNP. I have sent out a message which is about unifying the SNP to strengthen our party and win Scottish independence.
“I think that is necessary as the SNP is not as cohesive today as the party needs to be, and my campaign has attracted very wide support.”
Read the full story here:
George Galloway, the leader of the Workers Party of Britain and Rochdale MP, ended an interview with LBC this morning when asked about comments he previously made about gay relationships.
Speaking to Novara Media previously, Mr Galloway said: “I don’t want my children prematurely sexualised at all, I don’t want them taught that some things are normal when their parents don’t believe that they’re normal.
“Now there’s lots of things not normal, doesn’t mean you have to hate something that isn’t normal. But if my children are taught that there’s – whatever the current vogue number is – 76 or 97 or whatever the number of purported genders that exist, I don’t want my children taught that.”
He added that he did not want children to be taught “that gay relationships are exactly the same and as normal as a mum, a dad and kids”.
“I want my children to be taught that the normal thing in Britain, in society across the world, is a mother, a father and a family.
“I want them to be taught that there are gay people in the world and that they must be treated with respect and affection, as I treat my own gay friends and colleagues with respect and affection but I don’t want my children to be taught that these things are equal because I don’t believe them to be equal.”
Asked about the comments by LBC, Mr Galloway claimed the station was “ambushing” him – and that they had shown a “clip of a clip” that was “edited”.
On its website, LBC said: “The clip played was shortened, though a longer clip was then played.”
Exclusive by Mark Kleinman, City editor
The world’s second-largest steel company has warned the government that a planning verdict due this week could lead to a key division quitting the UK.
Sky News has seen a letter sent by ArcelorMittal to Michael Gove, the levelling-up secretary, in which it says that a decision to allow the closure and redevelopment of part of Chatham Docks would have “seismic adverse consequences… [for] the British economy and multiple strategic industries”.
In the letter from Matthew Brooks, who runs ArcelorMittal’s construction solutions arm in the UK, the company urges Mr Gove to issue an urgent order to allow fuller government scrutiny of the redevelopment proposals ahead of Wednesday’s decision by Medway Council.
“This is highly time-sensitive – calling in the application after next Wednesday will not be possible,” Mr Brooks wrote.
He warned that if the proposals were approved, ArcelorMittal would “regrettably be left with no alternative but to leave Chatham Docks and, more than likely, cease operations in Britain, given the lack of suitable alternative sites”.
Read more below:
Yolande Makolo, the spokesperson for the Rwandan government, was speaking to the BBC this morning.
She was asked if the central African nation was able to take the tens of thousands of people the UK government is aiming to send abroad.
Ms Makolo said: “We will be able to welcome the migrants that the UK sends over the lifetime of this partnership.
“What I cannot tell you is how many thousands we are taking in the first year or the second year. This will depend on very many factors that are being worked out right now.”
But she rubbished reports Rwanda was only able to take 200 people.
Responding to Ms Makolo’s comments, Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: “This interview shows that more people have arrived in the last week than are likely to be sent to Rwanda over the next few years, and the Conservatives are just trying to con people with their failing plans.
“Today we heard a stark admission that Rwanda can only take a tiny proportion of people who are arriving in the UK, yet the government is spending half a billion pounds of taxpayers’ money on this scheme.
“At the same time the government is letting the backlog go back up and failing to process removals to safe home countries so the costs to the taxpayer will go up even further.”
The last of the 107 English councils has declared its winner – with Labour holding Salford.
The net result is that Labour gained one seat and the Conservatives lost one – although this does not mean there were not other swaps.
It means that, in total, the Conservatives are down 474 seats, while Labour is up 186, the Lib Dems up 104, the Greens up 74, and other parties up 100.
Labour gained eight councils, the Lib Dems gained won, three went to no overall control or another party, and the Conservatives lost 12.
This does not include the mayoral races, of which the Tories won only one – Tees Valley.
In totality (there were lots of seats not up for election this time round) Labour now control 51 of the 107 councils, the Lib Dems 12, Conservatives six and independents one, with 37 under no overall control.
Some 255 people crossed the Channel in small boats yesterday, according to the government – in five boats.
But the Home Office has now added more data to the chart they publish – including “migrants prevented” and “events prevented”.
Yesterday, the Home Office says 104 people were stopped in six events.
According to the government, this equates to “individuals who are prevented from departing France, or those who return to France”, and also “finds of general maritime equipment”.
This information comes from a “snapshot” from the French authorities, and has not been verified – with the Home Office saying it is “inherently likely to be subject to a relatively high degree of measurement error”.
The department also states that arrivals and preventions are not comparable.
Speaking to Trevor Phillips this morning, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the government’s plan is “to stick to focusing on the priorities that the prime minister set out, which are the government’s priorities, the Prime Minister’s priorities but they’re also the priorities of the British people”.
But the Liberal Democrats say the Conservatives are in “complete denial”.
The party’s deputy leader, Daisy Cooper, said: “Mark Harper’s claim that their ‘plan’ is working shows the Conservatives are living in cloud cuckoo land.
“Voters across the country turned to the Liberal Democrats in these local elections as we beat the Conservatives and pushed them into third place.
“Rishi Sunak needs to stop running scared of the British people and call a general election. Every day he clings on to power just does more damage to the NHS and people’s living standards.”
Robert Largan is the MP for High Peak, in Derbyshire, and falls under the boundaries of freshly minted Labour mayor for the East Midlands Claire Ward.
He is also under the Labour police and crime commissioner Nicolle Ndiweni.
Posting on social media, Mr Largan says: “Congratulations to Claire Ward, the new East Midlands Mayor, and to Nicolle Ndiweni, the new Derbyshire Police & Crime Commissioner.
“I sincerely wish them both the best of luck in their roles. I will do my best to work with them, on a cross-party basis, to deliver for Derbyshire.”
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