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Exclusive: Anger As Nadine Dorries Dismisses Steve Barclay Bullying Claims As ‘Politically Motivated’

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Nadine Dorries has been condemned after she claimed bullying allegations against Steve Barclay were “politically-motivated”.

The former culture secretary made the accusation on her Talk TV chat show.

Barclay, the health secretary, is facing allegations about his treatment of staff just days after the resignation of Dominic Raab following a report into bullying claims against him.

The Guardian reported that civil servants informally complained to the Department of Health’s top mandarin about how they were treated by Barclay, while senior officials privately spoke of “bullying” and other “bad behaviour”.

A source close to the minister told HuffPost UK: “No complaint has been made and the allegations are untrue.”

Dorries, who is standing down as a Tory MP at the next election, said: “I have known Steve Barclay for 18 years and I would defend him with my dying breath. Professional, respectful, courteous, kind, compassionate are the words which jump to mind to describe him if I were ever to be asked.”

On the bullying claims, she said: “It is without doubt politically-motivated by the unions and they have shot themselves in the foot and exposed their true intentions trying to claim the scalp of another cabinet minister who so many respect – but they have chosen the wrong man. This accusation is beyond absurd.”

She added: “If anyone brings forward a genuine bullying claim in the future they are going to find it difficult to be believed because those lefties who are trying to bring down the government by any false means possible will have cried wolf once too often.”

Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA union, which represents senior civil servants, told HuffPost UK: “Nadine Dorries actively demonstrates two key factors.

“Firstly, she doesn’t understand what bullying is – it’s an abuse of power. The relationship she would have had with a fellow minister has a very different power dynamic to that between a minister and their civil servants.

“Secondly, her entire world view is based on political conspiracies and imagined enemies. She cannot fathom that civil servants might simply be complaining about how they are treated in the workplace.”

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Braverman Under Fire For Claim Channel Migrants ‘At Odds’ With British Values

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Suella Braverman has been accused of striking up a “xenophobic and racist fire” after saying people arriving in the UK in small boats have values which are “at odds with our country”.

The home secretary was facing a backlash to her remarks as government’s controversial immigration legislation cleared the Commons.

She also failed to offer statistical evidence to back her claim that migrants crossing the English Channel are linked to “heightened levels of criminality”.

Braverman said: “I think that the people coming here illegally do possess values which are at odds with our country.”

Asked later whether she had figures to support the crime statement, she said it was based on information she had gathered from police chiefs.

At an event later in Westminster, she added: “Not in all cases, but it is becoming a notable feature of everyday crime-fighting in England and Wales.

“Many people are coming here illegally and they’re getting very quickly involved in the drugs trade, in other forms of exploitation.”

Asked whether that claim was based on empirical evidence, she said: “I consider police chiefs experts in their field and authoritative sources of information.”

Even an outspoken right-wing Tory MP criticised the comments on values.

Conservative MP for Stoke-on-Trent North Jonathan Gullis told LBC they were not “appropriate” or “reasonable”.

He said: “I don’t feel comfortable with the mentioning of the values. I don’t think that was appropriate, nor was it right.”

Labour condemned Braverman’s comments about migrants’ values, with a spokesman calling it the “sort of invective” that signals that the policies being promoted “have failed”.

Campaigners accused her of “pouring petrol on a xenophobic and racist fire they (the government) themselves have lit”.

Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s refugee and migrant rights director, said: “Suella Braverman’s dog-whistle remarks about the ‘values’ of migrants being ‘at odds’ with British ‘norms’ are appallingly divisive and shamelessly intended to stoke fear and hatred of people seeking refuge in this country.

“No-one should suffer such blatant exposure to prejudice and hostility, especially not in the form of highly insensitive remarks from the Home Secretary.

“The government’s draconian asylum legislation is already set to tear apart legal protections in this country for refugees, victims of human trafficking and many other people, while Suella Braverman continues pouring petrol on a xenophobic and racist fire they themselves have lit.”

It came as senior backbench Tories, including former prime minister Theresa May and ex-party leader Iain Duncan Smith, voiced concerns inpParliament about the impact the government’s flagship immigration reforms could have on modern slavery protections.

But the bill cleared the House of Commons without any drama in the votes after MPs gave it a third reading by 289 votes to 230, majority 59.

The illegal migration bill will change the law so people who arrive in the UK illegally will be detained and then promptly removed, either to their home country or a safe third country such as Rwanda.

Critics of the Bill have dismissed the proposed legislation as unworkable, while right-wing Tory MPs believe it does not go far enough.

Other Tories want greater protections for minors and victims of human trafficking.

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Theresa May Torches Government’s Migration Crackdown

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Theresa May has warned the government’s crackdown on migration will create more victims of modern slavery as ministers attempt to deter people from crossing the English Channel.

The former prime minister been joined by former leader Iain Duncan Smith in objecting to the illegal migration bill based on its potential to fuel human trafficking.

May, a long-serving home secretary who had a reputation for her hardline approach to immigration, said the controversial proposed legislation will give “the traffickers another weapon to hold people in that slavery and exploitation”.

The MP described an amendment tabled by ministers as a “slap in the face”.

Temporary protection against removal from the UK is currently given to suspected victims of modern slavery or human trafficking while their case is considered.

But the bill removes this protection for those judged to have entered the UK illegally.

It contains an exception for people co-operating with a criminal investigation, but the government amendment adds it is not necessary for a person to be present in the UK to co-operate with such proceedings unless there are judged to be “compelling circumstances”.

May and Duncan Smith are behind a separate amendment seeking to protect victims of modern slavery in the UK from removal and being barred from returning.

May said the change also suggests those dealing with the bill “simply do not understand the nature of these crimes or the position of victims”.

The MP for Maidenhead said the government amendment will make it “much harder” to investigate and prosecute traffickers and slavedrivers given victims need to feel safe and have confidence in the authorities.

She said: “Sending victims back to their own country or a third country like Rwanda will simply, at best, make them feel less secure, and therefore less able or willing to give the evidence needed, and at worst will drive them back into the arms of the traffickers and slavedrivers.”

She added: “Modern slavery is the greatest human rights issue of our time. The approach in this bill, I believe, will have several ramifications. I believe it will consign victims to remain in slavery.

“The government will be ensuring that more people will stay enslaved and in exploitation as a result of this bill because it will give the slavedrivers, it will give the traffickers, another weapon to hold people in that slavery and exploitation, because it’ll be very easy to say to them, ‘Don’t even think about trying to escape from the misery of your life, from the suffering we’re subjecting you to because all the UK government will do is send you away and probably send you to Rwanda’.

“The modern slavery act gave hope to victims, this bill removes that hope. I genuinely believe that, if enacted as it is currently proposed, this bill will leave more people, more men, women and children, in slavery in the UK.”

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Tory Deputy Chairman Lee Anderson Gets Schooled On The Law By Top Police Officer

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Lee Anderson was left embarrassed after his attempt to criticise a top police officer spectacularly backfired.

The Tory deputy chairman accused Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley of failing to crack down on protesters outside parliament.

“We have seen protesters once again in Parliament Square setting up some sort of Glastonbury-on-Thames gazebo,” Anderson said.

“Don’t you think it’s time you left your ivory tower, got out there on Whitehall and sorted the people out? You’re just letting it happen. You’ve got the powers now to do this.”

But Rowley told him this was wrong, as the controversial Public Order Bill – which gives police greater powers to stop demonstrations – is not yet law.

“Those powers haven’t come in yet,” Rowley explained. “You’re making selective comments based on a partial understanding of the law.”

Rowley, the UK’s most senior police officer, added: “The law is very clear that protest is disruptive and to a certain extent that is allowed.

“That is why the law says at the moment you might not like that but I have to work to the law rather than whim.”

He told Anderson: “You might want to believe the law says that no disruption is allowed whatsoever through protest, but that is not case.”

Anderson told Rowley: “You might want to believe you are doing your job correctly, I don’t think you are. I feel like I’m wasting my time with you.

“Do you think you’ve got confidence of the public?” he asked.

But Rowley hit back: “If people want to be personally offensive, then write it in newspapers, I’m not going to answer those questions.”

Rowley took over as Met commissioner in September 2022, replacing Cressida Dick.

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‘Political Vandals’: George Osborne’s Brutal Verdict On Liz Truss’s Government

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Former chancellor George Osborne has labelled the Liz Truss government “political vandals” who caused a “self-induced financial crisis”.

Osborne, chancellor from 2010 until 2016, was speaking to a House of Lords committee investigating the independence of the Bank of England.

He referenced last autumn’s chaotic mini-budget from former prime minister Truss and ex-chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng – and the resultant plunge in the value of the pound – to justify the Bank’s status.

Truss, who resigned as prime minister in October, said she would review the independence of the central bank and question its decision-making on interest rates during her leadership campaign.

Her government’s mini-budget on September 23 then led to a loss of confidence in the currency and bond markets, leading to the pound dropping to an all-time low against the dollar and a crisis in the pensions market.

As a result, the Bank of England intervened with a plan to buy £65 billion of government bonds five days later in a short-term intervention.

<img class="img-sized__img landscape" loading="lazy" alt="Liz Truss and George Osborne during the 2016 Brexit referendum campaign.” width=”720″ height=”481″ src=”https://www.wellnessmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/political-vandals-george-osbornes-brutal-verdict-on-liz-trusss-government-1.jpg”>
Liz Truss and George Osborne during the 2016 Brexit referendum campaign.

Matt Cardy via Getty Images

The former chancellor said the short-lived government “heavily” depended on the Bank after its spending and cost-cutting plan shook the markets.

“There is a real responsibility for the governor of the Bank, the chancellor of the Exchequer, the prime minister, in particular, to make these arrangements work,” Osborne said.

“You can prescribe in legislation all sorts of frameworks but if the individuals concerned don’t want to make it work then you are going to start grinding through the gears of the British constitution.

“I think you saw that last autumn in Britain when you had a Conservative government which did not particularly value the then governor of the Bank of England and made no secret of it, and then ended up heavily depending on the Bank of England in a crisis they had created.”

He hailed how the Bank and governor Andrew Bailey dealt with the “exceptionally difficult situation” last autumn.

Osborne added: “You had an elected government in this country challenging essentially the legitimacy of the Bank governor and the Bank of England.

“You had a self-induced financial crisis within this country alone at the time. And the Bank managed to navigate through that and it was the Bank’s credibility that managed to restore confidence to the market which was followed by the change of government.”

The former Chancellor also called for increased independence at the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the official forecaster his previous government set up in 2010, adding last autumn’s events bolstered the argument to give it a similar standing to that of the Bank.

He said: “I would learn from that experience and learn from the Bank of England’s independence and find ways to make the OBR more independent and more robust in the face of, you know, political vandals.”

The former chancellor and ex-former Labour shadow chancellor Ed Balls were facing questions from the House of Lords’ economic affairs committee.

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China’s Mars Rover Is Hibernating And Doesn’t Want To Wake Up

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China’s rover on Mars has not woken up after months of hibernating, the scientists operating it finally explained on Tuesday.

Zhurong, as the solar-powered rover is known, was in a scheduled sleep during the red planet’s winter. And though it was named after an ancient Chinese god of fire, it seems remarkably… docile, right now.

So what’s stopping it from waking up? Dust, apparently, as this stops it turning sunlight into electricity.

Chief designer of the Mars exploration programme, Zhang Rongqiao, explained: “Based on our analysis, the most likely possibility is that an unpredictable accumulation of dust from Mars led to a decrease in its ability to produce electricity, such that it’s insufficient for it to wake up.”

If the dust levels exceed more than 40% that the Chinese engineers had prepared for, it would become inactive “forever”. No amount of solar activity could help it, Zhang told Chinese state broadcasters.

He did not explain how much dust is already on it.

The rover successfully landed back in May 2021, meaning China was only the second country after the US to succeed to landing a probe like this on Mars.

The landing was seen as a sign that Beijing was really starting to establish itself in space exploration.

When the rover first touched down, it explored Mars for about a year in Earth days (358 days in Martian time) and covered 1.2 miles, even though it was only meant to look around for three Martian months.

It was then put to sleep in May 2022, and was meant to autonomously wake up December 2022 during the planet’s northern spring equinox.

Five months later, it’s looking like the rover has decided it would rather stay sleeping. And who can blame it?

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Brits Need To Accept They’re Poorer, Says Bank Of England Economist

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Britain needs to stop playing “pass-the-parcel” with someone accepting that they are poorer to get inflation under control, the chief economist of the Bank of England has said.

Huw Pill said that people and businesses have responded to higher bills and costs by asking for higher wages or charging their customers more money.

But households and companies trying to pass on their higher costs, he said, adds to inflation, pushing up prices even further across the economy.

UK inflation – the measure of the rising cost of goods and services – hit 10.1% in the year to March. It was a fall from 10.4% in February, but still remains stubbornly high – and above the 9.8% that experts had predicted.

The Bank of England is tasked with keeping inflation under control, targeting 2% a year.

Speaking on the Beyond Unprecedented podcast from Columbia Law School, Pill said: “The UK, which is a big net importer of natural gas, is facing a situation where the price of what you’re buying from the rest of the world has gone up a lot, relative to the price of what you’re selling to the rest of the world, which is mainly services in the case of the UK.

“You don’t need to be much of an economist to realise that if what you’re buying has gone up a lot relative to what you’re selling, you’re going to be worse off.

“So, somehow in the UK, someone needs to accept that they’re worse off and stop trying to maintain their real spending power by bidding up prices whether through higher wages or passing energy costs on to customers etc.

“What we’re facing now is that reluctance to accept that, yes, we’re all worse off and we all have to take our share; to try and pass that cost onto one of our compatriots and saying, ‘we’ll be alright, but they will have to take our share too’.

“That pass-the-parcel game that’s going on here, that game is one that’s generating inflation, and that part of inflation can persist.”

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‘The Benefits Are Pure Fantasy’: MPs Debate Brexit Impact For First Time

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The benefits of Brexit have been written off as “pure fantasy” as MPs debated the consequences of leaving the European Union amid growing concern over the decision.

On Monday, a three-hour debate took place in Westminster Hall triggered by 183,000 people signing a petition calling for a public inquiry into the impact of Brexit.

Brexit and its consequences have been discussed periodically in parliament, but it is thought this is the first time a full debate has examined what leaving the bloc has led to.

Brexit has been cited repeatedly as the UK’s economy is expected to perform the worst out of any G20 economies apart from Russia this year and next, an IMF analysis has suggested.

On the same day as the debate, Gerry Murphy, the chairman of Burberry, said leaving the EU had been a “drag on growth” as he hit out at the “spectacular own goal” of a post-Brexit VAT change during a Q&A with Rishi Sunak.

Ministers have previously rejected a call for an official probe into the effects of leaving the EU.

The debate was opened by SNP MP Martyn Day, speaking in favour of the petition.

He told parliamentarians: “Nearly seven years on from the Brexit referendum, the UK public are still waiting for the elusive ‘Brexit benefits’ that were promised.

“It seems to me, having raised just some of the areas where leaving the EU has impacted on the UK, that the benefits of Brexit are pure fantasy.

“The economic fallout from Brexit is stark and it has been made starker by the current cost of living crisis that is being inflicted on households up and down the country.

“From my perspective, Brexit has been an unmitigated disaster—politically, economically and socially, for Scotland and the rest of the UK.

“The UK government, of course, have a means to refute this.

“When major events occur, public inquiries can be held into matters of public concern to establish facts, to learn lessons so that mistakes are not repeated, to restore public confidence and to determine accountability.”

Speaking against the petition, Conservative MP Adam Holloway said the biggest benefit was that “our sovereignty has been repatriated”.

“It is easy to disdain patriotism if you’re economically and socially mobile and derive your self-worth from a well-paid job, or if you life is made easier by cheap labour brought by free movement,” the MP said.

Labour MP Hilary Benn picked up on sovereignty issue as he argued proponents of Brexit were “in a state of confusion and denial”.

He said: “I met many people during the campaign who made that argument. Indeed, they said, ‘I don’t care about the economic impact. My sovereignty is more important.’ I respect people’s right to hold that view; I fundamentally disagree with it.

“But what was unforgiveable was to claim that we could have all our sovereignty, keep all the benefits of being a member of the European Union and get further benefits on top of that. It simply was not true, and we now know it was not true. Therefore, those who argued for us to leave the European Union are now in a state of confusion and denial.

“That is what is going on, particularly around the economic consequences. If we do not understand what those are, how on earth are we going to build a different relationship with our European colleagues over the months and years ahead?”

Labour’s Fleur Anderson hit out at “delusion” ministers.

She said: “In December 2021, I called for a debate on the impact of Brexit and a region-by-region report. The then leader of the House (Jacob Rees-Mogg) gave me this response: ’We can start prayers every morning…with a celebration of Brexit. We should have the Brexit prayer and perhaps even the Brexit song…because it has been a triumph for this nation in reasserting its freedom.′

“He said that we now have ‘happy fish’ and that across the country ‘there is general celebrating and rejoicing’.

“That level of delusion, flippancy and not taking the issue seriously is very frustrating for people across the country, and it is why they signed the petition in such large numbers. This cannot be the last word—just writing it off and saying that Brexit has been a success without giving evidence.”

The UK government has said: “The UK’s departure from the EU was a democratic choice, and the UK-EU institutions are functioning as intended. The Government does not believe this to be an appropriate subject for a public inquiry,”

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Queen Camilla’s Son Expertly Dodges Question About Prince Harry And The Coronation

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Tom Parker Bowles expertly dodged a question about his stepbrother, Prince Harry, during an appearance on The News Agents podcast with Jon Sopel and Emily Maitlis last week.

The food writer and critic, who is the son of the former Camilla Parker Bowles, was asked by Maitlis if “there’s a panic about whether Harry would come or not” to King Charles and Queen Camilla’s coronation, which takes place on May 6.

Parker Bowles replied that the decision had “nothing to do with me”, before jokingly saying he and his son were concerned about whether Harry Kane, captain of England’s national team, was coming to the coronation.

The 48-year-old also defended his mother from those that may speculate that she always wanted to be queen.

“I think change happens, but I don’t care what anyone says, this wasn’t any sort of end game,” the writer said. “She married the person she loved and this is what happened.”

Tom Parker Bowles, Laura Parker Bowles, Prince Harry and Prince William following the civil ceremony marriage between HRH Prince of Wales and Mrs. Camilla Parker Bowles on April 9, 2005, in Berkshire, England.
Tom Parker Bowles, Laura Parker Bowles, Prince Harry and Prince William following the civil ceremony marriage between HRH Prince of Wales and Mrs. Camilla Parker Bowles on April 9, 2005, in Berkshire, England.

Julian Herbert via Getty Images

Maitlis ― a journalist who conducted the infamous Prince Andrew interview in 2019 that led to him stepping back as a working royal ― also asked Parker Bowles if it was “weird” to think of his mother as queen.

“Not really because she’s still our mother,” Parker Bowles answered. “I say ‘our’ but not the royal ‘we,’ speaking for my sister [Laura Lopes] and me. She’s our mother.”

And despite his mother’s new title, Parker Bowles insisted he will not be given one of his own.

“I become nothing,” the writer said with a laugh. “There’d be revolution if they started handing it out to people like me… You’re not going to find us with great estates, being called the ‘duke of whatever.’ No, that would be appalling.”

Camilla, then-Duchess of Cornwall, with her son Tom Parker Bowles (left) and daughter Laura Lopes (right) watch the racing as they attend the Cheltenham Festival on March 11, 2015.
Camilla, then-Duchess of Cornwall, with her son Tom Parker Bowles (left) and daughter Laura Lopes (right) watch the racing as they attend the Cheltenham Festival on March 11, 2015.

Max Mumby/Indigo via Getty Images

He also defended those who may protest at the coronation ― like the anti-monarchy group, Republic ― telling the podcast hosts that “everyone has the right to think what they want”.

“You know, going back to Extinction Rebellion and Animal Rebellion and Republic and whatever it is, everyone has a right to their say,” he said. “We live in, thankfully, a free country.”

He added that “if people want to protest that’s their right to do so”.

Charles’ coronation will be held at Westminster Abbey next month, though he became king when his mother, Queen Elizabeth, died in September of last year.

Buckingham Palace recently revealed that the Duke of Sussex will be in attendance at the ceremony, while Meghan Markle will remain in California, as it is the couple’s son Archie’s fourth birthday.

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Sunak Grins And Bears It As Boss Hits Out At Brexit’s ‘Drag On Growth’

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Rishi Sunak has had to face up to criticism of Brexit from a business leader as the PM attempted to patch up the government’s relationship with industry.

Gerry Murphy, the chairman of Burberry, hit out at the “spectacular own goal” of a post-Brexit VAT change as the prime minister had an audience with around 200 high-profile chief executives.

Murphy added scrapping the VAT refund for tourists has made Britain the “least attractive” shopping destination in Europe as he said leaving the EU had been a “drag on growth”.

Sunak insisted at the Business Connect conference he convened in London that the government has “got your back” after the leaderships of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.

Murphy welcomed Sunak as being “obviously more business friendly than some predecessor administrations”.

But the chairman of the luxury retailer added: “It is somewhat perverse that on the day that we left the single market, a decision by, I think it was by you as chancellor, to remove the VAT refund for tourists made the UK the least attractive shopping destination in Europe.

“Leaving the EU has had a significant friction effect on trade, hopefully not forever … but it is the case it was a drag on growth.

“So we ask you to look at this specific one (VAT), this is a spectacular own goal, one that can be reversed by a decision from you or from the chancellor.”

Sunak insisted there “were good reasons for it” but said he would look at the data to “see if things are panning out as we expected to, or not”.

Labour seized on the conference to accuse the Tories of having mismanaged the UK economy.

Shadow chief secretary to the Treasury Pat McFadden said: “After 13 years, the pattern of Tory economic failure is grinding on.

“Families in Britain are being harder hit by price rises than many comparable economies.

“Other countries have had to cope with Covid and the consequences of the war in Ukraine, yet it is Tory Britain which sits at the top of the inflation growth league of major industrial economies.”

Earlier this month, IMF economists stated that they expected the UK economy to grow slower than other developed G7 nations, with a contraction of 0.3% this year before rebounding to grow by 1% next year.

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