Tag Archives: Politics

Tories Lose 1,000 Council Seats – Which Was Meant To Be Worst-Case Scenario

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The Conservative Party has been mocked after a dire set of local election results reached a benchmark.

At around 7.30pm on Friday, the Conservatives had lost more than 1,000 council seats in England – and rising – with some authorities still to declare.

For the last month, Tory party chairman Greg Hands has been telling anyone who will listen they were on course to lose 1,000 councillors.

But it doesn’t take a seasoned political watcher to know this is “expectation management” – a device used by all political parties during campaigning.

The idea is to set out the worst case scenario, so when it’s not so bad you have a positive story to tell. In short, the Conservatives really didn’t think the May 4 ballots would be this bad.

A Lib Dem spokesperson said: “Rishi Sunak has delivered three things in the past 24 hours – pizza, bacon sandwiches and 1,000 seats lost for the Tories.”

Labour frontbencher Wes Streeting said: “I take it all back Greg Hands – I thought losing 1,000 Conservative councillors was a cynical expectation management exercise, not an ambition. What is the point of Rishi Sunak?”

Twitter was enjoying the show too – with the refresh button getting a hammering.

Rishi Sunak remained defiant despite heavy losses, with both Labour and the Lib Dems seizing control of Tory councils across England.

Keir Starmer’s party was projected to have won a nine-point lead over the Conservatives if all of Britain had gone to the polls, as the Tories slid backwards.

Labour seized councils in Tory MPs’ seats that would be hotly contested at a general election – including in Swindon, Medway, Dover and East Staffordshire.

Sunak conceded the results were “disappointing”, but said he was “not detecting any massive groundswell of movement towards the Labour Party or excitement for its agenda”.

But the Tories will be concerned by Labour wins in the North, South and Midlands and a resurgent Lib Dems, as the prospect of a general election in 2024 looms.

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Ivanka Trump Is Focus Of New York Attorney General Lawsuit Claim

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The New York attorney general’s office last week said Ivanka Trump was stonewalling in its fraud lawsuit against ex-president Donald Trump and his children.

A letter to the court, obtained by Forbes, alleged that the family is failing to turn over emails and other communications during the civil litigation’s discovery phase in a timely manner ― and one of the most “significant issues” was an “an unexplained drop-off in emails for Ivanka Trump”.

The former president’s daughter and ex-adviser hasn’t addressed why her volume of emails dropped from 1,200 per month in 2014 to 37 in 2016, according to a previous communique referenced in the letter.

“Not only have defendants failed to offer any substantive response to this inquiry, but there have been no documents produced by Ms Trump,” the attorney general’s office told Judge Arthur Engoron in the April 25 missive.

The judge set a deadline of May 12 for the Trumps to submit outstanding documents, Forbes reported.

Donald Trump and Ivanka Trump make their way to board Air Force One on January 4, 2021.
Donald Trump and Ivanka Trump make their way to board Air Force One on January 4, 2021.

MANDEL NGAN via Getty Images

The family’s defiance was an issue well before the attorney general sued.

In May 2022, Engoron ordered Donald Trump to pay a $110,000 fine to have a contempt charge lifted after he ignored a subpoena from the attorney general’s office during its investigation.

In September 2022, the attorney general’s office sued Trump and his three oldest children, alleging they valued assets incorrectly to scam lenders and tax officials. New York Attorney General Letitia James said the level of fraud was “astounding”.

Ivanka Trump has distanced herself from political association with her father as he seeks to return to the White House in 2024. She was reportedly subpoenaed to testify in the U.S. attorney general’s January 6 probe into the insurrection.

The former president has been indicted in New York on charges involving a hush-money payoff to a porn star. He also faces criminal investigations into his alleged attempts to reverse his 2020 election defeat in Georgia and his mishandling of classified documents he took to Mar-a-Lago.

A spokesperson for Ivanka Trump didn’t immediately reply to HuffPost’s request for comment.

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5 Bizarre Moments From Donald Trump’s Interview With Nigel Farage

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Donald Trump has given an interview to former Ukip leader Nigel Farage for GB News during his recent visit to Scotland.

It contained many of his usual talking points – including bashing Meghan Markle and US president Joe Biden – but also a number of curiosities.

1. War in Ukraine “analysis”

Trump claimed it would be “easy” to end the grinding, 14-month war in Ukraine – defying every serious analysis of the conflict.

He said: “If I were president, I will end that war in one day. It’ll take 24 hours. I will get that ended. It would be easy.

“That deal would be easy. A lot of it has to do with the money. That war has to be stopped. It is a disaster.”

Trump said he “got along great” with Russian president Vladimir Putin, adding: “Putin never would have gotten into Ukraine if it weren’t for the incompetence of this administration, this current administration.

“Putin was not going in, it was never mentioned and I knew him very well.”

2. Gets angry with “windmills”

Trump has had a long-running battle with the Scottish government over blocking his plans for golf course development – with wind farms often standing in his way.

Here, Trump tried to re-frame his reputation as an uncompromising industrialist, and suggested he opposed “windmills” because he’s actually a bit of an environmentalist.

“You want to see a cemetery of birds?,” he asked Farage, a fellow turbine sceptic. “Walk under a windmill.”

He also had something to say about whales: “Wind farms seem to be driving them onshore. I don’t know what that’s all about that, but that’s certainly not good.”

3. Compliments Farage’s eyesight

After the interview, Trump and Farage took a filmed, leisurely stroll around the ex-president’s Turnberry golf course, with the pair stopping at the clubhouse to look out on the manicured holes. An odd back-and-forth took place.

<img class="img-sized__img landscape" loading="lazy" alt="Former US president Donald Trump alongside Nigel Farage at the Trump Turnberry course in South Ayrshire.” width=”720″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.wellnessmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/5-bizarre-moments-from-donald-trumps-interview-with-nigel-farage-2.jpg”>
Former US president Donald Trump alongside Nigel Farage at the Trump Turnberry course in South Ayrshire.

Andrew Milligan – PA Images via Getty Images

Farage: “I saw you hole a good putt on the 18th.”

Trump: “Yeah, that was good.”

Farage: “That was for the four, wasn’t it?”

Trump: “That was for a four. Did you watch it from here? Were you able to see the ball go in the hole?

Farage: “Yeah!”

Trump: “You have good eyes. You don’t have any help with your eyes? You can see the ball going in the hole from here?”

Farage: “The only thing I need help with is short reading.”

Trump: “But long you have great eyes.”

Farage: “Almost be a pilot, you know.”

4. Calls Boris Johnson “far-left”

Trump said the ex-prime minister “changed a lot in office”, suggesting policies under his Conservative administration were “far-left”.

Trump said the Tories “really weren’t staying Conservative”.

“They were going – I mean they were literally going far-left,” he continued.

“It never made sense. I’m saying this as an insider looking in, they were going far-left. What were they doing?”

5. Drops a Sean Connery impression

Trump was also critical of former Scotland first minister Nicola Sturgeon – again mainly as a result of perceived obstacles put in the way of his beloved golf courses.

Trump said he did not think that the former SNP leader, who announced her intention to step down in February, loved her country, adding: “Somebody who comes in and spends a lot of money … I remember Sean Connery saying ‘let him build his bloody golf courses!’.”

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Sue Gray Refused To Co-Operate With Inquiry Into Job With Labour, Government Says

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An inquiry into Sue Gray’s proposed move to the Labour Party has been put on hold after the partygate investigator refused to take part in the probe, a government minister has said.

Her appointment as the Labour leader’s chief-of-staff proved hugely controversial among Tory MPs given that she led the official government probe into Downing Street rule-breaking during lockdown.

Some reports suggested she could have breached the civil service code with her job move.

According to an update on a review into the appointment, Gray declined to make representations into the inquiry looking into her discussions with Labour about the senior party role, Oliver Dowden has said.

In a written statement to the House of Commons on Tuesday, cabinet office secretary Oliver Dowden said his department has made a “confidential assessment” to the anti-corruption watchdog and will not provide further information on Gray’s departure “whilst we consider next steps”.

As well as a cabinet office probe, the anti-corruption watchdog, the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), is reviewing the terms of Gray’s departure.

It can set recommendations for when senior people leave government, including calling for a cooling-off period to avoid any conflict of interest.

Who Is Sue Gray?

The senior civil servant was thrust into the limelight when she took over the probe into coronavirus rule-breaking at No 10 in 2021.

She stepped in to lead the investigation after cabinet secretary Simon Case – her boss – recused himself following allegations that his own office held a Christmas event amid a lockdown.

An initial dossier, published in January 2022, included several strong criticisms of Downing Street’s drinking culture, but was short on details about the parties as it was hampered by an investigation launched by the Metropolitan Police.

But her full report in May 2022 proved to be a bombshell. It detailed events at which officials drank so much they were sick, sang karaoke, became involved in altercations and abused security and cleaning staff at a time when millions of people across the country were unable to see friends and family.

She criticised “failures of leadership and judgment” in No 10 and said “the senior leadership at the centre, both political and official, must bear responsibility”.

Six weeks later, Johnson was forced out of office by his own cabinet and Conservative MPs.

While Gray, in her mid-60s, is said to shun the media spotlight, some politicians have gone so far as to suggest the former publican is the “real leader” of the UK.

In her former role as director-general of propriety and ethics in the Cabinet Office from 2012 to 2018, she is said to have overseen cabinet reshuffles, served as a guiding hand in compiling honours lists, and even signed off political memoirs before their publication.

In the statement, Dowden said Gray was “given the opportunity to make representations as part of this process but chose not to do so”.

He added that “in order to maintain confidentiality towards an individual former employee, I am unable at this stage to provide further information relating to the departure of Ms Gray whilst we consider next steps”.

Dowden also highlighted sections of the civil service code relating to the political activity of civil servants, adding: “The impartiality and perceived impartiality of the Civil Service is constitutionally vital to the conduct of government.”

Earlier in the day Starmer insisted he had no discussions with Gray while she was investigating Boris Johnson and he was “confident” she had not broken any rules.

“Firstly I had no discussions with her while she was investigating Boris Johnson whatsoever, I don’t think anyone is suggesting that’s the case,” the Labour leader told BBC Breakfast ahead of an expected update later from the Cabinet Office on the circumstances of her departure.

He went on: “I’m confident she hasn’t broken any of the rules.”

Starmer claimed the government was trying to resurrect a story about Gray, because they do not want to talk about the cost of living crisis.

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Closed-Door UN Meeting Stokes Fears Of Taliban Recognition

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Thousands of people around the world are protesting against the ongoing closed-door United Nations meeting about the future of Afghanistan, as fears grow that the talks could lead to the Taliban being recognized as a legitimate governing group.

Diplomats from nearly 25 countries and groups — including the US, China and Russia, as well as major European aid donors and key regional neighbors like Pakistan — are attending the two-day meeting chaired by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The Taliban were not invited to attend the meeting, and they have expressed their displeasure over the exclusion.

The attendees are set to discuss key issues affecting Afghanistan, including terrorism and women’s rights, according to the UN.

Activists against the U.N. formally recognizing the Taliban hold banners during a demonstration in front of the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 30.
Activists against the U.N. formally recognizing the Taliban hold banners during a demonstration in front of the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 30.

DANIEL SLIM via Getty Images

After regaining power in 2021, the Taliban has cracked down on women’s access to public life, including barring them from attending universities and high schools. The group also decided last month to enforce a ban on Afghan women working for the UN, which the UN warned could force closure of their operation in Afghanistan.

However, shortly after the Taliban announced the ban, senior UN official Amina Mohammed suggested finding “baby steps” toward “recognition” of the group. Later, the UN retracted her comment and clarified that the Doha meeting is not focused on recognition.

Still, Mohammed’s comments have contributed to widespread concerns about the meeting, with critics pointing out a lack of transparency about the discussions.

Civil society groups and human rights activists highlighted their apprehensions about the possible recognition of the Taliban in an open letter to the UN shared on Sunday.

“Past experiences show that giving into the demands of such regimes by compromising on human rights will only strengthen their grip on power, and prolong the suffering of the people of Afghanistan,” the letter reads.

They also insisted that women of Afghanistan should be “meaningfully represented” in all talks regarding its future.

A member of Taliban fires in the air to disperse the Afghan women during a rally to protest against Taliban restrictions on women, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Dec. 28, 2021.
A member of Taliban fires in the air to disperse the Afghan women during a rally to protest against Taliban restrictions on women, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Dec. 28, 2021.

ALI KHARA via Reuters

Videos have surfaced on social media showing women in Kabul protesting against the Taliban, holding up placards with slogans such as #NoToTaliban and #AfghanWomenLivesMatter. They can be heard chanting “Taliban recognition is a disgrace to the world” and “We will fight, we will die, but we will get our rights”.

“Taliban are terrorists and criminals,” Amiri, a protester in Kabul who is being identified by a pseudonym due to fear of retaliation from the group, told HuffPost. “The UN must not turn a blind eye to the plight of Afghan women and recognize a terrorist organisation that has no achievement except for oppressing women.”

“It’s funny that we have come to a point where the recognition of the Taliban is a topic of global discussion,” Amiri said. “In a fair world, Taliban should be brought to the International Criminal Court to face justice for the decades of crimes they have committed against the people of Afghanistan.”

Along with those in Kabul, hundreds of Afghan diaspora members and activists worldwide, including in Washington, DC, raised their voices in support.

During a press briefing at the State Department on Tuesday last week, department spokesperson Vedant Patel said the US has no intention of acknowledging the Taliban regime, and that the Taliban’s ongoing human rights violations, particularly against women and girls, are a major obstacle to its goal of being recognised internationally.

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Energy Giants ‘Making £60m In Profits A Day Despite Windfall Tax’

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Energy giants have raked in the equivalent of £60 million in North Sea profits every day this year despite the much-heralded windfall tax, Labour has claimed.

The party’s number-crunchers have worked out that firms may have recorded £7 billion in profits since January as families struggle with the cost of living crisis/

Rishi Sunak would have been able to freeze council tax if he had applied a loophole-free windfall tax on soaring oil and gas company profits, according to the Opposition.

Keir Starmer’s party has said the prime minister would have had the money to freeze council tax bills for millions of households in England if the Conservative government’s energy windfall tax had not included a tax break for oil and gas companies choosing to invest in the UK.

When applying the windfall tax, it came with a tax relief for those investing in North Sea energy infrastructure as ministers looked for Britain to become less reliant on foreign fuel following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The windfall tax — officially called the energy profits levy — was applied during Boris Johnson’s premiership in May 2022, when Sunak was chancellor.

The rate was increased from 25% to 35% in January as energy prices stayed high, with the tax relief also cut from 80% to 29% for all investment expenditure besides that focused on renewable energy.

Labour said that if it won power it would remove the so-called tax relief “loophole”, increase the rate of the windfall tax to match Norway’s 78% level and backdate the tax to apply to profits made since January 2022.

Sums by Opposition officials suggest that Labour’s policy would raise £10.4 billion over the course of 2022/23 and 2023/24.

It said a one-year council tax freeze costing about £2.7 billion could have been paid for using the increased windfall tax revenue.

The party made the announcement ahead of the local elections, which are being contested in some areas of England on May 4.

Shadow energy secretary Ed Miliband said: “While families face the crunch from soaring bills, these new figures confirm yet again that the Conservatives are refusing to do the fair and right thing and bring in a proper windfall tax on oil and gas giants to help freeze council tax this year.

“That’s the choice Labour would make ahead of these local elections, because we are on the side of working people.

“A vote for Labour on May 4 is a vote to ‘Build a Better Britain’ for working people.”

Labour said it had estimated 2023 energy sector profits by factoring in Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) data on capital expenditure made in the North Sea, the rate of tax relief and the amount paid under the Energy Profits Levy.

BP and Shell are both set to announce their profits this week covering the first quarter of 2023.

A Conservative spokesman said: “Labour have no credible plan to tackle the cost of living – and instead have to resort to playing politics and shouting from the sidelines. They’ve already spent the money they claim they’d raise multiple times, leaving their spending plans unfunded.

“We have had a 75% windfall tax in place for a year – which is comparable, and in some places higher, than other North Sea nations. That has helped us pay half of people’s energy bills this winter – providing them with immediate relief from some cost of living pressures.

“We will continue to focus on our plans to help build a better future for Britain by delivering on our promises to halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce debt, cut waiting lists and stop the boats.”

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Train Drivers’ Union Hits Back At ‘Bizarre’ Claims They Are ‘Targeting’ Eurovision

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A furious union boss has hit back at “bizarre” claims they are targeting the Eurovision Song Contest with strike action.

Mick Whelan, general secretary of the train drivers’ union Aslef, described accusations by transport secretary Mark Harper as “ridiculous”.

Harper claimed during an interview that rail unions called strikes “specifically targeting” Eurovision taking place in Liverpool on May 13.

Aslef members will walk out on May 12 as part of a long-running dispute over pay, as well as on May 31 and June 3, the day of the FA Cup final.

Members of the RMT transport union are also due to strike on May 13 after they rejected the latest pay deal from train operators.

“I take my hat off to Mr Harper,” Whelan fumed. “Because of all the accusations I have ever heard, and I have heard a good few in my time, this really is the most ridiculous.

“He claims we are not standing in solidarity with Ukraine when he knows – or should know – that we have stood in solidarity with the people of that country much longer than he has.

“We were visiting workers in that country when Mr Harper and his pals in the Tory Party were still pocketing hundreds of thousands of pounds from Russian oligarchs close to Vladimir Putin.

“I have been to Ukraine – I was there as the Russian tanks invaded – and Aslef’s assistant general secretary, Simon Weller, has been there to talk to rail workers when the Russian bombs were falling. Mr Harper hasn’t – and we are members of the Ukraine Solidarity Campaign. Mr Harper isn’t.

“So I am not going to take any lessons in solidarity from a Tory Cabinet minister who doesn’t understand what he is talking about.”

Harper claimed unions are “cynically targeting” the song contest and suggested they should stand in solidarity with Ukrainians instead.

“I think it’s very damaging that the rail unions are calling strikes specifically targeting the Eurovision Song Contest,” he told Sky’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme.

“I’ve met with the head of Ukrainian Railways and Ukrainian Railways have been specifically targeted by Vladimir Putin, rail workers have been killed in their hundreds and I would have thought frankly rail workers would have wanted to stand in solidarity with them rather than targeting the Eurovision Song Contest which, if you remember, is not our song contest.

“We’re hosting it but we’re hosting it for Ukraine and I think cynically targeting events that hard-working, working men and women across the country are spending their money on to try and attend and targeting those I think is very cynical.”

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Ron DeSantis Praises Kemi Badenoch For Her War On ‘Woke Ideology’

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Hardline US presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis has praised Kemi Badenoch for her fight against so-called “woke ideology”.

The Florida governor met the business secretary on a trip to Britain ahead of a potential run against Donald Trump to be the next Republican candidate.

He singled out Badenoch for her views on Britain’s cultural debates, during an interview with The Sunday Telegraph.

The paper claimed his allies hope that Badenoch could be the next Margaret Thatcher to their new Ronald Reagan.

DeSantis praised the senior Tory, who is also minister for women and equalities, for her outspoken views.

He described “woke ideology” as “a war on the truth”, telling the paper: “When institutions get infected by woke ideology, it really corrupts the institutions.

“We look at woke infiltrating schools as a problem, woke infiltrating bureaucracies as a problem and woke infiltrating corporate America as a problem. We say that Florida is where woke goes to die.”

DeSantis said Badenoch “complimented what we are doing in Florida” and added: “I commend her and her efforts to make sure that this is not corrupting British society.”

In a post on Twitter following the meeting, DeSantis said she is such a “strong, outspoken leader in the United Kingdom”.

“We share the same goal of spurring economic growth for our people and I look forward to continuing our relationship,” he added.

DeSantis has not announced his intention to run for the Republican nomination but is widely expected to do so.

In his interview, he also addressed speculation over his potential run at the White House, telling the paper: “I’m going to go through our legislative session, get the people’s business done. I’m still in the midst of that.

“I’ve got about another week or so of that, and then I have the Budget and everything. I’m not going to make any decision before then.

“But the end of that time is coming, it’s closer now than it was six months ago. So just stay tuned.”

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‘Not Very Humble’: Minister Grilled Over Broken Relationship With Striking Workers

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A cabinet minister has refused to state a single thing the government has done wrong in its negotiations with striking workers.

Mark Harper said it would not be helpful to “go back over the history” when grilled by Sky’s Sophy Ridge on the wave of strikes rocking Britain.

The presenter told him his response was “not very humble” when many of the workers are in low paid jobs.

It comes as tens of thousands of nurses are preparing to stage a 28-hour strike over pay from 8pm on Sunday.

Rail workers at 14 train operators are also set to strike on the day of the Eurovision Song Contest final on Saturday, May 13.

Ridge asked the senior Tory if the government took some responsibility for the strikes.

She told him: “Effectively the relationship between the government and the people who keep this country running has broken down.

“Some are the people who care for our sick in hospital, the people who teach our children, the people who drive the trains – do you not take some responsibility for that as well?”

Harper told the presenter that when he got the job under Rishi Sunak he tried to reset the relationship and meet with all the unions.

But Ridge hit back: “Well it hasn’t worked, has it?”

Harper insisted it had and hit out at the RMT rail union’s executive for “refusing” to put the latest offer to their members.

Ridge pressed him: “In this long running dispute – talking about the railways, the schools, the hospitals – is there something that you think in retrospect the government should have done differently?”

Harper said that looking at the “overall position” the government had made “fair and reasonable” pay offers that had been accepted by some of the biggest unions.

“So you can’t name a single thing the government’s done wrong?” Ridge hit back: “Don’t you think that’s part of the problem?

“It’s not very humble is it? When these are people who are on low paid jobs, many of them, working really hard and you can’t say a single thing that government’s done wrong?”

Harper hit back: “I don’t think it’s very helpful to just go back over the history and think what could we could have done differently.

“I’m focused on what we’re doing going forward. I think, by the way, on train drivers, they’re actually pretty well paid. The average salary of a train driver is £60,000…”

Ridge interrupted saying she was talking about lower paid workers including nurses and ambulance drivers.

Harper insisted that a “fair and reasonable” pay offer had been accepted by the largest health unions and the health secretary would receive their formal feedback on Tuesday.

The general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing said they are going back on strike because staffing shortages are putting patients’ lives at risk.

Pat Cullen said they had worked “tirelessly” with NHS England to make sure their strike is as safe as possible for patients.

She added: “There are national exemptions in place for a range of services, for emergency departments, for intensive care units, for neonatal units, paediatric intensive care units, those really acute urgent services.

“We have put national exemptions in place, we’ve worked tirelessly with NHS England.

“In fact, it was the Royal College of Nursing who contacted NHS England to ask for a process to be put in place so that we make sure that the strike was safe for our patients.”

The RCN will hold industrial action from 8pm on Sunday until 11.59pm on Monday night after voting to reject the latest government offer.

Health workers across the NHS have gone on strike several times in past months in disputes over pay and conditions.

Unions including Unison and the GMB have voted in favour of a government pay offer to end the strikes, while Unite and the RCN have voted against.

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The Public Laughs At The Government Again – This Time Over Voter ID

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A second government minister has faced public ridicule in as many days after a radio audience laughed at the suggestion the Conservatives do not want to see new voter ID laws deter people from voting.

Robert Jenrick’s comments on BBC Radio 4 came around 24 hours after Rachel Maclean suggested on the broadcaster’s Question Time that British people being poorer had “nothing to do” with Brexit.

The government has introduced new compulsory ID rules for those voting in person during England’s local elections next week. The move has sparked criticism that more marginalised communities will face fresh challenges to vote.

The government has said the move will prevent voter fraud and protect democracy. But opposition parties and campaigners claim the plan is based on a false premise that actually amounts to “voter suppression” – locking out millions of voters without ID out of the democratic process.

On Any Questions on Friday, Jenrick argued the move was about “protecting the integrity of our democracy”, and said asking to see ID was not a “very unusual thing to do”.

He added: “The truth is it was an anachronism that we didn’t have to show ID going to vote. We all show ID when we go and collect a parcel at the petrol station, we show verification for all manner of things in life.”

He continued that “it is obviously very important that we get this right because we don’t want to see anybody disenfranchised”, which prompted laughter from the audience.

Jenrick argued the pilot schemes showed 99% of “those people who sought to vote did so successfully”, adding: “I don’t think it will be a major issue. I think it is an important step in defending our democracy and I think we should take that seriously.”

At two trials of voter ID in the 2018 and 2019 local elections, more than 1,000 would-be voters were turned away from polling stations and did not return.

The UK has very low levels of proven electoral fraud – during last year’s local and mayoral elections, there was not a single proven case of in-person voter fraud.

Critics have also argued there is a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise young people. Bus and travel passes for older and disabled people are being accepted as photo IDs – but the young people’s travel cards is not being permitted.

When this was put to Jenrick, he dismissed a “confected” issue as he argued: “The evidence is that of the set of ID we’ve created, you are more likely to have that ID if you’re a young person than if you’re an older person.”

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