Tag Archives: Politics

Labour To Force Vote On Emergency Budget As Inflation Hits ‘Worrying’ 40-Year High

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Labour is set to force a vote on an emergency budget to help ease the cost of living crisis today after inflation hit a 40-year high.

Official figures showed the inflation rate increased to 9 per cent in the 12 months to April, up from 7 per cent in March.

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said the announcement would be “a huge worry for families already stretched”.

It means the cost of living in the UK has increased at its fastest rate since 1982 as soaring energy bills put millions of households under pressure.

Reeves said: “We can’t wait any longer for action from this out of touch government.

“Today, Labour force a vote for an emergency budget and for a plan for growth. The Tories must back it.”

The figures, revealed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Wednesday morning, will add to pressure faced by households to cut back on bills and everyday spending.

A large portion of the rise was due to the price cap on energy bills, which was hiked by 54 per cent for the average household at the start of the month.

Higher fuel and food prices, driven by the Ukraine war, are also pushing the cost of living up, with inflation expected to continue to rise this year.

Grant Fitzner, chief economist at the Office for National Statistics, said: “Inflation rose steeply in April, driven by the sharp climb in electricity and gas prices as the higher price cap came into effect.

“Around three-quarters of the increase in the annual rate this month came from utility bills.”

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said that inflation was hitting countries around the world and pointed to energy prices as a main culprit.

“We cannot protect people completely from these global challenges but are providing significant support where we can, and stand ready to take further action,” he said.

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey called for an emergency VAT cut to “slash prices” at the till and fuel pump.

“The warning lights are all flashing red and Boris Johnson hasn’t a second to lose,” he added.

Meanwhile, the British Chambers of Commerce warned that “unprecedented” inflation could spark a recession later in the year.

Think tank Resolution Foundation said the government “must” provide further targeted support for lower income families at the “sharp end” of the crisis.

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Exclusive: Charities Demand Urgent Government Action On Cost Of Living Crisis

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Leading charities have demanded the government take immediate action to help people struggling with the cost of living crisis.

It comes after Boris Johnson was criticised for unveiling 38 new bills in the Queen’s Speech, with none of them designed to immediately alleviate the financial pain being suffered right now by millions across the UK.

The prime minister insisted the government’s plans would grow the economy and create thousands of new jobs, thereby bringing down living costs in the longer term.

But charities and think tanks contacted by HuffPost UK said ministers needed to take steps straight away as the public deal with soaring energy bills, rising inflation, higher council tax and increasing interest rates.

They warn that unless they do, minis risk turning a crisis into “a national emergency”.

What has the government announced so far?

In Ferbruary, Rishi Sunak unveiled a £9bn package of measures to help bring down energy and council tax bills.

Under the plan, energy bills will be reduced by £200, with the money being repaid in charges over the next four years. In addition, households in bands A-D are seeing £150 knocked off their council tax bills.

This is in addition to other measures including a 5p reduction in fuel duty, reducing the Universal Credit taper rate to allow people to keep more of the money they earn, increasing the national minimum wage, £25 extra a week in cold weather payments and raising the national insurance thresholds.

According to the Treasury, the total cost of the support already announced is £22bn.

Rishi Sunak is under pressure to do more to help with the cost of living.
Rishi Sunak is under pressure to do more to help with the cost of living.

Oli Scarff via PA Wire/PA Images

Why was the Queen’s Speech such a let-down?

The Queen’s Speech setting out the government’s legislative plans for the next 12 months – delivered by Prince Charles after Her Majesty withdrew over health concerns – contained a total of 38 bills.

However, Boris Johnson was at pains to stress that there was no new money to help people feeling the pinch.

The prime minister said: “We must remember that for every pound of taxpayer’s money we spend on reducing bills now, it is a pound we are not investing in bringing down bills and prices over the longer term.

“And that if anything, this moment makes clear our best remedy lies in urgently
delivering on our mission to turbo charge the economy, create jobs and spread
opportunity across the country.”

The Prince of Wales delivers the Queen's Speech during the State Opening of Parliament in the House of Lords.
The Prince of Wales delivers the Queen’s Speech during the State Opening of Parliament in the House of Lords.

Alastair Grant via PA Wire/PA Images

Does Boris Johnson get it?

As an unapologetic populist, the prime minister’s instinct will be to make a major announcement on an extra package of financial measures to help struggling voters. But as a fiscal conservative, the chancellor will be resisting any such moves at this time.

This probably explains the bizarre mix-up between Number 10 and the Treasury on the same day the Queen’s Speech was announced.

Johnson told the House of Commons that he and Sunak would say more on the cost of living “in the days to come”, immediately increasing speculation of an emergency budget.

But sources close to Sunak quickly made clear that they knew nothing about it, and insisted no new measures were due before the autumn.

One ally of the Chancellor told HuffPost UK there were “no announcements as far as we are aware”.

They added: “Rishi has always been clear that we would set out plans for support on energy bills for autumn when we know what the [energy] price cap is going to be – but we’re not there yet.”

Does the government have any plan at all?

Johnson chaired a special cabinet meeting at an away day in Stoke with his top team on Thursday, where the government’s response to the cost of living crisis was top of the agenda.

Although no new announcements were made afterwards, it is understood that the PM and chancellor are eyeing a potential tax cut before MPs depart for the summer recess.

Talk of a windfall tax on energy firms’ profits – as demanded by Labour – is also increasing, despite both Johnson and Sunak repeatedly voicing their scepticism about such a move, arguing that it could hamper investment.

We also know that the chancellor will unveil a further package of financial support in the autumn, when the energy price cap is expected to rise significantly once again.

But critics say those on those on the lowest incomes, many of whom are regularly forced to choose between heating their homes and feeding their children, cannot wait several months for the government to step in.

Boris Johnson chairs a cabinet meeting in Stoke-on-Trent
Boris Johnson chairs a cabinet meeting in Stoke-on-Trent

Oli Scarff via PA Wire/PA Images

What should the government be doing right now?

HuffPost UK contacted a range of charities to get their take on the crisis and ask what they believe Johnson and co should do without delay to alleviate the suffering of so many people across the country.

The universal view was that the government should be using the benefits system to urgently target support at those who need it most.

Katie Schmuecker, principal policy adviser at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: “The widening gap between the incomes of the poorest and what they need to afford the essentials is not just something that happens naturally – it is a political choice.

“The chancellor could have used the Spring Statement to ensure that benefits were uprated in line with this year’s very high inflation, and it is not too late to act to protect people from the worst of this crisis. It just needs a political will and speedy action.”

Tom Marsland, policy manager at disability equality charity Scope, said disabled people were already dealing with the increased cost of electric wheelchairs, ventilators or adapted vehicles, before factoring in soaring energy bills.

“The Queen’s Speech was an opportunity to help disabled people, but this didn’t happen,” he said.

“The government must urgently provide increased financial support to disabled people direct through the welfare system.

“Disabled people have seen a real terms cut to their cut to benefits as they rise less than inflation. The government has said it will uprate disability benefits again next April, but what are disabled people supposed to do for the next 12 months if they can’t afford basic essentials like food and heating? We need to see benefits rise in line with inflation now.”

Polly Neate chief executive of Shelter, said: “Housing is at the root of the cost-of-living crisis. Private rents are higher than ever, bills are skyrocketing, and housing benefit is lagging dangerously behind. We’ve heard from renters whose landlords have said unless they agree to a hike in their rent they will be kicked out.

“As a priority, the government needs to end the freeze on housing benefit so people can still pay their rent. It must also scrap no-fault evictions as quickly as possible to prevent more people from losing their homes unnecessarily, and the additional financial hardship that brings.”

Peter Grigg, chief Executive of Home-Start UK, said: “As a minimum, the government should ensure benefits rise in line with the cost of living. Benefits are rising by 3.1 per cent, but inflation is around 8 per cent and prices and energy bills rising even higher.

“So for low-income families this all means an income drop. If we can’t find ways to reduce bills and increase financial support for families, it will be pushing even more parents and children into poverty. Our children deserve better.”

Emma Revie, chief executive of the Trussell Trust, said: “We are calling on the UK government to bring benefits in line with the true cost of living. As an urgent first step benefits should be increased by at least 7 per cent.

“In the longer term, we need the government to introduce a commitment in the benefits system to ensure that everyone has enough money in their pockets to be prevented from falling into destitution. By failing to make benefits payments realistic for the times we face, the government now risks turning the cost of living crisis into a national emergency.”

Isabel Hughes of the Food Foundation said: “A commitment to a new Food Bill would have demonstrated that the government was serious about tackling the problems in the food system and making sustainable long-term action to reduce spiralling food insecurity levels a priority. Families need and deserve more support.”

The economist’s view

HuffPost UK also asked the highly-respected Resolution Foundation for its view on what the government could be doing, but is currently failing to.

Mike Brewer, the think tank’s chief economist, agreed with the charities that the benefits system must be mobilised to help the poorest in the country before it’s too late.

He said: “With average incomes on course to fall by around £1,200 this year – the tightest squeeze in half a century – new support will need to be bold.

“Another big rise in the energy price cap this October means that further help with energy bills is inevitable. And while further universal support will be welcome, the Government must also target support at the low-and-middle income families who are at the sharp end of rising cost pressures.

“The most effective way to do this is to bring forward the big increase in benefits due next spring to this autumn, or even sooner if possible. This would deliver significant cash support to millions of hard-hit households, hold back rising poverty levels and would carry no long-term cost to the Treasury.”

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Jacob Rees-Mogg Clashes With Naga Munchetty Over Partygate ‘Non-Story’

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Jacob Rees-Mogg clashed with the BBC’s Naga Munchetty after she asked him about more than 100 fines being issued to Downing Street staff over partygate.

The cabinet minister insisted it was a “non-story” and that the public had now moved on from the scandal of lockdown-breaking parties in Number 10 and Whitehall.

He also took aim at the BBC, who he said had “loved” covering the story.

The Metropolitan Police announced yesterday that the number of fixed penalty notices they had issued over the affair had doubled to more than 100, with the investigation continuing.

Munchetty asked Rees-Mogg for his reaction to the news when he appeared on BBC Breakfast.

The BBC presenter asked Rees-Mogg whether the news that more than 100 Downing Street staff have now been fined for breaking lockdown rules “reflected well on this Conservative government”.

Rees-Mogg said: “I’m afraid I think this is a non-story. The BBC has absolutely loved it, but what is important is we get on with the business of government.”

Munchetty then interjected to ask: “Why do you think this is a non-story? Have you not heard people upset, genuinely devastated, that people in Downing Street thought it was OK to break the rules that they set while other people didn’t break the rules and missed out on meeting dying family members?”

Rees-Mogg replied: “I think people were upset. I think this was an important story in February when it first became known, and that there was great concern and there was a feeling of people who were bereaved particularly about it.

“I also think we need to look in the inquiry at the rules to see if they were proportionate.”

The minister said the rules were “too restrictive” because they prevented people from “giving comfort to the dying”.

Munchetty then asked: “Can I just understand your interpretation of where we are with the rules and why you think this is a non-story? So, the fact that more than 100 fines have been issued in a non-story because the rules that were set in the first place were too rigorous?”

The minister said: “What I’m saying is the fines are a consequence of things we knew in February and it was a story in February and people now know about it and have made their judgment on it and there are other things going on that are more important.”

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Jacob Rees-Mogg Defends Boris Johnson’s Plan To Cull 91,000 Civil Service Jobs

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Jacob Rees-Mogg has defended Boris Johnson’s plans to slash the number of civil servants by 91,000.

The government efficiency minister said the government wanted to bring the Whitehall headcount back to where it was in 2016.

He said the extra staff were brought in to help deal with the pandemic and the “aftermath of Brexit”.

Rees-Mogg told Sky News: “I know it sounds eye-catching but it’s just getting back to the civil service we had in 2016… since then we’ve had to take on people for specific tasks.

“So dealing with the aftermath of Brexit and dealing with Covid, so there’s been a reason for that increase, but we’re now trying to get back to normal.”

The minister said there was currently too much “duplication” in Whitehall, and insisted most of the jobs could be lost by not replacing the 38,000 civil servants who leave the government every year.

He said: “What I’ve seen within the Cabinet Office, which is where I work and bear in mind each secretary of state will be responsible for is or her own department, is that there’s duplication within government, so you have a communications department and then you have within another department some people doing communications.

“So it’s trying to ensure that you use the resources that you’ve got rather than duplicating it bit by bit.”

Asked why the cuts were not being described as a return to austerity, he said: “I don’t think it is because what is being done is getting back to the efficiency levels we had in 2016.”

Rees-Mogg has previously angered civil servants by leaving notes on the desks of those not in the office in an attempt to discourage working from home.

They read: “Sorry you were out when I visited. I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon. Wish every good wish.”

The drive has been branded “vindictive” by Dave Penman, the general secretary of the FDA representing senior civil servants, who said ministers were out of step with practice in the private sector.

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Women’s Mistrust In The Met Runs Deep: Here’s What The New Commissioner Has To Do to Fix It

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Applications have now closed for the role of Met Police commissioner, and whoever takes the role will need to work hard to win back the trust women lost during Cressida Dick’s reign.

The outgoing commissioner acknowledged this, prior to her departure saying: “We know a precious bond has been broken and I am committed to rebuilding the trust and confidence of all Londoners.”

Winning back this trust won’t be easy, but it is vital. Victims of crime need to have absolute trust and faith in those to whom they will tell their story. Already fewer than one in six women report rape, as they fear the police won’t do anything about it.

But the lack of trust goes much deeper than a fear that interaction with police will result in lack of action: The horrific case of Sarah Everard, raped and murdered by serving Met police officer Wayne Couzens, has left women afraid.

While it has always been the approach of police forces to label criminality by police officers as the work of “bad apples”, the litany of ignored incidents by a man nicknamed ‘the rapist’ by colleagues speaks of an organisation with little regard for women’s safety.

Couzens had joined the Met from the Civil Nuclear Constabulary before being assigned to the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection (PaDP) branch, but had not undergone enhanced vetting nor gone through the mandatory two-year probation period with the Met before joining the PaDP.

There were at least three allegations of indecent exposure filed against him. Radio presenter Emma B also came forward to say that she had attempted to report Couzens in 2008, after he flashed her in an alley in Greenwich, but that the Police had laughed at her.

We now need to know that police vetting will be stepped up and that behaviour such as that displayed by Couzens will not be tolerated. Indeed, it would not be in most work places.

Even within Sarah’s case there are more examples of deeply disturbing police behaviour.

An officer who had been a part of the search was suspended from duties after sharing an inappropriate graphic on social media, five officers were placed under investigation for sharing grossly offensive material with Couzens before he killed Sarah and several officers gave character references supportive of Couzens during his sentencing hearing.

Several female officers told the press that they did not feel as if they could report concerning behaviour by male colleagues. So another question that needs answering from all applicants for the commissioner job is how they will root out this behaviour, rid the Met of this hugely offensive culture and make sure anyone reporting concerning actions – including other police staff — is protected.

If female police officers feel unsafe making reports to colleagues, it is hard to see how other women could possibly feel able to.

The sharing of offensive material appears epidemic by Met police officers. Last December two Met police constables who took photos of the bodies of murdered sisters of Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry and shared the images on WhatsApp groups were jailed for 33 months.

Meanwhile, officers at Charing Cross police station were found to have joked about rape and exchanged offensive social media messages.

In April, responding to the IOCP investigation into the Charing Cross police station, the police said they would have a zero-tolerance approach to misogyny. Yet, of the 14 officers investigated, nine are still serving, while another is working as a contractor in a staff role. I am not sure this sounds like “zero tolerance”.

Talk about organisational cultural change is easy – finding ways and implementing them is much harder. But women and girls simply cannot be safe whilst misogyny is allowed to be part of the Met’s culture.

Like women across the capital, I look forward to hearing the new commissioner’s plans for fundamental change.

Ellie Reeves is Labour’s shadow minister for justice and the MP for Lewisham West and Penge.

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Exclusive: Labour Accused Of Blocking Corbyn Supporter From Crunch By-Election

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In response to the report, Corbyn said allegations about anti-Jewish racism on his watch had been “dramatically overstated” by his political opponents.

Corbyn was reinstated as a Labour member in November 2020 but he still does not have the party whip, meaning he sits as an independent MP.

Hemingway told HuffPost UK: “I’m a committed anti-racist and I think anti-Semitism is a scourge that should be eradicated.

“I’ve never hid the fact that I supported Jeremy Corbyn for leader and I voted for Rebecca Long-Bailey to be deputy…but I have always respected Keir’s right to lead the party.”

Hemingway also pointed out that as soon as the EHRC report was published he called for the party to adopt the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism in full.

HuffPost UK understands that Loto wants either Kate Dearden, who works for the Community union, or Simon Lightwood, a former staffer for ex-Wakefield MP Mary Creagh, to be the party’s by-election candidate.

Both are known to have supported Remain in the EU referendum, which some local sources say may be a disadvantage in a seat that voted to leave the EU by 66.3 per cent.

When Dearden confirmed via Twitter that she was standing in the by-election, her post was retweeted by Deborah Mattinson, Starmer’s director of strategy. The retweet was later undone.

Other candidates who have confirmed they want to stand for Labour in Wakefield include Sam Howarth, who used to work for Starmer’s ex-political secretary Jenny Chapman, and who now works for Dan Jarvis MP.

Wakefield councillor Michael Graham has also confirmed he is seeking the Labour nomination, as is law student Jakob Williamson.

One Labour insider told HuffPost UK: “Loto have seen Jack’s tweets and they are not happy.

“They are going to put it down to two names: Kate and Simon. And they are going to keep Jack off.”

A local source said: “The most important thing is that we have a candidate that can withstand a by-election.

“You’ve got to have a candidate that is fireproof.

“Keir Starmer simply cannot afford to lose this — end of. He’s got to win, and he’s got to be very, very careful that he gets the right candidate.

“Keir is trying to put out a particular image and he cannot afford to take any risks.”

A Labour source with knowledge of the region said there was a perception within the local constituency Labour party (CLP) that the candidate shortlist would be a stitch-up.

“The CLP are convinced that their local choices are going to be blocked,” they said.

“It’s pretty clear that the leaders’ office want Dearden, and a screen grab of Deborah Mattinson retweeting her launch has spread like wild fire as proof of that.

“Locally there’s a feeling that the higher ups have made their mind up of who is acceptable and who isn’t.

“Everyone is really worried that it’ll be a shortlist of non local people foisted on us so we have to choose the lesser of the evils not who we really want.

“Kate is not from Wakefield and doesn’t know the membership. There’s going to be a big push back against anyone seen as being parachuted in.

“It’s not the sort of place that will take kindly to it.”

A local party member added: “The CLP have made it clear they want someone who has a genuine connection to the area and not someone who has been flown in.”

The NEC drew up its longlist on Wednesday, with shortlisting and interviews taking place on Thursday.

Hustings will be held on Sunday May 15, when local members will choose the candidate.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Working people in Wakefield have been badly let down by Boris Johnson’s Conservatives, who ignored serious allegations of child sexual assault against their paedophile former MP Imran Ahmad Khan before his election.

“Wakefield deserves better and our selection process is now underway.

“Party members in the constituency will consider a shortlist in the coming days and be able to choose the Labour candidate to be Wakefield’s new MP.”

Labour lost Wakefield to the Tories by 3,358 votes at the 2019 general election after holding the seat since 1932.

Imrad Ahmad Khan tendered his resignation on May 3, three weeks after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy.

A date for the by-election has yet to be announced.

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No Emergency Budget For Cost Of Living Crisis, Michael Gove Says

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However, sources close to Sunak quickly made clear that they knew nothing about it, and insisted no new measures were due before the autumn.

Gove suggested commentators were “chasing their own tails” and told Sky News: “There won’t be an emergency budget. It is sometimes the case that the words from a prime minister or minister are overinterpreted.

“The prime minister is right. We will be saying more and doing more in order to help people with the cost-of-living challenge we face at the moment, but that doesn’t amount to an emergency budget. It is part of the work of government.

“Last night the prime minister convened a group of ministers – we have all done work on some of the things we could do to help. Those policy initiatives will be announced by individual departments in due course as they are worked up.

“It is part of the process for a government that is always and everywhere thinking of how we can help and how we can provide support, both short term and long term.”

Lib Dem Treasury spokesperson Christine Jardine described the issue as a “complete shambles.”

She added: “Millions of families and pensioners are struggling to get by. They need more help now before things get even worse in the autumn.

“Instead all we get from this Conservative government is chaos and confusion.

“An emergency budget is needed now to cut taxes for ordinary families while taxing the super profits of oil and gas companies. That would be the fair and right thing to do.”

Johnson made his comments in a debate on the Queen’s Speech, which contained 38 bills but no immediate plans for dealing with the cost of living crisis.

He said: “My right honourable friend the Chancellor and I will be saying more about this in the days to come.

“But at the same time as we help people, we need the legislative firepower to fix the underlying problems in energy supply, in housing, in infrastructure and in skills which are driving up costs for families across the country.

“And this Queen’s Speech takes those issues head on. And above all, we are tackling the economic challenges with the best solution of all and that is an ever growing number of high wage, high skill jobs. Jobs, jobs, jobs.”

An ally of the Chancellor told HuffPost UK there were “no announcements as far as we are aware”.

They added: “Rishi has always been clear that we would set out plans for support on energy bills for autumn when we know what the [energy] price cap is going to be – but we’re not there yet.”

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UK Elections 2022: 5 Takeaways As Tories Suffer ‘Shattering Night’

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1. Boris GONE-son?: Tories in trouble

Make no bones about it, the Conservative Party has lost more than 400 seats and that is not good. For all the talk of a mid-term protest vote against the governing party, the Tories had already been duffed-up the last time the councils were contested four years ago, so hundreds more councillors going on a like-for-like basis should not be glossed over.

It’s telling the gloss that Boris Johnson’s outriders are painting with focuses on Labour’s lack of gains, not its own deficit. But there was scathing criticism from within the party, including this damning tweet from ex-MP and former Theresa May adviser Gavin Barwell, who called it a “wake up call”.

But, with Johnson facing a leadership challenge if 53 Tory MPs demand a vote of no confidence, there was little sign they were more prepared to wield the axe. With most critics in Westminster keeping their heads down, it was left it to grassroots Tories to speak out.

John Mallinson, leader of Carlisle City Council, hit out after Labour took control of the new Cumberland authority which will replace it, saying: “I think it is not just partygate, there is the integrity issue. Basically I just don’t feel people any longer have the confidence that the prime minister can be relied upon to tell the truth.”

Johnson himself said it had been a “mixed set of results” for the Tories. “It is mid-term,” he said, sticking to the script.

As the losses notched up, and edged towards 500 seats, a Labour Party spokesperson said: “This is a shattering result for the Conservatives.

“Boris Johnson was on the ballot paper and the British public has rejected him.

“The question every decent Conservative will be asking themselves is how much further are they willing fall for a man who never fails to put his own interest above his councillors, his MPs, his party, and his country.”

Next stop: tricky by-elections in Tiverton and Honiton and Wakefield.

2. Keir, there, everywhere: Labour’s contrasting fortunes

Labour’s performance is open to interpretation, and interpret is what commentators have spent much of the last 12 hours doing.

There were the headline grabbing wins in London – flagship Tory councils Wandsworth, Westminster and Barnet fell – and a majority on the newly-created council in Cumberland, which Labour leader Keir Starmer said showed his party could win anywhere. The traditional county-wide authority includes ‘Workington Man’, a voter demographic that gets pollsters very excited in terms of who might win a general election.

There’s also something happening for Labour on the coast – it took control of Southampton and Worthing – and the “sea wall” appears to have entered the political lexicon, joining the “red wall” and “blue wall” stolen from US politics.

But Labour has gained 252 councils seats – a reflection of the party not pocketing all the Conservative losses. The Tories were briefing how Labour has gone backwards in Sunderland, Tyneside, Hartlepool, Nuneaton, Sandwell and Amber Valley – former heartlands areas in the north and midlands that will be essential to getting back into power in Westminster.

But it’s progress. An analysis for the BBC by Professor Sir John Curtice calculated that if the whole country had been voting Labour would have gained 35% of the vote – five points ahead of the Tories on 30% – the party’s biggest lead in local elections for a decade.

Starmer, who is now facing a fresh “beergate” investigation, proclaimed clear evidence of a Labour revival following its crushing defeat in the 2019 general election. “This is a big turning point for us,” he told cheering supporters in Barnet. “We’ve sent a message to the prime minister: Britain deserves better.”

3. Ravey Davey: The Lib Dem ‘comeback’

The toxicity surrounding the Liberal Democrats following five years of power sharing with the Conservatives, and hiking tuition fees, seems to be a fading memory. Ed Davey’s party have compounded the success in recent Westminster by-elections by taking Hull council and the newly-created Somerset unitary authority. Other wins included Westmorland and Furness and dislodging the Tories in West Oxfordshire.

The party has gained 189 seats, which in part explains why Labour’s haul looks meagre. The Green Party, too, made substantial progress – gaining 81 councillors.

The “third party” success raises questions over splitting the “progressive” vote three ways, and whether that would let the Tories back in at a general election by default. Expect to hear more talk about electoral pacts and “lending” votes.

“What began as a tremor in Chesham and Amersham, became an earthquake in North Shropshire, and is now an almighty shockwave that will bring this Conservative government tumbling down,” Davey said.

4. One love: The SNP march on in Scotland

Scotland is increasingly a one-party nation. The SNP claimed its 11th successive national victory, and the number of councillors it boasts has risen in every ballot since 2004.

Perhaps more interesting was the race for second place. After years of decline, Labour has made gains and leap-frogged the Conservatives, whose strong performances under Ruth Davidson have gone in reverse now the former party leader in Scotland has left the stage.

Improvements in Scotland – coupled with the Lib Dems nibbling away at the Tories in southern England – is part of a complicated route back to Westminster power for Labour.

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross described the results as “very disappointing”, adding that Johnson “can’t ignore the message” from voters.

He said: “The Conservatives lost Westminster Council last night, that’s a council that even in the peak Labour years under Tony Blair the party held on to, so there’s been a very strong message from the public to the prime minister and to the party.”

The actual big story?: Sinn Fein closes in on history

While the local elections in England, Scotland and Wales make for good sport for armchair analysts, they may not lead to anything of substance changing. But Northern Ireland’s ballot could lead to a seismic shift for the whole of the United Kingdom.

Sinn Fein is on the brink of political history if it emerges as the largest party in Northern Ireland following Assembly elections.

After years of lagging behind its rival the Democratic Unionist Party, with whom it shares power, the nationalist party has now emerged on top with the potential to change the political landscape.

<img class="img-sized__img landscape" loading="lazy" alt="Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill, centre, reacts with party colleagues after being elected in Mid Ulster at the Medow Bank election count centre in Magherafelt, Northern Ireland.” width=”720″ height=”501″ src=”https://www.wellnessmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/uk-elections-2022-5-takeaways-as-tories-suffer-shattering-night-2.jpg”>
Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill, centre, reacts with party colleagues after being elected in Mid Ulster at the Medow Bank election count centre in Magherafelt, Northern Ireland.

via Associated Press

With counting for the 90 Stormont seats continuing on Friday evening, the republican party had won 16 seats, well ahead of the Alliance on four and the DUP and UUP on three.

Sinn Fein’s position as the largest party would means a poll on the reunification of Ireland is far more likely – and the debate around Northern Ireland withdrawing from the United Kingdom of England, Scotland and Wales would intensify.

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Tory Council Leader Calls For Boris Johnson To Go After Labour Wins Cumberland

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A Conservative council leader has said Tory MPs should try to oust Boris Johnson after his party suffered a humiliating defeat in a local election.

Conservative leader of Carlisle City Council, John Mallinson, vented his frustration after Labour picked up control of the new Cumberland authority after Thursday’s round voting.

The Tories lost 14 seats on the council in north west England, while Labour gained 12 and took overall control.

Mallinson, who will see the council he led replaced by the new Cumberland authority, told the BBC that he had “lost some very good colleagues” in the election, and had found it “difficult to drag the debate back to local issues” while campaigning because of partygate and the cost-of-living crisis.

Mallinson said: “I don’t think it was helping to get comments from people like George Eustice talking about people using value brands to ease their shopping bills. That just seems to have come over very patronising.”

He added: “I think it is not just partygate, there is the integrity issue. Basically I just don’t feel people any longer have the confidence that the prime minister can be relied upon to tell the truth.”

Asked if he thought Conservative MPs should oust the PM, Mallinson said: “That would be my preference, yes.”

On Sky News, he said: “(Johnson) must shoulder a lot of the blame. I have been canvassing in rural areas over the last few weeks and it’s been the one issue that people have brought up time and time again. Partygate, the cost of living crisis, the feel that the government were not in touch … and sadly I have to say the prime minister cannot be relied upon to necessarily to be telling the truth.”

He added: “I think he should consider his position now.”

When asked whether the areas three Tory MPs in the region should attempt to oust Johnson, he replied: “I call upon them to do what they think is right.”

Meanwhile, Johnson’s Tories face losing control of a flagship London authority to Labour – but there was a mixed picture for Keir Starmer’s party outside the capital.

Wandsworth, which has been a Conservative authority for more than 40 years, looks set to fall to Labour, with the Tories fearing other boroughs will also be lost.

But outside London, the Liberal Democrats won Hull from Labour, while the Greens also picked up seats in contests around England.

Council seats are up for grabs in Scotland, Wales and many parts of England, while there are elections to Stormont in Northern Ireland.

Votes were only being counted in some of the English contests overnight, including key authorities in the capital.

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‘Buy Value Brands,’ Minister Tells Families Struggling With Cost Of Living

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Families struggling with the cost of living crisis should consider buying value products, a cabinet minister said today.

George Eustice said that by going for cheaper “value” goods, families can “contain and manage their household budget”.

The environment secretary said household spending on food in the UK was “the lowest in Europe” but sharp rises in other costs “adds to household pressures”.

He made the comments as shop prices increased at their fastest rate in more than a decade last month, according to the British Retail Consortium.

Asked what his advice was to people who want a Sunday roast with a chicken but cannot afford it, Eustice told Sky News: “Generally speaking, what people find is by going for some of the value brands rather than own-branded products – they can actually contain and manage their household budget.

“It will undoubtedly put a pressure on household budgets and, of course, it comes on top of those high gas prices as well.”

He said rising fertiliser and feed costs had hit the farming industry, partly as a result of soaring energy prices.

Eustice said the better news was that the UK has a “very competitive” retail market with 10 big supermarkets and the four main ones competing “very aggressively”.

He said this meant they competed to keep costs down on everyday value items such as spaghetti.

Eustice added: “Where it gets harder is on things like chicken and poultry, and some fresh produce, where those increased feed costs do end up getting passed through the system because these people work on wafer-thin margins and they have to pass that cost through.”

Shop prices are up 2.7 per cent on last year marking their highest rate of inflation since September 2011, figures show.

The impact of rising energy prices and the conflict in Ukraine continued to feed through into April’s retail prices, with no sign of them abating, according to the BRC-NielsenIQ Shop Price Index.

Global food prices have also reached record highs, seeing a 13 per cent rise on last month alone, and even higher for cooking oils and cereals amid warnings that they will place further upward pressure on UK food prices as they filter through the supply chain over coming months.

Non-food products, particularly furniture, electricals and books, have seen the highest rate of inflation since records began in 2006, accelerating to 2.2 per cent in April from 1.5 per cent in March, exacerbated by disruption at the world’s largest seaport, following Shanghai’s recent lockdown.

British Retail Consortium chief executive Helen Dickinson said: “Retailers will continue to do all they can to keep prices down and deliver value for their customers by limiting price rises and expanding their value ranges, but this will put pressure on them to find cost-savings elsewhere.

“Unfortunately, customers should brace themselves for further price rises and a bumpy road ahead.”

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