The UK Labour Party is considering supporting clean air zones in cities, similar to London’s ULEZ, if it wins the election next year. Labour-controlled councils in Birmingham, Bristol and Bradford have introduced clean air zones, although smaller-scale than London’s, which can only be used by vehicles that meet local emissions requirements. Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, plans to use the ULEZ as a universal clean air zone covering all 32 London boroughs from August, although five Conservative-led boroughs intend to challenge the move in the High Court in July.
UK Attorney General Suella Braverman is reportedly under pressure after she was accused of requesting help to avoid getting points on her licence for speeding. The Sunday Times suggested Braverman asked for administrative help to try to organise a solo driving course after being caught in 2020. However, she was unsuccessful in that effort, and instead was given three penalty points on her licence. Braverman was appointed Attorney General for England and Wales in February 2020 and became a Privy Counsellor. She has also served as Home Secretary.
The Conservative Party is facing existential threats that could lead to it ceasing to exist as we currently know it. It has governed Britain for the majority of the last century, but is moving further away from the mood of the British people and now faces the possibility of a crushing defeat followed by disarray and then a schism. There are strong hints of decline for the Party, with voters losing faith and a government that appears to be not in control of events. The next two or three years will bring existential threats. Having won a famous victory a little over three years ago, it could be out of contention for decades. All three factors that helped them win in 2019 have disappeared, or turned negative, and the voters have stopped listening to the Tories. The party’s newer voters feel gaslit, while older, more traditional voters feel let down by the party. The Tories are loathed and the great coalition of voters assembled by Boris Johnson in 2019 will now split four ways causing the party to slump below its 1997 score. If the Conservative Party continues to be split, it could cease to exist as we know it.
UK Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, has come under fire following reports that she asked civil servants to help her avoid speeding points on her driving licence. Braverman, who was caught speeding last summer, was reportedly given a range of options, including attending a speeding course and having three points on her licence, but later accepted points on her licence when a request to attend a private one-to-one driving awareness course was declined. Having expressed “regret” over the incident, the Cabinet Office has said it will not comment on the advice between government departments.
Polls show that former MP Olivia Chow is in the lead in Toronto's mayoral election. Though there are still four weeks before the vote takes place and much can change, this is the first time since 2006 that the progressive side of Toronto politics has taken the lead. The campaign is making for compelling viewing, particularly given the reaction of the right, who have been on the defensive since Chow took the lead and have questioned whether she is the right person to take over as mayor. At present, nobody knows what the outcome of the election will be, but it is something of a surprise to see Chow front and centre, given the other candidates lining up for the job.
A charity based in Quebec, Service à la Famille Chinoise du Grand Montréal (SFCGM), received $4.45m from the Canadian government over three years while acting as one of two Chinese “overseas police stations” in the area, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Based in an area home to almost 92,000 Chinese-Canadians, the SFCGM has been reportedly used by the Beijing government to intimidate citizens in Canada. The stations form part of a global network of similar facilities believed to be used by Beijing to keep an eye on overseas Chinese people, often via harassment of exiles.
Greek conservatives were leading over the leftist Syriza in elections on Sunday, according to a joint exit poll by six polling agencies. The conservative New Democracy party was projected to win between 36-40% of the vote versus 25-29% for the leftist Syriza party, which governed the country in 2015-2019 during Greece's financial crisis. New Democracy was not predicted to win outright.
The chairman of the UK's Treasury Select Committee, Harriet Baldwin, has urged Chancellor Rishi Sunak to reform the tax system, which she claimed was riddled with punishing levies and "perverse incentives". She said "horrible cliff edges" in the present tax framework had left many people questioning the value of working an extra hour. Baldwin also said it was only individuals who earned over £250,000 who could escape the current system's web of thresholds and levies, with some middle-class families facing marginal tax rates of above 100%. She added that there needed to be a focus on eliminating "quirks" in the system so that work pays. Baldwin also argued that high street banks were failing to deliver the returns to savers they deserve.
The UK's Labour Party has promised that, if it wins the next election, it will organise waiting lists by region to give people greater choice over where they receive hospital treatment, said shadow health secretary Wes Streeting. Doing so would provide patients with "real choice" while also working to tackle backlogs, according to Mr Streeting, with waiting lists shared across integrated care systems for coalitions of several NHS trusts covering between 500,000 and 3 million people.
The Conservative Party has received its largest donation for more than 20 years from Egyptian-born billionaire Mohamed Mansour. The £5m gift reversed a drop in donations following Boris Johnson’s exit from the prime ministerial post and defections to Labour by previous conservative donors. Mansour highlighted his faith in Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s ability to foster economic growth as a key reason for his gift. Figures from the Electoral Commission released last December indicated that between July and September, Labour donations surpassed those to the Conservatives for the first time in over a year, £5.4m to £3m.
Greece's ruling centre-right party, New Democracy, has emerged as the clear victor in an election held on 21 May, despite falling short of an outright majority. A second election will likely be held in July, as socialist party Pasok has ruled out a coalition with New Democracy. Prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to win a second term under a revised proportional voting system. Analysts predict that it is more likely for socialist defectors to join New Democracy in government if the party falls short of a majority than for a coalition to form with opposition parties.
A charity based in Quebec, Service à la Famille Chinoise du Grand Montréal (SFCGM), received $4.45m from the Canadian government over three years while acting as one of two Chinese “overseas police stations” in the area, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Based in an area home to almost 92,000 Chinese-Canadians, the SFCGM has been reportedly used by the Beijing government to intimidate citizens in Canada. The stations form part of a global network of similar facilities believed to be used by Beijing to keep an eye on overseas Chinese people, often via harassment of exiles.
Jeremy Hunt's recent article condemning the "insidious declinism" of former optimists has been met with criticism from some readers. They argue that the government itself is responsible for the shift in national pessimism, pointing to issues such as housing, immigration, energy, and taxes. Hunt's statement that Conservative governments always make the "tough decisions necessary to put the economy back on track" is challenged by some, who feel that the current socialist government in power has failed in this regard. Readers also suggest that Hunt's own involvement in the NHS during the Covid-19 pandemic and his role in the Treasury have contributed to declining optimism, with high taxation and regulatory red tape stifling economic growth. Similarly, Rishi Sunak's comments that people no longer judge others by their bank account to some ring hollow; one reader argues this emphasises how little he understands about poverty in the country. Meanwhile, a group of current students at the University of Oxford declared their support of the invitation to Professor Kathleen Stock, a gender-critical feminist philosopher, to a university event, arguing that free speech is key to the institution's heritage.
A protest has been organised by trade unions against the UK government's proposed legislation on minimum service levels during strikes. The unions argue that the law risks legitimate strikers being dismissed. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has warned that the rights of one in five workers are under threat. Legislators have received little detail about how the measures will operate. The Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill has faced strong opposition, including from industry groups and could exacerbate disputes and worsen industrial relations.
London mayoral candidate Alex Challoner has outlined plans to build 50,000 homes within five market communities in the capital, with each containing 10,000 new homes. Funding for the building work would come from a 15% infrastructure levy. Challoner also plans to increase police presence in the city and automate the Victoria Line of the London Underground by 2026, with the network potentially following suit within two years. He said: “London’s housing crisis can be fixed by a bold mayor and I will be that bold mayor."
Labour’s Dame Meg Hillier has called on the UK’s public spending watchdog, the National Audit Office, to investigate the Teesworks regeneration scheme led by Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen. The call followed a Financial Times investigation into the flagship project, which raised concerns around governance, transparency and value for money. Houchen has himself called for an NAO investigation. The largest brownfield site in the UK, Teesworks is overseen by the South Tees Development Corporation, which is chaired by Houchen.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is set to propose new NHS targets aimed at cutting deaths from heart disease, strokes and suicide in England. The proposed targets would aim to reduce deaths from heart disease and strokes by 25% over 10 years, and see a decline in suicide figures within five. Labour has also said that existing NHS targets, such as the aim for 85% of cancer patients to start treatment within 62 days of an urgent GP referral, would be tackled. The party will reveal wider health service reforms, with a focus on modernisation, community care and preventative measures.
The attorney-general responsible for advising the UK government on legal procedures has been accused of seeking priority in arranging a speeding awareness course following an incident. Suella Braverman was reported to have contacted her civil servants in an attempt to have the course arranged, according to The Times. The move would break the UK’s ministerial code, which seeks to avoid conflicts of interest. The papers have reported she ultimately opted to keep the three points on her licence. Braverman is part of a wider cabinet division regarding net migration figures, which are expected to roughly double post-Brexit.
The Canadian government will receive an initial report from special rapporteur David Johnson on whether to call for a public inquiry into claims of foreign interference. Chinese meddling allegations in the last two federal elections brought attention to the threat, with calls for an inquiry allowing for transparent conversation about the threat faced by Canada and allowing the government to illustrate what action it is taking. An inquiry would bring the conversation back to the details of the foreign interference threat and how the country can combat it, experts say. The signs of foreign interference were already visible before the controversy, however, the government has promised funding to combat foreign interference.
UK Labour leader Keir Starmer has set out his plans to rebuild the National Health Service to be fit for the 2020s. Starmer promised his comprehensive plan to finance his NHS reform agenda before next year's general election, saying change and reform were as important as money to create a more responsive model of healthcare. The leader also promised a tax on foreign workers in the UK, an idea that has been floated by the party before, so as to raise money to train more doctors and nurses. Starmer did not clarify whether he plans to increase the overall budget for the NHS.
