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At Westminster some older palms have been been minded to excuse Gavin Williamson’s Urquhart-style menacing by mentioning that, by the requirements of earlier whips, his ways have been routine, and even gentle. Jack Straw recollects an encounter with Walter Harrison, deputy chief whip in the course of the 1974-79 authorities (and a number one character in James Graham’s good play, This Home) when Harrison shoved him in opposition to a wall and grabbed him by the testicles. Straw requested what he had finished. “Nowt,” Harrison replied, “however assume what I’d do should you crossed me.”
However Nicky Morgan, the previous Tory schooling secretary, is one in every of many parliamentarians glad that this form of behaviour is not acceptable. She advised Instances Radio:
I used to be speaking to any person yesterday in Westminster, senior MP, and so they have been a bit like ‘Oh properly, you already know, you need to man up and toughen up and every thing else.’ And I simply don’t assume that that’s the case anymore.
There’s little doubt that the whip’s workplace ways, as they might have been 50 years in the past, 30 years in the past, are already one thing that you simply don’t see.
However Westminster has to get into the twenty first century … There are other ways of getting folks to fall into line. However there may be additionally a pastoral aspect, which some whips are higher at than others, little doubt.
I believe the truth that this has been known as out and known as out so shortly, is maybe constructive proof that truly the norms in Westminster have modified.
There are two ministerial statements within the Commons in the present day. Straight after PMQs Rishi Sunak can be making a press release concerning the Cop27 summit, and after that Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Eire secretary, will make a press release concerning the want for elections in Northern Eire.
The federal government shouldn’t have introduced a commerce partnership with Egypt with the case of jailed British-Egyptian pro-democracy activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah unresolved, David Lammy, the shadow overseas secretary, stated in the present day.
Lammy advised the At this time programme:
I’m undecided in these circumstances we [Labour] would have launched a brand new strategic relationship with Egypt, which was introduced in July this 12 months.
We’ve a £4bn buying and selling partnership with Egypt, that’s great leverage. Why has it taken months and months and months for the International Workplace to behave?
The prime minister has successfully been dragged into this case due to Cop. That ought to not have been the case.
The secretary of state for overseas affairs solely not too long ago in the previous couple of days made contact with the household regardless of me as MP elevating this situation with successive overseas ministers.
I don’t assume the federal government needs to be asserting a strategic relationship with Egypt this 12 months when, actually, this case is lingering and has gone on for months and months and months, and UK officers haven’t had entry to test on his welfare. That’s not acceptable.
Sunak has ‘fabulous judgment’, says schooling secretary Gillian Keegan, in response to Labour assaults
Gillian Keegan, the schooling secretary, was batting for the federal government on the airwaves this morning. Her interviews have been dominated by questions on Sir Gavin Williamson, and listed below are her key traces.
I believe Rishi has the best diploma of integrity and judgment. We noticed it everywhere in the summer time, he was ready to inform the onerous truths. That’s actual management.
The fact is you appoint folks and, you already know, the one factor you are able to do if issues don’t work out or issues go fallacious or issues come to gentle afterwards is act shortly.
Gavin’s acted shortly, he’s eliminated the distraction. I might count on after in the present day that it gained’t be mentioned any additional.
I believe it’s all the time unhappy when a colleague resigns. It does have an effect on them personally, it has an impression on their household. So, you already know, no one takes glee out of those conditions in any respect.
However … it occurs rather a lot in politics really.
I’ve labored with him a number of instances and I haven’t seen any of that. He’s by no means threatened me, or he’s solely solely ever been supportive really, personally, to me.
Sixth council takes authorized motion in opposition to authorities to cease migrants being housed in lodge
A sixth native authority is taking authorized motion to cease the federal government utilizing a lodge to accommodate asylum seekers, PA Media reviews. PA says:
North Northamptonshire council desires to forestall migrants being accommodated on the Royal Resort in Kettering.
The authority utilized to the excessive courtroom for an emergency injunction and is contemplating its subsequent steps after this was dismissed.
Council chief Jason Smithers stated: “We don’t really feel that the Royal Resort in Kettering is the suitable place to accommodate asylum seekers for numerous causes.
“We don’t really feel the proposals have been correctly thought-about to make sure the very best welfare will be offered to asylum seekers and the native communities through which they’re housed.
“We at the moment are contemplating our choices in gentle of the injunction’s dismissal by the excessive courtroom.”
5 different native authorities are additionally taking authorized motion: East Driving of Yorkshire council, Ipswich Borough council, Stoke Metropolis council, Nice Yarmouth borough council, and Fenland district council.
Williamson’s ‘bullying by no means acceptable’ video exhibits ‘rank hypocrisy’ at coronary heart of presidency, say Lib Dems
When Sir Gavin Williamson was schooling secretary, he recorded a video for his division through which he stated “bullying isn’t acceptable”. He stated all colleges ought to have anti-bullying insurance policies in place.
The Liberal Democrats say the truth that Williamson might say this, when there may be now appreciable proof that he himself bullied colleagues, exhibits the “rank hypocrisy” on the coronary heart of presidency. Munira Wilson, the Lib Dem schooling spokesperson, stated:
This exposes the rank hypocrisy and double requirements on the coronary heart of this Conservative authorities.
Gavin Williamson himself admitted that bullying isn’t acceptable.
Colleges rightly have a zero tolerance strategy to bullying. However as soon as once more it appears it’s one rule for Conservative ministers and one other for everybody else.
Sunak beneath stress from Labour forward of PMQs to say why somebody with Williamson’s ‘odious’ file given ministerial job
Good morning. There are two huge departures within the information at Westminster this morning: Sir Gavin Williamson has left the federal government, and Sir David Butler has departed life, at the age of 98. We can be specializing in Williamson, however Butler, who nearly invented fashionable psephology, is the higher and extra consequential determine. If you concentrate on elections by way of percentages, swings and demographics, and should you worth the TV punditry of consultants like Prof Sir John Curtice, you might be inhabiting a psychological framework that Butler did as a lot as anybody to create. Extra on him later.
However, first, Gavin Williamson. He might have gone, however the questions concerning the choice to nominate him within the first place haven’t, and this morning David Lammy rehearsed a few of the traces we would right here from Keir Starmer at PMQs. Lammy, the shadow overseas secretary, advised the At this time programme:
This raises actual questions concerning the prime minister’s judgment. The behaviour [from Williamson] that we’ve heard about in the previous couple of days is repellent, it’s odious, and it’s fairly, fairly unacceptable.
The prime minister knew a lot of this. It was reported to him. Why did he appoint Gavin Williamson to the federal government within the first place? Why did it even take 10 days to grasp what Gavin Williamson can be doing?
He appointed him as some form of enforcer, apparently as a result of that is the way in which he behaves.
That is weak, it’s unacceptable, and we actually ought to have an account of why why he got here again into authorities.
When a scandal reaches the ‘raises questions concerning the PM’s judgment’ section, that could be a signal that it’s starting to go away. You don’t complain about “judgment” when you possibly can complain about substance. However it’s comprehensible why Labour doesn’t wish to let this go, and this assault line is efficacious to the opposition as a result of Rishi Sunak is sad having to defend the final 12 years of Tory authorities and would love the general public to assume he’s main a model new authorities. However the Williamson appointment confirmed that he isn’t. Sunak’s cupboard is like an “edited highlights” of the Theresa Could/Boris Johnson/Liz Truss administrations (with a little bit of David Cameron thrown in), and, as a extremely efficient, backroom fixer and vote engineer, Williamson was somebody who had made himself invaluable to Cameron, Could and Johnson. And he carried out an identical position with Sunak, which is why he received a job.
Right here is our in a single day story on Williamson’s resignation, by Pippa Crerar and Rowena Mason.
And right here is the agenda for the day.
11am: MPs begin voting within the poll for a brand new chair for the Commons Treasury committee. The consequence can be introduced within the afternoon.
12pm: Rishi Sunak faces Keir Starmer at PMQs.
After 12.30pm: Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Eire secretary, makes a press release to MPs concerning the want for an election in Northern Eire.
3.15pm: Sunak meets Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary normal, in Downing Road.
I attempt to monitor the feedback under the road (BTL) however it’s unimaginable to learn all of them. If in case you have a direct query, do embody “Andrew” in it someplace and I’m extra prone to discover it. I do attempt to reply questions and, if they’re of normal curiosity, I’ll put up the query and reply above the road (ATL), though I can’t promise to do that for everybody.
If you wish to appeal to my consideration shortly, it’s most likely higher to make use of Twitter. I’m on @AndrewSparrow.
Alternatively, you possibly can e mail me at andrew.sparrow@theguardian.com
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