A Tory minister has insisted that the upcoming local elections will not be a referendum on the prime minister, despite his recent fine for breaking the law during the lockdown. International Trade Minister Ann-Marie Trevelian has rejected the idea that Boris Johnson’s position will be at greater risk when the election results come. Ms Trevelyan said “at some point you get a protest vote” but denied that people would use their vote to protest against Partygate. “There are some places where close battles are taking place … We will win some and lose some.” Asked if the election would be a referendum on the prime minister, he said: “No. “It’s not a general election in most places.” He said the prime minister was “continuing his work, defending democracy and freedom in a way we have not seen in Europe in a decade”. Meanwhile, government proposals to sell homeowners’ associations have been described as “hare” amid warnings that they will worsen homelessness for more than a million people on waiting lists for affordable accommodation.
Basic points
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The Tories are on track for the worst local election results since the 1990s
Boris Johnson Conservatives are on track for their worst local election results since the 1990s, new research shows. Labor is set to win more than 800 seats while Tories are set to lose nearly 550 seats, according to a survey conducted by Electoral Calculus and Find Out Now. The projected voter turnout – 39 percent for Labor and 24 percent for Tories – would be the largest party gap in local elections since the mid-1990s, writes Adam Forrest. The Electoral Calculus and Find Out Now also says that if the predicted results are repeated this week, it will be the first time since 1996 that Labor has won more than three times as many council seats as the Conservatives. Martin Baxter, chief executive of Electoral Calculus, who conducted the survey with Find Out Now, said: local elections. “The results could now be bad for Boris Johnson, especially if the Conservatives lose hundreds of seats on councils and key councils like Wandsworth or Westminster.” Maryam Zakir-Hussain3 May 2022 08:25 1651562023
US abortion law move ‘a matter of great concern’, says UK Commerce Secretary
The United Kingdom’s international trade minister, Anne Marie Trevelyan, described a leaked document as saying that the US Supreme Court could be ready to overturn the Roe v Wade ruling allowing national abortion as a matter of “great concern”. “It’s a matter of great concern, I think, to all women in the United States if this is a setback to a 50-year-old state of affairs, but we’ll have to wait and see if that’s the case,” she said. Sky News. “This acceptance that women need to be in control of their bodies was something that set a standard for the rest of the world and allowed women to empower themselves in this very, very critical way.” Ms Trevelyan added: “We will wait to see if this is a true document or not, but I think there will be a lot of concern if this seems to be true.” Maryam Zakir-Hussain3 May 2022 08:13 1651560617
Local elections not a referendum on a prime minister, the minister says
International Trade Minister Ann-Marie Trevelian rejected the idea that the results of the local elections would put Boris Johnson’s position in greater danger. Asked if the election would be a referendum on the prime minister, he said: “No. “It’s not a general election in most places.” Ms Trevelyan said “at some point you get a protest vote” but denied that people would use their vote to protest against Partygate. “There are some places where close battles are taking place … We will win some and lose some.” He said the prime minister was “continuing his work, defending democracy and freedom in a way we have not seen in Europe in a decade”. Maryam Zakir-Hussain3 May 2022 07:50 1651560213
Tory MP says Conservatives will not see referendum on PM
MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan said the Conservatives would not see a referendum on the prime minister, despite the recent controversy over Boris Johnson’s fine at Partygate. Asked if her party was preparing to lose seats in parliament, the Tory MP replied: “I would expect to win some and lose some.” Watch the full clip here: Maryam Zakir-Hussain3 May 2022 07:43 1651559414
ICYMI – Labor demands answers from Rishi Sunak about the presence of the Russian company in which his wife has a share of 400 million pounds
The workers wrote a letter to Rishi Sunak asking if he or his family benefited from the continued presence of a company in Russia in which his wife owns a 400 400 million stake. Reports on Monday reported that India-based IT giant Infosys – founded by the father of Mr Sunak’s wife, Aksata Merti – was still operating in Moscow, despite promising to leave a month ago. Shadow Finance Minister Tulip Siddiq called on the chancellor to clarify when the company’s Russian office will close and whether he or any of his immediate family members will benefit from continuing to operate. Our political editor Andrew Woodcock states: Maryam Zakir-Hussain3 May 2022 07:30 1651554765
Calais asylum seekers have not been discouraged by crossing the English Channel into Rwanda
Most Calais asylum seekers are still hoping to reach the UK despite plans to see them sent to Rwanda, according to a new survey. A charity has surveyed those waiting in refugee camps in northern France in the days since the British government passed a law criminalizing deliberate unauthorized arrival. Care4Calais found that most had heard of the agreement with Rwanda, which would see people arriving “illegally” in the UK under the new immigration rules being sent to the East African country to apply for asylum there. Three-quarters of respondents said the plans would not stop them from crossing the Channel, the charity said. My colleague Zoe Tidman reports. Maryam Zakir-Hussain3 May 2022 06:12 1651551218
Tories split over call to find woman candidate to replace shameful porn MP
University Minister Michel Donelan said the limited lists of women-only candidates were “threatening” to women. Boris Johnson is facing calls from his own party to ensure a woman is elected to run in the by-elections at Tiverton and Honiton headquarters in East Devon, which was sparked by Parish’s resignation after he was arrested for watching pornography in the Communities. Namita Singh3 May 2022 05:13 1651550078
Labor question Rishi Sunak about the Russian presence of a company in which the wife’s share of 400 million pounds
The workers wrote a letter to Rishi Sunak asking if he or his family benefited from the continued presence of a company in Russia in which his wife owns a 400 400 million stake. Reports on Monday reported that India-based IT giant Infosys – founded by the father of Mr Sunak’s wife, Aksata Merti – was still operating in Moscow, despite promising to leave a month ago. Shadow Finance Minister Tulip Siddiq called on the chancellor to clarify when the company’s Russian office will close and whether he or any of his immediate family members will benefit from continuing to operate. Our political editor Andrew Woodcock has the details. Namita Singh3 May 2022 04:54 1651548938
Johnson will challenge Churchill as he tells Ukrainian parliament that this is the “best time” in the country
The prime minister will be the first Western leader to speak to the Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv via video link, almost two months after President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered his own message to the House of Commons. Mr Johnson said the United Kingdom was “proud to be among Ukraine’s friends” and would announce a new 300 300m military aid package, including an electronic warfare kit, anti-battery radar system and GPS interception equipment. and thousands of night vision devices. Appliances. More about his speech to the Ukrainian parliament in this report by Andrew Woodcock. Namita Singh3 May 2022 04:35 1651547970
Welcome back to The Independent liveblog, where we are continuing to update our UK policy for May 3, 2022. Namita Singh3 May 2022 04:19
