A summary of today's developments
Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden have agreed a new partnership to bolster economic security in response to China’s growing influence. The Atlantic Declaration, announced as the prime minister and US president met in the White House includes commitments on easing trade barriers, closer defence industry ties and a data protection deal. The agreement comes after hopes of a full-blown free trade deal were abandoned, with UK officials insisting the new, targeted approach was a better response to the economic challenges posed by Beijing and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The deal mitigates some of the issues cause by Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), with proposals for a critical minerals agreement to remove barriers which affected trade in electric vehicle batteries. An agreement would give buyers of vehicles made using critical minerals processed, recycled or mined by UK companies access to tax credits in line with the IRA.
During a press conference, Biden says the potential of AI is “staggering”. He added: “We are looking to Great Britain to help lead a way through this.. There is no country we have greater faith in to help negotiate our way through this.” Biden also said the US will have the funding needed to support Ukraine for “as long as it takes”.
Sunak hailed the UK-US relationship as “indispensable”. The PM also said the UK and US must co-operate to protect their economic security to counter threats from Russia and China.
Sunak said governments need to approach AI with the “same spirit of urgency” as they do climate change but did not provide any specifics on how he intends to address the issue.
Peers inflicted three defeats on the government over the controversial strikes (minimum service levels) bill. In the first round of “ping pong” – the process where MPs and peers keep voting on bills that have gone through all their parliamentary stages, until one side backs down, to resolve outstanding differences – peers voted by a majority of 30 for an amendment that would render much of the legislation toothless. The bill says that, if unions want to stage strikes in six sectors (health, education, fire and rescue, transport, border security, and nuclear decommissioning), the government would be to require minimum services to operate on strike days.
Permission to berth a barge housing asylum seekers at an east London docks has been rejected. London’s Royal Docks said it had informed the Home Office last month that water beside City Airport would not be appropriate as a potential location to moor one of its floating accommodation vessels for refugees. The use of barges is part of government efforts to deter asylum seekers from embarking on dangerous Channel crossings in small boats and to reduce the amount spent on hotels for those arriving in Britain via unlawful routes.
Teachers in England are abandoning their profession in record numbers, according to official figures, with Labour claiming that “incompetent” government policies were to blame.
Keir Starmer claimed Labour has a plan to revitalise the British steel industry. Speaking at a British Steel plant in Scunthorpe, he said: “There’s going to be a huge demand for steel in the future, and I want that to be British steel. “Just at the moment, British steel is struggling, and we need to move to a new model, to green steel, and here it’s been made absolutely clear to me that customers of the future want that green steel. “The government’s doing nothing on this...”
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From The Sun’s Harry Cole.
Biden says the potential of AI is "staggering".
— Harry Cole (@MrHarryCole) June 8, 2023
Adds: "We are looking to Great Britain to help lead a way through this.. There is no country we have greater faith in to help negotiate our way through this."
No10 will take that.. US back summit in London this autumn on new tech.
Sky News’ Beth Rigby’s reaction to the press conference.
No trade deal for PM but warm word from Biden about UK leading in AI. He spoke of the risks and then said wants UK to “help lead the way. No other county we have greater faith in PM to lead way through that” > PM will be pleased with that
— Beth Rigby (@BethRigby) June 8, 2023
And that brings the press conference to an end.
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Sunak is asked by the Times whether the Atlantic agreement shows the era of unfettered globalisation is over.
The PM replies the US does not believe in “zero sum competition” as they discussed at the G7, citing the critical mineral agreement.
He says the Atlantic agreement is about strengthening cooperation.
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Biden is asked whether its time for the first British Nato secretary general, ie Ben Wallace.
The US president says “maybe” and they need to get a consensus within Nato.
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Biden says they held good discussions today about critical materials such as battery technology and addressing the climate crisis. Also cooperating on data and AI.
Sunak is asked by the BBC whether today’s Atlantic deal shows the failure to deliver a free trade deal with America.
He replies its a “first of a kind agreement” and is “ambitious” around strengthening economic security and researching technologies of the future to increase jobs.
Sunak believes the economic relationship between the two nations “has never been stronger”.
Sunak is asked what is the US and UK doing to protect AI misinformation campaigns around elections and democracy and the overall regulation of the sector.
He says its clear AI will bring incredible benefits to society but also real risks. He wants to discuss the “guard rails” with other countries but doesn’t give any specifics.
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On anti-LGBTQ and anti-transgender laws being passed in some US states, Biden says he was proud to scrap the ban on trasngender troops, support equal marriage legislation and enhance LGBT human rights around the globe. He says it is wrong for people to be fired by their employer because of their sexuality and violence and hate crime is increasing.
He announces some new initiatives on protecting the community around physical safety and mental health resources.
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Biden adds that after talks with Japan recently they have increased their budget, involvement and support for Ukraine.
Sunak is asked whether there is a common position on a security agreement with Ukraine. He responds that defence spending in the UK has been above the 2% NATO benchmark on an increasing trajectory and he would encourage other countries to follow suit.
He adds that Vladmir Putin will be thinking the alliance will “tire out” and will try to “wait us out”, which he says the alliance will not be doing.
In response to a question about funding Ukraine’s counter-offensive, Biden says “we have done everything to make them ready” and that long-term security after the war is a goal.
He believes the US will have the funding necessary “for as long as it takes”.
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Sunak speaks about the pioneers of AI warning last week about the challenges and opportunities.
The PM also asks people to judge post-Brexit Britain on its actions.
Sunak says the US’s contribution to the war in Ukraine is “decisive” and thanks Biden.
Sunak also warns that economic security must be protected from countries such as Russia and China and that is why he believes the Atlantic declaration is necessary.
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Sunak said he believes the UK and US can lead the world together including on national security, citing the Aukus agreement.
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Sunak begins by paying his condolences to those affected by the knife attack in southern France earlier today.
Biden adds the pair discussed Northern Ireland, which was positive and helped deepen relations.
“Critical mineral supply chains” were also discussed;
The US president said there is “no country closer” to the US than the UK and reaffirmed the “special relationship”.
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On Ukraine, Biden thanks Sunak for showing “strong leadership” regarding the UK’s military assistance to the country.
Biden says when it comes to semiconductors, AI, and quantum computing the UK and US are working together to ensure they are built responsibly and safely through joint research and development.
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Sunak and Biden announce Atlantic declaration
Sunak and president Biden have agreed a new partnership to bolster economic security in response to China’s growing influence.
The Atlantic declaration includes commitments on easing trade barriers, closer defence industry ties and a data protection deal.
The agreement comes after hopes of a full-blown free trade deal were abandoned, with UK officials insisting the new, targeted approach was a better response to the economic challenges posed by Beijing and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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Joe Biden jokes that Sunak is probably tired of seeing him having met in March, April and May.
He adds they have held discussions today to “deepen the bilateral relationship” and “expand cooperation”.
We are about to get under way. Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden have entered the room fashionably late.
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We are still awaiting the start of the press conference in the East Room of the White House.
During their meeting at the White House, Joe Biden accidentally referred to Rishi Sunak by his own title.
Biden called the UK’s prime minister “Mr President”.
He quickly corrected himself and joked he had “promoted” Sunak.
Biden said: “Well, Mr president - Mr president, I just promoted you. Mr prime minister, it’s great to have you back.”
Sunak appeared to laugh off the error.
This isn’t the first time the president has made an error with Rishi Sunak. When Sunak became head of the Conservative party and prime minister, Biden mistakenly referred to him as “Rashi Sanook” during a Diwali event at White House. Here is a clip:
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The Guardian’s Peter Walker is among the reporters at the White House eagerly awaiting the press conference.
A *lot* of media gathering for a Biden-Sunak press conference that, we believe, will be granted precisely four questions in total. pic.twitter.com/TzBOpMt9iQ
— Peter Walker (@peterwalker99) June 8, 2023
Biden and Sunak to hold press conference shortly
Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak, fresh from their meeting at the White House earlier, are due to hold a joint press conference shortly.
It’s scheduled to start at 6.30pm BST but may, in reality, be closer to 6.45pm.
We’ll have a live stream at the top of the blog (you’ll need to refresh the page at 6.30pm) and we will provide live text updates as well.
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Government loses three votes on strikes bill as peers insert clause protecting right of workers to withdraw labour
Peers have inflicted three defeats on the government over the controversial strikes (minimum service levels) bill.
In the first round of “ping pong” – the process where MPs and peers keep voting on bills that have gone through all their parliamentary stages, until one side backs down, to resolve outstanding differences – peers voted by a majority of 30 for an amendment that would render much of the legislation toothless.
The bill says that, if unions want to stage strikes in six sectors (health, education, fire and rescue, transport, border security, and nuclear decommissioning), the government would be to require minimum services to operate on strike days.
It originally cleared the Commons in January and last month, after it went through the Lords, MPs voted to take out anti-government amendments passed by peers.
Today, by 180 votes to 150, peers voted for a Labour amendment that saying workers could not be sacked if they were ordered to work on strike days, under the MSL provisions, and refused.
The amendment was proposed by Frances O’Grady, the former TUC general secretary, who told peers:
This amendment seeks to uphold a principle long-established in British law that workers on strike are protected against the sack.
Lord Callanan, the energy minister responding for the government, said that the bill was not meant to be about sacking workers, but that employers should be able to take disciplinary action if workers put the public at risk by going on strike.
The government was defeated on two other amendments.
Peers voted by a majority of 32 for an amendment saying ministers would have to meet a series of conditions, including conducting an impact assessment and holding further consultations, before imposing minimum service regulations.
And by a majority of 31 they voted in favour of an amendment saying unions should be entitled to tell members to ignore orders telling them to work on strike days under the MSL legislation.
That’s all from me for today. A colleague is now taking over.
Biden says special relationship with UK in 'good shape' as he meets Sunak
Joe Biden has insisted that the special relationship with the UK is “in good shape” in his first public remarks alongside Rishi Sunak.
My colleague Peter Walker posted the following on their brief exchange in the Oval Office.
Warm words between the pair about economic security. Sunak tells Biden he was very happy to stay at Blair House. pic.twitter.com/uD3MaEd91k
— Peter Walker (@peterwalker99) June 8, 2023
Biden and Sunak are holding a press conference later. This seems to have been what in the US they call a “pool spray” (basically a photocall, but with reporters getting the chance to try the odd question).
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Rishi Sunak arrives at White House for meeting with President Biden
Rishi Sunak has arrived at the White House for his meeting with President Biden.
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Home Office is refused permission to put barge for asylum seekers in east London docks
Permission to berth a barge housing asylum seekers at an east London docks has been rejected, PA Media reports. PA says:
London’s Royal Docks said it had informed the Home Office last month that water beside City Airport would not be appropriate as a potential location to moor one of its floating accommodation vessels for refugees.
The use of barges is part of government efforts to deter asylum seekers from embarking on dangerous Channel crossings in small boats and to reduce the amount spent on hotels for those arriving in Britain via unlawful routes.
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, had set out his objections publicly to the suggestion that a location in the capital could be chosen for such a vessel. He has since written to Suella Braverman, the home secretary, to express his support for the Royal Docks’ decision to deny permission for a barge.
“I am writing to you following the recent decision by the Royal Docks Management Authority to reject the use of King George V Dock as a berth to accommodate people seeking asylum,” he told her in a letter seen by PA.
“I wish first to put on record my support for this decision and secondly to outline my absolute opposition to the government’s policy of housing asylum seekers on vessels.”
Asked about Royal Docks’ stance, a Home Office spokesperson said: “The pressure on the asylum system has continued to grow and requires us to look at a range of accommodation options which offer better value for the British taxpayer than expensive hotels.
“This is why we continue to source new alternative sites and vessels to accommodate migrants, which are more manageable for communities, as our European neighbours are doing. We understand the concerns of local communities and will work closely with councils and key partners to manage the impact of using these sites, including liaising with local police to make sure appropriate arrangements are in place.”
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Record numbers of teachers in England quitting profession, figures show
Teachers in England are abandoning their profession in record numbers, according to official figures, with Labour claiming that “incompetent” government policies were to blame, Richard Adams reports.
Sunak says situation has 'evolved' when asked why Tories have broken 2019 manifesto pledge for US trade deal
The Conservatives have broken a manifesto promise by failing to strike a free trade deal with the US, Keir Starmer has said.
The government has been playing down the prospect of a free trade deal with the US ever since Joe Biden became president, and in remarks to journalists on his flight to Washington Rishi Sunak implied this was no longer even an ambition.
Today Starmer pointed out that this meant Sunak has accepted that a Tory manifesto promise has been broken. The 2019 manifesto said:
We aim to have 80% of UK trade covered by free trade agreements within the next three years, starting with the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
.@Keir_Starmer says 'it’s clear' the Tories have 'failed on that promise' to strike a trade deal with the US by 2022
— ITV News Politics (@ITVNewsPolitics) June 8, 2023
'That’s not the only failure,' he adds, 'they’ve got no strategy, they’ve got no way of taking the country forward' https://t.co/y15VmGPXLA pic.twitter.com/imLFXNIiWT
When it was put to Sunak that this amounted to a broken promise, he claimed that the economic situation had “evolved” since 2019. He told Sky’s Beth Rigby:
I think you have to look at the macroeconomic situation. It’s evolved since [2019] and it’s important the economic partnerships evolved to deal with the opportunities and threats of today.
When Rigby asked him if he accepted that this was a broken promise, Sunak replied:
Since then we’ve had a pandemic. We’ve had a war in Ukraine and that has changed the macroeconomic situation.
The right response to that is to ensure that we’re focusing our engagement economically on the things that will make the most difference to the British people.
Rigby pointed out that the pandemic and the war had not stopped the UK signing other trade deals.
This the exchange on lack of FTA. Is a broken promise? “Since then we've had a pandemic, we’ve had a war in Ukraine & that’s changed the macro ec situation…right response is to ensure we're focusing our engagement economically on things that’ll make most diff to British people” pic.twitter.com/K8SD09XBOj
— Beth Rigby (@BethRigby) June 8, 2023
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Starmer claims Labour has plan to give steel industry 'fantastic future'
Keir Starmer claimed today that Labour has a plan to revitalise the British steel industry. Speaking at a British Steel plant in Scunthorpe, he said:
There’s going to be a huge demand for steel in the future, and I want that to be British steel.
Just at the moment, British steel is struggling, and we need to move to a new model, to green steel, and here it’s been made absolutely clear to me that customers of the future want that green steel.
The government’s doing nothing on this, it’s sitting on its hands, so we’ve put forward a plan that will help that transition with the investment that’s needed, the partnership that’s needed, and the opportunity then is not just to save steel but to provide it with a fantastic future, which is clean steel, which is secure steel used for contracts here in the UK, and to secure the jobs of thousands of people in this sector.
There are some details of Labour’s plan in its industrial strategy. It says:
As part of our step-change in green investment, Labour government would match-fund investment in a decade-long plan to drive innovation in the sector, including in hydrogen and electric arc furnace technology. This will be combined with our energy security plan to lower energy costs and drive long-term competitiveness.
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Nearly one in four pupils in England now eligible for free school meals, figures show
Nearly one in four pupils at state schools in England are now eligible for free school meals, while a record one in five have a first language other than English, PA Media reports. PA says:
Eligibility for free school meals stood at 23.8% of all pupils in January this year, the equivalent of 2 million children – up from 22.5%, or 1.9 million, in January 2022.
The figure has increased every year since January 2018, when it stood at 13.6% or 1.1 million, according to data published by the Department for Education (DfE).
Children in state-funded schools in England can receive free meals if a parent or carer is receiving one of a number of benefits, including universal credit, child tax credits or income support.
Free meals can also be available to households unable to claim benefits but which meet certain criteria, such as children of work visa holders or families holding a British National Overseas passport who have moved to the UK from Hong Kong.
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In his Times story saying Rishi Sunak has accepted Boris Johnson’s honours list, Steve Swinford says that Tories hope this decision will “help bring to an end months of acrimony between the two men”.
There is fresh evidence out today indicating quite how acrimonious the relationship between Johnson and Sunak has been. Guto Harri, who was the director of communications for Johnson in the final months of his premiership, has been recalling his time at No 10 in his podcast, Unprecedented, and in the latest episode he says that when Johnson appointed Jacob Rees-Mogg as the Brexit opportunites minister in February 2022, he encouraged him to create problems for Sunak, the then chancellor. They also joked about Sunak’s size, Harri recalls.
Harri, who was in the cabinet room with Johnson when Rees-Mogg accepted the job, says:
[Rees-Mogg] warned the prime minister that on Brexit he thought the government had got to the point where it was trying to keep the UK deliberately in what he called the ‘lunar orbit of the EU’. He warned that the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, had ‘gone native’. Boris asked him to give it all a ‘massive kick’. Jacob Rees-Mogg warned then that he would have to ‘tread on some big toes’ actually, ‘little toes’, he added, patronisingly, with a sort of dig at Rishi Sunak’s size. And Boris, after a little chuckle, gave him carte blanche to be a pain in the backside for the Treasury and for Rishi Sunak. His words quite simply, ‘go ahead’.
There is more evidence of the extent to which the Johnson/Sunak relationship had broken down by 2022 in Johnson at 10 by Anthony Seldon and Raymond Newell, easily the best account of the Johnson premiership in print and bursting with high-grade insider info. They quote Johnson as saying this about his chancellor as his time in office was coming to an end:
I want him to make thing happen, reduce tax, produce a growth plan. But all I get is blancmange.
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In an interview in the US with Sky’s Beth Rigby, Rishi Sunak refused to comments on the report that he has now accepted Boris Johnson’s honours list. (See 1.13pm.)
.@RishiSunak refuses to confirm whether he has accepted @BorisJohnson's honours list, which is reported to be 50-strong and include names such as Nadine Dorries pic.twitter.com/box24mDY6I
— ITV News Politics (@ITVNewsPolitics) June 8, 2023
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Law Society says rise in backlog of cases in criminal courts 'extremely concerning'
It is not just hospital waiting lists that are getting longer. (See 9.58am.) HM Courts and Tribunals Service has published figures today showing that the backlog of cases in courts is growing too.
The backlog in crown courts in England and Wales rose from 61,180 in March 2023 to 61,712 in April 2023. In April 2022 it was 57,768.
And in magistrates courts the backlog went up from 337,367 in April 2022 to 347,769 in April 2023.
Lubna Shuja, the president of the Law Society of England and Wales, which highlighted the figures, said:
It is extremely concerning to see the case backlogs in the magistrates courts and crown courts continue to grow. It is unacceptable that victims and defendants are still having to wait years for trials to take place.
Decades of underinvestment and cuts mean there simply aren’t enough judges and lawyers to tackle this huge volume of cases.
The Ministry of Justice is likely to miss its unambitious March 2025 target to get the court backlog down to 53,000.
Urgent funding must be injected into our criminal justice system immediately to restore it to its former health. This is necessary to ensure victims and defendants can access timely justice.
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Former cabinet secretary Lord Butler urges government to pause its legal challenge against Covid inquiry
Lord Butler, a former cabinet secretary, has urged the government to pause its legal challenge against the Covid inquiry’s demand to see unredacted WhatsApp messages from Boris Johnson and other senior figures.
Speaking during questions in the House of Lords, Butler said:
There is a strong public interest in this inquiry being carried out constructively and expeditiously and that should be a public interest between the government and the investigation as well.
So would the minister agree that it would be helpful if judicial review proceedings were stayed so that the government and the inquiry can reach a reasonable accommodation on this issue?
Lady Neville-Rolfe, the Cabinet Office minister who was responding, said that while the government wanted to reach a compromise with the inquiry, the judicial review was going ahead. She told Butler:
Where I agree with the noble lord is that if an accommodation could be reached, we have been having discussions with the inquiry to bridge the gap between sincerely held views.
However, we have also requested for any judicial review to be held expeditiously and we are very glad that the court has agreed to deal with this before the end of June.
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RCN says hospital waiting list figures confirm need for nurses to be paid more
The Royal College of Nursing says the figures showing the hospital waiting list going up in England (see 9.58am) confirm the need for nurses to be paid more, because they show the impact of staff shortages. Commenting on the figures, Patricia Marquis, the RCN’s director for England, said:
Despite the prime minister saying cutting waiting lists is one of his top priorities, waiting times continue to head in the wrong direction and reflect a health and care system in crisis.
Nursing staff are working around the clock to get to those waiting for the care they need. But with tens of thousands of vacancies, waiting times will not get shorter until the government addresses this and invests in the staff who have been neglected for too long. This has to start with paying nursing staff fairly.
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Biden backs proposal to hold summit in UK on regulating AI later this year, says Sunak
President Biden has agreed to support a planned summit in the UK this autumn on ways to regulate artificial intelligence, Rishi Sunak has said on the second and final day of his trip to Washington DC.
Speaking to Sky News outside Blair House, the presidential guest residence, before a meeting with US business leaders, after which he will head to the White House for talks with Biden, the prime minister confirmed what officials had been strongly hinting – that Biden is on board with the idea.
“I’ll be discussing that with President Biden today. I’m delighted the US is supporting our summit,” he said, while being noncommittal about the wider idea of a UK-based global regulator for AI. He went on:
I think that we need to start the conversation about what the type of regulation we need is, the form that will take is the type of topic one would hope we can discuss.
Elsewhere, the interview was mainly notable for the way it almost exactly mimicked the other four or five TV chats Sunak has done so far on the trip – either dodging questions or giving carefully-worded answers, very often using the same precise phrases in each.
Sunak’s fairly polished, managerial style sometimes masks the fact that when he speaks to the media, he has a very Theresa May-style tendency to roboticism. This trait has arguably been emphasised all the more on a ceremony-heavy but news-light trip in which there has been little novel to explain.
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The Liberal Democrats say Rishi Sunak should put Boris Johnson’s honours list (see 1.13pm) “through the shedder”. In a statement Daisy Cooper, the deputy Lib Dem leader, said:
The fact that one of the most scandal-ridden prime ministers is now allowed to stuff his cronies in the Lords after a failed premiership tells the British public everything they need to know about this Conservative party.
Boris Johnson caused crisis after crisis in this country - if Rishi Sunak rewards his failure it’s just proof it is one rule for the Conservatives and another for everyone else. The buck stops with Sunak - he must ensure that Johnson’s honours list is put through the shredder.
Starmer claims Johnson honours list row shows Sunak can't govern because he's preoccupied with 'managing' Tory party
Keir Starmer has claimed that Rishi Sunak is not able to govern the country properly because he is preoccupied with “managing” his party.
The Labour leader was referring to today’s Times splash saying Sunak has now agreed to accept Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list, which is now expected to be published within weeks.
TIMES: Sunak ready to approve Johnson’s honours list #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/tbWWeCkx4a
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) June 7, 2023
Speaking on a visit to a British Steel plant in Scunthorpe, Starmer said Labour was “talking about the future of our country”. He went on:
The Conservative party is, as ever, talking about the Conservative party and how they appease different bits of their own party. Whether it’s Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages, Boris Johnson’s peerages, all the prime minister is doing is managing his own party instead of running the country.
Starmer said that anyone concerned about the cost of living is “going to see a government that is putting a party first, not country first”.
(To be fair to Sunak, although party management is a preoccupation for him, and constrains his political choices, it is not something he actually talks about much in public. He has said almost nothing on the record about Johnson’s honours list.)
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Labour says latest NHS figures show Sunak failing in mission to cut waiting lists
Labour says Rishi Sunak is failing in his mission to cut waiting lists. Responding to today’s NHS performance figures (see 9.58am and 12.36pm), Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said:
Rishi Sunak promised to cut waiting lists, but hundreds of thousands more patients are waiting for treatment today than when he became prime minister. The longer the Conservatives are in office, the longer patients wait.
Labour has a plan to train the staff the NHS needs. We will double medical school places and train 10,000 more nurses and midwives a year, paid for by abolishing the non-dom tax status. Where’s the government’s plan?
Covid inquiry names first witnesses to give evidence when hearings start next week
Next week the Covid inquiry will start taking evidence from witnesses in person for the first time. They will be addressing the issues in module 1, which is looking at “resilience and preparedness” – what happened before the pandemic started to prepare the UK for such a crisis. The inquiry has now published its list of witnesses for next week and they include Katharine Hammond, the former director of the civil contingencies secretariat in the Cabinet Office, and Prof Sir Michael Marmot, a leading public health expert and a prominent critic of the coalition government’s austerity programme.
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Cancer waiting times in England getting worse, NHS figures show
Cancer waiting times across the NHS in England have got worse, PA Media reports. In an updated report on the NHS England performance figures published today (see 9.58am), PA says:
Figures from NHS England show 61.0% of cancer patients who had their first treatment in April after an urgent GP referral had waited less than two months for treatment to start.
This is down from 63.5% in March. The target is 85%.
Meanwhile, the proportion of cancer patients who saw a specialist within two weeks of being referred urgently by their GP fell from 83.9% in March to 77.7% in April, remaining below the 93% target and the lowest figure since September 2022.
The 93% target was last hit in May 2020, during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Elsewhere, 71.3% of patients urgently referred for suspected cancer were diagnosed or had cancer ruled out within 28 days, down from 74.2% the previous month.
The NHS elective recovery plan sets a goal of March 2024 for 75% of patients who have been urgently referred by their GP for suspected cancer to be diagnosed or have cancer ruled out within 28 days.
Overall, some 218,060 urgent cancer referrals were made by GPs in England in April, down month-on-month (by 16% compared with March 2023) but up year-on-year (by 2% compared with April 2022).
Seven per cent more people were referred for urgent cancer checks in the year to April, though the data shows they are having to wait longer to be seen or treated.
Today’s figures came out as the Royal College of Radiologists said cancer patients are facing life-threatening hospital delays and the prospect of more gruelling treatment as a result of NHS staff shortages.
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The Electoral Commission has confirmed that it did want the government to accept the amendment to the national security bill that would have required political parties to produce statements saying what they were doing to ensure they were not inadvertently taking donations originating with foreign powers. (See 10.47am.) Asked to explain what reforms to party funding laws it is still pushing for, a spokesperson said:
We have recommended since 2018 that the UK government and parliament should consider the need for stronger controls on donations and loans to political parties and campaigners to help protect parties from those who seek to evade the law, and give voters confidence in our political finance system.
This would include additional duties for regulated entities, including political parties and campaigners, to check the true source of donations and assess the risk of accepting donations including from overseas. It would help strengthen the regime, protect elections from unlawful influence and improve transparency for voters.
There are more details of what the commission is proposing in its digital campaigning report.
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Labour MP defends plans to block North Sea drilling against union criticism
The North Sea oil and gas industry is in decline, the shadow business minister Seema Malhotra said, as she defended plans to block new drilling licences, a move criticised by trade unions. Aubrey Allegretti has the story here.
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Commons to debate proposal to ban MPs under investigation for serious sexual offences from parliament
MPs will hold a debate on Monday on proposals to ban members from the parliamentary estate if they are being investigated for a criminal offence and are deemed to pose a risk to other people.
The plans have been drawn up following concerns that MPs accused of serious sexual offences, including rape, have been allowed to continue working in parliament.
But, as Eleni Courea writes in her Politico London Playbook briefing, the proposals are controversial. She says:
Last night the government was debating whether to hold a vote on Monday on proposals to ban MPs accused of violent or sexual offences from the estate — after backlash from some Tory backbenchers. One senior Tory MP told Playbook they opposed the plan because it would overturn “common practice that you are innocent until proven guilty”.
In her statement on next week’s Commons business, Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the Commons, said there would be “a general debate on risk-based exclusion of members of parliament” on Monday next week, after debates on the retained EU law (revocation and reform) bill and on some Public Order Act regulations.
But Mordaunt did not say that MPs would be asked to vote on the proposed changes to the rules next week. Ministers may favour holding a general debate first, without a vote to implement new procedures, to establish how much support they have.
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Labour aims to reform England’s adult social care sector if it wins election
Significant reform of England’s beleaguered adult social care sector could be ushered in by the next Labour government under plans that include boosting pay for care workers, expanding the scope of free support, and a £50 weekly contribution towards costs for those who need it. Pippa Crerar has the story here.
And here are two less charitable takes on Caroline Lucas, from two Labour figures who both worked as special advisers when the party was last in government.
Caroline Lucas being treated as a living saint. Perhaps some critical examination required eg why has no one else ever managed to get elected as an MP if she’s such a brilliant advert for the Green Party?
— adrian mcmenamin (@adrianmcmenamin) June 8, 2023
People are asking whether @UKLabour can win Brighton Pavillion from the Greens. Why do they think Lucas is standing down? #eatyourGreenstiltheyarefinished#notprogressive#notallies
— (((Ian McKenzie))) 🇺🇦 (@iMcKenzied) June 8, 2023
Politicians from rival parties and other campaigners have been paying tribute to Caroline Lucas on Twitter following the news that she is standing down from parliament at the next election. (See 8.59am.) Here is a selection.
From Gary Lineker
This is a great shame. Just as we need more Green MPs, we lose our first. https://t.co/GH794A2IHV
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) June 8, 2023
From the Labour MP Chris Bryant
I’m sorry to see this. I have enjoyed working with @CarolineLucas on many campaigns and she has been a beacon in a dark time. https://t.co/94fkJmORpl
— Chris Bryant (@RhonddaBryant) June 8, 2023
From Angus Robertson, the former SNP MP who is now constitution secretary in the Scottish government
It was a pleasure to work closely at Westminster with @CarolineLucas over many years. She has been a groundbreaking parliamentarian, a first class MP for Brighton Pavilion and strong advocate on all environmental issues. I wish her well. https://t.co/47wZWt4dXM
— Angus Robertson (@AngusRobertson) June 8, 2023
From Liz Saville Roberts, the Plaid Cymru leader at Westminster
Heartbroken to read this news
— Liz Saville Roberts AS/MP 🏴 (@LSRPlaid) June 8, 2023
It’s a privilege to work with @CarolineLucas in Parliament - from the green new deal, to resisting Tory attacks on our civil liberties, to defending our free movement, and so much more
Diolch o ❤️ from @Plaid_Cymru for your cooperation & support https://t.co/wJ6sHP6OCS
From the Labour MP Clive Lewis
Fighting for a better world & political tribalism are poor bedfellows
— Clive Lewis MP (@labourlewis) June 8, 2023
That’s why it’s been an absolute honour to work with @CarolineLucas these past 8 years, especially on our #GreenNewDeal Bill & civil-liberty campaigns
Thank you for all your hard work & your comradeship ❤️ https://t.co/eTvQYNu2dm pic.twitter.com/GAYMIExMxz
From the Lib Dem MP Layla Moran
It’s been a pleasure to work with you Caroline. Though we sit in different parties we have regularly worked together on issues like climate, Europe and safeguarding our democracy. A special thanks for all you did on @appgcoronavirus. It is a loss to Parliament for sure. https://t.co/P65oWBtv2d
— Layla Moran 🔶 (@LaylaMoran) June 8, 2023
From the environmental campaigner and Guardian columnist George Monbiot
There has been no better MP in my lifetime than @CarolineLucas. There must be at least eight clones of her – otherwise how could she do so much? She will be sorely missed in Parliament, though I’m sure she'll do great work elsewhere. Thank you Caroline for all you have done. https://t.co/9wXn3pkkKj
— George Monbiot (@GeorgeMonbiot) June 8, 2023
From Andrew Fisher, the head of policy for Jeremy Corbyn when he was Labour leader
For 13 years or more, Caroline Lucas has been by far the most prominent Green politician in the UK
— Andrew Fisher (@FisherAndrew79) June 8, 2023
That's a huge burden - and one she has borne well - getting more right than she has wrong
Even if she's not quite my politics, her stepping down is a loss.https://t.co/Hjz9jQ0s0v
From Chris Dillow, the leftwing economics blogger
Caroline seems to be making an important & under-discussed point here - that being an MP is not necessarily the best way to achieve political change. (Another data point: Farage was never an MP, but caused more change - albeit for the worse! - than most.) https://t.co/Midwsk1oJf
— Chris Dillow (@CJFDillow) June 8, 2023
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Electoral Commission calls for funding laws to be tightened as figures show £20m donated to political parties in early 2023
The Electoral Commission has renewed its call for the law around political donations to be tightened following the publication of figures showing more than £20m was donated to parties in the first quarter of this year.
That compares with almost £13m donated in the first quarter of 2022.
In a statement issued alongside the new figures, Louise Edwards, the commission’s director of regulation and digital transformation, said:
We publish details of these donations so that voters understand how political parties are funded. We know transparency of party and campaigner finance is important for people, but our research tells us that only 24% of people believe party funding is transparent.
It’s clear that publishing this information is not enough. We continue to recommend to the UK government that it reforms the system, to help protect parties from those who seek to evade the law, and give voters more confidence.
The figures show that the Conservatives received £12.1m in the first three months of this year, Labour £4.4m (including £2m from Lord Sainsbury), the Liberal Democrats £1.3m and the SNP just £4,000.
Earlier this year the government rejected opposition attempts to amend the national security bill to require political parties to produce statements saying what they are doing to ensure they are not taking money from foreign powers.
Under current law, parties are not allowed to take money from foreign companies or governments. But there have been calls for the law to be tightened because companies based in the UK that donate to political parties do not have to show that that money was generated in the UK.
Sir Julian Lewis, the Conservative chair of parliament’s intelligence and security committee, was one of the MPs who backed the amendment to the national security bill. But the government rejected it, arguing it was unnecessary.
UPDATE: See 12.22pm for more details of the party funding reforms the commission is proposing.
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Sunak still has not met target for ending 18-month hospital waits by April 2023, latest figures show
NHS England has released new waiting time figures. PA Media has the main points.
The number of people in England waiting to start routine hospital treatment has risen to a record high, PA reports. PA says:
An estimated 7.4 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of April, up from 7.3 million in March, NHS England said.
It is the highest number since records began in August 2007.
Rishi Sunak has made cutting waiting lists one of his priorities for 2023, pledging in January that “lists will fall and people will get the care they need more quickly”.
Some 11,477 people are estimated to have been waiting more than 18 months to start routine hospital treatment at the end of April, NHS England said. PA says:
This is up from 10,737 at the end of March.
The government and NHS England set the ambition of eliminating all waits of more than 18 months by April of this year, excluding exceptionally complex cases or patients who choose to wait longer.
A total of 371,111 people in England had been waiting more than 52 weeks to start routine hospital treatment at the end of April. PA says:
This is up from 359,798 at the end of March.
The government and NHS England have set the ambition of eliminating all waits of more than a year by March 2025.
Some 218,060 urgent cancer referrals were made by GPs in England in April, down month-on-month (by 16% compared with March 2023) but up year-on-year (by 2% compared with April 2022). PA says:
The proportion of cancer patients who saw a specialist within two weeks of being referred urgently by their GP fell from 83.9% in March to 77.7% in April, remaining below the 93% target and the lowest figure since September 2022.
The 93% target was last hit in May 2020, during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Labour MP Jess Phillips broke Commons rules by registering a payment from the University of Bristol two days late, a report from the Commons standards committee reveals today.
Daniel Greenberg, the parliamentary commissioner for standards, launched an investigation after a member of the public complained that Phillips had not registered payment for an appearance on a TV show on 17 January 2020. Greenberg established that Phillips had not registered a payment because she had not been paid for the broadcast, but in the course of his inquiry he found that Phillips had registered a payment from the University of Bristol two days after the 28-day deadline.
He said that, although this was a minor breach, he was reporting it to the Commons standards committee because it happened less than six months after Phillips corrected her failure to submit some other entries on time.
Phillips told the commissioner that “administrative changes in her office” were to blame for the University of Bristol money being declared late.
The standards committee said it was not recommending any further action. In comments that suggest the committee thinks that Greenberg might have been a tad over-zealous in this case, and that he did not need to produce a full report on Phillips (a “rectification” process is available which allows minor breaches to be resolved without a full report going to the standards committee), it said:
We note the commissioner’s memorandum and are grateful to him for his diligence. This case underlines the need for members to submit their complete registrations in good time.
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Lucas says energy policies make Sunak's government more 'dangerous' than Just Stop Oil protesters
And here are the best extracts from Caroline Lucas’s interview on the Today programme:
Lucas said that she would not be “retiring with my knitting” after leaving the Commons, and that not being an MP would give her more time to focus on climate issues. She said:
The thing that really motivates me, what really drives me, is action around the climate and nature emergencies.
Over the course of my lifetime alone, populations and some of our most important wildlife have plummeted by over half. The climate crisis is accelerating, warnings we will crash through that 1.5C climate threshold within the next five years. So these are really massive issues.
And because I have to be the frontbench spokesperson on everything for my party, I’m pulling so many directions, from benefits to Brexit, and it just means that I can’t give the time that I personally want to those big issues around climate and nature.
She said climate activists were right to use direct action and she gave qualified support to the Just Stop Oil protests. Asked if she supported direct action by campaigners, she replied:
I think there is a role for physical direct action and as you say - I always have done and I’ve done it myself.
And when Nick Robinson put it to her that groups like Just Stop Oil were doing more to “energise” young people over the climate crisis than Green party politicians, Lucas replied:
I think it’s a combination of both, to be honest.
I think people who are taking peaceful, direct action, whether or not I agree with every single tactic, they have certainly accelerated the focus on this issue, mobilised huge numbers of people.
But I think you also need people only on the inside of politics too. I just remember those words from António Guterres, the UN secretary general, where he said the truly dangerous radicals are not people who are protesting in the streets, it’s governments who aren’t facing up to the size of the emergency that we face and are still, for example in the case of our own government, licensing more oil and gas. That is what is truly dangerous and radical, not people who are quite understandably driven to take action on the streets because they are seeing that we are careering towards a cliff edge.
She said Rishi Sunak’s government was more “dangerous and radical” than the Just Stop Oil protesters because of its energy policies. (See quote in the paragraph above.) Yesterday, Sunak described Just Stop Oil activists as “eco-zealots” who were “essentially leading us into an energy surrender”.
She said she wanted to help the Green party get more people elected. Its performance in the local elections was its best ever, she said, and she said the Greens are now the largest party on 10 councils, and in administration in more than 30.
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Caroline Lucas says she is leaving parliament to devote more time to fighting ‘accelerating’ threats to planet
Good morning. Tony Benn famously said, when he stood down as an MP, that he was leaving the House of Commons so that he would have “more time to devote to politics”. This morning Caroline Lucas, Britain’s first Green party MP, has in effect announced she is doing the same. More than 50 MPs have said they are standing down at the next election, but Lucas is one of the most significant figures on the list. Lucas’s election, as MP for Brighton Pavilion, was a major boost to the Green party (which she has twice led) and to the environmental cause generally.
In an open letter to her constituents, she highlights some of the progress made on green, and other, issues over the past 13 years. Explaining her decision to stand down, she says:
The intensity of these constituency commitments, together with the particular responsibilities of being my party’s sole MP, mean that, ironically, I’ve not been able to focus as much as I would like on the existential challenges that drive me – the nature and climate emergencies. I have always been a different kind of politician – as those who witnessed my arrest, court case and acquittal over peaceful protest at the fracking site in Balcombe nearly ten years ago will recall. And the truth is, as these threats to our precious planet become ever more urgent, I have struggled to spend the time I want on these accelerating crises. I have therefore decided not to stand again as your MP at the next election.
The reason I came into politics was to change things. Thirteen years ago it’s inconceivable that parliament would have declared a climate emergency. And I’ve put issues like a universal basic income and a legal right to access nature on the political agenda; secured the first parliamentary debate in a generation on drug law reform; and thanks to my work in parliament, a natural history GCSE will soon be on the syllabus. I have said the previously unsayable, only to see it become part of the mainstream, on coal, on the myth that endless economic growth makes us happier, on a green new deal.
My determination to trying to make change is stronger than ever. I look forward to having the time to explore ever more imaginative and creative ways of helping to make a liveable future a reality. Watch this space!
In 2010 #Brighton Pavilion made history by electing me UK’s 1st Green MP & it’s been the honour of my life. My open letter to residents & friends explains why I’m not standing at next General Election. With love & gratitude, I hope I've done you proud 👇https://t.co/H3QwRffE2x pic.twitter.com/GEavTgkgqJ
— Caroline Lucas (@CarolineLucas) June 8, 2023
Here is Matthew Weaver’s story about Lucas’s announcement.
Lucas has just been on the Today programme, where Nick Robinson also suggested she was acting like Tony Benn and Lucas said she was “very happy” with the comparison. I will post some highlights from the interview shortly.
Here is the agenda for the day.
Morning: Keir Starmer and Ed Miliband, the shadow secretary for climate change and net zero, visit British Steel in North Lincolnshire.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
12.40pm (UK time): Rishi Sunak is due to speak to broadcasters before he attends a business roundtable with US CEOs in Washington. At 4pm he meets Joe Biden in the White House, and at 6.45pm they are due to hold a press conference.
Afternoon: Peers debate Commons amendments to the strikes (minimum service levels) bill.
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