Afternoon summary
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Kate Forbes says she would seek talks with Scottish Greens 'early doors' if she becomes first minister
Kate Forbes, the SNP leadership candidate, has indicated that she will try to maintain the power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens if she becomes Scotland’s first minister next week.
In an interview this morning Patrick Harvie, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, indicated that the agreement might lapse with Forbes as first minister because of her lack of support for the gender recognition reform bill.
Forbes was on maternity leave when MSPs debated the bill, but she has said she would not have voted for it in its current form. Her main rival for the SNP leadership, Humza Yousaf, says he would go to court to fight the UK government’s decision to block the bill. Forbes says she would prefer to have a “grown-up conversation” with Westminster to discuss how the bill might be reformed.
This morning Harvie suggested that, with Forbes leading the SNP, power sharing with the Scottish Greens would have to end. (See 11.34am.)
But when this was put to her, Forbes said:
I want to work with Patrick Harvie and the Green party. I have negotiated probably more than any other cabinet secretary with the Greens in the past, and I want to work with other parties in Holyrood.
I would certainly have a conversation with him very early doors.
Asked how a compromise with the Scottish Greens might be possible given their strong support for the gender recognition bill, she replied:
I would hope that as a member of government, we could both take an approach which is to consider the legal advice, and to make decisions off the back of the legal advice.
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Seemingly ambitious Defra hedgerow targets actually due to typo
Thérèse Coffey, the environment secretary, has disappointed campaigners after revealing that an ambitious hedgerow plan for England was in fact a typographical error, my colleague Helena Horton reports.
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PCS announces further strikes by civil servants in Defra and government agencies
More than 3,000 civil servants in four government departments have announced a programme of continuous industrial action from 11 April, PA Media reports. PA says:
The action by members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) will hit the Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), Forestry Commission, Rural Payments Agency and Marine Management Organisation.
It marks another escalation of the union’s long-running dispute over pay, pensions, redundancy terms and job security.
Mark Serwotka, the PCS general secretary, said:
This action further ratchets up the pressure on ministers to settle our dispute.
Our members are showing no sign of backing down.
They are standing up for themselves because they are fed up with being taken for granted.
They demand the government holds meaningful talks with us and puts some money on the table to give them a decent pay rise.
How government is using private members' bills as substitute for employment bill left out of 2022 Queen's speech
The government had been expected to include an employment bill in the Queen’s speech last year, but it never materialised. Instead, as the business minister Kevin Hollinrake told MPs today (see 3.10pm), the government is backing six private member’s bill that implement measures that would have been in it.
The workers (predictable terms and conditions) bill, introduced by the Conservative MP Scott Benton, cleared the Commons today. (See 3.10pm) The other five bills, which have already been approved by MPs and are now in the Lords, are:
The carer’s leave bill, introduced by the Lib Dem Wendy Chamberlain: This would allow a worker to take some unpaid leave to provide or arrange care for someone with a long-term need.
The protection from redundancy (pregnancy and family leave) bill, introduced by Labour’s Dan Jarvis: This would extend redundancy protection during pregnancy, maternity leave, adoption leave or shared parental leave.
The worker protection (amendment of Equality Act 2010) bill, introduced by the Lib Dem Wera Hobhouse: This would make employers liable for the harassment of their workers by third parties.
The neonatal care (leave and pay) bill, introduced by the SNP’s Stuart C McDonald: This would create new rights to paid leave for workers with a baby in neonatal care.
The employment (allocation of tips) bill, introduced by the Conservative Virginia Crosbie: This would ensure employers have to pass on tips to workers without deductions.
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Bill giving zero-hours contract workers right to request regular hours passed by MPs
MPs have approved a bill to give people on zero-hours contracts the right to request regular hours.
The workers (predictable terms and conditions) bill, backbench legislation introduced by the Conservative MP Scott Benton, cleared its third reading in the Commons today and will now go to the House of Lords.
It is one of six private members’ bills relating to employment rights which are being backed by No 10 and which broadly implement measures that ministers were at one point expected to include in a government employment bill.
As PA Media reports, Benton’s bill would introduce a new statutory right for workers to request a predictable working pattern from their bosses, with the aim of helping those on zero-hours contracts.
Benton told MPs:
While zero hours contracts are an important part of the UK’s flexible labour market, the 2017 Taylor review of modern working practices found that workers on zero hours contracts, as well as agency workers and temporary workers, struggle where flexibility is one-sided in an employer’s favour.
The new rights will boost workers’ satisfaction and productivity and allow employers to retain skilled staff.
It is vital that we maintain the flexibility that zero-hours contracts facilitate for both businesses and workers, which is why workers will be able to choose to continue working on a zero-hours contract, or in another form of less predictable work, if indeed that is what works best for them.
Kevin Hollinrake, the business minister, told the Commons that the government supported the bill. He went on:
This bill forms part of a wider package of six private members’ bills on employment rights which the government is supporting. Taken as a package, these bills will deliver on our 2019 manifesto commitments to enhance workers’ rights, and support people to stay in work.
Imran Hussain, shadow minister for the future of work, said Labour was supporting the bill as “a step in the right direction” while confirming that it wanted to ban zero-hours contracts altogether.
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Cleverly and Šefčovič agree to work 'intensively and faithfully' to implement Windsor framework after formally adopting it
James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, and Maroš Šefčovič, the European Commission vice-president, have on behalf of the UK and the EU formally adopted the Windsor framework, the revised version of the Northern Ireland protocol.
We’ve formally adopted the Windsor Framework.
— James Cleverly🇬🇧 (@JamesCleverly) March 24, 2023
This delivers on our commitment to the people of Northern Ireland.
Great to see you in London, @MarosSefcovic 🇬🇧🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/zX8YhzjvNB
🆕 Signed and sealed.
— Maroš Šefčovič🇪🇺 (@MarosSefcovic) March 24, 2023
The Joint Committee formally adopts the Windsor Framework, the result of shared travel and destination. Thank you @JamesCleverly.
People in NI will benefit from lasting certainty. 🇪🇺🇬🇧 will exploit the full potential of the TCA.
👉 https://t.co/TCUvkuyBHx pic.twitter.com/e4StRIET2C
In a joint statement, Cleverly and Šefčovič said they met this morning “in a constructive atmosphere building on the excellent cooperation” between them both in recent months.
They said they would “work together intensively and faithfully” to implement the Windsor framework.
And they also proposed further post-Brexit cooperation on other issues, including energy, trade and security. In their statement they set out some details.
Energy: They underlined the importance of collaboration over the past year as Europe decouples from Russian fossil fuels and highlighted the importance of dialogue on security of supply. They confirmed their commitment to progress work on the electricity trading arrangements envisaged in the TCA [trade and cooperation agreement]. They also discussed the EU green deal industrial plan.
Trade: They looked forward to the signing of memoranda of understanding on financial services and on intellectual property soon. They agreed to finalise preparation for the working groups in the areas of technical barriers to trade as a matter of priority. They also discussed the UK retained EU law bill and bill of rights bill.
Security: They noted the close collaboration in support of Ukraine, and looked forward to dialogue provided for under the TCA in the areas of cybersecurity and counterterrorism. They also discussed the implementation of data protection safeguards for passenger name records.
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MPs approve bill to make harassment of women in public specific offence
A bill designed to make the harassment of women in public a specific offence has cleared the Commons.
The protection from sex-based harassment in public bill, a private member’s bill introduced by the Conservative former business secretary Greg Clark, was given an unopposed third reading and will now go to the Lords.
As PA Media reports, it is already an offence under the 1986 Public Order Act to deliberately harass or cause alarm or distress. The bill would amend the act and create a new offence which would apply where such actions are carried out because of the sex of the victim.
It would also introduce harsher punishments for offenders, raising the maximum jail sentence from six months to two years.
Clark told MPs that passing the bill would be a historic moment. He explained:
For the first time in our history, deliberately harassing, following, shouting degrading words at, making obscene gestures at women and girls in public places – and yes, on occasion men and boys in public places – because of their sex, with the deliberate intention to cause them alarm or distress, will be a specific offence, and a serious one at that.
The astonishing thing is that it hasn’t been so until now.
And Labour’s Stella Creasy said:
Misogyny is driving crimes against women and girls. A very simple statement, but a very clear recognition in this legislation for the first time ever that women are being targeted simply because they are women.
At the moment in our society it is women who are paying the price for our failure to understand how misogyny has driven crimes against them and to recognise that within the law.
By passing this legislation we are sending a powerful message to our young men that they do deserve better than that caricature of boys will be boys.
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Sunak stresses importance of 'democratic values' to Netanyahu as he discusses 'strengthening close partnership' with Israel
Downing Street described Israel as a “vital international partner” after Rishi Sunak’s meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu this morning. At the morning lobby briefing the PM’s spokesperson said:
Israel is a vital international partner for the United Kingdom and the prime minister was visiting London, and this was an important opportunity to talk about issues that matter to both countries, whether that’s the threat of Iran, Russia, new trade and investment … as well as peace and stability in the Middle East.
The spokesperson would not go into details of what Sunak said to Netanyahu in their talks, but the formal No 10 readout of the talks said that Sunak “expressed his solidarity with Israel in the face of terrorist attacks in recent months” while also suggesting he raised some concerns about Netanyahu’s widely condemned judicial changes. The readout said:
The prime minister expressed his solidarity with Israel in the face of terrorist attacks in recent months. The UK would always stand with Israel and its ability to defend itself. At the same time, the PM outlined international concern at growing tensions in the West Bank and the risk of undermining efforts towards the two state solution. He encouraged all efforts to de-escalate, particularly ahead of the upcoming religious holidays.
The prime minister stressed the importance of upholding the democratic values that underpin our relationship, including in the proposed judicial reforms in Israel.
But most of the readout focused on areas of agreement. It said:
The prime minister welcomed Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Downing Street today for talks on strengthening the close partnership between the United Kingdom and Israel.
The two leaders welcomed the signing of the UK-Israel 2030 Roadmap this week, which will drive our bilateral relationship forward and commit £20m in funding for joint science and technology projects over the next decade.
They expressed their backing for a modern free-trade agreement with cutting-edge service provisions and said their teams would work to progress this at pace.
The leaders discussed shared security and defence challenges, including Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and the threat posed by Iran to regional stability. The prime minister set out the UK’s analysis of the situation in Ukraine and the importance of continued international support to defend their sovereignty.
On Iran, they discussed the UK and Israel’s significant concern about Iran’s destabilising activity, and agreed that our governments would continue to work closely together to push back against aggression and manage the risk of nuclear proliferation …
The leaders welcomed the chance to meet in person to progress our important partnership, and the prime minister looked forward to visiting Israel at the earliest opportunity.
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The Scottish Green party says its power-sharing agreement with the SNP will come to an end if a new SNP leader abandons parts of the Bute House agreement.
The two parties reached the deal after the SNP very narrowly failed to obtain a majority in the Holyrood elections in 2021. They agreed a policy platform, and the two Scottish Green co-leaders took ministerial posts in the government.
The deal is under threat partly because it included support for the gender recognition reform bill, which has now been passed but vetoed by the UK government. Humza Yousaf is the only SNP leadership candidate committed to trying to overturn that veto; Kate Forbes and Ash Regan both opposed the bill anyway.
Patrick Harvie, one of the Scottish Green co-leaders, told Good Morning Scotland:
We would not accept any Scottish government simply vetoing parts of the Bute House agreement.
Those policies are in the Bute House agreement, that’s what we’re intended to deliver.
And if there was a Scottish government, whether it’s the current first minister who hadn’t resigned and changed her mind, whether it’s a new first minister wanting to rip out parts of that agreement, clearly that agreement would come to an end.
The SNP could govern without the Scottish Greens – it has run minority administrations before – but might find it harder to pass some legislation without them.
The new SNP leader will be announced on Monday.
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Oxfam and Amnesty condemn government over Netanyahu visit, saying UK should not condone Israeli rights abuses
Oxfam’s senior policy adviser, Richard Stanforth, has said it is “unconscionable” for the UK government to be deepening diplomatic ties with Israel “despite the Israeli government committing horrific human rights violations every day, seemingly with impunity”.
Commenting on Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to No 10 (see 10.08am), Stanforth said:
Millions of Palestinians are routinely denied access to their jobs, land and water and forced into poverty. Many families are being forced from their homes by the expansion of illegal settlements built on occupied land.
It is time for the UK to support a global ban on all trade and investment in Israeli settlements and for the Israeli government to uphold, not ignore, international law.
And Kristyan Benedict, Amnesty International UK’s crisis response manager, said:
Netanyahu is more concerned with seeking legitimacy for his government rather than addressing its increasingly extremist policies, his occupation forces in the Palestinian Territories killing civilians, stealing their land and building illegal new settlements.
What’s more egregious is the UK government turning a blind eye to apartheid atrocities.
The UK and Israel’s rejection of this reality will not change the truth or illegality of the current situation. All it does is help entrench Israel’s racist system of apartheid against Palestinian people.
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Protesters shout 'shame' outside Downing Street as Sunak welcomes Netanyahu to No 10
Rishi Sunak has welcomed the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to Downing Street.
As PM Media reports, Netanyahu faces a wave of protests over his judicial overhauls that critics say will drag the nation towards autocracy. He and Sunak could clearly hear the loud shouts of “shame” in Hebrew from protesters waving Israeli flags and placards stating their aim of “saving Israeli democracy”.
One sign opposite the gates of Downing Street on Friday morning branded Netanyahu a “dictator on the run”.
Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images
Bank of England governor urges firms to resist putting up prices, saying that could lead to higher interest rates
Andrew Bailey, governor of the Bank of England, has urged firms to resist raising prices, saying further price hikes could lead to further interest rate increases. In an interview with the Today programme he said:
I would say to people who are setting prices - please understand, if we get inflation embedded, interest rates will have to go up further and higher inflation really benefits nobody.
My colleague Julia Kollewe has more details on the business live blog.
Sunak hosts Netanyahu amid disquiet over Israel’s rightwing coalition
Rishi Sunak is meeting Benjamin Netanyahu in Downing Street on Friday, amid calls for him to do more to distance the UK from the Israeli prime minister and the extremism of his rightwing coalition government, my colleague Patrick Wintour reports.
Cleverly says UK and EU looking forward to ‘effective cooperation’ ahead of formal signing of NI Brexit deal
Good morning. Earlier this week, when it announced that its MPs would be voting against the Windsor framework, the revised version of the Northern Ireland framework negotiated by the UK government and the EU, the DUP said that the deal required “further clarification, re-working and change”.
But it’s too late. They’ve missed the boat. On Tuesday the EU formally accepted the deal, yesterday Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland secretary, said there would be “no renegotiating of that deal”, and this morning James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, and Maroš Šefčovič, the European Commission vice-president, will sign it off. By lunchtime, it will be a done deal.
Cleverly and Šefčovič will settle the matter at a meeting of the withdrawal agreement joint committee. After that they will hold a meeting of the trade and cooperation agreement (the post-Brexit UK-EU trade deal) partnership council. It is only the second time this body has met, and it will consider other, non-Northern Ireland aspects of the UK-EU relationship. It is a sign of how both sides hope the protocol deal can lead to a more general improvement in relations.
Ahead of the meeting, Cleverly said:
By formally approving the Windsor framework, we are delivering on our commitment to provide stability and certainty for Northern Ireland.
The framework is the best deal for Northern Ireland, safeguarding its place in the Union and protecting the Belfast (Good Friday) agreement.
I look forward to further effective cooperation with the EU on key issues, such as security and energy.
In a press notice the Foreign Office says:
The partnership council will cover wider UK-EU cooperation, including on issues such as the UK’s access to EU science and research programmes, energy, trade and security.
The UK will continue to work with the EU in a range of areas including research collaboration, but also strengthening sanctions against Russia as well as energy security, and illegal migration.
Here is the agenda for the day.
8.45am: James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, meets Maroš Šefčovič, the European Commission vice-president, to formally sign off the Windsor framework, the revised version of the Northern Ireland protocol.
9am: Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli PM, meets Rishi Sunak in Downing Street.
9.30am: MPs debate backbench bills, starting with the remaining stages of the protection from sex-based harassment in public bill.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
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