Afternoon summary
The UK is to return to the flagship Horizon Europe science research programme, Rishi Sunak has confirmed. But the government has decided not to join Euratom, the EU’s nuclear research programme. The European Commission said the UK took this decision because it assessed “its industry’s long absence from Euratom and F4E/ITER programmes cannot be reversed”. (See 3.27pm.)
Alex Chalk, the justice secretary, has announced that an independent investigation will take place into the escape of Daniel Abed Khalife, a former soldier charged with terrorism offences, from HMP Wandsworth. There is full coverage on our separate live blog.
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Ireland will unite 'in my lifetime', says 44-year-old Irish PM Leo Varadkar
Leo Varadkar, the taoiseach (Irish PM), has said he expects to see Irish reunification in his lifetime. The 44-year-old told RTE that he expected Ireland to unite with Northern Ireland, but that respecting the concerns of the Northern Irish minority in a unified Ireland would be important. He said:
I believe we are on the path to unification.
I believe that there will be a united Ireland in my lifetime, and in that united Ireland there is going to be a minority, roughly a million people who are British.
And you judge the success and the quality of a country by the way it treats its minorities and that’s something we’re going to have to think about.
Because what is, you know, a republican ballad – a nice song to sing, easy words to learn for some people – can be deeply offensive to other people.
Varadkar was speaking in response to a question about the popularity of the Wolfe Tones, a band whose repertoire includes a song that includes a pro-IRA chant.
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Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, has been in Essex today, visiting a school affected by Raac and holding a meeting at the council offices. There have been 53 cases of Raac in Essex schools – more than in any other country. Six of the schools delayed the start of term for a week, 10 have opened with some virtual teaching, and the other 37 are fully open.
Vicky Ford, the Conservative MP for Chelmsford, who attended the meeting with Keegan, said her county was affected so much by Raac because it expanded rapidly after the second world war. She said:
It’s largely because of the history of how the county grew so much during that postwar period. The impact of bombings and then a lot of construction that happened in that postwar period, and towards the latter half of the last century.
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Rishi Sunak took a train when he visited Coventry today, Peter Walker reports. This is only noteworthy because he has developed a reputation for frequently travelling by helicopter (more than usual for a prime minister), to the extent that Labour cite this as evidence of his being out of touch.
A note for Rishi Sunak travel aficionados: he travelled to and from Coventry today for a visit *by train*. Not a helicopter in sight.
A note for Rishi Sunak travel aficionados: he travelled to and from Coventry today for a visit *by train*. Not a helicopter in sight.
— Peter Walker (@peterwalker99) September 7, 2023
Rishi Sunak has told Volodymyr Zelenskiy that he will urge G20 countries to do more to support Ukraine when he attends its summit later this week.
The prime minister spoke to the Ukrainian president this afternoon and, according to a readout of the call from No 10, the two leaders “discussed the impact of Putin’s continued Black Sea grain blockade, both in Ukraine and for food supplies around the world”.
Downing Street went on:
The prime minister committed to galvanise work with G20 countries on circumventing Russia’s blockade and ensuring vulnerable countries can access vital grain shipments.
The prime minister welcomed progress on bilateral security commitments for Ukraine, with 30 partners now signing the joint declaration, an initiative led by the UK and allies at this summer’s Nato summit. He said the UK would continue to drive forward plans for long-term support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and security.
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A reader has asked this question about the chart posted earlier (see 10.40am) showing money received by political parties in the second quarter of this year, from donations and from public funds.
Do we know why some parties are accessing lots of public funds and others mostly donations?
The money from public funds is mostly or entirely so-called Short money, the taxpayers’ money given to opposition parties with MPs in parliament. (It is named after Ted Short, a former Labour leader of the Commons, who created the scheme.) The Tories do not get any, but for Labour it is a big source of income.
Chris Pincher's resignation takes effect
Chris Pincher’s resignation as an MP has now taken effect. We know that because the Treasury has announced that he has been appointed steward and bailiff of the manor of Northstead – an archaic non-job which means he can no longer be an MP because it is deemed an office of profit under the crown.
(In other countries, MPs just resign, but that does not happen at Westminster because no one has got round to amending a Commons resolution passed in 1623.)
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UK abandoned plans to rejoin Euratom after concluding impact of its absence 'cannot be reversed', says EU
Michelle Donelan, the science secretary, has defended the government’s decision not to rejoin Euratom, the EU’s nuclear research programme. Instead the UK will spend up to £650m on UK alternatives.
The government announced this morning that it is rejoining Horizon, the EU’s £85bn science research programme, as well as Copernicus, the EU’s Earth observation programme.
But instead of rejoining Euratom, the government says it will set up its own “ambitious and cutting-edge suite of new, alternative R&D programmes to support the UK’s flourishing fusion sector and strengthen international collaboration”. It says it will spend up to £650m on these initiatives between now and 2027.
In the Commons, as Donelan delivered a statement about Horizon, Nick Thomas-Symonds, a shadow Cabinet Office minister, questioned the wisdom of not reengaging with Euratom.
He said George Freeman, the science minister, is on record as saying in the past that, of Horizon, Copernicus and Euratom, Euratom would be the hardest for the UK to replicate and that, if the government was going to remain in just one of them, it would be best to stay in Euratom.
In response, Donelan said Freeman now agreed with her that it was best not to rejoin Euratom. She said the UK Atomic Energy Authority has welcomed the government’s announcement.
Donelan did not give a detailed explanation for the decision not to rejoin Euratom. In its news release, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero says:
Given delays to association and the direction of travel of these EU programmes, an alternative approach gives the UK the best opportunity to deliver our fusion strategy by driving job creation, investment and growth in our world-leading fusion sector.
But the European commission has given a blunter explanation in a briefing note. It says:
The UK has decided not to pursue its association to Euratom and Fusion4Energy/ITER [the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor]. This decision is guided by the UK’s assessment that its industry’s long absence from Euratom and F4E/ITER programmes cannot be reversed.
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St David’s Hall, a major concert venue in the centre of Cardiff, is to close to the public while checks are carried out on Raac panels in the building.
Cardiff council said it expected the hall to be shut for at least four weeks. Artists due to perform in the coming weeks include comedian Adrian Edmondson, singer Alfie Boe and 80s rock band Europe.
A council spokesperson said:
We believe it is prudent and responsible to carry out intrusive surveys to further reassure ourselves and the public on the safety of the hall. This will require drilling into panels to confirm their interior construction and to determine if any further work is required to ensure continuing safety.
Consequently, we will be bringing structural engineers – who are Raac experts – back on site to do fresh tests. We expect this procedure could take at least four weeks, and we will look to re-open the hall as soon as possible, dependent on any action which may or may not be required.
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No 10 rules out offering more student visas as part of free trade deal with India
Downing Street has dismissed suggestions that India could be allocated more student visas as part of the trade deal being negotiated with the EU.
The prime minister’s spokesperson clarified the position in response to reports suggesting there is a cabinet split on the issue. He told journalists at the daily lobby briefing:
I think there’s an important points to stress on visas. The prime minister has been clear he believes that the current levels of migration are too high. He and the home secretary, indeed the immigration minister [Robert Jenrick], are united in their commitment to reducing net migration.
I can’t comment on the details of ongoing negotiations, but to be crystal clear, there are no plans to change our immigration policy to achieve this free trade agreement. That includes student visas.
Last week the Sun published a story saying Tory MPs were alarmed because they thought that, as part of the trade deal being negotiated with India, Sunak was poised to agree a significant increase in the number of student visas available to Indians. Today the Sun is claiming Suella Braverman, the home secretary, told Sunak at cabinet this week that she was unhappy at the idea of India getting more student visas because she thought immigration was already too high.
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More than one in seven schools on Raac list were denied emergency funding
More than one in seven English schools affected by dilapidated concrete were previously denied government funding to be rebuilt despite being deemed to be in emergency need, Guardian analysis of official data has shown. Peter Walker and Sally Weale have the story.
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Will Horizon membership bring UK closer to EU in other ways?
This is from the Prospect columnist and Substack blogger Sam Freedman, who is broadly echoing what the Liberal Democrats are saying about the Horizon announcement. (See 9.27am.)
The Horizon deal again shows the inexorable logic of closer relationships with the EU over time. We'll keep rebuilding things that Brexit broke - the only Qs are how long it will take and will we end up all the way back where we started.
— Sam Freedman (@Samfr) September 7, 2023
That triggered an interesting exchange with Raoul Ruparel, who was a Europe adviser at No 10 when Theresa May was PM. He replied:
You may well be right about that. But I don’t think Horizon is a good example of it. It has always been the plan for this to happen; the fact it took so long shows how difficult this sort of stuff is, even when it benefits all, and how fractured relationship has been (NI impact)
You may well be right about that. But I don't think Horizon is a good example of it. It has always been the plan for this to happen, the fact it took so long shows how difficult this sort of stuff is, even when it benefits all, and how fractured relationship has been (NI impact)
— Raoul Ruparel (@RaoulRuparel) September 7, 2023
Freedman then said:
It’s more that the benefits of cooperation are so obvious, and so widely welcomed, that it inevitably takes you on the next thing (electric vehicle tariffs, Erasmus etc...)
It's more that the benefits of cooperation are so obvious, and so widely welcomed, that it inevitably takes you on the next thing (electric vehicle tarrifs, Erasmus etc...)
— Sam Freedman (@Samfr) September 7, 2023
Ruparel replied:
I wish it were the case but I’m not sure. Horizon planned in deal & still took years despite clear benefits. Agreeing stuff outside the deal or even changes to it (e.g. EV tariffs) much harder. Much of this excluded not due to politics but as EU doesn’t think it in their interest
I wish it were the case but I'm not sure. Horizon planned in deal & still took years despite clear benefits. Agreeing stuff outside the deal or even changes to it (e.g. EV tariffs) much harder. Much of this excluded not due to politics but as EU doesn't think it in their interest
— Raoul Ruparel (@RaoulRuparel) September 7, 2023
Freedman was unconvinced.
Right and where does the logic of that take us? I’m not saying it will happen quickly. But I don’t see how we don’t get drawn further and further in as we seek benefits.
Right and where does the logic of that take us? I'm not saying it will happen quickly. But I don't see how we don't get drawn further and further in as we seek benefits.
— Sam Freedman (@Samfr) September 7, 2023
But Ruparel stood his ground.
I think there is a limit (quite soon) on how far you can get drawn in before grappling with big questions of SM, CU or free movement. Which is much more complex & controversial & far from inexorable at this stage. I also don’t think marginal stuff brings us all that much closer
I think there is a limit (quite soon) on how far you can get drawn in before grappling with big questions of SM, CU or free movement. Which is much more complex & controversial & far from inexorable at this stage. I also don't think marginal stuff brings us all that much closer
— Raoul Ruparel (@RaoulRuparel) September 7, 2023
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Braverman tells MPs Prevent guidance being revised to stop 'mainstream' rightwing views being seen as extremist
Suella Braverman, the home secretary, has told MPs that guidance for the Prevent anti-terrorism scheme will be revised to ensure that “mainstream” rightwing views are not viewed as extremist.
In a statement to the Commons, she said she was issuing the new guidance in response to a review of the Prevent programme by Sir Willam Shawcross published earlier this year.
Braverman said she was accepting what the review said about Prevent failing to distinguish between mainstream, conservative views and far-right, extremist ones.
She said:
Ricu, the Research, Information and Communications Unit, which provides analytical and analysis products [for the Prevent programme] on behalf of the Home Office was identified by Sir William as a concern. In the past Ricu has failed to draw clear distinctions between mainstream conservative commentary and the extreme right.
People, like [Conservative MP Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg] and Douglas Murray, express mainstream, insightful and perfectly decent political views; people may disagree with them, but in no way are they extremists. Prevent must not risk any perception of disparaging them as such again.
From now on all Ricu products which report on extremist trends and future themes will clearly state the purpose of such reporting and be proportionate.
The Prevent programme is intended to prevent people becoming terrorists by identifying people at risk of being indoctrinated. One indicator is an interest in extreme views.
In his report Shawcross said:
I saw one Ricu analysis product from 2020 on rightwing terrorist and extremist activity online which referenced books by mainstream British conservative commentators as “key cultural nationalist ideological texts”. The same document listed “key texts” for white nationalists as including historic works of the western philosophic and literary canon.
A Ricu analysis product from 2019, which discussed a cohort of social media users it termed “Actively Patriotic and Proud”, listed a prominent Conservative politician and former member of the government as being among figures “associated with far-right sympathetic audiences, and Brexit”.
And, as an example of Prevent training material treating mainstream rightwingers as extreme, the report cited this document, which includes this quote.
Just as in 1978, when Margaret Thatcher’s claim that British people feared being “swamped” pulled the rug from under the NF [National Front], the normalisation and mainstreaming of Islamophobia may be undermining support for the organised anti-Muslim far right. Why face all the social consequences of supporting [Stephen Yaxley- Lennon] when one can vote for a prime minister that calls Muslim women letterboxes or read columns by Rod Liddle, Melanie Philips and Douglas Murray that spread negative views about Islam and Muslims via the pages of mainstream publications? Maybe one reason the traditional far right is so small right now is because it is simply not needed.
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Sunak admits byelections in Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth will be 'difficult' for Tories
Rishi Sunak has admitted it will be “difficult” for the Conservatives to win the two byelections coming up where they are defending safe seats.
Asked about his party’s prospects in Mid Bedfordshire and in Tamworth (see 9.38am), Sunak replied:
Mid-term byelections are always difficult for incumbent governments and these will be no different, but we’re going to keep working hard to deliver for the British people.
I set out five priorities at the beginning of the year: to halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce debt, cut waiting lists and stop the boats. Those are the right priorities, those are the British people’s priorities, and we are determined to deliver on them and show the country that we can transform their lives and their families’ lives for the better.
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Yesterday the government faced criticism for scrapping Labour’s Building Schools for the Future programme in 2010 after it emerged that some of the schools that now have problems with unreliable concrete (Raac – reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) might have been refurbished a decade ago if the initiative had gone ahead.
The decision to scrap Building Schools for the Future was one of many measures taken by the coalition government as part of its austerity drive. George Osborne, chancellor at the time, has not commented on the row, but Rupert Harrison, who was his chief of staff at the time and who is now a Tory election candidate, has intervened on X/Twitter. He says BSF was “totally unfunded” beyond April 2011.
Re Labour’s Building Schools for the Future programme:
- it was totally unfunded beyond April 2011
- the 2010 Coalition SR allocated £2bn more to the annual govt capital budget than was in Labour’s 2010 election plans
- so Labour’s plans were to cut investment by more
Re Labour's Building Schools for the Future programme:
— Rupert Harrison (@rbrharrison) September 7, 2023
- it was totally unfunded beyond April 2011
- the 2010 Coalition SR allocated £2bn more to the annual govt capital budget than was in Labour's 2010 election plans
- so Labour's plans were to cut investment by more
UPDATE: A Labour adviser says this is wrong. He says Harrison is referring to the fact that the last Labour government’s last spending review only ran up to March 2011, and that as a result budget had not been allocated beyond that. But he says that does not mean there would have been no spending afterwards. Similarly, the Tory government’s spending review runs out after 2024-25, but at that point spending is not likely to be cut to zero, he says.
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Experts welcome Horizon decision but claim delay in UK rejoining has damaged scientific research in Britain
Rishi Sunak said this morning that scientists are overwhelmingly in favour of the decision to rejoin Horizon. (See 11.23am.) He is right. The Science Media Centre has published responses to the news from almost 30 distinguished scientists, and they are all extremely positive.
However, some of them say research has suffered while Britain has been out. UK researchers have not been participating since 2021. One professor said “irreversible damage” had been done.
Prof Martin Rees, the astronomer royal, a former president of the Royal Society and emeritus professor of cosmology and astrophysics at the University of Cambridge, said scientists had been frustrated “by the unconscionable delay in reaching agreement”.
Prof Sir John Hardy, professor of neuroscience and group leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London (UCL), said:
It is unfortunate that government believes decisions are completely reversible. As they must realise from recent budget debacles, they are not. Going back in is good. But irreversible damage has been done.
Prof Tara Spires-Jones, president of the British Neuroscience Association, said that although there was huge relief at today’s news, “the delays have undoubtedly had impacts on the UK’s ability to lead international collaborations in neuroscience, which we will have to work hard to repair”.
And Prof Neil Hall, director of the Earlham Institute, a life science research institute, said:
Before Brexit our scientists led many successful Horizon collaborations but recent restrictions have forced them to take a back seat. Despite the government providing repeated guarantees to honour Horizon grants for research projects, advances in our science have still suffered from the long-running uncertainty.
In the Commons Alex Chalk, the justice secretary, is making a statement to MPs about the escape of Daniel Abed Khalife from Wandsorth prison. Mabel Banfield-Nwachi is covering this on our separate live blog about this story.
Sunak sidesteps question about whether Horizon deal will lead to UK collaborating more closely with EU in other areas
Rishi Sunak has been speaking to journalists about the government’s decision to rejoin the EU’s Horizon science research programme on a visit to the University of Warwick. Here are the main points he made.
Sunak defended the length of time it took to rejoin Horizon, saying the government had to negotiate the right deal. Labour says the delay has been damaging. (See 9.52am.) But Sunak said:
We are associated to Horizon, which is the world’s largest international research partnership including countries not just from the EU but also Norway, Israel, New Zealand, with hopefully Canada and South Korea to join soon too.
We’ve taken the time to negotiate the right deal for the UK, a bespoke deal which works in our interests.
He also said that, in rejoining Horizon, the government was responding to what scientists wanted. He told journalists:
You would have seen today just overwhelming support for what the Government has agreed.
I listened to the science and research community here. They said that association to Horizon was a priority. That’s what I’ve delivered.
He sidestepped a question about whether the Horizon agreement would lead to the UK collaborating more closely with the EU in other areas. Asked about this, he said collaboration was important – but that it did not have to be with the EU. He said:
When it comes to the research world, collaboration is really important. The best research is often done across borders, but it’s not just about with EU countries. It’s actually much more global than that. And that’s why this programme is important. It includes EU countries but also Norway, Israel, New Zealand with hopefully Canada and South Korea as well. But that’s not the extent of our international collaboration.
He also said that at the G20 summit taking place later this week he would be talking about strengthening ties with other countries.
The Conservatives received £9.9m in donations in the second quarter of 2023, and Labour £7.5m, according to figures released by the Electoral Commission this morning.
In total, parties received £24,438,482 in donations and public funds during Q2. That is almost double the amount received in the equivalent period last year (£12,761,435), when Boris Johnson’s premiership was ending in scandal but Labour was not yet regarded as the near-certain winner of the next election, as some donors and supporters believe it is now.
The money from public funds is mostly or entirely so-called Short money, the taxpayers’ money given to opposition parties with MPs in parliament. (It is named after Ted Short, a former Labour leader of the Commons, who created the scheme.)
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This is from Tom Clarke, the Sky News science correspondent, on the UK’s decision to rejoin Horizon.
This is a much better deal than many scientists (both in the UK and EU) might have expected. But the outpouring of celebration also speaks to just how damaging our absence from Horizon has been for many longstanding science partnerships.
This is a much better deal than many scientists (both in the UK and EU) might have expected. But the outpouring of celebration also speaks to just how damaging our absence from Horizon has been for many long-standing science partnerships. https://t.co/iAzOg318e8
— Tom Clarke (@t0mclark3) September 7, 2023
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Maroš Šefčovič, the European commission vice president in charge of post-Brexit negotiations with the UK, has welcomed the news that Britain is rejoining Horizon. In a post on X/Twitter, he says:
Today’s agreement takes cooperation under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement a significant step forward.
It will ensure that EU and UK researchers & industry mutually benefit from one another’s experience & from fruitful collaboration in EU scientific & space programmes.
Today’s agreement takes 🇪🇺-🇬🇧 cooperation under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement a significant step forward.
— Maroš Šefčovič🇪🇺 (@MarosSefcovic) September 7, 2023
It will ensure that EU and UK researchers & industry mutually benefit from one another’s experience & from fruitful collaboration in EU scientific & space programmes. https://t.co/ohG3vjEa4q
Alex Burghart, a Cabinet Office minister, told MPs during Cabinet Office questions this morning that the resignation honours list being drawn up by Liz Truss has not yet been submitted to government.
He was responding to a question from the SNP’s Patricia Gibson who asked why Truss was being allowed an honours list when she was the shortest-serving prime minister and “still managed to crash the economy”.
Burghart replied:
We have not yet seen the list for the previous prime minister. And I think it’s worthwhile remembering that people who are honoured in our system have often contributed greatly to our country.
People proposed for honours are subject to vetting, including by the House of Lords Appointments Commission if they are heading for the Lords, before the list is finalised and signed off by No 10.
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Rejoining Horizon has come 'too late', says Labour, because billions in funding already lost
Labour says it was wrong for the government to keep the UK out of Horizon for so long. Commenting on today’s announcement, Peter Kyle, the shadow science secretary, said:
Today’s announcement is a relief after years of Conservative prime ministers putting party above country. However, this announcement is too late for many researchers, businesses and academics who have already lost out in billions of funding and taken their jobs and expertise elsewhere.
Our world-leading research base deserves a government that matches their ambition. Labour’s industrial strategy will support our world-leading sectors like life sciences and will unlock the potential of our scientific community.
Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the Commons, is taking questions on next week’s business in the chamber at 10.30am. After that there will be three government statements. Here they are, with rough timings.
Around 11.30am: Alex Chalk, the justice secretary, on the Wandsworth prison escape.
Around 12.30pm: Suella Braverman, the home secretary, on the Prevent review (a progress update).
Around 1.30pm: Michelle Donelan, the science secretary, on rejoining Horizon.
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Chris Pincher resigns as MP, triggering new byelection challenge for Tories in Tamworth
Chris Pincher, the former Tory deputy chief whip, has announced he is resigning as an MP. After the standards committee said he should be suspended for eight weeks for groping two men at the Carlton club, and after he lost his appeal against that sentence this week, he was facing the risk of a probable recall byelection anyway. This morning he has short-circuited that process by quitting immediately.
This means there will be a byelection in his Tamworth constituency. Rishi Sunak is already facing a very tough byelection contest in Mid Bedfordshire, where Nadine Dorries had a majority of 24,664 in 2019 and where a Tory defeat would be the biggest byelection defeat in terms of number of voters (rather than vote share) in history. That contest will take place on 19 October.
Pincher had a majority of 19,634 at the last election. Labour were in second place, and the Lib Dems a distant third. The Tories may want to schedule the byelection for 19 October too so as to concentrate the likely electoral pain into one night.
In his statement, Pincher says:
I have said already that I will not stand at the next general election.
However, following the independent expert panel’s decision I wanted to talk to my office team and family.
I do not want my constituents to be put to further uncertainty, and so in consequence I have made arrangements to resign and leave the Commons.
Tamworth is a wonderful place and it has been an honour to represent its people.
I shall make no further comment at this time.
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Sunak urged to take UK back into other EU schemes such as Erasmus after rejoining Horizon
Good morning. Seven years after Britain voted to leave the European Union, and more than three years after we formally left, the government has announced a return to an EU programme. The UK is rejoining Horizon, the EU’s £85bn science research scheme. It does not mean much for long-term realignment towards Europe, but it is a tiny shift of the pendulum in one direction after years when it has been vigorously yanked the other way.
When Boris Johnson negotiated the withdrawal agreement, it included a provision for the UK to remain part of Horizon. But the EU shut Britain out when it thought the Johnson/Truss governments were not implementing the Northern Ireland protocol, and Rishi Sunak actively explored the case for the UK turning its back on Horizon and funding its own research programme again. But the science community, almost universally, said Sunak would be mad not to join Horizon, the Windsor framework resolved the NI protocol problem (at least, from the EU’s point of view), and from this morning Britain is back in.
Here is Lisa O’Carroll’s story.
And here is the Downing Street press release.
The Liberal Democrats say Sunak should follow this up be taking Britain back into other EU schemes such as Erasmus, the student exchange programme. Commenting on the Horizon announcement, Layla Moran, the Lib Dems’ foreign affairs spokesperson, said:
This is welcome news but it is long overdue.
It is a tragedy that so much unnecessary damage was done to our scientists and researchers thanks to the Conservatives’ botched deal with Europe.
The government’s dither and delay means scientists will have missed out on vital funding and projects. This announcement won’t fix that damage – but it finally offers a positive step forward. It’s about time.
With this step forward, the government must look to extend this cooperation to other schemes such as Erasmus and restore these obvious benefits to all those in the UK.
Sunak is on a Horizon-linked visit this morning, and may be asked about this. But questions are also likely to focus on the government’s response to the escape of remand prisoner facing terrorism charges from Wandsworth jail. We will be covering that story on a separate live blog.
Here is the agenda for the day.
Morning: Rishi Sunak is on a visit this morning related to the Horizon announcement, where he will be speaking to the media.
Morning: Keir Starmer is on a visit in Macclesfield.
10am: Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of NHS England, and other health officials give evidence to the Commons public accounts committee about the new hospital programme.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
Noon: Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s first minister, takes questions at Holyrood.
If you want to contact me, do try the “send us a message” feature. You’ll see it just below the byline – on the left of the screen, if you are reading on a laptop or a desktop. This is for people who want to message me directly. I find it very useful when people message to point out errors (even typos – no mistake is too small to correct). Often I find your questions very interesting, too. I can’t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either in the comments below the line, privately (if you leave an email address and that seems more appropriate), or in the main blog, if I think it is a topic of wide interest.
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