Home secretary Priti Patel is facing fresh accusations of bullying, as former ministers and civil servants allege “aggressive” and “vile” conduct when she was in charge of the Department for International Development (Dfid).
The union representing civil servants called for a new process for raising complaints and investigating ministers’ behaviour, while the Home Office’s permanent secretary Sir David Normington said the department was facing “tropical storms”.
It comes as MPs warned Boris Johnson’s government not to water down a report into the Windrush scandal after it was reported a section branding the Home Office “institutionally racist” was stripped out.
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Windrush draft report branding Home Office ‘institutionally racist’ was ‘watered down’, officials claim
A warning not to water down a review into the Windrush scandal has been issued after it was reported a portion branding the Home Office “institutionally racist” was stripped out.
The delayed independent review was commissioned after people with a right to live in the UK were wrongfully detained or deported.
The Times reported sources saying the phrase “institutionally racist” was included in an earlier draft of the Windrush review led by inspector of constabulary Wendy Williams, but had subsequently been removed.
Labour MP David Lammy demanded that the “truth must be published in full”.
He added: “The victims’ nationality and rights were denied because of the colour of their skin. If this is not institutionally racist I have no idea what is. It would be an outrage and an insult to the Windrush generation for Wendy Williams’ independent review to be watered down for political reasons.”
Windrush draft 'branding Home Office institutionally racist was watered down'
'The victims' nationality and rights were denied because of the colour of their skin,' says Labour MP David LammyHome secretary hit by fresh bullying claims
Priti Patel is facing more allegations of bullying behaviour – a “pattern” according to one official – after she is thought to have attempted ousting the Home Office’s permanent secretary Sir Philip Rutnam.
Former ministers and civil servants have alleged “aggressive” and “vile” conduct when she was in charge of the Department for International Development (Dfid).
An ex-Dfid minister told The Times: “Is it a one-off? No it bloody isn’t. It’s her. It is exactly the same pattern of behaviour she showed when she was at Dfid.”
“She had team meetings where she would deliberately dress officials down in front of their colleagues … She persistently went over that line.”
Another official told the newspaper: “She was reviled in Dfid for her rudeness and insensitivity. She could not have been more hated for the way she treated people. She was just vile.”
Complaints were also reportedly made when Patel was at the Department for Work and Pensions between 2015 and 2016.
After briefings about the performance of Home Office staff from her allies on Thursday, the FDA civil service waded into the row – warning ministers against creating “an atmosphere of fear” in their departments.
Immigration changes will ‘cut the legs off’ UK bands, industry claims
The government’s immigration crackdown will “cut the legs off” the British UK music industry, a leading body has claimed – warning artists will be forced to cancel tours and small venues put in jeopardy.
The Incorporated Society of Musicians said the Home Office has turned its back on the creative arts worth £111bn a year to the economy – similar to banking – and refused to listen to its pleas for help.
“Enormous” numbers of bands from EU countries will be shut out by the huge cost and frightening bureaucracy of performing, dealing a hammer blow to the venues that host them, it said.
And UK artists will also feel the pain if Brussels slaps similar restrictions on tours to EU countries, in the post-Brexit trade talks.
“This is taking a shotgun and shooting ourselves in the foot,” the Society’s furious chief executive, Deborah Annetts, told The Independent.
All the details here:
Priti Patel warned her immigration crackdown will 'cut the legs off' the UK music industry
Home Office accused of refusing to listen to a £111bn-a-year business‘There seems to be a nasty streak’: Tory MP speaks out against Cummings
A senior Tory MP has hit out at Dominic Cummings for his “brutal” attack on the BBC and accused him of having a “nasty streak” that will backfire on the party.
Huw Merriman, chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on the BBC, attacked what he called “ideological trench warfare” against the corporation, in a recent No 10 briefing.
An unnamed adviser vowed to “whack” the BBC by abolishing the licence fee and forcing it to sell off many TV and radio stations – an attack widely attributed to Cummings.
Merriman told The House magazine: “Where I get concerned is the somewhat brutal way behind [his methods]. So the BBC is a good example of that … there seems to be a sort of nasty streak behind some of these briefings.”
He questioned why No 10 had to be “so divisive in the tone and language”.
The Tory MP added: “I just don’t think it’s going to end well.”
Dominic Cummings criticised by Tory MP for ‘brutal’ attack on BBC
‘There seems to be a sort of nasty streak behind some of these briefings ... I just don’t think it’s going to end well’Tory peer tells Cummings critics to ‘shut up’ – and calls him ‘a genius’
Some people in the Conservative party think there’s far too much anonymised back-biting about the all-powerful No 10 adviser Dominic Cummings.
Lord Blencathra, former Tory chief whip, said: “Ministers should shut up about Cummings. Not a single one of those whingeing about him would be ministers without him.
“He is a genius, and our majority is largely due to him,” he told The Telegraph.
Johnson holds calls with Trump – but avoids Huawei topic
Despite spending this week at his rural retreat in Kent, Boris Johnson is still doing difficult work – like speaking to Donald Trump on the telephone.
According to Downing Street, the pair discussed “bilateral issues” – but studiously avoided the topic of Huawei’s involvement in Britain’s 5G network.
The US president, said to have turned “apoplectic” the last time they spoke, has not forgotten about the Chinese tech giant, however.
Senior White House adviser Mick Mulvaney met top government official at Downing Street on Thursday, and made clear the Trump administration wants the Johnson administration to re-think the decision to grant the firm a role in the sensitive communications infrastructure.
A source told The Telegraph: “The Americans impressed upon us that the free trade agreement is going to have to be part of this Huawei discussion.”
No 10 denies the trade talks are linked to the 5G dispute.
Home Office facing ‘tropical storms’, says former chief civil servant
The ex-Home Office permanent secretary Sir David Normington has been speaking about the obvious problems at his former department – as anonymous civil servants and allies of Priti Patel brief against each other.
According to the BBC, Patel has asked for her permanent secretary Sir Philip Rutnam to be removed.
Sir David cited remarks by the former home secretary Roy Jenkins, who said the department always seemed to be suffering from “tropical storms out of a clear blue sky”.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The Home Office has one or two tropical storms at the moment … In those circumstances the best thing is for the home secretary and the permanent secretary need to be absolutely in lock step, working together.”
Sir David also described the timetable for introducing a new immigration system in time for January 2021 as “tight”.
He said: “They do involve a big change in short space of time and they could do with working very closely together to get it implemented … I’m sure they’ve had conversations about how tight it is.”
Tory minister deletes Question Time tweet
Nadine Dorries has deleted a tweet about the left-wing commentator Ash Sarkar, who appeared as a guest on Question Time last night.
“I realised people would use it to pile in on the person I was tweeting about,” said the Tory MP – claiming her original tweet had really been an attempt to complain about the BBC.
“I was trying to make a point that the BBC favour strident, very left wing, often hypocritical and frequently patronising views that turn people away.”
Long-Bailey wins green group’s backing for Labour leadership
The grassroots campaign group Labour for a Green New Deal (LGND) has endorsed Rebecca Long-Bailey for the party’s leadership, after the shadow business secretary ranked first in its ‘climate scorecard’.
Long-Bailey achieved 80 out of a possible 100 points on the candidate scorecards released by LGND today, based on an assessment of her track record and responses to questions posed by campaigners.
Keir Starmer secured 51 points, while Lisa Nandy – the only candidate not to respond to LGND’s questions – was further behind on 39.
Lauren Townsend, spokesperson for the group said Long-Bailey “stands out” but added: “It’s encouraging that all three leadership contenders are supportive of the Green New Deal – this transformative agenda can unite Labour’s electoral coalition, rebuild our communities and tackle the existential climate threat.”
Windrush report must not be ‘watered down’, says Yvette Cooper
Labour MP Yvette Cooper, chairwoman of the Commons Home Affairs Committee, has spoken out on the Windrush review after it was reported that a section branding the Home Office “institutionally racist” was stripped out from a draft report.
“The Wendy Williams review was supposed to be independent,” she said. “It’s one thing for the Home Office to check facts. But it would be completely unacceptable for the Home Office to try to water down the review's conclusions and judgments about what went wrong.”
The Home Office did not deny the report had been toned down. “This is an independent review being led by Wendy Williams,” a spokesman said.
“She has not yet submitted the final report to the Home Office. Once we have received it, we will publish it as soon as practicable. Ministers have not seen any version of the report.”
Is Blair too toxic to shape the Labour’s future?
Tony Blair had plenty of advice to offer the Labour leadership candidates on Thursday – warning them not to get into a “culture war” on trans rights, urging a “progressive coalition” with the Lib Dems and asking them to focus on winning power rather than coming up with ways to “trend on Twitter”.
But if the former Labour prime minister simply too “toxic” among members to have any influence?
Our associate editor Sean O’Grady suspects so. “Andrew Adonis said recently that the Labour Party would not prosper again until it learned to love Tony Blair, echoing an earlier quip by Blair about Peter Mandelson,” he writes. “If so then recovery is still a distant prospect.”
Read more here:
Is Tony Blair too toxic to shape the future of Labour?
The former prime minister is trying to save the party he loves. But that doesn’t mean anyone is listeningScotland could become one West’s most divide countries, says Gordon Brown
The former Labour PM has claimed that Scotland is at risk of becoming “one of the West’s most divided countries”.
Brown made the claim after a YouGov poll suggested that only 16 per cent believe the country is united. Commissioned by the Our Scottish Future think tank, the poll also found that 47 per cent of respondents believe Scots will always be divided on the issues of Brexit and independence.
Ahead of a speech in Newcastle today, Brown said: “The poll shows Scotland is at risk of becoming one of the West’s most divided countries and stuck in a rut.
“I want us to break out of the trench warfare from which everyone loses out ... The poll shows that Scotland is not just more divided than at any time in my lifetime but these divisions could dominate our lives for many decades to come.”
“Scotland looks more like two nations, not the united country I’d like it to be,” he said.
McDonnell: I was right to see ‘parallel’ between Assange and Dreyfus
John McDonnell has defended his controversial comments comparing Julian Assange’s extradition case to the Dreyfus affair – referring to the 1895 conviction at a court martial of French officer Alfred Dreyfus on treason charges many felt were brought against him because he was Jewish.
Jewish community groups branded the shadow chancellor’s comparison of Julian wrongful conviction of Dreyfus – he was later exonerated – as “deeply offensive”.
The Labour MP responded to criticism by tweeting: “It was quite clear what I meant.
“Just like the Dreyfus case, the legal action against Julian Assange is a major political trial in which the establishment is out to victimise an innocent. On that basis, of course it’s right to assert than it’s a parallel.”
Labour and Lib Dems should co-operate, says Layla Moran
Lib Dem MP Layla Moran – expected to compete with Sir Ed Davey to become the party’s next leader – has backed an alliance with Labour after former PM Tony Blair called for a “progressive coalition”.
In Moran’s latest piece for The Independent, she states: “Where cooperation around shared, progressive and internationalist agendas can help make a difference, we should support it.”
She warned people in the Labour Party to “focus on their real enemy”, complaining about “thuggish behaviour by Labour activists directed at Lib Dem councillors and activists”.
Moran said: “I hope those in the Labour Party will encourage reform and steer their comrades towards cooperation, just as the Greens and others have done. Because the priority for anyone in opposition to the Conservatives should be to get back to winning again. Our country’s future depends on it.”
More here:
Layla Moran: If Labour and the Lib Dems worked together, we’d be unstoppable
Cooperation can be achieved, and when done right, it can also mean winning, says Lib Dem MPBBC criticised for promoting ‘unhinged’ Question Time rant
There’s been plenty of reaction to Question Time’s latest viral moment – an angry woman ranting about immigration and the urgent need to “completely close the borders”.
Many are upset the BBC decided to promote a clip of the woman’s extended diatribe and its various inaccurate claims.
More on the row here:
BBC criticised for promoting ‘vile, unhinged’ anti-immigration Question Time rant
Viewers condemn show for sharing 'misinformed' comments without challengeLisa Nandy reveals 'surprise' at level of misogyny in Labour leadership contest
Lisa Nandy has said she has been “surprised” at the “level of misogyny” she and Rebecca Long-Bailey have faced during the Labour leadership contest.
She told LabourList: “We’ve been asked a lot more about things like trans rights versus safe spaces for women, and decriminalisation of prostitution, than Keir [Starmer]... And it’s been quite noticeable.”
The Wigan MP said: “When I first put my put my name forward to stand, particularly in the PLP [Parliamentary Labour Party], I had a lot of men saying to me, ‘you haven’t got the level of parliamentary experience that you might need, and when you’ve been in parliament for longer and you’ve served on the frontbench, perhaps then would be the time to think about putting your name forward’.
“They then went on to nominate a man who had less than half the amount of parliamentary experience, and less frontbench experience as well. I think that has to be called out for what it is. Because it’s misogyny.”
Jane Barlow/PA Wire/PA Images
Sale of coal and most polluting wood burned at home will be phased out to combat air pollution
The sale of the most polluting fuels burned in household stoves and open fires will be phased out from next year to clean up the air, the government has said.
Plans to phase out the sale of house coal and wet wood have been confirmed, as part of efforts to tackle tiny particle pollutants known as PM2.5, which can penetrate deep into lungs and the blood and cause serious health problems.
Wood burning stoves and coal fires are the single largest source of PM2.5, contributing three times as much of the pollution as road transport, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.
Splits emerge among senior SNP figures
A row appears to be brewing among senior SNP figures over the direction of the party - as Boris Johnson continues to block their demands for a second independence referendum.
Angus MacNeil, a former chair of the Commons trade committee, publicly took his colleague Pete Wishart to task over whether there should be an advisory plebiscite. MacNeil is open in his support for such a move - but Wishart thinks anything less than a legally binding referendum will damage their cause.
Elsewhere, justice secretary Humza Yousaf posted a furious tweet about a BBC article questioning Nicola Sturgeon's position as SNP leader. He described it as 'an absolute load of baloney' and attacked a couple of MPs 'stirring the pot'.
It is particularly notable because the SNP is usually outwardly unified and rarely appears caught up in the sort of infighting that plagues both Labour and the Tories.
How Brexit talks turned into a learning experience for the UK
Europe correspondent Jon Stone reviews Britain’s confused dealings with the EU since the referendum in 2016.
