Afternoon summary
- Brexit campaigners have been accused of trying to silence charities after some of them complained about environmental charities campaigning for Britain to stay in the EU. Responding to a Telegraph story on this topic, John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, said:
If this is an attempt by some in the Brexit camp to cow civil society into silence on the EU referendum, it’s bound to fail. The public has heard a lot from industry leaders about how a vote to stay or leave will affect UK businesses - there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be hearing from environmental groups about how it will impact our environment and quality of life.
But Leave.EU said environmental charities should not be spending money on pro-EU campaigners. Its spokesman Jack Montgomery said:
People will be very disappointed to see environmental charities using their donations to campaign on behalf of Brussels, especially considering the destruction its fisheries policy has wrought on the marine environment and the recent diesel scandal.
Sadly, the EU uses a significant portion of the money it takes from us to buy support from these organisations, and the In campaign threatening that it will be taken away after Brexit has them scared.
- Tristram Hunt, the former shadow education secretary, has said Harold Wilson would be “slightly horrified” by the way Labour is becoming a protest party, rather than a party of government, under Jeremy Corbyn. (See 3.38pm.)
- Usdaw, the shopworkers’ union, has criticised the government’s latest plan to tone down its proposals to liberalise Sunday trading laws. John Hannett, Usdaw’s general secretary, said:
The existing Sunday trading regulations are simple, popular and easily understood by retailers, shopworkers and customers. What the government is now proposing is to take one regulation that covers the whole of England and Wales, turn it into over 300 different regulatory regimes and within each of those there can be zones down to street level.
This is the nightmare scenario that will see retailers strangled in red tape as they try to deal with separate Sunday trading rules across the country. This complex scheme is somewhat ironic when the government claims to champion the cutting of red tape for business.
The proposal to have tourist zones is drawn so loosely that practically any shop could claim to be included simply because they have customers from outside the borough in which they are located. It could particularly benefit out of town retail parks over town centres. The worries of principled MPs who have deep concerns about the effects of extended Sunday trading have not been addressed.
That’s all from me for today.
Thanks for the comments.
Updated
Sporting Index, a spread betting company, has opened a book on the EU referendum. It expects Remain to get 54% of the vote and Leave 46%.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) could be forced to pay compensation to victims subjected to sex offences at the hands of Libyan soldiers while training in the UK, the Press Association reports.
Five Libyans were jailed last year after a court heard they raped and sexually assaulted victims in Cambridgeshire after a collapse of discipline at Bassingbourn Barracks where they were based.
Their arrests brought an end to a British government promise to help war-torn Libya by training army cadets in the UK following the 2011 collapse of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime.
The incidents prompted the MoD to send 300 soldiers back to their home country prematurely, ending an agreement to put 2,000 soldiers through basic infantry and junior command training in an attempt to help rebuild the troubled nation.
The MoD confirmed on Monday that it was considering legal claims from victims.
A spokeswoman said: “We can confirm that compensation claims have been received by the department. As the claims are ongoing we are unable to comment further.”
Harold Wilson would have been 'slightly horrified' by Corbyn's Labour, says Tristram Hunt
A few weeks ago some Conservatives got into a tizzy on the question of how Margaret Thatcher would have voted on the issue of the EU referendum.
Today another politician has been intervening from beyond the grave. Friday marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Harold Wilson, by one measure Labour’s most successful prime minister (he fought five general elections as leader, and won four of them). They were talking about him on the Daily Politics earlier and two Labour MPs, Mary Creagh and Tristram Hunt, were asked what Wilson would have made of the Labour party under Jeremy Corbyn.
Not much, they both replied. (Admittedly, Creagh and Hunt are both on the right of the party, not the Corbyn wing.)
Creagh replied:
I think [Wilson] would look at us as a party that is not making the progress that we should be making.
And Hunt said:
Harold Wilson famously thought that the Labour party was the natural party of government. He did not believe the Labour party was a protest movement protesting outside other party conferences. He thought it should be round the table delivering social justice for the people it came into being to represent. And I think he would be slightly horrified by some of the tendency towards endless protests rather than thinking about how we get into power and do what Labour governments are about, tackling inequality, promoting education, dealing with technology, putting us at the heart of Europe.
Hunt was referring to Corbyn’s decision to attend a protest at the Conservative party conference last year.
At the end of last week YouGov published figures which it said showed the Remain side making modest progress since the EU referendum campaign formally started two weeks ago.
In an analysis for the Times’s Red Box email, Matthew Goodwin, the academic and Ukip specialist, says that a study of all polling since David Cameron’s EU renegotiation concluded two weeks ago suggests that in practice the polls have barely moved.
Over the past two weeks, since the renegotiation, no fewer than 11 polls have asked people how they intend to vote at the referendum.
Across all of these polls the average support for Remain has been 43 per cent and for Leave 39 per cent, with 18 per cent saying they don’t know how they will vote. So, a tight race.
If we compare these averages to those during the first half of February, before the announcement of the renegotiation detail, then Remain has remained static on 43 per cent, Leave has lost one point, and the Undecided have grown by one point.
So, if anything, and at a stretch, you could suggest that the renegotiation might have made a few more people slightly more confused about how to vote. But there has certainly not been a bounce for Remain.
Here is the BBC audio of the Mervyn King interview on the World at One.
Lunchtime summary
- Chris Grayling, the leader of the Commons, has accused the British Chambers of Commerce of being “spineless” for its treatment of John Longworth. Grayling, who is campaigning for Britain to leave the EU, said he accepted Number 10’s assertion that it did not put pressure on the BCC’s board to remove Longworth after he spoke out publicly in favour of Brexit. The board suspended Longworth because officially the BCC is neutral and Longworth subsequently resigned. Grayling said this was “disgraceful”.
I think what’s happened to him has been disgraceful, frankly. The fact that a prominent business figure has stood up and said ‘I believe Britain should leave the EU’ is a view we should be listening to and certainly the way the BCC has approached this in terms of just forcing him out has been wholly unacceptable and in my view has brought that organisation into some degree of disrepute ...
I think the question for this is why were the BCC so willing to move to remove someone who had expressed a personal view, a stated personal view. Almost regardless of the debate about where how and when this came from, why was the board of the BCC so spineless that it was not prepared to accept the views of one of its senior people and to give them the freedom that David Cameron has given his ministers. I think it’s just shameful.
But David Davis, the Conservative MP and a spokesman for the Grassroots Out campaign (GO), suggested that Longworth was the victim of a Number 10 witch hunt. In a statement announcing that he will use the Freedom of Information Act to try to get details of Number 10’s communications with the BCC about this, he said:
The last thing we want to see is a witch-hunt against business leaders brave and astute enough to make the argument that Britain would be better off economically if it regained the power to strike its own trade deals and was freed of the crippling burden of red tape, costing many billions a year, imposed by Brussels.
Downing Street has form in this respect. It has already admitted it made a “mistake” in adding the name of General Sir Michael Rose, the former special forces commander, to a letter from former military leaders supporting Britain’s continued membership of the EU.
Number 10 has hinted that there was contact between Downing Street and the BCC about Longworth’s speech, but insisted that “no pressure” was applied for his resignation. (See 12.20pm.)
- Mervyn King, the former governor of the Bank of England, has suggested that he could vote to leave the EU. In an interview on the World at One, he claimed he had not yet made up his mind as to how he would vote in the referendum. He appeared to criticise the government and Remain/Leave campaigns for not setting out the arguments properly. He said:
I think that you and the BBC have a vitally important role here because the protagonists don’t seem to be capable of setting out carefully and dispassionately the arguments. We need the BBC to explain to everyone the arguments for and the arguments against. There are good arguments for both sides of this debate.
Asked to give his own objective analysis, he said he would need a two-hour programme to do that. And, when asked if he had made up his own mind yet, he replied:
I’m still waiting to hear the facts and the arguments from I hope the BBC which will enable me to make up my mind.
- David Cameron has said there is “no prospect” of Britain joining a common European Union asylum system. As the Press Association reports, arriving in Brussels for talks on the migration crisis, Cameron said he supported moves to close the Balkan route used by migrants to travel to northern Europe after arriving in Greece. But he insisted that the UK’s opt-out from the Schengen agreement meant there could be no question of Britain joining any new EU asylum system.
We have an absolutely rock-solid opt-out from these things so there is no prospect of Britain joining a common asylum process in Europe. We will have our own asylum approach, our own way of doing things, keeping our borders. It underlines the best of both worlds, the special status that we have.
There is more coverage of the summit here, on our live blog.
- An aide to Labour’s London mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan has resigned after he posted offensive comments on social media and posed with a gun while joking about being a hitman. Shueb Salar, a parliamentary assistant to the former minister, was pictured with a gun and boasting about spending a weekend “shooting stuff with real guns, knives, crossbows and bow and arrows”, according to the Evening Standard.
Updated
Here’s Denis MacShane, the former Labour Europe minister, on John Longworth’s World at One interview. (See 1.09pm.)
Longworth says BCC members haven't had facts on trade and Single Market. So what has he been publishing in last years on behalf of BCC
— Denis MacShane (@DenisMacShane) March 7, 2016
Overseas domestic workers visa rules to be relaxed in response to exploitation concerns
At the end of last year, as part of a massive “burying bad news” exercise on the last day the Commons was sitting before the Christmas recess, the government published an independent report from James Ewins into the overseas domestic workers visa. It said the rule saying workers with these visas should be tied to working for a particular employer should be scrapped. Campaigners have also been calling for this, on the grounds that the current rules allow these workers to be exploited.
Today, in a written ministerial statement, James Brokenshire, the Home Office minister, has said that ODWs will in future no longer be tied to working for a single particular employer. Here’s an extract.
The government’s concern is that if ODWs were able to change employers and significantly prolong their stay, irrespective of whether they have reported this abuse and whether there is evidence that such abuse has taken place, they may be less likely to report abuse. This may perpetuate a revolving door of abuse in which perpetrators remain unidentified and free to bring other domestic workers to the United Kingdom with impunity.
The government does, however, acknowledge the case which has been put forward for providing ODWs with an immediate escape route from abuse. On the basis of advice from the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner we have therefore come to the view that there should be two distinct elements to our approach to the employer tie. First, we will provide those admitted as ODWs with the ability to take alternative employment as a domestic worker with a different employer during the six month period for which they are originally admitted. This ability to take alternative employment will not depend on whether or not they have been found to be the victim of abuse.
The World at One plays a clip of a BCC member saying Longworth should not have given his personal view on Brexit in his speech. He was there to represent his members, the BCC member said.
Longworth says he felt it important to share some of the facts about this with the public.
Q: What contact was there between Number 10 and the BCC about your speech?
Longworth says he is not aware of any contact between Number 10 and BCC after the day of the conference.
It is normal for government departments to make their views known, “often in a very strident way”.
Q: Including asking for someone to be sacked?
Longworth says he has no knowledge of that.
Q; If you had called for Britain to stay in the EU, would you still be in your job?
Who knows, asks Longworth.
John Longworth's World at One interview.
John Longworth, the former British Chambers of Commerce director general, is being interviewed now on the World at One about his resignation.
He says he does not regret speaking out.
He was trying to inform the debate, he says. He has “lived and breathed” this issue for the last two or three years.
Rachel Reeves says Labour must focus more on key issues, not 'internal policy debates'
Rachel Reeves, the former work and pensions secretary, now a backbencher, gave a wide-ranging speech on the economy that sounded like a pitch to be future shadow chancellor - or chancellor.
Three of her big policy ideas were flat pensions tax relief, a move towards universal childcare and more borrowing to invest in infrastructure projects that have a commercial rate of return.
But she also had this to say about whether Labour’s current economic
policies are credible:
I was very pleased at prime minister’s questions last week that Jeremy Corbyn focussed on issues of childcare because those are the things that resonate with people. They are the areas where we need to show we are on the side of ordinary people to contrast us with the Conservatives. More of what Corbyn did last week at PMQs, more focus on bread-and-butter issues, is really important. We’re beginning to move in that direction but there are too many times where, like the Conservative party, we are focusing on some of the internal policy debates.
Asked whether she thinks Jeremy Corbyn can win the 2020 election, she said:
We’ve got over four years to get this right. I am absolutely certain Labour can win the next election. The way to do that is to take a long hard look at ourselves, understand why we lost the last election and focus relentlessly on holding the government to account and issues that matter to ordinary people. Those are issues like pensions, childcare, having enough money at the end of the month to do things like putting into savings, and to ensure that people have a home of their own or if they are renting having that security that homeowners have. The Tories are making huge mistakes. I believe we can win the next election but it is a huge mountain to climb. Every day not focusing on those key issues is a day wasted.
No 10 lobby briefing - Summary
Here are the key points from the Number 10 lobby briefing.
- Number 10 hinted that there was contact between Downing Street and the British Chambers of Commerce after John Longworth’s pro-Brexit speech on Thursday. The prime minister’s spokeswoman repeatedly refused to deny that Number 10 had been in touch with the organisation. But she insisted that “no pressure” was applied for Longworth’s resignation.
Of course Number 10 talks to business organisations regularly. But if you are referring to Mr Longworth’s decision to step down, that is entirely a matter for the BCC. We should be absolutely clear that no pressure was applied by Number 10 ...
This is a decision for Mr Longworth and the BCC. The president of the BCC has set out very clearly the reason behind that decision.
Asked if Number 10 initiated the talks, or if Longworth’s name came up, the spokeswoman said she would not get into “a blow-by-blow [account] of those conversations”. She also declined to say how she defined “pressure”, saying the reporter who asked the question was “missing the point”.
- Downing Street rejected Longworth’s claim (see 10.37am) that the government has been scaremongering about Brexit. The spokeswoman said David Cameron had made it clear that he wanted the government to set out the facts, so that people could listen to the arguments about EU membership.
- The spokeswoman said that reports that the Turkish government had taken over an opposition newspaper were “extremely concerning”. Explaining the government’s position on this, she said:
We do think that freedom of expression must be fully respected [in Turkey] and we continue to urge the Turks to work towards the full protection of fundamental rights.
But she played down suggestions that Cameron would raise the issue at today’s EU/Turkey summit.
- The spokeswoman insisted that the plan to build a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point had the “full support” of the French government, playing down suggestions that the resignation of EDF’s finance director could lead to the French energy company pulling out of the project.
- The spokeswoman would not confirm or deny a report saying Cameron has decided that he won’t take part in the BBC’s planned EU referendum Question Time event if the programme also features a pro-Brexit Tory. There has been speculation that Michael Gove could be the other main guest. In the Sunday Times yesterday Tim Shipman said that Cameron would not take part in such a programme, and that Number 10 had concerns about another EU referendum debate being planned by the BBC in front of a 12,500-strong audience at Wembley arena. Shipman wrote:
It is understood there is “serious concern” in Downing Street about the format of the debate. No 10 officials have also said Cameron will not take part in an earlier showdown in front of a BBC1 Question Time audience if he has to compete with a fellow Tory. “We’re not doing blue on blue,” one said.
The spokeswoman said that Downing Street still wanted to see detailed proposals from the BBC and that no decisions had yet been taken as to what debates Cameron might participate in.
Updated
No 10 does not deny contact between Downing Street and BCC after Longworth's speech
I’m just back from the Number 10 lobby briefing.
The prime minister’s spokeswoman is not denying that there was contact between Downing Street and the British Chambers of Commerce after John Longworth’s Brexit speech on Thursday. But the spokeswoman insisted that No 10 had not pressurised for him to be sacked.
I’ll post a full summary shortly.
Updated
Longworth says he will continue to speak out for Brexit.
And John Longworth has been speaking to Sky News.
John Longworth, fmr DG of BCC: "i've voluntarily resigned... in order to have the freedom to express myself on the EU referendum' #skynews
— Nick Phipps (@nickphippssky) March 7, 2016
John Longworth on allegations of pressure on BCC to suspend him: "I don't know anything of it" #skynews #EUref
— Nick Phipps (@nickphippssky) March 7, 2016
Fmr British Chambers of Commerce DG Longworth: "I had no idea what the consequences would be, but I've chosen to resign" #skynews #EUref
— Nick Phipps (@nickphippssky) March 7, 2016
Longworth: "govt depts inc No 10.. actually contact business representatives all the time & express their views, sometimes v strong views
— Nick Phipps (@nickphippssky) March 7, 2016
John Longworth: "I am certainly going to speak out on the issue of the EU referendum, because that's the very reason why I have resigned"
— Nick Phipps (@nickphippssky) March 7, 2016
I’m off to the lobby briefing now. I will post again after 11.30am.
Boris Johnson has told LBC he is “very sad” that John Longworth has been pushed out of his job. He said:
I think it is very sad that somebody like John Longworth who’s given a lot of time, a lot of thought to the needs of British business and industry should be basically pushed out for saying what he thinks. He thinks that the risks of staying in Europe with a disastrous single currency, with the migration problems that they’ve got, are far higher than the risks of getting out and doing our own trade deals, getting back control of our borders and getting back, by the way about £15bn, or £10bn that we send every year to Brussels and never see again. So I think he’s totally right and I very much hope now he’ll be joining this movement.
You can read all today’s Guardian politics stories here.
As for the rest of the papers, here is the PoliticsHome list of top 10 must-reads, and here is the ConservativeHome round-up of today’s politics stories.
And here are five articles I found particularly interesting.
Now EU chiefs are struggling to remedy the defects in that project, and they have produced a report explaining what they want to do. It is called the “Five Presidents’ Report”, and it came out last year and got rather buried in the aftermath of the general election. History teaches us that we would be mad to ignore this text. The five presidents in question are those of the European Commission, the Council, the European Parliament, the European Central Bank and a body called the “European Stability Mechanism”. They want to prop up the euro by creating an all-out economic government of Europe.
They want a euro-area treasury, with further pooling of tax and budgetary policy. They want to harmonise insolvency law, company law, property rights, social security systems – and there is no way the UK can be unaffected by this process. As the Five Presidents put it: “Much can be already achieved through a deepening of the Single Market, which is important for all 28 EU member states.” So even though Britain is out of the euro, there is nothing we can do to stop our friends from using “single market” legislation to push forward centralising measures that will help prop up the euro (or so they imagine), by aligning EU economic, social and fiscal policies.
Insofar as the recent “UK Agreement” has any force, it expressly allows these measures to be pursued, and agrees the UK will not attempt to exercise a veto. In other words we will find ourselves dragged along willy-nilly, in spite of all protestations to the contrary.
The government may be forced to amend its plans to relax Sunday trading rules after Tory MPs threatened to vote down the measure.
Ministers, some of their aides and dozens of backbenchers are ready to block the plans unless they are altered before a Commons vote this week, according to the MP leading the rebellion.
George Osborne faces the prospect of a Commons defeat only a week before his budget. Last night there were reports that ministers are considering moderating the measures.
One attempt to liberalise Sunday trading rules has already been dropped after Conservative opposition. No 10 is also keen to delay any plans that risk distracting from its efforts to keep Britain in the EU.
Brandon Lewis, the Local Government minister, said, under the compromise deal, councils would be able to “draw a red line” around town centres and high streets “so that they had the liberalisation, but not the out of town shops”.
Ministers are hoping that the last minute change will win support of Tory MPs because it could lead to a boost in trade on high streets, which have been in decline for some years.
It is hard to see how either man [Michael Gove and Iain Duncan Smith] — or any Eurosceptic minister — can remain bound by Cabinet ties while battling for a cause they have supported all their political lives.
I can reveal that around the kitchen table some are already wondering if they can fight the most important battle of their lives with their hands tied.
As Project Fear’s propaganda war gets dirtier and more personal, expect at least one Cabinet resignation in the weeks to come.
The most radical proposal being considered in the review is for Labour to effectively boycott the honours system by refusing to put forward any names.
However a series of other changes are also being looked at to meet Mr Corbyn’s desire to democratise the way choices are made and broaden the range of those recognised.
One option would see voters given the chance to nominate who should get honours, with the most popular being put forward by the party.
A second idea would be for Labour members to nominate candidates and the party’s ruling body then make decisions rather than the leader himself.
John Longworth, the former BCC director general, has told the Daily Telegraph that the government is being “highly irresponsible” spreading “hyperbole” about what would happen if Britain left the EU. He said:
It is highly irresponsible of the government of the country to be peddling hyperbole. It is all right for the campaign groups to do it because they are promoting a particular position. But the government has to be responsible. And the fact of the matter is that there is a chance that the country will vote to leave.
If the government keeps peddling the line that it will be a disaster if we leave - which it actually won’t be - they are going to put the country in a position where it will be damaged if we do.
Longworth declined to comment on suggestions that Number 10 put pressure on him to resign.
Rachel Reeves, the former shadow work and pensions secretary, has been delivering a speech on the economy to the Social Market Foundation thinktank.
Currently hearing from @RachelReevesMP with a speech on the UK #economy @SMFthinktank ahead of #Budget2016 pic.twitter.com/4xsJpU9kId
— Sean O'Brien (@seaneobrien) March 7, 2016
In an article for the Times’s Red Box political email, she says George Osborne should change his budget surplus rule to make it easier for the government to invest in infrastructure. Capital spending which generates a return should be exempt from the rule, she says.
All this is evidence that Mr Osborne’s short-sighted refusal to change his borrowing rules is further damaging our already fragile economy.
Instead of using his budget next week as the latest in a series of job applications to become the next Tory leader, the chancellor should radically alter his borrowing rules, which are far too crude.
The rules should be changed so that investment in infrastructure which brings positive returns to the taxpayer – either directly or in the form of higher tax receipts – is separated from day-to-day spending on welfare and public sector salaries.
The two spending areas are different, and should be treated so. With the cost of borrowing at rock bottom, there will never be a better time to improve our infrastructure through sensible investment.
The chancellor should overhaul his fiscal rules to support investment in infrastructure and capitalise on those low borrowing rates.
This is from the BBC’s Kamal Ahmed.
Am told BCC president Nora Senior had not seen John Longworth's "brighter economic future out of EU" speech before he delivered it #EUref
— Kamal Ahmed (@bbckamal) March 7, 2016
James Ramsbotham, chief executive of the North East Chamber of Commerce, told the Today programme this morning that it was obvious that John Longworth would have to resign as director general of the British Chambers of Commerce as soon as he gave his speech last week backing Brexit. Ramsbotham said:
From the moment John was giving his speech it was very, very clear to everyone involved in Chambers of Commerce across the country that this would be the outcome.
It was “very important” that the BCC represent “the complete gamut of our membership, not our personal views”, Ramsbotham said. Officially the BCC has decided to remain neutral, but a recent survey found that 60% of its members were in favour of staying in the EU, and 30% in favour of leaving. Ramsbotham said that in the north east 63% of members wanted to stay in the EU, and 29% favoured Brexit.
He also said he was “not aware” of any political pressure for Longworth to lose his post as a result of his speech.
The Ukip MEP Roger Helmer says the fact that the British Chamber of Commerce is now saying it was not nobbled by Number 10 shows just how effectively it has been nobbled by Number 10.
First the BCC comes under pressure to dump John Longworth. The it comes under pressure to say that it didn't come under pressure.
— Roger Helmer (@RogerHelmerMEP) March 7, 2016
Nigel Farage, the Ukip leader, claims on Twitter that John Longworth has been treated “appallingly”.
I've met John Longworth who is a thoroughly decent man. He has been treated appallingly for supporting #Brexit.
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) March 7, 2016
But the Daily Mail’s John Stevens points out that Farage himself hasn’t got a very good record when it comes to tolerating dissent.
Find it strange Ukip has so much to say about treatment of John Longworth after Suzanne Evans got sacked for backing Vote Leave
— John Stevens (@johnestevens) March 6, 2016
Stevens was referring to the fact that the Ukip MEP Suzanne Evans has now been sacked twice within two weeks from Ukip posts for not supporting Farage.
Updated
Last week David Cameron criticised Brexit campaigners for promoting “David Icke-style” conspiracy theories. If he thought that was going to stop his opponents making allegations about Number 10 using underhand tactics to try to promote the case for Britain staying in the EU, he will be disappointed. Today a row has erupted involving what is either the biggest conspiracy theory, or biggest conspiracy, depending on who you believe, to hit the headlines since the EU referendum campaign formally started.
It involves John Longworth, the director general of the British Chamber of Commerce, who used a speech last week to say that he was personally opposed to Britain staying in the EU, even though the BCC as a whole had decided to remain neutral. He was initially suspended from his post by the BCC’s board and then he decided to resign. Brexit campaigners are claiming that Number 10 was somehow involved.
The Daily Mail has splashed on the story.
DAILY MAIL: An honest man 'knifed by No10' #tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers pic.twitter.com/cXbSTeXpp0
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) March 6, 2016
The evidence to justify its headline comes from a quote from “a friend of Longworth’s” in the story.
A friend of Mr Longworth said: ‘John feels he has done everything by the book and is dismayed at what has happened. No 10 has had a hand in this, putting pressure on the BCC board to silence him.’
As the Guardian’s story on this reveals, Longworth himself has refused to comment publicly on this suggestion.
Longworth told the Guardian by text message on Sunday night that he is planning to expand upon his views in the run up to the referendum in June.
However, he pointedly did not respond to questions asking whether either he or the BCC had been put under pressure by Downing Street or members of the Remain campaign to either suspend him or remove him from office.
But the BCC itself has issued a lengthy statement insisting that there was no outside influence involved in what happened. Here’s an excerpt.
No politician or interest group had any influence on the BCC Board decision to suspend Mr Longworth. His subsequent resignation was agreed mutually between Mr Longworth and the BCC Board, and there were no external factors involved. The only views taken into account were those of the BCC Board and the BCC’s owners, the UK accredited Chamber Network.
And this morning Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, told Sky News that Brexit campaigners had fallen for “bizarre conspiracy theories” about Longworth’s departure. This is what he said when asked if he could give an assurance that Number 10, and its officials, had nothing to do with Longworth’s resignation.
I can give you that absolute assurance, because the board of the British Chambers of Commerce have made it very clear that this was their decision, and there was no external pressure from anybody else. People who want to leave Europe are seeing conspiracy theories everywhere now because they don’t want to answer the basic questions, which is if you leave Europe, where are you going? What are the new arrangements for trade? What is going to happen to the jobs that depend on Europe? They have to start answering these questions instead of coming up with rather bizarre conspiracy theories that here the British Chambers of Commerce have flatly denied.
I will be covering more on this story as it develops.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9.30am: Rachel Reeves, the former shadow work and pensions secretary, gives a speech to the Social Market Foundation.
11am: Number 10 lobby briefing.
11.15am: David Cameron arrives at the EU/Turkey summit in Brussels. Here is our preview story.
3.45pm: Priti Patel, the employment minister, gives evidence to the Commons work and pensions committee on universal credit.
As usual, I will be covering the breaking political news as it happens, as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web. I will post a summary at lunchtime and another in the afternoon.
If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on @AndrewSparrow.
I try to monitor the comments BTL but normally I find it impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer direct questions, although sometimes I miss them or don’t have time. Alternatively you could post a question to me on Twitter.
If you think there are any voices that I’m leaving out, particularly political figures or organisations giving alternative views of the stories I’m covering, do please flag them up below the line (include “Andrew” in the post). I can’t promise to include everything, but I do try to be open to as wide a range of perspectives as possible.
Updated
