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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Andrew Sparrow

Labour leadership: Boost for Starmer as poll suggests he'd be best at attracting new voters to party – as it happened

Sir Keir Starmer, the favourite in the Labour leadership contest, meeting patient Neil Storey during a visit to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge today.
Sir Keir Starmer, the favourite in the Labour leadership contest, meeting patient Neil Storey during a visit to Addenbrooke’s hospital in Cambridge today. Photograph: Joe Giddens/PA

Afternoon summary

  • Sir Keir Starmer’s bid for the Labour leadership has received a boost from polling that suggests he would be more likely than any of his rivals to attract new voters to Labour at the next general election. (See 4.06pm.)
  • Liz Truss, the international trade secretary, has launched a consultation on the UK’s post-Brexit tariff policy, claiming the new system could lead to lower prices for consumers. (See 10.37am.)
  • Valerie Vaz, the shadow leader of the Commons, has said that Labour is minded to support the emergency government legislation ending automatic early release for terrorist offenders when MPs vote on it next week. (See 11.17am.)

That’s all from me for today.

Thanks for the comments.

From Sky’s Sophy Ridge

Tory MP reprimanded but not suspended for speaking at event with far-right figures

The Conservative MP Daniel Kawczynski, who was widely-condemned for speaking alongside far-right politicians at a conference, has been reprimanded by the party but has avoided a suspension, the Press Association reports. Kawczynski defied critics to speak at an event in Rome as part of a line-up that included Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban and Italy’s Matteo Salvini. The MP was condemned by the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Muslim Council of Britain.

A Conservative party spokeswoman said today that Kawczynski’s appearance at the event was unacceptable and that the MP had been reprimanded. She said:

Daniel Kawczynski has been formally warned that his attendance at this event was not acceptable, particularly in light of the views of some of those in attendance, which we utterly condemn, and that he is expected to hold himself to higher standards. Daniel has accepted this and apologised.

Daniel Kawczynski.
Daniel Kawczynski. Photograph: Penelope Barritt/REX/Shutterstock

Starmer's leadership bid boosted as poll suggests he would have best chance of attracting new voters to party

Ipsos Mori has released some interesting polling today (pdf) about the Labour leadership candidates. It is helpful to Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary and favourite in the contest, although perhaps only up to a point. Here are the main findings.

1) Among the public at large, Starmer has a clear lead over his three rivals on who is seen as having what it takes to be a good prime minister. Some 32% of people view him this way, the poll suggests. Rebecca Long-Bailey, his main rival, comes last, with only 14% of people seeing her as having what it takes to be a good PM, and 42% saying she doesn’t.

Polling - amongst public as a whole.
Polling - among public as a whole. Photograph: Ipsos Mori

Assuming that Labour members would like to elect a leader who can win an election (which is broadly, but not wholly, true), a clear lead on this measure is a strong advantage.

2) Starmer also has a clear lead amongst Labour supporters on ‘having what it takes to be a good prime minster’. Again, Long-Bailey is last on this measure and, as in the chart above, Starmer’s lead over Long-Bailey here amounts to 18 points (although, proportionally, that counts for less on these figures). Starmer may be moderately encouraged by this. But Labour supporters are not the same as the Labour members who (along with registered supporters and affiliate members) will be deciding the next leader. And, although members would like a leader seen as having what it takes to be a good PM, separate polling of Labour members published recently showed that they rank having strong political convictions as being a more important trait in a leader than appealing to average voters.

Polling - amongst Labour supporters.
Polling - among Labour supporters. Photograph: Ipsos Mori

3) People are more likely to say they would vote Labour at the next election with Starmer leading the party than with any of his rivals - but on this measure his lead over Emily Thornberry, Lisa Nandy and Long-Bailey is more modest. These figures suggest that Labour will still start well behind the Tories whoever wins the leadership. (The same Ipsos Mori poll today puts the Conservatives on 47% and Labour on 30% on voting intention - a 17-point lead.)

Polling - amongst public as a whole.
Polling - among public as a whole. Photograph: Ipsos Mori

4) And Starmer would be better at getting non-Labour supporters to consider voting Labour at the next election, the poll suggests - although most non-Labour supporters say they would still be unlikely to back the party even with Starmer in charge. Only 20% of non-Labour supporters say Starmer would make them likely to back the party. For Long-Bailey, the figure is 12%.

Polling - among non-Labour supporters.
Polling - among non-Labour supporters. Photograph: Ipsos Mori

There is one other important point to make about the polling. Almost half of those asked about the four Labour leadership candidates either said that they did not know whether or not they had what it takes to be a good PM, or said that they did not have a view either way (which might just be another way of saying they did not know). Here are the detailed figures amongst all respondents, but the figures from Labour supporters are very similar, as you can see on this chart (pdf).

Polling on Labour leadership
Polling on Labour leadership. Photograph: Ipsos Mori

This does not stop Starmer being able to say he is the candidate who seems most likely to be able to win over new voters are the next election. According to these figures, he is. But it does mean that any assessment of that kind is shrouded in uncertainty.

Updated

A spokesman for John Bercow has defended the former Speaker’s decision to name House of Commons officials in his memoir. (See 12.55pm.) The spokesman said:

Given there is a small but highly vocal group of people consistently seeking to blacken his name, it would be odd if Mr Bercow did not comment on their unfounded allegations and the reasons behind them.

He was advised by Speaker’s counsel not to do so in detail while he was in office. He is therefore doing so now.

If the book had not addressed these issues, he would rightly have been accused of serious omission.

Critics are entitled to air their views. What they are not entitled to do is to make unfounded allegations and expect Mr Bercow to say nothing in return.

Here is Jeremy Hunt, Boris Johnson’s main rival for the Tory leadership last year, on the reports that Ken Clarke is getting a peerage. (See 9.55am.)

Johnson set to hold cabinet reshuffle next Thursday, BBC reports

This is from the BBC’s political editor, Laura Kuenssberg.

Nigel Farage, the Brexit party leader, is unhappy about the reports saying Boris Johnson is offering peerages to Ken Clarke and Philip Hammond. (See 9.55am.)

In a statement, the Institute of Directors welcomes the fact that the government is consulting on its post-Brexit tariff schedule (see 10.37am and 11.55am), but says “businesses also need a much clearer understanding of how the new tariff regime would intersect with our upcoming trade negotiations and the continuity agreements [the Department for International Trade] is trying to roll over”.

Updated

Labour has now released the figures for the ballot in which Liam Byrne was selected as the party’s candidate for West Midlands mayor. (See 11.24am and 12.23pm.) This is from PoliticsHome’s Matt Honeycombe-Foster.

Updated

'Horse shit' - Burgon's plan for Labour members to vote on military action gets mixed response from MPs

Richard Burgon, a candidate for the Labour deputy leadership, has received a mixed response to his suggestion that Labour should not support the use of military action without members first voting in favour (unless the UN has given its approval, or the country faces a national emergency).

Diane Abbott, the shadow home secretary, has backed the idea.

Damian McBride, Gordon Brown’s former communications chief, who now advises Emily Thornberry, has offered qualified critique on Twitter.

But, as my colleague Kate Proctor reports, Lisa Nandy, a candidate for the Labour leadership, has said she could not disagree with the plan more.

The Labour MP Neil Coyle has described the idea as “horse shit”.

And this is from Anna Turley, who was a Labour MP until she lost her seat at the election.

Updated

From Sky’s Sam Coates

House of Commons criticises former Speaker John Bercow for naming staff in his memoir

Yesterday John Bercow, the former Commons Speaker, held the launch party for his memoir, Unspeakable. Now the first review (of sorts) is in, and it is not complimentary. In a highly unusual move, the House of Commons has issued a statement condemning Bercow for naming members of staff. Commons officials, like civil servants, would normally expect not to be identified or criticised by name in a book like this because they are deemed not to have a right of reply.

In a statement described as “regarding publication of the former Speaker’s autobiography”, a House of Commons spokesman said:

House of Commons staff work incredibly hard to enable the effective functioning of our democracy and have a right to expect that their privacy be respected. It is unacceptable to publicly name current or former staff without their prior knowledge or authority, especially for the purpose of financial gain or commercial success. A crucial element of the work of House of Commons staff is to provide confidential, impartial advice to MPs. Breaking this confidentiality undermines this important principle and also places staff in a position from which they are unable to respond.

The statement goes on to say that Commons staff who have suffered bullying should report it. (Bercow has been accused of bullying his staff by several senior figures, although he strongly denies it.) The Commons spokesman said:

Parliament’s Behaviour Code makes clear the standards of behaviour expected of everyone in parliament, whether staff, members of the House of Lords, MPs or visitors. There is zero tolerance for abuse or harassment. We strongly encourage anyone who has experienced bullying or harassment in parliament to submit a complaint via the independent complaints and grievance scheme. In addition, all current and former staff can access the employee assistance programme for emotional support.

John Bercow, the former Commons Speaker.
John Bercow, the former Commons Speaker. Photograph: Peter Summers/Getty Images

Updated

At first minister’s questions MSPs are now raising other issues, but here is a clip of Jackson Carlaw asking about Derek Mackay a few minutes ago.

These are from the Birmingham Post and Mail’s Jonathan Walker on Liam Byrne winning the Labour nomination for mayor of West Midlands. (See 11.24am.)

@LabourPete is Pete Lowe.

Labour's Richard Leonard calls Mackay's behaviour 'an abuse of power' and 'nothing short of predatory'

Richard Leonard, the Scottish Labour leader, is asking questions now.

He says Derek Mackay described his actions as “foolish”. (See 9.09am.) But they were “beyond foolish”, he says; they were “an abuse of power” and “nothing short of predatory”.

He welcomes the SNP’s decision to suspend Mackay, but he says he should also stand down as an MSP.

Richard Leonard.
Richard Leonard. Photograph: Scottish parliament

Updated

Carlaw reads out the NSPCC definition of grooming, and suggests it implies in this case.

Sturgeon says she does not want to minimise what happened at all. But she repeats her point about the need for due process.

Sturgeon says Derek Mackay will need to 'reflect' on whether to remain as MSP

During first minister’s questions Jackson Carlaw, the Scottish Conservative leader, says Derek Mackay has 26,000 followers on Twitter. He asks Nicola Sturgeon if Derek Mackay has contacted other boys. And he asks what support has been offered to the boy’s family.

Sturgeon says until last night she was not aware of Mackay’s contacts with the boy. She does not condone what he did at all, she says. She says she is not aware of the details of the family. But if they wanted to speak to her, she would be happy to speak to them, she says.

She says all parties have faced allegations about party members. They all should apply high standards, she says.

Carlaw asks if the reputation of the parliament can be maintained if Mackay remains an MSP.

Sturgeon says she oversees the ministerial code. It was clear to her that he could not stay a minister, she says. She says, no matter how upset and shocked people are, there is a need for due process.

She says there are matters Mackay will have to reflect on.

Nicola Sturgeon.
Nicola Sturgeon. Photograph: Scottish parliament/Nicola Sturgeon

Sturgeon tells Scottish parliament Derek Mackay has been suspended from SNP

In the Scottish parliament Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister, has just made a statement about Derek Mackay. She said he has been suspended from the SNP and from the SNP’s parliamentary group.

Liz Truss, the international trade secretary, has issued two written statements today: one covering the global tariff consultation (see 10.37am); and the other covering the government’s plans for free trade agreements with countries outside the EU.

David Henig, the former civil servant who now heads the UK Trade Policy Project, has posted some provisional analysis on Twitter.

CPTPP is the comprehensive and progressive agreement for trans-Pacific partnership is an Asian trade agreement that succeeded the TPP one (trans-Pacific partnership) that was nixed by President Trump.

No 10 says it will review plan for councils to fly union jack for Prince Andrew's birthday

From my colleague Rowena Mason, who has been at this morning’s Downing Street lobby briefing

This morning’s Sun splashed on a story saying councils have been told to fly the union jack for Prince Andrew’s 60th birthday on 19 February. Given the scandal about his friendship with the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the proposal has triggered fierce protests.

Updated

Labour picks Liam Byrne as its candidate for West Midlands mayor

Labour has chosen MP Liam Byrne to be its candidate in May’s mayoral elections in West Midlands, beating former Respect party leader Salma Yaqoob in a bitter contest.

The Conservatives will no doubt now spend the next few months reminding voters that it was Byrne who left the note after Labour lost power in 2010, telling his successor as chief secretary to the Treasury “I’m afraid there is no money”.

Byrne has apologised multiple times for the letter, saying he will regret it forever.

Byrne, MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill since 2004, will go up against Andy Street, former managing director of John lewis, who took a surprise win for the Conservatives in the inaugural elections in 2017.

Liam Byrne.
Liam Byrne. Photograph: David Hartley/REX/Shutterstock

Updated

Council chiefs deserve role in Labour shadow cabinet, says Nandy

Labour should invite council leaders to attend its shadow cabinet as it tries to rebuild the party following the general election, leadership contender Lisa Nandy has said. My colleague Kate Proctor has the full story here.

Labour minded to back emergency bill stopping automatic early release for terrorist offenders, MPs told

In the Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the house, has just announced next week’s business. He did not name a day for the debate on the emergency terror legislation proposed by the government, but he said the government wanted to introduce it “at the earliest opportunity” and he said that he might make an emergency business statement next week to announce the timetable for the legislation.

As Kate Proctor reported yesterday, Whitehall officials have said the bill will go through the Commons next week, before clearing the Lords in the week beginning 24 February, after the February half-term recess. The government wants the bill on the statute book by 27 February - just one day before a convicted terrorist who disseminated Islamic State propaganda via Twitter is due for automatic release.

Responding to Rees-Mogg, Valerie Vaz, the shadow leader of the Commons, signalled that Labour would vote for the emergency legislation. She told MPs:

We on this side say that terrorist prisoners should not be automatically released, but should be subject to parole board assessment before release during their sentences. So the opposition will look carefully at what the government has to say, and work with the government on a cross-party basis in the national interest, and to protect our citizens.

Vaz also said she hoped the opposition would be given sufficient time to look at the legislation.

Valerie Vaz.
Valerie Vaz. Photograph: HoC

More than 3 million EU citizens have applied to live and work in the UK after Brexit, according to the Home Office. As the Press Association reports, the department has announced the latest up-to-date internal figures of how many people have applied for the EU settlement scheme. More than 2.7 million applicants have been granted permission to remain in the UK so far, according to the announcement.

Updated

Truss claims consumers could end up paying lower prices as she launches consultation on post-Brexit tariff policy

Liz Truss, the international trade secretary, claims that British consumers and businesses could benefit from lower prices under plans for new UK tariffs that will apply from 1 January 2021, when the UK’s post-Brexit transition period is over. She made the claim as she announced the Department for International Trade’s consultation on what it describes as the “UK global tariff” - the tariff schedule that will apply to all countries exporting to the UK that do not have a free trade agreement.

In a statement Truss says:

The UK has left the EU and it is time for us to look forward to our future as an independent, global champion of free trade.

It is vitally important that we now move away from complex tariff schedule imposed on us by the European Union.

High tariffs impinge on businesses and raise costs for consumers. This is our opportunity to set our own tariff strategy that is right for UK consumers and businesses across our country.

I am calling on people, businesses and civil society groups to seize this opportunity to take part in our consultation and tell us what would work best for them.

Currently the UK has to apply EU tariffs, but from next year it will be free to apply its own “most favoured nation” (MFN) tariff schedule. MFN is a standard term in trade, but it can be misleading. Although it sounds as if countries getting MFN tariffs are getting special treatment, in fact it means they are getting the same treatment as everyone else - apart from countries who are getting special treatment because of a free trade deal.

In its news release DIT says:

This bespoke regime, known as the UK Global Tariff, will ensure UK businesses compete on fair terms with the rest of the world whilst benefitting households through greater choice and lower prices. Ultimately, this will also help to make it easier to trade, drive up investment, and deliver more quality jobs across the UK.

It also explains some of the plans that feature in the consultation.

As part of the consultation, the government is seeking views on:

simplifying and tailoring the tariff to suit UK businesses and households, such as removing tariffs of less than 2.5% and rounding tariffs down to the nearest 2.5%, 5% or 10% band;

removing tariffs on key inputs to production which could reduce costs for UK manufacturers; and

removing tariffs where the UK has zero or limited domestic production which could help to lower prices for consumers.

Updated

This is from Children 1st, a Scottish children’s charity, on Derek Mackay.

Derek Mackay should resign as MSP, not just as minister, Scottish Tory leader suggests

Jackson Carlaw, the acting Scottish Conservative leader, has suggested that Derek Mackay should stand down as an MSP not just as finance secretary. Carlaw told Sky News:

I think the whole parliament will be in shock. I think we are all bewildered that Derek could have undertaken such a colossal act of judgment. The first minister is going to be making a statement before first minister’s questions this morning.

I don’t think if she believes that simply accepting his resignation from government is an end to the matter - I think there will be huge questions to be asked. Parents will be concerned. And I think many colleagues in parliament will wonder how on earth Mr Mackay could continue to enjoy the confidence of his constituents, or parliament. It is a huge blow to politics.

Jackson Carlaw.
Jackson Carlaw. Photograph: Sky News

PM's father Stanley Johnson passed on Chinese message to minister

Boris Johnson’s father, Stanley, acted as an unlikely diplomatic backchannel to No 10, expressing Chinese concern that the prime minister had not offered China a personal message of support about the coronavirus outbreak, my colleague Patrick Wintour reports.

Johnson offering peerages to Brexit opponents Ken Clarke and Philip Hammond, BBC reports

Yesterday Radio 4 broadcast a documentary by Nick Robinson exploring what Boris Johnson really believes. It included an interview with Philip Hammond, the former chancellor, who was surprisingly positive about the prime minister given that Johnson deprived him of the Tory whip after a Brexit rebellion, effectively ending Hammond’s career because it meant Hammond could not stand at the election as a Conservative candidate. Despite all this Hammond told the programme:

We clashed on one issue and one issue only really, which was Brexit. On almost all other policy areas we’ve always agreed. And I’ve always seen Boris as a big tent, centrist Conservative politician.

Hammond’s comments make a lot more sense in the light of the report from the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that Downing Street is nominating Hammond for a peerage. Ken Clarke, another former Tory chancellor who had the whip removed after rebelling over Brexit, is also on the list, Kuenssberg reports. In normal circumstances there would be nothing unusual about a former chancellor going to the Lords - it is more or less automatic, if an ex-chancellor wants a peerage - but these nominations did not look likely last year when Johnson was purging rebel pro-Europeans from his party. These moves will be seen as a sign that Johnson is serious about healing leave/remain divisions.

According to the BBC report, Downing Street is also nominating the two former Labour MPs Ian Austen and John Woodcock for peerages. Austen and Woodcock both quit Labour in the last parliament strongly criticising Jeremy Corbyn (although Woodcock was also subject to disciplinary proceedings at the time). At the election both men urged voters to back the Tories on the grounds that they thought Corbyn unfit to be prime minister.

And No 10 is also expected to nominate Ruth Davidson, the former Scottish Conservative leader, for a peerage too, the BBC reports. In the past there has been speculation about Davidson becoming an MP and standing for the Tory leadership one day, but going to the Lords would suggest she has given up on that ambition.

These nominations have not been officially confirmed, and the BBC report stresses that final appointments will be subject to candidates clearing the vetting process.

Philip Hammond.
Philip Hammond. Photograph: Mazen Mahdi/AFP via Getty Images

The Guardian’s Politics Weekly podcast is out. Rowena Mason and the panel discuss the launch of the COP 26 global climate change conference, the pledge for Labour party reform from leadership candidates and this week’s press boycott at No 10. Plus: Paul Owen on the chaos for the Democrats in Iowa.

And these are from Murdo Fraser, the Scottish Conservatives’ finance spokesman in the Scottish parliament.

This is from the Labour MP Jess Phillips on Derek Mackay.

'I have behaved foolishly and am truly sorry': Scottish finance secretary resigns

Boris Johnson is planning a major cabinet reshuffle this week, but in Scotland Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister, is being forced into an extremely unwelcome mini-reshuffle following the resignation of her finance secretary, Derek Mackay, who had been seen as a potential future SNP leader. Last night the Scottish Sun revealed that Mackay had been sending multiple online messages to a schoolboy. Within the last hour Mackay announced his resignation.

The timing is particularly awkward because he was due to deliver the Scottish government’s budget later today. A junior minister will give the budget speech instead.

Here is my colleague Severin Carrell’s story.

And here is Mackay’s statement.

I take full responsibility for my actions. I have behaved foolishly and I am truly sorry.

I apologise unreservedly to the individual involved and his family.

I spoke last night with the first minister and tendered my resignation with immediate effect.

Serving in government has been a huge privilege and I am sorry to have let colleagues and supporters down.

Here is the agenda for the day.

8.15am: Boris Johnson chairs cabinet.

10am: Lisa Nandy, the Labour leadership candidate, gives a speech on local government.

10.30am: Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the Commons, takes questions in the Commons on next week’s business.

11am: Downing Street lobby briefing.

After 12pm: Kate Forbes, the Scottish public finance minister, delivers the Scottish government’s budget in the Scottish parliament, replacing Derek Mackay, who resigned this morning as finance minister over texts to a 16-year-old boy.

As usual, I will be covering breaking political news as it happens, as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web. I plan to post a summary when I wrap up.

You can read all the latest Guardian politics articles here. Here is the Politico Europe roundup of this morning’s political news. And here is the PoliticsHome list of today’s top 10 must-reads.

If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on @AndrewSparrow.

I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is 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 questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone.

If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter.

Updated

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