All posts tagged: MPs

Politics Home | Ed Davey Under Pressure To Raise Game As MPs Signal Leadership Tensions Aren’t Over

Politics Home | Ed Davey Under Pressure To Raise Game As MPs Signal Leadership Tensions Aren’t Over

Published by Sam Flores

Ed Davey is safe as Liberal Democrat leader for now, but some MPs still believe that a leadership challenge is inevitable (Alamy) 5 min read1 hr Ed Davey is fighting on as leader of the Liberal Democrats after a rumoured challenge fell flat. However, some of his MPs think a move against him has been delayed, not defeated for good. A routine meeting of Lib Dems parliamentarians on Tuesday evening attracted unusual levels of attention amid speculation that Davey’s leadership was under threat due to two frontbench MPs resigning from their positions in the last few weeks. However, the meeting largely went without any conflict and was widely described by MPs in attendance to PoliticsHome as a “damp squib” which did not result in a leadership vote. Lib Dem MPs who want a change of leadership aimed to get a quarter of MPs to sign a letter – equivalent to 18 signatories – and then a majority of MPs would need to vote against Davey in a confidence motion to pass and trigger a leadership contest. Last week, Charlie Maynard …

News diary 12-18 October: Russell Brand rape trial, MPs question AI safety, NI Assembly no confidence vote

News diary 12-18 October: Russell Brand rape trial, MPs question AI safety, NI Assembly no confidence vote

Published by Sam Flores

Russell Brand in 2024. Picture: Maxim Elramsisy / Shutterstock.com Leading the week Monday (October 12): Russell Brand goes on trial on rape charges; Commons returns from recess with DWP questions and amendments to the NI Troubles Bill; No confidence vote in the NI Assembly over Michelle O’Neill’s participation in Garvaghy Road protests. Tuesday (October 13): MPs question AI Safety Institute, OpenAI and Anthropic on AI adoption and safety; World Economic Outlook published; England v Greece in Women’s World Cup playoff. Wednesday (October 14): Andy Burnham takes first PMQs since conference recess; Dominic Cummings gives evidence at Lords Committee on UK constitutional safeguards; Manchester City play PSG in first home fixture since Premier League ruling announced. Thursday (October 15): FIFA Council meets in Zurich for World Cup debrief; UK monthly GDP; King Charles attends ceremonial opening of the Senedd. Friday (October 16): Andrew Bailey speaks at IIF meeting; IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva hosts fireside chat with Fed chair Kevin Warsh; Sentencing for Norwegian teen hitman. Saturday (October 17): No Kings protests in the US; Daniel …

BBC should cut licence fee cost and expand it beyond TV, MPs recommend | UK News

BBC should cut licence fee cost and expand it beyond TV, MPs recommend | UK News

Published by Daniella Wilson

The BBC should reform the licence fee so it is no longer “linked to a TV” and couple this with a price drop, MPs have recommended. The cross-party Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee made a series of proposals as the government seeks to finalise its recommendations for the next BBC royal charter. It will set out how the broadcaster should be governed, regulated and funded from 2028 – with the current agreement set to expire on 31 December 2027. The committee has also called for the next charter to be made permanent to avoid “political interference” and a “disproportionate distraction”. Image: Matt Brittin, the director-general of the BBC A report by the group said the current licence fee model was “outdated and no longer fit for purpose”, stating that the BBC should bring down the £180 annual cost. It read: “The best next step is for the government to reform the licence fee, so it reflects modern media consumption and is no longer linked to a television set. “This would be an easier sell …

UK’s ‘dismal’ Eurovision Song Contest record to be scrutinised by MPs | Ents & Arts News

UK’s ‘dismal’ Eurovision Song Contest record to be scrutinised by MPs | Ents & Arts News

Published by Daniella Wilson

The UK’s “dismal record” in the Eurovision Song Contest is going to be investigated by MPs after years of poor results. It’s been nearly three decades since the UK last held the glass microphone trophy aloft, with Sam Ryder coming the closest to a win since, finishing in second place with Spaceman in 2022. Image: Sam Ryder performing at Eurovision 2022. Pic: AP This year’s Eurovision entry Sam Battle, who performs as Look Mum No Computer, finished in last place, receiving just a single point for his song Eins, Zwei, Drei. The musician swiftly released a T-shirt with the slogan “Look Mum No Point” – joking that it was technically “Eins” point. In both 2024 and 2025, acts Olly Alexander and Remember Monday received points from the jury but no points from the public. Mae Muller finished second from bottom in 2023, and James Newman finished last with “nul points” in 2021. In 2009, Jade Ewan came in fifth place with It’s My Time. MPs on the Digital, Media and Sport Committee will hold a …

MPs and peers hear from experts on for what’s next for religion in schools – Humanists UK

MPs and peers hear from experts on for what’s next for religion in schools – Humanists UK

Published by Sam Flores

From left to right: Professor Ted Cantle, Lizzi Collinge MP, Deborah Weston OBE, Andrew Copson OBE, and Dr Lewis Young. This week MPs and peers in the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group met to discuss what is next for religion in schools following recent developments including the passing of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act, the Curriculum and Assessment Review, and the landmark Supreme Court JR87 ruling. Faith schools, Religious Education, and unfinished reform  The APPHG heard from Professor Ted Cantle, an expert on community cohesion and adviser to Belong, the cohesion and integration network. Professor Cantle raised stark concerns about the impact of selective faith school admissions has on dividing pupils across religious, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds, and emphasised that the lack of mixing between different groups reduces mutual understanding and harms cohesion. He called on the Government to act to reduce the impact of faith school selection and  stated that while schools have a duty to encourage cohesion, it is no longer inspected. He ended by calling for Ofsted to reinstate its inspection of …

British Steel losing £1.3m a day – and there is no ‘credible’ survival plan yet, MPs warn | Politics News

British Steel losing £1.3m a day – and there is no ‘credible’ survival plan yet, MPs warn | Politics News

Published by Sam Flores

The government must publish a “credible” plan for the future of British Steel, MPs have warned. In a new report, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) warns that the government has not yet set out concrete plans for how the company will become financially sustainable. It continues to cost £1.3m a day of UK taxpayers’ money. Using emergency legislation, the government intervened to prevent the closure of its blast furnaces in April 2025. More than a year later, it could not set out what business model or decarbonisation pathway would put the company on a sustainable footing, the committee concluded. As of March 2026, spending on British Steel was expected to reach £642m by 30 June 2026, including the cost of advisers. Image: Pic: PA The PAC report has demanded more action from the government.. Clive Betts MP, deputy chair of the Public Accounts Committee, said: “Government moved swiftly to save British Steel – all well and good, and our Committee of course welcomes this action as a means of safeguarding a critical part of our …

Politics Home | Labour MPs Refuse To Back Tory Wandsworth Council Against Government Funding Cuts

Politics Home | Labour MPs Refuse To Back Tory Wandsworth Council Against Government Funding Cuts

Published by Sam Flores

Marsha De Cordova, Rosena Allin-Khan, and Fleur Anderson are the Labour MPs representing the constituencies in the London Borough of Wandsworth (Alamy) 3 min read1 hr Wandsworth’s three Labour MPs have refused to back the Conservative-run council’s formal challenge against the government’s cuts to local authority funding, as the borough faces a record rise in council tax. PoliticsHome previously revealed that the south-west London borough was planning the country’s biggest ever tax rise. The council is expected to announce a rise of at least 160 per cent, with multiple figures – including higher figures – under consideration, according to multiple sources. Wandsworth, which is Conservative-run after Labour lost control in May, currently has one of the lowest council tax rates in the country, with residents paying around 0.1 per cent of the value of the property they live in per year. However, recent reforms to how central government distributes funding to local authorities have decreased the grant funding available to some London councils, including Wandsworth. Wandsworth Council funding is projected to fall by …

MPs didn’t move against assisted dying – they just abstained – Humanists UK

MPs didn’t move against assisted dying – they just abstained – Humanists UK

Published by Sam Flores

On Friday the Assisted Dying Bill was defeated in the House of Commons by just 16 votes. Analysis by Humanists UK shows that the change from the previous vote that led to defeat was largely due to abstentions – which went from 44 in the third reading of the previous Assisted Dying Bill to 91 now, and came more from bill supporters than opponents. Humanists UK calls this highly disappointing, leaving an unsatisfactory answer for the general public who overwhelmingly back choice. Abstentions leading to failure The graph shows a sharp rise in abstentions, largely from absent Labour supporters. Humanists UK spoke to MPs whose foreign visits, including to Ukraine and Norway, prevented voting, affecting more supporters than opponents. Weddings and personal matters also kept MPs away. MPs have no formal abstention procedure. Proxy voting is limited to new parents, MPs affected by childbirth complications or bereavement, and those needing extended absence for fertility treatment or serious long-term illness or injury. Unofficial pairing matched some supporters with opponents to cancel out their votes, but relies …

Bearskin caps worn by King’s Guards should be replaced with fake fur alternative, MPs say | UK News

Bearskin caps worn by King’s Guards should be replaced with fake fur alternative, MPs say | UK News

Published by Sam Flores

A cross-party group of MPs is urging the government to stop using real bear pelts to make the hats worn by the King’s Guard and use fake alternatives instead. In a letter to Defence Minister Luke Pollard, the group of 18 MPs and one peer across three parties – Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens – said the bearskin caps sourced from Canada should be replaced with fake fur to “meet today’s ethical standards”, adding that real bearskin is “impossible to justify”. “We call on you to instruct the Ministry of Defence and its suppliers to work proactively with manufacturers to develop and adopt a suitable faux fur alternative, in line with the government’s commitment to advancing animal welfare,” the letter continued, referring to Mr Pollard’s previous opposition to real fur. “Most urgently, while this process continues, bears are still being shot with crossbows and killed, their cubs orphaned, and their pelts used to produce new caps,” it concluded. According to FOI data obtained by animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of …