Tag: Westminster

Government in crisis as calls grow for Starmer to go

CRISIS CABINET MEETING THIS MORNING

KEIR Starmer’s future as Prime Minister is looking increasingly untenable this morning as he faces growing calls for this resignation.

Labour suffered the worst set of election results in it’s history last week and anger over the party’s performance – and Starmer’s poor decision-making in particular – has built to boiling point.

Keir Starmer came out fighting with another ‘reset’ speech yesterday but critics were unconvinced by the latest pledges and clamour for the beleaguered PM to step down have continued to grow.

It’s understood some cabinet members are among the 70+ Labour MPS who are urging Starmer to go and this morning’s cabinet meeting promises to be a particularly difficult one for a PM who is seeing support evaporating by the hour.

Labour-supporting trade unions have been calling for a change of direction for some time and some have withdrawn funding from the political party they united to form in 1900. Last Thursday’s catastrophic defeat was the final straw:

JOINT STATEMENT FROM LABOUR’s AFFILIATED UNIONS

‘Labour’s affiliated unions are deeply concerned by the Party’s catastrophic election results. They show a stark disconnect between this Labour Government and the working people and communities that it was elected to represent.

‘Voters right across the country have sent a clear message: that this Government are not delivering on the promised change they so desperately want to see. This cannot continue. Voters want to see a radical new direction from Labour, that stems the tide of division and unites workers and communities in every part of the country.

‘TULO unions are united in calling for a fundamental change of direction on economic policy and political strategy, so that Labour do what it was elected to do: govern in the interests of workers.

‘Labour must also deliver the rebalancing of power in the workplace promised in the New Deal for Working People, in full, without any carve-outs or loopholes. The stakes are too high to continue on this path.

‘Labour’s unions have a responsibility to the Party that we created, and as a result TULO have demanded a meeting with the Prime Minister and Party Leadership to discuss the urgent change in direction that we all know is needed.’

Edinburgh MP says websites advertising prostitution “facilitating industrial scale sex-trafficking”

TRACY GILBERT URGES POLICE TO LAUNCH CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION

On Tuesday, 21 April 2026, Tracy Gilbert MP, the Member of Parliament for Edinburgh North and Leith, accused websites advertising prostitution of facilitating industrial-scale sex-trafficking in Scotland and revealed she has written to Police Scotland urging them to launch a criminal investigation into the websites, which continue to openly operate in Scotland.

Websites advertising prostitution are commercial online platforms dedicated solely or partly to advertising individuals for prostitution. A report in February by the UK’s Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner identified nearly 63,000 listings of women across 12 websites advertising prostitution in the UK at a single point in time. In just one month, the same websites received almost 41.7 million visits. 

Frequently referred to as ‘pimping websites’, the UK Government has acknowledged through a written parliamentary question that “adult service websites are now the most significant enabler of trafficking for sexual exploitation”.

Leading a debate in the UK Parliament on sex trafficking in Scotland, Tracy Gilbert MP argued that it is not just third-party criminals using these websites who should be the focus of police attention. Instead, it should be the website operators themselves facing investigation for sex trafficking.

https://twitter.com/i/status/2046563957708558669

In her speech, the Edinburgh North and Leith MP revealed that she had written to the Chief Constable at Police Scotland, urging a criminal investigation into pimping websites.

She stated that websites advertising prostitution knowingly aid prostitution and facilitate the travel of individuals for prostitution – by listing and categorising prostitution adverts according to whether the advertised individual will do so-called ‘outcalls’ – which is where a person travels to the sex buyer for the purpose of prostitution.

These actions, Tracy Gilbert MP stated, mean that the websites themselves constitute human trafficking operations under the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015.

Following the debate, Tracy Gilbert MP said: “It is a national scandal that the individuals operating Adultwork and Vivastreet have not only been allowed to operate for years with total impunity, but that they have been publicly presented by Government and the National Crime Agency as partners in tackling sex trafficking.

“Pimping websites openly and explicitly facilitate the transportation or transfer of individuals for prostitution. The operators of these platforms publish prostitution adverts in a standardised format – which includes specifying whether the individual being advertised will do ‘out-calls’. …Facilitating the transportation of individuals for prostitution is built into the architecture of Adultwork and Vivastreet.

“I believe the seriousness and scale of these activities warrant an immediate criminal investigation.”

report_behind-the-profile_sexual-exploitation-and-trafficking-through-adult-services-websitesDownload

Mandelson scandal: ‘Absolutely furious’ Starmer set to face MPs

‘AH DIDNAE KEN’ IS PM’s DEFENCE

Prime Minister Keir Starmer will address the Commons this afternoon as questions mount over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States.

Oppostion leaders have all called for his resignation and there is growing disquiet among his own backbenchers over Starmer’s decision to appoint Mandelson – a man who had previously been forced to resign TWICE for dishonesty and whose links to disgraced paedophile Jeffrey Epstein were in the public domain.

Despite Mandelson’s controversial background, Starmer appointed the lobbyist to a senior diplomatic post only to dismiss him in September when more Epstein revelations came to light.

Starmer is now claiming he was unaware that Mandelson failed security vetting and that, had he known, he would not have appointed the disgraced peer. The vetting process actually took place after the announcement of Mandelson’s appointment.

Exactly what Starmer knew, and when, may just become a little clearer this afternoon. ‘Furious’ Starmer will doubtless come out fighting, and Cabinet colleagues have been circling the wagons to protect their leader, but whether Westminster will believe the Prime Minister’s version of events is another matter.

The Mandelson affair is another self-inflicted wound, and an unwelcome distraction for a government facing elections across the country in just three weeks time.

Sir Olly Robbins to give evidence on Mandelson’s vetting on Tuesday

The Foreign Affairs Committee has written to Sir Olly Robbins, former Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom, to request he give evidence next Tuesday (21 April) on the vetting of Lord Mandelson.

Sir Olly and Sir Chris Wormald, then-Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service, previously appeared in front of the Committee to give evidence on the vetting and clearance of Lord Mandelson.

Following recent reporting by The Guardian exposing Lord Mandelson’s failure to pass developed vetting and the decision of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to overrule this, Sir Olly resigned as Permanent-Under Secretary at the FCDO.

Correspondence: Foreign Affairs Committee Chair to Sir Olly Robbins

Read the letter to Sir Olly Robbins

Millions set to benefit as Government widens access to affordable finance

BOOST FOR CREDIT UNIONS

  • Shake up of rules on who can join a credit union will support more families, workers, students and retirees to access fairer financial products.
  • Bigger, stronger credit unions as the Government raises the cap that can limit growth and makes it easier for credit unions to expand and merge.
  • Move will see more households access cheaper alternatives to high-cost credit, helping people access fair loans and build savings through community lenders.

MORE people will benefit from affordable loans and savings as the Westminster Government changes the rules so more people can join credit unions, helping households with the cost of living.

Delivering on its manifesto pledge to grow the mutuals sector, the Government is today (18 March) setting out reforms to the rules on who can join credit unions in Great Britain.

By making it easier for credit unions to serve more people in their communities, the changes will support families, workers, students and retirees to access fairer financial products and build financial resilience.

Credit unions offer affordable, community based financial services and play an important role in promoting financial inclusion. Enabling credit unions to expand and broaden their membership will help ensure that more people can access fair, lower-cost alternatives to high-cost credit. This will strengthen the provision of responsible financial services and support households with the cost of living.

Economic Secretary to the Treasury Lucy Rigby said: “These reforms will help more people get access to affordable credit and a safe place to save, so families have a real alternative to high-cost credit.

“We’re delivering on our manifesto pledge to grow the mutual sector by backing credit unions to expand and serve more communities. It’s another step in making financial services more accessible and supporting people to build financial resilience.”

The reforms will include:

  • Bigger credit unions, serving more people: Government will raise the cap on locality-based credit unions from three million to 10 million potential members, making it easier for them to grow and merge.
  • Students included: Students will be able to join locality-based credit unions, alongside people who live or work in the area.
  • Modern rules for modern families and working lives: Credit unions will be able to serve more relatives and household members, and members will be able to stay with (or join) their credit union after retirement as full members.

These reforms follow the Call for Evidence on credit unions’ common bond rules launched after the Chancellor’s first Mansion House speech.

This also builds on the Government’s wider work to improve financial inclusion and resilience across the UK. As part of the Financial Inclusion Strategy, the Government is also working closely with the financial services sector and consumer groups to bring forward interventions to make it easier for people to access a bank account, support people to build savings and improve financial education.

Lakshman Chandrasekera, Chief Executive Officer, London Mutual Credit Union said: “I warmly welcome today’s announcement. Raising the common bond cap to 10 million gives credit unions the freedom to grow and keep wealth within the communities we serve.

“In London, we see first-hand the demand for fair, affordable finance. This reform means many more people across the UK will be able to access it — building savings, reducing reliance on high-cost credit, and developing real financial resilience. This is a transformative moment for the sector.”

Frances McCann, CEO, Scotwest Credit Union said: “Today’s announcement is excellent news for credit unions and for the communities we serve.

“Raising the locality cap to ten million potential members and modernising the rules around family and retirement membership are exactly the kind of practical, meaningful reforms the sector has been asking for.”

“At Scotwest we see every day the difference a credit union can make to households that need an affordable alternative to high-cost credit. These changes will allow more credit unions to reach more of those people.”

Matt Bland, Chief Executive of ABCUL said: “This announcement marks an important milestone in the Government’s recognition of the vital role credit unions play in strengthening financial resilience and improving financial inclusion across Great Britain.

“Reforms to the common bond will enable credit unions to expand their reach, serve more communities and work together more effectively to deliver sustainable growth.

“As the Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy moves into delivery, it is encouraging to see credit unions recognised as a central part of improving access to fair and affordable financial services.”

Credit Union factsheet (1)Download

Post Office Horizon IT scandal: “serious structural failings persist”

‘Fujitsu has yet to contribute a penny to the nearly £2 billion redress bill’

Classic old fashioned post office sign

One year on from Westminster’s Business and Trade Committee’s last report on the Post Office Horizon scandal, progress has been made delivering redress for victims of the Fujitsu-supplied Horizon IT scandal. More than 11,300 claimants have received payments with £1.44 billion distributed. 

But thousands of sub‑postmasters are still waiting for the redress they are owed, and in a report today the Committee says “serious structural failings persist” in the redress system. Many victims still face unacceptable delays, inadequate offers, and administrative processes that “re‑traumatise” those who have already been seriously wronged.

Fujitsu, with a central role in one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in British history, has contributed nothing to the bill for redress and is still expanding its public sector revenues. A few days after UK CEO Paul Patterson gave evidence in Parliament, Fujitsu announced that he would move this month to a non-executive role “managing the company’s response” to the public inquiry into the Horizon scandal.

There is a serious risk of an unknown number of unsafe convictions – potentially including wrongful imprisonment – that are yet to be uncovered or have any access to justice. The Committee found evidence that the MoJ is wrongly judging eligibility of sub postmasters who should have had their convictions quashed, and there is no route for appeal in these cases. 

And there is now emerging evidence that pre-Horizon IT systems, especially Capture, had similar flaws to the Horizon system that may have contributed to unsafe convictions. Incomplete records mean that the current confirmed number of Capture cases may represent just “the tip of another iceberg”, with the Committee calling for urgent legislation to quash Capture-related convictions.

The Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS), still managed by Post Office, routinely sees its offers overturned and significantly increased after a DBT-administered appeal. The stark disparities between initial offers and eventual awards reinforces that the HSS is no longer fit for purpose. Fully assessed claims continue to take far beyond target timelines with thousands of late claims still awaiting final offer.

The Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS) is performing better, but claimants are still being forced to jump through administrative hoops to secure what is now effectively a guaranteed minimum £600k redress payment. That should simply be paid in full to all eligible claimants now.

Fujitsu has acknowledged its moral obligation to contribute to the cost of redress, yet it has made no interim payment and has agreed no figure. The total cost of redress payments now stands around £2 billion.  But despite its “self-imposed moratorium” on bidding for new public contracts, Fujitsu continues to benefit from substantial Government contracts. The failure to even offer an interim amount is “unacceptable”.

Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP, Chair of the Business and Trade Committee, said: “For hundreds of sub-postmasters, justice has come far too slowly. Many have waited years for the truth to be recognised and for the compensation they are owed. Yet today we find serious structural failings still blocking the road to justice.

“Thousands of victims are still waiting for fair redress, while the processes designed to help them are too often slow, bureaucratic and re-traumatising. That is simply unacceptable after one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in British history.

“Worse, Fujitsu has yet to contribute a penny to the nearly £2 billion redress bill, even as it continues to benefit from public contracts. That cannot continue. It is simply wrong that taxpayers are covering the costs for Fujitsu’s sins while Fujitsu is still profiting from taxpayers funded contracts.

“We were also concerned to hear new evidence that suggests unsafe convictions linked to earlier systems such as Capture may be only the tip of another iceberg. Parliament must act quickly to quash these convictions and ensure that every victim finally gets the justice they deserve.

“The victims of this scandal have shown extraordinary courage. The country owes them more than apologies — it owes them justice, accountability, and full and fair redress without further delay.”

Hereditary Peers Bill passed

“One of the biggest reforms to Parliament and UK democracy in a generation” – really?

  • Hereditary peers will no longer have the right to sit and vote in the House of Lords in one of the biggest reforms to Parliament in a generation.
  • Fulfilling a key manifesto pledge of the current Government, the Hereditary Peers Bill will ensure that places in the Lords are not reserved for people born into certain families.
  • The passage of the Bill completes a process started a quarter of a century ago to remove the hereditary principle from the House of Lords and bring the UK into line with other 21st century democracies.

The Hereditary Peers Bill has passed in the House of Lords in one of the biggest reforms to Parliament and UK democracy in a generation’. 

The Bill, which was passed on Tuesday evening, fulfills one of the Government’s key manifesto pledges and marks the completion of work started over 25 years ago to remove the right for hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords.

The Government believes that no one should be able to vote on legislation solely on the basis of their inheritance, so reform of this outdated and undemocratic principle has been long overdue.

Leader of the House of Lords, Baroness Smith said: “The Lords plays a vital role within our bicameral Parliament, but nobody should sit in the House by virtue of an inherited title. That is why the government committed to removing the remaining hereditary peerages, completing the reforms that were started over a quarter of a century ago.

“Getting this bill through is a major first step towards reform of the Lords, with further changes to follow – including on members’ retirement and participation requirements.”

Minister for the Cabinet Office, Nick Thomas-Symonds, said: “Hereditary peerages are an archaic and undemocratic principle. I am proud that we have fulfilled a key manifesto pledge of this government.

“Our Parliament should always be a place where talents are recognised and merit counts. It should never be a gallery of old boys’ networks, nor a place where titles, many of which were handed out centuries ago, hold power over the will of the people.”

In making this change, the Government is committed to ensuring that the House can continue to function effectively. The Government has therefore agreed to offer additional life peerages to the Official Opposition and Crossbenchers. As always, it will be for the Opposition to decide which individuals they wish to nominate for peerages.

The Bill is the first step in wider reform to the House of Lords which, besides Lesotho’s Senate, is the only legislative body that still contains a hereditary element. The Government believes that there should not be places in the second chamber of Parliament reserved for those who were born into certain families.

Currently, 92 excepted hereditary peers, which include a range of Dukes, Viscounts, and Earls, can vote on legislation in the Lords. While over 600 hereditary peers were removed from the Lords in the House of Lords Act 1999, 92 were retained as an interim measure.

The Bill will come into effect at the end of this session of Parliament, after which no peer will be a member of the House of Lords on the basis of their hereditary peerage.

IT’S A START, I SUPPOSE …

UK Government announces Action Plan to build stronger communities

The government has launched a ‘rallying call for action, setting out the first steps towards a more connected, cohesive and resilient United Kingdom’

PROTECTING WHAT MATTERS

Millions of families, friends and neighbours will feel a stronger sense of community, unity and national pride thanks to renewed efforts to stamp out extremism, hate and division announced yesterday.

Today the government is launching a rallying call for action, setting out the first steps towards a more connected, cohesive and resilient United Kingdom – a place where neighbour continues to look out for neighbour and people come together with a shared sense of values, pride, and belonging.  

The action plan follows decades of rapid change – technological advancements, demographic change, local industries collapsing, the increasing cost of living and the decline of vital public services. This has caused a strain on social cohesion. Bad actors, including from abroad, have sought to stoke community tensions and promote toxic division and extremist ideology in our communities. 

Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Steve Reed told the House of Commons:  ”Today, through the publication of Protecting What Matters, we set out the first steps towards a more confident, cohesive, and resilient United Kingdom.

“This plan is what patriotism means to this government. We choose to celebrate our national successes and historic achievements, we choose to come together in the best of times and the worst of times, and we choose to take on those who try to divide us.”

This publication – Protecting What Matters – puts the emphasis on healing divided communities, setting out clear expectations around what it means to live together and integrate into society, tackling those trying to subvert our shared values and ultimately promoting pride, unity and tolerance.   

This comes as the latest statistics show that hate crime is rising, with Jewish people disproportionately more targeted by hate crime than any other group.  

To tackle antisemitism head on, the government is investing at record levels to scale up security at synagogues and schools, clamping down on antisemitic extremism, and rolling out training on antisemitism in the workplace.  

Religious hate crimes targeted at Muslims are also at record levels, with almost half of these crimes targeted towards the Muslim community and many living in fear that they will be targeted because of how they look or assumptions over where they come from.  This government has a duty to act but cannot tackle something that has not been defined.  

The UK government is taking the historic step of adopting a non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim hostility which makes it clear what is unacceptable prejudice, discrimination and hatred directed at Muslims or those perceived to be Muslim.   

Crucially, this definition protects the fundamental right to freedom of speech while protecting people from unacceptable abuse and violence. A special representative on anti-Muslim hostility will also be appointed to support action to strengthen understanding, reporting and response.   

This sits alongside a new suite of measures to bring communities across the country together:  

  • Tough action on extremism with stronger powers to shut down charities promoting extremism and transformed capability to disrupt extremists, including stopping hate preachers entering the UK, and an annual State of Extremism report.   
  • Clear expectations will be set around integration for people looking to settle in the UK, focused on shared language, local participation and respect for shared values. To support this, the Government will look at how English is taught, and if new technology can help more people can speak the language confidently.   
  • A £500,000 investment in community-led school linking projects will bring children from different backgrounds together, helping them forge friendships and understand what they have in common. And tougher oversight of home education – including the first-ever mandatory register of children not in school – will ensure no child misses out on the shared values and experiences that bind communities together. 

This all builds on the £5.8 billion committed to hundreds of areas through the Pride in Place programme, with power put in the hands of local people. 

Asylum handouts and accommodation removed for illegal migrants ‘abusing Britain’s generosity’

‘Stricter conditions for migrants receiving asylum support will create a fairer, compliance-based system that’s better for the British taxpayer‘

Asylum seekers who break the law, illegally work or can support themselves financially will have their accommodation and financial support removed under new laws introduced yesterday.

The statutory legal duty to provide asylum seekers with support and accommodation will be revoked. Instead, it will be replaced with a conditional approach, so support is reserved only for those who genuinely need it and follow the law. 

The measures, laid in Parliament yesterday (Thursday 5 March) and which will come into force in June, will remove support payments and accommodation for asylum seekers who illegally work, have the ability to support themselves, have the right to work or have broken the law. Those convicted of serious crimes face removal or deportation.

The move comes as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood introduces new legislation to restore order and control to our borders. She outlined her plans in a speech at the Institute For Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank outlining how these reforms are in line with her British values.

The measures deliver on last November’s asylum policy statement, which set out this government’s plan to fix our broken asylum system and maintain the public’s confidence so we can continue provide sanctuary to those genuinely fleeing danger.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “Britain will always provide refuge to people fleeing war and persecution. But taxpayers cannot be expected to fund the lives of those who exploit the system or break our laws. Asylum support and accommodation will now become conditional – reserved only for those who play by our rules.“

Last year a total of £4 billion was spent on asylum support in the UK. As of December, there were 107,003 individuals in receipt of asylum support, with 30,657 in around 200 asylum hotels, costing the Home Office an average of £53,000 a year.

Among this group, around 21,000 migrants could be granted the right to work because they have been waiting for more than 12 months for their asylum claim.  

Meanwhile, a record-breaking 9,000 illegal working arrests were made across the UK last year – some of which were asylum seekers.

Under the tougher policy, these people could be eligible to have their support removed, alongside those who break the law, refuse removal and can financially support themselves.  

The UK Labour government has already reduced the number of migrants in asylum hotels by 19% in the past year (to the end of December 2025), and overall asylum support costs by 15% in the last financial year (to the end of March 2025).

Tougher rules like those set out could help reduce this even further and lead to greater savings for the taxpayer.  

It will ensure the UK offers asylum support that is decent and humane, without attracting illegal migrants to the UK and placing an excessive burden on taxpayers. 

Yesterday’s announcement comes after the Home Secretary visited Denmark last week to see how it has tackled immigration with extraordinary results, bringing asylum claims to a 40-year low. 

Ms Mahmood has set out that her sweeping reforms to the UK immigration system will follow the Danish model to ramp up removals of those with no right to be here and make it less attractive for illegal migrants to come to Britain. 

This work includes closing every asylum hotel in the UK and moving migrants to alternative accommodation, such as former military sites like Crowborough, which is already housing male migrants.  

The government will also reform the interpretation of Article 8 of the ECHR to ramp up removals, threaten visa sanctions on countries who do not take back illegal migrants, create a one-stop-shop to fix the broken appeals system and open new safe and legal routes.

The Labour Government says: “Taken together, these are the most sweeping reforms to Britain’s immigration system in modern times.

“It sits alongside existing work which has seen illegal working enforcement activity in 2025 reach the highest level in British history in a calendar year. Removals have also scaled up to nearly 60,000 since July 2024 – a 31% increase compared to the 19-month period ending June 2024.”

Tracy Gilbert MP welcomes £921 million additional funding for Scotland in Spring  Statement 

Tracy Gilbert, MP for Edinburgh North and Leith, has welcomed the Chancellor’s confirmation  that the Scottish Government will receive an additional £921 million in funding through  Barnett consequential in the Spring Statement. 

Since the General Election in July 2024, the Scottish Government has received nearly £12  billion in extra funding. 

Commenting, Tracy Gilbert MP said: “The Scottish Government has received £12 billion in additional funding since 2024. People in  Edinburgh North and Leith will rightly ask what that money has delivered for them. 

“With pressures on our NHS, housing and local services, this funding must be used to improve  people’s day-to-day lives. It’s time to focus on getting the basics right and delivering for  communities across Scotland.”