TOM Tugenhadt was the latest candidate to be eliminated from the Conservative Party leadership contest when results of yesterday’s ballot was announced last night.
FOUR candidates now go through to the next round of voting. They are:
KEMI BADENOCH (58)
PENNY MORDAUNT (82)
RISHI SUNAK (115)
LIZ TRUSS (71)
The next round of voting takes place today – we’ll know the result at 3pm – and the shortlist will be reduced to two candidates before parliament breaks up on Thursday. Tory Party members will then choose between these final two candidates in a ballot that will take place over the summer recess.
The winner – and the UK’s next Prime Minister – will be announced on 5 September.
3pm UPDATE
KEMI Badenoch is the latest candidate to be eliminated following today’s vote. Exactly where Ms Badenoch’s votes go now will be crucial in determining which two of the final three candidates will fight it out for the votes of Tory party members over the summer to become our next Prime Minister.
RISHI Sunak has emerged as the front-runner in the race to become the next Prime Minister. The former Chancellor was the clear winner following the first round of voting by MPs yesterday.
Sunak topped the poll with 88 votes, Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt was a strong second on 67 and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who launches her campaign today, third on 50.
New Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi and former health secretary Jeremy Hunt were eliminated from the race, both failing to attract suffiicient support.
First Round Voting was:
Rishi Sunak 88
Penny Mordaunt 67
Liz Truss 50
Kemi Badenoch 40
Tom Tugendhat 37
Suella Braverman 32
Nadhim Zahawi 25*
Jeremy Hunt 18*
Eliminated *
The six remaining hopefuls – Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman, Penny Mordaunt, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss and Tom Tugendhat – face another round of voting today when another candidate will be eliminated.
The field is expected to be narrowed down to two by the end of next week, then over the summer around 160,000 Conservative Party members will have their say on who they want as their next party leader – and our prime minister.
Outsider falls before the first hurdle as race to become Conservative Party leader gets underway
EIGHT candidates will battle it out to become the next Conservative Party leader – and our new Prime Minister – as voting gets under way this afternoon.
Each of the candidates was able to get the minimum twenty signatures required to take part in the contest and the competition now gets under way in earnest.
One hopeful who didn’t make it was little-known backbencher Rehman Chishti, who failed to get the required number of nominations.
Cabinet ministers Dominic Raab and Grant Shapps chose not to stand, instead attending Rishi Sanak’s campaign launch. Other big names not putting themselves forward to be the next Prime Minister are Priti Patel, Michael Gove and Sajid Javid, although all three will be keen to influence the outcome of the contest.
The candidates are: Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman, Jeremy Hunt, Penny Mordaunt, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Tom Tugendhat and Nadhim Zahawi.
They now have to secure 30 votes in the first round today to stay in the race. Voting opens at 1.30pm with the result expected just after 5pm.
Further votes will then take place over the coming days to whittle the number of candidates down to a final two. Conservative Party members across the country will then choose between this final pair over the summerand the winner is expected to be announced on 5 September before parliament resumes after the summer recess.
Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak seems certain to be one of the final two, but at this stage it is far from clear who his final opponent is going to be.
5pm UPDATE:
Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and current Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi have been eliminated after today’s vote.
The six remaining candidates will do it all again tomorrow.
UK government rebuild under way as Tory candidates line up for top job
The Queen approved the following appointments yesterday as outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson assembled a new government after a tumultuous 48 hours that saw more than fifty resignations:
Rt Hon Greg Clark MP as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Rt Hon James Cleverly MP as Secretary of State for Education
Rt Hon Sir Robert Buckland QC MP as Secretary of State for Wales
Rt Hon Kit Malthouse MP as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Shailesh Vara MP as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Andrew Stephenson MP as Minister without Portfolio. He will attend Cabinet.
Johnny Mercer MP as a Minister of State (Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) at the Cabinet Office. He will attend Cabinet.
Graham Stuart MP as a Minister of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Stephen McPartland MP as a Minister of State (Minister for Security) at the Home Office
Tom Pursglove MP as a Minister of State jointly at the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice
James Heappey MP as a Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence
Will Quince MP as a Minister of State at the Department for Education
Maria Caulfield MP as a Minister of State at the Department for Health and Social Care
Paul Scully MP as a Minister of State at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. He remains as Minister for London.
Marcus Jones MP as a Minister of State at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Matt Warman MP as a Minister of State at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Trudy Harrison MP as a Minister of State at the Department for Transport
Edward Timpson CBE MP as Solicitor General
Mr Johnson plans to stay on as PM until a successor is elected by the autumn, but many Tory MPs want him to leave office straight away. Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab – who has ruled himself out of the race to replace Johnson – would seem like the obvious person to hold the reins during this transitional period.
Opposition leader Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer has said he will call a vote of no confidence, forcing a general election, if Johnson doesn’t go now, For that to succeed, though, Starmer would need the support of Tory MPs – and even in these turbulent times it’s pretty unlikely that turkeys will vote for Christmas!
While the Prime Minister throws together this patchwork interim governmentthe race to succeed him has begun in earnest after Johnson was finally forced to quit as Tory leader yesterday.
Respected backbencher Tom Tugendhat is the latest MP to throw his hat into the ring, joining Attorney General Suella Braverman and Brexiteer Steve Baker who have both indicated an interest in standing for the top job. They will be joined by plenty more candidates stepping forward over the coming days, however.
Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, former Health secretary Sajid Javid, transport secretary Grant Shapps and new Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi are all likely to stand, as is photo-opp queen, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (above).
Defence secretary Ben Wallace is seen as a steady pair of hands and is popular with the Tory faithful and Trade minister Penny Mordaunt is also expected to put her name forward. Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt is very likely to stand, but his successor Matt Hancock has wisely ruled himself out. There will be many more who see themselves as the perfect candidate to be our next Prime Minister, though.
PRIME MINISTER BORIS JOHNSON statement 7th July 2022:
Good afternoon everybody,
It is now clearly the will of the parliamentary Conservative party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore a new Prime Minister, and I have agreed with Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of our backbench MPs, that the process of choosing that new leader should begin now and the timetable will be announced next week
And I have today appointed a cabinet to serve – as I will – until a new leader is in place so I want to say to the millions of people who voted for us in 2019 – many of them voting Conservative for the first time.
Thank you for that incredible mandate, the biggest Conservative majority since 1987, the biggest share of the vote since 1979 and the reason I have fought so hard for the last few days to continue to deliver that mandate in person was not just because I wanted to do so but because I felt it was my job, my duty, my obligation to you to continue to do what we promised in 2019.
And of course I am immensely proud of the achievements of this government from getting Brexit done and settling our relations with the continent after half a century reclaiming the power for this country to make its own laws in parliament, getting us all through the pandemic, delivering the fastest vaccine rollout in Europe, the fastest exit from lockdown and in the last few months leading the west in standing up to Putin’s aggression in Ukraine.
And let me say now to the people of Ukraine that I know that we in the UK will continue to back your fight for freedom for as long as it takes and at the same time in this country we have at the same time been pushing forward a vast programme of investment in infrastructure, skills and technology – the biggest for a century – because if I have one insight into human beings it is that genius and talent and enthusiasm and imagination are evenly distributed throughout the population but opportunity is not, and that is why we need to keep levelling up, keep unleashing the potential of every part of the United Kingdom. And if we can do that in this country, we will be the most prosperous in Europe.
And in the last few days I have tried to persuade my colleagues that it would be eccentric to change governments when we are delivering so much and when we have such a vast mandate and when we are actually only a handful of points behind in the polls even in mid term after quite a few months of pretty unrelenting sledging , and when the economic scene is so difficult domestically and internationally and I regret not to have been successful in those arguments.
And of course it is painful not to be able to see through so many ideas and projects myself but as we’ve seen at Westminster, the herd is powerful and when the herd moves, it moves and and my friends in politics no one is remotely indispensable.
And our brilliant and Darwinian system will produce another leader equally committed to taking this country forward through tough times not just helping families to get through it but changing and improving our systems, cutting burdens on businesses and families and – yes – cutting taxes, because that is the way to generate the growth and the income we need to pay for great public services.
And to that new leader I say, whoever he or she may be, I will give you as much support as I can and to you the British people I know that there will be many who are relieved but perhaps quite a few who will be disappointed and I want you to know how sad I am to give up the best job in the world, but them’s the breaks.
I want to thank Carrie and our children, to all the members of my family who have had to put up with so much for so long
I want to thank the peerless British civil service for all the help and support that you have given our police, our emergency services and of course our NHS who at a critical moment helped to extend my own period in office, as well as our armed services and our agencies that are so admired around the world and
[Political content omitted]
I want to thank the wonderful staff here at Number Ten and of course at Chequers and our fantastic protforce detectives – the one group, by the way, who never leak .
And above all I want to thank you the British public for the immense privilege you have given me and I want you to know that from now until the new Prime Minister is in place, your interests will be served and the government of the country will be carried on.
Being Prime Minister is an education in itself I have travelled to every part of the United Kingdom and in addition to the beauty of our natural world I have found so many people possessed of such boundless British originality and so willing to tackle old problems in new ways that I know that even if things can sometimes seem dark now, our future together is golden.
Thank you all very much.
With so much still uncertain, there’s no doubt those will NOT be Boris Johnson’s last words as Prime Minister …
Boris Johnson ‘gets on with the job’ as his government collapses around him
IT was perhaps the most remarkable day in British political history. Seldom, if ever, has so much drama been packed into twenty-four hours.
What happened yesterday? In summary:
New Chancellor of the Exchequer Nadhim Zahawi does the early morning round of media calls: business as usual, getting on with the job, etc. etc.
An uncomfortable Prime Minister’s Questions sees Boris Johnson ridiculed by Opposition party leaders and attacked by members of his own party
PMQs is followed by a damning statement to parliament by outgoing Education secretary Sajid Javid
Boris Johnson leaves Westminster to attempt to appoint new ministers. This proves impossible as there is a steady stream of resignations – more than 40 by the end of the day – as well as new flood of letters of no confidence.
If PMQs was painful. an appearance in front of the high-powered Liaison Committee later in the afternoon was excruciating, with politicians from all sides taking the opportunity to heap further misery on a clearly flustered Prime Minister.
Asked by a committee member how his week was going, Boris Johnson replied: ‘Terrific’. I assume he was joking – but then, with this Prime Minister, you can never be really sure …
You might have thought the Prime Minister’s ‘terrific’ day couldn’t have got any worse … but this was no ordinary day.
Awaiting the PM at Downing Street was a group of Cabinet ministers, including newly-appointed Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi-, the vast majority of whom urged him to stand down.
The chairman of the Tory Party’s 1922 committee also patiently awaited his audience with the PM – and it’s not breaking any confidences to say that Sir Graham Brady was not the bearer of glad tidings of great joy either …
Johnson met each of them individually, but rather than heed their considered advice that the game was up, the Prime Minister instead sided with the views of arch-loyalists Nadine Dorries and Jacob Rees-Mogg and decided instead to fight on … and as a parting shot for the evening fired arch-conspirator Michael Gove!
Putting all those internal difficulties aside, The Prime Minister found time to ‘get on with the job’ and fired off a letter to Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to confirm that no, I won’t be agreeing to another referendum …
A busy day at the office indeed, and a day on which Wimbledon really couldn’t match Westminster for excitement and drama.
Who knows what surprises today will bring as the Prime Minister attempts to salvage his government from the remnants of his deeply divided party?
Can his ‘terrific’ week really get any worse? Resignation looks inevitable but could this serial survivor really escape once again?
30 million people across the UK will benefit from the biggest personal tax cut in a decade from today
‘Hard working Brits’ will save up to £330 per year – 2.2 million lifted out of personal tax altogether
70% of UK workers now paying less National Insurance, even after accounting for the Health and Social Care Levy
30 million people across the UK will benefit from the biggest personal tax in a decade from today – with hard working Brits saving up to £330 per year.
The £6 billion tax cut will see the level at which people start paying National Insurance rise to £12,570 – lifting 2.2 million people out of paying any personal tax and ensuring people get to keep more of the money they earn.
The threshold change means that 70% of UK workers will pay less National Insurance, even after accounting for the Health and Social Care Levy that is funding the biggest catch up programme in NHS history and putting an end to spiralling social care costs.
Speaking before his resignation last night, formerChancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said: “I know rising prices are putting pressure on hard-working families across the UK – which is why we’ve stepped in to help to ease the burden with a £37 billion package of support this year, including at least £1,200 going directly to the 8 million most vulnerable families.
“Today marks the next stage in that package, with the biggest personal tax cut in over a decade coming in to help millions of workers across the UK keep up to £330 more each year.”
The Prime Minister (at time of writing, anyway – Ed.) said: “We know it’s tough for many families across the UK, but we want you to know that this government is on your side.
“Today’s tax cut means around 70 per cent of British workers will pay less National Insurance – even after accounting for the Health and Social Care Levy that is funding the biggest catch up programme in NHS history and putting an end spiralling social care costs.
“So whether you are a receptionist, work in hospitality or are a delivery driver, this tax cut is likely to make you and your family better off.”
From today the level at which people start paying National Insurance has risen from £9,880 to £12,570.
This change means that millions of people working across hundreds of different industries across the UK will now be better off.
This includes bricklayers who’ll save £218, care workers who’ll save £324, hairdressers who will get a £118 benefit and nursery assistants who’ll get a £343 yearly boost.
Workers can check their salary in the government’s online tool to estimate the amount they could save between July 2022 to July 2023.
The last major personal tax cut of today’s magnitude was nearly ten years ago, when the income tax personal allowance increased by £1,100 in 2013. Today’s threshold change is more than double that, as working people are now able to hold on to an extra £2,690 free from tax.
Today’s change to National Insurance thresholds comes as part of the Chancellor’s wider vision for a lower tax economy. At the Spring Statement Mr Sunak announced a 1p income tax cut in 2024 – which will be the first cut to the basic rate in 16 years and will save the average taxpayer a further £175 a year.
The Chancellor also committed to cutting and reforming business taxes later this year in the autumn, to help spur business growth and productivity. The government is currently working with industry on how best to do that.
The increase to the National Insurance thresholds will leave around 76% of National Insurance payers in the North East better, 75% in the North West and Merseyside, and 62% in London.
Today’s landmark personal tax cut also comes as the government launched new Help for Households campaign designed to raise awareness and signpost people to the £37 billion in support on offer and targeted at those most in need.
The support provides millions of the most vulnerable households at least £1,200 of support in total this year to help with the cost of living, with all domestic electricity customers receiving at least £400 to help with their bills.
It also includes a 5p fuel duty cut – the biggest cut ever to fuel duty rates, a rise in the national living wage to give full time workers an extra £1,000 and a cut to the Universal Credit taper rate to provide over 1 million families an extra £1,000.
The NICs threshold change takes effect following the government making tough but responsible decisions to manage the public finances responsibly and choosing not to saddle future generations with almost £400 billion of debt used to protect jobs and the economy during the pandemic – worth around £5,500 for every person in the UK.
The government had planned for this good news story to be the big news event of today, but those plans were scuppered by the resignation of two senior cabinet ministers last night. As former Prime Minister Harold MacMillan once ruefully observed: “Events, dear boy. Events” …
BELEAGUERED BORIS JOHNSON INSISTS HE’LL ‘GET ON WITH THE JOB’
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid resigned from Boris Johnson’s Tory government last night.
The mishandling of the former deputy Chief Whip Chris Pincher affair seems to have been the final straw for the two senior cabinet ministers, who submitted letters of resignation within minutes of each other last night.
Four junior ministers and Solicitor General Alex Chalk also resigned, piling pressure on the Prime Minister to step down.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed to carry on, however, and promoted three loyalists in an attempt to shore up his teetering government. The following ministerial appointments have been made:
Rt Hon Nadhim Zahawi MP to be Chancellor of the Exchequer
Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP to be Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Rt Hon Michelle Donelan MP to be Secretary of State for Education
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: “It is an honour to take up the position of Health and Social Care Secretary. Our NHS and social care staff have showed us time and again – throughout the pandemic and beyond – what it means to work with compassion and dedication to transform lives.
“This government is investing more than ever before in our NHS and care services to beat the Covid backlogs, recruit 50,000 more nurses, reform social care and ensure patients across the country can access the care they need.”
THE Government is collapsing and it has been “corrupted” by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said last night.
Speaking to GB News after the resignation of Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid, he also called for a General Election.
He told Darren McCaffrey: “It’s clear that this Tory government is now collapsing.
“Tory cabinet ministers have been cheerleaders for Johnson throughout this sorry saga. They backed him when he broke the law.
“They backed him when he lied. They backed him when he mocked the sacrifices of the British people, so they have been complicit as he has disgraced his office and let down his country.
“And frankly, if they had a shred of integrity, they would have gone months ago. The Tory Party is corrupted and tragic.
“One man at the top won’t fix it. We need a real change of government and a fresh start for Britain.”
Sir Keir added: “There’s anything but political stability, this government is collapsing. Cabinet members have been backing Boris Johnson through this.
“The Tory party is corrupted and we need not just a change at the top of the Tory party, we need a change of government and a fresh start for our country so we can actually address those big issues that are undoubtedly out there.”
He continued: “He isn’t fit to be Prime Minister. He’s not fit to govern the country.
“That is appalling for many people across the Conservative Party but they have to reflect on the fact that they have backed him for months and months and months and resigning today, it means nothing against their complicity for all those months when they should have seen him for what he was they knew who he was.”
Starmer called for a General Election: “We need a fresh start for Britain. We need a change of government and this government is collapsing. The Tory party is corrupted and changing one man at the top of the Tory party won’t make any difference. It won’t fix the problems.
“Let’s have a fresh start for Britain, let’s have a real change of government.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: “Feels like end might be nigh for Johnson – not a moment too soon. Notable tho that the resigning ministers were only prepared to go when they were lied to – they defended him lying to public. The whole rotten lot need to go.
“And Scotland needs the permanent alternative of independence.”
Prime Minister’s Questions will be interesting today!
This week, the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK), the national charity and leader in lifesaving and lifeguarding training across the UK and Ireland, brought its annual Drowning Prevention Week campaign to Westminster.
MPs came together with the RLSS UK CEO and Charity Director, lifeguards, Olympian Professor Greg Whyte OBE, Paralympian Ellie Robinson MBE, and over 50 other Parliamentarians to discuss the importance of spreading water safety awareness, as well as what practical steps could be taken in their constituencies to address the issue.
At the event, MPs had the chance to see this guidance first-hand, including how to use throw lines, how to respect bodies of water, among other resources and also check out the cutting-edge equipment that is now being used to keep our shorelines and lakes safer than ever.
The RLSS UK also showed MPs the charity’s brand-new animation aimed at educating parents and their children about water safety and starting conversations of how their family can enjoy the water safely this summer.
Over 400 people die every year in the UK and Ireland from accidental drowning, yet every drowning is avoidable. Of those who drown, some 40% had no intention of entering the water in the first place. Yet people should still feel free to enjoy the water, as with the correct education and awareness, this can be done safely.
Drowning Prevention Week, which began on 18th June and continues until 25th June, encourages the public to be ready to enjoy being in, on, or around water this summer by ensuring that they and their families have a good understanding of water safety.
Lee Heard, Charity Director at RLSS UK said:“With June, July, and August proving to be the months with the most fatalities, it is vitally important that everyone understands water safety, especially during the summer months.
“We want to ensure that everyone can enjoy their summer break and enjoy being in or around water but be safe in the knowledge that they, and their children, have the skills and understanding about water safety, which could potentially save a life.
“It is fantastic to have so many MPs pledge to support our work in their constituencies, and even Ministers and Lords, came to show their support for our Drowning Prevention Week campaign. Their support will help us to highlight the issues surrounding water safety education and helping to educate communities.”
Olympian Professor Greg Whyte OBE, said: “I have been privileged to work with the Royal Life Saving Society UK for many years, as we strive to spread awareness around water safety and help people to enjoy water safely.
“Every MP who came along to our event, and who helps us spread the message and awareness of this important campaign is helping us reach our ultimate goal of zero water deaths, and for that I am grateful.”
Paralympian Ellie Robinson MBE, said:“While swimming ability is of course crucial, far more worrying is the statistic that some 40% of people who drown had no intention of entering the water in the first place. Only by spreading greater awareness of water safety can we help people to enjoy water safely and reduce fatalities.”
The event came quickly after the inaugural meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Water Safety. This took place earlier this month and aims to establish more accessible water safety education across the UK to prevent future drownings.
Damien Moore MP, Chair of the APPG on Water Safety, said:“Every drowning is a tragedy, and despite the RLSS UK’s excellent education campaign having reached an estimated 20 million people across the UK, these horrific accidents continue to happen.
“It is my sincerest hope that by hosting this event in Parliament, we have helped to further spread awareness of how best to enjoy water safely, so that ultimately lives can be saved.
“I want to thank the RLSS UK, along with every MP who came along to our event, for the vital work that they are doing in spreading awareness.”
‘Freedom of speech and the views of elected lawmakers will be given greater weight in law’ under a Bill of Rights introduced to the Westminster Parliament yesterday. The Bill has been condemned by the Scottish Government, who say the proposals are ‘shocking and unnecessary’.
Freedom of speech to be given greater weight in law
New permission stage in court to prevent trivial legal claims wasting taxpayers’ money
Allows future laws to make it harder for foreign criminals to frustrate deportation process
The Bill will ensure courts cannot interpret laws in ways that were never intended by Parliament and will empower people to express their views freely.
At the same time, it will help prevent trivial human rights claims from wasting judges’ time and taxpayer money. A permission stage in court will be introduced requiring people to show they have suffered a significant disadvantage before their claim can go ahead.
The Bill will also reinforce in law the principle that responsibilities to society are as important as personal rights. It will do this by ensuring courts consider a claimant’s relevant conduct, like a prisoner’s violent or criminal behaviour, when awarding damages.
The Bill will make clear that the UK Supreme Court is the ultimate judicial decision-maker on human rights issues and that the case law of the European Court of Human Rights does not always need to be followed by UK courts.
Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Dominic Raab said: “The Bill of Rights will strengthen our UK tradition of freedom whilst injecting a healthy dose of common sense into the system.
“These reforms will reinforce freedom of speech, enable us to deport more foreign offenders and better protect the public from dangerous criminals.”
The Bill of Rights will make it easier to deport foreign criminals by allowing future laws to restrict the circumstances in which their right to family life would trump public safety and the need to remove them.
It will mean that under future immigration laws, to evade removal a foreign criminal would have to prove that a child or dependent would come to overwhelming, unavoidable harm if they were deported.
As a result, any new laws will curb the abuse of the system that has seen those convicted of hurting their own partners and children evade removal by claiming it would breach their right to family life in the UK.
The Bill of Rights will also:
Boost freedom of the press and freedom of expression by introducing a stronger test for courts to consider before they can order journalists to disclose their sources.
Prevent courts from placing new costly obligations on public authorities to actively protect someone’s human rights and limit the circumstances in which current obligations apply, for example, police forces having to notify gang members of threats towards them from other gangs.
Insulate the Government’s plans to increase the use of prison Separation Centres against legal challenge from extremist offenders claiming ‘a right to socialise’.
Recognise that trial by jury is a fundamental component of fair trials in the UK.
Prevent human rights from being used as a way to bring claims on overseas military operations once alternative options are provided by upcoming legislation.
Confirm that interim measures from the European Court of Human Rights under Rule 39, such as the one issued last week which prevented the removal flight to Rwanda, are not binding on UK courts.
This will be achieved while retaining the UK’s fundamental commitment to the European Convention on Human Rights.
UK BILL OF RIGHTS CONDEMNED
Call for Scottish Parliament to be consulted
Proposals to repeal the Human Rights Act are a “shocking and unnecessary” attempt to remove safeguards afforded to every member of society, Equalities Minister Christina McKelvie has said.
Putting on record the Scottish Government’s unequivocal opposition to the UK Government’s Bill of Rights, published today, Ms McKelvie stressed that the Scottish Parliament would have to agree to any changes affecting the devolution settlement.
Ms McKelvie said: “This shocking and unnecessary legislation seeks to put UK Ministers above some of the most fundamental checks and balances that underpin our democracy.
“The fact remains that we do not need a new Bill of Rights. The Human Rights Act is one of the most important laws passed by the UK Parliament. For more than 20 years it has delivered fairness and justice – protecting our rights to privacy and liberty, freedom of expression and peaceful protest. It has prevented discrimination, inhumanity and the abuse of power.
“The UK Government’s Rwanda policy has been challenged in the European Court of Human Rights. This legislation appears to be part of its response – an attempt to remove safeguards protecting every member of our society.
“As a founding signatory of the European Convention on Human Rights, the UK Government should be championing international human rights standards and the rule of law. Instead its Ministers appear intent on damaging the UK’s global reputation.
“I would urge them to stop this act of vandalism which will have an impact on public bodies that must adhere to it. The UK Government must also remain fully committed to the European Convention on Human Rights and to membership of the Council of Europe.
“The Human Rights Act is built into the heart of the devolution settlement, and any legislation that breaches the Act has no force in law. Let me make clear that it would therefore be wholly unacceptable to make changes affecting Scotland without the explicit agreement of the Scottish Parliament.
“I am proud that the Scottish Government is treading a different path, showing human rights leadership by protecting and enhancing our rights and freedoms, with plans for future Scottish legislation to extend devolved human rights safeguards even further.”
