UK General Discussion: Rishecession

[NewYorkExpress]

This might be embarrassing for the new PM.

https://twitter.com/itvcalendar/status/1567102473826885637?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7...

[NewYorkExpress]

You know, in the olden days the death of a monarch would automatically trigger a general election. The Conservatives have to be glad this isn't still the case.

I can easily see Starmer demanding one anyways, and threatening repeated votes of no-confidence until he gets one.

[NewYorkExpress]

and then implied he’d do his best to step back from political advocacy (which will assuage some concerns).

Just like every other citizen of the United Kingdom, the monarch pays his taxes, and as such I so no reason why he shouldn't be allowed to express his political opinions or vote in British elections.

[NewYorkExpress]

Interesting and pretty funny article I thought and one piece that stuck out to me,

But there is also something more sinister brewing here. Hospital appointments on the day of the queen’s funeral are cancelled. Food banks are closed. Normal people’s funerals are also cancelled. On the day the queen died, Liz Truss, our new prime minister, quietly lifted the ban on fracking in this country and also announced a plan to relieve Britons of crippling energy bills this winter without explaining where that money is going to come from. I’m not suggesting that anybody offed the queen early for political expediency, but parliament will now be closed for a month: again, to respect the dead queen.

Yeahhh. All of this, despite the genuine affection I realize many people (hell, even myself as an American) had for Lizzie really stinks of the archaic energy of monarchy. But I digress.

The important thing to note is that these decisions were taken by the government, not by the King or even 'the Palace'. Rather amusingly it has already been briefed that he does not approve of everyone going full Stop All The Clocks over his mother's death and that the decision to call a Bank Holiday at very short notice (which has caused the largest amount of disruption, particularly in the health service)* was entirely down to the government - which, of course, it has to have been. It is certainly possible that a new administration is trying (rather ineptly and it would seem not particularly successfully) to use the Queen's death and funeral for political ends, but that would not be on the monarchy itself, either as an institution or as a general principle.

N.B. on fracking we can be... aha... reasonably sure that our new monarch is not a massive fan. Not that he can do anything other than complain in private, but it means that joining the dots, again, leads to political decisions by the elected government, not the institution of the monarchy (whatever you think of it).

Again, there's nothing but long-standing convention keeping King Charles from expressing his political opinions. The guy pays all the taxes he's legally required to, why shouldn't he express his opinions on subjects he cares about?

[NewYorkExpress]

https://twitter.com/Gabriel_Pogrund/status/1571183835609534466
lmao

At this rate, Liz Truss might have the shortest occupancy at #10 Downing street in history.

[NewYorkExpress]

The IMF went after the Truss monetary package hard.

LONDON — The new economic measures laid out by the U.K. government “will likely increase inequality,” the International Monetary Fund said in a rare statement.

While the fiscal package — which included hefty tax cuts for Britain’s highest earners — aims to help families and businesses handle the energy shock, the IMF does “not recommend large and untargeted fiscal packages at this juncture,” a spokesperson said in a statement late Tuesday.

[NewYorkExpress]

Guessing the Tory conference will be make or break for Truss-Kwarteng. But unless she absolutely bullheadedly refuses to reverse (entirely possible with her Thatcher cosplay personality) I think rebels would be satisfied with dumping Kwarteng and doing a U-turn on the mini budget. 3 PMs in a year would be a bit much.

What if it's just two PMs in a year?

In other words, how early could Boris Johnson conceivably return?

Revenge of Theresa May!!!

[NewYorkExpress]

Truss's walk-on music, Moving on Up by the M People, has  apparently pissed the group off.

The use of Moving On Up as introductory music for the prime minister has left its creators "livid" and frustrated.

Liz Truss walked on to M People's 1993 hit before addressing the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham earlier.

The Manchester group's founder Mike Pickering said he hoped Ms Truss took note of the lyrics, as it was "about, 'go and pack your bags and get out'".

[NewYorkExpress]

Almost half the money raised in Truss's leadership campaign came from donors who directly benefited from her tax cuts.

Almost half of the money raised by British Prime Minister Liz Truss to fund her Conservative Party leadership campaign came from wealthy donors, according to official donation records published by Parliament on Wednesday.

Truss raised nearly £432,549 ($489,472) thanks to donations largely from the business community. More than £230,000 (roughly $290,000) came from owners of hedge funds and bankers – people who stood to benefit the most from a controversial budget Truss and Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng had proposed.


Among those who had donated large sums were Natasha Barnaba, a hedge fund founder who gave the Truss campaign £100,000 ($112,000). Investment banker Howard Shore gave £50,000 ($56,000).

The donations to Truss’s campaign raise questions about the new government’s close relationship to niche business interests. UK media reports suggested Kwarteng had enjoyed multiple meetings with financiers – including a hedge fund boss he once worked for – before and after he unveiled his mini-budget last month.

[NewYorkExpress]

Johnson has appointed around eight sitting MPs to the House of Lords. Understandably, the Truss government is having a bit of a panic about this. If Truss were to lose the resulting by-elections, she’d lose a third of her majority, and the government could be defeated with only around 25 rebel MPs.

As a result, Truss is trying to get the King (who signs off the creation of any new Lords) to delay the appointments - which is broadly understood to be unconstitutional, as the 8 would be both sitting MPs and appointed Lords at the same time, which is forbidden by the rules of both chambers.

The last thing the Palace wants is to be dragged into this fiasco of a government, so I guess Truss will have to either relent, or somehow force the withdrawal of the nominations. Deferring them just creates the potential for lawsuits and more infighting.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/f114c4ca-4671-11ed-8885-043c27446b97?shareToken=e746d6bdd7e3c919ae3d181fb856e393

Sadly, the Monarchy can no longer sack a Prime Minister, otherwise I feel like Charles would probably already have done so to Truss.

[NewYorkExpress]

Nicola Sturgeon says there will be an Independence vote for Scotland in October 2023, even if the Supreme Court rules against it.

The leader of the Scottish government said Sunday that she will push on with her campaign to take Scotland out of the United Kingdom, even if she loses a Supreme Court case seeking authorization to call a new independence referendum.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon wants to hold a referendum in October 2023, but the Conservative U.K. government in London has said no. Britain’s top court is due to hear arguments starting Tuesday on whether Scotland’s semi-autonomous administration can organize an independence vote without the London government’s consent.

Sturgeon, who leads the Scottish National Party, said that if her Edinburgh-based government loses the court case, she will make the next U.K. national election a de facto plebiscite on ending Scotland’s three-century-old union with England.

She did not give details of how that would work. A vote held without the approval of the U.K. government would not be legally binding.

Sturgeon said that if the courts blocked a referendum, “we put our case to people in an election or we give up on Scottish democracy.”

It's starting to look like Scotland is going to become the new Catalonia.

[NewYorkExpress]

Report out revealing that hundreds of Met Police officers have been getting away with breaking the law and misconduct.

Hundreds of Met Police officers have been getting away with breaking the law and misconduct, a report has found.

Report author Baroness Casey found many claims of sexual misconduct, misogyny, racism and homophobia were badly mishandled.

One serving officer had 11 misconduct notices for allegations involving assault, sexual harassment and fraud.

Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley says he is "appalled" at the findings and the situation "cannot continue".

The Met chief - who was appointed last month - said the report showed "patterns of unacceptable discrimination that clearly amount to systemic bias" towards black and Asian officers and staff.

Admitting that its findings showed hundreds of his officers should have been sacked, he also apologised to the public and the force's "honest and dedicated officers" who he said had been let down.

[NewYorkExpress]

This tweet from the Chief Mouser at #10 Downing Street, dated to a few hours before Truss's resignation, says it all.

https://twitter.com/Number10cat/status/1583072541677002752

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The Lambeth Council is giving pregnant women free vaping devices to get them to stop spending money on cigarettes.

Pregnant women will be handed free vapes by a south London council to stop them spending money on cigarettes.

Lambeth Council estimates its "stop smoking" service will save parents £2,000 a year - money it says would otherwise be spent on tobacco.

NHS said little research has been conducted into the safety of e-cigarettes in pregnancy and patches and gum are preferred.

The council said using e-cigarettes can help women become smoke-free.

"Smoking during pregnancy is the leading risk factor for poor birth outcomes, including stillbirth, miscarriage and pre-term birth," a council spokesman said.

"Data shows that women from low income households are much more likely to smoke in pregnancy.

[NewYorkExpress]

This is interesting. Apparently Sunak's wife is more wealthy than King Charles.

They’re both enormously wealthy, but King Charles III is going to be appointing as prime minister someone wealthier than him in Rishi Sunak.

Sunak is a former Goldman Sachs GS, +1.13% analyst and hedge-fund manager, but his wealth overwhelmingly comes from his wife, Akshata Murthy, who is the daughter of the Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy. Her 0.93% stake in Infosys 500209, +0.55% INFY, +0.98%, at Friday’s closing price, was worth $710 million.

Together, they own four properties — including one in Santa Monica, Calif. She also owns Catamaran Ventures, a venture-capital firm whose net book value at the end of last year was £3.5 million ($4 million).

The king’s assets are less easily marked to market. Forbes puts his personal assets at around $500 million, and other reports say his personal worth is more like $600 million. The queen consort, Camilla, is worth a few million, as well, and has her own country house.

[NewYorkExpress]

Sunak is looking at curbs on foreign students at "low quality" universities.

Rishi Sunak is considering curbs on foreign students taking "low quality" degrees and bringing dependents, Downing Street said.

The PM's spokesman said the idea was being looked at after official figures showed net migration to the UK had climbed to a record half a million.

But they declined to define a "low quality" degree or to "pre-empt" any policy decisions.

A government migration adviser warned it would bankrupt many universities.



The Times has reported that plans to bring down numbers could include restricting admissions to top universities, as well as restricting visas for students' dependants.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has previously complained about foreign students "bringing in family members who can piggyback onto their student visa" and "propping up, frankly, substandard courses in inadequate institutions".

But moves to reduce foreign student numbers could meet resistance in other parts of Whitehall.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt last week insisted immigration was required to boost growth, adding that there had to be "a long-term plan if we're going to bring down migration in a way that doesn't harm the economy".

He said migration would be needed "for the years ahead - that will be very important for the economy".

The Department for Education could raise concerns over universities' funding if the number of high fee-paying international students is cut.

An adviser on immigration policy has warned some universities could go bankrupt if there is a clampdown on so-called "low-quality" degrees.

Chair of the government's Migration Advisory Committee, Professor Brian Bell, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme this could "send many universities over the edge," particularly in poorer regions.

[NewYorkExpress]

Prince William's Godmother is in trouble after making a racist comment to a charity executive.

The late Queen's lady-in-waiting Lady Susan Hussey has apologised and resigned after she repeatedly asked a black British charity boss where she was "really" from.

Ngozi Fulani, a charity founder, was questioned about her background at the charity event at the palace on Tuesday.

Ms Fulani, said she was "totally stunned" by Prince William's godmother's comments.

The palace described the remarks as "unacceptable and deeply regrettable".



A spokesperson for Prince William said "racism has no place in our society".

"The comments were unacceptable, and it is right that the individual has stepped aside with immediate effect," they said.

Lady Hussey, 83, was a close confidante of the late Queen and accompanied her at the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh last year.

She was a key and trusted figure in the Royal Household for decades, and part of her latest role had involved helping to host occasions at Buckingham Palace.

[NewYorkExpress]

Johnson has informed his constituency party in Uxbridge that he intends to stand again.

Feels notable. Any plan to switch seats to run somewhere safer in the Home Counties (floated repeatedly over the past year) is now essentially over. Either he bails last minute, or runs in a seat that’s going to be a tad marginal.

The Telegraph (who broke the story) are wish-casting that this indicates a leadership challenge against Sunak is on the cards after the local elections next May.

I would think the local Conservative Party, and maybe national Conservatives, have to hope Johnson loses next election.

He's more of a liability for the party than Truss is.

[NewYorkExpress]

Labour is pledging to abolish the House of Lords.

Britain’s opposition Labour party has promised to scrap the unelected and “indefensible” House of Lords as part of a constitutional revamp to redistribute economic growth after Brexit.

Labour looks set to take power in the next election, due by January 2025, streaking far ahead of the governing Conservatives in opinion polls after a tumultuous period politically and economically.

.....
The blueprint is not yet Labour policy. It now goes to public consultation, with agreed changes set to be incorporated into the party’s next election manifesto.

Starmer said he hoped to push through the eventual reforms within the first five years of a Labour government, possibly including the redeployment of 50,000 civil service jobs out of London.

Tackling widespread public disgust with perceived malpractice in parliament, the proposals would clamp down on MPs holding second jobs and create a new anti-corruption commissioner.

The 40-point plan’s centrepiece is to scrap the upper house of parliament in its current guise – which is a mixture of political appointees, hereditary peers and Church of England bishops.


“I think the House of Lords is indefensible. Anybody who looks at the House of Lords would struggle to say that it should be kept,” Starmer told BBC television.


“So we want to abolish the House of Lords and replace it with an elected chamber that has a really strong mission.”

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Don't know how this didn't come up earlier, but there's scandal brewing involving MP's taking foreign trips to countries with shoddy human rights records.

But there are huge discrepancies in the amount of time different MPs choose to dedicate to this type of overseas travel, with trips frequently taken while parliament is sitting as well as during recess periods.


Analysis by POLITICO found there are currently around 10 “super members” who have signed up for roles with 20 or more different “country APPGs.” Some have accepted dozens of free trips overseas during their time in parliament, paid for by foreign governments or businesses.

Collectively, this small group of backbench politicians have made overseas visits worth more than £453,000 since entering parliament, according to official records. The true figure is likely higher, since MPs were only obliged to start declaring the value of gifts and hospitality in 2009.


The data includes:

Seven trips by Conservative MP Martin Vickers on which he was accompanied by his wife, or by an unnamed member of staff.

Three trips by Labour’s John Spellar of six days or more, including a week-long visit to Singapore.


£70,800 worth of trips by Tory MP Mark Menzies since he entered parliament in 2010, including six different trips in the calendar year 2016 alone.

One trip to Hong Kong by the SNP’s Angus Brendan MacNeil worth £10,359 — the most expensive single trip.

20 trips in 17 years by Daniel Kawczynski, including visits to Morocco, Albania and Mauritania paid for by mining and chemical manufacturing companies.

Thirteen trips over the last seven years by the SNP’s Lisa Cameron, including two trips to New York in the space of three weeks.

Three trips to Sri Lanka and three to the Maldives by the DUP’s Ian Paisley Jr.

£84,680 worth of trips by Tory MP Mark Pritchard since he entered parliament in 2005. He made six foreign trips in 2015 and seven in 2016, and has visited Qatar three times in the last three years.


Sixteen trips to Gibraltar by Andrew Rosindell since he became an MP in 2001, sometimes more than once a year, as well as to a total of 29 other countries.

Ten trips by Conservative MP Sheryll Murray accompanied by an unnamed member of staff.

There is a wider pattern of these MPs traveling frequently to countries known as tax havens, petrochemical producers or luxury destinations — including the Channel Islands, Gulf States, San Marino, and the Norfolk Islands in the Pacific.

Apparently, this includes involvement in sex tourism and excessive drinking.

A number of British lawmakers have been using parliamentary trips abroad as an opportunity for the covert use of sex workers and for raucous, excessive drinking, according to MPs, peers, diplomatic and parliamentary officials who spoke to POLITICO. 

One former Conservative MP, now a member of the House of Lords, asked hosts for directions to the nearest brothel when he traveled to Southeast Asia on a visit with an all-party parliamentary group (APPG), according to another parliamentarian who was present.

Another Tory MP and former minister used to stay on after the MPs’ delegation had returned home in order to pursue his “interest in [local] women,” two former colleagues said.



“He showed an interest in pretty young girls,” said one. “He routinely stayed on after these visits and linked up with young women in the place in question.”

A senior Labour MP displayed a fondness for “Russian girls” during trips overseas, according to a foreign diplomat, who said local officials felt powerless to intervene because they worried about preserving their influence in Westminster.

All of this has drawn Sunak's attention, and he's not happy.

U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said accusations of drunken and sexual misbehavior by British MPs on overseas visits are “very concerning,” but declined to back reform of the little-known parliamentary groups organizing their trips.

An investigation by POLITICO revealed how parliamentary visits to foreign countries have been exploited by certain MPs and peers on All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) as an opportunity for the covert use of sex workers and for excessive drinking.

A Downing Street spokesman said Wednesday that U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was aware of the “concerning” reports, and urged lawmakers to focus on working for the public good.

“We’ve seen some of the reports over the Christmas period and just before, and some of the behavior reported is clearly very concerning,” the No. 10 spokesman said.


“The prime minister believes MPs should be working hard for the public, and the broad majority have focused on trying to solve our shared challenges, whether that be supporting the most vulnerable or working to make our schools better and our streets safer,” he added.

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England joins Scotland and Wales in banning single-use cutlery and plates.

Single-use items like plastic cutlery, plates and trays will be banned in England, the government has confirmed.

It is not clear when the ban will come into effect, but it follows similar moves already made by Scotland and Wales.

Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said the move would help protect the environment for future generations.

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A London Police Officer has admitted to almost fifty offenses, including 24 counts of rape in the past eighteen years.

A serving officer in London’s Metropolitan Police has admitted to 49 offenses, including 24 counts of rape over an 18-year period, reigniting calls for urgent reform in the United Kingdom’s largest police force.

David Carrick appeared at Southwark Crown Court in the British capital Monday to plead guilty to four counts of rape, false imprisonment and indecent assault relating to a 40-year-old woman in 2003, the UK’s PA Media news agency reported.

At the Old Bailey criminal court in London last month, Carrick admitted to 43 charges against 11 other women, including 20 counts of rape, between March 2004 and September 2020, according to PA.

[NewYorkExpress]

Hundreds of child asylum seekers have gone missing since July 2021.

Hundreds of child asylum seekers have gone missing since the British government started housing minors in hotels due to a strain on the country’s asylum accommodation system, British Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick told lawmakers in parliament on Tuesday, amid calls for an investigation into the matter.

Jenrick said Tuesday that around 200 children have gone missing since July 2021. “Out of the 4,600 unaccompanied children that have been accommodated in hotels since July 2021, there have been 440 missing occurrences and 200 children still remain missing,” he said.

Approximately 13 of the 200 missing children are under the age of 16, and one is female according to government data. The majority of the missing, 88%, are Albanian nationals, and the remaining 12% are from Afghanistan, Egypt, India, Vietnam, Pakistan and Turkey.

[NewYorkExpress]

The owner of the Guardian apologized for the role the paper's founders played in the transatlantic slave trade.

The owner of the Guardian has issued an apology for the role the newspaper’s founders had in transatlantic slavery and announced a decade-long programme of restorative justice.

The Scott Trust said it expected to invest more than £10m (US$12.3m, A$18.4m), with millions dedicated specifically to descendant communities linked to the Guardian’s 19th-century founders.

It follows independent academic research commissioned in 2020 to investigate whether there was any historical connection between chattel slavery and John Edward Taylor, the journalist and cotton merchant who founded the newspaper in 1821, and the other Manchester businessmen who funded its creation.

The Scott Trust Legacies of Enslavement report, published on Tuesday, revealed that Taylor, and at least nine of his 11 backers, had links to slavery, principally through the textile industry. Taylor had multiple links through partnerships in the cotton manufacturing firm Oakden & Taylor, and the cotton merchant company Shuttleworth, Taylor & Co, which imported vast amounts of raw cotton produced by enslaved people in the Americas.

[NewYorkExpress]

Tony Danker, the head of the Confederation of British Industry was sacked over misconduct claims.

The boss of one of the UK's largest business groups has been fired over complaints about his behaviour at work.

Tony Danker, who will leave the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) following an investigation over his conduct towards several employees, said he was "shocked" by the sacking.

Three other CBI employees have also been suspended pending a probe into other allegations, the group said.

It is also liaising with the police who are looking into the claims.