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Matt Hancock has been accused of ‘trying to redeem his terrible legacy’ as health secretary during the pandemic by appearing on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! The Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice campaign said: “Matt Hancock is not a ‘celebrity’, he is the former health secretary who oversaw the UK having one of the highest death tolls in the world from Covid-19, while breaking its own of lockdown rules.” Mr Hancock’s troubled public image has suffered badly in the hours since it was revealed he would appear on the hit ITV reality show: he has been roundly booed by the prime minister, banned from the Tory party and mocked by his constituency union. A spokesman for Rishi Sunak, who declined to give the former health minister a role in his government, said: “The Prime Minister believes that at a difficult time for the country, MPs should be working hard for their constituents in the House or in their constituencies.” The spokesman said it was unlikely Mr Sunak would watch his former colleague on the programme.
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Ministers create a pro-democracy task force
The government will set up a task force to defend Britain’s democratic institutions, Security Secretary Tom Tugendhat said. Mr Tugendhat said Rishi Sunak asked him to lead an initiative to “advance the work to defend the democratic integrity of our country” with a review of the threats facing public and private security. A range of actors are “trying to weaken us, challenge us and exploit us”, he told MPs in the Commons. “The proof of this is clear and sadly indisputable: dictatorships are trying to write the new rules for a new world.” He added: “The advanced technologies that our adversaries have spent time and money developing have leveled the playing field and made us more vulnerable. “Britain has been at the forefront of defending freedom for generations. our dealerships and businesses have faced the reality of this risk for decades.” Tugendhat is making a statement in the Commons today (Parliament TV) Liam James 1 November 2022 15:09 1667314307
Chris Bryant defends bullying claim despite questioning
Senior Labor MP Chris Bryant has said he stands by his claim he saw Tory MPs bullied into voting for the government in a controversial Commons vote on fracking. The President said today that the investigation by senior parliamentary officials had found no evidence of bullying. But Mr Bryant, who chairs the Common Standards Committee and was among the MPs who made the original allegations, told BBC Radio 4’s The World at One: “I don’t question the speaker’s decision, but I know what I saw and I’m not retracting not even a word. “Some people may feel that they were not bullied, but I saw bullying behaviour. “If you have 15 or 12 MPs effectively standing around one MP, in my opinion, boil them down, that’s bullying behavior and it would be perceived as bullying in any other line of work.” Mr Bryant defended his decision to post pictures of the scene on social media in breach of Commons rules. “I knew I was breaking the rules. I apologized to Parliament for breaking the rules. I thought that sometimes you have to break a rule if you see a greater injustice being done. We are trying to change the culture in Parliament,” he said. Liam James 1 November 2022 14:51 1667313421
Aids and Malaria Victims Fund in Disarray
In other news, a global fund for victims of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria has been plunged into disarray after the Foreign Office reneged on its promise to make a crucial donation. Rob Merrick, our deputy political editor, reports: Zoe Tidman1 November 2022 14:37 1667312302
What antics have politicians pulled in the I’m A Celebrity jungle?
Matt Hancock is just the latest politician to bet his fading star on the jungle. He follows fellow Tories Nadine Dorries (row 2012), Edwina Currie (2011), Stanley Johnson (2017), former Lib Dem MP Lembit Opik (2010), former Labor MP Robert Kilroy-Silk (2008) and former leader of Scottish Labor Kezia Dugdale (2017). Connie Evans goes through her trials and tribulations at the hands of ITV directors: Liam James November 1, 2022 2:18 p.m 1667311222
Boris Johnson takes a public address
Boris Johnson gave a public speech at a digital technology conference. The International Symposium on Blockchain Advancements (December 2 in Singapore) lists the former Prime Minister as a keynote speaker alongside former US Vice President Dick Cheney. Mr Johnson was expected to follow other former world leaders into the lucrative public speaking circuit, where big political names can expect to earn hundreds of thousands of pounds for a single speech. Liam James November 1, 2022 2:00 p.m 1667310082
‘Overwhelming’ case for windfall tax extension on fossil fuel companies after BP doubles profits
Campaign groups say there is now an “overwhelming case” for the government to extend windfall taxes on fossil fuel companies after Shell and BP saw their profits double as oil and gas prices continue to rise (writes Harry Cockburn). In the latest quarter, Shell made a profit of £8bn in the last three months, while BP revealed on Tuesday that it had made £7.1bn in the same period – up from £2.9bn in the same period last year. An unexpected 25% tax was introduced by Rishi Sunak when he was still chancellor in May. Known as ‘energy profits levy’, it only applies to profits from UK oil and gas extraction. However, it also provides incentives for further investment in fossil fuel extraction, allowing companies to claim tax savings worth 91p for every £1 invested in new drilling efforts. But Shell said it did not expect to pay extra tax as a result, as its investments in UK drilling meant it had not made a net profit. BP said it expected to pay just £800m. Liam James November 1, 2022 1:41 p.m 1667309002
Hancock ‘cashing in on terrible legacy’, says Covid-19 mourner
The Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice campaign accused Mr Hancock of “trying to cash in on his terrible legacy” by appearing on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! “Matt Hancock is not a ‘celebrity’, he is the former health secretary who oversaw the UK having one of the world’s highest death tolls from Covid-19 while flouting its own quarantine rules,” spokesman Loby Akinola said. Mr Hancock was health secretary for the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, during which the government was criticized for being too slow to impose restrictions, lifting them too soon and confusing communications about the rules. Ian Hulder, a Conservative councilor on West Suffolk Council, said Hancock, his local MP, was “not ashamed”. He said of Mr Hancock, who was stripped of the Tory whip over the reality TV deal: “It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he goes back on bended knee to whoever is in charge of the Conservative Party after his book comes out or whatever winter… because he is thick-skinned, he is not ashamed at all.’ He continued: “Everyone knows what he did during the Covid pandemic and he seems to want to rehabilitate himself all the time in the public eye.” Mr Hancock has yet to say how much he will make from his time in the jungle. Nadine Dorries, who herself lost the Tory whip when she appeared on the ITV program in 2012, pocketed £83,000. Liam James 1 November 2022 13:23 1667307862
MPs not intimidated during chaotic fracking vote, survey finds
A parliamentary inquiry found “no evidence” that MPs were bullied during last month’s chaotic Commons vote on fracking, the speaker has said (Jon Stone writes). Government whips and other ministers were accused at the time of “manipulating” other MPs to force them to vote with the government – contributing to the sense of chaos that led to Liz Truss resigning as prime minister the next day. But in a statement to the Commons on Tuesday, November 1, speaker Lindsey Hoyle said an official investigation found that despite the “tense” atmosphere, there was “no evidence of intimidation or undue influence on other members”. Liam James November 1, 2022 1:04 p.m 1667306722
Civil servants union boss slams Hancock for ‘one month off’
Responding to Matt Hancock’s deal to take part in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here, Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA union, said: “Oh to have a job where you can decide for yourself what to do a month off, give up your job and responsibilities, get paid and face minimal consequences.” “I’m sure it will be an inspiration to other public servants,” added Mr Penman, who heads the union representing civil servants. Hancock has been banned from the parliamentary Conservative party for agreeing to enter the Australian jungle on the hit reality show. The response to the announcement of the former health minister’s decision was divided between anger and teasing. Andy Drummond, deputy political chairman of Mr Hancock’s local Conservative Union in West Suffolk, told PA: “I can’t wait for him to eat a kangaroo’s penis. “Tell me. You can report that to me.” Liam James November 1, 2022 12:45 p.m 1667305452
Rishi Sunak is not happy about Matt Hancock’s I’m A Celebrity deal
Rishi Sunak has made his disapproval of Matt Hancock’s decision to take time away from parliament to appear on TV show I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here clear (writes Andrew Woodcock). Mr Hancock did not inform the Prime Minister of his intention to appear on the show before his announcement as a contestant earlier today. He promptly withdrew the Conservative whip and must now sit in the Commons as an independent. The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “The prime minister believes…
