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No 10 says PM engaged on plans to make childcare cheaper because it reveals he’s chairing committee on value of dwelling
No 10 has given a contemporary trace that ministers will chill out the principles to permit nurseries to have fewer members of employees per todder to assist mother and father with the price of kids.
In an announcement about right this moment’s cupboard, the place the main target was on the price of dwelling, the prime minister’s spokesperson advised the morning foyer briefing:
The prime minister mentioned that, while our restoration from the worldwide pandemic was quicker than anyone beforehand anticipated, continued disruptions within the world financial system, together with in China the place widespread lockdowns are nonetheless going down – coupled with Putin’s continued crazed malevolence in Ukraine – meant the general public was going through actual pressures and that the federal government would proceed to be on their aspect.
He mentioned there was extra to do, together with in areas like childcare, to additional ease pressures for those who want it most and to get much more folks into excessive expert, high-wage jobs.
This appeared to be a reference to plans, which were floated earlier than, to cut back the employees/youngster ratios for nurseries. As Nursery World reported final yr, one plan was to permit nursery employees to oversee 5 kids beneath two, quite than three, as the present guidelines stipulate.
Downing Road mentioned earlier that Johnson was significantly eager to search out measures that may reduce prices for folks with out requiring the federal government to spend extra money. (See 9.17am.)
Requested to offer extra particulars, the spokesperson mentioned:
I believe all I can say is that that is an space the place the federal government recognises there may be extra to do. It’s stay coverage work going down and I’m positive we’ll have extra to say sooner or later.
The spokesman additionally revealed that Johnson might be personally chairing conferences of the cupboard’s home and financial technique committee to finalise measures which may assist folks take care of the price of dwelling. Ministers talked by “numerous concepts” throughout cupboard assembly, the spokesperson mentioned, and they’re going to “feed right into a extra formal course of”.
I’ll put up extra from the foyer briefing shortly.
On the requirements committee listening to Michael Ellis, the Cupboard Workplace minister, additionally defended Priti Patel’s determination to just accept a free ticket to the premier of a James Bond film, saying that it was related to her work as dwelling secretary. These are from Insider’s Henry Dyer.
UPDATE: Right here is the clip.
Minister rejects argument Rayner smear exhibits why MPs’ code needs to be up to date to require ‘anti-discriminatory’ attitudes
On the Commons requirements committee Mark Spencer, the chief of the Commons, and Michael Ellis, the Cupboard Workplace minister, have been giving proof concerning the MPs’ code of conduct.
Requested if the MP accountable for the sexist briefing about Angela Rayner to the Mail on Sunday had damaged any guidelines within the code of conduct for MPs, Spencer mentioned the individual was not exhibiting management or integrity – two of the overall rules within the code that MPs are supposed to uphold.
However Spencer mentioned he didn’t assume the MP has damaged any particular rule. He mentioned:
I don’t suppose they’ve damaged any rule in the home, or dedicated a criminal offense that may very well be charged basically society. I believe they’ve simply acted, frankly, in an inappropriate manner, and that needs to be roundly condemned.
Ellis mentioned that the MP who briefed the story could have damaged the rule at paragraph 17, saying MPs shouldn’t carry the home into disrepute.
However, when it was put to him that the present guidelines didn’t appear to cease briefings like this taking place, Ellis mentioned that he could be involved if the principles had been tightened to cease MPs being “obnoxious” due to the significance of defending freedom of speech. Responding to a query from Chris Bryant, the Labour chair of the committee, Ellis mentioned:
In case your competition is that there should be a brand new requirement to explicitly, or extra explicitly, exhibit anti-discriminatory attitudes, then the stability that must be borne when one begins to drill down … one has to think about the chilling impact that, unwittingly, on debate that is perhaps affected.
As [Spencer] was saying, no person needs to stifle authentic debate, even raucous, sturdy debate, even politically contentious points the place folks specific themselves in an obnoxious trend, as a result of it’s vital to our democracy don’t folks don’t really feel intimidated into expressing their views.
So the problem, as ever with troublesome points, is to stability these two essential [principles].
The committee printed a report in November with draft proposals for reforms to the code of conduct. One in every of its most controversial proposals was for a descriptor to be included saying the precept of respect means MPs ought to “exhibit anti-discriminatory behaviours”. The draft descriptor says:
Members ought to abide by the parliamentary behaviour code and will exhibit anti-discriminatory attitudes and behaviours by the promotion of anti-racism, inclusion and variety.
Defending Johnson is ‘very arduous’, says William Hague
William Hague, the previous Conservative chief and former overseas secretary, is a Tory loyalist who doesn’t criticise the social gathering evenly. In his Occasions column right this moment he devotes the primary six paragraph to saying how he all the time needs to defend the social gathering chief and why he believes Boris Johnson has accomplished “a lot” that’s value supporting. Nonetheless, the column solely will get going with the seventh paragraph, which begins with the phrase “However …”
Hague says that defending Johnson is “very arduous”.
Greater than another Tory leaders in my lifetime, Johnson additionally does issues that make defending him very arduous. It’s dangerous sufficient when ministers and officers maintain what look to be events throughout a nationwide lockdown, however a lot more durable to excuse when the reason varies over time.
Hague says a key downside is that Johnson doesn’t persist with a constant message.
Johnson has a pure, irrepressible tendency to attempt to cheer up the viewers in entrance of him. Even when he has to undergo the humblest apologies on the ground of the Commons, as he did final Tuesday, he’ll then go upstairs to the 1922 Committee of his personal MPs and search roars of approval for jokes and ripostes to the assaults of the Archbishop of Canterbury. And in conferences with MPs in January he usually seemed he thought he had accomplished nothing fallacious, though he was apologising to parliament in the identical week. The inconsistency of method and strategy tends to undermine his help quite than safe it …
The will to raise the morale of these round him, regardless of the broader message, might be how the entire events saga began for Johnson. If he’s not cautious it will likely be the way it ends. He’ll solely survive if his social gathering hears the identical message, in and out.
In his new morning publication, First Version, my colleague Archie Bland has spoken to to varied feminine MPs to ask what they felt concerning the Mail on Sunday’s protection of Angela Rayner. Listed below are extracts from two of the interviews.
From Caroline Nokes, Conservative chair of the ladies and equalities committee
Have I had something like this? Oh god, sure. Any girl you speak to in politics has fallen sufferer to this – each the disagreeable, demeaning feedback of colleagues, and the way in which they’re then picked up and run with within the media. Partly due to my age, and partly as a result of I’m chair of the Girls and Equalities Committee, I’m handled very in a different way right this moment to how I used to be 12 years in the past.
In 2010, the Mail on Sunday used an image the place the tops of the hold-ups I used to be carrying had been seen. The image was about eight years previous – they’d actually trawled for it. It was simply so belittling. Now I all the time assume very fastidiously about what I put on.
From Harriet Harman, the previous Labour deputy chief and chair of the joint committee on human rights
Let’s be actually clear about what these unnamed MPs are accusing Angela Rayner of: it’s flashing, principally. It’s a disgusting factor to say. Boris Johnson has not sought to minimise it, and that’s good, however we’d like motion. If it was taking place at another work place, there could be an investigation.
You possibly can learn right this moment’s First Version briefing in full – and signal as much as obtain the publication each morning by e-mail – right here.
Minister says he hopes Speaker will ship ‘shot throughout bows’ to Mail on Sunday over its protection of feminine MPs
In interviews this morning James Heappey, the armed forces minister, mentioned he permitted of the Speaker’s determination to summon the editor of the Mail on Sunday, David Dillon, to a gathering to debate its sexist article about Angela Rayner. Heappey mentioned:
If the Speaker goes to place a shot throughout the bows about the way in which girls in parliament are being reported, that’s a very good factor. I’ve little question he’s defending freedom of speech and he gained’t need to see that impinged however I do assume that Westminster has obtained itself into a multitude and it appears to be like terrible.
Related Newspapers, which publishes The Mail on Sunday, has declined to touch upon the controversy.
Labour can be launching a value of dwelling initiative right this moment; it’s calling for an emergency price range, that includes a windfall tax on vitality corporations.
It says any price range ought to embody 4 different measures: a reduce in enterprise charges for SMEs; abolition of the nationwide insurance coverage improve; a house insulation programme; and a crackdown on authorities spending misplaced to fraud and error.
Labour says that during the last yr rising gasoline costs have let to households spending an additional £10bn in complete on petrol. Louise Haigh, the shadow transport secretary, mentioned:
It is a savage additional value for working folks. The Conservative authorities must set out an emergency price range to deal with its value of dwelling disaster – and help Labour’s name to place a refund within the pockets of working folks.
The UK backs Ukrainian troops finishing up strikes in Russian territory, James Heappey, the armed forces minister has mentioned, calling it “not essentially an issue” if Ukraine makes use of weapons donated by Britain. My colleague Jessica Elgot has the story right here.
Rayner says she was significantly nervous about affect of Mail on Sunday article on her kids
Listed below are the details from Angela Rayner’s interview with ITV’s Lorraine Kelly.
- Rayner, the deputy Labour chief, mentioned the Mail on Sunday article printed about her on the weekend was not simply sexist, however classist too. She mentioned:
It wasn’t nearly me as a girl, saying that I used to be utilizing the actual fact I’m a girl towards the prime minister – which I believe is kind of condescending to the prime minister as effectively, it exhibits you watch his MPs take into consideration his behaviour – nevertheless it was additionally about steeped in classism as effectively, and about the place it come from, and the way I grew up, and the truth that I should be thick and should be silly as a result of I went to a complete faculty.
And so they speak about my background, as a result of I had a baby once I was younger, as if to say I used to be promiscuous – that was the insinuation – which I felt was fairly offensive for folks from my background.
- She mentioned that when she heard the article was going to be printed, she was significantly nervous concerning the affect on her kids. She mentioned:
Once I heard of the story that was popping out, and we rebutted it immediately, [saying] ‘that is disgusting, it’s utterly unfaithful, please don’t run a narrative like that’. As a result of I’ve obtained teenage sons, and I used to be with my teenage sons, and I felt actually unhappy once more that my weekend … I used to be making an attempt to arrange my kids for seeing issues on-line, they don’t need to see them usually portrayed that manner. I felt actually down about that.
- She mentioned she felt she felt she will “maintain my very own” towards Boris Johnson, “extra so after we’re within the debating chamber”.
- She mentioned she was “owerwhelmed” by how a lot help she had had for the reason that article was printed, from folks condemning its sexism.
- She mentioned she had worn a trouser go well with for the Lorraine interview as a result of she didn’t need to be judged by what she wore. She mentioned the Mail on Sunday article had been illustrated with an image of her from a earlier look on the present, carrying a skirt. It was a John Lewis tailor-made costume, she mentioned, which she thought was “fairly posh”. She mentioned:
I needed to be defiant as effectively, as a result of I don’t assume that girls needs to be advised costume – however I didn’t need to distract from the truth that, truly, it’s not about my legs.
I didn’t need folks at dwelling pondering ‘Let’s take a look to see what her legs are like and the way quick her skirt is or not’.
As a result of I really feel like I’m being judged for what I put on, quite than what I’m saying to you and the way I come throughout.
Angela Rayner says ‘sexist, classist’ newspaper article implied she was ‘thick’
Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy chief, is being interviewed on ITV’s Lorraine.
Rayner says she requested the Mail on Sunday to not run the story it did on the weekend. When she was advised about it, she was together with her kids. She didn’t need to be portrayed like that.
She was “crestfallen” that somebody had mentioned that to a paper, and so they reported that.
However she was “heartened” by the response, and the overwhelming condemnation the story attracted.
The story was not simply sexist. It was “steeped in classism” too, she says. She says it implied that she was thick. And the reference to her having a baby aged 16 implied she was promiscuous, she says.
She says the story was offensive. “I believe I maintain my very own towards Boris Johnson within the Commons chamber,” she says.
Johnson urges ministers to search out ‘revolutionary’, cost-free methods of serving to folks with rising costs
Good morning. Boris Johnson is chairing cupboard this morning, and usually we’re solely advised what’s on the agenda as soon as its over. However forward of right this moment’s assembly No 10 aissued a prolonged press launch saying that Johnson would order his minister to deal with the price of dwelling disaster.
Downing Road press releases are sometimes quite uninteresting, however this one was something however. Right here is an extract.
[Johnson] will name on his cupboard colleagues and departments to double down on exploring revolutionary methods to ease pressures on family funds, selling the help that’s out there however not extensively taken up, and serving to folks into high-quality, well-paid jobs throughout the UK.
Individuals across the nation are already benefiting from new monetary help this month, together with quick assist with vitality payments by the £150 council tax rebate, an uplift to incomes of the bottom paid by the Nationwide Residing Wage, and the largest reduce, in money phrases, on gasoline obligation. £22 billion value of help is being made out there this yr.
The prime minister will urge ministers to proceed working at tempo to ease dwelling prices with out solely counting on new authorities spend. Excessive ranges of public debt following the unprecedented help offered in the course of the pandemic, along with rising inflation and rates of interest, imply we should keep management of the general public funds quite than burden future generations with greater debt.
The press launch goes on to say three issues ministers are doing to assist folks handle with the price of dwelling disaster (see under), however they’re all minimal measures and the reference to asking ministers to “double down on exploring revolutionary” options implies that No 10 is determined for some higher concepts. That may not encourage nice confidence. Many people don’t have an answer to the price of dwelling disaster, however Johnson is prime minister, and he’s working a authorities, not a thinktank.
No 10 cites three “non-fiscal” measures it’s already taking to assist folks.
1) Encouraging folks to examine they’re claiming all the advantages for which they’re eligible. “For instance, it’s estimated that round 1.3 million households may very well be taking on authorities help by tax free childcare, which presents as much as £2,000 in the direction of childcare prices a yr, and there are nonetheless an estimated 850,000 eligible households who should not claiming pension credit score, which may very well be value over £3,300 a yr for pensioners,” it says.
2) Freezing vitality invoice deductions from common credit score. This transfer will give claimants extra time to debate with vitality corporations how they pay greater payments, the federal government says.
3) Urging personal corporations to “play their half”. Ministers “gained’t hesitate to crack down on unacceptable behaviour going down inside trade, the place they’re unfairly pushing up payments additional for hard-working folks”, No 10 says.
As my colleague Jessica Elgot writes in her in a single day story, right this moment’s initiative is a tacit admission that Rishi Sunak’s spring assertion did not satisfactorily tackle the price of dwelling disaster.
Right here is the agenda for the day.
Morning: Boris Johnson chairs cupboard.
10am: Sir Patrick Vallance, the govenrment’s chief scientific adviser, offers proof to a Lords committee on local weather change.
10.45am: Mark Spencer, chief of the Commons, and Michael Ellis, the Cupboard Workplace minister, give proof to the Commons requirements committee on reform of the MPs’ code of conduct.
11am: A Nationwide Farmers Union official and different consultants give proof to the Commons worldwide commerce committee concerning the commerce take care of Australia.
11.30am: Downing Road holds a foyer briefing.
11.30am: Liz Truss, the overseas secretary, takes questions within the Commons.
Afternoon: Friends debate Commons amendments to the nationality and borders invoice. In an intense bout of “ping pong” (the method the place payments shuttle between the Commons and the Lords till excellent disagreements will be resolved), they will even contemplate Commons amendments to the constructing security invoice, the well being and care invoice and the police, crime, sentencing and courts invoice.
I attempt to monitor the feedback under the road (BTL) however it’s unattainable to learn all of them. If in case you have a direct query, do embody “Andrew” in it someplace and I’m extra more likely to discover it. I do attempt to reply questions, and if they’re of normal curiosity, I’ll put up the query and reply above the road (ATL), though I can’t promise to do that for everybody.
If you wish to appeal to my consideration shortly, it’s most likely higher to make use of Twitter. I’m on @AndrewSparrow.
Alternatively, you possibly can e-mail me at andrew.sparrow@theguardian.com.
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