UK politics - live: Rayner and Dowden clash at fiery PMQs as Sunak branded a ‘pint-sized loser’
Labour’s deputy leader uses session to tackle the government on its housing record, accusing ministers of delaying justice on no-fault evictions
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Angela Rayner branded Rishi Sunak a “pint-sized loser” during a fiery session of Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.
Labour’s deputy leader used the session to tackle the government on its housing record, accusing ministers of delaying justice on no-fault evictions in the rented sector.
She also accused Oliver Dowden, the deputy prime minister, of having “stabbed” the Tories’ “biggest election winner” Boris Johnson in the back in order to get his “mate into No 10”.
“Has he finally realised that when he stabbed Boris Johnson in the back to get his mate into No 10 he was ditching their biggest election winner for a pint-sized loser?” she told MPs in the Commons, following reports that Mr Dowden was among senior Tories call for a summer election.
Elsewhere, the prime minister is on a visit to Germany. He held a joint press conference with chancellor Olfa Scholz, where he praised Germany for increasing defence spending.
Watch: Sunak meets soldiers from German armed forces during visit to Berlin
Sunak meets soldiers from German armed forces during visit to Berlin
Rishi Sunak met with soldiers of the German armed forces and was given a tour of a military vehicle during his visit to Berlin on Wednesday 24 April. The prime minister is in Germany to discuss joint efforts on security, trade, and illegal migration with chancellor Olaf Scholz. He can be heard saying "very impressive vehicle" in response to a Bundeswehr captain showing him around the machinery of the vehicle. The visit comes after Mr Sunak revealed he plans to increase spending in the defence sector by £75 billion over the next 6 years.
We’ll fight Civil Service job cuts ‘tooth and nail’, union says
A union says it will fight planned job cuts to the civil service “tooth and nail” as it accused the government of “scapegoating” public servants.
Responding to reports of 70,000 civil service job cuts, Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “Yet again ministers shamefully see fit to scapegoat their own workforce.
“It’s not right for our members to pay for a rise in defence spending with their jobs, so we’ll fight these proposals tooth and nail, just as we fought them under Boris Johnson.
“Our members work hard every day providing essential services to keep this country running and should be rewarded with a fair pay rise, not their jobs sacrificed as a pre-election gimmick.
“Cuts have consequences. Waiting lists for new passports, driving tests, driving licences and queues at airports and ports will get longer, telephone wait times for those with tax enquiries will go up.
“We need more civil servants, not less.”
Ryanair would ‘happily’ deport asylum seekers to Rwanda - CEO
The boss of budget airline Ryanair says the company would “happily” deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.
His comments come after the United Nations warned airlines could be held responsible for any violations of international human rights rules.
Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s outspoken CEO, said the firm would facilitate the plan in the winter if it had spare capacity.
“If it was the winter schedule and we had spare aircraft sitting around and if the government were looking for additional deportation flights or any other flights, we would happily quote for the business,” Mr O’Leary said in an interview in London, Bloomberg reported.
He confirmed he had not been approached by Downing Street about the flights.
Full report:
Ryanair boss says he would ‘happily’ fly asylum seekers to Rwanda
Michael O’Leary said the UK government had not approached his budget airline
Post Office boss ‘interjected’ when senior management suggested subpostmaster prosecutions should stop
Former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells “interjected” when senior management suggested subpostmaster prosecutions should stop, an inquiry has heard.
The Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry was shown a document that described Ms Vennells as “resiling” from the proposals in 2013.
Asked about a meeting attended by the then chief executive, Chris Aujard, a former top lawyer at the Post Office said: “My recollection is that the executive committee were in favour of ceasing prosecutions entirely.
“But, when that proposition was discussed at the committee, Paula interjected or made the comment that proposition should not be taken as what I’d intended it to be, never bringing prosecutions, but rather… Post Office should continue to take some prosecutions.
“I’ve got no recollection of that meeting other than the limited recollection of that comment,” he added.
GB News ‘put on notice’ it needs to improve after impartiality breaches
GB News has been warned it is “on notice” and could face fines if it is found to breaking impartiality rules again.
It comes after the right-wing broadcaster was found by Ofcom to have breached rules by allowing Tory MPs to perform as news readers.
Despite the breaches, the broadcaster escaped sanction.
Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom chief executive, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I don’t think anyone should be in any doubt that for a broadcaster to be found in breach as GB News have been so many times over the past year is a very significant step for them.
“And we’ve put them on notice that that does need to improve.”
Renters Reform Bill is a ‘betrayal’ of government’s 2019 manifesto commitment - Tory MP
The Renters Reform Bill is a “betrayal” of the government’s 2019 manifesto commitment, Conservative MP Natalie Elphicke (Dover) has said.
Ms Elphicke, who sits on the Housing and Communities Committee, also said a new clause in the legislation could “indefinitely delay” the abolition of Section 21 no-fault evictions.
She told the Commons: “It is my view that this bill does not go far enough now in dealing with the fundamental challenges of the private rented sector. The private rented sector is no longer a flex or transitionary tenure. It is the main tenure for millions of people for much, if not all, of their lives.
“Sadly, the original principle of the bill, which was to create a fair and responsible new rented sector, has been undermined by the government’s amendments.”
Ms Elphicke concluded: “Now this is a bill that the Conservative manifesto in 2019 promised would benefit tenants. Instead, this has become a bill where the balance too often is in favour of the landlords, particularly with the new clause 30 which could indefinitely delay the abolition of section 21 no-fault evictions.
“If that were so, that would be nothing short of a betrayal for the Conservative manifesto that was promised in 2019 and, for that reason, I’m unable to support this today.”
Chair of housing committee urges government to ‘get on’ with abolishing no fault evictions
Clive Betts, chair of the Housing and Communities Committee, has urged the government to “get on with” abolishing no-fault evictions under Section 21.
He told the Commons: “I think it’s disappointing today that we’re having to focus primarily on the government backpedalling of the timetable for the abolition of Section 21.
“The select committee looked at this a year ago and we concluded unanimously that the principle of what the government intended was right.
“We obviously had some reservations, caveats, some suggested detailed changes, some concerns that we raised, but nevertheless the principle was agreed and I think, generally speaking, there’s agreement across the house, it’s the right thing to do.”
He added: “There are so many families living in uncertainty, not just housing uncertainty, but other uncertainties while the abolition is awaited, and that’s why the minister really needs to get on with this and give some clear time commitments to when this is going to happen.”
Retain old military equipment and create ‘war reserve’, Shapps urged
The defence secretary has faced calls to retain older military equipment and create a “war reserve” in a bid to deter Britain’s adversaries.
Grant Shapps described the idea to hold in reserve Typhoons, warships and armoured vehicles as “interesting”, but told MPs he is “much more minded” to send older equipment to Ukraine as it fights Russia’s renewed invasion.
Making a statement to the Commons, Mr Shapps said: “The best way of keeping our country safe and to protect our way of life is deterrence, being prepared, being clear-eyed about the threat we face, being clear about our capabilities, backing UK defence science, technology, and innovation.
“Carrying not just a big stick but the most advanced and capable stick we can possibly develop. And yes, using our military muscle alongside our allies.”
For Labour, shadow defence secretary John Healey accused the government of producing a “fake figure” of £75 billion.
He said: “They’ve tried this trick before. In the 2015 defence review, ministers pledged to cut 30 per cent of the MoD (Ministry of Defence) civil servants to make their defence spending plans add up.
“Civil servant numbers didn’t go down, they went up. Not down to 41,000, but up to 63,000.”
Sunak ‘shocked’ at Wales stabbings
Rishi Sunak has said he was “shocked” at the news three people were stabbed at a school in Wales.
A teenage girl has been arrested of suspicion of attempted murder after two teachers and a teenage pupil were stabbed at Amman Valley School in Carmarthenshire earlier on Wednesday.
“Shocked at the news emerging from Ammanford today,” the prime minister wrote on X. “I want to thank the police and emergency services for their ongoing response and my thoughts are with all those affected.”
Bill amounts to indefinite delay to ban on no fault evictions - Caroline Lucas
The Renters (Reform) Bill “amounts to an indefinite delay to ban no fault evictions”, Green Party MP Caroline Lucas (Brighton, Pavilion) has said.
In his opening remarks, housing minister Jacob Young told the Commons: “The bill will abolish Section 21 and bring in new decency standards, giving England’s eleven million tenants more certainty of secure and healthy homes.”
He added: “Alongside abolishing Section 21, we’re also strengthening and expanding landlord possession grounds including stronger protections against antisocial behaviour.”
Intervening, Ms Lucas said: “The secretary of state (Michael Gove) this morning had the brass neck to suggest that keeping his promise to outlaw no fault evictions before the next election is now apparently down to the House of Lords to get on with it.
“Can the minister tell us which is most disingenuous? Is it the five years we’ve been waiting for this government to keep their promise, or is it the blatant concessions to the significant numbers of Conservative MPs sitting behind him who are landlords, who’ve been gifted what amounts to an indefinite delay to ban no fault evictions?”
Mr Young replied: “We’re bringing forward this bill today to abolish section 21. She talks about members on my side, I can tell her and she won’t read this in the newspapers, I’ve been lobbied not just by members on my side, but by members from all sides of this house on making sure that these reforms work effectively.”
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