Sir Keir Starmer faces the prospect of a second rebellion among his MPs over a ceasefire in Gaza, with a government intervention threatening to expose Labour divisions.
The Labour leader had attempted to see off a revolt by tabling a Commons amendment, which for the first time backed an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
However, parliamentary procedure means it may not be debated, potentially forcing his MPs to back a motion put down by the Scottish National Party (SNP).
The mayhem broke out during debate on a motion from the opposition Scottish National Party, or SNP, urging an immediate cease-fire, the release of all Israeli hostages held by Hamas and “an end to the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.”
The main opposition Labour Party, which is divided over how strongly to criticize Israel, submitted a tweaked version of the motion calling for an “immediate humanitarian cease-fire,” without the mention of collective punishment.
The governing Conservatives put forward their own amendment, which backed an “immediate humanitarian pause,” followed by “moves towards a permanent sustainable” cease-fire.
The Commons is set to vote on an #SNP??????? motion for a ceasefire in Gaza, but the Labour Speaker has sparked fury by going against convention and selecting both the Conservative government and Labour amendments.
It‘s relief for Sir Keir Starmer, who could have been facing a sizeable rebellion from his MPs.
#StitchUp #FreePalestine #DefundIsrael #BoycottIsrael #EmbargoIsrael
Ms Sturgeon insisted her resignation was not in response to the „latest period of pressure“, which has included controversies over gender reforms, trans prisoners and the strategy on independence.
Households with more than two children where universal credit or child tax credit is claimed no longer receive additional funds.
It applies to additional children born after 6 April 2017, however exemptions apply for those who had children in a multiple birth or children conceived due to rape or coercion.
However, the exemptions have caused controversy as women must disclose that they were raped in order to be eligible – known as the rape clause.
It is fascinating that both the Tory and Labour parties have now adopted exactly the same mechanism to prevent the membership electing a leader again with views outside the narrow Establishment consensus – in both parties that mechanism being an increase in the number of MPs who have to nominate, before a candidate can get their name before the party membership.
The professionals are to radically limit the options of the members.
But the paper is expected to appear only hours before a Holyrood debate and vote on Thursday to introduce the passport scheme later this month, prompting Tory accusations that the plans were an “absolute sham”.
Scotland’s beleaguered licensed trade said they had received no details from the SNP-Green coalition government about how the scheme would operate since Ms Sturgeon unveiled it last week.
Nicola Sturgeon has been accused of siding with the EU in its battle with the UK over vaccine doses, with the Scottish First Minister pledging to publish confidential vaccine data despite warnings that the information could jeopardise the UK‘s supply.
Ms Sturgeon promised to publish the data – which reveals how many vaccine doses her nation expects each week – to counter claims that she is failing to rollout the vaccine in Scotland at speed.
Despite the PM warning that the information must be confidential to protect the rollout, Ms Sturgeon told Holyrood she will release it from next week ‚regardless of what they say‘.
The timing of Ms Sturgeon‘s intervention was particularly provocative given that it came as Mr Johnson was on an official visit to Scotland to make the case for the Union.
The government has ruled out extending the deadline for reaching a post-Brexit trade deal into 2021, amid a deadlock in talks and a growing Covid crisis.
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon and London mayor Sadiq Khan want the UK to follow EU trading rules beyond 31 December to allow more time for an agreement.
Die Scottish National Party gewinnt bei der Wahl in Schottland deutlich. Das befeuert die Diskussion rund um ein neues Unabhängigkeitsreferendum.
James Forsyth writes in this issue’s cover article that the Remain side’s inability to unite may well cost them this election and, if Boris Johnson wins, put the last nail in the coffin for Remain. On the podcast, Alastair Campbell also explains why the People’s Vote campaign seems to have imploded in recent weeks.
They’re openly, shamelessly talking about forcing out Boris Johnson and creating a ‘government of national unity’ whose job would be to delay Brexit – again – and then hold a second referendum or a General Election. That the political class is casually chatting about taking such a drastic, emergency, anti-democratic measure as setting up an unelected government to stop Brexit is the most worrying sign of the times yet.
– Labour, the Scottish National Party, and the Lib Dems will hold emergency talks
– Ministers on standby to travel back to London if an attempt is made to topple PM
– Rebels could try to force Boris Johnson to seek Brexit delay as early as Saturday
Parliament has already passed the so-called Benn Act requiring him to request a further extension to the Article 50 withdrawal process if he cannot get a new agreement by October 19.
But some on the opposition side fear that could leave too little time to take action through the courts if Mr Johnson tries to circumvent the legislation and push through a no-deal break.
Every Monday, a group of unlikely bedfellows meet in Jeremy Corbyn’s parliamentary office. Jo Swinson, Liberal Democrat leader; Ian Blackford, the SNP’s Westminster leader; Caroline Lucas, the Green party’s sole MP; and Liz Saville Roberts from Plaid Cymru all gather to discuss their common aim — preventing a no-deal Brexit. This rebel alliance is more than just a group therapy session: last week, they succeeded in taking control of parliament and immediately started to give instructions to the Prime Minister.
Labour MPs started singing revolutionary anthem The Red Flag after Scottish and Welsh nationalists sang Flower Of Scotland and Bread Of Heaven.
The extraordinary scenes erupted as the Commons session was closed down shortly before 2am by the prorogation order, recommended to the Queen by the Prime Minister, in an act most MPs believe was intended to prevent Parliament having a say over Brexit. Minutes earlier, Mr Johnson suffered his sixth Commons defeat when MPs failed to back his call for a snap general election.
Labour, the Lib Dems, the SNP and Plaid Cymru say they will vote against the government or abstain in Monday‘s vote on whether to hold a snap poll.
– Labour and SNP chiefs met last night to agree a pact to prevent No Deal Brexit
– Jeremy Corbyn and Ian Blackford said to have agreed no election before Oct 20
– Senior colleagues are petitioning Mr Corbyn to seek an election in November
– Sources say it is because Labour MPs do not think they could win a snap election
– Mr Johnson said he would rather ‚die in a ditch‘ than ask the EU for an extension
The SNP’s Ian Blackford was lambasting Boris Johnson whom he identified as, ‘the front-runner in the leadership contest’. He recited some of Boris’s more inflammatory asides including the (plainly satirical) observation that ‘Scots should be banned from being prime minister.’
‘Not only is the member racist,’ commented Blackford, ‘but he is stoking division in communities.’
Calls of ‘withdraw!’ erupted from the Tory benches. Speaker Bercow climbed to his feet but he didn’t seem to know what to do next.
The SNP, the third-largest party in the House of Commons, was joined by the Liberal Democrats, Welsh party Plaid Cymru and the Green Party, but not the main opposition Labour Party, in tabling the motion.
The parties want the government to debate the motion before parliament rises for the Christmas recess.
Politicians from the Lib Dems, Greens, SNP and Plaid Cymru have written to the Labour boss begging him to move a motion of no confidence in Theresa May
Theresa May has been accused of “concealing” the downsides of her Brexit deal after secret legal advice revealed that the UK could be “indefinitely” tied to the EU.
The DUP, SNP and Tory Brexiteers reacted with fury as the confidential advice by Attorney General Geoffrey Cox laid bare that the country would be trapped in a possible customs union for “many years”.
(17.April) The question is this: whether Scotland wishes to become truly a different kind of state to the UK, or whether it is simply a case of a management buyout of the local NATO franchise. As the UK enters enthusiastically into a new cold war, that question is now a much sharper one.