Sam Coates, Deputy Political Editor, Sky News 📺📰🎙️ Politics at Sam and Anne’s podcast🎙️TV by @JoeCookJ
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Now we know Andy Burnham will be the next PM, what could it be like. Here’s our film on Andy Burnham’s Manchesterism
A @JoeCookJ documentary. 18m.
piped.video/_nIHyRGck2s?is=EUc2…
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One Tory MP:
It is actually incredible that the UK central bank has had to step in to protect the UK from the actions of the UK's own government! I mean, just think of that for a moment!
A humiliation
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Boris Johnson promises to “fix” his government but says it’s not his top priority
Full interview - hear the PM accuse me of “breaking the golden rule” - answers on a postcard….
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🇬🇧Donald Trump is facing unprecedented criticism in the Commons chamber today. MPs calling him “fascist”, “stupid”, spreading “evil” and “racist or incompetent or ignorant or all three” - remarks of a vehemence never heard before about a US president in the UK Parliament 🇬🇧
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I'm told by a city source it's hard to overstate how serious the situation is today. There is concern over the health of pension funds and this is why the Bank of England has acted
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Sky News understands that officials have handed over to investigators photos of parties in Downing Street which include images of Boris Johnson
Sue Gray was given the pictures of people close together with wine bottles.
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The speaker Lindsay Hoyle is waiting for a report from Eleanor Laing about what happened in the lobbies but is understood to be taking it very seriously. He's seen the Chris Bryant photo
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EXC - big row in a Tory Whatsapp “Clean Global Brexit” group with over 100 MPs
It leads leads to removal of Nadine Dorries after she defending the PM … and then Steve Baker declaring “enough is enough”
Exchanges here:
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Brexit latest:
Tusk: “Please do not waste this time”
UK: The Commons rise today at 5pm and will not return until Tuesday April 23
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How does No 10 square this:
In May the PM told Lord Geidt that he did not know who was behind No11 flat refurb until Feb 2021
Today the Electoral Commission says Boris Johnson Whatsapped Lord Brownlow in November 2020 asking for more cash for the No11 refurb
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It's definitely not a crisis, but they've just cancelled live band karaoke on the final night of Tory conference
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EXC: On Sky News now: we’ve obtained a “sensitive” internal Whitehall slide which makes sober reading about the first month of a no deal brexit. It warns of
- “consumer panic”
- “law and order challenges” in NI
- security gaps
- Brits abroad return
Produced before BJ became PM
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🔥Shortly after Kwasi Kwarteng says he’s engaging with Treasury over ways they can help industry, a Treasury source said:
“This is not the first time the BEIS secretary has made things up in interviews. To be crystal clear the treasury are not involved in any talks”
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One Tory MP at the Northern Research Group conference - where Boris Johnson failed to turn up - utterly furious
Says they were being told Johnson “was on the train to Doncaster” this morning
“This is the first test of outreach to his colleagues and he’s failed it”, they said
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😱Tory leadership race day 1😱
- Police in midnight call to Johnson flat over row with his partner
- Minister Mark Field suspended over physical handing of protestor
- Tory whips investigate abusive texts between Tory MPs
- Tory MP ousted by constituents over expense fraud
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Tory MPs held their training session today on what is a customs union
“It was very useful but one person did raise the question why they hadn’t done this two years ago”
🤪🔫
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Am told by sources the Met Police want the whole Sue Gray report published - there is surprise that government has decided it won’t be
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Exc
BAME report delayed amid fears its contents could stoke racial tensions
By @inzyrashid
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💥💥💥💥
One Conservative candidate just messages this for circulation:
“Richard Holden is a disgrace to the Conservative Party. He’s put himself over candidates. He’s shown complete disdain for Party members. The only reason this fool won’t be associated with this disastrous election is because nobody believes anyone thinks he competent, capable or trusted enough to be involved in the day to day decision making of this campaign. It’s a running joke amongst candidates that they hope it’s a Labour gain in Basildon and Billericay.”
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One MP said: “Won’t the French feel silly about holding their election now. Don’t they know this is no time to change leaders.”
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The Campaign Group of left wing Labour MPs have requested a meeting with Keir Starmer about the sacking of Rebecca Long-Bailey.
The request has been declined
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So tonight government policy is to subsidise CO2 production, restart coal power production and hope for an increase in gas supply
But by COP, the government message will be to reduce CO2, stop coal production and reduce gas consumption to save the world
Any questions?
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NEW #matthancock
(And I REALLY suggest you pause and watch this)
In a pool interview Simon Stevens, head of NHS England, reacts to the question ‘Do you believe the Health Secretary hopeless’
🤔🥶😱🔥🤯👁
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Four senior congressmen write to Boris Johnson to reiterate there will be no US-UK trade deal if the legislation to override the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement isn’t pulled
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Tory MPs absolutely incredulous that they're being told they will lose the whip if they don't vote for the fracking motion which breaks the 2019 Tory manifesto.
And I don't get the impression chief whip Wendy Morton has good answers to obvious questions....
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Honestly. Honestly. This is genuinely the new government infographic.
(From the people who brought you the disco video)
Honestly
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I'm told:
- Pension funds getting hammered and losing huge amounts of capital
- Banks forcing them to make margin calls and liquidate assets - so gilts
- Some pension funds losing large amounts of their fund
- Hence BoE stepped in
/
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An emergency intervention by the Bank of England - buying government debt itself - because of a political intervention, the first of a new government, that went wrong is .... quite something
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Matt Hancock UN appointment “not taken forward”, UN spokesman tells UN news organisation Pass Blue
cdn.ampproject.org/v0.js
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I doubt Theresa May actually wants to be prime minister any more. Tonight's @BrookesTimes
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NEW:
Letter from Lord Geidt toughens language on why he quit
He says he “could not be party to advising on potential law breaking”
Admits his resignation letter may have been too cautious
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Isn’t the person at fault here Matt Hancock - handing over private government communications to a untrusted third party without the consent of message recipients
Isn’t therefore Hancock responsible for the biggest government data breach of recent years?
Could he be prosecuted?
Source close to Hancock claims Oakeshott broke an NDA to publish the trove of WhatsApps. She publishes a long public interest defence. Quite extraordinary he chose the journalist who had campaigned most vigorously against his most significant political policy…
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Multiple sources confirm Boris Johnson didn’t tell his cabinet of the police investigation *despite knowing before cabinet started the announcement was imminent*
This has caused Cabinet incredulity, I understand.
No10 says it was too “sensitive” to share with cabinet
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Steve Baker withdraws his confidence in the PM he gave on Tuesday.
Says the PM abandoned his contrition the moment he left the headmaster’s study
“The Prime Minister should be long gone.”
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A brexit supporting MP said: “I believe in brexit but I now wish remain had won. This is such a hassle. We could be talking about other things”
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Incredible first hand testimony - in the additional evidence bundle - from a No10 official how there were no rules enforced but they were told to behave in front of the cameras
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I understand there were discussions in government this week about bringing back Parliament asap because of potential chemical weapons use in Ukraine
Now not possible because they’d get questions about Partygate fines
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Downing Street Daily Briefing
Government was unable to reduce Coronavirus threat level below 4. Boris Johnson signalled on Wednesday it was likely to be reduced to 3, but the Joint Biosecurity Unit did not agree to this yesterday.
Lockdown lifting goes ahead nevertheless
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“The sleaze, the nepotism and the apparent avarice are off the scale. I am so ashamed of what you and your inner circle has done to tarnish and humiliate our once proud party”
Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield quits Labour
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Here is the section of Keir Starmer’s July mission speech where he mentioned crumbling buildings
Rishi Sunak was saying at PMQs Starmer hadn’t mentioned this schools issue
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EXC:
Ex-Mi5 chief turned senior ethics advisor Lord Evans tells Sky News in an interview
🔴MPs should have some form of limits on second jobs
⚫️The Boris Johnson government approach to dealing with ethical issues “can’t be the right way to behave in public office”
🔵Declares donation system not robust enough to stop illegal foreign money entering our political system
READ: news.sky.com/story/head-of-e…
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My analysis on Rishi Sunak’s woes - and whether things might get worse
Did he have a US Green Card - declaring himself “permanent US resident” - during his first year as Chancellor?
No denial tonight from Treasury, who only say he doesn’t have one now
news.sky.com/story/rishi-sun…
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Jacob Rees Mogg: “The PM won a mandate from the a British people and that is more powerful than cabinet ministers resigning”
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That was VERY fun telly
Tory Johnny Mercer just criticised Labour’s new MP for Selby for being too young - ‘we don’t want parliament to become like the Inbetweeners’ - and Labour’s Baroness Jenny Chapman laid into him
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Here’s an incandescent Tory MP Gary Sambrook recounting how Boris Johnson yesterday appeared to blame other MPs at the Carlton Club for not stopping Chris Puncher’s drinking
Sambrook is on the 1922 executive
WATCH:
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Today Dominic Lawson in the Sunday Times challenges No10 claims that Boris Johnson didn’t know that the 20/5/20 garden party organised by his PPS Martin Reynolds was anything more than a “work event”
He claims the PM was challenged over the email twice
thetimes.co.uk/article/live-…
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.... No10 see this is a communications and stakeholder error not a policy messup. So for them, it's business as usual.
I'm as sure as I can be that the Bank of England - and much of the City and the IMF - do not agree
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No10 and Treasury ministers reject any notion tonight that there's a crisis. Meetings are continuing on a range of subjects in Number 10 - but there's no big focus on the market turmoil. Ministers in cabinet rubbish the link between Friday's statement and today's turmoil....
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Trace & test insider tonight told Sky News
- Contact tracing at their level won’t go live tomorrow
- They can’t yet input and receive data yet 🥶
- They won’t start phone calls til next week
“Some have not even got their basic systems up and running”
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Incredible effort underway tonight by government whips to find a way to get Owen Paterson off the hook after the Parliamentary Commissioner - endorsed by cross party MPs including Tories - found him guilty of taking cash from companies then lobbying in their favour
Vote tomorrow
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Also, 🔥Liz Truss’s autobiography extracts have just dropped … and it’s clear it’s going to be an absolute banger
dailymail.co.uk/news/article…
In this tiny extract the Queen dies - and Truss is moved to ask “Why me?”
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Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, in response to @SophyRidgeSky about the media, says in passing “I’m in charge of the BBC”.
Ummmm
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This is very significant
There is not a single offshore wind farm in today’s renewables auction announcement.
Ministers were warned the subsidies were too low at a time of rampant inflation, but thought industry bluffing.
They weren’t
Look at Economist graphic
news.sky.com/story/blow-for-…
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Boris Johnson quits as an MP after receiving privileges committee findings
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Exc: Whitehall to be told to find efficiency savings as well as refusing to reopen spending review
Chris Philp to write to Secretaries of State within hours
"What efficiency savings are there given levels of inflation??! Amazing bulls***" said a Whitehall source
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Most Tory MPs haven’t resigned
Former Conservative whip Chris Pincher says he has "made arrangements to resign and leave the Commons" after losing his appeal against an eight-week suspension over groping allegations
For more on this and other news visit trib.al/Rx0iR33
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Fury at the leaked WhatsApps begin
One Tory says:
Proof that baker for all his BS claims of loyalty is after the PM’s job and won’t tolerate people defending him. ..
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Wow. Wow.
Palantir refuses take part in digital ID programme.
Its UK head says Digital ID doesn’t have a mandate (so presumably they worry it will be cancelled, so if they do it they risk wasting if it’s cancelled)
He also says the technical feasibility is questionable too.
“It's a programme that needs to be decided at the ballot box, not in the company boardroom.”
The government’s digital ID programme lacks a "clear public mandate" and Palantir “will not be participating,” says the company's UK head @LouisMosley.
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Contact tracer 6 with details of training
“I've just done my training with a company subcontracted by Serco.
“We didn’t even have training, they tell you to read a pdf, and then do an online quiz. All of which takes an hour tops... On the phones tomorrow”
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🥶🥶🥶🥶
Some Tory MPs *VERY* surprised about the suggestions Rishi Sunak will push back petrol / diesel car ban from 2030 to 2035.
One calls it “anti business”, means Sunak breaking a promise he made in private to Tory MPs and says, unprompted, “I’m seriously considering a no confidence letter”
🥶🥶🥶🥶
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Suella Braverman was sacked: PM was advised that the ministerial code had been breached
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Birmingham Labour Khalid Mahmood quits Labour frontbench with this broadside - the first Labour MP to fully touch on the depths of Keir Starmer’s problems
Loyalist after loyalist have been on Sky News today resisting a serious attempt at diagnosis of the problem. Now:
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Why didn't anyone warn Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng this might happen? It's not that the machine didn't know - it's just by firing Tom Scholar on day 1, Team Truss made clear they weren't interested in the warnings - "orthodoxy"
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Cabinet minister Alex Chalk tells @SophyRidgeSky he is unsure who exactly was proposing 7 bins and a meat tax which Rishi Sunak “banned” today
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Top story: OECD says UK to have highest inflation in the developed world.
But what does OECD really know about the British economy?
Quite a lot actually. On May 2, Clare Lombardelli started as Chief Economist of the OECD.
Until a few weeks ago she was chief economist at HM Treasury
news.sky.com/story/uk-to-hav…
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Tory MP tells constituents he voted for Boris Johnson after securing a review into funding for his local council
bobseely.org.uk/news/bob-see…
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NEW: There WILL be a vote, probably before recess, on Owen Paterson being suspended for 30 days
This is a "full fat" uturn, I understand
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I'm told the Tories had been preparing their assault on Labour's £28 bn for ages - hoping to use it to pivot the conversation in their favour
Then Sunak messes up PMQs, and all the work gets lost
Some in No10 discussed an apology - but Kemi Badenoch's tweets doubling down removed that choice
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There's lots of 👀 in this jaw dropping story by @Gabriel_Pogrund
But as with the Nadhim Zahawi affair. I'm left baffled at the role of Simon Case, who is still cabinet Secretary.
What did he know, what did he try and stop, what boundaries did he set?
thetimes.co.uk/article/the-b…
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Thursday: “It’s extremely rare for prisoners to escape”
Tuesday: “Most schools unaffected”
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How AI lied and gaslit me:
🤯💣🔥
Won’t lie: what happened to me this week made my jaw drop
Do watch:
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💥Lee Anderson suspended
A spokesperson for Chief Whip Simon Hart said:
"Following his refusal to apologise for comments made yesterday, the Chief Whip has suspended the Conservative whip from Lee Anderson MP."
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Tory MP Jonathan Gullis claims on @skynews that MPs are withdrawing letters from Sir Graham Brady
But admitted on air to me he doesn’t know who those individuals are or how many there are and says he hasn’t spoken to any such individuals directly
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Breaking: Labour now the largest party in local government
First time since 2002
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OPERATIONAL NOTE
We are waiting for Tory MPs - especially the cabinet - to issue messages of support for Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak
The spreadsheet is waiting to record the timing of your statements of support
Just a tweet will do
@TomLarkinSky
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Interesting fact: No10 authorised the Kemi Badenoch tweets before they went out.
'The mood is really grim around the PM tonight'.
Our deputy political editor @SamCoatesSky says today has been a "disaster" for the Conservative Party, adding that Rishi Sunak "really messed it up" after making a trans jibe during PMQs.
#PoliticsHub trib.al/ftpea6d
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Secretary of State not available for interviews on the biggest story of the weekend.
Instead they’ve done this 👇🏻 to bizarre dance music in the background, perhaps to sooth frayed nerves?
Doesn’t scream that No10 trust the Education Secretary…
piped.video/watch?v=fd94H1YU…
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