Parliament resigns after colleagues refuse to fight the government on the election bill and the nationality and borders bill
Parliament is postponing today because yesterday the House of Lords abandoned the fight for changes to two bills passed by the municipalities – the election bill and the nationality and borders bill. The bills were among several subjects of parliamentary ping-pong – a last-minute bargain between municipalities and lords – but, as usual, the lords eventually withdrew from the elected chamber.
This is from the PA Media report on last night’s election bill.
The road to the end of the current parliamentary session has been paved after the latest important piece of legislation cleared the House of Lords.
The peers withdrew from continuing to oppose the Tory-dominated municipalities over the election bill, rejecting further changes that would require the law to be returned to lawmakers.
The election bill also contained controversial reforms, including the introduction of a photo ID, which he fears could lead to the rejection of a significant number of people from polling stations, and provisions that critics warn threaten the independence of the election commission.
At the same time, it will remove the 15-year restriction on British citizens living abroad being able to vote from abroad.
Expressing his concern, fellow Liberal Democrat Lord Wallace of Salter said: “One of the many disadvantages of this bill is that it makes it much easier and barrier-free for foreigners to vote, but makes it harder for locals to vote. This is very strange and not very democratic, it is undesirable. “
Labor leader Lady Hayman said: “The government has simply made a mistake in requiring voter identification to be presented in the polls. We are disappointed and unhappy that there is absolutely no movement on the part of the government on this issue. There are clear concerns throughout the House about undermining the independence of the election commission. “
And this is from the report of the Bulgarian Communist Party last night on the bill on nationality and borders.
Controversial asylum and immigration reforms are poised to become law after peers have stopped opposing them.
The fierce battle for the Nationality and Borders bill ended after the House of Lords rejected 212 to 157, a majority of 55, a final offer to ensure that legislation was in line with the UK’s international obligations to refugees.
There were cries of “shame” from some peers when the result was announced.
The controversial provisions in the bill include granting asylum in offshore companies, as the government has already struck a deal with Rwanda and makes deliberate illegal arrival in the UK a crime.
It also allows asylum seekers to be treated differently depending on how they entered the UK.
The bill failed during its passage through the unelected chamber, but changes made during the process, known as parliamentary ping-pong, have been repeatedly repealed by municipalities where the government has a majority.
27,100 Ukrainians have arrived in the UK on visa schemes, the interior ministry said
About 27,100 people have arrived in the UK on visa schemes for Ukraine, PA Media reports. PA says:
That includes 16,000 people under the family scheme and 11,100 people under the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme as of Monday, according to data from the Interior Ministry released this morning.
Figures also show that as of Wednesday, about 117,600 visa applications had been submitted and 86,100 visas had been issued.
These include 42,900 applications under the family scheme, of which 34,900 visas were issued, and 74,700 applications under the sponsorship scheme, of which 51,300 visas were issued.
Updated at 09.56 BST
At 10.30 am there will be an urgent question (UA) in the Municipality regarding the work of the visa application centers for Ukrainians, the Commons authorities announced. Lib Dem MP Wendy Chamberlain introduced UQ. The Minister of the Interior will respond.
Updated at 09.56 BST
The minister says the “toxic combination” of factors in Westminster has created a sexist culture that needs to change
Good morning. Yesterday’s revelation that a Conservative MP was seen by fellow women watching pornography on his phone in the municipal hall, which came at a meeting where a group of Tory women complained about the whips of misogyny in the party, coincided with an ongoing debate. about how women are treated in Westminster, prompted by an article in the Mail on Sunday, widely condemned as a sexist, created something that looks like another moment on MeToo. However, whether this will lead to lasting change remains to be seen.
Here is our story for one night.
Ben Wallace, the defense minister, was on the air earlier this morning and said he had a problem with “overall culture” in Westminster due to a “toxic combination” of factors. He told Sky News:
I think this is a problem for the overall culture of the House of Commons. It’s late sitting, long nights with bars, and this very often leads, and has been happening for decades, to behavioral challenges.
In another interview, Wallace described the long hours, drinking and pressure from lawmakers as “a toxic mixture that leads to all sorts of things.”
Wallace said he hoped the situation would improve. “I think it’s really important to think about ways to change the culture in the House of Commons,” he said.
But the difficulty of making any significant change in culture became apparent when Wallace was asked about the MP, who was accused of watching porn in the courtroom – who is not publicly named and whose identity is not well known in Westminster. Tory whips do not take disciplinary action unilaterally; they simply say that the issue should be addressed through the Parliament’s Independent Complaints and Complaints Service (set up to deal with complaints of sexual misconduct by MPs), but this requires women MPs who have witnessed porn , to complain. It is unclear whether they will do so. Wallace told the Today program that he would encourage them to file a complaint.
Asked if he thought the culprit should be expelled from the Conservative Party, Wallace would not go that far, but said the man “must certainly lose the whip”.
MeToo has made women talk about illegal behavior that was previously tolerated, and the BBC reports the comments of an unnamed woman MP from Wales, who says a shadow cabinet member told her she was a secret weapon for her party because women voters want her to be her friend, while men want to sleep with her. A BBC report says they use “sleeping with” as a euphemism because the actual language is harsher. Labor says it will take any complaint seriously, but according to a BBC report, the woman has not yet decided to file a formal complaint.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9.30 am: The Ministry of Internal Affairs publishes its weekly data on visas issued to Ukrainian refugees.
9.30am: ONS publishes quarterly crime figures for England and Wales.
10.45 am: James Cleverley, the European Minister, testifies before the European Commission for the Control of Municipalities.
11.30 am: Downing Street holds a briefing in the lobby.
Late morning / early afternoon: Parliament must be delayed, which means that this session of parliament will officially end and MEPs and colleagues will be on holiday until the Queen’s speech on Tuesday, 10 May.
At some point today, Steve Barkley, the prime minister’s chief of staff, is also due to meet with Passport Office executives to discuss what he is doing to reduce the delays that customers experience.
And Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Brexit minister, is on a visit to announce a fourth delay in physical checks on fresh food imported from the EU.
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Updated at 09.58 BST
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