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A parliamentary standards investigation into Rishi Sunak has been extended.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards launched an investigation into the Prime Minister on April 13 over a possible failure to declare an interest.
That related to shares Akshata Murty, Mr Sunak’s wife, holds in the firm Koru Kids which was boosted by childcare announcements in the Budget, and whether Mr Sunak properly declared it.
An update on the commissioner’s website today stated that the probe had been extended on April 20 and it will now also look at whether Mr Sunak breached rules for MPs by making details about the investigation public.
The Code of Conduct for MPs states that they “must not disclose details” in relation to “any investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards except when required by law to do so, or authorised by the Commissioner”.
The Government published an updated list of the PM’s ministerial interests on April 19 which contained a reference to the Koru Kids shareholding and Downing Street also commented publicly on the matter.
You can follow the latest updates below.
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France rescued British nationals among the 388 people it evacuated from Sudan, while the UK lagged behind European countries in evacuating its citizens from fierce fighting in the country.
The French foreign affairs ministry said a “significant” number of people from European countries including the UK, as well as from Africa, America and Asia, were on flights from Sudan.
You can read the full story here.
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Sir Keir Starmer has been mocked by Scots after wishing English voters a happy St George’s Day using footage of Glasgow landmarks.
The Labour leader was caught out when viewers spotted some familiar Scottish scenes in a video posted on his Twitter feed to mark the feast day of the patron saint of England.
You can read the full story here.
The UK must use its international influence to broker a temporary ceasefire in Sudan to secure a land corridor to evacuate British nationals, Tobias Ellwood said.
The Tory chairman of the Defence Select Committee told the BBC: "We must lean into this and we must use our influence to speak to both sides, making it very clear that there needs to be a 12-hour ceasefire so we can get our people out."
Asked whether there could be an evacuation attempt without a ceasefire, he said: "There must be something because if you do not offer some formal method of getting out of the country, individuals will take it under their own volition. We must not abandon the British passport-holders."
The conflict in Sudan has made the challenge of security in Africa "infinitely worse", the international development minister has said.
Andrew Mitchell told an event hosted by the Royal African Society today: "There is no doubt at all that the challenge of security in Africa, made infinitely worse by what’s happening in Sudan, is a very big challenge indeed."
He said the Government had been in "crisis mode", including holding a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee at 3.15am chaired by the Prime Minister before the evacuation of UK diplomatic staff.
Mr Mitchell said: "We have 200 officials across government working together seamlessly in a crisis centre in the Foreign Office and that has been the position now for nearly a week. In the last week I have spent two nights working on this and indeed we had a meeting at 3.15 in the morning of Cobra a few days ago, chaired by the Prime Minister."
Sir Keir Starmer said he wants the Government to move "at pace" to help British nationals in Sudan.
The Labour leader, speaking to reporters at St Giles’ Trust, Camberwell, south London, said: "There’s deep concern about those that are still there and in fear and real concern about what’s going to happen to them. I do want the Government to do everything it can at pace to help them get out of that difficult situation."
Sir Keir added: "It’s a really difficult and fast moving situation that the Government is contending with, and let me pay tribute to those, including our troops who have managed to get our diplomats out in a very difficult exercise."
A parliamentary standards investigation into Rishi Sunak has been extended.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards launched an investigation into the Prime Minister on April 13 over a possible failure to declare an interest.
That related to shares Akshata Murty, Mr Sunak’s wife, holds in the firm Koru Kids which was boosted by childcare announcements in the Budget, and whether Mr Sunak properly declared it.
An update on the commissioner’s website today stated that the probe had been extended on April 20 and it will now also look at whether Mr Sunak breached rules for MPs by making details about the investigation public.
The Code of Conduct for MPs states that they “must not disclose details” in relation to “any investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards except when required by law to do so, or authorised by the Commissioner”.
The Government published an updated list of the PM’s ministerial interests on April 19 which contained a reference to the Koru Kids shareholding and Downing Street also commented publicly on the matter.
Downing Street insisted "significant lessons were learned" from the handling of the Kabul airlift in August 2021 amid growing scrutiny of the Government's response to the crisis in Sudan.
The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman told reporters: "Certainly there were significant lessons learned from that experience in Afghanistan on evacuation planning, on consular assistance.
"It’s worth emphasising that these are very different situations, both in terms of the UK’s capabilities and the overall context and risk to British nationals. We don’t have military forces in place, or an airbase on the ground in Sudan as we did in Afghanistan.
"But we will pull every lever possible to help bring about a ceasefire and equally to support British nationals trapped by fighting."
Sir Keir Starmer said he “utterly condemned” Diane Abbott’s remarks about Jewish people and said what she wrote “was anti-Semitic”.
He told broadcasters: “What she wrote yesterday I utterly condemn and I said we would tear out anti-Semitism by its roots, I meant it, and that is why we acted so swiftly yesterday.”
Asked if what was written by Ms Abbott was anti-Semitic, Sir Keir said: “In my view what she said was to be condemned, it was anti-Semitic.
“It is absolutely right that we acted as swiftly as we did, that is the change that we have seen in the Labour Party.”
Ms Abbott was stripped of the Labour whip yesterday after she suggested Jewish people do not suffer racism “all their lives”.
Following a backlash to her remarks, she apologised for any “anguish” caused and said she wanted to “wholly and unreservedly withdraw my written remarks and disassociate myself from them”.
The Government will hold a Cobra emergency committee meeting this afternoon to discuss the UK's response to the situation in Sudan.
Meanwhile, Andrew Mitchell, the international development minister, will deliver a statement on the crisis in the House of Commons.
The earliest that statement will get underway will be just after 3.30pm but it could be later if there are any urgent questions.
Thirty years since the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence, and the Met police is no better now than it was then #racism pic.twitter.com/UhYXpuFumc
The Illegal Migration Bill is due to return to the House of Commons for further scrutiny on Wednesday, with the Government seeking to toughen up the draft legislation through a series of amendments.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has just published a statement delivering its verdict on the Bill, warning that it believes it "risks breaching international obligations to protect human rights and exposing individuals to serious harm".
The watchdog said its "key areas of concern" included that the Bill "undermines the core principle of the universality of human rights" and "removes protections for victims of trafficking and modern slavery".
Also that the Bill "risks breaching the Refugee Convention by restricting the right to asylum and penalising refugees" and "risks breaching human rights protections under the ECHR".
(You can find the full details on how the Government is planning to toughen up the draft laws here)
Rishi Sunak has been conducting a Q&A with business leaders at a "Business Connect" event in north London this morning.
He told the audience that "this Government has got your back" as he set out his plans to deliver greater economic growth.
The Prime Minister said: "We need to make sure that all of your businesses have access to the skills and the talent that you need to drive growth.
"That means thinking about skills in a radically different way to how we used to in the past, because it’s not linear anymore, that you go from school, to college, to university and have a job for life. You know that. We need to make sure that at every stage of people’s careers they get the support, the investment they need, to get the skills they need to power your businesses to greater heights.
"But alongside that, we unapologetically want to make sure that this country is a beacon for the world’s most successful, talented people."
He added: "If there’s one overarching message that I want all of you and everyone watching to take away from today it is this: We want businesses small and large to know that this Government has got your back."
The escalating violence in Sudan is horrifying.
I pay tribute to the bravery of the UK armed forces helping to evacuate British nationals and diplomats from Sudan, and I desperately hope that those still stuck in the conflict are brought to safety as soon as possible.
Diane Abbott should stand down at the next general election following her "appalling" remarks about Jewish people, a former Labour MP and government adviser on anti-Semitism has said.
Lord Mann told Sky News: "I would anticipate she will retire now at the next election."
He added: "It's awful. It's very, very sad. I think the best thing she could do is say she's going to stand down at the next election."
Approximately 50 Irish citizens have been evacuated from Sudan, with more evacuations planned, deputy premier Micheal Martin has said.
The Tanaiste and minister for foreign affairs said evacuations from the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, to Djibouti were carried out with the assistance of the Spanish and French.
"About 50 Irish citizens were evacuated since yesterday from Khartoum to Djibouti with the support of France and Spain, and I want to take the opportunity to thank the French authorities and the Spanish for doing a remarkable job in terms of a wider coordinated evacuation of European Union citizens," Mr Martin told RTE Radio One.
Sir Keir Starmer was “completely genuine" when he said he wanted to turn the page on the anti-Semitism that "coloured the Jeremy Corbyn period”, a Labour frontbencher said this morning.
It was suggested to Pat McFadden, the shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, that the Diane Abbott controversy would make things more difficult for the party.
Mr McFadden said: “I am convinced and I believe, in fact I know, that Keir Starmer is completely genuine when he says he wants to turn the page on the anti-Semitism that coloured the Jeremy Corbyn period.
“When he became leader I was very clear, I said in public… that we needed not just a new leader in the Labour Party but a new direction and a new world view and so it wasn’t enough just to change personalities, we needed a fundamental change from top to bottom in the Labour Party after that period and after the worst result for 85 years.
“I think that is what Keir Starmer is genuinely trying to do so I think that he will regret as much as anyone the consequences of yesterday’s letter.”
A Labour frontbencher said this morning that there is “no hierarchy of victimhood when it comes to racism” as he criticised Diane Abbott over her comments about Jewish people.
Pat McFadden, the shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, was asked during an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme if he believed Ms Abbott should stand as a Labour candidate at the next general election.
He said: “Disciplinary matters are for the chief whip and the leader. What I am clear about is that that letter was wrong, there is no hierarchy of victimhood when it comes to racism and what we have got to focus on is making sure everybody is treated equally and with dignity.”
Ms Abbott was stripped of the Labour whip yesterday after she suggested Jewish people do not suffer racism “all their lives”.
Following a backlash to her remarks, she apologised for any “anguish” caused and said she wanted to “wholly and unreservedly withdraw my written remarks and disassociate myself from them”.
The UK Government needs a "clear-cut plan" to get British nationals out of Sudan, the chairman of the Defence Select Committee said this morning.
Tobias Ellwood told GB News: "What we require is a clear-cut plan as to how to get British passport-holders out. If that plan does not emerge today, then individuals will then lose faith and then start making their own way back."
He warned that could lead to "some very difficult situations": "So it is important that we seek clarity on how, now that the diplomats are out, how does everybody else get out."
Andrew Mitchell was asked in what circumstances the UK could consider attempting an airlift of British citizens to get them out of Sudan.
He told Sky News: "We keep all the options under review. We are conscious of the danger they are in, all the time."
Highlighting the difficulty of conducting such an operation, the international development minister said Khartoum is a "war zone" with "people using heavy weapons in the capital city of Sudan".
"We will do everything we can to help them, that is possible," he added.
Andrew Mitchell said "every single option is being explored in detail" when it comes to looking at how British nationals could be rescued from Sudan.
But the international development minister was unable to say when such a rescue could be attempted.
Asked when UK citizens could be evacuated, Mr Mitchell told Sky News: "I cannot answer that question. All I can tell you is that every single option is being explored in detail and the moment that it is possible to change the travel advice and move them, we will."
He added: "We are looking at every single opportunity to help them, to evacuate, and we will take any opportunity that presents itself to do so."
British diplomats rescued from Sudan were in "acute danger" and the Government will now do "everything we can" to "get our British citizens out", the international development minister said this morning.
Andrew Mitchell told Sky News: "We will do everything we can and I mean everything to get our British citizens out. An extremely successful but complicated operation was conducted yesterday morning which got the diplomats out.
"We have a specific duty of care for the diplomats. But I must stress that these diplomats were in acute danger because the guns were either side of the British embassy and the British residence and we got them out as fast as we could, as did the Americans get their diplomats out.
"That was a successful and brilliantly executed operation and our attention, as it has always been over the last week since we went into 24/7 crisis mode on the Sudan situation, to facilitate the exit of our own citizens as soon as it is safe to do so."
Andrew Mitchell, the international development minister, said the situation in Sudan is one of "chaos and enormous violence".
He told Sky News the "absolute number one requirement is to get a ceasefire" and that the use of heavy weaponry in built up areas is "absolutely appalling".
Alicia Kearns suggested UK nationals stuck in Sudan were in more peril following the departure of foreign diplomats.
When it was put to her that their exit could remove any restraint exercised by the warring parties, the Tory chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: "So I can’t say I don’t disagree with that.
"The reality is though, every country as I understand it did remove their diplomats because they assess the situation to be so severe, the risk to those individuals’ lives, and the country does have an obligation to our diplomats.
"But we have to get our people out."
The UK Government must make a decision on whether it will evacuate British nationals from Sudan as quickly as possible, a senior Tory MP has said.
Alicia Kearns said British nationals in the country need to know if they will be evacuated so that they can make their own plans if no help is being sent.
She told the BBC: "The reality is we have to get British nationals out. If, however, there was to be no evacuation because it is too dangerous – the Americans have said they will not evacuate their people, the French have had their people shot at – then we have a moral obligation to tell British nationals as soon as possible that that is the judgement that has been made because they then need to be able to make their own decisions."
British nationals in Sudan are "terrified" as water and food are now running out, the Tory chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee said this morning.
Alicia Kearns told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "We have to think about the context in which they find themselves which will be abject fear. There is very little water left, very little food.
"I am even hearing stories of people killing their pets because they are worried they are going to starve. People are terrified and across the world there is a very limited number of evacuations going on because of the complexities on the ground."
There could be more than 4,000 British nationals hoping to be evacuated from Sudan, according to a senior Tory MP.
Alicia Kearns, the chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning: "I suspect that we are well over a thousand who wish to be evacuated.
"But these sometimes these are large families. I suspect we could be looking at 3,000, 4,000 plus."
The UK Government is facing increasing scrutiny over its response to fighting in Sudan, with the Foreign Office having been accused of abandoning British civilians (you can read the full overnight story here).