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Jeremy Hunt's Budget failed to deliver a major poll boost for the Tories with Labour maintaining a comfortable double digit lead, a new survey has suggested.
The Budget was delivered by the Chancellor on March 15 and Savanta conducted a poll on March 17-19 which put Labour on 45 per cent of the vote and the Tories on 31 per cent – a lead of 14 points.
The Tories were up by one point while Labour was unchanged when compared to a poll conducted before the Budget on March 10-12.
Chris Hopkins, political research director at Savanta, said: "Despite the Budget being relatively well-received, there's been little movement in the headline voting intention.
"This is perhaps to be expected, given movement post-major political events tends to come a little later, but there has still been a concerted move towards the Conservatives recently, and this poll reinforces that."
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A TikTok spokesperson said: "We believe this action is misguided and based on fundamental misconceptions about our company.
"TikTok is enjoyed by millions of people in the UK, and potentially depriving users from access to and engagement with their representatives is a self-defeating step, especially in our shared fight against misinformation.
"We are disappointed that, despite our requests, we have not been offered any opportunity to address concerns and only ask to be judged on facts and treated equally to our competitors.
"We have begun implementing a comprehensive plan to further protect our European user data, which includes storing UK user data in our European data centres and tightening data access controls, including third-party independent oversight of our approach."
The Bank of England has raised interest rates for the 11th time in 18 months, as it signalled that more rises may be needed to curb inflation.
The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) increased rates to 4.25pc, a rise of 0.25 percentage points, after data showed that inflation grew unexpectedly last month. The Consumer Prices Index came in at 10.4pc, compared with predictions of 9.9pc.
The Retail Prices Index, of which a quarter of the Government's debt is linked to, rose by 13.8pc, an increase from 13.4pc in January.
Policymakers said the Bank was ready to act in the event inflation continues to climb.
You can read the full story here.
Earlier today Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the leader of the DUP, described the Windsor Framework Brexit deal as a "sticking plaster".
He said: "I am not interested in sticking plasters, they don’t work and I’m afraid there is in the Windsor Framework an element of the sticking plaster."
Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland Secretary, has now hit back. He said: "The Windsor Framework is not a sticking plaster, it’s a solution to the problems that were produced by the protocol and it will work.
"And the two sides to those negotiations which have concluded, the UK Government and the European Union, are going to make the framework work. So there is nothing more to get out of that conversation. It is done."
The Scottish Government has banned social media app TikTok from its mobile phones and other corporate devices following discussions with the UK Government.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: "Devices managed by the Scottish Government are configured in line with best practice from the National Cyber Security Centre, which helps us to manage any risk associated with the use of third-party applications.
"Our decision to prohibit the use of TikTok follows engagement with the UK Government on the potential tracking and privacy risks from certain social media apps.
"Currently there is limited use of TikTok within government and limited need for staff to use the app on work devices. This ban will be implemented immediately. It does not extend to personal devices used by staff or the general public."
The Houses of Parliament has announced access to TikTok will be blocked from "all parliamentary devices and the wider parliamentary network".
A Parliament spokesman said: "Following the Government’s decision to ban TikTok from Government devices, the commissions of both the House of Commons and Lords have decided that TikTok will be blocked from all parliamentary devices and the wider parliamentary network.
"Cyber security is a top priority for Parliament, however we do not comment on specific details of our cyber or physical security controls, policies or incidents."
The British Medical Association has announced junior doctors in England will stage a fresh round of strike action next month as a dispute over pay continues. A 96-hour walkout will take place from April 11 to April 15.
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said that "further strikes will risk patient safety and cause further disruption".
The spokesman said: "The Health and Social Care Secretary met the BMA’s junior doctors committee yesterday in the hope of beginning constructive talks to resolve the current dispute.
"The BMA placed a pre-condition on these talks of a 35 per cent pay rise. That is unreasonable. Our door remains open to constructive conversations, as we have had with other health unions, to find a realistic way forward which balances rewarding junior doctors for their hard work while being fair to the taxpayer."
Downing Street has dampened any hopes the DUP might have that talks with the EU on Rishi Sunak’s new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland could be reopened.
The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman said: "We’ve said consistently that we think we have an agreement that is right for all parties and all peoples in Northern Ireland.
"We gave significant time to parties to consider it and obviously we stand ready to answer further questions, but equally we do need to provide certainty and start seeing some of the benefits that this framework will bring."
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly is due to meet European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic to adopt the Windsor Framework in London tomorrow.
Nicola Sturgeon said serving as First Minister of Scotland has been the "privilege of my lifetime" as she concluded her farewell statement at Holyrood this afternoon.
Addressing voters, Ms Sturgeon said: "It is now to the people of Scotland, all of you, whether you voted for me or not, that I reserve my final words from this seat.
"Thank you so much for placing your trust in me. Words will never adequately convey the gratitude and the awe I hold in my heart for the opportunity I have had to serve as your First Minister.
"It truly has been the privilege of my lifetime and with these words Presiding Officer, I draw it to a close."
Nicola Sturgeon is delivering a farewell statement at Holyrood after taking part in her final First Minister's Questions.
Ms Sturgeon said: "To my extended family, the SNP, the party I joined at 16 when on a good day we would hit 12 per cent in the opinion polls, we have come such a long way together as a team, let us keep going, serving Scotland together as a team."
Jeremy Hunt's Budget failed to deliver a major poll boost for the Tories with Labour maintaining a comfortable double digit lead, a new survey has suggested.
The Budget was delivered by the Chancellor on March 15 and Savanta conducted a poll on March 17-19 which put Labour on 45 per cent of the vote and the Tories on 31 per cent – a lead of 14 points.
The Tories were up by one point while Labour was unchanged when compared to a poll conducted before the Budget on March 10-12.
Chris Hopkins, political research director at Savanta, said: "Despite the Budget being relatively well-received, there's been little movement in the headline voting intention.
"This is perhaps to be expected, given movement post-major political events tends to come a little later, but there has still been a concerted move towards the Conservatives recently, and this poll reinforces that."
Jeremy Hunt said the "sooner we grip inflation the better for everyone" as he responded to the Bank of England's decision to increase interest rates (see the post below at 12.10).
The Chancellor said: "With rising prices strangling growth and eroding family budgets, the sooner we grip inflation the better for everyone.
"That's why we support the Bank of England's actions today and why we will continue to play our part in this fight by being responsible with the public finances, alongside providing cost of living support worth an average of £3300 per household over this year and next."
Nicola Sturgeon said being First Minister "of the country I love has been a profound honour".
Speaking at her final First Minister's Questions – number 286 – Ms Sturgeon paid tribute to those who lost their lives to Covid-19.
She said: "Being First Minister has been variously often all at once challenging, exhilarating and exhausting.
"Every single day without exception, it has been an utter privilege."
Greg Hands, the chairman of the Conservative Party, claimed Sir Keir Starmer was "taking the British people for fools" as he responded to the Labour leader's speech on tackling crime.
Mr Hands said: "Labour are too weak to keep our streets safe, time and time again they have shown that they do not share the values of the law-abiding majority in this country.
"Only the Conservatives can be relied upon to be tough on crime and tough on criminals – keeping dangerous offenders off our streets and giving the police the resources they need to make our communities safer."
The Bank of England has raised interest rates to 4.25 per cent from four per cent.
The Bank also said it expects the UK economy to grow slightly between April and June this year, revising a previous forecast that gross domestic product (GDP) would drop by 0.4 per cent.
Sir Keir Starmer said a Labour government would make changes to his own unique pension arrangements to ensure he is "in the same position as everybody else" when it comes to tax.
The Labour leader faced accusations of hypocrisy after it emerged that he has a unique pension deal from his time as Director of Public Prosecutions which allows him to avoid tax on his savings.
It emerged at the same time that Labour pledged to reverse the Government's decision to scrap the lifetime pensions allowance.
Asked for his response to accusations of hypocrisy, Sir Keir said: "I am absolutely committed to changing what the Government did last week which was to give a tax cut to the wealthiest one per cent… but let me go further than that.
"I don't intend that to exclude me and therefore haven't taken advantage of this, no tax advantage, nor do I want one.
"So when we reverse that change the Government put in place last week, I will be included within that, whatever change is needed within legislation or anything else, I am very happy, want to be and will be in the same position as everybody else in this country."
Sir Keir Starmer dodged a question on whether a Labour government could tax wealth at the same rate as income.
Answering questions after his speech this morning: "In relation to tax, obviously we will set out our position as we go into an election. I think others will analyse the Prime Minister's financial details. They are there for all to see.
"In the end that goes back to the point I made about the choices that are made. When this Government has had to raise taxes it has always gone for the same people which is working people and I think that is now writ large in relation to what we have seen in the last 24 hours."
Sir Keir Starmer said he is hoping to publish his tax return later on today after Rishi Sunak published his yesterday.
Answering questions after his speech in Stoke-on-Trent, the Labour leader said: "Let me deal with the question of my tax returns now the Prime Minister has published his, I will publish mine, I hope to be able to do that later on today, so that is very, very straight forward.
"I am glad the Prime Minister has published his tax returns. I think that is the right thing to do. Others will obviously analyse those returns.
"But I do think there is a wider point about choices here and I would say this before or after he published his tax returns which is the choices they make on tax and the tax system are obvious. They always go after working people."
Sir Keir Starmer said tackling crime more effectively will be the "foundation for a better Britain".
Concluding his speech, Sir Keir said: "I promise you. If we pull together – we can do this. And I will give it everything. Because this mission – crime and justice – is my life’s work. I’ve made it central to my Labour Party. Because it’s central to the lives of working people.
"For the confidence they need in their community, to push on and hope for a better future. The foundation for a
better Britain. Where working people succeed, aspiration is rewarded, children are protected and crime is punished.
"A Britain where families once again feel safe on their streets. The basis for a country that gets its hope, its future and its confidence – back."
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, used his speech on crime this morning in Stoke-on-Trent to issue a warning to big online tech companies.
He said: "So my message to the big tech companies is this – the free ride is over. If you make money from the sale of weapons, or the radicalisation of people online, then we will find ways to make you accountable.
"You wouldn’t get away with it on the streets and you won’t get away with it online."
Sir Keir Starmer said a Labour government would deliver more visible neighbourhood policing in order to tackle the "virus" of anti-social behaviour and crimes which are "ruining lives".
He said: "We need reform to get more police on the beat – fighting the virus that is anti-social behaviour. Fly-tipping, off-road biking in rural communities, drugs… Some people call this low-level – I don’t want to hear those words.
"There’s a family in my constituency – every night cannabis smoke creeps in from the street outside into their children’s bedroom – aged four and six. That’s not low level – it’s ruining their lives. So we won’t pull any punches on this. everyone protected, everyone respected – that’s what justice means."
The Labour leader said that you cannot have "robust policing without defeating misogyny" as he set out his pledge to halve violence against women and girls.
Sir Keir Starmer said: "Modernising the police is also the first step we must take on halving violence against women and girls. You can’t defeat misogyny without robust policing, but you can’t have robust policing without defeating misogyny.
"That’s what modern policing looks like, what serving your community looks like. So we’ll put specialist domestic abuse workers in the control rooms of every police force responding to 999 calls, supporting victims of abuse.
"We’ll get a specialist rape unit in every police force. And we’ll also set up dedicated rape courts – the current
prosecution rates are a disgrace."
Sir Keir Starmer said a Labour government would "modernise British policing" in order to restore confidence.
He told activists at Port Vale Football Club: "Confidence is everything. It’s what effective, visible, open-minded policing can provide to the communities it serves, and, as we’ve seen this week, it’s what bad policing destroys.
"So let me make it very clear: the next Labour Government will modernise British policing."
Sir Keir Starmer said that the crime rate across the UK is "way too high" and that the charge rate has never been lower.
The Labour leader said that the current approach to tackling crime is a "recipe for impunity", with criminals "swanning around our communities without consequence".
Accusing the Tories of showing "complacency on another level", Sir Keir said: "It is like they can't see the Britain that they have created. Maybe that is it.
"Their kids don't go to the same schools. Nobody fly tips on their streets. The threat of violence doesn't stalk their communities. They don't see the problems and so they are complacent about the need for solutions."
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, suggested he would embrace the Tories attempting to criticise him for being a human rights lawyer.
"If the Tories want to attack me for being a human rights lawyer, attack the values I have stood up for my whole life, I say fine," he told Labour activists.
"That only shows how far they have fallen and how little they understand working people."
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, is now on his feet at Port Vale Football Club as he delivers his speech on tackling crime.
Sir Keir said he wanted "to make our streets safe and stop criminals getting away without punishment".
He said there should be "one rule for all" when it comes to abiding by the law.
Yvette Cooper said that she has "never seen the Home Office more adrift than the Conservative Home Office now".
"They are letting our communities down and we need huge leadership to turn that around," the shadow home secretary said.
Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, is introducing Sir Keir Starmer ahead of his speech on crime this morning.
Unveiling "Labour's mission on crime", Ms Cooper told the audience at Port Vale Football Club: "We don't see police on the beat, too few crimes are investigated or sold… serious violence has gone up and confidence in policing has fallen."
Ms Cooper said the police are "overstretched" and "still struggling with the legacy of austerity".
The Labour frontbencher accused the Government of adopting a "shrug of the shoulders" approach to dealing with crime.
Labour frontbenchers, journalists and guests are gathering in Stoke-on-Trent for a major speech by Sir Keir Starmer, writes The Telegraph's Amy Gibbons.
Setting out his second core "mission" for the country, the Labour leader will focus on how his party would tackle crime – pledging to halve levels of violence against women and girls within a decade if he wins the keys to No10.
Shadow ministers Emily Thornberry, Jess Phillips, Lisa Nandy, Steve Reed and Louise Haigh are among the prominent Labour MPs in attendance.
The speech is due to get underway imminently.
Jacob Rees-Mogg rejected a suggestion that Rishi Sunak may have misled Parliament by potentially exaggerating how good his Brexit deal with the EU is.
Mr Rees-Mogg said it was "completely routine" for politicians to "say that their plan is brilliant".
Asked if Mr Sunak may have misled MPs on his Windsor Framework, the former business secretary said: "No, I don't think so. I think that putting a favourable gloss on what you are saying is the routine, it is the bread and butter of politics.
"I think it would be unfair to say that any politician who says that his policy is the best policy ever is misleading. It would apply a standard that is simply unrealistic.
"You must expect politicians to say that their plan is brilliant and that their opponent's plan is idiotic. That is completely routine of politics."
Jacob Rees-Mogg claimed Rishi Sunak's Windsor Framework Brexit deal will actually result in a "solidified border in the Irish Sea" between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The former business secretary was one of 22 Tory MPs who voted against the Prime Minister's deal yesterday as it sailed through the Commons by 515 to 29.
Asked why he opposed the framework, Mr Rees-Mogg told TalkTV: "I am much more concerned about the United Kingdom and I think this puts a solidified border in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
"I think it takes the unfortunate elements of the protocol and makes them firmer rather than allowing us to move away from it.
"I think the green lane being at the discretion of the European Union, decided under EU laws within our own country, so how you trade between GB and Northern Ireland is decided by laws applied by the European Union is the wrong way to be going about it."
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has described the way in which migrants from his country have been "singled out" for political purposes in the UK as "a very, very disgraceful moment for British politics".
Mr Rama, who is in Britain for talks with Rishi Sunak, said it is essential that relations between the two countries are not defined by a few "rotten apples".
He told the BBC: "Unfortunately we have seen ourselves and our community being singled out in this country for purposes of politics. It has been a very, very disgraceful moment for British politics."
However, Mr Rama said he believes Mr Sunak has set relations on a new path towards co-operating on issues that concern both nations.
He said: "On the other hand I am very satisfied with your Prime Minister. We have set up a clear path towards tackling together whatever has to be excluded from our relations and from our world of law and justice but at the same time making sure that some rotten apples do not define the Albanian community here and our relations."
Rishi Sunak’s tax return, published by Downing Street yesterday, showed the Prime Minister earned almost £4.8 million in just three years but paid an effective tax rate of 22 per cent (you can read the full story here).
The bulk of the Prime Minister’s multi-million pound income came from capital gains, dividends and interest on a "single US-based investment fund", held in a blind trust.
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner responded to the tax return by claiming it revealed "a tax system designed by successive Tory governments in which the Prime Minister pays a far lower tax rate than working people who face the highest tax burden in 70 years".
That prompted questions on whether Labour could seek to equalise capital gains tax with income tax so that they are paid at the same rates.
Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, was asked the question this morning and she would not be drawn.
She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: "Rachel Reeves sets out our tax proposals and you’ve heard her tax policies and that’s a matter for her, but I think that, as I said, the point that Angela is making is a broader one, about the way in which the Conservatives have always ended up cutting the taxes for those who were on the highest income at a time when everybody else is ending up being squeezed and everybody else is ending up paying more and I just think that’s not fair."
Nicola Sturgeon is set to take part in her final First Minister's Questions session at lunchtime as she prepares to stand down as leader of the SNP.
Voting in the SNP leadership contest is due to close at noon on Monday March 27, with Ms Sturgeon's successor appointed the next day.
Today at 12 noon, I will do my 286th – and final – session of First Minister’s Questions. Immediately afterwards I will make my last speech in @ScotParl chamber as First Minister. Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way ❤️🏴
Sir Keir Starmer will deliver a speech in Stoke-on-Trent this morning focused on what a Labour government would do on the issue of crime.
He will promise to halve levels of violence against women and girls within a decade if Labour wins power at the next general election.
He will also pledge to halve serious violent crime and raise confidence in the police and criminal justice system in the wake of the damning Casey report into failings in the Metropolitan Police.
The Labour leader will claim Rishi Sunak’s Tories are "out of touch" and too detached with the reality of life in some of the country’s most deprived communities.
The speech is expected to get underway at about 10.30am.
All eyes will be on Threadneedle Street at noon when the Bank of England announces its latest decision on interest rates.
It is widely expected that the Bank will increase rates for the 11th time in a row after data published yesterday revealed an unexpected jump in inflation in February.
Economists are pencilling in a rise to 4.25 per cent, up from the current four per cent.
Boris Johnson's impact on the Conservative Party is "diminishing", a polling expert has said.
Tory peer Lord Hayward was asked during an interview this morning how popular he believed Mr Johnson is among the Conservative Party grassroots.
He told Sky News: "I think his support is diminishing and his impact on the party is diminishing the longer that Rishi Sunak is Prime Minister."
A by-election in Boris Johnson’s seat could "cause serious problems" for the Conservative Party, according to a polling expert.
Tory peer Lord Hayward was asked on Sky News this morning what a potential by-election in Uxbridge and South Ruislip could mean for the Conservatives and he said: "It would cause serious problems.
"The party doesn’t want a by-election. My guess is that if there were a by-election, certainly on current polls we would lose the constituency and therefore it’s something that is there but we can’t prejudge what the committee will decide."
Boris Johnson "modelled himself on the cucumber" and was "pretty cool" during his grilling in front of the Privileges Committee yesterday, Jacob Rees-Mogg said.
The Tory former Cabinet minister told Channel 4 News: "I think Boris Johnson… has won in the court of public opinion. It is quite clear that he behaved properly, that he told the truth as he understood it at the time, as he had been advised. He told the truth as he perceived it."
He added: "It was a very, very long session. I thought actually he modelled himself on the cucumber and was pretty cool. He handled it very well."
Boris Johnson would win a by-election "comfortably" if the Privileges Committee’s partygate investigation ends with the former prime minister being suspended, Jacob Rees-Mogg said.
The former business secretary said he believed the ex-premier would triumph at the ballot box because "he’s winning in the court of public opinion" and voters view the investigation as a "kangaroo court".
Mr Rees-Mogg told Channel 4 News: "We will have to wait and see what the committee suggests.
"But I think that if Boris Johnson went to a by-election he would win it comfortably. Because I think he’s winning in the court of public opinion, who see this as a kangaroo court."
“Boris Johnson today has won in the court of public opinion.”
Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg tells @krishgm it’s “quite clear” the former PM told the truth in his responses to Partygate allegations “as he understood it at the time”. pic.twitter.com/OkjNkezDP9