Nicola Sturgeon says rapist Isla Bryson is a ‘biological male'
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Spectator
30 minutes ago
- Spectator
Tories accuse Sturgeon of breaking ministerial code over indyref2
The SNP's former Dear Leader Nicola Sturgeon released her memoir this week – but it has not quite had the reception she anticipated. The trailed excerpts prompted Alex Salmond's allies to accuse Sturgeon of besmirching her former mentor's name, brought her failed gender reform bill to the fore and confused pro-independence supporters after the Queen of the Nats hinted she was considering a move to, er, London. Now another admission in the 450-page tome has led the Scottish Tories to write to the Scottish Permanent Secretary to examine whether Sturgeon broke the ministerial code. Craig Hoy posted his letter to Joe Griffin on Twitter today, fuming that Sturgeon's memoir had revealed the former first minister had 'wasted taxpayers' money on a doomed court case for party political reasons'. In his letter, Hoy stresses: In the book, the former first minister stated that the Scottish government's reference to the Supreme Court on whether it had the power to hold an independence referendum unilaterally was 'in all likelihood impossible' to succeed. The Scottish ministerial code states that ministers and officials should 'ensure that their decisions are informed by appropriate analysis of the legal considerations and that the legal implications of any course of action are considered at the earliest opportunity'. If the then-first minister has now publicly admitted that she thought it was 'impossible' for this court reference to succeed, yet proceeded with it anyway, this constitutes a clear failure to follow the legal implications of her chosen course of action at the earliest opportunity. Nicola Sturgeon suggested that the reason she proceeded with the reference was because she was 'in a bind' with her party members and supporters. The Supreme Court reference ended up costing taxpayers a quarter of a million pounds. This political use of public money is in clear violation of paragraph 1.4(i) of the ministerial code which states: 'Ministers must not use public resources for party political purposes;'. He went on: Nicola Sturgeon is no longer first minister, so action can no longer be taken against her under the ministerial code, but could you as Permanent Secretary confirm whether you believe this spending complied with the requirements laid out in the code, given Ms Sturgeon's recent comments? If not, will the Scottish government be taking any action to recover the public funds that were spent at the direction of Nicola Sturgeon for what were clearly party political purposes? Good heavens! Has Sturgeon landed herself in hot water over this rather revealing confession? Stay tuned…
Daily Mirror
31 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
DWP date confirmed for bank 'monitoring' in list of tough new measures
The UK Government has unveiled the biggest fraud crackdown in a generation - and new factsheets published by the DWP contain details of how the proposals will be implemented The UK Government is embarking on 'the biggest fraud crackdown in a generation' to slash losses within the welfare system. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) estimates that the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill will generate savings of £1.5 billion for taxpayers over the coming five years. New measures include driving bans of up to two years for benefit fraudsters who persistently refuse to repay outstanding debts, powers enabling the DWP to seize funds directly from offenders' bank accounts, and Eligibility Verification, allowing third-party bodies like banks to flag potentially fraudulent benefit applications. A series of 11 newly published factsheets from the DWP, providing greater insight into how these measures will function securely with proper oversight, confirms the UK Government intends to introduce the proposed changes from April 2026, reports the Daily Record. The factsheets also include information on safeguards, reporting mechanisms and supervision crafted to ensure the "appropriate, proportionate, and effective use of the powers." Official guidance states: "The Government will begin implementing the Bill measures from 2026. "For the Eligibility Verification Measure, the Government will implement a 'test and learn' approach to ensure the new powers to tackle public sector fraud are being used proportionally and effectively. DWP and the Cabinet Office will continue to work with industry to implement the new measures, consult stakeholders on Codes of Practice and publish guidance." The DWP will also gain powers to collect data from additional third-party organisations such as airlines to check whether individuals are receiving benefits from overseas, potentially violating eligibility requirements. Eligibility Verification Measure The DWP will not have direct access to the bank accounts of millions of people on means-tested benefits including Universal Credit, Pension Credit and Employment and Support Allowance. The department will work alongside banks to pinpoint individuals who may have surpassed the eligibility thresholds for means-tested benefits, such as the £16,000 income limit for Universal Credit - and secure that information to subsequently examine that claimant to avoid potential overpayments and possible fraud cases. The legislation only allows banks and other financial institutions to share restricted data and forbids the sharing of transaction data, which means the DWP will not be able to monitor how people on benefits spend their money. Indeed, the factsheet outlines how banks and other financial institutions could face a penalty for sharing excessive information, such as transaction data. It additionally states: "Any information shared through the Eligibility Verification Measure will not be shared on the presumption or suspicion that anyone is guilty of any offence." New measures to combat fraud have been introduced by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The new Bill aims to fulfil the UK Government's manifesto pledge to protect taxpayers' money, ensuring every pound is used wisely and effectively. New DWP measures to combat fraud The new Bill is designed to fulfil the UK Government's manifesto pledge to protect taxpayers' money. All the powers will include strong safeguards to ensure they are only used appropriately and proportionately - including new inspection and reporting mechanisms. DWP will have a clearly defined scope and clear limitations for the use of all the powers it is introducing, and staff will be trained to the highest possible standards. New powers of search and seizure - so DWP can control investigations into criminal gangs defrauding the taxpayer. Allowing DWP to recover debts from individuals no longer on benefits and not in PAYE employment who can pay money back but have avoided doing so. New requirements for banks and building societies to flag where there is an indication there may be a breach of eligibility rules for benefits - preventing debts accruing. This Bill aims to empower the Public Sector Fraud Authority to: Use new powers of entry, search and seizure to reduce the burdens on the police in the most serious criminal investigations. Reduce fraud against the public sector by using its expertise to take action on behalf of other departments, against those who attack the public sector. Improve fraud management in future emergencies by creating specialist time limited powers to be used in crisis management situations - building on lessons learned during COVID-19. Better detect and prevent incorrect payments across the public sector through new information gathering and sharing powers. Improve the government's ability to recover public money, through new debt recovery and enforcement powers. Use strong non-criminal sanctions and civil penalties to provide an alternative to criminal prosecution and to deter fraud. The Public Sector Fraud Authority will adopt a 'test and learn' strategy with these powers, trialling various methods and expertise to determine the most effective way to combat public sector fraud.
South Wales Guardian
41 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Charity boss offers ‘olive branch' to Jenrick in migration comments row
Krish Kandiah, a director of Sanctuary Foundation which has previously helped refugees from Ukraine and Afghanistan, said he was offering an 'olive branch' to Robert Jenrick. During a BBC broadcast earlier this week, Mr Kandiah claimed Mr Jenrick had echoed 'fear of the stranger', adding: 'The technical name for this is xenophobia.' The BBC apologised to Mr Jenrick and has since removed references to xenophobia from the programme. The Conservative politician had accused the broadcaster of thinking it was 'acceptable to smear millions of worried citizens as 'xenophobic' for their completely understandable fears about undocumented men entering illegally'. Mr Kandiah's comments, made in the Thought for the Day section of the BBC Radio Four Today programme, followed a piece Mr Jenrick had published in the Mail on Sunday. The Tory MP wrote: 'I certainly don't want my children to share a neighbourhood with men from backward countries who broke into Britain illegally, and about whom we know next to nothing.' Mr Kandiah previously appeared to double down on his comments, posting the original audio from his broadcast online and urging people to 'take a listen and let me know what I am wrong about factually?' On Thursday, he took to social media with a direct plea to Mr Jenrick. Writing on X, formerly Twitter, he posted: 'Olive branch offered … Mr Jenrick, I want your daughters and mine to be able to walk down the road safely and without fear. I worked with you when you were housing minister and the UK welcomed over 200,000 people from Hong Kong. 'I was grateful for your support and compassion during that time. I would love to find a way we could work together to de-escalate the fear and anger many are feeling in our country. 'I believe we need to focus on the real challenges that are making people worried – housing, jobs and the cost of living – rather than ramping up anti-immigrant sentiment.' Mr Jenrick's team has been contacted for comment.
