The former West MPs with new roles in the House of Lords
To MPs in the Commons it is known as "the other place".But being elevated to the House of Lords has provided a way back to the political fray for two former West Country MPs.Former Conservative Transport Secretary Mark Harper and ex-Shadow Culture Secretary Thangam Debbonaire were awarded life peerages following their respective defeats at last year's general election.Harper said: "I'm hoping to be working hard. I'm going to be a working peer, so I shall be here as much as I can when the House is sitting and I'll get stuck in."
The new role marks a return to politics for Harper, who lost his Forest of Dean constituency in Gloucestershire by less than 300 votes in July 2024.He added that in his new position he hoped to contribute to internal Conservative party debates around how to be competitive again and "hopefully win the next general election".Labour's Debbonaire, defeated by the Green Party in Bristol Central, expressed a similar desire to immerse herself in her new role, calling it an "incredible privilege"."It wasn't a hard decision, primarily because I went into politics because I believe in public service, like most politicians of all parties," she said. "It was a new way to serve the public, which is your first and primary duty."
She added: "Bringing my skills to work on a daily basis is really, I think, of benefit to my service to the public and the country."Critics have pointed to Debbonaire's previous criticism of the honours system and Labour's former committal to abolishing the House of Lords.However, Debbonaire said that a second chamber was necessary, and the government was following through on commitments to remove hereditary peers.Harper and Debbonaire join another familiar face who has recently taken his seat in the chamber, Bristol's former Mayor, Marvin Rees.Now known as Lord Rees of Easton, the new Labour peer made his maiden speech on 3 April.They are all back in the political fray, spending time in the House debating and voting, but also having other roles elsewhere.
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The Independent
21 minutes ago
- The Independent
Fact check: 2025 spending review claims
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Ms Reeves said this funding would help the Government achieve its commitment of 'putting 13,000 additional police officers, PCSOs and special constables into neighbourhood policing roles in England and Wales', a pledge we're monitoring here. The spending review also includes funding of 'almost £370 million across the next four years to support the Government's commitment to deliver school-based nurseries across England', which Ms Reeves said would help the Government deliver its pledge to have 'a record number of children being school-ready'. The Chancellor also committed to ending the use of hotels to house asylum seekers by the end of this Parliament, with an additional £200 million announced to 'accelerate the transformation of the asylum system'. 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Daily Mail
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
A reckless splurge we (and our children) will be paying off for years: Voters brace for tax hikes as Rachel Reeves embarks on unprecedented spending spree
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BBC News
23 minutes ago
- BBC News
Newsom v Trump holds promise and peril for California governor
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He adds, however, that as the state's governor, Newsom has an obligation to defend California - whether it's in his political interests or not."It's a call to duty," he has accused Newsom of being "grossly incompetent" and of failing to adequately respond as some of the Los Angeles protests turned violent. He's dusted off an earlier derisive nickname for the governor, "Newscum", and said on Tuesday that he believed arresting him would be a "great thing".According to media reports, the White House is considering whether to cut off federal aid to California, including billions of dollars of education grants."Gavin Newsom's feckless leadership is directly responsible for the lawless riots and violent attacks on law enforcement in Los Angeles," White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson said in a statement. 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The governor's set-piece speech, delivered in a suit while standing in front of California and US flags, received widespread press coverage and attracted well over a million views on assorted YouTube press team has also been active on social media, comparing Trump to the evil Emperor Palpatine from the Star Wars films. According to the Washington Post, the TikTok followers on his official governor's account have doubled to 897,000 in the past few days."There is a very real possibility that Newsom will come out of this with a significant and favourable national profile," Sragow said. He says that the more Newsom can outline a story of Trump against California - a state with whom the president has a very clear grudge - the better the chances for the governor to benefit."Don't make this into a mano-a-mano shootout between two gunslingers on the streets of Laredo," he and Newsom have always presented a contrast in stories and styles – the brash outer-borough New Yorker versus the polished San Francisco was elected to office in 2018, in the Democratic mid-term wave election that marked the first major voter pushback against Trump's first presidential term. He promised to make his state a counterpoint to Trump's national right-wing populism, but his political journey hasn't always been a smooth flirted with controversy during the Covid pandemic, as he backed aggressive lockdowns of public spaces – but gathered for a birthday celebration at a posh French restaurant in November 2020. His political opponents, sensing weakness, triggered a recall election in September 2021 – but Newsom won the vote by a comfortable margin. Newsom won re-election to a second four-year term in 2022 and became more involved in national Democratic politics, fuelling speculation that he harboured presidential ambitions. He became a high-profile surrogate for Joe Biden's re-election campaign and took to Fox News for high-profile debates with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who was at the time running for the Republican presidential nomination, in December Trump's re-election last November, Newsom made a noticeable tack to the political centre. He expressed new discomfort with transgender athletes in women's sports, called for curtailing health benefits for undocumented workers, and hosted conservative guests like former White House senior adviser Steve Bannon on his political podcast – provoking the ire of some in the Democratic January 2024, he toured the devastating fire damage in a Los Angeles suburb with Trump and pledged to work with the new Republican administration in recovery Los Angeles protests have brought a sudden and decisive end to that detente, as the two men square off across a deep political has frequently benefitted from having a political foil with which to contrast himself – whether it was Hillary Clinton in 2016, Nancy Pelosi in the latter years of his first presidential term or Joe Biden during his drive back to there are risks for Newsom in this fight – suspension of federal aid to California and the threat of arrest being just two notable ones – it is also a clash he seems more than willing to embrace.
