Tynwald pauses to remember former minister Tim Baker
Skelly said members of the parliament were "all shocked and saddened" to hear about the death of their former colleague and "good friend"."Our thoughts are with his wife Viv, his daughters Voirrey and Kerenza, and his mother Nola and the whole family," he said.The funeral service is due to take place at St Paul's Church, Ramsey, on 21 July at 12:00 BST.
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Daily Mirror
15 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'I played Hug, Marry, Avoid with Labour MP Dawn Butler and couldn't stop laughing'
The Mirror's new YouTube show Party Games sees familiar faces from across the political spectrum for a party like no other - with a series of games to tease out stories from MPs It is not often you get to play games with elected Members of Parliament. But it is exactly what I am doing on The Mirror 's new show, Party Games, which was launched this Saturday, June 16. In the programme on The Mirror's YouTube channel, I host familiar faces from across the political spectrum for a party like no other. Our first guest is Labour MP for Brent East Dawn Butler. You can watch the first episode on YouTube now. Wearing an obligatory party hat, I spin a wheel of fortune to decide which games to play - with each one having its own special ability to tease out funny stories, emotional moments and, of course, some political jabs from MPs. They include 'Would You Rather?' where MPs have to make a painful choice out of two options, and 'Never Have I Ever?', There is also the 'Ask Me Anything' round and the '30-Second Pitch', where the guest gets to talk for 30 seconds about an issue, cause or campaign they are passionate about. There is also the 'Ask Me Anything' round and 'Hug, Marry, Avoid', where MPs have to choose who'd they'd hug, marry or avoid out of a given list of three people. I have to admit Dawn's reaction including Reform UK MPs Nigel Farage, Lee Anderson and Richard Tice did draw a cackling laugh out of me. "What? What are you talking about?," she said incredulously. "They're not options. They're all the same... I feel like I need help after this. I need therapy now." In an age where MPs face increasingly vicious intimidation, hate and violence, The Mirror's show hopes to allow viewers to get to know the humans behind the pomp of Westminster. Here's a look at some of the best moments from the episode. Have you ever been told off by the Speaker? 'Well obviously I got thrown out of Parliament for calling Boris Johnson a liar,' she said. 'He lied over and over and over again. I was just like, come on, he's gaslighting the whole country. And I'd had enough. I'm that kind of conviction politician, so what is the point in me being here if I'm not going to sort of speak truth to power? The doorkeepers came up to me and said, I had to leave Parliament - the whole estate - straight away, or do I need to be escorted off? And I was like, good job I had my keys on me.' Would you rather be London mayor or Prime Minister? 'London mayor. To represent London - and I'm a Londoner through, born in East London - just having London the way I have experienced it and see it, and just making London wonderful for everyone, and everyone being sort of proud of London and being a Londoner, yeah, I'd love to be Mayor of London.' Asked if she'd be running in the next mayoral election, she added: 'Once there's a vacancy, I will put my hat in the ring.' What was your greatest moment in politics? 'I was the first black female MP to ever stand at that despatch box as a government minister. And when I think back, I think, God, I made history. And a few weeks before, we were talking about the abolition of slavery, and I thought, God, they'd all be spinning in their graves knowing that there's a black woman at the dispatch box representing Her Majesty's Government. And so that's one of my proudest moments.' Would you rather stand out or follow the crowd? 'You have to stand out from the crowd, especially if you're a Black woman, what's the point? You're always going to stand out, right? And I remember somebody saying to me that if I want to be taken seriously as a politician, I need to tone down my dress. And that was it: I was like, illuminate! You're going to need sunglasses when I walk in a room.' Watch the Mirror's YouTube show Party Games IT is not often you get to play games with elected Members of Parliament. But it is exactly what I am doing on The Mirror's show, Party Games, which was launched last night. In the programme on the Mirror's YouTube channel, I host familiar faces from across the political spectrum for a party like no other. Wearing an obligatory party hat, I spin a wheel of fortune to decide which games to play - with each one having its own special ability to tease out funny stories, emotional moments and, of course, some political points from MPs. They include 'Would You Rather?' where MPs have to make a painful choice out of two options, and 'Never Have I Ever?', There is also the 'Ask Me Anything' round and 'Hug, Marry, Avoid', where MPs have to choose who'd they'd hug, marry or avoid out of a given list of three people. The '30-Second Pitch' round is where the guest gets to talk for 30 seconds about an issue, cause or campaign they are passionate about. In an age where MPs face increasingly vicious intimidation, hate and violence, The Mirror's show hopes to allow viewers to get to know the humans behind the pomp of Westminster. You can watch Party Games on YouTube now. What is an issue you are passionate about? 'My summer campaign 2025 is about cleaning up our high streets. At the moment, councils are not allowed to say no to betting shops and adult gaming centres. That's why we have so many in poorer areas. So what I want to do is make sure we change the law - the 2005 Gambling Act - so that councils can have more of a say, so that people can have more of a say, because our high streets deserve to be better, we deserve high streets that are full of beautiful complexity and not so many betting shops.'
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- The Herald Scotland
Widower continues tribunal claim against FOI Commissioner
Just weeks later, she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She died in February 2025. One of her dying wishes was that her husband, Ian, push on with the case. The Commissioner's office is defending the claim. READ MORE The tribunal claim also raises wider concerns about who watches the watchdogs. The Commissioner is responsible for the "enforcement and promotion of Scotland's freedom of information laws", including "handling appeals about the way in which Scottish public authorities respond to information requests". Given the need to avoid political interference, the job comes with a certain degree of independence. But that means the postholder can only be removed by a supermajority in the Scottish Parliament. According to the claim, Helen enjoyed a good working relationship with the previous Commissioner, Daren Fitzhenry, but that changed after the appointment of David Hamilton, a former chair of the Scottish Police Federation, in October 2023. The tribunal papers submitted by Helen state that the relationship deteriorated rapidly. They go on to allege that at a January 2024 meeting, Mr Hamilton proposed an internal award called 'Margaret the Fox', named after a recently retired colleague, which Helen and two female colleagues found offensive due to 'the use of the word fox [having] negative connotations when referring to women". The Commissioner, in his legal defence, says the award was a tribute to a colleague's fondness for foxes and had been welcomed by the person in question. The claim also says she raised broader concerns about the 'introduction of a police culture', including staff feeling pressured to laugh at the Commissioner's jokes. The defence disputes that such concerns were raised in the way described. During a return-to-work call after a period of absence, the claim alleges Helen was told she was "being precious", "obsessing", and that "people do not like her". The Commissioner denies saying that people disliked her. In meetings, she was reportedly told she was "not agile", lacked a "can-do attitude", and had "failed in her job". One meeting allegedly ended with her being told to "be quiet" after raising financial concerns – an incident contested in the Commissioner's defence. On March 14, she emailed Mr Hamilton, stating: "All members of staff, including myself, should be treated with consideration, dignity and respect while at work. Your comments about me are incorrect and are having a detrimental effect on me. "You are not treating me fairly, with dignity or respect. I feel intimidated by you and discriminated against. The way you treat me, in person, in meetings and in writing, is unacceptable and also makes me feel belittled, anxious and not valued." She lodged a formal grievance five days later, citing "unreasonable treatment" and alleging discrimination, harassment and intimidation. She was then absent due to ill health. Helen submitted the claim in December. She died in February. (Image: agency) According to her claim, Mr Hamilton initially responded by saying a "bespoke arrangement" would be created to ensure an independent process was in place, but only upon her return to work. In March, he assigned another senior official, line-managed by him, to act as her main contact – despite Helen requesting someone else. The Commissioner disputes that the arrangements were inappropriate and later agreed to appoint an external independent investigator, contingent on confirmation of Helen's fitness to engage. In June, he reiterated that he would proceed with the grievance only once she confirmed she was medically fit. He added he had sought legal advice. Helen responded that her ill health had been caused by his conduct and she was willing and able to participate in the process. The claim alleges that on July 19, Mr Hamilton phoned Helen's trade union representative to suggest she was ignoring emails – something her tribunal documents say was untrue. The Commissioner says he simply asked for emails to be acknowledged. That same day, she was told her laptop and phone would be collected due to cyber-security protocols applying to staff absent for more than four months. Her legal team say she was also blocked from using pre-approved annual leave to extend her period of full pay, with leave cancelled three times in April, May and August. The Commissioner says she was paid in lieu and suffered no loss. In a letter dated August 13, Mr Hamilton wrote that "on conclusion of the internal grievance process, it is likely I will be investigating performance and disciplinary procedures". The letter provided no details of the alleged issues. Tribunal documents say Helen found this particularly upsetting and reiterated her request for the grievance to be investigated without delay. By October 21, Helen had still not been contacted by the promised investigator. She emailed Mr Hamilton again to say the delay was harming her health and that she felt she was being punished for lodging a grievance. He replied that same day, saying he had just returned to work and would respond after catching up. Helen resigned three days later. READ MORE In her resignation letter, she wrote: "It is now more than seven months since I submitted a formal grievance against you and you have refused to allow any of my grievances to be dealt with." She said his behaviour during her absence and while working had caused "enormous damage" to her health and left her with "no alternative but to resign". There is no suggestion of a link between the treatment Helen received and her cancer diagnosis. Before her resignation, she is understood to have been offered a financial settlement by the Commissioner, but it was rejected. Helen's lawyer, Tony McGrade, argues that the Commissioner's handling of the grievance process was "significantly below accepted standards". He told The Herald: "This case highlights the real dangers in there being no procedure in place to allow grievances against officials such as the Scottish Information Commissioner to be independently investigated. "This means that the person against whom an allegation of discrimination or unfair treatment is made decides whether that is investigated. This is simply wrong." Under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, the Scottish Information Commissioner is a statutory officeholder appointed by the Scottish Parliament and operates independently of government. Unlike most public sector roles, the Commissioner is not accountable to ministers or civil service structures, and complaints about their conduct are not subject to routine oversight. Removal from office requires a formal resolution passed by two-thirds of MSPs – a deliberately high threshold designed to protect the role from political interference. That resolution can be triggered if the Parliament is satisfied the Commissioner has breached the terms and conditions of office, or if it determines that it has lost confidence in the Commissioner's willingness, suitability or ability to do the job. Helen's husband believes this has created an accountability gap, making it extremely difficult for staff to challenge the Commissioner's actions through normal employment procedures or for Parliament to intervene when serious concerns arise. It is understood the matter has been raised informally with Alison Johnstone, the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, who confirmed the limited powers available to intervene in what is treated as an internal employment matter. Those close to the case say the aim of the legal action is not financial compensation, but accountability – though Mr Hamilton strongly contests the allegations. The Commissioner said it "fully intends to defend its position in the Employment Tribunal" but that it "would be entirely wrong to make any comment on the substance of the claim until the Tribunal has considered the full evidence and issued a judgment." "The Commissioner will accordingly respect that process, being of the view that this is covered by the law relating to contempt of court, and will be making no comment until the appropriate time."
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Peru's president affirms sovereignty of Amazon River island as tensions with Colombia escalate
Peruvian President Dina Boluarte on Friday traveled to an Amazon River island at the center of a territorial dispute with Colombia, where she affirmed Peru's unquestionable sovereignty over the territory. The first visit from Boluarte to the island comes against a backdrop of diplomatic tensions with Colombia, whose president, Gustavo Petro, recently disavowed Peruvian jurisdiction over Santa Rosa Island. Security force chiefs and members of Parliament welcomed Boluarte and Cabinet ministers to the territory, where she sang the Peruvian national anthem as people waved red-and-white flags. 'Unfortunately, for several days now, unacceptable actions have been taking place that affect the brotherhood that unites our two nations and the border communities,' Boluarte said. 'Peru's sovereignty is not in dispute; the district of Santa Rosa de Loreto is Peruvian and will remain so.' Tensions between the neighboring countries escalated Tuesday, when Peruvian police arrested three Colombian men who were on the island doing land surveying work. Colombia's government on Thursday demanded the immediate release of the men after a Peruvian judge freed one of them but ordered the other two remain in jail for seven days while authorities investigate them for the alleged crime of attacking national sovereignty. Petro described the arrests as a 'kidnapping.' His government has said the detainees — a land surveyor and a boat driver — were conducting studies to measure the depth of bodies of water for a pier expansion in the Colombian border city of Leticia. Peruvian authorities said the workers were not authorized to carry out the measurements. The arrest of the two Colombians marks the third binational incident in the area since Petro denied Peru's jurisdiction over Santa Rosa Island on Aug. 5. Two days later, a Colombian military aircraft flew over the island, and on Monday, the former mayor of the Colombian city of Medellín, Daniel Quintero, planted a Colombian flag there. Police later removed the flag. About 3,000 people live in tiny Santa Rosa Island, which emerged in the middle of the Amazon River last century. Peru maintains it owns Santa Rosa Island based on treaties about a century old, but Colombia disputes that ownership because the island had not yet emerged from the river at the time. ____
