Starmer criticised over action against Labour rebels
Responding to Sir Keir's attempt to assert his authority over the party, York Central MP Ms Maskell said: 'On this occasion, I don't think he's got it right.'
She told the BBC: 'I really hope from this process there will be reflection over the summer, but also learning.
'There needs to be a better reach-out to backbenchers to ensure that we are the safeguards of our Government.'
The four MPs all voted against the Government over the welfare reform legislation, but party sources said the decision to suspend the whip was taken as a result of persistent breaches of discipline rather than a single rebellion.
Government minister Jess Phillips said the four should not be surprised by the action against them.
The Home Office minister told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'There has to be an element of discipline otherwise you end up not being able to govern.'
She added: 'I think that constantly taking to the airwaves and slagging off your own Government, I have to say, what did you think was going to happen?'
On Sky News she said: 'We were elected as a team under a banner and under a manifesto, and we have to seek to work together, and if you are acting in a manner that is to undermine the ability of the Government to deliver those things, I don't know what you expect.'
Referring to a description of the rebels by an unnamed source in The Times, she told Sky News: 'I didn't call it persistent knob-headery, but that's the way that it's been termed by some.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
22 minutes ago
- Metro
Don't expect water bills to stop rising after we overhaul sector, minister warns
Households will continue to face rising water bills, but increases will be 'small and steady', the Environment Minister has said. Steve Reed is expected to set out plans for a major reform of the water sector tomorrow, which will tackle sewage spills, invest in water infrastructure and abolish the industry's beleaguered regulator Ofwat. It comes as ministers seek to avoid a repeat of this year's 26% increase in bills. But while Mr Reed has promised that families will never again see 'huge shock hikes' to their bills, he was unable to rule out further above-inflation increases. He told Sky News's Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips that bills should be 'as low as possible', he added that there needed to be 'appropriate bill rises' to secure investment. He said: 'A small, steady increase in bills is what people expect.' Asked about the possibility of expanding social tariffs to help households struggling with bills – a move that could see wealthier families pay more – Mr Reed said he had 'not been convinced yet' that this was necessary. Mr Reed has also pledged to halve sewage pollution in England by 2030, after the Environment Agency said serious pollution incidents had risen by 60% in 2024. He also suggested to the BBC that he would resign if the 2030 target was not achieved, provided he was still in the same job by then. His comments come before a major report by former Bank of England deputy governor Sir Jon Cunliffe, which is expected to recommend sweeping reform to water regulation on Monday. Sir Jon has been widely reported to be preparing to recommend the abolition of Ofwat, which has faced criticism over its handling of sewage spills and allowing water companies to pay large dividends while taking on significant debt and missing targets for investing in infrastructure. On Sunday, Mr Reed would not say whether he would scrap Ofwat, but also declined to say he had confidence in the regulator. More Trending He told the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: 'The regulator is clearly failing.' MP Victoria Atkins, Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said: 'After years of underperformance across the water industry, no one is pretending the situation is simple and we acknowledge more should have been done when we were in government. But honesty matters now more than ever. 'This morning, Steve Reed made sweeping claims about investment and reform without addressing the practical costs or consequences for households. 'Fixing the water system requires serious long-term work, which includes dealing with pollution, improving resilience, and restoring public confidence. We will engage constructively where there's common ground, but we won't let Labour duck accountability for the choices they're making now.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Plane crashes at Olympic National Park killing one and injuring two MORE: Why was the Sycamore Gap tree cut down and who was responsible? MORE: Here's why there are so many ladybirds in the UK right now
BreakingNews.ie
23 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Private properties used to house Ukrainian refugees rise by 17 per cent, figures show
Concern has been voiced about the impact of a Government scheme for housing refugees from Ukraine on the private rental sector, as new figures show the number of private properties being used has increased by 17 per cent since the start of the year. A record number of over 21,800 dwellings are currently being used to accommodate Ukrainian refugees under the Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) scheme, according to the latest figures from the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. Advertisement It represents an increase of over 3,100 additional properties being involved in the ARP scheme since January. Owners or tenants of such properties were entitled to claim a monthly payment of €800 for housing Ukrainian refugees who arrived in Ireland under the EU Temporary Protection Directive but the sum has been reduced to €600 per month since June 1. A total of 21,803 properties are now being used as part of the ARP scheme to provide homes to almost 39,600 Ukrainian refugees with 16,900 hosts in receipt of monthly payments. The figures show that over €339 million has been paid to date to 26,100 recipients for hosting 56,700 temporary protection beneficiaries since the scheme was launched in July 2022. Advertisement The figures were provided in response to a parliamentary question by Sinn Féin's justice, home affairs and migration spokesperson, Matt Carthy. Not surprisingly, the largest number of properties involved in the scheme are located in Dublin with almost 3,300 currently housing refugees from Ukraine. The second highest number is in Donegal where 2,070 private properties are in use followed by Cork (1,611) Mayo (1,425) and Kerry (1,308). The smallest number is 128 in Roscommon. Advertisement The figures indicate that approximately 1 per cent of the Republic's 2.1 million housing stock is being used to house Ukrainian refugees with varying differences across the country. The proportion ranges from an estimated 2.4 per cent of all dwellings in Donegal to just 0.4 per cent of all homes in Roscommon. Other counties with a high proportion of their housing stock being used to accommodate refugees from Ukraine are Leitrim (2.2 per cent), Mayo (2.1 per cent) and Carlow and Longford (both 2.0 per cent). Less than 1 per cent of residences in Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Meath, Kilkenny, and Wicklow are involved in the scheme. Advertisement The number of properties being used to house Ukrainian refugees has risen by at least 10 per cent since the start of the year in all counties with the exception of Kildare and Kilkenny where the increases were at a slower rate. Mr Carthy said Sinn Féin has never received a satisfactory answer from the Minister of Justice about the impact of the ARP on the private rental sector. The Cavan-Monaghan TD has sharply criticised how the EU Temporary Protection Directive has been operated in Ireland and claimed the ARP is 'deeply unfair and caused huge divisions within communities.' 'It gave Ukrainians access to housing supports without a means test that was available to no other person including those on lower wages trying to secure housing,' said Mr Carthy. Advertisement He claimed the measure was also driving up rents particularly in parts of the country that traditionally had lower rents. Mr Carthy said the numbers in some areas like Donegal were huge with over 2,000 properties being used for the ARP. He added: 'These figures also show that there are significantly more properties than property owners coming under the scheme. There are 21,803 properties being provided by 16,900 owners which clearly means that a significant number of people have more than one property under this scheme. 'It indicates that landlords are availing of this scheme because it financially benefits them while avoiding the normal obligations and responsibilities regarding tenancies,' said Mr Carthy. Asked by the Sinn Féin TD about the impact of the ARP scheme on the private rented sector , the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O'Callaghan, said his department was awaiting the outcome of an analysis being carried out by the Department of Housing in conjunction with the Residential Tenancies Board. 'There is ongoing engagement by my department with the Department of Housing in respect of the scheme,' said Mr O'Callaghan. Property owners or tenants were originally paid a rate of €400 per month when the scheme was introduced before it was increased to €800 per month in December 2022 and lowered to €600 last month. Accommodation must be provided for at least six months and meet the required standards in relation to structural condition, fire safety, ventilation and various facilities. The ARP scheme has been extended to March 31st, 2026, in line with the extension of the EU Temporary Protection Directive Separate figures provided by Mr O'Callaghan earlier this month show that the State had contracts with 670 different commercial properties including hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs and self-catering accommodation at the start of July to provide temporary accommodation to persons fleeing the war in Ukraine in addition to the ARP scheme.
North Wales Chronicle
26 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Law will change to stop attackers fixated on violence, says Home Secretary
The Home Secretary said she would address a 'gap in the law' against planning mass casualty attacks that had no ideological basis, but could be 'just as serious' as terrorism in their impact. She said: 'We have to make sure that the system is able to respond to violent fixated individuals. We will tighten that legislation so that that is taken as seriously as terrorism.' Her commitment, first made in an interview with the BBC, would implement a recommendation from the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall KC, who examined whether terror laws needed to be changed to deal with people such as Southport attacker Axel Rudakubana. The review was prompted by revelations that Rudakubana had been referred to the counter-extremism Prevent programme, but his case had not been followed up as he lacked an ideological motivation. He went on to murder three young girls and seriously wound 10 other people at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport last year and is currently serving a life sentence. Mr Hall's review recommended against widening the definition of terrorism to include individuals such as Rudakubana, but suggested creating a new offence to deal with people who plan mass casualty attacks motivated by personal grievance or an obsession with violence for its own sake. Ms Cooper said there was now a 'pattern' of teenagers being 'drawn into extreme violence and extreme ideologies' in their own bedrooms thanks to 'a really distorted and warped online world'. She said: 'The sorts of things that we're now increasingly seeing online with violent fixated individuals, where there may not be a clear ideology, it may be a fixation with violence, or they may switch between different ideologies.'
