Latest news with #HouseOfCommons
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
UK's Starmer to convene cabinet meeting, most likely to discuss Gaza
Keir Starmer has received a letter from 220 MPs calling for immediate recognition of a Palestinian state. (AP pic) LONDON : British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will convene a cabinet meeting next week, a government source said on Sunday, most likely to discuss the situation in Gaza after coming under growing pressure to recognise a Palestinian state. The Financial Times, which initially reported the story, said ministers, currently in a summer recess until Sept 1, would reconvene to discuss Gaza. Starmer's office did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment. The recall comes after Starmer said on Friday the British government would recognise a Palestinian state only as part of a negotiated peace deal, disappointing many in his Labour Party who want him to follow France in taking swifter action. President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday France would recognise a Palestinian state, a plan that drew strong condemnation from Israel and the US, after similar moves from Spain, Norway and Ireland last year. More than 220 members of parliament in the UK, mostly Labour members representing about a third of the House of Commons, wrote to Starmer on Friday urging him to recognise a Palestinian state. Successive British governments have said they will formally recognise a Palestinian state when the time is right, without setting a timetable or specifying the necessary conditions. Starmer's approach has been complicated by the arrival in Scotland on Friday of US President Donald Trump, with whom he has built warm relations. In foreign policy terms, Britain has rarely diverged from the US. Israel has been facing growing international criticism, which prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government rejects, over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
On this day: Elvington brewery wins House of Commons contract
On this day in 2015, the York Press reported that a beer brewed near York would be served in the corridors of power. Elvington-based Hop Studio secured a contract to supply 50,000 bottles of its 'Porter' beer to the House of Commons over two years. The beer was to go on sale in three House of Commons shops, and in the House of Commons' catering facilities, in specially-designed labels under the name 'Treason.' Dave Shaw, founder and owner of the brewery, said the name would create a link to Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot, completing the link to York. Mr Shaw said: "We're really happy with it. The beer was to be specially branded as 'Treason,' in a nod to the Gunpowder Plot and to York-born Guy Fawkes "It was advertised as a contract, and it was a public sector tender, so quite a complicated process. "We did a pitch at the beginning of June and designed some labels. "We picked three beers and they have selected one. "We will brew it in August to get it into their shops for mid-October, then there is also a Christmas fair they do in November, and a tasting with MPs at the beginning of December. "It was advertised nationally, so I imagine breweries from all over the country have a go. "They whittled it down to five, which meant we went to pitch in the Palace of Westminster and as a result we are one of two supplying the beers. "The other is Windsor and Eton, who are supplying two. "We're delighted really. "It's a good prestigious contract. "It will be co-branded as Hop Studio and the House of Commons, and it's quite a good marketing opportunity, showing that we can do these sorts of contracts." At the original time of reporting in 2015, the beer was brewed in an industrial unit off York Road in Elvington, and included vanilla in its recipe.
CBC
7 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
The riding of Battle River-Crowfoot, explained
Canada's next byelection is slated for Aug. 18 in the Alberta riding of Battle River-Crowfoot. Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre is running in a bid to return to the House of Commons but now finds himself in an increasingly crowded race.
Telegraph
7 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
How the ‘jolly' Commons Speaker became one of Westminster's sharpest operators
Sir Lindsay Hoyle is the face of Parliament. For more than five years, he has run the House of Commons from the gothic splendour of the 13ft Speaker's chair. His public image is one of a bluff, convivial Lancastrian. Ministers and journalists are regularly hosted in his grace and favour house; hotpot tartlet is a party favourite. But his ever-present smile conceals a finely tuned political mind that makes him one of Westminster's sharpest operators. Recent weeks have demonstrated why that is so important. First there were reports of an exchange with Rachel Reeves that saw the Chancellor weep on camera. Then there was the super injunction over the Afghan data leak. Harriet Harman, Sir Lindsay's old rival for the Speakership, suggested he had failed in his duties by not pressuring ministers to tell MPs. 'In the Speaker's chair, all eyes are upon you,' says one Labour veteran. Having watched his two predecessors leave office in disgrace, Sir Lindsay is determined for the same thing not to happen to him. In the Reeves affair, he was trying to smooth things over after a previous altercation about protocol. In Harman's case, his office hit back firmly, pointing out that Sir Lindsay was bound by a super injunction. Publicly robust; privately conciliatory. It is that awareness of the unwritten rules of political discourse which explains Sir Lindsay's prominence in Parliament. His Speakership is the culmination of a lifetime's work. Sir Lindsay was quite literally born into the Labour party. His father, Doug, spent 21 years as an MP; Lindsay's first Labour conference was as a baby in 1957. Growing up, he learnt the political craft from his father. While Hoyle Sr made his name in Westminster, his son cut his teeth in Labour's north-west machine. 'The by-ways of Lancashire,' said one ex-MP in 2019, 'are littered with the bodies of those who've underestimated Lindsay.' Seventeen years on, Chorley borough council refined Sir Lindsay's talents. In 1997, his dad retired, and Hoyle Jr, aged 39, entered the Commons. The 2010 election, in which so many Labour hopes were dashed, proved to be Sir Lindsay's making. Encouraged by friends, he stood for the vacant Deputy Speakership and won. In the words of one colleague, 'The campaign for Speaker began that day.' For nine years, he served as the balm to John Bercow's poison, impressing MPs with his good humour and calm demeanour. The Speaker's decision to quit in September 2019 was a godsend for Sir Lindsay. For two decades, he had cultivated his colleagues; it was his friends, rather than the imminent Tory intake who would choose the new Speaker. 'It was decided by those leaving, rather than those joining,' reflects one former MP. Sir Lindsay was regarded as the runaway favourite and courted the electorate accordingly. To Tories, he sympathised about Bercow's politicking; for Labour it was a chance to have one of their own. Sir Lindsay ran as the candidate of experience, promising to protect MPs' security and restore Bercow's office to its former greatness. During Covid, he won plaudits across the House for his determination to keep the Commons running. His penchant for Urgent Questions made him popular among backbenchers, much to ministers' irritation. 'He runs a permanent campaign,' says one frontbencher. 'We get his regular newsletter and see his stuff online.' Sir Lindsay has a veritable menagerie of pets named after various politicians. His cat, Attlee, boasts its own Instagram account and line of goods in the House of Commons gift shop. He has known tragedy in his family life, too: Sir Lindsay has spoken movingly about the death of his daughter Natalie, aged just 28, in 2017. Sir Lindsay's worst moment as Speaker came in February 2024. As Labour tore itself apart on Gaza, Sir Lindsay was accused of favouritism by ignoring official advice. During an SNP motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, opponents charged that Sir Lindsay had bent parliamentary rules to let an alternative Labour amendment be debated instead. His response to the ensuing outrage showed his skills as a survivor. He apologised, quickly, on the floor of the Commons, offering to meet with parties 'to discuss the way forward'. That ability to admit mistakes and grasp 'the mood of the House' is partly why he has been able to survive the fractious era of post-Brexit politics. 'Lindsay likes to be liked,' says a friend. 'He understands people – how they work, what they think and where they want to be.' His attentiveness to MPs' needs has helped him win unlikely friends too. Within Reform there is praise for how the Speaker has welcomed their new MPs and given them suitable offices in Parliament. Nigel Farage has publicly declared his respect for Sir Lindsay. Where Bercow revelled in conflict, his successor largely eschews it. 'He's always down our end of the tea room,' remarks one Tory. For such an astute operator, the Speaker does have a blind spot. His taste for the trappings of office has provoked much comment in the press. A string of foreign trips in business or first class ran up a sum of £275,000 in two years; Bercow took 10 years to rack up the same bill for 'non-regular' foreign travel. His accommodation is invariably high-end: the St Regis in Doha, the Westin Grand in the Cayman Islands, and the Ritz-Carlton in Los Angeles. One long-standing colleague suggests that Sir Lindsay's choices are indicative of an Old Labour mindset, namely that 'nothing's too good for the workers'. There are gifts too, with Sir Lindsay keeping almost 300 presents since 2021 including dozens of bottles of alcohol, hampers, ties, cufflinks and chocolates. No rules have ever been broken, but there are echoes of the 'freebiegate' row that plagued this Government in its first months in office. Sir Lindsay's reputation as being 'pro-MP', means, in the words of one, 'none of us want to make much out of all that'. The Speaker is unapologetic, insisting that he is merely maintaining the prestige of the office. Aides argue that his post confers an ambassadorial role, requiring him to build links between his office and its equivalents around the world. 'Other Speakers have their own aircraft and travel around the world all the time without criticism,' declared Sir Lindsay earlier this year. He sees himself as an unabashed champion of parliament. Critics, though, question his mission of 'Speaker-led diplomacy'. They ask whether diplomacy ought not to remain the sole preserve of the elected government. A mis-sent email in January 2024 prompted a public row over whether Sir Lindsay had intended to fly the Palestinian flag from the grandly-named 'Speaker's Flagpoles'. Sir Lindsay denied this was ever his intention. Aiding the Speaker is an expanding team: the head count in the Speaker's office has doubled since he took over. Yet despite his wobbles, Sir Lindsay seems near-certain to serve out the remainder of his Speakership in this parliament. Already there have been murmurings, sotto voce, about likely contenders. The diary columnists have started tipping Meg Hillier, the Treasury Select Committee chair. Nus Ghani, the current Deputy Speaker, is another seen as 'on manoeuvres'. At 68, Sir Lindsay is yet to name an exit date. But would-be pretenders for his chair could do worse than study his rise to the Speakership and make their plans accordingly. After all, that is what Sir Lindsay would do.
Arab News
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
UK must recognize Palestine: Senior Labour MP
LONDON: Former Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry has called on the UK government to recognize an independent Palestinian state. Thornberry told the BBC on Monday that there needs to be an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a long-term political solution to the crisis. 'The only way through this is for there to be an Israeli state that's safe and secure, alongside a Palestinian state that's recognized,' she told BBC Radio 4's 'Today' program. Thornberry, who heads the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee, was speaking following the state visit of Emmanuel Macron to London. France's president, whose country will co-host an international conference on Palestine at the UN, told British MPs that a two-state solution is the 'only way' forward. The UK is expected to attend the conference. Thornberry said the UK and France 'are the two parties to that ancient treaty more than 100 years ago, the secret Sykes-Picot agreement that carved up the Middle East in the first place. 'I think there is some kind of political significance to those two countries coming together again.' She added: 'If we recognize a Palestinian state, I think we show ourselves to be a country that wants to be involved, that wants to be an honest broker, that wants to be a force for good, and we think a way forward is two states and we've always thought that.' The war in Gaza has been raging since October 2023, with health authorities in the Palestinian enclave saying around 60,000 people have died. Thornberry said: 'Too many people have been killed. There has to be peace. Peace can only be achieved through political conversation, through negotiations.' The UK Foreign Office has refused to be drawn on when or if the government will recognize a Palestinian state, but Thornberry said: 'It's just a question of when.' She added that the UK needs to use its relationship with the US to move the situation on Palestinian statehood forward, and clarify to Israel that continued settlement expansion in the West Bank is illegal, and individuals responsible would be sanctioned. 'We've been a force for good when it comes to Ukraine, but I do think we should also be saying to (US) President (Donald) Trump: 'We need you. You have the power of 100 presidents. You can do what all the other presidents couldn't do,'' Thornberry said. 'But the Israelis have to come onboard, and they can't continue just to say no and not have any credible alternative.'
