Latest news with #LizBates
Sky News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Crime and castration: Will government's prison plan work?
👉 Listen to Sky News Daily on your podcast app 👈 The government says it will accept the majority of the recommendations in the report it commissioned into jail sentences. The independent review, led by ex-Conservative justice secretary David Gauke, looked at how to reduce the prison population by 2028. One of its key proposals would see well-behaved inmates only serve a third of their sentences. It would include sex offenders who had agreed to chemical castration. On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson speaks to political correspondent Liz Bates about what is in the plans and what the political ramifications may be for Labour. Plus, Professor Belinda Winder, who has been evaluating the government's chemical castration pilot, explains what the process involves and how effective it is.
Sky News
16-05-2025
- Health
- Sky News
Politics latest: MPs debating major changes to 'emotive' assisted dying bill
09:44:27 What are MPs debating first? The Speaker announced that he has selected New Clause 10 for debate first, which has been tabled by Kim Leadbeater, who has proposed the assisted dying legislation. The clause "expands the protection" in the bill for medical practitioners to make clear that they have "no obligation" to do anything under the act - i.e. administer an assisted death. It also provides legal protections for medical professionals to ensure they are not subject to any kind of punishment for refusing to carry out an assisted death. 09:34:15 Watch live: Commons debates amendments to assisted dying bill The controversial assisted dying bill is back in the Commons today, with MPs due to spend five hours discussing it. Today's debate is about proposed changes to the legislation after weeks of work in the committee stage, examining the bill and its impact line-by-line. We expect the bill's proposer, Kim Leadbeater MP, to open the debate, and MPs from across the House will have their say. This is not a make-or-break moment for the bill - it will return to the Commons next month. But we will get a very good idea about if, after months of debate, MPs are still inclined to pass the legislation and put this fundamental change into law. Our political correspondent Liz Bates explains more of the process, and what is at stake today: You can watch the debate live in the stream at the top of this page (refresh the page if you can't see it), and we'll bring you all the key updates here in the Politics Hub. 09:27:01 Electoral Dysfunction: What was behind Starmer's 'Enoch Powell' moment? Another week, another sticky situation for the prime minister and some of his MPs - this time it's centred around his language on immigration. When Sir Keir Starmer announced his White Paper, he argued that Britain "risked becoming an island of strangers" if immigration levels were not cut. So was he intentionally evoking Enoch Powell's infamous 1968 Rivers Of Blood speech? Or was this a big mistake? Also, with the Assisted Dying Bill back in parliament this week, Beth Rigby, Ruth Davidson and Harriet Harman go on a tour of the British Isles to look at how different parliaments are approaching their legislation. If MPs in Westminster vote their bill down, could it stop it in its tracks in Holyrood too? Come and join us live on Tuesday 20 May at Cadogan Hall in London, tickets available now: Remember you can also watch us on YouTube! 09:17:07 Tory MP even more opposed to the assisted dying bill after committee process Tory shadow Home Office minister Katie Lam has told Sky's Anna Jones that not only does she remain opposed to the assisted dying bill - she is even more convinced that it should not go through. She said: "I voted against the first time round because I didn't think that the process and the procedure had been properly thought through. "The suggestion previously when it came to the Commons before was that a High Court judge would oversee the process. The courts have essentially said there aren't enough judges to do that. "And one of the changes that's been made in committee is it's now going to be a panel of people, one of whom is a psychiatrist. And the Royal College of Psychiatrists has said that that's unworkable as well. "So I think, unfortunately, if anything, I've become much less reassured than I was last time that it will be possible to do this safely." Lam also rejected an argument by Dame Esther Rantzen, who appeared to say in a letter to MPs that many opponents have undeclared religious beliefs that mean they will be opposed to the bill no matter what. She said: "I don't totally understand it. I mean, in my case, I don't have undeclared religious beliefs. I have declared religious beliefs. I'm a Christian myself, but I don't really think that it's about that. "I think one of the dangers with something like this is that we think too much about individual cases, and that's not really what the law is for. "What the law and legislation is for is to balance all of the different challenges and pressures in public goods and public harms, and to come up with the outcome that we think is best for most people most of the time, and best for the country." 09:06:17 Starmer's return hubs plan is 'just theatre', says Tory shadow minister We've just been speaking with shadow Home Office minister Katie Lam, and we started by asking if the Tories back the government's plan to send failed asylum seekers to return hubs in third countries. She told Sky's Anna Jones: "There isn't yet a plan. He hasn't found a country that will work with him to do what he's talking about. "I very much welcome the government, I think, understanding that they need to secure the border. But unfortunately, at the moment what we're seeing is just theatre. There is no concrete suggestion and there is no concrete plan." The problem the Tories have with it is that it gives the opportunity for illegal arrivals to claim asylum and go through the whole process before being deported, rather than the Rwanda's plan's aim, which was to immediately deport any illegal arrivals to deter them from coming in the first place. "I would argue that anybody who comes here illegally has no right to stay," Lam said. "That's what the legislation that the Conservatives passed said. Unfortunately, the government has reneged on that." She also said Starmer's plan could "very possibly" run into legal difficulties, as the Rwanda plan did - but more to the point, she argued that it is "not going to stop this terrible problem that we have of people pouring over the Channel". "The only way to stop people coming over the Channel, to stop needing to put them up in hotels, and to buy housing for these asylum seekers to live in who have arrived here illegally, is to remove them on arrival," she argued. 08:40:24 An embarrassment for Starmer on migrant return hubs? Sir Keir Starmer used his first visit to Albania to announce the UK is keen to set up "return hubs" to deport migrants. Formal discussions are under way, he said, with various countries. We don't know which these are, but we know which aren't keen - rather awkwardly, Albania. Their prime minister, Edi Rama, said he remained "loyal" to their "marriage" with Italy - relations with other countries are "simply love". The Conservatives say the trip is therefore an embarrassment for Sir Keir. His team say this was never on the agenda for this trip, which is about joint policing and intelligence sharing. So what actually happened, and was it an embarrassing moment for the PM? 08:14:18 Education secretary refuses to say she'll be able to avert strike action by teachers Education unions are talking seriously about taking strike action if the government does not give teachers a pay rise that matches the recommendation from the Independent Pay Review Body, and Sky's Anna Jones asks the education secretary if she is confident to be able to secure the funding to see off the strikes. Bridget Phillipson replied: "Well, strikes would be in no one's interest, least of all children who've already, as I've said, missed out on a terrible amount. And the last thing we would want would be further disruption to their education. "We are investing more in our schools. And my message would be that we're making that investment happen. We're delivering better life chances for children. The union should work with us in that endeavour." She refused to say that she was confident there will not be strikes in schools, saying just that it "would be the last thing parents want, the last thing that I would want". "And I would urge those considering it to think really seriously about the impact that would have on children's wellbeing, on their attendance at school," she added. 07:51:26 Albania was 'never' part of return hubs talks, minister insists Sir Keir Starmer said yesterday that the UK is in talks with "a number of countries" about sending failed asylum seekers to return hubs in third countries. Sky's Anna Jones asked Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson how they are going to work, and she explained that they would be for "those who've had their cases processed where they haven't got the right to be here in the UK, but where there will be difficulties in returning them to the country from which they've come". Watch: Are return hubs the new Rwanda plan? At the same news conference where the PM confirmed the talks, his Albanian counterpart said his country would not host any hubs - but Phillipson said she wants to be "clear" that discussions with Albania were "never" under way. "The prime minister was there yesterday meeting with the Albanian government to talk about what further action we can take together to crack down on the organised gangs that exploit human misery," she said, adding that they have "made real progress". Anna put to Phillipson that, if Albania was "never" part of any discussions, it was a bit of a daft decision to announce that talks were under way about return hubs while there, but she denied that, saying there was "never any intention to have that discussion with the Albanian prime minister or the government". She said people are "over-reading" the situation, and Albania is "not a country that we were considering asking to engage in discussions" about this - but declined to say who the government is talking to. Return hubs will be "one of a number of measures" to tackle illegal migration. 07:34:45 'I haven't changed my mind on assisted dying bill', education secretary tells Sky News We've just been speaking to the education secretary, who voted against the assisted dying bill when it was first debated in the Commons last year. Sky's Anna Jones asked her if she has changed her mind in recent months after the bill was amended in committee. Bridget Phillipson replied: "No, I haven't changed my mind." She stressed that this is a matter for parliament, not the government, which is remaining neutral, and said MPs on all sides of the debate "have thought really hard about the position they're taking". Asked what she is most concerned about, she said she has a "longstanding position that has not changed", and declined to answer because she is a government minister. She went on: "This is a sensitive and difficult issue, and I know that everyone is motivated by seeking to do what they believe is the right thing by the country and by the people that they represent. That's the approach I take. "I know colleagues who have a different opinion on this topic also come at it with good intention." 07:14:35 Man due in court on charges related to fires linked to the PM A 21-year-old man has been charged with three counts of arson with intent to endanger life after fires at two properties and a car linked to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Roman Lavrynovych, a Ukrainian national from Sydenham, southeast London, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday, the Metropolitan Police said. The force said officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command led the investigation because of the connections to the prime minister. Emergency services were called to a fire in the early hours of Monday at a house in Kentish Town, north London, where Sir Keir lived with his family before becoming prime minister. Damage was caused to the property's entrance but nobody was hurt. A car was also set alight in the same street last Thursday. There was another blaze at the front door of a house converted into flats in Islington, also linked to the prime minister, on Sunday. One person was taken to safety via an internal staircase by crews wearing breathing apparatus, London Fire Brigade said. The head of the Crown Prosecution Service counter terrorism division, Bethan David, said: "These charges relate to two fires at residential addresses in Islington on Sunday May 11 and in Kentish Town on Monday May 12, as well as a car fire in Kentish Town on Thursday May 8. "The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against this defendant are now active and that he has the right to a fair trial."
Sky News
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Reform flirts with loyal Labour voters – is it a winning strategy?
👉 Listen to Sky News Daily on your podcast app 👈 Reform is flirting with traditional Labour support - workers and union members. Ten local authorities are now controlled by Reform - including Doncaster, taken from Labour - plus three mayoralties and a new MP. After Nigel Farage's success in local elections last week, is this the strategy to take him all the way to Downing Street? Niall Paterson is joined by our political correspondent, Liz Bates, and reporter Alexandra Rogers, to unpick what Reform's flirtations mean for Labour.
