Latest news with #SirEdwardLeigh
Telegraph
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
The Daily T: Lowe – 'Farage is leading a cult, I might start my own party'
As the row inside Reform rumbles on, Camilla speaks to the man behind the headlines: Rupert Lowe. In the wake of his blistering attack on his former ally Nigel Farage, Lowe tells The Daily T the Reform leader is 'running a cult' and a 'narcissist'. He also says he might start a new party to the right of Reform, calling for 'a satisfactory alternative' that is 'more than just a mobile PR machine'. Elsewhere, we also bring you part two of The Daily T's interview with veteran Tory MP and father of the house Sir Edward Leigh, who's leading the charge against Kim Leadbeater's Assisted Dying (Terminally Ill Adults) Bill. MPs will debate and vote on amendments to the bill on Friday, which would legalise assisted dying in England and Wales if it's passed later this summer. Sir Edward explains why he has joined forces with Labour grandee Diane Abbott in an attempt to halt the Bill's progress.
BBC News
09-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Conservatives made 'catastrophic error' on immigration, MP says
The Conservatives must be as "robust" as Reform UK on immigration, a senior Tory MP has Edward Leigh, the long-serving MP for Gainsborough, described last week's local election results as "catastrophic" for his Dame Andrea Jenkyns became the first mayor of Greater Lincolnshire following the vote on 1 May, while the party also took control of Lincolnshire County Council from the when asked if he would consider joining Reform, Sir Edward said that although he agreed with "most, if not all" of their policies, he would not be swapping parties. In an appearance on The Hot Seat, on BBC Radio Lincolnshire, Sir Edward said he had spoken to Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch to ask for stronger policies on illegal immigration. He said his party had failed in its pledge to prevent migrants from crossing the Channel in small boats and described it as a "catastrophic error". Sir Edward said: "You've got to say that if you try and enter this country illegally, then you've got to be arrested and deported."We've got to have as tough a line as Reform."He also expressed concerns about the extent of legal migration allowed when the Conservatives were in government."We felt to keep the NHS going we had to allow all these quite low-paid care workers to come in from all over the world, so there was a reason for it," he said."But of course it got totally out of control." 'We're being punished' Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed net migration – the number of people coming to the UK, minus the number leaving – reached a record high of 906,000 in the 12 months to June 2023, then fell to 728,000 in the year to June to the figures, about 8% of migrants who were non-EU nationals claimed asylum in the 12 months to June 2024.. Sir Edward added: "We did it, we are now being blamed, we are being punished, quite rightly in my view." Following her election victory, Dame Andrea called for migrants to be housed in tents instead of while Sir Edward said his party needed to be tougher on immigration, he said: "I don't think the answer is putting them in tents."I've got nothing against any migrant. These are desperate people, poor people, impoverished people, suffering under horrible regimes."The Conservatives have proposed measures including the introduction of an annual cap on migration and doubling the residency requirement for indefinite leave to remain in the UK from five to 10 party also wants to "disapply" the Human Rights Act from immigration-related matters, to prevent people challenging deportations in court. 'Fear of change' Speaking about the NHS, Sir Edward said he favoured the French healthcare system of social insurance – a system that reimburses a significant portion of healthcare costs. He said leading politicians were "terrified" of changing the way the NHS was funded and called for an open debate. Reform has said it would boost private healthcare and insurance by bringing in 20% tax relief for the sector. It claimed this would relieve pressure on the NHS, provide competition and reduce on BBC Question Time in May last year, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the NHS was not working any more and required a fundamental rethink of funding and when asked by presenter Sean Dunderdale why he would not be joining Farage, Sir Edward – who holds the honorary title of father of the House of Commons – said he wanted to persuade the Conservatives to move in his direction."I believe that I should stay in the Conservative party, be loyal to the people who have voted for me in 11 general elections, and persuade the party to my point of view," he said."I am persuading them and we are moving the direction that people want to move on issues such as immigration, so I'm going to stay a Conservative."The government is due to release a white paper setting out its plans to reduce migration in the coming Conservative party has been contacted for comment. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
The Independent
08-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
English voters face ‘democratic deficit' without devolved parliament
English voters who do not have a devolved national parliament face a 'democratic deficit', a Conservative MP has warned. Andrew Rosindell described himself as a 'strong supporter' of the UK Parliament in Westminster but told the Commons that English people suffer with a 'rather diminished democratic voice'. Unlike Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, where some decisions are taken by lawmakers in Stormont, Holyrood and Cardiff Bay, England does not have a devolved national assembly. Mr Rosindell told MPs that after the devolution process in the late 1990s, 'for the first time in centuries, the unifying lynchpin of these islands – the crown in Parliament – seemed to have been wrenched out of place'.Speaking in a debate about English Affairs, the Conservative MP later added: 'What must in any case be acknowledged is that England, the most populous region with the biggest economy, is the only home nation not to have her own devolved parliament. 'This has created a democratic deficit in which the proud people of England, such as those in my constituency of Romford, Essex, are left with a rich cultural heritage, as I've outlined earlier, and without a fully developed but rather diminished democratic voice.' Father of the House Sir Edward Leigh, the Conservative MP for Gainsborough, urged Mr Rosindell to 'please spare us another parliament'. The Romford MP replied that he was a 'very strong supporter of this Parliament and of this United Kingdom', added he 'would have most certainly not voted to break up our United Kingdom in the way that we have done', and said he would 'love to see' the London Assembly abolished in the capital. Liberal Democrat Scotland spokeswoman Christine Jardine intervened and said: 'What we did was devolve some of the power closer to the people so that they felt more represented, not in an attempt to break up the country, but – as a member of the party who was instrumental with the Labour Party in achieving it – so that we held the country together but gave people the feeling of being closer to where decisions were made.' Mr Rosindell replied that he thought 'all members of Parliament should be equal and elected representatives should be equal, but if you make different types of elected representation at different levels, it obviously means that English MPs have a different role than Scottish MPs, because they have Members of the Scottish Parliament in Scotland, which have another role'. Labour MP Adam Jogee, who opened the debate, had earlier said: 'We must work to ensure that people across England, and indeed all those across the United Kingdom, continue to feel pride in our flag and in our communities, and feel hope for the future and respect for our past.' The Newcastle-under-Lyme MP added that 'any talk about love for flag and country must be matched by an investment in the people who make them what they are – investment in our national health service, in our education and employment support services, in our arts and culture, and in our villages, towns and cities'. Communities minister Rushanara Ali said St George's day was an opportunity to 'fight against the forces of division' that present the English identity as 'an exclusive identity, that is a white only identity'. Mr Rosindell intervened and asked: 'Would the Government consider St George's Day to become a public holiday in England?' Ms Ali replied that she could not 'respond with a positive answer right now'. She added: 'We must inspire the next generation to carry forward the best of England through education, opportunity and the belief that no matter who you are or where you come from, you belong and you can help shape this country's future.'
