Latest news with #UpperChamber
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
JD Vance accused of 'insulting' memories of British soldiers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan
US Vice President JD Vance has been accused of 'insulting' the memories of British troops who died in Iraq and Afghanistan fighting alongside US soldiers. Former British defence minister Lord Beamish criticised Mr Vance, who was pushing the idea of a deal to let America gain access to Ukraine's mineral wealth, after he belittled a planned peace-keeping force for the war-torn country to be led by the UK and France. 'If you want real security guarantees, if you want to actually ensure that Vladimir Putin does not invade Ukraine again, the very best security guarantee is to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine,' Mr Vance told Fox News. See also: 'America's Hitler?' How JD Vance spoke about Trump before he became Vice President 'That is a way better security guarantee than 20,000 troops from some random country that has not fought a war in 30 or 40 years.' But Kevan Jones, who was North Durham MP before being elevated to the Upper Chamber as Lord Beamish, condemned the remark. He told The Standard: 'This type of talk isn't helpful and will be insulting and very hurtful to the memories of those who died and still suffer today from injuries from Iraq and Afghanistan and who fought alongside American forces.' Liberal Democrat defence spokesperson Helen Maguire, a former Captain in the Royal Military Police who served in Iraq, said: "JD Vance is erasing from history the hundreds of British troops who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.' She added: 'I saw firsthand how American and British soldiers fought bravely together shoulder to shoulder. 'Six of my own regiment, the Royal Military Police, didn't return home from Iraq. This is a sinister attempt to deny that reality.' More than 450 British armed forces personnel died in Afghanistan over the 20 years since the US-led invasion after the 2001 September 11 terror attacks on America. It is the only time that Nato's Article V mutual defence agreement has been evoked. Military experts have now raised doubts over whether Trump is committed to Article V given his rapprochement with Vladimir Putin and refusal so far to offer a security guarantee 'backstop' to a peace-keeping force in Ukraine. More than 2,200 US military personnel were killed in Afghanistan. The UK lost 179 servicemen and women during the Iraq War, during which more than 4,400 American service personnel also died. Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty, who fought in Afghanistan and Iraq, said: 'The disrespect shown by the new US vice president to the sacrifices of our service personnel is unacceptable.' Later on Tuesday, Mr Vance claimed it was 'absurdly dishonest' to suggest he had been referring to either Britain or France. 'I don't even mention the UK or France in the clip, both of whom have fought bravely alongside the US over the last 20 years, and beyond,' he said. No10 refused to be drawn on whether the Prime Minister had found the comments insulting or disrespectful. Sir Keir Starmer has committed British troops and planes for a peace-keeping mission in Ukraine if Putin's three-year war ends. But hopes of a deal were dealt a fresh blow as Donald Trump paused military aid for Ukraine, in a move which will weaken Kyiv's negotiating position. Trump's decision came after an astonishing clash between him and Mr Vance against Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House's Oval Office last week. Mr Vance launched a fresh attack on Mr Zelensky, accusing him of 'needling' Trump and having a 'certain sense of entitlement' as the US President paused aid to Ukraine. Sitting down with Fox News' Sean Hannity early on Tuesday, Mr Vance said: 'He showed a clear unwillingness to engage in the peace process that President Trump said is the policy.' Mr Zelensky has stressed he wants a peace deal but insists a US security guarantee is needed to stop another attack by Putin. Mr Vance also used the interview as an opportunity to criticise Europe's approach to free speech, saying governments wanted to 'silence and shut down' free speech in response to criticism over immigration. Mr Vance has himself warned Mr Zelensky against 'badmouthing' Trump.
Telegraph
02-03-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Starmer accused of ‘stuffing' House of Lords with allies before axing hereditary peers
Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of 'stuffing' the House of Lords with his allies at the same time as attempting to abolish hereditary peers. The Prime Minister has appointed the most life peers to his party's benches in his first 200 days than any other leader in the last 30 years, apart from David Cameron. Sir Keir has created 37 Labour life peers in that time, compared to 35 by Sir Tony Blair, 10 by Boris Johnson and 13 by Baroness May. The Prime Minister made more party peerages in his first 200 days than Baroness May, Mr Johnson and Rishi Sunak in their first 200 days combined. It comes ahead of the Hereditary Peers Bill, which will abolish all the remaining hereditary peers from the Upper Chamber, returning to the House of Lords for scrutiny on Monday. The legislation will see 45 Tories booted out of the House of Lords, along with 33 crossbenchers and just four Labour peers. Meanwhile, Sir Keir has appointed several ex-union officials and long-standing allies from his time at Camden council to the Upper Chamber, as well as ex-MPs. Critics have claimed that ridding the Upper Chamber of so many Conservatives while adding several Labour peers shows Sir Keir's move is 'nothing to do with reform'. Lord Strathclyde, a Conservative hereditary peer and former Lords leader, said: 'It is a simple partisan act to remove his opponents while stuffing the place with his friends. That's what it's all about.' He added: 'It is the same old Labour nonsense on class war. 'Get the old hereditary peers out whom we don't like and replace them with our chums that we do.'' Lord Mancroft, fellow Conservative hereditary peer, said: 'It's staggering. It's not a route to democracy. It's constitutional abuse. 'We've spent hundreds of years slowly and carefully and painfully constructing our constitution, and these politicians just want to break it.' A Labour source called criticisms over Sir Keir's appointments 'desperate stuff from those yet to reconcile themselves with the fact that Labour is completing the job we started 25 years ago of removing hereditary peers from the Lords'. They added that even without the hereditary peers on their benches, the Tories would remain the largest party in the Upper Chamber. Among those who have been put into the House of Lords by Sir Keir since taking office, including Brendan Barber, Mary Bousted and Kay Carberry, former trade union bosses. Mike Katz, a former Camden councillor from the Prime Minister's time in politics in the borough, has also been appointed. They join Sue Gray, Sir Keir's former chief of staff, and Thangam Debbonaire, ex-shadow minister, in the House of Lords. Ms Debbonaire, the former shadow culture secretary, lost her seat in Bristol West to the Green Party in 2024. Individuals are nominated to the House of Lords for their contribution to society and public and political service. All appointments are vetted by the House of Lords Appointments Commission. Over 100 amendments have been tabled to the five-clause Hereditary Peers Bill, which is scheduled for four days of debate in the House of Lords but is expected to take longer than expected. Critics of the Bill have been accused of delaying tactics to try and scupper Labour's plans to immediately rid the House of Lords of all its hereditary peers, but the Tories have denied the claims.
Telegraph
01-03-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Lords complain about crumbling scones and mouse-infested buffets in Parliament
Food in the House of Lords is worse than 'in any garden centre' and is worse value for money than Greggs, customers have complained. Patrons of the dining facilities in the Upper Chamber have claimed that the offerings are not healthy enough, and one customer said they saw a mouse among the food. Complaints lodged to the River restaurant and other facilities in the Houses of Parliament, often frequented by peers, have also expressed dissatisfaction at the prices of the meals on offer. A Freedom of Information (FOI) request revealed a number of written submissions to the parliamentary authorities about the House of Lords dining facilities. After using catering services for an event they hosted in January 2024, one complainant wrote: 'Several of our guests have been in touch to express their concern over a mouse which made an appearance in the middle of the event. One has sent a video which I've attached. 'Unfortunately the mouse was crawling amongst and in some instances, directly in the food items which served as a major deterrent from our guests enjoying the catering.' Another complaint from September 2024 said of the House of Lords restaurant: 'To be honest, the food was not good, probably worse than those in any garden centre. 'I asked for some tap water but it never came. The scones crumbled very easily. The cucumber finger sandwiches were particularly unpleasant. Deserts look bad and taste bad.' A survey conducted by the parliamentary estate also received comments about the House of Lords food, including requests to increase 'the healthiness of the general food provision', and adding that the facilities 'need serious attention'. Canteens across the parliamentary estate are in part funded by the taxpayer, which means that the price of meals and beverages is cheaper than average London restaurant prices. But one customer of the River restaurant, the clientele of which can also include MPs and other staff working on the estate, complained about rising prices. 'Prices have now gone up to such a degrees [sic] that the supermarkets near Westminster and shops such as Greggs are far cheaper and far better value for things such as sandwiches, yogurts, drinks and confectionery, ' they said. Peers can claim up to £360 per House of Lords sitting day in allowance for expenses incurred while performing their duties, as well as some travel expenses. A spokesman for the House of Lords said: 'The catering service provides refreshment services to meet the needs of a working House. This includes supporting the regular late sittings of the House and unpredictable working hours. 'There were seven complaints about catering made in 2024, a relatively low number for a service that provided more than 150,000 meals in the same period to members, staff, political journalists and external visitors. 'The House of Lords take compliance with food hygiene regulations (including the labelling of allergens) very seriously and have regular independent audits to support our working practices. We currently hold a maximum rating of 5 from Westminster City Council's food hygiene rating.'
Fox News
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Senate advances nomination of Kash Patel, Trump's pick for FBI director
The Senate voted Tuesday along party lines to advance the nomination of Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's pick for FBI director, clearing a procedural hurdle to set up a final vote on the controversial Trump ally to lead the federal law enforcement agency. Lawmakers in the Upper Chamber voted 48-45 to advance Patel's nomination, as Democrats hold concerns that he would operate as a loyalist for the president and target the administration's political enemies. This sets up a final confirmation vote later in the week. Some of Trump's other more controversial picks — including new Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — have received enough support from Republican lawmakers seeking to fall in line to push the president's agenda. A former intelligence and Defense Department official in Trump's first term, Patel has supported reshaping the FBI, including by expanding its role to carry out Trump's mission targeting immigration. He has been a vocal critic of past FBI investigations into Trump, including on Trump's mishandling of classified documents, his attempts to overturn the 2020 election and debunked allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Patel has been panned for his lack of management experience compared to past FBI directors and for his many incendiary past statements, including calling investigators who probed Trump "government gangsters" and claiming that at least some defendants charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot were "political prisoners." Democrats have also criticized Patel for supporting false claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election and his refusal to affirm that former President Joe Biden defeated Trump in that year's election. But Patel has still received support from many Republicans, including moderates. "I've spoken to multiple people I respect about Kash Patel this weekend—both for and against. The ones who worked closely with Kash vouched for him. I will vote for his confirmation," Louisiana GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy said Tuesday on X. Patel said at his confirmation hearing last month that Democrats were taking some of his comments out of context or misunderstanding his point, including when he proposed shutting down the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. and turning it into a museum for the "deep state." Patel also denied the accusation that his book's inclusion of a list of government officials who he claimed were part of the "deep state" constituted an "enemies list," pushing back on that allegation as a "total mischaracterization." The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines last week to advance his nomination to the full Senate.
