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3 years ago

Sturgeon did not break ministerial code in Salmond probe, independent inquiry finds

Follow all the updates from Holyrood, Westminster and beyond

Sam Hancock,Zoe Tidman,Matt Mathers
Monday 22 March 2021 16:43 EDT
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Today's daily politics briefing

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Nicola Sturgeon did not breach the ministerial code in her handling of allegations against her predecessor Alex Salmond, an independent inquiry found.

An investigation published by former public prosecutor James Hamilton on Monday afternoon cleared the first minister of breaching the code and misleading parliament in relation to meetings she had with Mr Salmond and others in 2018.

Responding to the release of the report, the first minister said she welcomed the "comprehensive, evidence-based and unequivocal" conclusions of the report, adding: "I sought at every stage in this issue to act with integrity and in the public interest."

Elsewhere, the UK announced sanctions against four Chinese officials accused of atrocities committed against Uighur Muslims, in coordinated action with the EU and US.

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said the individuals would face an asset freeze and a travel ban – with the public and companies also expected to be barred from providing them with financial assistance.

Earlier on Monday, Boris Johnson condemned scenes from a Bristol as “absolutely unacceptable” after violence broke out in the city during a protest against the government’s proposed policing bill. Twenty officers were injured in the demonstration, which saw a police station attacked and marked police cars set on fire.

3 years ago

Scottish Greens withdraw support for no confidence vote in Sturgeon

A planned no confidence vote in Nicola Sturgeon on Tuesday is likely to fail after the Scottish Greens said they will not support it.

The party’s co-leader Patrick Harvie MSP was responding to the James Hamilton report into whether Nicola Sturgeon broke the ministerial code.

He said: “Mr Hamilton has clearly concluded that the first minister did not breach the ministerial code, so we will not support the vote of no confidence being pushed by the Tories.

“In lodging a vote of no confidence before this report was published, just as they called for the first minister’s resignation before she even gave evidence to the parliamentary committee, the Tories have shown that they have no interest in establishing the truth.

“This entire saga should have been about examining a process that let down women and ensuring that was never repeated.”

He added that members of the parliamentary committee into the Scottish government’s handling of complaints about Alex Salmond had “shown utter contempt for the women involved, and for the rules of the Scottish Parliament, by leaking confidential evidence and their own conclusions”.

He said: “If anyone’s resignation is still needed, it is these MSPs who should step down now, and who should not be candidates for re-election in May.”

PA

Matt Mathers22 March 2021 17:14
3 years ago

Tory MP asks BBC director general why no union jacks feature in corporation’s annual report

A Conservative MP has asked why the BBC’s annual report does not feature any images of the union jack.

My colleague Liam James reports:

Matt Mathers22 March 2021 17:28
3 years ago

‘Just bomb Bristol,' says Tory candidate for Eastbourne council

A Tory candidate for Eastbourne Council has come under fire after tweeting “just bomb Bristol” as he lashed out at last night's protests against the government's controversial policing bill.

Stephen Halbhuber made the comments in response to a video showing a number of people painting graffiti on a building and throwing objects into a crowd watching below.

Several Twitter users hit out at Mr Halbhuber's comments.

One said: Local council candidate calling for people to be bombed? Disgraceful behaviour. You can't even been [sic] trusted with a Twitter account, let alone a council state. Utterly disgraceful behaviour."

Another said: "As a Conservative candidate, this is a very inappropriate tweet. @pritipatel do you support prospective councillors making these suggestions?"

Bristol and South Gloucestershire Conservatives have yet to respond to Mr Halbhuber's remarks.

Matt Mathers22 March 2021 18:23
3 years ago

Hartlepool by-election candidate demands action on tackling violence against women and girls

A Women’s Equality Party (WEP) candidate will run in the upcoming Hartlepool by-election “to demand action” from other parties to tackle violence against women and girls.

My colleague Zoe Tidman reports:

Hartlepool by-election candidate to demand action on tackling violence against women and girls

Exclusive: Gemma Evans says she will step down if Labour agrees to policy demands
Matt Mathers22 March 2021 18:45
3 years ago

Defence review sees a leaner, nimbler but hi-tech future for British forces

“Britain’s long-awaited defence review — described as the most significant since the Cold War — sees a smaller, nimbler military that can tackle modern roles such as protecting undersea cables or combat weaponised satellites in space,” writes our defence editor, Kim Sengupta.

Read his full analysis piece here:

Britain’s new defence review explained

The UK will increase its stockpile of nuclear warheads by 40 per cent
Matt Mathers22 March 2021 19:00
3 years ago

Bristol rioters 'should be prosecuted', Starmer says

Rioters who attacked police and vandalised property in Bristol during protests against the government's crime bill should be prosecuted, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

Thousands of people took to the streets of Bristol city centre on Sunday to demonstrate against the controversial legislation, which would give police more powers to crack down on non-violent protests.

The “Kill the Bill” march began peacefully but descended into violence as rioters attacked a police station, set fire to marked police cars and injured officers.

In an interview with The Independent’s Nadine White, Labour leader Sir Keir defended people's right to protest but described Sunday night's scenes as “shocking” and “unacceptable”, and called for the perpetrators to be prosecuted.

He said: “What we saw last night in Bristol was just shocking. People setting light to police vans, smashing the windows of police stations and throwing missiles at the police.

“It was completely unacceptable, incapable of justification. The police are now trying to identify the perpetrators and when they’ve done that, they should face prosecution if that’s the appropriate thing to do."

The former director of public prosecutions added: “The bill has got all sorts of flaws but there is nothing that links the flaws in the bill and the violence we saw last night.”

Matt Mathers22 March 2021 19:18
3 years ago

MP complains of being ‘bombarded’ by China on social media over Uighur report

China has been accused of “bombarding” an MP with intimidating messages on social media after a parliamentary committee on which she serves issued a critical report on Beijing’s treatment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.

Our politics editor Andrew Woodcock reports:

MP complains of being ‘bombarded’ by China on social media over Uighur report

Minister says intimidatory tweets are ‘totally unacceptable’
Matt Mathers22 March 2021 20:00

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