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Penny Mordaunt rubbishes talk of challenging Sunak

On Wednesday, the Prime Minister issued a call to arms to Tory MPs at a closed-doors meeting in Parliament following speculation of a backbench plot to oust him…reports Asian Lite News

Penny Mordaunt has said talk of her challenging Rishi Sunak’s leadership is “nonsense” after speculation about Tory plots against him.

The Commons Leader insisted she was “focused on doing her current job” and branded the rumours “bollocks”. The Prime Minister earlier this week battled to assert his authority in an address to the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee following ongoing disquiet over his position.

Tory rebels are said to have talked up the prospect of Ms Mordaunt as a “unity” leadership candidate who could bridge divides between the Tory right and moderates.

But speaking to BBC Politics South, the Commons Leader said: “This is nonsense, although that’s not the adjective I used in the green room, and I think the public are fed up of this story.”

Asked if she had now missed her chance to be prime minister, the MP for Portsmouth North replied: “I have put my hat in the ring, and I’m not prime minister. I’m leader of the House of Commons. I’m doing my job and encouraging others to get on with theirs.” Mordaunt, who came third behind Sunak in the leadership contest won by Liz Truss in 2022, added that he was now in “full campaign mode” and “does pass the battle bus test”.

On Wednesday, the Prime Minister issued a call to arms to Tory MPs at a closed-doors meeting in Parliament following speculation of a backbench plot to oust him.

Conservative backbenchers filing out of the session after his rallying speech sought to stress broad support for the leader and dismiss reports of dissent amid dire poll ratings.

However, it is understood Sunak was challenged by former party chairman Sir Jake Berry at the meeting over media briefings against him which he alleged had originated from No 10.

Sir Jake stressed he had not submitted a letter of no confidence in the Prime Minister but said he had raised the issue with the whips and received no reply.

Government figures have denied the Conservatives are deeply divided but suggested there are “one or two” plotters seeking to split the party.

ALSO READ-Tories will commit to pensions triple lock, says Hunt

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Obama ‘drops in’ for informal meet with Sunak

The prime minister’s official spokesperson said Obama had made “an informal courtesy drop-in as part of his trip to London”…reports Asian Lite News

Barack Obama has held talks with Rishi Sunak as the former US president paid a “courtesy visit” to Downing Street during a trip to London.

The pair are understood to have discussed a range of subjects during an hour-long meeting, including one of the prime minister’s favourite topics, artificial intelligence.

Obama, who served two terms in the White House from 2009 to 2017 before he was succeeded by Donald Trump, was in London as part of work with his Obama Foundation, which oversees a scholarship programme and other initiatives.

The prime minister’s official spokesperson said Obama had made “an informal courtesy drop-in as part of his trip to London”.

He added: “I think President Obama’s team made contact and obviously the prime minister was very happy to meet with him and discuss the work of the Obama Foundation.”

The two held what were understood to be largely one-to-one discussions in the prime minister’s study. Obama briefly paused at the door of No 10 to wave to the cameras but no photos were released from what Downing Street said was a private meeting.

As Obama left Downing Street in the company of the US ambassador to the UK, Jane D Hartley, he was asked by the media for his opinion on the state of Russian democracy and replied: “I’m tempted!”

The former president later met the Labour leader, Keir Starmer. Obama previously visited Downing Street in April 2016 when David Cameron was prime minister.

Lord Cameron, the foreign secretary, is understood not to have been present at Monday’s discussions. Despite early suggestions of a “bromance” when both men were in power, their public utterances about each other have been mixed.

Obama suggested in 2016 that Cameron was distracted by domestic priorities as Libya descended into a “mess”. He also said he warned his British counterpart that the “special relationship” would be at risk if the UK did not commit to spending 2% of national income on defence, in line with Nato targets.

Cameron was withering of Obama in his autobiography, accusing him of “dithering” on Libya and of being “clearly frustrated he had been sucked in”.

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Sunak rules out polls on May 2

There had been feverish speculation in Westminster that Sunak was preparing to dissolve parliament before the end of March and announce a general election for May 2…reports Asian Lite News

Rishi Sunak has ruled out holding a general election on 2 May, when voters are to go to the polls in local elections.

Asked by ITV News West Country whether he was preparing to call a snap election to coincide with the local elections, the prime minister said: “There won’t be a general election on that day.”

There had been feverish speculation in Westminster that Sunak was preparing to dissolve parliament before the end of March and announce a general election for May 2.

Before this week Sunak repeatedly refused to rule out the possibility, even though he said in January his “working assumption” was there would be an election in the second half of the year.

He said on Thursday: “In several weeks’ time we’ve got elections for police and crime commissioners, for local councils, for mayors across the country – they’re important elections.”

‘We’re stuffed’: have Conservatives given up on winning the next general election? Asked whether there would be a general election on the same day, he said: “There won’t be an election on that day.”

He did not rule out an early election in the spring or summer more broadly. Labour has talked up the prospect of a snap election this spring. Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow paymaster general, made a £10 bet live on Sky News that the election would take place in May.

Some Labour and Conservative figures think an early election would largely avoid fallout from a potentially bruising set of local elections and a difficult summer when small boat crossings across the Channel could damage the Tories’ record on immigration further.

Isaac Levido, who is running the Conservatives’ election campaign, wants it to be focused on the government’s record of delivery. Tory strategists believe that by waiting until later in the year Sunak will have more to show from his time in No 10 and the economic picture will have improved.

Pat McFadden MP, Labour’s national campaign coordinator, said: “After 14 years of Tory failure, the British public have the right to expect an election to be called by 26 March and held on 2 May.

“Until the day to call it has passed, we are prepared for the election to take place on the usual day in the election cycle. Rishi Sunak should stop squatting in Downing Street and give the country what it desperately needs – a chance for change with a Labour government.”

The latest Sunak could wait to hold the election is January 2025. Insiders think Labour is talking up the prospect of an earlier election so as to accuse Sunak of cowardice should he decide against one.

This month Keir Starmer urged Sunak to call the election for 2 May. Responding to the budget, the Labour leader said: “It is time to break the habit of 14 years. Stop the dithering, stop the delay, stop the uncertainty and confirm 2 May as the date of the next general election. Because Britain deserves better and Labour are ready.”

When asked earlier on Thursday about the date of the election, the prime minister told reporters: “I said at the start of this year, my working assumption was we’d have an election in the second half of this year. And nothing has changed since I said that.”

Tories fear losing half their seats

Senior Tories are braced for a catastrophic set of local elections that will see a collapse in council seats won at the peak of the “vaccine bounce” enjoyed by Boris Johnson.

Rishi Sunak’s allies regard the results as the most dangerous moment remaining for the prime minister before the general election. While many of Sunak’s Tory critics have little appetite for removing him, some said they were asking themselves: “What is there to lose?” after a pre-election budget that has failed to increase Conservative support.

Sunak, under pressure to explain how he would pay for his pledge to abolish national insurance contributions by the end of the next parliament, has expanded on the measures in the budget by announcing that he is preparing a new benefits squeeze to fund it.

Thousands of council seats across England will be up for grabs this May, with most of them last returning councillors in 2021. At that point, Johnson’s government was enjoying a boost in popularity as a result of the Covid vaccine rollout, while Keir Starmer was on the verge of resigning after losing the Hartlepool byelection. On the morning after the results, one newspaper front page said Johnson was now eyeing a “decade in power”.

According to an Opinium poll for the Observer, the Tory share of the vote has fallen from 42% then to 25% today. The poll slump means that May’s results are likely to be dire for the Tories, with some experts predicting the party could lose as many as half of its councillors up for re-election.

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Sunak warned not to deport Afghan allies to Rwanda

Lord Carlile, a former terrorism legislation reviewer, called the amendments “just, fair and required.”…reports Asian Lite News

The government has been warned against letting Afghans who worked and fought alongside British and coalition forces be deported to Rwanda.

Members of the House of Lords are debating new legislation proposed to allow asylum-seekers who arrive in the UK illegally to be removed to the East African state for processing.

On Monday, peers rejected the government’s attempts to have Rwanda declared a safe country until certain safeguards are met.

In 2023, the UK Supreme Court ruled the Rwanda plan unlawful, but Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pressed ahead, including trying to assert that the country is safe via legislation so as not to “frustrate the will of the (British) people.”

The Lords are also discussing changes to the legislation, proposed by former Defence Secretary Lord Browne of Ladyton, to exempt Afghans with a history of service alongside UK counterparts. Peers are due to vote on the amendments on Wednesday.

The Illegal Migration Act, given assent on July 20, 2023, states that illegal migrants who entered the UK after that date must be removed, and that asylum cannot be given to anyone who entered the country illegally on or after March 7 that year.

Lord Browne’s changes would mean foreign nationals who helped the UK Armed Forces overseas in an “exposed or meaningful manner,” or were “employed by or indirectly contracted to provide services to the UK government in an exposed or meaningful manner,” would be exempt, along with their families.

Lord Carlile, a former terrorism legislation reviewer, called the amendments “just, fair and required.”

He told The Independent: “If it is put to the vote, there will be a lot of support for not sending people who worked with Britain in Afghanistan to Rwanda — provided peers are satisfied it is drawn in a way which would not allow for people to use the system illegitimately.

“Obviously, we want to help genuine Afghans who would be in real trouble if, via Rwanda, they were returned to Afghanistan.”

He added: “We have to understand that the House of Lords cannot simply wreck government legislation, we are not trying to do that. But if there is something that is just and fair and required, then we will say to the government, ‘this is not acceptable.’”

The former chief of the UK’s general staff, Gen. Lord Dannatt, has also said he supports the proposed amendments, alongside former diplomat Tim Willasey-Wilsey, who told The Independent: “It is imperative that the House of Commons should accept Lord Browne’s amendment.”

Conservative MP Julian Lewis, former chair of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee, told The Independent: “I’m very sympathetic to rescuing Afghans at risk for having helped the UK Nato/Isaf forces to fight the Taliban.

“Provided that their specific service background can be verified by our MoD (Ministry of Defence) and/or individual veterans, it ought to be possible for them to apply to come here from the first safe country they reach, and it should not be necessary for them to make a risky and illegal Channel crossing.”

ALSO READ-Economy is on the right track, claims Sunak

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Economy is on the right track, claims Sunak

With Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to deliver his pre-election Budget on Wednesday, Mr Sunak said: “I think that’s a huge vote of confidence in the UK, and it shows that the work we’re doing to get the economy on the right track is paying off…reports Asian Lite News

Rishi Sunak claimed the UK economy is getting “on the right track” as he visited the site of the former Honda car factory.

The Japanese car giant’s plant in Swindon, Wiltshire, shut in 2021 with the loss of thousands of jobs and the site was sold to developer Panattoni to turn into a logistics hub.

Addressing Panattoni staff working on the demolition and reconstruction of the site, the Prime Minister said in the last five years the firm has begun developing more than 25 million square feet of industrial space.

With Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to deliver his pre-election Budget on Wednesday, Mr Sunak said: “I think that’s a huge vote of confidence in the UK, and it shows that the work we’re doing to get the economy on the right track is paying off.

“Now, I’m determined, as Prime Minister, to make sure that the UK is the best place in the world to invest and grow a business like this.

“And that’s why we’ve been taking ambitious steps, like making full-expensing permanent, which is the biggest business tax cut in modern British history.

“It’s all about supporting businesses like this to invest in local areas and create jobs and opportunity for the future.”

On Monday, Hunt reiterated his desire to move towards a “lower tax economy” but in a “responsible” way, ruling out borrowing to pay for a pre-election giveaway. He dodged questions on whether the Tory Government is “pinching Labour’s policies” as it is thought he is considering abolishing the non-dom tax status as a way of raising revenue – a long-standing pledge made by Sir Keir Starmer’s party.

“You’ll have to see on Wednesday precisely what I’m going to announce,” the Chancellor told broacasters. “But let me be clear, there is a plan for growth compared to the Labour Party that has just had to abandon the central plan that they had for growth – this 28 billion number that one day they were supporting, the next day they were not.”

The closure of the Honda plant was announced in 2019 in the wake of Brexit – although the firm insisted that was not the reason, instead blaming unprecedented changes in the global car industry.

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Tories explore scrapping non-dom tax status

Issue personally sensitive for the prime minister, whose wife Akshata Murty previously benefited from non-dom status…reports Asian Lite News

Jeremy Hunt is considering ending or reducing “non-dom” tax breaks that allow wealthy individuals to live in the UK while their wealth is considered as residing overseas.

The measure is on a list of potential revenue raising measures being assessed ahead of next week’s budget, and could be enacted to give the chancellor room to cut universal taxes.

The move, first reported by the Financial Times, could raise more than £3bn for the exchequer and would be politically eye-catching given Hunt and successive Conservative governments have resisted calls to abandon it – arguing it makes the UK more attractive to foreign wealth creators.

It is also personally sensitive for the prime minister, whose wife Akshata Murty, daughter of the billionaire founder of the Indian software giant Infosys, previously benefited from non-dom status.

“Non-dom” is short for “non-domiciled individual” and refers specifically to the tax status of a person who is a UK resident but whose permanent home is abroad.

Non-doms only have to pay tax on money earned in the UK, while their overseas income and wealth are not subject to UK tax – and they can benefit from the status for up to 15 years.

This allows wealthy individuals to make significant and entirely legal tax savings if they choose to be domiciled for tax purposes in a lower-tax jurisdiction.

Labour has long supported ditching non-dom status and has proposed cutting the duration of benefits to just four years in a concession to what they call genuinely temporary UK residents.

That similar measures are now being considered by Hunt demonstrates both the tightness of the public finances, and the political imperatives of an election year budget.

Hunt is attempting to find money to fund personal tax cuts he and the prime minister believe are potential vote winners, but is constrained by his own fiscal rules, an arbitrary set of restraints intended to demonstrate responsible economic management.

These require that debt falls as a proportion of GDP in the fifth year of economic forecast prepared by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).

These forecasts include a figure for headroom, the amount of “spare” cash notionally available to stay within the rules, and this effectively sets the chancellor’s room for manoeuvre.

The OBR prepares multiple forecasts in the run up to a budget, the most recent of which was delivered on Wednesday with the final version due to be handed over on Friday.

Other measures reportedly under consideration are a tax on vapes and cuts to departmental spending, though many economists believe these are already inevitable on the government’s current economic plans.

Adopting a popular Labour proposal that affects only the very richest would create a little more headroom and little controversy other than the charge of hypocrisy, but it might be a headache for the Opposition, who have said they will stick to the same fiscal rules.

With one of their few distinct revenue sources already used up, Conservative strategists believe Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves would be forced to explain how they will raise money already committed to spending plans without raising the taxes Hunt hopes to cut. The Treasury declined to comment.

‘Spend money on schools, NHS’

Meanwhile, Labour has said it would spend the money generated from scrapping non-dom status on schools and the NHS. But if the government used it to fund tax cuts this would pose a dilemma for the party if it wins power in this year’s general election.

If Labour backs any tax cuts the chancellor announced, which they are expected to do, this would leave questions over how some of their spending pledges would be funded.

Labour’s shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has claimed whichever party wins the next election will inherit “the worst set of economic circumstances since the Second World War”.

She said that after former Chancellor George Osborne’s promise to “fix the roof” while the sun was shining, “the Conservatives have broken the windows, kicked the door in and now they’re burning the house down”.

This is a reference to the expectation that in next week’s Budget the chancellor will use up almost all the room for manoeuvre within his self-imposed borrowing rules.

Labour has said it will stick to the key rule that the national debt should in five year’s time fall as a share of the national economy.

The government might choose to use up most of what is known as “fiscal headroom”, and then suggest Labour would have to raise taxes.

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Sunak warns of “toxic” politics 

The row follows an article by former home secretary Suella Braverman over the weekend that claimed Islamists and extremists were taking charge in all walks of life in Britain, attacked as “extreme rhetoric” by the Opposition parties…reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has warned against a growing toxic culture in politics amid reports of members of Parliament facing security threats over their voting intentions in the House of Commons related to the Israel-Gaza conflict.

The 43-year-old British Indian leader issued a statement on Saturday to condemn the hijacking of protests on the streets of the country by extremists to glorify terrorism. It came as a report in ‘The Sunday Times’ newspaper claims that three unnamed female MPs have been sanctioned additional security after concerns about their safety.

“The explosion in prejudice and antisemitism since the Hamas attacks on the 7 October [2023] are as unacceptable as they are un-British. Simply put antisemitism is racism,” said Sunak in his statement.

“Legitimate protests hijacked by extremists to promote and glorify terrorism, elected representatives verbally threatened and physically, violently targeted and antisemitic tropes beamed onto our own Parliament building,” he said, with reference to an offensive projection on the Palace of Westminster recently.

“And in Parliament this week a very dangerous signal was sent that this sort of intimidation works. It is toxic for our society and our politics and is an affront to the liberties and values we hold dear here in Britain,” he said of the scenes of chaos in the Commons last week over a Gaza ceasefire vote.

While he did not make a reference to it specifically, his intervention came soon after the governing Conservatives suspended party MP Lee Anderson after he claimed during an interview that Pakistani-origin London Mayor Sadiq Khan was under the control of “Islamists”.

The Opposition had demanded action over the remarks, which Labour Leader Keir Starmer branded as a “racist and Islamophobic outburst”. “This isn’t just embarrassing for the Conservative Party, it emboldens the worst forces in our politics,” said Starmer.

The row follows an article by former home secretary Suella Braverman over the weekend that claimed Islamists and extremists were taking charge in all walks of life in Britain, attacked as “extreme rhetoric” by the Opposition parties.

Braverman, sacked from the Cabinet by Sunak last year, was reacting to Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle saying that he had selected certain amendments to a motion related to ceasefire in Gaza in a bid to ensure all options were on the table for MPs to vote on and to protect MPs’ safety.

According to ‘The Sunday Times’ report, UK Security Minister Tom Tugendhat has been working with the Home Office, the police and the parliamentary authorities to significantly enhance the safety and security of MPs. As part of the overhaul, the royal and VIP executive committee (RAVEC), which is responsible for the security of the royal family as well as senior politicians including the prime minister and home secretary, has been brought in to help assess the threat to MPs.

“Many MPs are petrified by the abuse they are facing,” a senior security source was quoted as saying.

It is understood that the female MPs requiring additional security have been provided with close protection by private companies, along with chauffeur-driven cars, which are normally provided only to senior members of the Cabinet and the Leader of the Opposition.

ALSO READ-Sajid slams Sunak

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Sajid slams Sunak

Over the weekend, senior party figures failed to fully condemn Anderson despite his suspension, including Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden and Defense Secretary Grant Shapps…reports Asian Lite News

London’s mayor has accused Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of “tacit endorsement” of Islamophobia in his Conservative Party.

Sadiq Khan’s accusation came after the “belated” suspension of Conservative MP Lee Anderson, who refused to apologize for saying in a TV interview that “Islamists” had “got control” of the mayor.

“I don’t actually believe that the Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is they’ve got control of Khan and they’ve got control of London,” Anderson told GB News. “He’s actually given our capital city away to his mates.”

Khan said Muslims are considered “fair game” for prejudice by the Conservatives.

It comes amid a series of scandals for the governing party after its former leader Liz Truss attended a major conservative conference in the US where she appeared on a panel at which British far-right figure Tommy Robinson was praised, and former Home Secretary Suella Braverman penned an article for the Daily Telegraph suggesting “Islamists” are “in charge” of the UK.

Over the weekend, senior party figures failed to fully condemn Anderson despite his suspension, including Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden and Defense Secretary Grant Shapps.

Khan said: “Blatant anti-Muslim hatred is being tolerated from top to bottom of the party, with everyone from ministers to mayoral candidates failing to condemn even the most clear-cut examples of bigotry and racism.”

He added: “Anderson’s comments have poured petrol on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred … The message it sends is some forms of hatred and racism are acceptable. Enough is enough.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Sunak has “extremists” in his party acting “with impunity.” Labour Chair Anneliese Dodds said in a letter to her Conservative counterpart Richard Holden that Anderson’s comments are “unambiguously Islamophobic, divisive and damaging.”

She cited other incidents of Islamophobia in the governing part, including London mayoral candidate Susan Hall’s suggestion that Jewish Londoners were “frightened” of Khan’s “divisive attitude” in October, and Conservative MP Nus Ghani saying she was told her “Muslimness” made “colleagues uncomfortable” by an unnamed party official in 2020.

Truss, meanwhile, has been criticized by former Chancellor Sir Sajid Javid for failing to address comments made by US conservative figure Steve Bannon at the Conservative Political Action Conference in which he called Robinson a “hero.”

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Free world united with Ukraine, says Sunak

The latest funding of £8.5 million is part of £357 million of humanitarian assistance the UK has committed since the start of the conflict in February 2022…reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak marked the second anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on Saturday with a pledge to renew the UK’s determination to support the Ukrainians and declared the free world united in its response to President Vladimir Putin’s “illegal invasion” of Ukraine.

The leader reflected upon his recent visit to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv when he announced a major package of defence aid to Ukraine, taking the UK’s total support to £12 billion. It comes as the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) pledged £8.5 million in humanitarian funding allocations to the Red Cross Movement and the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund.

“When Putin launched his illegal invasion two years ago, the free world was united in its response. We stood together behind Ukraine. And on this grim anniversary, we must renew our determination,” said Sunak in a statement from 10 Downing Street.

“I was in Kyiv just a few weeks ago and I met wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Each harrowing story was a reminder of Ukraine’s courage in the face of terrible suffering. It was a reminder of the price they are paying not only to defend their country against a completely unjustified invasion, but also to defend the very principles of freedom, sovereignty and the rule of law, on which we all depend,” he said.

He added: “The UK is going further in our support. I announced last month the biggest single package of defence aid to Ukraine, taking our total support to £12 billion and signed a ten-year agreement on security cooperation – the first of its kind. This is the moment to show that tyranny will never triumph and to say once again that we will stand with Ukraine today and tomorrow. We are prepared to do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, until they prevail.” According to the FCDO, over 14.6 million people – about 40 per cent of the Ukrainian population – is in need of humanitarian assistance. Millions have been left homeless, struggle without adequate access to water, food and electricity, and desperately need health, protection and other essential services and supplies in “territories under Russian occupation”.

“Ukrainians are bravely defending their land against Russia’s brutal invasion, but the past two years of war have had a tragic impact on millions of people across Ukraine. Families have been separated, towns and villages decimated, and vital civilian infrastructure destroyed. The UK stands with Ukraine, and is committed to supporting the most vulnerable Ukrainians living through the horrors of this war,” said UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron.

The announcement follows Cameron’s visit to the United Nations on Friday, where he addressed the United Nations Security Council and United Nations General Assembly and reinforced the UK’s commitment to supporting Ukraine.

Over £6 million of the UK funding will support the Red Cross Movement’s neutral and impartial work, reinforcing their existing emergency response projects and their support to the most vulnerable in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, £2.5 million will fund the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, part of the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The UK said its funding supports ongoing emergency responses, preparedness activities and last-mile aid delivery in frontline areas where local communities have been most affected by recent attacks.

The latest funding is part of £357 million of humanitarian assistance the UK has committed since the start of the conflict in February 2022. The UK said its support contributes to an international response that reached 11 million people in Ukraine in 2023 and 15.8 million in 2022.

‘West should be bolder’

Western nations should be bolder about confiscating Russian assets which they froze after the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said.

Sunak, in an article in an early edition of the Sunday Times to mark two years since the start of the conflict, said Ukraine continued to need more long-range weapons, drones and munitions, as well as other assistance.

“We must be bolder in hitting the Russian war economy …. And we must be bolder in seizing the hundreds of billions of frozen Russian assets,” he said .

Last month British Investment Minister Dominic Johnson met US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo to discuss the seizure of frozen Russian assets, but stressed this needed to be done in accordance with international law.

The European Union, US, Japan and Canada froze some $300 billion of Russian central bank assets in 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine.

Group of Seven countries have been studying a possible seizure of the assets as a way to have Russia pay for the damage its invasion caused in Ukraine.

Sunak also urged the US to continue to provide financial and military support for Ukraine.

“We should never underestimate what America has done for Ukraine and for Euro-Atlantic security. I urge them to continue that support, and I am confident they will,” he wrote in the article.

Britain’s defense ministry announced £245 million ($311 million) of aid to fund Ukrainian artillery ammunition on Saturday.

ALSO READ-Watchdog opens probe over Sunak’s TV appearance

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UK govt bans smartphones in schools

The proliferation of smartphones in schools – Ofcom data says 97% of children have one by the age of 12 – has brought concerns about not just distraction but the potential for bullying or other social pressure…reports Asian Lite News

Ministers have confirmed plans to ban the use of mobile phones in English schools, releasing guidance for headteachers that some unions said included practices that had already been widely adopted.

However, one headteacher welcomed the Department for Education (DfE) plan, saying it would help give schools the confidence to make a change that would benefit pupils but could meet resistance from parents.

The guidance is not statutory, and offers schools a variety of ways to implement the ban, ranging from an order to leave all phones at home, to handing them in on arrival or keeping them in inaccessible lockers, or allowing students to keep them on condition they are not used or heard.

The proliferation of smartphones in schools – Ofcom data says 97% of children have one by the age of 12 – has brought concerns about not just distraction but the potential for bullying or other social pressure.

In interviews on Monday about the plan, Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, said the DfE had consulted headteachers and believed the guidance would “empower” those yet to fully ban phones, and “would send a clear message about consistency”.

“You go to school, you go to learn, you go to create those friendships, you go to speak to people and socialise and you go to get educated – you don’t go to sit on your mobile phone or to send messages whilst you could actually talk to somebody,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

There is also wider concern about phone use by children and the harmful content they can access. Esther Ghey, mother of the murdered teenager Brianna Ghey, has called for tech companies to do more on this, and for under-16s to be stopped from accessing social media.

Ghey has also argued for phone manufacturers to make specific products for under-16s that prevent them from accessing harmful content, after it emerged that her daughter’s killers viewed violent material before the murder.

Keegan told Today that while ministers would discuss the idea with Ghey, “it’s not something that we have actually looked at or considered and those conversations will take place”.

The 13-page DfE guidance says the policy on phones should be clearly communicated to pupils, with the reasons for it also explained. It adds that teachers should not be seen in schools using a phone except when necessary for work.

Parents also needed to be involved in the ban, it says, with a reminder that they should contact students via the school office rather than directly.

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