Duncan Smith: May should quit as PM next month
Ian Duncan Smith has called on Theresa May to stick to her previous timetable and resign next month, despite her Brexit deal failing to pass in the Commons.
Speaking to Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday, the former Tory leader said: “I know that the prime minister has already said she’s going. She said she would go as and when the agreement was ratified, which was looking at around about May, June. I think those dates still stand.”
May said that she would resign as prime minister if MPs voted through her withdrawal agreement in the third meaningful vote, which took place on 29 March.
Duncan Smith continued: “I think that what the PM has to do is aim everything now towards departure before the Euros [elections] which would then allow her to step away having done what she said she would do, getting the UK out of the European Union one way or the other and then we can have another leadership election and pick a new leader, which is the way it has to be.”
Leaked audio shows Corbyn express concern over anti semitism
Leaked audio obtained by the Sunday Times has suggested Jeremy Corbyn raised concerns over evidence of anti semitism in the Labour party being “mislaid” or “ignored”.
In a conversation which took place between Corbyn and Labour MP Margaret Hodge in February, the party leader outlined his plan to appoint former cabinet minister Lord Falconer to review Labour’s complaints process.
The audio is quoted as: “The point of him [Mr Falconer] is that he will look at the speed of dealing with cases, the administration of them, and the collation of the evidence before it is put before appropriate panels and things.
“Because I was concerned that evidence was either being mislaid, ignored or not used and that there had to be some better system.”
Javid: Government needs to shift mindset on youth violence
Sajid Javid will admit that the government needs to ‘shift its mindset’ in order to effectively tackle rising youth violence in Britain
The home secretary will use his first major speech on crime to call for a “public health approach” to knife crime, and explain how the government will use data in order to improve understanding of its causes.
“Just as we can design products to prevent crime, we can also design policy to shape the lives of young people to prevent criminality,” Javid will say.
“No future should be pre-determined by where you’re born, or how you’re brought up. We cannot afford to leave anyone behind.”
Lidington: Customs union compromise possible between Tories and Labour
There is a possible compromise that can be made in the Brexit talks between Labour and the Conservatives, including on the idea of a customs union, if there is “movement on both sides” according to the Tory MP leading the talks.
David Lidington, who is frequently described as Theresa May’s deputy PM, said that if both groups could compromise on their red lines, there was a deal to be done around customs arrangements after Brexit – for which various options were being “tested” – and a deal could be made.
Lidington told the BBC’s Andrew Marr on Sunday: “We would hope to take stock of where we are as soon as parliament gets back after Easter recess but I don’t think this question can be allowed to drag out. I think the public rightly wants politicians to get on and deal with it.”
“What we want to do is agree a set of options with a system for making a choice with parliament actually having to come up with a preferred option rather than voting against everything,” he added.
