Good morning. Here’s your daily Politics Update:
Cabinet leaders threaten resignations over no-deal planning
Several cabinet ministers are threatening to resign from the party whip if plans for a no-deal Brexit become government policy, after Downing Street announced over £2bn in funding to be set aside for a no-deal scenario.
Justice Secretary David Gauke said on Wednesday that senior Tories were not “facing up to reality” by claiming that a no-deal Brexit is a viable option. Asked by the Evening Standard if he would resign if no-deal became the government’s policy, he said: “I think there are many Cabinet ministers who don’t think that would be a responsible course of action.”
Nick Boles MP, a former minister under David Cameron, Tweeted on Tuesday: “If at any point between now and 29 March the government were to announce that ‘no deal’ Brexit had become its policy, I would immediately resign the Conservative whip and vote in any way necessary to stop it from happening.”
Conservative MP Anna Soubry told Channel 4: “I’m not going to hang around in the Conservative Party by keeping on with the whip if we embark on this madness and I know I’m not alone in that,”
Javid and May at odds over immigration targets
Theresa May and home secretary Sajid Javid are at odds over post-Brexit immigration targets, after it was revealed that the new immigration plan would not include the numerical targets preferred by the prime minister.
Earlier this week, Javid confirmed that the post-Brexit white paper would be moving away from the numerical immigration targets championed by Theresa May when she was Home Secretary, and instead focus on the need to bring skilled workers into the UK.
However, when asked on Wednesday if hitting the immigration targets was still her intention, the prime minister responded: “Yes”.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Wednesday, Javid said: “There is no specific target. It will be a system that will bring net migration down to more sustainable levels.
Jeremy Corbyn denies calling Theresa May a ‘stupid woman’
Wednesday’s Prime Ministers Questions (PMQs) session descended into chaos after Tory MPs accused Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn of calling Theresa May a ‘stupid woman’, after a video clip of him filmed after his turn at the stand allegedly showed him mouthing the words.
The clip was circulated amongst MPs after Corbyn’s turn at the stand ended, which led to multiple Tory MPs using their time in the Commons to repeat the accusations.
Corbyn returned to the Commons on Wednesday afternoon, where he told the Commons that he had said “stupid people”, and denied claims he had called May a “stupid woman”.
Speaker of the House John Bercow later told the Commons “It is easy to see why it could be construed as ‘stupid woman’,” but said that after Corbyn’s response, any member of the House of Commons “is to be taken at his or her word”, and that Corbyn was no different.
Amber Rudd considers delays to Universal Credit
Amber Rudd, the work and pensions secretary, has indicated that reforms to the government’s flagship Universal Credit scheme may take place, and a delay to further rollouts may be considered.
Rudd, appearing before a work and pensions select committee on Wednesday, said she was “enthusiastic about Universal Credit” but would not rush the rollout of the new system simply to meet arbitrary timetables.
Speaking on Wednesday, Rudd said: “The priority for me is making sure we get it right … We have particular concerns about … the most vulnerable in society and some of them will take a long time to get on to universal credit in terms of engaging with them and getting the transfers done effectively. We will learn and see how long we need in order to ensure it is effective.
“I would much rather every individual gets the personal attention and care getting on to universal credit than sticking to a prescribed timetable.”
Universal Credit has seen claimants waiting for up to five weeks to get their first payment, with the most vulnerable households believed to be up to £200 a month worse off under the new system. In October, the former work and pensions secretary Esther McVey broke from the party line to admit that “some people will be worse off” under Universal Credit.
Get the essential stories delivered to your inbox, before most people have their morning coffee. Leave your email below and get the free Politics Update every weekday.
[email-subscribers namefield=”YES” desc=”” group=”Politicsupdatestwentydec”]
