UK politics - latest: Inflation falls as Peter Bone suspension triggers byelection for Rishi Sunak in 2024
Falling petrol prices help drive a bigger-than-expected fall inflation
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UK inflation eased back to its lowest level for more than two years last month as falling petrol prices helped drive a bigger-than-expected fall, official figures show.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the rate of Consumer Prices Index inflation fell to 3.9 per cent in November, down from 4.6 per cent in October, and the lowest level since September 2021.
Most economists had been expecting inflation to fall to 4.3 per cent last month.
Elsewhere, Rishi Sunak will face another by-election test early next year after MP Peter Bone lost his seat in parliament in a recall petition.
The Northamptonshire MP was suspended from the Commons for six weeks in October after an inquiry found he had subjected a staff member to bullying and sexual misconduct.
Some 13.2 per cent of eligible voters – 10,505 people – in Mr Bone’s Wellingborough constituency voted for the recall petition, surpassing the 10 per cent threshold needed to trigger a by-election.
Tory minister says government was ‘absolutely right’ on PPE
Work and pensions secretary Mel Stride has defended the government’s PPE procurement system as he was grilled on the Michelle Mone scandal, Adam Forrest reports.
Asked if he looked at it as “shameful” episode, Mr Stride told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he did not want to “prejudice” the investigation by the National Crime Agency and the legal case raised by the government.
But the minister defended the government’s “fast lane” for PPE deals. “If you turn the clock back to a time this country was under inordinate pressure. We were worried and fearful about the level of PPE that we might need,” said Mr Stride.
“I think the government was absolutely right to expedite the provision of PPE. Inevitably one could look back and you can say’ We could have done things differently etc.’. But had we not expedited the provision of PPE the conversation would quite rightly be, ‘You just weren’t up to the mark.”
Mr Strike repeated Rishi Sunak’s answers on the investigation, saying the government takes it “extremely seriously”.
Drop in inflation means interest rates could come down more quicky - cabinet minister
Work and pensions secretary Mel Stride said the fall in inflation could allow the Bank of England to ease interest rates, helping homeowners struggling with mortgage costs.
He told LBC Radio: “The interesting thing is that this 3.9 per cent is a rather better number than was anticipated – many economists were thinking about 4.3 per cent.
“So it could be that this is coming down a bit faster than many had imagined.
“And I think this is really good news. I think this is a turning point. I think the economy will definitely start to benefit from this.”
He added: “A greater decrease in inflation of course means that monetary policy might be loosened a little bit more quickly than it would otherwise be – in other words, interest rates coming down.
“Those are matters for the independent Bank of England, they are not for me to predict, but if inflation comes down faster than expected, then that does take some pressure off the Bank of England in terms of keeping interest rates higher, which of course in time and in turn feeds into mortgage rates.”
Cabinet minister urges junior doctors to return to negotiations on strikes
Cabinet minister Mel Stride urged junior doctors to come back to negotiations with the government in a dispute over pay and conditions.
Ministers have said negotiations cannot take place until the strikes are called off.
The work and pensions secretary told LBC Radio: “What the junior doctors have got to do now – they’re the ones that have walked away from the table – is to come back to the table.
“What they really should not be doing is putting people in these very difficult situations, over this very difficult period for the NHS when the pressure is that much more acute.
“They’ve walked away, we have our door wide open to continue these discussions.
“We’ve been making some progress, but they really should be coming back to the table now. It’s deeply disappointing that they’ve done what they’ve done.”
All to play for in Wellinborough byelection - cabinet minister
A cabinet minister has said it is “all to play for” in the Wellingborough byelection despite Labour’s double-digit lead in the national polls.
Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary, said the opposition’s lead was large “but it’s very thin”, adding there was no “burning passion” for Keir Starmer.
“We will be fighting for every vote”, he added. Listen to more of Mr Stride’s comments in the clip below:
Rishi Sunak considered pre-paid debit card giveaway during Covid
Rishi Sunak considered a radical plan to give everyone in the country a pre-paid debit card to boost spending during the Covid pandemic, new documents have revealed.
The then-chancellor mulled the idea of sending out debit cards containing taxpayer’s cash in the summer of 2020 in a bid to stimulate the struggling economy.
Adam Forrest report:
Rishi Sunak considered pre-paid debit card giveaway during Covid
Sunak thought about sending out millions of cash-laden cards in post – but was warned of ‘significant risk’ of theft
When is the Wellingborough byelection?
Parliament is now in recess for Christmas and won’t return until 8 January - the earliest date on which the writ for the Wellingborough byelection can be moved.
The byelection timetable is between 21 and 27 working days from the issuing of the writ.
If the Conservatives, who control the timing of the contest because it was their MP who vacated the seat, decide to go as early as possible, the election could be held on 8 February, Politico reports.
Peter Bone, who was ousted in a recall petition, won an 18,540 majority for the Tories at the 2019 election. Labour’s candidate came second with 13,737 votes (26.5 per cent) compared to Mr Bone’s 32,27 (62.2 per cent) on a turnout of 64.3 per cent.
Mr Bone first won the seat from Labour in 2005 with a majority of 687.
Penny Mordaunt has revealed that a series of Covid-related WhatsApp messages with Boris Johnson have mysteriously vanished from her phone.
The cabinet minister said the conversations were wiped from her phone without her knowing why, in bombshell written evidence given to the Covid inquiry.
Adam Forrest reports:
Boris Johnson’s messages vanished from my phone, says Penny Mordaunt
Tory minister reveals her Covid-era exchanges with ex-PM disappeared without explanation
Lawyer apologises for claiming Michelle Mone not linked to PPE firm
One of Michelle Mone’s lawyers has made an “unqualified apology” for claiming the entrepreneur and peer was not connected to the PPE firm that struck £200m Covid contracts.
Jonathan Coad had said that “any suggestion of an association” between Baroness Mone and the PPE Medpro would be “inaccurate”, “misleading” and “defamatory”.
Mr Coad has now told The Guardian: “I neither knew nor had any reason to believe that my client was not telling me the truth and wrote to your title in good faith … My client was also a member of the House of Lords and had therefore been deemed trustworthy by the state. I was therefore entitled to start with the assumption that she would not mislead me.
“To the extent that I unintentionally misled your colleagues and title, I offer my unqualified apology. I am a devout Christian, and hold to the values of truth and integrity as faithfully as I can.”
ICYMI: By-election triggered as suspended MP Peter Bone loses his seat
Rishi Sunak will face another by-election test early next year after MP Peter Bone lost his seat in parliament in a recall petition.
The Northamptonshire MP was suspended from the Commons for six weeks in October after an inquiry found he had subjected a staff member to bullying and sexual misconduct.
Andy Gregory reports:
By-election triggered as suspended MP Peter Bone loses his seat
Wellingborough MP was suspended fom Commons in October after bullying and sexual misconduct inquiry
No general election until PPE scandal discussed, says Farage
Nigel Farage has said the Covid inquiry needs to discuss procurement of PPE before a general election can be held, Adam Forrest reports.
He said it was unacceptable that PPE deals would not get scrutinised by the inquiry until the spring of 2025.
“I believe the Covid inquiry must discuss procurement. They must get Michelle Mone, must get Michael Gove, must get everybody involved to be held publicly to account,” Farage told GB News.
He added: “We cannot have a general election that takes place before we understand why these huge sums of money were wasted.”
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