UK politics - live: Michael Gove names Muslim and white supremacist groups as he outlines extremism definition
Labour leader Keir Starmer says Diane Abbott ‘needs an arm around her’ but restoring whip still depends on investigation
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The government has identified groups that could face restrictions following the publication of the new “extremism” definition amid rising concerns about threats to social cohesion and British democracy.
A ban on white supremacist group British National Socialist Movement and Patriotic Alterntive engaging with the government will be considered, as well as anti-War on Terror group CAGE , Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND) and Muslim Association with Britain, which he says “give rise to concern”.
The groups will be assessed for whether they met the definition of extremism, Levelling Up secretary Michael Gove said.
He told MPs the country’s values of inclusivity and tolerance were “under challenge from extremist groups which are radicalising our young people and driving greater polarisation within and between communities to further their own ends”.
Earlier, he said the new definition of extremism was not intended to stop people from protesting amid fears it could curtail free speech.
Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the former Labour MP Diane Abbott needed “an arm around her” but the issue of restoring the whip was completely different and still subject to investigation.
Have your say: Should £10m Tory donation be returned?
As Britain’s political parties try to build up funds for election campaigns later this year, we want to know if you think the Tories return the £10 million donated by Hester.
Business minister Kevin Hollinrake told broadcasters on Wednesday that the party would not give back the money, telling Sky News that “clearly” the comments were racist, but that it was right to keep the donation because Hester “is not a racist, and he has apologized for what he said.”
But Andy Street, the Conservative mayor of England’s West Midlands region, told BBC radio that if it were up to him, “I would think about the company I kept and I would give that money back.”
Rishi Sunak, meanwhile, appeared to rule out giving the cash back during Prime Minister’s Question yesterday.
But should he give the cash back and will the party’s line on the scandal hold? Have your say here:
Tell us if the £10m Tory donation should be returned amid Diane Abbott racism row
As Britain’s political parties are trying to build up funds for election campaigns later this year, should the Tories return the sum donated by Hester?
Gove refuses to say if ‘racist’ donor comments are ‘extremism’
Michael Gove suggested Tory backer Frank Hester’s alleged call for an MP to be shot would not be referred to the government’s new extremism task force.
The Communities Secretary told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We have to be clear, we’re looking at organisations with a particular ideology.
“The individual concerned said something that was horrific. And as someone who was themselves targeted by an extremist who wanted to kill me and then went on to kill a friend of mine, I take these issues incredibly seriously.
“And so again, I wouldn’t want to conflate those motivated by extremist ideology with an individual comment, however horrific, which has quite rightly been called out and which has quite rightly led to an apology.”
Full report below.
Michael Gove refuses to say if Tory donor ‘s Diane Abbott comments are ‘extremist’
The government says its new definition will make it easier to evidence the public behaviour of extremists
We’re pausing our live politics coverage for now but keep checking independent.co.uk for the latest updates.
Diane Abbott | Yes, the Tories are outrageously racist and sexist – but Labour is guilty too
Diane Abbott has accused both the Conservatives and Labour of failing to deal with racism.
Writing exclusively for The Independent, the former Labour MP said: “The Tory reluctance to call our racism and sexism is shocking, but hardly surprising.
“But the position of the current leadership of the Labour Party is disappointing – it seemed equally reluctant at the outset to call out either racism or sexism. In fact, a number of Labour statements were issued, and interviews given where neither word was mentioned.
“Instead, the entire focus was on the demand that the Tories give Hester back his money, which is surely not the primary point in this case.”
Diane Abbott criticises claims UK now ‘post-racial society'
Diane Abbott has criticised claims that the UK is now a “post-racial” society.
Writing in The Independent, she said: “In effect, it is the outlandish assertion that the various iterations of this government have abolished racism.
“The same government that gave us austerity that deepened inequality, the hostile environment, poster vans telling immigrants to ‘Go Home!’, a Brexit that was said to control immigration – and now the Rwanda policy.
“The propaganda claim to have moved on from racism becomes ever more shrill in the face of the evidence all around us. And then, every once in a while a minor character like Lee Anderson or Frank Hester wanders in from stage right to remind us about the real character of the Tory party.
“It is an impossible task to pretend you are a party led by modern-day Abraham Lincolns, when most of your base agrees with Ukip, the Brexit Party or Reform UK.”
Yes, the Tories are racist and sexist – but Labour is guilty too | Diane Abbott
The Conservative Party’s reluctance to condemn the attacks on me was shocking, if not surprising, writes Diane Abbott. But Labour has also failed to deal with the racism I’ve experienced at the hands of the party
Exclusive: Pressure on Rishi Sunak as nearly half of voters want May election, poll reveals
Rishi Sunak is under mounting pressure to call a snap general election after a poll showed nearly half of the public want a May contest.
The prime minister has refused to say when the next election will take place, only suggesting that it will be in the second half of 2024.
But a poll by More in Common, seen by The Independent, showed four in ten voters want an election to take place within weeks. Fewer than 30 per cent of voters want the prime minister to wait until November, when many expect the vote to take place.
Our political correspondent Archie Mitchell has the exclusive report:
Pressure on Rishi Sunak as nearly half of voters want May election, poll reveals
Exclusive: Four in ten voters want Rishi Sunak to call a general election in May
Diane Abbott criticises Speaker for not calling her to speak during PMQs
Diane Abbott has accused Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle of failing to act in the “interests of the Commons or democracy” after she was not called to speak at Prime Minister’s Questions.
Major Tory donor Frank Hester is alleged to have said Ms Abbott, Britain’s longest-serving black MP, made him “want to hate all black women” and that she “should be shot”.
Independent MP Ms Abbott (Hackney North and Stoke Newington) stood repeatedly in a bid to catch Sir Lindsay’s eye and be called to ask a question, with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer using the session to press Rishi Sunak about Mr Hester’s comments.
Ms Abbott, writing on X/Twitter, said: “I don’t know whose interests the Speaker thinks he is serving. But it is not the interests of the Commons or democracy.”
A spokeswoman for the Speaker’s Office said there was “not enough time” to call all MPs, adding: “During Prime Minister’s Questions, the Speaker must select MPs from either side of the House on an alternating basis for fairness.
“This takes place within a limited timeframe, with the chair prioritising Members who are already listed on the Order Paper. This week – as is often the case – there was not enough time to call all Members who wanted to ask a question.”
Jeremy Hunt disputes Martin Lewis claim he was told about Budget detail before parliament
Exclusive: Angela Rayner and Anneliese Dodds condemn ‘toxic Islamophobia’ in Tory ranks
Angela Rayner is piling pressure on Rishi Sunak to tackle “toxic Islamophobia“ in the Conservative Party after a series of damning revelations in recent weeks.
The Conservatives have been rocked by ex-deputy chairman Lee Anderson’s anti-Muslim rant about Sadiq Khan, as well as the chair of its own Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group (AMHWG) revealing that it has not met in more than four years.
The Labour deputy leader and shadow women and equalities secretary Anneliese Dodds have now written to ministers demanding to know what is being done to combat Islamophobia in the Tory ranks and why the AMHWG has been inactive for so long.
Our political correspondent Archie Mitchell reports:
Angela Rayner and Anneliese Dodds condemn ‘toxic Islamophobia’ in Tory ranks
Exclusive: Angela Rayner and Anneliese Dodds have written to the government after anti-Muslim hatred group has not met for four years
Headstones placed outside of parliament to show stark reality of cold deaths
Activists have erected hundreds of cemetery “headstones” made from insulation boards outside parliament to warn a failure to tackle cold homes is costing thousands of lives, reports my colleague Oliver Browning.
Greenpeace estimates more than 70,000 excess winter deaths in the UK were linked to living in cold, damp housing conditions in the decade since the coalition government slashed support for home insulation measures.
In a protest at what it described as the “needless and shocking” deaths from living in cold homes, the green group installed headstones in Victoria Tower Gardens and an eight-metre-long funeral wreath reading “cold homes cost lives”.
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