#ministerial-code

#ministerial-code

Matt Hancock broke government rules by not seeking permission before appearing on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, a watchdog has ruled.The former health secretary  already stripped of the Tory whip for flying off to earn a reputed 400,000 in the jungle  failed to consult the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA).

The reappointment of Suella Braverman as home secretary could blow a hole in Rishi Sunak's hopes of holding onto power at the general election, polling guru Sir John Curtice has said No government in modern times has ever survived at the ballot box following a fiscal crisis on the scale of last month's market collapse sparked by Liz Truss's mini-Budget, said Prof Curtice, of Strathclyde University.

Former Cabinet ministers Jacob Rees-Mogg and Priti Patel should not be rewarded with honours, a senior Labour politician has said.Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said comments made by Mr Rees-Mogg in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire make him unfit for a knighthood.Mr Rees-Mogg is tipped for the title in Boris Johnson's resignation honours list alongside Ms Patel, who will receive a damehood.

MPs claiming driving fines on expenses is manifestly wrong, the chair of Parliament's sleaze watchdog has said.Labour MP Chris Bryant said members of the public cannot claim fines on their daily expenses, adding that MPs should not be any different.The senior party figure also said the ministerial code is ripe for reform, and the system is not fit for purpose, Mr Bryant's intervention came after The Independent revealed a Tory minister who served under Suella Braverman at the Home Office is among high-profile MPs to have wrongly claimed hundreds of pounds in driving fines on expenses Amanda Solloway, who is now a minister in the energy department, claimed back an 80 fixed penalty notice issued to her while she was driving in London in July 2020, listing it under MP travel expenses.

There are many lessons still to learn from the pandemic, but there is no mystery about Boris Johnson's conduct.He broke the rules of lockdown and lied about it.The exposure of his behaviour drained public support away from him and his party.Those facts are not altered by news that fresh allegations relating to the use of the prime ministerial country retreat at Chequers have been reported to police.

Labour is more trusted than the Conservatives on immigration, a new poll has found as official figures are expected to show a large increase in net migration.After a rise in public confidence in the Tories' immigration, asylum and small boats policies in March, a poll carried out by Ipsos between May 16 and 18 found trust had fallen again, with Labour leading on all three issues.

A Cabinet minister has urged patience and said that the Prime Minister was acting fairly, as Rishi Sunak continues to consider whether or not to order an investigation into Suella Braverman's conduct.Labour has accused Mr Sunak of dithering over his response to allegations against the Home Secretary, but Justice Secretary Alex Chalk told broadcasters on Wednesday that high standards in Government included proper standards of process.

Rishi Sunak is still mulling over whether or not to order an investigation into Suella Braverman's conduct.Downing Street on Tuesday said that the Prime Minister was still looking at all the requisite information, amid claims the Home Secretary asked officials to help arrange a private speed awareness course for her.

Some 80 robberies a day were closed last year without a suspect being identified, the Liberal Democrats have claimed.The party said it had commissioned research showing 30,000 muggings went unsolved in 2022 across England and Wales.It accused Home Secretary Suella Braverman of becoming embroiled in endless scandals while violent criminals are let off the hook.

Some 80 robberies a day were closed last year without a suspect being identified, the Liberal Democrats have claimed.The party said it had commissioned research showing 30,000 muggings went unsolved in 2022 across England and Wales.It accused Home Secretary Suella Braverman of becoming embroiled in endless scandals while violent criminals are let off the hook.

Rishi Sunak's ethics adviser has said he wants a more efficient process for the publication of the register of ministerial interests.Sir Laurie Magnus, the Prime Minister's independent adviser on ministers' interests, also suggested that there was merit in asking ministers to attest annually that they have read the Ministerial Code.

Rishi Sunak has insisted he did not let home secretary Suella Braverman off the hook after clearing her of breaching the ministerial code without launching an investigation.The prime minister refused calls to launch an official investigation after she asked officials if she could attend a private speed awareness course for driving too fast.

Rishi Sunak insisted he did not let Suella Braverman off the hook after clearing her without an investigation of breaching the ministerial code.The Prime Minister refused calls to launch an official investigation into the Home Secretary for asking officials if she could have a private speed awareness course after being caught driving too fast.

Suella Braverman has avoided an independent investigation into her handling of a speeding offence after it was decided the matter did not amount to a breach of the Ministerial Code.Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ignored calls to launch a formal probe after claims the Home Secretary tried to get Whitehall officials to arrange a private speed awareness course for her.

Watch live as Rishi Sunak faces Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's questions on Wednesday, 24 May, as Suella Braverman avoids an investigation over her handling of a speeding fine.The home secretary faced criticism after it was reported that she asked officials to try to arrange a private speed awareness course for her, rather than take penalty points on her driving licence after breaking the speed limit last summer.

Sir Edward Leigh said the "moral outrage" over Home Secretary Suella Braverman's handling of a speeding fine as "ludicrous".The Conservative MP compared the current case to "proper scandals" about sex and money and the invasion of Iraq on "dodgy evidence".Cabinet Office Minister Jeremy Quin was answering for the government after Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner's urgent question calling for statement on a potential breach of the ministerial code.

Watch live as Rishi Sunak takes questions at the London Defence conference on Tuesday, 23 May.The prime minister's appearance comes after he vowed that the UK's support for Ukraine will never waver as he spoke with Volodymyr Zelensky at G7 meetings in Japan over the weekend.G7 leaders pledged to support the Ukrainian president's nation for as long as it takes and to increase the costs to Russia and those who support its war.

Whether the home secretary, Suella Braverman, keeps her job is up to the prime minister, Rishi Sunak.That is in keeping with his prerogative powers to organise the composition of the government as he sees fit.But what happens when ministers hardly hide their disagreements or make a habit of defying the norms of behaviour expected of office-holders?

Watch live as Suella Braverman and Rishi Sunak face questions in the House of Commons on Monday, 22 May, following the home secretary's speeding ticket controversy.Over the weekend, reports emerged alleging that Ms Braverman asked officials to try to arrange a private speed awareness course for her rather than take penalty points on her driving licence.

Rishi Sunak has been urged to investigate claims Suella Braverman asked her staff to help her dodge a speeding fine.The home secretary allegedly asked civil servants to help her avoid a fine and points on her licence by instead organising a private driving awareness course.Such an arrangement would have meant that she would not have had to appear at a public speed awareness course, where other participants would have been able to see that she was in attendance.

Rishi Sunak has published his long-awaited personal tax returns, showing that he paid more than 1m in UK tax over three years.The returns show the prime minister raked in more than 1.9m last year, including 1.6m in capital gains and more than 300,000 in salary earnings and investment income.He paid more than 1m in UK tax over the past three financial years including just over 432,000 in the past year (2021-22) alone.

Rishi Sunak has created a standalone ministry for energy security as he tries to improve economic growth and cut sky-high bills in the face of disastrous poll ratings.In a mini-reshuffle, the prime minister also plumped for an ally to replace Nadhim Zahawi, the Conservative party chair sacked a week ago after he was found to have broken the ministerial code over his tax affairs.

Suella Braverman's hopes of surviving as Home Secretary over the speeding ticket row suffered a fresh blow after she came under fire from a former mandarin.Sir Philip Rycroft, who has served in Whitehall under five prime ministers, accused Ms Braverman of a "real lapse of judgement."And the former senior civil servant said the home secretary's actions would have put officials in an impossible position.

The chairman of the Conservative Party, Nadhim Zahawi, is coming under increasing political pressure to fully explain the circumstances of a multimillion-pound tax settlement.The BBC has been told Mr Zahawi paid a penalty over previously unpaid tax while he was chancellor.But despite acknowledging the tax issue, Mr Zahawi has left some questions unanswered.

Nadhim Zahawi's position as Conservative party chair is untenable after reports he paid a penalty as part of a seven-figure tax settlement, Labour has said.The former chancellor, who attends cabinet meetings, has faced pressure in parliament and the media after it emerged he agreed to pay millions to HMRC in December after a settlement with the tax agency.

Five further formal complaints have been filed against Dominic Raab over his behaviour at work, Downing Street has confirmed.A total of eight complaints have now been made against the deputy prime minister amid allegations he bullied colleagues and left officials too scared to enter his office.The latest five related to alleged behaviour at the Ministry of Justice, which Mr Raab has run since September 2021.

When Suella Braverman resigned as home secretary just under two weeks ago for breaching the ministerial code, she made a series of claims to Liz Truss, the then prime minister, about her conduct.A statement released on Monday to the home affairs select committee (HASC) appears to contradict some of those claims, leaving outstanding unanswered questions which could yet have a bearing on her political survival.

Labour will try to force the Government to publish its assessments of Suella Braverman's security breach, as the backlash grows against her reappointment as Home Secretary just six days after she was forced out.Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has resisted demands to launch an inquiry into Ms Braverman breaking the Ministerial Code by sharing a sensitive document with a Tory backbencher from a personal email without permission.

Former Cabinet minister Damian Green has become the acting chairman of the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee.The senior Tory, who was effectively deputy prime minister under Theresa May, replaces Julian Knight who has recused himself from Parliament while the police investigate allegations of serious sexual assault.

MPs are making more than ever from second jobs despite promises from the government to clamp down on the practice, one year on from the Owen Paterson scandal, an Observer investigation has found.Of the 129 MPs who made more than 2,000 from outside income between October 2021 and September 2022, 86  including the former attorney general Geoffrey Cox  either earned more or the same amount than in the previous year.