uk politics
Voter Registration Day: Surge in Millennial Registrations Could be Another Blow for Conservatives
A spike in voter registrations among millennials in recent weeks could be another blow for the already struggling Conservative Party ahead of the next General Election.
In the last 100 days to 14 April, over 300,000 people aged 25 to 34 signed up to vote, as have over 200,000 people aged under 25, official figures show.
A stronger and younger turnout at the polls is not expected to help the Conservatives who, according to some reports, may win fewer than 100 seats at the next election, due to take place between December and January 2025. The latest a Parliament can be dissolved for a General Election is on the fifth anniversary of the day it first met, that is 17 December for the current government. However, 25 working days are then allowed to prepare for the election, meaning it must take place by 28 January 2025.
More young people at the polls could mean a worse outcome for the Conservative Party and Rishi Sunak. Photo: Imageplotter/ Alamy
In February, the Resolution Foundation suggested that low turnout among millennial voters could help the Conservatives. Sophie Hale, Principal Economist at the foundation said that a "new age divide" was emerging in the UK: "Young non-graduates and non-homeowners, who tend to be poorer than the average millennial, are bucking the national swing towards Labour and are instead less likely to vote at all."
The poll results come on Voter Registration Day. Brits have until 11.59pm on 16 April 2024 to register to vote in a series of elections on 2 May, including for the Mayor of London and London Assembly, local government, local authority mayoral elections, parish council, combined authority mayoral elections and Police and Crime Commissioner in England and Wales. Click here for further information. Registration for the General Election is due to take place later in the year.
Latest voter registration data shows a spike in young people registering to vote. Graph: Byline Times
In an effort to combat poor engagement by young voters, youth empowerment organisation, My Life My Say (MLMS) and Chatham House, has launched a campaign and got former Love Island star, Sharon Gaffka, onboard.
According to Electoral Commission data, less than half - 47% - of those aged 16-24 are registered to vote in a year when the public will get to vote to shape almost every level of public life. MLMS says this could be as many as four million young people.
In a report by the Mirror, MLMS noted the deep irony in voter apathy among the young given they are more likely to vote in shows like Love Island, Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity than any other age group. Their research showed seven out of 10 young people aged 18-34 voted in a reality show in the past 12 months.
Gaffka, 28, a former civil servant turned Violence Against Women and Girls activist who went on Love Island Season 7, told the Mirror of the #YouAlreadyVoteSoVote campaign: “You voted for me to go on a date with Chuggs Wallis so now it’s time to vote for something off the screens – your democracy.
“I know it may feel like your vote doesn’t make a difference, but – just like in the Villa – it really can. It’s as simple as voting for Love Island, simply head online to register and it can be done in a matter of minutes.”
The Byline Times revealed in February that more than 7.6 million eligible voters in England and Wales were missing from the electoral roll sparking concerns the scale of the registration gap could dramatically impact outcomes.
According to analysis by the Electoral Reform Society, the constituency with the highest number of unregistered voters is the Cities of London and Westminster – where 24,320 people, or 20.3% of the eligible population - are missing from the electoral roll.
The rest of the ‘bottom five’ worst-performing seats by proportion of missing voters are: Leeds Central and Headingley, Bristol Central, Sheffield Central, and Liverpool Riverside. All are missing about one-fifth of potential voters from their rolls.
The poor registration figures come as voters this year have to show photo ID when they come to make their choice, in what may prove to be another barrier. Around two million people lack eligible forms of ID.
Initiatives by groups such as Shout Out UK and My Vote My Voice aim to bolster participation, particularly in under-represented communities. This effort mirrors the surge seen in 2019, when more than three million new registrations were recorded in the run-up to the General Election, compared to 2.3 million in the same period before the 2017 vote.
However, any surge is likely to put a strain on electoral registration officers, not least given the high volume of duplicate registrations. There is no way for people to check online if they are already registered to vote, meaning many accidentally register twice.
Campaign groups including the ERS and Unlock Democracy are calling for a shift to ‘automatic voter registration’ (AVR) – a move they argue could transform levels of voter engagement in the UK.
A YouGov and MRP poll on 3 April found that the Conservatives – if the country were to vote in a General Election the following day – would get 155 seats, down from a January projection of 169. Labour, the poll found, would win 403.
See the numbers of voters missing in your consistuency here.
Sadiq Khan Accuses Conservatives of Manipulating Mayoral Election as he Pushes Starmer to Repeal Voting Changes
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has accused the Conservative Government of rigging Britain’s electoral system to benefit them, in an interview with Byline Times.
Mr Khan, who is running for a record third term on May 2, says he is pushing his own party to significantly alter or scrap the new mandatory voter ID rules, and believes Sir Keir Starmer would reverse Conservative changes to the mayoral voting system if elected.
The London Labour Mayor told this outlet: “The Conservative Party is the most successful political party in the democratic world. Why? Because they win elections and in between elections, they change the rules to make it more likely they win.”
He pointed to two major changes the Conservatives have made recently, allegedly for “a simple reason: to maximise their chances of winning, and to minimise Labour's chances of winning.”
In 2022 under the Elections Act, ministers changed the voting system for the mayoral election to first past the post, whereas previously voters could put a second preference that would be counted if their first choice lacked majority support.
The change is likely to suppress the vote of smaller parties like the Greens and Lib Dems, whose voters could previously “vote with your heart in relation to their first preference, and then give a second preference– an insurance policy– to one of the two bigger parties,” Mayor Khan said, speaking from a campaign event a London Waterloo church.
The margin of victory for the former lawyer last time on first preferences was 5%, but he was boosted significantly by the second preferences of Green and Lib Dem voters.
Mr Khan also condemned mandatory photo ID rules, which will be used for the first time in this mayoral election round.
City Hall has claimed that in London around 15% of Londoners– roughly 900,000 people– haven't got an appropriate photo ID. The Government’s figures put the figure at closer to 5%, but either figure is dramatically more than the rate of impersonation fraud allegations, which photo ID is supposed to tackle.
Voters will need to use a driver's licence, a passport, or other forms of ID such as an older person's travel card. However, young person’s Railcards are not accepted, leading to considerable condemnation from electoral watchdogs.
For Labour, the changes have boosted the party's calls for Green and Lib Dem voters to opt for Khan in the mayoral election, now that they no longer have a chance to put a second preference. “I say in a respectful way, those parties cannot win on May 2,” the incumbent Mayor claimed.
He also renewed his attacks on competitor Conservative Susan Hall, naming her in a rare move.
“The choice on May 2nd is building a fairer, safer, greener city with me, or Susan Hall who will take us backwards….Susan Hall is somebody who supported Donald Trump in the past, she’s liked Enoch Powell, and she cheered on Liz Truss’ budget– that’s the sort of Mayor we could have.”
Asked if he had asked Sir Keir to repeal voter ID and the election rule change to First Past the Post, the Mayor told Byline Times: “Yeah. I think the Labour party has already committed in the mayoral election to go back to the previous system…And I'm lobbying the Labour Party, making the point: what is the [issue] you're trying to address with photo ID? To me, there's no evidence in relation to the concerns the Tories are saying about the need for photo ID.”
He believes that in urban seats like London, there may be a higher proportion of people who lack photo ID. However, election expert Rob Ford has argued: "Even if turned away voters leaned heavily Labour, the share of voters turned away and not returning would have to be massively above that observed anywhere else in the country for the impact to be on the scale claimed [by London Labour]." Around 14,000 voters were turned away and did not return due to photo ID problems in last May's local elections, though it amounts to a small percentage of voters overall.
London Labour has repeatedly poured cold water on polling showing Mr Khan around 20 points ahead of his Conservative opponent, with Khan noting that in 2008, “everyone said there's no chance for [Boris] Johnson, and it's in the bag for Ken Livingstone. We know how that movie ended.”
Despite his headline poll lead, recent polling by QMUL/YouGov shows that Londoners are generally dissatisfied with Mayor Sadiq Khan. Khan's approval rating sits at -16, particularly among older voters and those in outer London. However, the Government's approval rating is dramatically lower, at -55.
A separate recent ITV London/Survation poll found that the cost of living is the most pressing issue influencing London voters, with 41% putting it top, far ahead of crime (12%), health (11%), the economy (9%), housing (9%), and the ULEZ charge (6%).
A Centre for London/Savanta poll found that over half of Londoners think Mayor Khan has done a good job of making London more diverse, multicultural and tolerant, managing the transport network and protecting green spaces, the LDN newsletter reported. But his handling of homelessness, housing, and knife crime and gang issues is viewed less positively.
One of the biggest challenges facing all candidates– but perhaps particularly Labour given its support base– is a lack of awareness about the mayoral election, with only 40% of those under 35 knowing it was taking place, according to the same Savanta poll.
Sadiq Khan was speaking at an event to launch his new pledge to end street homelessness in London by 2030, if Labour is elected nationally in this year’s General Election, and he is re-elected at City Hall.
Susan Hall AM’s campaign was contacted for comment.
Do you have a story that needs highlighting? Get in touch by emailing josiah@bylinetimes.com
Liz Truss Unexpurgated: 40 Days to Save the West
I was strolling down a Balinese beach, sipping an Arak cocktail with the sun setting behind me when the terrible news broke. Boris Johnson had resigned, and I was needed back in London pronto to save the West.
To be honest, the inconvenience and timing of it all astounded me. My staff had only just begun to unpack my luggage, I had not finalised my dinner order (lobster bisque or thermidor?) and now I was expected to abandon the G20 meeting and fly 19 hours in a private Ministerial jet, which was running low on Fever Tree tonic water, in order to make a bid to be Prime Minister.
Three months later and defying all the odds I had won the hearts of the 0.001% of British people who had any say in the matter and was elected Prime Minister on a wave of national indifference.
The next day I flew to Balmoral and met the Queen who greeted me with the words “Not another one” and her signature eye roll.
We talked for about half an hour, and as I set out my plans for how I was going to save the West she nodded thoughtfully with her eyes closed and, when she came to suddenly, told me that she was going to be very busy in the coming months and might not be able to see me as often as she would have liked. If at all.
Two days later the terrible news came through of her death.
“I can’t really blame her,” my husband Hugh muttered as he unpacked our luggage and stepped over piles of dog poo that had been left by the previous tenants.
Whatever Hugh thought, the Queen could not help the timing of her death but the inconvenience of it all and the rank disregard for my feelings astounded me.
The dream I had had since childhood of saving the West from the Woke Establishment and the Anti-Growth Deep State would have to be put on hold.
The next two weeks were spent practising my most solemn looks in the bathroom mirror while Hugh fretted over Ocado deliveries, and the children played ‘World War Three’ in the nuclear bunker. And it was only once the funeral had passed that I could really get on with the Instagram photoshoots and the other business of government.
In early October I was invited to the European Political Summit in Prague and frankly, the timing could not have been worse. I had a longstanding appointment with Franco my hairdresser and one which could not really be cancelled because excuses like ‘leadership summits’ or ‘I’ve just been made prime minister’ simply do not cut or blow dry it with Franco. All attempts to get the other European leaders to change the date failed as they closed ranks against me. One angry hairdresser, a lost deposit and a pair of straighteners later I found myself in the Czech capital.
There I was greeted by a smiling President Macron of France who told me how nice it was to meet me and that he hoped that relations between the EU and Great Britain could be normalised again. The gall of the man astounded me. Seventeen point four million Britons had not voted to break free of the European stranglehold only for their Prime Minister to be insulted this way, I told him, adding that I intended to, “take our pork markets elsewhere.”
Back in London Hugh was trying to turn Downing Street into a home but the complete lack of support was nothing short of shocking. Having watched Love Actually in preparation for the move, I had been led to believe that Number Ten would be full of unconvincing cockney maids pushing tea trolleys about the place, but clearly, Hugh Grant had sacked them all. So, when we were in the flat, we were obliged to make our own beverages, run our own baths and even microwave our own Charlie Bingham lasagnas.
On one shocking occasion, I ran out of pule donkey cheese and Madeira and was forced to send an aide to Tesco to buy some ‘finest camembert’ and own brand port.
All the while the brilliant mind of Kwasi Kwarteng was working overtime to deliver the Tufton Street dream of a low-tax, high-performance economy that would reward ordinary, hard-working Britons on six-figure salaries and take a little pressure off those boarding school fees and holidays in the Maldives.
“Unfunded tax cuts of £45 billion? Shouldn’t you be running that stuff past the Office for Budget Responsibility?” Asked Hugh as the Chancellor and I high-fived over the draft mini budget – but as Kwasi pointed out who needs fiscal responsibility when you have mates in the IEA egging you on!
Twenty-four hours later Kwasi delivered his ‘growth plan’ to the House of Commons and twenty-five hours later, the economy crashed.
Three days later the pound reached an historic low against the dollar and all attempts to tell colleagues that this was part of the plan fell on deaf ears. I soon realised that the Communist Bank of England, in league with the anti-growth, Marxist Treasury, working in league with the socialist global economy had connived to bring my hopes and dreams crashing to the ground. Reaching for a protein drink labelled ‘Raab’ in the Downing Street fridge, Hugh looked at me wearily and said: “I did fucking TRY to tell you.”
Soon the machinery of the Deep State had turned against me once more and I was being blamed for things which were nothing whatsoever to do with me, or Kwasi or our plans.
I had had forty days to save the West. If only I had had forty more. Or forty more on top of that. But it was not to be.
Some have said that I failed – I say that you all failed me.
The Law That Could Prevent the Next Hillsborough
As the details of the Post Office Horizon scandal hit the headlines, Ian Byrne had a familiar feeling wash over him.
As a survivor of the Hillsborough disaster and a lifelong campaigner for justice for the 97 Liverpool fans who lost their lives that day, the experience of repeated cover-ups and victims struggling to be heard was something the MP for Liverpool West Derby knew all too well.
It has been one of a litany of historic and ongoing scandals that have come all too frequently in modern Britain – from the Infected Blood Scandal and WASPI Women to the lack of NHS oversight that allowed serial killer Lucy Letby to kill seven newborns in the Countess of Chester hospital.
Now – exactly 35 years to the day after Hillsborough – survivors like him and the families of those lost that day have struggled to get full justice or accountability from the authorities who lied and covered up what happened that day.
But now their hopes for justice rest on a new idea – something they say could stop the next Hillsborough disaster or Post Office scandal from happening.
The idea behind the so-called ‘Hillsborough Law’ is relatively simple. It would introduce a legal responsibility to tell the truth in any form of formal inquiry or proceeding (otherwise known as a ‘duty of candour’) with criminal punishments if they breach that law.
“It’s not okay that someone whose wage is paid by us the taxpayer to lie at an inquiry to us the taxpayer,” explains Elkan Abrahamson, director of the Hillsborough Law Now campaign.
“Police officers at Hillsborough were charged with fabricating or altering evidence in the initial inquiry into Hillsborough.
“They were charged but their barrister made a submission that as it wasn’t a statuary inquiry or a court hearing, there was no effect to lying to that inquiry. And the judges accepted that."
Another major part of the proposed Hillsborough Law would be a protection offering victims parity of legal funding in inquests.
"The Hillsborough families had to crowdfund their solicitor for the first inquest when they were facing the full power of the state, lined up against the KCs, the barristers, the FA, the police,” explains Byrne.
"Imagine the difference at the beginning of Hillsborough if we had had the same resources as the state had.
“I liken it to entering the boxing ring against a 6ft 9 brute like Tyson Fury with a blindfold on and your hands tied behind your back. And I think that that encapsulates Hillsborough to me, that's what was getting faced. And that's why it took a remarkable story to end up where we ended up.”
Elkan Abrahamson from the Hillsborough Justice campaign gives evidence to the Commons Home affairs Committee at Portcullis House in London in 2014. Photo: PA Images/Alamy
The impact campaigners hope the law will have is varied. On the surface, obviously, it would make it much harder for state organisations – from the police to the NHS or the Post Office – to lie to official inquests.
In doing so it could prevent the next major scandal – or at least catch it far earlier in the process.
And for victims and their families forced to sit through such cover-ups it would offer real accountability to those who hid the truth.
But the benefits, Byrne says, go much further... These scandals don’t just have a huge personal cost, but a financial one – from compensation to the long string of court cases and inquests.
Over £153m has already been paid out in compensation to victims of the Post Office Horizon Scandal, for example.
“Imagine how much taxpayer money would have been saved on endless inquests and inquiries and compensation if we had something at the outset when the truth had to be told,” says Byrne.
But thus far the Government have refused the campaigners' demands.
They have claimed that a Hillsborough Law isn’t needed because the Government had signed a “Hillsborough charter”, that states a commitment by departments to openness and transparency after public tragedies.
But for Byrne and Abrahamson, the Government’s proposals lack proper repercussions for those caught out trying to orchestrate a cover-up.
Abrahamson cites the fact that a ‘duty of candour’ newly put in place for police officers, for example, only risks them facing professional punishment if they lie, not criminal.
And while Byrne says Justice Secretary Alex Chalk has been receptive to the campaign’s demands, he argues the Government focus on loose culture change risks being too “soft touch”.
“What better way to change the culture than to know if you’re heading into cover-up territory then you're gonna be prosecuted and face the ultimate penalties,” Byrne explains.
Labour leader Keir Starmer has repeatedly pledged to pass a Hillsborough Law if Labour wins the next election however, and now the campaigners’ main priority is ensuring Labour don’t back away from that promise and pass the law in the first 100 days of any future government.
“I keep coming back to fairness, equality, and the ability to get justice regardless of what position you’re in in society,” says Byrne. “For me, it encapsulates the unfairness of this country, and the Hillsborough Law would rebalance the scales of justice so all could get justice and that’s so important to me having lived through what I did at Hillsborough.
“Whoever you are, whatever your circumstances, you should be able to get justice.”
Rwanda ‘Cash for Humans’ Flights Leave Asylum Seekers ‘Terrified’
I was about to interrupt the world’s largest aviation conference. It was 2022 and, along with another activist who’d survived torture and navigated the UK asylum system, I’d travelled to Amsterdam to publicly condemn the private airlines who’d agreed to undertake the Government’s cruel ‘cash-for-humans' Rwanda flights.
As you would expect, my heart rate was through the roof, and I was extremely nervous. By the time my cue came, I stood up and took to the stage to say as loud as I could that Privilege Style airlines were profiting from the pain of refugees. I only remember a woman walking me off the stage after I’d said my piece.
The stunt was a success. The crowd applauded and, after the event, a member of the board even wrote to us to express their support. Along with public support and other actions organised by groups that I’m part of (the charity Freedom from Torture and the survivor of torture network Survivors Speak OUT) as part of our Stop the Flights campaign, Privilege Style, the airline tipped to carry out the flights, emailed us to confirm that they had pulled out of the scheme. I was so proud. We’d done it.
These memories are now complicated for me. While I’m proud of my team’s achievements, the time between then and now is littered with false hopes, anti-refugee hysteria, and now the real possibility of a flight to Rwanda. I feel like all our efforts, after all this time, have come to very little. People like us have been ignored.
I know what it’s like to have to leave my home against my will, and at very short notice. I have also taken a traumatic journey under difficult circumstances to reach safety. This unexpected chapter turned my life upside down, and it’s only through support and having the reassurance of knowing that my status is secured that I’ve been able to start the hard work of recovering and rebuilding my life.
But for so many other people I know who are waiting for their claims to be processed, in some cases for decades, they are terrified that the plane ticket to Rwanda could come at any time and have raised these feelings of anxiety in our group meetings. They are living in limbo in the UK and haven’t been able to start rebuilding their lives yet. One phone call could spell disaster.
Despite claims by the government that Rwanda is ‘safe’, the Supreme Court, UNHCR, and other human rights experts don’t agree. There are still many serious human rights concerns.
In the time since announcing the scheme, while arguing that Rwanda was safe, the Government has also granted asylum to Rwandan refugees. All of this makes my hair stand up on end. How can our Government play politics with the lives of people fleeing persecution, war, and torture? Some of the people who this Government is happy to put on a plane include victims of human trafficking and survivors of torture.
The Bill I am fighting will allow the Government to shirk its responsibility to commitments that the UK solemnly made in the wake of the Second World War. The people in power are playing God with human lives.
We are bound to see images and footage of people being herded onto planes like cattle, being flown to a country 4,000 miles away where those on board have no family or cultural ties, where there’s no guarantee of safety or a roof over their head, and where the possibility of being sent back to the hands of their torturers can’t be ruled out. We are flying people into the unknown. I ask you, is this what 'safe’ looks like?
On Monday, the Rwanda Bill returns to the House of Commons, meaning we are one step closer to it passing and Suella Braverman’s ‘dream’ of flights in the air coming true. For me, as a refugee, the dream is a nightmare.
‘Conservative Party’s Love of Margaret Thatcher has Ruined Them – and Britain’s Economy’
The Conservative Party is a "series of cults" that can't be governed and their plummeting popularity - and the state of the UK's services and economy - is due to their admiration for Margaret Thatcher, a renowned political writer has suggested.
Will Hutton, author of influential works including, The State We're In, 1996, and The World We're In, 2002, detailed the Government's demise and gave his blueprint for a more prosperous Britain in an interview with the Byline Times Podcast that's available for download now.
The former Editor-in-Chief of The Observer joined host, Adrian Goldberg, earlier this month to speak about his new book, This Time No Mistakes, How To Remake Britain, and called for an alliance of the progressive left to remove the Conservatives from power at the next election, expected to be in January 2025.
A YouGov and MRP poll on 3 April found that the Conservatives - if the country were to vote in a General Election the following day - would get 155 seats, down from a January projection of 169. Labour, the poll found, would win 403. Some polls have suggested the Conservatives could win fewer than 100 seats.
Will Hutton with his new book, This Time No Mistakes, How To Remake Britain. Photo: Adrian Goldberg/Byline Times
While the 'Iron Lady' is lauded in political circles for her lasting impact on the UK during her 11 years as Prime Minister from 1979-1990, the fallout from many of her radical economic decisions is still being felt today. Thatcher stewarded incredible rises in inequality, led deindustrialisation, and left Brits depressed and angry in what Hutton called, in some cases, an act "of vandalism".
Hutton says she made four "gigantic mistakes" that left the UK "reeling" and brands her the "pernicious author" of the country's decline.
"As Lord Nigel Lawson said at the time, a country can survive one mistake, but four mistakes of that type, of that seriousness, have led to where we are in 2024," the author told the Byline Times Podcast. "But as I say, Margaret Thatcher is venerated within the Conservative Party, which has been in power since 2010. She is also held up as a model by many in the Labour Party, perhaps not by ordinary Labour Party members, I should say, but by successive leaders of the Labour Party, so if her reign was so disastrous, why now is she still revered?"
The "multiple problems" the UK suffers from have "roots in her wrong thinking" to put her ambitions and preferences "at the heart of the economic, social and moral universe," Hutton said, before adding that "all those areas that were badly hurt by her, were to vote Brexit 30 years later, but for no lasting gains".
Hutton believes the reason the Conservatives are "in such trouble as a political party, is because you venerate this woman who was the author of our decline".
"We've been misgoverned around a kind of misunderstanding of how you get capitalism to work and its interdependence with a strong society for 45 years. And we end up where we are in 2024." Echoing the title of his book, Hutton added: "So this time, no mistakes."
"It's very hard to think really, of one policy success in the last 45 years that's sprung from this philosophy (Thatcherism)."
Hutton's book is a rallying cry for a fairer Britain, one where capitalism serves the interests of the people, and explains how the right and left got it wrong over the last century. He argues that the UK's "inability to invest in itself is at the heart of our problems".
"The malevolent thread linking the grievous errors of the last 45 years is the attempt to create the utopia of free markets and a minimal state," promotional material for the book reads.
"The terrible consequences scar our country today. We need an alternative economic and political philosophy, especially if we are to ward off a nihilist populism. Two great traditions - ethical socialism and progressive liberalism - can be brought together to offer a different way forward," Hutton argues.
In his interview with Byline Times, Hutton went on to decry Britain's "deeply unfair" electoral system that has "allowed" the Conservatives to dominate and "commit a long series of great, avoidable errors".
The Conservative party, Hutton says, "doesn't work" and that's "led to a collapse, really, in the kind of internal cohesion of the party" and "turned it into a federation of cults".
Hutton cited the fact that there has been 16 housing ministers since 2010, amongst a myriad of other personnel changes, which has meant the party simply couldn't "get a line of sight on what it is you need to do to get growth going to create good jobs to kind of bind British society together to have any influence on the world." He added: "They just don't know what to do."
Labour, Hutton argued, needs to unite around central ideas, like the Conservatives have around "one nation Toryism and Thatcherism": "We've never managed to put together, on the kind of liberal left a philosophy which allows us to kind of cohere. And win election after election after election and appeal to the mass of the British."
Hutton called for voters to put aside their preferences in the coming election and vote tactically to ensure the Conservatives can't "resurrect itself" and stay in power. To win less than 100 seats in the House of Commons will be the "stake through its heart", he said.
Britain has had "acres and acres and acres of time in which governments were occupied by the Tory party, and it hasn't done us any good as a country, as an economy and as a society, culminating in Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. Two disgraces actually as Prime Ministers. Disgraces."
In his book, Hutton said he has tried to outline how a "kind of feasible, achievable change is centred around getting capitalism to work for the common good, and to grow the economy".
"Let's construct a social contract that stretches from housing, through education, through health, through the criminal justice system, so that everybody has both a floor below which they can't fall, and the opportunity to make the best of themselves and live lives they have reason to value, that I think speaks to the majority of the British, that's my conceit," he told Byline Times. "You look at attitude surveys and value service, that's where most people are at, they kind of get it. And that's what the books about and I'm saying, 'let's do it. This time, no mistakes'."
The War We Don’t Discuss: Protests and Vigils Planned in Solidarity with Sudan Amid Call for Media Attention
British media outlets are being urged to shine a light on the glaring humanitarian crisis in Sudan, a year into a conflict which has forced eight million citizens from their homes.
London for Sudan and other activist groups are organising protests and vigils in the capital over the next week to “show solidarity with the people of Sudan amidst the harrowing war on civilians”.
The conflict has been described as the devastating outcome of “a power struggle” between the leaders of the two forces: General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the SAF, and General Mohamed Hamden Dagalo, as the head of the RSF, according to the House of Commons library.
Both Generals took part in a 2019 “people’s revolution” that deposed long-time dictator President Omar al-Bashir, and oversaw the creation of a subsequent civilian-led government. But in October 2021 they overthrew that government and took power themselves, after which tensions between them emerged over Sudan’s future, the Commons briefing notes.
Those tensions erupted in fighting in the Sudanese capital Khartoum between two groups - the SAF and RSF on 15 April 2023, exacerbating a humanitarian crisis.
London for Sudan and other solidarity groups say the fighting is rooted in struggles over the country’s resources and wealth.
The protests mark the one year anniversary of what they say is the world’s biggest humanitarian displacement, with eight million citizens forced to flee their homes and Sudan in a state of famine.
“This war on the Sudanese revolution, people and state has terrorised the nation, with rape used as weapon of war. Vital facilities including hospitals, schools, and communication networks have also been destroyed, prompting a global call to action,” a spokesperson for London for Sudan said.
The movement started in November 2023, prompted by the lack of media attention to protests and calls for action from Sudanese families on the ground.
A spokesperson for London for Sudan urged UK media to take notice of the conflict, which has largely gone ignored compared to the war in Gaza: “We urge media outlets to cover the significance and importance of amplifying this crucial cause. The protest and vigil serves as a platform for the Sudanese diaspora and allies to unite and advocate for those still enduring suffering.
"Your coverage will play a pivotal role in shedding light on the plight of Sudanese people and garnering support for humanitarian efforts and urging government action.”
An organiser for the group, Laila, told Byline Times the lack of focus could be down to dismissive attitudes towards African issues and “anti-blackness”. Britain's colonial history in the region also plays a complex role in triggering “decades of trauma and destabilisation,” she said.
Palestine receives more attention as it's seen as clearer who the "bad guy" is and what actions individuals can take, she said. Specific actions to help Sudan include boycotting goods from the UAE, the activist added.
And while there have been peace talks, more international support for Sudanese refugees, especially from the UK, is needed, Laila, who is from neighbouring Eritrea, said.
“Right now, most people just want to get to safety…But unfortunately, this government has made things harder for those seeking refuge.
“The media can bring the spotlight, and delve a bit deeper into what's going on, as opposed to just skimming past it as mainstream media usually does. News outlets need to be educating people on this,” she said.
Protesters will gather in London this Saturday April 13th at 1:00 PM, starting at Church Street Market, before concluding at Trafalgar Square around 3:30 PM. A second protest on Monday, April 15th at 6:00 PM will see campaigners gather again at Trafalgar Square. Over a thousand attendees are expected, with several organisations involved including the Sudanese Initiative Against War, Kordofan Development Foundation, and a coordination group of Sudanese unions.
Sudan was a British colony from 1899 until 1956, with Britain ruling the country indirectly as part of the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium, a ‘dual colonial government’ run by the UK and Egypt.
The colonial rulers allowed the south of the country to develop as a separate state. Some historians say this exacerbated later grievances between north and south. South Sudan eventually gained independence in 2011.
Sudan has already faced decades of war this century, with the 'Darfur genocide' - the systematic killing of ethnic Darfuri people - raging since 2003. The brutal campaign primarily aimed at the Fur, Masalit, and Zaghawa ethnic groups has prompted the International Criminal Court to charge multiple individuals with crimes including humanity, rape, forced displacement, and torture. Between 2003 and 2005 alone, an estimated 200,000 people were killed.
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The Free Speech Union’s Key Role in Developing Government Legislation
Toby Young resigned from the board of higher education regulator the Office for Students (OfS) in 2018 after controversy over a string of offensive tweets directed at women as well as comments about working-class students and eugenics.
In 2020, Young launched the Free Speech Union (FSU), and in 2023 Professor Arif Ahmed, a former Advisory Council member of the FSU was appointed to be the OfS’s new “free speech czar” tasked with protecting academics and students who make controversial comments due to legislation the FSU lobbied for, advised on, and amended.
From being forced to resign, Young now leads an organisation which is involved in developing Government legislation such as the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act and has begun working with councils to “to enshrine free speech in its policies, procedures, code of conduct and constitution.”
Miriam Cates MP speaking at the Northern Research Group conference in Doncaster in 2023.
Photo: Danny Lawson/PA Images/Alamy
When Miriam Cates MP was contacted by Byline Times to offer a right of reply for another article, the response came not from her office but from the account of Samuel Armstrong.
Armstrong’s role as a freelance political consultant for individual MPs, groups of MPs and political campaigns, demonstrates how the FSU works closely with elements of the Conservative Party to shape legislation.
His current anchor clients are the FSU, where he is Legislative Affairs Director, and the New Conservatives grouping of MPs, for which Cates is a director, and which received a £50,000 donation in December from the Dubai-based Legatum Institute Foundation, the investment fund behind GB News.
Armstrong's role for the FSU entails working with the FSU’s Legal Advisory Council to draft and propose amendments to bills that are frequently either taken up or proposed in a different format by the government.
His LinkedIn profile says “Unlike all too many, we really get into the nitty-gritty of the legislative process and use all the levers of Parliamentary procedure to win.”
Major recent campaigns have included the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act, changes to the Online Safety Bill, the Workers Protection Bill being dropped, and Payment Services Regulations.
Think Tanking Academia
FSU member Professor Abhishek Saha explained the organisation's role in producing the Higher Education Bill in an article for the US-based Heterodox Academy in February 2024, providing insight into how legislation is being created through the input of think tanks and the FSU.
In February 2021, the UK Government issued a policy paper setting out proposals to strengthen protections for free speech in response to reports published by the think tanks Cieo, Policy Exchange, and Civitas. All three reports faced criticism.
As reported by openDemocracy, Civitas’ report was produced by compiling often misleading media reports and looking at university websites, marking down universities if they had anti-racism training or procedures to anonymously report harassment, concluding that “universities have adopted, wholesale, a mutation and splicing of past radicalisms that include Marxism, postmodernism, feminism, Freudianism, and Maoism”. Research by the BBC’s Reality Check team contradicted this.
Initially lobbying for the bill when the Government was weighing up its merits, the FSU then advised the Government on what to include in the legislation and worked on its amendments.
On 7 December 2022, the House of Lords voted to remove the Bill’s statutory tort clause completely. The tort mechanism allows civil claims to be brought in the County Court against higher education providers and student unions if they breach their new free speech obligations.
Saha explains in the Heterodox Academy article that he then met with Claire Coutinho MP in February 2023, and says the FSU convinced the Government to amend Clause Four, not to address concerns, but to further expand the tort mechanism so that financial losses from legal action included subtler forms of loss, for example, humiliation, loss of reputation, or restriction of access to research data.
Another amendment added in the Commons was an expansion of the bill’s academic freedom protections to beyond an individual’s “field of expertise”.
The Commons voted 283 to 161 to reinstate the tort in full and it was passed in the Lords on 10 May 2023 after it was agreed that a complainant would need to have exhausted the free speech complaints scheme before going to court unless bringing civil proceedings for an injunction only.
Setting the Boundaries of Debate
The legislation’s complaints system will be overseen by the OfS’s new Director for Free Speech and Academic Freedom, Professor Arif Ahmed. Appointed to the position in August 2023, he left the post of Commissioner to the Equality and Human Rights Commission which he’d been appointed to in late 2022 by Kemi Badenoch MP.
Ahmed was previously a member of the FSU’s Advisory Council and was part of the group of academics focused around Cambridge University that developed into the FSU.
Despite its stance against cancel culture, the FSU website “celebrated” the “critical role” played by Ahmed after his campaign at Cambridge forced plans to allow anonymous reporting of microaggressions to be dropped, and resulted in the resignation of Stephen Toope, Vice-Chancellor of the University in 2021.
Details of the new complaints system have yet to be released, however on 25 March, when Ahmed was interviewed on the Today Programme regarding what would be considered a breach of free speech, he was unable to provide examples, stating that each case would be judged on individual merit.
Subsequently, the OfS announced a consultation period, lasting until 24 May, on proposed new guidance for higher education providers and students’ unions on fulfilling “new free speech duties which are expected to be from August this year”.
Ahmed will have considerable influence in setting the boundaries of debate in higher education. Critics have raised concerns that the threat of large financial sanctions could create a climate of fear where individuals feel unable to challenge abusive or derogatory comments.
This March, Bromley Council in London has passed a proposal to “enshrine free speech” above “HR-style inquisition and political snitching” after councillors worked for many months with the FSU to write the policy. The policy will protect strongly held beliefs and allow councillors to “challenge, without repercussions.” The FSU is hoping other councils will follow Bromley.
Nearly 300 Parliamentary Lobby Groups Disappear After New Rules on Foreign Funding and Membership Come into Force
Hundreds of parliamentary lobbying groups have been disbanded after new rules came in banning foreign state funding and tightening up transparency rules.
All Party Parliamentary Groups have come under close scrutiny in recent years, following a raft of scandals. The internal lobbying groups are composed of MPs and peers but are often run by outside organisations known as secretariats.
Amid fears that vested interests and even hostile states could use them to unduly influence parliamentarians – while adding a layer of parliamentary prestige to their work – all APPGs are now required to produce an annual income and expenditure statement, with the secretariats banned from receiving funding from foreign states, whether directly or indirectly.
It may have posed a problem for the dozens of cross-party groups that provide free ‘educational’ trips to MPs to the countries in question.
Following the new rules, the count of APPGs, groups in Parliament that span a wide range of interests has plummeted from 722 to 444, marking a 39% decrease within just a month, according to analysis by the non-profit democracy group mySociety.
Last year, Politico uncovered instances of British parliamentarians having engaged in ‘sex tourism’ and heavy drinking through trips hosted by some country-focused APPGs.
The outlet also found a small cohort of MPs, approximately 10 "super members” held roles in 20 or more country-focused APPGs. Collectively, the backbenchers undertook overseas visits amounting worth over £450,000 since joining parliament.
National-focused APPGs that have now been scrapped include Bahrain, which was chaired by the now-suspended Tory MP Bob Stewart. Stewart recently had his conviction overturned over a verbal tirade against a Bahrain democracy protester.
Reporting by OpenDemocracy in 2022 estimated that APPGs had received around £25 million in benefits from outside bodies in four years, with more than half of that coming from private sector firms.
APPGs are sometimes seen as a bridge between Parliament and the public, allowing MPs and Lords with shared interests to engage with policy areas and outside groups. But they’ve faced growing scrutiny for potential vulnerabilities to corruption, with Transparency International highlighting concerns over MPs and peers accepting expenses-paid trips from governments with dubious records on human rights and corruption.
The tougher rules introduced at the start of this month are aimed at enhancing financial transparency and reducing foreign influence within the parliamentary groups.
The number of country-specific groups has subsequently fallen by 43%, while subject-focused groups on issues – ranging from jazz to the wine industry and electoral reform – have fallen by 38%. Some groups may have been unable to meet the new 20-member minimum threshold.
However, the Substack Democracy for Sale has noted that groups that have chosen not to register officially can continue to operate similarly to APPGs but without the obligation to follow the new transparency and funding rules.
Tom Brake, director of Unlock Democracy, told Byline Times: “We will need to keep close watch on whether less scrupulous operators, who are keen to bypass the rules, set up new groups with misleadingly official names. If this happens, MPs should give them a wide berth.”
Julia Cushion, Policy and Advocacy Manager at mySociety, said that while the new rules clamp down on inappropriate funding from foreign governments and corporate lobbying, “there is now a risk of new “informal” policy forums popping up in their place.”
Regardless of how the money came to them, MPs are obliged to declare gifts (such as trips paid for by foreign governments) through their own declarations of interests, for any over the value of £300.
Steve Goodrich, Head of Research and Investigations at Transparency International UK added: “APPGs had long been a backdoor for lobbyists, including those representing big oil and kleptocrats. That corrupt and repressive regimes like Azerbaijan could secure privileged access to the parliamentary estate through these groups shows how bad things had gotten.
“Parliament was right to require greater transparency and accountability over APPGs, which has seen a dramatic drop in the number of groups registered.”
But he also urged the Government to bring forward legislation to ‘lift the lid’ on other forms of lobbying in politics.
The Losers
Country-based APPGs that have now been scrapped: Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Bermuda, British Overseas Territories, British Virgin Islands, Central America, Channel Islands, Colombia, Croatia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia and Djibouti, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, India, Jamaica, Kashmir, Kurdistan Region in Iraq, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Maldives, Moldova, Montserrat, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Pacific Islands, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Pitcairn Islands, Polar Regions, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Russia, Slovakia, Southern Yemen, Sri Lanka, St Helena, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Western Sahara, and Zambia.
There is no suggestion that the MPs involved in those APPGs were funded by foreign states, unless their registers of interest say otherwise.
Other all-party groups to have been abolished this month – some of which may have provided free jollies for MPs and peers, include groups for:
The new rules from this month:
As of after the next election, MPs or peers can only be officers for a maximum of 6 APPGs.
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Angela Rayner Tax Protest Was Staged by Conservative Politicians Posing as ‘Tax Activists’
A supposedly grassroots 'tax protest' against Labour party Deputy Leader Angela Rayner, which hit the headlines on Wednesday, was organised and conducted by Conservative party politicians, one of the organisers has admitted to Byline Times.
The Daily Express published video from the protest in Yarm, North Yorkshire, showing what were described as "activists" donning caps, glasses and yellow vests with the slogan "tax inspector".
The report refers to what are described as "local sources" suggesting that Rayner was "forced to sneak out the back door of the Tomahawk bar to avoid being photographed with the protestors on the way out."
"Walking down Yarm highstreet, Ms Rayner was seen hiding under an umbrella as activists wearing 'Tax inspector' high-vis vests unveiled a giant banner reading: "Angela Rayner: Tax dodger?” the paper reported.
The Express did not reveal who the protesters, three of whom could be seen wearing caps, glasses and a hood were, or which campaign they represented. Nor too did other reports in outlets including the Spectator, GB News, or Guido Fawkes.
However, Byline Times has identified one of the protesters as local Conservative Councillor for Yarm, John Coulson.
Coulson admitted to this paper to taking part in the protest, alongside other local Conservative councillors.
However, he denied organising the protest, which he said had been put together at short notice by "others" in the party
"Our local guys decided to make this protest", Coulson said.
"It wasn't organised by me. I was asked to get involved because I am very vocal, and I'm very active and because I believe in what we're doing, I got involved".
Coulson, who faced his own local controversy back in 2022 over allegations of posting misogynistic social media posts, said that he took part because he feels "very protective" of local Conservative MP Matt Vickers, who is projected to lose his seat in the House of Commons to Labour, according to a series of recent national opinion polls.
The protest follows a campaign by the Conservative party and supportive newspapers to raise questions about Angela Rayner's historic tax affairs.
Rayner has strongly denied underpaying capital gains tax on the sale of a property ten years ago, which independent tax experts suggest would amount to around £1,500 if proven to have been underpaid.
The allegations first surfaced in a new book published by the former Conservative peer Lord Ashcroft, who previously faced controversy himself over his use of a non-dom tax status, which reportedly allowed him to legally avoid tens of millions of pounds in tax.