Hello there, I'm Thomas Kingsley and welcome to The Independent's Inside Politics newsletter. Love Island has returned for a new season, but while's there's romance and paradise in the villa, it's quite the opposite between the health secretary and nursing unions as nurses are scheduled for another day of strikes on Wednesday. 1 February has also been earmarked as a day of 'significant disruption' as rail, education and civil service unions are all set to strike, putting more pressure on the government to reach an agreement. |
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Inside the bubble Our political commentator Andrew Grice on what to look out for today. As nurses in England strike again, Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, will meet teaching unions ahead of the strikes by the National Education Union starting on 1 February. After Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer do battle at prime minister's questions, the Labour leader will head for the World Economic Forum in Davos, but Sunak will not. Grant Shapps, the business secretary and Kemi Badenoch, the international trade secretary, will attend meetings in the Swiss mountain resort.
MPs will demand that parliament rather than ministers has the final say on repealing EU laws when the Retained EU Law Bill continues its passage. Huw Merriman, the rail minister, will be quizzed on the rail dispute by the transport select committee, which he chaired until October. The home affairs committee will hold a timely hearing on police recruitment, vetting and training. |
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Barclay digs his heels in The government is showing no signs of giving in on public sector pay rises as health secretary Steve Barclay warned that patients will suffer if ministers bow to nurses' demands for pay rises as tens of thousands of NHS staff prepare to walk out on Wednesday. But the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has criticised him for "pitting nurses against patients", branding the comments "a new low for the health secretary". The union urged the health secretary to "get back round the table and negotiate a fair pay rise for nurses". On Wednesday tens of thousands of nurses are likely to strike across 55 trusts. NHS data shows 4,567 operations and 25,009 outpatient appointments were cancelled during the nurse's strikes on 15 and 20 December. The NHS also faces further ambulance strikes next Monday, which sources indicate will go ahead, and new strikes are to be announced for February by union GMB. It comes as it was confirmed rail workers will join civil servants and teachers walking out on what has been billed as a "national day of action" on 1 February. Downing Street said the coordinated strikes "were not the right approach" and would cause "significant disruption" to the public However, in an attempt to extend an olive branch, Mr Barclay said NHS staff could receive a "top up" on pay if savings are made through cuts to "administrative burdens". Read the full story here. |
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Tories differ on Scottish gender recognition bill Rishi Sunak's Cabinet appear divided on Scotland's controversial gender recognition bill after it was announced that Westminster would move to block the policy. Education secretary Gillian Keegan has suggested that she believes 16-year-olds are old enough to decide to change their gender identity – as a political row deepened about Westminster's plans to block reforms passed in Scotland. Asked if she thought 16 was too young to make such a decision, Ms Keegan told Sky News: "No, I don't think so. I was working at 16, I was paying tax at 16. I could make decisions for myself at 16." However, Rishi Sunak's spokesman quickly responded to the suggestion, emphasising that Ms Keegan was speaking personally and the government's position is that 18 is the correct age for transgender people to change their sex. The UK government is preparing for a legal clash after Scottish secretary Alister Jack confirmed he will make an order – under Section 35 of the Scotland Act 1998 – to block reforms passed by Holyrood. Mr Jack claimed the laws, which simplify the process for trans people to obtain a gender recognition certificate (GRC), could have "chilling effects on single-sex spaces" for women and warned of "significant complications" from having different processes for obtaining a GRC in different parts of the UK. Read the full story here. |
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On the record Health secretary, Steve Barclay, writing in The Independent on nurse strikes: "Unaffordable pay hikes will mean cutting patient care and stoking the inflation that would make us all poorer." |
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From the Twitterati Paul Waugh, chief political commentator of The i, on Tory MP fears about the next general election: "Meanwhile some Tory MPs are fretting about a Labour landslide. Ex-minister: "The worst thing is immediately about 150 of your most agile, talented people just get sliced out. Of the ones you've got left, probably about 2/3rds are numpties in safe seats." |
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