Candidate Azhar Ali issues apology after comments emerge in which he suggested Israel allowed Hamas attack to happen
Good morning. I would say we were expecting a quiet week in UK politics with most of our institutions – including Andrew Sparrow – enjoying a half-term break, but there are significant political headwinds gathering for both Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer.
Sunak faces the prospect of potentially losing two byelections in Kingswood and Wellingborough later this week. Before that his flagship Rwanda deportation plan faces scrutiny in the Lords this afternoon, inflation figures are due out midweek, and Thursday’s GDP figures might show the country has been in a recession. He is out campaigning in Yorkshire today, and will sit through a one hour grilling from voters on GB News at 8pm, which will be another test of how well he is likely to hold up in contact with the public during an election campaign.
Labour’s candidate for the Rochdale byelection has “apologised unreservedly” to the Jewish community after comments emerged in which he claimed Israel had let the 7 October attacks happen. He remains the party’s candidate.
A damning parliamentary report has said the UK government’s controversial Rwanda legislation that deems the African country as a safe place to deport people to is fundamentally incompatible with Britain’s human rights obligations and places it in breach of international law.
UK workers can expect smaller pay rises this year, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has said.
More than 1.5 million patients in England had to wait 12 hours or longer in A&E in the past year.
Defence secretary Grant Shapps has ordered a review of Ministry of Defence diversity policies.
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