Rishi Sunak news – live: Suella Braverman has learnt from her mistakes, PM insists
New prime minister claims Braverman has ‘taken accountability’
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox
Get our free View from Westminster email
Rishi Sunak has said he has no regrets over putting Suella Braverman back in charge of the Home Office just six days after she resigned over a security breach, insisting the home secretary has learnt from her mistakes.
The comments came in his first public visit as prime minister, to a Croydon hospital where he was confronted by an NHS patient who urged him to “try harder” on nurses’ pay. “It’s a pity you don’t pay them more,” Catherine Poole, a 77-year-old recovering from surgery, told the PM.
Mr Sunak also ditched a Tory leadership campaign pledge to fine patients who miss GP and hospital appointments, backtracking on plans health leaders had warned would “make matters worse”.
He pledged to put “fairness at the heart” of the “difficult decisions” he will take to “fix” the economic “mistakes” made by his party, and insisted it was “right” for him to focus on “depressing” domestic challenges, denying accusations of a “massive failure of climate leadership” by opting not to attend the Cop27 summit.
Liz Truss ‘enjoying well-deserved break’, says ally
Liz Truss is “enjoying a well-deserved break” after becoming the UK’s shortest-serving prime minister, her former deputy and close political ally Therese Coffey has said.
“I have of course been in touch with Liz. She’s a good friend,” Ms Coffey told Sky News. “She’s with her family. I think she’s enjoying a well-deserved break.”
Up to King Charles whether he wishes to attend Cop27, says Coffey
It is up to the King whether he attends the Cop27 summit in Egypt, the environment secretary Therese Coffey has said, after the former prime minister – and her close political ally – Liz Truss asked the monarch not to do so.
Speaking after Egypt’s lead negotiator Mohamed Nasr told Sky News that Cairo hoped the King would be in attendance, Ms Coffey told the broadcaster: “I’m conscious that King Charles has always taken a very deep interest in the environment and climate change.
“Of course, it would be up to him to decide how he chooses where to put his priorities in his reign as King.”
Asked if she would like to see him attend Cop27, she said: “I think it’s up to him. I know that he takes an interest in this particular issue, but it’s up to him”, adding: “Normally the big Cops tend to be every five years.
“The United Kingdom hosted that last year where we had attendance for many members of the royal family, but in between it tends to be more of a – I’m not going to say low key – but not quite the same level of heads of state and prime ministers attending.”
Cop27 not one of the ‘big political’ UN climate summits, suggests Coffey
Environment secretary Therese Coffey has defended Rishi Sunak’s decision not to attend the Cop27 climate summit, saying that the “big political” summits take place every five years.
She insisted the climate issue is “very much a priority” for the new government despite climate minister Graham Stuart and Cop26 President Alok Sharma being stripped of their Cabinet seats.
“The big push happened last year in Glasgow,” she told Sky News. “I am not aware of, say, President Biden or President Macron or any of those other people will be there. It is quite standard practice that every five years is the big political gathering.”
She herself will be among “several senior government ministers” who will be attending the summit in Egypt next month, Ms Coffey said.
Putin calls Liz Truss ‘crazy’ for raising concerns about nuclear weapons
In his speech at the Valdai Club, Russian president Vladimir Putin said the UK’s former prime minister Liz Truss was a “little out of her mind” for openly making nuclear threats against Russia.
“How can you say such things in public? They could correct her. Washington could publicly say, “We have nothing to do with this”,’ said Mr Putin.
At one point he called her “crazy” in his wide-ranging speech.
In his address, the Russian president suggested that the US and its allies were trying to dictate their terms to other nations in a “dangerous and bloody” game of domination.
Labour calls for windfall tax as Shell profits double during bills crisis
Labour has called for a windfall tax after Shell doubled its third-quarter profits with Britons facing soaring energy bills and the threat of blackouts.
The energy giant recorded profits of £8bn, double those for the same period as last year. The company made big gains from selling expensive gas, which offset the fall in oil prices.
Shadow climate secretary Ed Miliband called for a “proper” windfall tax to make energy companies “pay their fair share”.
“Rishi Sunak’s existing plans would see billions of pounds of taxpayer money go back into the pockets of oil and gas giants through ludicrous tax breaks,” he wrote on Twitter.
Read Thomas Kingsley’s report.
Labour calls for windfall tax as Shell profits double during bills crisis
TUC said energy giant’s profits are ‘obscene’ and Britons are being ‘fleeced’
Northern Ireland set for pre-Christmas Assembly election
Northern Ireland is set to have a pre-Christmas Assembly election as the deadline to restore devolved government at Stormont has elapsed.
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris is expected to call the election today, following the failure of a last-ditch effort to restore the multi-party executive.
The DUP is blocking the restoration of powersharing as part of its protest against the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol.
A six-month legislative timeframe to form an administration expired in the early hours today. With no ministerial executive in place, the UK Government assumes a legal responsibility to call another election.
While Mr Heaton-Harris has not yet laid out the details, there has been speculation the poll would be held on 15 December.
Rishi Sunak also urged the DUP to get back to Stormont just hours before the deadline to restore devolution expired.
His official spokesman said: “There’s still time for the DUP and executives to get back to Stormont and we urge them to do so because the people of Northern Ireland deserve a fully functioning and locally elected executive which can respond to the issues facing the communities there.”
Indian sand artist responds after his unique portrait of Sunak confused with Tony Blair
India’s acclaimed sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has said his only intentions were to “portray Mr Rishi Sunak through my sand art” after several suggested that the art piece more closely resembles former Labour prime minister Tony Blair.
“I would like to clarify, My sand sculpture was on newly appointed UK PM @RishiSunak,” Mr Pattnaik tweeted.
“As an Artist I have tried my best to portray Mr Rishi Sunak through my sand art. It was my only intention to congratulate Mr Sunak and nothing else.”
Mr Pattnaik, who is often in headlines in India for marking world events with his unique talent of making sand sculptures, congratulated Mr Sunak by drawing his portrait on Puri Beach in Odisha, India, this week.
But people commenting online said the sculpture looked more like Mr Blair, who was the UK prime minister from 1997 to 2007.
UK foreign secretary Cleverly touches down in India
British foreign secretary James Cleverly arrived in Mumbai, India, where he will take part in UN Counter Terror meet, in his first trip abroad since being reappointed by Rishi Sunak.
“Fantastic to be in India. Looking forward to deepening partnership as we work towards our 2030 Roadmap, building our trade links and strengthening security,” he tweeted following his arrival.
Mr Cleverly will meet his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Saturday to discuss strengthening diplomatic ties.
They are expected to discuss negotiations on stalled Free Trade Agreement.
Sunak’s climate credentials questioned for skipping Cop27
Rishi Sunak is facing backlash after he decided to snub Cop27 due to “other pressing commitments”.
Liz Truss had been due to attend but Mr Sunak, who is expected to visit south London on Friday morning, has decided not to.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “Britain showing up to work with world leaders is an opportunity to grasp. Not an event to shun.”
Green MP Caroline Lucas said “shame on” Mr Sunak, while Greenpeace UK said the move suggests Mr Sunak does not take climate change “seriously enough”.
The UK will still be represented at the summit in Egypt by COP26 president Alok Sharma.
Rishi Sunak considering to expand windfall tax on energy
Rishi Sunak is planning to expand the windfall tax on energy firms in an attempt to plug a multi-billion pound fiscal black hole in public finances.
Mr Sunak, along with his Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, is considering a range of proposals that will see the levy potentially increased or expanded to include renewable energy generators, The Telegraph reported.
Downing Street said “nothing is off the table” ahead of Mr Hunt’s autumn budget on 17 November. The two held the meeting on Thursday and agreed there was a “massive fiscal black hole to fill” despite some improvement in the markets.
It comes after Shell avoided paying the levy despite a doubling of profits fuelled by soaring energy prices.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies