UK politics news: Government 'did not want to know' about evidence of Russian interference in Brexit vote as long-awaited report released
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Your support makes all the difference.The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) has judged it “credible” that Russia tried to interfere in the Scottish independence referendum as part of an effort to influence political life in the UK.
MPs setting out the Russia report have told Boris Johnson to order an assessment of “potential” Russian meddling in the Brexit referendum. The government “did not want to know” if there been interference in the 2016 vote – and had “actively avoided looking for evidence”, they said.
However the government quickly rejected the call for further enquiries, with foreign secretary Dominic Raab describing a retrospective investigation as “unnecessary”.
Four million women 'devastated by rise in pension age'
Women’s lives have been devastated by the “catastrophic” rise in the state pension age, the Court of Appeal has heard.
Almost four million women were affected by increasing the state pension age from 60 to 66 for women born after March 1950.
Frontline staff upset at exclusion from pay rise
Nurses, social workers and care home staff say their exclusion from the pay rise announced today has left them feeling undervalued after their hard work during the pandemic.
One care assistant working in a nursing home, who asked to remain anonymous, told Press Association: "We feel like we aren't good enough, to be honest. We've all worked hard and people have picked up extra shifts to help get through the pandemic and we've had no thanks for it.
"It has been a stressful and emotional time. Some colleagues have had to speak to a therapist about what has happened and what they've had to deal with."
Another care home worker said: "Being excluded from the pay rise, I put my life on the line and it's like I'm not that important anyway, even though everyone felt like it was necessary to thank and clap for the key workers.
"As much as that was appreciated, it's not going to pay my bills. So for the fact that I put my life at risk and still went to work, they're now saying, 'Nah, you don't matter'. Working those three months was a gamble because every day we got the news that a new person or resident was diagnosed with corona, but we still had to get on with it."
A social worker from the West Midlands said his industry had been "completely forgotten" throughout the health crisis.
He said: "We will be the first to be blamed when things go wrong, but everyone on my team has been working hard throughout the pandemic. It's so unreasonable.
"We have seen a massive uplift in safeguarding cases, things like domestic violence. It's been a nightmare, so you would expect a little bit of recognition."
Nurses have not been included in the announcement because they negotiated a separate three-year deal in 2018 that will see their pay rise by 6.5 per cent.
Arlene Bautista, a senior nurse and interim secretary of the Filipino Nurses Association UK, told the PA news agency: "When the pandemic hit, all our annual leave was taken away from us. And rightfully so, it was all hands on deck, we were happy to do it. But this is how they repay us?"
Ms Bautista said the nursing pay deal now needs to be renegotiated in light of the pandemic, adding that the current agreement does not cover inflation.
"They can change the deal for Brexit, but not a pay rise for nurses?" she said.
Terror sentencing bill backed by MPs
New legislation to keep terrorists behind bars for longer and reform the monitoring of suspects has passed its third reading in the House of Commons.
The Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill includes a minimum 14-year jail term for the most dangerous terrorist offenders, who will also have to spend up to 25 years on licence after their release.
Those handed extended determinate sentences will have to serve their whole term in jail and would be denied early release.
Terrorists could also be made to take a lie detector test to prove they have reformed and are not planning another attack.
Shadow justice secretary David Lammy said Labour supported the "important" Bill despite concerns, adding: "While it is only right that those who have committed the most heinous crimes are subjected to extended sentences, we cannot give up the hope of rehabilitation."
The bill will undergo further scrutiny in the Lords at a later date.
Labour MP calls for tighter restrictions on nitrous oxide
Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield argued it is "far too easy" for young people to purchase nitrous oxide canisters for a "quick lockdown high".
She claimed recreational use has become "much more prevalent" during the Covid-19 pandemic as young peoples' mental health has suffered having been "forced to be apart from their friends".
Leading an adjournment debate on the issue in the Commons, Ms Duffield said: "A quick look online this morning showed me that I could have 24 canisters delivered to my office tomorrow for just £9.19.
"If I purchased some canisters for the purpose of indulging a quick lockdown high, I wouldn't have broken the law.
"That is what clearly is the problem here. It is far too easy to be able to purchase nitrous oxide for use as a recreational drug and everyday, up and down the country, thousands of young people are doing just that."
Nitrous oxide canisters littering the beach promenade at Bournemouth (Getty)
She added: "We cannot stand by and simply say let's leave this, after all it is less toxic that alcohol, cannabis or ecstasy. That attitude just isn't acceptable, as nitrous oxide has plenty of risks in its own right.
"So I'm calling on the Government to introduce essential tighter restrictions on the sale of nitrous oxide, backing up our hard working paramedics, nurses, doctors and scientists who are all calling for more to be done so that this year's zeitgeist for nitrous oxide doesn't turn into a national disgrace."
Replying to Ms Duffield, Home Office minister Kevin Foster said: "The Government recognises tackling the misuse of nitrous oxide requires a multi-faceted approach, not just enforcement, not just tackling retailers, but also ensure young people understand and actually people of all ages because it's not just confined to younger people, the use of this substance, understand the implications long-term."
Backlog of 400,000 passport applications
Passport Office workers are wrestling with a backlog of more than 400,000 applications, latest figures reveal.
Reduced staffing to allow for social distancing during the pandemic means forms are taking longer than usual to process, according to a Home Office minister.
Baroness Williams of Trafford said: "As part of its contingency arrangements, HM Passport Office is rapidly increasing its capacity for processing passport applications, in line with public health guidance, which will help to ensure it continues to meet the travel needs of its customers."
As of 7 July 7 work was under way on about 126,000 passport applications - 31 per cent higher than at the same period last year, she said.
The minister pointed out a further 284,000 applications would "need to be worked through in the coming weeks once initial documentation has been received and allocated".
This represented an increase of 172 per cent from last year, she said.
Analysis: The EU recovery package and budget deal
The mammoth negotiating session could go down in history as one that pushed Europe on another step towards integration, says Jon Stone.
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