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Damian Green qualifies for £17,000 pay-off, Cabinet Office confirms – Politics live May says she wants investigation into release of Damian Green information – Politics live
(35 minutes later)
My colleague Haroon Siddique is taking over the blog now. I’ve got to head off for a meeting.
Since this will be the last blog of 2017, Happy Christmas to everyone. Thanks for reading, and thank you to all of those who comment. Smart, informative comments are an important part of what makes this blog successful, and I know my reporting is definitely improved by the way you flag things up and challenge me BTL.
The blog should be back on Tuesday 2 January, at around 9am.
May says she is glad the UK and the EU have made progress on citizens’ rights.
Poles in the UK will be able to apply for settled status. That will be an easy process. There will be a significant period of time during which people can apply.
She says people who have decided to live in the UK have made a life choice. The UK government wants them to continue to have that right.
Morawiecki says there is a difference of opinion between him and May about Poles in the UK. She says she wants the 1m Poles in the UK to stay, he says. He says he wants them to return to Poland.
Polish PM says he wants the Poles living in the UK to return to Poland.
He says the Polish economy is growing. That should give people an incentive to return.
Morawiecki asked again about the bespoke deal; says he is happy with the current state of negotiations and keeps dialogue with France and Germany open to discuss this in details
Q: Do you want to see the UK get a bespoke trade deal from the EU?
Morawiecki says he supports the best possible deal, but stops short of saying whether that means a bespoke deal for Britain or not; he adds he opposes any protectionist movements and is sorry to see the UK leave as Britain was always a great ally in tackling these attitudes
Q: Are you concerned about reports of a Russian spy in Number 10?
That was a reference to this. The tweet is from a BBC Kiev correspondent.
BREAKING: Was a Russian spy inside Downing St in July? Ukrainian authorities have arrested the interpreter in the middle of this photo and claim he reported to Moscow. pic.twitter.com/kRYVANFuNV
May says she is aware of this. It is for the Ukranians to investigate.
Q: Is there a police vendetta against Green?
May says she shares the concerns expressed about the comments made by a former Met officer. She expects those concerns to be properly investigated.
Q: [From the BBC] Have you done enough to deal with sexual harassment? And have the police questions to answer?
May says this is a wide question. The government is continuing to address this question. It has a strategy for addressing domestic violence. And, in parliament, she has taken steps to ensure it is a workplace where people can raise concerns about harassment or bullying. Work is being done to put a proper grievance procedure in place.
As for the attitude of the police in the Damian Green case, May says she shares the concerns about the comments from a former Met officer. She expects those concerns to be properly looked at.
May says she wants the release of private Met information about Damian Green to be investigated.
Q: Do you support the UK’s demand for a bespoke trade deal?
Morawiecki says he he would to see rules for the UK functioning in the EU after Brexit developed as soon as possible, to provide certainty.
Theresa May is speaking now.Theresa May is speaking now.
She says our ties with Poland are rooted in history. We will never forget Polish troops who fought alongside British troops in the war, or the contribution of Polish airmen. And she says many Poles are in the UK now where their contribution is valued.She says our ties with Poland are rooted in history. We will never forget Polish troops who fought alongside British troops in the war, or the contribution of Polish airmen. And she says many Poles are in the UK now where their contribution is valued.
Today a landmark UK-Polish treaty has been signed on defence cooperation. It is the only second treaty of its kind signed with an European partner, she says.Today a landmark UK-Polish treaty has been signed on defence cooperation. It is the only second treaty of its kind signed with an European partner, she says.
She says the UK and Poland have also agreed to bolster cooperation to resist Russian attempts to weaponise information.She says the UK and Poland have also agreed to bolster cooperation to resist Russian attempts to weaponise information.
The Kremlin is trying to undermine the international rules-based system, she says. She says it will not be allowed to succeed.The Kremlin is trying to undermine the international rules-based system, she says. She says it will not be allowed to succeed.
She says the UK and Poland will continue to work together on foreign policy.She says the UK and Poland will continue to work together on foreign policy.
She says 2018 will be a UK-Polish year for entrepreneurs.She says 2018 will be a UK-Polish year for entrepreneurs.
She says she wants to give assurances to the almost 1m Poles in the UK “that they are a strong part of our society and we want them to stay”.She says she wants to give assurances to the almost 1m Poles in the UK “that they are a strong part of our society and we want them to stay”.
She says the talks have been very productive.She says the talks have been very productive.
She ends with a few words of Polish.She ends with a few words of Polish.
These are from Jakub Krupa from the Polish Press Agency.These are from Jakub Krupa from the Polish Press Agency.
Morawiecki says he hopes Britain's negotiations of implementation/transitional period will have 'unprecedented pace' & he hopes for Brexit that will be 'as unproblematic as possible'Morawiecki says he hopes Britain's negotiations of implementation/transitional period will have 'unprecedented pace' & he hopes for Brexit that will be 'as unproblematic as possible'
Morawiecki says he is pleased that NATO is increasingly important both as a military and political alliance & looks forward to close cooperation with BritainMorawiecki says he is pleased that NATO is increasingly important both as a military and political alliance & looks forward to close cooperation with Britain
Morawiecki says Poland and Britain have similar views on refugees, particularly making clear distinction between economic migrants and refugeesMorawiecki says Poland and Britain have similar views on refugees, particularly making clear distinction between economic migrants and refugees
Morawiecki says he hopes that free access to services will continue after Brexit; also mentions that both countries agree on changes to the directive on posted workersMorawiecki says he hopes that free access to services will continue after Brexit; also mentions that both countries agree on changes to the directive on posted workers
Morawiecki says the PMs discussed payments to the EU budget and says the compromise reached by the EC on behalf of the EU27 is 'very satisfactory'Morawiecki says the PMs discussed payments to the EU budget and says the compromise reached by the EC on behalf of the EU27 is 'very satisfactory'
Mateusz Morawiecki, the Polish prime minister, goes first.Mateusz Morawiecki, the Polish prime minister, goes first.
He is talking about cooperation between Poland and the UK.He is talking about cooperation between Poland and the UK.
On Brexit, he says he would like to see a quick agreement on a transition period, and then a deal that would allow the UK to cooperate with the EU to the highest extent.On Brexit, he says he would like to see a quick agreement on a transition period, and then a deal that would allow the UK to cooperate with the EU to the highest extent.
He says he is glad the UK will cooperate with Poland on defence. After Brexit, Nato is particularly important, he says.He says he is glad the UK will cooperate with Poland on defence. After Brexit, Nato is particularly important, he says.
The press conference is starting now.The press conference is starting now.
It is going to begin with the signing of a defence cooperation treaty.It is going to begin with the signing of a defence cooperation treaty.
UPDATE: This is from the Sun’s Tom Newton Dunn.UPDATE: This is from the Sun’s Tom Newton Dunn.
Watch out HM Treasury, Gavin Williamson is signing another deal... pic.twitter.com/WvQZd7YP6bWatch out HM Treasury, Gavin Williamson is signing another deal... pic.twitter.com/WvQZd7YP6b
Here are two articles on Damian Green worth reading.Here are two articles on Damian Green worth reading.
From Adrian Wooldridge’s Bagehot column in the EconomistFrom Adrian Wooldridge’s Bagehot column in the Economist
In some ways Mr Green was a classic second-division politician, sensible and reliable but never a man to make the weather. He liked to present himself as the solid embodiment of middle-class common sense, which might be one reason why he got on so well with Mrs May. He also specialised in pouring oil on troubled waters. But in other ways he was more interesting. He was brought up in a council house in South Wales and nevertheless won a place at Balliol College, Oxford. He remained on the left wing of the Conservative Party through thick and thin, and even contemplated leaving the party in the early 1980s for the breakaway Social Democrats, because he worried that Margaret Thatcher might tear the country apart. This columnist, though a few years younger than Mr Green, remembers seeing him in Balliol College Junior Common Room looking and sounding almost the same as he does today, a member of that strange breed of politicians, of which William Hague is the archetype, who arrive at university fully formed as middle-aged fogies.In some ways Mr Green was a classic second-division politician, sensible and reliable but never a man to make the weather. He liked to present himself as the solid embodiment of middle-class common sense, which might be one reason why he got on so well with Mrs May. He also specialised in pouring oil on troubled waters. But in other ways he was more interesting. He was brought up in a council house in South Wales and nevertheless won a place at Balliol College, Oxford. He remained on the left wing of the Conservative Party through thick and thin, and even contemplated leaving the party in the early 1980s for the breakaway Social Democrats, because he worried that Margaret Thatcher might tear the country apart. This columnist, though a few years younger than Mr Green, remembers seeing him in Balliol College Junior Common Room looking and sounding almost the same as he does today, a member of that strange breed of politicians, of which William Hague is the archetype, who arrive at university fully formed as middle-aged fogies.
From the Evening Standard’s editorialFrom the Evening Standard’s editorial
When Mrs May became PM last year she ripped out all the inner wiring that had made the Cameron Government function — getting rid of virtually the whole Downing Street staff and Cabinet Office ministerial team, for no other apparent reason other than that her own advisers, Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill, didn’t much like them.When Mrs May became PM last year she ripped out all the inner wiring that had made the Cameron Government function — getting rid of virtually the whole Downing Street staff and Cabinet Office ministerial team, for no other apparent reason other than that her own advisers, Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill, didn’t much like them.
All the lessons that had been learnt over the previous six years were lost. Unsurprisingly, the result was paralysis — and no real domestic achievements. It was an approach that culminated in the most disastrous manifesto in modern UK history. In the election aftermath, the Cabinet forced Mrs May to fire her advisers and Mr Green was hired to pick up the pieces. Although a university contemporary, he was not especially close to her. But as a rational, calming voice at the centre Mr Green was welcomed by an exasperated Civil Service. Now that he’s gone there is no one around Mrs May with any enduring bonds of loyalty to her — the new, competent team recruited to No 10 hardly knew her at all before they got the call-up.All the lessons that had been learnt over the previous six years were lost. Unsurprisingly, the result was paralysis — and no real domestic achievements. It was an approach that culminated in the most disastrous manifesto in modern UK history. In the election aftermath, the Cabinet forced Mrs May to fire her advisers and Mr Green was hired to pick up the pieces. Although a university contemporary, he was not especially close to her. But as a rational, calming voice at the centre Mr Green was welcomed by an exasperated Civil Service. Now that he’s gone there is no one around Mrs May with any enduring bonds of loyalty to her — the new, competent team recruited to No 10 hardly knew her at all before they got the call-up.
Theresa May is about to hold a press conference in Poland.Theresa May is about to hold a press conference in Poland.
There is a live feed here.There is a live feed here.
Despite being effectively sacked, Damian Green will receive a pay-off of nearly £17,000, the Cabinet Office has confirmed.Despite being effectively sacked, Damian Green will receive a pay-off of nearly £17,000, the Cabinet Office has confirmed.
Under the legislation which governs these things, the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, all minister who lose their jobs and don’t get a new post within three weeks – it seems pretty likely Green will not – receive three months of salary as a severance payment.Under the legislation which governs these things, the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, all minister who lose their jobs and don’t get a new post within three weeks – it seems pretty likely Green will not – receive three months of salary as a severance payment.
Green was entitled to a ministerial salary of £69,844, but under a voluntary pay cap scheme for ministers, received £67,505. A quarter of that will net him £16,876.25.Green was entitled to a ministerial salary of £69,844, but under a voluntary pay cap scheme for ministers, received £67,505. A quarter of that will net him £16,876.25.
This system is in effect for all ministers, no matter whether they resign, are sacked or reshuffled. The one caveat is that they must be under 65. Green is 61, but when Michael Fallon stepped down as defence secretary he had recently turned 65, so got nothing.This system is in effect for all ministers, no matter whether they resign, are sacked or reshuffled. The one caveat is that they must be under 65. Green is 61, but when Michael Fallon stepped down as defence secretary he had recently turned 65, so got nothing.
Elizabeth Denham, the information commissioner, has put out this statement about the Metropolitan police’s decision to refer the Green case to her. (See 12.39pm.) She said:
We can confirm that we have received a referral from the Metropolitan police service that explains their belief that offences under the Data Protection Act 1998 have been committed by former MPS officers.
As the UK’s data protection regulator, we’ll be looking at whether individuals acted unlawfully by retaining or disclosing personal data.
These are serious allegations and we are investigating to determine whether the law has been broken and what further action is necessary including potential criminal prosecution.
Under the Data Protection Act, anyone who is prosecuted and found guilty could face an unlimited fine.
In Edinburgh there were emotional scenes at the final first minister’s questions of the year as Scottish Labour’s Jackie Baillie spoke about the fire at Cameron House Hotel in her constituency, which killed a young couple and injured several others earlier this week.
Fighting back tears, Baillie called on the first minister to ensure that lessons are learnt once the investigation into the fire is completed, or if a need to enhance building standards regulations becomes apparent.
A young couple on a winter break from London, Simon Midgley and Richard Dyson, died as the fire ravaged the Loch Lomond-side resort.
Clearly also moved by the tragedy, Sturgeon conveyed her deep condolences the families of the young men who died, and asked the chamber to join with her sending their thanks to the emergency services involved. She added the investigation should be allowed to run its course but gave her assurance that any lessons would be fully applied.
Elsewhere, Sturgeon praised former SNP cabinet minister Richard Lochhead’s tireless campaign against inflated delivery charges for his Highland constituents. Lochhead has recently scored some significant successes with his Rip-off Surcharge campaign, which estimates that online shoppers in Scotland pay an additional £36.3million in delivery charges than the rest of the UK every year. The regulation of parcel pricing is reserved to Westminster, and UK ministers last week agreed to review the system. Sturgeon said that she hoped that “this is the last Christmas for consumers in the north of Scotland to be so blatantly ripped off in this unacceptable way.”
Damian Green has posted a tweet saying that he has been “overwhelmed” by the support he has received from friends, colleagues and constituents since he was sacked.
I am overwhelmed by the number of friends, colleagues (on all sides) and constituents who have sent supportive messages this morning. My thanks to you all, and a Happy Christmas. See you in 2018.
The government’s Brexit reports have been published by the Commons Brexit committee. But the committee, which has a narrow Tory/DUP majority, decided to leave out the “sector views” sections, which cover what firms and trade bodies are saying about Brexit, and it has not said much about what the reports actually say.
But the reports were also sent to the House of Lords EU committee. And that committee, which does not have a Conservative majority, has delivered a verdict of sorts on the reports.
It comes in the form of an open letter (pdf) to David Davis, the Brexit secretary, from Lord Jay of Ewelme, the former head of the Foreign Office who is now acting chair of the committee. The letter says the committee staff have reviewed all 850 pages in their entirety and it makes the following points.
Davis should publish the reports in full, including the “sector views” sections, Jay says. Jay says there is nothing in the reports that is “negotiation sensitive” and that most of the stakeholder views material (the “sector views” stuff that has been held back by the Commons committee) is material “already in the public domain, including in committee inquiries and reports. He says:
In light of these findings, we can see no reason why the sectoral analyses should not be published in full – they pose no risk to the UK’s negotiating position, and making them publicly available would, in our view, only promote an informed public debate on the options for Brexit. We understand that the House of Commons exiting the EU committee has decided to publish a redacted version of the documents. Nevertheless, we would urge you to publish them in full.
The reports show there is a general desire amongst industry to “minimise disruption and uncertainty”, Jay says. In other words, the reports do show there is a general desire amongst business and industry to soften Brexit, the committee’s analysis suggests. Jay says:
Views on particular Brexit options, such as single market membership, differ across sectors, but in most cases there is a wish to minimise disruption and uncertainty.
A number of themes recur in the views of stakeholders. These include: access to EU labour; the minimisation of tariffs and regulatory barriers to trade; data sharing; mutual recognition of qualifications; access to cross-border services; and the importance of EU R&D funding.
The reports are “inconsistent in approach” and their representation of stakeholder views is “patchy”, Jay says. There is also “little over-arching analysis” and “no conclusions are drawn with regard to the UK’s future relationship with the EU”.
Here is more on the government Brexit reports.
From the Labour MP Jo Stevens
Govt’s top secret ‘sectoral reports’ have been published. Last week I had to sign a page long set of rules about secrecy & disclosure to read them in a supervised room having handed in my phone. I wasn’t allowed to have a copy of the rules I signed 1/2 https://t.co/WOAPf46RTE
I asked for the rules to be emailed to me. I’m still waiting for them. If you can find any analysis of the impact of #Brexit in any of these repetitive, copy & paste, school homework level reports do let me know! 2/2
From the Labour MP Seema Malhotra
This has been a long campaign and it is clearly in the public interest that much as possible of the reports are published. In my view the reports fall far short of the impact analysis the government implied it was doing a year ago. #brexitstudies https://t.co/7IxsvDFTgv pic.twitter.com/XB5Pe92nxf
From HuffPost’s Paul Waugh
Today's 'secret Brexit papers' read like the padding students put in essays when they have absolutely no idea how to answer a question. Here's just one eg.: we are an island nation apparently. https://t.co/RyDfPF9bg3 pic.twitter.com/Jk3Nb4oOYk
Here is the statement from the Metropolitan police about the decision to ask the information commissioner to investigate the release of private police information about what was found on Damian Green’s computer in a police raid. The Met said:
The Metropolitan police service has asked the information commissioner’s cffice (ICO) to investigate the apparent disclosure to the media of confidential material gathered during a police investigation in 2008 by two former officers.
An ex-assistant commissioner and ex-detective constable have both made a number of disclosures to the media, passing on information that they were privy to as part of a police investigation. Due to the length of time that has passed since both officers left the MPS, legal advice was sought regarding the most appropriate action to take.
In this instance it was determined that the most appropriate course of action was to make a referral to the ICO to carry out a further investigation in relation to potential Data Protection Act offences.
The MPS is clear that confidential information gathered during any police inquiry should remain confidential. That is an enduring confidentiality regardless of whether an officer leaves the service.
Gareth Bacon, leader of the Conservative group on the London assembly, has welcomed the news. In a statement he said:
I am pleased to see the Met is taking seriously what appears to have been a gross abuse of trust from former police officers.
If the general public is to have future confidence in the force’s ability to protect sensitive information, this case must be dealt with robustly.
I welcome the commissioner’s strong words this morning and the referral to the IC.
An investigation into allegations about the private life of Labour MP Keith Vaz has been suspended by the House of Commons sleaze watchdog “for medical reasons”, the Press Association reports. The halting of the probe was revealed in an update of the list of ongoing inquiries on the parliamentary commissioner for standards’ website, and her office did not give any more details. In 2016, the Leicester East MP issued a public apology to his wife and children, and quit as chairman of the Commons home affairs Committee, following reports in the Sunday Mirror that he paid two male escorts for their services. The PA story goes on:
The probe by the standards commissioner Kathryn Hudson will determine whether Vaz was guilty of a conflict of interest as he headed the home affairs committee’s review of vice laws at the time of the allegations regarding male escorts.
The watchdog was also looking into whether the former Europe minister has caused “significant damage” to the reputation of parliament.
Frances O’Grady, the TUC general secretary, has also criticised the government for the lack of analysis in the Brexit reports.
I see ministers have published their Brexit impact assessments. Looks to me like they've just printed off Wikipedia pages on bits of the economy. I know it's the end of term, but we can do better than this.
Here is Tom Brake, the Lib Dem Brexit spokesman, on the publication of the government’s secret Brexit reports.
This is the biggest case of the dog ate my homework the world has ever seen.
We’ve been given binders of old information, extracts from Wikipedia, and a few choice quotes, and yet nothing at all on how Brexit will hit each sector.
Now the government’s woeful failure to prepare for Brexit has been laid bare in front of the whole country. The mess this government are making of negotiations shows why the people must be given the opportunity to exit from Brexit.
On Twitter, Brake also argued that if Damian Green deserves the sack, Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, should do too.
Damian Green went for lying over porn allegations, yet BoJo clearly breaks Ministerial code in the Telegraph, criticises Government policy, promotes private interests & reneges on cabinet responsiblity. Complete hypocrisy from May! Far more evidence that Boris should be sacked.
Here is some more reaction to the publication of the secret government Brexit reports. Open Britain, which is campaigning for a soft Brexit, has put out this statement from the Labour MP Pat McFadden.
The knots the government has tied itself in over publication of these reports says more about the state of politics and the government’s paranoid state of mind than it does about Brexit. There is little or nothing in them that couldn’t be learned from the annual reports of different trade bodies yet we were asked to believe that somehow revealing how many cars were made in Britain every year was an act of national treachery.
The government’s most ardent supporters on the select committee voted not to reveal the sections which showed the industry views of Brexit and what they hoped the outcome of the talks would be. You have to wonder what they have to fear.
This whole saga of whether or not there were impact assessments or sectoral studies, and what the difference between them may or may not be, has revealed that breezy busking won’t cut it when people’s jobs and livelihoods are on the line. Winging it should not be a matter of principle. The best way through this is to know as much as we can and put jobs and prosperity before the ideology that has driven much of the positioning up until now.
And this is from Eloise Todd, chief executive of Best for Britain, which is campaigning to keep open the option of reversing Brexit. She said:
These reports are the most useless and shoddy piece of work a government department has ever produced. Even the Iraq Dodgy Dossier had some useful information in it.
These are a shoddy mess that a sixteen year old wouldn’t be proud of. It is a masterclass in copy and paste.
David Davis has been shown up for the charlatan he is. He needs to consider his position.