This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/oct/30/lords-to-debate-boris-johnsons-early-election-bill-after-brexit-deadlock-live
The article has changed 11 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 8 | Version 9 |
|---|---|
| Boris Johnson makes statement to MPs about Grenfell fire inquiry report – live news | Boris Johnson makes statement to MPs about Grenfell fire inquiry report – live news |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Overseas voters have been advised to consider finding a proxy voter for December’s snap general election because of the risks their postal votes may not arrive in time. | |
| The Association of Electoral Administrators, the body which represents the UK’s returning officers and other election staff, said there were logistical challenges in getting postal ballots printed and sent out in time. | |
| After MPs voted last night to stage the election on 12 December, it has now officially recommended that option. The Cabinet Office has advice on how to apply on its website, and says an overseas voter can ask anyone to be their proxy, as long as they’re able to vote. | |
| A number of councils began floating this option some weeks ago after the threat of a snap election gained traction: Tower Hamlets and Islington councils in London were amongst a number who began contacting overseas voters by email in September raising this option. | |
| Postal ballot packs cannot be sent out until all the candidates have been confirmed. The registration deadline is 14 November while the deadline to register for a vote is 25 November. Only a few printers around the UK are contracted to produce ballot papers and postal ballot forms, adding to the pressure. The Royal Mail will also be over-stretched by Christmas post, without factoring in any bad winter weather. | |
| The AEA said: | |
| Our members have been actively working on provisional polling station bookings, alerting temporary staff and working with printers to agree orders for poll cards and postal vote packs. Election teams will now be working extended hours across seven-day weeks to make sure that the polls on 12 December and subsequent counts go smoothly. | |
| As always, we will be working with our partners at the Cabinet Office, Electoral Commission, Royal Mail and more widely to ensure that our members are kept fully supported and up to date. | |
| As postal vote packs cannot be printed until candidate nominations close in the middle of November, it may be prudent for UK voters living overseas to consider setting up a proxy vote to have someone they trust vote on their behalf on 12 December. | |
| Here is my colleague Peter Walker’s story about the opening of the Grenfell Tower debate. | |
| Grenfell inquiry: Boris Johnson tells families 'justice will be done' | |
| I won’t be covering the rest of the debate, and I will be turning back now to general election developments. | |
| Turning to the “stay put” doctrine, May says this doctrine had been developed for good reasons. | Turning to the “stay put” doctrine, May says this doctrine had been developed for good reasons. |
| The problem was, there was no flexibility in implementing this, she says. | The problem was, there was no flexibility in implementing this, she says. |
| She says firefighters should get training to ensure that they know when and when not to enforce “stay put”. She says one father survived the fire because he ignored advice to stay put. | She says firefighters should get training to ensure that they know when and when not to enforce “stay put”. She says one father survived the fire because he ignored advice to stay put. |
| Labour’s Andrew Slaughter asks May if she accepts that Grenfell Tower would have benefitted from sprinklers. Should they be fitted in all new tower blocks, and retrofitted in old ones? | Labour’s Andrew Slaughter asks May if she accepts that Grenfell Tower would have benefitted from sprinklers. Should they be fitted in all new tower blocks, and retrofitted in old ones? |
| May says the Lakanal House report did not say sprinklers should be obligatory. | May says the Lakanal House report did not say sprinklers should be obligatory. |
| May praises the bravery of the firefighters who attended the fire. But she says it is clear from the report that there are problems with the way the fire service worked that need to addressed. | May praises the bravery of the firefighters who attended the fire. But she says it is clear from the report that there are problems with the way the fire service worked that need to addressed. |
| The emergency services must be able to work together, she says. | The emergency services must be able to work together, she says. |
| She says, as home secretary, she oversaw the JESIP project that was intended to address this. But the report shows that there were still problems. | She says, as home secretary, she oversaw the JESIP project that was intended to address this. But the report shows that there were still problems. |
| May says she has been struck by the care that the Grenfell Tower community have shown for each other. She says others have a lot to learn from this. | May says she has been struck by the care that the Grenfell Tower community have shown for each other. She says others have a lot to learn from this. |
| She says people living in the tower were raising concerns about its safety well before the fire. But those concerns were ignored, she says. | She says people living in the tower were raising concerns about its safety well before the fire. But those concerns were ignored, she says. |
| She says this was one of the most shocking aspects of what happened. | She says this was one of the most shocking aspects of what happened. |
| She says housing ministers, including Alok Sharma, now international development secretary, worked on a plan to ensure people in social housing have their concerns heard. She was the government has been working on a green paper on this. She urges the government to publish this as soon as possible. | She says housing ministers, including Alok Sharma, now international development secretary, worked on a plan to ensure people in social housing have their concerns heard. She was the government has been working on a green paper on this. She urges the government to publish this as soon as possible. |
| Labour’s Karen Lee asks May if it is acceptable that the survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire have not been properly rehoused. | Labour’s Karen Lee asks May if it is acceptable that the survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire have not been properly rehoused. |
| May says, in the early stages, the work to find permanent homes for survivors did not go fast enough. She says she accepts that the survivors think the government has not done enough. But every effort will be made to support these families, she says. | May says, in the early stages, the work to find permanent homes for survivors did not go fast enough. She says she accepts that the survivors think the government has not done enough. But every effort will be made to support these families, she says. |
| She says it is not just housing; mental health support is important too, she says. | She says it is not just housing; mental health support is important too, she says. |
| Theresa May, the former prime minister who set up the Grenfell Tower inquiry, is speaking now. | Theresa May, the former prime minister who set up the Grenfell Tower inquiry, is speaking now. |
| She thanks Boris Johnson for the serious tone of his speech, and pays tribute to the dignity and fortitude shown by the survivors in their fight for justice. | She thanks Boris Johnson for the serious tone of his speech, and pays tribute to the dignity and fortitude shown by the survivors in their fight for justice. |
| He says it cannot have been easy for the survivors to give evidence to the inquiry. | He says it cannot have been easy for the survivors to give evidence to the inquiry. |
| And he thanks Sir Martin Moore-Bick for his report. It is detailed, and shocking, she says. | And he thanks Sir Martin Moore-Bick for his report. It is detailed, and shocking, she says. |
| Corbyn says, although Boris Johnson spoke about building a beautiful memorial to the victims of the fire, the real memorial will be a properly funded fire service and having people living in safe buildings. | Corbyn says, although Boris Johnson spoke about building a beautiful memorial to the victims of the fire, the real memorial will be a properly funded fire service and having people living in safe buildings. |
| Corbyn says the night of 14 June 2017 will never be forgotten. And he pays tribute to the Kensington MP, Labour’s Emma Dent Coad, who had to respond to the fire only days after being elected to parliament. | Corbyn says the night of 14 June 2017 will never be forgotten. And he pays tribute to the Kensington MP, Labour’s Emma Dent Coad, who had to respond to the fire only days after being elected to parliament. |
| Corbyn says government cuts have degraded the fire service. And Boris Johnson was involved when he was mayor of London. | Corbyn says government cuts have degraded the fire service. And Boris Johnson was involved when he was mayor of London. |
| As mayor of London, the now prime minister was at the forefront of the cuts to our fire service. In the eight years that he was mayor, the London fire brigade was required to make gross savings of over £100m, cutting of 27 fire appliances, 552 firefighters, 324 support staff, two fire rescue units, three training appliances and closing ten London fire stations. | As mayor of London, the now prime minister was at the forefront of the cuts to our fire service. In the eight years that he was mayor, the London fire brigade was required to make gross savings of over £100m, cutting of 27 fire appliances, 552 firefighters, 324 support staff, two fire rescue units, three training appliances and closing ten London fire stations. |
| Corbyn says it is “disgraceful” that the “stay put” policy has not been reviewed. | Corbyn says it is “disgraceful” that the “stay put” policy has not been reviewed. |
| He says concerns have been raised about this for years, including by the Fire Brigades Union, but the government has dragged its feet. | He says concerns have been raised about this for years, including by the Fire Brigades Union, but the government has dragged its feet. |
| Corbyn says firefighters were not to blame for the fire. | Corbyn says firefighters were not to blame for the fire. |
| While this phase of the report makes criticism of the London fire brigade we should remember; it was not firefighters that deregulated building safety standards. It wasn’t firefighters who ignored the concerns of tenants. It wasn’t firefighters who ignored a coroner’s report and failed to put sprinklers in high rise blocks and it wasn’t firefighters who put flammable cladding on Grenfell Tower. | While this phase of the report makes criticism of the London fire brigade we should remember; it was not firefighters that deregulated building safety standards. It wasn’t firefighters who ignored the concerns of tenants. It wasn’t firefighters who ignored a coroner’s report and failed to put sprinklers in high rise blocks and it wasn’t firefighters who put flammable cladding on Grenfell Tower. |
| Corbyn says we are not seeing urgent action from government. | Corbyn says we are not seeing urgent action from government. |
| Councils know that if they spend money removing cladding they may not get compensation from government, and other services may suffer. | Councils know that if they spend money removing cladding they may not get compensation from government, and other services may suffer. |
| Grenfell Tower would not have happened to wealthy Londoners, he says. | Grenfell Tower would not have happened to wealthy Londoners, he says. |
| Corbyn criticises the government for failing to learn the lessons from previous high-rise fires, particularly the Lakanal House fire and the Shirley Towers fire. | Corbyn criticises the government for failing to learn the lessons from previous high-rise fires, particularly the Lakanal House fire and the Shirley Towers fire. |
| He criticises the fact that some Grenfell Tower survivors are still living in temporary accommodation. | He criticises the fact that some Grenfell Tower survivors are still living in temporary accommodation. |