From 2h agoKey events35m agoNo 10 confirms government has not ruled out beefing up Letby inquiry by making it statutory2h agoSunak suggests plan to stop small boats will not fully succeed before general election – although he claims it is working2h agoSunak defends decision to make Letby inquiry non-statutory, saying it should conclude ‘as quickly as possible’2h agoSunak defends not flying to Australia to watch England in World Cup final in person2h agoSunak confirms government wants to change law to ensure offenders attend court for sentencing3h agoCoutinho rejects claim Sunak would have flown to World Cup final if men had been playing3h agoEducation minister Claire Coutinho urges landlords to let childminders work from rented properties3h agoStarmer says Labour would close loophole allowing ‘cowardly’ offenders to avoid being in court for sentencing4h agoOnly 8% of voters think Rishi Sunak deserves credit for inflation falling, poll suggestsFilters BETAKey events (9)Rishi Sunak (9)Lucy Letby (5)Claire Coutinho (4)35m ago07.25 EDTNo 10 confirms government has not ruled out beefing up Letby inquiry by making it statutory
At the Downing Street lobby briefing, which has just ended, the PM’s spokesperson confirmed that the government has not ruled out making the inquiry into the Lucy Letby murders, and the circumstances behind them, a statutory one. Rishi Sunak, and one of his junior ministers, this morning defended the current, non-statutory format chosen for the inquiry. (See 9.25am and 11.01am.) But, when asked if the government was ruling out a statutory inquiry, the spokesperson told journalists: “No.”
He went on:
As you heard the prime minister say this morning, we are focused on the outcomes. The most important thing is to make sure families get the answers they need, that’s it’s possible to learn the lessons based on transparency, [that] that happens as quickly as possible. And obviously we will have an inquiry on the right footing to achieve them.
Asked again if the inquiry could be statutory, the spokesperson said the government would put the government “on the right footing to achieve those outcomes”.
This is different from the line taken by the Department of Health and Social Care last week, when it implied a statutory inquiry would not be appropriate.
I will post more from the briefing shortly.
1h ago06.49 EDT
Staff at the Pensions Regulator are to strike for two weeks in a dispute over pay, PA Media reports. The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) said more than 1,000 Brighton-based workers will take action from 5 to 18 September. The union said they have been offered a 3% pay rise while civil servants in other government departments receive at least 4.5%.
1h ago06.47 EDT
Rishi Sunak and Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, were both given a chance to show off their painting skills when they visited a nursery in Harrogate this morning. According to PA Media, they were both painting bees. Keegan’s bee would…
2023-08-21 06:49:11
Original from www.theguardian.com