Vote

कोलोम्बिया के दक्षिण-पश्चिमी क्षेत्र में नागरिकों और सैन्य ठिकानों पर हुए हमलों की एक श्रृंखला ने सुरक्षा संबंधी चिंताएं बढ़ा दी हैं, क्योंकि देश मई में होने वाले राष्ट्रपति चुनाव की ओर बढ़ रहा है। (Image credit: Santiago Saldarriaga)

कॉमन्स मतदान से पहले Morgan McSweeney उन लोगों में शामिल हैं जो विदेश मामलों की समिति को गवाही दे रहे हैं। शुभ प्रभात। पूर्व अमेरिकी राष्ट्रपति Lyndon Johnson को यह कहने का श्रेय दिया जाता है कि राजनीति में सबसे महत्वपूर्ण कौशल यह जानना है कि गिनती कैसे की जाती है, जिसका अर्थ है कि अंततः जो मायने रखता है वह है वोट जीतने में सक्षम होना। लेकिन कभी-कभी राजनीति में उतना ही, या उससे भी अधिक, तर्क जीतने की क्षमता मायने रखती है। आज Keir Starmer की इन दोनों पैमानों पर परीक्षा होगी। वोट जीतना आसान होना चाहिए। Kemi Badenoch द्वारा पेश किए गए प्रस्ताव, साथ ही पांच अन्य विपक्षी दलों (Lib Dems, SNP, DUP, Restore Britain, TUV) के सांसदों और कई निर्दलीय सांसदों द्वारा Starmer को विशेषाधिकार समिति (privileges committee) के पास भेजने की तैयारी पर Pippa Crerar की हमारी रातों-रात की प्रीव्यू स्टोरी यहाँ है। पढ़ना जारी रखें...

Top aide says SNP leader will seek approval to press for independence even if he fails to win majority on 7 MayJohn Swinney will call a vote seeking independence powers on the first day of the next Scottish parliament even if he fails to win an overall majority, his aides have said.The Scottish National Party leader’s senior adviser indicated that if necessary, he would rely on support from the pro-independence Scottish Greens to win that vote in order to demand the UK government gives Holyrood the legal powers to hold a second referendum. Continue reading...

Commons speaker to grant application by Tories for vote on investigation into whether PM misled MPs, say sourcesUK politics live – latest updatesKeir Starmer will face a vote on whether to launch an investigation into claims he misled the Commons over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington.Sources have told the Guardian that the speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, is expected to allow a debate on Tuesday on potentially referring the prime minister to the privileges committee. Continue reading...

Alan Johnson and David Blunkett say Tory proposal for a privileges committee inquiry is a ‘nakedly political stunt’Good morning. Kemi Badenoch is trying to get Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker, to give MPs a vote on a proposal to get the Commons privileges committee to investigate allegations that Keir Starmer lied to MPs in statements he made to them about the vetting of Peter Mandelson. Other opposition parties may be backing her, but we don’t know for sure because the process is relatively secret; MPs have to write a private letter to the speaker, who then decides whether this is a serious request that should be decided by the Commons as a whole, or a frivolous complaint that should be ignored. (We do know that Karl Turner has written to the speaker about this too, but only because he was daft enough to post his letter on social media last week.) Today we are likely to find out whether or not Hoyle is agreeing to a Commons vote.Boris Johnson was referred to the privileges committee over allegations that he lied to MPs about Partygate (allegations the committee concluded were justified). Badenoch wants to make the case that Starmer is just as dishonest as Johnson. He isn’t, by any stretch, and the claims that Starmer lied to MPs about Mandelson are spurious; they relate to contest intepretations of political language of the kind that are commonplace in parliamentary debate. But the fact that this has even become a live consideration for the speaker is a big win for the Tories.The fact that Kemi Badenoch has changed the accusations she is levelling against the PM on an almost daily basis as her claims have failed to stand up to scrutiny shows what this is really about. This is a nakedly political stunt with no substance ahead of the May elections.Any comparison with Boris Johnson is absurd. When parliament referred that matter to the privileges committee, a police investigation had directly disproved his categoric statements that he knew nothing about the breach of lockdown rules.I suppose our constituents might ask [if a privileges committee goes ahead], have we got the balance right between holding the government to account and seemingly squabbling amongst ourselves when there is so much else going on that perhaps parliament ought to be focusing on as well.I have to say, a really truthful position is, why the rush at the moment? Has it got anything to do with local elections? Continue reading...

Exclusive: Investigation into campaigning materials for local polls in May challenges tactical voting claims Election leaflets are providing “grotesque” information about how to vote tactically in the May elections, using national polling data, “dodgy” bar charts and doorstep surveys to support claims about parties’ chances of winning.Leaflets distributed by local politicians across England are claiming that either only their party can win, or another party “can’t win here” when “there is no good evidence to show that’s true”, a Full Fact investigation for the Guardian has revealed. Continue reading...

YouGov survey shows cross-party consensus – but that many fear abortion access could be reduced New polling has found that whatever their party political leanings, an overwhelming majority of people support the right to access an abortion – although young people, in particular, fear reproductive rights may be reduced.The YouGov polling, commissioned by MSI Reproductive Choices to mark its 50th anniversary, found nine in 10 people support the right to access an abortion. Continue reading...