Joe Bedell-Brill

Is Dominic Raab a bully? Dominic Raab resigned as Deputy Prime Minister this week, after an investigation into bullying upheld some of the allegations against him. He didn’t go quietly however, claiming some ‘activist civil servants’ had been trying to block reforms they did not like. His successor, Oliver Dowden, told Sophy Ridge he had nothing to add to the findings of the investigation, but he hoped there wouldn’t be any lessening of the high standards civil servants are held to. He described Raab as a ‘man of his word’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59rR9hUbmsE ‘Not just a bullying minster, a failing minister’ The Shadow Secretary for Work and Pensions was less sympathetic in his assessment of Dominic Raab.

Pat Cullen - respect nursing, or strikes could continue ‘until Christmas’ This morning’s shows heavily focussed on the crisis in the NHS, after the Royal College of Nursing voted against the government’s pay deal, meaning further strike action. The RCN’s General Secretary Pat Cullen stood by her union’s members, telling Laura Kuenssberg that patients were at risk at all times due to the working conditions of nurses and doctors, not just on strike days. She said only ministers could stop strikes, and that they needed to return with an improved offer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

Refugees shot at by Rwandan police in 2018 Home Secretary Suella Braverman faced up to Laura Kuenssberg this morning, keen to talk again about her ‘dream’ of successfully implementing the Rwanda immigration policy. Kuenssberg surprised her with a report of a 2018 incident in which refugees protesting in Rwanda over food rations were shot at and killed by police. She asked Braverman if this suggested Rwanda might not be a safe destination: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9YNhPqMXfY Braverman - overall migration numbers should come down Kuenssberg also spoke to Braverman about lawful immigration.

MPs caught in sting operation were acting ‘within the rules’ It was Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove doing the rounds this morning. He was asked first to comment on the recent sting by the group Led By Donkeys, in which multiple members of parliament were seen to be asking for up to £10,000 a day to consult for a company which did not exist. A majority of the public believe MPs should not have second jobs, but Gove stressed that although there is a need for transparency regarding MPs and any external work, it was clear that the job being considered in the sting was not technically against the rules: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

Oliver Dowden – the unions have a decent deal now, ‘let’s move forward’ The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Oliver Dowden faced up to the media this morning to speak on a number of issues, beginning with the NHS strikes. Dowden claimed the government had always been willing to engage with the unions, but Laura Kuenssberg questioned why they had taken so long to come to an agreement, to the detriment of the public: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFnZIWshZJ4 Dowden – ‘I am confident Rwanda is safe for people’ Oliver Dowden also spoke to Sky’s Sophy Ridge about the government’s policy of sending asylum seekers to be processed in Rwanda.

Covid and partygate still haunt Sunak Rishi Sunak will have wanted to use this week to sell his new Brexit deal. The ghosts of governments past had other ideas. Fresh evidence suggesting Boris Johnson might have misled parliament over partygate, and the embarrassing leak of Matt Hancock’s WhatsApp messages, have led to some uncomfortable questions. Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris told Laura Kuenssberg he believed Johnson was an honest man: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

Dominic Raab – ‘There is a degree of quiet confidence’ about a Northern Ireland Protocol deal Brexit dominated the news once again this morning, with government officials making positive noises about an imminent deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol. Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab sat down with Laura Kuenssberg to discuss the likelihood of the deal’s success, although he was vague about whether parliament would get a chance to have a proper vote on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAefV5HBn1M David Lammy – Labour expects to ‘support this deal’ Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy sounded a similarly optimistic note, telling Sophie Ridge he expected the deal to be an improvement on Boris Johnson's deal.

Liz Truss - Thwarted by a ‘powerful economic establishment, and a lack of political support’ After Liz Truss claimed in a Telegraph essay that the ‘economic establishment’, and flaws in the Conservative Party’s preparations, had prevented her from enacting her policies, Laura Kuenssberg pressed Business Secretary Grant Shapps on whether he agreed with any of Truss’ claims: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAnhc3a5KWA Liz Kendall - Liz Truss is back with ‘no apology and no humility’ Former Conservative party chair Jake Berry told Kuenssberg that he still agreed in principle with Liz Truss’ policies, even if they weren’t delivered in the correct way.