Nigel Farage pledged to reverse Labour’s planned fuel duty hike by axing net zero levies at a press conference today. The Reform UK leader staged a stunt at a petrol station in Derbyshire alongside Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick.
It comes as Chancellor Rachel Reeves is resisting calls to cancel the 5p increase in fuel duty in response to the oil price spike caused by the Iran conflict.
Writing in The Sun, Mr Farage said he wanted to “shame” her into a U-turn.
The Reform boss will hold another rally tonight in Basingstoke with MP Suella Braverman as the party gears up for the May local elections.
Tories accuse Labour of ‘rushing’ changes to jury trials
The Government is “rushing” proposed changes to jury trials, the shadow justice secretary has said.
Addressing the Commons, Nick Timothy said: “Here he is today, proposing not only what Sir Brian Leveson recommended, but an even more radical change.
“He is telling the House he has no choice but to rush this very serious legislation through Parliament at breakneck speed.
“The Bill was published less than two weeks ago after no consultation at all, and today, the Justice Secretary is already asking members to approve its second reading.
“He is allowing only five days for members to scrutinise the bill, line by line in committee, that is less than the Government has allowed for the Railways bill, the Public Authorities Bill and the Pension Schemes Bill.
“It’s about the same time the House once spent scrutinising the Salmon Act, which introduced the offence of handling salmon in suspicious circumstances.”
Lammy argues for jury trial changes
David Lammy insisted his proposed changes to jury trials will create a justice system “fit for the 21st century” as part of his package of reforms.
The Courts and Tribunals Bill, which is getting its second reading in the Commons, will remove jury trials for cases with a likely sentence of under three years.
The Justice Secretary admitted this had provoked “fierce” debate.
But he said: “Victims are currently worn down, people simply give up, cases collapse and offenders remain free. Free to roam the streets, free to commit more crimes, free to create more victims.
“To restore swift and fair justice we are pulling every lever available, investment is essential, modernisation is essential, and reform.”
Tories slam digital ID plans
Tory shadow Cabinet Office minister Mike Wood insisted the Government’s U-turn on whether digital ID would be mandatory had rendered the scheme useless.
Responding to Cabinet Office minister Darren Jones’ statement in the Commons, Mr Wood said: “For months his department has insisted that digital ID was absolutely essential, and until a few weeks ago it had to be mandatory, even for babies.
“But after months of insisting the scheme was indispensable, the Government is now asking the public to tell them just what it is indispensable for.
“There was a time when this was supposed to be the magic bullet to tackle illegal migration. Now the Cabinet Office seems to be suggesting it might just help reduce hold time on Government call centres.”
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