The director of public prosecutions has come under intense cross-party pressure to explain why the China spy trial collapsed as MI5 expressed frustration at the decision and MPs launched a series of inquiries into how it was taken. The chairs of the home affairs, foreign affairs, justice and national security committees wrote together to Stephen Parkinson, the head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), on Thursday calling on him to give “a fuller explanation for the dropping of charges”. They asked Parkinson “what steps did you take to make ministers…
Tag: Chris Philp
Term ‘disabled’ being used too widely, shadow work and pensions secretary says – UK politics live
From 44m ago Helen Whately, shadow work and pensions secretary, suggests term ‘disabled’ being applied too widely if 25% of people qualify Helen Whately, the shadow work and pensions secretary, has suggested the term “disabled” is being over-used if it applies to around a quarter of people. She made the claim in her speech in which she defended the Tory plan to cut benefits – which the party now says could save £23bn a year. (See 8.09am.) She said: We are here because we know we have a really important…