Speaker’s office defends Hoyle’s decision not to call Diane Abbott at PMQs – UK politics live

Abbott says Hoyle was not serving Commons or democracy when he failed to let her ask question at PMQs

Diane Abbott has posted a message on X saying Sir Lindsay Hoyle was not serving the interests of the Commons or democracy by not calling her to ask a question today at PMQs.

I don’t know whose interests the Speaker thinks he is serving. But it is not the interests of the Commons or democracy.

She has also posted a message on X saying this tweet, from my colleague Owen Jones, is true.

Keir Starmer approached Diane Abbott, conversation overhead went like this:

“Let me know if there’s anything I can do”

“You could restore the whip”

“I understand just let me know if there’s anything..”

“Restore the whip”

“I understand”

Abbott is currently suspended from the parliamentary Labour party because of a letter she wrote to the Observer almost a year ago that suggested that antisemitism wasn’t as serious as the racism suffered by black people, and that it was more akin to prejudice.

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ShareAbbott says Hoyle was not serving Commons or democracy when he failed to let her ask question at PMQs

Diane Abbott has posted a message on X saying Sir Lindsay Hoyle was not serving the interests of the Commons or democracy by not calling her to ask a question today at PMQs.

I don’t know whose interests the Speaker thinks he is serving. But it is not the interests of the Commons or democracy.

She has also posted a message on X saying this tweet, from my colleague Owen Jones, is true.

Keir Starmer approached Diane Abbott, conversation overhead went like this:

“Let me know if there’s anything I can do”

“You could restore the whip”

“I understand just let me know if there’s anything..”

“Restore the whip”

“I understand”

Abbott is currently suspended from the parliamentary Labour party because of a letter she wrote to the Observer almost a year ago that suggested that antisemitism wasn’t as serious as the racism suffered by black people, and that it was more akin to prejudice.

ShareHunt claims getting rid of national insurance would not require cuts to NHS or pensions.

Back at the Treasury committee, Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, insists that the Tories’ long-term commitment to get rid of employees’ national insurance could be achieved without cuts to the NHS or pensions. At PMQs today, Keir Starmer insisted that policy would require cuts like that. (See 1.28am.)

Hunt says when he announced the proposal, he was explicit about how it would be be funded by cuts to public services or borrowing.

ShareNo 10 says it delayed calling Hester’s comments racist to allow time for ‘proper right of reply’

Downing Street has defended its decision to wait until late yesterday to describe Frank Hester’s comments about Diane Abbott as racist on the grounds it wanted to give the businessman time for a proper right of reply.

At the post-PMQs lobby briefing, asked why it took so long to accept the comments were racist, the PM’s spokesperson said “it was right to give someone a proper right of reply” after “very serious allegations” were made.

No 10 only issued its updated statement after Hester himself issued a statement yesterday afternoon in which he did not deny saying the words attributed to him.

The PM’s spokesperson insisted today that Hester’s comments about Abbott remained “unverified” – even though Hester has not denied saying them. The spokesperson also declined to say whether No 10 has contacted Hester to ask him whether or not he made those comments.

The PM’s press secretary, who deals with party political matters, said the Conservatives would not be returning the £10m given by Hester because he has apologised – but would not comment on whether a future donation from him might be accepted.

ShareHunt says Hester’s comments about Abbott ‘despicable’ – but says he does not deserve to be ‘cancelled’

At the Treasury committee Labour’s Angela Eagle is asking the questions now.

Q: Were Frank Hester’s comments rude or racist?

Hunt says it was “a despicable comment that should not have been made”. He says Hester has apologised.

Q: He has only apologised for being rude. Should he apologise for being racist?

Hunt says Hester has apologised for his comment, which he says he believes was racist.

Q: If you were Tory treasurer, would you return the £10m?

Hunt says:

I don’t believe that someone should be cancelled for a comment they made in the past and for which they have apologised.

But that does not make the comments any less despicable and I don’t defend them.

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Updated at 10.37 EDT

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ShareHunt says Treasury did not leak news about 2p national insurance cut in budget

Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, has just started giving evidence to the Commons Treasury committee.

Harriett Baldwin, the Conservative chair, put it to him that he cannot have been happy to see the news that he was cutting national insurance by 2p in the pound in the papers beforehand.

Hunt said he was not happy about that. “It wasn’t an intentional leak,” he said.

But he said it was getting “very difficult” to stop leaks.

He said journalists would ring up the Treasury saying they would run a story about a budget measure unless it was explicitly denied. The Treasury does not like to reply, he said. So journalists take a gamble, he said.

He said some of the reports said a measure would be in the budget before the final decision had been taken.

Asked what budget measures had been pre-briefed by the Treasury, Hunt said none of the “principle measures” were leaked in advance.

ShareSpeaker’s office defends Hoyle’s decision not to call Diane Abbott at PMQs

A spokesperson for Sir Lindsay Hoyle has defended the speaker’s decision not to call Diane Abbott at PMQs. (See 12.46pm) The spokesperson said:

During prime minister’s questions, the speaker must select MPs from either side of the house on an alternating basis for fairness.

This takes place within a limited timeframe, with the chair prioritising members who are already listed on the order paper.

This week – as is often the case – there was not enough time to call all members who wanted to ask a question.

ShareScottish Tories urge UK party based in London to ‘review’ donations from Hester

The Scottish Conservative party has urged the UK party based in London to “review” its decision to take money from Frank Hester.

After the Scottish Labour party challenged the Scottish Tories to say if they had ever received money from Hester, a spokesperson for the Scottish Conservatives said:

These comments were racist and wrong.

The Scottish Conservative Party has never accepted a donation from Frank Hester and the UK Conservative Party should carefully review the donations it has received from Hester in response to his remarks.

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