SNP latest news: Police investigation ‘won’t derail independence push’

A police investigation into the SNP's finances will not derail the push for Scottish independence, one of the party's MPs has claimed. Tommy Sheppard said the SNP's "ambition" to breakaway from the rest of the UK "has not diminished as a result of these problems". He told Times Radio: "Whatever this problem is, we will identify it, we will fix it and we will move on because we have a historic responsibility to people who live in Scotland to represent their ambition to become an independent country.

"And that ambition has not diminished as a result of these problems within the SNP." He said the SNP "will move past this" and "we will again be able to put independence for Scotland firmly on the agenda as we go towards the next UK general election". It comes after SNP treasurer Colin Beattie was last night released without charge pending further investigation after he became the second figure in the party to be arrested as part of the police probe into the nationalists' finances.

You can follow the latest updates below.

11:13AM [1]

Sir Keir Starmer: 'The NHS is broken'

The NHS is "broken", Sir Keir Starmer has declared, claiming that a fifth of A&E patients go to hospital because they cannot get a GP appointment. In an interview with The Telegraph, the Labour leader accused the Conservatives of presiding over a "cycle of decline" that could bring the NHS to an end. New research by Labour has suggested that around 4.5 million patients in England went to A&E last year because they could not get a GP appointment.

You can read the full story here [2].

10:41AM [3]

Oliver Dowden announces new system for Whitehall cyber-health checks

Oliver Dowden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, is delivering a speech in Belfast this morning at the CyberUK 2023 conference. Mr Dowden said the Government faces a "range of attacks" in the cyber space, including ransomware and espionage. He said a new programme will be rolled out to check the cyber-health of Whitehall departments to ensure the UK's public services are protected.

He said: "Today I can announce that we are launching GovAssure, a transformational new cyber regime for the whole of government. "GovAssure will be rolled out across Whitehall, it will be used to assess every department's cyber health on an annual basis against stringent new measures so that government can better identify the risks we face and make sure we are protecting systems that help us run public services."

10:33AM [4]

Mark Harper on HS2: 'Delaying delivering something doesn't save money'

Mark Harper, the Transport Secretary, has told MPs that delaying the rollout of HS2 will not save money on its own. The Government announced in March that it was overhauling the construction timeline for the project (you can read the original story here [5]).

Mr Harper told the Transport Select Committee: "In itself, delaying delivering something doesn't save money. But of course it does reflect the fact that you have a budget in each year, everybody listening to this has to live within their annual budget, as well as a budget over time. "We've had to make some sensible decisions about how you make those decisions.

For me, the choice was very clear. "There's a section of the project which we have fully mobilised. We've got contractors building it, spending a considerable amount of money on phase one."

He added: "Delaying the later aspects of the project, it's much more cost effective to do that because you don't have contractors on site, you aren't already building the railway, and you can change the timing of that in a much more sensible way."

10:00AM [6]

Tory chairman denies Government has lost control of the border

The chairman of the Conservative Party has denied that the Government has lost control of the border as migrant Channel crossings continue. Greg Hands said the Tories are "getting to grips" with the issue. Told during an interview on BBC Radio Kent that the Government appeared to have lost control, Mr Hands said: "I disagree with that.

45,000 people did cross illegally the Channel last year, it is a very serious situation but we are getting to grips with it."

9:46AM [7]

Greg Hands dismisses suggestions Tories on course for landslide defeat at general election

Greg Hands dismissed suggestions that the Tories are on track to suffer a landslide general election defeat to the Labour Party. The chairman of the Conservative Party was told this morning during an interview on BBC Radio Berkshire that current polls suggest the Tories will get crushed and lose power at the next general election. He replied: "There isn't a general election tomorrow but these local elections that are going on are a good opportunity for well run Conservative councils to showcase to their residents the big impact and big difference they are making."

9:39AM [8]

'I'm not denying that that could be a factor'

Greg Hands said the partygate scandal and Liz Truss's premiership may hurt the Conservatives at next month's local elections.

The Conservative Party chairman conducted a broadcast round of regional radio stations this morning and he was grilled extensively about the elections which are due to be held on May 4. Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester, he pointed to bad regional results for Labour under Jeremy Corbyn in 2019, rising energy bills and the war in Ukraine after he was asked why his party has been forecast to lose more than 1,000 seats next month. Pressed on whether the Downing Street parties and Ms Truss's 49 days in charge could also be a factor, Mr Hands replied: "Well, I think obviously that has happened since the last time these elections were fought so I'm not denying that that could be a factor, and I'm not denying the fact that the Conservatives had a difficult year last year.

"The whole country had a difficult year last year and is continuing to have a difficult year this year. What I am saying is under Rishi Sunak we're setting out a positive vision for today for dealing with the problems that the country has with Rishi's five priorities."

9:33AM [9]

Government has 'failed to make the case' for voter ID, claims Sir Ed Davey

A change requiring voters in England to show identification before having their say in next month's local elections could be about the Conservative Party's "selfish interests", according to Sir Ed Davey. The Liberal Democrat leader, confirming that his party believes the new voter ID policy is "wrong", told Sky News: "The Government has failed to make the case.

They claim it was about voter fraud. There is no evidence about this at all and it will make it harder for some people to vote. "When you look at the sort of things they have done in implementing this, they've made it okay for retired people to use their bus passes - that's great, I think that's right - [as] photo ID for older people if we were to have this awful system.

"But they have not allowed young people to use their bus passes as photo ID. That is very suspicious and I think it suggests the Government's motives behind this change are nothing to do with voter fraud; they are everything to do with the selfish interests of the Conservative Party."

9:06AM [10]

We must fulfil Good Friday promise, Rishi Sunak to tell Belfast conference

Rishi Sunak will say it is time to fulfil the "true promise" of the Good Friday Agreement as he piles pressure on unionists in Northern Ireland to get back to Stormont. The Prime Minister will use a speech this afternoon (see the post below at 08.53) to pledge the "full force" of the UK Government to transform the province into a world-leading investment hub to build on the "precious legacy" of the peace deal on its 25th anniversary.

Mr Sunak is also expected to praise the security forces as well as the architects of the historic treaty for their role in delivering peace. You can read the full story on what Mr Sunak is expected to say here [11].

8:53AM [12]

Rishi Sunak, Ursula von der Leyen and Bill Clinton to address conference in Belfast

It is a big day in Belfast today as a three-day conference to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement comes to a close with speeches from Rishi Sunak, Ursula von der Leyen and Bill Clinton. Mr Sunak is due to deliver the closing address just after 3.30pm, with the European Commission President speaking just before 3pm and the former US president speaking just after 3pm.

Mr Sunak is still expected to take part in Prime Minister's Questions in Westminster at lunchtime and will fly to Belfast immediately afterwards. The conference will be capped this evening with a gala dinner attended by leading politicians from around the world, with former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss among those expected to attend.

8:40AM [13]

Lib Dems: 'High inflation misery continues'

The Liberal Democrats said families are "paying the price for Government failure to control inflation" after numbers for March showed price rises were still in double digits (see the post below at 08.22). Sarah Olney, the Lib Dems' Treasury spokeswoman, said: "These deadly price hikes cannot go on any longer.

Families and pensioners are paying the price for Government failure to control inflation. "Food bills are out of control and we have not heard a solution from ministers. They could be helping British farmers and high street shops with energy costs which are passed onto the public, but instead Government ministers just sit on their hands.

"Today is no cause for celebration as high inflation misery continues to hinder economic growth."

8:29AM [14]

Rachel Reeves: 'Prices are out of control'

Rachel Reeves, Labour's shadow chancellor, said today's inflation figures (see the post below at 08.22) showed that prices are still "out of control". She said: "The question for families remains as real as ever - when will they feel better off under this Conservative Government? "And, why when the cost of living continues to bite, is the Government refusing to freeze council tax this year, paid for by a proper windfall tax on oil and gas giants?

"The reality is that under the Tories our economy is weaker, prices are out of control and never have people paid so much to get so little in return. "Labour will stand with working people and with our mission to secure the highest sustained growth in the G7, make families across every part of our country better off."

8:26AM [15]

'We need to wait for the facts to be established'

Shona Robison, the deputy first minister and one of Nicola Sturgeon's closest friends, refused to speculate over whether the former leader's arrest was imminent. "We need to wait for the facts to be established," she said.

"Whether that's through the ongoing police investigation or the review about how the party is managed. The public expect us to get our own house in order." Ms Robison said she did not know if Ms Sturgeon had spoken to police already and had only had a brief text message exchange with her recently.

"Right at the beginning of this process I sent her a very short message just asking after he welfare. I got a very short reply. We've had no discussions whatsoever about the police investigation.

It wouldn't be appropriate for me or her to do so."

8:22AM [16]

Chancellor says Government 'on track' to deliver inflation promise as price rises fall

Jeremy Hunt said the Government is "on track" to deliver on its promise of halving inflation this year after price rises eased last month. Data published by the Office for National Statistics this morning showed that the Consumer Prices Index rose by 10.1 per cent in the 12 months to March this year, down from 10.4 per cent in the 12 months to February. Mr Hunt said: "These figures reaffirm exactly why we must continue with our efforts to drive down inflation so we can ease pressure on families and businesses.

"We are on track to do this - with the OBR forecasting we will halve inflation this year - and we'll continue supporting people with cost-of-living support worth an average of GBP3,300 per household over this year and last, funded through windfall taxes on energy profits."

8:16AM [17]

Police investigation won't derail independence push, says SNP MP

"And that ambition has not diminished as a result of these problems within the SNP."

He said the SNP "will move past this" and "we will again be able to put independence for Scotland firmly on the agenda as we go towards the next UK general election".

References

^ 11:13AM (www.telegraph.co.uk)
^ read the full story here (www.telegraph.co.uk)
^ 10:41AM (www.telegraph.co.uk)
^ 10:33AM (www.telegraph.co.uk)
^ read the original story here (www.telegraph.co.uk)
^ 10:00AM (www.telegraph.co.uk)
^ 9:46AM (www.telegraph.co.uk)
^ 9:39AM (www.telegraph.co.uk)
^ 9:33AM (www.telegraph.co.uk)
^ 9:06AM (www.telegraph.co.uk)
^ read the full story on what Mr Sunak is expected to say here (www.telegraph.co.uk)
^ 8:53AM (www.telegraph.co.uk)
^ 8:40AM (www.telegraph.co.uk)
^ 8:29AM (www.telegraph.co.uk)
^ 8:26AM (www.telegraph.co.uk)
^ 8:22AM (www.telegraph.co.uk)
^ 8:16AM (www.telegraph.co.uk)