Rishi Sunak Holds Cabinet Away Day, Matt Hancock Assault Suspect Charged, Pressure To Get Child Refugees Out Of Hotels
The Prime Minister will gather his Cabinet at Chequers later today (Alamy)
3 min read
Rishi Sunak is expected to strategise for the next election alongside senior ministers at Chequers today, in a Cabinet "away day" at the Prime Minister's country residence.
Secretaries of State will arrive at the Prime Minster’s grace and favour residence in Buckinghamshire for a political Cabinet meeting at lunch time, ahead of the regular Cabinet later in the afternoon .
It is thought that a portion of the day will focus on wargaming for the next election, now less than two years away, with Labour showing a consistent polling lead.
The Daily Mail has reported that ministers will be told they still have a “narrow” path to victory by strategist Issac Levido, who was part of Boris Johnson’s team during the 2019 campaign, and has been brought back into No.10 by Sunak.
Earlier this month, Sunak laid out his five immediate priorities for the next year, including reducing inflation and growing the economy, and it is expected these will also be discussed during the meeting.
The trip comes as Sunak is facing pressure to dismiss his party chairman Nadhim Zahawi, following questions over his tax affairs.
The Prime Minister insisted yesterday at PMQs that he was following due process by allowing the matter to be fully investigated, but the Times has reported today that privately he is “livid” over the whole affair.
Man charged in connection with Matt Hancock assault
A man has been charged in connection with an assault on former health secretary Matt Hancock on the London Underground earlier this week.
The British Transport Police said in a statement: "A 61-year-old man has been charged in connection to a man being assaulted and harassed at #Westminster station on 24 January.
"Geza Tarjanyi, from Leyland, is charged with common assault & two public order offences.
"He's been released on bail to appear in court next month."
Hancock is not believed to have been hurt in the incident which took place on Tuesday morning and appears to have been captured in video footage.
Charities urge Sunak to stop housing child asylum seekers in hotels
A number of charities have written to the Prime Minister asking him to end the practice of housing child asylum seekers in hotels, after dozens were reported missing.
Immigration minister Robert Jenrick told the Commons earlier this week that of the 4,600 child asylum seekers who had arrived in the UK without an adult and been accomodated in hotels since 2021, 440 of them had gone missing and 200 remained missing.
Labour has now accused the government of turning “their backs” on fixing the issues.
The letter signed by charities supporting children and refugees, and reported by the BBC, said that "there is no legal basis for placing children in Home Office hotel accommodation, and almost two years into the operation of the scheme - which is both unlawful and harmful - it is no longer possible to justify the use of hotels as being 'temporary'."
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the “Home Office is taking no serious action on this”.
She told BBC Breakfast: “I do think that the Conservatives have just turned their backs on the serious action that’s needed to go after the criminal gangs and that’s what Labour’s saying we will make a priority”.
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