Today's news
- Government unveils plans to 'get Britain working again'
- Minister says 'people have stolen from the state' and it's 'not acceptable' that some are not in work
- Man behind election petition with millions of signatures says 'it's more worrying for the PM than he thinks'
- Number 10 rules out extra bank holidays for WWII anniversary
- 'I'm looking to my own conscience': MPs tell Sky News what they think of looming assisted dying bill
- Commons to hold opening vote on bill first introduced by Sunak to create 'smoke-free generation'
- Live reporting by Ben Bloch
Just one fine issued for evasion of Britain's Russian sanctions
The government's financial sanctions watchdog has admitted it has only imposed a single £15,000 fine for evasion of Russian sanctions since they were introduced two-and-a-half years ago.
Appearing before the Treasury Select Committee today, the Treasury's economic crime chief said despite the imposition of the most far-reaching set of sanctions on any country, the organisation has levied only one fine.
That fine, on a company called Integral Concierge Services (ICSL), was imposed in September after it was found ICSL helped a designated person transfer and receive money.
So far no other fines have been issued, but Giles Thomson, the Treasury's director of economic crime and sanctions, admitted it was a low number, given the scale of sanctions.
"I will certainly be very disappointed if we come back before you and your committee in a year's time, and we've only got this £15,000 fine," he said, adding: "I don't think we can consider it entirely in isolation.
"I think the figure at the moment is lower than we would want, and we hope to have more cases come out that will present a more rounded, fuller picture of our enforcement action."
The OFSI only deals with breaches of financial sanction - in other words, flows of money, and not the flows of goods Sky News has documented in recent months.
However, the small size of the fine is striking, given the scale of the sanctions regime.
The OFSI now has a full-time staff of 150 people dedicated to clamping down on sanctions breakers.
In the 2022/23 period it issued a total of £45,000 of fines, though neither of these fines (there were two) were in relation to Russia.
'Is that it?' - Tories accuse Labour of 'pinching' ideas to tackle benefits bill
Responding to the work and pensions secretary, her Tory counterpart Helen Whately sums up her thoughts by saying: "Is that it?"
She accuses Labour of "pinching" ideas from them, though says this at least means the government is "making the right noises" regarding tackling unemployment and the benefits bill.
'You've had 14 years'
"Economic activity is a big problem for our economy," she says, especially since the pandemic.
Ms Whately defends her party's record, saying "we drove down unemployment and economic inactivity year after year" before 2020 and then took "unprecedented action" to protect jobs during COVID.
Labour's plans to modernise the Jobcentre service and a "youth guarantee" merely continue the path she says the Tories were on since the lockdown era came to an end.
Beyond that, Liz Kendall has offered "little more than some pots of money for local councils" and the promise of more plans following a review sometime next spring - a wait Ms Whately mocks given Labour "have had 14 years to prepare for this moment".
Kendall sets out 'biggest reforms to employment support in a generation'
The work and pensions secretary, Liz Kendall, opens her Commons statement by saying Labour's "Get Britain Working" white paper will bring forward "the biggest reforms to employment support in a generation".
It will turn "a department for welfare into a department for work, taking the first steps towards delivering our bold ambition of an 80% employment rate".
She says the UK is experiencing "an economic, but above all, social crisis, paid for in the life chances and living standards of people right across this country, and by a benefits bill for sickness and disability that is set to rise by £26bn by the end of this parliament".
She blames the Tories' "failure" to "create good jobs in every part of the country, to deliver on the NHS, and to properly reform welfare".
The big three
Ms Kendall goes on to unveil three key reforms.
The first is a new jobs and careers service from a one-size-fits-all Jobcentre service into "a genuine public employment service providing personalised support for all".
Part of that is a "radically improved digital offer" to increase capacity beyond what just human staff can offer.
The second reform is Labour's promised "youth guarantee" to ensure that "every young person is earning or learning", and it will be led by local authorities and mayors.
She tells young people that they have a "responsibility" to take up the offers of training and education in order to help get them into employment.
The final reform is "extra support to drive down waiting lists in the 20 NHS trusts with the highest levels of economic activity".
Watch live: Minister unveils plans to 'get Britain working again'
The work and pensions secretary, Liz Kendall, is on her feet in the Commons to set out how the government will "get Britain working again".
Watch live in the stream above, at the link below - and follow live updates here.
Unidentified drones spotted over US airbases in the UK
By Deborah Haynes, security and defence editor
A number of unidentified drones have again been spotted over three air bases in Britain that are used by the United States Air Force.
US military units on Tuesday were still monitoring the airspace over RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall, in Suffolk, and RAF Feltwell in Norfolk after the unmanned aerial vehicles were sighted overnight, a spokesperson said.
The UK authorities are also working to help ensure the safety of the sites.
"I can confirm the situation is ongoing and our units continue to monitor the airspace and are working with host-nation authorities and mission partners to ensure the safety of base personnel, facilities, and assets," the US Air Forces in Europe spokesperson said.
"To safeguard operational security, we do not discuss specific force protection measures, however we retain the right to protect our installations."
The development comes after unidentified drones were previously spotted between Wednesday and Friday of last week over the same three airbases – a highly unusual occurrence.
The US Air Force at the time said it was unclear whether the drones were considered hostile.
The Royal Air Force has been approached for comment.
The government has unveiled plans to "get Britain working again", with one minister telling Sky News this morning it's "not acceptable" that some people are not in work.
Before I risk their wrath by taking a lunchtime break, here are the main things you need to know in our latest Politics Hub bulletin:
- Jobcentre reform is at the heart of the push to get more people into work, with the government saying the nine million Britons who are unemployed have pushed the benefits bill far too high;
- With ill health identified as the "biggest driver of inactivity", ministers believe their long-term plan to "fix the NHS" will also get more people off permanent sick leave and into a new job;
- Employment minister Alison McGovern told Sky News earlier it was "unacceptable" for one in eight young people to be out of work and education, which she said surmounted to "not doing anything";
- Of the benefits bill, she accused people of having "stolen from the state".
- The man behind a petition calling for another general election has said it's "more worrying for the prime minister than he thinks";
- Michael Westwood, whose petition has more than 2.5 million signatures after being shared by Elon Musk, accused Labour of having done "the complete opposite"of what they were elected on;
- He admitted his petition was not going to get anywhere - the PM said yesterday while he understood the discontent, getting an election via an online petition is "not how our system works".
- Russia has expelled a British diplomat for "spying", according to the country's TASS news agency - it comes a day after a UK minister warned Moscow was waging "cyberwar";
- On the legislation front, MPs are holding their first vote today on a bill introduced by Rishi Sunak that aims to create a "smoke-free generation", including by stopping vapes being sold to youngsters;
- And Sky News has spoken to MPs wrestling with how to vote on the assisted dying bill on Friday:
There are a few ministerial statements in the Commons this afternoon, including from the work and pensions secretary, which we'll bring you notable updates from as they come in.
The aforementioned Tobacco and Vapes Bill takes centre stage from around 2.45pm.
Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge is live from 7pm, featuring another leaders' interview ahead of Friday's Irish election.
Stay with us for all that and more.
No extra bank holiday to mark 80th anniversary of end of WWII
Ministers are today talking up their determination to get unemployed Britons back to work - so it probably would have been an odd time to announce plans for an extra bank holiday.
Indeed, Downing Street has denied reports that any national days off are being planned for next year to mark the 80th anniversaries of VE Day and VJ Day.
VE Day, or Victory in Europe Day, celebrated Nazi Germany's surrender to the Allies on 8 May 1945.
VJ Day is Victory over Japan Day, which celebrated the Japanese emperor's surrender on 15 August of the same year.
The prime minister's spokesperson said while the anniversaries marking the end of the Second World War were "a moment of huge significance and national importance", there'd be no bank holidays.
Russia expels British diplomat for 'spying' - state media
Russia has expelled a British diplomat amid accusations of spying, according to reports coming out of the country.
"An employee of the British Embassy in Moscow has been stripped of his accreditation for providing false information when entering the Russian Federation," the TASS state news agency said, citing the FSB security service.
"His work revealed signs of intelligence activities."
Interfax also reports that the as yet unnamed diplomat has been expelled on grounds of "espionage".
The TASS state news agency is also reporting that the British ambassador to Russia has been summoned by the Kremlin.
Follow live updates on the Ukraine-Russia war here:
Where does the cabinet stand on assisted dying?
Not since 2015 has parliament considered whether to legalise assisted dying, when they voted emphatically against any change in the law.
But this Friday, MPs will again be asked to consider the matter viaKim Leadbeater's Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
It's exposed divisions in Keir Starmer's cabinet - with big names falling on both sides of the debate.
Who's voting for?
Peter Kyle:The science secretary voted in favour of assisted dying in 2015 and, according to the LabourList website, he has told constituents this is still his position and the issue for him is a matter of "social justice".
Ed Miliband:The energy secretary has described the current situation as "cruel" for people who are terminally ill and in pain and said he would vote for the bill.
Louise Haigh:The transport secretary is still considering the bill but told Sky News at the weekend that she is "leaning towards" voting in favour of assisted dying.
Yvette Cooper:The home secretary said she voted for assisted dying in the past "about 20 years ago...and continues to believe that change is needed".
Jo Stevens:The Wales secretary voted for assisted dying in 2015 and will do so again later this month.
Liz Kendall:The work and pensions secretary told the BBC last week she would vote in favour of the bill.
Sir Alan Campbell:According to the LabourList website, the chief whip will back the assisted dying bill - a change on his position from 2015, when he voted it down.
Lisa Nandy:Concerns about a lack of dignity at the end of life swayed the culture secretary towards voting, saying she's "seen too many examples of people who have no choices and no dignity at the end of their lives".
Stephen Kinnock:The minister of state for social care told ITV he thinks backing assisted dying "is the right thing to do from the point of view of compassion".
Hilary Benn:The Northern Ireland secretary also voted in favour of the 2015 bill and wrote on his website last month that he would do so again.
Who's voting against?
Wes Streeting: The health secretary has warned of a "chilling slippery slope argument" where people opt for assisted dying to save someone money, claimed end-of-life care isn't good enough for people to make an informed choice, and suggested it'll place more pressure on the NHS.
Shabana Mahmood:Another early voice in the debate against assisted dying, the justice secretary has cited her Muslim faith as a reason to vote against and described assisted dying as death "as a service".
Angela Rayner:The deputy prime minster voted against assisted dying in 2015 and is understood not to have changed her mind.
Jonathan Reynolds: The business secretary voted against in 2015 and said his position hadn't changed as he's concerned about how "vulnerable people could be protected".
Bridget Phillipson:The education secretarytold Sky News she voted against assisted dying in 2015 and added hasn't changed her mind.
Assisted dying: What can we learn from Canada?
As MPs prepare to vote on assisted dying legislation, Sky News has been to Canada where wider rules were legalised eight years ago.
Some 4% of deaths in the country in 2022 were with the help of a doctor, under the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) law.
In this episode, Niall Paterson is joined by Sky's health correspondent Ashish Joshi, and hears from Canadians about MAID. Niall also talks to Dr Ellen Wiebe, a doctor who has assisted in more than 400 deaths.
If you want to learn more about the proposed legislation in this country, you can read morehere,and anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or emailjo@samaritans.orgin the UK.
