BREAK: The Metropolitan Police officer held over the disappearance of Sarah Everard had been arrested on suspicion of murder. He has also been arrested on suspicion of indecent exposure.
Full statement from Scotland Yard. The man arrested is in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection command- his primary role was patrol duties of diplomatic premises. He was initially arrested on suspicion of kidnap.
BREAK: Commissioner of the Met Dame Cressida Dick says officers searching for Sarah Everard have “very sadly, found human remains.”
Cressida Dick says the news that the man arrested is a serving police officer has "sent shockwaves" through the public and through the Met itself.
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Three weeks in a row the Prime Minister has been accused of misleading the House of Commons without correcting the record and thus breaking the ministerial code. I explained more on tonight's programme 👇
This am Speaker Hoyle upped the pressure on Boris Johnson to correct the record, saying ministers “must take responsibility for correcting the record if a mistake has been made. It is not dishonourable to make a mistake, but to seek to avoid admitting one is a different matter."
Yday the Prime Minister’s spokesperson argued that the Speaker had dealt with the matter. He’s making it clear he doesn’t consider that to be the case and (as per convention) it’s up to the PM to correct the record.
NEW: House of Reps passes $1.9 trillion Covid stimulus bill 220-211. It will now be sent to President Biden to sign into law.
It includes a huge expansion of the social security net, effectively establishing for a year at least, min income guarantees for families with children.
Biden's bill will provide:
$350bn for state/local govt
$19bn for infrastructure
$14bn for vaccine distribution
$130 billion to schools
$45 billion in rental, utility and mortgage help
Several billion for small biz/live performance venues
Direct payments to millions of Americans
It will also
-Extend unemployment insurance
-Establish direct income guarantees for families w/children
-Provide substantial (though temporary) health insurance subsidies
It is probably the biggest expansion of the social security net by the Fed govt since the Great Depression.
.@Keir_Starmer asks Boris Johnson: "Who does the Prime Minister believe deserves a pay rise more, NHS nurses or Dominic Cummings?"
In answer to another question PM says we owe NHS staff "an incalculable debt". The point is NHS staff and critics don't think it's incalculable, quite the opposite, it's just the government doesn't want to pay it.
Boris Johnson responds saying there's been a significant increase for the starting salary of nurses and the govt has been successful in increasing numbers of nurses in the system.
Hard to imagine a worse set of headlines for the Royal Family (and therefore in a sense for the UK state). Worst schism within the royal family since the Abdication (one which seems unlikely to be healed). And a set of allegations which cannot be swept away.
It’s only one side of the story, question will be how the Royal Family responds and choose to give theirs. But as I say, doesn’t feel like one where studied indifference is going to do the trick.
Over a year ago, made this piece trying to set what was happening in some historical context. Said the most telling thing was that the schism had brought the Royal Family into the culture war. The interview has intensified that process further still.
NEW: Senate passes President Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill, 50-49. Will he sent back to the House, passage looks assured. Will be the biggest achievement of his presidency so far.
The consequences of those two Georgia run offs just keep on flowing...
Extraordinary stat from Columbia University. They estimate if all the provisions of the Biden stimulus bill are passed it will *halve* child poverty in the US.
There’s different ways to look at this. Public sector workers also could point out also that the govt has spent a huge amount on the furlough scheme which has hugely benefitted private sector workers (supported by their taxes).
It’s also true to say private sector employees benefit from the wages of the public sector being spent in/on their firms.
It makes sense to view the economy (and government spending decisions as part of that) as a whole unit, rather than a private/public split.
It’s also true to say that as the govt has shown over the past year, its spending power is huge.
As ever with its spending decisions, they’re choices, not laws of nature. Government could afford to give more if it spent less on something else or raised money elsewhere.