"I have today, after consultation with my family, and with much sadness decided to resign as the MP for North Shropshire. The last two years have been an indescribable nightmare for my family and me. My integrity, which I hold very dear... 1/8
"... has been repeatedly and publicly questioned. I maintain that I am totally innocent of what I have been accused of and I acted at all times in the interests of public health and safety. I, my family and those closest to me know the same... 2/8
"...I am unable to clear my name under the current system. Far, far worse than having my honesty questioned was, of course, the suicide of my beloved and wonderful wife, Rose. She was everything to my children and me. We miss her everyday and... 3/8
"...the world will always be grey, sad and ultimately meaningless without her. The last few days have been intolerable for us. Worst of all was seeing people, including MPs, publicly mock and deride Rose's death and belittle our pain... 4/8
"...My children have therefore asked me to leave politics altogether, for my sake as well as theirs. I agree with them. I do not want my wife's memory and reputation to become a political football. Above all, I always put my family first... 5/8
"...This is a painful decision but I believe the right one. I have loved being the MP for North Shropshire and have considered it a privilege to have been elected to serve my constituents for 24 years. I would like to thank my staff who have worked for me so loyally... 6/8
"... over many years. I also want to thank those who have stood by me so staunchly. I wish them all the best in that difficult but vital job of being a Member of Parliament. I will remain a public servant but outside the cruel world of politics.... 7/8
"I intend to devote myself to public service in whatever ways I can, but especially in the world of suicide prevention. At this incredibly difficult time for my family, we ask that the media respects our privacy and lets us grieve my beloved Rose, the best person I ever met." 8/8
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NEW: @Telegraph has seen a copy of the Government’s private impact assessment for vaccine passports.
The £££ hit on turnover… the problems outside stadiums… the fears it will drive people to Covid-risky pubs… the ??? over delivery…Quick thread👇 telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/…
The doc is 13 pages long and was written by DCMS. Was produced early September and is marked “official sensitive”.
It analysed the economic and social impacts of mandatory vaccine-only certification (ie vaccine passports).
The Government’s vaccine passport impact assessment gave a “mid” estimate for how much turnover would drop for venues impacted.
1 month = £345m drop in turnover (2.2% below 2019 levels)
Lots of chatter about an early election on the fringes of Tory conference.
Here are four arguments for why it won’t happen, being posited by Boris’s inner circle…
1/ A big factor in how the Tories do at the next election is whether the Red Wall voters see (or feel) tangible proof that ‘levelling up’ is happening.
The more time you have, the more likely that can be seen. New roads, hospitals, cops, nurses, railways etc that were promised.
2/ Things are going to get rocky.
NHS waiting lists will rise, even with the new money. Courts backlog will drag on. Fuel bills soaring. Inflation creeping up, eating into wages. Plus an end to unusual pandemic politics.
2022 will be tough. 2024 vote = more time for recovery.
Telegraph tomorrow publishes a load of intel on PM’s social care reforms.
Expected next week... breaks manifesto pledge by raising tax on c.25m... in order to cap lifetime care costs (at higher than expected)... No10-No11 at loggerheads on exact tax rise... Big political gamble.
To unpack some of our reporting tomorrow, a few tweets...
TIMINGS: Widely expected to drop next week. One source said pencilled in for Tuesday cabinet briefing then announcement. Makes sense to go early as rest of the spending review revolves around fixing this package.
Why do we keep seeing planes flying off not full from Kabul? The explanation emerged yesterday... /1
US, UK, Nato ally planes are flying in and out on an endless rotation. Touch down, get people on, take off, fly them to regional hubs, repeat. Given the constant flow planes can’t sit for hours and hours on the tarmac before taking back off... 2/
...which is a long way of saying the problem in the operation isn’t supply of planes. It is the supply of people who have been issued documents and have got through to the airport ready to be flown. 3/
“Was our intelligence really so poor? Was our understanding of the Afghan government so weak? … Or did we just think we had to follow the United States and on a wing and a prayer it would be alright?"
Theresa May continuing her scathing intervention.
Says it's "incomprehensible and worrying" UK and allies couldn't find an alternative solution as US pulled out
"Surely one outcome of this must be a reassessment of how Nato operates". Warns Russia and China will be emboldened.
Theresa May's withering close. "We boast about Global Britain. But where is Global Britain on the streets of Kabul?" UK foreign policy will be judged by "deeds" not "words".