conservativehome--2020-07-16--Henry Hill: Reserving control of ‘level playing field’ provisions to Westminster should be just the

Henry Hill: Reserving control of ‘level playing field’ provisions to Westminster should be just the first step

Government ’ s fight over post-Brexit powers is late , but welcome The big constitutional story this week is the news that the Government is squaring up to the devolved administrations over control of vital ex-EU powers .
According to the Financial Times , Boris Johnson intends to retain control over ‘ level playing field ’ provisions and state aid at Westminster , in order to prevent different parts of the United Kingdom undermining each other .
This has revived specious claims by Edinburgh and Cardiff that London is engaged in a ‘ power grab ’ , seizing powers which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have come out fighting for the pro-UK position : Ruth Davidson has penned an op-ed in the Evening Standard supporting the move .
Douglas Ross , who recently resigned from the Scottish Office , challenged the SNP on this basis : “ If it is a power grab there most be powers currently held by the Scottish Parliament , enacted by the Scottish Government on behalf of the people of Scotland that we the UK Government are taking away.
” Luke Graham , the former MP for Ochil and South Perthshire and now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Unit , has taken the same line : that these powers have never been devolved ( indeed Holyrood was only established after many were already vested in Brussels ) , so there is no attack on devolution .
This is a welcome shift in position .
During the pivotal clash over the misnamed “ post-Brexit devolved powers ” in 2017 and 2018 , several leading Scottish Tories were at the forefront of the campaign to force the Government to scrap the part of the Withdrawal Bill safeguarding ex-EU powers in Westminster .
Indeed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ power grab ’ claim .
Defenders of Section 11 of the Withdrawal Bill , as-was , advanced detailed arguments about the dangers posed by ceding powers necessary to harmonise a common market below the highest level of political authority in that market , and were met with little more than airy rhetoric about the “ spirit of devolution ” .
Whilst some , such as the Institute for Government , believe the new , more centralised approach is “ not a sustainable long-term strategy ” , in fact the reverse is true @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trying to deliver pan-UK rules whilst bending over backwards to avoid our pan-UK institutions setting and enforcing them .
It should be taken as read that any devolved administration committed to breaking up Britain will exploit any opportunity to foul up the proper functioning of the UK common market , whether that be through setting different standards or exploiting new consultation and dispute-resolution mechanisms as platforms for grievance .
Any power previously exercised at the EU level should , by default , be executed at the UK level .
They were , after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Ministers should re-acquaint themselves with the arguments over Section 11 , and consider casting their powers net much wider yet .
Separatists attempt to game Holyrood elections with new party An ex-SNP MSP has set up a new pro-independence party , with the aim of hugely inflating the number of separatist MSPs returned at the next Holyrood elections .
STV reports that the Alliance for Independence anticipates that it might win up to 24 MSPs by running exclusively for the Scottish Parliament ’ s ‘ list ’ constituencies .
Under the Scottish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : one for their geographical first-part-the-post constituency , and another for a regional list .
When the parties contest both , the list vote is used to ‘ top up ’ those parties which under-performed under FPTP and ensure something resembling a proportional outcome .
But if the Alliance for Independence only contest list seats , and SNP voters lend it their support en masse , it could result in the ‘ official Nationalists ’ winning most of the constituencies and the ‘ unofficial nationalists ’ a huge share of the list , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unionist parties were seriously under-represented compared to their vote .
Some commentators , such as Kenny Farquharson , have argued that this would undermine the legitimacy of the resulting parliament – a possible boon to the Government if it truly intends to resist calls for a second referendum ( as it should ) .
Rory Scothorne , writing on a pro-independence site , sums up the approach as ‘ magical thinking ’ .
There may also be more to the AfI than gerry-mandering .
The SNP civil war , which David Leask profiled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on .
A new separatist party could provide a rallying point for Nicola Sturgeon ’ s internal opponents and provide a vehicle for Alex Salmond ’ s latest re-entry into politics .
On the other side of the argument , George Galloway is carving himself a space in unionist politics with the launch of his new ‘ Alliance for Unity ’ .
Based on the Scottish branch of his new Workers Party of Britain , it will provide a vehicle for his particular brand of energetic , left-wing unionism .
Galloway ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elections there might be bad news for Scottish Labour , the ailing giant of the left-unionist quadrant of Scottish politics .
But who knows , perhaps the WPB will confine itself to the lists… There is now a three-way battle for the votes of Wales ’ sizeable devosceptic minority .
Mark Reckless , the leader of the Brexit Party ’ s MS group , has made it his party ’ s policy to scrap the Senedd .
Whilst differing in detail from the position of rival groups – Reckless ’ plan is to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Welsh MPs , rather than wholesale reintegration – this puts him in contention both with the rump of UKIP , led by Neil Hamilton , and the new Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party .
Dividing this vote , which is already reluctant to even turn out for devolved contests , may provide a short-term boost to the Conservatives .
But should one of the three emerge triumphant it could pose a serious threat on the Tories ’ right-unionist flank .
• Sunak was right to bypass the SNP with UK-wide splurge – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is dragging the UK ’ s economic recovery down – Matt Smith , CapX • Six things the Conservatives need to do now – Andrew Waddell , The Majority • The Union is in graver danger than ever – James Forsyth , The Spectator • Stand up for the Union or lose it – Stephen Daisley , Website

Government’s fight over post-Brexit powers is late, but welcome
The big constitutional story this week is the news that the Government is squaring up to the devolved administrations over control of vital ex-EU powers.
According to the Financial Times, Boris Johnson intends to retain control over ‘level playing field’ provisions and state aid at Westminster, in order to prevent different parts of the United Kingdom undermining each other. This has revived specious claims by Edinburgh and Cardiff that London is engaged in a ‘power grab’, seizing powers which are rightfully theirs.
The Scottish Conservatives have come out fighting for the pro-UK position: Ruth Davidson has penned an op-ed in the Evening Standard supporting the move. Douglas Ross, who recently resigned from the Scottish Office, challenged the SNP on this basis:
“If it is a power grab there most be powers currently held by the Scottish Parliament, enacted by the Scottish Government on behalf of the people of Scotland that we the UK Government are taking away.”
Luke Graham, the former MP for Ochil and South Perthshire and now head of Downing Street’s Union Unit, has taken the same line: that these powers have never been devolved (indeed Holyrood was only established after many were already vested in Brussels), so there is no attack on devolution.
These powers sit with the EU , there is no assault on devolution #falsegrievance @ScotTories https://t.co/l0g3Z0M0gY — Luke Graham (@LukeGrahamUK) July 13, 2020
This is a welcome shift in position. During the pivotal clash over the misnamed “post-Brexit devolved powers” in 2017 and 2018, several leading Scottish Tories were at the forefront of the campaign to force the Government to scrap the part of the Withdrawal Bill safeguarding ex-EU powers in Westminster. Indeed, senior MSPs lent credence to the ‘power grab’ claim.
Defenders of Section 11 of the Withdrawal Bill, as-was, advanced detailed arguments about the dangers posed by ceding powers necessary to harmonise a common market below the highest level of political authority in that market, and were met with little more than airy rhetoric about the “spirit of devolution”.
Whilst some, such as the Institute for Government, believe the new, more centralised approach is “not a sustainable long-term strategy”, in fact the reverse is true.
It is not sustainable to continue trying to deliver pan-UK rules whilst bending over backwards to avoid our pan-UK institutions setting and enforcing them. It should be taken as read that any devolved administration committed to breaking up Britain will exploit any opportunity to foul up the proper functioning of the UK common market, whether that be through setting different standards or exploiting new consultation and dispute-resolution mechanisms as platforms for grievance.
Any power previously exercised at the EU level should, by default, be executed at the UK level. They were, after all, passed upwards for a reason. Ministers should re-acquaint themselves with the arguments over Section 11, and consider casting their powers net much wider yet.
Separatists attempt to game Holyrood elections with new party
An ex-SNP MSP has set up a new pro-independence party, with the aim of hugely inflating the number of separatist MSPs returned at the next Holyrood elections.
STV reports that the Alliance for Independence anticipates that it might win up to 24 MSPs by running exclusively for the Scottish Parliament’s ‘list’ constituencies.
Under the Scottish electoral system, voters cast two ballots: one for their geographical first-part-the-post constituency, and another for a regional list. When the parties contest both, the list vote is used to ‘top up’ those parties which under-performed under FPTP and ensure something resembling a proportional outcome.
But if the Alliance for Independence only contest list seats, and SNP voters lend it their support en masse, it could result in the ‘official Nationalists’ winning most of the constituencies and the ‘unofficial nationalists’ a huge share of the list, resulting in a chamber in which the unionist parties were seriously under-represented compared to their vote.
Some commentators, such as Kenny Farquharson, have argued that this would undermine the legitimacy of the resulting parliament – a possible boon to the Government if it truly intends to resist calls for a second referendum (as it should). Rory Scothorne, writing on a pro-independence site, sums up the approach as ‘magical thinking’.
There may also be more to the AfI than gerry-mandering. The SNP civil war, which David Leask profiled a couple of months ago, rages on. A new separatist party could provide a rallying point for Nicola Sturgeon’s internal opponents and provide a vehicle for Alex Salmond’s latest re-entry into politics.
On the other side of the argument, George Galloway is carving himself a space in unionist politics with the launch of his new ‘Alliance for Unity’. Based on the Scottish branch of his new Workers Party of Britain, it will provide a vehicle for his particular brand of energetic, left-wing unionism.
Galloway’s decision to return to Scotland and contest elections there might be bad news for Scottish Labour, the ailing giant of the left-unionist quadrant of Scottish politics. But who knows, perhaps the WPB will confine itself to the lists…
Brexit Party shift to anti-Senedd stance
There is now a three-way battle for the votes of Wales’ sizeable devosceptic minority. Mark Reckless, the leader of the Brexit Party’s MS group, has made it his party’s policy to scrap the Senedd.
Whilst differing in detail from the position of rival groups – Reckless’ plan is to hand the Welsh Parliament’s powers to Welsh MPs, rather than wholesale reintegration – this puts him in contention both with the rump of UKIP, led by Neil Hamilton, and the new Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party.
Dividing this vote, which is already reluctant to even turn out for devolved contests, may provide a short-term boost to the Conservatives. But should one of the three emerge triumphant it could pose a serious threat on the Tories’ right-unionist flank.
Op-eds:


conservativehome--2020-07-16--Calling Conservatives: New public appointments announced. Trustees of the National Citizen Service –

Calling Conservatives: New public appointments announced. Trustees of the National Citizen Service – and more

Eight years ago , the TaxPayers ’ Alliance reported that “ in the last year , five times more Labour people were appointed to public bodies than Tories ” .
It currently reports that almost half of avowedly political appointees last year owed their allegiance to Labour Party , compared to less than a third for the Conservatives .
Despite the selection of some Party members or supporters to fill important posts , over time , the Conservatives have punched beneath their weight when it comes to public appointments .
One of the reasons seems to be that Tories simply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number as Labour supporters .
To help remedy this , each week we put up links to some of the main public appointments vacancies , so that qualified Conservatives can be aware of the opportunities presented .
“ The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is looking to make two Non-Executive Director ( NED ) appointments to NHS England .
NHS England leads the National Health Service in England and sets its priorities and direction .
It is responsible for arranging the provision of health services and for more than £150 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Non-Executive Directors is , as a team , to lead in developing the strategy for , and overseeing the work of NHS England by participating fully in the work of the board , both in the context of the board meetings themselves , and more widely .
Non-Executive Directors also play a part in representing NHS England externally , alongside the Chief Executive , the Chair and the wider Executive team.
” “ The Scottish National Investment Bank Act ( ‘ the Act ’ ) received Royal Assent in February 2020 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a public limited company and public body accountable to Scottish Ministers who own and set its strategic missions .
The Act sets out how the Bank should operate in order to meet missions which will be set by Scottish Ministers as the sole-shareholder .
In response to these missions the Bank is required to develop an Investment Strategy which will help create and shape future markets , spark innovation and tackle socio-economic challenges in Scotland .
Additionally , the Bank will have a key role to play in Scotland ’ s emerging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 25 days per annum .
“ The TRA as a statutory body would perform an independent function , investigating and recommending to Ministers when to impose trade remedies measures in response to injury caused by unfair trading practices , such as dumping , subsidies , or unforeseen surges in imports .
Ministers would decide whether to agree the TRA ’ s recommendations .
The TRA will also carry out reviews of those existing EU measures transitioned into the UK system to ensure that they are specific to the UK market , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will also be responsible for providing support and assistance to DIT on trade… The TRA Board sets the strategic direction and priorities of the organisation , monitoring its performance against its objectives and holding the Chief Executive and executive team to account.
” Remuneration : £15,000 per annum ( additional £3,000 for the Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee ) .
“ The chair is responsible for leading and managing the Panel .
They must lead development and implementation of a strategic vision for the Panel and ensure the reviews under their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should make to better safeguard and promote the welfare of children…Successful applicants will demonstrate the ability to : provide strong strategic leadership ; chair high level meetings ; effectively manage team dynamics and maintain the confidence of others , including child safeguarding professionals , Ministers and the public .
The right candidate will also demonstrate a strong understanding of multi-agency child safeguarding arrangements , policy and frontline delivery.
” “ The Chair of the College of Policing is appointed by the Home Secretary to ensure the long-term success of the College .
Together @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Chair ( who must not have a background in operational policing ) will set the College ’ s strategic direction and aims against budgets and priorities .
They will provide the College Chief Executive and team of Executive Directors with the necessary leadership , support and monitoring that will help them to meet the College and Home Secretary ’ s goals .
The College plays a critical role in helping to increase the diversity within the police to reflect the communities they serve.
” “ The Secretary of State for International Trade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seeking a strong , strategic leader who will continue to develop the Equality and Human Rights Commission ( EHRC ) and set the Commission ’ s overall direction to reflect its crucial role as an equality body and National Human Rights Institution .
This appointment fulfils the requirement of the Equality Act 2006 that the Secretary of State should appoint a Chair to the Commission .
Although the Commission is an independent organisation , the Chair is accountable to the above sponsoring Minister .
You will develop and maintain high-value relationships with Ministers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and abroad , opinion formers , industry and others , demonstrating judgment , integrity and resilience in the face of challenge.
” “ National Citizen Service ( NCS ) is a youth programme that runs across England and Northern Ireland .
We exist to engage , unite and empower young people , building their confidence so they can go out there and achieve their dreams , no matter where they ’ re from or what their background is .
Our programme is managed and supported by NCS Trust , our central team who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deliver the most impactful experience we can to as many young people as possible .
National Citizen Service is seeking three Trustees with experience and skills at a senior level in the following areas : experience and demonstrable senior leadership in the parliamentary/public sector ( 1 Trustee ) ; human resources specialist with commercial experience and a particular focus on people strategy , culture and coaching high performance teams ( 1 Trustee ) ; [ and ] an education leader with strong links to schools and young people ( 1 Trustee ) .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Commissioner role aims to promote police compliance with the rules on the collection and retention of DNA , fingerprints and surveillance cameras respectively .
The roles were created by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 ( POFA ) , which set out the regime for police use of DNA , fingerprints and the regulation of surveillance cameras .
We have decided to appoint a single person to both roles because of the confluence of existing and emerging regulatory issues around police use of automated facial recognition .
The post will cover the duties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Camera Commissioner , while the Government is considering reforms in this area .
”

Eight years ago, the TaxPayers’ Alliance reported that “in the last year, five times more Labour people were appointed to public bodies than Tories”.
It currently reports that almost half of avowedly political appointees last year owed their allegiance to Labour Party, compared to less than a third for the Conservatives.
Despite the selection of some Party members or supporters to fill important posts, over time, the Conservatives have punched beneath their weight when it comes to public appointments. One of the reasons seems to be that Tories simply don’t apply in the same number as Labour supporters.
To help remedy this, each week we put up links to some of the main public appointments vacancies, so that qualified Conservatives can be aware of the opportunities presented.
– – – – – – – – – –
NHS England – Non-Executive Directors
“The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is looking to make two Non-Executive Director (NED) appointments to NHS England. NHS England leads the National Health Service in England and sets its priorities and direction. It is responsible for arranging the provision of health services and for more than £150 billion of funds. The primary role of Non-Executive Directors is, as a team, to lead in developing the strategy for, and overseeing the work of NHS England by participating fully in the work of the board, both in the context of the board meetings themselves, and more widely. Non-Executive Directors also play a part in representing NHS England externally, alongside the Chief Executive, the Chair and the wider Executive team.”
Time: 2-3 days per month.
Remuneration: £7,883 (£13,137) per annum.
Closes: 16 July
– – – – – – – – – –
Scottish National Investment Bank – Non-Executive Directors
“The Scottish National Investment Bank Act (‘the Act’) received Royal Assent in February 2020, paving the way to establish the Bank as a public limited company and public body accountable to Scottish Ministers who own and set its strategic missions. The Act sets out how the Bank should operate in order to meet missions which will be set by Scottish Ministers as the sole-shareholder. In response to these missions the Bank is required to develop an Investment Strategy which will help create and shape future markets, spark innovation and tackle socio-economic challenges in Scotland. Additionally, the Bank will have a key role to play in Scotland’s emerging economy post Covid-19.”
Time: Up to 25 days per annum.
Remuneration: £21,250 per annum.
Closes: 24 July
– – – – – – – – – –
UK Trade Remedies Authority – Non-Executive Directors
“The TRA as a statutory body would perform an independent function, investigating and recommending to Ministers when to impose trade remedies measures in response to injury caused by unfair trading practices, such as dumping, subsidies, or unforeseen surges in imports. Ministers would decide whether to agree the TRA’s recommendations. The TRA will also carry out reviews of those existing EU measures transitioned into the UK system to ensure that they are specific to the UK market, in line with WTO rules. The TRA will also be responsible for providing support and assistance to DIT on trade… The TRA Board sets the strategic direction and priorities of the organisation, monitoring its performance against its objectives and holding the Chief Executive and executive team to account.”
Time: Approx. 15-20 per annum.
Remuneration: £15,000 per annum (additional £3,000 for the Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee).
Closes: 24 July
– – – – – – – – – –
Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel – Chair
“The chair is responsible for leading and managing the Panel. They must lead development and implementation of a strategic vision for the Panel and ensure the reviews under their supervision identify improvements safeguarding partners or others should make to better safeguard and promote the welfare of children…Successful applicants will demonstrate the ability to: provide strong strategic leadership; chair high level meetings; effectively manage team dynamics and maintain the confidence of others, including child safeguarding professionals, Ministers and the public. The right candidate will also demonstrate a strong understanding of multi-agency child safeguarding arrangements, policy and frontline delivery.”
Time: 6-8 days per month.
Remuneration: £500 per diem.
Closes: 31 July
– – – – – – – – – –
College of Policing – Chair
“The Chair of the College of Policing is appointed by the Home Secretary to ensure the long-term success of the College. Together with the College Board of Directors, the Chair (who must not have a background in operational policing) will set the College’s strategic direction and aims against budgets and priorities. They will provide the College Chief Executive and team of Executive Directors with the necessary leadership, support and monitoring that will help them to meet the College and Home Secretary’s goals. The College plays a critical role in helping to increase the diversity within the police to reflect the communities they serve.”
Time: 1-2 days per week.
Remuneration: £135,000 pro rata.
Closes: 03 August
– – – – – – – – – –
Equality & Human Rights Commission – Chair
“The Secretary of State for International Trade and Minister for Women and Equalities is seeking a strong, strategic leader who will continue to develop the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and set the Commission’s overall direction to reflect its crucial role as an equality body and National Human Rights Institution. This appointment fulfils the requirement of the Equality Act 2006 that the Secretary of State should appoint a Chair to the Commission. Although the Commission is an independent organisation, the Chair is accountable to the above sponsoring Minister. You will develop and maintain high-value relationships with Ministers, influential partners, governments at home and abroad, opinion formers, industry and others, demonstrating judgment, integrity and resilience in the face of challenge.”
Time: 1-2 days per week.
Remuneration: £500 per diem.
Closes: 03 August
– – – – – – – – – –
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport – National Citizen Service Trustees
“National Citizen Service (NCS) is a youth programme that runs across England and Northern Ireland. We exist to engage, unite and empower young people, building their confidence so they can go out there and achieve their dreams, no matter where they’re from or what their background is. Our programme is managed and supported by NCS Trust, our central team who are constantly working to make sure we deliver the most impactful experience we can to as many young people as possible. National Citizen Service is seeking three Trustees with experience and skills at a senior level in the following areas: experience and demonstrable senior leadership in the parliamentary/public sector (1 Trustee); human resources specialist with commercial experience and a particular focus on people strategy, culture and coaching high performance teams (1 Trustee); [and] an education leader with strong links to schools and young people (1 Trustee).”
Time: 5-10 days per week.
Remuneration: “Reasonable expenses”.
Closes: 09 August
– – – – – – – – – –
Home Office – Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner
“The Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner role aims to promote police compliance with the rules on the collection and retention of DNA, fingerprints and surveillance cameras respectively. The roles were created by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (POFA), which set out the regime for police use of DNA, fingerprints and the regulation of surveillance cameras. We have decided to appoint a single person to both roles because of the confluence of existing and emerging regulatory issues around police use of automated facial recognition. The post will cover the duties of the Biometrics Commissioner and the Surveillance Camera Commissioner, while the Government is considering reforms in this area.”
Time: Full-time.
Remuneration: £125,000 per annum.
Closes: 09 August


conservativehome--2020-07-16--Lewis becomes the first Conservative MP to lose the whip during this Parliament. But he may not be t

Lewis becomes the first Conservative MP to lose the whip during this Parliament. But he may not be the last.

In 2009 , Julian Lewis sat next to his friend , John Bercow , as he was first elected Commons Speaker .
Now he has followed the same trajectory – out of the Conservative Parliamentary Party altogether .
It is true that Bercow gave up the Tory whip , while Lewis has had taken from him .
Nonetheless , the two men , who made their name together as ardent new backbenchers in 1997 , happy to carry fresh fight to New Labour Ministers in their glory days , have long been “ on a journey ” .
There was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ themselves as outsiders in a stuffy Tory club .
But while Bercow transformed himself into a vocal critic of the Conservative front bench from the outside , Lewis developed into a more muted one from within , after not being appointed a Minister post-2010 .
And so he has travelled from serving as an independent-minded Defence Select Committee Chairman to abandoning his Tory colleagues yesterday – teaming up with Labour and SNP MPs against them to get himself elected as Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee .
It just might be that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had a defence and security background , unlike Chris Grayling , Lewis would not have made the move that he did .
And , as one of Party ’ s defence experts , a former hammer of CND , an ex-Shadow Minister and a lacerating Parliamentarian , he has done it real service over time .
However , Lewis can ’ t reasonably complain about the withdrawal of the whip .
Whether or not he gave an explicit undertaking to the Chief Whip that he would support Grayling ’ s candidacy is beside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his appointment as a Tory member that he would do so .
So withdrawal of the whip seems fair enough to us – and to most of the Conservative MPs we have now spoken to , few of whom are signed-up members of the Boris Johnson fan club .
Perhaps Lewis , who at 68 is surely now on his last Parliament , is independent , bloody-minded and detached enough not to care .
But while taking the whip off him is one thing , and an internal Tory decision from beginning to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seek to remove him from the committee , with the report on Russian electoral meddling pending , would be quite another .
The case for trying to do so is bound up with its peculiar nature and history .
For the Security and Intelligence Committee is a statutory body – established unlike select committees by an Act during John Major ’ s premiership .
Parliament appoints nine members from the Commons and the Lords , after considering nominations from the Prime Minister , made following discussions with the Leader of the Opposition .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ committee ’ s present members ( eight from the Commons and only one from the Lords , Alan West ) .
But it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that Downing Street will now seek to put a motion to Parliament removing Lewis from the committee altogether .
Were it to be in order and then passed , a Conservative MP would be appointed in his place .
This person would then presumably vote for a Tory chairman .
ConservativeHome understands that Grayling believes that he could not now serve in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might well be Theresa Villiers , who combines former Cabinet rank with security experience , gained over four years as Secretary of State in Northern Ireland .
But we doubt whether Parliament would go gently into the good night of such a manoeuvre .
There was a recent rumpus over the appointment of Bernard Jenkin as Chairman of the Liaison Committee .
The independent-minded Jenkin is the very opposite of a Downing Street stooge ( let alone one of Dominic Cummings ’ pin-ups ) .
But 16 Tory MPs rebelled over his nomination @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would almost certainly be bigger , with the Prime Minister ’ s internal opponents stealing from the shadows to oppose it .
They would portray any such move as yet more command and control from a centralising and vengeful Number Ten operation .
The whip is removed more readily than it was .
After all , Johnson ensured that it was taken off 21 Conservative MPs last year .
MPs are less ready to obey it than they once were .
Even before Theresa May became Prime Minister and Brexit debates began , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most rebellious since the war .
Newly-elected MPs for former Red Wall and other seats seem to be more focused on holding them next time round , relatively speaking , and less fixed on clambering up the greasy pole of Ministerial office .
If you doubt it , ponder what happened after the media projected Marcus Rashford ’ s campaign for free summer school vouchers .
Or ask the Treasury what it makes of small state , low tax Tory MPs becoming big state , government subsidy backers in the wake of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lose the whip in this Parliament , but may not be the last .

In 2009, Julian Lewis sat next to his friend, John Bercow, as he was first elected Commons Speaker. Now he has followed the same trajectory – out of the Conservative Parliamentary Party altogether.
It is true that Bercow gave up the Tory whip, while Lewis has had taken from him. Nonetheless, the two men, who made their name together as ardent new backbenchers in 1997, happy to carry fresh fight to New Labour Ministers in their glory days, have long been “on a journey”.
There was a sense even then that they saw themselves as outsiders in a stuffy Tory club. But while Bercow transformed himself into a vocal critic of the Conservative front bench from the outside, Lewis developed into a more muted one from within, after not being appointed a Minister post-2010.
And so he has travelled from serving as an independent-minded Defence Select Committee Chairman to abandoning his Tory colleagues yesterday – teaming up with Labour and SNP MPs against them to get himself elected as Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee.
It just might be that had the Conservative candidate for the post had a defence and security background, unlike Chris Grayling, Lewis would not have made the move that he did. And, as one of Party’s defence experts, a former hammer of CND, an ex-Shadow Minister and a lacerating Parliamentarian, he has done it real service over time.
However, Lewis can’t reasonably complain about the withdrawal of the whip. Whether or not he gave an explicit undertaking to the Chief Whip that he would support Grayling’s candidacy is beside the point. It was implicit in his appointment as a Tory member that he would do so.
So withdrawal of the whip seems fair enough to us – and to most of the Conservative MPs we have now spoken to, few of whom are signed-up members of the Boris Johnson fan club. Perhaps Lewis, who at 68 is surely now on his last Parliament, is independent, bloody-minded and detached enough not to care.
But while taking the whip off him is one thing, and an internal Tory decision from beginning to end, for Number Ten now to seek to remove him from the committee, with the report on Russian electoral meddling pending, would be quite another. The case for trying to do so is bound up with its peculiar nature and history.
For the Security and Intelligence Committee is a statutory body – established unlike select committees by an Act during John Major’s premiership. Parliament appoints nine members from the Commons and the Lords, after considering nominations from the Prime Minister, made following discussions with the Leader of the Opposition.
Both houses have duly voted for the committee’s present members (eight from the Commons and only one from the Lords, Alan West). But it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that Downing Street will now seek to put a motion to Parliament removing Lewis from the committee altogether.
Were it to be in order and then passed, a Conservative MP would be appointed in his place. This person would then presumably vote for a Tory chairman. ConservativeHome understands that Grayling believes that he could not now serve in the post.
The front-runner in this circumstance might well be Theresa Villiers, who combines former Cabinet rank with security experience, gained over four years as Secretary of State in Northern Ireland. But we doubt whether Parliament would go gently into the good night of such a manoeuvre.
There was a recent rumpus over the appointment of Bernard Jenkin as Chairman of the Liaison Committee. The independent-minded Jenkin is the very opposite of a Downing Street stooge (let alone one of Dominic Cummings’ pin-ups). But 16 Tory MPs rebelled over his nomination.
A revolt against reconstituting the committee would almost certainly be bigger, with the Prime Minister’s internal opponents stealing from the shadows to oppose it. They would portray any such move as yet more command and control from a centralising and vengeful Number Ten operation.
The whip is removed more readily than it was. After all, Johnson ensured that it was taken off 21 Conservative MPs last year. MPs are less ready to obey it than they once were. Even before Theresa May became Prime Minister and Brexit debates began, the 2010-2015 Parliament was found to be the most rebellious since the war.
Newly-elected MPs for former Red Wall and other seats seem to be more focused on holding them next time round, relatively speaking, and less fixed on clambering up the greasy pole of Ministerial office. If you doubt it, ponder what happened after the media projected Marcus Rashford’s campaign for free summer school vouchers.
Or ask the Treasury what it makes of small state, low tax Tory MPs becoming big state, government subsidy backers in the wake of Covid-19. Lewis is the first to lose the whip in this Parliament, but may not be the last.


conservativehome--2020-07-16--Profile: Chris Grayling, scorned defender of the unglamorous middle class

Chris Grayling is one of the most unjustly denigrated Tories of recent years .
The news yesterday afternoon that he had unexpectedly failed to become chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee , having been defeated by a manoeuvre by Julian Lewis , was greeted , one is sorry to report , not just with gasps of surprise but with howls of laughter in the Commons press gallery .
For it appeared to confirm the received opinion that everything Grayling touches turns to dust .
Indeed , even before he failed to get the job , he was the subject @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sylvester , expressing with her usual precision in her column in The Times the reaction of members of the Establishment to his prospective appointment : What perfect intellectual snobbery .
Grayling is not one of us .
He ’ s a dimwit with whom it would be pointless to have lunch .
His loyalty and assiduity are ignored .
The press long ago decided he is one of the guilty men .
For while cautious careerists have prospered by keeping their heads down while fulfilling the demands of the powers that be , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to his vulgar talent for saying what the public think .
Born in London in 1964 , he was brought up in Buckinghamshire and went to the Royal Grammar School in High Wycombe , where he was known to some as Failing Grayling .
At Sidney Sussex College , Cambridge , he read history , joined the Social Democratic Party , and was known to some as the Grey Thing .
On leaving , he joined the BBC .
His political persona soon became that of a stalwart defender of the unglamorous middle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for his youthful flirtation with Social Democracy , he always tries , according to one of his colleagues , “ to be the most Conservative voice in the room ” .
“ He ’ s completely decent , ” another ministerial colleague says .
“ He ’ s a loyal Conservative who dutifully serves the party while also having strong views of his own.
” Advisers , some of whom refer to him as “ the Grey Lord ” , are often quite fond of him : there is nothing grand about him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sometimes grind their teeth at the memory of his insistence on micromanaging things in a dogmatic and cackhanded way .
Grayling backed Vote Leave : in itself sufficient reason in some quarters to write him off .
But he first rose to notice while the Conservatives were still in opposition .
For although David Cameron and his team had many merits , they realised they were not cutting through to the wider public .
They needed an attack dog , someone who could make Labour politicians yelp with pain as he sank his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dog .
He had worked for the BBC , so understood the soundbites it required , and he had an ability to express the views of middle England which the clever , classy men round Cameron did not possess .
As George Osborne remarked of Grayling , while watching him on television savaging a senior Labour figure : “ I ’ d hate to have him on my tail.
” Here is Iain Martin , praising him in The Daily Telegraph in December 2008 : Grayling was a rising star .
He entered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ewell in 2001 , joined the Shadow Cabinet and was appointed Shadow Leader of the House by Michael Howard in 2005 , and this was followed by appointments by Cameron as Shadow Transport Secretary , Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary and , in early 2009 , Shadow Home Secretary .
But in the life of an attack dog , whose jaws must fasten at once on any prey that presents itself , mistakes are liable sometimes to occur .
Grayling at the Conservative Party Conference in October 2009 sank his fangs into Sir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be one of Gordon Brown ’ s appointments , but actually one of Cameron ’ s .
The following March , The Observer published a recording of Grayling telling the Centre for Policy Studies : To Grayling , this probably sounded like a judicious compromise , but gay rights campaigners were up in arms , to the grave embarrassment of the Cameroons , who had been making every effort to show how liberal the Conservative Party now was .
When Cameron soon afterwards formed his coalition with the Liberal Democrats , and had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would have been the case in a majority Conservative government , Grayling was one of those who lost out .
Theresa May became , as Home Secretary , the most senior woman in the administration , and Grayling had to content himself with the post of Minister of State at the Department of Work and Pensions .
He accepted his demotion with good grace , and did valuable work , as seen in this 2011 address by him to the Politeia think tank , on the extraordinarily difficult question of how to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The progress made in getting people back to work was one of the Coalition ’ s great successes , and Grayling contributed to it .
In 2012 Cameron made him Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary .
In these roles he attracted very poor reviews .
On one occasion he shocked the Lords Select Committee on the Constitution by denying that he had an overriding duty to uphold the independence of the judiciary , even though that is in the Lord Chancellor ’ s oath .
When asked in an interview with ConHome @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first Lord Chancellor for 400 years who was not a lawyer , Grayling made the astonishing observation that on the contrary , it was an advantage , as this meant he was not biased in favour of the legal profession .
His suspicion of lawyers , though widely shared by the public , rendered him unsuitable for the role of Lord Chancellor , which Tony Blair ’ s barbaric reforms had left in a mutilated state .
Grayling conducted a partial privatisation of the probation service which he was told would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Although this was Coalition policy , he took the blame for it , as he did for cuts in legal aid , the introduction of court fees and various other misconceived measures .
George Osborne , as Chancellor of the Exchequer , had inflicted deep cuts on the Justice Department , for which Grayling found himself taking pretty much full responsibility .
In his memoirs , Cameron offers this minimal explanation of why he kept Grayling on after the general election of 2015 : Grayling was of value to the Cameroons , because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ representative of the right of the party .
He was there to lend balance to the Cabinet .
They did not think highly of him , but as one of Grayling ’ s supporters observes , the Cameroons “ did not think highly of any of the Eurosceptics ” .
They underestimated his astuteness in internal party matters .
He timed to perfection his insistence , to Cameron , in the run-up to the EU Referendum , that ministers must be free to campaign for either side .
And while he was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bridges with the Remain camp , and was even regarded within Vote Leave as having remained too close to Remain .
After Leave had won , he quickly fell in behind Theresa May , for whom , many years before , he had run a council campaign in Merton in south London , where Grayling also served as a councillor .
Now he chaired her leadership campaign , and she rewarded him by making him Transport Secretary .
Here too he attracted poor reviews .
He had signed off a huge , big @ @ @ @ @ @ @ became a fiasco .
And he was mocked for awarding a ferry contract , so medical supplies could still be obtained in the event of a no deal Brexit , to a ferry company which had no ships .
The decline of the Merchant Navy makes finding ships in a crisis more difficult than it used to be .
Peter Oborne is one of the very few journalists who has sought to defend Grayling ’ s conduct , pointing out that Philip Hammond , as Chancellor , released the necessary funds too late @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Once again , Grayling took the blame on behalf of the Treasury .
He displays a willingness to put his head above the parapet even when he has been supplied with nothing much in the way of ammunition .
Grayling backed Boris Johnson for the leadership in 2019 , but did not join the new Government .
A career as an elder statesman beckoned , but was impeded yesterday afternoon .
Few senior Conservatives in recent times have attracted such scornful , condescending coverage as him .
He is often described as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he can not help getting this coverage , which is probably true .
For the press needs scapegoats , and Grayling lacks the soft word that turneth away wrath .
He has , however , demonstrated prodigious powers of endurance , keeping going through storms of criticism which would have driven many a lesser figure out of politics .

Chris Grayling is one of the most unjustly denigrated Tories of recent years. The news yesterday afternoon that he had unexpectedly failed to become chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, having been defeated by a manoeuvre by Julian Lewis, was greeted, one is sorry to report, not just with gasps of surprise but with howls of laughter in the Commons press gallery.
For it appeared to confirm the received opinion that everything Grayling touches turns to dust. Indeed, even before he failed to get the job, he was the subject of dismissive comment.
Here is Rachel Sylvester, expressing with her usual precision in her column in The Times the reaction of members of the Establishment to his prospective appointment:
“It’s like replacing James Bond with Johnny English. The prime minister’s decision to make Chris Grayling chairman of the powerful Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) has been greeted with ridicule in parliament and raised eyebrows in Whitehall. This crucial role has always been held by senior figures who are widely respected for their independence, experience and expertise… “One Tory grandee, who served in cabinet with him, says of the ISC chairmanship: ‘Whatever the reason for manoeuvring Grayling into that position, it’s clearly not to do with ability.’ Another former minister describes him as a ‘perpetual failure’, while a former Conservative strategist reveals that when he worked in No 10 ‘aides regularly scratched their heads about why he was considered worthy of senior cabinet roles’.”
What perfect intellectual snobbery. Grayling is not one of us. He’s a dimwit with whom it would be pointless to have lunch.
His loyalty and assiduity are ignored. The press long ago decided he is one of the guilty men. For while cautious careerists have prospered by keeping their heads down while fulfilling the demands of the powers that be, Grayling rose and then stuck around thanks to his vulgar talent for saying what the public think.
Born in London in 1964, he was brought up in Buckinghamshire and went to the Royal Grammar School in High Wycombe, where he was known to some as Failing Grayling.
At Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, he read history, joined the Social Democratic Party, and was known to some as the Grey Thing. On leaving, he joined the BBC.
His political persona soon became that of a stalwart defender of the unglamorous middle class. As if to make up for his youthful flirtation with Social Democracy, he always tries, according to one of his colleagues, “to be the most Conservative voice in the room”.
“He’s completely decent,” another ministerial colleague says. “He’s a loyal Conservative who dutifully serves the party while also having strong views of his own.”
Advisers, some of whom refer to him as “the Grey Lord”, are often quite fond of him: there is nothing grand about him. Ministers who have served under him sometimes grind their teeth at the memory of his insistence on micromanaging things in a dogmatic and cackhanded way.
Grayling backed Vote Leave: in itself sufficient reason in some quarters to write him off. But he first rose to notice while the Conservatives were still in opposition.
For although David Cameron and his team had many merits, they realised they were not cutting through to the wider public. They needed an attack dog, someone who could make Labour politicians yelp with pain as he sank his teeth into them.
Grayling was that dog. He had worked for the BBC, so understood the soundbites it required, and he had an ability to express the views of middle England which the clever, classy men round Cameron did not possess.
As George Osborne remarked of Grayling, while watching him on television savaging a senior Labour figure: “I’d hate to have him on my tail.”
Here is Iain Martin, praising him in The Daily Telegraph in December 2008:
“Chris Grayling has proved himself one of the Tories few really effective attack dogs this year. He is expert at obtaining government leaks or rooting around in official stats to find embarrassing evidence of ministerial incompetence, and then broadcasting pithy soundbites in reaction on TV like a young Norman Tebbit.”
Grayling was a rising star. He entered the House as MP for Epsom and Ewell in 2001, joined the Shadow Cabinet and was appointed Shadow Leader of the House by Michael Howard in 2005, and this was followed by appointments by Cameron as Shadow Transport Secretary, Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary and, in early 2009, Shadow Home Secretary.
But in the life of an attack dog, whose jaws must fasten at once on any prey that presents itself, mistakes are liable sometimes to occur. Grayling at the Conservative Party Conference in October 2009 sank his fangs into Sir Richard Dannatt, presumed by him to be one of Gordon Brown’s appointments, but actually one of Cameron’s.
The following March, The Observer published a recording of Grayling telling the Centre for Policy Studies:
“I personally always took the view that, if you look at the case of should a Christian hotel owner have the right to exclude a gay couple from a hotel, I took the view that if it’s a question of somebody who’s doing a B&B in their own home, that individual should have the right to decide who does and who doesn’t come into their own home. If they are running a hotel on the high street, I really don’t think that it is right in this day and age that a gay couple should walk into a hotel and be turned away because they are a gay couple, and I think that is where the dividing line comes.”
To Grayling, this probably sounded like a judicious compromise, but gay rights campaigners were up in arms, to the grave embarrassment of the Cameroons, who had been making every effort to show how liberal the Conservative Party now was.
When Cameron soon afterwards formed his coalition with the Liberal Democrats, and had fewer Cabinet posts to hand out than would have been the case in a majority Conservative government, Grayling was one of those who lost out.
Theresa May became, as Home Secretary, the most senior woman in the administration, and Grayling had to content himself with the post of Minister of State at the Department of Work and Pensions.
He accepted his demotion with good grace, and did valuable work, as seen in this 2011 address by him to the Politeia think tank, on the extraordinarily difficult question of how to make work worthwhile for recipients of welfare benefits.
The progress made in getting people back to work was one of the Coalition’s great successes, and Grayling contributed to it. In 2012 Cameron made him Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary.
In these roles he attracted very poor reviews. On one occasion he shocked the Lords Select Committee on the Constitution by denying that he had an overriding duty to uphold the independence of the judiciary, even though that is in the Lord Chancellor’s oath.
When asked in an interview with ConHome whether it was a disadvantage to be the first Lord Chancellor for 400 years who was not a lawyer, Grayling made the astonishing observation that on the contrary, it was an advantage, as this meant he was not biased in favour of the legal profession.
His suspicion of lawyers, though widely shared by the public, rendered him unsuitable for the role of Lord Chancellor, which Tony Blair’s barbaric reforms had left in a mutilated state.
Grayling conducted a partial privatisation of the probation service which he was told would be a failure, and which was. Although this was Coalition policy, he took the blame for it, as he did for cuts in legal aid, the introduction of court fees and various other misconceived measures.
George Osborne, as Chancellor of the Exchequer, had inflicted deep cuts on the Justice Department, for which Grayling found himself taking pretty much full responsibility.
In his memoirs, Cameron offers this minimal explanation of why he kept Grayling on after the general election of 2015:
“Chris Grayling seemed a good fit for Leader of the House of Commons (he hadn’t excelled at Justice, but getting rid of him would anger the right).”
Grayling was of value to the Cameroons, because they could point to him as a representative of the right of the party. He was there to lend balance to the Cabinet.
They did not think highly of him, but as one of Grayling’s supporters observes, the Cameroons “did not think highly of any of the Eurosceptics”.
They underestimated his astuteness in internal party matters. He timed to perfection his insistence, to Cameron, in the run-up to the EU Referendum, that ministers must be free to campaign for either side.
And while he was a Leaver, he did not burn his bridges with the Remain camp, and was even regarded within Vote Leave as having remained too close to Remain.
After Leave had won, he quickly fell in behind Theresa May, for whom, many years before, he had run a council campaign in Merton in south London, where Grayling also served as a councillor.
Now he chaired her leadership campaign, and she rewarded him by making him Transport Secretary. Here too he attracted poor reviews. He had signed off a huge, big bang change to the railway timetable which became a fiasco.
And he was mocked for awarding a ferry contract, so medical supplies could still be obtained in the event of a no deal Brexit, to a ferry company which had no ships.
The decline of the Merchant Navy makes finding ships in a crisis more difficult than it used to be. Peter Oborne is one of the very few journalists who has sought to defend Grayling’s conduct, pointing out that Philip Hammond, as Chancellor, released the necessary funds too late for more satisfactory arrangements to be made.
Once again, Grayling took the blame on behalf of the Treasury. He displays a willingness to put his head above the parapet even when he has been supplied with nothing much in the way of ammunition.
Grayling backed Boris Johnson for the leadership in 2019, but did not join the new Government. A career as an elder statesman beckoned, but was impeded yesterday afternoon.
Few senior Conservatives in recent times have attracted such scornful, condescending coverage as him. He is often described as “hapless”, the implication being that he cannot help getting this coverage, which is probably true.
For the press needs scapegoats, and Grayling lacks the soft word that turneth away wrath. He has, however, demonstrated prodigious powers of endurance, keeping going through storms of criticism which would have driven many a lesser figure out of politics.


conservativehome--2020-07-16--Garvan Walshe: Erdogan has failed his country – and turning the Hagia Sophia into a mosque won’t put

Garvan Walshe: Erdogan has failed his country – and turning the Hagia Sophia into a mosque won’t put food back on Turkey’s tables

Garvan Walshe is a former National and International Security Policy Adviser to the Conservative Party .
He runs TRD Policy Built by the Roman emperor Justinian as a church , the Hagia Sophia , like the Catsel Sant ’ Angelo in Rome , is a sort of architectural missing link .
Larger than classical structures , and enclosed , the visitor ’ s first impression is of the sheer quantity of stone , its bulk needed to support what was then the largest dome in Christendom .
The graceful minarets are , of course , a later Ottoman addition .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the Ottomans he had it turned into a mosque , and Attaturk later made it a secular museum .
But if Justinian built it at the Byzantine empire ’ s height , five years after Mohammed fled from Mecca to Medina , and Attaturk as his secular regime established himself , Erdogan has reestablished it as a mosque as his regime begins to decline .
Erdogan is no stranger to culture war .
He built his power on a rising class of conservative Muslims who felt ill-served by the secular governing classes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moved to Turkey ’ s cities as the economy modernised during the 1980s and 90s , and gave him his first taste of national office in Istanbul , where he was mayor between 1994 and 1998 , Attaturk ’ s secularised Hagia Sofia looming over his city .
Battles over women being allowed to cover their heads on public property , alcohol taxes , and against an “ interest rate lobby ” blamed for repeated falls in the value of the Turkish Lira , have characterised his time in office , despite it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bloody war in Syria , the hosting of two million refugees who escaped it , large-scale counter-insurgency against Kurdish rebels and an almost successful military coup against him .
His governing style has evolved since he first became Prime Minister in 2003 , and not only because he ’ s become an executive president .
His first battles were with the military , when he pretended to be a democrat and gave his supporters pride in having their voice heard , and in economic progress .
But he turned on his former allies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movement , and constructed a far more grandiose and personal presidency .
He built an enormous palace to live in , dressed up his bodyguards like Ottoman janissaries and radically changed foreign policy .
He abandoned Turkey ’ s historic friendship with Israel , opting instead to support Hamas , and the short-lived Muslim Brotherhood government in Egypt .
He financed Islamist rebels in Syria , and invaded the Kurdish areas of the country after , apparently , convincing Donald Trump to withdraw US protection for them .
He has even chosen to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Russia and Egypt-backed General Haftar .
He seems to see no contradiction between this anti-Russian intervention and ordering an S-400 air defence system from Moscow , or at least no greater contradiction than exists between that order and Turkey ’ s continued membership of NATO .
Domestically , he has been seduced by huge public works , from a new airport in Istanbul , to his now-presidential palace , the attempted paving over of Gezi Park ( which provoked serious protests in 2013 ) and the enormous GAP dam project in southeastern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allegations that swirl around them have begun to damage his reputation and , together with his increasing authoritarian style , cost his AK Party the mayoralties of Ankara and Istanbul .
Voters weren ’ t impressed by his leaning on the Supreme Electoral Commission to rerun the Istanbul race after a narrow loss , and returned opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu decisively when the vote was held a second time .
More serious is the emergence of two new parties led by Erdogan ’ s former Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister , respectively @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in recent years , and relies on the ultra-nationalist MHP for its majority in parliament .
A referendum confirming the switch to presidential rule was only narrowly carried .
Turkey ’ s government has come under criticism for mismanaging the economic fallout of the Covid-19 epidemic .
The weak currency , a victim of Erdogan ’ s crusade against that “ interest rate lobby ” has been unable to support the huge borrowing to which other governments have resorted , with private initiatives organised by opposition mayors of Ankara and Istanbul taking much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sophia may give some cheer to his more committed supporters , but won ’ t put food on increasingly bare Turkish tables .
A more humble man would treat it as part of his legacy and begin looking for a successor .

Garvan Walshe is a former National and International Security Policy Adviser to the Conservative Party. He runs TRD Policy
Built by the Roman emperor Justinian as a church, the Hagia Sophia, like the Catsel Sant’Angelo in Rome, is a sort of architectural missing link. Larger than classical structures, and enclosed, the visitor’s first impression is of the sheer quantity of stone, its bulk needed to support what was then the largest dome in Christendom. The graceful minarets are, of course, a later Ottoman addition.
When the Sultan Mehmed II conquered Constantinople for the Ottomans he had it turned into a mosque, and Attaturk later made it a secular museum. But if Justinian built it at the Byzantine empire’s height, five years after Mohammed fled from Mecca to Medina, and Attaturk as his secular regime established himself, Erdogan has reestablished it as a mosque as his regime begins to decline.
Erdogan is no stranger to culture war. He built his power on a rising class of conservative Muslims who felt ill-served by the secular governing classes of Attaturk’s republic. They moved to Turkey’s cities as the economy modernised during the 1980s and 90s, and gave him his first taste of national office in Istanbul, where he was mayor between 1994 and 1998, Attaturk’s secularised Hagia Sofia looming over his city.
Battles over women being allowed to cover their heads on public property, alcohol taxes, and against an “interest rate lobby” blamed for repeated falls in the value of the Turkish Lira, have characterised his time in office, despite it also featuring major terrorist campaigns, a bloody war in Syria, the hosting of two million refugees who escaped it, large-scale counter-insurgency against Kurdish rebels and an almost successful military coup against him.
His governing style has evolved since he first became Prime Minister in 2003, and not only because he’s become an executive president. His first battles were with the military, when he pretended to be a democrat and gave his supporters pride in having their voice heard, and in economic progress.
But he turned on his former allies on anti-militarist left and in the Gülen movement, and constructed a far more grandiose and personal presidency. He built an enormous palace to live in, dressed up his bodyguards like Ottoman janissaries and radically changed foreign policy.
He abandoned Turkey’s historic friendship with Israel, opting instead to support Hamas, and the short-lived Muslim Brotherhood government in Egypt. He financed Islamist rebels in Syria, and invaded the Kurdish areas of the country after, apparently, convincing Donald Trump to withdraw US protection for them.
He has even chosen to intervene in the Libyan civil war against the Russia and Egypt-backed General Haftar. He seems to see no contradiction between this anti-Russian intervention and ordering an S-400 air defence system from Moscow, or at least no greater contradiction than exists between that order and Turkey’s continued membership of NATO.
Domestically, he has been seduced by huge public works, from a new airport in Istanbul, to his now-presidential palace, the attempted paving over of Gezi Park (which provoked serious protests in 2013) and the enormous GAP dam project in southeastern Anatolia.
All these, and corruption allegations that swirl around them have begun to damage his reputation and, together with his increasing authoritarian style, cost his AK Party the mayoralties of Ankara and Istanbul. Voters weren’t impressed by his leaning on the Supreme Electoral Commission to rerun the Istanbul race after a narrow loss, and returned opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu decisively when the vote was held a second time.
More serious is the emergence of two new parties led by Erdogan’s former Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, respectively. Erdogan has managed only narrow victories in recent years, and relies on the ultra-nationalist MHP for its majority in parliament. A referendum confirming the switch to presidential rule was only narrowly carried.
Turkey’s government has come under criticism for mismanaging the economic fallout of the Covid-19 epidemic. The weak currency, a victim of Erdogan’s crusade against that “interest rate lobby” has been unable to support the huge borrowing to which other governments have resorted, with private initiatives organised by opposition mayors of Ankara and Istanbul taking much of the strain.
Reconsecrating the Hagia Sophia may give some cheer to his more committed supporters, but won’t put food on increasingly bare Turkish tables. A more humble man would treat it as part of his legacy and begin looking for a successor.


conservativehome--2020-07-16--Gareth Lyon: Rushmoor has reinvigorated its old town twinning approach to business and economic deve

Gareth Lyon: Rushmoor has reinvigorated its old town twinning approach to business and economic development.

Cllr Gareth Lyon is a former councillor in Rushmoor and the Chairman of the Aldershot and North Hants Conservative Association .
In 1908 , a pioneering American showman by the name of Samuel Cody , who had drawn inspiration from European innovation and Chinese kite design , undertook the first successful manned aeroplane flight in the UK .
Since then Farnborough has been proud of its heritage as the home of British flight – and has retained a resolutely international outlook .
As well as being home to a huge number of cutting edge British , American , and European @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the UK ’ s largest private airport – and the world ’ s best airshow .
Together with Aldershot – proudly home of the British army and also the possessor of a global reputation – it forms Rushmoor .
This area is now pioneering a new wave of innovations and international links which are enriching the lives of its residents , attracting huge levels of business investment , innovation , and creativity .
All of this whilst proudly building on its history and being sure of its place in the world .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the decision to reinvigorate its old town twinning approach by bringing in a fresh focus on business and economic development .
To this end , the highly respected Rushmoor International Association has worked with local businesses , museums , and the airport to forge links with Dayton , Ohio and Rzeszow in Poland .
Both of these towns are the homes of aviation in their own countries and continue to serve as hubs of innovation and expertise in this field .
These international links are real and meaningful on a number of levels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ businesses in aviation and associated fields , but also culturally – with local aviation enthusiasts having been crucial in establishing them .
The cultural ties are now being embedded and are delivering for the borough as a whole – as the old town twinning practices of involving schools , sports clubs , and the arts , continues to hold sway .
In concrete terms it is certain that major investments such as the Farnborough International Conference Centre and Gulf Stream ’ s decision to locate its European headquarters in Farnborough are down to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ethos which exists behind them .
On a local level too we are seeing the effect of this – with Rushmoor being consistently in the top few areas in the country for both patents and employment year on year .
Aldershot too has been pioneering based on its historical strengths .
In recent weeks we have received formal notification from the Embassy of Nepal that the application to build an international link between Aldershot and the municipality of Gorkha .
This is both a recognition of the deep and heartfelt friendship between the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forces serving in the British Army which have been stationed in Aldershot for much of their history , and of a desire to build stronger and better connections .
Somewhere between five and ten per cent of our local population are thought to be Nepalese or of Nepalese origin and they are a community which is well represented in the ranks of local businesses , voluntary groups , community groups ( including the local Conservative Party ) , as well as of course our armed forces .
Formally recognising these links with Nepal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ education , culture , and mutual understanding to be established between these areas will be much to the benefit of both .
And of course , it goes without saying that as a well-run Conservative council , Rushmoor is not splurging taxpayers money on these partnerships nor funding councillors ’ junkets for fact-finding missions etc .
These partnerships are organic , community-led , and backed by business – and are all the more sustainable and meaningful for being so .
These new global partnerships exist alongside the old and important ties we have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Meudon in France and Oberursel in Germany .
I am confident that these will continue to be valued and meaningful in future .
It is this approach of building on our shared history and values , incorporating new approaches , innovation , business , and growth whilst retaining a cultural focus and a friendship with our European neighbours which should serve a model for how towns across Britain can thrive in future .
Indeed there are lessons here for the UK as a whole .
Take heed and take flight .

Cllr Gareth Lyon is a former councillor in Rushmoor and the Chairman of the Aldershot and North Hants Conservative Association.
In 1908, a pioneering American showman by the name of Samuel Cody, who had drawn inspiration from European innovation and Chinese kite design, undertook the first successful manned aeroplane flight in the UK. Since then Farnborough has been proud of its heritage as the home of British flight – and has retained a resolutely international outlook.
As well as being home to a huge number of cutting edge British, American, and European companies, it also is the home of the UK’s largest private airport – and the world’s best airshow.
Together with Aldershot – proudly home of the British army and also the possessor of a global reputation – it forms Rushmoor. This area is now pioneering a new wave of innovations and international links which are enriching the lives of its residents, attracting huge levels of business investment, innovation, and creativity. All of this whilst proudly building on its history and being sure of its place in the world.
In recent years, Rushmoor has made the decision to reinvigorate its old town twinning approach by bringing in a fresh focus on business and economic development. To this end, the highly respected Rushmoor International Association has worked with local businesses, museums, and the airport to forge links with Dayton, Ohio and Rzeszow in Poland. Both of these towns are the homes of aviation in their own countries and continue to serve as hubs of innovation and expertise in this field.
These international links are real and meaningful on a number of levels – not just to local and international businesses in aviation and associated fields, but also culturally – with local aviation enthusiasts having been crucial in establishing them. The cultural ties are now being embedded and are delivering for the borough as a whole – as the old town twinning practices of involving schools, sports clubs, and the arts, continues to hold sway.
In concrete terms it is certain that major investments such as the Farnborough International Conference Centre and Gulf Stream’s decision to locate its European headquarters in Farnborough are down to both these international links and the global ethos which exists behind them. On a local level too we are seeing the effect of this – with Rushmoor being consistently in the top few areas in the country for both patents and employment year on year.
Aldershot too has been pioneering based on its historical strengths. In recent weeks we have received formal notification from the Embassy of Nepal that the application to build an international link between Aldershot and the municipality of Gorkha. This is both a recognition of the deep and heartfelt friendship between the two areas, courtesy of the Gurkha forces serving in the British Army which have been stationed in Aldershot for much of their history, and of a desire to build stronger and better connections.
Somewhere between five and ten per cent of our local population are thought to be Nepalese or of Nepalese origin and they are a community which is well represented in the ranks of local businesses, voluntary groups, community groups (including the local Conservative Party), as well as of course our armed forces.
Formally recognising these links with Nepal and making it easier for business, education, culture, and mutual understanding to be established between these areas will be much to the benefit of both.
And of course, it goes without saying that as a well-run Conservative council, Rushmoor is not splurging taxpayers money on these partnerships nor funding councillors’ junkets for fact-finding missions etc. These partnerships are organic, community-led, and backed by business – and are all the more sustainable and meaningful for being so.
These new global partnerships exist alongside the old and important ties we have built with European friends – such as Meudon in France and Oberursel in Germany. I am confident that these will continue to be valued and meaningful in future.
It is this approach of building on our shared history and values, incorporating new approaches, innovation, business, and growth whilst retaining a cultural focus and a friendship with our European neighbours which should serve a model for how towns across Britain can thrive in future.
Indeed there are lessons here for the UK as a whole. Take heed and take flight.


conservativehome--2020-07-15--Florida and the presidential election: darkness looms in the Sunshine State

Ben Roback is Head of Trade and International Policy at Cicero Group .
Florida is a unique and brilliant place – a state of at times total contrasts .
Over 3.5 million retirees aged 65 and older live in it year-round , but during the spring break its beaches are flooded with college students .
The southern tip of the country is drenched in sun for the majority of the year , but sits in the eye of the storm of America ’ s hurricane season .
For visitors , Florida is a source of relaxation , but life is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since the state has no income , estate or inheritance tax .
Florida is a traditional swing state in presidential elections , and the biggest battleground one by population size .
It is also an historic indicator of the outcome of any given presidential election .
The candidate who won Florida in 13 out of the past 14 presidential elections went on to win the White House .
The ‘ Dartford of America ’ – you don ’ t hear political pundits call it often enough but , here , that constituency has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to win nationwide in UK general elections since 1964 .
Donald Trump won Florida by a 1.2-point margin in 2016 , and the state is considered pivotal for his re-election prospects .
In the context of November , the Cook Political Report lists four swing-states as ‘ toss-ups ’ , including Florida .
Of the four , Florida has the most electoral college votes ( 29 ) and is therefore a vital step in the path to the White House .
The Coronavirus has put Florida under the spotlight The rapid chain of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ placed an even greater onus on Florida – in particular , the triple-threat of social unrest , Covid-19 and the resulting economic climate .
The Sunshine State was one of the most bullish when it came to reopening its economy .
Its Republican Governor , Ron DeSantis , rushed to remove the shackles on indoors bars and restaurants , catering to holidaying college students and visitors to Florida ’ s beautiful beaches .
Since then , the state has become one of the epicentres of a Coronavirus crisis that never really went away @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Florida has recently been averaging around 10,000 new cases per day .
Having reported more than 15,000 new cases on Sunday , a Reuters analysis showed that , were Florida were a country , it would rank fourth in the world for the most new cases in a day behind the United States , Brazil and India .
Over 4,000 Floridians have died of Covid-19 .
Florida has responded – commendably – by increasing its testing capacity , and announced 143,000 results on Sunday , compared to an average of 68,000 for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president often does , Governor DeSantis insisted the surge in cases was due to an increase in testing .
Like Greg Abbott in Texas , DeSantis has become used to high praise from the President , having led the charge on reopening his state for business .
A long list of the president ’ s most revered Fox News hosts have lavished praise on Governors Abbott and DeSantis , citing the “ dire predictions ” about reopening too soon which “ have not come true ” .
That praise now looks tragically myopic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next the Republican National Convention ?
Having resisted wearing a mask for the duration of the Coronavirus crisis , the president wore one in public for the first time last week .
Could it prompt a sharp change in approach by DeSantis in Florida ?
The governor has remained in step with the president , and refused to require masks to worn state-wide ( although city leaders have imposed their own rules ) .
Trump ’ s shift gives De Santis political cover to follow suit and pursue more aggressive measures to contain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ having become the White House ’ s poster boys for the Covid-19 economic liberation , Abbott and DeSantis will not want to shut their states down again .
With Florida so aggressively under the spotlight , an awkward dilemma looms for the Republican Party .
Having argued with the political leadership in Charlotte , North Carolina , the Republican National Committee ( RNC ) decided to move its convention to Jacksonville , Florida .
Given the White House has championed the economic resurgence , and urged governors to reopen their states for business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be moved into relocating their convention again owing to a pandemic that the White House thinks should not obstruct the economic recovery .
But a growing number of Republicans are adding their names to a list of delegates who won ’ t be attending next month .
More than five GOP Senators and eight Congressmen have stated they will skip the ceremony that coronates Trump as the GOP ’ s presidential nominee .
Having attempted a rousing speech in front of a half empty arena in Tulsa recently , the president ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another poorly attended event in Jacksonville .
In the Rose Garden yesterday , the President dismissed the notion that he is the underdog in Florida .
The incumbent ’ s confidence of winning in 2020 is based on replicating his success against the odds in 2016 .
But four years ago , few expected Trump to win .
As in his first election , a second victory will be reliant on defying the existing polling trends which are not in his favour .
In the Sunshine State , Joe Biden has a six-point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the President has only led in three of the last 26 polls included in the RCP sample .
Florida is known to so many in this country for its long white beaches , the art deco facades that line South Beach and the welcoming smiles at Disneyland .
But a lack of political leadership risks turning the state into an even deeper focal point for a disease that continues to rip through chunks of America at a catastrophic rate .
Whilst the White House has shown flexibility on masks , the battle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been drawn over the reopening of schools and colleges for the fall semester .
Still in the epicentre of a health crisis , it seems like the worst possible time for vast university and college campuses to welcome back their students with open arms – let alone the Republican National Convention .
The start of the fall semester will precede the presidential election .
Florida will be under the spotlight once again .

Ben Roback is Head of Trade and International Policy at Cicero Group.
Florida is a unique and brilliant place – a state of at times total contrasts.
Over 3.5 million retirees aged 65 and older live in it year-round, but during the spring break its beaches are flooded with college students. The southern tip of the country is drenched in sun for the majority of the year, but sits in the eye of the storm of America’s hurricane season.
For visitors, Florida is a source of relaxation, but life is even less taxing for its residents – since the state has no income, estate or inheritance tax.
A crucial state in electoral politics
Florida is a traditional swing state in presidential elections, and the biggest battleground one by population size. It is also an historic indicator of the outcome of any given presidential election.
The candidate who won Florida in 13 out of the past 14 presidential elections went on to win the White House. The ‘Dartford of America’ – you don’t hear political pundits call it often enough but, here, that constituency has voted for the party which went on to win nationwide in UK general elections since 1964.
Donald Trump won Florida by a 1.2-point margin in 2016, and the state is considered pivotal for his re-election prospects. In the context of November, the Cook Political Report lists four swing-states as ‘toss-ups’, including Florida. Of the four, Florida has the most electoral college votes (29) and is therefore a vital step in the path to the White House.
The Coronavirus has put Florida under the spotlight
The rapid chain of events of the last few months has placed an even greater onus on Florida – in particular, the triple-threat of social unrest, Covid-19 and the resulting economic climate.
The Sunshine State was one of the most bullish when it came to reopening its economy. Its Republican Governor, Ron DeSantis, rushed to remove the shackles on indoors bars and restaurants, catering to holidaying college students and visitors to Florida’s beautiful beaches.
Since then, the state has become one of the epicentres of a Coronavirus crisis that never really went away. The numbers make stark reading. Florida has recently been averaging around 10,000 new cases per day. Having reported more than 15,000 new cases on Sunday, a Reuters analysis showed that, were Florida were a country, it would rank fourth in the world for the most new cases in a day behind the United States, Brazil and India. Over 4,000 Floridians have died of Covid-19.
Florida has responded – commendably – by increasing its testing capacity, and announced 143,000 results on Sunday ,compared to an average of 68,000 for the seven days prior. But as the president often does, Governor DeSantis insisted the surge in cases was due to an increase in testing.
Like Greg Abbott in Texas, DeSantis has become used to high praise from the President, having led the charge on reopening his state for business. A long list of the president’s most revered Fox News hosts have lavished praise on Governors Abbott and DeSantis, citing the “dire predictions” about reopening too soon which “have not come true”. That praise now looks tragically myopic.
First a U-turn on masks, next the Republican National Convention?
Having resisted wearing a mask for the duration of the Coronavirus crisis, the president wore one in public for the first time last week. Could it prompt a sharp change in approach by DeSantis in Florida? The governor has remained in step with the president, and refused to require masks to worn state-wide (although city leaders have imposed their own rules).
Trump’s shift gives De Santis political cover to follow suit and pursue more aggressive measures to contain the spread of the virus. But having become the White House’s poster boys for the Covid-19 economic liberation, Abbott and DeSantis will not want to shut their states down again.
With Florida so aggressively under the spotlight, an awkward dilemma looms for the Republican Party. Having argued with the political leadership in Charlotte, North Carolina, the Republican National Committee (RNC) decided to move its convention to Jacksonville, Florida.
Given the White House has championed the economic resurgence, and urged governors to reopen their states for business, the RNC will not want to be moved into relocating their convention again owing to a pandemic that the White House thinks should not obstruct the economic recovery.
But a growing number of Republicans are adding their names to a list of delegates who won’t be attending next month. More than five GOP Senators and eight Congressmen have stated they will skip the ceremony that coronates Trump as the GOP’s presidential nominee.
Having attempted a rousing speech in front of a half empty arena in Tulsa recently, the president’s campaign team will dread the optics of another poorly attended event in Jacksonville.
In the Rose Garden yesterday, the President dismissed the notion that he is the underdog in Florida. The incumbent’s confidence of winning in 2020 is based on replicating his success against the odds in 2016. But four years ago, few expected Trump to win.
As in his first election, a second victory will be reliant on defying the existing polling trends which are not in his favour. In the Sunshine State, Joe Biden has a six-point lead in the Real Clear Politics average and the President has only led in three of the last 26 polls included in the RCP sample.
Florida is known to so many in this country for its long white beaches, the art deco facades that line South Beach and the welcoming smiles at Disneyland. But a lack of political leadership risks turning the state into an even deeper focal point for a disease that continues to rip through chunks of America at a catastrophic rate.
Whilst the White House has shown flexibility on masks, the battle lines for the next political fight have been drawn over the reopening of schools and colleges for the fall semester. Still in the epicentre of a health crisis, it seems like the worst possible time for vast university and college campuses to welcome back their students with open arms – let alone the Republican National Convention. The start of the fall semester will precede the presidential election. Florida will be under the spotlight once again.


conservativehome--2020-07-15--Face mask policies abroad. How do they compare to the UK’s rules?

After weeks of pressure and indecision , yesterday the Government announced that face coverings will be mandatory in shops and supermarkets from July 24 , with a fine of up to £100 for anyone who doesn ’ t comply .
As often in the Coronavirus crisis , the UK has been accused of being an outlier in its approach to controlling the virus .
Without further ado , ConservativeHome takes a look at how its face mask policy compares to other countries ’ .
Throughout the pandemic , the devolved administrations have had different strategies in managing Covid-19 , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In Scotland , people have had to wear them in shops since July 10 , with fines if they do not follow the rules .
In Wales and Northern Ireland , on the other hand , shoppers are not required to wear face masks , but it is understood that this situation is under review .
The country requires anyone over the age of 11 years to wear face masks , with travellers who fail to comply charged up to €135 ( £121 ) .
Many supermarkets and shops now ask customers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be made compulsory in all enclosed public spaces from August 1 – with the aforementioned fine applicable to anyone who violates the rules .
Face coverings in the country have been mandated on public transport and in shops since April 27 , with Berlin and Schleswig-Holstein the last regions to enforce compulsory masks on April 29 .
In the German state of Thuringia , masks are required in the workplace .
Very young children are exempt from the rules , but the age at which they are mandated to wear a mask differs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to wear masks in specific enclosed spaces , such as restaurants , shops and public transport , since May 4 .
In restaurants , they must be worn when people enter the venue and any time they leave their table .
Several regional authorities , such as Lombardy and Piedmont , have made masks compulsory in all public spaces .
Everyone has to wear masks on public transport and they are compulsory in hospitals and other medical facilities , as well as in lifts .
Greece also made them compulsory in shops , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , although shop staff are still required to wear them .
Face masks are mandatory for anyone over the age of six if they ’ re not able to keep the required social distance of 1.5 metres .
Some regional authorities have implemented tougher rules in regards to face coverings , so that they are required in public regardless of social distancing measures .
After a surge of new Coronavirus cases in Spain ’ s autonomous region , face masks are mandatory in public for anyone aged over five .
People who are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ engage in social distancing , can be charged €100 ( £90 ) .
Face masks are compulsory in crowded places , such as markets , hairdressers and barber shops , as well as public transport .
Bodrum , Marmaris and Istanbul , some of Turkey ’ s most popular tourist destinations , have made masks compulsory at all times outside of the home , such as on beaches , in parks and in restaurants .
For many countries in Asia , such as mainland China , Japan , South Korea , Hong Kong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ culture of mask wearing , partly as a result of previous health crises .
China has forced its citizens to wear masks in all public spaces since the beginning of the Coronavirus outbreak last year , and anyone who doesn ’ t comply can be fined , banned from subways shops , offices and banks , or even arrested .
In Singapore , it ’ s compulsory to wear face masks outside or be fined around £170 .
And in Taiwan masks are seen as a form of social etiquette – used to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Its government has been one of the most proactive at obtaining masks during the Covid-19 crisis , partly due to lessons from the Sars outbreak .
India , which has almost 880,000 cases of Coronavirus , and over 23,000 fatalities , has recently made face masks compulsory to wear out and about in most big cities .
The police now hand out fines of 500-rupee ( £5.29 ) for violations .
Due to the country ’ s nine time zones , there are different rules on face masks for different destinations .
Moscow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gloves in its public spaces , although people are only recommended to wear these on the streets .
Police also enforce mask wearing in shops and public transport .

After weeks of pressure and indecision, yesterday the Government announced that face coverings will be mandatory in shops and supermarkets from July 24, with a fine of up to £100 for anyone who doesn’t comply.
As often in the Coronavirus crisis, the UK has been accused of being an outlier in its approach to controlling the virus. Without further ado, ConservativeHome takes a look at how its face mask policy compares to other countries’.
But first… England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Throughout the pandemic, the devolved administrations have had different strategies in managing Covid-19, with face coverings being one area of disagreement. In Scotland, people have had to wear them in shops since July 10, with fines if they do not follow the rules.
In Wales and Northern Ireland, on the other hand, shoppers are not required to wear face masks, but it is understood that this situation is under review.
France
The country requires anyone over the age of 11 years to wear face masks, with travellers who fail to comply charged up to €135 (£121). Many supermarkets and shops now ask customers to wear them, but they will be made compulsory in all enclosed public spaces from August 1 – with the aforementioned fine applicable to anyone who violates the rules.
Germany
Face coverings in the country have been mandated on public transport and in shops since April 27, with Berlin and Schleswig-Holstein the last regions to enforce compulsory masks on April 29. In the German state of Thuringia, masks are required in the workplace. Very young children are exempt from the rules, but the age at which they are mandated to wear a mask differs by state.
Italy
People have been required to wear masks in specific enclosed spaces, such as restaurants, shops and public transport, since May 4. In restaurants, they must be worn when people enter the venue and any time they leave their table. Several regional authorities, such as Lombardy and Piedmont, have made masks compulsory in all public spaces.
Greece
Everyone has to wear masks on public transport and they are compulsory in hospitals and other medical facilities, as well as in lifts. Greece also made them compulsory in shops, but the measures have since been relaxed, although shop staff are still required to wear them.
Spain
Face masks are mandatory for anyone over the age of six if they’re not able to keep the required social distance of 1.5 metres. Some regional authorities have implemented tougher rules in regards to face coverings, so that they are required in public regardless of social distancing measures.
Catalonia
After a surge of new Coronavirus cases in Spain’s autonomous region, face masks are mandatory in public for anyone aged over five. People who are caught without one, even if they engage in social distancing, can be charged €100 (£90).
Turkey
Face masks are compulsory in crowded places, such as markets, hairdressers and barber shops, as well as public transport. Bodrum, Marmaris and Istanbul, some of Turkey’s most popular tourist destinations, have made masks compulsory at all times outside of the home, such as on beaches, in parks and in restaurants.
East Asia
For many countries in Asia, such as mainland China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan, there is a strong culture of mask wearing, partly as a result of previous health crises.
China has forced its citizens to wear masks in all public spaces since the beginning of the Coronavirus outbreak last year, and anyone who doesn’t comply can be fined, banned from subways shops, offices and banks, or even arrested.
In Singapore, it’s compulsory to wear face masks outside or be fined around £170.
And in Taiwan masks are seen as a form of social etiquette – used to protect others while out and about. Its government has been one of the most proactive at obtaining masks during the Covid-19 crisis, partly due to lessons from the Sars outbreak.
India
India, which has almost 880,000 cases of Coronavirus, and over 23,000 fatalities, has recently made face masks compulsory to wear out and about in most big cities. The police now hand out fines of 500-rupee (£5.29) for violations.
Russia
Due to the country’s nine time zones, there are different rules on face masks for different destinations. Moscow has mandatory guidelines on wearing masks and gloves in its public spaces, although people are only recommended to wear these on the streets. Police also enforce mask wearing in shops and public transport.


conservativehome--2020-07-17--Calling Conservatives: New public appointments announced. Trustees of the National Citizen Service –