͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
| | | | Off Air with Laura K | Laura Kuenssberg 08 February 2024 | | | | |
| | Hello!
The warmest of welcomes to the first of my notes that will be popping into your inbox on a Thursday.
I’ll be using this newsletter to share some exclusive insights from the latest events in politics, and let you know what’s been bugging or inspiring me about the news this week. Sometimes I’ll also mop up questions from our show on Sunday, or give you a peek at what really happens behind the curtain.
And I want to hear from you, too. This newsletter gives us a bit more space to share some of the conversations that you, our audience, wants to have, and each week I’ll be asking a question that I’d like to get your answers to.
Remember you can also get in touch with your questions for our 9am Sunday rendezvous. We do sometimes ask your questions, and we read all of your messages, so don’t be shy. Or tell me who you would like to see on the show!
So without further ado …
| | | | | |
| Not Westminster's finest hour | | | |
|  Rishi Sunak faces criticism for his comments at PMQs. Credit: Reuters
In the bear pit of PMQs, the prime minister mocked Keir Starmer’s change of heart on various issues, including his shifting language on transgender people. Esther Ghey, the mother of transgender teen Brianna who was murdered by two other teenagers , is always extremely careful not to let her family’s tragedy be dragged into debates about transgender rights.
But on the day she was in Parliament to discuss her campaign and petition to make the internet safer, Rishi Sunak included Labour’s attitude to transgender people in his political attack.
There was widespread outrage, with Starmer calling out Sunak for making the comment in front of Esther (although she actually arrived in the public gallery a little later) with cries of “shame”. Number 10’s defence of the comments dug Downing Street in deeper.
It is an ugly mess. The row shows how Westminster can zoom from zero to 100 miles an hour, irrespective of the wishes of a grieving family.
Esther is keeping a dignified silence, and Brianna’s dad wants an apology. Sunak has criticised Starmer, saying: “To use that tragedy to detract from the very separate and clear point I was making about Keir Starmer's proven track record of multiple U-turns on major policies, because he doesn’t have a plan, I think is both sad and wrong.” I’d be amazed if that’s the last of it. But safe to say, not Westminster’s finest hour.
Whatever the rights and wrongs of this grisly row, the Conservatives have another reason to feel nervy about how Sunak might perform during an election campaign.
Recent days have also seen a possible breach of protocol in divulging that the King’s cancer had been caught early, and a £1,000 bet with Piers Morgan over flights to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. A few weeks ago, Conservative strategists were hoping Sunak might come to life in a campaign. The plan was to increase his visibility. That might not seem so clever now.
But Sunak has good reason to portray Starmer as a flip flopper, a politician voters can’t pin down. After weeks of speculation, Labour is dropping the £28bn-a-year price tag on its plans for green projects, in a story that is still developing as I write. As I talked about last week , there are good and bad reasons to keep the pledge, and to ditch it.
The Tories can keep jabbing at Starmer’s habit of changing his mind. But their attack that Labour has an expensive plan without the cash to pay is neutered. Although so too, plenty of Starmer’s critics argue, is some of Labour’s ambition.
| | | |
| | | | The Prime Minister accused Keir Starmer of "using the tragedy" of Brianna Ghey's murder. | | | | | | | |
| We'll be talking more about Labour abandoning its £28bn green pledge on Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, and I want to know your opinions.
And don’t forget to let us know what you think of this newsletter, and the show on Sunday.
You can get in contact by emailing me here. | | | |
Esther Ghey's fight for safer internet | | | |
|  Esther Ghey’s moving interview on Sunday’s show. Credit: BBC
Before Brianna’s family became embroiled in the politics of PMQs, Esther Ghey joined my Sunday show to talk about Brianna, and discuss her campaign to change the law to prevent under 16s using social media apps.
She’s one of the most remarkable people I have ever met. Her courage and compassion touched so many of you, and we were overwhelmed by your responses to our chat. It wasn’t just the education secretary who was moved to tears.
Viewer John Iles got in touch to say: “The tears were running down my cheeks when listening to the most amazing mother of Brianna Ghey.”
 Gillian Keegan wipes her eyes after listening to Esther Ghey’s interview. Credit: BBC
Catherine Short wrote: “In this country we censor things for children to keep them safe eg toys, car seats, age restrictions on films, purchasing alcohol/cigarettes and yet we put devices in children's hands.”
There’s no question that many parents have huge anxieties about keeping their kids safe online. Politicians praise Esther’s bravery, but the government’s answer to her campaigning call is, for now, well, wait and see. The Online Safety Bill became law recently after more than five years of wrangling. It’s a big deal that parties of all political stripes backed the need to take action.
Campaigners reckon it should make removing harmful content easier. But Ofcom is still writing the actual rules and codes of conduct that tech platforms will have to follow. We simply won’t know for some time how much difference it will make.
See you on Sunday,
Laura K | | | |
| Have a minute? | | | | | If you missed our interview with Esther Ghey, you can watch it here. | | | | | | | |
| |  | | BBC SOUNDS I recommend this soothing and gloriously geeky listen on those six little morsels of sound. | | | | |  | | BBC NEWS | | My colleague Chris Mason on the mess Labour finds itself in over the green investment pledge. | | | | |
| | |
| Would you like to continue receiving Politics newsletters? | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Comments
Post a Comment