NatCon conference continues in Brussels, after police leave without enforcing its closure
My colleague in Brussels, Lisa O’Carroll, says the police have not been able to shut down the NatCon event in Brussels where Nigel Farage was speaking – because they don’t have the authority to do so.
Police enter venue of Nat Con conference in Brussels to serve a request to close down event. Farage on stage
Police enter venue of Nat Con conference in Brussels to serve a request to close down event. Farage on stage. Police return with slip of paper unsigned. They confirm organisers under no obligation to sign paper.
Police confirm the organisers are under no obligation to sign paper they bring to venue + organisers point out they cannot stop conference in private venue. Not clear who has objected
And this is from Darren McCaffrey from Sky News.
Several police officers, maybe 5 went inside the venue but stopped short of the stage. They then left. Still claiming they are legally going to enforce the judgement to shut the venue down – stalemate at the moment pic.twitter.com/dAIiHbAqUv
— Darren McCaffrey (@darrenmccaffrey) April 16, 2024
Several police officers, maybe 5 went inside the venue but stopped short of the stage. They then left. Still claiming they are legally going to enforce the judgement to shut the venue down – stalemate at the moment
Key events
Tory rightwingers challenge Atkins to explain who gradual smoking ban would work
Atkins opens debate on bill to impose gradual smoking ban by saying smoking kills 80,000 people a year
Labour plans review of carer’s allowance after thousands forced to repay
Who is speaking at the NatCon conference in Brussels?
Sunak still waiting to talk to Israeli PM about Iran attack, No 10 says
Culture secretary Lucy Frazer urges ban on transgender athletes competing in female-only events
NatCon conference continues in Brussels, after police leave without enforcing its closure
Yousaf says clinicians, not politicians, are best placed to decide if under-18s should get puberty blockers
Police arrive to shut down rightwing conference in Brussels as Nigel Farage speaking
Penny Mordaunt reportedly considering not voting for bill to gradually ban smoking
Braverman tells Tories that, if they want ECHR withdrawal, including it in ‘losing’ manifesto would be big mistake
Applications spike ahead of deadline tonight to register to vote in local elections
Humza Yousaf claims voting Green in Scotland could harm independence cause
Liz Truss wrong to call for supreme court to be abolished, says minister
Public support for gradual ban on smoking does not mean it’s good policy, says Truss ally Simon Clarke
Liz Truss blames ‘unelected’ health department officials for smoking ban, in apparent jibe at Chris Whitty
MPs’ vote on gradual smoking ban set to expose Tory splits over key Sunak policy
Tory rightwingers challenge Atkins to explain who gradual smoking ban would work
Sir Edward Leigh (Con) intervened to ask Atkins who she would answer the claim that making something illegal only increases law breaking.
Atkins said she would cover that later in her speech. But she said the point of the bill was to stop people smoking in the first place.
And Sir John Hayes (Con) said that, while he supported the moves in the bill to stop children vaping, he was concerned by the gradual smoking ban. He asked if Atkins was “open-minded” about how it could be improved. He said the bill would impose a rolling ban, with the age at which people can lawfully buy cigarettes rising by one year every year, so that at one point a 35-year-old can purchase them, but not a 34-year-old. He said this “at best a curiosity and at worst an absurdity”.
Atkins said she was always open to ideas, but that she wanted to stop future generations buying cigarettes.
And Sir Jake Berry, a former Tory chair, asked Atkins to explain how the ban would work. He said cannabis is illegal, but that has not stopped teenagers smoking it.
Atkins said asked Berry if he was implying cannabis should be legalised. She would not agree, she suggested.
Leigh, Hayes and Berry are all on the right of the party, and Berry is particularly close to Liz Truss, who has been leading the Tory attack on this bill.
Atkins opens debate on bill to impose gradual smoking ban by saying smoking kills 80,000 people a year
Victoria Atkins, the health secretary, is opening the debate on the tobacco and vapes bill.
She starts by declaring an interest; before becoming an MP, she says, she used to prosecute serious offenders – including people smuggling cigarettes into the UK.
(That does not seem particularly relevant as an interest, but does make the point that she has a record of being tough on crime.)
And then she focuses on the health problems caused by smoking.
Smoking leaves people with premature dementia. It puts them in care attached to oxygen for the rest of their life. It increases the risk of stillbirth by almost 50% it is responsible for 75,000 GP appointments every month. And it takes around 80,000 lives every year.
Kemi Badenoch, the business secretary and minister for women and equalities, has welcomed the high court ruling defending the ban on prayer rituals at the Michaela community school in London.
This ruling is a victory against activists trying to subvert our public institutions.
No pupil has the right to impose their views on an entire school community in this way. The Equality Act is a shield, not a sword and teachers must not be threatened into submission. (1/2) https://t.co/0AeKDHi3BU
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) April 16, 2024
This ruling is a victory against activists trying to subvert our public institutions.
No pupil has the right to impose their views on an entire school community in this way. The Equality Act is a shield, not a sword and teachers must not be threatened into submission. (1/2)
Many want to smear the Michaela school because it is an EXTRAORDINARY tale of academic success….and proves the @Conservatives free school programme gave families a genuine choice, raised standards and provided opportunity -in one of the most deprived areas of London. (2/2)
Labour plans review of carer’s allowance after thousands forced to repay
Labour will review the system of carer’s allowance if it wins the general election, the party has confirmed, after the Guardian revealed that scores of unpaid carers were being forced to pay back thousands of pounds for minor breaches of benefit rules. Josh Halliday has the story.
Who is speaking at the NatCon conference in Brussels?
A reader asks:
Who is at this conference in Brussels? It would be interesting to see who Braverman is associating with.
Here are names of some of the people speaking.
There is a fuller list here.
And this is from Darren McCaffrey from Sky News with more on what is happening at the NatCon conference in Brussels.
NEW: Police now suggesting they won’t be dragging people out of @NatConTalk conference in Brussels but rather their tactic is that they are not letting anyone else in and people can leave and not re-enter the venue. Meanwhile @SuellaBraverman is continuing to deliver her speech pic.twitter.com/5aBE20hcu3
— Darren McCaffrey (@darrenmccaffrey) April 16, 2024
NEW: Police now suggesting they won’t be dragging people out of @NatConTalk conference in Brussels but rather their tactic is that they are not letting anyone else in and people can leave and not re-enter the venue. Meanwhile @SuellaBraverman is continuing to deliver her speech
This is from Nigel Farage, making the point that he made to journalists earlier. (See 12.53pm.)
What just happened in Brussels this afternoon was a disgrace. For the Mayor and police to shut down a peaceful political event makes me more convinced of Brexit than ever. pic.twitter.com/RTJbr0FkDj
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) April 16, 2024
Sunak still waiting to talk to Israeli PM about Iran attack, No 10 says
Rishi Sunak is still seeking to speak to the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to urge him to show restraint in response to Iran’s missile and drone attack, PA Media reports. PA says:
The PM had expected to speak to his counterpart yesterday, but Israeli media reported that Netanyahu was refusing to take calls from world leaders seeking to influence the response to Saturday night’s attack.
Downing Street denied the UK – which supplied RAF jets to help thwart Iran’s barrage – was being “taken for granted” by Israel and suggested Mr Netanyahu’s other commitments meant a call had not been possible.
The PM’s spokesperson told journalists at the lobby briefing said: “He has obviously been in discussions with his war cabinet.
The foreign secretary and defence secretary have been speaking to their counterparts.”
The spokesman added: “Our position has been made very clearly. We are now working with allies in the region, including Israel, to de-escalate the situation.”
Sunak told MPs on Monday he would speak to Netanyahu “shortly” to express solidarity with Israel “and to discuss how we can prevent further escalation”.
Culture secretary Lucy Frazer urges ban on transgender athletes competing in female-only events
Lucy Frazer, the culture secretary, has called for transgender athletes to be banned from competing in female-only events as she urged sporting officials to draw up fresh guidelines to clarify the rules governing gender identity. Kiran Stacey has the story.
Lisa O’Carroll in Brussels says the NatCon conference – a two-day event, starting today – is being closed down gradually.
Breaking: NatCon conference is being closed down in Brussels as it is causing disturbance. Organisers just told delegates it would be “gradual”… and they would try and find venue for tomorrow
— Lisa O’Carroll (@lisaocarroll) April 16, 2024
Breaking: NatCon conference is being closed down in Brussels as it is causing disturbance. Organisers just told delegates it would be “gradual”… and they would try and find venue for tomorrow
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK honorary president, has been telling journalists in Brussels that the police attempt to close down the NatCon conference there this morning has convinced him that he was right to campaign to leave the EU, Freddie Hayward from the New Statesman reports.
Farage is doing a media tour. He’s compared the situation to Soviet Russia.
He said: if anything has convinced me about leaving the EU it’s the events of today
— Freddie Hayward (@freddiejh8) April 16, 2024
Farage is doing a media tour. He’s compared the situation to Soviet Russia.
He said: if anything has convinced me about leaving the EU it’s the events of today
Some of us who covered Farage during Brexit, and in the many years before, had the distinct impression he was 100% convinced about leaving the EU quite some time ago.
Liz Truss is still giving interviews today promoting her new book. As Sam Blewett from Politico reports, the Labour party has been distributing its own version to journalists in the press gallery at Westminster.
Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth has done the rounds of the Commons press gallery hawking this pamphlet fit with a frankly chilling photoshop job of Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss pic.twitter.com/3F8YG4INKX
— Sam Blewett (@BlewettSam) April 16, 2024
Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, has been speaking at the NatCon conference in Brussels within the past few minutes, Lisa O’Carroll reports.
Suella Braverman talking about European convention of human rights and Strasbourg court overruling “the will of british people” from sending flights to Rwanda. About half audience down back chatting following visit from police. pic.twitter.com/ueRoA9bztm
— Lisa O’Carroll (@lisaocarroll) April 16, 2024
NatCon conference continues in Brussels, after police leave without enforcing its closure
My colleague in Brussels, Lisa O’Carroll, says the police have not been able to shut down the NatCon event in Brussels where Nigel Farage was speaking – because they don’t have the authority to do so.
Police enter venue of Nat Con conference in Brussels to serve a request to close down event. Farage on stage
Police enter venue of Nat Con conference in Brussels to serve a request to close down event. Farage on stage. Police return with slip of paper unsigned. They confirm organisers under no obligation to sign paper.
Police confirm the organisers are under no obligation to sign paper they bring to venue + organisers point out they cannot stop conference in private venue. Not clear who has objected
And this is from Darren McCaffrey from Sky News.
Several police officers, maybe 5 went inside the venue but stopped short of the stage. They then left. Still claiming they are legally going to enforce the judgement to shut the venue down – stalemate at the moment pic.twitter.com/dAIiHbAqUv
— Darren McCaffrey (@darrenmccaffrey) April 16, 2024
Several police officers, maybe 5 went inside the venue but stopped short of the stage. They then left. Still claiming they are legally going to enforce the judgement to shut the venue down – stalemate at the moment
Yousaf says clinicians, not politicians, are best placed to decide if under-18s should get puberty blockers

Libby Brooks
Humza Yousaf’s claim that voting Green in Scotland could undermine the independence cause (see 10.38am) came in a wide-ranging a wide-ranging interview on BBC Radio Scotland that followed a bruising recess which saw his new hate crime law descend into chaos with thousands of vexatious complaints to the police. Here are some of the other points he made.
It is morally unjustifiable to send weapons to a government that has not only killed innocent civilians, has bombed hospitals, UN facilities, refugee camps, and …almost 200 humanitarian workers.
Yousaf also revealed he had yet to be briefed by the UK government on their reasons for intervention.
He said that he had read the Cass Review and that Scottish health boards would take time to “explore it in detail” and continue to liaise with Cass herself. On whether puberty blockers should be prescribed to under-18s, which is no longer allowed in England, he said “clinicians are best placed, not politicians” to decide.
Let me say very clearly that when it comes to the prescribing of medicine, clinicians are best placed not politicians, government ministers or myself as first minister.
He said that he didn’t believe there was a case to close the Sandyford clinic, which provides gender services for young people in Scotland and has been compared to the controversial Tavistock by critics.
I don’t believe that there’s a case to close the Sandyford. The Sandyford provides some exceptional health care to some of those who are the most marginalised and vulnerable not just young people, but right across the spectrum.
And he said that the proposed misogyny bill, which has been proposed to protect women from hate crime but also covers street and online harassment, would include transgender women. He noted that a man threatening a woman on the street may well not know whether that individual was transgender or cisgender.
Police arrive to shut down rightwing conference in Brussels as Nigel Farage speaking
Suella Braverman may not be addressing the NatCon conference in Brussels after all. (See 11.28am.) The mayor of Brussels has reportedly told the police to close it down. They seem to have arrived as Nigel Farage, the Reform UK honorary president, was speaking.
Lisa O’Carroll, the Guardian’s Brussels correspondent, has this
These are from Darren McCaffrey from Sky News.
NEW: Now appears the Mayor of Brussels is trying to shut down the NatCon Conference for the THIRD time just before @Nigel_Farage and @SuellaBraverman take to the stage
Claiming “the far right is not welcome here”
LATEST: The Police have indeed turned up
UPDATE: Police normally formally warning the venue has 15 mins to close down. Farage is still on stage
And this is from Emir Kir, the mayor of Saint-Josse-Ten-Noode, a district in the Brussels region.
J’ai pris un arrêté du Bourgmestre pour interdire l’événement “National Conservatism Conference” pour garantir la sécurité publique.
A Etterbeek, à Bruxelles Ville et à Saint-Josse, l’extrême-droite n’est pas la bienvenue.
— Emir KIR (@emir_kir) April 16, 2024
I issued an order from the council to ban the “National Conservatism Conference” event to guarantee public safety.
In Etterbeek, Brussels City and Saint-Josse, the far-right is not welcome.
Last year the National Conservatism movement held a conference in London. It was not shut down, although some of the views expressed were widely described as eccentric or extreme. This is what Peter Walker wrote about it at the time.
Laura Farris, the victims minister, was doing a media round this morning to promote plans being announced by the Ministry of Justice to make creating sexually explicit “deepfake” images a criminal offence. The MoJ’s news release is here, and here is a story.
Farris said:
The creation of deepfake sexual images is despicable and completely unacceptable irrespective of whether the image is shared.
It is another example of ways in which certain people seek to degrade and dehumanise others – especially women. And it has the capacity to cause catastrophic consequences if the material is shared more widely. This government will not tolerate it.
This new offence sends a crystal clear message that making this material is immoral, often misogynistic, and a crime.
Penny Mordaunt reportedly considering not voting for bill to gradually ban smoking

Ben Quinn
Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the Commons and a potential alternative Tory leader, is among cabinet ministers wavering over whether to support the prime minster’s generational smoking ban.
Mordaunt is known have reservations about Sunak’s tobacco and vapes bill and the precedent it sets for banning unhealthy things.
That position mirrors criticism from outspoken opponents of the bill including Liz Truss and Sir Simon Clarke who have suggested the ban could be a “slippery slope” towards banning fast food or other things.
However, it is not clear yet whether Mordaunt has decided to vote against the bill, which is particularly important to Sunak as a legacy achievement of his time in Downing Street. At the same time, opposition by Mordaunt, who is regarded as a leadership candidate of the centre, could boost her standing as a more traditional Conservative among Tory grassroots and MPs from the party’s libertarian wing.
Before she became an MP in 2010, Mordaunt was a director at Media Intelligence Partners (MIP), a communications company. After she resigned from the firm, it was involved in working for the tobacco giant Phillip Morris International as it campaigned against the coalition government’s plain packaging plans for cigarettes.
At least three cabinet minister are thought to be considering voting against the bill, which has its second reading in parliament today. (See 9.38am.)