Ashton-under-Lyne MP Angela Rayner has apologised for calling a Conservative MP “scum” during a heated debate in the House of Commons this week.
The deputy Labour leader made the remark during a speech by Chris Clarkson – a fellow Greater Manchester representative on the other side of the bench.
Clarkson, MP for Heywood & Middleton, was one of six local politicians who wrote to Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham this week to “express concern about his failure to come to an agreement with the Government.”
In the Commons, Clarkson criticised Burnham’s handling of the Tier 3 debate, whilst Rayner argued that Manchester “will not be told what our place is and we will not be bullied into taking it.”
The Deputy Speaker was forced to intervene when Clarkson made reference to Kate Green – MP for Stretford and Urmston – who called coronavirus “a good crisis that the Labour Party should exploit”.
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“I know she speaks for a lot of her frontbench colleagues when she says that – you just need to see it in the support-U-turn-oppose approach that has characterised their hindsight-heavy behaviour,” said Clarkson.
Rayner can then be heard muttering “scum”, at which point Clarkson halts his speech and asks: “Excuse me, did the honourable lady just call me ‘scum’?”
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I've written to Angela Rayner MP this afternoon following our exchange in Parliament. As elected representatives I believe we have a duty to lead by example – this kind of behaviour is unacceptable and achieves nothing. pic.twitter.com/JmMQKsisX1
Deputy Speaker Dame Eleanor Laing promptly roared into action and reprimanded Rayner.
“We will not have remarks like that – not under any circumstances, no matter how heartfelt it might be,” she told the Ashton MP.
Rayner did not deny making the remark, but has since released a statement saying: “I apologise for the language that I used in a heated debate in Parliament earlier.”
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Following the exchange, Clarkson confirmed that he had written to Rayner about the incident.
“As elected representatives I believe we have a duty to lead by example – this kind of behaviour is unacceptable and achieves nothing,” he commented.
News
How will the Government’s new digital ID alternative for alcohol sales work?
Emily Sergeant
All licensed venues across England and Wales now have the choice to introduce digital proof of age for alcohol sales alongside physical.
Instead of having to hand over physical ID that contains personal information, such as names and home addresses, customers now have the choice to simply provide confirmation that they are 18 or over on their phone – helping to better protect privacy and personal safety in the process.
This means that, no matter whether you’re buying a drink at your favourite pub, heading to a festival, or enjoying a night out at a concert, you won’t need to worry if you’ve left your ID at home.
According to the Government, this new change will benefit businesses greatly too, as certified digital services are able to check that an ID is genuine and belongs to the person presenting it much easier than the alternative can, which therefore helps to reduce the risk of any fake or borrowed IDs going undetected.
Well, according to the Government, it could be as simple as a customer showing a QR code for staff to scan, or tapping their phone against a compatible reader, where staff will then receive a clear confirmation on their device that the customer has passed the age check.
This change follows a 2024 Government consultation where it was reported that 72% of respondents supported the use of digital identities for age verification when buying alcohol.
Digital Government Minister Stephanie Peacock reiterated that ‘it will remain an individual or business’ choice whether to use or adopt [digital ID]’ and that physical ID will ‘still remain a valid way’ for customers to prove their age.
“This groundbreaking change in the law will mean you do not need to carry a physical ID, nor hand over sensitive personal information such as your name or address just to prove your age, allowing everyone to feel safer on a night out,” she concluded.
Featured Image – Robin Worrall (via Unsplash)
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Manchester to host G20 Summit in 2027 with more than a dozen world leaders descending on the city
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been confirmed as the host city for the G20 Summit next year.
It was already announced back in November last year that the G20 Summit would be coming to the UK in 2027, and plans were apparently already being discussed to host it in Manchester even before Andy Burnham became Prime Minister and Number 10 North was set up.
But now, ahead of this year’s leaders’ summit being held in Miami in December, it has been confirmed that the G20 Summit will arrive in Manchester in November 2027.
Manchester is said to have been picked to host the leaders’ summit because of its ‘cultural heritage’.
Bringing together 19 of the world’s largest economies and two major multilateral bodies – the European Union and the African union – G20 members who will be invited to attend the summit next year make up 85% of global GDP, 75% of international trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population as a whole.
Manchester has been confirmed to host the G20 Summit in 2027 / Credit: 10 Downing Street | Paul Kagame (Flickr)
G20 members are also some of the UK’s closest economic partners, the Government insists.
17 of the UK’s top 20 global export markets attend the summit, as do 18 of the UK’s top 20 sources of foreign direct investment.
The presidency of the G20 is currently held by the US but will pass to the UK after the leaders’ summit hosted by the president at his Trump National Doral Miami golf resort in December.
The 2027 summit will be held at Manchester Central, it has been confirmed, and other locations across the UK will also host other G20 events as part of the year-long presidency, but these are yet to be announced.
The Manc -
22nd October 2020 
