CONSERVATIVES opened their annual conference on Sunday (1), with the party's chairman conceding they were "the underdogs" heading into a general election expected next year amid widespread economic woes.
The gathering in Manchester will be prime minister Rishi Sunak's first since he became Tory leader last October, and likely the last before the election due by January 2025 at the latest.
He is seeking to use the event to rejuvenate his beleaguered party - in power since 2010 - and set out a broader, more populist, policy agenda after nearly a year of trying to stabilise the economy.
The former chancellor of exchequer inherited decades-high inflation and minimal economic growth - which have contributed to the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation - after taking the reins from much-maligned predecessors Liz Truss and Boris Johnson.
The dire situation has allowed the main Labour opposition, which starts its yearly conference in Liverpool next Sunday, to open up double-digit poll leads and ready itself for a return to government.
Conservative party chairman Greg Hands kicked off the four days of political events with an early afternoon main stage address heavy on realism.
"This is likely to be a general election where the Conservatives enter as the underdogs," Hands told the audience.
"And I know in recent years, you will have had difficult conversations with voters. I certainly have," he added, before attacking Labour's record in local and regional governance.
Eyes on fringe
Recently appointed defence secretary Grant Shapps - back from a midweek visit to Ukraine - and foreign secretary James Cleverly also maintained the partisan attacks in speeches, as the looming election increasingly dominates.
Cleverly simultaneously released a slickly-produced video on social media showcasing his various foreign travels - alongside narrated criticism of Labour - under the headline "Britain is back".
Monday's (2) headline speakers included finance minister Jeremy Hunt, while Tuesday (3) will feature home secretary Suella Braverman. Sunak will close the conference with his speech Wednesday (4) lunchtime.
Meanwhile ministers, Tory big-hitters, activists, commentators and others will feature in various fringe events.
They include ex-prime minister Truss, whose only conference as Conservative leader last year was overshadowed by her disastrous mini-budget unveiled less than two weeks earlier.
It rattled financial markets and its impact continues to be felt across the economy, as well as in polling about trust in the Conservatives' handling of it.
Amid widespread Tory dismay at record post-WWII tax levels, dozens of senior MPs - including Truss - revealed they have signed a pledge not to vote for Hunt's November mini-budget if it contains any rates increases.
Sunak insisted in a pre-conference BBC interview on Sunday that reducing inflation would be "the best tax cut that I can deliver".
Lauding his inflation-first approach as "deeply Conservative", he claimed it followed in the footsteps of 1980s Tory leader Margaret Thatcher, who is still revered across the party.
'Priorities'
Another high-profile ex-leader, Johnson, is noticeably absent from the conference's agenda. He resigned as a Conservative MP in June before being ousted by lawmakers who had found he deliberately misled them during the "Partygate" scandal.
Sunak has spent much of the past year trying to repair his party's image after Johnson's tumultuous three-year tenure and Truss's record-breaking short and damaging stint in power.
The Tories have been trailing Labour by as much as 28 points in polls in that time, but several recent surveys have showed the gap narrowing.
One by Opinium published on Sunday had the lead cut to 10 percentage points.
That has coincided with a recent strategy shift intended to draw clear dividing lines with Labour.
On Friday (29), Sunak unveiled plans to "support drivers" and push back on supposed "anti-car measures" introduced by local authorities in the name of environmental protection.
That followed last week's controversial softening of green policies aimed at achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The leader is also reportedly poised to cancel a costly new high-speed train line between Birmingham and Manchester, while other shake-ups - to education policy and inheritance tax - are also rumoured.
"I have a good sense of what the British people's priorities are. I'm going to set about delivering for them," Sunak said Sunday.
A UK court on Thursday denied bail to fugitive Indian diamond businessman Nirav Modi, who sought release while awaiting extradition to India. Modi cited potential threats to his life and said he would not attempt to flee Britain.
Modi, 55, has been in custody in the UK since March 2019. He left India in 2018 before details emerged of his alleged involvement in a large-scale fraud at Punjab National Bank.
He denies any wrongdoing, according to his lawyer. His extradition to India was approved by UK courts, and his appeals, including a request to approach the UK Supreme Court, were rejected in 2022.
On Thursday, Modi’s lawyer Edward Fitzgerald told the High Court that the extradition could not take place for confidential legal reasons. "There are confidential legal reasons why (Modi) cannot be extradited," he said, without providing further details.
Representing Indian authorities, lawyer Nicholas Hearn opposed the bail application, arguing that Modi might try to escape or interfere with witnesses. Hearn referred to Modi’s past attempt to seek citizenship in Vanuatu as an indication he might flee.
Fitzgerald responded that Modi would not leave the UK due to fear of the Indian government. He mentioned alleged recent plots to target Sikh activists in the United States and Canada, which India has denied. He also cited India's alleged involvement in returning Sheikha Latifa, daughter of Dubai’s ruler, to Dubai in 2018.
"The reach of the Indian government for extrajudicial reprisals is practically limitless," Fitzgerald said. "The idea that he could go to Vanuatu ... and there be safe from the Indian government is utterly ridiculous. They would either send a hit squad to get him or they would kidnap him or they would lean on the government to deport him."
The Indian High Commission in London did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Judge Michael Fordham denied the bail plea, saying, "there are substantial grounds for believing that if released by me on bail ... (Modi) would fail to surrender".
Modi is wanted in India in connection with two linked cases — a major fraud at Punjab National Bank and alleged laundering of the proceeds.
His uncle Mehul Choksi, also linked to the case, was arrested in Belgium last month. Choksi has denied any wrongdoing.
Sky TV customers across the UK faced widespread disruption on Thursday night, with issues continuing into Friday morning despite the company saying things were back to normal.
The problems, which began around 9pm, saw more than 30,000 users unable to access TV content. Most complaints were linked to Sky Q boxes crashing or freezing. Some viewers were stuck with error messages saying they couldn’t watch TV due to “connectivity issues” even though their internet seemed fine.
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By Friday morning, over 2,500 users were still reporting trouble, according to tracking site DownDetector. Most problems (87%) were TV-related, while a smaller number mentioned full blackouts or broadband issues.
DownDetector chart shows view of problems reported in the last 24 hours Downdetector
Sky said the issue stemmed from a technical glitch that pushed some Sky Q boxes into standby mode. “We’re sorry some customers had trouble accessing Sky Q,” the company said. “The issue was quickly resolved, and service has been restored.”
However, many users said otherwise. On social media and DownDetector, complaints kept coming in. Some said rebooting the Sky box worked temporarily, only for it to crash again. Others were irritated by the lack of updates from Sky, especially as the blackout clashed with the Eurovision Song Contest semi-final, a big night for live TV.
“I’ve restarted my box six times already. It just keeps going off again,” one user in Southport wrote. Another from Sheffield posted: “Still down this morning.”
Sky recommends a basic fix: unplug your Sky Q box from the power socket for 30 seconds, then turn it back on. For some, that’s worked. For others, the issue returns after a while.
Downdetector shows the most affected locations and problems Downdetector
Posting on X this morning, the official Sky account shared : "We are aware of some technical issues overnight that led to Sky Q boxes to go into standby mode. Our technical team worked quickly to investigate and restore service.
"If your Sky Q box is still stuck in standby please switch off your Sky Q box at the power socket for 30 seconds and back on again which will restore service. We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused."
Sky’s own help page offers a few steps to try: reboot the box, check Wi-Fi, update the software, and make sure your remote and connections are working. But when none of that helps, users are left in the dark.
DownDetector, a platform that tracks service interruptions, showed how the problem spread and continued, even after Sky’s official fix.
This article was updated following Sky’s public statement issued on Friday morning.
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Disability campaigners from 'Dignity in Dying' hold placards as they demonstrate outside The Palace of Westminster during a gathering in favour of the proposals to legalise assisted suicide in the UK.
A PROPOSED law that would allow assisted dying for terminally ill people will return to parliament on Friday, with lawmakers set to debate a series of changes before a final vote on whether the bill should proceed.
In November, lawmakers voted 330 to 275 in favour of allowing assisted dying. If passed, the legislation would make Britain one of several countries including Australia, Canada, and some US states to permit assisted dying.
The bill allows mentally competent adults in England and Wales, who have six months or less to live, to end their lives with medical assistance. It has already been revised following detailed scrutiny.
A final vote on the updated bill will take place after Friday’s debate. The large number of proposed amendments means the session may continue next month.
Supporters of the bill point to opinion polls showing most Britons favour assisted dying and say the law should reflect public opinion. However, some lawmakers have raised concerns about protections for vulnerable people. Others argue that palliative care should be improved first.
The Telegraph and Guardian reported that some lawmakers who previously supported the bill are now reconsidering their position.
Prime minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government is neutral on the issue. Lawmakers are free to vote based on their personal views rather than party lines.
A key change from the original version of the bill is the removal of the requirement for court approval. Instead, a panel including a senior legal figure, a psychiatrist and a social worker would decide whether a person is terminally ill and capable of making the decision.
Any further changes to the bill will need to be approved through separate votes. If Friday’s debate runs out of time, the discussion could continue on June 13, before the final vote.
If passed, the bill will move to the House of Lords for further scrutiny.
In 2015, lawmakers rejected similar legislation by 330 votes to 118.
The current bill does not apply to Northern Ireland or Scotland. On Tuesday, the Scottish parliament voted in favour of a similar proposal, which will now move forward for further consideration.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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India's defence minister Rajnath Singh said, 'I believe a big portion of the $1 billion coming from IMF will be used for funding terror infrastructure.'
INDIA's defence minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) should reconsider its decision to approve a $1 billion loan to Pakistan, alleging that Islamabad was using the funds to support terrorism.
"I believe a big portion of the $1 billion coming from IMF will be used for funding terror infrastructure," Singh told troops at an air force base in western India. "I believe any economic assistance to Pakistan is nothing less than funding terror."
India and Pakistan had engaged in missile, drone and artillery strikes last week before a ceasefire began on Saturday.
The IMF last week approved a review of its loan programme for Pakistan, unlocking about $1 billion and approving a further $1.4 billion bailout. India objected to the decision but abstained from the review vote.
India, which represents Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh on the IMF board, said in a finance ministry statement that it had "concerns over the efficacy of IMF programmes in case of Pakistan given its poor track record".
Pakistan was on the verge of default in 2023 amid a political crisis and economic downturn. The IMF extended a $7 billion bailout to Pakistan last year, its 24th such assistance since 1958.
Singh said, "It is now clear that in Pakistan terrorism and their government are hand in glove with each other.
"In this situation there is a possibility that their nuclear weapons could get their way into the hands of terrorists. This is a danger not just for Pakistan but the entire world."
The recent fighting between India and Pakistan began on May 7, when India launched strikes on what it called "terrorist camps" in Pakistan. The strikes followed an April attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people.
India blamed Pakistan for supporting the terrorists it said were responsible for the attack. Pakistan has denied the charge.
The four-day exchange of missiles, drones and artillery killed around 70 people on both sides, including dozens of civilians.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Koolesh Shah, Reena Ranger OBE, Ameet Jogia and Sir Oliver Dowden
SIR OLIVER DOWDEN MP and businessman Koolesh Shah have been appointed co-chairs of the Conservative Friends of India (CF India), following the resignation of Ameet Jogia MBE and Reena Ranger OBE, who had led the organisation since 2019.
Jogia and Ranger stepped down after a five-year term that saw CF India grow into the Conservative party’s largest affiliate group, a statement said. The group was founded by Lord Dolar Popat with prime minister David Cameron in 2012.
Appointed by then-prime minister Boris Johnson, their leadership coincided with two general elections, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the appointment of Britain’s first prime minister of Indian origin, Rishi Sunak.
Sir Oliver is a senior Tory MP who has held several ministerial roles, including deputy prime minister and secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport. Shah, founder of the London Town Group, is active in philanthropy and community work, particularly in education and social mobility. Sir Oliver and Shah said, “It is a privilege to take on this responsibility and build on the outstanding work of Ameet and Reena. CF India plays a vital role in ensuring that the voice of the British Indian community is heard, valued, and represented in the political mainstream, especially during this highly sensitive time. We are committed to deepening that engagement, supporting the next generation of leaders, and continuing to celebrate the values we share – from entrepreneurship to public service, and from community cohesion to our enduring ties with India.”
Under the outgoing co-chairs, CF India said it significantly strengthened the party’s engagement with British Indian communities. According to the statement, the group played a key role in the 2024 general election, contributing to the Tory victory in Leicester East, where the party’s vote share rose from 11 per cent in 2001 to 49 per cent.
Jogia and Ranger also oversaw the development of outreach, training, and fundraising initiatives. They credited CF India’s director, Nayaz Qazi, and grassroots supporters for their contributions to the group’s progress.
In their farewell statement, Jogia and Ranger said, “We leave with immense pride, having brought vibrancy, energy, and renewed purpose to an organisation that has been integral to our political journeys from the start. We will always support CF India and its new leadership.”