The UK’s biggest opposition party is being urged to push for a vote of no confidence to tackle the crisis in British government that has left the ruling Conservatives looking for a third leader in two months and try to force a general election
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is being pressed by the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP), a smaller opposition party in Parliament, to plan for a no-confidence vote.
The Conservatives are holding a second leadership contest this year after first Boris Johnson was forced out and then his successor Liz Truss had to resign over a now-disgraced budget that saw the markets slide and the pound slump.
The SNP leader in Westminster, Ian Blackford, vowed on Sunday to work with other opposition parties to try to make the vote happen.
Winning a motion of no confidence in the Conservative government could trigger an early general election. But to win the vote in Parliament, some Conservative MPs would have to vote with the opposition.
Mr Blackford has written to Sir Keir, who, as the leader of the opposition in the House of Commons, is the only MP who can submit a formal vote of no confidence motion.
The SNP MP insisted that opposition leaders “cannot stand idly by as the Tories attempt to impose their third prime minister”.
Mr Blackford told Sir Keir: “It is time to trigger a motion of no-confidence in this disastrous Tory government and — most importantly — it is time for people to have their say in a general election.”
Three Conservatives are in the running to become party leader, and with it prime minister — Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt and Mr Johnson.
Mr Blackford insisted that “with a vacuum at the top of the Tory leadership”, the time was right to “trigger that motion and attempt to force a general election”.
He said: “I hope we can act together to stop this shambles, put maximum pressure on the Tories as they fight each other, and let the people have their democratic say in a general election.”
He also accused the Conservatives of having “taken a wrecking ball to the UK economy and made families suffer — as mortgage rates rise, pensions fall, and soaring inflation pushes up household bills”.
“Having done so much damage, they simply cannot be allowed to impose a third Tory prime minister without an election. It would be unthinkable and undemocratic. Voters must get a say,” he said.
He argued it was now “vital that opposition parties work together to force a vote of no confidence, and pile pressure on the Tories to call a general election, so voters can decide”.
Chris Bryant, a Labour MP and chairman of the Commons committee on standards, said that he believes the public wants a general election to “press the reset button”.
When asked about his opinion of Mr Johnson returning to high office, he said: “He's disgraced.”
“I'm a Labour MP, I don't fancy any of the three of them. I think we've got to a stage now where the people of this country think the only way you can press the reset button is to have a general election.
“Penny Mordaunt voted in Cabinet or allowed in Cabinet, [and] never said a word in Cabinet against the whole of the mini-budget that led to the economic crash that we've had.
“Rishi Sunak backs Boris Johnson all the way up until the very last moment, despite all the lies, and of course was himself involved in 'partygate', and Boris Johnson is a disgraced prime minister.
“The biggest problem for Boris if he does get elected as leader, [is] I suspect that quite a few Conservative MPs will either cross the floor or abandon support for him.”
The specs: Rolls-Royce Cullinan
Price, base: Dh1 million (estimate)
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 563hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 850Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 15L / 100km
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Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Essentials
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Malaysia Airlines all fly direct from the UAE to Kuala Lumpur and on to Penang from about Dh2,300 return, including taxes.
Where to stay
In Kuala Lumpur, Element is a recently opened, futuristic hotel high up in a Norman Foster-designed skyscraper. Rooms cost from Dh400 per night, including taxes. Hotel Stripes, also in KL, is a great value design hotel, with an infinity rooftop pool. Rooms cost from Dh310, including taxes.
In Penang, Ren i Tang is a boutique b&b in what was once an ancient Chinese Medicine Hall in the centre of Little India. Rooms cost from Dh220, including taxes.
23 Love Lane in Penang is a luxury boutique heritage hotel in a converted mansion, with private tropical gardens. Rooms cost from Dh400, including taxes.
In Langkawi, Temple Tree is a unique architectural villa hotel consisting of antique houses from all across Malaysia. Rooms cost from Dh350, including taxes.
RESULT
Copa del Rey, semi-final second leg
Real Madrid 0
Barcelona 3 (Suarez (50', 73' pen), Varane (69' OG)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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NATIONAL%20SELECTIONS
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BIRD%20BOX%20BARCELONA
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
