Review Your Politician (2024)

06/03/2022

[Poll]: Do you Support or Oppose the UK Government Allowing Ukrainian Refugees to come to the UK without a Visa?

The UK government has faced criticism from opposition parties and charities for its response to the crisis in Ukraine and for not doing enough to help Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war.

Refugee charities have urged the government to follow the EU's lead by introducing visa waivers and raised concerns that the UK's approach would be too slow to help many of those trying to escape the Russian invasion.

Under an emergency plan, the EU has led the way in the world in helping Ukrainian refugees by giving them the right to live and work in the European Union for up to three years, without the requirement to go through lengthy asylum procedures.

The UK Government has refused to follow the EU's lead by only relaxing visa rules for immediate family members of Ukrainians settled in the UK. The same rules will not apply to refugees without relatives in the country.

Mike Adamson, the chief executive of British Red Cross, said:

"As a temporary measure, we're calling on the government to allow Ukrainians to travel here without a visa. Security checks can still be carried out when people travel or arrive in the UK, and this would be in line with the approach taken in the EU."

Members of the One Nation group of MPs, a caucus including former cabinet ministers Greg Clark, Damian Green and Jeremy Hunt, urged the prime minister to do more to help Ukrainian refugees.

"The United Kingdom must not flag or fail...Our message must be clear: Ukrainian victims of war seeking refuge are welcome."

Conservative and Lincolnshire MP recently faced immense criticism by saying that Britain has 'done its bit in terms of migration'.

We want politicians to hear from you - do you support or oppose the UK Government allowing Ukrainian refugees to come to the UK without a visa?

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https://www.reviewyourpolitician.com/uk-government-supporting-ukrainian-refugees-to-come-to-the-uk-without-a-visa/

The UK government has faced criticism from opposition parties and charities for its response to the crisis in Ukraine and for not doing enough to help Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war.

28/02/2022

[Poll]: Do You Support or Oppose a Tax Rise in April on Working People by the UK Government?

The UK Government recently announced a £12 billion-a-year tax rise against working people to help fund the NHS and social care sector.

National Insurance contributions will increase by 1.25 percentage points in April, costing £455 a year to the average worker.

British households face the worst cost of living crisis for decades, including declining real wages and an energy crisis eating into household incomes. Inflation has soared, hitting an annual 5.4% for December — the highest it’s been since March 1992.

Ofgem, the regulator for the energy sector, recently raised its price cap by 54%, meaning millions of households’ energy bills will also increase by around £700 from April.

Torsten Bell, head of the Resolution Foundation, has said that a “cost of living catastrophe” could crystallise in April as families faced “a £1,200 income hit from soaring energy bills and tax rises”.

The 2019 Conservative election manifesto ruled out increasing National Insurance (NI) and promised £350m million a week to fund the NHS post-Brexit - but the party has u-turned on its plans and instead hit working people with tax hikes.

The UK Government recently wrote off £4.3bn in fraudulent Covid loans.

Opposition parties have urged the Conservative government to rethink the increase, arguing workers cannot afford more tax at the moment.

We want politicians to hear from you - do you support or oppose a tax rise in April on working people by the UK Government?

Get started and have your say. Poll results are published and sent every week by email.

https://www.reviewyourpolitician.com/do-you-support-or-oppose-a-tax-rise-in-april-on-working-people-by-the-uk-government/ -started

The UK Government recently announced a £12 billion-a-year tax rise against working people to help fund the NHS and social care sector.

14/01/2022

[Poll]: Do You Support or Oppose Downing Street Holding a Party during the Covid Lockdown?

The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, is under fire again over the latest reports of an alleged illegal party during the first lockdown.

As the rest of the country was subject to strict lockdown measures and sacrificed so much - visiting sick or grieving relatives, funerals - the prime minister's principal private secretary, Martin Reynolds, invited over 100 people to a "bring your own booze" party on 20 May 2020.

The PM is reported to have attended the event with his wife Carrie, at a time when restrictions in England banned all outdoor gatherings. An hour before the party, Cabinet minister Oliver Dowden, told members of the public via a live news conference about the Covid-19 outbreak:

"You can meet one person outside your household in an outdoor, public place, provided that you stay two metres apart."

The party was scheduled just five days after another cheese-and-wine social reportedly in the same venue. These incidents are currently under investigation by senior civil servant Sue Gary.

Campaign group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice wrote to Boris Johnson urging him to "do the right thing" and say whether he attended the garden party and calling on him to apologise for "smirking" when asked about it during a TV interview.

Senior Conservatives have turned on Boris Johnson over the "partygate" scandal. The leader of Conservatives in Scotland, Douglas Ross, said the Prime Minister "must resign" if he misled Parliament and breached his own Government's Covid rules by attending the Downing Street party.

Former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson called for an immediate explanation from the Prime Minister, and Sir Keir Starmer has accused the Prime Minister of "lying" to the public.

An overwhelming two-thirds (66 per cent) of voters - including 42 per cent of those who backed Conservatives in 2019 - polled by Savanta ComRes said that Boris Johnson should resign over the issue.

Police forces in England and Wales issued 14,244 fines for breaches of lockdown laws between 27 March and 11 May 2020, according to figures from the National Police Chiefs' Council.

In the House of Commons, many MPs told how they and their constituents had been unable to support loved ones. DUP MP Jim Shannon emotionally described how his mother-in-law died alone as relatives obeyed lockdown rules.

We want politicians to hear from you - do you support or oppose Downing Street holding a BYOB (bring-your-own-booze) party during the Covid lockdown?

Get started and have your say. Poll results are published and sent every week by email.

https://www.reviewyourpolitician.com/do-you-support-or-oppose-downing-street-holding-a-party-during-the-covid-lockdown/

The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, is under fire again over the latest reports of an alleged illegal party during the first lockdown.

17/11/2021

[Poll]: Do You Support or Oppose a Ban on MPs having Second Jobs?

It has been revealed that a quarter of Conservative MPs (90) have second jobs with firms whose activities range from gambling to private healthcare, making them more than £4m in extra earnings yearly.

The Labour Party will hold a vote this week on banning MPs from taking second jobs that benefit the commercial sector to put an end to "dodgy lobbying".

The vote in the Commons follows the recent public outcry due to the Owen Paterson scandal and the Prime Minister ordering Conservative MPs to protect Mr Paterson. A report by the Commons Standards Committee found the former Environment Secretary guilty of wrongdoing by lobbying on behalf of companies paying him more than £100,000.

Conservative MP, Sir Geoffrey Cox has been under pressure this week after earning almost £1 million working on behalf of a tax haven, the British Virgin Islands.

Further accusations of sleaze have beset the government after media reports that it gave peerages to nine former Conservative treasurers, who had donated at least £3 million to the party.

The BBC has also reported that at least 15 MPs - of whom 13 are Conservatives - are letting out their London homes for more than £10,000 a year while renting another property on expenses.

MPs minimum salary is currently £81,932, with earnings in the top 5% of earners, making around three times the average wage.

In contrast to the commercial sector earnings by Conservative MPs, only three Labour MPs have been reported as earning an extra income as a doctor, at Royal Holloway University and for Policy Exchange thinktank.

According to the latest Savanta ComRes poll, Labour has opened a six-point lead as two-thirds of voters consider the Conservative Party "very sleazy".

We want politicians to hear from you - do you support or oppose a ban on MPs having second jobs?

Get started and have your say. Poll results are published and sent every week by email.

https://www.reviewyourpolitician.com/do-you-support-or-oppose-a-ban-on-mps-having-second-jobs-poll/

It has been revealed that a quarter of Conservative MPs (90) have second jobs with firms whose activities range from gambling to private healthcare, making them more than £4m in extra earnings yearly.

07/11/2021

[Poll]: Do you Support or Oppose Accusations of "Corruption" and "Sleaze" Against the Conservative Party following the Owen Paterson MP Scandal?

This week, the prime minister and Conservative Party faced an enormous backlash over attempts to scrap ethics rules to protect suspended Conservative MP Owen Paterson.

A report by the Commons Standards Committee found the former Environment Secretary guilty of wrongdoing by lobbying on behalf of companies paying him more than £100,000.

Mr Paterson faced a 30-day suspension from Parliament, but the Prime Minister on Wednesday ordered Conservative MPs to protect Mr Paterson by blocking the suspension and to create a new Conservative-led panel to rewrite House of Commons 'sleaze rules'.

The plans triggered a furious outcry and were immediately plunged into chaos when Labour, the SNP and Liberal Democrats vowed to boycott the new committee.

Mr Paterson has since resigned as the MP for North Shropshire, with the Prime Minister performing a dramatic U-turn over the decision to protect Mr Paterson and create a Conservative-dominated committee to rewrite House of Commons conduct rules.

Labour Party leader, Sir Keir Starmer branded it government "corruption" and said:

"Boris Johnson must now apologise to the entire country for this grubby attempt to cover up for the misdemeanour of his friend. This isn't the first time he's done this but it must be the last."

The Chair of the Standards Committee described it as the kind of action expected in Russia.

We want politicians to hear from you - do you support or oppose accusations of "Corruption" and "Sleaze" against the Conservative Party following the Owen Paterson MP scandal?

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https://www.reviewyourpolitician.com/owen-paterson-mp-poll/

This week, the prime minister and Conservative Party faced an enormous backlash over attempts to scrap ethics rules to protect suspended Conservative MP Owen Paterson.

27/10/2021

[Poll]: Do You Support or Oppose MPs Allowing Water Companies to Discharge Raw Sewage into Rivers & Seas?

The UK Government and Conservative MPs faced a massive public backlash last week after voting to allow water companies to discharge raw sewage into rivers and seas.

265 Conservative MPs voted against an amendment to the Environment Bill that placed a legal duty on water companies not to pump raw sewage into UK’s rivers and coastlines. 22 Conservative MPs rebelled against the government. Labour, the Lib Dems and other opposition parties also voted against the government.

The UK Government and Conservative MPs have defended their decision by arguing that the amendment did not include an impact assessment and the costs incurred by water companies immediately banning sewage spills would be too significant.

Martin Salter, the chief policy adviser at the Angling Trust, said:

“Our rivers are badly polluted and cannot wait for more plans and reports. It seriously questions the government’s commitments to leaving the Environment in a better state than when they took office.”

The Environment Bill is an essential piece of legislation that will govern how the UK manages the pollution in its rivers, water and air following Brexit.

According to the Environment Agency, there were 403,171 spills of sewage into England’s rivers and seas in 2020, adding up to over 3.1m hours of spillages.

We want politicians to hear from you - do you support or oppose MPs allowing water companies to discharge raw sewage into rivers & seas?

Get started and have your say. Poll results are published and sent every week by email.

https://www.reviewyourpolitician.com/poll-do-you-support-or-oppose-mps-allowing-water-companies-to-discharge-raw-sewage-into-rivers-seas/

The UK Government and Conservative MPs faced a massive public backlash last week after voting to allow water companies to discharge raw sewage into rivers and seas.

14/10/2021

[Poll]: Do You Support or Oppose the Prime Minister Going on Holiday to Spain during the Energy, Food & Gas Crisis?

The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, flew on Friday to a luxury villa in the Spanish resort of Marbella, at a time when millions face soaring UK energy bills, a £20-a-week cut to Universal Credit, prospects of food rationing and higher petrol prices.

The Prime Minister is reportedly staying at the luxury Spanish villa of billionaire Convertive peer, Zac Goldsmith. The exclusive estate, set in over 600 acres of woodland, has its own helipad, tennis court and two swimming pools and reportedly costs up to £25,000 a week to rent.

Author and journalist Otto English tweeted:

“As Britons face soaring UK energy bills, rising Covid cases, benefit cuts, empty supermarket shelves and a petrol crisis....Boris Johnson jets off for a luxury break in Marbella.”

Shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, Bridget Phillipson said:

“The Prime Minister has gone on holiday, no one knows where the Chancellor is...We need urgent answers on who exactly is running the show. The Government needs to get a grip because the British people are paying the price for the Prime Minister’s incompetence.”

The Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng defended the prime minister’s decision to fly to Marbella for a break, saying that he was in regular contact with the prime minister via WhatsApp.

According to Ovo chief executive Stephen Fitzpatrick, gas prices have soared by 1000% in the last 12 months.

Charities have warned about a winter of hardship for millions of Brits with Universal Credit being cut by £20 a week, and one in six adults in Britain have been unable to buy essential food items in the last fortnight, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

A leading supermarket chain has warned that some form of rationing might start before Christmas to prevent the panic buying of meat amid shortages.

We want politicians to hear from you - do you support or oppose the Prime Minister going on holiday to Spain during the energy, food and gas crisis?

Get started and have your say. Poll results are published and sent every week by email.

https://www.reviewyourpolitician.com/poll-do-you-support-or-oppose-the-prime-minister-going-on-holiday-to-spain-during-the-energy-food-gas-crisis/

The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, flew on Friday to a luxury villa in the Spanish resort of Marbella, at a time when millions face soaring UK energy bills, a £20-a-week cut to Universal Credit, prospects of food rationing and higher petrol prices.

06/09/2021

[Poll]: Do You Support or Oppose Increasing the Age for Free Prescriptions from 60 to 66?

The UK government recently announced plans to raise free medication to the state pension age from 60 to 66, risking 2.4 million people losing their free prescriptions.

People currently have to pay £9.35 per prescription item or £108.10 for a prepaid certificate lasting 12 months. People who need more than 12 prescriptions a year would pay an additional £130.90.

Charities have warned that the plans could mean that people with long term illnesses and low incomes could be forced to choose between paying their bills and affording their medicines.

The Prescription Charges Coalition, an alliance of more than 20 organisations and patient groups, said the proposals could disproportionately affect those with degenerative and multiple conditions, those from communities with lower life expectancies and those in more deprived areas.

Parkinson's UK said that the proportion of patients with the degenerative condition would rise from 14% to 25% if the change goes ahead.

Caroline Abrahams, Age UK's charity director, said:

"It is also extremely ill-judged because the money the Government will save will almost certainly be outweighed by the additional costs to the NHS, if people fail to take their medication because they can't afford it and become ill.”

We want politicians to hear from you - do you support or oppose increasing the age for free prescriptions from 60 to 66?

Get started and have your say. Poll results are published and sent every week by email.

https://www.reviewyourpolitician.com/do-you-support-or-oppose-increasing-the-age-for-free-prescriptions-from-60-to-66/

The UK government recently announced plans to raise free medication to the state pension age from 60 to 66, risking 2.4 million people losing their free prescriptions.

15/08/2021

[Poll]: Do You Support or Oppose Rishi Sunak as the Next Prime Minister of the UK?

The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, fueled speculation this week by refusing three times to talk about his ambitions to become the future Prime Minister of the UK.

Pressed on whether he wants the top job, the Chancellor said:

"My sole focus is making sure we recover as strongly and as quickly as possible."

Polling by JL Partners has revealed that most voters want Mr Sunak to replace Mr Johnson within a year. 47 per cent of Conservative Party respondents believe a transition from Boris Johnson to Rishi Sunak should take place within the next 12 months, with the number rising to 58 per cent across all parties.

Polling has also shown that the public regard Rishi Sunak as more compassionate and authentic - but less charismatic than Boris Johnson.

Throughout the pandemic, the Chancellor has benefited from high popularity ratings, implementing popular policies such as spending billions in Covid support schemes, like furlough.

Figures showed this week a boost in the UK economy, with GDP growing by 4.8 per cent between April and June. Recent reports in the media have claimed that the Prime Minister is said to have threatened to demote Rishi Sunak to Health Secretary after a letter from him calling for looser travel restrictions leaked.

We want politicians to hear from you - do you support or oppose Rishi Sunak as the next Prime Minister of the UK?

Get started and have your say. Poll results are published and sent every week by email.

https://www.reviewyourpolitician.com/do-you-support-or-oppose-rishi-sunak-as-the-next-prime-minister-of-the-uk/

The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, fueled speculation this week by refusing three times to talk about his ambitions to become the future Prime Minister of the UK.

24/07/2021

[Poll]: Do you Support or Oppose increasing National Insurance to Fund Social Care for the Elderly?

This week, the prime minister is reported to have agreed to raising taxes on younger, lower and middle-income earners through National Insurance (NI), going against the Conservative Party 2019 manifesto pledge not to raise taxes until at least 2024.

The Prime Minister is reported to have agreed to a one percentage point rise to NI, currently 12% on some earnings, to clear the NHS backlog and solve the social care crisis. The social care levy is expected to raise an additional £10bn-a-year.

Critics of the proposals have warned that a NI rise would be unfair to younger workers, with younger people already saddled with university fees and high housing costs being asked to fund a service mainly for the elderly. Those over state pension age do not pay NI.

Torsten Bell, director of the Resolution Foundation thinktank, said:

"It's a tax disproportionately loaded on to younger people and lower-paid workers who have borne the brunt of this recession. Why we would target a tax rise on the groups who have been hardest hit by the economic impact of this pandemic, while exempting older and wealthy individuals, is beyond me."

Ryan Shorthouse, chief executive of the thinktank Bright Blue has said:

"The politics of it is that younger taxpayers who have also suffered quite a lot from the pandemic economically will be paying for social care, which a lot of people who are actually benefiting from that injection of funding won't be paying for."

Between 2010 and 2019, spending on social care is reported to have been cut by 17 per cent.

We want politicians to hear from you - do you support or oppose increasing National Insurance to fund social care for the elderly?

Get started and have your say. Poll results are published and sent every week by email.

https://www.reviewyourpolitician.com/do-you-support-or-oppose-increasing-national-insurance-to-fund-social-care-for-the-elderly/

This week, the prime minister is reported to have agreed to raising taxes on younger, lower and middle-income earners through National Insurance (NI), going against the Conservative Party 2019 manifesto pledge not to raise taxes until at least 2024.

15/06/2021

[Poll]: Do You Support or Oppose the UK Government's Cuts to Foreign Aid?

This week, the UK Government faced a revolt from over 40 Conservative MPs over proposals to break a manifesto commitment by cutting Foreign Aid spending from 0.7 to 0.5 per cent of national income.

Britain is the only G7 nation planning to cut foreign aid this year, with the UN-backed target dating back to the 1970s. Several other countries exceeded the UN aid target of 0.7% in 2020 - including Denmark (0.73%), Norway (1.11%), and Sweden (1.14%).

Critics and experts have said the proposals could threaten the lives of 100,000+ people in developing countries and result in 23,500 women dying while pregnant, during childbirth, or from unsafe abortions which go wrong, and 100,000 people without water in Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh, the world's largest refugee settlement.

MPs against the UK Government proposals include former Prime Minister, Theresa May, and former ministers Jeremy Hunt, Karen Bradley, Tobias Ellwood, Johnny Mercer, and David Davis.

We want politicians to hear from you - do you support or oppose the UK Government's cuts to foreign aid?

Get started and have your say. Poll results are published and sent every week by email.

https://www.reviewyourpolitician.com/do-you-support-or-oppose-the-uk-governments-cuts-to-foreign-aid/

The UK Government this week faced a revolt from over 40 Conservative MPs over proposals to break a manifesto commitment by cutting Foreign Aid spending from 0.7 to 0.5 percent of national income.

02/05/2021

[Poll]: Do You Support or Oppose the Prime Minister After the Alleged Comments on a Third Lockdown?

The Prime Minister has come under intense pressure this week for alleged remarks made last year, quoted as saying that he was ready to see bodies pile up rather than accept a third lockdown.

Sources have claimed the Prime Minister made the remarks in his study after being forced into a second lockdown at the end of October.

Downing Street has denied the Prime Minister made the comments, but ITV has reported that two witnesses are willing to give evidence under oath to contradict the Prime Minister.

Grieving families took to social media to post pictures and memories of loved ones they lost, saying they "were not a body".

A statement by the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Campaign said: "These 'bodies' were our loved ones. Mothers and fathers, daughters and sons, brothers and sisters, grandparents, husbands and wives. These callous comments will have caused untold hurt to hundreds of thousands of us across the whole of the country."

More than 127,000 people in the UK have died from Covid-19.

We want politicians to hear from you - do you support or oppose the Prime Minister after the alleged comments on a third lockdown?

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https://www.reviewyourpolitician.com/do-you-support-or-oppose-the-prime-minister-after-the-alleged-comments-on-a-third-lockdown/

The Prime Minister has come under intense pressure this week for alleged remarks made last year, quoted as saying that he was ready to see bodies pile up rather than accept a third lockdown.

08/04/2021

[Poll]: Do You Support or Oppose Vaccine Passports?

This week, the prime minister announced plans for the introduction of a 'vaccine passport' after June 21, where people will be required to prove they are Covid "safe" to get into a venue, gigs, travel or work setting.

Under the scheme, people would have to provide proof of vaccination, antibodies, or a recent negative test to enter specific venues. Ministers say vaccine passports will also play a key role in reopening international travel, with many countries set to demand them.

The government has ruled out using Covid passports for essential public services, public transport and essential shops. However, passports could be required for pubs, bars, restaurants, cafes, cinemas, theatres, music gigs, football matches and clothing stores such as Next and H&M.

The use of vaccine passports is so far opposed by at least 40 Conservative MPs, Labour and Liberal Democrats.

The Shadow health secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, has said the scheme risks being "discriminatory" and "unfair". Liberal Democrats leader, Ed Davey, has said it would mean "separating society into haves and have-nots".

Under the plans. the NHS is working on providing both "digital and non-digital" ways for the public to show their vaccine, testing or antibody status in a Covid' certificate' or 'passport'.

We want politicians to hear from you - do you support or oppose vaccine passports?

Get started and have your say. Poll results are published and sent every week by email.

https://www.reviewyourpolitician.com/do-you-support-or-oppose-vaccine-passports/

This week, the prime minister announced plans for the introduction of a 'vaccine passport' after June 21, where people will be required to prove they are Covid "safe" to get into a venue, gigs, travel or work setting.

07/03/2021

[Poll]: Do You Support or Oppose NHS Staff Getting More than a 1% Pay Rise?

The health secretary, Matt Hancock, faced criticism this week for proposing a 1% pay deal for NHS workers, with the pay rise branded as an "insult" and "kick in the teeth" to NHS heroes that have put their lives on the life to save others.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has described the 1% figure as "pitiful". The Office for Budget Responsibility predicts inflation will rise to 1.5% this year — resulting in a real-terms cut for NHS staff.

Chair of the British Medical Association (BMA), Dr Chaand Nagpaul, has called the 1% increase a "kick in the teeth" and a "total dereliction of the Government's moral duty and obligation to a workforce that is keeping the NHS on its feet and patients alive."

The Health Secretary defended the pay deal, saying that the pay award reflected the "difficult financial circumstances the country is in".

The UK Government has ruled out following Scotland and Northern Ireland in giving a £500 thank you bonus to NHS staff for their hard work during the pandemic.

We want politicians to hear from you - do you support or oppose NHS staff getting more than a 1% pay rise?

Get started and have your say. Poll results are published and sent every week by email.

https://www.reviewyourpolitician.com/do-you-support-or-oppose-nhs-staff-getting-more-than-a-1-pay-rise/

The health secretary, Matt Hancock, faced criticism this week for proposing a 1% pay deal for NHS workers, with the pay rise branded as an "insult" and "kick in the teeth" to NHS heroes that have put their lives on the life to save others.

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