Reform MP Richard Tice has defended his party’s decision to suspend MP Rupert Lowe following alleged threats of violence made to the party chairman. Government minister Pat McFadden tells Trevor Phillips the UK is currently not considering conscription.
Sunday 9 March 2025 09:59, UK
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The Latvian president has urged European countries to “absolutely” introduce conscription, as he conceded the continent was “quite weak” militarily.
Edgars Rinkevics told Sky’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips that European countries should increase defence spending amid the “ups and downs” in relations with the US.
Latvia introduced conscription for men in 2023 and has pushed defence spending to 4% of the country’s GDP.
“Seeing what is happening in the world, the decision that we took – many other European countries need to follow that,” Mr Rinkevics said.
“A lot of people are a little bit nervous. People are following the news. Of course strong reassurances [are] one thing, but another thing is other European governments [have] to make sure that we all get stronger.”
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, is speaking to Trevor Phillips this morning on behalf of the Conservatives.
He reiterates his party’s position that they want to see government spending come down on the back of civil service cuts and reducing welfare bills.
On the latter, Trevor asks if there is a “danger here of a rather cruel race between you and the government, to see who can be more cruel to disabled people?”
Philp says that people who are “genuinely disabled” and unable to work should be “looked after”, but the number of people getting welfare is “far, far too high”, and the thresholds to make claims are “too low and too easy”.
On the civil service, Philp says the Conservative plan is to reduce the size of the bureaucracy to the size it was before the pandemic, rather than taking back to the “ice age”.
Reform deputy leader Richard Tice is speaking to Trevor Phillips as a row engulfs the insurgent party.
Rupert Lowe was suspended from the party on Friday amid bullying and threat investigations. Lowe denies the allegations.
But it came the day after Lowe challenged Nigel Farage’s leadership in the media.
Tice tells Trevor that the decision to suspend Lowe was “unfortunate” and “difficult”.
But he says it is important to be transparent about the allegations.
Asked about the timeline of events, Tice says that an “additional threat” was made by Lowe against party chairman Zia Yusuf and it was decided that they couldn’t “tolerate this any more”.
He says there were also “behind the scenes” a “number of difficulties and challenges” with Lowe.
But Tice does not get drawn into a debate over what the challenge means for Farage’s leadership of Reform.
He says that all parties get involved in factionalism, not just ones led by Farage.
Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden is asked about proposed cuts to welfare and benefits.
While he does not explicitly state cuts are coming, he confirms a “package of welfare changes” are on the way.
McFadden points out that there are more than nine million people of working age not in work, and close to three million of those are on long-term sickness.
The cost of this has risen by roughly £20bn in the past few years, he says.
The minister goes on to say that by doing nothing, another one million people will be on long-term sickness benefits by the end of the decade.
He points out that this is “not fair” on those on the benefits, nor the taxpayers having to fund the benefits.
“We do have to act on this to make sure that we give everyone in the country the opportunity to work,” he says.
“We are the Labour Party. The clue is in the name.”
Civil service cuts coming?
Another area the government may be looking to save money in is the civil service.
While McFadden won’t say bluntly that cuts are coming to government bureaucracy, he says he wants a “more productive” civil service.
This might involve “fewer” civil servants in some areas.
But McFadden adds that “we can reduce the cost of the government overhead with a smart application of technology, with the right incentives for the vast majority of civil servants who are doing a good job”.
The UK is not considering conscription, according to senior cabinet minister Pat McFadden.
It comes after the president of Latvia called on European nations to have mandatory military service.
McFadden told Sky News: “We’re not considering conscription, but of course, we’ve announced a major increase in defence expenditure a couple of weeks ago – and we do have to recognise that the world has changed here.”
Asked if the UK’s military will increase in size, McFadden says it’s best to wait for the strategic defence review before nailing down where the spending increase will go.
But he notes that “you would not spend that money today on the same things as you would 10 years ago”.
Asked if fiscal rules might be changed to help with defence spending, McFadden says the increase will need to be accounted for somehow.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden has backed the government’s strategy to not be reactive to Donald Trump’s social media posts.
He says the strategy is a “sensible decision”, and that the government is focused instead on talking to the Americans face to face.
Speaking to Trevor Phillips, McFadden refuses to get drawn into a conversation about the current White House strategy in Ukraine.
Asked about the withdrawal of support for Kyiv from Trump, McFadden says the UK is still backing Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He says the US and UK both want the war in Ukraine to end – but the UK is focused on ensuring the peace is a lasting one.
Under-performing civil servants could be encouraged to leave their jobs and senior officials will have their pay linked to performance, in a new government bid to “fundamentally reshape” the civil service.
Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden, who is appearing on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, said “the state is not match-fit to rise to the moment our country faces”.
The plans have been criticised by a union, however, who described them as a “retreading of failed narratives”.
The general secretary of the FDA, a union for civil servants, accused the government of delivering a “soundbite, not a credible plan for change”.
“If the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster wants civil servants to focus on delivery, while at the same time government departments are cutting resources, then ministers need to set realistic priorities,” said Dave Penman.
“Government should get on with the difficult job of setting those priorities rather than announcing a new performance management process for civil servants every other month.”
Next week, Mr McFadden will promise a new “mutually agreed exits” process, in which civil servants who cannot perform at the level required of them are incentivised to leave their jobs.
By Jon Craig, chief political correspondent
The bitter war of words between Nigel Farage and Reform MP Rupert Lowe has dramatically escalated with the pair launching fierce new personal attacks on each other.
Mr Farage revealed accusations of bullying by Mr Lowe and accused him of falling out with all his fellow Reform UK MPs, with too many “outbursts” using “inappropriate language”.
On Friday, party chairman and Farage lieutenant Zia Yusuf and chief whip Lee Anderson MP disclosed accusations that two female workers had complained of “serious bullying” in Mr Lowe’s offices, and said he had been reported to police over allegations he threatened Mr Yusuf with physical violence.
Mr Lowe, who has been suspended by the parliamentary party, denied the claims.
The worsening of the feud between the Reform UK leader and the millionaire MP for Great Yarmouth came in articles in The Sunday Telegraph in which they both furiously attacked each other.
Welcome to the Politics Hub.
This morning on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, we’ll be hearing from Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden.
And Reform UK MP – and former leader – Richard Tice will be explaining what is going on in Nigel Farage’s party.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, will be speaking to us for the Conservatives.
Join us live from 8.30am.
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