Nadhim Zahawi – Blackouts ‘extremely unlikely’ but government is preparing
Last week, the National Grid warned that an excess shortage of gas over the winter period could see households plunged into darkness for up to three hours at a time, as part of its contingency plans to manage electricity supply. This morning, Laura Kuenssberg was joined by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Nadhim Zahawi, to discuss the government preparations for such a scenario:
Nicola Sturgeon – SNP won on ‘a very clear manifesto commitment’
Kuenssberg went on to speak to Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. The SNP is currently hosting its annual party conference in Aberdeen, and the Scottish government is hopeful that it will win a Supreme Court case on the legality of holding a second independence referendum in 2023. Kuenssberg challenged her over whether there was still the same appetite for such a referendum:
‘I detest the Tories and everything they stand for’
Kuenssberg finished the interview by asking Sturgeon about her relations with the other political parties and their leaders. Sturgeon claimed that she wanted to be a ‘friend’ to Liz Truss, before swiftly following up with something far more gladiatorial:
Alistair Darling – The government are trying to ‘trash the Bank of England’
Kuenssberg turned to her panel of guests, which this week included the former Chancellor Alistair Darling. He accused the government of ‘blindsiding’ the Bank of England in its haste to implement its mini budget of two weeks ago and said that they should try working more harmoniously in order to calm market fears:
Nadine Dorries – ‘What we need is a unifier’
Nadine Dorries, the former Culture Secretary who notably supported Liz Truss in the recent leadership election, told Kuenssberg that the government needed to coalesce more closely around delivering the Conservative’s 2019 manifesto, and save radical reform for after a general election:
Pat Cullen – We have not met with Therese Coffey
On Sky, Trevor Phillips spoke to the general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, Pat Cullen, about potential strike action. A ballot has opened for the first time in the union’s history, which represents hundreds of thousands of members. Phillips asked Cullen about communications with the Health Secretary:
Jonathan Ashworth – ‘No’
And finally, Phillips asked the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Jonathan Ashworth about Labour’s attitude to granting a second Scottish independence referendum. Ashworth’s answer was short and sweet:
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