Month: December 2022

The Council of State, the body made up of representatives of all branches of power, and church leaders had a three-hour meeting in the capital, Lima.

Earlier, two government ministers resigned, following days of violent protests over the impeachment of Pedro Castillo on 7 December.

More than 20 people have been killed.

After the meeting on Friday evening, the head of the National Board of Justice, José Ávila, called on Peruvians to avoid violence and engage in peaceful dialogue with the authorities.

He said government ministers would be travelling to the areas where people were protesting, in order to promote such a dialogue.

The new President, Dina Boluarte, gave no statement to the press.

In another development, thousands of tourists are trapped in the south-eastern city of Cusco after protesters forced the local airport to close.

Peru has been through years of political turmoil, with the latest crisis coming to a head when Mr Castillo announced he was dissolving Congress and introducing a state of emergency.

However, his plan backfired and Congress instead voted overwhelmingly to impeach him. Mr Castillo, who is currently in detention, is being investigated on charges of rebellion and conspiracy.

He denies all the accusation, insisting that is still the country’s legitimate president.

Demonstrators are calling for the closure of Congress, the resignation of Ms Boluarte and early elections. On Friday, Congress voted against a proposal to bring elections forward to next year.

Thursday’s clashes between the army and Castillo supporters in the central Ayacucho region left at least eight people dead, health authorities said. Footage on social media showed protestors blocking main roads and airports.

Just hours later, Education Minister Patricia Correa said she was stepping down. In a Twitter post on Friday, she wrote that the “death of compatriots has no justification”, and that “state violence cannot be disproportionate and cause death”.

Culture Minister Jair Perez also resigned.

The protests are also affecting the country’s tourism industry. The mayor of Cusco told AFP news agency that about 5,000 tourists are stranded in the city after the airport there closed when protesters tried to storm the terminal.

The city is the gateway to Macchu Picchu, an ancient Inca citadel which is visited by hundreds of thousands of people a year.

About 800 tourists are also stuck in the small town at the foot of the mountain where the citadel stands, because the railway line which serves it has stopped running.

Some mostly American and European tourists have reportedly left the town on foot along the train tracks in an attempt to return to Cusco.

Local authority chiefs have unanimously backed a motion arguing the budget will be detrimental to services.

It follows Deputy First Minister John Swinney announcing that councils will benefit from a funding increase of £550m.

The Scottish government says its budget will ensure councils are “protected”.

In his budget announcement, Mr Swinney said that local authorities would receive more than £550m extra – instead of a flat cash settlement.

At a meeting of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla), the leaders said that most of that sum was for existing commitments – claiming the settlement meant another massive real-terms cut in funding, leaving them “extremely disappointed”.

They urged ministers to prioritise local government funding and pause plans for a National Care Service, which is expected to cost between £664m and £1.2bn over five years.

Council chiefs said funding should instead be reallocated to social care and prevention measures within local government.

Katie Hagmann, Cosla’s resources spokeswoman, said: “Council services will now be at absolute breaking point and some may have to stop altogether.

“This is a result of cuts to our councils’ core budgets and direction on spend towards other Scottish government priorities over the last few years.

“Yesterday’s budget announcement compounds this and there is a real risk that many of our essential services will not only be cut, but may have to stop altogether.”

Analysis published by Cosla suggests the cash increase could be just £71m once Scottish government-mandated policies are paid for, while it claims capital funding will remain flat for next year.

The Fraser of Allander Institute said the funding was equal to a 4.9% real-terms decrease based on spending last year, while the Institute for Fiscal Studies accused the government of overstating the spending increases by comparing spending next year to last year’s budget and not taking into account in-year rises.

But the Scottish government rejected the claims by Cosla.

A spokeswoman said: “We have protected councils in the most challenging budget since devolution to provide more than £13.2bn in the 2023-24 local government settlement.

“This represents a cash increase of over £550m, or 4.5%, which is a real-terms increase of £160.6m, or 1.3%.”

As part of the budget announcement, local authorities were also given full flexibility to set their own council tax rates.

Mr Swinney said councils should “consider carefully the cost pressures facing the public” when deciding the rate they will charge people.

Scottish Conservative local government spokesman Miles Briggs said: “Services that residents rely on could be lost forever under John Swinney’s current budget proposals. He should stop with the shameless spin and instead step up and ensure our councils have the funding they need.

“While tough decisions have to be made, our councils should not always have to bear the brunt of SNP-Green cuts. Many of them simply have no more room to manoeuvre when it comes to managing their finances, while still delivering local services.”

Andrew Western, who secured 70% of the vote, declared “the British people are giving up” on the Conservatives.

Labour had been expected to retain the Greater Manchester seat, which they have held since it was created in 1997, and saw an 11% swing from the Tories.

But the fact the result was in little doubt, plus the bitterly cold weather on polling day, led to only a quarter of eligible voters turning out.

Mr Western, who leads Trafford Council within the Westminster constituency, achieved a majority of 9,906.

The 37-year-old succeeds Kate Green, who resigned last month after being nominated as deputy mayor of Greater Manchester.

Mr Western said the result sent out a “strong message”, showing 12 years of Conservative government was “coming to an end”.

The Conservative Party’s Emily Carter-Kandola trailed second with a 16% share of the vote.

By Kevin Fitzpatrick, political reporter, BBC Radio Manchester

As expected, this was a resounding victory for Labour.

The freezing temperatures on polling day and a lack of jeopardy appear to have contributed to a low turnout but it’s the percentage share of the vote that the parties are focused on.

By-elections are always tricky for a party of government and this one – in a Labour stronghold, in a cost-of-living crisis – was always going to be harder than most for the Tories.

But it does all add to the growing sense of momentum that Labour are building as they become increasingly bullish about their chances of returning to power at the next general election.

Mr Western said the by-election “must hold the record for the coldest polling day” and thanked voters who had braved the -6C conditions to back him.

“It’s clear from the result, and from the conversations I have had with voters throughout the campaign, that the public want a general election,” he said.

“The Tories have given up on governing and it is increasingly clear that the British people are giving up on them.”

“Labour stands ready to deliver for our country and only Labour has a plan for working people and to create a fairer, greener, future,” he said.

Another factor in the low turnout may have been problems with postal ballots amid ongoing industrial action.

Mr Western’s victory is Labour’s second by-election win this month after the party comfortably held the City of Chester seat.

Stretford and Urmston by-election: full results