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Minister rejects Badenoch’s claim that fine for man who set fire to Qur’an revives blasphemy laws – UK politics live | Politics

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Government says vital routes will be protected under bus services bill

Vital bus services will be protected from sudden cuts under new legislation, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced. As PA Media reports, councils in England will put strict requirements in place before “socially necessary” routes can be changed or cancelled, the department said. PA says:

This is aimed at services to locations such as hospitals and schools.

The measure is part of the government’s bus services bill, which passed its second reading in the Commons last night.

This will lead to an overhaul of buses, such as by giving all local transport authorities new powers to run their own services.

The government will also reduce some of the red tape involved in bus franchising, including reducing the minimum period between local areas taking control of services and being allowed to start operations.

Angela Rayner, deputy PM and housing secretary, arriving at Downing Street for cabinet today. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA

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The “deep-rooted, systemic” problems in the UK water industry are the fault of companies, the government and industry regulators, according to a much-anticipated review, which was immediately criticised for failing to recommend bold action by sewage pollution campaigners. Sandra Laville has the story here.

Minister rejects Badenoch’s claim that fine for man who set fire to Qur’an revives blasphemy laws

Good morning. Public spending is still the dominant issue at Westminster, with the spending review taking place a week tomorrow, and debate still raging about how the government will fund its defence and welfare plans (although the debate is now not so much whether there will be tax rises, rather how big they will be). But the Conservatives are now trying to revive a culture war issue, accusing Labour of in effect using blasphemy legislation to protect Islam.

Kemi Badenoch has been responding to the case of Hamit Coskun, who was found guilty and fined £240 yesterday for a religiously aggravated public order offence after he set fire to a Qur’an outside the Turkish consulate in London. Sammy Gescoyler has the story here.

As Sammy reports, the judge, John McGarva, said that Coskun’s actions were “highly provocative” and said he was “motivated at least in part by a hatred of Muslims”.

But, in comments written up supportively by the Daily Mail in their splash, Badenoch said the case should go to appeal. She said:

De facto blasphemy laws will set this country on the road to ruin. This case should go to appeal.

Freedom of belief, and freedom not to believe, are inalienable rights in Britain. I’ll defend those rights to my dying day.

Not for the first time, Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, has pushed this even further, telling the Daily Telegraph:

This decision is wrong. It revives a blasphemy law that parliament repealed.

Free speech is under threat. I have no confidence in Two-Tier Keir to defend the rights of the public to criticise all religions.

John Healey, the defence secretary, was on media round duty for the government this morning. Asked about the Tory claims by Sky News, Healey did not want to talk about the case itself, saying this was a matter for the courts. But he rejected the claim that blasphemy laws were coming back, telling Sky:

We don’t have blasphemy laws. We don’t have any plans to reintroduce blasphemy laws.

The National Secular Society is backing Coskun, and Humanists UK have also said they are concerned about yesterday’s verdict.

But, in his ruling, the judge said that burning a religious book and making criticism of Islam or the Qur’an are “not necessarily disorderly”. McGarva went on: “What made [Coskun’s] conduct disorderly was the timing and location of the conduct and that all this was accompanied by abusive language.”

Here is the agenda for the day.

9.30am: Keir Starmer chairs cabinet.

10.15am: Andrew Bailey, governor of the Bank of England, gives evidence to the Treasury committee.

11.30am: Shabana Mahmood, justice secretary, takes questions in the Commons.

Noon: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.

2.30pm: Yvette Cooper, home secretary, gives evidence to the Commons home affairs committee.

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