As the PM passes the 100 day milestone, his allies admit he ‘inherited a horror show’

Britain must be prepared to confront its “uncomfortable” colonial past if it wants a closer relationship with countries in the Indo-Pacific region, Australia’s foreign minister has said.

Penny Wong, a Labor Party politician who was born in Malaysia, said that being open about its history would help the UK to find “common ground” with countries in the region.

On her first visit to Britain since she was appointed foreign minister last May, Wong told an audience at King’s College London that the relationship between the two nations had changed.

“Today, as a modern, multicultural country, home to people of more than 300 ancestries and the oldest continuing culture on Earth, Australia sees itself as being in the Indo-Pacific and being of the Indo-Pacific,” Wong said.

Former prime minister Boris Johnson is currently in the US.

He is stateside as part of a push to maintain the West’s support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s invasion.

The ex-PM has been speaking at the Atlantic Council, a think tank in Washington DC, this afternoon.

Mr Johnson said there is “no conceivable grounds for delay” from Western countries – days after Germany was criticised by some for appearing slow to decide on providing tanks to Ukraine.

Western allies should “give the Ukrainians the support they need to finish this war”, Mr Johnson said, adding: “Let’s give them those tools now.”

He added that if Ukraine is able to take back the strip of land in southern Ukraine between Mariupol, the Donbas and Crimea, this will help to end the war. 

“If they can take back Melitopol and Berdiansk and Mariupol, get back those areas, it’s game over for Putin,” he said.

Returning to his arguments later in the discussion, he said it would be a “false economy to let Putin win”. 

This, he said, would be “burdening future generations with the massive expense of trying to protect the whole area”.

We reported earlier on comments from Mr Johnson to Fox News in the US, with the former PM calling for Western leaders to send fighter jets to Ukraine.

Downing Street has said Mr Johnson’s visit to Washington was “not on behalf of the UK government” and has distanced itself from the former leader’s comments on fighter jets.

Mr Sunak’s official spokesman said: “The prime minister welcomes all colleagues’ backing for Ukraine and is pleased the former prime minister is continuing his staunch support of the United Kingdom’s efforts to help Ukraine secure a lasting peace.”

But he said Mr Johnson is “acting in his own capacity”.

On the possibility of sending jets, the official said: “It’s currently not practical to send UK jets. 

“We will continue to work closely with the Ukrainians to understand their needs and how allies can further support them.

“Given the complexity of UK fighter jets and the length of time required to train them, we do not currently think it is practical to do so.”

Downing Street said the RAF’s Typhoons and F-35s are “extremely sophisticated” pieces of equipment.

You can follow further live updates in our dedicated Ukraine blog here:

Rishi Sunak has refused to suspend Mr Raab despite the number of allegations to his bullying inquiry reportedly swelling significantly and being added to by a former top civil servant.

The Prime Minister has been under increased pressure after he sacked Nadhim Zahawi as Tory chairman following a furore over his tax affairs.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats have urged Mr Sunak to suspend Mr Raab while he is under investigation by senior lawyer Adam Tolley KC.

According To the Times, former Foreign Office permanent secretary Lord Simon McDonald has given evidence to Mr Tolley as a witness.

At least 24 civil servants, and perhaps more than 30, are involved in formal complaints, The Guardian has reported. Mr Raab denies allegations of bullying.

Mr Rees-Mogg said it is “completely sensible” for Mr Raab to remain as Mr Sunak’s deputy, and Justice Secretary, while under investigation.

The former Brexit opportunities minister and Commons leader told Sky News: “I think we’ve got to be slightly careful about the bullying allegations.

“We mustn’t be too snowflakey about it. People need to be able to say this job has not been done well enough and needs to be done better.

“It’s a very difficult line to judge. It’s not a straightforward issue in most cases. It’s how did somebody react, what did somebody say, is it reasonable to demand from senior and well-paid professionals a level of good service? And then you have to judge whether that line has been overstepped.”

Mr Rees-Mogg backed then-PM Boris Johnson for keeping Priti Patel on as home secretary despite her being found to have broken the ministerial code over bullying allegations.

Dave Penman, the general secretary of the FDA union representing senior civil servants, said: “Even by Rees-Mogg’s standards this is outrageous.

“A former leader of the House trivialising bullying that we know has ruined lives and careers.

“Not only should he be ashamed of himself but his leader and party should distance themselves from this.”

Labour’s shadow Cabinet Office minister Florence Eshalomi added: “It speaks volumes that Jacob Rees-Mogg is seeking to belittle the serious claims of bullying and intimidation that have been made against the Deputy Prime Minister.

“He should be ashamed of himself. If Rishi Sunak was serious about his zero-tolerance approach, he would distance himself and his party from Jacob Rees-Mogg’s remarks.”

Last week, No 10 insisted the number of formal allegations against Mr Raab remained at eight but could not rule out each complaint including multiple accusers.

Speaking during a Cabinet awayday at his Chequers grace-and-favour retreat, Mr Sunak said he will await the outcome of Mr Tolley’s investigation before taking any action.

“I appointed an independent investigator to have a look at that matter. I’ll wait for that independent investigator to complete that investigation and report back to me,” he said.

Last week, Mr Raab insisted he is “always mindful of the way I behave”.

“I’m confident I behaved professionally throughout, and of course the Government takes a zero-tolerance approach to bullying,” he told the BBC.

The investigation centres on when Mr Raab was foreign secretary, Brexit secretary and during his first stint as justice secretary.

Last year, Lord McDonald alleged Mr Raab was so demeaning and abrasive to junior colleagues that many were “scared” to enter his office.

“Colleagues did not complain to me formally, it was kind of their professional pride to cope, but many were scared to go into his office,” the crossbench peer told Times Radio.

“His sort-of defence was that he treated everybody in the building in the same way. He was as abrasive and controlling with junior ministers and senior officials as he was with his private secretaries.”

Mr Sunak has pledged to take “whatever steps are necessary to restore the integrity back into politics”.

But Downing Street would not be drawn on whether the Prime Minister was told of informal concerns about Mr Raab’s behaviour when he made him his deputy.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Mr Sunak had the “requisite information needed” to make the appointment and had acted swiftly by appointing Mr Tolley to investigate once formal complaints were made.

The British Army is in “urgent need of recapitalisation” but the Chancellor and the Prime Minister “get that”, a defence minister has said.

Rishi Sunak has insisted he acted “pretty decisively” by sacking Nadhim Zahawi for breaching the ministerial code over his tax affairs as he vowed to restore “integrity” to politics.

Numerous Democrats in the Washington Legislature are backing a new proposal to make voting in elections compulsory. Citizens are required by law to cast ballots in about 25 counties, but in no other U.S. states.

Republicans in Olympia described the idea as “un-American.”

State Sen. Sam Hunt (D-Olympia) said he got the idea for what he calls “universal civic duty voting” from a recently published book titled “100% Democracy” by E.J. Dionne and Miles Rapoport. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig of Spokane mailed Hunt a copy last year.

“As a member of the Senate, once the majority leader sends you something, it sort of gets your attention,” Hunt said in an interview. “So, I read the book and it piqued an interest with me.”

So much so, Hunt had the concept of compulsory voting turned into a legislative proposal. Billig’s enthusiasm separately inspired state Rep. Sharlett Mena (D-Tacoma) to introduce an identical version of the legislation in the state House.

The pending bills would require all eligible Washingtonians to register to vote. Then when your ballot comes in the mail, you’d be legally required to return it for every primary and general election, although there would be no punishment if you didn’t. You could also cast a blank ballot if you wanted, or get off the voter roll permanently by filling out a conscientious objector form. Compulsory voting would take effect in Washington state in 2026 if the bill passes.

“Just like paying taxes and signing up for the draft for all males, it’s just another civic duty that we would require people to do,” Hunt said.

Backers of universal voting claim it would reduce divisiveness and polarization in politics by prompting candidates to appeal to a broader electorate, especially to groups who now vote at lower rates, such as young voters, minorities and lower income folks.

“Democracy and voting is a basic part of our country and the more we get involved, I think the better and the stronger our government is,” Hunt argued.

Chief sponsors Hunt and Mena have won over no Republicans to their proposal.

“To me, this is an unconstitutional, un-American distraction,” said state Sen. Jeff Wilson, the ranking Republican on the Senate State Government and Elections Committee. That panel will be the first to scrutinize the proposal.

Wilson said he foresees legal trouble in compelling people to speak through their vote.

“Of course you have the right to speak, you have the right to vote, but you also have the same right to not,” Wilson said in an interview. “Sometimes silence is golden. Sometimes silence can be measured. But it certainly shouldn’t be expected in the form of a ballot.”

Even though there’s no penalty for failure to vote, Wilson still objected.

“There’s no consequence now, but what would keep it from having a consequence later. That’s something to be very concerned about,” Wilson said.

Compulsory voting mandated overseas and in Latin America

About two dozen foreign countries require their citizens to vote. Enforcement varies widely from getting into deep trouble for abstaining in North Korea to no consequence at all in places such as Greece, Fiji, Honduras and Egypt. Where there is enforcement, voter turnout is markedly better than in the U.S.

Backers of universal voting often hold up Australia as their model. It consistently has one of the highest rates of voter turnout in the world at over 90 percent. The Australian Electoral Commission enforces the rule with a fine starting at AU$20 – around US$14.

“I really don’t think at this point it is fear of a fine that is driving people to the booth,” Australian journalist Amelia Ballinger told SkyNews. “The very large majority of the voting public in Australia supports compulsory voting. They want to participate.”

University of Sydney research fellow Sarah Cameron told the BBC that compulsory voting could tilt elections to the left.

“In countries with voluntary voting, people of lower socio-economic status are less likely to turn out to vote. These are groups that are more likely to support parties on the left,” Cameron explained. “So, the effect is that when voting is compulsory, parties on the left benefit.”

Some American academics doubt this would be the case in the U.S.

“The evidence shows it would have little effect on election outcomes because non‐voters tend to break down about the same as for voters in their partisan preferences,” wrote Cato Institute adjunct scholar Andy Craig.

The Knight Foundation surveyed 12,000 chronic non-voters nationwide in 2020. If those respondents were compelled to vote, the results showed they would add nearly equal share to Democratic and Republican candidates (33 percent versus 30 percent, respectively), while 18 percent said they would vote for a third party.

Voter turnout is already comparatively high in the Pacific Northwest

There’s also a question whether a legal requirement to vote is needed. American states that make it easy to register to vote and then send every voter a ballot in the mail, such as Oregon and Washington, have better voter turnout than some of the foreign countries that require all citizens to vote but don’t enforce that rule.

Ninety percent of eligible voters in Washington state were registered to vote ahead of the 2020 election, according to the Elections Division at the Washington Secretary of State. Registered voter turnout in the general election topped 84% in that presidential year. In the November 2022 midterm elections, 64% of Washington voters cast a ballot.

For comparison, in Mexico, where voting is an obligation but there is no penalty, the average turnout in recent federal elections was 54%. Similarly, the last two parliamentary elections in Greece had turnout between 57%-58%.

At the Washington state capital, the compulsory voting legislation has a long road ahead, but it does have co-sponsorship from nearly half of the Democratic majority in the state Senate. Chief sponsors Hunt and Mena said that compulsory voting might be one of those proposals that take a couple of sessions for lawmakers and the public to warm up to.

Hunt said he invited the co-author of the “100 Democracy” book, former Connecticut Secretary of State Miles Rapoport, as well as the Speaker of the New South Wales Parliament’s legislative assembly to address the state Senate Elections Committee, which Hunt chairs, on January 31 for an initial hearing. Mena said a public hearing in the state House could follow, but she did not anticipate the legislation would move all the way to the governor’s desk this year.

First-term lawmaker Mena said she acted out of concern that her ethnically-diverse legislative district centered on South Tacoma has among the lowest voter turnout in the state.

“My motivation is the idea that we should have this conversation about how to get to 100% democracy,” Mena said Tuesday.

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Numerous Democrats in the Washington Legislature are backing a new proposal to make voting in elections compulsory. Citizens are required by law to cast ballots in about 25 counties but in no other U.S. states.

Republicans in Olympia described the idea as “un-American.”

State Sen. Sam Hunt (D-Olympia) said he got the idea for what he calls “universal civic duty voting” from a recently published book titled “100% Democracy” by E.J. Dionne and Miles Rapoport. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig of Spokane mailed Hunt a copy last year.

“As a member of the Senate, once the majority leader sends you something, it sort of gets your attention,” Hunt said in an interview. “So, I read the book and it piqued an interest with me.”

So much so, Hunt had the concept of compulsory voting turned into a legislative proposal. Billig’s enthusiasm separately inspired state Rep. Sharlett Mena (D-Tacoma) to introduce an identical version of the legislation in the state House.

The pending bills would require all eligible Washingtonians to register to vote. Then when your ballot comes in the mail, you’d be legally required to return it for every primary and general election, although there would be no punishment if you didn’t. You could also cast a blank ballot if you wanted, or get off the voter roll permanently by filling out a conscientious objector form. Compulsory voting would take effect in Washington state in 2026 if the bill passes.

“Just like paying taxes and signing up for the draft for all males, it’s just another civic duty that we would require people to do,” Hunt said.

Backers of universal voting claim it would reduce divisiveness and polarization in politics by prompting candidates to appeal to a broader electorate, especially to groups who now vote at lower rates, such as young voters, minorities and lower-income folks.

“Democracy and voting is a basic part of our country and the more we get involved, I think the better and the stronger our government is,” Hunt argued.

Chief sponsors Hunt and Mena have won over no Republicans to their proposal.

“To me, this is an unconstitutional, un-American distraction,” said state Sen. Jeff Wilson, the ranking Republican on the Senate State Government and Elections Committee. That panel will be the first to scrutinize the proposal.

Wilson said he foresees legal trouble in compelling people to speak through their vote.

“Of course, you have the right to speak, you have the right to vote, but you also have the same right to not,” Wilson said in an interview. “Sometimes silence is golden. Sometimes silence can be measured. But it certainly shouldn’t be expected in the form of a ballot.”

Even though there’s no penalty for failure to vote, Wilson still objected.

“There’s no consequence now, but what would keep it from having a consequence later? That’s something to be very concerned about,” Wilson said.

Compulsory voting mandated overseas and in Latin America

About two dozen foreign countries require their citizens to vote. Enforcement varies widely from getting into deep trouble for abstaining in North Korea to no consequence at all in places such as Greece, Fiji, Honduras and Egypt. Where there is enforcement, voter turnout is markedly better than in the U.S.

Backers of universal voting often hold up Australia as their model. It consistently has one of the highest rates of voter turnout in the world at over 90%. The Australian Electoral Commission enforces the rule with a fine starting at AU$20 – around US$14.

“I really don’t think at this point it is fear of a fine that is driving people to the booth,” Australian journalist Amelia Ballinger told SkyNews. “The very large majority of the voting public in Australia supports compulsory voting. They want to participate.”

University of Sydney research fellow Sarah Cameron told the BBC that compulsory voting could tilt elections to the left.

“In countries with voluntary voting, people of lower socio-economic status are less likely to turn out to vote. These are groups that are more likely to support parties on the left,” Cameron explained. “So, the effect is that when voting is compulsory, parties on the left benefit.”

Some American academics doubt this would be the case in the U.S.

“The evidence shows it would have little effect on election outcomes because non‐voters tend to break down about the same as for voters in their partisan preferences,” wrote Cato Institute adjunct scholar Andy Craig.

The Knight Foundation surveyed 12,000 chronic non-voters nationwide in 2020. If those respondents were compelled to vote, the results showed they would add a nearly equal share to Democratic and Republican candidates (33% versus 30%, respectively), while 18% said they would vote for a third party.

Voter turnout is already comparatively high in the Pacific Northwest

There’s also a question of whether a legal requirement to vote is needed. American states that make it easy to register to vote and then send every voter a ballot in the mail, such as Oregon and Washington, have better voter turnout than some of the foreign countries that require all citizens to vote but don’t enforce that rule.

Ninety percent of eligible voters in Washington state were registered to vote ahead of the 2020 election, according to the Elections Division of the Washington Secretary of State. Registered voter turnout in the general election topped 84% in that presidential year. In the November 2022 midterm elections, 64% of Washington voters cast a ballot.

For comparison, in Mexico, where voting is an obligation but there is no penalty, the average turnout in recent federal elections was 54%. Similarly, the last two parliamentary elections in Greece had a turnout between 57%-58%.

At the Washington state capital, the compulsory voting legislation has a long road ahead, but it does have co-sponsorship from nearly half of the Democratic majority in the state Senate. Chief sponsors Hunt and Mena said that compulsory voting might be one of those proposals that take a couple of sessions for lawmakers and the public to warm up to.

Hunt said he invited the co-author of the “100 Democracy” book, former Connecticut Secretary of State Miles Rapoport, as well as the Speaker of the New South Wales Parliament’s legislative assembly to address the state Senate Elections Committee, which Hunt chairs, on January 31 for an initial hearing. Mena said a public hearing in the state House could follow, but she did not anticipate the legislation would move all the way to the governor’s desk this year.

First-term lawmaker Mena said she acted out of concern that her ethnically-diverse legislative district centered on South Tacoma has among the lowest voter turnout in the state.

“My motivation is the idea that we should have this conversation about how to get to 100% democracy,” Mena said on Tuesday.

Nadhim Zahawi has been fired by Rishi Sunak for a “serious breach” of the Ministerial Code, following days of controversy over the Conservative Party chairman’s tax affairs.