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This morning on Sky News, Liz Truss the UK Foreign Secretary has said that it is “highly likely” that Russia will attack the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, as President Vladimir Putin pursues plans for a “full-scale invasion". There are now calls for Britons to leave Ukraine immediately while commercial flights are still available in the expectation of an imminent invasion  She also stated that the UK will not hesitate to impose further sanctions on Russia if there is  evidence of Moscow sending troops further into Ukraine.  I watched the Prime Minister yesterday in the House of Commons revealing sanctions on five Russian banks and three Russian individuals, which some critics say are too lenient. Though hardly a 'critic' myself I did think that I had missed some important points in this statement and that 'too lenient' is an clear under statement.  All main news outlets confirmed my incredulity, showing that not only the opposition par...

John Bercow, Conservative MP for Buckingham, is the new speaker of the House of Commons. He was elected to government in 1997 and served in the Shadow Cabinet under Iain Duncan Smith and Michael Howard. Bercow has increased his majority to over 18,000 at the General Election in 2005. He has risen quickly through the junior ranks and was brought into the Shadow Cabinet in 2001. During this time Bercow stated that he lacked ruthlessness which would stop him from rising higher. John Bercow’s website states “You elected me and sent me to the House of Commons to speak and vote for the people of Buckingham. You might not agree with some of my views and that is OK. That is what representative democracy is all about. Some politicians these days try to have bland views on everything so that they please everybody. However I have always taken the view that there is no point in being an MP if you don’t have opinions and you say nothing. I can’t fight the corner if I have no opinions and don’t kn...