Labour’s Angela Rayner has told Boris Johnson to stop using his office for private gain, following the revelation he is under investigation for a £15,000 Christmas holiday he took in the Caribbean back in 2019.
A list of MPs being probed by Kathryn Stone, the parliamentary commissioner for standards, was released today and it shows she is looking into the mystery of who funded Mr Johnson’s vacation to Mustique. The PM claimed at the time the trip was paid for by David Ross, a Tory party donor, who owns a property on the island, but Mr Ross has since denied this version of events.
Taking to Twitter after the scandal came to light, Ms Rayner, the newly instated shadow chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, said it was just “another day, another investigation into [Mr Johnson] for more sleaze and dodgy dealings”.
The deputy leader of the Labour Party went on to warn Mr Johnson to “stop using the office of prime minister as an opportunity to fund his lavish lifestyle and enrich his mates”.
It comes as the re-elected Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham critiqued his own party for being “too cautious” under leader Keir Starmer, which he said is the reason Labour was penalised at the ballot box.
He said Labour should have set out more clearly how much it believes nurses and care workers should be paid, and accused his party of failing to back him sufficiently last autumn when he battled plans by Mr Johnson’s government to pay people in his area on furlough 67 per cent of their wages.
The so-called “King of the North” was re-elected at the weekend, taking 69 per cent of the vote. The size of his victory almost immediately led to suggestions Mr Burnham could be a future leader of the party.
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What does holiday probe mean for Boris Johnson?
The prime minister is under investigation by parliament’s standards watchdog amid questions about how he paid for a £15,000 luxury break to the island of Mustique in 2019.
But what does that actually mean? Our policy correspondent Jon Stone lays out all the details.
Sturgeon underestimating Covid recovery, says Sarwar
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has said he accepts there will be another Scottish independence referendum “when the time is right”, but noted Nicola Sturgeon and Boris Johnson have “misjudged” how long recovery from the pandemic will take.
Mr Sarwar suggested the constitutional status quo was broken but insisted the immediate focus must be on recovering from coronavirus.
The SNP has called for another referendum to be held before the end of 2023, once the coronavirus crisis is over, although a campaign could still happen during any recovery phase.
But Mr Sarwar has called for a “relentless focus” on rebuilding the country from the impact of the pandemic and urged the first minister, his friend, and prime minister to put an end to “arguments and fights” about independence until the country had recovered.
“We promised to focus on the recovery, let’s focus on that recovery,” he told the PA news agency on Monday.
“But when the time is right, of course, we’re going to have to think about what an alternative position is that doesn’t go on to break the United Kingdom, but also doesn’t say that things as they are, are good enough.”
Chummy Starmer and Rayner seen grabbing a cuppa
It seems Labour’s leader and deputy want to put to bed the rumours they are not getting along, after Keir Starmer apparently tried to sack Angela Rayner over the weekend.
Ms Rayner was fired from being the party’s chair and campaign coordinator but the next day she was made shadow chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster and given a new post focusing on the future of work.
As it happens, she now has more power than she did before.
Smile and wave boys, smile and wave.
Starmer’s Labour ‘too cautious,’ Burnham warns
It seems Andy Burnham’s show of support for Keir Starmer has quickly dissipated. Greater Manchester’s mayor thinks Labour has been “too cautious” under the party leader and has been penalised for it at the ballot box.
He said Labour should have set out more clearly how much it believes nurses and care workers should be paid, and accused his party of failing to back him sufficiently last autumn when he battled plans by Boris Johnson’s government to pay people in his area on furlough 67 per cent of their wages.
The “King of the North” was re-elected at the weekend, taking 69 per cent of the vote. The size of his victory almost immediately led to suggestions Mr Burnham could be a future leader of this party.
Our Whitehall editor Kate Devlin has more:
Johnson ‘transparently declared’ Mustique holiday, Downing Street insists
Downing Street has insisted that Boris Johnson “transparently declared” his new year break in Mustique, amid an investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.
The prime minister’s official spokesman told a Westminster briefing: “The prime minister transparently declared the benefit in kind in the Commons register of interests.”
Asked if the government believes that the public think the rules matter, the spokesman said: “Clearly the rules are set out and it’s important that everyone abides by them, as the prime minister has done throughout.”
I take full responsibility for election results, Starmer tells new top team
Keir Starmer has told his reshuffled shadow cabinet that he takes full responsibility for Labour’s crushing defeat in the Hartlepool by-election.
The Labour leader met his reshuffled top team at Westminster on Monday for the first time following the party’s damaging losses in last week’s elections.
According to sources spoken to by PA, he said: “To be clear, I take responsibility. Nobody else. I lead the Labour Party and it is entirely on me.”
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Queen’s Speech monarch’s first outing as head of state since Philip died
The Queen’s Speech on Tuesday will mark the monarch’s first official appearance in public in her role as head of state, and first engagement outside of Windsor Castle, since her husband the Duke of Edinburgh died last month.
Philip, the nation’s longest reigning consort who died aged 99 on 9 April, spent decades accompanying the monarch to the grand occasion, sitting on an ornate golden throne at his wife’s side.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will instead join the Queen at the event, but unlike previous years there will be no carriages, and the Queen, in day dress and hat, will travel from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster in a State Bentley. This is to comply with Covid restrictions.
Parliament is officially declared open once the monarch delivers a speech, written by No 10, which sets out the sitting government’s legislative plans.
Watch Sadiq Khan sworn into second term as London mayor
Boris Johnson exceeds limit on gifts to MPs
It’s not a good day for Boris Johnson. Government officials have now revealed that the prime minister has had expensive silk ties, bespoke chinaware and other lavish goods confiscated by the Cabinet Office because they would have broken corruption rules.
Luxury food hampers from the Sultan of Brunei were among the items taken away from Mr Johnson because they all exceeded strict limits on freebies.
The ministerial code, aimed at preventing individuals exerting indue influence over our politicians, means MPs cannot accept any gifts valued over £140, reports Adam Forrest.
