Boris Johnson has attempted to end the mystery about how many children he has, telling an American broadcaster he is a father of six.
During a trip to New York, he appeared on NBC’s Today show and confirmed he had six children, before adding that he was a hands-on father. He is expecting his seventh child with his wife Carrie, the mother of his son Wilfred.
In the same interview, he said it was “reasonable” that the US had decided to end its 20-year presence in Afghanistan, insisting “you can’t endlessly subcontract the government of your country to other people”.
Asked about the withdrawal, the prime minister said: “Could we have done it a bit differently? Maybe we could.”
In separate comments, the prime minister said that a fast trade deal between the UK and the US is unlikely, as Joe Biden “has a lot of fish to fry”, including his large infrastructure package.
Mr Johnson will travel by train on Tuesday from New York, where he addressed the UN General Assembly, to Washington. He is expected to discuss the climate crisis and other pressing issues with President Biden.
Labour says 500,000 families face ‘fuel poverty’
Labour has warned that millions of people will be affected by rising costs of living and reduced welfare payments.
Shadow business secretary Ed Miliband said: “At least half a million families are going to be thrown into fuel poverty by the rise in energy prices and, on top of that along with National Insurance rises, millions of families are facing a £1,000-a-year cut in Universal Credit in just 10 days’ time.
“It is a Tory triple whammy made in Downing Street.”
PM denies people will struggle this winter
British people will not struggle this winter because of the rising cost of living, the end of furlough and the lowering of Universal Credit, Boris Johnson has said.
Asked by Sky News whether festivities would be ruined this year as a result of financial woes, he “I really don’t think that is justified…Christmas is on.”
Bezos will not pay taxes out of ‘kindness’, says Johnson
Jeff Bezos is not going to pay taxes out “of kindness”, Boris Johnson has said.
Instead, the founder of Amazon wants governments to come up with a tax framework, the prime minister added.
“He’s a capitalist and he made the very important point that this is a job for governments,” Mr Johnson told Channel 5 News.
The British prime minister met Mr Bezos in New York on Monday after speaking to the UN General Assembly.
Government strikes deal with fertiliser firm to resume CO2 production
The government has reached an agreement with the fertiliser firm CF Industries to restart its carbon dioxide manufacturing, it has been reported.
The company suspended its operations due to the rising wholesale cost of gas, leading to fears of supermarket shortages, as carbon dioxide is used in food packaging.
The alleged deal comes after talks between the firm and the business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, according to Sky News.
PM confirms how many children he has
Boris Johnson has attempted to end speculation over how many children he has, telling an American broadcaster that he has six.
During a trip to New York, he appeared on NBC’s Today show and was asked whether he had six children. “Yes,” he replied.
“It’s fantastic, it’s fantastic, it’s a lot of work, I’ll tell you that much, but I love it, I absolutely love it. And I change a lot of nappies, in case anybody… I do.”
Watch live: Jennifer Arcuri gives evidence on PM
Government should have foreseen energy crisis, says Labour MP
The government should have foreseen the energy crisis and ploughed more money into low carbon energy, a Labour MP has said.
Anna McMorrin, MP for Cardiff North, told MPs: “We relied far too heavily on gas most recently. It didn’t have to be this way. The government could have foreseen it. We see that countries that have prioritised low carbon energy are far more insulated from shocks like this and protect those vulnerable families as we head to winter.”
Business minister Greg Hands replied that renewables “are up six-fold” under the Conservatives.
Families will not be given extra help during energy crisis, No 10 says
Extra government will not be given to “vulnerable households” during the energy crisis, Downing Street has said.
This comes as the energy price cap is expected to rise further, adding hundreds of pounds to annual household bills.
When asked about offering “additional help” to vulnerable people, a No 10 spokesperson said: ‘We already have schemes in place to help people out over the winter.”
Our deputy political editor Rob Merrick reports:
Labour hits out at government position on flexible working
Labour has criticised the government for not giving workers the right to flexible working, after details from a Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis) consultation were leaked.
Under the proposed new system, workers will be able to request to work from home on their first day in their jobs.
In response, Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, said: “Labour will give workers the right to flexible working – not just the right to request it – and give all workers full rights from day one on the job.
“This is a U-turn from the Conservative manifesto which promised to make flexible working the default and once again the Conservatives have sold out working people.”
Starmer considers scrapping one-member-one-vote for Labour leadership elections
Keir Starmer is pushing to change Labour’s approach to its leadership elections by replacing the one-member-one-vote approach with an “electoral college” system.
The party’s left wing fears this could lock them out of power.
On the proposal, shadow culture minister Rachael Maskell said: “As a Labour MP, I should have no greater say in leadership elections than other Labour members.
“The members are ultimately the Party and they should equally elect their leader. OMOV is the most democratic system. Let’s respect our members, let’s respect party democracy.”
The response came after the Labour leader told his shadow cabinet on Tuesday that “these changes are vital for our party’s future”.
