The Cabinet Office has appeared to reject claims that Sue Gray’s Partygate report was tampered with prior to publication, with details of an alleged party at Boris Johnson’s Downing Street flat supposedly removed.
Senior members of Mr Johnson’s team are also alleged to have put pressure on the civil servant to remove certain details and names from her report into coronavirus rule-breaking, according to the Sunday Times, which quoted a source as saying that “the entire machine fought her” once she made clear an intention to publish emails and WhatsApp messages.
But the Cabinet Office insisted on Sunday that Ms Gray’s report “was impartially conducted and its contents represent the findings and conclusions of the investigation team alone”.
Earlier, a No 10 source had denied the allegations, saying: “It is untrue that anyone on the political side saw anything in advance or sought to influence it.”
The claims come as the prime minister fends off increasing pressure over the report, with 24 of his own MPs now publicly calling for his resignation.
Union leader ‘cannot see a way out of’ rail strikes
A union leader has said he “cannot see a way out from the strikes” which could hit the rail sector from next month.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail and 13 train operators overwhelmingly backed industrial action in a ballot over jobs and pay, threatening huge disruption. The union will have to give two weeks’ notice of strikes, which could start in mid-June.
On whether a strike is inevitable, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch told Sky News: “I cannot see a way out from the strikes at the moment unless there is a breakthrough and the government instructs these companies – which they are doing to change their line rather than harden their line – it is very, very likely there will be strike action and it will be very soon.”
Fears have been raised that staff walkouts could lead to much of the rail network being closed, affecting petrol and diesel supplies and the delivery of goods to shops.
Union leaders will decide next week when to call strikes after workers overwhelmingly backed industrial action over jobs, pay and conditions.
He could not say the level of disruption union action may cause, but added: “We will decide that if it happens. We want to make the strike action as effective as possible from our point of view. Our members are prepared to take effective strike action in pursuit of the settlement of this dispute.”
Dominic Cummings scorns PM’s ‘distraction’ plan
Boris Johnson’s favourite former chief political aide has weighed in on the prime minister’s latest “cunning plan” with typical aplomb:
Cabinet Office rejects claims Sue Gray report tampered with
Following claims in the Sunday Times that senior members of Boris Johnson’s team put pressure on Sue Gray to remove certain details and names from her Partygate report, a Cabinet Office spokesperson has said:
“The report was impartially conducted and its contents represent the findings and conclusions of the investigation team alone.
“As with all such investigation reports, the process of obtaining formal representations from those perceived to be criticised prior to publication took place. This is an appropriate and usual process in such matters.”
Patrick Daly has more on the allegations here:
Voters ‘pleased’ with moves towards greater use of imperial measurements, minister claims
Voters and businesses are “pleased” that the UK government is set to open the door to greater use of imperial weights and measures, Brandon Lewis has insisted.
Ministers are preparing to consult on how to further incorporate imperial measurements in Britain after Brexit, with Boris Johnson reportedly keen to announce the move on Friday to coincide with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
The move has faced criticism from the Conservative backbenches, with Alicia Kearns – one of 24 Tory MPs to declare they have lost confidence in the prime minister over his handling of lockdown-busting parties in Downing Street – calling the idea “a nonsense”.
But Mr Lewis, the Northern Ireland secretary, said that while the policy was “light-hearted”, there were people who “want to go back” to using imperial weights, such as pounds and ounces, and measures such as yards and miles.
The EU weights and measures directive came into force in 2000, with traders legally required to use metric units for sale-by-weight or the measure of fresh produce. It remains legal to price goods in pounds and ounces but they have to be displayed alongside the price in grams and kilograms.
Brandon Lewis plays down threat of no confidence vote in Boris Johnson
Our political correspondent Ashley Cowburn has more details on the Northern Ireland secretary’s insistence this morning that Boris Johnson will not face a no confidence vote:
Tories have ‘massive identity problem’, former leader says
Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have given the Tories a “massive identity problem” by raising rather than cutting taxes, a former party leader has said.
Iain Duncan Smith told The Observer that, rather than impose a windfall tax, the chancellor should have cut taxes for middle and lower earners.
“He had the headroom not to do a windfall tax,” Sir Iain said. “Getting growth going is the priority. We have to avoid recession and to do that we have to lower taxes and get people spending.
“Conservatives believe in lower taxes, leaving people with more of their own money because they make the best choices. Unless we get back to this approach and cut taxes in the autumn budget we are in real trouble.”
The Tories now risk being seen as a high tax, big state party after also breaking their manifesto pledge with a national insurance hike, he reportedly said, adding: “I don’t just think we have a bit of an identity problem, we have a massive identity problem.”
A possible rail strike over jobs and pay could go on “for a very, very long time”, a union leader has suggested.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail and 13 train operators have overwhelmingly backed industrial action in a ballot.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch told Sky’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme: “They could go on for a very, very long time. There is no sign at the moment of that anybody is backing down on their side of the table.”
He could not say the level of disruption union action may cause, but added: “We will decide that if it happens. We want to make the strike action as effective as possible from our point of view.
“Our members are prepared to take effective strike action in pursuit of the settlement of this dispute. I have got no idea how long that will take and I can’t determine from here what the outcomes and side effects of that will be.”
Cabinet reshuffle coming ‘sooner than everyone thinks’, report claims
Our chief political commentator John Rentoul highlights this story in today’s Mail on Sunday, which claims that Tory Chairman Oliver Dowden faces being moved in a Cabinet reshuffle which is coming “sooner than everyone thinks”.
The paper reports that Mr Dowden is expected to pay the price for recent by-election losses and poor performances in May’s council elections, as well as plunging poll ratings.
Mr Dowden’s public pledge to change candidate selection processes to ensure that half of Tory MPs elected at the next election are women has alienated both male and female colleagues, according to the paper.
Tory MP appears to joke about Partygate
A Tory MP has made a joke widely interpreted as making light of outrage over Covid rule-breaking in No 10.
“Off to the footy,” Brendan Clarke-Smith tweeted. “Making the tough choice not to buy sandwiches and an orange juice in case anybody accuses me of being a lawbreaker.”
Iceland has seen customers ‘disappearing to food banks’, boss says
Richard Walker, managing director of Iceland, says the supermarket chain serves “some of the poorer demographics” but has seen customers “disappearing to food banks” amid the rising cost of living.
Mr Walker told Sky News’s Sophie Ridge On Sunday programme there is a “perfect maelstrom of inflationary pressures”, adding: “The reality is there is no typical Iceland shopper, averages don’t work very well because we have people who come in and spend five quid and people who come in and spend £50.
“Generally, I think it is safe to say everyone is feeling the pinch now, it doesn’t matter who you are.
“We do serve some of the poorer demographics around the country. We are hearing stories, as you said, of some of our custom disappearing to food banks, which is a reality, or, indeed, some customers when they are at the till asking the cashier when it amounts to 40 quid so that they can leave the rest of their shopping.”
