At the G7 summit, Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron failed to discuss the subject of thousands of migrants risking their lives to cross the English Channel.
The British and French leaders met at the summit in Germany’s Bavarian Alps, where they spoke about geopolitical crises such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
But they did not address the situation which has seen more than 12,000 people cross the Channel so far this year.
When asked why the boat crossings weren’t discussed, Mr Johnson’s official spokesman said: “There are very significant issues of geopolitical concern to discuss, not least the crisis in Ukraine.
“They have talked about those issues previously and I’m sure they will again. But, obviously, on the eve of the G7, that’s pretty much, I’m sure, at the forefront of both of their minds.”
Mr Johnson is expected to use the G7 to urge France and Germany to provide more military support to Ukraine.
Back in the UK, he remains under pressure after a series of scandals and two damaging by-election losses.
Thanks for following along with our live blog. We’re pausing it for the evening but here is the latest on the G7 summit.
G7 leaders have been urged not to water down commitments on climate change amid growing fears they are set to pursue “disastrous” fossil fuel projects to ease supply problems stemming from the Ukraine war.
There are growing fears of a shift back to coal and gas investment, as the leaders of Germany, France, Italy, Japan, UK, US and Canada kicked off three days of talks on the economy, energy and security issues in Bavaria on Sunday.
Germany and Italy have announced plans to revive old coal plants as gas supplies from Vladimir Putin’s Russia dwindle, while Boris Johnson has hinted at support for a new mine in Cumbria.
ICYMI: PM warns Macron against giving Putin ‘licence to manipulate’
In case you missed it…
Boris Johnson has warned his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that any attempt now to settle the conflict in Ukraine will give Vladimir Putin a “licence to manipulate” other countries.
At the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Mr Macron had been criticised for negotiating with Putin and saying Russia must not be “humiliated”.
Mr Johnson told Mr Macron that compromise will “only cause enduring instability” as the pair met to discuss the war at the G7 summit in Germany.
Read the full story by Adam Forrest
Independent inquiry to review treatment of asylum seekers in Scotland
An independent inquiry has been launched to look at the treatment of asylum seekers in Scotland during the pandemic.
Campaigning organisation Refugees for Justice called for a review in the wake of stabbings at the Park Inn hotel in Glasgow which was being used to house asylum seekers during lockdown in 2020.
On Sunday 26 June, the second anniversary of the incident, Refugees for Justice announced that it has commissioned an independent inquiry, which will be led by Baroness Helena Kennedy QC.
An inquiry report published on Sunday focused on events in Glasgow at the start of the first major Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, when 321 people seeking asylum were moved from their homes into hotels by Home Office contractors.
Badreddin Abadlla Adam, 28, from Sudan, was shot dead by police after his knife attack at the Park Inn Hotel in Glasgow in June 2020, which injured six people including 42-year-old police constable David Whyte.
The Home Office said it has undertaken a number of “significant changes to keep asylum seekers safe” since the incident.
The report also mentions the case of Adnan Elbi who died in one of the hotels in May 2020.
Ex-Tory MP says ‘police confiscated his guns in case he shot himself’
Former Tory MP Neil Parish has claimed police took away his shotguns “for his own safety” after he was forced to resign for watching pornography in the Commons.
Speaking to LBC’s Swarbrick On Sunday, he said: “The police very kindly and rightly took away, because I am a farmer you see I’ve got shotguns – so they took those away from me.”
When asked why, he replied: “Because when you have blown up your parliamentary career for 12 years, you are not feeling in the best place, and they took them away for my own safety, not that I was going to shoot anybody else, in case I shot myself.
“I did say to them in a moment of black humour, ‘I am a very bad shot, I will probably miss,’ but they didn’t naturally see the joke at the time, or nor was it very funny.”
Full story here by Joe Middleton
‘More than 30 MPs demand confidence vote in PM’ – report
The Sunday Times is reporting that more than 30 MPs are understood to have submitted letters to the 1922 Committee of backbenchers.
They are demanding a confidence vote in prime minister Boris Johnson’s leadership, three weeks after he narrowly won the last vote.
PM threatened with legal action for delaying Covid public inquiry
Boris Johnson is being threatened with legal action for failing to set a start date for his promised public inquiry into his handling of the Covid pandemic.
The prime minister had said that the inquiry would be started in “spring 2022”.
Now bereaved families have announced plans to explore a judicial review.
Read the full story here by Rob Merrick
Decisions on steel tariffs to be made soon, Downing Street says
The government said its decisions on steel tariffs would be made shortly and would “balance our international obligations and the national interest”.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We’re consulting with foreign counterparts on our proposals before making a final decision ahead of the deadline.”
The spokesman added: “There is more capacity to produce steel around the world than there is demand and that causes steel prices to be artificially low, damaging and potentially putting steel-makers in countries like ours, who can’t compete with lower prices, out of business.
“So whilst the UK was a member of the EU, the EU placed tariffs on some steel products being imported into the EU, we kept those safeguards on when it left the EU, and also set up the TRA (Trade Remedies Authority) when we left.
“Following the review last year we extended the measures and the reasons were set out there now. We are considering our position now and we’ll come forward with our decision in due course.”
PM: ‘Putin wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine in face of 1922 committee’
Boris Johnson has suggested that Vladimir Putin would have not invaded Ukraine earlier this year if he had the 1922 Committee of Tory backbench MPs “on his case”.
The PM made the claim at the G7 summit in an interview with CNN.
Read the full story here by Adam Forrest
Brexit allowed UK to lead on Ukraine crisis, claims PM
Boris Johnson claimed that the UK would have not been able to be at the forefront of providing support for Ukraine if it was still in the EU.
When asked if the UK is better off after Brexit, the PM told CNN: “It is (better off)”, before mentioning the Covid vaccine response and the ability to strike trade deals.
He added: “We are able to change some of our regulations to take back control of our borders. We are no longer spending shedloads of money on projects that we couldn’t control. And that was a good decision.”
Mr Johnson went on: “I don’t think that the UK within the European Union and within the kind of matrix of the common foreign policy and security policy that we then had, I don’t think that we would have been out in front, as the first European country to arm the Ukrainians, to give them the wherewithal to protect themselves.”
Unite says Labour’s refusal to back potential BA strike is ‘new low’
Unite the union has criticised Labour’s refusal to back a potential British Airways (BA) strike as a “new low”.
Earlier today, shadow foreign secretary David Lammy has said he “categorically” does not support a potential strike by BA check-in staff, who are being balloted by Unite and GMB.
Speaking to BBC and Sky News, the Tottenham Labour MP said the party continues to support negotiations and a deal when it comes to disputes over pay, jobs and working conditions.
Mr Lammy said: “All of us are feeling the pinch with inflation. Many of us might want a (pay) rise of 10%; in truth, most people understand it’s unlikely that you’re going to get that.
“It absolutely would not be right, it would not be responsible opposition if I suggested yes to every strike.”
David Lammy
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Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite, said: “Supporting bad bosses is a new low for Labour.
“David Lammy has chosen to launch a direct attack on British Airways workers. This is a group of workers who were savagely attacked by their employer during Covid. ‘Fire and rehire’ led to thousands of unnecessary job cuts and pay being slashed.
“This dispute is not about a pay rise – it’s about restoring money taken out of workers’ pockets by an opportunistic employer.
“British Airways and its parent company IAG hold billions in reserves and assets, and are predicting a return to profit this quarter.
“Supporting bad bosses is a new low for Labour and once again shows that politicians have failed. It is now down to the trade unions to defend working people. We are their only voice.”
