Boris Johnson will “have his say” on the Partygate scandal in Parliament this week, a minister said today, as Labour tore into fresh revelations that a gathering at Downing Street turned into a leaving party only after the prime minister allegedly started pouring drinks.
The Sunday Times reported the prime minister’s official photographer had captured Mr Johnson holding a beer at the gathering, and chancellor Rishi Sunak with a soft drink, at the event on 13 November 2020.
Energy minister Greg Hands confirmed Mr Johnson will be speaking to Parliament this week about the scandal and “will outline his version of events and face questions from MPs.”
It comes as a poll today revealed that Mr Johnson is widely regarded as liar by British voters.
A public opinion poll by JLPartners found that just 16 per cent of people would use positive language to describe the prime minister with more than 70 per cent characterising him in negative terms.
Voters were asked to describe the prime minister, with the most frequent description being that he is a ‘liar’ – followed by ‘incompetent’ and ‘untrustworthy’.
Every day Boris Johnson remains ‘tarnishes his party and office of prime minister’, says former minister
Former Cabinet member Rory Stewart has said the removal of prime minister Boris Johnson from office is an “ethical” matter for the Conservative party.
Tweeting today, the former Tory minister said: “Every day that Boris Johnson remains tarnishes his party and the office of the Prime-Minister.
“Removing him is not only the ethical thing for Conservative MPs to do.
“It is also profoundly in their long-term interest.”
Former archbishop calls Rwanda scheme ‘sinful’
The former archbishop of Canterbury has dubbed the government’s Rwanda migrant plans “sinful” after Justin Welby yesterday described the scheme as being “against the judgement of God.”
Rowan William reportedly told Times Radio: “Policy itself seems to me to be not in accord with what I understand about God.”
He then went on to describe Partygate as something to put prime minsiter Boris Johnson’s “position in doubt.”
He added: “A breach of the law, which has damaging consequences for society, which damages trust which damages the integrity and credibility not only of an individual but of the government seems to be perfectly appropriate for the confessional.”
“It’s appropriate to take that kind of offence to the confessional, to lay it out to ask for, as the formula of confession says, penance, advice and absolution.”
Watch: Tory minister laughs on GMB after being asked if he would ‘send Jesus to Rwanda’
No 10 and FCDO fall foul to Pegasus spyware infections
Two UK government departments have been infected on multiple suspected instances by Pegasus spyware, Citizen Lab has revealed.
The infections were found in both 10 Downing Street – the heart of government – and the Foreign Commonwealth and Development office (FCDO) between 2020 and 2021.
Citizen Lab today said it could confirm that the suspected infections relating to the FCDO were associated with Pegasus operators linked to the UAE, India, Cyprus, and Jordan, while those at No 10 were associated with an operator linked to the UAE.
Developed by the Israeli cyber-arms company NSO Group, Pegasus can be covertly installed on mobile phones (and other devices) running most versions of iOS and Android.
It is capable of reading text messages, tracking calls, collecting passwords, location tracking, accessing the target device’s microphone and camera, and harvesting information from apps
‘War cabinet’ could be established if leadership contest occurs, senior Tory suggests
A veteran Conservative MP has said a “war cabinet” could be created in the event of a possible leadership contest should the prime minister resign or be desposed, so as not to detract attention from efforts to aid war-torn Ukraine.
Sir Roger Gale said the “interim administration” could be led by the deputy prime minister, Dominic Raab.
“I don’t actually know whether what I’m proposing is possible legally,” he said.
“But if Johnson were to resign – he probably won’t – but if he were to resign, then … if the deputy prime minister led a ‘war cabinet’ to deal with the crisis and get us through to the point when we could then have a proper leadership election, that is a possible way forward.
“What I don’t know is what the situation is if the prime minister refused – suppose it was necessary for the prime minister to go but he won’t resign, then insofar as I’m aware the only way of doing that is by getting the 50 letters … and then hope that you can win a no-confidence motion, which is not certain.”
He added: “What I don’t know under the rules is if you have a no-confidence motion and the prime minister goes, do you then have to have a leadership contest?
“Or could you have what I’m suggesting, which would be an interim administration – a Conservative administration, but an interim administration – to see us through?”
Watch: Boris Johnson ‘will have his say’ on Partygate scandal, says minister
Opinion: ‘There are bleak days ahead for the economy – but don’t give up hope’
These are confusing and troubling days, but the Easter break gives us all a moment to reflect on what is happening and hopefully pick a path through the gloom, writes Hamish McRae.
Watch: Historian says Boris Johnson has become ‘great debaser’ of decency
‘Immoral trade in human beings’: UK slammed for deporting asylum seekers in return for Rwanda refugees
Priti Patel has been accused of taking part in an “immoral trade of human beings” after it emerged the UK will take in a number of refugees from Rwanda in return for deporting thousands of asylum seekers to the country.
Around 50 of the “most vulnerable refugees” in the African nation are to be resettled in Britain as part of a multi-million-pound deal agreed between the two countries last week, under which thousands of UK asylum seekers are set to be deported to Rwanda to have their claims considered there.
It has also emerged that modern slavery victims will be among those removed from Britain under the deal, despite the fact that the UK government condemned Rwanda for its failure to protect and support survivors of trafficking less than a year ago.
Our social affairs correspondent May Bulman reports:
A brilliant thread by our home affairs editor Lizzie Dearden on the reasons why people seeking asylum in the UK cross the Channel in small boats and lorries.
“We are seeing the consequences of governments trying to mitigate the effects of unevidenced and ideological immigration and asylum policy, with more unevidenced and ideological policies,” she writes.
“Rwanda is just part of a long trend, and there’s no evidence it will be any more effective.”
Click here to read her thread in full:
