Boris Johnson is defying calls to resign following a bruising PMQs performance yesterday where he apologised for attending drinks in the gardens of Downing Street during lockdown.
The defiant prime minister decided to fight for his position on Wednesday afternoon and mobilised the cabinet to his defence, with ministers posting messages of support on social media.
One such cabinet minister is Jacob Rees-Mogg who responded to questions on party-gate in the Commons on Thursday. He told MPs that the Covid public inquiry must consider whether lockdown rules, including restrictions on funerals were “too hard”.
The attempted fight-back comes as Labour leads in the polls by a yawning ten-point gap – the biggest Labour lead over the Tory party in almost a decade.
Mr Johnson has also been forced to cancel a visit to a vaccination centre in Lancashire due to a family member testing positive for Covid. No 10 said the prime minister will be following the “guidance for vaccinated close contacts, including daily testing and limiting contact with others”.
Who is Sue Gray?
Sue Gray, the senior civil servant tasked with leading an inquiry into alleged No 10 rule-breaking during coronavirus lockdowns, is no stranger to an investigation.
Having led two previous reviews into the behaviour of Cabinet ministers, the Cabinet Office official has been handed responsibility for finding the facts amid a litany of claims that ministers and Government staff partied in contravention to Covid-19 restrictions.
Her remit includes looking into the allegation that Downing Street staff, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie, attended a “bring your own booze” party on May 20 2020, at a time when more than two people were banned from socialising outdoors together.
Sue Gray may not be allowed in front of select committees to present No 10 parties report
Jacob Rees-Mogg unable to name Welsh Conservative leader when asked in Commons
Jacob Rees-Mogg was left floundering when asked to name the Welsh Conservative leader by Kevin Brennan at Business Questions on Thursday.
It comes after the Commons leader called Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross a “lightweight figure” in the party on Wednesday evening
Mr Brennan asked: “Following his disparaging remarks about the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, can we have a statement from him about exactly what he meant by that?
“For example, does he think the leader of the Welsh Conservatives is a lightweight figure? And can he name him?”
After briefly laughing and then remaining silent for a moment, Mr Rees-Mogg replied: “The Secretary of State for Wales is called Simon Hart.”
Andrew RT Davies was first elected leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd in 2011 before resigning in 2018. He was reappointed last January.
US rejects UK plea for talks on steel tariffs in humiliation for Boris Johnson
The US has rejected a UK plea for face-to-face talks to remove punishing tariffs on UK steel, in an embarrassment for Boris Johnson.
But Gina Raimondo, the US commerce secretary, has now told the Department for International Trade (DIT), that she is too busy to travel to the UK at present.
“While Secretary Raimondo appreciates the kind invitation, she’s not in a position to travel to London in-person at this time,” a spokesperson told the Politico website.
Our deputy political editor Rob Merrick reports:
PM pulls out of public appearance after family member tests positive for Covid despite not being required to self-isolate
Boris Johnson has bowed out of a planned visit to a jab clinic after an unidentified family member tested positive for Covid-19.
The public appearance in Lancashire would have been an opportunity for the media to ask the PM questions about his attendance at a Downing Street “BYOB” party on 20 May 2020.
Despite official guidance no longer requiring vaccinated contacts of coronavirus cases to self-isolate, Mr Johnson has pulled out of the visit
A Downing Street spokesman said: “The Prime Minister will no longer be visiting Lancashire today due to a family member testing positive for coronavirus.
“He will follow the guidance for vaccinated close contacts, including daily testing and limiting contact with others.”
Although the legal requirement to self-isolate does not apply to vaccinated contacts, they are advised to take daily tests and “limit close contact with other people outside your household”.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman added that Mr Johnson took a test on Wednesday and another on Thursday.
He said: “The PM is following the guidance to do daily tests and limit contact with others. As I said, (the) positive test was Wednesday so the PM will continue following this guidance up to and including Tuesday of next week.
“For reference, the guidance is to take an LFD (lateral flow device) test every day for seven days, or until 10 days after the household member who has Covid-19 started their self-isolation period if this is earlier, and in this instance it’s not, so it’s seven days.”
The spokesman added that “in line with the guidance, he’s reducing contacts, he’ll be working from No 10, doing the daily tests, and limiting contact with others both outside No 10 and indeed inside No 10 as well”.
He said the Prime Minister will continue to hold meetings but “for the large part that will be done virtually”.
PPE contract ‘VIP-lane’ ‘dodgy’ and ‘illegal’, says Rayner
The alleged VIP lane for personal protective equipment (PPE) contracts was not just “dodgy” but “illegal”, Labour’s deputy leader has said.
Angela Rayner said: “The Government’s VIP lane for PPE procurement wasn’t just dodgy, it was actually illegal. That was not my opinion, but the judgment of a High Court yesterday.”
The Labour deputy leader said Cabinet Office ministers stood at the despatch box “time and time again” to say “detailed diligence and full financial checks were done”, but on Wednesday the court “found that the Cabinet Office simply did not have the resources necessary to undertake due diligence”.
She added: “Officials simply searched online to confirm one company existed and another received a red warning but it wasn’t passed on. Can he tell us how much from those two contracts alone was spent on equipment that wasn’t even used by the NHS?”
Cabinet Office minister Steve Barclay rejected her allegations, insisting that the government had strained “every sinew” to ensure PPE made available.
He said: “The court acknowledged, quote, that it’s highly unlikely that the outcome would have been substantially different if a different assessment process had been followed.
“I think what the House quite rightly would have challenged the Government on is, firstly, if anything different would have occurred if a different approach had happened, and secondly, on the fundamental point, which is at a time of national crisis, whether the Government was straining every sinew to ensure that those at the sharp end in our NHS – clinicians – had the PPE that they needed. The Government did do that.”
Christine Lee: Security warning to MPs over Chinese spying threat
‘Cascading revelations of corruption’: How Europe’s media reported on Boris Johnson’s No.10 party
Boris Johnson’s political meltdown over lockdown parties in Downing Street has caught the attention of European newspapers – most of which have cast a sceptical eye on the prime minister’s response.
French-speaking Belgian daily newspaper Le Soir carries a analysis piece branding Mr Johnson’s defence of the party “tenuous”, stating that had “played the naivety card” to MPs on Wednesday. Meanwhile in Flanders De Standard says the prime minister’s argument “convinced few” and says he is gradually becoming a “dead man walking”.
Our policy correspondent Jon Stone reports:
