Boris Johnson news – live: Starmer demands swift action over ‘porn-watching’ Tory MP

Conservative Caroline Nokes has said the decision by her party’s chief whip to refer the complaint made about a male colleague watching porn in the Commons to a parliamentary watchdog amounted to “kicking it into long grass”.

Speaking to the PoliticsHome, Ms Nokes, who is chair of the women and equalities select committee, said she was “disappointed” that no action was taken swiftly against the accused MP the following day.

“I thought I would wake up on Wednesday morning to find somebody had had the whip withdrawn, and that didn’t happen,” she told this week’s episode of the The Rundown podcast.

“We’ve seen the whip withdrawn from colleagues for a variety of reasons over the years. I thought this seemed to be fairly straightforward. It was raised by one colleague, it was corroborated by another. That seems to me perfectly enough to withdraw the whip.”

She also dismissed suggestions that the MP accused of looking at porn in the Commons, who has not been named, had accidentally opened an “unsolicited” link on his phone, insisting that the allegation from two female colleagues was “quite clear”.

The government has dropped plans to impose further checks on goods entering the UK from the EU, with Brexit opportunities minister Jacob Rees-Mogg saying it would be “wrong to impose new administrative burdens and risk disruption at ports”.

It means restrictions on the imports of chilled meats from the EU and border checks on plant and animal products will not be introduced in July.

Port operators expressed frustration that time and money spent preparing for the new checks had been “wasted”. But Mr Rees-Mogg insisted a “new regime of border import controls” will be established by the end of 2023.

Goods moving from the UK will continue to be subject to checks in the EU despite the government deciding not to introduce the controls in Britain. Meanwhile, controls which have already been introduced in the UK will remain in place.

In a statement to MPs, Mr Rees-Mogg said:

“When the UK left the European Union, we regained the right to manage our own borders in a way that works for Britain. This includes how we manage imports into our country from overseas.

“British businesses and people going about their daily lives are being hit by rising costs caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine and in energy prices. It would therefore be wrong to impose new administrative burdens and risk disruption at ports and to supply chains at this point.

“The remaining import controls on EU goods will no longer be introduced this year – saving British businesses up to £1bn in annual costs.”

We reported earlier (see post from 1.20pm) that attorney-general Suella Braverman said a minority of men in politics “behave like animals”, and are bringing parliament into disrepute with unacceptable behaviour.

Her comments came after an unidentified Conservative MP was accused of watching pornography in the Commons chamber, with the matter being referred to a parliamentary watchdog.

Here’s our political correspondent Ashley Cowburn with more on Ms Braverman’s remarks to BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour programme:

Sajid Javid has denounced recently surfaced reports of “inappropriate and sexist behaviour” in parliament as “shameful”.

“Parliamentarians are public servants and it is their duty to set an example of character and integrity,” the health secretary tweeted.

“The culture of Westminster needs to change.”

It comes amid the ongoing row over comments made by a Tory MP about Angela Rayner’s legs; allegations from a female Labour MP about lewd remarks she was subjected to by a member of the shadow cabinet; and reports that a male Tory MP was seen watching pornography on his mobile phone inside the Commons chamber.

As we reported earlier (see post from 1.10pm), Keir Starmer has said the Tories must take immediate action against the MP who watched porn in the Commons, instead of leaving it an independent investigation.

The Tories have referred the controversy to the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (IGS) – promising “appropriate action” if the allegation is proved. But the Labour leader said there is no need for the party to await the inquiry’s conclusions, because the MPs’ identity is known to its whips’ office, writes our deputy political editor Rob Merrick.

“This is an unusual case because the Tory Party knows who this individual is,” he said, on the local elections campaign trail in Cumbria. “I think that they should deal with it and deal with it sooner rather than later and take appropriate action.”

Broadcasting regulator Ofcom has rejected a complaint by the NI Green Party over the BBC’s coverage of its election campaign, after the party accused the corporation of giving undue prominence to the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) party.

Party leader Clare Bailey claimed the BBC had given the TUV more exposure despite the fact it only had one seat in the last Assembly mandate and the Greens had two.

However, the BBC told Ofgem its coverage plans were in line with Ofcom requirements and its own election guidelines, insisting its coverage allocation was not based solely on past election results but also factored in opinion polling data related to the current election.

The TUV has polled higher than the Greens in several pre-election surveys of voter intentions.

Publishing its ruling on Thursday, Ofcom said it was satisfied with the approach the BBC had adopted. “Following careful consideration, Ofcom’s Election Committee has not upheld a complaint from the Green Party Northern Ireland about the BBC’s pre-election coverage,” a spokesman for the regulator said, adding:

“The committee was satisfied, among other things, that the weight placed by the BBC on opinion poll evidence was reasonable. It also recognised the difficult nature of the editorial decision made by the BBC, where the evidence on past electoral and current support is finely balanced.”

Over at Westminster, parliament has been officially prorogued until 10 May, when the new parliamentary session begins after the Queen’s Speech.

The monarch will set out the government’s future agenda, including legislative plans.

Prorogation is the formal name given to the period between the end of a parliamentary session and the state opening that begins the next one.

The attorney-general says some male MPs “behave like animals” – but they are only a small minority.

Suella Braverman, who has been an MP for seven years, told Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour: “My personal experience, I have to say, is that on no occasion have I been made to feel uncomfortable, and all the men that I’ve worked with have been respectful, courteous, and supportive.

“There is, however, a very small minority of men – and it is men – who fall short. And there are some bad apples who are out of order, who behave like animals and are bringing parliament into disrepute, to be honest.

“So I don’t think we should be saying there’s a pervasive culture. That’s not my experience. There are certain individuals who are behaving in an unacceptable way.”

Ms Braverman said she did not know who the MP accused of watching porn in the chamber was, but that she was ashamed he wore a Conservative rosette.

Sir Keir Starmer said the Conservatives should take immediate action against the MP who allegedly watched pornography in the Commons.

“I think it’s very good that we’ve got an independent system and obviously that requires anonymity,” the Labour leader said.

“This is an unusual case because the Tory party knows who this individual is.

“I think that they should deal with it and deal with it sooner rather than later and take appropriate action.

“So, nothing wrong with the independent process, but I think the Tory party… they know who this is… they should take action now.”

He hinted that Boris Johnson should change the party’s culture.

“We’ve all got a responsibility. That requires a culture change, and culture change has to be led from and modelled from the top.”