Moment Boris Johnson deliberately misled MPs on following Covid guidelines
Boris Johnson has been accused of launching a “desperate’ last-ditch attack on the Partygate committee hours before it publishes its damning verdict on whether the former prime minister lied to parliament.
The former PM called on senior Tory Sir Bernard Jenkin to “explain his actions and resign” from the privileges committee, after the pro-Boris website Guido Fawkes claimed he had also broken lockdown rules by attending a drinks reception for his wife’s birthday in December 2020.
A source close to the committee said it was “desperate stuff” from the Boris camp, and noted that the committee was ruling on Mr Johnson’s claims in the Commons rather than the gatherings themselves.
The attempt to undermine the report due on Thursday came after Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused Rishi Sunak of being “too weak” to block his predecessor’s resignation honours list in a fiery Prime Minister’s Questions dominated by peerages.
“If he’s so tough, why didn’t he block it?” Sir Keir asked – before saying honours should be for “public service, not Tory cronies”.
Mid-Bedfordshire by-election: Key numbers
Meanwhile, Labour would need a much larger swing in Mid-Bedfordshire to win the seat from the Conservatives.
Nadine Dorries notched up a huge majority of 24,664 at the 2019 general election, along with 60% of the vote.
The constituency has been held by the Tories without a break since 1931, with Ms Dorries becoming its MP in 2005.
Labour finished in second place in 2019 on 22% of the vote, 38 percentage points behind the Conservatives.
The Lib Dems were further behind on 13%, while the Greens were fourth on 4%.
To win the seat at the by-election, Labour would need a swing in the share of the vote of 19.1 percentage points – that is, 20 in every 100 people who voted Conservative in 2019 would have to switch.
Labour has not achieved this size of swing in a by-election since winning South East Staffordshire from the Tories in April 1996.
The Liberal Democrats would need an even bigger swing to leap from third to first place in Mid-Bedfordshire: 23.6 points, the equivalent of 24 in every 100 people who voted Tory in 2019 switching directly to the Lib Dems.
The party has pulled off this kind of swing in recent by-elections, however.
In June 2022 the Lib Dems won Tiverton & Honiton from the Conservatives on a swing of 29.9 points, while in December 2021 they won North Shropshire from the Tories on an even bigger swing of 34.1 points.
Selby & Ainsty by-election: Key numbers
Elsewhere, the seat of Selby & Ainsty was created at the 2010 general election and has always been held by the Conservatives.
Nigel Adams took 49% of the vote in 2010 and pushed up his share at every subsequent election, winning 53% in 2015, 59% in 2017 and 60% in 2019, when he won a majority of 20,137.
Labour came second in 2019 with 25% of the vote, 35 percentage points behind the Tories.
The Liberal Democrats finished third with 9%, while the Greens came fifth – behind the Yorkshire Party – on 3%.
For Labour to win this North Yorkshire seat at a by-election, it would need a swing in the share of the vote of 17.9 points, or 18 in every 100 people who voted Tory in 2019 to switch to them.
The last time Labour achieved a swing at a by-election of at least 17 points was in February 1997, when the party won Wirral South from the Conservatives.
The Lib Dems would need a swing of 25.9 points, or 26 in every 100 former Tory voters to switch to them.
Blow for British businesses as EU rules out renegotiating Brexit trade deal for years
The EU‘s Brexit chief has ruled out renegotiating Britain’s trade deal until 2026, dashing hopes it could be improved and prevent businesses fleeing the UK.
Maroš Šefčovič said the trade and cooperation agreement had only been in force for two years and was not yet being used to its full potential.
The deal, signed by Boris Johnson on 30 December 2020, has been criticised by business groups for increasing costs and bureaucracy compared to membership of the EU single market and customs union.
“We have received quite a lot of questions and I’ve seen that there is increased interest in the TCA review. As far as our calendar goes, I think that it’s more for 2026,” Mr Šefčovič told the EU-UK forum on Monday.
He added that he did not want to put the deal “in the shredder”.
Our Policy Correspondent Jon Stone has the full story:
Boris ally claims Sunak blocked ‘eight people’ from peerages
Lord Marland suggested on BBC Radio 4’s World at One that Rishi Sunak is to blame for blocking some of Boris Johnson’s resignation honours. The Johnson ally said that there were “eight people who Rishi decided not to support” for peerages.
Put to him that the House of Lords appointments commission [Holac] had removed the names, he said: “No, they didn’t. They had the names removed on the suggestion of elements of the civil service, the Cabinet Office or the Inland Revenue [as is] often the case, and then Holac don’t have to adjudicate.”
He added: “It is in the remit of the prime minister that, if he really wants someone to become a prime minister, he can push hard for Holac to do with, as various prime ministers have done in the past.”
No 10 has rejected the claims from the Boris campaign. “The prime minister then accepted Holac’s approved list and forwarded it unamended to the sovereign for their approval.”
Establishment ‘has seen Boris out the door’, says Jake Berry
Former Tory chairman Jake Berry, a friend of Boris Johnson, told reporters: “The establishment has seen Boris out the door.”
Berry said he had “no idea” about private conversations between Johnson and Sunak, and whether the former PM had been promised his honours list.
Asked if he would like to see Boris back in the Commons one day, Berry said: “He appeals to the great British public more than I’ve seen an British politician do. There is something special about him. He’s an extraordinary character.”
But the senior Tory MP added: “I look forward to campaigning with my friend Rishi – not just in three byelections but in a general election.”
Johnson ‘a partial architect of his own demise’, says Conservative peer
Conservative peer Lord Marland offered a staunch defence of Boris Johnson, as he questioned the work of the Privileges Committee.
“Boris resigned because he was offended by the fact they didn’t believe him,” Lord Marland told BBC Radio 4’s World At One programme.
He rejected the point that it was a Conservative-majority committee that was investigating the former prime minister.
“There is a lot of difference of views and personal jealousy within the Conservative Party, as there is within the Labour Party.
“In some ways, you’re better coming up in front of an entirely Labour group than a mixture.”
Lord Marland added: “Who would be prime minister? There has not been a prime minister since Margaret Thatcher who has not left office vilified.”
He admitted that Mr Johnson was “a partial architect of his own demise”, but added: “Other people have conspired to help that.”
Sunak ‘talking rubbish’, says Johnson
Boris Johnson has accused Rishi Sunak of “talking rubbish” after the prime minister said his predecessor asked him to overrule the vetting committee for appointments to the House of Lords.
In a statement, Boris Johnson said: “Rishi Sunak is talking rubbish. To honour these peerages it was not necessary to overrule Holac – but simply to ask them to renew their vetting, which was a mere formality.”
It comes after Downing Street said it is “entirely untrue” that Mr Sunak or members of his No 10 team removed names from the House of Lords Appointments Commission (Holac) list.
Boris hits back after Sunak comes out swinging in honours row
The row between Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak intensified today as the former PM accused his successor of “talking rubbish” over a claim he was asked to bend the rules on peerages.
The prime minister claimed Mr Johnson asked him to either overrule the committee which vets peerages – known as Holac – or “make promises to people” on the issue.
But a furious Mr Johnson hit back, saying: “Rishi Sunak is talking rubbish.
He added: “To honour these peerages it was not necessary to overrule Holac – but simply to ask them to renew their vetting, which was a mere formality.”
My colleague Archie Mitchell has the full story:
Reform UK and Reclaim parties announce deal to boost chances in by-elections
The Reform UK and Reclaim parties have announced a deal to boost each other’s chances in the by-elections triggered by the resignations of Boris Johnson and Nadine Dorries.
Actor Laurence Fox, who leads Reclaim, will stand in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat vacated by the former prime minister while Reform UK will not stand a candidate there.
Dave Holland of Reform, which was founded with Nigel Farage’s backing, will stand in former culture secretary Ms Dorries’ Mid Bedfordshire’s constituency.
Mr Fox said: “The Reclaim Party and Reform UK offer the only genuine conservative alternative to the electorate, seeking for a smaller state, lower taxes, control of our borders and a full debate over net zero and the contentious ideologies being forced onto our children in schools.”
Reform leader Richard Tice added that “this co-operation enables us to have extra focus on specific by-elections”.
Reclaim has one MP after recently welcoming Andrew Bridgen following his expulsion from the Tories for comparing vaccines to the Holocaust.
Letters to the editor: Rishi Sunak needs to put an end to the Tory turmoil
“The Conservative Party is now in more turmoil and chaos than ever before, with no chance of winning the next general election. Rishi Sunak should take this as an opportunity to retrench and consolidate, to expel the far-right fringe and anyone else who refuses to toe his pragmatic and sensible line.
The party would, of course, be smaller, but it would be more cohesive and manageable, and would gradually rebuild in strength by welcoming back those disillusioned by the David Cameron, Boris Johnson, and Liz Truss years of lunacy.
I shall never vote Tory, but democracy needs a realistic and robust opposition, which I regret we shall not have after the next (hopefully imminent) general election.”
