Boris Johnson is using “murderous dictators to keep lights on” because the Conservatives have failed to prepare an energy strategy during their years in power, the shadow deputy prime minister has claimed during noisy exchanges in the Commons.
Angela Rayner, facing deputy prime minister Dominic Raab, said the PM was now “on a begging mission” as he visited the Gulf states to ask them to increase oil production.
“The government benches have a choice – they can accept Labour’s plan to save working families hundreds of pounds on bills funded by a one-off levy on the soaring profits of energy companies,” she said.
“So I ask the deputy prime minister – is their only plan to keep on begging?”
Mr Raab said while Labour had been campaigning for Jeremy Corbyn to become leader, Mr Johnson had been “leading the response to the nerve agent attack on Salisbury”.
The PM is visiting the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, even though MPs have urged him to scrap plans for a post-Brexit trade accord with the country after it executed 81 people over the weekend.
In Abu Dhabi, Mr Johnson insisted he has raised the two countries’ poor human rights records “many, many times”, adding: “I’ll raise them all again today.”
Ministers falling behind on levelling up and net zero, say government’s own advisers
Boris Johnson’s ministers are at risk of failing to deliver on their levelling up agenda and net zero target unless they “picks up the pace”, the government’s own infrastructure advisory body has warned.
The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) said the government was making only “slow progress” with plans to boost investment in deprived parts of the country and shift Britain’s energy use to achieve the goal of net zero emissions by 2050.
Our politics reporter Adam Forrest has more details:
ICYMI: Parents to be given £100 for PE kits by Welsh government
Parents in Wales who are struggling with bills will be given £100 by the government to cover the cost of PE kits.
Education minister Jeremy Miles said the policy would help with the cost of living crisis and make household budgets “go a little bit further”.
Any child who receives free school meals will be eligible for the one-off assistance from summer 2022.
Our policy correspondent Jon Stone reports:
Nonsense to suggest PM pressed security services over Lebedev peerage, Raab claims
Dominic Raab insisted he has “never overruled” intelligence advice as he was forced to defend Russian-born businessman Evgeny Lebedev’s appointment to the House of Lords.
Justice Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab speaks during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons (House of Commons/PA)
” height=”726″ width=”982″ layout=”responsive” class=”i-amphtml-layout-responsive i-amphtml-layout-size-defined” i-amphtml-layout=”responsive”> Justice Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab speaks during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons (House of Commons/PA)
The deputy prime minister told MPs it was “sheer nonsense” to suggest Boris Johnson had asked anyone in the security services to revise, reconsider or withdraw their assessment of Lord Lebedev.
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner repeatedly pressed Mr Raab during PMQs over Lord Lebedev’s elevation to the upper house and raised reports that the head of MI6 held security concerns over the appointment.
Dominic Raab told off by speaker for dodging questions with ‘ancient history’
The deputy prime minister has been told to stop bringing up ancient “history” to deflect from criticism of the governemnt.
Dominic Raab received a stern telling off from Lindsay Hoyle in the Commons on Wednesday after he kept answering questions about the energy crisis by bringing up former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
The speaker said Mr Raab should “stick to” the present and stop “talking about history” as a “defensive mechanism”.
Our policy correspondent Jon Stone reports:
Government making it ‘extraordinarily difficult’ for Ukrainians
Conservative MP Adam Holloway accused the government of making it “extraordinarily difficult” for Ukrainian women and children to reach the UK, calling the situation “utterly farcical”.
He told the home affairs committee: “I don’t know how many people crossed the Channel yesterday, but I wonder what criminal record checks or checks for war crimes were carried out on them? I mean, are we having a kind of a bit of a double standard?
“We’re completely failing to stop what are essentially economic migrants, mostly fit young men, and yet we’re making it incredibly difficult for women and children to come here with enormous reputational damage to a government is doing really well overall.”
In response, Kevin Foster, Home Office minister for safe and legal migration, said people arriving from France are detained and have their biometrics taken, with some exceptions for unaccompanied children and families, and “are subject to the very checks you’ve just talked about”.
‘Red tape stopping 48 Ukrainian orphans coming to Scotland’
The government has been urged to remove red tape preventing a Scottish charity from bringing 48 Ukrainian orphans to safety in the UK.
The SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford said the Home Office was the main barrier to getting the group on a flight out of Poland, writes Adam Forrest:
I have never overruled intelligence advice, says Raab
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner pushed the Deputy Prime Minister on the appointment of Lord Lebedev to the House of Lords.
She said: “The right honourable member was foreign secretary on March 17 2020 when British intelligence reportedly warned against the granting of peerage to the Prime Minister’s close friend and now Lord Lebedev of Hampton and Siberia. Forty-eight hours later the Prime Minister visited Lebedev at his home in London; details of that meeting have never been released.
“In July 2020 Lebedev’s appointment as peer was announced. So can he tell the House what changed between the security warning and the appointment?”
Mr Raab said: “The honourable lady knows full well all individuals nominated for a peerage are done so in recognition of what their contribution is to society. And I should say, that includes those of Russian origin who contribute brilliantly to our nation, many of whom in this country are critics of the Putin regime.
“Life peerages are vetted by the House of Lords’ appointments commission for matters of probity and frankly I think she should know better.”
Ms Rayner pressed Mr Raab on whether he has ever “overruled or ignored” direct advice from the British security services.
Mr Raab replied: “Can I say to the honourable lady, what she suggests is nonsense. She’s talking about the House of Lords Appointments Commission. They have a vetting process.
“I have never overruled intelligence advice and I wouldn’t comment on the details of it.
“What I would say, and would agree with her on the strength, the agility of the British diplomatic service, which time and time again, are the unsung heroes in returning British nationals – often less celebrated cases than this – but I think now is a great opportunity to recognise the heroic work they do.”
Raab and Rayner clash over Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
Mr Raab said he could not yet confirm reports about Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe being on her way home but the return of her passport “feels like positive signs”.
He said: “Can I first of all say that I cannot yet confirm the reports we have seen in the media but of course it feels like positive signs and of course, no one wants more than me – but I am sure all members of the House – to see Nazanin but also all of the arbitrarily detained nationals reunited with their loved ones.”
He said the government had done “absolutely everything we can”, saying of Ms Rayner: “She shouldn’t give succour to the despotic regime that detained our nationals in Iran or around the world by suggesting it is anyone else’s responsibility other than theirs.”
Fears as businessman linked to Russian company front runner to run National Lottery
Dominic Raab told the Commons: “I understand that four members of the Ukrainian parliament are here with us in the gallery today and I’m sure I speak for the whole House in saying that we stand in total solidarity with you.”
Conservative MP Dean Russell raised concerns over the Gambling Commission announcing that Czech operator Allwyn, owned by Czech businessman Karel Komarek and previously known as Sazka Entertainment, was its “preferred applicant” to run the National Lottery when Camelot’s licence expires in 2024.
Mr Russell, who noted Camelot is a major employer in his constituency, told the Commons: “I do wonder, given the current situation in Ukraine, if (Mr Raab) considers it appropriate that the next licensee of the operator of the National Lottery is known to have a joint venture with Gazprom?”
Mr Raab replied: “I understand that Allwyn’s owner Mr Komarek, who has long criticised the Putin regime, is in discussions with the Czech Republic government regarding the joint venture with Gazprom and removing its involvement.”
Labour deputy PM ‘in social media echo chamber’
Angela Rayner has been accused of being in a “social media echo chamber” by the deputy PM.
Ms Rayner told Mr Raab “democracy is at risk” and the UK must support Ukraine’s President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people. “Instead we have this sorry excuse of a government”, she claimed, hiking tax on 27m working people, while the government “cavort with Russian oligarchs” and neglecting voters.
“Can the deputy prime minister look people in the eye and really say the government is doing its best for people?” she asked.
Mr Raab said the impact of the sanctions, with Russian stock markets and the rouble plummeting, and 100,000 sponsors volunteering to give Ukrainians homes, showed ministers were taking action.
“While she’s in her social media echo chamber that’s what the government is doing,” he countered.
