Markus Andrews

A whistleblower says a focus group authorised by Rishi Sunak under a £500,000 taxpayer-funded deal was an attempt to argue the Tory party should not be blamed for the cost of living crisis.The participant has told The Independent of his “disgust” over what he described as an attempt to frame an argument that the government could not have done more to prevent the crisis.On Friday Rishi Sunak entered the Tory leadership race, vowing to “restore trust” and “reunite the country” after Boris Johnson’s scandal-tainted reign.“I’m standing to be the next leader of the Conservative Party and your prime minister. Let’s restore trust, rebuild the economy and reunite the country,” Mr Sunak tweeted.The Treasury has defended the focus groups against criticism of the vast cost by arguing they “measure the understanding of policies” – but the man said he was never asked about any policies.RecommendedInstead, the group was told its purpose was to “determine whether the Conservative party can be held accountable for the cost of living problems you have experienced”, he alleged.The seven participants, at the 90-minute session held in the West Midlands in late April, were then asked if they agreed that “no government could have acted to prevent the cost of living crisis”.“I was shocked and disgusted by what happened, which seemed to be an attempt to indoctrinate the group,” said the whistleblower, who was required to sign a non-disclosure agreement.“It left me feeling very dirty, that – although I don’t know exactly what they were looking for from me in terms of soundbites – I had helped feed their machine.”The disclosures will fuel criticism that the £500,000 deal – for two focus groups and one national online poll each week until next February – is for the benefit of the Tory party, yet funded by the taxpayer.It follows a report, after the Budget in March, that Mr Sunak “polled voters for months to decide how to sell his tax rises” – quoting a Treasury official saying: “When you mention the word honesty the polls go up by 10-20 per cent.”Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, said: “The eye-witness account of these sessions appears to bear no resemblance to the embarrassment of excuses the Treasury has given to defend the indefensible.“There are now serious questions for ministers to answer as to why public money has apparently been misappropriated for party political propaganda.”Ms Rayner added: “Why should the public have to stump for Rishi Sunak’s vanity projects during a cost of living crisis?”The Independent was contacted by the whistleblower after the £500,000 contract was revealed. He has provided his name, but it cannot be disclosed because of the agreement he signed.We have seen proof of his participation in the form of an email sent by a market research company called Podengo, on behalf of “our client Deltapoll” – the firm with which the Treasury has its contract.The confirmation of his acceptance onto the focus group gives no clue about the questions to be asked, describing it only as “Project Vox”. Participants were each paid £50.The man, a charity worker in his thirties who has taken part in several dozen focus groups, added: “The purpose appeared to be the Conservative party and how to improve its image.“It was very, very different to other market research groups I have taken part in, which were more neutral. I had never come across this before.”At one point, the group was asked if it “believed” the official inflation rate figure of, at the time, 8 per cent, although the man said it was not clear why.It was also asked about the general idea of a windfall tax on energy firms, but not about Mr Sunak’s policy – a U-turn which was only announced one month later.The man said he disputed the implication that ministers could not have acted differently over the cost of living crisis, but was given the impression that such interventions were not welcome.The Treasury acknowledged that it did run the focus group he attended, in the West Midlands in late April, but insisted it complied with procurement regulations.RecommendedA spokesperson said: “The Treasury conducts regular polling to help develop and measure the impact and understanding of its policies.“This polling is run by the civil service and is politically neutral with no reference to any political parties.” More

A day after Boris Johnson succumbed to the inevitable and resigned following a deluge of resignations, popular Tory MP Tom Tugendhat wasted little time in declaring his intention to enter the race to become his successor.Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Mr Tugendhat, 49, said: “I am putting together a broad coalition of colleagues that will bring new energy and ideas to government and, finally, to bridge the Brexit divide that has dominated our recent history.“I have served before – in the military, and now in parliament. Now I hope to answer the call once again as prime minister. It’s time for a clean start. It’s time for renewal.”Attorney general Suella Braverman had already signalled her own intention to run during a Wednesday night interview with ITV’s Robert Peston before Mr Johnson had even gone, downfall-instigator Rishi Sunak has since followed suit.Campaigns are likewise expected from other party big beasts including new chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, foreign secretary Liz Truss, ex-health secretary Sajid Javid, defence secretary Ben Wallace and perhaps Steve Baker, Jeremy Hunt, Grant Shapps and Penny Mordaunt.Recommended More

Rishi Sunak has launched his bid to become the new Tory leader with a slick PR-led campaign confirming plans that were first reported by The Independent in January. Mr Sunak is the most-prominent MP to join the race since Boris Johnson announced his resignation on Thursday, with Liz Truss and Jeremy Hunt expected to follow him over the weekend. He threw his hat into the ring at 4:16pm on Friday, posting a glossy video titled “Ready for Rishi” on his social media channels and linking to a website of the same name. Recommended More

Sir Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner did not break Covid laws and will not be fined over Beergate, Durham Police have announced.A spokesperson added: “There is no case to answer for a contravention of the regulations, due to the application of an exception, namely reasonably necessary work.”Police said the gathering at the Miners’ Hall in Durham on 30 April 2020, which was linked to part of Labour campaigning for theHartlepool by-election and local elections, had been fully investigated.Evidence and witness statements identified that 17 people participated, including the Labour leader and deputy leader.“Durham Constabulary will not be issuing any fixed penalty notices in respect of the gathering and no further action will be taken,” a statement said.Recommended“The investigation has been thorough, detailed and proportionate.”Sir Keir, the former director of public prosecutions, had vowed to resign if he was found to have broken Covid laws – having urged Boris Johnson to leave his post after being fined over an illegal Downing Street gathering.In a statement posted on Twitter, the Labour leader said: “I’ve always said no rules were broken when I was in Durham.“The police have completed their investigation and agreed: there is no case to answer.“For me, this was always a matter of principle. Honesty and integrity matter. You will always get that from me.”Ms Rayner tweeted: “Integrity matters in politics. The contrast with the behaviour of this disgraced prime minister couldn’t be clearer.” Durham Constabulary previously investigated Dominic Cummings, then the prime minister’s chief adviser, for taking his family from London to the north-east while infected with coronavirus during the first national lockdown.Officers concluded that he might have committed a “minor breach” of the law by driving to Barnard Castle, but that issuing a fine months later “would amount to treating Mr Cummings differently from other members of the public”.The force initially decided to take no action over images of Sir Keir drinking a beer inside the constituency office of Labour MP Mary Foy, which resurfaced while being widely shared by Conservatives during the Partygate scandal. More

Who could replace Boris Johnson in the role of prime minister?
Sir Keir Starmer has called for a general election as Labour grew its lead over the Tories during a chaotic week of rebellions in Westminser. The opposition leader said his party was “ready” for an election as he made a speech after escaping a fine over the “Beergate” row. “Let’s get on with it,” he said, adding: “If there’s a general election this government will fall.”Both Sir Keir and Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, had pledged to resign had they been given fixed-penalty notices. But Durham Constabulary said there was no case to answer after they were photographed mixing with others during Covid restrictions.Meanwhile, Boris Johnson is facing mounting calls to leave office straight away after vowing to remain in Downing Street until his successor is chosen. He said earlier this week he would be stepping down as leader after more than 50 MPs quit government in protest at his leadership, while others withdrew support. RecommendedShow latest update

1657290650Brexit and Northern Ireland: free eventChief political commentator John Rentoul hosts an expert panel for a virtual event on the Northern Ireland protocol: More

As the Conservative Party searches for a new leader following Boris Johnson’s resignation, one issue above all that will be left unresolved is the Northern Ireland protocol.More than six years since the referendum and two and a half years since the UK left the European Union, the issue remains one of the main items of unfinished business left over from the Johnson government.As Mr Johnson’s Bill to rip up parts of the protocol, which he signed himself as part of the Brexit deal, makes its way through parliament, join our expert panel to ask the question – will the UK and EU ever come to a deal? And will a new prime minister taking on the biggest job in the country be able to solve the problem?Get your free ticket hereThe Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which plans to unilaterally scrap GB-NI border checks, will receive scrutiny in the coming weeks, after MPs voted to give it a second reading. It is expected to reach the House of Lords before October, according to Baroness Smith.Labour’s House of Lords leader said anger is building at the Bill, and accused the Government of “taking its eye off the ball” over Northern Ireland.RecommendedSome have contended that the Bill breaks international law by seeking to override sections of the protocol.The move has sparked a fierce backlash from the bloc, with fresh legal action launched against Britain.Will a new prime minister succeed in going back on Boris Johnson’s deal? What does this mean for the Good Friday Agreement? How will the bill affect the stability of Northern Ireland if it goes through, as Mr Johnson said at the G7 Summit, he hoped by the end of the year?Join host The Independent’s chief political commentator John Rentoul and a panel of experts on Wednesday 27 July for our next virtual event at 6.30pm.For more information and to get your free ticket, visit our Eventbrite page. More

A fresh attempt to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda is likely in the coming weeks despite Boris Johnson’s promise to make no “major” decisions.The outgoing prime minister’s spokesman said the move would fall under “existing policy” – which is allowed, despite his resignation and “caretaker” status.Asked if a flight is possible even before this month’s judicial review into the legality of the controversial policy”, he told The Independent: “It is.”“Operation preparations for future flights have begun,” he said, after the European Court of Human Rights thwarted the government’s first bid to begin deportations.“Convention does not prevent or preclude the government from seeking to pursue existing policy and that would include defending cases in court.”RecommendedAfter Mr Johnson faced down Tory demands to leave No 10 immediately, he appeared to have his wings clipped by his new cabinet, which some members joined only on “conditions”.Downing Street stated he had “made clear the government would not seek to implement new policies or make major changes of direction”, at the cabinet’s first meeting.Plans for a big economy speech on Monday – to announce tax cuts – have been abandoned, as has the intention to bring back regular Downing Street press conferences.But the spokesman reserved the need to “react to emerging issues”, when asked about the volatile economic picture and the threat of supply shocks or rising energy prices.But he cautioned: “We do have significant support already in place for the global cost of living pressures that we are seeing, including measures which have not yet been introduced.”Ministers condemned the ECHR for preventing the first Rwanda flight last month, insisting they have the domestic legal powers they need to deport asylum seekers.But they have acknowledged a full High Court judicial review, later this month, could thwart the policy – after the government declined to pass fresh legislation to authorise it.The biggest decision in the two weeks before MPs leave Westminster for their summer recess is likely to be on public sector pay – where recommendations from independent review bodies are being considered.The bill to tear up the Northern Ireland Protocol, in breach of international law legal experts say, will continue its Commons progress next week.The spokesman also confirmed Mr Johnson has rejected calls, including from John Major, to step aside to allow his deputy Dominic Raab to be the caretaker.Recommended“The prime minister is acting in line with convention,” he said. “He remains prime minister until a new party leader is in place and the work of government will continue while that takes place.”More ministerial appointments will be made on Friday and are expected to “broadly” fill all of about 20 vacancies left by the mass exodus of ministers this week. More

Ben Wallace has declined to say whether he will run for the Conservative Party leadership, insisting that he will continue to focus on his job as defence secretary.Mr Wallace, coming top among poll of Tory members to succeed Boris Johnson as leader after his resignation on Thursday, spoke during a visit to a training centre for Ukrainian troops in north of England.The defence secretary said he was convinced that the political turmoil in the Britain would not lead to any lessening of support for Ukraine, stressing that he had built up a cross-party consensus on the issue.“I don’t think there is a risk of that at all. I have strived throughout this process to build a cross-party consensus on Ukraine. I’ve been very lucky that I’ve been supported by everyone from the SNP [Scottish National Party] and the Labour leader, the Labour party and the Liberal Democrats in our policy towards Ukraine.“Not a week goes by when I don’t reach out to them or talk to those parties. Also we have agreed that it is important to continue the efforts for Ukraine as it strives to defend itself from its awful illegal invasion”, he said.RecommendedAn ally of Mr Wallace pointed out that while the defence decretary was visiting Ukrainian troops being trained, Liz Truss, viewed as one of his main rivals from the Tory leadership, failed to take a chance to confront Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, about the invasion at a G20 meeting. More