Markus Andrews

Boris Johnson compares Russia to Nazi Germany at G7 summitBoris Johnson has sought to justify his government’s increase in defence spending by saying that the “cost of freedom is always worth paying” amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.At a Nato summit in Madrid, the PM announced a further £55 billion in defence spending until 2030, while spiralling inflation – currently at 9 per cent – continues to erode people’s spending power and living standards are dropping.When asked at the summit if he is worried about “Ukraine fatigue”, amid a cost of living crisis at home, Mr Johnson replied: “The point I would make about the cost of freedom is that, actually, it is always worth paying.“Unless we get the right result in Ukraine, Putin will be in a position to commit further acts of aggression against other parts of the former Soviet Union more or less with impunity.“That will drive further global uncertainty, further oil shocks, further panics and more economic distress for the whole world.”Earlier, former Labour PM Gordon Brown accused the government of not seeming to “have a clue” about how to deal with the cost of living crisis.Show latest update

1656561119Welcome to The Independent’s live blog on everything related to politics in the UK.Alisha Rahaman Sarkar30 June 2022 04:511656565474Boris Johnson rules out early general electionPrime minister Boris Johnson has ruled out calling an early general election, as allies admitted that voters would not welcome a snap vote aimed at saving his premiership.A source close to Mr Johnson dismissed the chances of him calling an early election this year, conceding that cutting and running at a time when he holds a commanding majority in the Commons would not be credible to voters.“The PM won an 80-seat majority, people want us to use it to get s*** done, rather than hold another vote,” the source said.Adam Forrest and Andrew Woodcock report.Alisha Rahaman Sarkar30 June 2022 06:041656566222Partygate inquiry to wait until autumnPrime minister Boris Johnson will not face a grilling by the committee investigating whether he lied to parliament over Downing Street parties until the autumn.But no decision has yet been taken on whether oral evidence sessions of questioning by the Commons Privileges Committee will be held in public and before the TV cameras.The Commons voted in April for the committee to conduct an investigation into whether Mr Johnson’s repeated denials that Covid lockdown rules were broken at No 10 amounted to a contempt of parliament.Alisha Rahaman Sarkar30 June 2022 06:171656567130Raab under fire for spending £1m on private jetsDominic Raab spent more than £1m on private jets in just nine months as the foreign secretary instead of using regular flights, Labour claims.The deputy prime minister is also under fire for taking up to nine officials with him on government trips – wasting money during a cost of living crisis, the party says.“There are serious questions for the government about how these extortionate costs were run up and what we’re paying for,” Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader said.“The public will want to know if they’re footing the bill for Tory ministers’ expensive in-flight hospitality while working families struggle to put food on their own tables.”Rob Merrick has more.Alisha Rahaman Sarkar30 June 2022 06:321656568070MPs ‘should not bring babies to Commons’A cross-party review has recommended that MPs should not be allowed to bring babies into the House of Commons chamber during debates.The report was ordered after an outcry when Labour member Stella Creasy was told not to bring her newborn son to work during debates.According to the committee, MPs should not bring babies into the main chamber or Westminster Hall if they wanted to “observe, initiate, speak or intervene in proceedings”, The Guardian reported.Alisha Rahaman Sarkar30 June 2022 06:471656569324Tory MP attacks Sadiq Khan over Met policeBritain’s policing minister has claimed that Sadiq Khan should “share responsibility” for the Metropolitan Police’s slide into special measures.Kit Malthouse suggested, as police and crime commissioner (PCC) for the force, the mayor of London should “consider his position”.But four of the six police forces currently in special measures have Conservative PCCs.The elected role was created by the Tory-Lib Dem coalition government to replace policing boards previously tasked with controlling regional forces’ finances and holding them to account.Lizzie Dearden reports.Alisha Rahaman Sarkar30 June 2022 07:081656569588Male MPs try menopause ‘hot flush vest’ – and can’t take the heatMale MPs have tried out vests that simulate the feeling of menopausal hot flushes – and they couldn’t take the heat.Taking part in an event to raise awareness for the sharp increase in demand for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) drugs amid widespread shortages, politicians – including Wes Streeting, Stephen Kinnock and Nick Thomas-Symonds – donned the garments which contained heated pads which are said to mimic the bothersome and often debilitating symptom.“It’s deeply unpleasant and an enveloping heat,” said the shadow health secretary after trying on the vest.“How you would crack on with life, I don’t know. I can’t wait to take this off.”Emily Atkinson has more.Alisha Rahaman Sarkar30 June 2022 07:131656572010Truss won’t say if she agrees with Wallace on defence budgetLiz Truss has declined to say if she agrees with defence secretary Ben Wallace’s plea for a significant increase in defence spending, but said the budget must be “fit for purpose”.Speaking from the Nato summit in Madrid, the foreign secretary told Sky News: “We need to make sure that all of the Western alliance is spending more on defence and putting more into … supporting our eastern allies.”Ms Truss added: “I’m not going to get into details of the negotiations of the spending review.”Adam Forrest30 June 2022 07:531656572843Truss says government ‘not speculating about elections’Liz Truss has said the government is “not speculating about elections” but refused to rule out a snap poll.“We are focused on delivering for the British people,” the foreign secretary told Sky News. “We’re facing the worst war in Europe for decades, we’ve got the aftershock of the pandemic, which is having huge effects around the world and inflation, on people’s incomes, on economic growth.“We are spending our time focused on dealing with those challenges, not speculating about elections.”Asked whether the next election should be in 2024 as scheduled, Ms Truss said: “We’re not thinking about that, we’re thinking about getting on with the job.”Zoe Tidman30 June 2022 08:071656573612EU tells UK to ‘come back to the table’The EU has issued a plea to the UK to “come back to the table” to solve the crisis over Northern Ireland, as it set out the huge economic damage from Brexit, Rob Merrick writes. In a speech in London, the vice-president of the European Commission joked that it is now Brussels that wants to get “Brexit done” – while London has refused face-to-face talks for four months.Zoe Tidman30 June 2022 08:20 More

At least 115 UK-based scientists are to lose prestigious European grants and 19 are leaving Britain as a result of a row between London and Brussels over participation in a continent-wide research programme after Brexit.A provisional deal for the UK to remain part of Horizon Europe has been thrown into doubt by Boris Johnson’s threat to tear up the protocol deal on Northern Ireland that he struck with the EU in 2019.The EU is refusing to ratify Britain’s associate membership of the €95bn (£82bn) scheme, which funds projects from particle physics to vaccine research.Earlier this month, almost 150 UK-based scientists who had secured promises of funding for cutting-edge research were told that they must declare their intention to transfer to institutions within the EU by Wednesday this week or lose their grants.And the European Research Council has now revealed that 19 of them have informed it of their intention to leave the UK in order to keep their funding, with another 12 cases yet to be resolved.An ERC spokesperson told Research Professional News: “The preparation of 115 ERC grants offered to UK based researchers will be terminated now that the 29 June deadline has passed.”Under a plan drawn up as part of EU withdrawal, the UK would pay £15bn as an associate member into the scheme over seven years and its scientists could still bid for Horizon funding.Grants were awarded over the past year on this basis, but contracts could not be signed until the UK was formally awarded associate status, which is being withheld in what appears to be a result of the Northern Ireland protocol row.Mr Johnson has infuriated Brussels by tabling legislation that would allow Britain unilaterally to override delicate arrangements negotiated over a period of many months with the aim of keeping the Irish border open after Brexit. The PM complains that his decision to draw a customs border down the Irish Sea has disrupted trade between Northern Ireland and mainland Britain.Among research projects understood to be affected are a star-mapping study being led from Cambridge University and work at Liverpool University on plasma.Researchers losing out on ERC money are eligible to apply for replacement grants underwritten by the UK government.But UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is yet to confirm details of where any support will go.Sir Adrian Smith, president of the Royal Society, told The Independent: “This is the reality of continued uncertainty.“While the UK government’s underwrite will support these scientists to continue their research, the best outcome for both UK and European science is full association to Horizon Europe. “The priority must be resolving this political impasse so that the valuable collaborations and relationships that have been built up over decades are not lost.”Grant-winner Giovanni Rosotti, of the University of Leicester, told RPN earlier this month that he was planning a move to a new host institution in Milan.“It’s not the only factor, but not losing access to ERC funds was a big reason behind my decision to move back to Europe,” he said.“I decided to move because the ERC is not simply a large amount of funding, it’s also very well-known and therefore it attracts the best talent from all over the world when hiring students and post-docs, which I’ll need to do in the coming months.“There’s no guarantee that the alternative replacement scheme from the UK government will do the same. Also, without access to the ERC, the funding for science in UK will massively decrease, and so betting long-term on the UK didn’t sound a wise choice to me.”There was no immediate response from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy or UKRI to The Independent’s request for comment. More

Boris Johnson has urged struggling Britons to accept that the “cost of freedom is always worth paying”, amid fears of Ukraine war “fatigue” as living standards fall.Speaking at the end of the Nato conference, the prime minister sought to bolster faith that the conflict is worth fighting – arguing a Russian victory would worsen the economic situation.Asked if he is worried about “Ukraine fatigue”, amid a cost of living crisis at home, Mr Johnson replied: “The point I would make about the cost of a freedom is that, actually, it is always worth paying.“Unless we get the right result in Ukraine, Putin will be in a position to commit further acts of aggression against other parts of the former Soviet Union more or less with impunity.“That will drive further global uncertainty, further oil shocks, further panics and more economic distress for the whole world.”The “lesson of the 20th century” was that only the defeat of rogue countries who try to change borders by force delivers “a long period of sustained prosperity”, Mr Johnson said.Asked what his war aims are now in Ukraine, the prime minister said it is up to Kyiv to decide whether to seek a peace deal at some point, while insisting that is not on the table at the moment.“Whether they want to cut a deal with Russia, to make some kind of peace, of course that’s a matter for them,” he said, in Madrid.But he added: “There doesn’t seem to be anything to talk about. Putin isn’t even offering a deal.”The prime minister vowed to “intensify military support” for Ukraine, telling reporters: “The right thing for us is to keep going on the course that Nato set out, no matter how difficult it may be”.“We think they do indeed have it in their power to repel the Russians and get them back to the pre-February 24 position,” Mr Johnson said.He announced a new target for defence spending to reach 2.5 per cent of GDP by the end of this decade – at a cost of up to £13bn – amid controversy that he is about to break a current pledge.Quizzed about problems at home, Mr Johnson denied that his government was “complacent” about inflation which is tipped to top 11 per cent this year, partly fuelled by the war.He said he would look at the “root cause”, naming housing and transport as problem areas which he claimed were helping to drive “unnecessary costs”.“I in no way minimise the importance of this. This is a big chance for us now to do things differently,” the prime minister insisted. More

Boris Johnson compares Russia to Nazi Germany at G7 summitBoris Johnson has sought to justify his government’s increase in defence spending by saying that the “cost of freedom is always worth paying” amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.At a Nato summit in Madrid, the PM announced a further £55 billion in defence spending until 2030, while spiralling inflation – currently at 9 per cent – continues to erode people’s spending power and living standards are dropping.When asked at the summit if he is worried about “Ukraine fatigue”, amid a cost of living crisis at home, Mr Johnson replied: “The point I would make about the cost of freedom is that, actually, it is always worth paying.“Unless we get the right result in Ukraine, Putin will be in a position to commit further acts of aggression against other parts of the former Soviet Union more or less with impunity.“That will drive further global uncertainty, further oil shocks, further panics and more economic distress for the whole world.”Earlier, former Labour PM Gordon Brown accused the government of not seeming to “have a clue” about how to deal with the cost of living crisis.Show latest update

1656599453Zahawi scraps bid to gain more control over academy trustsThe government has made a U-turn on key elements of its schools bill that would have given the Department for Education (DfE) more control over academy trusts in England.The bill, tabled by education secretary Nadhim Zahawi, is being opposed by some Conservative and crossbench peers because it gives him a veto over appointments as school trustees, the power to cancel funding agreements, and determine the length of the school day within each trust.Kenneth Baker, the former Tory education secretary under Margaret Thatcher, said in the Lords: “It increases the powers of the secretary of state and the DfE in a way unprecedented since 1870.”A DfE spokesperson said: “We are listening to concerns from peers about how the provisions in the bill would operate in practice, and will make sure the bill protects and strengthens the fundamental freedoms academies enjoy.“That is why we are supporting the temporary removal of clauses 1-18 from the bill, in advance of bringing back revised clauses later in the bill’s passage through parliament.”Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, said Mr Zahawi “has ripped up his own plans and is back to the drawing board with his very first piece of primary legislation”.Lamiat Sabin30 June 2022 15:301656596556Barristers offered 15 per cent hike in fees just days after striking for better payCriminal barristers are to receive a 15 per cent fee rise from the end of September, the government announced just days after they closed courts by going on strike.The rise will see a typical criminal barrister receive an additional £7,000 a year, said the Ministry of Justice.Our politics editor Andrew Woodcock will have more on this breaking story as it comes in.Matt Mathers30 June 2022 14:421656595922Defence spending pledge ‘too little, too late’Boris Johnson’s pledge to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2030 is “too little, too late,” a senior Tory has said.Tobias Ellwood, a former defence secretary, also said now is “not the time to cut the army by 10,000”.Matt Mathers30 June 2022 14:321656594915Wallace welcomes increased defence spendingDefence secretary Ben Wallace has lobbied for increased spending.A source close to Mr Wallace said: “The defence secretary has always been clear that as the threat changes, so should defence spending.”In 2020 the prime minister reversed decades of under-investment in defence and he rightly responded to Russia’s danger by continuing to invest in defence, for which the defence secretary is very grateful.”Matt Mathers30 June 2022 14:151656593251Boris Johnson tells Britons that ‘cost of freedom worth paying’ amid Ukraine ‘fatigue’ fearsAs we’ve been reporting, Boris Johnson is attending the Nato summit, where he is discussing with other world leaders the war in Ukraine among other issues.Speaking in Madrid, the prime minister said the “cost of freedom is always worth paying” as he warned that the economic outlooking at home is likely to get worse before it gets better.Our deputy politics editor Rob Merrick has the story: Matt Mathers30 June 2022 13:471656592247One of Keir Starmer‘s shadow ministers has walked away from the Labour leader’s frontbench team.In a resignation letter issued on Thursday Mike Amesbury said he wanted to have more freedom to campaign in his local constituency.Our policy correspondent Jon Stone reports: Matt Mathers30 June 2022 13:301656591234Boris Johnson commits to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence by end of decadeBoris Johnson has said the UK will spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence by the end of this decade. Speaking from the Nato conference in Madrid, the prime minister said: “We need to invest for the long-term in vital capabilities like future combat air whilst simultaneously adapting to a more dangerous and more competitive world. “The logical conclusion of the investments on which we propose to embark, these decisions, is that we’ll reach 2. 5 per cent of GDP on defence by the end of the decade.”Matt Mathers30 June 2022 13:131656590447Rishi Sunak’s ‘stealth tax’ creates 2 million new higher rate payers in just 3 yearsNearly two million more people are paying higher rate income tax because Rishi Sunak has scrapped normal increases in allowances, new figures reveal.The numbers paying the higher 40 per cent rate or the additional 45 per cent rate has soared since Boris Johnson came to power in 2019 because of the “stealth tax”, they show.Our deputy politics editor Rob Merrick reports: Matt Mathers30 June 2022 13:001656589247Women and children among latest to make Channel crossing in small boatsWomen and children were among 269 people who made the latest crossings to the UK in small boats.Six boats were intercepted by UK authorities crossing the English Channel on Wednesday, with Border Force and RNLI vessels bringing the migrants ashore at Dover and Dungeness in Kent.The crossings bring the total to have arrived in the UK so far this year to 12,606, compared with 5,911 at this point in 2021 and 2,449 in 2020.The Nationality and Borders Act came into force on Tuesday, and anyone caught piloting a boat carrying migrants in the Channel could face life behind bars.Matt Mathers30 June 2022 12:401656588047Give MPs vote on plans to cut army by 10,000, ex-defence minister saysA Tory former defence minister believes MPs would vote to reverse government plans to axe 9,500 troops by 2025.Tobias Ellwood, who chairs the defence select committee, pressed ministers to hold a Commons vote to decide whether to halt the proposals in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.The government wants to cut the size of the regular British army from 82,000 troops to 72,500.Mr Ellwood told the Commons: “Can I strongly commend the government’s exemplary support for Ukraine, but when the head of the British army compares today to 1937 we must listen and we must act.”It’s clearly not time to be cutting our Army by 10,000 troops because this sends a clear message to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin that we’re not in it for the long haul, we can’t sustain two battlegroups in Estonia and place pressure on the Army to conduct all its other duties to keep the nation safe.”Can we have a debate and indeed a vote on reversing these cuts?”If there was a free vote I know how the house would act and they’d have the nation’s support.”Matt Mathers30 June 2022 12:20 More

The lockdown-breaking boss of one of England’s biggest councils will remain in her £200,000-a-year post after six months on full-paid leave while she was investigated for throwing an illegal party at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.Kate Josephs, who is now chief executive of Sheffield City Council, was head of the government’s Covid-19 taskforce when she hosted illegal leaving drinks in December 2020.When revelations emerged in January this year, she was granted discretionary leave by the Labour-run authority in South Yorkshire while a cross-party committee investigated.The council has now said Ms Josephs has received a written warning but no other action will be taken. It has also been confirmed for the first time she received a police fine over the party, at which 30 people enjoyed prosecco, beer and take-away pizzas over five hours.In a statement, Ms Josephs apologised for hosting the paty and promised to “work harder than ever for our city”.But the authority’s decision to keep the chief executive in her post sparked anger in a city where 1,400 people have died from coronavirus.“It’s ludicrous that she can stay on,” said Lord Paul Scriven, a former Lib Dem leader of the council. “She is now renowned for two things, both in Sheffield and outside: breaking the law and then not telling the full truth about it when first asked. And so now we have a situation where the city is hampered for years to come by trying to rebuild trust in one individual who has shown a complete lack of personal integrity.”Ms Josephs said: “I am so very sorry that for too many people – including those I serve in Sheffield and the colleagues I am proud to work alongside – my actions brought back personal pain and suffering experienced during the Covid pandemic.“Knowing this is something that will stay with me forever, I cannot and will not brush that hurt under the carpet; all I can offer is my sincere apology and my promise to work harder than ever for our city.”She added that she had not admitted to the party when asked about it by local journalists long before the revelations came to light because government officials had “asked [me] to respect the confidentiality of the Cabinet Office’s independent investigation”.Council leader Terry Fox said that the decision had been made in the interests of the city.“I am here to deliver for Sheffield, and that is what matters the most to me now,” he said. “The chief executive’s work to rebuild trust across the city and organisation begins now.”In a show of support, several councillors said they were pleased Ms Josephs would be kept on.“She is dynamic and forward-thinking,” Green Party councillor Paul Turpin said. “She has come in and changed the culture here to one where things get done. She made one mistake in her previous job so I don’t see the good of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.” More

Criminal barristers are to receive a 15 per cent fee rise from the end of September, the government announced just days after they closed courts by going on strike.The rise will see a typical criminal barrister receive an additional £7,000 a year, said the Ministry of Justice.But the Criminal Bar Association said that further walkouts will go ahead as planned over the coming weeks, as the offer does not meet their demands for improved pay, but merely brings forward the mechanism for a previously-announced improvement in fees.Criminal solicitors will also receive a 15 percent increase for their work in police stations and magistrates’ and youth courts, with further multi-million-pound reforms to solicitors’ pay still under consideration.Members of the CBA walked out on Tuesday, many joining picket lines outside the Old Bailey and other courts in their wigs and black gown, in a row over legal aid fees for representing defendants who cannot afford to cover the costs themselves. Further strikes were threatened over the coming weeks.A CBA spokesperson told The Independent: “Today’s announcement is regrettably nothing new, as the MOJ had always made it clear that the new payment scheme would only come into effect this autumn and only lock into new instructions from then.“It won’t be retrospective and therefore the record backlog of 58,000-plus cases will still be paid under the old rates for the years it will take to complete them.” More

More than half of people in Scotland do not want another independence referendum next year, according to a new poll.First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced plans for a second vote on the issue on October 19 2023.With the UK Government refusing to grant consent for such a ballot to be held, Ms Sturgeon is asking UK Supreme Court judges to rule if Holyrood can hold a referendum without the backing of Westminster.However, when asked whether a referendum should take place next October, 53% of people said it should not, 40% said it should, and the remainder were undecided, a poll for The Scotsman found.If Supreme Court judges rule the ballot cannot take place, Ms Sturgeon has already declared that the next Westminster election will be a “de facto referendum” on Scotland’s place in the UK.

The battle lines that were drawn in 2014 are all too familiarChris Hopkins, Savanta ComResThe Scotsman poll, carried out by Savanta ComRes, found that 44% of those questioned support independence, while 46% are opposed, both down 1% from a survey last month, while 10% were undecided, which was up three percentage points.When don’t knows were removed, 49% said they would vote Yes, while 51% said they would vote No, which was unchanged.Savanta ComRes interviewed 1,029 Scottish adults aged 16 or over online between June 23 and 28.Associate director Chris Hopkins told the newspaper that the results on the question of whether Scotland should be an independent country are “practically neck and neck”.He said: “Support for a second independence referendum without a Section 30 is driven by those in the Yes camp; opposition comes almost wholly from the No camp.“Four in five Yes voters say the case for independence is stronger now than in 2014, a majority of No voters say it’s weaker now.“The battle lines that were drawn in 2014 are all too familiar, and Nicola Sturgeon’s defiance to hold a referendum at almost any cost just deepens this divide.” More

Nearly two million more people are paying higher rate income tax because Rishi Sunak has scrapped normal increases in allowances, new figures reveal.The numbers paying the higher 40 per cent rate or the additional 45 per cent rate has soared since Boris Johnson came to power in 2019 because of the “stealth tax”, they show.A four-year freeze in the thresholds – which the chancellor is under pressure to rethink, because of soaring inflation – will create more than 3m higher rate taxpayers by the next election, the consultancy LCP is estimating.“Paying higher rate tax used to be reserved for the very wealthiest, but this has changed very dramatically in recent years,” said Steve Webb, a partner at the firm and a former pensions minister.“People who would not think of themselves as being particularly rich can now easily face an income tax rate of 40 per cent and around 1 in 5 of all taxpayers will soon be in the higher rate bracket.”The total number of taxpayers has risen by 2.5 million since 2019, from 31.5 million to 34 million, Sir Steve added.The freeze in allowances had been expected to bring in £8bn for Mr Sunak by dragging millions more workers into paying higher tax.But dramatic rises in inflation – now tipped to top 11 per cent later this year – mean it is now expected to hand the Treasury £21bn over the period.Paul Johnson, the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies said, in March: “With much higher inflation forecasts, it looks like being a massive £21bn tax rise – two-and-a-half times bigger than intended.”Mr Sunak has defended the allowance freeze – which comes at the same as his national insurance increase – as “a fair way to help solve the problems that we need to”.Announced last year, the income tax personal allowance – the level above which people pay income tax – will be held at £12,570 from 2022 until 2026.And the threshold for higher rate income tax of 40 per cent will be frozen at £50,270 over the same period.The chancellor also came under fire at an event hosted by the British Chambers of Commerce, which gave the government until the autumn to “rethink and get their house in order”Shevaun Haviland, the organisation’s director general, said businesses face a “perfect storm” of spiralling costs and demanded an “urgent review” of the list of shortage jobs with looser post-Brexit immigration curbs.“The Spring Statement was a missed opportunity. We saw some support for business, but the lack of a clear strategic direction meant it did not give clarity or confidence,” she said.“This has to change; we are on limited time. The government has until the autumn budget to reset, rethink and get their house in order.” More