Markus Andrews

In a clash between Boris Johnson and his deputy prime minister Dominic Raab, Downing Street has refused to endorse the justice secretary’s admission that laws were broken in the Partygate scandal.Since the announcement on Tuesday of 20 fines for lockdown breaches at Downing Street and Whitehall, No 10 has refused to accept that the Metropolitan Police move meant the law had been broken by members of Mr Johnson’s administration, and that the prime minister himself misled parliament.But Mr Raab this morning broke with the official line, telling a TV interview that the issue of fixed penalty notices “inevitably” meant the law had been breached.The cabinet minister also accepted that Mr Johnson may have said things “that turned out not to be true” when he assured MPs that no rules were broken in No 10,.But he insisted that there was no “intention to mislead”, as the PM had been “updating parliament to the best of his knowledge and understanding” before suggesting he may have said things that “turned out not to be true”.Asked on Sky News if the issuing of a fixed penalty notice meant the law had been broken, Mr Raab said: “Yes, inevitably fixed penalty notices (are issued to) those that have breached the regulations.”Challenged repeatedly over Mr Raab’s comments, Mr Johnson’s official spokesperson refused to say whether the PM agreed with his justice secretary’s interpretation of the police action.“The prime minister has said he respects the position of the Met,” said the spokesperson. “This investigation is ongoing and, as I said yesterday, you will hear more from him at its conclusion.”The spokesperson said that No 10’s position had not changed since Tuesday, when he said that it was “for the Met rather than the prime minister” to make a judgement on whether the law had been broken.“It simply would not be right for me to give the Prime Minister’s view in the midst of an ongoing Met Police investigation,” he said.His comment sparked speculation in Westminster over whether Mr Johnson is wary that public acceptance now that a FPN signifies law-breaking may backfire on him if he is himself later issued with a fine.Earlier, the prime minister faced calls of “resign” as he deflected questions over Partygate in the House of Commons.Sir Keir Starmer told Prime Minister’s Questions that the Met’s decision to issue fines indicated there was “widespread criminality” in Mr Johnson’s Downing Street.“The ministerial code says that ministers who knowingly mislead the House should resign,” said the Labour leader. “Why’s he still here?”Mr Johnson replied: “Of course the Met, the investigators, must get on with their job but in meantime we’re going to get on with our job.”Starmer retorted that the PM was either “trashing the ministerial code or he’s claiming he was repeatedly lied to by his own advisers, that he didn’t know what was going on in his own house and his own office”. Accusing Mr Johnson of believing he can “pass off criminality in his office and ask others to follow the law”, Sir Keir asked: “When is he going to stop taking the British public for fools?”A Labour spokesperson later said that it was “totally untenable” for Downing Street to “refuse to acknowledge what is a statement of fact and law – and that is that the issuing of 20 fixed penalty notices proves that there has been criminality in Boris Johnson’s Downing Street”.Liberal Democrat chief whip Wendy Chamberlain, a former police officer, said: “It is completely absurd that Boris Johnson still won’t accept that the lockdown parties in Downing Street broke the law.“This stubborn denial flies in the face of the evidence. It shows that Johnson hasn’t learnt any lessons from this scandal and is still taking the British people for fools.“As a former police officer I know what people do to get out of answering questions.These excuses wouldn’t cut it then and they won’t cut it now with the public.” More

A production of The Phantom of the Opera has been brought in from China to tour the EU because Brexit red tape made it too “expensive” to use a British one.The latest example of the “disastrous” impact of Boris Johnson’s hard Brexit deal on touring creative artists was revealed as MPs investigated the hit to UK “soft power”.Jessica Koravos, president of the Really Useful Group, which promotes Andrew Lloyd Webber’s shows around the world, revealed she was unable to take UK staff across the Channel.It was “more straightforward and less expensive” to bring in a production from China 5,000 miles away, she told the Commons culture committee.“Under current circumstances, I would not dream of sending a UK production into Europe,” Ms Koravos said, pointing to the mountain of paperwork involved.The revelation comes after David Frost, who negotiated the trade deal, admitted he had failed touring artists by inflicting the punishing costs and red tape on them – breaking a pre-Brexit promise.The astonishing U-turn came 14 months after The Independent revealed he rejected an EU offer to rescue visa and permit-free touring deal in the Brexit talks.Julian Knight, the committee’s Tory chair said the inability to tour with a British production of The Phantom of the Opera underlined the “economically disastrous” situation.“That one of the all-time great British musical impresarios would not now dream of taking a production rich in West End heritage into the EU from Britain speaks volumes about the impact of the government’s approach to supporting touring creatives,” he said.A fellow Tory, Steve Brine, warned the “rubber is about to hit the road” in the touring crisis – after it has been masked for more than a year by Covid shutdowns.Ms Koravos warned the hurdles are even more formidable for a theatre production than for a music group, because it is seeking permission for perhaps 100 people.Bringing it from China allowed The Phantom of the Opera to obtain “one permission for the whole production”, instead of having to apply for different visas for different staff, to different EU countries – which was “uneconomic”.Lord Frost had staunchly defended the Christmas 2020 agreement – blamed for making many tours unaffordable – and refused to get involved in attempts to improve it.He has now admitted it was a mistake not to compromise with the EU and has called for a rethink, but the government has yet to agree the position is unsustainable.“There is a whole set of problems here that is making life difficult on both sides: youth mobility, movement of specialists like musicians and artists,” Lord Frost admittedHe argued “these problems can be solved” without crossing the UK’s red line of ending free movement of EU citizens – despite ministers repeatedly insisting that is not possible.And he admitted he had been “too purist”, saying a deal removing “excessive paperwork and process requirements” is needed, adding: “We should try to get to it.” More

Boris Johnson has agreed Vladimir Putin should be sent to “the dustbin of history”, as he warned Nato allies not to “backslide on sanctions” against Russia.The prime minister toughened up his stance on the Russian president’s fate – despite criticism of Joe Biden for appearing to call for regime change in Moscow to end Ukraine’s agony.In the Commons, Mr Johnson was urged to recognise that now is the time “to double down” on military aid to defeat Russia, “whilst consigning Vladimir Putin to the dustbin of history where he belongs”.He told MPs: “I think that is absolutely right,” as he praised the questioner, Tory former minister Johnny Mercer, for his “bravery” in visiting Ukraine.There have been suggestions that some Western countries might ease up on sanctions in return for Russia signing up to a ceasefire – but the prime minister attacked the idea.The West must “make sure there is no backsliding on sanctions by any of our friends and partners around the world,” he argued, calling instead for action to “ratchet up the economic pressure on Putin.“And it is inconceivable that any sanctions could be taken off simply because there is a ceasefire. That would be absolutely unthinkable,” Mr Johnson said.Washington was forced to deny the US president was calling for regime change, after his ad-libbed remarks on a visit to Poland were attacked by the Kremlin and alarmed Nato leaders.The UK government was among those that distanced itself from any suggestion that the West wants Putin to be deposed, insisting that is a matter for the Russian people.At the weekend, the foreign secretary Liz Truss says said could be lifted if Russia withdraws from Ukraine and commits to end aggression.The West should retain the ability to impose “snapback sanctions if there is further aggression in future,” she argued in a newspaper interview.But No 10 declined to endorse the stance and said the cabinet has not discussed the possible circumstances for easing the economic pressure” on Moscow.On Tuesday, Russia announced it is scaling back operations around Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital it expected to conquer, to “increase mutual trust” in the peace talks.But Western governments are sceptical, believing the talks are a smokescreen and that Putin has no real intention of stopping his attempted advance.“Nothing that we have seen so far has demonstrated to us that President Putin and his colleagues are particularly serious about that. It is more of a tactical exercise playing for time,” one official said.Last week, Moscow said it is focusing its efforts on “liberating” the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, currently part-held by pro-Russian separatists.“Even if they do do what they say they are going to do that is not in any shape or form a cessation of hostilities,” the official added. More

Boris Johnson and chancellor Rishi Sunak have an “utterly cynical” plan to delay tax cuts until closer to the 2024 general election campaign, the Labour leader has claimed.Sir Keir Starmer said they had imposed the highest tax burden for 70 years, despite hard-pressed families struggling to pay their bills during the current cost of living crisis.“While they are counting every penny, the prime minister is hitting them with higher taxes,” Starmer said at PMQs. “But in 2024 – when there just so happens to be a general election – they will introduce a small tax cut.”Sir Keir added: “It’s putting the Tory re-election campaign over and above helping people pay their bills. How did he find a chancellor as utterly cynical as he is?”Mr Johnson said the chancellor had made “tough decisions” with his Spring Statement – and claimed recent changes amounted to the “biggest tax cut for 25 years”.The PM also said the government was “getting on with reducing the tax burden wherever we can”, and claimed that he and the chancellor were “tax-cutting Conservatives”.The Labour leader responded by pointing to an income “stealth tax”, the national insurance hike and tuition fee rise. “Cut the nonsense and treat the British people with a bit of respect.”Sir Keir again called for a windfall tax on the oil and gas companies’ record profits, accusing Mr Johnson of “shielding” the fossil fuel giants from helping families with rising energy bills.“They’re the party of excess – oil and gas profits – we’re the party of working people,” said the Labour leader.Mr Johnson said Britain’s oil and gas companies are now investing large sums in helping ensure “that we have long-term energy supplies”.Sir Keir also challenged the PM over the 20 fines issued by Metropolitan Police detectives investigating the Partygate scandal – asking him to explained his previous claims that “all guidance had been followed”.“The ministerial code says ministers who knowingly mislead the House should resign. Why is he still here?” the Labour leader asked.Sir Keir added: “There are only two possible explanations – either he’s trashing the ministerial code or he’s claiming he was repeatedly lied to by his own advisers.”“He really does think it’s one rule for him and another for everyone else – that he can pass off criminality in his office and ask others to follow the law.”Mr Johnson responded: “We do expect some consistency from this human weathervane. It was only a week or so ago that I shouldn’t resign. What is his position? The investigators must get on with their job, and they should let them.”Mr Johnson and his ministers were accused of “partying through the cost of living emergency” by SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford.The senior SNP figure that while “millions of families will have been desperately trying to figure out how they can possibly afford the £700 energy price hike … Tory MPs were gathering across the street for a champagne bash in the Park Plaza”.Tory ministers and backbenchers were booed and heckled by bereaved families of Covid victims as they attended a dinner held by the prime minister at the Park Plaza on Tuesday night.Boris Johnson told truth about Partygate ‘to best of his ability’, says deputy PMEarlier on Wednesday, Dominic Raab denied that Mr Johnson deliberately misled parliament over government gatherings – saying he had been telling the truth “to the best of his ability”.The deputy prime minister also conceded that government ministers will “inevitably” have to reveal any fines they receive over breaches of Covid laws.No 10 has only promised to confirm if Mr Johnson or his cabinet secretary Simon Case are given a fixed penalty notice after Scotland Yard said it was issuing the first 20 fines over Partygate. More

Members of Portugal’s center-left Socialist Party are set to be sworn into office Wednesday for the party’s third straight term in government as the country prepares to start spending some 45 billion euros ($50 billion) in European Union aid to help fire up one of the bloc’s weakest economies.The Socialists captured 120 seats in the 230-seat parliament in a landslide January election, opening a path for far-reaching reforms long postponed by political quarreling. The main opposition center-right Social Democratic Party has 77 seats.Prime Minister António Costa, the Socialist Party leader who has led the country since 2015, promised an economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic but now faces headwinds stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Portugal, a country of around 10.3 million people, has for more than two decades been marked by low growth, low productivity and low salaries.New challenges include a steep rise in the cost of living, including higher electricity and gas prices for households and businesses, in the wake of Russia’s war in Ukraine.Consumer confidence posted its second sharpest drop on record in March, the national statistics agency reported Wednesday. It also said that rental prices for accommodation jumped by more than 8% at the end of last year.Despite the promise of more public spending, the incoming finance minister, Fernando Medina, said that keeping a firm lid on the national debt is a “fundamental priority” for the new government, adding that the country’s international credibility depended on it.However, due to delays in holding the general election and vote-counting, the new parliament sworn in Tuesday is unlikely to pass the 2022 state budget before the end of June due to bureaucratic procedures.The EU aid expected in coming years includes 15.3 billion euros ($17 billion) in immediate pandemic-recovery aid and almost 30 billion euros ($33.4 billion) as part of EU subsidies through 2027. More

Boris Johnson joked about Vladimir Putin, his Partygate scandal troubles and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s approach to transgender rights at a dinner for Conservative MPs.The prime minister is said to have made light of the Russian leader’s political position and his own struggles to contain a backbench Tory rebellion over parties while speaking at the Park Plaza hotel.“One of reasons that Putin is deluded and isolated is because he has no cabinet of equals, no 1922 committee and nobody to write 54 letters to Sir Graham Brady,” Mr Johnson quipped, according to Politico.Mr Johnson also joked about Sir Keir’s refusal to answer questions on whether a woman can have a penis. “Good evening ladies and gentleman – or as Keir Starmer would put it, people who are assigned female or male at birth.”The Labour leader said too many people were intolerant of others when discussing the issue on LBC earlier this week. Asked if a woman can have a penis, Sir Keir said: “I don’t think that discussing this issue in this way helps anyone in the long run.”It comes as Conservative MP Jamie Wallis announced he has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria. In a highly personal statement on Twitter, the Bridgend MP said he was trans, “or to be more accurate, I want to be”.Mr Johnson later issued a statement praising the Tory MP for bravery in coming out as trans and sharing a “very intimate” story “which will undoubtedly support others”.The prime minister said: “The Conservative Party I lead will always give you, and everyone else, the love and support you need to be yourself.”Meanwhile, Tory ministers were heckled by bereaved families of Covid victims as they attended a dinner held by the prime minister at the Park Plaza on Tuesday night.Shouts of “Shame on You” and “Off to another party are we?” were directed at cabinet ministers Michael Gove and Jacob Rees-Mogg as they turned up to the venue, where a penthouse costs up to £653 a night. More

A Labour frontbencher has broken ranks in the discussion over trans rights and declared that “men have penises, women have vaginas”.Characterising his comments as a “biology lesson”, Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary said he however believed trans rights should be debated in a “respectful” way.It comes after Keir Starmer and his deputy Angela Rayner both rejected the framing of the question about genitalia – which broadcasters have taken to asking politicians. MPs touring the studios in recent weeks have been subjected to questioning over whether they believe someone with a penis can identify as a woman.Appearing on TalkRadio with host Julia Hartley-Brewer, Mr Steeting replied: “Men have penises, women have vaginas, here ends my biology lesson.” He added: “That doesn’t mean by the way that there aren’t people who transition to other genders because they experience gender dysphoria and we should acknowledge that and conduct the debate in a respectful way that respects those people’s rights and dignity.”His comments come on the morning Jamie Wallis, a Conservative, came out as the first trans member of parliament. Mr Streeting’s reply prompted delight from radio host Ms Hartley-Brewer, who started clapping and replied: “Wes Streeting, can I just say, I’ve got a Labour MP on who can answer that question and who did biology.”The MP added: “Oh god, I’m getting a clap from Julia Hartley-Brewer, this is the end of my lefty street-cred, if I ever had any.” His response to the question contrasts with the approach taken by the Labour party leadership – which has said the framing is unhelpful and upsetting.Asked the same question on Monday Keir Starmer told LBC radio: “I don’t think that discussing this issue in this way helps anyone in the long run. “What I want to see is a reform of the law as it is, but I am also an advocate of safe spaces for women. “I want to have a discussion with anybody who genuinely wants to find a way through this. “I do find that too many people retreat to or hold a position which is intolerant of others. And that’s not picking on any individual at all, but I don’t like intolerance, I like open discussion.”And deputy leader Angela Rayner had previously replied that the framing of the question “really debases the serious issues that people face” and “really upsets me”.“When we debase it to what genitalia you’ve got, I think all that does is damage people and it doesn’t help us go forward on some of the real issues that people are facing,” she said.Mr Streeting, asked by Ms Hartley-Brewer whether he could “have a word with Keir Starmer”, said: “He doesn’t need any advice from me … we want a respectful debate about these issues and we recognise that there’ve been tensions on the gender identity debate and sex-based rights debate and we’ve just got to acknowledge that and find a way through that maybe not everyone loves but maybe everyone can live with.” More

Government ministers will “inevitably” have to reveal any fines they receive over breaches of Covid laws, the deputy prime minister Dominic Raab has conceded.No 10 has only promised to confirm if Boris Johnson or his cabinet secretary Simon Case are given a fixed penalty notice, after the Metropolitan Police said it was issuing the first 20 fines over Partygate.However, Mr Raab said any minister fined would also have to be named. Asked if other ministers would disclose fixed penalty notices, Mr Raab told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think that’s inevitably the case, yes.”The justice secretary said the public would not necessarily be told if Mr Johnsons’ wife, Carrie, was issued with a fine – and defended the principle of protecting civil servants.“She is not a minister or a politician. The Metropolitan Police do not publish the identities of people subject to fixed penalty notices,” he told the Today programme. “I don’t think it is right to have double standards.”Asked if the top civil servants should be named, given the huge public interest in the case, Mr Raab said: “I don’t think you should have double standards from the normal rules that apply.”Mr Raab refused to be drawn on whether Mr Johnson would have to step down if he did receive one. “I am not going to comment on hypothetical questions or speculate on an ongoing police investigation,” he told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.The deputy PM said he did accept Covid laws had been broken. No 10 said on Tuesday that Mr Johnson did not formally accept that the law had been broken – despite the 20 police fines.Asked on Sky News if the issuing of a fixed penalty notice meant the law had been broken, Mr Raab said: “Yes, inevitably fixed penalty notices (are issued to) those that have breached the regulations.” The Met would not say how many individuals will get a fine – it is possible some will get more than one if they attended multiple illegal events. The force would also not say which parties the fines relate to.No 10 has declined to say whether fined individuals can carry on working in No 10, though former chief whip Mark Harper suggested law-breaking civil servants or advisers would have to be sacked.In a tweet, the senior Tory MP posted a screenshot of the Civil Service Code, highlighting a passage saying they must “comply with the law”.The College of Policing has said forces must apply proportionality when considering what information to hold back – adding: “The police can consider the details of any investigation to make decisions in the best interests of the public.”’It’s not a party, it’s colleagues getting together’: Tory MPs deny dinner with PM is ‘party’Meanwhile, Mr Raab also denied that Mr Johnson deliberately misled parliament over government gatherings – saying he had been telling the truth “to the best of his ability”.The prime minister told the Commons in December that “all guidance was followed completely”. Challenged over the remarks, Mr Raab said: “I don’t think there was an intention to mislead … The prime minister in good faith updated parliament on what he knows.”The senior cabinet minister also told BBC Breakfast: “To jump from that to say he deliberately misled parliament rather than answering to the best of his ability I’m afraid is just not right.”Mr Johnson will face MPs following the police conclusion that coronavirus laws were broken at the heart of his government – likely to endure a difficult session of PMQs before a further grilling from senior MPs at the Liaison Committee. More