Markus Andrews

The west is ready to maintain “unrelenting” diplomatic and economic pressure over the long term to ensure the failure of Vladimir Putin’s imperial ambitions, even if the Russian president succeeds in his immediate goal of overrunning Kyiv and seizing parts of Ukraine, Boris Johnson has vowed.In some of his gloomiest comments since the start of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of its neighbour on Thursday, the prime minister said Putin appeared intent on unleashing indiscriminate firepower against Kyiv as he did on Grozny, which was razed to the ground in the 2000 Chechen war.The world was faced by a struggle between “good and evil” in Ukraine, and Russians involved in atrocities should be aware they will face prosecution in the international courts for war crimes, he said.But Mr Johnson insisted that a successful Russian seizure of part of the country would result only in a “prolonged crisis”, with guerrilla warfare from Ukrainian resistance backed by crippling economic sanctions from the international community.Speaking during a one-day visit to frontline Nato states Poland and Estonia, the prime minister warned Putin that any attempt to hold Ukraine over the long term will be “militarily exhausting and economically ruinous” for Russia.And he urged the Russian president: “There is only one way out of this morass and that is to stop the tanks, to turn back the tanks on their way to Kyiv, turn them round and take the path of peace.”With a 40km-long convoy of armoured Russian vehicles approaching the Ukrainian capital, Mr Johnson’s comments indicated that he expects Putin to respond to the frustration of his hopes for swift victory by stepping up the scale of violence inflicted by his troops.Putin has been forced into a “cul-de-sac” by the unexpectedly tenacious resistance offered by Ukraine’s army and people, said Mr Johnson.And he has already demonstrated his readiness to resort to atrocity with a rocket attack on residential areas and on Freedom Square in the heart of the country’s second city Kharkiv.“If you’re sitting where he is, his only instinct is going to be to double down and to try and ‘Grozny-fy’ Kyiv and to reduce it to [rubble] ,” Mr Johnson told ITV News.“I think that that would be an unalterable moral humanitarian catastrophe and I hope he doesn’t do that. I hope he has the wisdom to see that there must be a better way forward.” More

Britain has slapped sanctions on Belarus in response to the eastern European country’s support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, foreign secretary Liz Truss has announced.The Foreign Office said the government was imposing its “first tranche” of sanctions against Belarusian military chiefs and organisations for assisting in Vladimir Putin’s aggression.Four senior defence officials working for Alexander Lukashenko’s government and two Belarusian military enterprises have been sanctioned with immediate effect under the UK’s sanctions regime.“The Lukashenko regime actively aids and abets Russia’s illegal invasion and will be made to feel the economic consequences for its support for Putin,” said Ms Truss.The foreign secretary said: “We are inflicting economic pain on Putin and those closest to him. We will not rest until Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is restored.She added: “There will be nowhere to hide. Nothing – and no one – is off the table.”Belarusian state enterprises JSC 558 Aircraft Repair Plant and JSC Integral, a military semi-conductor manufacturer, have been sanctioned, the Foreign Office announced on Tuesday evening.The four individuals hit be sanctions includes chief of the general staff Major General Victor Gulevich. The Foreign Office claims he has directed joint military exercises with Russia, and consented to the deployment of Russian troops along the border of Belarus with Ukraine.The other sanctioned individuals are Major General Andrei Burdyko, the deputy minister of defence for logistics, Major General Sergei Simonenko, the deputy minister of defence for armament, and deputy minister of defence Major General Andrey Zhuk.The move means the named individuals will not be able to travel to the UK and any British-based assets will be frozen.It comes as ministers were warned that sanctions against Russia need to “go even faster and further” so that a “sanction gap” with the UK’s allies does not open up.Calls from both Labour and Conservative MPs to strengthen the sanctions regime came as MPs approved new measures against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.The package announced on Monday includes a full asset freeze for all Russian banks, as well as new powers to limit them from clearing payments in sterling.Labour shadow foreign minister Stephen Doughty urged the government to do more, warning in some cases the sanctions have been “off the pace” compared with allies.Cabinet Office minister Michael Ellis said the ban on all Russian companies from lucrative UK funding goes further than steps taken by many allies.The government has also introduced an Economic Crime Bill, vowing to use the legislation to tackle “dirty money” and expose foreign oligarchs who launder their wealth through the UK’s property market.The legislation aimed at setting up a new register of overseas entities requiring foreign owners of property in the UK to declare their true identity, in a move intended to ensure criminals cannot hide behind secretive webs of shell companies.But some MPs said the government had been much too slow to sanction individuals with close ties to the Kremlin.Labour veteran Margaret Hodge used parliamentary privilege on Tuesday to read out the names of 10 Russian oligarchs with “links to the UK” from a list of 105 who she said should be sanctioned.Conservative MP Bob Seely called for a public inquiry “into what has gone wrong in the last 10 to 15 years because this system is becoming rotten at so many levels”. More

Ukraine is attempting to link up to the EU’s power network after disconnecting from the Russian and Belarusian electricity grid.Kyiv and Moldova took part in a three-day test of electricity independence and hope to join the synchronous grid of Continental Europe permanently.Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko is lobbying the EU for permission to link up with the European Network of Transmission System Operators (ENTSO-E) immediately.He said: “We refused to return to parallel work with the systems of Russia and Belarus. We have proved the graveness of our intentions to integrate with the European system, even in this difficult time of war.“Despite military aggression by Russia, rocket attacks, attacks on critical infrastructure, the Ukrainian power system – working autonomously – has proven its reliability and security of electricity supply to consumers.”We have proved the seriousness of our intentions to integrate with the European system, even in this difficult time of war,” he added.”I appeal to our European partners to synchronize Ukraine’s energy system with ENTSO-E as soon as possible. We need your support and solidarity with the Ukrainian people more than ever!”On Monday, EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson met with ENTSO-E to discuss Ukraine joining the grid early, Politico reports.He said: “Ukraine is asking for emergency synchronization with the European grid as soon as possible. This is technically challenging, but as Europe this is something tangible we can do for our partners.”Russia is advancing on Kyiv with a huge convoy of armoured vehicles, tanks and other military equipment spanning more than 40 miles, according to new satellite images.As the troops advance, Russia’s defence ministry has warned that it will carry out a number of strikes on security sites in Kyiv, according to state news agency Tass. More

The watchdog governing MPs’ pay has decided to increase the salary of the UK’s elected representatives by £2,200 from next month.The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) said basic pay would rise from £81,932 to £84,144 in April – a move likely to spark outrage given the cost of living squeeze faced by millions of families.The annual increase to MPs’ salaries will be 2.7 per cent, the same as the average increase in pay for public sector employees, following a two-year freeze in the wake of the Covid crisis.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has spoken out about a pay rise for MPs this April – saying recently that it “shouldn’t go ahead” given the severe cost of living squeeze facing the public.He added: “The mechanism is independent but I think it’s for me, as leader of the opposition, to say that I do not think we should have that pay rise.”A Labour source told The Independent that Sir Keir stood by his position and believed the pay rise next month was inappropriate.However, Richard Lloyd, IPSA’s chair, defended the decision – arguing that it was “right” that MPs were paid fairly and pointing out the increase was in line with public sector pay rises on the way.“This is the first increase in pay for MPs in two years and follows the average of increases across the public sector last year. MPs play a vital role in our democracy and this is reflected in their pay,” said the watchdog chief.Mr Lloyd added: “It is right that MPs are paid fairly for the responsibility and the unseen work they do helping their constituents, which dramatically increased last year. For parliament to reflect society, it is vital that people from all walks of life can be an MP.”The Taxpayers’ Alliance said working households were likely to be “furious” about MPs’ earnings being increased while they “face crippling tax hikes”.Boris Johnson’s official spokesperson said earlier this year that the prime minister expected Ipsa to show “restraint” when setting MPs’ pay for the year ahead given the cost of living crisis.In October, chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the end of the public sector pay freeze introduced the previous November in response to the Covid crisis.Annual growth in public sector pay in the three months to October 2021 was 2.7 per cent, according to the official figures from the Office for National Statistics.Meanwhile, Sir Keir made clear on Tuesday that he is calling for a review of the operating licence for Russian state-owned media outlet RT, formerly known as Russia Today, amid outrage over its coverage of the Ukraine invasion.He told journalists: “I’ve called on the government to review the operating licence for Russia Today, which frankly is the propaganda tool of Putin.“The sooner that they get on with that, the better, because there’s a gulf of difference between journalism and free journalism … and some of these outlets which are a personal propaganda machine for Putin and his cronies.” More

Scrapping free Covid tests could cost parents and teachers in England £390m a year and leave schools “flying blind” in their efforts to prevent the spread of the disease, Boris Johnson has been warned.The eye-watering bill was calculated by Liberal Democrats as the likely cost if students, teachers and families continue with twice-weekly tests after charging begins on 1 April.A family with two school-aged children who stick to the government’s previous advice for controlling Covid in schools would face costs of £633 a year, said the party’s health spokesperson Daisy Cooper.The warning came after polling for The Independent found that 66 per cent of voters believe lateral flow and PCR tests should continue to be free for all, despite a monthly cost of £2bn to the Treasury.An overwhelming 86 per cent of those questioned by Savanta ComRes said they would pay no more than £10 for a pack of seven lateral flow tests – despite expectations that a typical box will cost around £15-40.Boots last week said it would charge £5.99 per test or £17 for a pack of four to be delivered to customers’ homes, or £2.50 for one and £12 for a pack of five in-store.With as many as 1.25m tests being taken weekly by staff, pupils and close family in English primary schools, Ms Cooper said the total bill could reach £7.5m a week – or £390m a year – if take-up remains at the same level.And if parents and staff give up on regular tests, schools will be “flying blind” over whether they have infectious people in their classrooms.“Parents and their children have been trying hard to do the right thing throughout the pandemic by getting tested regularly. The government should not be making that harder.“Saddling parents with the cost of regular Covid tests is the wrong thing to do when many are already struggling to pay the bills. It also risks leaving our schools flying blind, leading to more Covid infections amongst children and school staff leading to more disruption to our children’s education.“As the cost of living crisis bites, parents will have to fork out thousands of pounds to test their children for covid to keep vulnerable family members safe.These eye-watering costs will simply make covid testing too expensive for many. The Government’s decision is completely reckless and irresponsible.”According to the UK Health Security Agency, more than 560,000 lateral flow tests were taken by primary and secondary school teachers via the NHS test and trace service in the week of 3 to 9 February. Another 470,000 tests were taken by secondary school students in the same week.The same figures show that more than 215,000 tests were taken by students’ and teachers’ families. More

Conservative MP Adam Holloway has been criticised by Downing Street for travelling to Ukraine against his own government’s advice.The former soldier and MP for Gravesham has appeared on GB News after crossing into war-struck Ukraine from south-east Poland.Mr Holloway described “extraordinary scenes” of traffic jams full of people trying to flee Ukraine, having also reported on refugees taking shelter inside a McDonald’s on the Polish side of the border.The 56-year-old, who serves on the foreign affairs select committee, appears to have gone against guidance with the Foreign Office advising against all travel to Ukraine.Boris Johnson’s spokesman said he was not aware of Mr Holloway’s trip to Ukraine but “our advice applies to everyone”, adding: “He should certainly not travel to Ukraine.”It comes as the prime minister contradicted foreign secretary Liz Truss and again insisted that the UK government is not actively supporting British volunteers who want to join the fight against Russia in Ukraine.Mr Holloway told GB News on Monday night that he started his day by going to McDonald’s near the border with Ukraine which was “packed with women and children and a few elderly people”.The Tory MP continued: “We then went up the road a couple of miles and I crossed over into Ukraine and then really quite extraordinary scenes of thousands of women and children queuing at the border, men separated, foreign men separated, some of them have been living in these corralled areas in the border posts for four days and nights in the cold.”Mr Holloway then drove east into Ukraine and described seeing “the mother of all traffic jams”, adding: “It went on for about 20 miles, I mean thousands and thousands and thousands of cars.”He described volunteers in a children’s nursery packing up donated medical supplies into medical kits for soldiers, before he headed to a military conscription site.Mr Holloway, who has previously worked as an investigative reporter for ITN and ITV, said: “We went round the corner and there was a place where people volunteer to sign up for the military, and we ran into Ukraine’s top concert pianist Igor Grubin.“It was fascinating talking to him, because so many people are volunteering for the military that they’re only taking people with actual military experience, there just aren’t enough guns.“I’ve only been on the ground for just over 12 hours but it seems to me that these people here are absolutely determined to fight. If you look at the moral component of warfare, and as you know I used to be a soldier, that is the decisive thing.”Mr Johnson became the latest cabinet minister to warn Britons away from Ukraine, as he spoke to reporters in Estonia.A suggested that the UK government was supporting volunteers, but the Prime Minister replied: “You’re not quite right in what you say about supporting volunteers going to fight, the UK is not actively doing such a thing.”Ms Truss said over the weekend that she would “absolutely” support British nationals who chose to join the fight, with a number of Britons keen to fight against Putin.A steady stream of people arrived at the Ukrainian embassy in west London on Tuesday to volunteer to fight against Russia’s invasion, and support the refugee effort at Ukraine’s borders.Roger Conway, from Newcastle, told the PA news agency near the embassy: “Solidarity doesn’t look real if you don’t do anything.” He said he assumed he would receive training from the Ukrainian military. More

NHS leaders have hit out at Her Majesty’s Treasury for failing to set out a long term workforce plan, warning services are being forced to spend billions in tax payers funds on temporary staff. Chris Hopson, chief executive for NHS Providers, which represents all NHS trusts has said quality of care is now being compromised and that the Treasury’s silence on workforce funding means the NHS cannot maximised taxpayer’s money.He tolds the Commons Health Committee: “I just want to address the Treasury directly, the treasury is forever saying we need to maximised tax payer money, the truth is we are spending billions of pounds of money we do not need to spend on agency and locum staff instead of full time staff that we desperately need.“We’ve reached an absurd and extraordinary position where NHS is saying we need this long-term workforce plan to maximised tax payer value for money but the treasury is stopping us from doing so that cannot make sense.”His words come as the House of Lords is due to debate an amendment to the Health and Care Bill this week which was previously rejected by the government. The amendment was proposed by former health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, would require the NHS to publish workforce requirements every few years.Speaking at the Commons Health Committee Professor Dame Helen Lampard Stokes, chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges said urged the Lords to back the amendment.She said government is not prepared to be honest about what is required in terms of workforce numbers and that NHS staff will be “bewildered” over why there hasn’t been a long-term plan.The government has promised to set out a future ‘framework’ for NHS staffing needs however has failed to set out any definitive figures or long term investment. Mr Hopson told the Commons Health committee the NHS had reached the point where workforce shortages are now impacting the quality of care and that care backlog built up during the pandemic cannot be recovered as it stands because of staff shortages.“We simply can’t run the NHS effectively or efficiently without a long term plan”, he said. On Tuesday NHS England chief Amanda Pritchard announced a new drive to recruit thousands of people as “reservists” to assist the NHS in tackling the backlog.The NHS looking to increase recruitment of people who are interested in a career in the NHS or former staff who might want to return to work, into agency like roles.Speaking at the annual Nuffield Trust health summit on Tuesday, Amanda Pritchard said: “Reservists will help us in our time of need but also help those who want a rewarding career in the health service – the roles are flexible and can fit around your lifestyle.“The challenges for the NHS are far from over – and as we now pull out all the stops to recover services, we once again need the public’s support.” More

Priti Patel has sparked anger by suggesting Labour MPs cannot be trusted to receive security briefings about threats to the UK from the crisis in Ukraine.The home secretary made the comment in defending her claim that the UK cannot be more generous to refugees fleeing the Russian invasion because of the “strongest security advice”.“I’m sure if the party opposite wanted a security briefing from our colleagues, we’d happily provide one,” she told Labour, during a Commons statement.“But, at the same time, I’m very sceptical of how they treat and respect security advice.”The allegation came despite Ms Patel, infamously, being sacked from Theresa May’s government for holding secret meetings with the Israeli government.Angela Eagle, a Labour MP and former minister, called the comment “disgraceful” – as Ms Patel failed to explain why security concerns rule out welcoming more refugees from war-torn UkraineJacqui Smith, a former Labour home secretary, tweeted: “That’s an unwarranted slur on the current opposition and unworthy of a home secretary.”Ms Patel hit out as she was forced to backtrack partially on her refusal to open the door to more Ukrainian refugees, apparently under pressure from Downing Street.More family members of Ukrainians in the UK – parents of adults, grandparents, adult offspring and siblings – will be eligible, instead of just spouses and children.And individuals, charities, businesses and community groups will be able to sponsor Ukrainians to work in the UK, outside of normal rules on salaries and language spoken.However, Ms Patel is still refusing to waive visa rules – as the EU is doing – and she admitted she had no idea how many people would take up the UK’s schemes, or how quickly.more follows More