Markus Andrews

The Tory MP at the centre of Islamophobia allegations now has a role overseeing parliament’s complaints system, following Boris Johnson’s reshuffle.Mark Spencer, who was chief whip, was made Leader of the House of Commons on Tuesday, replacing Jacob Rees-Mogg.Among the responsibilities of the job is “upholding the rights and interests of the backbench members of the House”, according to the government’s own description.The Commons leader is the custodian of the complaints system, as well as all standards-related matters. But Mr Spencer was last month criticised after a fellow Tory MP claimed he told her the fact she was a Muslim was making colleagues uncomfortable.She says the whip indicated that this was why she was sacked as minister.Boris Johnson launched a Cabinet investigation into the matter, which relates to an exchange which occurred in March 2020. Mr Spencer has no role in this inquiry.Asked whether Mr Spencer’s appointment was inappropriate, given the ongoing investigation into his alleged comments to Ms Ghani, Boris Johnson’s official spokesperson said: “There is an investigation ongoing to establish the facts of what happened and that’s being carried out in line with due process.”It’s right that we need to allow that investigation to conclude without pre-empting it or drawing conclusions whilst that work is ongoing.”Apparently acknowledging Mr Spencer’s promotion, Ms Ghani on Tuesday reposted a statement she had first issued on 24 January when the inquiry was launched.”As I said to the prime minister last night, all I want is for this to be taken seriously and for him to investigate,” she said.”I welcome his decision to do that now. The terms of reference of the inquiry must include all that was said in Downing Street and by the Whip. I look forward to seeing the terms of reference.”The former chief whip says Ms Ghani was invited to use the internal Tory complaints procedure at the time the comments were made but that she declined to do so.On 22 January Mr Spencer said: “To ensure other Whips are not drawn into this matter, I am identifying myself as the person Nusrat Ghani MP has made claims about this evening.”These accusations are completely false and I consider them to be defamatory. I have never used those words attributed to me.”It is disappointing that when this issue was raised before Ms Ghani declined to refer the matter to the Conservative Party for a formal investigation.”I provided evidence to the Singh Investigation into Islamophobia which concluded that there was no credible basis for the claims.”Parliament and government’s overlapping complaints and standards systems have come under scrutiny in recent months following a series of sleaze allegations, including over lobbying and poor behaviour by MPs. More

The Downing Street operation to save Boris Johnson’s job was mistakenly referred to as “Operation Shag a Dog” in the Commons amid confusion over nicknames and accents.It follows The Independent’s exclusive story from last month revealing that the No 10 scheme to sack top officials had been dubbed “Operation Save Big Dog” by the prime minister himself.Labour MP Jim McMahon, opening a debate on the cost of living, said the government was “too busy saving the job” of the PM to get on with the job of running the country.The shadow environment secretary said: “Operation Shaggy Dog in full force. I think it is absolutely outrageous.”Mishearing Mr McMahon’s northern accent, Conservative MP Jerome Mayhew said: “I think the operation wasn’t called Operation Shag a Dog … perhaps he would care to correct that.”Amid laughter and head-shaking in the chamber, deputy Commons speaker Nigel Evans said: “I heard shaggy dog – I am sure everybody heard shaggy dog.”One MP from the Labour benches said: “Learn to speak Northern.”Mr McMahon replied he was “of course referring to the Dulux dog”, from the paint company advertisements.In another tense exchange on Tuesday, MP Lee Anderson called Ian Lavery a “coward” in the Commons after the Labour MP ignored several requests from the Tory to give way.The Labour MP was making a speech on the “grotesque inequality in this country”, calling poverty and hunger a “political choice”, as he contrasted rising yacht sales and other signs of wealth with poverty.The Conservative MP for Ashfield made a number of attempts to intervene, asking Mr Lavery to give way and allow him the opportunity to rise and make a point in the House. Mr Anderson could then be heard saying the word “coward” from a seated position.Following objections from Labour MPs, the deputy Speaker said “please withdraw that word”, and Mr Anderson responded: “I’m sure the honourable member is not a coward.”Meanwhile, Jacob Rees-Mogg said he did not recollect feeding Mr Johnson the discredited smear attack about Sir Keir Starmer “failing” to prosecute Jimmy Savile.Asked about a report in the Sunday Times that suggested he gave the PM the idea for using the line in the Commons last week, the new Brexit opportunities minister told ConservativeHome’s podcast: “That isn’t my recollection.Mr Rees-Mogg added: “I think it came from behind us, but it seemed to me a perfectly fair point to use.”Pressed on whether he was sure it did not come from him, the cabinet minister replied: “I wasn’t sitting next to the prime minister, so I wasn’t in a particularly good position to be feeding him lines.” More

New rules in the UK could force people to provide ID before they use Google or Reddit, campaigners have warned.The regulation attempts to restrict pornographic websites so that they cannot be viewed by children, with a view to asking people to provide age verification before they can visit adult websites.But new changes to the rules attempt to take on websites that show pornographic content as just part of their offering. That includes social networks and search engines.That could mean that websites that nominally publish adult content – which may include Google, Twitter, Reddit and other major platforms – could be covered by the rules.That may mean that they could be forced to check users’ age before they are able to use those sites. While the precise way those checks will happen has still not been revealed, suggestions have included requiring people to provide credit card details or other personally identifying information.That is the latest warning from the Open Rights Group, which has been among a range of privacy activists and other campaigners attempting to fight against the new regulations.“There is no indication that this proposal will protect people from tracking and profiling porn viewing. We have to assume the same basic mistakes about privacy and security may be about to be made again,” said Jim Killock, executive director of the Open Rights Group.“The proposal could force people to age verify before using Google search or reading Reddit. This appears to be a huge boon to age verification companies, for little practical benefit for child safety, and much harm to people’s privacy.” The rules, sometimes referred to as “porn blocks” are part of the Online Safety Bill. Such age verification schemed have been proposed for years – but have been repeatedly delayed and changed as regulators attempt to find practical ways to put them in place. More

Environmental groups have accused the UK of “torpedoing climate action” and “disregarding science” amid reports six new oil and gas fields are to be approved in the North Sea this year. Rishi Sunak – who said last week he wanted to encourage more investment in new fossil fuel drilling – is reported to have pressed the business secretary to fast-track applications.A new oil and gas field in the North Sea has already been given the green light this year – just two months after the UK held the global climate Cop26 summit. Green groups fiercely criticised the move, accusing the government of hypocrisy and taking action that “only worsens the climate crisis.It is set to be followed by half a dozen more approvals for fossil fuel drilling this year, according to The Telegraph. The sites have reportedly already been given a preliminary licence by ministers and are expected to be approved by the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), the UK regulator.The Telegraph reported there were fears in the Treasury over how the move to net-zero could impact the economy, while a Whitehall source told the newspaper the business secretary was “pushing for more investment in the North Sea” during the transition for “domestic energy security” as well. Philip Evans, oil campaigner at Greenpeace UK said: “This would represent a stunning retreat from the pro-climate posturing we saw from the government at the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow.”He added: “Rishi Sunak’s climate busting drive for fossil fuels is clearly against the spirit of that declaration and against the demand of the British people that climate is a top matter of concern.” Carla Denyer, co-leader of the Green Party said: “Boris Johnson urged global leaders at Cop26 to ‘defuse the bomb’ of climate change. Now his own government is torpedoing climate action by granting permission for more climate wrecking oil and gas to be extracted from the North Sea. She said more oil and gas fields “disregards the science” and ignores the International Energy Agency’s call for these to be halted. The UK declined to join an international alliance aimed at ending new oil and gas projects at the Cop26 summit in November hosted in Glasgow.MPs and experts told The Independent the UK needed to shift to renewables to protect itself from energy crises such as the current one – which is behind soaring household bills. Mr Sunak also faced criticism over his endorsement of more investment in new fossil fuel drilling in the North Sea last week. The chancellor said the UK needed natural gas as part of its transition to net zero – but environmental groups slammed it as a step in the wrong direction amid current climate goals. According to the International Energy Agency, natural gas is the “cleanest burning” fossil fuel – but still emits greenhouse gases. Downing Street confirmed that six applications for extension of North Sea drilling were currently under consideration, but said they all related to oil and gas fields licensed in the past – some as long ago as the 1970s.Their development proposals would go through the usual processes with the OGA, as well as environmental impact assessment and a public consulation, the prime minister’s official spokesperson said. “No decisions have been taken,” they added. The OGA declined to comment on reports of six new oil and gas fields. A Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy spokesperson said: “There will continue to be ongoing demand for oil and gas over the coming years as we transition to cleaner, more secure forms of energy generated in this country.“As the business secretary has said, turning off our domestic source of gas overnight would put energy security, British jobs and industries at risk, and we would be even more dependent on foreign imports”.The Treasury has also been approached for comment. More

Boris Johnson’s new director of communications lobbied No 10’s chief of staff on behalf of Huawei shortly before the Chinese telecoms giant was excluded from the UK’s security-sensitive 5G network, it has been confirmed.Leaked minutes of a 2020 meeting, obtained by The Sun, show that Guto Harri asked whether there were ministers he could “nudge” to preserve the company’s role in the hi-tech project, which was then subject to a security service review.The papers show that then chief of staff Sir Eddie Lister told Harri, representing lobbyists Hawthorn Advisers, that Johnson was “not anti-China” but was “caught” by concerns from the US administration of Donald Trump, as well as British parliamentarians, over the company’s links with the Communist Party regime.Downing Street confirmed that the meeting took place, but said it was legitimate for Mr Harri to undertake work for a client on behalf of his employer.Mr Johnson’s official spokesperson said it was “within the rules” and “obviously we met with a number of interested parties at that time while that discussion was taking place”.Minutes suggested Sir Eddie – now Lord Udny-Lister – said Mr Johnson did not want to ban the firm but was “caught” between that instinct and US and Tory pressure.“We want the technology, we want it rolled out. There’s an American concern and a parliamentary concern,” he said.“There are a large number of MPs across the political divide who have a problem with China. Some are Atlanticists, some over Covid, some over Hong Kong, some over human rights.”Mr Harri asked if there were “any ­ministers we should talk to? Perhaps give a nudge in DCMS (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) or Treasury?”, the minutes recorded.Responding to the leak, Mr Johnson’s spokesperson said the PM had described himself as a “Sinophile” but insisted the government had a “clear-eyed” approach to Beijing.“It’s in the UK’s interest to have an effective relationship with China,” the spokesperson said.“That needs to be clear eyed, as the Integrated Review (of foreign and defence policy) makes clear. We need to be able to address disagreements in a frank manner and address some of the challenges that China can pose. And that’s what the prime minister does.”In response to the suggestion that Mr Johnson was forced into the ban by US and Tory political pressure, the spokesman said: “Obviously, we want to ensure the UK has access to the best technology for its citizens.“But we need to balance that against any security concerns raised, any international concerns raised, that’s exactly what we did.“We listened to all sides of the argument. And you can see the action that we took, we planned the purchase of new 5G Huawei equipment and we’re stripping it out from our 5G networks.” More

Jacob Rees-Mogg has been made minister for Brexit opportunities as Boris Johnson kicked off a reshuffle designed to shore up his position following the Partygate scandal.Chief whip Mark Spencer has been moved to Mr Rees-Mogg’s former role as leader of the Commons, with a seat in cabinet.He was replaced as chief whip by Chris Heaton-Harris, who played a leading role in the parallel whipping system set up by the prime minister under the codename Operation Save Big Dog to shore up support as Tory MPs demanded his resignation over parties at No 10.Deputy chief whip Stuart Andrew was moved to Michael Gove’s levelling up department as housing minister. Labour immediately pointed out that the new housing minister voted against their proposals in 2016 to require landlords to make rented properties “fit for human habitation”.The party’s deputy leader Angela Rayner accused Johnson of “reshuffling the deckchairs when he’s already hit an iceberg”, while ignoring debates called by Labour in the Commons on the cost of living crisis and mental health.”Today, the Labour Party frontbench was in parliament proposing measures to tackle food poverty caused by an inflation crisis created in Downing Street and supporting the mental health of our children and young people – vital topics affecting families across the country,” said Ms Rayner.”What was Boris Johnson doing? Reshuffling the deckchairs when he’s already hit an iceberg. Labour is committed to security, prosperity and respect for everyone. Boris Johnson is desperately trying to save his own skin.” Mr Rees-Mogg will be a minister in the Cabinet Office in the newly-created role of minister for Brexit opportunities and government efficiency, and will also retain his seat in the cabinet.He is the first minister to be devoted to Brexit since the resignation of David Frost in December, though responsibility for negotiations with Brussels over issues like the Northern Ireland Protocol remains with foreign secretary Liz Truss.The North East Somerset MP and fervent Brexiteer famously once said that it could be 50 years before the UK reaped the benefits from EU withdrawal.Mr Spencer’s move comes after he came under fire internally over the botched attempt to save Owen Paterson from punishment for breaching lobbying rules, after Mr Johnson was forced into a U-turn by backbenchers angry at being whipped into supporting his old ally.And there was controversy after the vice-chair of the backbench 1922 Committee, William Wragg, spoke to police about whipping practices which he claimed amounted to blackmail, including alleged threats to withdraw government funding from rebels’ constituencies.The shake-up was triggered by Mr Johnson’s decision to appoint Stephen Barclay chief of staff in No 10 as part of his promise to show that Downing Street was changing in the wake of the Partygate affair.The appointment of a minister to a role normally held by a civil servant sparked concern that Mr Barclay would be unable to combine his new duties with the wide-ranging responsibilities of his other job of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.Mr Johnson is expected to make further changes today to transfer some of Mr Barclay’s portfolio to other ministers. More

Speaker condemns ‘disgraceful behaviour directed at’ Sir Keir StarmerCommons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has intervened to warn Boris Johnson that his “words have consequences”, after a crowd surrounded Sir Keir Starmer outside parliament last night and heckled abuse, including slurs about Jimmy Savile.Branding the mob’s behaviour “disgraceful”, Sir Lindsay reiterated his criticism of the PM, saying his remarks about Sir Keir’s failure to prosecute Savile last week were “inappropriate” and “only inflame opinions”. Senior Conservative MPs have since said Mr Johnson must apologise and withdraw the false accusations.Updating MPs on Tuesday, Sir Lindsay also revealed he had requested a “situation report” from the Metropolitan Police over the incident, which saw officers rescue Sir Keir in a police car after protestors shouted “traitor” and accused him of “protecting paedophiles”.Downing Street has responded to last night’s events by making clear the PM will not apologise, and announcing a “small” reshuffle of his ministers. Among the moves is Jacob Rees-Mogg, who will be the minister responsible for so-called “Brexit opportunities”.Show latest update

1644331780Michael Ellis being made minister for the Cabinet OfficeMichael Ellis is being made a minister for the Cabinet Office, in addition to his current role as paymaster general, as part of the mini-reshuffle. Tom Batchelor8 February 2022 14:491644330452Downing Street says lobbying by PM’s new communications director for Huawei was ‘within the rules’Downing Street has insisted lobbying of No 10 by Boris Johnson’s new communications director in support of Chinese technology firm Huawei was within the rules, reports PA.Guto Harri reportedly asked Sir Eddie Lister which ministers could receive a “nudge” for his client in 2020.The communications chief was said to have been representing lobbying firm Hawthorn Advisors during the 25-minute video call including Huawei executives on 2 June that year.The following month, telecoms firms were ordered to strip Huawei equipment from 5G networks by 2027 over security fears.Downing Street confirmed a meeting took place, with the Prime Minister’s official spokesman saying it was “within the rules” and “obviously we met with a number of interested parties at that time while that discussion was taking place”.In response to the leak, Downing Street said Mr Johnson had described himself as a “Sinophile” but the government had a “clear-eyed” approach to Beijing.“It’s in the UK’s interest to have an effective relationship with China,” the prime minister’s official spokesman said.“That needs to be clear eyed, as the Integrated Review (of foreign and defence policy) makes clear. We need to be able to address disagreements in a frank manner and address some of the challenges that China can pose. And that’s what the prime minister does.”Tom Batchelor8 February 2022 14:271644329835Former Tory minister says PM’s Savile slur ‘a mistake’Ex-justice secretary Robert Buckland has criticised Boris Johnson over his discredited claim Keir Starmer failed to prosecute Jimmy Savile. “I think it was a mistake,” he said.He told BBC Politics: “It’s a moment for all of us as responsible politicians to take stock, and look ourselves and say, ‘Are we really behaving in a way that sets the right example?’ I think all of us in public life, including the prime minister, need to say enough.”Mr Buckland added: “I want to stop this. We live in times where there is a coarsening of the discourse. There is an angry mob out there.”Adam Forrest8 February 2022 14:171644329312New chief whip and housing minister announcedChris Heaton-Harris MP has been installed as the new chief whip, replacing Mark Spencer, who is replacing Jacob Rees-Mogg as Commons leader. Meanwhile, Tory MP Stuart Andrew is to be the new housing minister in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, replacing Chris Pincher.Labour has dismissed the mini-reshuffle and changes at No 10 as “shuffling the deckchairs”.Tom Batchelor8 February 2022 14:081644328772Downing Street bought fridge for ‘meeting room’ with taxpayers’ moneyDowning Street bought a fridge for a meeting room with taxpayers’ money around the time No 10 was hosting “wine time Fridays” and other parties, The Independent can reveal.Boris Johnson was urged to “come clean” about how much public money had been spent on the lockdown bashes – a fact which is yet to have been established about the rule-breaking gatherings.Here is the story from our policy correspondent, Jon Stone: Tom Batchelor8 February 2022 13:591644328292Johnson regretted backing Brexit, says new No 10 spin doctorBoris Johnson regretted backing Brexit before the EU membership referendum, his new spin doctor Guto Harri told a senior journalist after the historic vote.The new director of communications told the New European’s editor-in-chief Matt Kelly in 2018 that Mr Johnson knew he had “f***** up” by coming out in favour of the UK’s exit, according to the newspaper.Mr Johnson submitted a column to the Daily Telegraph backing Brexit on the eve of the referedum. But he later admitted he had also written an anti-Brexit column saying Britain should “stay in” the EU.Read the full story here: Tom Batchelor8 February 2022 13:511644327932Opinion: Tories are hoping voters will forget ‘Partygate’ – they won’tWhat do Conservative MPs see in Boris Johnson, asks Marie Le Conte.The question has been asked again and again – and again, and again – over a number of years, but never more so than in the past few weeks. Politically toxic, bad at governing and unable to tame his parliamentary party, the prime minister currently has few things going for him.Read her full piece here: Tom Batchelor8 February 2022 13:451644327651Mark Spencer becomes Commons LeaderMark Spencer has been moved from Chief Whip to Commons Leader as part of Boris Johnson’s reshuffle, No 10 said. Tom Batchelor8 February 2022 13:401644327512Jacob Rees-Mogg made minister for ‘Brexit opportunities’Jacob Rees-Mogg will be the minister responsible for “Brexit opportunities” in the first move confirmed as part of Boris Johnson’s reshuffle.The shake-up of the ministerial team follows the appointment of Stephen Barclay as the prime minister’s chief of staff and comes as Mr Johnson seeks to relaunch his administration following the partygate row.Mr Rees-Mogg, previously the Leader of the House of Commons, will still sit at the Cabinet table in his new role as Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency.
Tom Batchelor8 February 2022 13:381644326834‘Hideous’ mob serves as ‘urgent reminder what is said in parliament reverberates outside’, says ex-minister Caroline Nokes, the former Tory immigration minister, has warned her parliamentary colleagues about the language they use after a mob harassed Sir Keir Starmer and David Lammy outside Portcullis House. She tweeted that “language has consequences” and referred to yesterday’s incident as “hideous”, adding that it served “as an urgent reminder that what is said inside the building reverberates outside”.Tom Batchelor8 February 2022 13:27 More

Downing Street bought a fridge for a meeting room with taxpayers’ money around the time No 10 was hosting “wine time Fridays” and other parties, The Independent can reveal.Boris Johnson was urged to “come clean” about how much public money had been spent on the lockdown bashes – a fact which is yet to have been established about the rule-breaking gatherings.No 10 insisted that the publicly-funded fridge was not involved in the festivities but shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry told The Independent that the government had questions to answer about any potential “misuse of public funds”.The Daily Mirror reported last month that a wine fridge had been “smuggled” into No 10 through the backdoor to hold bottles for the regular gatherings – prompting anger at a time when indoor socialising was supposed to be banned.The regular “wine times” sit alongside the 16 events investigated by top civil servant by Sue Gray, which all took place during May 2020 and April 2021.The government confirmed that the taxpayer-funded fridge had been purchased at some point between April 2020 and April 2021, though did not specify on which date. The fridge apparently expanded the chilled drinks holding capacity in a meeting room in No 10.Labour’s Ms Thornberry said: “We all know that Covid rules were repeatedly broken in Downing Street during lockdown, but we don’t yet know what taxpayers’ money was spent in the process.”Rather than have the answer to that question dragged out of them one pizza delivery or wine fridge at a time, I would urge Cabinet Office ministers simply to disclose any misuse of public funds they have discovered related to the Downing Street parties, and tell us what action has been taken as a result.”The government was last month asked by Ms Thornberry to disclose how much public money was spent on refrigerators for No 10 – but dragged its feet on responding.In its eventual response, Paymaster General Michael Ellis said in a written answer that two fridges had been purchased during the period, one to replace and existing fridge and one apparently to expand the capacity to store drinks in a meeting room.”Downing Street is a working building, including catering facilities and offices for staff; as is common in workplaces including the House of Commons, refrigerators are provided for general staff use,” he said.”One refrigerator was purchased in the financial year for a Downing Street meeting room, and one to replace an existing refrigerator that had reached the end of its working operation.”Notwithstanding, I can confirm that no such public expenditure was accrued in relation to the matters considered in the investigations by the Second Permanent Secretary or connected with associated media reports on this matter.”Sue Gray’s report found that “failures of leadership and judgement” and excessive drinking at work against the backdrop of the pandemic led to events that “should not have been allowed to take place”. She said that other events “should not have been allowed to develop as they did”.The prime minister faced calls to resign following the report, including from within his own party. No 10 is now subject to an investigation by the Metropolitan Police, which could levy fines under Covid-19 regulations.Police reportedly have a photograph of Boris Johnson holding a can of beer at one event, a lockdown birthday party allegedly instigate by his wife Carrie in June 2020. The picture is thought to be one of 300 submitted the Met by Ms Gray’s inquiry – which was asked not to publish details of the events so that it did not prejudice the ongoing police investigation.But full details of the parties may never be released because the prime minister will ultimately control whether evidence submitted by the second permanent secretary ever sees the light of day. More