Markus Andrews

Evidence of Boris Johnson lying to parliament over parties at Downing Street is “clear cut” and Conservative MPs do not have to wait for an official report to demand his resignation, a former Whitehall sleaze watchdog has said.The ex-chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, Sir Alistair Graham, said it was clear that Mr Johnson breached the ministerial code by misleading parliament, which would be a resigning matter.While Whitehall mandarin Sue Gray was unlikely to pass judgement on whether the PM breached the code in her report into the party scandal, expected next week, Sir Alistair said it was a “simple issue” for MPs to reach their own conclusions on the evidence already available.Sir Alistair said that fresh allegations of Tory rebels facing “blackmail” from ministers and whips to stop them from submitting letters of no confidence in Johnson could be a matter for police and would be “disastrous” for the PM if proved.The former CPSL chief told Sky News: “The key issue for me is it looks like the prime minister – the evidence is fairly clear – misled parliament about attending parties and parties taking place.“That would be, if he knowingly misled parliament, a breach of the ministerial code, which would be a resignation matter.“If Conservative MPs care about standards in our democratic system, that should be the simple issue.”There are expectations at Westminster that the publication of the Gray report will provoke a fresh wave of confidence letters which could take the total over the threshold of 54 needed to force a vote.But Sir Alistair said: “They are waiting for the Sue Gray report, but I doubt if Sue Gray’s going to deal with this issue of a breach of a ministerial code. I think that’s beyond her pay grade.“For me, the evidence is already clear cut that he did breach the ministerial code and therefore he should face the consequences of that.He added: “What appals people I think, is the scale of the breach of the regulations that seem to have taken place in Downing Street, and the lack of firm management, the lack of proper leadership.“I think does throw serious questions about whether we’ve got a prime minister and a government that is truly in charge or has allowed a culture to develop that people don’t need to consider what rules are in place and whether they should be kept to.” More

Downing Street offered to ease coronavirus restrictions for Prince Philip’s funeral, it has been reported. The Queen is said to have refused because it would be unfair for her to have special treatment when others were also grieving for their loved ones in lockdown. The report, which first emerged in news and satire magazine Private Eye, alleges that Downing Street officials suggested that more than 30 mourners might be allowed to attend the funeral. Downing Street also reportedly contacted Buckingham Palace to propose that social distancing requirements be relaxed for the event. According to Private Eye, the palace told Downing Street that the Queen wanted to set an example rather than be an exception to the rules. Covid-19 guidelines at the time, 17 April 2021, meant that only 30 people could attend a funeral service. Those attending a funeral were also told to stay at least two metres away from others outside their household or support bubble. For many across the country, the rules meant that they were not able to hug and comfort each other as they said goodbye to their loved ones. Even more people were not able to attend the funerals at all – instead being forced to say farewell over live streams and Zoom.When asked about the claims on Thursday, a Downing Street spokesperson refused to comment. The reports come after No 10 was forced to apologise to the Queen over parties held in Downing Street on the eve of her husband’s funeral. Details of two leaving parties held at No 10 the night before Prince Philip’s socially-distanced funeral emerged in The Telegraph last week. Staff allegedly drank alcohol into the early hours and guests danced in a No 10 basement. It was also reported that someone was sent to the Co-op on the Strand with a suitcase, which was filled with bottles of wine and brought back to Downing Street. The government’s guidance at the time read: “You must not socialise indoors except with your household or support bubble. You can meet outdoors, including in gardens in groups of six people or two households.”The next day, the Queen had to sit alone in the private chapel in Windsor Castle during her husband’s funeral. Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the story. More

Sir Tony Blair has warned that the UK is on course to “slip gently into a lower league” of nations, as he accused Boris Johnson of lacking a coherent plan for government.The former Labour prime minister said that without a radical shift in policy Britain faces “a steady, inexorable compound decline, similar to the 1960s and 1970s”.Sir Tony said that whether or not Mr Johnson survives the partygate scandal, Downing Street’s biggest problem is the absence of a plan for the country’s future.“There is a gaping hole in the governing of Britain where new ideas should be,” Sir Tony said during a speech at Imperial College London on Thursday. “It needs a plan … At present, there isn’t one.”The former PM also attacked the government’s approach to Brexit – saying the desire to diverge from the EU had caused “substantial” economic damage. “We can alter our political and legal relationship with Europe, but we cannot change our interests or our geography,” he said.Sir Tony added: “The government doesn’t have a post-Brexit regulatory strategy and it is letting passive divergence from EU rule exacerbate costs for businesses for no purpose, deepening an already substantial economic hit from Brexit itself.”The former prime minister said Brexit, the technological revolution and climate change present an unprecedented set of challenges which the government is “ill-prepared” to address.Sir Tony also said the government’s “levelling up” agenda did little to clarify the real issues for the UK. “The slogan risks misdirecting the framing of the country’s problem. We face a national challenge – all the country, not simply the areas ‘left behind’.”The former PM said he did not want to get “drawn into” the partygate scandal at a question-and-answer session at the Institute of Global Health Innovation-hosted event.But he did say: “Things were very different in my day at Downing Street and the way the government was run … Whatever happens to him – and I can’t effect that, that’s a matter for inquiries and the Conservative party – the problem is the absence of a plan.”The former Labour leader praised Sir Keir Starmer said the party was “thankfully emerging with renewed vigour [and] a talented front bench” from “the catastrophe of the Corbyn era”.He also praised the economic plan set out by shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves, saying it showed “a healthy desire to erase the memory of four successive defeats”, adding: “It could provide the plan the country needs. As Keir himself acknowledges, this is the challenge for 2022.”Asked whether he would want Britain to re-join the EU in future, Sir Tony said: “It would be a political error to revive the whole argument – you just have to accept that, no matter how passionately opposed to it I was.“But I think the thing to focus on is … you need a relationship, and let’s make it a practical one. Let’s make it work. You don’t want a situation where your prime minister is not on good terms with European leaders.” More

A senior Conservative MP has accused ministers of breaching the ministerial code by making threats to rebel colleagues who are considering trying to topple Boris Johnson.William Wragg urged the MPs to go the police, saying: “The reports of which I’m aware would seem to constitute blackmail.”The sensational accusation comes after some MPs considering submitting letters demanding a vote of no confidence in the prime minister reported receiving threats.They were said to include pulling investment from their constituencies – even in target ‘Red Wall’ seats – or them losing out in boundary shake-ups.Mr Wragg, the chair of the public administration committee, protested about the tactics as he quizzed Stephen Barclay, the Cabinet Office minister.“In recent days, a number of members of parliament have faced pressures and intimidation from members of the government because of their declared or assumed desire for a vote of confidence in the party leadership of the prime minister,” he said.“It is of course the duty of the government whips’ office to secure the government’s business in the House of Commons.“However, it is not their function to breach the ministerial code in threatening to withdraw investments from members of parliament’s constituencies which are funded from the public purse.”But Mr Johnson said he had seen “no evidence to support any of those allegations”. Pressed on whether he will look for evidence, he replied: “Of course.”Speaking to broadcasters during a visit to the southwest, the PM dodged questions over whether he will resign if the partygate report by Sue Gray finds he misled parliament.Mr Wragg also raised the alarm over attempts to “embarrass those who they suspect of lacking confidence in prime minister”, which was “simply unacceptable”.He urged MPs to “report these matters to the Speaker of the House of Commons and the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police”.Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, seized on Mr Wragg’s words, saying: “These are grave and shocking accusations of bullying, blackmail, and misuse of public money and must be investigated thoroughly.“The idea that areas of our country will be starved of funding because their MPs don’t fall into line to prop up this failing prime minister is disgusting.”Camilla Cavendish, head of policy for David Cameron, called the allegations “unprecedented” – saying the whips had moved into “mafia territory”, if true.Mr Wragg is one of seven Conservatives to call publicly for Mr Johnson to resign over the partygate scandal – a tally cut from eight when Christian Wakeford defected to Labour on Wednesday.He has also said he has submitted a no confidence letter, saying he was “concerned as a Conservative MP” by the prime minister’s behaviour over the long-denied parties.No 10 appeared to dismiss investigating the allegation, saying it was “not aware of any evidence” to back it up.Asked if there are plans for an inquiry, Mr Johnson’s spokesman said: “Not that I’m aware of” – adding the controversy “is a matter for the whips office”.Mr Barclay did not respond immediately to the accusations, which came after Sajid Javid has insisted Mr Johnson is “safe” in his job, despite the ongoing ‘partygate’ inquiry.The prime minister suffered the blow of Mr Wakeford’s shock defection to Labour on Wednesday, minutes before David Davis rose in the Commons to tell him: “In the name of God, go.”The number of letters from Tory MPs calling for a no-confidence vote in his leadership is on the rise, with other rebels awaiting Sue Gray’s report into No 10 parties before deciding whether to act.But, despite the turmoil, asked if Mr Johnson’s position is “safe”, Mr Javid told BBC Breakfast: “Yes, I think he is.” More

A lawmaker from Britain’s governing Conservatives accused the government on Thursday of blackmailing opponents of Prime Minister Boris Johnson as the party’s internal rifts deepened.William Wragg, a Tory member of Parliament, said legislators calling for a challenge to Johnson’s leadership have faced “intimidation,” and urged them to contact the police.Wragg accused Johnson’s staff, government ministers and others of “encouraging the publication of stories in the press seeking to embarrass those they who suspect of lacking confidence in the prime minister.” He also alleged that rebellious lawmakers had been threatened with a loss of public funding for their constituencies.Wragg told a parliamentary committee session that such actions “would seem to constitute blackmail. As such it would be my general advice to colleagues to report these matters to the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Commissioner of Metropolitan Police.”Johnson’s 10 Downing St. office said it was “not aware of any evidence to support what are clearly serious allegations. If there is any evidence to support these claims, we would look at it very carefully.”Wragg’s comments are the latest outburst in a Conservative battle over Johnson’s future, sparked by allegations of lockdown-breaching parties by the prime minister’s staff during the pandemic.Wragg is one of a handful of Tory lawmakers openly calling for Johnson to face a no-confidence vote over the “partygate” scandal, which centers on allegations that Johnson and his staff broke restrictions the government imposed on the country to curb the spread of the coronavirus.Senior civil servant Sue Gray is investigating claims that government staff held late-night soirees, boozy parties and “wine time Fridays” while Britain was under coronavirus restrictions in 2020 and 2021.Johnson has apologized for attending a “bring your own booze” gathering in the garden of his Downing Street offices in May 2020, but said he had considered the party a work gathering that fell within the rules.He has urged critics to wait for Gray’s report, which is expected to be published next week.Johnson and his supporters hope a defiant performance at Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday, combined with anger at the defection of a Conservative lawmaker to the opposition Labour Party has helped dissuade party legislators from trying to topple the prime minister.“I think people have recognized that, actually, this constant navel-gazing and internal debating is only to the advantage of our political opponents,” Conservative lawmaker Andrew Percy told the BBC.But David Davis a former Cabinet minister who in Parliament on Wednesday dramatically urged Johnson “In the name of God, go,” said any reprieve was likely temporary.“The party is going to have to make a decision or we face dying a death of 1,000 cuts,” he told the Daily Telegraph. More

An email central to the charge that Boris Johnson “lied to parliament” over the No10 garden party he attended has been found by the inquiry, it is believed.Sue Gray is also poised to quiz the senior official who sent the email – warning the prime minister’s aide Martin Reynolds to scrap the “bring your own booze” event – the official has said.He will tell the partygate inquiry head that Mr Reynolds “immediately came to his office after receipt of the email and asked him why the party should be cancelled”, ITV News has reported.It is also being alleged that Mr Reynolds, Mr Johnson’s principal private secretary, feared cancelling the May 2020 party would be more embarrassing than going ahead.The decision to plough on now threatens the prime minister’s job, because of his claim – to the Commons – that no-one warned him it was party that broke Covid laws.Many MPs believe Mr Johnson cannot survive in office if it is shown that he misled parliament with his repeated denials that parties took place with his knowledge.Dominic Cummings first alleged that warnings were given – including by himself, to Mr Johnson’s face – arguing it blew apart the prime minister’s defence that he thought the gathering was “a work event”.Robert Peston, ITV’s political editor, says he knows the identity of the sender of the email, but has agreed not to name him.The official has said Ms Gray will interview him – and that he will tell her “Reynolds immediately came to his office and asked him why the party should be cancelled”.Now Mr Peston has added: “I understand Sue Gray has found the email from a senior official to PM’s principle private secretary Martin Reynolds warning him the 20 May party should not go ahead.”The denial that Mr Johnson was alerted to the party is central to his much-ridiculed Commons apology – when he claimed he believed the gathering was “a work event”.In a blogpost, Mr Cummings claimed Mr Reynolds also told him he would “check with the PM if he’s happy for it to go ahead”, on 20 May 2020.“I am sure he did check with the PM. (I think it very likely another senior official spoke to the PM about it but I am not sure),” the post stated.And it added: “The idea that the PPS [principal private secretary] would be challenged by two of the most senior people in the building, say he’d check with the PM then not – is not credible.”Earlier, a senior Conservative MP accused ministers of breaching the ministerial code by making threats to rebel colleagues who are considering trying to topple Mr Johnson.William Wragg urged the MPs to go the police, saying: “The reports of which I’m aware would seem to constitute blackmail.” More

Labour has left behind its far-left days under Jeremy Corbyn and now has a “totally different mentality” towards business and the economy,  the shadow chancellor has declared.Rachel Reeves vowed a Labour government led by Sir Keir Starmer would be profoundly “pro-business” and committed to fiscal discipline.She told the Financial Times: “It doesn’t sound totally preposterous that Labour could be in government some time quite soon.”However, Ms Reeves acknowledged Sir Keir’s Labour had a great deal of work to do to regain voters’ trust after a humiliating defeat in the 2019 election.The shadow chancellor explained that would entail a solid partnership with business to increase growth – including developing infrastructure, more apprenticeships and increased research spending.She said: “Labour is a pro-worker party but we’re a pro-business party too, and very proudly so.” More

The post-Brexit trade deal Boris Johnson’s government struck with Australia is as “one-sided” as the Ashes cricket series, a Conservative MP has told ministers.Tory MP Neil Hudson said he was worried that the free trade agreement (FTA) could see British farmers undercut and “undermined” by cheap Australian meat imports.“Free trade agreements should be fair to both partners,” he said the Commons. “The Australian FTA, dare I say it, like the Ashes cricket series, is a bit one-sided in favour of Australia.”Mr Hudson said ministers still had to assure UK farmers that safeguard mechanisms in December’s deal would have enough “teeth” to “turn down the supply of meat” from Australia in the years ahead.International trade secretary Anne-Maria Trevelyan responded by claiming the safeguards would protect British farmers and make sure “fantastic British produce” doesn’t suffer from unfair competition.It comes as the government announced that the US has agreed to begin talks to remove the tariffs on British steel and aluminium imposed under Donald Trump’s administration.Ms Trevelyan told the Commons she spoken with US commerce secretary Gina Raimondo on Wednesday – saying the UK was pushing Joe Biden’s administration to “remove these unnecessary and burdensome tariffs” and was “confident” of an agreement.The 25 per cent tariff on steel and 10 per cent tariff on aluminium were imposed by the Trump administration during a dispute with the EU in 2018.Labour MP Stephen Kinnock pointed out to Ms Trevelyan that the EU had managed to get the Biden administration to drop tariffs in October – suggesting the US had been punishing Britain over the threat to suspend the Northern Ireland Protocol.“Here we are three months later and talks are only just starting,” said Mr Kinnock. He said that “the probable cause is the government’s shambolic handling” of recent talks with the EU.Labour also pushed Ms Trevelyan to confirm whether Mr Johnson had personally raised the issue of steel tariffs with Mr Biden, but the trade secretary said only that talks had happened at “all levels of government”.“The prime minister has been more interested in saving his own job than he has in saving jobs in the steel sector,” said shadow trade secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds. “The longer these tariffs they remain in place the more damage to our steel sector.”Confederation of British Industry (CBI) international director Andy Burwell said it is “vital” to agree a negotiated settlement on steel tariffs to “ease pressure on affected industries”.Alasdair McDiarmid, Community steelworkers’ union operations director, said: “This is welcome news but the talks must proceed at pace to limit damage to our steel industry.” More