Markus Andrews

The government has apologised to the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire after it acknowledged “past failures” in oversight of the system regulating safety within the construction industry.A lawyer for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said there had been “mistakes, errors and omissions” and the government was “deeply sorry”.Jason Beer QC, representing the department, said: “The department is deeply sorry for its past failures in relation to the oversight of the system that regulated safety in the construction and refurbishment of high-rise buildings.“It also deeply regrets past failures in relation to the superintendence of the building control bodies, which themselves had a key role in ensuring the safe construction and refurbishment of such buildings.“It apologises to the bereaved residents and survivors of the fire for such failures.”He added that the government, as well as the public and residents of the tower, had trusted that “those constructing and approving high-rise blocks and supplying the products used in them were following the law and doing the right thing”.This trust was “both misplaced and abused”, he said, adding: “The department greatly regrets that it took the Grenfell Tower tragedy to lay bare this misplaced and abused trust.”Phase two of the probe is examining how the block of flats in west London came to be coated in flammable materials that contributed to the spread of flames, which shot up the tower in June 2017, killing 72 people.Mr Beer said the department “should have done more to take on board the learnings and recommendations triggered by other fires” as well as addressing “in a timelier manner” correspondence from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Fire Safety which had raised issues.“Individually, these errors and missed opportunities from the department and across industry may not have caused the fire at Grenfell Tower, but cumulatively they created an environment in which such a tragedy was possible,” he said.“Had there been a functional enforcement system with efficient assurance built in, non-compliance to the extent that gave rise to the Grenfell Tower tragedy may not have been possible.”Matthew Butt QC, for the National House Building Council (NHBC), said it was “crucial” that the construction industry learns from the Grenfell fire.NHBC was not involved in the refurbishment of the tower but the body acknowledged it should have acted more swiftly “and been more assertive” with manufacturers, and accepted that some industry assessments had not been “as rigorous as they should have been”, he told the hearing.The inquiry was adjourned until Wednesday at 10am. Additional reporting by PA More

Nicola Sturgeon has asked people across Scotland to work from home until the middle of January in bid to stem the “potentially rapid rise” of the Covid omicron variant.Going further than Boris Johnson – who has been reluctant to bring back remote working guidance in England – the first minister asked Scotland’s employers to make sure staff that can work from home do so until mid-January 2022.“If you had staff working from home at the start of the pandemic, please now do so again,” said Sturgeon on Tuesday. “We’re asking you do this from now until the middle of January when we will review this advice.”The SNP leader added: “I know how difficult this is, but I cannot stress enough how much difference we think this could make in helping step transmission and avoiding the need for even more onerous measures.”In a direct plea to workers, Ms Sturgeon said: “If you were working at home at the start of the pandemic, please do so again for the next few weeks. None of this is what any of us want … but it is the best way of slowing the spread of the virus.”Scotland’s first minister said current restrictions – including travel curbs and mandatory wearing masks in indoor places – would stay in place.Cases of the omicron variant in Scotland have increased by 28 to a total of 99, Ms Sturgeon said, with around four per cent of Covid cases north of the border likely to be the new omicron variant.She also told the Scottish parliament that said cases of the variant appeared to be doubling every two to three days north of the border.The first minister said Scotland should expect “a potentially rapid rise [of omicron] in the days ahead”, and announced that she would now review measures on a daily rather than a weekly basis.It comes as some of the UK’s top scientific advisers have recommended that Mr Johnson’s government should consider bringing back work from home guidance in England to combat the spread of omicron.Minutes from the latest Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) meeting – published on Friday – show that the experts believe remote working is a “highly relevant” way to reduce transmission of the new variant.And Prof Adam Finn, a member of the government’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), has said “the more people can work from home now the better”.Mr Johnson has told ministers that the Omicron variant of coronavirus appears to be “more transmissible” than Delta when he updated his Cabinet on the latest situation on Tuesday morning.But Downing Street has been reluctant to bring in its so-called plan B – which includes advice to return to remote working and the use of vaccine certification in venues – over the Christmas period.Mr Johnson’s spokesman said so-called plan B measures could be deployed in England if needed. “We are able to move relatively quickly,” he said.Ms Sturgeon said further measures such as an extension to vaccine passports could not be ruled out north of the border. Contact tracing will be enhanced in Scotland, with household contacts of close contacts of positive cases told to test and isolate.She also urged Scots to do regular lateral flow testing – and revealed she takes a test every day before work.“I am not excluding myself from this,” she told MSPs. “I am currently doing a test every morning before coming to work and I will do a test on any occasion I mix with others over the festive period. I will ask anyone visiting my home over Christmas to do likewise.”The UK Health Security Agency said a further 101 confirmed cases of the Omicron variant have been reported on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases across the UK to 437. More

Boris Johnson has denied he intervened in this summer’s Kabul airlift to tell officials to prioritise the evacuation of former soldier Pen Farthing and his rescue animals as Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in August.The denial came after whistle-blower Raphael Marshall told MPs that the Foreign Office received “an instruction from the prime minister” to use “considerable capacity” to help the ex-Royal Marine bring out 170 cats and dog on a chartered plane.And a campaigner for Mr Farthing’s Nowzad charity said he had no doubt that Mr Johnson intervened personally to overrule defence secretary Ben Wallace after being given a “hard time” by his animal-loving wife Carrie.“Yes we lobbied, and we lobbied very successfully. I forced the prime minister’s arm … I’ve no doubt Carrie Johnson gave him a hard time,” Dominic Dyer told BBC News.Mr Johnson today dismissed the claims as “complete nonsense”, hailing the evacuation effort as “one of the outstanding military achievements of the last 50 years or more”.The PM admitted that “sometimes decisions took hours longer than we wanted” during the evacuation from Kabul. But he said officials did an “absolutely outstanding job” processing “very difficult, very complex claims incredibly quickly”.Mr Marshall, who worked on the evacuation operation as a desk officer in the Foreign Office, said that the order came “at the direct expense” of thousands of Afghans left behind when the hurried evacuation came to an end.In a 40-page dossier of evidence to the Commons Foreign Affair Committee, he claimed that helplines were understaffed, emails from desperate Afghans went unread and junior officials with no local knowledge worked on specialist cases.He told the committee: “There was no reason to believe the Taliban would target animal rights charities. There was therefore no justification for concluding Nowzad’s staff were at significant risk.“By contrast many others would inevitably be left behind who were at risk of murder. Similarly the protection of domestic animals was not a UK war aim in Afghanistan.”And Mr Dyer told the BBC: “The prime minister did intervene – he intervened directly with the home secretary to get the people on the priority list to evacuate. They weren’t at the top of that list, but we made it very clear they were at severe risk, and he accepted that argument.“He was right to intervene … Without the intervention by the prime minister, Mr Wallace would have continued to block the operation.”But Mr Johnson’s official spokesperson today denied that either the prime minister, his animal-loving wife or any member of 10 Downing Street staff intervened to tell military or civilian staff in response to Farthing’s appeals for help.“We’ve always prioritised people over animals,” said the PM’s spokesperson.“The prime minister’s focus was on saving and evacuating as many people as possible. That was the instruction that he gave to the whole of government and that’s why we evacuated 15,000 individuals and a further 2,000 subsequently.“UK government staff worked tirelessly to evacuate more than 15,000 people from Afghanistan within a fortnight. It was the biggest mission of its kind in generations and the second largest evacuation carried out by any country. We are still working to help others to leave.Mr Farthing was given clearance by UK authorities to fly a privately chartered plane from Kabul International Airport, but this did not distract from the evacuation operation, said the spokesperson. Mr Johnson was not involved in the decision to provide clearance, he said.“We provided clearance for the flight and they were assisted through the airport, but nothing beyond that,” he said. “I would not characterise granting clearances to distracting from the ability of us to evacuate individuals.Deputy prime minister Dominic Raab, who was foreign secretary at the time of the Operation Pitting evacuation, today dismissed Mr Marshall’s revelations about the chaotic Afghan evacuation as coming from a “junior desk officer” and insisted it was a success. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Raab should have quit the government at the time of the Afghanistan crisis.He told the BBC that Mr Marshall’s “devastating” testimony “lays bare the shambolic incompetence of the government”.Thousands of Afghans had been “let down and left to their fate” as a result, he said.“It is shocking that we are all now learning that emails and letters that we sent in to the Foreign Office – including from my office – were opened but haven’t been actioned.“It’s a total failure of political leadership with an ex-foreign secretary who was busy on the beach instead of doing his job.”Asked whether Mr Raab should be in office, Sir Keir said: “I think Dominic Raab should have resigned at the time, that would have been the decent, honourable thing to do.”The PM’s spokesperson confirmed that the promised resettlement scheme to bring 20,000 vulnerable Afghans to the UK has not yet begun operations. More

Government plans to strip the Electoral Commission of prosecution powers risk allowing lawbreakers to escape punishment, the head of the watchdog has warned.The police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) lack “the expertise and resources” to take on the role, John Pullinger suggested – a shift seen by many as part of an attempt to neuter the organisation.The controversial Elections Bill will also give the Cabinet Office the power to set the remit of the Commission and decide which organisations and activities are permitted in election campaigns.The shake-up comes after the watchdog angered No 10 by investigating the lavish refurbishment of Boris Johnson’s Downing Street flat, a report yet to be published.The Commission has been threatened with curbs ever since it embarrassed senior Tory figures by fining Vote Leave for busting spending limits for the Brexit referendum.Giving evidence to MPs, Mr Pullinger criticised the refusal to beef up the level of fines it can impose for wrongdoing from just £20,000 to a recommended £500,000.And, on the plan to remove the power of criminal investigation and prosecution, the Commission chair asked: “The key to me is, well, who is going to have it?He asked, of the police and CPS: “Are they ready to have it? Do they have the expertise, the resources to make sure that the laws that parliament has passed will be properly taken forward?”Mr Pullinger added: “Is the electoral system set up to ensure that the offences that parliament has legislated really will be prosecuted where necessary?”The chair also attacked handing ministers the power to set his agenda, warning: “It’s inconsistent with an independent regulator and that is concerning.”It would make it “more difficult to convince the public” that the Commission is truly independent, if it is required to take into account “the views of one party”.One Conservative member of the Commons public administration committee, Jackie Doyle-Price, suggested Mr Pullinger was being “partisan” and should give ministers the “benefit of the doubt”.But the chair insisted there are no “serious issues affecting the integrity of elections” and that the body was keen to work closely with government.The Cabinet Office insists the changes are a “necessary and a proportionate approach to reforming the Electoral Commission while respecting its independence”.But critics have warned ministers will, at a stroke, be able to ban trade unions and certain charities from taking part in elections by campaigning or donating.On Tuesday, Mr Pullinger said, of the Downing Street flat probe: “It is an investigation into the Conservative Party.“Part of the process of the investigation is to give the party investigated the chance to comment on our findings and have input, so we’re in that process.“Now, of course, once we’ve concluded it, we will publish our findings and hopefully that will be as soon as possible, but I can’t really comment beyond that now.” More

Boris Johnson has claimed No.10 staff followed all the rules at an alleged lockdown Christmas party last year.It comes as chancellor Rishi Sunak denied attending the bash, which reportedly featured an email invitation and a game of Secret Santa.Downing Street yesterday denied a party had taken place at all – going further than the prime minister himself appeared prepared to in person.The event, the existence of which emerged nearly a year after it happened, took place at a time when parties were banned under lockdown rules. Asked in the Commons on Tuesday morning to “categorically deny” that “he or any of his officials or spads (special advisers) attended any of the Downing Street Christmas parties”, Mr Sunak said:”No, I did not attend any parties.” He made no comment on whether his officials or advisors had attended.One Labour MP could be heard saying: “So there were parties.”Speaking to reporters during a visit to HMP Isis in London, Boris Johnson said: “What I can tell you is that all the guidelines were observed, continue to be observed.”Asked if he investigated personally, Mr Johnson said: “I am satisfied myself that the guidelines were followed at all times.”The oscillating claims from the top of government that the party both did not happen and was completely within the rules is likely to raise eyebrows.No.10 had previously claimed that no rules were broken during Matt Hancock’s affair with his aide and Dominic Cummings’ trip to Barnard Castle – two events which ended in high-profile resignations. Police minister Kit Malthouse has said he would expect the police to investigate any breach the rules, after the Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick said the police would deal with rule-breaking without fear or favour. Former advisor Dominic Cummings meanwhile claimed that journalists were in attendance at the bash – although he did not substantiate his claim or say to who he was referring. Mr Cummings had left government by the time of the alleged gatherings.The claims refer to two gatherings on November 27 or December 18 last year – one a supposed Christmas bash and another a leaving do for a college moving to work elsewhere. The Daily Mirror newspaper, which first broke the story, has also cited sources claiming there were a number of social gatherings at No.10 over the winter period. More

The cost of Russia invading Ukraine would be “catastrophically high” with consequences including severe economic sanctions, a Foreign Office minister has warned as she told Vladimir Putin to “de-escalate now”.The remarks come ahead of a key meeting between the US president Joe Biden and the Russian president amid rising tensions over a Russian troop build-up on the Ukrainian border — prompting concerns over a potential incursion.During a meeting on Monday evening, Boris Johnson also spoke with Mr Biden alongside the leaders of Italy, France and Germany, to “reaffirm their staunch support of Ukraine’s territorial integrity”, a No 10 spokesperson said.Addressing MPs, the Foreign Office minister Vicky Ford said: “Any military incursion by Russia into Ukraine would be a strategic mistake.“The Russian government should expect significant strategic consequences. The costs of an incursion would be catastrophically high.”After a warning from the Conservative MP Bob Seely that “we may be weeks away from a major war in Eastern Europe”, the minister insisted: “Let us be very clear, we stand by Ukraine and we are considering an extension of purely defensive support to Ukraine to help Ukraine defend itself.”In a message to the Russian president, she went on: “Putin needs to de-escalate now and return to diplomatic channels”.David Lammy, the newly appointed shadow foreign secretary, said the UK continued to “a soft touch for corrupt elites and dirty money that helps sustain the Putin regime” and criticised the government for failing to implement the recommendations of the intelligence and security committee’s report on Russia.He also called on the government to speak to the new German government about cancelling the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to “ensure Russia is not able to increase Europe’s energy dependency or weaken our unity”.In response, Ms Ford said: “To demonstrate Ukraine’s resilience we need a co-ordinated, increased approach, not just defensively but also economically and especially on the energy front, support for Ukraine.”The Foreign Office minister did not respond directly to Mr Lammy’s calls to implement the Russia Report, but said the Government always “stands ready” to carry out sanctions.She did say that the government had “repeatedly aired our concerns about the construction of Nord Stream 2 and its implications for European security and we will continue to do so”. More

Dominic Raab responds to claim he sent back information on Afghanistan evacuationBoris Johnson is urging Vladimir Putin to deescalate tensions with Ukraine amid fears that Russia is planning to invade its neighbour.The prime minister was among several Western leaders – including US President Joe Biden – who last night backed Kyiv against Moscow as Russia builds up troops on the border.The UK, US, France, Germany and Italy all agreed to use “all the tools at their disposal” to tackle aggression by the Kremlin.Elsewhere Dominic Raab, the former foreign secretary, rejected claims by a whistleblower that the UK’s chaotic evacuation of Afghanistan earlier this year led to a failure to allocate resources and critical delays that ultimately resulted in death. Show latest update

1638868842Good morningGood morning and welcome to The Independent’s live politics coverage.We’ll be bringing you live updates from Westminster and elsewhere as the day progresses.Matt Mathers7 December 2021 09:201638868981Whistleblower left to process thousands of pleas for help sheds light on chaos of UK’s Afghan evacuationFormer foreign secretary Dominic Raab has been out on the broadcast round this morning defending claims by a whisteblower about the chaotic nature of the UK’s evacuation of Afghanistan.Kim Sengupta, our diplomatic editor, has the full report on what has been alleged here: Matt Mathers7 December 2021 09:231638869538Dominic Raab rejects claims of chaotic Afghan evacuation from ‘junior desk officer’ and insists it was successDominic Raab has dismissed a whistleblower’s revelations about the chaotic Afghan evacuation as coming from a “junior desk officer” and insisted it was a success.Our deputy politics editor Rob Merrick reports: Matt Mathers7 December 2021 09:321638869889Johnson joins Western leaders in calling for Russia to cool Russia tensionsA Whitehouse readout of last night’s call said: “The leaders discussed their shared concern about the Russian military build-up on Ukraine’s borders and Russia’s increasingly harsh rhetoric … They called on Russia to de-escalate tensions and agreed that diplomacy, especially through the Normandy Format, is the only way forward to resolve the conflict in Donbas through the implementation of the Minsk Agreements … They agreed that their teams will stay in close touch, including in consultation with NATO allies and EU partners, on a coordinated and comprehensive approach.”Matt Mathers7 December 2021 09:381638870043‘Very unwise for No 10 to lie’ about lockdown Christmas party, says Dominic CummingsDominic Cummings has implied that Downing Street is covering up Christmas parties during lockdown last year, saying it is “very unwise for No 10 to lie” after the prime minister’s spokesperson explicitly told reporters “there was not a party”.My colleague Celine Wadhera has more details below: Matt Mathers7 December 2021 09:401638871460Government’s plan to cut crime with prisons drugs crackdown branded ‘simplistic and short-sighted’The government has announced a £100m crackdown on drugs in prisons which it says will “tackle the scourge of reoffending and cut crime” – but the plan has been branded “simplistic and short-sighted”.Our social affairs correspondent May Bulman reports: Matt Mathers7 December 2021 10:041638872140Veteran Labour MP Harriet Harman to stand down at next electionLabour MP and former minister Harriet Harman has announced that she will stand down at the next general election.She confirmed the news on Tuesday morning by publishing her email to Camberwell and Peckham Labour Party members on social media. In it, she wrote that it had been an “overwhelming honour” to be an MP “representing and working for the people of Camberwell and Peckham for nearly 40 years”.My colleague Holly Bancroft has more details below: Matt Mathers7 December 2021 10:151638873304Misogyny should not be made a hate crime, official review findsAn official review has stopped short of calling for misogyny to be made a hate crime, despite mounting calls for change following the murder of Sarah Everard.Our home affairs and security correspondent Lizzie Dearden has the story: Matt Mathers7 December 2021 10:351638873940‘We’ve got a prime minister who thinks he’s Julius Caesar’Members of Boris Johnson’s government believe the rules don’t apply to them, Emily Thornberry has claimed.The Labour MP and shadow attorney general was responding to a move by Downing Street to give ministers more power to ignore court decisions.Appearing on LBC radio, Mr Thornberry said “we’ve got a prime minister who thinks he’s Julius Caesar and can do whatever he wants!”More comments below: Matt Mathers7 December 2021 10:451638874840Ofsted to lead inspection of all child protection services in Solihull in wake of Arthur murderEducation watchdog Ofsted has been asked to lead an inspection into all child protection services in Solihull, Birmingham after the murder of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes.Amanda Spielman, Ofsted chief inspector, said the probe would take in everything from education and health to police and probation services.Ms Spielman said the investigation will not specifically address the case of Arthur but will be “looking at how these services deal jointly with child protection”.Matt Mathers7 December 2021 11:00 More

The Liberal Democrat candidate for the upcoming by-election in North Shropshire has apologised after comparing tactics used by home secretary Priti Patel to Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels.Helen Morgan has said sorry after it emerged that she had attacked Ms Patel over her immigration policy and attacks on lawyers – urging the minister to tear up her copy of “Goebbels’ manual”.The now-deleted tweet came last September after the home secretary said the government had removed some of those who had come to the UK via small boats. Ms Patel also complained: “Removals continue to be frustrated by activist lawyers.”Ms Morgan responded: “I think we would all appreciate an explanation of the difference between a lawyer and an activist lawyer.”The Lib Dem added: “In the meantime, please tear up your copy of Goebbels’ manual; it is most unbecoming of one of The Great Offices of State.”The North Shropshire candidate expressed her regret over the comparison. “I apologise for this insensitive tweet which I have taken down,” she said.“I am focused on standing up for the people of North Shropshire who are being taken for granted by Boris Johnson’s Conservatives.”Ms Morgan has previously apologised over historic social media posts which cited the experience of Jewish prisoners at Auschwitz when discussing migrants coming across the English Channel.The Lib Dems believe they can cause an upset in next Thursday’s contest in North Shropshire, caused by the resignation of former Tory MP Owen Paterson after he was found to have broken parliamentary lobbying rules.Sir Ed Davey’s party is hoping that local anger over sleaze and underperforming ambulance services may give them an opportunity to take the seat – despite the fact that Mr Paterson held a majority of almost 23,000 for the Tory Party.Labour officials are also talking up the chances of victory – claiming that internal polling from the local party shows candidate Ben Wood has a better chance than Ms Morgan of defeating the Tories.But the Lib Dems claim that their own internal canvassing data shows they have a better chance than Labour of causing an upset in North Shropshire.As figures from the two opposition parties squabbled over the data on Twitter on Monday, former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron claimed Labour “will very likely lose their deposit … talking them up now is a dream for the Tories”.Oddschecker, the odds comparison site, has the Conservatives at 11/21, the Lib Dems at 16/9 and Labour further out at 66/1. More