Markus Andrews

Boris Johnson raised eyebrows on Friday when he greeted Poland’s populist prime minister by grabbing his thumb.One Downing Street photographer to witnessed the incident described the greeting as “very odd”.Mateusz Morawiecki was visiting Downing Street for talks while his country grappled with the migrantion crisis on its eastern border.Mr Johnson told the right-wing populist that the UK would stand “shoulder to shoulder” with Poland against those who would “try to provoke a migrant crisis” on its borders.But as snappers photographed the two leaders Mr Johnson grabbed his counterpart’s thumb – leaving the Polish PM looking confused.”Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson greets Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Downing Street, and grabs his thumb !!!! very odd,” Steve Back said in a post on social media. More

Labour’s shadow health secretary has tested positive for Covid-19 and is self-isolating, he has said.Jonathan Ashworth was due to scrutinise the government’s announcement of new travel restrictions to southern Africa in the Commons on Friday afternoon.”I’ve tested positive for Covid, am now self-isolating and out of action for a bit,” Mr Ashworth said in a message posted on social media.Mr Ashworth said that while “huge strides have been made” there was “still a lot of virus circulating”.He added: “So get your jab and booster, do routine lateral flow tests, wear masks in crowded places and government – fix sick pay and ventilation!”Shadow health minister Alex Norris deputised for Mr Ashworth in the Commons in an exchange with health secretary Sajid Javid. Mr Norris said the emergence of a new variant and imposition of travel restrictions was “a sobering reminder of the challenges that this pandemic brings”.He added: “We must meet this moment as we have throughout the last 19 months – by pulling together, by looking out for each other and in that British spirit of doing what must be done.”Labour leader Keir Starmer has had to self-isolate a number of times, most recently on budget day when he was deputised for by shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves and shadow energy secretary Ed Miliba nd.Many other MPs of all parties have also had to self-isolate. Boris Johnson contracted a serious case of Covid early on in the pandemic, requiting acute hospital treatment. More

Sir Keir Starmer has said Jeremy Corbyn may not be allowed stand as a Labour candidate at the next general election.The Labour leader revealed that he has not talked to his predecessor since a damning Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) report into antisemitism in the party was published last October.Mr Corbyn’s response to the report saw him suspended from Labour. Although he was allowed back as a member, he still sits in parliament as an independent MP.“He’s not got the whip at the moment – so he’ll be able to run but wouldn’t be able to as a Labour MP,” Sir Keir told BBC’s Political Thinking podcast.Asked if he thought this was likely to remain the case going into the next election, the Labour leader said: “I don’t know. But at the moment that may be the case.”Sir Keir also said Mr Corbyn “knows” how to be reinstated as a Labour MP. “It’s up to him. He knows what he must do to move this forward. He’s not chosen to do so – that’s his choice.”Mr Corbyn claimed the scale of antisemitism inside Labour had been “dramatically overstated” by his opponents following a damning October 2020 report from the EHRC into the party’s handling of cimThe left-winger was later readmitted as a member by the party’s NEC after he clarified that concerns about antisemitism were neither “exaggerated nor overstated” – but the whip was withheld.Sir Keir claimed Mr Corbyn’s remarks had undermined “our work in restoring trust” and has suggested he would have to issue a fulsome apology for his remarks before he could be reinstated.It comes as Tony Blair has urged Labour to “emphatically reject” so-called woke-ism and push its far-left factions “to the margins” if it is to win power again.The former prime minister’s call comes in a foreword to a report suggesting Labour will need a larger voter swing to win the next election than was seen during Mr Blair’s landslide victory in 1997.The party’s former leader said that a “lurch to the far left … will never be electorally successful” following the party’s defeats at the 1983 and 2019 elections – and urged Starmer to continue to bring the party back to the middle ground. More

Boris Johnson’s proposed bridge or tunnel to Northern Ireland could cost over £300bn and should not be built, a government review has found.The prime minister had commissioned a study into the fixed link across the Irish Sea after arguing it would improve connections between different parts of the UK.Network Rail chairman Peter Hendy’s review found that that a bridge would cost an estimated £335 billion, while a tunnel would be around £209 billion.Sir Peter said the high price tag of either project “would be impossible to justify” as “the benefits could not possibly outweigh the costs”.Either a bridge or tunnel would be the longest of their kind ever built.Various proposals have been made for a fixed link between Great Britain and the island of Ireland since Victorian times but none have got past the drawing board.Sir Peter said despite his recommendation the prime minister had asked an “excellent” question by proposing the bridge or tunnel.The Network Rail boss’s review, which looked at wider connectivity across the UK, also recommended a series of improvements to road and rail across the country.He said the north Wales mainline should be electrified and that improvements should be made to the West Coast Mainline north of Crewe.The latter project could cut journey times from London to Scotland to below three hours and trigger a shift in passengers from air to rail on the route, he said.He also said the government should establish “UKNet”, a network of strategic routes across the UK. The rail boss argued the government should provide funding to make sure all the network’s designated corridors were up to scratch.The prime minister pledged to set up UKNet “right away”.”If we want to truly level up the country then it’s vital that we improve connectivity between all corners of the UK, making it easier for more people to get to more places, more quickly,” he said.”Sir Peter Hendy’s review is an inspiring vision for the future of transport which we will now consider carefully.”Determined to get to work right away, we will set up a strategic UK-wide transport network that can better serve the whole country with stronger sea, rail and road links – not only bringing us closer together, but boosting jobs, prosperity and opportunity.” More

The new Covid-19 variant detected in southern Africa may be more transmissible than the Delta strain and vaccines “may be less effective against it”, health secretary Sajid Javid has said.In a statement to the House of Commons, Mr Javid said that the emergence of the Nu variant was of “huge international concern”.It is “highly likely” that the strain has spread outside the African countries were it is believed to have developed, but no cases have yet been detected in the UK, the health secretary told MPs.Mr Javid told MPs that the new variant – known as B1.1.529 – was first detected in Hong Kong in a case of someone travelling from South Africa.“The UK was the first country to identify the potential threat of this new variant and to alert international partners,” he said.“Further cases have been identified in South Africa and in Botswana, and it is highly likely that it is now spread to other countries.”And he said: “We are concerned that this new variant may pose substantial risk to public health.“The variant has an unusually large number of mutations. Yesterday, the UK Health Security Agency classified B1.1.529, as a new variant under investigation and the Variant Technical Group has designated it as a variant under investigation with very high priority.“It’s the only variant with this designation, making it higher priority than Beta.“It shares many of the features of Alpha, Beta and Delta variants.“Early indications show this variant may be more transmissible than the Delta variant, and current vaccines may be less effective against it.”Mr Javid said that the “exponential” growth of the variant in South Africa was worrying, because the country’s population was thought to have significant natural immunity – thought to be due to previous infection with other strains.England has put five African countries – South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia and Zimbabwe – onto its travel Red List from noon on Friday, meaning that entry is restricted to UK and Irish nationals who go into hotel quarantine.Anyone who has arrived from the countries in the last 10 days should immediately take PCR tests to check for infection, and should not wait to be contacted by NHS Test and Trace to do so, said Mr Javid.“I wish to stress that we’re working quickly and we’re working with a high degree of uncertainty,” said the health secretary.“We are continuing to make assessments, including about those countries with strong travel links to South Africa. And we are working with our international partners, including South Africa and the European Union, to ensure an aligned response.“But this variant is a reminder for all of us that this pandemic is far from over.“We must continue to act with caution and do all we can to keep this virus at bay, including – once you’re eligible – by getting your booster shot.“We’ve already given over 16 million booster shots.“The booster jab was already important before we knew about this variant, but now it could not be more important.“So please, if you’re eligible, get your booster shot. Do not delay.”Mr Javid told MPs: “We’ve made great progress against this virus, progress that we are determined to hold onto. This government will continue to do whatever is necessary to keep us safe. And we’ve all got our part to play.”Downing Street later said there was nothing in current data on coronavirus to suggest that England should move to Plan B restrictions, including mandatory face-masks, vaccine passes for crowded areas and guidance to work from home.A No 10 spokesperson declined to comment on whether the decision on booster jabs for under-40s should be brought forward in the light of the threat from the new variant.The decision was one for the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation who “will always prioritise patient safety when analysing and looking at these areas”.Asked whether a new vaccine might be needed to deal with the Nu variant, the spokesperson said that there was “a high degree of uncertainty” and work needed to be done internationally to assess the issue. More

Downing Street has insisted that Boris Johnson does not regret publishing a letter to Emmanuel Macron on Twitter, after the French president accused of him of failing to take the migrant crisis “seriously”.A No 10 spokesperson said that the prime minister hoped Mr Macron would “reconsider” the decision to withdraw an invitation to Priti Patel to take part in emergency talks on Sunday.UK officials are continuing to take part in talks with their French counterparts today with the aim of finding a means of stemming the flow of small boats carrying migrants across the English Channel, following the tragic deaths of 27 people when an inflatable dinghy sank on Wednesday.Mr Johnson last night wrote to Mr Macron to set out a five-point package, including a plan – certain to provoke the Elysee Palace – for a “bilateral returns agreement” under which France would be expected to take back any migrants deemed illegal by the UK.The French president responded with fury, declaring: “I’m surprised when things are not done seriously.“We don’t communicate between leaders via tweets or published letters, we are not whistle-blowers.”Asked whether the PM now regretted making his proposal public, the No 10 spokesperson replied “No”.Mr Johnson believed it right to do so because “the public would rightly want to know what we are looking at in terms of trying to solve this problem”, he said.“We hope they reconsider,” said the No 10 spokesperson. “We want to work closely with the French and international partners on what is a shared issue.“We’ve seen the tragedy that happened earlier this week. As the PM said we need to do more, and he has outlined areas in his letter.”The spokesperson described the prime minister’s relationship with Mr Macron as “positive” and said that the letter was written in “a spirit of partnership and cooperation with the French”.He added: “We are close partners and friends and you see the areas that we collaborate in, namely militarily with the operation that is ongoing in Mali.”The No 10 spokesperson denied that the UK’s references to military mission alongside France in west Africa – repeated publicly by ministers this morning – amounted to a veiled threat to withdraw cooperation if Paris does not comply with demands on migration.“I’m merely pointing to areas where we where we work extremely closely and have existing cooperation and long-term shared interests,” he said. More

Boris Johnson is facing legal action over reported threats to withhold “levelling up” cash from the constituencies of Conservative MPs who refused to back his botched attempt to help an ally avoid punishment for sleaze.In the wake of this month’s Commons vote on the Owen Paterson case, there were reports of backbench Tories being warned by whips that their areas would lose government funding if they failed to back the prime minister.The Good Law Project described the alleged threats at the act of “mobsters”, and wrote a letter to levelling up secretary Michael Gove demanding the release of any internal communications, texts or emails relating to them.In a letter before action, the campaigning legal group – which has also taken cases over alleged misconduct in the award of PPE contracts to Tory contacts – warned Mr Gove that it was ready to go to court.In a statement announcing its move, the GLP described the allegations of financial pressure on MPs as “shocking stuff” which had not been denied by ministers.“Not only does it undermine parliament and weaken MPs’ independence, if true, the allegations are in the realms of criminal offence,” said the group.“Threatening to cut off funding for local communities to force MPs to vote to save a disgraced MP also reveals the truth behind what the government likes to style as ‘levelling up’.“As always, it’s people from hard-up communities who end up paying the price.”The Project said it was challenging Mr Gove to deny that the alleged conduct happened and to stop future threats of this kind.“The reports suggest a very serious misuse of public money, in the realms of criminal conduct, by or for the prime minister,” said the statement. “We will not stand by and watch.”Mr Johnson won the 3 November vote by 250 to 232, but his majority was much reduced by dozens of abstentions, as well as 13 rebels who voted against.A furious backlash forced him into a humiliating U-turn the following morning, and he later admitted he had “crashed the car into a ditch”.Many Tories, particularly younger MPs and those from Red Wall seats in the North and Midlands, complained at being dragooned into unwillingly supporting a colleague who had been found guilty by the Commons Standards Committee of breaching parliamentary rules by lobbying on behalf of companies paying him more than £100,000 a year.One backbencher was reported as saying MPs were told “they would lose funding for their constituency” if they failed to vote with the PM.Paterson later resigned as an MP, avoiding the 30-day suspension recommended by the committee and triggering a by-election in his North Shropshire seat.There was no immediate response from Mr Gove’s Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to The Independent’s request for a comment. More

Priti Patel has yet to appoint a top borders and immigration official amid the Channel crisis, despite the job application closing more than three months ago.The home secretary is under increasing pressure over small boat crossings after the French government said on Friday that she was “no longer invited” to a crucial summit with European ministers.French president Emmanuel Macron accused Boris Johnson of failing to act “seriously” in the migrant crisis by making public demands, as he justified the decision to withdraw Ms Patel’s invitation.It has also emerged that Ms Patel’s department has yet to recruit a director general for Borders and Enforcement – a role aimed at tackling small boat crossings – even though applications closed on 8 August.The Home Office announced in June it was seeking an “engaging and collaborative leader” for the £149,000 government post as part of a planned overhaul in operations.The new director general will be expected to oversee 15,000 civil servants, a budget of £1.28bn and a fleet which includes six coastal patrol vessels and five maritime cutters.A spokesperson for the Home Office said it was “only right” that Ms Patel’s department takes “appropriate time” to find the right person for the crucial role.But according to the i, which first reported on the still-open position, the failure to recruit for the role and the departure of four senior borders and immigration officials were down to the “toxic” atmosphere at the Home Office.Citing Boris Johnson’s decision to stand by Ms Patel over bullying allegations, a source told the newspaper: “There is a big turnover of senior staff as people think if there are no consequences for bad behaviour, they can’t carry on working there.”Labour said the failure to name someone in top borders and immigration role showed that Ms Patel had “completely lost control of this situation”.Nick Thomas-Symonds, the shadow home secretary, said: “The home secretary is never short on tough rhetoric, but when it comes to effective action she is nowhere to be seen.”The new director general is set to replace two interim chiefs, Border Force boss Paul Lincoln and Tyson Hepple, in charge of immigration enforcement, as part of a restructure overseen by Ms Patel the permanent secretary.A Home Office spokesperson told The Independent: “We are in the process of recruiting a new joint Borders and Enforcement director general.“In the interim we have appointed two excellent acting directors general for Border Force and immigration enforcement who are both dedicated to stopping dangerous small boat crossings and the ruthless people smugglers.”The added: “It is only right that we take the appropriate time to appoint a candidate of considerable experience and expertise to the new role. They will be announced in due course.” More