Markus Andrews

Boris Johnson is backing a bid to save a leading Conservative MP from an immediate suspension as part of an attempted overhaul in standards rules.Government whips have told Tory MPs to vote today against imposing a 30-day suspension on Owen Paterson by backing an amendment motion arguing the probe into his behaviour was flawed.Mr Paterson was found to have committed an “egregious” breach of standards rules as he lobbied ministers and officials for two companies paying him more than £100,000 per year.MPs on the Committee on Standards recommended he be banned from the Commons for 30 days following the findings by Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Kathryn Stone.But an amendment put forward by Tory MP Dame Andrea Leadsom ahead of a planned vote on the case on Wednesday would see the creation of a new committee examining – among other issues – whether the findings against Mr Paterson should be reviewed.Downing Street is backing Dame Andrea’s amendment and that Tory MPs will be told by government whips to back attempts to reform the standards procedures.As part of Dame Andrea’s proposals, MPs on a new committee led by former Tory minister John Whittingdale would examine whether the system should mirror misconduct probes in other workplaces – including the right of representation and the right of appeal.It would also look into whether Mr Paterson’s case specifically should be reviewed, with the new group expected to report back by February 2022.Labour condemned the Tory plan – warning against turning “the clock back to the era of Neil Hamilton, cash for questions and no independent standards process”.Thangam Debbonaire, shadow Commons leader, said it appeared ministers wanted MPs to “vote for a return to the worst of the 1990s Tory sleaze culture”.Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy also described the attempt to save Mr Paterson from suspension in the Commons as “the most appalling double standards”.The Labour frontbencher added: “For all these Tories and, including now, it appears, the prime minister … is that it is one rule for everybody else and another rule for them. That’s just simply unacceptable.”A senior Tory MP backing the bid to reform the Commons disciplinary rules and possibly spare colleague Mr Paterson from suspension admitted the move “looks terrible” but insisted there is “no alternative”.Bernard Jenkin, who sits on the standards committee, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We’ve had a bad system for years and years and years. I just see this as an opportunity to fix it.”The standards commissioner’s investigation found Mr Paterson broke the rules by repeatedly lobbied on behalf of two companies for which he was acting as a paid consultant – Randox and Lynn’s Country Foods – in an “egregious case of paid advocacy”.Mr Paterson angrily disputed the findings of the report – claiming he had not been given a fair hearing. He also said the manner in which the investigation was carried out had “undoubtedly” played a “major role” in the decision of his wife Rose to take her own life last year. More

Boris Johnson has denied the idea that flats with cladding are unsafe, as he dodged a request to meet the victim of the scandal exposed by the Grenfell Tower disaster. The prime minister was challenged at PMQs about government action to support people facing huge repair costs on homes covered in cladding deemed unsafe.Paul Blomfield, MP for Sheffield Central, asked Mr Johnson if he would meet with a constituent who was initially evacuated from her flat over safety concerns – and now has to pay £5,500 for “waking watch” security on the cladded building.Mr Johnson replied: “What people should be doing is making sure that we do not unnecessarily undermine the confidence of the market … Because they’re not unsafe. Many millions of homes are not unsafe. And he should have the courage to say so.”The prime minister also told the Labour MP he had “every sympathy with his constituent,” adding: “What I think is unfair is that people such as her are placed in a position of unnecessary anxiety about their homes, when they should be reassured.”Mr Johnson added: “I sympathise deeply with people have to play for waking watches and other such things. I think it is absurd.”The Labour MP had raised the concerns of his constituent Jenni Garratt, who lives in a building in Sheffield where residents were forced to leave their flats until 24-hour warden.“The work needed to make her building safe is being blocked by the actions her freeholder,” said Mr Blomfield. “She doesn’t know the cost of the work she’ll face – but it’s estimated at thousands of pounds.”More than four years after the Grenfell Tower fire, thousands of leaseholders across Britain facing huge bills for the cost of remedial works, hiked insurance charges, 24-hour wardens as well as feeling trapped in flats which are now unsellable.In February this year, the government announced a £3.5bn Building Safety Fund was launched to remove dangerous cladding from buildings taller than 18 metres.Ministers also announced a loan scheme that saw leaseholders offered long-term, low-interest loans to remove combustible cladding from buildings between 11 metres and 18 metres tall.But campaigners say the schemes have not enough to support everyone affected, and do not cover all the crippling costs for building safety expenses. Many are still waiting to hear if the Building Safety Fund will cover remedial work.Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced at his recent Budget that the government has decided to charge property developers with profits over £25m at a rate of 4 per cent to help fund more removal of unsafe cladding from high-rise buildings.The Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has said new housing secretary Michael Gove was “looking afresh” at the issue to ensure “everything was being done to protect and support those affected”. More

Labour has accused Boris Johnson of attempting to rewrite parliamentary rules to save a Tory found guilty of sleaze — despite refusing to remove another MP who sexually harassed a member of staff.It comes after No 10 revealed the prime minister was backing plans to rip up existing rules for punishing rule-breaking MPs after last week’s finding against the former Tory minister Owen Paterson.Government whips have ordered Tory MPs to vote against a 30-day suspension for Mr Paterson by backing an amendment motion arguing the probe into his behaviour, which found “egregious” breaches of rules, was flawed.Stepping in for Sir Keir Starmer, who remains in isolation, at prime minister’s questions, deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said of the move: “As we can see, it’s one rule for everybody else and one rule for the Conservatives.“When they break the rules, they just remake the rules,” she said, insisting the government was “wallowing in sleaze”.“I know that Donald Trump is the prime minister’s hero, but I say to the Prime Minister, in all seriousness, he should learn the lessons that if he keep cheating the public, it catches up with you,” she added.“If it was a police officer, a teacher, a doctor, we would expect the independent process to be followed and not changed after the verdict – it’s one rule for them and one rule for the rest of us.”Ms Rayner also contrasted the decision to back a change in the rules to the government’s response to the case of Rob Roberts, who was briefly suspended from parliament after sexual misconduct claims were investigated.A loophole meant the disgraced MP, who has had his Tory membership reinstated but still sits as an independent in the Commons, was able to avoid a recall petition because of the length suspension was recommended by the Independent Expert Panel (IEP) — rather than a Commons committee.Earlier this month, the government closed the loophole for future cases, but voted down a motion from Labour to make the changes retrospective.Referring to the misconduct case against Delyn MP MrRoberts, the deputy Labour leader added: “When a Conservative member was found guilty of sexual harassment but let off on a loophole, they said the rules could not be changed after the event.“So they can’t change the rules to stop sexual harassment, but they can change the rules to allow cash for access. Why is the prime minister making it up as he goes along?”In response, Mr Johnson said: “All the professions that she mentions have a right of appeal. That is what the House needs to consider. May I respectfully say to her that instead of playing politics on this issues, which is what they are doing, I think that she needs to consider the procedures of this House in a spirit of fairness.”Mr Johnson also insisted that paid lobbying in the Commons “is wrong” and that MPs “who are found guilty of that should apologise and pay the necessary penalties”.“But that is not the issue in this case or this vote that is before us,” he said during prime minister’s questions.“The issue in this case, which involved a serious family tragedy, is whether a member of this House had a fair opportunity to make representations in this case and whether, as a matter of natural justice, our procedures in this house allow for proper appeal.” More

Banks and pension funds will still be able to invest in coal power under Rishi Sunak’s plans to force them to go green, a Treasury minister has admitted.John Glen said the chancellor’s initiative – one of the key announcements at the Cop26 summit – would give people “confidence” that finance is behind the shift to net zero carbon emissions.But, asked if firms could be given “the new green gold standard” and still invest in new coal production, he replied: “Yes, that will be possible.”The admission will fuel criticism that the impact of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), covering assets worth £95 trillion, has been exaggerated.Banks made similar pledges at the 2015 Paris climate summit that were watered down – allowing huge investment in fossil fuels as the world bounces back from the Covid pandemic.One US bank, BNY Mellon, was in talks to sign up to a net zero industry initiative, yet its subsidiary was preparing to invest in a coal mine in Australia, The Financial Times reported.On BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, it was suggested to Mr Glen that such a situation “makes a mockery” of the standard being unveiled in Glasgow.But the Treasury minister said: “What we can’t do is just press a button and, on day one, there will be a transition.“In the UK, we have a responsibility to take a lead in this – obviously we can’t account for every company that’s listed in other jurisdictions.”Economists estimate that about $100tn of investment is needed in the next three decades to meet the net zero goal, meaning GFANZ will – in theory – provide enough cash to achieve the goal.It will see all listed companies in Britain forced to produce their own binding plans to reduce carbon emissions or face fines, Mr Sunak announced ahead of an event at Cop26.A task force under the control of the Financial Services Authority will set standards, to ensure proper checks that firms are enforcing the pledges they have made.In Glasgow, Mr Sunak said 40 per cent of global assets will be aligned to the 1.5C limit for global warming, adding: “Six years ago Paris set the ambition. Today in Glasgow we’re providing the investment we need to deliver that ambition.”But Lucie Pinson, executive director of the Reclaim Finance, said: “Not a single rule to prevent even one dollar from being invested in the expansion of the fossil fuel sector.“Once again, the financial sector is willing to puff itself up with hot air commitments instead of enacting the concrete cuts in oil, gas and coal financing we really need.”Sam Alvis, of the Green Alliance thinktank, welcomed “definite progress”, but warned: “Trillions of dollars are still flowing to fossil fuels every day.“Governments will need to regulate companies, not just publish transition plans but have strict criteria with legal bite on their credibility and pace.” More

MPs are set to debate whether to ban Boris Johnson’s government from shutting down schools again without parliamentary approval.Robert Halfon, chairman of the Commons education select committee, said the closures enforce during the Covid pandemic have “wielded a hammer blow for students’ education and wellbeing”.The Conservative MP is introducing a bill which would redefine schools and education settings as “essential infrastructure”, alongside power stations, hospitals and supermarkets, in a bid to protect pupils from future shutdowns.The backbencher’s Private Members’ Bill – which has the support of the Children’s Commissioner for England – would introduce a “triple lock” of protections to ensure that any possible school closures must be approved by parliament.On his Ten-Minute Rule Bill, which is being introduced on Wednesday, Mr Halfon said he wanted to stop the “apocalyptic” impact of school closures, claiming they had threatened the futures of millions of pupils.“Whilst national lockdowns were important to protect the health of the public, school closures have been nothing short of a disaster for our children,” he said.“Even before the pandemic, disadvantaged pupils were already 18 months of learning behind their better-off peers by the time they took their GCSEs,” Mr Halfon added.“Now, as a result of school closures, these pupils face a widening attainment gap and a worsening mental health crisis, numerous safeguarding hazards and diminished life chances.”The Tory MP’s plan for a triple lock would require the government to seek the advice of the Children’s Commissioner on whether any national or regional school closure is necessary and in the best interests of the pupils.A debate and vote to approve any proposed school closure would then be held in the Commons under the proposals. If approved, the education secretary would have to return to parliament every three weeks for another vote on any proposed extension.Few Ten-Minute Rule Bills proceed through parliament, even if they make it past the first reading stage. Mr Halfon’s bill only stands a chance of becoming law if the government backs it.But education secretary Nadhim Zahawi told MPs he would “take a look” at Mr Halfon’s bill as he vowed to keep schools open this winter.Speaking at the education committee on Wednesday, Mr Zahawi told MPs: “I’ll take a look [at Mr Halfon’s bill] … I have no plans whatsoever to close schools again. We don’t want to go back to a world where children are out of school.  My commitment to you as secretary of state I will keep schools open.”And it has won high-profile support from Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, who said: “It is absolutely right for us to do all we can to keep schools open for children. A ‘triple lock’ would mean children’s needs were considered at every stage to keep children in school.”Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “We support the idea of defining schools and other education settings as ‘essential infrastructure’ and doing everything possible to keep them open during times of national emergency.“However, this would obviously have to take into account public health advice in any future emergency and it must be accompanied by a commitment from the government and from parliament to provide education settings with sufficient support.”A Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson said: “We acted swiftly during the pandemic to minimise the impact on children’s education and wellbeing and help keep pupils in face-to-face education as much as possible.” More

Boris Johnson’s government has suffered a heavy defeat in the House of Lords over his plans to restrict increases in the state pension.Peers by 280 votes to 178 backed a cross-party motion to keep retirement payouts linked to earnings – a large majority of 102.Under the amendment the so-called “triple lock” would stay in place but adjustments would be allowed to be made for the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.The government had wanted to suspend the triple lock entirely, breaking a Conservative manifesto commitment to keep it in place. Labour, which backed the cross-party amendment, says ministers are using the pandemic as a “smokescreen” to ditch the expensive policy commitment entirely.The defeat means the government will either have to accept the amendment, or send its original plan back to the Lords again and risk prolonging the political row.Under the triple lock, the state pension rises every year by the general rate of increase in earnings, the rate of inflation, or 2.5 per cent – whichever is the highest.Because earnings fell dramatically during the first part of the pandemic and then rebounded quickly, an unmodified version of the pension triple lock would see a sharp rise in the state pension of around 8 per cent. The government wants to pass legislation that would stop this from happening automatically, and says it will reinstate the policy after the pandemic.But the successful amendment would leave it to the work and pensions secretary to make “appropriate” adjustments on the fly to compensate for the Covid-19 pandemic, but leave the earnings link in place.Labour’s shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: “The government made a promise to the British people that they would keep the pensions triple lock. I am grateful that peers voted to keep an accurate link with earnings.“An 8 per cent rise as a result of a statistical quirk would not be fair but Labour will not allow the government to use the pandemic as a smoke screen to break with the triple lock for good. Everyone deserves safety and security when they retire.”A government spokesperson said: “This bill represents a one-year response to the exceptional circumstances of the pandemic and ensures fairness for both pensioners and taxpayers.“We will reintroduce the earnings element of the Triple Lock from next year.” More

Sir Jeremy Farrar has revealed he quit the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) last month, warning of “concerning high levels of transmission” in Britain and vowing to focus on his role as a clinical scientist. The director of the Wellcome Trust was a leading member of the government’s Covid-19 advisory body during the pandemic.He was reportedly pushing for ministers to enforce a so-called “vaccine plus” strategy that includes measures such as mask wearing, ventilation and continued testing, according to Sky News.However, the government has so far declined to enforce stricter measures – which it refers to as plan B – and is sticking with its current, more relaxed guidance. In a statement released on Tuesday night, Sir Jeremy appeared to issue a coded criticism of the government’s stance, warning that “the Covid-19 crisis is a long way from over”.He said he was confident he had “stepped down as a Sage participant knowing ministers had been provided with most of the key science advice needed over the winter months”.“At the end of October 2021, after careful consideration, I stepped down [from Sage],” the statement read.“My focus now must be on our work at Wellcome. This includes supporting the international research effort to end the pandemic, ensuring the world is better prepared for inevitable future infectious disease threats, and making the case so the full potential of science is realised to inform and drive change against all the urgent health threats we face globally.”Sir Jeremy added that throughout the pandemic, Sage has provided “vital evidence and independent, expert, transparent advice to support the UK response, often under huge pressure”. He also said it had been “an honour to have joined the hundreds of scientists who have contributed”, before thanking “[chief scientific adviser to the government] Patrick Vallance and [chief medical officer for England] Chris Whitty for their outstanding leadership”.“I remain, as always, available where I may offer help as a clinical scientist or as director of Wellcome,” he concluded.The Government Office for Science said in a statement: “We can confirm that Sir Jeremy has stood down from the Covid Sage activation, and thank him for his contribution from the very start of the activation. Sage continues to provide government with independent expert scientific and technical advice.”In an earlier message on his personal Twitter, Sir Jeremy said he was taking “a few days break, time away from work, off social media etc”.“Holidays & time off [are] so important for everyone,” he added.In July, he revealed he had “seriously considered resigning” from Sage almost a year before, after Boris Johnson’s government chose not to introduce a lockdown in September 2020. It was this decision that ultimately led to the cancelling of Christmas, when the prime minister advised the British public to refrain from seeing loves ones and staying overnight at their family homes, as normal, over the festive period.Senior ministers, including health secretary Sajid Javid and business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, have gone on record in recent weeks as saying the government will stand by its commitment to refrain from enforcing lockdown measures over Christmas this year.This is despite the number of lab-confirmed Covid infections and deaths in the UK rising substantially in the last few weeks. Though a peak seen around two weeks ago, when figures returned to levels last seen in March 2020, has since levelled off.On Tuesday, the latest government data showed there had been a further 33,865 Covid cases in the UK within the last 24-hour period. There were also an additional 293 deaths – but this number includes data from NHS England which was not provided in time for Monday’s figures, officials noted. More

Upbeat climate experts are hailing “momentum” towards a deal to halt runaway climate change, after a series of carbon-cutting announcements at the Cop26 summit.They are echoing Boris Johnson who said he is now “cautiously optimistic” that the global temperature rise can be limited to 1.5°C – just days after lashing out at world leaders for their lack of action.The mood has shifted after India’s breakthrough pledge to take 1 billion tonnes of CO2 out of the atmosphere by 2030 and the agreement to halt deforestation across most of the globe.Those moves were bolstered, on Tuesday, by almost 100 countries committing to slash methane emissions by 30 per cent – and a deal to hand $8.5bn to South Africa to help it ditch coal as a fuel source.Before leaving Glasgow, Mr Johnson used a favourite football analogy to say the world is no longer 1-5 down in the fight against the climate emergency, but is making “progress”.“We’ve pulled back a goal, or perhaps even two, and I think we are going to be able to take this thing to extra-time,” the prime minister told a press conference.Significantly, Rachel Kyte, a former United Nations climate change special envoy, echoed that view, saying: “It’s very clear, by mid-afternoon of the second day, that there is momentum.“If we can carry this forward for the next 10 days, it puts us in a better place than we thought we would be coming in.”Mohamed Nasheed, the respected former Maldives president and a UN “Champion of Earth” was even more bullish, saying: “When you add up all the numbers, I believe that 1.5C is now reachable.”Cop26 government officials are also encouraged by Vietnam’s pledge to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, believing it will put pressure on China to move further and faster.Despite the blow of Chinese premier Xi Jinping staying away, his envoy in Glasgow, Xie Zhenhua, was praised for being highly-committed and hard-working.But all involved know they still face a herculean task to strike an agreement to achieve only a 1.5C rise, with 2.1C forecast even if all pre-Cop26 commitments are kept.Just 7.5 per cent of predicted annual greenhouse gas emissions would be chopped off by 2030 – far from the 47 per cent reduction that is needed, the UN warned.Although India’s shift to peaking emissions by 2030 might take out 1 billion gigatonnes of CO2, some 28 billion gigatonnes must be removed by the end of the decade.Ed Miliband, Labour’s shadow business secretary, poured scorn on Mr Johnson’s comments, saying: “For all the prime minister’s fantasy football, we’re still a very long way behind.“There has been some progress, but the next 10 days needs to move beyond the pre-packaged announcements. We need a real negotiation to secure the concrete plans for this decisive decade to keep 1.5C alive.”Strikingly, at the press conference the prime minister also took on critics – including on the Tory benches – who argue the green transition is too costly and will be unpopular.“If we don’t do this, if we don’t fix our climate, it will be an economic catastrophe as well as an environmental catastrophe,” he said.“We can use this moment to trigger a greater growth, and greater prosperity, but do it in a green way. I do think people get that.” More