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Boris Johnson has said he does not accept that people will struggle this winter because of the rising cost of living and the hit to incomes from the end of furlough and the £20-a-week cut to Universal Credit.And the prime minister insisted that “Christmas is on”, amid concerns that a spike in Covid cases, rocketing energy prices, welfare cuts and disruption to supplies of food and toys could spoil the celebrations for a second year in succession.The prime minister fuelled concerns about the festive season earlier this week when he said that it was not his plan to cancel Christmas, but stopped short of offering a guarantee that the holiday would go ahead as normal.Interviewed in New York ahead of talks with US president Joe Biden later today, Mr Johnson was more emphatic.Asked by Sky News about the possibility of festivities being wrecked by the rising cost of living , job insecurities and food shortages, he replied: “I really don’t think that is justified …. Christmas is on.”And when he was challenged in an ITN interview over whether he accepted people will struggle this winter, the Prime Minister replied: “No, because I think this is a short-term problem caused by the energy problems.“The spikes in gas prices, like many of the other supply issues we are seeing including food, are caused by the world economy waking up after a long time in this suspended animation caused by Covid.“We will do whatever we can to address the supply issues but this is a short-term problem.”Mr Johnson brushed off questions over whether he could cancel the Universal Credit cut scheduled for 6 October, insisting that low-paid workers were benefiting from the first sustained rises in pay for many years.“We’ve raised the living wage by a record amount and … we are doing everything we can to help people throughout this pandemic,” he told the BBC. “And what you’re actually seeing is the economy with the fastest growth rate – which the OECD again confirmed this morning – anywhere in the G7. And you’re seeing wages rise sustainably above the rate in inflation for the first time in decades.”Challenged over whether his decision to cut UC was final, he replied: “We think that the best thing we can do is help people into high-wage high-skilled jobs. “That is what is happening, unemployment is falling very rapidly, jobs are being created and wages are rising.“Rather than raise these raising people’s taxes to put more money into benefits we want to see companies paying their workers more.” More

Boris Johnson has finally appeared to clear up the mystery over how many children he has, telling a US TV show he has six and is a hands-on father.Questions have swirled over whether the prime minister has a seventh child, since a 2013 court ruling mentioned another pregnancy resulting from an affair.But until today, Mr Johnson has steered well clear of making a definitive statement on the issue, insisting that he will not discuss his family live in public.Appearing on NBC’s Today show in the US, he was asked directly by interviewer Savannah Guthrie: “You have six kids?” He replied: “Yes.”Mr Johnson – who is expecting his second child with third wife Carrie later this year – said he loved being a father and did not shy away from nappy-changing duties.“It’s fantastic,” he said. “It’s a lot of work, I will tell you that much, but I love it, absolutely love it.“I change a lot of nappies.”In his pre-recorded interview with the popular breakfast TV show – watched by around 6m Americans each morning – Mr Johnson described new US president Joe Biden as “a breath of fresh air”, but said it was the job of the British prime minister to work well with whoever was in the White House.Following reports that a senior US general feared that Donald Trump was “going rogue” after losing last year’s election and took steps to stop him launching nuclear missiles, Mr Johnson insisted that he had had no concerns about the ex-president’s stability at the time.“No, to be frank, I didn’t,” he told Guthrie.“I thought that the polls seem ted to oscillate to and fro but then the people made up their minds.“It is the job of the prime minister of the United Kingdom to have a good relationship with the president of the United States.“The US/UK relationship – we are doomed, fated to get along, and that’s quite right. That applies to Donald Trump, it applies to Joe Biden.“What I will say about Joe Biden and dealing with the new American president, it is a breath of fresh air.“There are some things on which we can really, really work together – on climate change, he is great on this and he wants to cut CO2 and get to net zero by 2050 and shares with me a basic view that you can do this without penalising the economy.”He refused to discuss reports that he had to wait 36 hours for a phone call with the president to discuss the pullout of US troops from Afghanistan, saying only that the pair “talked very frankly about the whole thing”.But he acknowledged that the chaotic withdrawal could have been handled better.“Could we have done it a bit differently? Maybe we could” said the PM.“America has been there for 20 years and it is a respectable argument to say that enough is enough.”Mr Johnson said he had “no knowledge” of whether Mr Trump was responsible for inciting the storming of the Capitol in Washington by a mob of his supporters on 6 January, saying only that the violence seen did not reflect the ideals of American democracy.Mr Johnson added: “I’m a massive fan of America and American democracy. I think America stands for an ideal and that ideal is that people should be able to choose their governments peacefully, one-person one-vote, by election.“I just felt that some of the scenes at the Capitol did not correspond with that ideal.”Mr Johnson declined to say whether Mr Biden should order mandatory vaccination against Covid-19 to boost immunisation levels, which currently stand at just 64 per cent thanks in part to a vocal anti-vaxxer movement.“Different strokes for different folks, said the PM. “It’s up to different countries to decide how they want to approach this.“This is a very controversial area. People feel very strongly about not having the state mandate.“In my country, we are great lovers of liberty and we have had to do it by sweet reason and persuasion and it is working.”Asked what should be done if persuasion is not enough, he replied: “Keep going. More sweet reason.” More

Amazon boss Jeff Bezos is not going to pay his taxes “as an act of kindness” and it is up to governments to make sure that big businessmen like him pay what is due, Boris Johnson has said.The prime minister confronted the world’s richest man over Amazon’s tax bill when the pair met on the margins of the United Nations general assembly in New York on Monday.But he said that Bezos – whose personal fortune is estimated at over £130bn – made clear that he believed the onus was on governments to ensure that they have an effective tax system rather than for businesses voluntarily to pay more than is required by the law.“He’s a capitalist and he made the very important point that this is a job for governments,” Mr Johnson told Channel 5 News.“And tax isn’t something that he’s going to pay as an ex gratia act of kindness. It’s up to governments to come up with the right framework.”Asked if Mr Johnson got a sense Mr Bezos accepted he is not paying enough tax in the UK, the prime minister said: “This is a guy who’s making… he has to operate within the commercial framework, within the laws as he finds, that’s what he does.“We’re trying to make sure we change so as to be fair to the taxpayer, fair to other businesses in the high street and elsewhere.”Amazon has sparked fury over many years for its minimal tax payments in the UK despite making billions in sales. The company paid £492m in direct taxation in 2020 as its sales rose 50 per cent to £20.63bn.Chancellor Rishi Sunak is planning a 2 per cent tax on digital sales amid concerns that big tech firms are re-routing their profits through low tax jurisdictions.The levy, fiercely resisted by tech giants, is intended to redress the balance with bricks-and-mortar businesses which have seen profits savaged as consumers flood away from the High Street to virtual shopping.Mr Sunak has said that the Covid pandemic made the online retailers even “more powerful and more profitable”.Amazon’s direct tax bill for 2020 was up by more than two-thirds compared with the £293m it paid in the previous year.The firm, which employs 55,000 people in the UK, said the taxes included business rates, stamp duty, corporation tax and other contributions.Recent analysis by union Unite found that the e-commerce giants accounts and public statements showed £13.7bn in sales in the UK in 2019, of which only £5.5bn worth were reported in filings for UK-based companies, with others routed via low-tax Luxembourg. More

US, UK Attempt Damage Control With France Following Nuclear Sub ‘Crisis’Boris Johnson has attempted to end the mystery about how many children he has, telling an American broadcaster he is a father of six. During a trip to New York, he appeared on NBC’s Today show and confirmed he had six children, before adding that he was a hands-on father. He is expecting his seventh child with his wife Carrie, the mother of his son Wilfred. In the same interview, he said it was “reasonable” that the US had decided to end its 20-year presence in Afghanistan, insisting “you can’t endlessly subcontract the government of your country to other people”. Asked about the withdrawal, the prime minister said: “Could we have done it a bit differently? Maybe we could.”In separate comments, the prime minister said that a fast trade deal between the UK and the US is unlikely, as Joe Biden “has a lot of fish to fry”, including his large infrastructure package.Mr Johnson will travel by train on Tuesday from New York, where he addressed the UN General Assembly, to Washington. He is expected to discuss the climate crisis and other pressing issues with President Biden. Show latest update

1632235162Labour says 500,000 families face ‘fuel poverty’Labour has warned that millions of people will be affected by rising costs of living and reduced welfare payments. Shadow business secretary Ed Miliband said: “At least half a million families are going to be thrown into fuel poverty by the rise in energy prices and, on top of that along with National Insurance rises, millions of families are facing a £1,000-a-year cut in Universal Credit in just 10 days’ time.“It is a Tory triple whammy made in Downing Street.” Rory Sullivan21 September 2021 15:391632234179PM denies people will struggle this winter British people will not struggle this winter because of the rising cost of living, the end of furlough and the lowering of Universal Credit, Boris Johnson has said.Asked by Sky News whether festivities would be ruined this year as a result of financial woes, he “I really don’t think that is justified…Christmas is on.”Rory Sullivan21 September 2021 15:221632232811Bezos will not pay taxes out of ‘kindness’, says Johnson Jeff Bezos is not going to pay taxes out “of kindness”, Boris Johnson has said. Instead, the founder of Amazon wants governments to come up with a tax framework, the prime minister added. “He’s a capitalist and he made the very important point that this is a job for governments,” Mr Johnson told Channel 5 News.The British prime minister met Mr Bezos in New York on Monday after speaking to the UN General Assembly. Rory Sullivan21 September 2021 15:001632231507Government strikes deal with fertiliser firm to resume CO2 production The government has reached an agreement with the fertiliser firm CF Industries to restart its carbon dioxide manufacturing, it has been reported. The company suspended its operations due to the rising wholesale cost of gas, leading to fears of supermarket shortages, as carbon dioxide is used in food packaging. The alleged deal comes after talks between the firm and the business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, according to Sky News. Rory Sullivan21 September 2021 14:381632230291PM confirms how many children he hasBoris Johnson has attempted to end speculation over how many children he has, telling an American broadcaster that he has six. During a trip to New York, he appeared on NBC’s Today show and was asked whether he had six children. “Yes,” he replied. “It’s fantastic, it’s fantastic, it’s a lot of work, I’ll tell you that much, but I love it, I absolutely love it. And I change a lot of nappies, in case anybody… I do.”Rory Sullivan21 September 2021 14:181632229501Watch live: Jennifer Arcuri gives evidence on PM Watch live as Jennifer Arcuri gives evidence to committee about Boris Johnson’s time as mayorRory Sullivan21 September 2021 14:051632229211Government should have foreseen energy crisis, says Labour MPThe government should have foreseen the energy crisis and ploughed more money into low carbon energy, a Labour MP has said. Anna McMorrin, MP for Cardiff North, told MPs: “We relied far too heavily on gas most recently. It didn’t have to be this way. The government could have foreseen it. We see that countries that have prioritised low carbon energy are far more insulated from shocks like this and protect those vulnerable families as we head to winter.”Business minister Greg Hands replied that renewables “are up six-fold” under the Conservatives. Rory Sullivan21 September 2021 14:001632228011Families will not be given extra help during energy crisis, No 10 says Extra government will not be given to “vulnerable households” during the energy crisis, Downing Street has said.This comes as the energy price cap is expected to rise further, adding hundreds of pounds to annual household bills. When asked about offering “additional help” to vulnerable people, a No 10 spokesperson said: ‘We already have schemes in place to help people out over the winter.”Our deputy political editor Rob Merrick reports: Rory Sullivan21 September 2021 13:401632226511Labour hits out at government position on flexible working Labour has criticised the government for not giving workers the right to flexible working, after details from a Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis) consultation were leaked.Under the proposed new system, workers will be able to request to work from home on their first day in their jobs. In response, Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, said: “Labour will give workers the right to flexible working – not just the right to request it – and give all workers full rights from day one on the job.“This is a U-turn from the Conservative manifesto which promised to make flexible working the default and once again the Conservatives have sold out working people.”Rory Sullivan21 September 2021 13:151632225011Starmer considers scrapping one-member-one-vote for Labour leadership elections Keir Starmer is pushing to change Labour’s approach to its leadership elections by replacing the one-member-one-vote approach with an “electoral college” system.The party’s left wing fears this could lock them out of power. On the proposal, shadow culture minister Rachael Maskell said: “As a Labour MP, I should have no greater say in leadership elections than other Labour members.“The members are ultimately the Party and they should equally elect their leader. OMOV is the most democratic system. Let’s respect our members, let’s respect party democracy.”The response came after the Labour leader told his shadow cabinet on Tuesday that “these changes are vital for our party’s future”. Rory Sullivan21 September 2021 12:50 More

Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, has hinted that a deal could soon be reached with firms over a carbon dioxide shortage, but warned it may come at “some cost” to the taxpayer.It comes amid alarm that consumers could start noticing shortages in poultry, pork and bakery products within days due to the closure of two UK sites that produce Co2 for British businesses.Boris Johnson also sought to allay concerns over spiralling costs in wholesale energy prices, insisting on Tuesday the crisis was of a “short-term nature”, with the UK having “very, very good supply chains”.The rocketing costs in energy price have led to the suspension of operations at the fertiliser plans — which produce Co2 as a by-product — having a knock-on effect on the food industry.But Mr Kwarteng told the BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme that he has held talks with the firm, CF Industries, and the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, to ensure the production of carbon dioxide is resumed “quickly” and was prepared to “look at every solution”.Asked whether he was prepared to subside them, he replied: “We are looking at different ways in which we can provide support. I have to say if there is support provided that will be on a temporary basis.”He added: “Time is of the essence and that’s why I spoke to the CEO, speaking to him twice in the last two days, and we’re hopeful that we can get something sorted today and get the production up and running in the next few days.”Hinting that taxpayers’ money could be used, the cabinet minister said “it may come at some cost, we’re still hammering out details, we’re still looking at a plan”.On a trip to New York, Mr Johnson also told the broadcaster the government was “working with the companies to make sure we can keep the supplies gong”.Echoing Mr Kwarteng’s comments, the prime minister said on the issue of Co2 the government was taking “direct steps”, adding: “You’ll be hearing a bit more about that later on in the day”.“We’ll do what we can to protect consumers in this interim period, and I want to stress that it is an interim period,” he added.Earlier, the chief executive of the Food and Drink Federation, Ian Wright, told the BBC that consumers could start noticing shortages in poultry, pork and bakery products within days.“We have been saying for several weeks now that the just-in-time system which underpins both our supermarkets and our hospitality industry is under the most strain it has ever been in the 40 years it has been there,” he said. “It is a real crisis.”Elsewhere, the cabinet minister Mr Kwarteng also admitted that some families, including those claiming universal credit, would face a “difficult winter” with increased energy bills and a £20-per-week cut to the benefit.Last night, Labour also warned of a “triple whammy” affecting individuals, alongside the impact of the government’s manifesto-busting decision to hike national insurance from April 2022.Pushed on the issue of universal credit, Mr Kwarteng told the BBC on Tuesday: “It’s a difficult situation, it could be a very difficult winter.“That’s why, as energy minister, I’m very focused on helping people that are fuel poor. Universal credit, you will know, is an issue for the chancellor and the work and pensions secretary, I’m speaking to them a great deal about it.” More

The British government was accused of “discrimination” for forcing mandatory quarantine, even for completely vaccinated people arriving from India, UAE and other countries under their newly changed Covid-19 related travel guidelines.India’s foreign ministry on Tuesday described Britain’s decision to not recognise ‘Covishield’ — the Covid-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and manufacture by Serum Institute of India (SII) in Pune as “discriminatory”. Harsh Varshan Shringla, India foreign secretary warned that the country is within its rights to “take reciprocal measures” if the matter was not resolved.”The non-recognition of Covishield is a discriminating policy and impacts our citizens travelling to the UK. The external affairs minister has raised the issue strongly with the new UK foreign secretary. I am told that certain assurances have been given that this issue will be resolved,” Mr Shringla said in New Delhi.Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar raised the issue with his British counterpart Liz Truss in New York and reportedly urged her to remove the quarantine requirement for vaccinated Indians. “Urged early resolution of quarantine issue in mutual interest,” Mr Jaishankar said in a tweet.“We have offered our partner countries of mutual recognition of vaccines. But these are reciprocal actions. If we don’t get satisfaction we will be well within our rights to impose reciprocal measures,” the ministry said in a statement.According to the rules in the UK, travellers who have received both doses of the Covishield vaccine will have to quarantine for 10 days. The new rules will take effect from 4 October and is an attempt to streamline the present “red, amber, green traffic light system” to a single red list of countries.However, according to New Delhi, India provided 4 million doses of Covishield vaccine to the UK at their request. “The basic issue is that the vaccine called Covishield, of which the original manufacturer is in the UK. This has been used by their health system,” the statement added.Besides India, several other countries in the Middle East, South America, Africa and Russia are upset over the change in Britain’s travel policy. Meanwhile, author and opposition MP, Shashi Tharoor, pulled out of a planned book tour of UK in protest against the quarantine rules. In a tweet on Monday, he wrote: “It is offensive to ask fully vaccinated Indians to quarantine. The Brits are reviewing”.Another lawmaker from India Jairam Ramesh said “This smacks of racism”. “Absolutely bizarre considering Covishield was originally developed in the UK and The Serum Institute, Pune has supplied to that country too,” he added.Covishield and Covaxin are the two India-made coronavirus vaccines that have been administered to millions of Indians so far. More

Keir Starmer is pushing to scrap Labour’s one-member-one-vote approach to party leadership elections and move to an “electoral college” system dominated by MPs – in a move that would likely lock the party’s left wing out of power for good.Labour’s ruling national executive is expected to hear the plans at a meeting on Friday evening, with the leadership’s intention to put the change to the party’s annual conference next week.Under the system, the vote for leader would be split one third between MPs, one third between unions, and one third between constituency Labour parties – in contrast to now where all party members get a single equal vote. The change, which critics say is a factional move to permanently disempower opponents of the leadership, would return Labour to a similar system to the one used until 2014, when one-member-one-vote (OMOV) was introduced by Ed Miliband.Labour MPs, most from from the left of the party, broke ranks on Tuesday ahead to slam the proposal – warning that it would undermine party democracy.”As a Labour MP, I should have no greater say in leadership elections than other Labour members,” said Rachael Maskell, a shadow culture minister on Sir Keir’s front bench.”The members are ultimately the Party and they should equally elect their leader. OMOV is the most democratic system. Let’s respect our members, let’s respect Party democracy.”Veteran left-winger Jon Trickett said on Tuesday night that any such move was “a wrong headed backwards step which ought to be rejected” while former shadow chancellor John McDonnell said it was “critical Labour MPs make it clear they reject this proposal and reassert right of members to elect leader”.Keir Starmer, who has not publicly mentioned wanting to change the Labour party rules before, told a shadow cabinet meeting on Tuesday: “These rules won’t be presented on a take it or leave it basis. I am prepared to take suggestions and ideas and have a conversation and to try and build consensus. But the principles are important to me. “I hope [the trade unions] will support me, I believe these changes are good for their members and they strengthen our link. I know that this is difficult – change always is – but I think these changes are vital for our party’s future.“I have said I will make the Labour Party the party of working people, I am determined that the Labour party I lead focuses on the country, on the concerns of voters, so we need party reforms that better connect us with working people re-orient us toward the voters who can take us to power.”Manuel Cortes, general secretary of the TSSA transport workers union, said the proposal amounted to factional “gerrymandering”.In a letter to Sir Keir and his general secretary David Evans he said: “Our union will have no hesitation in voting against this gerrymandering if this proposal makes it anywhere near conference floor.”Callum Bell, vice chair of left-wing caucus Momentum, said the leadership’s move was “a new low” for Sir Keir.”Any attempt to take these rule changes to conference would mark the start of a civil war in the party. Grassroots members will have no choice but to mobilise all our strength to fight back against this bureaucratic attack. Conference will get very messy, very fast – and there is no saying who will come out on top,” he said.”This marks a new low in Starmer’s leadership. Clearly, all his pledges of unity and left wing policy made during the leadership campaign were barefaced lies. Starmer holds the membership in contempt. And still, we’re six points behind the Tories.” No Labour MPs have yet publicly endorsed the plan or made arguments for it, but many moderates privately support it as a way of marginalising their factional opponents. Some commentators have proposed various justifications for removing the vote from members, such as that MPs represent non-member constituents, that members cannot be trusted, or that the party leader needs to be on good terms with MPs.The party leadership also plans to change the rules to make it harder for party members to challenge unpopular MPs with a “trigger ballot”. Most political parties in the UK have members select their candidate for MPs before the election, but Labour sets a higher bar for challenges to prevent members from ousting MPs and ruining their careers. Under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership the rules were changed so that an MP could be challenged for the party’s nomination if one third of either party branches or affiliate branches in a constituency voted in favour of it. However, the LabourList website reports that the leadership wants to raise this bar to a majority rather than one third.Sir Keir was elected leader on a left-wing platform aping Jeremy Corbyn’s 2017 manifesto, but has quickly shed many of his his campaign promises and appointed Blairites to key positions in the party. The proposed rule change for electing the party leadership is expected to effectively lock the left out of the leadership in future because the right wing of the Labour Party dominates the parliamentary Labour Party (PLP). The rule change to make it harder to challenge sitting MPs would “double lock” the system so that MPs remained overwhelmingly aligned to the party’s moderate, right or centre.If the rule change is to happen the proposal it must first get through the NEC and conference. Left-wing NEC members say it should be ruled out of order because it was “sprung” on them at the last minute. Passing the motion would also require the support of moderate-led unions, including Unison, USDAW and the GMB. Sir Keir set to meet with affiliated trade union leaders tomorrow in order to try and win their support. It is currently unknown whether the leadership could get the plan through the party’s conference. While the party’s left has still come top in all internal elections since Sir Keir was elected leader, tens of thousands of mostly left-leaning members are thought to have left the party, with more suspended or excluded by the party’s staff ahead of the annual meeting. The current one-member-one-vote system was originally introduced on the initiative of Labour’s right wing to make it harder to elect left-wingers to the leadership, but the system’s original proponents miscalculated their own popularity and ended up with Jeremy Corbyn. More

There will be no extra help for families hit by huge gas price hikes, No 10 says, despite a Cabinet minister warning of “a very difficult winter”.The business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng acknowledged the impact on “vulnerable” households, also facing the prospect of the Universal Credit cut and tax hikes next year.And Damian Green, the former de-facto deputy prime minister, is among Tories worried about the rising cost of living creating “very, very difficult times ahead for hundreds of thousands of people”.But Downing Street rejected the idea of “any additional help”, saying: ‘We already have schemes in place to help people out over the winter.”Boris Johnson’s deputy spokesman pointed to a “range of support that we already make available to people over the winter, to help them to support them with the energy payments”.They are “the warm home discount, the winter fuel payments, cold weather payments, which will continue to support millions of vulnerable and low-income households with their energy bills”.Asked why – if those measures are sufficient – Mr Kwarteng is warning of “a very difficult winter”, the spokesman said: “We want to build back better from the pandemic and the prime minister has committed to levelling up across the country.”The cost of living crunch looms after Ofgem hiked the price cap from an average of £1,138 per year to £1,277 from next month, for someone on a standard variable tariff.But that does not take into account the current soaring wholesale prices rises – which are expected to push the cap above £1,500 next April, one energy price comparison website said.Richard Neudegg, head of regulation at the website USwitch warned: “There is a timebomb there, where it can go up again in April and consumers are already struggling to pay the bills.”Meanwhile, the £20-a-week Universal Credit cut it set to go ahead from next month, after a last-gasp move by senior Tories failed in the Commons on Monday.The Independent revealed on Sunday that the price cap will remain in place, after cabinet minister Alok Sharma appeared to say it might be lifted – but critics say it is not enough.Mr Green suggested there would be about 500,000 people at risk this winter, saying: “These are people many of whom are already working very hard to keep their families’ heads above water.“Already the £20 cut was going to be difficult for them. Now we see we’re going to get rising energy prices, and we’ve already seen that the growth in inflation is faster than it has been for a generation.“There’s the possibility of very, very difficult times ahead for hundreds of thousands of people in this country.” More