Markus Andrews

China and the UK have clashed over a new security pact to counter Beijing with nuclear powered submarines, after the West was accused of a “Cold War mentality”.The Chinese government reacted with anger to the announcement of the AUKUS alliance between Australia, the US and Britain, also involving cyber warfare and artificial intelligence projects.“They should shake off their cold war mentality and ideological prejudice,” said Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington.Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, insisted Australia’s move to obtain nuclear-powered submarines, backed by London and Washington, is not “about antagonising anyone”.But he pointed directly to Beijing’s provocation, telling the BBC: “China is embarking on one of the biggest military spends and military investments in history, it’s growing its navy and air force at a huge rate, extremely fast. Obviously it’s engaged in some controversial areas and disputed areas.” “So we’ve seen that, that is China, that’s what they’re doing at the moment and it’s right that the UK, alongside other allies such as Australia, stand up for the rules-based system and international law.”On the allegation of a Cold War mentality, Mr Wallace added: “I think they’re wrong. I mean, China invested in our civil nuclear power system here and no-one called that an act of the Cold War.“In the Cold War everyone was stuck behind fences and didn’t really communicate with each other and certainly didn’t engage in global trade, and I think it’s probably a Cold War view to describe it as a cold war.”Mr Wallace also acknowledged French frustration over Australia tearing up a $90bn deal with Paris to buy new diesel-electric submarines, in favour of nuclear-driven ones“I understand France’s disappointment. They had a contract with the Australians for diesel-electrics from 2016 and the Australians have taken this decision that they want to make a change.“We didn’t go fishing for that, but as a close ally, when the Australians approached us, of course we would consider it. I understand France’s frustration about it.” More

A Cabinet minister has insisted Michael Gove is not racist or homophobic “in any way” after The Independent exposed his past crude sexual comments and jokes about paedophilia.Ben Wallace also insisted Mr Gove would be happy to answer questions about the controversy – although the man handed a key new role in Boris Johnson’s reshuffle has refused to comment so far.The Independent revealed how, in apparent attempts at humour, Mr Gove referred to people living in former British colonies as “fuzzy-wuzzies”, accused the late former Tory minister Leon Brittan of being a paedophile, and made a string of sexual jokes at the expense of Conservative minister Lucy Frazer.The new housing secretary also described Margaret Thatcher’s policies as a “new empire” where “the happy south stamps over the cruel, dirty, toothless face of the northerner”, and said that gay people “thrive primarily upon short-term relations”.The comments – which prompted cheers, stunned laughter, and shouts of “shame” – were made at the Cambridge Union in 1993 and 1987, recordings showed.On Sky News, Mr Wallace, the defence secretary, was asked why Mr Gove has failed to respond to criticism of the comments, in the three days since the revelations.“Michael Gove has been quoted as using racist language, specifically the term “fuzzy wuzzies”, and homophobic language in a speech that he made, admittedly, some years ago in the Cambridge Union,” the presenter Niall Paterson said.“You may well think that this does not affect his ability to remain in the cabinet, but isn’t it about time we heard from Michael Gove something of an apology for the use of that language?”But Mr Wallace denied his colleague is hiding from questions about the controversy, insisting he had never been “shy of appearing on media rounds”.“He is very, very good, formidable performer and I’m sure you can put those questions to him,” the defence secretary said.“But fundamentally I know Michael. He’s not a racist, he’s not homophobic in any way at all. He is in fact a great reforming minister in this government.”Mr Gove’s new job will stretch much further than the crucial responsibility for housing and Tory rows over looser planning laws.He has also been handed a cross-governmental brief to turn the prime minister’s “levelling up” agenda into reality and for shoring up the Union.Mr Wallace was also asked about the motives for the reshuffle, insisting Cabinet ministers had not been sacked because of their incompetence – saying such a characterisation of the axed Gavin Williamson was “unfair”.He told BBC Breakfast: “He has removed people from government not because they’re incompetent, not because they weren’t loyal enough et cetera – which are often the narratives you see – but often he has to refresh his team and move people out the way.”Dr Henry Wang, an adviser to the Chinese government and president of the Centre for China and Globalisation think-tank, also pointed to a “Cold War mentality by the UK and its allies”.“I don’t think this is necessarily the right time to do this military alliance. It’s called security but if it’s not aimed at China why do they propose it at this time and in this region” he asked, on the BBC.“I think there’s a question over the purpose of setting up such an alliance in peacetime in the 21st century.”Mr Wallace said: “Australia have done a wise thing and a good thing today. It’s not about antagonising anyone, it’s about being able to protect its important sea lanes and its important position in the world.” More

Britain has entered into a security pact with the US and Australia to counter China that will involve building a nuclear powered submarine fleet and wide-ranging projects on cyber warfare, artificial intelligence and quantum computing.Senior British officials insist the new alliance is not aimed at any one country, but it comes in the face of increasingly aggressive posturing from China and has the stated aim of protecting the “rules-based international order” that Beijing has been accused repeatedly of flouting.The first programme of the AUKUS alliance will be the construction of a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines for the Australian navy, with American and British companies taking part in the manufacturing process.The agreement, described as one of the most significant of its kind for decades, was announced in Washington, London and Canberra by US president Joe Biden and prime ministers Boris Johnson and Scott Morrison on Wednesday.“The UK, Australia and US are natural allies – while we may be separated geographically, our interests and values are shared,” Mr Johnson said.“The AUKUS alliance will bring us closer than ever, creating a new defence partnership and driving jobs and prosperity. This partnership will become increasingly vital for defending our interests in the Indo-Pacific region and, by extension, protecting our people back at home.”The naval plan will upgrade Australia’s electric and diesel-powered submarine fleet to nuclear-powered, while, alliance members stress, still complying with Canberra’s adherence to nuclear non-proliferation treaties.Australia is committed to the “highest standards for safeguards, transparency, verification, and accountancy measures to ensure the non-proliferation, safety, and security of nuclear material and technology,” the announcement said.The initiative for the building of the fleet came from the Australian government in February. The initial phase of the programme will take 18 months and a number of British firms are expected to be involved in the project.Only China and India currently operate nuclear-powered submarines in the Indo-Pacific region. India is regarded as an Australian ally and the two countries have regularly carried out military and naval drills together.Relations between Australia and China have been increasingly fraught after Canberra called for an independent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic and criticised Beijing’s crackdown in Hong Kong and its treatment of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang, as well as its aggressive stance on territorial waters.China has retaliated with punitive restrictions on Australian imports. Hacking groups linked to Beijing have been accused of carrying out cyber attacks on a number of targets in Australia, including the country’s infrastructure, government services and educational establishments.There have been encounters between the navies of the two countries on a number of occasions, including last year when five Australian warships were on their way to an exercise with the US near Hawaii.A number of countries have carried out right-of-navigation voyages in the South China Sea, including, recently, a British naval strike force led by the aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth. The Chinese have frequently accused the countries involved of being provocative, and have warned of consequences if they were to venture into waters it claims as its own.Announcing the “landmark defence and security partnership … which will protect and defend our shared interests in the Indo-Pacific,” the alliance said: “The region is at the centre of intensifying geopolitical competition with multiple potential flashpoints: from unresolved territorial disputes; to nuclear proliferation and miscalculation”, continuing: “It is on the frontline of new security challenges, including in cyberspace.” Downing Street stressed the potential financial benefits to Britain, saying the UK “has built and operated world-class nuclear powered submarines for over 60 years.“We will therefore bring deep expertise and experience to the project through, for example, the work carried out by Rolls-Royce near Derby and BAE Systems in Barrow,” it said.“The design and build process will create hundreds of highly skilled scientific and engineering roles across the UK, and drive investment in some of our most high-tech sectors.” More

Boris Johnson’s refusal to rebuild the UK’s “dysfunctional relationship” with the EU is damaging foreign and security policy, a former top diplomat says.Peter Ricketts, a former head of the Foreign Office, says the prime minister’s “tactic” of trying to build closer links with national capitals instead “will not work” and must be rethought.However, Lord Ricketts said the bitter spats between London and Brussels since Brexit made the task hugely difficult, adding: “Unfortunately trust is now at a very low ebb.”The warning comes after the UK rebuffed a European Union push to negotiate a defence and security treaty alongside the Christmas Eve trade deal, believing it to be unnecessary.In the months since, the ‘Partnership Council’ intended to pursue closer cooperation between the two sides has barely met – after the hardline David Frost was put in charge of EU policy.Emmanuel Macron, the French president, reportedly refused to hold a cross-Channel summit with the UK, because he believed that little could be achieved.The warning from Lord Ricketts, also a former national security adviser, will come at a meeting of a Commons trade and business commission, which will hear from other experts about the challenges now facing British diplomacy.The peer said, ahead of the session: “The tactic of trying to work with individual EU countries while maintaining a dysfunctional relationship with the EU will not work.“We urgently need to rebuild cooperation starting with areas like foreign and security policy where our interests are obviously close.“But that will take trust and trust cannot be built by either side engaging in megaphone diplomacy or failing to meet commitments already made. Unfortunately, trust is now at a very low ebb.”Terry Reintke, the vice chair of the Greens-EFA Group in the European Parliament, said the chaos of Brexit “has certainly damaged this reputation and trust in the UK internationally”.And Georgina Wright, head of the Europe Programme at the think-tank Institut Montaigne, said the UK was faced with having to “work doubly hard” to get countries to “pay attention to it”.Theresa May had stressed the importance of a comprehensive foreign and security policy deal with the EU, but Mr Johnson dropped the policy.His focus has been on striking new trade deals – after foreign, security and defence policy barely featured in the 2016 referendum campaign.Mr Johnson believed bilateral working with the key EU member states would allow it to exert influence over the others and over the Brussels institutions.Ministers have pointed to the UK’s muscle as a leading military power, with nuclear missiles, a permanent seat at the UN Security Council and access to the Five Eyes spy network with the United States.But confidence has been dented by the public split with Washington over the shambolic withdrawal from Afghanistan – which has revived calls for closer cooperation with the EU. More

Biden announces new security partnership with Australia and UKBoris Johnson has announced a new national security alliance with the leaders of the US and Australia in an attempt to counter China‘s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific.The prime minister spoke alongside US president Joe Biden and Australian prime minister Scott Morrison to unveil the AUKUS partnership, which will see the three countries share expertise on issues such as cyber warfare and artificial intelligence.China was not mentioned in the live briefing but there was frequent reference to the changing situation in the region and it follows tensions between Beijing and Australia in recent months.The alliance will work “hand-in-glove to preserve security and stability in the Indo-Pacific,” Mr Johnson said.The joint announcement has also confirmed that the US will provide a nuclear-powered submarine to Australia, with Scott Morrison’s government abandoning a $90bn submarine deal with France.Show latest update

1631736889Hello and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of Boris Johnson’s national security announcement tonight.Conrad Duncan15 September 2021 21:141631737553Boris Johnson ‘to announce new alliance with US and Australia’Boris Johnson is set to announce a new alliance with the US and Australia with the aim of countering China’s global power, according to reports.It has been reported that Mr Johnson, US president Joe Biden and Australian prime minister Scott Morrison will announce a new working group, known by the acronym AUKUS, to allow the countries to share information in key technological areas.These are expected to include artificial intelligence, cyber, underwater systems and long-range strike capabilities.In an integrated review of security and foreign policy earlier this year, the UK government outlined plans for a “tilt” in focus towards the Indo-Pacific region, with aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth being deployed on a voyage east.Conrad Duncan15 September 2021 21:251631738435ICYMI: Johnson flexes muscles with shake-up of cabinet for post-Covid eraIt has already been a busy day for Boris Johnson, who reshuffled his Cabinet this afternoon in a major shake-up of his government.The prime minister replaced Dominic Raab as foreign secretary with Liz Truss following the chaotic withdrawal of western troops from Afghanistan and dismissed his education secretary Gavin Williamson after a series of gaffes and missteps in office.Our political editor, Andrew Woodcock, has the full story below:Conrad Duncan15 September 2021 21:401631739134The leader of Canada’s Conservative Party has questioned why his country has been left out of the expected alliance between the UK, US and Australia to be announced tonight.“Canada left out again… Do our allies just not trust [Justin] Trudeau?” Erin O’Toole, who is the country’s leader of the opposition, wrote on Twitter.Conrad Duncan15 September 2021 21:521631739911BREAKING: Britain forms nuclear AUKUS alliance with Australia and US to curb ChinaThe UK has formed a new security pact with the US and Australia in the Indo-Pacific region that will involve an array of projects in the fields of cyber warfare, artificial intelligence and quantum computing, it has been announced.Although senior British officials insist that the new alliance is not aimed at any one country, it comes in the face of increasingly aggressive posturing from China.Our defence editor, Kim Sengupta, has more on this breaking story below:Conrad Duncan15 September 2021 22:051631740336You can watch the joint press conference live below: More

Once covered in bugs on on I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here, Tory MP Nadine Dorries is now in charge of Britain’s arts and media having been Culture Secretary in Boris Johnson’s reshuffle.The former nurse and mother-of-three proved unpopular with viewers and was the first to be voted off, before promptly being suspended by the Tory hierarchy for not getting permission for her stint on the programme.But the 64-year-old, who is also a best-selling author, has not been shy is offering her opinion on everything from the BBC to comedy and the state of the Conservative Party.The Independent has compiled some of the key moment of Ms Dorries career so far.What has she said about the BBC?The new Culture Secretary has been a long-time critic of the BBC and in 2012 said that the Government should withhold the licence fee payout to the corporation, unless they did more to address alleged sexist discrimination against its women television and radio presenters.She also demanded a parliamentary committee be set up to look at why the BBC had so few female executives, as well as presenters, particularly in primetime slots.More recently she said the BBC favour “strident, very left wing, often hypocritical and frequently patronising views that turn people away.”What has she said about comedy?In December 2017 Ms Dorries said that “left wing snowflakes are killing comedy” and “dumbing down panto”.In the full tweet, she said: “Left wing snowflakes are killing comedy, tearing down historic statues, removing books from universities, dumbing down panto, removing Christ from Christmas and suppressing free speech. Sadly, it must be true, history does repeat itself. It will be music next.”What has she said about Brexit and Boris?Ms Dorries is an ardent supporter of Brexit, has been critical of Remainers and has repeatedly shown public support for Boris Johnson.In November 2019, she tweeted: “Parliament is gridlocked. We cannot get #Brexit done until we return a Parliament with a majority of MPs who support the deal @BorisJohnson secured, against the odds. Let’s get this done. #BackBoris Back the deal. Vote #Conservative @Conservatives.”Prior to the 2019 General Election she described Mr Johnson as “the change the country needs” and used the #BackBoris hashtag in a number of tweets.What does she think of Winston Churchill?The MP for Mid Bedfordshire bragged on Twitter that she had a bust of the former prime minister in her home and in a separate tweet described him and Disraeli as “great novelists”.In a tweet from 2017 she said: “Big fan of Churchill – statue of him on my desk, but it was about more than a man. America is, was and always will be our greatest friend.”What does she think about gay marriage?The new cabinet secretary strongly opposed gay marriage and voted against the legislation when it was put forward by David Cameron’s government in 2013.In May 2013, she tweeted: “If gay marriage bill takes sex out of marriage could a sister marry a sister to avoid inheritance tax?”However years later she said that voting against gay marriage was her “biggest regret” as an MP and that she hopes all “same sex marriages live happily ever after”.What does she think about the Conservative Party?Ms Dorries, who grew up on a council estate, has frequently been at odds with what she thought of as her party’s image.She once referred to David Cameron and George Osborne as “arrogant posh boys”, while describing herself as “a normal mother who comes from a poor background and who didn’t go to a posh school”.Was she embroiled in the MP expenses scandal?In short, yes. In 2009, when MPs’ expenses claims were revealed by the Daily Telegraph, she admitted she had got taxpayers to foot the bill for a lost £2,190 deposit on a rented flat. And in 2010, she was rebuked by parliamentary standards commissioner John Lyon for misleading her constituents on her blog about how much time she spent in mid-Bedfordshire, admitting that it was “70% fiction”.What has she said about her writing career?Ms Dorries is an accomplished novelist and has written 19 works, including two trilogies and a six-part series.She told The Sunday Telegraph: “I still write 1,000 words every day, and I always will. Writing is very good for my mental health. I’m a happier person on the days I write.”Ms Dorries work hasn’t always been met with stellar reviews.One critic wrote of her first book: “Dorries is just not very good at making things up. Things in the novel appear to happen purely because they seem like a good idea at the time to the author. Characters potter in and then out again as soon as their service to the plot is done.” More

Labour and Conservatives chant in ‘pantomime’ display during PMQsLiz Truss has been appointed foreign secretary replacing Dominic Raab who was demoted to justice secretary in the prime minister’s cabinet shuffle. Mr Raab also holds the roles of Lord Chancellor and deputy prime minister.Michael Gove has been appointed secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, replacing Robert Jenrick who was ousted earlier this afternoon. He will also retain responsibility for relations with the UK’s devolved administrations.Gavin Williamson was removed from his role as education secretary, and Robert Buckland was also removed from his posting as justice secretary.The government hopes to complete cabinet-level appointments today, with more junior posts to be announced in the coming days. A Downing Street source said: “The prime minister will today conduct a reshuffle to put in place a strong and united team to build back better from the pandemic.”Meanwhile, Boris Johnson has refused to explain how universal credit claimants would be able to recoup their looming £20-a-week cut in payments.The prime minister was challenged to set out how many hours of extra work will be needed – after a Cabinet minister wrongly claimed it is just two.But Mr Johnson declined to say whether the true figure is higher or lower.Show latest update

1631688643Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s rolling coverage of UK political news.Tom Batchelor15 September 2021 07:501631688810Government again delays key border checks on EU importsThe government has announced that it will delay a host of border red tape for EU imports from October and January next year until July 2022.These include physical checks on food and other animal-related products which were due in January next year. It comes after The Independent reported that the necessary infrastructure would not be ready in time.As late as Thursday last week, the government was suggesting that businesses should still prepare for the already delayed deadlines for new paperwork from October and physical checks in January.Here is the story:Tom Batchelor15 September 2021 07:531631689830Labour urges Tory MPs to oppose Universal Credit cutLabour is to call on Tory MPs to back a vote calling for the government to scrap its plans to cut Universal Credit during an opposition day debate on Wednesday.Ministers have come under sustained pressure to reverse its decision to end the £20 uplift introduced to support families during the coronavirus pandemic.Here is more: Tom Batchelor15 September 2021 08:101631690974Lords criticised for inviting ‘fringe’ climate denial group to give evidence in parliamentA House of Lords committee has been criticised for inviting a “fringe” group which campaigns against climate action to give evidence on carbon policy.The Global Warming Policy Foundation was invited by peers to give evidence to an inquiry on reaching net zero and appeared before them on Tuesday.But environmental groups questioned why the committee would “waste their valuable time” hearing from the organisation, which they said had been “so widely and repeatedly found to be wrong”.Read more here:Tom Batchelor15 September 2021 08:291631691926Inflation soars to highest since 2012UK inflation has surged to its highest for nearly a decade after a record jump in August as restaurant and cafe prices raced higher following last summer’s discounts under the Eat Out to Help Out scheme.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation jumped from 2 per cent in July to 3.2 per cent in August, which is the highest since March 2012 and far above the Bank of England’s 2 per cent target.The ONS said the increase – the largest since records began in 1997 – was due to the discounts seen across the hospitality sector last August under Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme to boost consumer spending and confidence after lockdown.It added there was also likely to have been some impact from the supply chain crisis on inflation last month, which it said helped push up food and non-alcoholic drinks prices.Tom Batchelor15 September 2021 08:451631692826Tax rises and the overmighty state pave the way for Tory splitLike the Brexit deal, the decision to raise taxes was rushed through at the last minute. But the repercussions of one of the biggest tax rises in history will take much longer to play out.John Rentoul reports:Tom Batchelor15 September 2021 09:001631693726Former Isis-bride Shamima Begum offers to ‘help’ Boris JohnsonFormer Isis-bride Shamima Begum has begged the British public for forgiveness, saying there is “no evidence” she was a key player in preparing terrorist acts.The 22-year-old, who fled her east London home for Syria as a 15-year-old schoolgirl, said she wanted to be brought back to the UK and face terror charges in order to prove her innocence.Asked for a message to Boris Johnson, Begum said that she could help the Prime Minister in “your fight against terrorism because you clearly don’t know what you’re doing”. She told Good Morning Britain: “I want to say that you are clearly struggling with extremism and terrorism in your country. And I want to help with that with giving my own experience from with these extremists and what they say and how they persuade people to do what they do and to come to places like Syria.“I think I could very much help you in your fight against terrorism, because you clearly don’t know what you’re doing.”Tom Batchelor15 September 2021 09:151631694626Javid defends decision to strip Begum of British citizenshipSajid Javid has hit back at Shamima Begum’s claims that she played no part in Islamic State terrorism. Referring to his decision while home secretary to strip Begum of her British citizenship, the health secretary said: “I won’t go into details of the case, but what I will say is that you certainly haven’t seen what I saw.”He added: “If you did know what I knew, because you are sensible, responsible people, you would have made exactly the same decision – of that I have no doubt.”Tom Batchelor15 September 2021 09:301631695526Government hires JP Morgan to advise on potential sale of Channel 4The government has hired US banking behemoth JP Morgan to advise on the future of Channel 4, as ministers consider putting the publicly-owned broadcaster up for sale.A 10-week public consultation into the potential privatisation of Channel 4, ordered by culture secretary Oliver Dowden in June, came to a close on Tuesday night.The Wall Street giant has been drafted in to provide corporate financial advice and analysis to ministers as they consider the responses, The Independent understands.Read the full story here:Tom Batchelor15 September 2021 09:451631696426Climate protesters block parts of M25 Climate protesters have blocked parts of the M25 for the second time in three days. Insulate Britain, which is demanding government action on home insulation, has stopped traffic at several sections of Britain’s busiest motorway. It wrote on Twitter: “#InsulateBritain are back. @BorisJohnson can you hear us yet?’’  Tom Batchelor15 September 2021 10:00 More

Boris Johnson asserted his dominance over the government with a larger-than-expected reshuffle which swept underperforming ministers out of the cabinet and delivered demotions for “big beasts” Michael Gove and Dominic Raab.In a shake-up characterised by No 10 as creating a team to “build back better” after the Covid pandemic, the prime minister replaced Raab with Liz Truss as foreign secretary following his humiliation over Afghanistan, and dismissed Gavin Williamson as education secretary after a succession of missteps culminating in him confusing one black England sports star, Marcus Rashford, with another, Maro Itoje.He signalled his determination to continue stoking culture wars by putting Nadine Dorries in charge of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. The long-time Johnson ally, who has previously inveighed against “left-wing snowflakes”, will have a crucial say in the future of the BBC and Channel 4, as well as appointments to influential positions like the chair of media regulator Ofcom.In a concession to restive Tory backbenchers, Johnson sacked Robert Jenrick, whose planning reforms – now set to be watered down – had caused fury in leafy Conservative heartland seats.In his place he put Mr Gove, who adds responsibilities for Mr Johnson’s “levelling up” agenda, electoral reform and preserving the union to a beefed-up Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government which some at Westminster were describing as a department for intractable problems.After a successful stint as vaccines minister, Nadhim Zahawi joined the cabinet as education secretary, with the crucial job of putting schools and universities on an even keel after two years of shutdowns and cancelled exams due to the Covid pandemic.And Tory grassroots darling Truss was rewarded for her indefatigable global travels in search of post-Brexit trade deals by being made only the second woman ever to hold the post of foreign secretary.Mr Raab resisted his demotion to justice secretary and lord chancellor, accepting only after being granted the title of deputy prime minister, formally confirming the position he previously held on a de facto basis as first secretary of state.His appointment will alarm liberties campaigners because of his long-standing distaste for the European Convention on Human Rights and Human Rights Act and advocacy for their replacement with a British bill of rights.He inherits a massive backlog of court cases from predecessor Robert Buckland, whose dismissal was condemned by Commons Justice Committee chair, Tory MP Bob Neill, as “unjust and outrageous”.One of few remaining ministers from the Tories’ One Nation wing, Buckland was a QC who was well regarded in legal circles but presided over an ever-shrinking justice budget.In other moves, Stephen Barclay was shifted from chief secretary of the Treasury – where he was at the heart of preparations for next month’s crucial spending review – to succeed Mr Gove as chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Oliver Dowden moved from the culture brief to become the cabinet-level Tory party chair and minister without portfolio, replacing Amanda Milling, whose dismissal was seen in part as punishment for the crushing by-election defeat in Conservative stronghold Chesham and Amersham in June.Anne-Marie Trevelyan took Ms Truss’s old job as international trade secretary, regaining the cabinet seat she lost when her former Department for International Development was merged with the Foreign Office. Her return boosted female representation from five to six out of 23 full cabinet members.In a reshuffle which signalled little change in political direction but an apparent determination to put the travails of Brexit and Covid behind him and focus on domestic priorities like economic recovery and jobs, Mr Johnson kept key ministers like chancellor Rishi Sunak, home secretary Priti Patel – subject of much speculation about her position – and health secretary Sajid Javid in their posts.Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner denounced the reshuffle as a distraction from the vote called by the party in the Commons on the impending £1,000-a-year cut in universal credit benefits. With Mr Johnson ordering Tory MPs to stay away, the vote to halt the removal of a £20 weekly coronavirus uplift to UC was passed by 253 to zero, but is not binding on the government. Four Conservatives – Peter Aldous (Waveney), John Stevenson (Carlisle), Neil Hudson (Penrith and The Border) and William Wragg (Hazel Grove) – rebelled to vote with Labour.Former ministers sacked from cabinet will receive £16,000 severance payments just as UC claimants see a hit to their incomes at the start of next month.“Labour forcing a vote to stop the Tories from taking £1,000 from 6 million families and driving more children into poverty matters a lot more to the lives of people than the reshuffle gossip of who’s up and who’s down,” said Ms Rayner.She welcomed the dismissal of Mr Williamson, describing him as a “prat” who had “damaged the life chances of our country’s children”, and warned that Mr Raab “wants to scrap workers’ rights and ‘doesn’t believe in’ economic and social rights”.Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said Mr Williamson had been “the most incompetent education secretary in living memory”, but branded his successor Mr Zahawi as “completely out of touch” after he claimed in an interview last year that families would rather pay “a modest amount” than accept free school meals.Broadcasting union Bectu voiced alarm over best-selling author Ms Dorries’s appointment.“The new culture secretary needs to focus more on supporting our cultural industries and less on stoking divisive culture wars,” said Mick Clancy, general secretary of Bectu’s parent union Prospect.“Instead of an agenda of undermining much-loved institutions like the BBC, National Trust and Channel 4, government should be celebrating an industry in which the UK is the envy of the world and putting culture and our creative workforce at the centre of our post-Covid economy.” More