Markus Andrews

Boris Johnson dodged a question on whether he would take the knee like England players after the prime minister condemned racist abuse against black members of the national football team.Mr Johnson said on Monday morning that those responsible for racist abuse against three players who missed penalties, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, in the Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy should be “ashamed of themselves”.However, when asked at a Downing Street briefing whether he would consider joining the players in taking the knee as a protest against racism, the prime minister declined to answer.“On Black Lives Matter and the importance of that, I will simply repeat what I’ve always said many many times,” Mr Johnson told the briefing.“I think people should feel free to show their respect and show how much they condemn racism in this country in any way that they choose.”He added: “I was there last night and I noted that the whole crowd was respectful when our players took the knee and I didn’t hear a single boo.”The prime minister has previously been criticised for failing to act quickly to condemn football fans who booed the national team earlier this year.On Monday, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused Mr Johnson of a failure of leadership over the issue and suggested that his comments criticising the abuse of players would “ring hollow”.“This is about leadership and I’m afraid the prime minister has failed the test of leadership because whatever he says today about racism, he had a simple choice at the beginning of this tournament in relation to the booing of those who were taking the knee,” Sir Keir told reporters.”The prime minister failed to call that out and the actions and inactions of leaders have consequences so I’m afraid the prime minister’s words today ring hollow.”Ahead of the Euro 2020 tournament, the PM’s official spokesperson declined to condemn fans booing England’s players and only urged them to be “respectful”.However, a few days later, Downing Street’s response to the issue changed to say that Mr Johnson wanted fans to “cheer, not boo” the team.Home secretary Priti Patel has also faced criticism for choosing not to condemn fans booing, as she argued that it was a “choice for them” and described the act of taking the knee as “gesture politics”.Additional reporting by PA More

MPs have been granted a binding vote on the UK’s huge overseas aid cuts, but threatened with tax hikes and other spending cuts if they defy the government.In a major U-turn – after months of denying the vote – Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg said MPs would, on Tuesday, be able to give “a yes or no answer” on reversing the cuts from next January.A defeat for the government would mean aid spending would return to 0.7 per cent of national income “in the next calendar year”, he said – having been slashed to 0.5 per cent.However, MPs were left scrambling to work out the details of the offer now being made, after Mr Rees-Mogg failed to set them out in the Commons.In a written statement later, the Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the Treasury would only voluntarily return to 0.7 per cent if tests for borrowing and debt had been met.The independent Office for Budget Responsibility would carry out that assessment, ahead of the cross-government spending review in the autumn.Mr Sunak said MPs could vote to restore the cuts from 2022, regardless, but with “likely consequences for the fiscal situation, including for taxation and current public spending plans”, he warned.Pressure had been growing on the government to give way, with Tory rebels confident they would – eventually – find a way to table an amendment to reverse the cuts, with the numbers to win it.Aid has been slashed by around £4bn a year – breaking a Tory manifesto pledge and, potentially, the law – with no date for restoring the “temporary” reduction, which could be years away.Boris Johnson was ridiculed for falsely claiming that MPs had been offered a vote two weeks ago – yet had “mysteriously” chosen not to take it up.In response, former Cabinet minister David Davis warned the government was risking an imminent court challenge, with campaigners ready to launch a judicial review.In the Commons, Labour’s Thangam Debbonaire said she feared the return to 0.7 per cent “might take a rather roundabout route”, rather than being immediate, if the government lost the vote.But, when she asked “will international aid go back to 0.7 per cent of gross national income in January 2022, yes or no”, Mr Rees-Mogg replied: “The answer to the last question is yes.”Sarah Champion, the chair of the Commons international development committee, protested that ministers had failed to set out exactly what vote had been granted.“This is not democracy, it’s playing political games – with deadly consequences for the world’s poorest,” she warned.Ex-Scottish leader Ruth Davidson has joined the battle, warning Mr Johnson that the Tories will again be seen as the “nasty party”, as the “horrific pictures” of famine in Ethiopia repel voters.And ministers suffered the embarrassment of charities and philanthropists, including Bill Gates, stepping in pledge £100m to partially plug a gap in spending on preventable diseases and family planning. More

Michael Gove has moved to obstruct an investigation into the Greensill scandal by blocking the appearance of a witness at a parliamentary inquiry.The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee is investigating the circumstances around the lobbying and access affair – but is having its work disrupted on the orders of Boris Johnson’s deputy.MPs on the committee wanted to hear evidence from Sue Gray, the government’s then ethics advisor – who oversaw one of the key decisions made during the course of the episode.Her office had accepted the committee’s investigation to be questioned in relation to the appointment of former senior civil servant Bill Crother.Mr Crothers had simultaneously held positions as the Cabinet Office’s Chief Commercial Officer and at Greensill Finance – which critics say amounted to a conflict of interest and reflected the financial institution’s influence in government. But Michael Gove has now blocked Ms Gray’s appearance, using his power over her as a civil servant. Since May 2021 she has served as second permanent secretary at Mr Gove’s department, a high ranking post.Committee chair and Conservative MP William Wragg said: “Sue Gray’s office had accepted our approach to have her appear to answer important questions surrounding Lex Greensill’s position at the heart of Government. Regrettably, the rug has been pulled from under us by the Cabinet Office.”Although the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office Michael Gove offered to appear in her place, the Committee summoned Ms Gray precisely because she had first-hand knowledge of Greensill’s appointment and has been name-checked by several witnesses to our inquiry. “Sue Gray’s evidence would have made an important contribution to our inquiry in a way that Mr Gove’s clearly would not.”When The Independent approached the Cabinet Office about this decision, the department pointed to an answer given by Mr Gove in the Commons last week.Asked to explain his reasoning, the minister effectively said the advisor should not appear in front of the parliamentary committee because he did not want her to.Mr Gove said that serving civil servants should “act only in accordance with the wishes of Ministers” and that “therefore it is rarely appropriate for them to appear to be questioned in the way” the committee wished.He added: “I am ready, willing and able to appear in front of the Committee, but it is my view that it would be inappropriate for a serving civil servant to appear in the way that my honourable friend requests.”It is routine for top civil servant to appear before parliamentary committees. The Greensill scandal first kicked off in March 2021 when it emerged that former prime minister David Cameron had been personally lobbying Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, for more favourable treatment for a bank with close links to his government.Other threads later emerged: Lex Greensill, the financier who owns the bank, had reportedly been appointed as an advisor to Mr Cameron during his government, and Mr Crothers, a top civil servant who was at the time in charge of procurement, had been allegedly employed by the bank while also in his role overseeing taxpayer money.The episode, which is the subject of the MPs’ inquiry, raised questions about uneven and favourable access to government ministers for lobbyists. More

Nightclub revellers could be forced to prove their Covid vaccine status to get past bouncers and onto the dance floor when they reopen their doors in England from 19 July, it has been revealed.Clubs are among the final businesses to be given clearance to restart operations as part of the fourth and final step in Boris Johnson’s roadmap out of lockdown.Guests will not be required by law to wear face-masks or socially distance from the so-called “Freedom Day” next Monday, and there will be no legal requirement for venues to operate a Covid passport scheme.But operators are being strongly advised to implement certification checks on guests, both for the safety of their customers and the good of their businesses.Guidance will be published in the coming days, and government is promising to work with the industry over the next few weeks to assist in its implementation. But there are no plans for additional financial support to help businesses cope with the burden of checks.All mass attendance venues where guests mix indoors without social distancing with people from outside their normal circles will be classed as “high-risk settings” and encouraged and supported to introduce certification schemes similar to those used during pilots at clubs and concerts earlier this spring.Revellers will be able to gain access by showing evidence of double-vaccination on the NHS smartphone app, an official email or text showing that they have reported a negative lateral flow test to the NHS in the past two days or a PCR test showing that they have contracted and recovered from Covid-19 within the past six months.Asked whether the system would enable club-goers to dodge checks by falsely reporting negative results from fast-turnaround tests, a Downing Street spokesperson said that there was little evidence of this happening in earlier pilots.“It’s possible for people to be less than scrupulous on this,” said the spokesperson. “But the purpose of certification is to put processes in place to prompt responsible behaviour. In the pilot, we saw how effective this approach was.” More

Rules requiring social distancing and face-coverings are to be lifted in England from 19 July in the final stage of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown, health secretary Sajid Javid has announced.Clubs are among the final businesses to be given clearance to restart operations as part of the fourth and final step in Boris Johnson’s roadmap out of lockdown.Guests will not be required by law to wear face-masks or socially distance from the so-called “Freedom Day” next Monday, and there will be no legal requirement for venues to operate a Covid passport scheme.But operators are being strongly advised to implement certification checks on guests, both for the safety of their customers and the good of their businesses.Guidance will be published in the coming days, and government is promising to work with the industry over the next few weeks to assist in its implementation. But there are no plans for additional financial support to help businesses cope with the burden of checks.All mass attendance venues where guests mix indoors without social distancing with people from outside their normal circles will be classed as “high-risk settings” and encouraged and supported to introduce certification schemes similar to those used during pilots at clubs and concerts earlier this spring.Revellers will be able to gain access by showing evidence of double-vaccination on the NHS smartphone app, an official email or text showing that they have reported a negative lateral flow test to the NHS in the past two days or a PCR test showing that they have contracted and recovered from Covid-19 within the past six months.Asked whether the system would enable club-goers to dodge checks by falsely reporting negative results from fast-turnaround tests, a Downing Street spokesperson said that there was little evidence of this happening in earlier pilots.“It’s possible for people to be less than scrupulous on this,” said the spokesperson. “But the purpose of certification is to put processes in place to prompt responsible behaviour. In the pilot, we saw how effective this approach was.” More

Boris Johnson’s former adviser Dominic Cummings has breached rules on business activities after leaving government, the official watchdog Acoba has ruled.But it said it was a matter for ministers to decide what action should be taken against Mr Cummings, who left government last November after a power battle inside 10 Downing Street.The Vote Leave supremo failed to seek advice from the the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments before launching a paid-for blog on Substack on which he has offered management consultancy services for payment, said Acoba chair Eric Pickles.In a letter to Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove, Lord Pickles said: “Failure to seek and await advice before taking up work is a breach of the government’s rules.“It is now a matter for the government to decide what appropriate action to take.” More

Boris Johnson and Priti Patel have been branded “hypocrites” for condemning the racist abuse of England’s footballers, after their previous stances on tackling racism.Labour seized on the prime minister and the home secretary having failed to support the team taking the knee before games – alleging they had given “license to the racists”.Sayeeda Warsi, the former Conservative party chairman, also accused her own party of reaping what it had sowed – pointing to its fighting of “culture wars”.And the former footballer Gary Neville accused Mr Johnson of having “promoted” racism, in his notorious newspaper article about Muslim women looking “like letterboxes”.The criticism came after the prime minister said England’s team should be “lauded as heroes, not racially abused”, tweeting: “Those responsible for this appalling abuse should be ashamed of themselves.”But, before the tournament, Mr Johnson initially refused to criticise fans booing the players for taking the knee, while Ms Patel supported their right to boo what she called “gesture politics”.Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, said: “Let me be clear. The prime minister and the home secretary gave license to the racists who booed the England players and are now racially abusing England players.The pair were “like arsonists complaining about a fire they poured petrol on. Total hypocrites,” she tweeted.Mr Neville, now a TV analyst, told Sky News: “When we get racist abuse after a football match at the end of a tournament, I expect it unfortunately because it exists.“And it’s actually promoted by the prime minister, who called Muslim women letterboxes, said they look like letterboxes.”Baroness Warsi said the Conservatives “need to think about our role in feeding this culture in our country”, she told the prime minister and home secretary.“If we “whistle” & the ”dog” reacts we can’t be shocked if it barks & bites,” she tweeted.“It’s time to stop the culture wars that are feeding division. Dog whistles win votes but destroy nations.”Following England’s defeat to Italy in the Euro 2020 final, police are investigating offensive and racist social media comments being directed towards players from an ethnic minority backgroundA third minister, education minister Gillian Keegan, also questioned taking the knee – which the team began after last year’s Black Lives Matter demonstrations – for “creating division”.But Mr Neville said: “Accepting and validating that players who take the knee are promoting equality and inclusion and defending against racism – it’s coming from the very top.“You know full well that if your parents do something, your children will follow.”And he contrasted the leadership skills of England boss Gareth Southgate with Mr Johnson, saying they are “absolutely poles apart”, adding: “You can be a leader and a gentleman, you can be ruthless – but have empathy and compassion.”But Mr Johnson’s spokesman rejected the criticism, saying: “The prime minister made clear he wanted people to be cheering the team, not booing them, before England played their first match, and you’ve seen his comments this morning condemning the horrible comments made on social media.” More

Gary Neville criticises Boris Johnson’s hypocrisy over racist abuse of England playersThe Conservative Party is being blamed for the online racist abuse some of England’s top football players have received following the team’s loss to Italy in last night’s UEFA Euro final. A string of football icons, MPs and House of Lord Peers have called out Boris Johnson and certain members of his Cabinet for failing to condemn fans who previously jeered England’s players for ‘taking the knee’ before matches and the subsequent effect it has had. Sayeeda Warsi, a Tory Peer, hit out at Priti Patel after the home secretary said earlier she was “disgusted that players who have given so much for our country this summer have been subject to vile racist abuse on social media”.“Priti, we as govt, as Conservatives, need to think about our role in feeding this culture in our country. If we ‘whistle’ & the ‘dog’ reacts we cant be shocked if it barks & bites. It’s time to stop the culture wars that are feeding division,” Baroness Warsi tweeted, adding: “Dog whistles win votes but destroy nations.”Meanwhile, England football pundit and former player Gary Neville went after the PM on Sky News. He questioned headlines claiming Mr Johnson “condemned racist abuse against England players” by asking the broadcaster: “Is that the same prime minister who, a few weeks ago, said it was okay for people to boo players who were trying to promote equality [by taking the knee]?” Show latest update

1626101416Defaced Rashford mural decorated with messages of support A mural of England footballer Marcus Rashford, which was vandalised in the early hours of this morning with racist graffiti, has been covered in messages of love and support by locals.Sam Hancock12 July 2021 15:501626100816EastEnders to reference Euro final in Monday’s episodeSoap opera EastEnders will reference the Euro 2020 final in tonight’s episode, the BBC has said, with the scene first broadcast on BBC1 at 8.05pm. It will then be “dropped into the BBC iPlayer episodes that went live this morning”, the broadcaster revealed.“Although it’s only a small scene, with England’s performance in the Euros capturing the hearts of the nation over the past month it’s only right that the residents of Walford would be talking about last night’s historical match,” the show’s executive producer Jon Sen said.The scene, which will feature Albert Square residents Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick), Kim Fox (Tameka Empson) and Bobby Beale (Clay Milner Russell), was written and filmed today. Sam Hancock12 July 2021 15:401626100034‘A fire they poured petrol on’: Johnson and Patel condemned Boris Johnson and Priti Patel have been branded “hypocrites” for condemning the racist abuse of England’s footballers, after their previous stances on tackling racism.Labour seized on the prime minister and the home secretary having failed to support the team taking the knee before games – alleging they had given “license to the racists”.The criticism came after the prime minister said England’s team should be “lauded as heroes, not racially abused”, tweeting: “Those responsible for this appalling abuse should be ashamed of themselves.”Our deputy political editor Rob Merrick reports:Sam Hancock12 July 2021 15:271626099377Government condemns England fans for trashing capital during matchThe government has criticised England fans for storming Wembley Stadium without tickets and causing trouble in Trafalgar Square.Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said: “Those scenes were unacceptable and we condemn violence, anti-social behaviour and abuse in the strongest possible terms.”Asked whether the level of policing was adequate, the spokesman said: “As with all major policing operations there will be lessons to be learned.”But he said the PM remains “confident” in Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick.Sam Hancock12 July 2021 15:161626098370Labour MPs react to Tory hypocrisy on racism Cross-party politicians, including Labour’s deputy leader and shadow justice secretary, have tweeted their anger at the Conservative Party.Sam Hancock12 July 2021 14:591626097352No bank holiday for England reaching Euro final, says No 10Downing Street has said a bank holiday is not being considered to celebrate England reaching the Euro 2020 final.“We’ll be talking to the FA to identify a suitable way for the Prime Minister to thank the players and coaching staff for their efforts,” Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said.“But a bank holiday is not something that is being considered.”It comes after more than 300,000 people signed a petition calling on the PM to grant a one-off day off to mark the historic match between England and Italy on Sunday, which saw the latter win on penalties. The number of signatures soared to this number in less than 24 hours since the petition was launched on Thursday.Sam Hancock12 July 2021 14:421626096516Johnson and Patel should be ‘embarrassed and ashamed,’ says Labour Shadow culture secretary Jo Stevens said if she was the PM or the home secretary she would be “embarrassed” and “probably ashamed” at the words they used and their conduct around players taking the knee.When asked if she believed Boris Johnson was responsible for the action undertaken by some England fans on Sunday night, she told the BBC’s World at One programme: “I think that his words and his lack of action send a message to people who feel it’s okay to be racist.“You can argue about whether there’s a direct causal link between the two but all of us in what we do, what we say, what we don’t do, there are consequences to that, particularly if you’re the prime minister and you’re in a position of such responsibility and leadership in the country.”She then appeared on Times Radio, arguing that “criminal sanctions for senior executives” of social media platforms are needed to stop racist posts after the abuse of England’s penalty takers. Sam Hancock12 July 2021 14:281626096334Tory MP apologises for comments about RashfordA Tory MP has apologised after suggesting Marcus Rashford should have spent more time “perfecting his game” than “playing politics”.Natalie Elphicke made the comment in a message to fellow MPs after the striker missed a penalty in the Euro 2020 final on Sunday night.His failure to convert from the spot – along with misses from Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka – meant England lost to Italy in a penalty shootout. Mr Rashford previously waged a high-profile campaign to persuade the government to provide free meals to vulnerable youngsters throughout the school holidays during the coronavirus pandemic.In a late-night private message, Ms Elphicke said: “They lost – would it be ungenerous to suggest Rashford should have spent more time perfecting his game and less time playing politics?”But the Dover MP apologised after the message was reported by GB News, saying: “I regret messaging privately a rash reaction about Marcus Rashford’s missed penalty and apologise to him for any suggestion that he is not fully focused on his football.“Onwards to the World Cup and I look forward to Marcus Rashford’s contribution at that time.”Sam Hancock12 July 2021 14:251626096034Recap: Here’s a reminder of what Gary Neville had to say about the PMGary Neville criticises Boris Johnson’s hypocrisy over racist abuse of England playersSam Hancock12 July 2021 14:201626095672No 10 rejects claim PM’s ‘letterbox’ comments incited racismDowning Street has rejected pundit Gary Neville’s accusation that Boris Johnson promoted racism by describing Muslim women as looking like “letterboxes” in a newspaper column before he became leader of the Conservative Party. “I would utterly reject that claim. The prime minister set out this morning his response to some of the awful comments that we’ve seen,” Mr Johnson’s official spokesman said.Asked about the former England footballer’s allegation that Mr Johnson and other ministers suggested it was fine to boo players taking the knee, the spokesman said simply this “is not accurate”.“The prime minister was clear that he wanted to see everyone getting behind the team to cheer them on. He made that clear on the 11th, before England’s first game,” he added.Sam Hancock12 July 2021 14:14 More