Markus Andrews

Conservative donors were approached to cover the cost of a nanny for Boris Johnson’s son Wilfred, it has been reported — as party staff have been given one week to hand over all communication related to the Downing Street flat refurbishment.An unidentified Tory MP received a complaint from a supporter who has been asked to pay for childcare for the one-year-old, according to The Sunday Times. The donor reportedly told the MP: “I don’t mind paying for leaflets but I resent being asked to pay to literally wipe the prime minister’s baby’s bottom.”Downing Street did not deny a claim that the PM has taken out a personal loan to repay the Conservative Party for the renovations, the newspaper reported.Such a loan would have to be declared to avoid conflicts of interest.Separate inquiries into how Mr Johnson’s flat redecoration was funded are being carried out by Simon Case, the head of the civil service, Lord Geidt, the independent adviser on ministers’ interests, and the Electoral Commission.The prime minister has repeatedly said that he paid for anything spent beyond the annual £30,000 maintenance allowance for residents of Downing Street.Meanwhile, Conservative Party staff have been given one week to hand over all communication related to renovations of Mr Johnson’s flat or face criminal consequences, according to reports.The Times and The Sun reported on Saturday that all Conservative Party staff received an email from human resources in the name of Alan Mabbutt, a senior official and registered legal officer, about the commission’s inquiry which told them: “You are put on notice that this is a criminal investigation.”The email instructed that all communications had to be provided to the investigation by 7 May.The approach to donors over nanny costs was also reported in the Mail on Sunday, which said Tory bankrollers were also asked to cover the cost of a personal trainer for the prime minister.No 10 did not deny that donors had been approached, the newspaper said, but insisted Mr Johnson had “personally paid” for both members of staff.The Independent asked Downing Street for comment.Additional reporting by PA More

The Conservatives’ poll lead has diminished in recent days, according to the latest survey of public opinion in the wake of a string of sleaze allegations against Boris Johnson.Surveys undertaken during the row over the funding of the PM’s flat refurbishment and lobbying appeared to show little change in the numbers, with a BMG poll conducted for The Independent last week showing support for Mr Johnson’s party had even increased.However, new figures from pollsters Opinium show the Conservative Party lead over Labour fall dramatically from 11 points to just five points, with Mr Johnson’s party on 42 per cent compared to 37 per cent for Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour.And the favourability rating for the prime minister, which had been riding high following the success of the vaccine rollout in the UK, also took a dent.The survey of 2,000 voters undertaken for The Observer found Mr Johnson’s net favourability stood at -6 compared to the Labour leader, who was on +8.The numbers represent a decline for Mr Johnson and a growth in support for Sir Keir, with both men having been tied at a favourability of +1 last week.Meanwhile a poll by Focaldata of 1,555 people for The Sunday Times put the two main parties much closer, with the Tories holding 40 per cent support to 39 per cent for Labour.It also found Labour inching ahead among the so-called red wall voters in northern areas that had previously been Labour strongholds but fell to the Tories in 2019. The poll suggests Labour holds 45 per cent support in the region to the Conservatives’ 44 per cent.Thursday’s elections mark the first electoral challenge for Sir Keir after having taken over the party leadership from Jeremy Corbyn.It also marks the first test of public opinion for Mr Johnson’s party during the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.In addition to the English local and Scottish and Welsh elections, there is a Westminster by-election for Hartlepool, which has been held by Labour since 1964. More

Ministers have taken steps towards ending the 10-day isolation rule for the contacts of Covid-infected people by authorising a new trial that replaces mandatory quarantine with daily tests.Up to 40,000 participants identified as contacts will be given daily lateral flow tests then – as long as their result is negative and they display no symptoms – allowed to go about their lives as before.Matt Hancock hailed the study as paving the way to “shift the dial” by allowing people to avoid self-isolation, amid evidence that many find it too difficult, or expensive, to abide by the rules.It will be launched, on 9 May, despite ongoing controversy over the accuracy of the rapid lateral flow tests to be used and the eye-watering cost of the “operation moonshot” programme.Some government officials are known to have raised concerns about the mass expansion of the scheme because of fears that too many people are being told wrongly they do not have Covid-19.Now tens of thousands of close contacts of people with the virus will be contacted by phone and sent seven days of rapid tests if they wish to take part in the trial.They will test themselves every morning for those seven days – while a second group will be given one, more accurate, lab test and still required to isolate for the full 10-day period. The aim is to help people avoid having to stay at home when they are not infected – amid ongoing criticism of the lack of financial support available to persuade them to miss work.Professor Isabel Oliver, the head of the study to be run by Public Health England, said it recognised that “isolating when you have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19 is challenging”.“This study will help to determine whether we can deploy daily testing for contacts to potentially reduce the need for self-isolation, while still ensuring that chains of transmission are stopped,” she said.Mr Hancock hailed the way “rapid testing is allowing us to get back to doing the things we all love”.“Regular testing is already playing a critical role in helping us reclaim our lost freedoms – quickly spotting positive cases, helping identify new variants and squashing any outbreaks,” he said.“This new pilot could help shift the dial in our favour by offering a viable alternative to self-isolation for people who are contacts of positive Covid-19 cases, and one that would allow people to carry on going to work and living their lives.”However, one evaluation found that lateral flow tests correctly identify only 72 per cent of people who are infected with the virus with symptoms – and just 58 per cent of those without symptoms.The regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), has expressed concern that people are being given false reassurance that they are negative. It wants the tests to be used as a “red light” check – to find infectious people who should then self-isolate – but not as a “green light” for them to go about their normal lives, after a negative result.Everyone in England can already be tested twice a week using the rapid tests, for free, under the multibillion pound programme.More than 145,765 Covid infections have since been detected that would not have otherwise been found, the health department says. More

The United Nations children’s agency has spoken out against the UK’s massive overseas aid cuts, warning the world’s poorest youngsters “will suffer the consequences”.Funding to Unicef will be slashed from £40m to just £16m, it has learnt – the latest in a series of dramatic spending reductions on key projects that have sparked criticism around the world.“We were hoping that these cuts would not fall on the shoulders of the world’s children,” said Joanna Rea, director of advocacy for Unicef in the UK.“There is never a good time to cut support for children but doing so in the middle of a pandemic makes it much harder for children around the world,” she told Sky News.The agency is “very worried” about expected further cuts to UK funding on specific areas such as access to water, sanitation and hygiene and education, Ms Rae said.In an official statement, Unicef added: “We worry that children living in some of the world’s worst crises and conflicts will suffer the consequences.”The criticism came as it emerged that vital coronavirus research, including a project tracking variants in India, has seen its funding reduced by up to 70 per cent.Oliver Pybus, a professor of infectious disease at the University of Oxford, described the impact of that cut as “devastating”.Among other cuts that have now been revealed – after being “hidden” from MPs – are:* Humanitarian aid to war-torn Yemen – by 60 per cent from £197m to £87m* Polio eradication – funding for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative down from £100m to just £5m* Girls’ education funding – by 40 per cent compared with previous four years* Sexual health programmes – the UN agency supplying contraceptives and medicines says it has lost 85 per cent of UK funding* Malaria treatments – including a cut to research funding at Imperial College London * Water and sanitation – funding for water, sanitation and hygiene projects expected to fall by more than 80 per centThe growing controversy may well be raised when Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, hosts the meeting of G7 foreign and development ministers in London on Monday – the first such face-to-face gathering in more than two years.Mr Raab has refused to release legal advice to back up his claim that the aid cuts are lawful – after a pledge to first give MPs a vote was broken – and also hinted they could be extended into future years.The reduction, from 0.7 to 0.5 per cent of national income, breaking a Tory manifesto pledge, will not be restored until “the fiscal situation allows”, he made clear.The G7 meeting is – ironically – intended to set new targets on issues such as climate finance, girls’ education and famine prevention. More

Today’s daily politics briefingLabour’s Sir Keir Starmer has claimed the Conservative Party are “hopelessly distracted by sleaze and scandal” ahead of the final weekend of campaigning for local elections across the UK.The leader of the opposition’s comments come after a string of scandals implicating the Tories – including concerns around the lobbying activities of former prime minister David Cameron, and allegations that flat renovations undertaken by Boris Johnson were paid for with a loan from the Conservative Party.Writing in the Northern Echo, Sir Keir said: ““The Prime Minister may not know the value of the pound in his pocket, but we know you do. The least people should be able to expect from their government is that taxpayers’ money is spent wisely.”Conservative Party staff have been told they have one week to hand over all communication related to renovations of the PM’s flat in 11 Downing Street or face criminal consequences, according to reports.The Times and The Sun reported all Conservative Party staff received an email from human resources about the Electoral Commission’s inquiry into how the redecoration work was funded, which told them: “You are put on notice that this is a criminal investigation.”It comes as Nicola Sturgeon has slammed a “Brexit betrayal of fishing” after talks collapse over access to Norwegian seas, sparking anger. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also said fishing communities had been “betrayed by the prime minister” after the talks broke down earlier this week. The failure to reach a deal means fish and chip shops will be selling Arctic cod imported from Norway rather than landed in Britain, UK Fisheries said.Show latest update

1619879971Tom Tugendhat gets jabbedConservative MP and chair of the foreign affairs select committee Tom Tugendhat is the latest politician to get called up to come and get his coronavirus jab.The provision was recently extended to make all over 42s eligible for the inoculationFor all the latest coronavirus news, make sure to check out our coverage on the coronavirus live blog:Vincent Wood1 May 2021 15:391619877479What next for Labour after local elections?There are fears that the Labour leader is is not quite the vote-winner that had been hoped for. If Starmer fails to deliver, what has the party got left?Chief political commentator John Rentoul says Labour should be worried:Peter Stubley1 May 2021 14:571619875216UK aid cuts mean world’s poorest children will suffer, says UNThe United Nations children’s agency has spoken out against the UK’s massive overseas aid cuts, warning the world’s poorest youngsters “will suffer the consequences”.Funding to UNICEF will be slashed from £40m to just £16m, it has learned – the latest in a series of dramatic spending reductions on key projects that have sparked criticism around the world.Peter Stubley1 May 2021 14:201619874811Brexit ‘Farmageddon’Campaign group “Save British Farming” – which has opposed government plans to weaken food standards after Brexit – has likened the government’s treatment of the fishing industry to its approach to farming.“I wonder if George Eustice [minister for environment, food and rural affairs] will apologise to us farmers for promising that Brexit would ensure a golden era for farming when in fact it means fArmageddon?Peter Stubley1 May 2021 14:131619872443PM ‘killing off’ Hull fishing industry, says MPHull MP Karl Turner says that Boris Johnson has “killed off” the local fishing industry for good with the government’s failure to negotiate a deal with Norway.“Our people from Hull have had difficult careers fishing off the subarctic sea for hundreds of years. Kids left school and joined ships, some became skippers. Many brought families up off the back of it. It was dangerous graft and we lost too many,” he tweeted.“We remain enormously proud of all of them. They are our history and heritage. The industry has suffered over the years and it barely survived. And now we have Boris Johnson killing it off for good. Sad times.”Meanwhile former Brexit MEP June Mummery – who had claimed that the industry would benefit from the UK leaving the EU – has renewed her attack on Boris Johnson’s “betrayal”.“He lied to the fishing industry and coastal communities when he repeatedly said we would take back control of our waters and the resource,” she added.Peter Stubley1 May 2021 13:341619871276May Day Extinction Rebellion protestsMeanwhile Extinction Rebellion have organised a series of individual protests across the UK to mark two years since the UK declared a climate emergency.“In multiple courageous acts of nonviolent civil disobedience, people are sitting alone in the face of oncoming traffic in towns and cities around the UK – including Scarborough, Weymouth, Birmingham, Oxford, Ipswich, Lincoln, Canterbury, Newcastle, Portishead, London, Newquay, Swansea, Bangor in Northern Ireland and many more”, the group said.Peter Stubley1 May 2021 13:141619870227Kill the Bill protest gets underwayProtesters have been gathering in London’s Trafalgar Square for the latest “Kill The Bill” demonstration since 12pm.The various groups involved include Sisters Uncut, CND, Stand up to Racism, the Socialist Workers Party and Disabled People Against Cuts.The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Court Bill is a 300-page piece of proposed legislation that aims to provide the police with more power, including imposing restrictions on protests and making it an offence to “intentionally or recklessly cause public nuisance”.Peter Stubley1 May 2021 12:571619869461Donaldson set to enter leadership raceSir Jeffrey Donaldson, who is Northern Ireland’s longest serving current MP, is “highly likely” to enter the race for the DUP leadership, according to reports.The PA news agency said it had been told that Sir Jeffrey had more endorsements from MPs and MLAs than the existing frontrunner Edwin Poots.“He has very strong support from the parliamentary team,” a source said.Donaldson, a former member of the Ulster Unionists, was one of the most outspoken critics of David Trimble during the peace process.Peter Stubley1 May 2021 12:441619867411‘Absolutely disastrous’The government has been hit with criticism over its failure to strike a post-Brexit fishing deal with Norway – including from Nicola Sturgeon, who blased it as a “betrayal”. One person who has spoken out is the boss of the UK’s last distant waters fishing business, who said no deal was “absolutely disastrous” and the environment secretary owed the industry an explanation as jobs have been “sacrificed”.Emily Goddard has the full story:Zoe Tidman1 May 2021 12:101619866165Independent Scotland should pay no UK debt – SalmondIn other news, Alex Salmond has told a newspaper Scotland should go for a “clean break” over debt with the UK during any independence talks.The former first minister said the position of Alba – his new political party – was for the country to pay no share of national debt after separation from the union.Additional reporting by PAZoe Tidman1 May 2021 11:49 More

The government has missed a deadline set by a parliamentary committee for announcing where different countries will be in a new traffic light system for international travel.In a list of demands last week, the Transport Select Committee called for green, amber and red lists of destinations – with each colour carrying different rules for travel – to be published by 1 May “at the latest”. The information had not been published as of Saturday morning.Instead, the Department for Transport – which did not agree to the 1 May demand – has said the lists will be made public in “early May”.It comes as a return to international travel is expected to go ahead on 17 May under the next stage of England’s roadmap out of lockdown. It is currently illegal to travel abroad from the UK for holidays due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many people are eager to discover what countries are on the green list to avoid the need to self-isolate.Travellers from green nations – regarded as low risk – must take a PCR test within two days of arriving back in the UK, but there will be no quarantine requirement. While the official lists have not been published yet, a travel expert has predicted Portgual, Malta, Gibraltar, Iceland and Finland will be on the “green list” from mid-May.Huw Merriman, the Tory chair of the Transport Select Committee, said the categorisation of countries is “the bare minimum” that the travel industry and consumers need to make preparations for 17 May and the lack of information means they are “still in the dark”.”Uncertainty has been prolonged. This uncertainty could cost people their jobs,” the MP added. “How can it be right that countries with slower vaccination roll-outs are safely reopening to international travellers while the UK stays static?”The government is in danger of squandering the opportunity to take advantage of the UK’s world-leading vaccine dividend as countries across the globe begin to open up for international travel.”According to The Guardian, the list of green, amber and red countries may not be released until 10 May – one week before the expected return to non-essential foreign travel.A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “The government has not missed a deadline – we have always said we will confirm by early May if international travel can resume on 17 May and which countries will fall into which list. This will determine the requirements for travel for passengers.” They added: “The Taskforce is working toward restarting international travel in a safe and sustainable way, to allow families and friends to reunite, and businesses to start thriving again, while ensuring we protect public health.”Additional reporting by Press Association More

A trustee who backed the “decolonising” of the curriculum has been purged from the board of a prestigious museum group, triggering the resignation of its chair in protest.The refusal to reappoint Aminul Hoque – a leading Bangladeshi-British academic – at the Royal Museums Greenwich is being seen as the latest example of the government’s “culture war”.Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary, has blocked a number of reappointments at top institutions, making clear he wants to replace them with like-minded allies.And he sparked anger when he threatened museums and galleries with funding cuts if they removed statues and other objects associated with the slave trade and British colonialism.Now Charles Dunstone, the billionaire founder of Carphone Warehouse, has quit as the museum group’s chair after Mr Dowden refused to lift his veto on a second term for Mr Hoque, the Financial Times revealed.Colleagues at the Royal Museums Greenwich described the academic as a “devoted and conscientious” trustee, while he told the paper he was “shocked, disappointed and baffled” by the minster’s decision.Mr Hoque said he was never contacted directly by the government, but – after sending two emails requesting an explanation – was told there was no “automatic presumption” of reappointment.The block comes after criticism of Mr Dowden for vetoing a second term for two female board directors of Channel 4, the state-owned but privately funded broadcaster.Last Thursday, he nominated Robbie Gibb, Theresa May’s former Downing Street director of communications, to the BBC board. Meanwhile, Paul Dacre, the former editor of the Tory-supporting Daily Mail, is the frontrunner to become chair of Ofcom, the broadcasting watchdog.And Nicky Morgan, the former Conservative culture secretary, is also tipped as the next chair of Sports England.This week, the commissioner for public appointments said the government had for 18 months “actively sought to appoint allies to the boards of public bodies”.“This is not the first time this has happened. Such attempts tend to go in waves,” Peter Riddell said. “What is different now is the breadth of the campaign and the close engagement of 10 Downing Street.”A government spokesman told the Financial Times: “All reappointments are considered in line with the government code for public appointments.“There is no automatic presumption of reappointment, and indeed in the vast majority of cases, fresh talent is added with new appointments made.”In February, the schools minister rejected calls for compulsory lessons about the Empire and the slave trade by claiming they risked lowering “standards”, triggering criticism.More than 268,000 people had signed a petition condemning the curriculum for failing to teach students about “Britain’s role in colonisation” and the shame of trading in slaves. More

Demands to speed up the lifting of lockdown restrictions risk “reigniting the spark” of the pandemic, a former chief scientific adviser is warning.A dramatic fall in Covid-19 infections – to their lowest level since early September – has triggered calls for the full opening of hospitality venues to be brought forward.But Mark Walpole warned that could be disastrous, saying: “The truth is that the virus has not gone away.”Pointing to only 40 per cent of adults having received two vaccinations, he said: “The mistake that has been made repeatedly is relaxing just slightly too early.“What we need to do is to get the numbers right down. It’s important that we don’t act as an incubator for new variant cases that might be able to resist immunity.”The next scheduled date for lifting curbs – 17 May – is “frankly not far away”, Sir Mark said, adding: “There is the potential for that spark to reignite.”The comments come after hopes rose with the latest Office for National Statistics infection survey, showing a 40 per cent drop in the number of people with coronavirus, the largest ever fall.There were 54,200 people living with Covid in the week ending 17 April – about one in 1,010 people – while 22 million people live in areas that have not reported a single death for a month.Boris Johnson has said that he does not see “any reason” why the next phase of easing restrictions should not go ahead, in just over a fortnight’s time.It would mean that family and friends will be allowed to hug each other, for the first time in more than a year, as the guidelines against physical contact are removed.People would, however, still be advised to maintain social distancing with strangers, on public transport and at work, for example.The ban on overseas holidays is also set to end on May 17, in the first step to reviving foreign travel for the peak summer season.A traffic light system to be introduced, with only a handful of countries expected to be on the ‘green list’ initially, avoiding the need to self-isolate when they return.Almost all European countries are expected to be on the ‘amber list’, which will mean quarantine as well as lab-based Covid tests – even those who have been vaccinated.The Commons transport committee has criticised the government for “missing its deadline” for grading countries under the new traffic light system, by 1 May.Instead, the Department for Transport has only said the lists will be made public in “early May”.“Uncertainty has been prolonged. This uncertainty could cost people their jobs,” said Huw Merriman, the Conservative chair of the committee.“How can it be right that countries with slower vaccination roll-outs are safely reopening to international travellers while the UK stays static?“The government is in danger of squandering the opportunity to take advantage of the UK’s world-leading vaccine dividend as countries across the globe begin to open up for international travel.” More