UK Politics

No investigation has been launched into allegations that Boris Johnson tried to appoint his then-girlfriend to a senior government role, the head of the civil service has confirmed.Simon Case told a House of Commons committee that it was a decision for the prime minister himself whether to order an inquiry into his reported attempt to appoint Carrie Symonds – now his wife – his £100,000-a-year chief of staff as foreign secretary.To laughter from members of the cross-party Public Administration Committee, committee chair William Wragg asked the cabinet secretary: “Is he not keen?”Labour committee member John McDonnell said that the allegations amounted to “a potential flagrant abuse of power” and demanded to know why no investigation had been conducted to establish whether they were true.Mr Case responded: “An investigation under the ministerial code, under the current rubric, can only be authorised by the prime minister.“I don’t have any right of initiative of investigations.”Mr McDonnell said that the PM’s former independent adviser on ethics, Lord Geidt, had described reports of the job offer as “ripe for investigation”.And he asked Mr Case: “Haven’t you any responsibility, as the most senior civil servant in government, to uphold standards?“Here we have a potential breach of basic standards by someone in high office and a former ethics adviser advises this is ‘ripe for investigation’ and you have not even raised it with the prime minister.”An apparently annoyed Mr Case insisted that he had shown responsibility and said that he would not reveal whether he had discussed the issue with Mr Johnson.All conversations between ministers and civil servants must remain private, he told the committee.Mr McDonnell retorted: “I’m interpreting that as meaning you have had that conversation. We all have a cross to bear.” More

Nicola Sturgeon has set the date for a proposed Scottish independence referendum. The first minister said she wanted the process to be “legal” and “constitutional” as she laid out steps the Scottish government would take to bypass Boris Johnson’s discretion if he chooses to block a vote as he has done before.She told MSPs a bill would be brought before Holyrood setting out plans for a referendum to be held on 19 October 2023, with the question to be asked the same as in the 2014 vote: “Should Scotland be an independent country?”Mr Johnson’s spokesman said the prime minister continued to think it was not time for a referendum. The prime minister and his Conservative party strongly oppose a referendum, saying the issue was settled in 2014 when Scots voted against independence by 55 per cent to 45 per cent.He previously refused to issue a Section 30 order, which would give authority to the Scottish parliament to hold a referendum.Ms Sturgeon said the legality of a referendum without such an order from the UK government was contested, and so she had already asked the Lord Advocate, the senior Scottish Law Officer, to refer the question to the UK’s Supreme Court.A general election is expected in the months after the chosen date. Ms Sturgeon said if it there is no legal way for a referendum to be held, her Scottish National Party will fight the next election on the single issue of whether Scotland should be independent. She said she would be writing to Mr Johnson to inform him of her plans, adding she would make clear she was “ready and willing” to negotiate the terms of a Section 30 order with him.In light of the prime minister’s previous refusal to grant Scotland the power to hold a vote, she said: “What I am not willing to do, what I will never do is allow Scottish democracy to be a prisoner of Boris Johnson or any prime minister.“My determination is to secure a process that allows the people of Scotland, whether yes, no or yet to be decided, to express their views in a legal, constitutional referendum so the majority view can be established fairly and democratically.“The steps I am setting out today seek to achieve that.”More follows… More

A Tory MP has attacked the BBC for using the term “anti-abortion” rather than the phrase pro-life.Peter Bone, the MP for Wellingborough, told LBC radio station he is “disappointed” the BBC are using term “anti-abortion” over “pro-life” – adding that he is in the so-called pro-life category.Mr Bone is deemed to be on the right of the Tory Party and previously voted to reduce the abortion time limit to 12 weeks – a point at which some women do not even know they are pregnant – from the current legal cut-off point of 24 weeks of pregnancy.Jonathan Lord, medical director of MSI Reproductive Choices UK, one of the leading abortion providers, criticised Mr Bone’s comments as he warned media publications should never use the term pro-life when discussing abortion.“Pro-life is a misnomer because restricting abortion puts women at risk for their lives as was recently shown by the US woman on holiday in Malta who was refused a possibly life-saving abortion by doctors,” Dr Lord told The Independent. He noted the woman was blocked from having an abortion even though doctors said her baby had a “zero chance” of surviving after she had to go hospital with severe bleeding while she was 16 weeks pregnant. Malta has a complete abortion ban, Dr Lord added.“The term pro-life sugarcoats extreme beliefs that few agree with. It is a manipulative phrase which implies that those who believe in choice over abortion aren’t pro-life,” he said.“Anti-abortion activists impose their belief on others rather than allowing the individual to make a choice about what is best for their health.”Dr Lord argued the BBC are “precisely right” to use the term anti-abortion rather than the phrase pro-life.A study, carried out by YouGov and MSI Reproductive Choices UK, previously found nine in 10 UK adults think women should be able to access abortion services in Britain and specifically identify as being “pro-choice”.Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the US, explores the difference between the phrases pro-choice and pro-life in a post on their website.The provider states: “Generally, people who identify as pro-choice believe that everyone has the basic human right to decide when and whether to have children.“When you say you are pro-choice you are telling people that you believe it’s okay for them to have the ability to choose abortion as an option for an unplanned pregnancy — even if you wouldn’t choose abortion for yourself.“People who oppose abortion often call themselves pro-life. However, the only life many of them are concerned with is the life of the fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus.”Those who are pro-life “are much less concerned about the life of women who have unintended pregnancies or the welfare of children after they are born”, Planned Parenthood says.“In fact, many people who call themselves ‘pro-life’ support capital punishment (AKA the death penalty) and oppose child welfare legislation,” the non-profit organisation adds.A representative for the BBC has been contacted. More

Pupils have AirDropped nudes to each other or used Google Drive to store non-consensually shared images, MPs were told.In a Women and Equalities committee hearing on attitudes to girls and women in schools and other educational settings, Soma Sara, founder and chief executive of Everyone’s Invited (EI), a movement against sexual violence, said that in one reported case, pupils were “AirDropping nudes in a maths class to other students”.AirDrop is a service that allows Apple users to wirelessly transfer photographs and videos between their devices, including iPhones.And she said Google Drive, a cloud-based storage system, has been used to host “non-consensually shared images”.

It’s just become so normalised that it’s accepted as what happensPupils socialise at house parties and after school, she said, saying it is “very challenging” for teachers to “get a hold on behaviour that is happening outside of school and also on young people’s phones”.Ms Sara said “the rise and the mainstreaming of hardcore pornography” and the ways in which young people conduct much of their lives online has led to new kinds of abuse emerging in recent years.“A lot of young people I’ve spoken to, they don’t really understand that it’s wrong or understand the impact it’s actually having on them,” she said.“It’s just become so normalised that it’s accepted as what happens.”Ms Sara said when young people try to report harassment and abuse they are told to “shrug it off and move on”, which serves to “perpetuate that same cycle of abuse”.Keziah Featherstone, headteacher at Q3 Academy Tipton in the West Midlands, said lockdown, with some children being “almost entirely online that time, mixing with people they don’t know, on servers that aren’t monitored, has been very frightening for everybody that works in schools”.She said she saw “extreme attitudes and behaviours” from some younger pupils that her school had to work hard to change.Ms Sara said the victims of both online and in-person misogyny and abuse are predominantly women and girls but can be men and boys too – with male sexual abuse more “stigmatised”.Suzie McDonald, chief executive of charity Tender Arts & Education, said that because there is no “clear guidance for schools about how to manage these incidents”, teachers will try to support both the alleged perpetrator and victim and do not always hold boys accountable for abusive behaviour if police do not proceed with a criminal case.Ms Featherstone said there should be a yearly safeguarding audit of schools, separate to Ofsted inspections, to investigate issues of harassment. More

Boris Johnson says he is ‘not worried’ by MPs plotting against him while at G7
Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon has set a date for the second proposed Scottish independence referendum.She told MSPs it will be held on October 19 2023, with the question to be asked the same as in the 2014 vote “Should Scotland be an independent country?” Ms Sturgeon said she would be writing to Boris Johnson to inform him of her plans.She added she would make clear she is “ready and willing” to negotiate the terms of a Section 30 order with him, which would give Holyrood the power to hold a referendum. Mr Johnson has previously refused her calls for another referendum to be held.Meanwhile, the Conservative MP who organised the campaign that toppled Theresa May is running in party elections to prepare for a fresh push to bring down Boris Johnson. Steve Baker hopes a seat on the executive of the powerful 1922 Committee of backbenchers will allow him to change the rules to allow another no-confidence vote – if necessary.The serial rebel described the prime minister’s position as “intolerable” if he is found to have lied to parliament over the scandal of the No 10 parties, many of which he attended.Show latest update

1656427335Civil service chief says PM’s decision on Partygate inquiry put Sue Gray in ‘genuinely difficult’ positionThe head of the civil service has said that putting officials like Sue Gray in a position of judging on the behaviour of ministers including Boris Johnson is a “challenge” and should be “avoided whenever possible”.Simon Case told a Commons committee that Ms Gray was put “in a genuinely difficult position” when Mr Johnson chose her to head the Partygate inquiry.He said that the post of independent adviser to the prime minister – held by Christopher Geidt until his resignation this month – was created precisely to avoid the “tension” which saw the career civil servant put under intense pressure ahead of the publication of her bombshell report in May.Andrew Woodcock reports.Joe Middleton28 June 2022 15:421656426114Nicola Sturgeon sets date for proposed Scottish independence referendumScottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon told MSPs the Bill will set out for a referendum to be held on October 19 2023, with the question to be asked the same as in the 2014 vote “Should Scotland be an independent country?”Ms Sturgeon said she would be writing to Boris Johnson to inform him of her plans.She added she would make clear she is “ready and willing” to negotiate the terms of a Section 30 order with him, which would give Holyrood the power to hold a referendum.But with the prime minister having repeatedly refused her calls for another referendum to be held, Ms Sturgeon added “What I am not willing to do, what I will never do is allow Scottish democracy to be a prisoner of Boris Johnson or any prime minister.”The First Minister stated: “My determination is to secure a process that allows the people of Scotland, whether yes, no or yet to be decided, to express their views in a legal, constitutional referendum so the majority view can be established fairly and democratically.“The steps I am setting out today seek to achieve that.”Joe Middleton28 June 2022 15:211656424771Boris Johnson says he does not expect direct war with RussiaBoris Johnson says he does not expect direct war with RussiaJoe Middleton28 June 2022 14:591656421852Government under investigation over ‘appalling’ handling of sewage dumped in riversAn environmental watchdog has announced it is to carry out an investigation into the enforcement of rules on untreated sewage being pumped into rivers and seas in England.The recently formed Office for Environmental Protection will investigate the environment secretary George Eustice, as well as the Environment Agency and Ofwat – the water services regulation authority – in how they regulate the use of combined sewer overflows (CSOs), as concerns about deteriorating water quality mount.The investigation will seek “to determine whether these authorities have failed to comply with their respective duties in relation to the regulation, including the monitoring and enforcement, of water companies’ own duties to manage sewage”, the OEP said in a statement.Harry Cockburn reports.Joe Middleton28 June 2022 14:101656420052Liz Truss can’t name single occasion she has raised human rights with a Gulf stateLiz Truss can’t name single occasion she has raised human rights with a Gulf stateJoe Middleton28 June 2022 13:401656418716Sunak will consider calls for ‘more substantial’ fuel duty cutChancellor Rishi Sunak has insisted he will carefully consider calls for a “more substantial” fuel duty cut.Tory MP Philip Davies, who is married to party colleague Esther McVey, who represents Tatton, said: “Further to the question from my right honourable friend, the member for Tatton, can I urge the chancellor to think again about the cut in fuel duty?“Although the one he introduced was welcome, it hasn’t really been noticed by many people and therefore can I urge him to think again about a much more substantial cut in fuel duty, on a temporary basis, just as they’ve done in Germany?”Mr Sunak replied in the Commons: “I thank my honourable friend for supporting the right honourable member for Tatton, and I’m glad he did.“What I will say to him is of course I will take all his recommendations under advisement. It is, as my honourable friend pointed out, a £5 billion cut to go with the freeze in fuel duty so it is significant, but we appreciate it is not being felt at the pumps because of the rise in wholesale prices.“I want to reassure him that the Energy Secretary is in dialogue with the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) to make sure that fuel duty cut is being passed on as well.”Joe Middleton28 June 2022 13:181656418242Boris Johnson set to ditch Tory manifesto promise on increased defence spendingBoris Johnson is set to ditch a manifesto promise to increase the annual defence budget above inflation, putting the PM on a collision course with his defence secretary Ben Wallace.A senior government source admitted that the Conservative commitment to hike annual military spending by 0.5 per cent above inflation could no longer be met because of the Covid pandemic.In their 2019 Tory manifesto, the party pledged to exceed the Nato target of spending 2 per cent of GDP on defence, and increase the budget by at least 0.5 per cent above inflation every year.Adam Forrest reports.Joe Middleton28 June 2022 13:101656417423Boris Johnson says he ‘doesn’t think’ Britain is facing war with RussiaBoris Johnson has poured cold water on the prospect of a significant hike in military spending, as he insisted he does not believe that the UK is heading towards war with Russia.Defence secretary Ben Wallace is understood to have asked the prime minister for an increase in the defence budget from around 2 to 2.5 per cent of GDP – the equivalent of an additional 20 per cent per year.The call came as the head of the British Army warned that Britain and its Nato allies are facing a “1937 moment” and must be “unequivocally prepared to fight” if Russia attacks any of their territory.Andrew Woodcock reports.Joe Middleton28 June 2022 12:571656416488Keir Starmer says he is scrapping Labour’s manifesto and ‘starting from scratch’ on policyKeir Starmer has said he will scrap Labour‘s last election manifesto and is “starting from scratch” on policies.Speaking on Tuesday the Labour leader said he was putting the existing set of policies “to one side” and that “the slate is wiped clean”.His comments represent a reversal of a previous pledge. During the 2019 leadership election Sir Keir described the 2017 election manifesto as Labour’s “foundational document”, praised its “radicalism” and said: “We have to hang on to that as we go forward”.Jon Stone reports.Joe Middleton28 June 2022 12:411656416029No 10 defends government’s record on defence spending amid reports Ben Wallace calls for 20 per cent increase in fundingNo 10 has defended the government’s record on defence spending saying it was responsible for the biggest increase since the end of the Cold War.Defence secretary Ben Wallace has reportedly written to Boris Johnson calling for a 20 per cent increase in defence spending to meet shortfalls in military capabilities.A Downing Street spokesperson said: “In 2022, the PM announced the largest increase in defence spending since the Cold War. That cemented our position as the biggest defence spender in Europe.“That was a £16.5 billion increase over four years. That meant we could continue to provide crucial military support to Ukraine as well as allowing us to invest in a range of capabilities such as vehicles and drones and other areas of defence capability.“Departmental spending on matters like that are for the Chancellor and are part of fiscal events. The Prime Minister has always said we would respond to any changes in terms of threat which is why we announced the extra funding for the Ministry of Defence.”Joe Middleton28 June 2022 12:33 More

The head of the civil service has said that putting officials like Sue Gray in a position of judging on the behaviour of ministers including Boris Johnson is a “challenge” and should be “avoided whenever possible”.Simon Case told a Commons committee that Ms Gray was put “in a genuinely difficult position” when Mr Johnson chose her to head the Partygate inquiry.He said that the post of independent adviser to the prime minister – held by Christopher Geidt until his resignation this month – was created precisely to avoid the “tension” which saw the career civil servant put under intense pressure ahead of the publication of her bombshell report in May.Mr Case told the Commons Public Administration Committee that no decision has yet been taken by Mr Johnson on whether to replace Lord Geidt with a new adviser on ministerial interests, or to create a different process for investigating alleged ethics breaches in government.He pointed out that the original terms of reference for the Gray report said that it was for Lord Geidt to determine whether any behaviour uncovered constituted a breach of the ministerial code of conduct. Her report did not include findings on the code, and no subsequent inquiry was launched by the independent adviser.Committee chair William Wragg said that Ms Gray had been put in an “invidious” position by being asked to investigate someone with power to decide on the future of her career, and demanded to know who had decided the job should go to her.Mr Case – who had himself initially been given the Partygate job, only to stand down after allegations that he had hosted a lockdown-breaching gathering – responded: “In the end, these are decisions for ministers, and ultimately the prime minister, to take.”Mr Wragg asked Mr Case how difficult it was for civil servants to conduct investigations into the conduct of the prime minister.The cabinet secretary replied: “Very difficult and to be avoided whenever possible”.He added: “The role of the civil service is there to support the government of the day, whilst upholding values. Its function is not to provide some sort of judicial function over ministers.“The role of independent adviser was actually created in part to deal with that tension.”And, in an apparent sign of discomfort at the choice of a civil servant to head the inquiry, he told MPs: “When decisions are taken we have to do our utmost to implement these decisions…“Asking civil servants to do these investigations puts civil servants into a genuinely difficult position.”Cabinet Office director general of propriety and ethics Darren Tierney told the committee that the department’s permanent secretary Alex Chisholm had asked Ms Gray to remove one individual’s name from her report.He said that the request was made because of “staff welfare concerns” and that Ms Gray had agreed to remove the name. No other individuals asked to have their identities concealed, he said. More

Matt Hancock was filmed dancing into the early hours at an Oxford nightclub over the weekend as he continues to enjoy time away from the stresses of Boris Johnson’s government.The Tory MP, forced to quit in June last year after breaking social distancing guidelines by kissing a colleague, was seen dancing with old university friends at the Atik nightclub in the city where he studied.The former health secretary is see beaming and waving his arms in the short clip, posted with the message ‘Meet Matt Hancock’ and a pair of emojis. Mr Hancock danced to songs including I Want You Back by the Jackson Five and stayed at the nightclub – which describes itself as a “superclub” with five “incredible” rooms, exclusive VIPs, star DJs and has a capacity of 1,200 – until 2am on Sunday morning.“Matt was clearly having a great time in there, reliving his old uni days,” a source told the The Sun.The 43-year-old made national and international headlines after a previous video emerged showing him in a passionate embrace with Gina Coladangelo, who at the time was non-executive director at the Department of Health.The clip sparked outrage and exposed the pair’s secret affair and Mr Hancock, married with three children, later left his wife of 15 years. Ms Coladangelo parted ways with her husband and the former colleagues are now said to be in a committed relationship.They first met through their involvement with student radio at Oxford, where Mr Hancock studied politics, philosophy and economics before going on to work at the Bank of England as an economist and later into politics. More

Police have seized amplifiers and speakers used by a long-running anti-Brexit protest outside the House of Parliament, under a new anti-protest law pushed through by Priti Patel.Steve Bray and his campaign group have been a long-running fixture on the pavement on Parliament Square – blasting protest songs and confronting Tory MPs. But on Tuesday police confiscated Mr Bray’s equipment using new powers in the government’s controversial Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act – which took effect from midnight.Around 15 officers this morning descended on the long-running demonstration, warning the protesters that if they resisted they would be arrested.Home Secretary Priti Patel’s new law extended a “controlled area” around parliament to include Parliament Square and other side streets, where the protest has based itself.Police wasted no time to crack down on the dissenters, confiscating the equipment just 10 hours after they gained the powers to do so.Speaking after the incident, Mr Bray told The Independent: “They are just about to arrest me if I put the amp on again.”The demonstrator said the clampdown was “absolutely illegal”. “Human rights have been superseded by crass Tory laws. A lot of this law was aimed at people like me, XR (Extinction Rebellion). It’s shocking in a democracy when it comes to this but it needs to be tested,” he said. And he added: “We’ll be going back on again. We have had two warnings already. They have said a third time they’re going to arrest me … (they have warned of) seizure of equipment and arrest… If I put the amplifier back on. So I’m gonna go with an anti fascist song called Bella Ciao.”Asked if he was prepared to be arrested, he said: “Yes.” He added: “It’s not just sleepwalking into a fascist state. It’s here. It’s here now.”He said his message for the home secretary was: “Up yours, Priti Patel. You’re a fascist. Go to hell Priti.”It is understood officers warned Mr Bray that if he continued to use the equipment it would be seized, and that if he resisted, he would be arrested.The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Court Act is a sprawling piece of legislation which human rights group Liberty has described as “a concerted attack on the right to protest”.Jun Pang, policy and campaigns Oofficer at Liberty, said: “Protest is not a gift from the state, it is a fundamental right. Being able to choose what, how, and when we protest is a vital part of a healthy, functioning democracy, and nowhere is this more important than at sites of power like Parliament – especially at a time when the Government is bringing in laws that make it harder to challenge them,“Protests are by nature ‘noisy’ and ‘disruptive’. It is very worrying the police have already started enforcing the broad powers within the Policing Act in such a heavy-handed and punitive way.“As the Government tries to push through further attacks in the Public Order Bill and the Rights Removal Bill, we must all oppose these measures that will make it much harder for us all to stand up for what we believe in.”As well as extending the buffer zone around parliament, the bill also restricts traveller encampments, gives police powers to disperse noisy protests, and cracks down on protesters taking direct action.One clause also gives police powers to ban disruptive one-man protesters, a clause which raised suspicions that the Home Secretary was specifically targeting Mr Bray. More