UK Politics

Downing Street has confirmed that members of Boris Johnson’s team intervened following the publication of a story about his wife Carrie in The Times, but denied that the prime minister himself contacted the paper to complain. The story, which alleged that Mr Johnson had attempted to install Carrie in a £100,00-a-year job in the foreign office at a time when he was conducting a secret affair with her, appeared in the first edition of the newspaper on Saturday, but vanished from later copies and a version also disappeared from the Mail Online website.Mr Johnson’s official spokesperson confirmed that No 10 was in contact with The Times before and after the publication of the first edition, but denied that the prime minister himself had contacted deputy editor Tony Gallagher, who was in charge of the paper that night.It is understood that no legal action has been taken by No 10 in relation to the story.The PM’s spokesperson said that he was unable to issue a formal comment on the allegation, as it related to the period when Mr Johnson was foreign secretary from 2016-18.But he told reporters: “Others have made clear this story is not true, including Mrs Johnson’s spokesperson.“I would point you to the denials and statements put out by Mrs Johnson on this and by No 10 colleagues over the weekend.”The spokesperson added: “We were approached before publication and spoke to them then. I think we spoke to them after publication as well. I don’t know the exact timeline of it.”The story , written by senior political journalist Simon Walters, expanded on claims in a biography of Ms Johnson published by Tory donor and peer Lord Ashcroft earlier this year.It claimed that the idea of appointing Ms Johnson – then working in the Conservative Party press office as Carrie Symonds – fell apart when close aides advised against the plan. Mr Johnson was still married to Marina Wheeler at the time.The story alleged that Mr Johnson’s senior aide Ben Gascoigne, now deputy chief of staff at No 10, threatened to quit his Foreign Office post if Carrie was given a job.Responding to the Times story, a spokesperson for Ms Johnson said: “These claims are totally untrue.”But Mr Walters told the New European: “I stand by the story 100 per cent. I was in lengthy and detailed communication with No 10 at a high level, Ben Gascoigne and Mrs Johnson’s spokeswoman for up to 48 hours before the paper went to press. At no point did any of them offer an on-the-record denial of any element of the story.”“Nor have any of these three offered an on-the-record denial to me since. No 10 and Mr Gascoigne did not deny it off-the-record either.”Naomi Smith, CEO of democracy campaign group Best for Britain, said: “This revelation from the heart of the government suggests a violation of press freedom at a time when public trust is already low, so serious questions must be answered as to why Johnson’s staff thought it appropriate to intervene on a story of public interest. “A free press is a fundamental part of a functioning democracy. It must be protected from the influence of those in power.” More

Boris Johnson meets President Zelensky in KyivBoris Johnson was placed under general anaesthetic for a routine operation on his sinuses this morning, No 10 has said.Responsibility for “significant decisions” facing the government was passed over to deputy prime minister Dominic Raab for a 24-hour period from the start of the operation.It comes as Downing Street has confirmed that members of Boris Johnson’s team intervened following the publication of a story about his wife Carrie in The Times, but denied that the prime minister himself contacted the paper to complain.Mr Johnson was driven to an NHS hospital in London around 6am on Monday morning and was put under anaesthetic shortly afterwards for the operation, which No 10 described as “minor”.The op – which had been scheduled for some time and was not an emergency – was described as a success and Mr Johnson returned to Downing Street around 10am, where he is spending the day resting.Show latest update

1655735590‘Total policy failure’: Government less than half way to hitting annual tree planting targeThe government has been accused of overseeing a “total economic and environmental policy failure” on tree planting, with current rates not even halfway to hitting targets set in 2019.Boris Johnson said the government would plant 30,000 hectares (75,000 acres) of new woodland in Britain every year by 2024. But with a year and a half to go, official figures reveal planting is still below 14,000 hectares for the year to 31 March 2022.The confederation of forest industries (Confor), which represents more than 1,500 forestry and wood businesses around the UK, said that the “woeful” rate of progress meant there was now “zero chance” of reaching the targets.The organisation has now called on the prime minister to intervene to boost planting rates, our environment correspondent Harry Cockburn writes. Maryam Zakir-Hussain20 June 2022 15:331655734650Agencies tell Boris Johnson to drop ‘worrying’ plan to use their staff to break strikesRecruitment firms have attacked Boris Johnson’s plan to tear up laws to prevent the use of strike-busting agency staff – warning it will break international commitments.Legislation is expected this week to repeal the ban – introduced in 1973 by Edward Heath’s Conservative government – as a ‘Summer of Discontent’ looms.Our deputy political editor, Rob Merrick, reports:Maryam Zakir-Hussain20 June 2022 15:171655733932Britain’s mental health faces ‘threat of pandemic proportions’ from cost of living crisisDr Adrian James said pressure on the NHS could reach unprecedented levels as people try to cope with the rising price of food, fuel and other essentials, adding that those who already living with a mental illness “are more likely to suffer the consequences of the looming economic downturn”.It comes amid warnings that some children have begun to self-harm as a result of the mounting cost of living crisis. According to a survey published by The Childhood Trust, 9 per cent of parents who responded claimed their children had started self-harming.Samuel Lovett and Saman Javed report:Maryam Zakir-Hussain20 June 2022 15:051655733046Carriegate: No 10 admits pressuring The Times to drop Carrie Johnson storyThe story, which alleged that Mr Johnson had attempted to install Carrie in a £100,000-a-year job in the foreign office at a time when he was conducting a secret affair with her, appeared in the first edition of the newspaper on Saturday, but vanished from later copies and a version also disappeared from the Mail Online website.Mr Johnson’s official spokesperson confirmed that No 10 was in contact with The Times before and after the publication of the first edition, but denied that the prime minister himself had contacted deputy editor Tony Gallagher, who was in charge of the paper that night.Read more here from Andrew Woodcock here:Maryam Zakir-Hussain20 June 2022 14:501655732342‘Serious failings’ to protect children from sexual exploitation and grooming in OldhamThere were “serious failings” by police and councils to protect children from grooming and sexual exploitation in Oldham but there was no cover-up by the authorities, a major report has concluded.The report looked into the alleged grooming of children in council homes, shisha bars and by taxi drivers in the town and concluded there was no evidence of a cover up or “widespread” child sex abuse in those settings.My colleague Pat Hurst has more: Maryam Zakir-Hussain20 June 2022 14:391655731202SNP has ‘significant problems’ in how it handles complaints, admits Joanna CherrySNP MP Joanne Cherry has said the party has “significant problems” in how it handles complaints.Glasgow North MP Patrick Grady was found by an independent investigation to have behaved inappropriately towards a member of staff at a party function in 2016 and suspended from Parliament for two days.The party also withdrew the whip from the MP until he had served his suspension.But the handling of the complaint has drawn criticism, most notably from the victim himself, who said he had been made to feel as though it was his fault and his life had been made a “living hell”.Over the weekend, audio was leaked to the Daily Mail newspaper of a meeting of the SNP group at Westminster, where leader Ian Blackford said he is “very much looking forward to welcoming Patrick back into the group next week”, and encouraging fellow MPs to offer “as much support as possible”.In a pair of tweets on Monday, Ms Cherry said: “I wasn’t at the SNP Westminster group meeting last week.“I don’t condone the covert recording or leak. However, for some time the SNP has had significant problems in how it handles complaints.“My party needs to reflect on the contrast between the treatment of different offenders and to review our arrangements for the pastoral care of complainers.”Maryam Zakir-Hussain20 June 2022 14:201655729702British airlines borrowing EU planes to get around Brexit rulesSeveral UK airlines are borrowing European aircraft as a loophole to get around recruitment issues caused by Brexit.Carriers including British Airways, easyJet and Tui have adopted the tactic of “wet-leasing” planes from European airlines to dodge post-Brexit rules around staff visas.Following the Brexit transition, UK airlines require EU staff working on UK-registered planes to hold a British visa. However, leasing an EU-registered plane means it can be staffed by an EU-resident crew.Read more from Lucy Thackray here: Maryam Zakir-Hussain20 June 2022 13:551655727902No 10 urges businesses to consider pay restraint in light of soaring inflationDowning Street has urged businesses to “take heed” of soaring inflation and to consider pay restraint.The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “The Government wants a high wage, high growth economy and it’s not down to governments to dictate to private companies what wages they set. Everyone has different circumstances, so a top-down approach is not our position.“But, clearly, the Government is taking heed of the economic situation in which we find ourselves and we expect private-sector companies will do so as well.“There is a global challenge we are seeing, particularly around inflation at the moment, and we need as a country to avoid doing anything that would stoke inflationary pressures further.“I’m not necessarily saying it would be around pay but there are a number of factors that could stoke inflation that people need to be mindful of.”Pressed if pay is one of those factors, he said: “Certainly pay rises could be one of those areas that could be of detriment.”Maryam Zakir-Hussain20 June 2022 13:251655726061Carriegate: No 10 admits pressuring The Times to drop Carrie Johnson storyDowning Street has confirmed that members of Boris Johnson’s team intervened following the publication of a story about his wife Carrie in The Times, but denied that the prime minister himself contacted the paper to complain.Our political editor Andrew Woodcock reports:Maryam Zakir-Hussain20 June 2022 12:541655725230Boris Johnson put under general anaesthetic for hospital operation as Dominic Raab runs countryPrime minister Boris Johnson was placed under general anaesthetic for a routine operation on his sinuses this morning, Downing Street has said.Responsibility for “significant decisions” facing the government was passed over to deputy prime minister Dominic Raab for a 24-hour period from the start of the operation.Mr Johnson was driven to an NHS hospital in London around 6am on Monday morning and was put under anaesthetic shortly afterwards for the operation, which No 10 described as “minor”.The op – which had been scheduled for some time and was not an emergency – was described as a success and Mr Johnson returned to Downing Street around 10am, where he is spending the day resting.Our political editor, Andrew Woodcock, reports:Maryam Zakir-Hussain20 June 2022 12:40 More

This week’s by-election in Wakefield is a must-win for Labour, senior frontbencher Wes Streeting has said.The shadow health secretary said Sir Keir Starmer’s party would face “serious questions” if it failed to take the crucial red-wall seat back from the Tories.Thursday’s contest in West Yorkshire is a “big test” of whether voters in key seats in the north and Midlands are ready to put their trust in Labour again, the shadow minister said. More

Prime minister Boris Johnson was placed under general anaesthetic for a routine operation on his sinuses this morning, Downing Street has said.Responsibility for any “significant decisions” facing the government was passed over to deputy prime minister Dominic Raab for a 24-hour period from the start of the operation.Mr Johnson was driven to an NHS hospital in London around 6am on Monday morning and was put under anaesthetic shortly afterwards for the operation, which No 10 described as “minor”.The op – which had been scheduled for some time and was not an emergency – was described as a success and Mr Johnson returned to Downing Street around 10am, where he is spending the day resting.The prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “He went to hospital around 6am and the operation was carried out first thing this morning.“He was back in Downing Street shortly after 10am.”Asked how the PM was feeling, the spokesman said he had not spoken to him since his return to Downing Street but that he was resting at home.The timing of Mr Johnson’s return to work would depend on how he feels, but he was planning to chair Tuesday morning’s Cabinet meeting, according to the spokesperson.Asked who was in charge of the UK nuclear accounts during the procedure, the spokesperson said Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab and Cabinet Secretary Simon Case were aware in advance and that Mr Johnson was under for a “relatively brief time”.Mr Johnson’s sinus issue was not understood to be related to his Covid illness in 2020.The prime minister spent three nights in intensive care at St Thomas’ Hospital, in London, in April 2020, later saying that doctors were preparing to announce his death from coronavirus.Medics gave him “litres and litres of oxygen”, he said, and there were “contingency plans in place” should the worst happen.After a fortnight convalescing from the virus, and just two days after he returned to work full-time, his then-fiancee Carrie Symonds gave birth to their son, Wilfred.They named him after their grandfathers, and two doctors – Dr Nick Price and Prof Nick Hart – who helped save Mr Johnson’s life. More

Parliament’s standards commissioner has opened an investigation into Labour MP David Lammy over allegedly failing to declare £27,000 in financial interests in good time. On Monday the watchdog announced that the shadow foreign secretary was under investigation over late declarations of earnings and hospitality. The late entries are believed to relate to payments for speeches during Black History Month and separate invites to Tottenham Hotspur football club, which is in his constituency. The investigation comes after Labour leader Keir Starmer was placed under a similar investigation for alleged late declarations. Two Tory MPs, Andrew Bridgen and Chris Philp, have also been under the microscope of the standards commissioner since February and March this year respectively.Mr Philp is under suspicion of paid advocacy and breaches of declared interest rules, while Mr Philp has been accused of inappropriate use of his parliamentary email address.Mr Lammy is understood to have already written to parliamentary authorities apologising for oversight and errors that led to late declarations. A spokesperson for Mr Lammy said: “David Lammy takes his declaration responsibilities seriously. As soon as it was brought to his attention he wrote to Registrar of Members’ Financial Interests to apologise for the administrative errors in his office which led to late declarations in December last year.“He has assured the registrar that he has put revised systems in place so that declarations are made in a timely manner. We are happy to provide the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner with any further information.” More

Boris Johnson is using a “Putinesque” strategy by staging a “humongous” row with the EU over his protocol bill, according to former Northern Ireland secretary Peter Hain.The ex-Labour cabinet minister said the prime minister would try to keep a distracting Brexit dispute going “with the old villain Brussels” all the way until the next general election.Comparing Mr Johnson’s tactics to the Russia president Vladimir Putin, Mr Hain said Mr Johnson had cast aside “old-fashioned notions of truth, sticking to your word, trust, and obeying international law”.“There is something Putinesque about the government’s framing of its Northern Ireland Protocol Bill,” the former NI secretary wrote in The Guardian.Mr Hain said the purpose of the bill was “dog-whistling to Johnson’s base by triggering a humongous row with the old villain Brussels because that worked so well in the 2016 Brexit referendum”.He added: “And keep that going – if at all possible – all the way to the next general election.”It comes as Irish premier Micheal Martin has warned it would be a “very serious situation” if Mr Johnson’s government enacted legislation to scrap the bulk of the protocol – describing the unilateral move as “economic vandalism”.Last week, the EU launched fresh legal action against the UK in retaliation over the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which would effectively rip up key parts of the deal agreed by Mr Johnson and Brussels in 2019.“In effect it represents a form of economic vandalism on Northern Ireland because if we look at any objective data, it is now showing that the Northern Ireland economy is doing very well. Manufacturing is doing very well,” Mr Martin told the BBC on Sunday.“The dairy industry, the meat industry, the food industry generally and agriculture is doing very well,” he added. “There are certain areas where we can improve the protocol and we should continue to do that.”The government wants to unilaterally create green and red channels to differentiate between GB goods destined for use in NI – which would be freed of red tape – while checks would remain for shipments bound for onward transportation and across the Irish border into the EU.And the introduction of a dual regulatory system would allow businesses selling in Northern Ireland to choose whether they comply with EU standards, UK standards or both.Mr Hain said there was a “deal to be done” with Brussels on changes to the protocol to ease trading issues.“The EU is far from blameless in all this mess, but it is very ready to make changes,” he wrote. “It’s offered to do so, including a willingness to explore ‘red and green channels’ respectively for goods heading into the EU across the Irish border, and those confined to Northern Ireland alone.”The ex-minister added: “The question is: does Johnson really want one? Or does he prefer the parallel universe blame game that resonates with his supporters but won’t solve the problem.” More

The biggest rail strikes for 30 years are “likely to go ahead”, a Treasury minister says, as he rejected calls for the government to try to settle the dispute.Ministers are under fire over their boycott of the talks, a senior Conservative MP joining Labour and the Trades Union Congress in calling for the government to get around the negotiating table.But Simon Clarke insisted it was up to “the employers” to conduct the talks – despite the railways being effectively state run since the franchising system was abandoned when Covid struck.“I fear it is likely they will go ahead,” the chief secretary to the Treasury said, as 40,000 rail workers prepare to strike on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday this week, in a dispute that could last for the rest of the year.Mr Clarke also warned public-sector workers to prepare for real-terms pay cuts, as awards loom for teachers and NHS staff and they also consider strike action.He revealed those awards are coming in at “sensible levels” – code for increases far below an inflation rate set to hit 11 per cent – while refusing to reveal any details.“We have an inflation problem in this country,” the Treasury minister told Sky News, adding: “If we don’t want that problem to either intensify or prolong itself, then we need to be sensible around pay awards.”Steve Montgomery, chair of the Rail Delivery Group, representing track operator Network Rail and the passenger companies, said it had not “put a pay offer on the table yet”.Only about 20 per cent of trains are expected to run on strike days, with disruption set to extend over six days in total, starting on Monday evening.The action is being taken by Network Rail employees, as well as by onboard and station staff working for 13 train operators in England.It involves rail cleaners, customer service assistants and ticket office staff, who all earn much less rail workers and will be hit hardest by real-terms wage cuts.The RMT union has said that, as well as pay cuts during a time of soaring inflation, thousands of jobs are at risk in maintenance roles and that ticket office closures are planned.Jake Berry, a Conservative MP and former rail minister, has called for ministers to get involved in the talks – as they instead seek to exploit Labour’s links with the unions to win the blame game.But Mr Clarke insisted it was “quite proper” for the legal employers to lead the talks, adding: “It will only confuse tings if we add a third party to these negotiations.”But he also demanded reform, saying: “The way our rail network operates is not fit for the 2020s and it’s in nobody’s interest that that continues.”Asked if the UK is heading for a ‘Summer of Discontent’, Mr Clarke replied: “I very much hope not.” More

Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt has revealed that he had cancer and has since recovered.The Conservative MP said every member of his family has had cancer, affecting some relatives “very dramatically”.He revealed he suffered a “minor” battle with the disease and said he will be taking part in a 5km race to raise money for Cancer Research UK in its Race for Life this summer.The South West Surrey MP will be among thousands running in Stoke Park, Guildford, on 24 July.Mr Hunt, currently Chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee, said: “Every member of my family has had cancer. I have had a minor one myself which has fortunately been resolved.“So it’s touched my family very dramatically and I know it has touched many many families.“My work on the Select Committee has shown me there are lot of things we can do to improve our cancer survival rates.“They are getting better but the more we can do to raise money and raise awareness, the more lives we’ll save.”The 55-year-old MP will be running with cancer survivor Rod Pluthero, 73, and fellow Tory MP Angela Richardson, 47. More