UK Politics

Priti Patel has reportedly called the last-minute intervention by the European Court of Human Rights (EHCR) that grounded the government’s first deportation flight to Rwanda “scandalous”.The flight was halted minutes before its scheduled take-off on Tuesday after the ECHR ruled two of the asylum seekers due to be on board should not be removed from the UK until their appeals had been heard.The home secretary said soon after that the new deportation scheme would continue despite the false start. “Many of those removed from this flight will be placed on the next. Our legal team are reviewing every decision made on this flight and preparation for the next flight begins now,” she said, though she withheld direct criticism of the ECHR.But on Friday, in an interview with The Telegraph, Ms Patel said: “The opaque way this court has operated is scandalous.”She added: “The’ve not used this ruling previously, which does make you question the motivation and the lack of transparency.”Tuesday’s late intervention led some in the Conservative Party to call for Britain to pull out of the ECHR, a Strasbourg court which enforces a convention drawn up in 1956 and ratified by 47 member states. It is unaffiliated with the European Union.Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister, said on Thursday the government had no plans to leave the court but said it had overstepped its powers in blocking the deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda.He said Britain could bring in new laws to ensure the court’s interim measures, such as the last-minute Rwanda intervention, could be ignored. More

Boris Johnson considering not replacing ethics adviser after Lord Geidt quitsBoris Johnson‘s former ethics adviser Christopher Geidt has said his resignation was prompted by the PM’s willingness to breach international law.In a second letter to explain his shock decision to quit on Wednesday, Lord Geidt said that the details of the row over steel tariffs which finally provoked his departure were a “distraction” from his real motivation to leave his position.He said that he walked out because he was unready to endorse the government’s openness to breaking its international obligations.His comments suggest he may be concerned over Mr Johnson’s attempt to override the Northern Ireland Protocol in a way which will breach the Brexit treaty that he signed less than three years ago.Meanwhile, the government has faced a backlash over reports it will not appoint a new ethics adviser after Lord Geidt’s resignation.John Penrose, who quit as the anti-corruption tsar earlier this month over the Partygate scandal, said: “You can’t just pretend it doesn’t matter, and that there’s no job to be done.”Show latest update

1655439058Welcome to The Independent’s live blog on everything related to politics in the UK.Alisha Rahaman Sarkar17 June 2022 05:101655440871Outrage over PM’s plan to abolish Downing Street ethics monitorBoris Johnson has triggered outrage in Westminster with plans to abolish the post of Downing Street ethics adviser, after Christopher Geidt quit in protest at being asked to endorse deliberate rule-breaking by the prime minister.Lord Geidt – the second adviser to resign in less than two years during Mr Johnson’s premiership – said he was put in an “impossible and odious” position when asked to advise on a plan to maintain tariffs on Chinese steel in a way which would breach UK obligations under the World Trade Organisation (WTO).The PM’s official spokesperson confirmed that Mr Johnson plans to “take time” to consider whether to appoint a replacement for the former private secretary to the Queen, or to find a different way of fulfilling the function of scrutinising ministerial behaviour.The Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) issued a stern warning to the PM not to go ahead with plans to replace the high-profile adviser with an anonymous committee of officials to oversee the ministerial code of conduct.Scrapping the adviser’s post would be “a backwards step” which would “risk further damage to public perceptions of standards”, said CSPL chair Lord Evans.Tory MP Richard Graham – who is not usually among Mr Johnson’s public critics – said that any notion of axing the adviser’s post should be “dropped fairly fast”. Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said Mr Johnson had “debased standards and rigged the rules for far too long”.Andrew Woodcock reports.Alisha Rahaman Sarkar17 June 2022 05:411655441485PM risked deliberate breach of ministerial code, says Lord GeidtLord Geidt in his resignation letter to the prime minister Boris Johnson said that he had been only credibly clinging onto the role of ministerial interests adviser “by a very small margin” over partygate.He added he was forced to quit when he was tasked with offering a view on the Government’s “intention to consider measures which risk a deliberate and purposeful breach of the ministerial code”.In the letter published on Thursday, Lord Geidt wrote: “This request has placed me in an impossible and odious position.”Sam Blewett has more.Alisha Rahaman Sarkar17 June 2022 05:511655442616PM considering withdrawal from human rights treaty, Downing Street confirmsBoris Johnson’s official spokesperson has confirmed the government is considering withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights, saying “all options are on the table” in the wake of Wednesday’s cancellation of a deportation flight to Rwanda.The prime minister is facing fury from Tory backbenchers over the last-minute ruling from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg which blocked Wednesday night’s flight, with many calling for the UK to pull out of the convention which it helped draw up in the aftermath of the Second World War.Asked whether withdrawal from the convention was being considered, the spokesperson told reporters: “We keep all options on the table as part of our work to address the issues raised by the repeated and sometimes meritless claims that we see consistently with removal flights, while obviously making sure that we continue to protect the vulnerable.”Alisha Rahaman Sarkar17 June 2022 06:101655442655Johnson’s plan to overhaul NI protocol is ‘politically driven’, says Sefcovic“I cannot resist the impression that the tabling of the bill is politically driven, but it’s not our role to comment on internal politics in the UK,” Mr Sefcovic told Sky News.“Our doors for negotiations will always be open I’m ready to talk to all political leaders in Northern Ireland and to all stakeholders,” he added.Alisha Rahaman Sarkar17 June 2022 06:101655444136NI protocol has undermined the Good Friday Agreement, says TrussForeign secretary Liz Truss has said that the Northern Ireland protocol and the impact of it has undermined the Good Friday Agreement.“So we are seeing people in Northern Ireland are unable to access the same goods as people in Great Britain. We are seeing custom costs of trading goods across the Irish sea. We are seeing people unable to benefit from the same tax breaks as people in Great Britain,” she told Sky News.“People in the Northern Ireland… are feeling they are less connected to Great Britain and they are not benefitting from being part of the United Kingdom. That is a problem we need to deal with, it has been going on now for 18 months.“We have had 18 months of negotiations and we haven’t got anywhere. The European Union has said that they are willing to change the protocol, therefore we have to act to make sure we restore the primacy of the Good Friday Agreement,” she added.Alisha Rahaman Sarkar17 June 2022 06:351655445429UK judges could block plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, Dominic Raab admitsUK judges could rule that deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda is unlawful, Dominic Raab has admitted.Ministers have attacked the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for preventing the first flight on Tuesday night, insisting they have the domestic legal powers they need to act.But Mr Raab acknowledged a full high court judicial review in late July could thwart the policy after the government declined to pass fresh legislation to authorise it.“Well, I don’t quite know what the courts are going to decide on the main hearing,” the deputy prime minister told LBC Radio.Rob Merrick reports.Alisha Rahaman Sarkar17 June 2022 06:571655446631Tories say Harriet Harman should step down from No 10 parties inquiryTory MPs have urged Harriet Harman to step back from an inquiry into whether prime minister Boris Johnson misled parliament, after unearthing historic comments by her on the matter.The veteran Labour MP was accused of prejudging the outcome of the investigation after it emerged in April she had posted that Mr Johnson appeared to have “misled the House of Commons”.Ms Harman was put onto the parliamentary privileges committee earlier this week to replace Chris Bryant, who was recused after having called Mr Johnson a “proven liar” who “repeatedly lied to parliament”.Jon Stone has more.Alisha Rahaman Sarkar17 June 2022 07:171655447416Farmers and food producers to lose almost £300m from Australia trade deal, MPs warnFarmers and food producers need government help as they could lose up to £300m from Britain’s trade deal with Australia, MPs has said. Trade experts believe the UK will only see a rise of 0.08 per cent of GDP by 2035 as a result of the agreement, while Australia stands to see an export boost six times as large.Robert Goodwill, the committee’s Conservative chair, said the government must ensure the agricultural and food sectors are “no worse off” from the Australia agreement.“The government must commit to helping the food and farming sector win back the £278m worth of lost growth it will experience because of this deal,” he said.Rory Sullivan17 June 2022 07:301655448412No tax cuts before inflation tamed, says Gove The government cannot do everything it wants to support the public with the cost-of-living crisis because of rising inflation, the communities secretary Michael Gove has said. Inflation will have to be brought under control before tax cuts go ahead, he said. The comments come after the Bank of England warned that inflation could exceed 11 per cent this year. Speaking to The Times CEO Summit on Thursday, Mr Gove said: “When you are squeezing inflation out of the system, you will rely on the Bank of England and the government having the fiscal and the monetary policies which will inevitably mean we cannot do all the things that we would, in ideal circumstances, like to do in order to support people through a difficult period.” Rory Sullivan17 June 2022 07:46 More

Former Downing Street ethics adviser Christopher Geidt has prompted fresh calls for Boris Johnson’s resignation, by declaring that his decision to quit his post was prompted by the prime minister’s willingness to deliberately breach international law.In a second letter to explain his shock resignation on Wednesday, Lord Geidt said that the details of the row over steel tariffs which finally provoked his departure were a “distraction” from his real motivation.His comments suggest that his anxiety about Mr Johnson’s behaviour goes far wider – and may include concern over the PM’s bid to override the Northern Ireland protocol in a way which will breach the Brexit treaty he signed less than three years ago.Approvingly quoting former cabinet secretary Lord Butler’s judgement that “this isn’t about steel”, Lord Geidt said that he walked out because he was not ready to endorse the government’s openness towards breaking its international obligations.The new letter ramps up pressure once more on the prime minister over the standards of his behaviour, after he initially deflected much criticism in the wake of the resignation of a second independent adviser on ministerial interests in the space of less than two years.Mr Johnson has come under fire for suggesting he may abolish the role of independent adviser, and replace Geidt instead with an anonymous committee who would be unlikely to command the same high profile.In a letter to Mr Johnson explaining his decision to quit, released on Thursday, the former private secretary to the Queen said he had been placed in an “odious and impossible” position when asked to advise on the government’s plans to maintain tariffs on Chinese steel in possible contravention of World Trade Organisation rules.His explanation – coming in the wake of highly-publicised differences over Partygate and the refurbishment of the PM’s flat – diminished the impact of his dramatic departure and allowed Mr Johnson’s allies to portray the prime minister as a champion of UK industry. But today’s letter to the chair of the Commons Public Administration Committee William Wragg made clear that steel was a side issue to more profound worries about Johnson’s stewardship of Downing Street.“Emphasis on the steel tariffs question is a distraction,” wrote Lord Geidt. “It was simply one example of what might yet constitute deliberate breaches by the United Kingdom of its obligations under international law, given the government’s widely publicised openness to this.”Although references to international law were removed from the ministerial code of conduct in 2015, Lord Geidt said it was still widely held that a breach would automatically break the terms of the code – something regarded until recently as a resigning matter.“I could not be a party to advising on any potential law-breaking,” he said.Lord Geidt said that the “cautious” tone of his letter to the prime minister had caused “confusion about the precise cause” of his decision to quit.His letter was wrongly interpreted to suggest that his objection was limited to “narrow and technical consideration of steel tariffs”, when in fact it had a “far wider scope”, he told Mr Wragg.Liberal Democrat chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said: “This letter confirms what we already knew. Lord Geidt quit because he was sick of being asked to cover up for Boris Johnson’s law-breaking.“Any other prime minister would have resigned by now; instead Johnson’s answer is to rewrite the rules to protect his own job.” More

A group of 67 economists has written to Boris Johnson to warn him he is “fighting the wrong battle” by trying to keep wages down, and risks plunging the UK into recession as a result.The prime minister last week warned of a 1970s-style “wage-price spiral” fuelling inflation if pay packets were to increase in line with soaring prices.But the economists – including academics from Oxford, Cambridge and London universities – said that the opposite was true, with the economy in need of additional household spending power to maintain demand.The warning came as the Unite union released research suggesting that almost 60 per cent of recent price rises have been driven by excess company profits, compared with just 8 per cent due to labour costs.In a high-profile speech in Blackpool last week, Mr Johnson said: “We can’t fix the increase in the cost of living just by increasing wages to match the surge in prices… If wages continue to chase the increase in prices then we risk a wage-price spiral such as this country experienced in the 1970s.”His comments prompted today’s retort from the economists, who said that suppressing wages in the current economic climate was “the exact opposite of what is needed”.It was “perverse” to blame workers’ pay for the current spike in inflation, which the Bank of England warned on Thursday could soon hit 11 per cent and which has been driven by supply chain disruption caused by Covid, war in Ukraine, global gas prices and excess profits, they said.Government efforts to hold down wages “risk fuelling dramatic increases in poverty and hardship, and ultimately a recession”.Instead, the economists argued, Mr Johnson should deliver “substantial” increases in the minimum wage, public sector pay and welfare benefits, which would inject demand into the sluggish economy as well as helping households cope with the cost of living crisis.Meanwhile, the government should be fighting inflation by “using all the tools at its disposal to hold down energy costs, clamp down on excess profits and unblock global supply chains”.Signatory Özlem Onaran, professor of economics at the University of Greenwich, said: “Workers’ pay rises aren’t causing inflation, and asking workers to pay for the cost of living crisis by capping their wage demands will only deepen the crisis.“After a decade of wage squeezes, we need to change course, with a higher minimum wage, pay rises in the public sector, boosting social security and giving trade unions the power to negotiate decent pay rises for all workers.”Jo Michell, associate professor of economics at the University of the West of England in Bristol, said: “There is no evidence that a wage-price spiral is driving inflation.“Action should be taken to protect those on low incomes who are unable to cut back on food or fuel.“Further real wage cuts will not resolve the crisis.”Figures from the Office for National Statistics this week showed that real regular pay had fallen by 2.2 per cent in the period February to April, after inflation was taken into account. And average monthly pay actually fell in cash terms between April and May, despite high numbers of vacancies.Official figures showed that the UK is teetering on the brink of recession, with GDP contracting by 0.3 per cent in April.Unite’s analysis of FTSE 350 firms found profit margins were 73 per cent higher in 2021 than pre-pandemic levels in 2019, even though sales were down.Even taking energy companies out of the calculation, average profit margins still jumped by 52 per cent.Meanwhile, company profits jumped by 11.74 per cent in the six months from October 2021 to March 2022, while labour costs fell by 0.8 per cent over the same period, after inflation is taken into account.Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The weight of evidence shows that the UK is in the grip of a profiteering crisis. Workers’ wages and what they can buy are being squeezed by corporate wreckers pursuing runaway profits, quite literally at our expense.”A government spokesperson said: “We have a plan to combat inflation through independent monetary policy, alongside responsible fiscal policy, and boosting our long-term productivity and growth.“To help families with the challenges they’re facing, we are providing the 8 million most vulnerable British families with at least £1,200 of direct payments this year, with additional support for pensioners and those claiming disability benefits. We have also increased the National Living Wage by £1,000 a year for a full time worker, plan to save the typical employee over £330 a year through a tax cut in July, and have changed Universal Credit to make sure people keep £1,000 more of what they earn.“We are committed to creating a high-growth, high-wage economy, but it is important to tackle the underlying causes of inflation rather than simply spending more.” More

Boris Johnson has arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit to Ukraine for talks with president Volodymyr Zelensky.The prime minister’s second trip to the war-torn country comes a day after a joint visit by French president Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian PM Mario Draghi.Mr Johnson pulled out of a planned speech to northern Tories in Doncaster without explanation, as well as a visit to Wakefield ahead of next week’s by-election, sparking speculation that he might be heading for Ukraine.But Downing Street maintained strict secrecy about his whereabouts for security reasons until he arrived.In a tweet posted with a photo of a smiling PM with his arm round Zelensky’s shoulder, Mr Johnson said simply: “ Mr President, Volodymyr, It is good to be in Kyiv again. “Mr Johnson previously visited the Ukrainian capital in April in another visit shrouded in secrecy during which he went on a walkabout on the city’s streets.As he met Zelensky today, he was clutching a notebook dated to the week when he made his first visit.His second visit came on the day that the EU agreed to offer Ukraine candidate status, in a major step towards membership of the bloc for the former Soviet state.Mr Johnson spoke with Zelensky by phone on Wednesday, assuring him of the UK’s unwavering support for Ukraine. But a readout of the call issued by No 10 gave no hint of the upcoming face-to-face meeting. More

Northern Conservative MPs were left “disappointed” when Boris Johnson skipped their annual conference just days before the crucial byelection in the red wall seat of Wakefield.The Northern Research Group (NRG) of Tory MPs had expected the prime minister to be their star guest in Doncaster on Friday – inviting him to talk about ways to push with on his “levelling up” agenda.But the PM’s trip to Doncaster was cancelled unexpectedly. Senior Tory Jake Berry, chair of the NRG, said he had been told by No 10 that government business had “come up” at the last minute.“It’s really disappointing,” said Mr Berry. “It’s an unfortunate thing, but at the end of the day he’s the prime minister of this country and things come up.”The senior MP added: “I would have loved for him to come. We were all ready with an oven-ready set of policies … We will make sure he hears everything is said today. I’m going to phone him tomorrow.”It was later revealed that the prime minister travelled to Kyiv in Ukraine for talks with president Volodymyr Zelensky.Mr Johnson has been warned of a likely loss of red wall seat Wakefield to Labour on 23 June. He has yet to visit the West Yorkshire constituency during the Tory campaign to hold onto the seat.The PM was also accused of has been accused of “hiding away from people” during a brief recent visit to Tiverton and Honiton, as the Conservatives also fight to hold onto the “blue wall” seat in Devon next week.He was briefly spotted meeting party candidate Helen Hurford and a small group of farmers for tea. “He’s not talking to ordinary people, he’s taking this constituency for granted,” said Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey.Ms Hurford – fighting to hold off the Lib Dems after Neil Parish resigned as an MP for watching porn in the Commons – twice declined to say that Mr Johnson is honest on Friday.The Tory candidate instead said that “Boris Johnson thinks he’s honest”.Meanwhile, the Tory candidate in Wakefield  suggested that voters should trust the Conservatives in the same way people “trust GPs after Harold Shipman”.Nadeem Ahmed was asked about the damage to the party’s reputation after the West Yorkshire constituency’s previous MP, Imran Ahmad-Khan, was imprisoned for child sexual assault.Mr Ahmad told ITV: “The Conservative Party is bigger than one individual. What [Ahmad-Khan] did was wrong … He’s had the right punishment, and the people of Wakefield understand that there are bad apples in every … look at Harold Shipman.” More