UK Politics

A Labour motion calling for a “clean up in politics” and the strengthening of the ministerial code has passed the Commons after Boris Johnson’s government abstained.It comes after accusations last month the prime minister had watered down the rules for ministers after the code was amended to make clear they will not automatically lose their jobs for a breach.The non-binding motion calls on Mr Johnson to implement all of the recommendations made by the Committee on Standards in Public Life — a body set up by Sir John Major — from 2021 as a “matter of urgency”.They include enshrining the ministerial code in primary legislation, giving powers to the prime minister’s independent adviser to initiate investigations into breaches and the authority to determine breaches.The motion also urges the Cabinet Office minister, Steve Barclay, to make a statement on implementing the recommendations before the summer recess and “each year subsequently”.It passed on Tuesday by 215-0 votes after the government ordered Conservative MPs to abstain.Speaking during the debate, Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, accused the prime minister of undermining British values by “downgrading” standards expected in public life.“Honesty matters, integrity matters and decency matters. We should be ambitious for high standards, and we should all be accountable,” she said.“No more ministers breaking the rules and getting away with it. No more revolving door between ministerial office and lobbying jobs, no more corruption and waste of taxpayers’ money and no more members of Parliament paid to lobby their own government.”In an article for The Independent, Ms Rayner also accused the government of “cherry picking” the recommendations put forward by the Committee on Standards in Public Life in the November 2021 report.Responding for the government, the minister Michael Ellis said the government would abstain, telling MPs: “We do not support the suggestion that the recommendations of one particular report should be adopted without due consideration as a single block.”Mr Ellis added: “The code sets out the Prime Minister’s expectations for his or her ministers, detailing the standards of conduct expected of those who serve government and the principles that underpin those standards.”The minister described the code as an “evolving document” and said of recent updates: “It is frankly fake news to say, as some have, that it has been weakened. It is the exact opposite, it has been strengthened.“In doing so he has unambiguously drawn on the advice of both the independent adviser on ministerial interests and the Committee on Standards in Public Life.”The Tory MP John Penrose, who resigned this week as the prime minister’s anti-corruption tsar, also reiterated his claim during the debate that there had been a “material breach” of the ministerial code.He said Mr Johnson had failed to address in a letter to his independent adviser the “serious failings of leadership” highlighted in the senior civil servant Sue Gray’s report.Mr Penrose said leadership was “one of the fundamental” Nolan principles of integrity in public life, adding: “Is it also not a problem that he has managed to ignore that entire section of the report, gloss over it and fail to address it publicly?” More

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson may have survived a no-confidence vote, but his grip on power is far from secure. Many compare his position to that of his predecessor Theresa May, who won a similar vote by a larger margin than Johnson but was nonetheless ousted six months later. “The history for prime ministers who survive confidence votes isn’t that great,” said Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London. A look at how previous Conservative prime ministers fared after leadership challenges against them:___MARGARET THATCHERThatcher survived a first leadership challenge in 1989, but a second one the next year spelled her downfall.In 1989, a little-known lawmaker, Anthony Meyer, launched a challenge against Thatcher, who had been reelected as party leader unopposed every year since 1974. Thatcher won comfortably by 314 votes to 33 but, counting deliberately spoiled ballot papers, about 60 had failed to endorse her — an early indication that her position was shaky.The next year, former defense secretary Michael Heseltine mounted his own bid to wrest leadership from Thatcher amid serious divisions within the Conservatives. Thatcher won 204 votes to Heseltine’s 152 in the first round of the leadership election, but the margin wasn’t enough to defeat him outright, forcing a second round. The “Iron Lady” resigned two days later, and Conservative lawmakers subsequently elected John Major as her successor in a second ballot.___JOHN MAJORMajor took over as Thatcher’s handpicked successor in December 1990.In June 1995, Major resigned as party leader to force a leadership contest against himself, challenging his party to “put up or shut up” in a bid to quell a persistent group of critics within the Conservative ranks opposed to Britain’s closer integration with the EU. Major secured a majority of votes in a Conservative leadership contest against rival John Redwood, but a third of the party either voted against him, spoiled their ballot papers or abstained. Major clung onto power for almost two more years, until the Conservatives lost the 1997 general election in a landslide victory for Labour’s Tony Blair. ___THERESA MAY May, who became Britain’s second female prime minister in July 2016, faced severe pressure throughout her tenure over her repeated but ultimately unsuccessful attempts to take Britain out of the European Union.In December 2018, 48 Conservative lawmakers furious with her Brexit policy triggered a no-confidence vote in her. She won by 200 votes to 117, but the results meant she lost the support of one-third of her lawmakers.Opposition continued to buffet her leadership and May fought in vain to get lawmakers’ backing to implement the Brexit deal she struck with the EU. Parliament rejected her plan three times, and even previously loyal members of her Cabinet openly criticized her bill.May was forced to step down in May 2019, saying “it will always remain a matter of deep regret for me” to fail to deliver Brexit. Bale, the politics professor, believes Johnson is different from Thatcher and May and will not resign voluntarily.“Many of Boris Johnson’s opponents would say that the only interest he has at heart is his own continuation in the job. So he really will have to be kicked out of Downing Street” by lawmakers, Bale said. More

Ukraine’s president says he is “very happy” that Boris Johnson survived the attempt by Tory MPs to remove him from power, in a boost for the prime minister.Volodymyr Zelensky hailed Mr Johnson as “a true friend of Ukraine”, adding: “I am glad we have not lost a very important ally.”As Conservatives weighed up whether to demand the no-confidence vote, the prime minister urged them to recognise the leadership he has shown over war in Ukraine.Some of his opponents dismissed the argument that a leader could not be replaced during the crisis – pointing to cross-party agreement that the country should receive arms and support.But Mr Zelensky has now backed up the claim by Nadhim Zahawi, the education secretary, that the president would be “punching the air” that Mr Johnson won the vote.“I am very happy about this,” he said, adding: “Boris is supporting us. Boris is very concrete in supporting Ukraine.”The welcome for the stability in No 10 came as he told journalists that his country had already lost too many people to cede any of its territory to Russia.The president accused Moscow of stealing Ukrainian grain and called for all Russian banks to be shut out of the Swift financial transactions network.However, the narrow no-confidence result – which saw 148 Tory MPs vote against their own prime minister – is widely seen as only a stay of execution, before another likely contest in the autumn.It is significantly higher than the 120-130 rebels that were widely expected – and a far worse result than when Theresa May faced a similar contest in 2018.Mr Johnson underlined his stance as Europe’s chief hawk against Russia’s assault on Ukraine, in an apparent swipe at Emmanuel Macron for his attempts to broker peace.He told a cabinet meeting that Mr Zelensky must not be “pressured into accepting a bad peace, noting that bad peace deals do not last”.The prime minister’s spokesman said: “He said the world must avoid any outcome where Putin’s unwarranted aggression appears to have paid off.”As Mr Johnson seeks to shore up his precarious position, Downing Street also insisted there are “no plans currently” for a reshuffle of his ministers.The spokesman insisted he “has a mandate to continue and focus on the issues that matter to the public and that’s what you saw this morning”.Asked whether Mr Johnson was investigating whether any ministers voted against him, the spokesman said it was “deliberately an anonymous process by design”.The government is expected to attempt a relaunch by confirming long-trailed plans to extend the right-to-buy to hundreds of thousands of housing association tenants.And controversial legislation to override the Northern Ireland Protocol – risking a damaging trade war with the EU – is also anticipated within days, More

The UK will abandon attempts to remain part of the £80bn Horizon Europe science programme if last-gasp talks this week fail, a minister is warning.George Freeman said “time is running out” to rescue participation and argued the government will have “no choice” but to launch its own scheme without a quickfire breakthrough.The move would alarm scientific leaders – who fear the loss of pooling talent and ideas to achieve breakthroughs – although many are now resigned to it as better than the current stalemate.Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal was meant to keep the UK in Horizon, with £15bn of funding over six years, but his plans to tear up the Northern Ireland Protocol have blocked talks.Now Mr Freeman is heading to Brussels on Wednesday, warning the plug will be pulled unless “a last round of talks” succeed.“The continued blocking of the UK from the flagship European research programmes that we negotiated to remain in is deeply problematic. We can’t let UK researchers be sidelined,” he said.The UK would “remain active research partners”, but Mr Freeman added: “We will have no choice but to launch a bold, global alternative to Horizon.”Last week, Universities UK, which represents 140 institutions, warned the crisis over participation is “close to the precipice”.It pleaded with the UK and EU not to allow science to fall victim to “unrelated political disputes”, warning researchers are already being “forced” to leave projects.“Failure to secure UK association to Horizon Europe would be a lose-lose for health, wealth and wellbeing and would do a disservice to future generations in Europe and beyond,” a letter to the EU said.UK scientists have been stripped of leadership roles for Horizon projects, in what the EU ambassador called “collateral damage” for a planned breach of an international agreement on Northern Ireland.Over the last six-year period of the Horizon scheme, finishing in 2020, the UK received £1.5bn – more than any other country and a fifth of the total handed out by Brussels.Among the programme’s successes are everything from leukaemia treatments to hydrogen cells that fuel zero-emission buses.The Brexit deal committed the UK to pay £15bn to stay in Horizon – even as it pulled out of other EU agencies and EU-wide programmes – but no progress has been made in 18 months.In March the UK government extended a funding guarantee for successful Horizon Europe applicants, until the end of the 2022.Ahead of the talks, Mr Freeman tweeted: “If the EU block us we are now ready to launch a new £15bn GLOBAL Research Prog.” More

Boris Johnson is not “currently” planning a reshuffle of his cabinet in the wake of Monday’s bruising vote of no confidence, Downing Street has said.And the prime minister’s spokesperson said that Mr Johnson retained his confidence in culture secretary Nadine Dorries after she raised eyebrows with a ferocious Twitter attack on Jeremy Hunt in which she accused the former health secretary of presiding over “inadequate” preparations for a pandemic.There is speculation in Westminster that Mr Johnson will shake up his top team of ministers in response to the 211-148 ballot which saw more than two-fifths of Tory MPs vote to remove him as leader.Even supportive MPs have called for a broader diversity of opinion within cabinet to represent different shades of view within the parliamentary party.Some named Ms Dorries as a candidate for the chop, as one of a group of ministers whose excessively loyal appearances in the media made Tories look “stupid”.Asked at a daily Wesminster media briefing if a reshuffle was imminent, the PM’s official spokesperson told reporters: “There are no plans currently.”In an interview shortly after surviving the no-confidence vote, Mr Johnson gave no indication that he was ready to listen to critics or change his direction or ministerial team in response to their concerns.Instead, he said he intended to “bash on” with the government’s agenda, which he insisted was in line with the priorities of the British public.Pressed over whether the PM intended to offer any olive branch to rebellious MPs, the spokesperson said: “The prime minister is always open to views and listening to the views of parliamentarians, as he’s done throughout.“The government believes it has an agenda and approach that is in line with what the public wants and that delivery is what matters to the public right now.”Mr Johnson is expected to attempt to regain the political initiative with a speech on housing later this week and a joint address with chancellor Rishi Sunak on the economy next week.Few in Westminster doubt that a shake-up of his ministerial team will follow, most probably before the summer break and possibly in response to what are expected to be disastrous results for Tories in the Wakefield and Tiverton & Honiton by-elections on 23 June.Deputy prime minister Dominic Raab this morning appeared to be preparing the ground for defeat, saying that mid-term by-elections are often used as an opportunity for protest votes. “Governments of the day often lose by-elections to go on to win them at a general election,” said Mr Raab. More

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tried to patch up his tattered authority on Tuesday after surviving a no-confidence vote that laid bare deep divisions in his Conservative Party and raised serious doubts about how long he can stay in office.Under party rules, Johnson is now free from another challenge for a year. But previous Conservative prime ministers who have faced no-confidence votes have been terminally damaged — and a growing number of Conservative lawmakers worry that the famously people-pleasing Johnson could now be a liability with voters. Johnson nevertheless vowed to “get on with the job” and focus on “what matters to the British people” — defined by him as the economy, health care and crime — after Conservative lawmakers voted by 211 to 148 to support him as leader.“We are able now to draw a line under the issues that our opponents want to talk about” and “take the country forward,” Johnson told Cabinet colleagues.But the scale of the rebellion raised serious questions about his ability to govern at a time of increasing economic and social strain. Former Conservative leader William Hague called on Johnson to step down, saying “the damage done to his premiership is severe.” “Words have been said that cannot be retracted, reports published that cannot be erased, and votes have been cast that show a greater level of rejection than any Tory leader has ever endured and survived,” Hague wrote in a Times of London article whose words were splashed across the British media.“This is not over,” echoed Philip Dunne, a Conservative lawmaker who voted against Johnson in Monday’s no-confidence ballot.The no-confidence vote was triggered because at least 54 Tory legislators, 15% of the party’s parliamentary caucus, called for a challenge to Johnson. Johnson needed the backing of 180 of the 359 Conservative lawmakers to stay in power. He got more than that — but although he described the win as “convincing,” the rebellion was larger than some of his supporters had predicted. The margin was narrower than the one his predecessor, Theresa May, got in a 2018 no-confidence vote. She was forced to resign six months later.“It will come as a big blow. And I think they will worry that this story isn’t over yet,” said Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London. “The reality is that these contests have a habit of exposing quite how weak the authority of a prime minister is.”The rebellion was also a sign of deep Conservative divisions, less than three years after Johnson led the party to its biggest election victory in decades. Most British newspapers were in little doubt that it was bad news for a leader who has always before shown an uncommon ability to shrug off scandals.The Conservative-supporting Daily Telegraph announced: “Hollow victory tears Tories apart.” The left-leaning Daily Mirror said bluntly: “Party’s over, Boris.”But some staunch supporters tried to move past the vote on Tuesday. Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said the party should “draw a line in the sand after this vote.”“It was clearly and decisively won,” he said.The vote followed months of brewing discontent over the prime minister’s ethics and judgment that centered on revelations of lawbreaking parties in the prime minister’s office when Britain was under lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic.In a report last month on the “partygate” scandal, civil service investigator Sue Gray described alcohol-fueled bashes held by Downing Street staff members in 2020 and 2021, when pandemic restrictions prevented U.K. residents from socializing or even visiting dying relatives. Gray said Johnson and senior officials must bear responsibility for “failures of leadership and judgment” that created a culture of rule-breaking in government.Johnson also was fined 50 pounds ($63) by police for attending one party, making him the first prime minister sanctioned for breaking the law while in office.The prime minister said he was “humbled” and took “full responsibility” — but went on to defend his attendance at parties as necessary for staff morale and call some of the “partygate” criticism unfair.Johnson still faces a parliamentary ethics probe over “partygate,” and his government is also under intense pressure to ease the pain of skyrocketing energy and food bills, while managing the fallout from Britain’s exit from the European Union.Polls give the left-of-center opposition Labour Party a lead nationally, and Johnson will face more pressure if the Conservatives lose special elections later this month for two parliamentary districts, called when incumbent Tory lawmakers were forced out by sex scandals.Bale said Johnson would likely fight back with tax cuts and other policies designed to appeal to his party’s right-leaning base.“The problem with that is that it’s proposing, if you like, policy solutions to a personality problem,” he said. “It looks from opinion polls that the public have turned against Boris Johnson in particular, and that’s in part what’s dragging the Conservative Party down.” More

Divisions within the Conservative Party must not dictate the UK’s approach to negotiations over the Northern Ireland Protocol, the Irish foreign affairs minister has said.Simon Coveney warned that divisions within the Conservative Party could not impact on UK-EU negotiations over the post-Brexit arrangements for the region.Tory MPs voted by 211 to 148 in support of Boris Johnson on Monday, in a bruising show of discontent that has left the prime minister seriously weakened.It comes amid a stand-off between the UK and the EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol, an agreement designed to avoid a border on the island of Ireland and which instead created fresh checks on trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, has said the UK intends to legislate to override parts of the deal on Northern Ireland.Opposition to that deal has seen the DUP block efforts to restore powersharing in the region.Mr Coveney said on Tuesday: “If those divisions within the Conservative Party impact on Ireland, because the prime minister or the British government decides in order to maintain support within the party that they have to take a tougher line on Brexit, or on the Northern Ireland Protocol, well then obviously divisions in the Conservative Party and in the British government impact on Ireland.“And of course, that’s where we have a concern.”Tory MP claims BBC tried to make Boris Johnson ‘look like Hannibal Lecter’He told RTE radio: “So whoever is the British prime minister, we will work with them, of course, but what we don’t want to see is Ireland being part of a strategy to maintain support within the Conservative Party in the context of hardening a position on the Northern Ireland Protocol.“The Irish government’s position is very clear on this.“We believe we can settle these issues.“We can address to a large extent the concerns that have been expressed by the unionist community in Northern Ireland by implementing the protocol with a lot of flexibility and pragmatism, and by doing that, settling issues that have been causing divisions for far too long in Northern Ireland politics.“But in order to do that, we need a partner.”Mr Coveney said the EU wanted “serious” negotiations and was willing to compromise and show flexibility.He said he hoped planned legislation to override parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol would not become the “price” of Conservative Party support for Mr Johnson.The foreign affairs minister argued that the British government had not shown the necessary “seriousness” to reach an agreement on the post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland.He said the UK government was instead “threatening to publish legislation this week which would effectively be using British domestic law to breach international law by setting aside elements of their treaty obligations”.“That would be a big mistake I think politically, because I think it’ll cause an awful lot more problems than it solves. I certainly hope that’s not the price of the British Prime Minister maintaining majority support within his own party.” More

A Conservative MP on Monday attacked BBC Newsnight by claiming that the show had portrayed UK prime minister Boris Johnson as “Hannibal Lecter”. Adam Holloway claimed that the media had tried to alter Mr Johnson’s image during the investigation of the “Partygate” scandal.“There is great damage to the reputation of politics and it should also do damage to organisations like the BBC,” he said. “This programme I am on now showed pictures of him looking like Hannibal Lecter at the beginning. I can show you here.”Mr Holloway went on to produce screengrabs of the photo used by the show. “Does that guy look like someone who has been given a birthday cake or someone who has been locked up for something at the Old Bailey?”On Monday night, the Tory leader won a confidence vote — even though 148 of his own MPs voted to oust him. He secured the support of 211 parliamentarians and told media that he had a “far bigger mandate” than he did when voted in as a leader in 2019, adding that he was “happy with that”.He said: “This is very good news… an opportunity to put behind us all the stuff people in the media like going on about.”He added: “This is an extremely good result that enables us to move on, unite and focus on delivery”. He said that there was no prospect of a snap election, adding that he was “not interested” in pursuing one.Meanwhile, Mr Holloway in his defence of the prime minister on Monday night said that people know that the PM was not a “Jesuit priest” and that Mr Johnson did “quite brilliantly” during the pandemic.Labour MP David Lammy has urged Mr Johnson to resign after the result of the confidence vote, in which he said Mr Johnson had “done worse than Thatcher did in 1990”. More