UK Politics

Ousting Boris Johnson over Partygate would be an “exceptionally silly” thing to do, Jacob Rees-Mogg has warned wavering Conservative MPs.Fellow cabinet minister Priti Patel has also rallied the PM’s defence, telling backbencher Tories pushing for him to resign to “forget it”.Mr Johnson is growing pressure in the wake of Sue Gray’s report on parties in Downing Street, with almost 30 Tory MPs calling for his resignation and 44 openly questioning his leadership.Some Tory rebels believe they could reach the 54 no-confidence letters needed to trigger a vote on his leadership next week, but the PM’s allies remain defiant – blasting plotters as “self-indulgent, narcissistic and contemptuous”.Me Rees-Mogg told TalkTV that Mr Johnson remains “an enormous electoral asset – I think the idea that a change of leader would help the Conservatives is for the birds”.The Brexit opportunities minister added: “It would be the most divisive thing that the party could do. It’s an exceptionally silly thing to want to try and open the door to Sir Keir Starmer assuming he manages to survive.”Ms Patel told the Daily Mail that writing letters of no-confidence in Mr Johnson was a “sideshow” and the party should be focused on “real challenges that we have to find solutions to”.Culture secretary Nadine Dorries told the BBC that efforts to topple the PM are being co-ordinated by “one or two individuals” for reasons of “personal ambition”.Simon Fell, Tory MP for Barrow and Furness, was the latest to criticise Mr Johnson – attacking the “corrosive culture and a failure of leadership” that allowed the parties to happen in a letter to a constituent shared on social media on Wednesday.Former minister Caroline Dinenage, Tory MP for Gosport, also told constituents she was “not prepared to defend” party leadership, saying: “Those at the top must take responsibility for the culture.”It brings the number of MPs to speak out against his Mr Johnson and question his leadership to 44. But only 28 have explicitly called for him to quit, and the number of no-confidence letters sent to the 1922 committee chair Sir Graham Brady is unknown.Johnson allies told The Times he remains confident he would win any no-confidence vote – which requires he retains the loyalty of 180 MPs.One said: “Would it not be the most self-indulgent, narcissistic and contemptuous thing to decide that now is the time for another three months of Conservative navel-gazing?”Senior Tory MP Tobias Ellwood called for “civility” in the party as it wrestles with the leadership question, as he confirmed he had sent a letter of no-confidence months ago.Asked about briefings against the plotters, he told Times Radio on Thursday: “I’m worried about the language now being used. I do worry about where [the debate] is descending. The party itself must work together, whatever happens.”“But you can’t get away from the fact that there are genuine concerns [about Johnson’s leadership]. It’s reflected the polling, local elections and no doubt in the by-elections as well. And those issues do need to be addressed.”Meanwhile, another parliamentary watchdog intervened in the Partygate saga – insisting that the it was vital for the public to be reassured of “decent standards” in government.Lord Evans, chair of the independent Committee on Standards in Public Life, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Thursday that “you’ve got to raise questions” in light of the scandal.The ex-MI5 chief said it was his committee’s view that it is “critical” for Mr Johnson’s own ethics adviser Lord Geidt to be free to launch his own inquiries into possible breaches of ministerial rules – arguing he was not “sufficiently independent” at the moment. More

Boris Johnson has failed to counter the view that he and his ministers consider themselves above the rules, the leader of a powerful parliamentary ethics watchdog has said.Jonathan Evans, the chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said Mr Johnson’s planned changes to the ministerial code were “highly unsatisfactory” and undermined the role of the prime minister’s ethics adviser.Downing Street announced last week that the code would be updated to remove the expectation for ministers to resign over any breach of the code but would not allow the adviser, currently Lord Geidt, to launch his own investigation into potential breaches.The changes go against recent recommendations by Mr Evans that a change to sanctions be linked to the increased authority of the adviser. Mr Evans said the proposed changes would not “restore public trust” in government standards.Unless Lord Geidt can launch his own investigations without the prime minister’s permission, “suspicion about the way in which the ministerial code is administered will linger”, he said.His remarks came as Priti Patel told colleagues working to remove Mr Johnson over the Partygate scandal to “forget it”. In an interview with the Mail +, the home secretary said the uncertain number of Tory MPs who had submitted letters of no confidence to Sir Graham Brady, chair of the 1922 Committee, was creating a distraction.“Writing letters is a sideshow, quite frankly, rather than focusing on the real challenges that we have to find solutions to,” she said.Ms Patel’s criticism came after Nadine Dorries, the culture secretary, said the prime minister’s Tory critics were doing “the opposition’s work”.It remains unknown how many letters Sir Graham has received but at least 30 Tory MPs had publicly called for the prime minister to resign by Wednesday evening.The open condemnations of Mr Johnson have been frequent since the publication of the full Sue Gray report last week – although the government’s record on standards in public life had been under question for a long time prior. Lord Geidt’s predecessor as ethics adviser, Alex Allan, quit in protest after the prime minister overruled his finding that Ms Patel had bullied staff.On Wednesday, the Cabinet Office was forced to deny that Lord Geidt was planning to quit over the ministerial code changes, which he said represented “a low level of ambition” on improving standards.The changes were announced ahead of an inquiry by the Commons privileges committee into whether Mr Johnson lied to parliament over lockdown-breaching parties in Downing Street.However, it is unlikely to provide the PM with a get-out if the cross-party panel finds against him, as the new code continues to state that “ministers who knowingly mislead parliament will be expected to offer their resignation to the prime minister”. More

Boris Johnson has handed a knighthood to a senior Conservative MP who turned against his leadership and called for his resignation earlier this week.Former cabinet minister Jeremy Wright, Tory MP for Kenilworth and Southam, has been given the gong as part of the Queen’s platinum jubilee birthday honours.The timing of the announcement is awkward for the prime minister, coming only days after Mr Wright condemned Mr Johnson over Partygate and asked him to resign “for the good of this and future governments”.The Tory backbencher said Mr Johnson bore “personal responsibility” for the culture at No 10, arguing that the prime minister would “hinder” the restoration of the government’s reputation.Mr Wright, the former attorney general, was recognised in the honours for his work on the thorny legal issues in the Brexit negotiations and response to the chemical attack in Syria.Meanwhile, former DUP leader and Northern Ireland first minister Arlene Foster – the first woman to hold either position – was given a damehood for her public service.The top unionist figure was in charge of the DUP when the party propped up Theresa May’s Conservative government in the aftermath of the 2017 general election.Dame Arlene said she was “thrilled and delighted” at the award. “As a big royalist, it’s a huge honour to receive this damehood in the 70th year of Her Majesty’s reign.”Other political figures to receive honours as part of the Queen’s jubilee celebrations include former Tory equalities minister Maria Miller MP and Labour MP Nia Griffith MP, who were both handed damehoods.Ms Miller was recognised for her campaigning work on equalities – having introduced same-sex marriage legislation – while Ms Griffith was also hailed for her campaigning work for women and the LGBT+ community.Labour MP Stephen Timms, who has represented East Ham for almost 30 years, was handed a knighthood. Known for his campaigning work on poverty, the veteran MP chairs the work and pensions select committee.Elsewhere, Tracey Crouch – the Tory MP who led the recent fan-led review of English football – was made an OBE. Fellow Conservative backbencher Chris Skidmore, the former universities minister, was also given an OBE.Mr Skidmore said: “I’m very grateful for the award for my continued work in higher education and the environment since leaving government – though don’t deserve it compared to the thousands of academics and businesses working hard to deliver on our climate commitments.”Jonathan Powell, former No 10 chief of staff under Tony Blair, was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George for his services to foreign policy.Several UK officials who worked in Afghanistan at the time of the evacuation have also been included in the latest honours list.Dr Martin Longden, former charge d’affaires of the UK mission to Afghanistan, was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George. Deputy ambassador to the British Embassy in Kabul, Alexander Pinfield, working there until October 2021, gets an OBE.Last week MPs on the foreign affairs select committee criticised the government’s handling of the evacuation of Kabul – but praised personnel on the ground during Operation Pitting. More

Slovenia’s parliament on Wednesday formally voted into office a new, center-left government, replacing a right-wing one that had pushed the moderate European Union nation toward populism.Lawmakers voted 53-28 for the Cabinet of Robert Golob, head of the liberal-green Freedom Movement party and a former business executive who only recently entered politics. Golob’s Freedom Movement won April 24 elections in Slovenia, defeating the right-wing Prime Minister Janez Jansa and his Slovenian Democratic Party. Golob has formed an alliance with two left-leaning parties.The new government is a combination of experienced politicians and experts, Golob told parliament earlier on Wednesday.“I’m pleased we have such a good team and I look forward to the weeks, months, years and terms in office ahead, as I know this team will deliver good results,” he said. Golob has said the government would promote social equality, green energy transformation and reform. Slovenia’s citizens will be proud of their new government, he promised.“I think you can already feel it in the last few weeks that the mood is more relaxed, that tensions have eased,” he added.Golob was referring to political tensions under previous PM Jansa, who has faced accusations of fostering divisions and curbing democratic freedoms. A close ally of Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Jansa has denied the allegations. More

Russian troops in eastern Ukraine are likely to be forced to take an “operational pause” after slow and grinding advances over recent weeks have left little more than 50 per cent of the forces initially deployed by Vladimir Putin in a state of combat effectiveness, Western officials have said.Officials said the Russians face a series of perilous river crossings and are showing signs of “disillusionment” with the campaign, not only among rank-and-file soldiers but also senior officers.With Ukrainian defences soon to be bolstered by HIMARS rocket systems, supplied by US president Joe Biden, Russia will face increasingly effective resistance to its attempts to secure ground in the Donbas region, said one.But the official warned that HIMARS, which is capable of firing multiple precision-guided missiles at targets up to 50 miles away, would not on its own be enough to “turn the tide of the campaign”.In the absence of a negotiated ceasefire, the current war of attrition can be expected to continue for “a long period of time” – potentially to the end of this year or beyond – and Ukraine’s allies must be prepared to maintain their commitment for the long term, he said.The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) has long been requested by Ukraine, but the US had until now refused to supply the weapons out of fear they could be used against targets in Russia.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the US was “directly and intentionally adding fuel to the fire” with its weapons deliveries to Ukraine.One Western official said: “That weapons system will enable counter-battery fire to be able to go after Russian artillery in a deeper and more effective way, but it’s also going to enable Ukrainian forces to be able to interdict Russian supply lines.“That’s going to be a real complication for Russian forces, as and when these weapon systems arrive and they can be effectively employed.”But he added: “The provision of HIMARS alone… is not going to turn the tide of the campaign. It’s going to enable the Ukrainians to be much more effective in the way they operate, but this needs to be – and is – set in a much wider package of support.”Western officials believe the total number of fatalities suffered by Russia since the 24 February invasion is now above 15,000, with more than 40,000 wounded. The bulk of casualties came in the early weeks of the war.Numbers of casualties have declined in recent weeks, largely because Moscow has narrowed the size of its front in eastern Ukraine and taken fewer risks with its troops.But the lack of adequate medical support for many of the units in Ukraine means that many of those injured are unable to access treatment.Following recent advances, one Western official said that there was “absolutely” going to be a need for an operational pause for the Russians to resupply and reconstitute their forces before attempting a further push towards the towns of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk.“This has been quite a slugged-out fight in Seyevrodonetsk, and Russian commanders – having rushed to failure at various points in this campaign – I think will be very careful before thinking that they’re in a position to continue to exploit immediately,” said the official.Preparations would be needed for “significant” challenges from river crossings on the way to Kramatorsk, which represent “probably one of the most difficult things any military force can try to do”, and which Russian forces had struggled with earlier in the campaign, he said.These challenges would be faced in a situation where morale on the Russian side appears to be low, according to Western officials.“The morale of the Ukrainian forces is extremely high, and even though they’re coming under some significant pressure, their performance on the battlefield remains potent,” said one. “Even when they’re faced at times with sometimes overwhelming odds locally, they still continue to fight in a pretty ferocious and determined way.“Contrastingly for Russian forces, there are clear elements where we’ve seen low morale. We’ve seen that in some particular units where units have pretty much downed tools and declared that they don’t want to fight.“What’s really interesting is that we’re seeing disillusionment with the nature of the campaign not just amongst junior soldiers, but we’re seeing reflections amongst senior officers, that they’re disillusioned with the campaign as well. This isn’t outbreaks of low morale amongst junior, young, inexperienced soldiers, but that feeling is happening with groups across the Russian military.” More

Boris Johnson has admitted the Partygate saga has been a “totally miserable experience” for him and those working in Whitehall, but insisted he would not resign.The prime minister was grilled over the scandal by Mumsnet users on Wednesday – with one member asking him how the public could believe a “habitual liar”.Mr Johnson “apologised very much” for his behaviour, but said he was “very, very surprised and taken aback” to be fined by the Metropolitan Police for attending a birthday party in his honour in June 2020.He added: “I can totally see how infuriating it is that people like me were not fulfilling the letter of the rules ourselves. I totally understand that.”Asked about the political pressure he is now under, Mr Johnson acknowledged: “I’m not going to deny the whole thing hasn’t been a totally miserable experience for people in government.”But he insisted he would not resign. “I just cannot see how actually it would be responsible right now, given everything that is going on, simply to abandon … the project on which I embarked to level up.”The PM added: “On why I am still here – I am still here because we have got huge pressures economically and we’ve got the biggest war in Europe for 80 years, and we have got a massive agenda to deliver.”Mr Johnson also revealed that he did not eat any birthday cake at the June 2020 event which saw him receive a fixed penalty notice for a breach of his Covid laws.“If you’re talking about that miserable event that appeared on the front page of newspapers, no cake was consumed by me – I can tell you that much,” he joked.Explaining his attendance at the birthday bash, he said: “If people look at the event in question, it felt to me like a work event. I was there for a very short period of time.”Referring to his attendance at several leaving drinks, for which he was not punished, the PM said: “I genuinely believed that what I was doing – and I know why people may think it’s not good enough – but what I believed I was doing was saying goodbye briefly to hard-working staff.”He added: “What I thought was doing was right for a leader, in any circumstances, and that was to thank people for their service.”Mr Johnson also vowed that the government would continue to use “fiscal firepower” to address the cost of living crisis as energy bills and food prices soar.Asked how he could understand the struggles of the worst-off families, the PM said: “I try as much as I can to talk to my constituents. I recognise the country is going through a tough time.”He also promised that the government would do more to promote an existing £2,000 childcare grant. “There are things that aren’t working right. The take-up is disappointingly low … About a million people who are eligible don’t take it up. And that’s crazy.”Mr Johnson also said he was “doing a lot” as a parent at the moment – revealing that he had “changed a lot of nappies recently”.He said the Dr Suess books were his favourite as a child, quoting the line: “This was no time for play. This was no time for fun. This was no time for games. There was work to be done”. He claimed it was the “motto” at No 10.It comes as Dominic Raab dismissed the idea that Mr Johnson could face a confidence vote as early as next week – insisting that the speculation was only “Westminster froth”. He told the BBC: “I don’t think this ends in a leadership challenge.”There is a growing belief it is only a matter of time before the threshold of 54 no-confidence letters needed to trigger a vote is reached, with more than 40 MPs openly questioning his leadership.Mr Raab said he “doubts” that as many as 40 MPs have submitted letters, and predicted that rebels were “pretty far off” triggering a vote.In a letter to a constituent, Tory MP Simon Fell said he was left “angry and disappointed” by the Sue Gray report – saying a “corrosive culture and failure of leadership” during Partygate.However, the MP for Barrow & Furness said the saga had been a “very sorry distraction” to the government’s agenda, with no suggestion that he had sent a letter of no-confidence.Tory MP Huw Merriman confirmed he would not be submitting a no confidence letter against Mr Johnson, and appealed for colleagues to focus on delivering policies rather than regime change.“My appeal to colleagues is that our constituents need us right now and they need the government to deliver and parliament to deliver,” he told Sky News. “We’re not going to be able to do that if we are going through a protracted leadership contest.” More

Carrie Johnson once dismissed the interior decor at Downing Street as a “John Lewis nightmare”.But now it seems middle-class shoppers at the partnership’s supermarkets have been identified as the group that can keep her husband Boris in power.“Waitrose woman” is reported to be the voter demographic Downing Street reckons is crucial if the prime minister is to reverse plummeting ratings and defy rebellious Tory MPs in the wake of both Partygate and the cost of living crisis. More

Royal Navy ships could be sent into action against Russian’s Black Sea blockade of Ukraine, a Tory MP who leads the UK’s parliamentary delegation to Nato has suggested.Alec Shelbrooke said that British warships could have to use “lethal defensive force” against Russia’s forces as part of a mission to escort vital grain supplies out of Ukrainian ports, at the “high risk” of deaths of UK personnel and the escalation of war in Europe.In a message to constituents, Mr Shelbrooke said that a challenge to Boris Johnson’s leadership would be “an indulgence” at a time when the prime minister is playing a prominent role in the global response to Vladimir Putin’s invasion.He said that the possibility of a Joint Expeditionary Force of naval vessels to break the Black Sea blockade was being actively discussed at the Nato parliamentary assembly, which brings together lawmakers from all of the military alliance’s member states.Due to Ukraine’s position as a breadbasket nation which supplies a major proportion of the world’s grain, Mr Shelbrooke warned that poor countries face starvation and Britain will see “limitless” food inflation unless a way is found to export its crops.“In the Nato assembly, my conversations are now focussing on the possible need to put together a Joint Expeditionary Force of naval vessels, potentially made up from the Royal Navy, allies and non-Nato allies, to escort the grain out of Ukraine,” said the MP for Elmet and Rothwell, in west Yorkshire. “This would be a dangerous task and we must be prepared that we may need to engage in lethal defensive force against the Russian Naval sea blockade. This would certainly run the risk of escalating the war in Europe, and a high risk of death to British service personnel serving in any Joint Expeditionary Force. “If we do not properly consider such a mission, then I believe we risk hyper-inflation on food prices at home, and starvation in the third world which will undoubtedly lead to yet further influxes of refugees into Europe.“The prime minister and his ministers are in daily meetings about the war in Ukraine and the critical global food crisis, and this corporate memory about the intricacies of the UK’s involvement, and his diplomatic relationships, are critical in trying to find a peaceful solution to getting the grain out of Ukraine and onto the tables of families across the world.” More