UK Politics

Historically skeptical about European Union efforts to deepen cooperation, Danish voters on Wednesday will choose whether to abandon the country’s decision three decades ago to opt out of the bloc’s common defense policy. The Danish referendum comes as the latest example of European countries seeking closer defense links with allies in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It follows Sweden and Finland’s historic bids to join NATO — something to be taken up at a summit next month.Denmark joining the EU defense policy would have a relatively modest impact on Europe’s security architecture, particularly compared to Sweden and Finland joining NATO. But Christine Nissen, a researcher with the Danish Institute for International Studies, said both moves are “part of the same story,” and would strengthen military cooperation on a continent stunned by the war in Ukraine.She said the main effect of abandoning the opt-out decision would be that Danish officials could stay in the room when EU colleagues discuss defense topics and Danish forces could take part in the bloc’s military operations.Denmark, a founding member of NATO, has stayed on the sidelines of EU efforts to build a common security and defense policy in parallel with the trans-Atlantic alliance. It was one of four opt-out moves that Danes insisted on before adopting the EU’s Maastricht Treaty, which laid the foundation for political and economic union.The 1992 waiver means Denmark hasn’t participated in the EU’s discussions on defense policy, its development and acquisition of military capabilities and its joint military operations, such as those in Africa and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Danes also opted out of EU cooperation on justice and home affairs, the common currency and citizenship. The opt-out decision on citizenship, which said European citizenship wouldn’t replace national citizenship, has since become irrelevant as other members later adopted the same position. But the other provisions remain intact despite efforts by successive governments to overturn them. In a 2000 referendum, Danish voters decided to stay outside the eurozone, and 15 years later they voted to keep the exemption on justice and home affairs.This time, however, Danes appear ready to say goodbye to opting out of common defense.Social Democratic Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called for the referendum on March 8, less than two weeks after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. She called on citizens to vote “yes” to abolishing the exception, saying to do so “will strengthen our security.”“I am voting in favor of abolishing the opt-out” decision, said Peter Jakobsen, a 61-year-old pharmacist in Copenhagen. “We must not stand outside. We are in the EU and we must be involved. We must make a difference.”But Sanne Michelsen, a 52-year-old shopper in Copenhagen, said she didn’t see the point of suddenly joining the EU’s defense policy after years on the outside.“This is a referendum about an opt-out that has never caused us any problem,” she said in her native Danish, before turning to English to add. “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.’”The “yes” side has had a clear lead in polls, with about 40% in favor of dropping the exemption and 30% against. About a fourth of voters say they are still undecided.There is widespread support for dropping the defense opt-out decision in Parliament. Only three small parties want to maintain it, two on the right and one on the left. More

A watchdog has expressed concern in response to Boris Johnson’s changes to the ministerial code, warning that the prime minister retains the ability to “critically undermine” the official in charge of investigating potential breaches.Critics of the embattled Mr Johnson accused him of “watering down the rules to save his own skin” and “acting like a tinpot despot” last week, after he announced changes to the code which mean that ministers will no longer necessarily be expected to resign if they are found to have breached it.Under the revised code, if the prime minister wishes an offending minister to retain their post, sanctions for code breaches could instead require “some form of public apology, remedial action, or removal of ministerial salary for a period”.However, not only will Mr Johnson himself still be expected to resign if the current investigation by MPs concludes that he misled parliament over the Partygate scandal, the alterations to the code were also made following recommendations by the independent Committee on Standards in Public Life.But the watchdog’s chairman Lord Evans of Weardale said on Monday that its recommendation for a range of punishments for ministers had been partly intended to remove the need for Mr Johnson to have an effective veto on whether breaches should be investigated – which he still retains.The government said on Friday that while there would be an “enhanced process” for the independent adviser on ministers’ interests, Lord Geidt, to launch his own inquiries, he would still need the prime minister’s permission.In his official response on Monday, the watchdog’s chairman Lord Evans of Weardale – a former head of MI5 – warned that although there had been “improvement”, the role of Mr Johnson’s adviser was “still not sufficiently independent”.Lord Evans also expressed concern that the prime minister retained the ability to overrule his advisor on the finding of a breach – circumstances he warned “would critically undermine the credibility of the adviser’s office”.Lord Geidt’s predecessor, Sir Alex Allan, resigned in 2020 after Mr Johnson rejected his finding that home secretary Priti Patel had been guilty of bullying civil servants.While Lord Evans said the government’s move to introduce a range of sanctions for code breaches was “in line” with the committee’s recommendations, the committee’s recommendations had been “part of a package” designed to hand greater freedom to the adviser to investigate potential breaches.In the past, governments have resisted the move to allow the independent advisor to launch their own investigations into possible ministerial breaches, Lord Evans said, given that the presumption of resignation would have handed them an “effective power to fire a minister”.But Mr Johnson’s introduction of a range of sanctions for code breaches – replacing the blanket expectation of resignation – had removed “this constitutional obstacle”, Lord Evans said, rendering objections to granting the advisor power to initiate his own investigations invalid.The watchdog also warned that the post currently held by Lord Geidt “remains an unregulated, direct appointment” by the prime minister.Lord Evans also appeared to take subtle aim at Mr Johnson’s removal of references to the seven Nolan principles of public life – integrity, objectivity, accountability, transparency, honesty and leadership in the public interest – from the foreword of the ministerial code.The Nolan principles “continue to define the public’s expectations of conduct for all those in public office”, Lord Evans wrote, adding: “High ethical standards, and effective regulatory processes to maintain the standards expected, are integral to the operation of effective government.“They are part of the checks and balances that define the character of our democracy, provide accountability in between elections and help ensure public trust in the integrity of government.”Labour is expected to attempt to force a Commons vote on the changes when parliament returns from week-long recess break – marking one of several challenges potentially awaiting the prime minister.As the number of Tory MPs coming forward with demands for Mr Johnson to resign in the wake of Sue Gray’s Partygate report continued to grow on Monday, some speculated that 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady could have already received the requisite 54 letters needed to spark a vote of no confidence, and could be waiting for the Commons to return to make his announcement. More

Former cabinet ministers have warned Boris Johnson he must get serious to save his skin.The warning came as ex-attorney general Jeremy Wright became the latest Tory heavyweight to call on the prime minister to quit, and Downing Street failed to deny that Mr Johnson took part in another lockdown gathering in his flat above No 11 to mark his 56th birthday in 2020.The concern expressed to The Independent by the ex-ministers, who have not called for Mr Johnson to go, is indicative of the uncertainty even among those supportive of the PM over whether he can survive.Mr Wright, who served in the cabinets of David Cameron and Theresa May, said Mr Johnson’s continued presence in Downing Street was hindering the process of “restoring faith” in government following the Partygate scandal.Meanwhile, backbencher Elliot Colburn – MP for hyper-marginal Carshalton & Wallington – confirmed he has submitted a letter of no confidence in the prime minister, while another member of the 2019 intake of younger Tories, Nickie Aiken, urged Mr Johnson to call a confidence vote in himself.And arch-Eurosceptic Andrew Bridgen, who sent a confidence letter only to withdraw it after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, revealed he has resubmitted it, citing “anger about the culture at No 10 during the lockdown period”.With the drip, drip of letters going in to 1922 Committee chair Sir Graham Brady showing no sign of abating, the mood on the Tory benches was that the total would inevitably reach the crucial threshold of 54.Although the number of MPs openly declaring they have sent a letter stands at just 16, at least a dozen more have called on the PM to go. Mr Bridgen said he believes the true tally of letters is “close” to the trigger point of 15 per cent of the 359 Tories in the Commons.Another backbencher told The Independent that a “rush” of letters can be expected to be handed in next Monday morning, triggering a confidence vote as early as Wednesday week.The Independent understands that last week MPs made representations to Tory grandees in the House of Lords, urging them to make clear their displeasure over Partygate to help build momentum behind the drive for a vote.Former leader Michael Howard, now a Tory peer, kept out of the fray when asked if he had confidence in the prime minister, telling the BBC he was “content to leave these matters to MPs in the House of Commons”.And while expectations were high that Mr Johnson would survive the initial vote by securing the votes of 180 or more MPs, one highly experienced backbencher warned that he would be left “wounded”, encouraging would-be successors at last to strike.“At the moment there is no obvious alternative leader for people to coalesce around, and I think Boris will probably survive the confidence vote,” said the veteran MP. “But the problem, as Theresa May found, is that simply being forced to a vote leaves you wounded, potentially terminally.“After that first vote, I think people who see themselves as future leaders will put their heads above the parapet and say that they are ready to stand for election, and that changes the landscape considerably.”There were signs of discontent on the backbenches that Mr Johnson appeared to be trying to distract attention from his leadership woes with headline-grabbing initiatives on frivolous issues, like a consultation on the return of imperial weights and measures to be launched this week.Long-time Johnson critic Tobias Ellwood dismissed the measure as a sign the party was “in denial” about the threat of ejection from office at the next election, describing it as “far from the inspirational, visionary progressive thinking that we require”.And a former cabinet minister described it as “catnip rather than something more nourishing”.The ex-minister told The Independent that Johnson’s survival depended on him showing he could “get on with the job” of focusing on voters’ core concerns – like the cost of living crisis – rather than promoting himself.“He needs to provide some months of diligent and competent government, doing some solid work on which he can be judged. And frankly, we need to see a little less of him.”Another former cabinet member told The Independent: “He needs to show he is a serious prime minister.“It will take a while, because he has suffered a lot of damage, but if he can show his serious side and address the things that really matter to constituents – most particularly in terms of the cost of living – that will do him a lot of good.”The damage to Mr Johnson’s standing from Partygate was reflected in a survey of activists conducted by the ConservativeHome website, which rated him the least popular member of the cabinet and suggested that the “bounce” gained from his robust response to the war in Ukraine has dissipated.Mr Ellwood said Ukraine must not be used as a “fig leaf” to prevent discussion of the leadership.“It’s time to shake off this partisan Stockholm syndrome,” he said. “Our party brand is suffering. We will lose the next election on current trajectory as reflected in recent by-elections and local elections.”Mr Wright said that Mr Johnson should go “for the good of this and future governments”, as the evidence of law-breaking in Downing Street would make the public less likely to obey instructions in a future emergency like the Covid pandemic.The “routine disregard” within No 10 for Covid rules “betrayed at best a casual and at worst a contemptuous attitude to the sacrifices made and distress felt for the many who observed rigorously both the spirit and letter of those rules,” said the former attorney general.“I find it impossible to accept that the prime minister does not bear some personal responsibility for that tone.”Ms Aiken, MP for the Cities of London and Westminster, said she was “incredulous and appalled” by the details of lockdown-breaching parties uncovered in the Sue Gray report.“If I were in the same position, I would put myself forward to the Conservative parliamentary party for a vote of confidence,” she said in a letter to constituents.And Mr Colburn told a constituent that he had submitted a letter “some time ago” and had seen nothing in the Gray report to persuade him to withdraw it.Mr Colburn’s Carshalton and Wallington seat in south London is a top blue-wall target for Liberal Democrats, who held the constituency from 1997 until he snatched it by just 629 votes at the last election.A Lib Dem source said: “Conservative MPs in the blue wall are terrified of losing their seats and are now trying to save their own skins. It’s too little and too late.“Voters won’t forgive the Conservatives for hammering them with tax rises and holding law-breaking parties in Downing Street.” More

Former attorney general Jeremy Wright has become the latest Conservative MP to call on Boris Johnson to resign.The ex-cabinet minister’s call came as a backbench MP first elected in 2019 revealed that he has submitted a letter of no-confidence in the prime minister.Carshalton and Wallington MP Elliot Colburn told a constituent that he had submitted a letter “some time ago” to 1922 Committee chair Sir Graham Brady and had seen nothing in the Sue Gray report to persuade him to withdraw it. At least 20 MPs have so far handed in letters and Sir Graham must call a leadership contest if the figure reaches 54.In a statement on his website, Mr Wright said that if Mr Johnson remains in 10 Downing Street he would hinder the process of “restoring faith in good government”.And he said: “I have with regret concluded that for the good of this and future governments, the prime minister should resign.”Mr Wright is the latest of at least 25 Tory MPs to call on Mr Johnson to step down, with several coming forward in the wake of last week’s Sue Gray report into the Partygate scandal which found “failures of leadership” at No 10.The Kenilworth & Southam MP said he did not regard the issuing of a £50 fixed penalty notice to the PM over a birthday party at No 10 as proof that he misled the House of Commons when he claimed Covid lockdown rules were followed in Downing Street.But he added: “In my view there is clear evidence he has been negligent. “I believe he could and should have done more to satisfy himself that assurance he had been given, and that he was in turn giving to parliament, were indeed correct.”And he said that the “routine disregard” within 10 Downing Street for Covid rules “betrayed at best a casual and at worst a contemptuous attitude to the sacrifices made and distress felt for the many who observed rigorously both the spirit and letter of those rules”.Damningly, he added: “I find it impossible to accept that the prime minister does not bear some personal responsibility for that tone.”Mr Wright – who served as attorney general in David Cameron’s administration and culture secretary under Theresa May but was sacked by Mr Johnson when he took office in 2019 – said that the events uncovered by Ms Gray “have done real and lasting damage to the reputation not just of this government but to the institutions and authority of government more generally”.Evidence that people in Downing Street failed to follow the rules they imposed on other Britons made it “less likely” that the public will again obey instructions issued by government in a future emergency, he warned.“Many will say that if senior government officials don’t keep to the rules, why should I?” he said. “Putting that right matters hugely to the essence of government authority and to the effectiveness of government policy, and I cannot see that the moving on of civil servants or apologies, however heartfelt, will succeed in doing so.“Accountability and restoring faith in good government require something more, both to safeguard future public compliance with government instructions when it counts and to allow the present government to deliver the important legislation it has introduced, including vital changes to social care funding, energy security and online regulation.“It now seems to me that the prime inister remaining in office will hinder those crucial objectives. I have therefore, with regret, concluded that, for the good of this and future governments, the prime minister should resign.” More

Business chiefs have hit out at post-Brexit trading rules, with one describing life outside the EU as “the same nightmare week after week”.Mark Brearley, who runs Kaymet, which makes tea trolleys and other kitchen equipment, said both the cost and red tape involved in the exporting of goods to the EU has increased.He said that a large proportion of his time is spent with “things going wrong” and that the EU feels like “the hardest place in the world to ship things to sometimes.”His comments in an interview with The Guardian come as Brussels and London remain locked in a row over Brexit’s Northern Ireland protocol.Prime minister Boris Johnson has threatened to take unilateral action to change parts of the protocol that govern trade between Great Britain, Northern Ireland and Ireland.Brussels has said it could retaliate by placing tariffs on UK exports to the EU, potentially sparking a trade war between to the two.Mr Brearly said he is concerned by that prospect: “There’s a sense of, ‘Oh God, here we go again.”’Danny Hodgson, who runs Rivet & Hide, which sells quality men’s clothing from stories in London and Manchester, has also seen the business affected by Brexit.He said that the EU customers he had spent over a decade building sunk by some 50 per cent in the first month after the UK left the EU and have not recovered.“It’s really frustrating,” he told The Guardian. “I hear Johnson boasting about free trade and all the rest of it.”I don’t know how he’s got the brass neck to talk about us doing free trade when basically he’s the one who’s imposed sanctions on our business.” He added: “We were freely trading with the EU and now we’ve had tariffs imposed on us through our Brexit deals.”The government has previously said that the UK being out of the EU will allow it to sign more trade deals with countries around the rest of the world, boosting firms at home. More

Downing Street has failed to deny that Boris Johnson took part in a birthday gathering in his flat above No 11 during lockdown in 2020.Reports at the weekend suggested that Mr Johnson joined wife Carrie and friends in the flat to celebrate his 56th birthday at a time when indoor gatherings were banned.The alleged event – which supposedly took place just hours after a cake presentation in the cabinet room for which both Mr and Mrs Johnson were fined by police – was not mentioned in last week’s Partygate report by senior civil servant Sue Gray.Asked eight times at a regular Westminster media briefing on Monday whether the event took place as described, a senior No 10 spokesperson failed to deny it.Instead, he repeatedly referred to the terms of reference for the Gray inquiry, telling reporters: “That was clear that they were able to look into other gatherings that they received credible allegations for, and those would be covered in the general findings in her final report.“Downing Street staff were given clear guidance to retain any relevant information and co-operate fully with the investigation. And you’ve seen the result – Sue Gray published her final report last week and the Met Police have concluded their investigations also.”Mrs Johnson is alleged to have sent texts to a No10 aide that indicate she hosted a gathering with at least two male friends in the Downing Street flat on the evening of 19 June 2020. Covid rules at the time prohibited indoor gatherings of two or more people, except for work purposes.According to the Sunday Times, the aide sent Mrs Johnson a message saying her husband was on his way back to the Downing Street flat at 6.15pm. The Daily Telegraph reported that Mrs Johnson responded: “Great. I am already here with the gays,” an affectionate reference to close gay male friends.Downing Street had previously acknowledged two birthday events on 19 June – one in the cabinet room and another when Mr Johnson lawfully met with siblings outdoors in his garden. However, in January No10 dismissed the existence of a third event as “totally untrue”.It is understood that the Downing Street aide reported the existence of the messages to the Gray team in January, but it is unclear whether they were handed over for consideration by the inquiry.Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner has called on the Commons Privileges Committee to investigate the allegations as part of its inquiry, expected to start next month, into whether Mr Johnson lied to parliament.Angela Rayner, Labour Deputy Leader and Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster responding to the refusal by the Prime Minister’s spokesperson to deny there was a social event in the PM’s Downing Street flat on the evening of his birthday on Friday 19 June 2020 said:She said: “It appears that Number 10 has now stopped denying that another lockdown-breaking secret gathering took place in the Downing Street flat.“Less than a week after the release of the Gray report, this raises serious questions about whether Downing Street has been caught lying yet again and why the event has not been investigated.”The prime minister must come clean with the British people.”Downing Street today confirmed that Mr Johnson will “engage” with the privileges committee inquiry, expected to be led by senior Labour MP Harriet Harman.Asked whether the PM was ready to give evidence to the inquiry, the No 10 spokesperson said: “We’ve said before that we will engage with the committee. It’s obviously for them to set out the process and the next steps.” More

Rishi Sunak says he will give his £400 energy rebate to charityFormer attorney general Jeremy Wright has become the latest of at least 25 Conservative MPs calling on Boris Johnson to resign, as the Partygate scandal rages on.The latest in a string of such calls came on Monday as Downing Street failed to deny that Mr Johnson had attended a birthday gathering during the first lockdown, after fresh reports claimed he had joined his wife Carrie and friends in their No 11 flat to celebrate his 56th birthday hours, just after being supposedly “ambushed by cake”. Asked eight times by reporters on Monday, a spokesperson failed to deny that Mr Johnson attended the alleged gathering, which was not mentioned in Sue Gray’s Partygate report.The Cabinet Office was forced to reject claims on Sunday that Ms Gray’s report had been tampered with, after it was claimed that senior members of Mr Johnson’s team sought to pressure her to omit certain details and names, with one source claiming “the entire machine fought her”.Show latest update

1653922225Another Tory MP reveals he has submitted letter of no confidence in Boris JohnsonCarshalton and Wallington MP Elliot Colburn has told a constituent that he had submitted a letter of no confidence in Boris Johnson “some time ago” to 1922 Committee chair Sir Graham Brady and had seen nothing in the Sue Gray report to persuade him to withdraw it. He is one of at least 26 Tory MPs who have called on Boris Johnson to resign.Andy Gregory30 May 2022 15:501653921685Imperial measurements could add ‘cost and confusion’ to business, warns trading bodyThe Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) has voiced its concern that the government intends to bring back imperial measurements.The CTSI, which represents the trading standards profession, said the move seemed “counter-intuitive” and would require “significant investment” in training and education of the public.“At a time when consumers and businesses are already feeling the pinch from higher prices and inflation, it is really important that any proposed measures don’t bamboozle the public on value for money and the prices of everyday items, or add unnecessary costs and confusion to business,” said the group’s chief executive John Herriman.Andy Gregory30 May 2022 15:411653920878UK firms slam post-Brexit EU trade as they face ‘same nightmare week after week’Business chiefs have hit out at post-Brexit trading rules, with one describing life outside the EU as “the same nightmare week after week”, my colleague Matt Mathers reports.Mark Brearley, who runs Kaymet, which makes tea trolleys and other kitchen equipment, said both the cost and red tape involved in the exporting of goods to the EU has increased.He said that a large proportion of his time is spent with “things going wrong” and that the EU feels like “the hardest place in the world to ship things to sometimes.”Andy Gregory30 May 2022 15:271653919885Sinn Fein ‘not giving up’ on attempts to elect speaker at StormontSinn Fein vice president Michelle O’Neill has said her party will keep having the Stormont Assembly recalled until a new speaker is elected, after the DUP thwarted a second attempt to elect a speaker as part of its continued protest over the Northern Ireland Protocol.“Here we are 26 days after the public have spoken, they placed their votes, they have voted for politics to work, they have voted for parties to work together to start tackling the issues that are worrying everybody right now, cost of living crisis and the fact that our waiting list situation is completely out of hand,” Ms O’Neill said.“We had our second attempt today to try and get things up and running, but unfortunately the DUP stand-off continues. We will come back again, we will do this again because I’m not giving up. I believe in making this institution work.“I’m disappointed, the public deserve a functioning Executive and Assembly. The DUP are punishing the public, it is the public who are missing out, it is the public who are being held to ransom because of their actions.”Andy Gregory30 May 2022 15:111653918925Angela Rayner hauls up No 10 over ‘totally untrue’ flat gathering commentAngela Rayner is among those to point out that No 10 had previously said claims of a birthday gathering in Boris Johnson’s No 11 flat were “totally untrue”.After ITV News reported claims in January that Mr Johnson hosted family friends in his private residence on birthday in June 2020, a No 10 spokesperson said: “This is totally untrue. In line with the rules at the time the Prime Minister hosted a small number of family members outside that evening.”But asked again today in light of fresh reports, a Downing Street spokesperson repeatedly failed to deny that the PM attended such a gathering.Andy Gregory30 May 2022 14:551653917965Stormont fails again to elect new speaker as DUP Brexit protocol protest continuesThe Stormont Assembly has failed for the second time to elect a new speaker, after the DUP refused to back the bid in protest until the UK government takes action over the Northern Ireland Protocol.The two nominations for the role, the Ulster Unionists’ Mike Nesbitt and the SDLP’s Patsy McGlone, failed to secure the necessary cross-community support from MLAs, and the plenary session of the Assembly was suspended.Sinn Fein had brought a recall petition to elect a speaker, deputy speaker – and to appoint a first minister and deputy first minister, which the DUP are refusing to do.Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O’Neill told the chamber: “The people have spoken and they want action, not protest. They want the parties and every single MLA elected to this democratic institution to get their sleeves rolled up and to get down to business.”She added: “The DUP’s stand-off is with the public and not with the European Union. As I stand here today I am ready to work with others.”But the DUP’s Paul Givan described the recall as “hypocrisy” not a “serious attempt” to restore powersharing, calling it “another attempt at majority rule” which “has no credibility when it comes forward from the party that kept these institutions down for three years”.Andy Gregory30 May 2022 14:391653917005Ex-minister calling for PM’s resignation ‘not a usual suspect’With the new statement from Jeremy Wright, two of the government’s most prominent backbench lawyers are now calling on Boris Johnson to resign, BBC Newsnight’s policy editor points out.In an increasingly familiar observation over recent days, ITV’s Paul Brand notes that the former attorney general is “not one of the usual suspects” to be calling for Mr Johnson to step down.Andy Gregory30 May 2022 14:231653916214Enough letters to trigger no confidence vote may have already been met, former government adviser suggestsThe requisite number of letters needed to trigger a no confidence vote in Boris Johnson’s leadership could have been reached, but are being held back until parliament returns next week, a former government adviser has suggested.While only Sir Graham Brady knows how many letters he has received, Sam Freedman – a senior fellow at the Institute for Government and former Department for Education adviser – noted that, in the event that the threshold of 54 has been reached, the 1922 Committee chairman would likely notify Tory MPs who have submitted letters to ensure they stand by their position, increasing the potential for news of a looming announcement to leak.Our chief political commentator John Rentoul has this running tally of potential letter-writers:Andy Gregory30 May 2022 14:101653915565Tory MP says he is ‘very disappointed’ but not among those calling for PM’s resignationDespite being “very disapppointed” by the “very painful episode” of Partygate, Conservative MP Anthony Browne has confirmed he is not among those calling for Boris Johnson to resign.Speaking to BBC Radio 4, Mr Browne was asked about former attorney general Jeremy Wright, who a moment ago became the latest of at least 25 Tory MPs to call on the PM to step down.”Well, I came on to talk about economic growth,” Mr Browne said. “I mean, clearly, the whole parties in Number 10 has been a very painful episode“I’ve been very disappointed by it, as many other people but the government, the prime minister has got the big measures right in terms of the pandemic and in terms of the war in Ukraine, which is obviously a huge international crisis that is ongoing at the moment.”On whether he is therefore not going to be among those calling for the prime minister to resign, the MP for South Cambridgeshire said: “No, but I am happy to answer questions about growth.”Andy Gregory30 May 2022 13:591653914660MP’s missing statement on Boris Johnson resignation reappearsA Conservative former minister’s statement calling for Boris Johnson to resign returned to his official website after disappearing.Jeremy Wright’s statement, which said the prime minister should resign because of the “real and lasting damage” of Partygate, was replaced with a “page not found” message for several minutes.It has now reappeared.Andy Gregory30 May 2022 13:44 More