UK Politics

A senior Conservative has hit out at Boris Johnson for failing to explain what is “mission success” in Ukraine, as the war drags on into its third month.Tobias Ellwood, a former defence minister, spoke out as the foreign secretary Liz Truss delivers a major speech warning the world “will never feel safe again” if Vladimir Putin is allowed to win.Ms Truss will call for higher defence spending across the West and reverse policy by arguing for Ukraine to be sent fighter planes, as well as tanks and heavy weapons.But Mr Ellwood, the chair of the defence committee, said Nato’s policy must be to force Russia out of the eastern Donbas region, where experts fear a long bloody stalemate now looms.“The unanswered question I hope the foreign secretary will address is ‘what are we collectively trying to achieve? What is mission success’?” he said.“Given the threat is not just to Ukraine but well beyond, that this is game-changing, what we’re experiencing here in European security.“Putin must strategically fail in Ukraine and, if we allow him to survive, he will regroup and attempt to advance his sphere of influence way beyond Ukraine in the future,” he told Sky News.Mr Ellwood’s comment came after the Kremlin threatened to launch retaliatory strikes on western targets in response to British support for Ukraine attacks on Russian territory.James Heappey, the armed forces minister, said it was “completely legitimate” for Ukraine to hunt targets in Russia to disrupt logistics, even if the weapons were British-supplied.Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, warned Nato to stop “pouring oil on the fire”, accusing the alliance of “in essence” engaging in a proxy war.“These weapons will be a legitimate target for Russia’s military acting within the context of the special operation,” Mr Lavrov said, adding: “The danger is serious, real. And we must not underestimate it.”Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister, avoided a further escalation in the war of words, but said: “The Russian statement is unlawful.“And what we’re doing is lawful. International law is very clear on this. We’re entitled, all states are entitled, to provide military support to any state exercising the right of lawful defence against an aggressive invasion.“And frankly, if Russia starts threatening other countries, it only adds further to their pariah status and will only further solidarity, the consensus of the international community that they must be stopped.”The prime minister has been accused of breaking a pledge to do everything possible to ensure “Putin fails” in Ukraine, in his desire for a post-Brexit trade deal with India.He admitted he did not try to persuade India to drop its neutral stance towards Russia – despite No 10 insisting, last month, that it was putting pressure on “all world leaders” to join a global push to ensure Ukraine’s misery “cannot continue”. More

A tenant suffers the misery of a no-fault eviction every seven minutes after the government broke its pledge to outlaw the practice, campaigners say.It is exactly three years since ministers vowed to stop landlords kicking private renters out of their homes for no reason – and with only eight weeks’ notice.One year ago, a Renters’ Reform Bill was promised as soon as the Covid crisis eased, but no legislation has followed, with the parliamentary session due to end this week.Now the charity Shelter has discovered that nearly 230,000 tenants have been served with a no-fault eviction notice since April 2019 – when the pledge to end Section 21 notices was first made.The huge tally – one every seven minutes, Shelter says – has been racked up despite the eviction ban that was in place for 14 months when the pandemic struck in 2020.One renter revealed she was kicked out for protesting about a persistent failure to carry out bathroom repairs, leaving her and her daughter facing homelessness.Shelter is warning evictions will rocket further as the cost-of-living crisis bites, leaving tenants unable to put down deposit or pay rent in advance for a new home.“It’s appalling that every seven minutes another private renter is slapped with a no-fault eviction notice despite the government promising to scrap these grossly unfair evictions three years ago,” said Polly Neate, its chief executive.“It’s no wonder many renters feel forgotten. Millions of private renters are living in limbo – never truly able to settle – in case their landlord kicks them out on a whim.“With inflation and bills skyrocketing, renters desperately need a secure home as many will struggle to stump up the costs of having to move unexpectedly.”Ms Neate demanded that the government finally make good on its promise of a Renters’ Reform Bill in the next parliamentary session, starting next month.“Anything less would be a kick in the teeth for England’s 11 million private renters,” she added.Anna, a 44-year-old mother, told Shelter how she was served a Section 21 notice by her letting agent last month, after asking for repairs to be carried out at her property in Manchester.“I’ve always paid my rent on time. I’ve tried to make this place a home, not just a house we rent,” she said.“But now we’re going to end up on the streets just because we asked for a broken shower that left us with no hot water for a week to be repaired.“I’m worried, can’t sleep and don’t feel I can cry anymore. Landlords have all the power, and this isn’t right.”There are further doubts over whether the Renters’ Reform Bill will even be included in the Queen’s Speech that will open the next parliamentary session, on 10 May.A white paper – also covering a legally-binding Decent Homes Standard and a possible National Landlord Register – is promised for before the summer, suggesting any Bill is long way off. More

The fate of Ukraine remains “in the balance”, foreign secretary Liz Truss has warned as she called for allies to increase defence spending and supply tanks and warplanes to Kyiv.In a major speech, Ms Truss will argue that Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine shows the need for a shake-up of the international structures which failed to prevent Russia’s actions.She will argue that Western allies should impose tougher economic sanctions, including cutting off oil and gas imports “once and for all”, adding: “There must be nowhere for Putin to go to fund this appalling war.”Ms Truss will use her speech at London’s Mansion House on Wednesday to say: “We cannot be complacent – the fate of Ukraine remains in the balance.“And let’s be clear – if Putin succeeds there will be untold further misery across Europe and terrible consequences across the globe. We would never feel safe again.”Mr Putin’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has warned that weapons supplied by Western countries “will be a legitimate target” and Nato has effectively “entered into a war with Russia through proxies”.But the UK has backed Ukrainian strikes on military targets behind Russian lines – even if the weapons used have been supplied by the UK.Armed Forces minister James Heappey said “of course” the UK backs reported Ukrainian strikes on fuel depots in Russia, saying it was “completely legitimate”. Ms Truss will say: “We must be prepared for the long haul and double down on our support for Ukraine. Heavy weapons, tanks, aeroplanes – digging deep into our inventories, ramping up production. We need to do all of this.”The UK was one of eight Nato members to meet the alliance’s goal of spending at least 2 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence in 2021.Ms Truss will argue that there has been a “generation of under-investment” in the west and the 2 per cent target should be “a floor, not a ceiling”.The foreign secretary is also expected to say that the Russian invasion shows “the architecture” of the international order has failed Ukraine.Russia’s position as a veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council has limited that body’s ability to censure the Putin regime. Ms Truss will set out a new approach which recognises “we’re seeing the return of geopolitics”.Ms Truss wants to see the G7, the UK, US, Canada, Japan, France, Germany and Italy, playing a stronger role on the world stage. She also wants to forge a stronger network of bilateral security and economic partnerships.An ally of the cabinet minister said her speech is in recognition of the fact that the West has been “asleep at the wheel since the Cold War”.Earlier on Tuesday, Ms Truss condemned the “appalling reports” on the use of rape by Russian forces. She told MPs that the UK was working to collect evidence to “make sure the perpetrators are brought to justice”.Ms Truss said the UK wants new international agreement to make the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war a “red line”. She told the Commons: “It needs to be regarded in the same way as the use of chemical weapons.” More

Facebook has removed video of a captured British soldier being questioned while handcuffed after Sir Nick Clegg was contacted, the Prime Minister has said.Boris Johnson said the clip of Aiden Aslin was taken down after Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries rang former UK deputy prime minister Sir Nick, who is now the vice president of global affairs at Facebook’s parent company Meta.Speaking to TalkTv, Mr Johnson said: “Nadine Dorries rang Facebook earlier today, she rang Nick Clegg, and as I understand the matter Nick has agreed to take that down.”Meta is understood to have been investigating the video prior to Ms Dorries’ intervention.The footage of Mr Aslin, who was captured while fighting with Ukrainian armed forces against Russia earlier this month, was released by British man Graham Phillips.The video, which was also uploaded to YouTube but has since been taken down, shows Mr Aslin with injuries to his face and being asked if he is speaking of his own free will and with “absolutely” no coercion.Mr Aslin replies: “Yes, I agreed to this”, before staring blankly into the camera.His family told TalkTv on Monday they were “horrified” by the footage, calling for Mr Johnson to “act now” to free him and have urged for a prisoner swap to take place.In footage broadcast on Russia’s Rossiya 24 last week, Shaun Pinner, a second Briton who has been captured, addressed Mr Johnson and appeared to ask for himself and Mr Aslin to be swapped for pro-Kremlin politician Viktor Medvedchuk, who has been held in Ukraine.Mr Johnson said the Government “will do what they can” regarding the prison swap.“Clearly it is for the Ukrainians,” he told TalkTv. “They have the other individual who is part of the equation. We can’t really pre-empt what they may decide.”Mr Johnson added: “It is very important to understand that Aiden and other UK nationals who have been fighting for the Ukraine armed forces who get captured are not hostages and they are not to be swapped as though they are terrorists – they are prisoners of war.“They are, therefore, entitled to rights under the Geneva Convention.“They should not be paraded in front of the cameras. They should not be made to give hostage videos – that is a breach of their rights as prisoners of war.”A spokesperson for Meta said: “We’ve removed the video in question for violating our Privacy Policy.” More

Cabinet ministers are split over suggestions for easing the cost of living crisis at no cost to the government, which include demands to scrap green levies and a plan to lower MOT test intervals from one to two years.Chancellor Rishi Sunak made clear to ministers at a brainstorming session that there was no money available to fund schemes to help hard-pressed households.There were clashes around the table as policing minister Kit Malthouse called for tax cuts to offset the hurt from rising prices, and business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng resisted demands from Jacob Rees-Mogg to scrap the levies that add £150 a year to the average energy bill.With Conservatives taking a battering in the run-up to the local elections over the impact of soaring inflation, Boris Johnson called on every minister to produce ideas to help put money back in voters’ purses and wallets.He was said to be particularly keen to cut the cost of childcare, where prices have risen by a third in the past decade from around £102 in 2012 to £137 now for an average part-time weekly nursery place for a child under two.Ideas pitched to the meeting are understood have included a proposal first floated last autumn, but so far not taken up, to increase the maximum number of children that can be looked after by each carer in a nursery.Meanwhile, transport secretary Grant Shapps is understood to have proposed increasing the length of time between MOT roadworthiness tests from one to two years, effectively halving their cost.Another idea under consideration is a cut in tariffs on imports of food that cannot be grown in the UK, such as rice.The most promising ideas will be selected for possible implementation at a meeting “in the next couple of weeks”, to be chaired by the PM and attended by his deputy, Dominic Raab, Mr Sunak, and chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster Steve Barclay.But the mooted cost-of-living package will not be ready in time to feature in the Queen’s speech on 10 May, when Mr Johnson will set out his legislative plans for the coming year.Speaking to his cabinet, Mr Johnson accepted that Britons were facing “real pressures”, but blamed external factors such as Russian president Vladimir Putin’s “crazed malevolence” in Ukraine and recent Covid-related lockdowns in China.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Britain needs “an emergency Budget, not a cabinet meeting”.“The cost of living crisis has been staring us in the face for six months now, and it’s a real problem for people struggling with their bills – and the cabinet meeting this morning isn’t going to change any of that,” he said.Mr Johnson’s official spokesperson refused to discuss individual proposals, only telling reporters that there was “a need to balance the amount of regulation and bureaucracy so that it is sufficient to ensure public safety is protected but is not placing an undue burden on the public”.But the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) said that “tinkering” with the adult-child ratio – which varies according to age, from 1:3 for under-twos to at least 1:8 for over-threes – was “shortsighted” and would not achieve the desired outcome.NDNA chief executive Purnima Tanuku said: “We risk putting additional pressure on an overworked workforce while undermining efforts to give children the best start in life.”After years of government underfunding for childcare places, around 95 per cent of nurseries say that they are not covering their costs, and 85 per cent are operating at a loss or just breaking even, she said.“We want to see a government committed to levelling-up opportunities for all children by investing in their early years, where we know it makes the biggest impact for their life chances,” said Ms Tanuku. “Instead we seem to be talking about a race to the bottom that won’t help children or families but will worsen the workforce crisis we have in early years.”Labour education spokesperson Bridget Phillipson ​said the government had made high-quality childcare “increasingly unavailable and unaffordable”.“Now the government’s solution is to drive down quality whilst making no difference to availability,” she said. “Labour’s Children’s Recovery Plan would invest in early years places for children on free school meals, and boost access to before- and after-school clubs.“The chancellor has failed to give families security. The Conservative government needs to set out an emergency budget to tackle its cost of living crisis – and support Labour’s call to put money back in the pockets of working people.”The Liberal Democrats’ education spokesperson, Munira Wilson, said Mr Johnson had failed to respond to the “eye-watering” increase in childcare costs.She added: “Boris Johnson’s new plan is not to address this issue head-on, but instead to cut corners and endanger our children. Their safety should be our number one priority, not reduced to a cost-cutting measure.“The government must address the crippling costs of childcare so families get the support they need and can afford to return to work.”Jack Couzens, head of roads policy at the AA, told The Independent that Mr Shapps’s idea for less-frequent MOT tests might not prove popular with drivers, after a poll for the motoring organisation found significant support for the existing one-year interval.With the price of an MOT test capped at £54.85, and some providers offering them for substantially less, drivers are unlikely to feel a significant financial boost from the proposal, he pointed out.And he said: “In our poll, people supported yearly MOTs on the basis that it ensures that people keep their cars safe to use on the roads. I think people would rather feel relief at the petrol pumps than be helped with other costs of motoring.“Waiting longer to MOT your car runs the risk that problems that would have been picked up have another 12 months to get worse, and potentially lead to higher costs at the next test or difficulties when out on the road.”Following their cabinet-room clash, Mr Kwarteng took a pop at Mr Rees-Mogg on Twitter, posting a chart showing that new solar and wind power are now four times cheaper than gas generation in the UK.“The more cheap, clean power we generate at home, the less exposed we’ll be to expensive gas prices,” he said.A source close to Mr Kwarteng declined to disclose details of the cabinet discussion, but said: “I don’t think anyone will be surprised that Kwasi defended generating cheap and clean power in the UK rather than burning foreign gas.“Green energy is the cure for high prices, not the cause.” More

Vladimir Putin is so popular in Russia that he has the “political space” to withdraw his forces from Ukraine, said Boris Johnson.The prime minister said the Russian president still has “massive backing” from his own people despite international outrage over the invasion.“The Russian public overwhelming back Putin,” Mr Johnson told Talk TV. “Therefore he has the political margin for manoeuvre from within Russia … Putin has far more political space to back down, to withdraw.”The PM added: “There could come a point when he could say to the Russian people, ‘The military-technical operation that we launched in Ukraine has been accomplished’. He has a lot of room for manoeuvre.”Mr Johnson also said he did not expect Putin to use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine if he faced more military failures in the country – saying he was not worried about the scenario.He also rejected Moscow’s claim that the UK was engaged in a proxy war with Russia. “It’s very important we don’t accept the way the Russians are trying to frame what’s going on in Ukraine,” Mr Johnson said.The PM dismissed Sergei Lavrov’s comments about the increased risk a nuclear war, after the Russian foreign minister claimed Nato was “in essence” engaged in a proxy war by supplying Ukraine with weaponry.Earlier on Tuesday the Armed Forces minister James Heappey backed Ukrainian strikes on targets behind Russian lines – even if the weapons used have been supplied by the UK – saying it was “completely legitimate”. Mr Johnson said: “We don’t want the crisis to escalate beyond Ukraine’s border, but as James Heappey said, they have a right to defend themselves.”The prime minister said it was “quite extraordinary” that Sweden and Finland had said they wanted to join Nato – warning Putin that western nations would provide more weapons and share intelligence with Ukraine.He added: “I have a lot sympathy with individual Russians, with Russia as country – it’s a fantastic country. But Putin’s regime is engaged in a diabolical attempt to crush the life out of the Ukrainians.”The PM did not rule out a prisoner swap to free a Briton who has been captured by Russian forces but said his government could not “pre-empt” what decisions may be made by Ukraine’s leaders.The family of Aiden Aslin, who has been captured during the Ukrainian war, want Russia to free him after he appeared in a video asking to be part of a prisoner swap in exchange for pro-Russian politician Viktor Medvedchuk, held by Ukraine.On the chances of a prisoner swap, Mr Johnson said: “We will do what we can. Clearly it is for the Ukrainians. They have the other individual who is part of the equation. We can’t really pre-empt what they may decide.”Mr Johnson said Mr Aslin and others were “entitled to rights under the Geneva Convention”, adding: “They should not be paraded in front of the cameras. They should not be made to give hostage videos – that is a breach of their rights as prisoners of war.”The prime minister said Facebook was removing a video clip of Mr Alsin comes after culture secretary Nadine Dorries called Nick Clegg, vice president of global affairs at parent company Meta. More

Misogynistic remarks about Angela Rayner by Torys MP in the Mail on Sunday “stink of” classism as well as sexism, a leading human rights lawyer has said.Charlotte Proudman, a feminist barrister, suggested some Conservatives perceived the Labour deputy leader as not being of the “same standard” as Eton-educated politicians due to the fact she went to state school.Anonymous Tory MPs quoted in the Mail on Sunday claimed Ms Rayner tried to knock Boris Johnson “off his stride” during Prime Minister’s Questions by “crossing and uncrossing her legs” in a scene supposedly reminiscent of the film Basic Instinct.The article has been widely condemned as sexist and Ms Rayner has accused the MPs of disseminating “desperate, perverted smears” about her.Dr Proudman, an award-winning family law lawyer, told The Independent: “It stinks of sexism and classism. Because Rayner went to a comprehensive school she’s not up to the same standard of an Eton-educated man.“I went to comprehensive school as did many of my colleagues, and to suggest that we are substandard is highly patronising and classist.”The lawyer said the comments from anonymous Tory MPs about Rayner demonstrate “how out of touch” the Conservative Party is.Dr Proudman added: “The misogynist Daily Mail headline is beyond the pale. It’s an attempt to reduce a powerful female MP to a sexual object, to ridicule and berate her. “She is judged on the clothes she wears and she is imagined by some men to be crossing her legs in parliament with no knickers. “Men are never held up to the same standards. Imagine a headline commenting on whether our prime minister had his underpants on? Or the fact his fly is undone and so we imagine him without underpants. It would never happen.”Dr Proudman noted it was not the first time a UK MP who is a woman has been compared to Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct, with Conservative MP Lucy Fraser also enduring similar coverage in tabloid reports in 2016.The lawyer added: “This is misogyny of the darkest form as it suggests to the public that’s it’s permissible to enjoy titillation and entertainment at the expense of women’s dignity and integrity. It’s not.“Just remember every time the media shares a photograph of Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct they are showing a woman’s body part which was filmed without her consent. She was duped into the filming and had no idea that her vagina would be shown in the film. This isn’t sexy. It isn’t art. It’s misogyny in which men take advantage of women.”Jess Phillips, the shadow minister for domestic violence and safeguarding, told The Independent the article written about Ms Rayner was “as dangerous as it is stupid”.Ms Phillips, who is the Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, added: “It perpetuates the lie that women use sexual power to control and that is a lie that causes women to be attacked and brutalised. The story that we all should be more worried about is the one about abusive MPs.”Ms Rayner frequently sits next to Sir Keir Starmer and opposite Mr Johnson during PMQs, and stands in for the Labour leader when he is absent. Mr Johnson has “deplored the misogyny directed at” Ms Rayner and said the Tory MPs quoted in the article, written by journalist Glen Owen, were not speaking for him.Jemima Olchawski, chief executive of Fawcett Society, a gender equality charity, told The Independent: “Angela Rayner deserves better, women in politics deserve better, and our democracy deserves better. “It’s bad enough that Glen Owen’s ‘sources’ saw fit to make these vile, misogynist comments but the fact they were then turned into a story by the Mail on Sunday is a particular low.”Ms Olchawski said it was“not news” parliament is a “hostile environment for women” and warned articles such as the Mail on Sunday piece put women off embarking on a political career.“Which is damaging for all of us,” she added. “It’s about time stern action was taken to stamp out sexism and misogyny in our parliament, the media and beyond.”Glitch, an anti-online abuse charity, told The Independent they were “horrified” to witness the “misogynistic remarks made about Angela Raynor by fellow MPs”. In a statement, the organisation added: “Misogyny is a threat to democracy, silencing and belittling women who we have chosen to represent us. “This abuse, online and offline, is often a barrier to women engaging in public life, with online abuse often cited as a reason many women MPs choose not to run for re-election, especially black women. We must address it in every sphere, so that fear of misogyny is no longer a barrier to women in politics.”Addressing the comments about her, Ms Rayner tweeted Mr Johnson and his backers “clearly have a big problem with women in public life” and that they “should be ashamed of themselves”.“I won’t be letting their vile lies deter me. Their attempts to harass and intimidate me will fail,” she added. More

Nigel Farage has claimed that nobody new follows him on Twitter anymore and said engagement with his posts is at an “all-time low”.The former Ukip leader blamed the low interest in his musings on the social network’s “algorithm” which he suggested was somehow penalising him.His comments come as US billionaire Elon Musk bought the website for $44 billion US (£35 billion) and claimed he would protect free speech.In a post on the social network Farage said: “For years I would gain 30,000 new Twitter followers per month and most tweets would get 5,000 plus retweets.”Now I’ve had zero growth for 18 months and engagement is at an all-time low. It’s the same for thousands of others.”Twitter’s algorithm now needs to change — and change fast!”Mr Farage admitted that it was possible that “my stuff’s really dull and boring” and that “I’ve not nothing interesting to say, no original thoughts whatsoever”.But he added, laughing: “I don’t actually think that’s the case.”The former Brexit campaigner’s 18-month run of back luck gaining followers on social media appears to align exactly with Britain’s departure from the European Union’s single market at the start of 2021.In a video accompanying his post, Mr Farage also complained that a “senior Twitter executive” had called him a “c**t” in a reported conversation with one of the politician’s friends.”So much for a platform for free speech!” Mr Farage said, adding that he hoped the new owner Mr Musk would address the situation. More