UK Politics

Boris Johnson once more finds himself trapped in a fight for his political life as public anger over a series of rule-breaking parties alleged to have taken place in Downing Street while the rest of the country was in lockdown returns to the headlines.The PM, his chancellor Rishi Sunak and his wife Carrie Johnson were among the latest tranche of government staff members handed fixed penalty notice fines by the Metropolitan Police for breaking their own rules to stage parties during the Covid-19 pandemic.Both Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak have apologised and paid their fines, with Mr Johnson saying: “In all frankness at that time it did not occur to me that this might have been a breach of the rules. Of course, the police have found otherwise and I fully respect the outcome of their investigation.”But he brushed off calls for his resignation, saying: “I believe it’s my job to get on and deliver for the people of this country. That’s what I’m going to do.”However, as the first serving PM to be found to have broken the law, he has already come under intense pressure to resign from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, from Tory backbencher Nigel Mills and from campaign groups like Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice.While Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves added their voices to the calls to quit on Wednesday morning and reports emerge that Mr Sunak was talked out of quitting, the PM’s defenders including transport secretary Grant Shapps and Lord Frost has insisted that he is “completely mortified” by developments and keen to make amends.Leading backbench critics of Mr Johnson such as Sir Roger Gale and Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross have, meanwhile, argued that it is “not the time” for Britain change leaders in light of the war raging in Ukraine.The No 10 drinks parties held in the midst of England’s coronavirus lockdowns remain the subject of the Met’s ongoing investigation and Whitehall mandarin Sue Gray has still yet to deliver her full report into what went on behind closed doors.Ms Gray did submit a 12-page “update” on “Partygate” in January, which was heavily-redacted at the request of the Met, in which the civil servant blasted “failures of leadership and judgement” in Downing Street and the Cabinet Office, describing the behaviour of some personnel as “difficult to justify”.In a scathing comment on the culture at No 10 under Mr Johnson’s leadership, the senior civil servant wrote: “Some of the gatherings in question represent a serious failure to observe not just the high standards expected of those working at the heart of government but also of the standards expected of the entire British population at the time.”Her report also revealed that the PM’s birthday celebration was among a dozen gatherings being investigated by Scotland Yard, as was an alleged party in his private flat. Addressing the House of Commons on 31 January after the report’s publication before an accrimonious gathering of MPs, the PM said he “accepts Sue Gray’s general findings in full” and “above all her recommendation that we must learn from these events and act now”.He said he was “sorry for the things we simply didn’t get right and also sorry for the way that this matter has been handled”.“I get it, and I will fix it,” he added. “I want to say to the people of this country I know what the issue is. It is whether this government can be trusted to deliver, and I say ‘yes we can be trusted to deliver’.”Before Christmas, Mr Johnson – who won a landslide victory in the December 2019 general election just prior to the onset of the pandemic – faced intense pressure over what became known as Partygate, a series of allegations concerning a string of social events that appear to have taken place over the course of 2020 in contempt for the rules in place at the time.These included leaving do’s for seniors aides Lee Cain (13 November) and Cleo Watson (27 November) and a series of departmental Christmas parties the following month, including one at which former Conservative London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey was pictured (14 December) and the virtual festive quiz in which the PM himself took part via Zoom (15 December).When a video emerged showing the PM’s staff laughing and joking about having hosted a secret Christmas party during the 2020 winter lockdown, a scandal that prompted the tearful resignation of his spokesperson, Allegra Stratton, Mr Johnson said he he was “sickened” at the prospect of Downing Street employees ignoring social restrictions.But early in the New Year, Mr Johnson found himself sidestepping questions about whether he personally attended an event on 20 May.ITV News had reported that the PM’s principal private secretary, Martin Reynolds, had invited over 100 people by email to a “bring your own booze” bash in the grounds of his boss’s Westminster residence that day “to make the most of the lovely weather”.At the time of the alleged gathering, strict controls on social mixing were in place, prohibiting households from intermingling, schools were shut to most pupils and pubs, restaurants, nightclubs, sports stadia, cinemas and theatres were all closed.So strict were the rules at the time that police prosecuted people for having parties in their own homes, erected random checkpoints in some areas and, in Derbyshire, used drones to monitor beauty spots in the interest of shutting down illicit picnics.Police forces in England and Wales issued 14,244 fines for breaches of lockdown laws between 27 March and 11 May 2020, according to figures from the National Police Chiefs’ Council, also breaking up political demonstrations and social meet-ups in open areas like Hyde Park in central London in the interest of stopping the spread of the virus.An hour before the gathering in question is understood to have taken place, Cabinet minister Oliver Dowden had told members of the public via a live news conference about the Covid-19 outbreak: “You can meet one person outside your household in an outdoor, public place, provided that you stay two metres apart.”People would not be allowed to meet outside in groups of six until 1 June.Nevertheless, Mr Johnson and his then-partner (now wife) were among 30-40 people alleged to have attended the garden party in blithe indifference to the hardships the electorate were enduring, having responded to Mr Reynolds’ cheery invite email.A source told The Independent the PM had indeed “hung out” with staff for at least an hour as they knocked back drinks.Not all recipients were so keen to attend, however, with one staff member responding “Is this for real?” Another, according to the BBC, texted: “Um. Why is Martin [Reynolds] encouraging a mass gathering in the garden?” More

Boris Johnson is under renewed pressure over “Partygate” after he, his chancellor Rishi Sunak and his wife Carrie Johnson were among the latest tranche of government staff members handed fixed penalty notice fines by the Metropolitan Police for breaking their own rules to stage social events at Downing Street and Whitehall during the Covid-19 pandemic.Both the prime minister and chancellor have apologised and paid their fines, with Mr Johnson saying: “In all frankness at that time it did not occur to me that this might have been a breach of the rules. Of course, the police have found otherwise and I fully respect the outcome of their investigation.”He said he understood “the anger that many will feel that I myself fell short when it came to observing the very rules which the government I lead had introduced to protect the public”.But he brushed off calls for his resignation, saying: “I believe it’s my job to get on and deliver for the people of this country. That’s what I’m going to do.”However, as the first serving PM to be found to have broken the law, he has already come under intense pressure to resign from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, from Tory backbencher Nigel Mills and from campaign groups like Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice.While Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves added their voices to the calls to quit on Wednesday morning and reports emerge that Mr Sunak was talked out of quitting, the PM’s defenders including transport secretary Grant Shapps and Lord Frost has insisted that he is “completely mortified” by developments and keen to make amends.Leading backbench critics of Mr Johnson such as Sir Roger Gale and Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross have, meanwhile, argued that it is “not the time” for Britain change leaders in light of the war raging in Ukraine.The No 10 drinks parties held in the midst of England’s coronavirus lockdowns remain the subject of the Met’s ongoing investigation and Whitehall mandarin Sue Gray has still yet to deliver her full report into what went on behind closed doors.Ms Gray did submit her long-delayed report into Partygate to the PM in January and a 12-page “update”, heavily-redacted at the request of Scotland Yard, was released, in which the civil servant blasted “failures of leadership and judgement” in Downing Street and the Cabinet Office, describing the behaviour of some personnel as “difficult to justify”.The report considered a total of 16 separate social events at the PM’s Westminster residence and other government departments that took place while Covid regulations imposed strict limits on gatherings anywhere in the UK.In a scathing comment on the culture at No 10 under Mr Johnson’s leadership, the senior civil servant wrote: “Some of the gatherings in question represent a serious failure to observe not just the high standards expected of those working at the heart of government but also of the standards expected of the entire British population at the time”.Her report also revealed that Mr Johnson’s birthday celebration was among the dozen gatherings being investigated by detectives, as was an alleged party in the PM’s private flat.Addressing the House of Commons in its wake, the PM said he “accepts Sue Gray’s general findings in full” and “above all her recommendation that we must learn from these events and act now”.He said he was “sorry for the things we simply didn’t get right and also sorry for the way that this matter has been handled”.“I get it, and I will fix it,” he added. “I want to say to the people of this country I know what the issue is. It is whether this government can be trusted to deliver, and I say ‘yes we can be trusted to deliver’.”But during the course of his desperate bid to defend himself, Mr Johnson falsely accused his opposite number, Sir Keir, of being responsible for the failure to prosecute paedophile Jimmy Savile during his tenure as director of public prosecutions (DPP) between 2008 and 2013.An official report at the time made clear that Sir Keir had played no part in decisions that prevented the prosecution of the prolific sex offender prior to his death in 2011 but Mr Starmer did issue an apology in his capacity as DPP on behalf of the Crown Prosecution Service.The outcry over that smear prompted the resignation of Mr Johnson’s long-loyal adviser and director of policy Munira Mirza, who sent him a letter saying the “scurrilous” Savile jibe was an “inappropriate and partisan reference to a horrendous case of child sex abuse” and told Mr Johnson: “You have let yourself down.”Her exit was swiftly followed by three more, as the PM’s communications chief Jack Doyle, chief of staff Dan Rosenfield and principal private secretary Martin Reynolds all likewise jumped ship – with Downing Street hurriedly briefing that their exits were all part of a pre-planned shakeup of Mr Johnson’s inner circle.A day later, Elena Narozanski, another member of the Downing Street policy unit, became the fifth aide to join the exodus.Having initially said in December that he was “sickened” at the prospect of Downing Street employees ignoring social restrictions at events reported to have taken place in May, November and December 2020, Mr Johnson found himself sidestepping questions about whether he too had attended an event on 20 May after an explosive leaked email provided evidence that over 100 staff were invited to attend the bash and “bring your own booze”.No 10 stonewalled questions over that party – pointing to Ms Gray’s investigation – but anger only grew among Tory MPs and Conservative-leaning newspapers.Finally, at Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons at high noon on Wednesday 12 January, Mr Johnson did address the issue, confirming that he had attended the garden gathering for around 25 minutes with the intention of thanking his staff for their efforts during the pandemic while claiming, somewhat improbably: “I believed implicitly that it was a work event.”He apologised, expressed empathy for the public fury in light of the personal sacrifices millions had made and again implored his critics to await the outcome of Ms Gray’s inquiry before passing judgement.That cut little ice with his opposition number, Sir Keir describing the PM as a “pathetic spectacle of a man who has run out of road” and “without shame”, derided his apology as “worthless” following “months of deceit and deception” and called on him to resign, the seething disdain in his voice drawing chuckles of laughter from across Parliament while members of Mr Johnson’s frontbench sat stoney-faced behind their Covid masks.“Why does he think the rules do not apply to him?” Sir Keir asked, incredulous, voicing the thoughts of millions.Both Mr Davey and Ian Blackford, the Scottish National Party leader in the Commons, in turn called on Mr Johnson to “do the decent thing and resign”.Support for the embattled prime minister subsequently trickled in from Cabinet colleagues (and potential leadership challengers) like Mr Sunak, deputy PM Dominic Raab and foreign secretary Liz Truss, without a great deal of enthusiasm evident.Soon after, news of more parties has emerged to add to the total, including two separate events on 16 April 2021, the evening before Prince Philip’s funeral when the Queen sat alone in accordance with strict Covid rules as she bade farewell to her husband of 73 years.Both events are said to have been leaving parties for staff working in the PM’s inner team, with wild tales told of “excessive alcohol” being drunk, attendees dancing to music DJ’d by a special adviser beyond midnight and a staffer being sent out to the local branch of Co-op to fill a suitcase with bottles of wine.As further details were leaked to the newspapers in dribs and drabs, Mr Johnson invited further exasperated ridicule when he told Sky News during a hospital visit on Tuesday 18 January: “I can’t believe we would have gone ahead with an event that people said was against the rules… Nobody warned me it was against the rules, I am categorical about that – I would have remembered that.”After news of a sixteenth and final party, the aforementioned gathering to celebrate Mr Johnson’s birthday, emerged, the Met announced its investigation, prompting the delay of Ms Gray’s report.Prior to those final outrageous twists in the saga, a poll found that two-thirds of the public (66 per cent) believed the PM should resign over his role in the parties.Since then, the outbreak of Russia’s war in Ukraine has enabled Mr Johnson to rehabilitate his public image by leading the international response to Vladimir Putin’s actions, imposing harsh economic sanctions, sending weapons and aid and even visiting Kyiv to tour the city in the company of president Volodymyr Zelensky, an important show of solidarity.Meanwhile, his most likely challenger for the Tory leadership, Mr Sunak, has endured a torrid time of it, under fire over the cost of living crisis, his own tax affairs and now his own fine over Partygate.But only a leader as brazen and shameless as Boris Johnson could hope to survive the present outrage.He clearly does not intend to do the decent thing and step down of his own volition, as his rivals implored, so, unless his own backbenchers do submit the long-threatened letters of no-confidence to Sir Graham Brady’s 1922 Committee in sufficient numbers, the advent of the war and the spectre of local elections on 5 May might just be enough to save his bacon once again.A new YouGov poll has concluded that 57 per cent of the British public believes that he and Mr Sunak should resign, should he need any additional food for thought. More

Women from across British politics called Monday for action to tackle misogyny after a newspaper ran a story accusing the deputy opposition leader of trying to “distract” the prime minister during debates by crossing and uncrossing her legs.The Mail on Sunday quoted an anonymous Conservative lawmaker as saying Labour Party Deputy Leader Angela Rayner tried to throw Prime Minister Boris Johnson “off his stride” as she sat across from him in the House of Commons. The article likened it to a scene in the 1992 thriller “Basic Instinct” in which Sharon Stone is interrogated by police.Rayner accused “Boris Johnson’s cheerleaders” of using “desperate, perverted smears.”“I stand accused of a ‘ploy’ to “distract” the helpless PM – by being a woman, having legs and wearing clothes,” she wrote on Twitter. “Women in politics face sexism and misogyny every day — and I’m no different.”Rayner, who comes from a working-class family in northern England and left school when she was 16, makes a sharp contrast to Johnson, who was educated at the elite private school Eton and Oxford University. Johnson has sometimes struggled to parry her attacks during debates.The prime minister condemned the article, writing on Twitter: “As much as I disagree with Angela Rayner on almost every political issue I respect her as a parliamentarian and deplore the misogyny directed at her anonymously today.”Technology Minister Chris Philp said “nobody should have to suffer the kind of misogynistic abuse that sentiment amounts to.” He told Sky News that the anonymous lawmaker in the article would be disciplined if identified.More than a century after the first female lawmaker was elected to Britain’s Parliament, women make up 34% of the 650 legislators in the House of Commons. Long known for its boozy, macho atmosphere, Parliament is now a more diverse place. Some say change has not gone far enough. Many female politicians said the article was an extreme example of the sexism they encounter daily.“I hope that some good can come out of this awful article in The Mail on Sunday, and that is that people see what it is like in Parliament and people call out this misogyny and sexism for what it is and that we get some change because Angela and no other MP should have to put up with this sort of rubbish,” said Labour legislator Rachel Reeves.Senior Conservatives also condemned the remarks. Health Secretary Sajid Javid tweeted: “No woman in politics should have to put up with this.”Conservative lawmaker Caroline Nokes, who heads Parliament’s Women and Equalities Committee, said she had asked the Speaker of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, to censure Glen Owen, the journalist who wrote the article. More

A government minister has insisted there is “nothing surprising” about Boris Johnson and the culture secretary, Nadine Dorries, using identical words in tweets expressing support with Angela Rayner.The comments from the culture minister, Chris Philp, came as politicians of all stripes condemned the misogynistic claims made about Labour’s deputy leader by an unidentified Conservative MP in the Mail on Sunday.Ms Rayner labelled the story “desperate” and “perverted” after it quoted an anonymous MP claiming she crossed and uncrossed her legs in the Commons to distract Mr Johnson during prime minister’s questions.Asked about the article on Sky News, Mr Philp said he was “appalled by the sentiment was being expressed”, and said he would be “disgusted” if he heard any colleagues expressing similar views.“The prime minister and cabinet ministers have been absolutely right to roundly condemn that sentiment, to offer support to Angela Rayner on this issue,” he said.Mr Philp’s, however, insisted it was not surprising that both the prime minister as Ms Dorries, the culture secretary, used exactly the same words in tweets they posted denouncing the claims.“As much as I disagree with Angela Rayner on almost every political issue I respect her as a parliamentarian and deplore the misogyny directed at her anonymously today,” both Mr Johnson and Ms Dorries tweeted.Asked about the messages, Mr Philp said: “They share the same view. Nadine’s my boss and she feels very strongly about the place of women in politics and this sort of abuse is unacceptable.“I’m sure she’ll have discussed it with the prime minister and reached the same view and they’ve used the same words,” he added.“There’s nothing surprising for two colleagues in government to have exactly the same view and use the same words”.He also said that if the anonymous MP who spoke to the Mail on Sunday was identified, “I imagine they would be subject to discipline”. But he avoided questions on whether there should be an internal probe by Conservative Party whips.Last night, Mr Johnson was also reported to have wrote to Ms Rayner to insist that “misogynistic” claims about her conduct were “not in his name”, while the party’s chairman, Oliver Dowden, described them as “ludicrous”.In response to the article on Sunday, Labour’s deputy leader tweeted: “Women in politics face sexism and misogyny every day – and I’m no different.”She added: “Boris Johnson’s cheerleaders have resorted to spreading desperate, perverted smears in their doomed attempts to save his skin. They know exactly what they are doing. The lies they are telling.“The potted biography is given – my comprehensive education, my experience as a care worker, my family, my class, my background. The implication is clear.”“I won’t be letting their vile lies deter me. Their attempts to harass and intimidate me will fail. I’ve been open about how I’ve had to struggle to get where I am today. “I’m proud of my background, I’m proud of who I am and where I’m from – but it’s taken time.” More

The next Labour government would scrap the non-dom status used by rich individuals to cut their tax bills, the party has told The Independent.The decision comes after The Independent revealed that Rishi Sunak’s wife, wealthy businesswoman Akshata Murty, had used non-domicile status to minimise her UK tax bill and unveiled alleged links between Mr Sunak and offshore trusts. The chancellor, as well as most cabinet ministers, have declined to comment on whether they directly, or indirectly, benefitted from non-dom status or the use of tax havens.Labour’s shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said: “As the Tories raise taxes on working people, it simply isn’t right that those at the top can benefit from outdated non-dom tax perks.“With Labour, people who make the UK their home will contribute to this country by paying tax on their global income.” More