UK Politics

The government has ditched an attempt to delay a vote on a new probe into whether Boris Johnson misled parliament over Partygate.Conservative MPs will be given a free vote on Labour’s motion seeking a Commons privilege committee investigation into claims the PM did not tell the truth about the scandal.Speaking only moments before a debate on the motion, Commons Leader Mark Spencer said: The prime minister has indicated he’s keen for the House to decide on the business later today.”The Tory minister added: “The vote on the unamended House business will be a free vote to all Conservative MPs and that’ll be the case this afternoon.”Tory MPs had been deeply uneasy about the government amendment aimed at pushing back a vote until after the Metropolitan Police inquiry. One ex-minister told The Independent it looked like “a blocking move”.A senior government source claimed that Mr Johnson was “happy to face” a parliamentary inquiry after the U-turn saw Tory MPs granted a free vote on Thursday afternoon.The source said: “He’s happy to face whatever inquiries parliament sees fit, and is happy for the House to decide how it wishes to proceed today and therefore will not be whipping Conservative MPs.”Labour said the government had been forced into “humiliating” U-turn after being caught in an attempted “cover up” – and urged Tory backbenchers to vote for the motion.Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said: “This is humiliating for Conservative MPs who were being pressured to vote for the government’s cover-up amendment.”She added: “Tory MPs should do the right thing, respect the sacrifices that their constituents made during the pandemic, and vote in the national interest.”Speaking in India earlier on Thursday, Mr Johnson said MPs should have the “full facts” before deciding whether the parliament should investigate him.But Mr Johnson’s press secretary said the PM had been involved in the decision to make a U-turn. A senior government source claimed that No 10 was satisfied that the Labour motion would “almost certainly” allow the parliamentary probe to begin after the police inquiry.Although the Labour-led motion asks MPs to vote on the issue today, it says the committee inquiry should not begin in earnest until Scotland Yard have concluded their own inquiry into lockdown-busting parties.Vote on Boris Johnson investigation dismissed as Labour ‘shenanigans’ by ministerSir Keir Starmer – opening the debate on investigating claims that Mr Johnson misled the House – said the motion “seeks to defend the simple principle that honesty, integrity and telling the truth matter”.Urging Tory MPs to back the motion supported by opposition parties, he added: “It’s a principle that’s been cherished by Conservatives for as long as that party has existed … Everyone should support this passing today.”SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford was allowed to repeatedly call Boris Johnson “a liar” in parliament, unchallenged by Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle.“There is one thing that needs to be said … The prime minister of the United Kingdom is a liar,” said Mr Blackford. “He lied to avoid getting caught. And once he got caught, he lied again.”It was only when Mr Blackford made a reference to Mr Johnson “lying to the Queen” that the Speaker challenged the SNP. “I’ve asked for moderate language … ‘lying to the Queen’ I’m not happy [with]. I want you to withdraw that.”The Speaker said he wanted Mr Blackford to stick to “the terms of what we are debating” – apparently allowing claims of “liar” to be made because of the nature the discussion on whether the PM misled the House.SNP MP calls Boris Johnson ‘liar’ in CommonsTory MP William Wragg – who called for the PM to go earlier this year, but has been quiet since – said: “I cannot reconcile myself to the prime minister’s continued leadership of our country and the Conservative party.”Revealing he had submitted a no-confidence letter, Mr Wragg said it was “utterly depressing to be asked to defend the indefensible” – and urged colleagues to make their minds up on Mr Johnson’s leadership.He added: “We must stop delegating and delaying our political judgement. We each only have our own limited and imperfect integrity. We can’t keep spending it on others who we cannot be sure will not let us down.”Senior government figures now expect the motion to pass, meaning Mr Johnson will face an investigation into his comments about parties – including his December claim “that all guidance was followed in No 10”.Mr Johnson’s aides are also braced for him to receive multiple fines, having already been handed one fixed-penalty notice for the gathering on his 56th birthday. He is thought to have been at six of the 12 events under investigation by Scotland Yard. More

Boris Johnson should be investigated further over Partygate – amid claims he misled parliament, according to 97 per cent of The Independent’s readers.MPs are debating and voting on Labour’s motion seeking a parliamentary investigation into claims the PM lied about the scandal, with a vote expected on Thursday afternoon. Commons leader Mark Spencer revealed moments before the debate Conservative MPs will be given a free vote on the matter.Earlier this week, when Speaker Lindsay Hoyle announced a debate and vote would take place, The Independent asked readers in a poll whether they thought Johnson should be investigated further. Of 432 votes in two days, 419 people said yes and 13 said no. There was also an option ‘don’t know’, which received no votes.The question sparked several comments from readers.Kermit68 wrote in the comments section: “No Question. He should be removed from office and disqualified from holding any future office at directorial level. Liars should not be allowed to hold any high office.”JohnBBroughton said: “He should go now. The man is a serial liar and the pathetic excuse about Ukraine is nonsense. Chamberlain was ousted in 1940 when the UK was in its greatest danger.“He broke his own laws, misled Parliament. He has lied to the Queen. What else does he need to do to show how unfit he is to run anything more valuable than a whelk stall.”TheJanitor added: “NO, enough with investigations. Oust him immediately!”How do you think MPs will vote this afternoon? Let us know in the comments below. More

British lawmakers looked likely Thursday to order an investigation into Prime Minister Boris Johnson for allegedly lying about whether he broke coronavirus restrictions by attending illegal gatherings during the pandemic.The opposition Labour Party has called a House of Commons vote that, if passed, would trigger a watchdog committee probe of Johnson for allegedly misleading Parliament. Ministers found to have knowingly misled Parliament are generally expected to resign.Johnson’s Conservatives have a substantial majority in Parliament, but many are uneasy with the prime minister’s behavior and could support the opposition move. The government initially said it would order Conservative lawmakers to oppose Labour’s motion, but later backtracked in the face of party disquiet and gave them a free vote — significantly raising the chances the measure will pass. Labour leader Keir Starmer said his measure sought to uphold “the simple principle that honesty, integrity and telling the truth matter in our politics.”Johnson wasn’t attending the vote on a scandal that has rocked his leadership of the country and the Conservative Party. He was more than 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) away in India, insisting he wanted to “get on with the job” of leading the country.Johnson was fined 50 pounds ($66) by police last week for attending his own birthday party in his office in June 2020, when people in Britain were barred from meeting up with friends and family, or even visiting dying relatives. Johnson is the first British prime minister ever found to have broken the law while in office.He has apologized, but denied he knowingly broke the rules. Johnson’s shifting defense — initially saying there were no illegal gatherings, then claiming it “did not occur to me” that the birthday event was a party — has drawn derision and outrage from opponents, who have called for him to quit.It has also made some Conservatives uncomfortable about defending a leader who broke rules he imposed on the country. Until now many have indicated they will wait and see whether public anger translates into losses for the party at local elections across the country on May 5.Senior civil servant Sue Gray is investigating 16 events, including “bring your own booze” office parties and “wine time Fridays” in Johnson’s 10 Downing St. office and other government buildings. Police are probing a dozen of the events and so far have handed out at least 50 tickets, including those to Johnson, his wife Carrie and Treasury chief Rishi Sunak, and Johnson could still face more police fines.As he flew out to India for a two-day visit official focused on boosting economic ties, Johnson again denied knowingly misleading Parliament.And he insisted he would lead the Conservatives into the next national election, due by 2024. He said aboard his plane to the western Indian state of Gujarat that there might be “some imaginary circumstances in which I might have to resign, but I don’t propose to go into them. I can’t think of them right now.” More

Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi has rejected a call by England’s Children’s Commissioner to ban smacking – saying there was nothing wrong with a “light smack on the arm”.Dame Rachel de Souza signalled her support for changing the law so England follows Scotland and Wales in banning the smacking of children.But Mr Zahawi rejected the idea as “nanny state” politics, and revealed that his wife occasionally gives their nine-year-old daughter “a light smack on the arm if she’s being completely naughty”.The education secretary told Times Radio: “My very strong view is that actually we have got to trust parents on this and parents being able to discipline their children is something that they should be entitled to do.”The minister told TalkRadio: “A light smack on the arm by a parent – I think most people listening this morning won’t recognise as anything wrong.”Mr Zahawi added: “The discipline of children should be left up to parents … I trust parents. And I think it’s much better to do that than have a nanny state.”Dame Rachel de Souza has signalled her support for changing the law to give children the same protection from assault as adults.“I absolutely abhor, and I’m against, violence of any kind against children,” she told Times Radio. Because children are more vulnerable than adults, I think we do need to ensure that their rights are supported.”The “smacking ban” was brought in under the Children Act 2020 and marks the end of the common law defence of “reasonable punishment”. It came after Scotland introduced its own ban in November 2020.Although Dame Rachel acknowledged that protections for children are already “Enshrined in law” in England, she expressed admiration for the actions of the Scottish and Welsh governments.Saying Boris Johnson’s government had a “great opportunity” to look at its implementation in Wales, she added: “It’s certainly something that I think we should consider.”Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer previously said the move should be mirrored in England, calling it “the right thing” to do.But Mr Zahawi said on Thursday that there was a “very big difference” between a “light smack on the arm” and child abuse.“Even when that happens it has to be on a very, very rare sort of occasion, and not something we would want to do as parents very often,” the minister told Times Radio, adding that it was better to “sit down and communicate with your child”.A survey commissioned by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children found more than two-thirds of adults in England believe it is wrong for parents or carers to physically punish their child, with 58 per cent thinking it was already illegal. More

Peace talks to end the war in Ukraine are doomed because Vladimir Putin cannot be trusted, Boris Johnson has said.Accusing the Russian president of a complete failure to approach talks in good faith, Mr Johnson said it was clear Putin was seeking to grab territory to use as leverage in talks – and could even launch another assault on capital Kyiv for that purpose.Insisting that Putin cannot be viewed as a “valid interlocutor”, he asked: “How can you negotiate with a crocodile when it’s got your leg in its jaws? That is the difficulty that the Ukrainians face.”While stressing that any decisions on Ukraine’s future must be for the country’s people and president Volodymyr Zelensky, Mr Johnson said that it was “very hard” to see how they could enter negotiations with Putin.He said that Mr Zelensky was taking a “pretty maximalist” approach towards the position of the eastern Donbas region in any talks, insisting that Russian forces must withdraw from positions in Donetsk and Luhansk seized in 2014.But he suggested that the Ukrainian president may have given up on hopes of regaining Crimea saying that Zelensky was “not as maximalist” about Russia quitting the peninsula.Speaking to reporters on his two-day trade trip to India, Mr Johnson said: “It’s very hard to see how the Ukrainians can negotiate with Putin, given his manifest lack of good faith and his strategy, which is evident, to try to engulf and capture as much of Ukraine as he can and then perhaps to have some sort of negotiation from a position of strength – or even launch another assualt on Kyiv.“I really don’t seen how the Ukrainians can easily sit down and come to some kind of accommodation. How can you negotiate with a crocodile when it’s got your leg in its jaws? That is the difficulty that the Ukrainians face.”Mr Johnson said that in phone talks on Tuesday with G7 leaders, including US president Joe Biden, and Ukraine’s neighbours Poland and Romania, it was agreed to stick to the existing support towards Kyiv.“Keep going with the strategy, keep supplying them with the things they need to help them defend themselves, particularly with artillery,” said the prime minister.“This is turning into a conflict of heavy artillery exchanges and the UK is doing a lot to supply Soviet-era shells, in addition to the 150 armoured vehicles we have announced.”He added: “The view of the president of Ukraine, if I have understood him correctly, is that he would actually like Russian forces to be expelled from their existing positions in Donetsk and Luhansk. That’s a pretty maximalist position.“On Crimea, they are not so maximalist.“I don’t see how Putin can be a valid interlocutor, I really don’t see that. But that’s for the Ukrainians.”Ukraine is likely to be a sore point in Mr Johnson’s talks with Indian PM Narendra Modi on Friday, as India has sharply increased its imports of Russian oil in recent months, taking advantage of discounted prices resulting from international sanctions.But Downing Street said that the PM will not “lecture” Modi on the need to cut off ties with Moscow, but will engage “constructively” on alternative ways for Delhi to source its energy and defence needs. More

Boris Johnson is under intense pressure over Partygate again, after he and his chancellor Rishi Sunak were handed fixed penalty notice fines by the Metropolitan Police.Scotland Yard announced more than 50 fines for government staff members over law-breaking events held at Downing Street and Whitehall during the Covid pandemic.Having initially said in December he was “sickened” at the idea of No 10 staff flouting rules, Mr Johnson found himself forced to admit that he too had attended an event on 20 May 2020.Since then, more damning reports have appeared about further pandemic-era parties allegedly held behind the scenes in Westminster.The Independent looks at all the claims of parties and investigations into gatherings across No 10, government departments and at Conservative Party HQ.15 May 2020 – No 10 garden gatheringA joint investigation by The Independent and The Guardian revealed that a wine and pizza gathering was held in the No 10 rose garden on 15 May 2020 – despite people from different households being restricted to one-on-one meetings outdoors.An image later published showed wine and cheese being consumed by the prime minister, Ms Johnson, and advisers including Dominic Cummings. Former health secretary Matt Hancock was also photographed in the Downing Street garden, after having delivered the day’s covid press conference.Mr Johnson has previously insisted “those people were at work, talking about work”. At the time, Covid laws banned gatherings of more than two people unless they met specific exemptions, such as being “for work purposes”.20 May 2020 – ‘Bring your own booze’In a blog post, Mr Cummings, the PM’s former chief adviser, dismissed the idea that the 15 May photograph depicted a party, insisting it was common practice for meetings to be held in the open air of the garden.However, he claimed that a “socially distanced drinks” event did take place on 20 May 2020. The row exploded as a leaked email sent from the PM’s private secretary showed over 100 No 10 staff were invited to the event, told to “bring your own booze”.Mr Johnson subsequently apologised, confirming that he attended the event for around 25 minutes but assumed it was “a work event” – an execuse that drew laughs of incredulity in the Commons and mockery from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.This became one of 12 events investigated by the Metropolitan Police as part of the Operation Hillman investigation, after senior civil servant Sue Gray’s interim report looked into claims surrouning 16 events.Boris Johnson says he was ‘at work’ during No 10 garden gathering18 June 2020 – Cabinet Office leaving doMs Gray’s interim report said a gathering in the 70 Whitehall building was held to mark the departure of a No 10 private secretary. It is one of the events the police been investigating.The event had not previously been disclosed, but The Telegraph said the official in question is former home affairs policy adviser Hannah Young, who left Downing Street to take up the role of deputy consul general in New York.19 June 2020 – Boris Johnson’s birthdayDowning Street staff allegedly held an afternoon birthday party for Mr Johnson at No 10. His wife, Carrie Johnson, led the surprise gathering where there was cake, a singing of happy birthday, and picnic food from M&S, ITV News reported.A No 10 spokeswoman confirmed that a group of staff had “gathered briefly” in the Cabinet Room “to wish the prime minister a happy birthday”, adding: “He was there for less than 10 minutes.”But No 10 denied a claim that Mr Johnson’s friends and family were hosted upstairs in his flat for an event later that evening.Mr Sunak is said to have received his fixed penalty notice (PFN) fine for attending the birthday party at No 10 Cabinet Room, which is subject to the police probe.Boris Johnson was ‘ambushed with a cake’, claims loyal Tory MP13 November 2020 – Downing Street ‘flat party’Another allegation made by Mr Cummings was of a “flat party” in Mr Johnson’s official residence on 13 November 2020 – the same day he left No 10. Mr Cummings claimed staff “could hear the music playing loudly”.Asked at PMQs in December whether there had been a party on 13 November 2020, Mr Johnson said “no” but added: “I’m sure that whatever happened the guidance was followed at all times.”This is another of the events which the police is looking into. According to reports at the time, Mr Johnson gave a leaving speech for Lee Cain, his departing director of communications. New lockdown laws had once again banned gatherings and leaving home “without reasonable excuse” at the time. Indoor gatherings were allowed in some circumstances if “required precautions” were undertaken.27 November 2020 – Cleo Watson’s leaving eventAnother leaving event was reported to have been held two weeks later — when the lockdown remained in place — for adviser Cleo Watson, with the PM personally delivering a speech while alcohol was consumed. It was one of the events looked at by Ms Gray, but police chose not to investigate.10 December 2020 – Education department drinks eventAlso under scrutiny is a social event reportedly held at the London offices of the Department for Education on 10 December 2020, instigated by the then-education secretary Gavin Williamson to thank his staff.The department admitted a “gathering of colleagues” took place on 10 December, with “drink and snacks brought by those attending”, adding: “Looking back we accept it would have been better not have gathered in this way at that particular time”.The law had changed again, including different levels of restrictions for different areas according to Covid rates. London was in Tier 2, which banned indoor social gatherings unless specific exemptions applied.14 December 2020 – Shaun Bailey’s Tory HQ doFour days later, with Londoners still subject to Tier 2 restrictions, a party took place at the Conservative Party headquarters in Westminster. A spokesperson for the party said the event was “authorised” and disciplinary action was was taken against four CCHQ staff seconded to the then London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey’s campaign.The Mirror newspaper later published an image of the gathering — which feature staffers and a catered buffet – leading to the resignation of Mr Bailey from an official role at the London Assembly as chair of the police and crime committee. 15 December 2020 – Christmas quizThe following day, No 10 staff were involved in a festive quiz, with reports suggesting invites were sent out in advance. An image later published by the Sunday Mirror showed the PM flanked by colleagues, with one draped in tinsel and another wearing a Santa hat.Downing Street said the prime minister had “briefly” attended the quiz – after the photographic evidence emerged – but insisted it was a virtual event and claimed he broke no rules. Tier 2 laws remained in force.16 December 2020 – Transport department drinks eventThe Mirror reported senior civil servants were “boozing and dancing” at yet another event, this one allegedly planned by staff from transport secretary Grant Shapps’ office.A departmental spokesman said: “Fewer than a dozen staff who were working in the office had a low-key, socially distanced gathering … where food and drink was consumed. We recognise this was inappropriate and apologise for the error of judgement.”At midnight, London had been moved into tougher Tier 3 restrictions and indoor gatherings remained banned.17 December 2020 – More No 10 leaving drinksA leaving do was held for a departing Downing Street official. The Telegraph reported that the staff member in question was Captain Steve Higham, then one of Mr Johnson’s private secretaries, who advised on defence and national security issues.The Mirror, which first reported the event, also being probed by the police, and said Mr Johnson was only there “for a few minutes”.17 December 2020 – Cabinet Office drinks eventsThe former director-general of the Government’s Covid Taskforce, Kate Josephs, said she was “truly sorry” over leaving drinks held in the Cabinet Office.Separately cabinet secretary Simon Case removed himself from the inquiry into Whitehall parties – to be replaced by Ms Gray – after reports emerged of a gathering in the Cabinet Office. Both events have been probed by police.The Cabinet Office said Mr Case played no part in the event “but walked through the team’s office on the way to his own”. Both Cabinet office events are being probed by the police.18 December 2020 – ‘Christmas party’ that started scandalAllegations of a Christmas party held in No 10 on 18 December 2020 were the focus of much anger at the end of the last year when the reports first emerged in The Mirror. The event happened while London remained in strict Tier 3 measures, and just a day before Mr Johnson imposed an effective lockdown in the capital and other swathes of the country.Mr Johnson was forced to address the issue in the Commons after the explosive leak of a video showing No 10 staff holding a mock press conference and making jokes about a Christmas party. Sobbing Allegra Stratton resigns over No 10 party videoIt led to the resignation of government aide Allegra Stratton and the PM announcing Ms Gray’s investigation, claiming he was “shocked” by the video. “I apologise unreservedly for the offence that it has caused up,” Mr Johnson told MPs. It’s one of the events being probed by police.14 January 2021 – More No 10 leaving drinksThe police said another one of the 12 events being probed was a gathering was held in No 10 to mark the departure of two private secretaries on 14 January last year.Reports have suggested the PM attended the leaving event, which was for a senior civil servant in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, according to The Telegraph. The other official’s identity is so far unknown.16 April 2021 – Leaving drinks on eve of Philip’s funeralReports of gatherings at No 10 appeared in The Daily Telegraph alleging that two parties took place on the evening of Friday 16 April 2021 – when England was under Step 2 Covid restrictions that banned indoor mixing. The events, being probed by police, occurred on the evening before Prince Philip’s funeral that saw the Queen sit alone at a socially-distanced ceremony.According to the newspaper, witnesses said that “excessive alcohol” was drunk and attendees danced to music. One point a staffer was allegedly sent to a local Co-op supermarket with a suitcase to with bottles of wine.One event was held for James Slack, the then-director of communications at No 10, who now works as deputy editor-in-chef at The Sun newspaper, and the other for Mr Johnson’s personal photographer.This article was amended on 14 April 2022. It previously said that a photograph showed wine and cheese being consumed by various individuals including Matt Hancock, but the image did not show Mr Hancock eating or drinking. More

Around two-fifths of families with children at home were already struggling to pay their bills in early April as the cost-of-living crisis deepened, a survey has found.Some 41 per cent of households with children living at home said they had struggled with their bills over the past week, according to the research carried out on 6 and 7 April.This proportion has increased from 29 per cent two years ago, according to comparethemarket.com’s household financial confidence tracker.The latest findings will not yet have captured the full impact of higher bills and additional financial pressures placed on households in April, including the energy price cap increase, council tax rises and a national insurance (NI) hike to help pay for health and social care.Nearly two-fifths (39 per cent) of families with children do not feel confident that they will be able to meet payments or stay on top of household finances over the coming weeks.Over a quarter (27 per cent) of households without children also do not feel confident about their financial future, compared with 17 per cent two years ago.

The rising cost of living is squeezing household finances and it’s becoming harder for families to manage day-to-day spendingAlex Hasty, comparethemarket.comMore than half (54 per cent) of those surveyed are cutting back on eating out, while others are spending less on clothes (48 per cent) and holidays (44 per cent).Nearly a third (32 per cent) said they are cutting back on food.Two-fifths (40 per cent) of households have now spent some or all of their savings built up during lockdown – rising to half (50 per cent) of families with children at home.More than half (57 per cent) do not feel confident that their savings will last them the rest of the year, or will cover future rises in the cost of living.More than a fifth (21 per cent) of households believe they are likely to take on extra debt to afford everyday bills, rising to 37 per cent of those with children living at home. More