UK Politics

A Conservative MP has launched a verbal tirade against an anti-Brexit protester outside parliament, telling him: “You’re nothing but a parasite”.Lee Anderson, who was elected MP for Ashfield in 2019, was asked by activist Steve Bray whether he would still be supporting “liar” Boris Johnson to stay as prime minister.Mr Anderson, who was accompanied by guests and two police officers at the time, appeared angered by the question, stating: “At least I’ve got a job to lose, you haven’t got one.”The activist, who is regularly seen outside parliament urging the government to reverse Brexit, said: “My job’s annoying and holding people like you to account.”But the MP replied: “You’re nothing but a parasite. We’ve established that. You’re a scrounger. Why are you here dressed like a tramp?”Asked whether he was being “derogatory” towards people without jobs, Mr Anderson said: “I’ll rephrase that: If you smartened yourself up you’d make a good tramp.”Mr Anderson said Mr Bray should apply for a job. But the activist replied that his supporters were willing to crowd-fund his work because they “cannot stand liars, cheats, charlatans, fraudsters, and con-artists – people like yourself – in office.”The pair exchanged further words along a similar theme before Mr Anderson, a staunch Brexiteer, said goodbye to his guests and headed towards parliament’s security cordon.Mr Bray is a recognisable site in Westminster, usually wearing a blue top hat and blasting protest music from a sound-system that can sometimes be heard inside parliament. The Ashfield MP Mr Anderson previously hit the headlines last summer when he announced he would not be watching the England national football team at Euro 2020 because players were taking a knee before matches.It is not the first time the MP and activist have come to blows. July 2021, a video emerged of a previous encounter between Mr Bray and Mr Anderson – in which the MP also called Mr Bray a “parasite” while drinking in a Westminster pub.Mr Anderson told his local newspaper NottinghamLive after that encounter that Mr Bray had subjected him to a “torrent of vile abuse”. The protester had accused him of lying according to a video of that incident.More follows… More

Conservative MP Michael Fabricant has accused Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer of “weaponising” the British public’s personal tragedies with his Partygate attacks.Sir Keir said he had spoken to John Robinson – a constituent of Mr Fabricant in Lichfield – about how he had obeyed Covid rules and had not been able to spend time with his wife before she died.But the Tory MP said it was “beneath” the Labour leader to use his constituent, and others who lost loved ones during the pandemic, in his condemnation of Boris Johnson.“The saddest thing of all, I think, is the way that Keir Starmer other politicians have chosen to weaponise the personal tragedies endured by people like John Robinson,” Mr Fabricant told GB News.The veteran MP, a loyal ally of Mr Johnson, added: “I would have thought, actually, that was pretty beneath them.”Mr Fabricant said many people were “confused” by the Covid rules, as he again defended the PM over the police fine handed out for his attendance at a birthday party in the No 10 Cabinet Room in June 2020.He added: “Two years ago, The Times published an article mentioned the fact a birthday cake had appeared in the Cabinet Room. Nobody raised a hue and cry then. It’s all happened now.”Mr Fabricant was condemned for his recent remarks suggesting “many teachers and nurses” also broke the rules by having a “quiet drink” after work. Teaching and nursing groups said such claims were “upsetting” and “offensive”.Despite his apology in the Commons on Tuesday, bereaved relatives of people who died with Covid called Mr Johnson “a liar and a charlatan debasing the office of prime minister”.Fran Hall, whose husband Steve Mead died with Covid three weeks after the couple married in 2020, said Mr Johnson is “a man without shame, without morals and without honour”.Sir Keir had highlighted the case of Mr Robinson of Lichfield as he called for Tory MPs to get rid of Mr Johnson.The Labour leader urged them to “put their conscience first, put their country first, put John Robinson first and remove the prime minister from office”. More

Watch live as Boris Johnson faces MPs after Partygate fines apologyBoris Johnson has refused to withdraw his attack on the Church of England, following the Archbishop of Canterbury’s criticism of the government’s new immigration policy.At a private meeting with Tory MPs on Tuesday afternoon, Mr Johnson said the plans to send lone male asylum-seekers to Rwanda was a “good policy” despite some “criticism on the BBC and from senior members of the clergy”.He added that they both “had been less vociferous in their condemnation on Easter Sunday of Putin than they were on our policy of illegal immigrants”.The comments drew a swift risposte from John Bingham, head of media at the Church of England, who said in a post on social media that if the reports from the meeting were true they were “a disgraceful slur”.At PMQs on Wednesday, Labour leader Keir Starmer asked the prime minister whether he would “take this opportunity to apologise for slandering the Archbishop and the Church of England”.However, Mr Johnson declined, saying he was surprised the government had been attacked for the new agreement with Rwanda.Show latest update

1650466565Tory MP asks for ‘minister for men’ to combat mental health crisisTory MP asks for ‘minister for men’ to combat mental health crisisJoe Middleton20 April 2022 15:561650466072Boris Johnson ‘not here to lecture us on Ukraine’: What India hopes to get from UK PM’s visitRussia, trade and respect are high on Delhi’s list as the British leader visits, writes Maroosha Muzaffar.Joe Middleton20 April 2022 15:471650465354Labour MP will recuse himself from prospective investigation into whether Boris Johnson misled ParliamentLabour MP Chris Bryant, who chairs the Commons’ Committee of Privileges, has said he will recuse himself from a prospective investigation into whether Boris Johnson misled Parliament over partygate claims.In a letter to members of the committee, he said: “I understand that some Honourable and Right Honourable Members have questioned whether I should chair such an inquiry into the Prime Minister, given that I have made several statements in the media on this matter.“I am certain that if the House were to refer this matter to the committee, all of us would be entirely diligent in setting aside our personal feelings and allegiances, and discharging our duty to protect the reputation of the House without fear or favour.”Mr Bryant continued: “However, it is also important that the House be seen to proceed fairly without any imputation of unfairness and that the whole House have confidence in the Committee of Privileges’ proceedings. I have therefore decided that if the motion to refer is carried tomorrow, I will recuse myself from any consideration of the matter.“I will still chair the Committee of Privileges and the Committee on Standards for all our other business, but it will be for the rest of the committee to decide who should chair proceedings on this inquiry and how it should proceed.”Joe Middleton20 April 2022 15:351650464329I’ve never seen Boris Johnson look quite so lost at the despatch boxThe prime minister was like a boxer saying it must be time for the bell, writes John Rentoul.Joe Middleton20 April 2022 15:181650463852Senior Tory will abstain on Labour motionSenior Conservative backbencher Sir Charles Walker said he expects he will abstain in Thursday’s vote on a Labour motion to refer Boris Johnson to the privileges committee.Sir Charles, who is vice-chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, said he did not believe there were sufficient Tory MPs prepared to call for a vote of no confidence in Mr Johnson to force a vote in the “foreseeable future”.But he also told BBC Radio 4’s The World At One programme: “If the fines keep racking up there is only so long that the prime minister will be able to lean on his party for support.”Joe Middleton20 April 2022 15:101650463214‘You’re a parasite’: Tory MP launches angry tirade against Brexit protester outside parliamentA Conservative MP has launched a verbal tirade against an anti-Brexit protester outside parliament, telling him: “You’re nothing but a parasite”.Lee Anderson, who was elected MP for Ashfield in 2019, was asked by activist Steve Bray whether he would still be supporting “liar” Boris Johnson to stay as prime minister, writes Jon Stone.Mr Anderson, who was accompanied by guests and two police officers at the time, appeared angered by the question, stating: “At least I’ve got a job to lose, you haven’t got one.”The activist, who is regularly seen outside parliament urging the government to reverse Brexit, said: “My job’s annoying and holding people like you to account.”Joe Middleton20 April 2022 15:001650462352Should Boris Johnson be investigated further over Partygate? Have your sayMPs will get the opportunity to debate, and vote on, whether Boris Johnson should be referred to the Commons privileges committee over potentially false statements he made to parliament about Partygate, Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has announced. And we want to know what you think should happen next.Have your say. Click the link below to take part in our reader poll.Joe Middleton20 April 2022 14:451650461397Nicola Sturgeon could step aside if SNP loses another independence referendumNicola Sturgeon has said she could step aside as Scotland’s first minister if her party loses another independence referendum.Appearing on popular daytime talk show Loose Women, Ms Sturgeon was quizzed by panellist Carol McGiffin on what it would take for her to resign as leader.Ms Sturgeon insisted she has no intention of quitting the role as First Minister or leader of the SNP, however she conceded she may hand the reins over if the country again votes No to independence.The Scottish Government has said it plans to hold another referendum on Scotland’s place in the Union by 2023, however an official date is yet to be set.There was fiery debate between Ms Sturgeon and McGiffin as the politician was quizzed on how she would react if another referendum was held and independence was rejected.Ms Sturgeon jumped in to tell the panellist that it is a matter of “when” a referendum is held.She said: “When Scotland next votes on independence, we will vote Yes,” she said.Addressing a “hypothetical” scenario where Scotland votes No, she added: “I suspect I would make way for somebody else.“I’m in the fortunate position of having been in politics for a long time, I’m not about to give it up, but when I do I will hopefully still be relatively young.”Joe Middleton20 April 2022 14:291650460372Boris Johnson repeats false jobs claim in parliament – despite previous admission it was untrueBoris Johnson has repeated a discredited claim about more Britons being in work than before the Covid pandemic – despite previously accepting a correction by the statistics watchdog.The prime minister told the Commons on Wednesday that they were “more people in work than there were before the pandemic”.It is the same claim that the UK Statistics Authority had previously scolded him for making in parliament – saying it was simply “wrong”.Adam Forrest has the details.Joe Middleton20 April 2022 14:121650459537Johnson did not apply pressure over Lebedev peerage, says watchdogNo pressure was exerted by the Prime Minister or Downing Street when it came to recommending Lord Lebedev for a peerage, according to a Lords watchdog.Lord Bew, chairman of the House of Lords Appointments Commission, told MPs the assessment for the media mogul, whose father was a former KGB agent, was a unique process that involved security checks.But he said the committee approved the peerage without interference from Boris Johnson.Questions have been raised over whether the Prime Minister asked anyone in the security services to revise, reconsider or withdraw their assessment of Lord Lebedev, who owns the Independent and Evening Standard newspapers, ahead of his appointment in November 2020.Crossbencher Lord Bew told the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee: “There was no pressure on this issue from No 10 or the Prime Minister.”Lord Bew, a former chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said there was a back-and-forth with security services and a search for clarification, but stressed there was no warning or delay issued about Lord Lebedev.Jane Dalton20 April 2022 13:58 More

Boris Johnson has stood by his attack on the Church of England after its top clergyman criticised his immigration policy.The Archbishop of Cantebury criticised the prime minister’s plan to deport refugees to Rwanda in a sermon on Easter Sunday, warning that it could not “stand the judgement of God”.But at a private meeting of Tory MPs on Tuesday afternoon Mr Johnson tried to deflect the criticism by claiming the clergy had been been somehow soft on criticising the Russian invasion of Ukraine.The attack was branded a “disgraceful slur” by Lambeth Palace on Thursday evening – which pointed to statements by Justin Welby and other condemning the invasion in the strongest terms.But on Wednesday in parliament the prime minister declined to apologise when challenged over his apparently false claim.Labour Leader Keir Starmer asked the PM whether he would “take this opportunity to apologise for slandering the Archbishop and the Church of England”.But the prime minister replied: “I was slightly taken aback for the government to be criticised over the policy that we have devised to end the deaths at sea in the Channel as a result of cruel criminal gangs. “I was surprised that we were attacked for that – and it turns out, do you know who proposed that policy in 2004? It was David Blunket, who said it was a 21st century solution to the problems of illegal asylum seeking and immigration.”But Sir Keir hit back, asking later in the session: “How can the prime minister claim to be a patriot when he deliberately attacks and degrades the institution of our great country?”he said the prime minister appeared comfortable “slandering people in a private room” without “the backbone to repeat it in public”.The government’s policy will see refugees arriving in Britain relocated to Rwanda, which has a poor human rights record and which the UK has granted people asylum from as recently as last year. More

The Conservative MP who criticised the idea of women taking traditionally male screen roles has called on Boris Johnson to set up a new ministerial post for men.Nick Fletcher MP – a leading backer of International Men’s Day – said it was time for a dedicated minister looking out for the particular health issues faced by men.“Men are dying so much younger than they should,” said Mr Fletcher at PMQs on Wednesday.The MP for Don Valley said: “So will the PM meet with me to discuss the merits of having a minister for men, and the benefits of a men’s health strategy?”The PM did not take up the call for a mens’ minister, but replied: “We are determined to tackle all the health conditions he describes and cares about – particularly mental health and suicide prevention.”Mr Fletcher was previously mocked for his complaints about women taking on traditionally male TV and film roles – saying it left young men vulnerable to “committing crime”.He claimed the lack of male role models – citing actresses taking the lead in Doctor Who and the all-female Ghostbusters reboot – had left young men idolising violent anti-heroes.“In recent years we’ve seen Doctor Who, Ghostbusters, Luke Skywalker … all replaced by women,” he said during the International Men’s Day debate.Mr Fletcher added: “Men are left with the Krays and Tommy Shelby. Is it any wonder we are seeing so many young men committing crime?”The Tory backbencher also told parliament that he wanted “men to have their own identity and masculinity to be celebrated at times – rather than vilified”.Meanwhile, Mr Johnson stood by his attack on the Church of England at PMQs, after the Achbishop of Canterbury and other senior clergy criticised his plan to send migrants to Rwanda.At a private meeting of Tory MPs on Tuesday evening, Mr Johnson tried to deflect the criticism by claiming the clergy had been “less vociferous” in criticising the Russian invasion of Ukraine.Labour Leader Keir Starmer asked the PM whether he would “take this opportunity to apologise for slandering the Archbishop and the Church of England”.But the prime minister replied: “I was slightly taken aback for the government to be criticised over the policy that we have devised to end the deaths at sea in the Channel as a result of cruel criminal gangs.” More

Boris Johnson is today jetting out to India on a long-planned trade trip, missing a crucial House of Commons vote on Thursday on whether he should face a fresh parliamentary investigation into law-breaking parties at 10 Downing Street.Conservative MPs are expected to be placed under a three-line whip to vote down a Labour motion calling for an inquiry by the Commons Privileges Committee into whether the prime minister’s earlier claims that no rules were broken at No 10 amounted to a contempt of parliament.But some are disgruntled at being asked to put their reputations on the line for the PM when he is not himself going to be present, just weeks before local government elections at which Labour is expected to accuse any Tory backing Johnson of voting for a cover-up.It is understood that suggestions of calling off or cutting back the long-planned trip for talks with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi were swiftly dismissed at Downing Street on Tuesday, with sources saying the visit will “definitely” go ahead. Chancellor Rishi Sunak will also be out of the country at IMF meetings in the US.Mr Johnson will depart for India after what promises to be a gruelling session of prime minister’s questions in the Commons, following his two-hour ordeal on Tuesday at which he repeatedly apologised to MPs for a Downing Street birthday party which breached lockdown rules and resulted in fines for both Johnson and Sunak.The trip has already been cancelled twice – once because of the winter wave of Covid cases in the UK in January 2021 and then again in April last year, when Mr Johnson was accused of delaying the introduction of new restrictions in the hope of travelling to India, which was then suffering from a new variant of the disease.No breakthrough is expected on the UK/India trade deal which both sides have said they want to conclude by the end of 2022.The government believes a deal could provide a boost to UK sectors from services to cars, manufacturing, food and drink. But as ever, progress could founder on Delhi’s demands for enhanced access to visas for its nationals to work and settle in the UK.The PM’s official spokesperson today said that any increase in the number of visas offered to India would have to be consistent with the UK’s post-Brexit points-based immigration policy, which favours those with in-demand skills.He pointed to the fact that India remains the top nationality for “skilled work” visas, accounting for 64,839 – more than two-fifths – of the total granted in 2021, compared 6,923 for US nationals.The initial goal of boosting trade with India in the wake of Brexit threatens to be overshadowed by rows over Ukraine.Delhi has been resisting pressure from the West to ditch its neutral stance over Russia’s invasion.Despite sending humanitarian and medical aid to Ukraine, Mr Modi has yet to condemn Moscow’s actions and has stressed the need for dialogue to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict.Moscow is Delhi’s biggest military supplier, and India has been snapping up millions of barrels of Russian oil since sanctions made its price more competitive in recent months.Downing Street today said the PM will not seek to “lecture” Modi over the need to isolate Russia, but will instead offer “constructive” proposals for the south Asian sub-continent to diversify its energy and military supplies.“We are not seeking to lecture Modi or India,” said Mr Johnson’s official spokesperson.“We recognise that different countries, be it India or others in Europe, are taking slightly different approaches to how they respond to Putin’s aggression.“We see our role to be not to seek to lecture them or point fingers from the sidelines, but to engage constructively – as we have done in recent years – and talk to them about potential possible alternatives on things like energy and security and defence, not necessarily provided by the UK but globally.”As well as his trip to New Delhi for talks with Mr Modi, Mr Johnson will visit the western state of Gujarat, where around half of the UK’s 1.4m residents of Indian origin trace their roots.Downing Street said he expects to seal “significant new investment and jobs announcements and science partnerships” during the trip. More

Asylum seekers in France should stay there if they want to avoid being sent to Rwanda by the UK, a government minister has warned.Home secretary Priti Patel’s plan to fly migrants arriving on small boats to east Africa has sparked outrage from opposition parties, migrant groups, senior bishops and some senior Tories.Business minister Paul Scully defended the controversial move by suggesting it would help discourage people in Calais from making the crossing across the English Channel.“Where they are in France, they are in a safe country. They can – if they don’t want to go to Rwanda – can claim [asylum] in France,” he told LBC.He added: “It’s not right that people should be feeding on this misery – the human traffickers, that is. We do not want to see people drowning in the Channel … we need to tackle this head on.”Ms Patel has claimed the plan will help “disrupt the business model of organised crime gangs” and “deter migrants from putting their lives at risk”.Those who are deemed by the government to have entered Britain by unlawful means since 1 January may be sent to Rwanda, where they will be permitted to apply for asylum in the east African country.Former prime minister Theresa May became the most high-profile Tory to attack the plan when she questioned its “egality, practicality and efficacy” in the Commons on Tuesday.She challenged Ms Patel: “If it is the case that families will not be broken up, where is her evidence that this will not simply lead to an increase in the trafficking of women and children?”Ms Patel insisted the deal complied with international laws, but did not give parliament any more details of eligibility requirements or the costs involved.The Home Office has also yet to provide any evidence that Rwanda deal will act as a deterrent to migrants or organised crime gangs when it comes to small boat crossings.Mr Scully said the government would still offer “generous” help to refugees through existing visa and humanitarian schemes – though campaigners have criticised these routes as too slow unambitious.“There will be routes for people coming from places of conflict zones, like Afghanistan, like Syria, like Ukraine,” the minister said.Mr Scully also denied the idea families could be split up. “We’re not splitting up families, we’re not sending unaccompanied children for processing anywhere in a third country,” he said.It comes as the Church of England accused Boris Johnson of a “disgraceful slur” against the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, following his criticism of the radical immigration policy.The prime minister claimed at a private meeting of Tory MPs on Tuesday evening that the clergy had been less outspoken on the Russian invasion of Ukraine than on his plan to deport refugees to Rwanda.John Bingham, head of media at the Church of England, said in a post on social media that if the reports from the meeting were true then they were “a disgraceful slur”.He pointed to a statement issued by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York on the morning of the invasion immediately condemning the Russian attack on Ukraine as “horrific and unprovoked” as well as “an act of great evil”. More

Boris Johnson will today face calls for a law requiring politicians to tell the truth, as a new poll shows trust in the political system has plummeted in the past 12 months.The survey for think tank Compassion in Politics found that almost half of voters (47 per cent) said their trust in politicians to tell the truth had decreased in the past year, compared to just 3 per cent who said it had increased. A further 32 per cent said they did not trust politicians previously and still do not now.An overwhelming 73 per cent said they would back a new law requiring all politicians to ensure that all public statements they make are, to the best of their knowledge, truthful and accurate – with penalties who are repeatedly shown to have lied.Plaid Cymru leader in Westminster Liz Saville Roberts will today challenge Mr Johnson at prime minister’s questions in the House of Commons to give her support to a Lying in Politics Bill.The move comes after Mr Johnson became the first sitting prime minister to be found to have broken the law, and a day after he told MPs that he did not deliberately mislead the Commons when he said last December that Covid lockdown rules had been followed at No 10.The poll lays bare the extent to which the revelation of a series of parties during lockdown in Downing Street and elsewhere in Whitehall has dealt a body-blow to voter trust in politicians’ truthfulness.Just 3 per cent of those taking part in the survey said their trust had increased over the past year, and a further 11 per cent said they trusted politicians to tell the truth before and still do now.Lack of trust was widespread across all parts of society, with 31 per cent of Conservatives saying they have lost trust, compared to 6 per cent who said it had increased. Some 56 per cent of Labour supporters and 58 per cent of Liberal Democrats said their trust in politics had declined over the period.And there were high levels of lost trust among Remainers (53 per cent) and Leavers (45), men and women (both 47 per cent) and all age-groups and areas of the UK.Some 14 per cent of those questioned said they trusted Conservatives to tell the truth more than other political parties, compared to 20 per cent who trusted Labour most and 32 per cent who said they did not trust any party.A “lying in politics bill” was backed by 71 per cent of Tory voters, 79 per cent of Labour supporters and 77 per cent of Liberal Democrats.Ms Saville Roberts said: “A constant low-level hum of mistrust has been present in Westminster politics for decades. But under Boris Johnson, it has drowned out all voices of reason, with cabinet ministers and the prime minister himself not merely spouting half-truths and white lies, but also committing to entire false narratives that we all know to contradict reality.“The public are not stupid. We all know that Boris Johnson knowingly attended parties at Downing Street. We all know he drank wine and laughed with colleagues while the rest of us were denied the same privilege.Yet cabinet ministers are wheeled out to defend the indefensible – smearing their own reputations in the process.“Plaid Cymru has long called for legislation making it illegal to intentionally deceive the public. With parliament stymied from holding the government to account for lying – even if only to point out that mere fact – a law against lying in politics is more necessary than ever.”The co-director of Compassion in Politics, Jennifer Nadel, said that more than 200,000 Britons have now signed a petition backing a law against lying in politics.“We need politicians who are open, honest, and transparent,” said Ms Nadel. “Politicians who respect the public and are committed to serving them.“If the current system is not producing that level of leadership, the system needs to change.“Our proposal – to make it a requirement that politicians are honest with the public – would apply the same rules to Westminster that already exist for businesses, doctors, teachers, and many other workplaces.“Why should there be one rule for us and another for politicians? Our politics has already sunk as low as it can go thanks to the repeated use of lies, mistruths, and misrepresentation – it’s time someone threw it a lifejacket.”Pollsters Opinium questioned 2,004 UK adults, weighted to be nationally representative, between 6 and 8 April More