UK Politics

Sir Keir Starmer has sparked outrage by saying the UK can take advantage of the “opportunities” of Brexit during a visit to the north east of England.The Labour leader faced backlash after he used similarly positive language as senior Conservative Jacob Rees-Mogg, the new minister for Brexit opportunities.Sir Keir also definitively ruled out the idea his party could campaign for Britain to re-join the EU in future – insisting that he wants to “make Brexit work”.He told BBC Radio Newcastle on Monday: “We’ve exited the EU and we’re not going back. Let me very clear in the north east about that. There is no case for re-joining.”Sir Keir told the station: “What I want to see now is not just Brexit done, in the sense that we’re technically out of the EU, I want to make it work.”The Labour leader added: “I want to make sure we take advantage of the opportunities, and that we have a clear plan for Brexit. That’s what I’m working on.”The SNP pounced on Sir Keir’s comments and claimed that they amounted to Labour “joining the Tories on Brexit”.The party’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford said: “In a shoddy attempt to win back votes in England, Starmer’s Labour party has completely abandoned Scotland.”Naomi Smith, chief executive of the Best For Britain campaign group, said Labour must move beyond the rhetoric and start to challenge the government on details.She told The Independent: “If Labour are serious about creating post-Brexit opportunities they must start by improving the botched Brexit deal, making trade easier with our closest neighbours and avoiding a race to the bottom for standards in the UK.”Anti-Brexit campaigner Mike Galsworthy said many had come to “ignore” Sir Keir’s position re-joining the EU. “But to say there exists no case for it, is flat out false. There is of course a case for re-joining.”Respected commentator John Harris said “the two main parties in England both going on about the opportunities of Brexit is going to be utterly absurd”.Mr Rees-Mogg claimed at the weekend that the “big wins” of Brexit are “coming soon”, six years after the EU referendum took place. The cabinet minister said his new job was to be a “loud hailer” for any benefits.The controversy comes as Sir Keir said it was up to Jeremy Corbyn whether he will ever stand for Labour again, following reports his predecessor is on the brink of deselection and replacement with a new candidate for Islington North.“The whip has been withdrawn from Jeremy Corbyn because of his response to the antisemitism report. The next move is up to Jeremy, he remains off the whip.”Sir Keir also said Mr Johnson’s visits to Scotland hinder the union, as the prime minister ventures north of the border on Monday. “We do have a duty to make a strong case for union … but this prime minister does not help that cause.”It follow outrage over remarks made by a senior Tory peer, who suggested that Yorkshire is a “county of leftist whingers begging for handouts”.Lord Moylan tweeted about a trip to the county after noting that the Yorkshire Post reported that the government’s levelling up plans “fail to deliver”.“Everything I’ve read recently in Yorkshire Post makes me fear I’m going to find it transformed into a county of leftist whingers begging for handouts,” he tweeted.Tracy Brabin, the Labour mayor for West Yorkshire, responded: “I’ve no doubt people will be quite willing to share their opinions on his government’s failings with him during his visit.” More

Free lab tests for most people with Covid symptoms are poised to end in England from as early as next month, under new government cost-cutting plans.Boris Johnson will announce on Monday whether charges will be introduced for PCR tests – as well as for rapid tests – except for extremely vulnerable patients and those in hospitals and care homes.The move will be a centrepiece of a ‘Living Safely With Covid’ plan, with Whitehall discussion thought to centre on whether to scrap most free PCR tests from March, or a little later.Asked if only the most vulnerable would escape charges in future, a government source told The Independent: “Potentially, PCR testing is very expensive.”The government’s winter plan, last September, announced the intention to scrap free lateral flow tests at some point – but free PCR tests are now also in the government’s sights.Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, is believed to be pushing for ending most free testing as soon as possible, to save billions of pounds – but the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) has been urging caution, it is thought.In the rest of Europe, PCR tests can cost more than £30 each, while some in the US are double that price.Asked about the plans, the prime minister’s spokesman said: “We haven’t made any final decisions on the future of testing.“We have said that free testing will come to an end at the right moment. Those decisions need to be made this week, both in terms of exactly when that time is and what is retained.”The spokesman argued that, even if free testing disappears, “we will retain the ability to monitor coronavirus as we do with other viruses”.Mr Johnson provoked surprise last Wednesday, when he suddenly announced a plan to end all Covid restrictions one month early – from Thursday next week.Mandatory isolation for people who test positive for Covid will end, although guidance for them to stay away from work and crowded places is likely to stay in place.Walk-in testing centres are likely to close, as the system moves to a home delivery service only, under changes that could be made in late March – the second anniversary of the pandemic striking.Public health leaders are said to have been “blindsided” by the acceleration of the plans – and neither Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, not Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, have publicly backed them.Both are expected to brief the cabinet, but not until next Monday – just hours before the prime minister unveils the new strategy in the Commons.His spokesman declined to say whether Sir Chris and Sir Patrick support the new policy, telling The Independent: “I can’t speak for them as individuals, but I’m sure there will be opportunities to hear from them.”Asked if they were consulted, he replied: “They were aware of the prime minister’s intention, but no decisions have been taken – so we are getting ahead of ourselves.” More

‘Words have consequences’: Starmer replies on whether PM responsible for death threatsSir Keir Starmer says he has received death threats since Boris Johnson made the false claim that he failed to prosecute the peadophile Jimmy Savile.The Labour leader told BBC Radio Newcastle that he did not wish to go into detail about the online messages “because I have got young children”. But he added: “What the prime minister said was wrong, he knew exactly what he was doing … and has caused difficulty.”It comes after it was revealed over the weekend that police had launched an investigation into a number of threats made against Sir Keir by right-wing extremists, including calls for him and shadow foreign secretary David Lammy to be “executed”.Meanwhile, Mr Johnson is preparing to tell police investigating the Partygate scandal that attending gatherings simply formed part of his working life during lockdown. While the PM has appointed his own lawyer to work on his response, The Times reports he will argue that three leaving parties he went to were a function of his job. “Saying goodbye to staff is part of working life,” a source told the newspaper.Follow live updates belowShow latest update

1644850329Khan ousted Cressida Dick to restore Londoners’ ‘trust’ in MetAn update on the Met Police commissioner row now. Sadiq Khan has faced some criticism over his decision to publicly withdraw his confidence in Dame Cressida Dick, formerly the most senior police officer in the UK. However, a spokeswoman for the Mayor of London said today it is his boss’ job to “stand up for Londoners and hold the police to account on their behalf, as well to support the police in bearing down on crime”.“With trust in the police among Londoners shattered following a series of devastating scandals exposing evidence of racism, misogyny, homophobia, harassment and discrimination in the Met, it was the mayor’s view that a change of leadership was the only way to address this crisis in trust,” she continued. “The mayor has always made clear that there are thousands of incredibly brave and decent police officers at the Met, who we owe a huge debt of gratitude.”But she added: “The series of scandals seen in recent years has tarnished the reputation of the police, which is so crucial to policing by consent. Downplaying the scale of the change required is only going to hinder, not help, the vital process of restoring Londoners’ trust in the Met.” More

Boris Johnson has warned a Russian invasion of Ukraine could come as early as the “next 48 hours”, as he urged Vladimir Putin to step back from the “edge of a precipice”.The prime minister stressed the evidence was “pretty clear” that the Kremlin was planning such a move, with an estimated 130,000 Russian troops massing on the Ukrainian border.His remarks came as Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, prepares to chair an emergency Cobra meeting to “to discuss the consular response to the crisis”, after British nationals were urged to leave the Eastern European country on Friday.On a visit to Scotland, the prime minister, who will chair a full Cobra meeting on Tuesday, told reporters: “This is a very, very dangerous, difficult situation, we are on the edge of a precipice but there is still time for President (Vladimir) Putin to step back.”Mr Johnson also called for more dialogue and urged Russia to avoid a “disastrous” invasion, as he said the Russian president needed to understand the economic and political consequences if he launched an invasion of Ukraine.Asked whether an invasion could be hours or days away, he replied: “The signs are from president [Joe] Biden they are at least planning for something that could take place as early as the next 48 hours. That is extremely concerning.”Mr Johnson said “the world needs to learn the lesson of 2014” when not enough was done to move away from Russian gas and oil following the Russian action in eastern Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea.“What I think all European countries need to do now is get Nord Stream out of the bloodstream,” he said. “Yank out that hypodermic drip feed of Russian hydrocarbons that is keeping so many European economies going.“We need to find alternative sources of energy and we need to get ready to impose some very, very severe economic consequences on Russia.”Downing Street also reiterated comments from the armed forces minister, James Heappey, who told broadcasters on Monday morning that there was a “grave possibility of invasion this week” as tensions continue to build on the continent”.A No 10 spokesperson said: “This afternoon the foreign secretary will chair a Cobr meeting to discuss the consular response to the crisis in Ukraine following Friday’s update to travel advice.“The prime minister will receive a security briefing from his intelligence chiefs today. Tomorrow the prime minister will chair a full meeting of Cobr to discuss the UK’s response to the current situation.” More

Scotland Yard is investigating online death threats against Sir Keir Starmer after Boris Johnson’s false claim that he failed to prosecute paedophile Jimmy Savile, the Labour leader has confirmed.Documents, including a batch of messages from users of the Telegram app who appear to be identifiable, were sent to the Metropolitan Police by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) on Friday.It follows the harassment of Sir Keir outside parliament last week, when he was confronted by an angry mob in Whitehall last week shouting “paedophile protector”.Asked on Monday if he has received such threats in the wake of Mr Johnson’s comments, Sir Keir said: “Yes. I do not like talking about this because I have got young children.”The Labour leader told BBC Radio Newcastle: “It’s very important for me to say that what the prime minister said was wrong, it was very wrong. He knew exactly what he was doing.”Sir Keir added: “There has been a right-wing conspiracy theory for some time that’s a complete fabrication. He fed into that, and that has caused difficulty.“But my preference, if I may, is not to talk about that because, as I say, I have got young children and I don’t particularly want them to hear too much of what may or may not be said about me.”A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “On Friday 11 February, police received a third party report relating to allegations of malicious communications made against a serving Member of Parliament. An investigation is ongoing.”A Labour source said: “Of course extremists of all stripes don’t like Keir – he spent years helping to put them and their ilk in prison and keep Britain’s streets safe from them.”The material from the CCDH, shown to The Observer, includes responses to footage of last week’s incident posted by English Defence League founder Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – better known under his pseudonym Tommy Robinson – and conspiracy theory group Resistance GB.Last week, in a slur which caused widespread criticism and calls for him to apologise, Mr Johnson accused his rival of failing to prosecute Savile while he was director of public prosecutions.Last Monday, Sir Keir and Mr Lammy, who were walking back from the Ministry of Defence after a briefing on the situation in Ukraine, had to be escorted away from the demonstrators by police.Although Sir Keir was head of the Crown Prosecution Service in 2009 when a decision was taken not to prosecute Savile, he had no personal involvement in the deliberations.Mr Johnson tweeted on Monday evening that the “behaviour directed” at the Labour leader was “absolutely disgraceful”.Critics have said the PM’s jibe is completely unfounded and have blamed the remark for anti-Covid restriction demonstrators targeting Sir Keir outside parliament.Health secretary Sajid Javid, speaking on a visit to east London on Tuesday, said the images of the opposition leader being bundled into a police car to be escorted away from protesters were “completely disgraceful”.But the cabinet minister, who has previously distanced himself from the PM’s Savile comments, said “the people that are to blame are the protesters themselves” rather than Mr Johnson. More

Russia could attack Ukraine with no notice, the UK government has warned as British citizens were told to leave the eastern European country immediately.Armed Forces minister James Heappey said bombs could land on Ukrainian cities within “minutes” of Russian president Vladimir Putin giving an invasion order.Mr Heappey said it was impossible to know how many British nationals have left Ukraine, urging all those who remain there to “leave now”.He told Sky News: “This isn’t a warning about something that could happen in three months’ time, this isn’t a warning that will be followed by further warnings.”The defence minister added: “This is a warning because minutes after Putin gives the order, missiles and bombs could be landing on Ukrainian cities, and that means British citizens should leave now whilst they have the opportunities to do so.”It comes as Boris Johnson is set to join last-ditch diplomatic efforts to bring Putin “back from the brink” of war in Ukraine as the crisis enters a “critical juncture”.Downing Street conceded Moscow could be planning to invade “at any moment” but the prime minister will hold talks with world leaders before a trip to Europe during this week’s “window of opportunity” for de-escalation.Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK had suggested that the country could consider dropping its ambition to join Nato to avoid war with Russia.Vadym Prystaiko told BBC Radio 5 that the country would, due to threats and blackmail, consider “serious concessions” – including, he appeared to suggest, removing the goal of joining the Nato alliance from the Ukrainian constitution.But the ambassador later clarified his remarks, saying Ukraine was not shifting its bid to become a Nato member.“We are not a member of Nato right now and to avoid war we are ready for many concessions and that is what we are doing in conversations with the Russians,” Mr Prystaiko told the BBC. “It has nothing to do with Nato which is enshrined in the constitution.”Mr Heappey said Britain would support whatever Ukraine decides to do on its ambition to join Nato. “If Ukraine decides that it is going to offer that it won’t become a Nato member, we support that – that’s for the Ukrainians to decide,” he told Sky News.But the defence minister also made clear that the UK government does not believe that suggestions of Ukraine giving up its goal of Nato membership is now the country’s official policy.“Now, if Ukraine makes a sovereign decision that it doesn’t want to be a part of Nato, we respect that, there are plenty of other countries in Europe who have also made that judgment and with whom we have good relations,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.He added: “Similarly, as the course of the diplomatic negotiations has gone on, we’ve been clear that we wouldn’t support any effort that rule out the Ukrainian membership of Nato. This is their sovereign right and that’s what we respect.”The US said on Sunday that Russia could invade Ukraine at any time and might create a surprise pretext for an attack. Moscow denies any such plans and has accused the West of “hysteria”.Russia has more than 100,000 troops massed near Ukraine, which is not part of the Atlantic military alliance, and Washington – while keeping open the diplomatic channels that have so far failed to ease the crisis – has repeatedly said an invasion is imminent.Mr Heappey said: “We’ve seen now that there’s 130,000 combat troops around Ukraine’s land borders. There’s thousands more on amphibious shipping in the Black Sea.The British defence minister said there were also “ominous” signs that Russian logistics, fuel, medical supplies and bridging assets are all also now in place.Mr Heappey suggested that parliament could be recalled this week, saying it may offer an “opportunity” for parliamentarians to show the UK’s resolve in opposing Russia.“I’ve got to be honest on that, I think that … if you consider what the UK is doing in all of this, parliament being recalled may offer an opportunity for parliamentarians to show the UK’s resolve in opposing what might happen or to give it support to the diplomatic efforts.” More

Boris Johnson is expected to argue that No 10 parties he attended during the Covid crisis were part of working life, as he finalises his responses to a Metropolitan Police questionnaire.The prime minister is being questioned by Scotland Yard investigators over his role in up to six of the gatherings held in Downing Street while restrictions on mixing were still in place.Mr Johnson, who has appointed his own lawyer, is set to claim the three leaving parties he attended were part of his job. “Saying goodbye to staff is part of working life,” a source told The Times.Defence minister James Heappey said on Monday that the prime minister would argue that he is “not culpable” of the potential offences being probed by the police.“I certainly don’t think the prime minister should volunteer his culpability,” the minister told Sky News. “His argument is that he is not culpable. We should wait and see what the police come back with.”Asked about the photo showing Mr Johnson alongside several staff and bottle of bubbly at a Christmas quiz, Mr Heappey added: “That is a snapshot in time. I don’t know if the prime minister has walked into that room whilst the other two people in the photograph are engaged in something.”Mr Johnson received the questionnaire from police investigating allegations of lockdown-breaching parties late on Friday evening, and is consulting with a lawyer on responses this week.The PM has already claimed that he believed “implicitly” that the “bring your own booze” garden party at No 10 in May 2020 was a work event.He will reportedly also claim that he was working in his own flat in 11 Downing Street on the November 2020 evening that Dominic Cummings claims a party was held.Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith has said it would be “very tough” for Mr Johnson to survive if the police probe concludes that he broke Covid laws and gets a fixed penalty notice.Senior Tory backbencher Sir Bob Neil also said a fine could be fatal. “I think it will be very difficult for anyone to be in the position of the country’s principal lawmaker, and then break a law which they themselves had brought into force,” he said.But allies have said Mr Johnson, who faces a potential no-confidence vote if 54 Tory MPs send in letters, intends to carry on even if he is fined by the police.Almost 90 questionnaires will be sent to staff working at Downing Street, according to The Times, more than the 50 originally announced by Scotland Yard.Rishi Sunak said on Friday that he is not expecting to be asked to fill out a police questionnaire in relation to the Partygate probe. The chancellor said he did not think he had broken Covid rules when he went to a birthday event for Mr Johnson in June 2020.Adam Wagner QC, a leading legal expert on Covid rules, has suggested it could take “months” for Scotland Yard to conclude its investigation if Mr Johnson is “lawyered up”. More

Teachers will be subjected to new controls governing the presentation of political content in the classroom after a row over primary-age children being asked to write letters about the Partygate scandal.Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi said he will bring forward new guidelines this week to ensure that discussions surrounding politics in lessons are “balanced”.He said schools should not be encouraging pupils to “pin their colours to a political mast”.There was no immediate detail available from the Department for Education on the content of the new guidelines.But Mr Zahawi highlighted contentious issues like racism, the legacy of the British empire and the Israel/Palestine conflict where teachers may fall foul of the new rules.And he said the guidance will make clear “the requirement for teachers to make a balanced presentation of opposing views on political issues, so that the complexity of many of these important questions is understood”.The education secretary intervened after it emerged that children at Welbeck Primary School in Nottingham had written letters to their local MP criticising Boris Johnson for breaking lockdown rules at parties in 10 Downing Street.The school said pupils were shown an edition of children’s television programme Newsround covering the Partygate affair before being asked to present their opinion in letter form.Nottinghamshire MP Brendan Clarke-Smith, a former teacher, said the exercise was “very, overtly political” and “very, very one-sided”.Writing in the Sun on Sunday, Mr Zahawi said he did not want to banish political discussions from the classroom but insisted teachers must handle them sensitively.“While there is a clear need for schools to address political issues in the classroom from time to time,” he said, “this must not be done in a partisan way. As the Secretary of State for Education, I want to make sure that each and every child is given the opportunity to come to their own opinions without being swayed by what others think.”Labour’s shadow schools minister, Stephen Morgan, said that Mr Zahawi’s intervention was another example of the government having the wrong priorities for education.“Politics is about priorities,” said Mr Morgan. “I wish the education secretary were as devoted to ensuring our children get the ambitious pandemic recovery plan they need and deserve as he is to defending the prime minister.“As has become the norm with this Conservative government, what’s occupying the mind of the secretary of state is far from what’s keeping parents up at night.”Mr Zahawi said that parents and carers need to be able to trust schools to be totally impartial and to offer “education, not indoctrination”.“Legal duties on political impartiality have been in place for many years,” he said.“But I know that there can sometimes be uncertainty in interpreting them when confronted with specific issues like the legacy of the British empire or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.“When teaching about racism for example, teachers should of course be clear that it has no place in our society – but should avoid advocating for specific organisations that have widely contested political aims or views.”Mr Zahawi said schools must assess all materials relating to political issues to ensure they are “appropriate” and will be provided with a “framework for discussion and de-escalation” in the case of disputes.“Of course, schools should encourage a range of political issues and viewpoints to be discussed in classes,” he said.“And political impartiality requirements do not mean they need to avoid difficult or sensitive subjects from being debated.“I want to support teachers and make sure that they are equipped with a framework on how to deal with such matters, and the new guidance that I will publish next week will make things easier in our classrooms.” More