UK Politics

All UK troops are to be withdrawn from Ukraine this weekend as Russia could invade “at no notice”, a defence minister has said.Small numbers of British personnel have undertaken Operation Orbital training missions in the eastern European country since Russia’s seizure of Crimea in 2014 , including around 30 deployed recently to train the Ukrainian military on anti-tank missiles.The order to return home comes as all British nationals in Ukraine are advised to leave as soon as possible.Some 130,000 Russian troops are massed on the Ukrainian border and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan warned on Friday that an invasion could be “imminent”. US president Joe Biden will urge Russia’s Vladimir Putin to de-escalate the situation in phone talks on Saturday. Russia has repeatedly denied planning to invade.Ukraine’s ambassador in London Vadym Prystaiko has called on Britain to deploy troops to the country to deter president Putin from sending his armed forces across the border.But UK defence minister James Heappey insisted that there will be no British troops in the country in the case of an invasion.“All of them will be withdrawn,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “There will be no British troops in Ukraine if there is to be a conflict there.“They will be leaving over the course of the weekend.”Mr Heappey said it was essential for all Britons to leave Ukraine urgently as war could come without warning.He told BBC Breakfast: “We are now confident that the artillery systems, the missile systems and the combat air are all in place that would allow Russia to launch – at no notice – an attack on Ukraine.“And on that basis I think it is our responsibility to share with UK citizens our view that they should leave the country immediately while commercial means are still available.”He warned that there will be no airlift of the kind seen in Afghanistan last summer, as Russian forces – unlike the Taliban – are in a position to deploy air power and missiles which would threaten flights.“The Royal Air Force will not be in a position to go in and to fly people out so they need to leave now by commercial means or drive out of Ukraine into a neighbouring country,” he said.Mr Prystaiko said that if the UK does not send troops to Ukraine to deter invasion, it may find itself having to fight the Russians on the soil of Nato states.“You might not have even to fight in Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Romania or anywhere,” he told The Times. “If he is stopped in Ukraine, you won’t have to fight anywhere. By doing this, you can avoid sending your soldiers to defend your allies the next day.”He added: “If our nation is under full-scale attack and people have been killed and bombarded, Chechnya-style, I will have no sorrow, I will have nothing to stop me knocking at every door and telling your people, ‘We have to survive, please send everything you can, tell everybody you can’.”But Mr Heappey said that sending military personnel to the country would play into Putin’s hands by allowing him to present Russia as the victim of Western menaces.“Putin and his colleagues would very much like to be able to say what they may do is a consequence of Western aggression in Ukraine,” said the defence minister.“So it’s very important to us, to everybody frankly involved, that we’re very clear we won’t play an active part in Ukraine.” And the Conservative chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee, Tom Tugendhat, said that the Ukrainian armed forces are “increasingly capable” of defending the country from attack without direct Nato involvement.“We’re enabling them to have the ability to fight themselves, and having served in combat in countries around the world I can tell you that training local forces to fight for themselves is a significantly better defensive technique than putting troops in,” said Mr Tugendhat.“The reality is that the Ukrainians already have some 145,000 in their army, they have another … 100-odd thousand border guard reserves and people like that, so they have a significantly larger army even than we do and they are increasingly capable to defend themselves.”However, the chair of the Commons defence committee, Tobias Ellwood, said that British-led Nato divisions should be sent to Ukraine, warning that the current tensions are “our Cuban Missile Crisis moment” – in reference to the 1962 stand-off when John F Kennedy faced down Russian attempts to station nuclear missiles on the Caribbean island.The Conservative MP told Times Radio: “An invasion is imminent. Once that happens, because of the grain the comes out of Ukraine for the world, (that will) affect food prices across the world.“Oil and gas prices will be affected as well, and European security will then be threatened further, so we have to ask ourselves, what should we do instead?”Mr Ellwood – who on Friday told The Independent that Boris Johnson was “more Chamberlain than Churchill” over Ukraine – said he believed the Ministry of Defence would like to send troops to the country, but was hampered by a lack of “political resolve” in 10 Downing Street.Former UK ambassador to the US Kim Darroch warned the embassy in Ukrainian capital Kyiv will be “overwhelmed” in the coming days helping British nationals flee. “It will overwhelm the embassy’s resources,” Lord Darroch told Today. “This will occupy everyone’s time for 24 hours a day for the next few days and you won’t get everyone out – some people will choose to stay.” More

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has received a questionnaire from London’s Metropolitan Police as part of the investigation into parties in Downing Street during COVID lockdowns, his office said Saturday.If he is found to have broken his government’s own COVID rules, the embattled prime minister could be fined and will face even more pressure to stand down from fellow lawmakers already furious at his proximity to the “partygate” affair.A growing number of lawmakers from his own party are calling for his ouster, and even former leaders have lined up to warn him against attempting to cling to power if he is found to have broken rules.Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith said it would be “very tough” to hang on if the police find that Johnson broke the law, while former Prime Minister John Major accused Johnson and his government of treating the truth as optional and “shredding” the U.K.’s global reputation.The prime minister’s office confirmed in a statement that he had been contacted by police. It comes with tensions boiling in Ukraine, and U.K. nationals warned to evacuate the country over the possibility of a Russian invasion. Johnson has denied any wrongdoing, but he is alleged to have been at up to six of the 12 events in his 10 Downing St. office and other government buildings that are being investigated by the police.He has acknowledged attending a “bring your own booze” party in the No 10 garden in May 2020 during the first lockdown, but insisted he believed it would be a work event.He also allegedly attended a gathering organised by his wife, Carrie, in the official Downing Street residence, during which ABBA songs were reportedly heard.The police force has written to about 50 people, including the prime minister and his wife, asking for them to account for their activities on the dates under investigation.The force said questionnaires must be responded to within seven days. They have the same status as information given in an interview under police caution. More

Tory MPs are warning that Boris Johnson must not fight to stay prime minister if he is fined by police over Downing Street parties.The news comes after exclusive polling for The Independent showed the party risks a brutal backlash from voters with a record 75 per cent of voters thinking Johnson should go if he is found guilty of breachesAllies of Mr Johnson have briefed that he is ready to fight to hold onto his position even if served with a fixed penalty notice, which starts at £100 but could rise to £12,000 if he is found to have breached rules at all six of the events he is alleged to have attended.But there were fears among MPs that this could rebound disastrously on the party in upcoming elections if voters feel he has dodged punishment.The Savanta ComRes survey showed a record 75 per cent of voters think Johnson should go if he is found guilty of breaches in investigations by the Metropolitan Police and Whitehall mandarin Sue Gray, with just 16 per cent wanting him to stay in those circumstances.One Tory backbencher, speaking anonymously, told The Independent that the findings showed clearly that the public was not ready to “forgive and forget” the flouting of coronavirus restrictions in Downing Street.And veteran MP Sir Roger Gale said that the new polling made clear Tories risk a backlash from voters if they support Mr Johnson’s efforts to hang on after a police fine.“For the prime minister of the United Kingdom to be fined for breaking the law – and we are not talking about a parking ticket or something like that – and try to stay on would generate a public outcry,” said the Thanet North MP, who was the first to confirm he had submitted a letter of no confidence in Mr Johnson.“His position, if it is not already untenable, will become completely untenable if he faces any kind of police sanction. If the parliamentary party then give him another 12 months in office by backing him in a confidence vote, I don’t think the voters will be best pleased.”Though further confidence letters are unlikely to be submitted during next week’s recess while MPs are away from Westminster, exposure to constituents’ anger over Partygate may harden their resolve to bring the matter to a head before May’s local elections.Pressure on the PM has mounted after Tory predecessor Sir John Major said his actions had “shredded” the UK’s reputation overseas.Mr Johnson has sought to draw a line under the scandal with a shake-up of top personnel at 10 Downing Street, and is understood to have lined up a private lawyer to help him defend his actions if he is questioned as a suspect by police.The prime minister is believed to be among around 50 individuals linked to Downing Street who have been sent police questionnaires about their involvement.Outgoing Met Commissioner Cressida Dick has said it is clear that “some but probably not all” will receive fines.Today’s poll of 2,232 voters found that 49 per cent believe Mr Johnson should resign no matter what the result of the police investigation and Ms Gray’s probe, with a further 26 per cent who say he should go if found guilty and 16 per cent who want him to stay regardless of the outcome.But crucially, a majority of Conservative supporters – unlike those from other parties – are willing to see him stay on if he is cleared of personal breaches.Some 32 per cent of people who voted Tory in 2019 said he should resign now, but 30 per cent want him to go only if proved to have broken the rules and 31 per cent to remain in office even if he is fined.Among those who want the PM to resign, Partygate was the most-cited reason – mentioned by 83 per cent – followed by his perceived dishonesty (79 per cent) and his personal behaviour (77 per cent. For Conservative supporters who want him out, Mr Johnson’s lies were seen as a stronger justification for his removal than the lockdown breaches.One Tory backbencher said the findings reflected the hostility towards the PM from constituents being felt by MPs.“This poll will only confirm what I presume most MPs are seeing in their inboxes,” the MP told The Independent.“It deserves long consideration over the recess week by those who have been reluctant so far to hand in their letters of no confidence. It is clear to me that the public are not going to forgive and forget, no matter what Johnson and those around him in No 10 might think.”The chair of the backbench 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, must call a vote on Mr Johnson’s leadership if he receives 54 letters from MPs. Ten are known to have been sent, but the total number is believed to be significantly higher.The poll cast doubt on whether the prime minister’s flagship “levelling up” agenda will be enough to turn his fortunes around, with almost half (46 per cent) saying it will make no difference to their living standards and 23 per cent saying it will worsen them, against just 23 per cent who think it will make things better.Alarmingly for the PM – who has staked a lot of political capital on his ability to attract support in former Labour strongholds by redirecting investment away from London – belief in the potential of “levelling up” is strongest in the capital (36 per cent) and far lower in areas like the North-West (17 per cent), Yorkshire and the Humber (21) and West Midlands (23).The Savanta poll showed that, from being a major electoral asset in 2019, Mr Johnson has become a significant drag on Tory support, with 45 per cent of those questioned saying they are less likely to vote Conservative if he stays.Chancellor Rishi Sunak was the most favoured candidate to replace him among both Tory supporters and the electorate at large, with 29 per cent of voters and 43 per cent of Conservatives saying they would be more likely to back the party with him at the helm.Some distance behind the chancellor were health secretary Sajid Javid, followed by former leadership contender Jeremy Hunt and foreign secretary Liz Truss.Savanta ComRes associate director Chris Hopkins said: “Most polling has shown for a long time that voters have felt Boris Johnson should resign over Partygate.“If the Met Police investigation finds him guilty of breaching Covid regulations, this poll suggests that calls for him to go are likely to only intensify. “While the PM continues to insist that voters want him to get on with the job, a looming cost of living crisis and the potential for conflict in Eastern Europe does not give Johnson much respite before the Met investigation concludes, and therefore he’ll need a gargantuan effort to increase his popularity before a verdict which could signal the end for his premiership.”The Savanta survey drove home the daunting economic and political terrain which any new leader would inherit, in a time of rising prices, tax hikes and squeezed incomes.Some 41 per cent of those questioned said they expect their own financial situation to get worse – including 20 per cent who said it will get significantly worse – over the coming period.Most pessimistic about their financial prospects were the over-55s, among whom half (50 per cent) expect to have to tighten their belts, against just 11 per cent who expect to see their bank balance get healthier, and those in the lowest DE social category, where 48 per cent expect tougher times and 12 per cent improvements. 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Boris Johnson has received a questionnaire from police investigating allegations of lockdown-breaching parties in No 10, Downing Street has said.The prime minister’s office confirmed late on Friday that he had received the legal form from the Metropolitan Police. A Downing Street spokesperson said the prime minister “will respond as required”.The move means Mr Johnson will have to provide a credible reason as to why he was at events held during coronavirus restrictions or face a fine.Mr Johnson is enduring the most challenging time of his premiership over claims he attended parties while the country was under strict Covid curbs.Fifteen Tory MPs have publicly called for Mr Johnson to resign and on Thursday former prime minister Sir John Major used a speech to accuse him and No 10 officials of breaking lockdown laws and concocting “brazen excuses” about the Partygate affair.Tobias Ellwood, one of the Conservative MPs to have written a letter of no confidence to 1922 Committee chair Sir Graham Brady, told BBC Newsnight: “We need to get this resolved. The nation is looking at this. “There’s a massive level of trust to be regained. We need to move forward, this is a mess.”The Met is currently investigating 12 events as part of Operation Hillman and are sending the questionnaires to more than 50 individuals across Downing Street and wider government.The force say the questionnaires ask for an “account and explanation of the recipient’s participation in an event” and have “formal legal status and must be answered truthfully”.A spokesperson previously told The Independent that answers provided “will be treated as written statements made under caution”. Police cautions are used when an individual is suspected of a criminal offence. Recipients of the questionnaire will be informed they have seven days to respond.Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith has said it would be “very tough” for Mr Johnson to cling on to power if he is fined.“It will be difficult, he knows that,” the senior MP said in an interview with the i newspaper.Sir Iain added: “If you’ve set the laws, and you break them and the police decide you have broken them… and then there’s the unredacted [Sue Gray] report – the two things will come together.”Rishi Sunak said earlier on Friday he is not expecting to be asked to fill out a police questionnaire in relation to the Partygate investigation.The chancellor told Sky News he did not think he had broken Covid rules when he went to a birthday event hosted by Carrie Johnson for her husband on 19 June 2020.Rishi Sunak said he does not know if he will receive Met Police questionnairePressed on if he still has confidence in the prime minister, Mr Sunak added he “has my total support”.Mr Johnson has reportedly hired a legal expert to give him advice after he is alleged to have been at up to six gatherings – including the “bring your own booze” party in the No 10 garden in May 2020 during the first lockdown.The lawyer, paid for by the prime minister personally, will focus on the fact that No10 is Mr Johnson’s home and his workplace, reports The Times.Mr Johnson allegedly attended an additional event organised by his wife in No10 in November that year, during which Abba songs were reportedly heard on the night of former chief adviser Dominic Cumming’s departure.On Friday evening, the PM’s former aide Mr Cummings tweeted: “Great work tory mps leaving this crippled joke of a pm spending next 7 days bunkered down with lawyers trying to remember all his different lies while another major global crisis unfolds.”Outgoing Met Police commissioner Dame Cressida Dick this week suggested some of those being contacted by officers will end up with fines.“Clearly, some, but probably not all, of those people may very well end up with a ticket,” she told BBC Radio London.Met Police declined to comment further when approached on Friday evening.Additional reporting by PA More

Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen is being investigated by parliament’s standards watchdog over claims of paid lobbying and failing to properly declare interests.The investigation into the backbencher comes after a report in The Times alleged he lobbied government minister Andrew Stephenson to help with Mere Plantations’ tax affairs.The timber firm donated £5,000 to the North West Leicestershire MP’s local Tory association following a call to the then-Foreign Office minister in August 2019.Mr Bridgen accepted a £3,300 trip to Ghana paid for by the company that month and is listed as an unpaid adviser for it on business and international politics.He welcomed the opportunity to “clarify” the situation with parliamentary commissioner for standards Kathryn Stone and said he has “never received any money” from the firm.Ms Stone is investigating a possible breach of the section of the MPs’ code of conduct stating “no member shall act as a paid advocate”.And she is looking at the part stating they should always be “open and frank” in drawing attention to any relevant financial interest in any proceeding of the House or communications with ministers.The register of MPs’ interests shows Mr Bridgen received the £3,300 trip to Ghana in August 2019, which was listed as a “learning trip on potential climate change mitigation” and as being for “asset inspection”.He confirmed the call took place with Mr Stephenson that month, but said it was about the “function of the business attache in support of UK businesses” in Accra.The register of interests also shows the £5,000 donation to the North West Leicestershire Conservative Association from Mere, which Electoral Commission records show was accepted in November 2019.Mr Bridgen is also listed as being an unpaid adviser to the firm since May 2020.He said: “I’m delighted to be able to clarify these matters with the standards commissioner and I will reiterate I have never received any money from Mere Plantations or anyone associated with them.”A Mere Plantations spokesman said there was “nothing inappropriate”, adding: “We haven’t paid Andrew Bridgen anything.”Asked about the £5,000 donation, he said: “We made a donation to help them with the election, simple as that, all perfectly recorded, all perfectly dealt with, all perfectly above board.”A spokeswoman for Ms Stone declined to comment. More

Cressida Dick says Sadiq Khan ‘left her no other choice but to resign’Boris Johnson’s troubles have deepened after it emerged a ministerial aide who publicly defended him privately told a constituent the PM’s position appeared “terminal”.Lucy Allen said the situation had changed since she made the comment last week, but her remarks will be viewed a sign of the unease within the party over Mr Johnson’s leadership, with the Metropolitan Police expected to contact at least 50 people in No 10 and Whitehall by the end of the week.The Met itself is embroiled in a political crisis following the resignation of Cressida Dick.London mayor Sadiq Khan has been accused of leaving a “void” at the top of the force after Dame Cressida was forced out as Metropolitan Police commissioner.Susan Hall, the Conservative chair of the London Assembly’s police and crime committee, argued the chaotic exit had been handled “extremely badly” by the mayor.Home secretary Priti Patel has also clashed with Mr Khan. According to Home Office sources, she thought he had acted in a “rude and unprofessional” manner.Show latest update

1644605106PM ‘fears for the security of Europe’ as Foreign Office urges Brits to leave UkraineBoris Johnson told world leaders including US President Joe Biden that he fears for the security of Europe, according to Downing Street.After a virtual call, a No 10 spokesman said: “The Prime Minister told the group that he feared for the security of Europe in the current circumstances.“He impressed the need for Nato allies to make it absolutely clear that there will be a heavy package of economic sanctions ready to go, should Russia make the devastating and destructive decision to invade Ukraine.“The Prime Minister added that President Putin had to understand that there would be severe penalties that would be extremely damaging to Russia’s economy, and that Allies needed to continue with efforts to reinforce and support the Eastern frontiers of Nato.”It comes as British nationals have been urged by the Foreign Office to leave Ukraine immediately “while commercial means are still available”.Joe Middleton11 February 2022 18:451644604804Tory MP criticised for urging police to stop wasting resources probing suspected killing of white-tailed eagleAn MP has attracted criticism after he suggested police were wasting resources by investigating the killing of an eagle.Chris Loder urged police to focus on county lines drug trafficking “rather than spend time and resources” investigating the death of a white-tailed eagle in the county in a tweet on Thursday evening.A day earlier, the Tory MP for West Dorset had expressed support for a separate police probe into footage showing West Ham player Kurt Zouma kicking a cat.Tom Batchelor reports.Joe Middleton11 February 2022 18:401644602976UK and Russia relations now ‘above zero’, says Ben WallaceJoe Middleton11 February 2022 18:091644601780Boris Johnson needs a lawyer – but would any be foolish enough to take the case?It is immediately obvious to every lawyer that’s looked at the details thus far that Johnson appears to be absolutely bang to rights over ‘Partygate’. But we shall have to see, writes Tom Peck.Joe Middleton11 February 2022 17:491644600916Should all Covid restrictions end this month? Have your say in our pollBoris Johnson announced this week the government wants to end all domestic Covid-19 restrictions in England, including the legal requirement to self-isolate, a month earlier than planned.The prime minister told MPs on Wednesday: “Provided the current encouraging trends in the data continue, it is my expectation that we will be able to end the last domestic restrictions – including the legal requirement to self-isolate if you test positive – a full month early.”He said he would present the government’s “Living With Covid” strategy when the Commons returns from its recess on 21 February. Aides said remaining restrictions are expected to be lifted by 24 February at the latest.The move will make England the first major nation to stand down all of its domestic coronavirus rules, as Downing Street said that the country was “entering the stage of endemicity” of the disease, thanks to a successful vaccine and booster programme.What do you think about this decision? Do you think this is the right move or is there an alternative. Take part in our poll below and let us know what you think:Joe Middleton11 February 2022 17:351644599914Ben Wallace says ‘absolutely no deafness or blindness’ after Russia talksJoe Middleton11 February 2022 17:181644599138Brexit sees non-EU imports overtake trade with the bloc for first time everThe UK’s imports from non-EU countries overtook those from the bloc last year for the first time since records began.New data from the Office for National Statistics show that the UK imported £222 billion worth of goods from the European Union last year after BrexitIt is the lowest figure in more than half a decade and shows the clear impact of the UK’s Brexit vote on international trade.Meanwhile imports from non-EU countries rose from £206 billion in 2020 to £254 billion last year.Joe Middleton11 February 2022 17:051644598238Rishi Sunak said he does not know if he will receive Met Police questionnaireJoe Middleton11 February 2022 16:501644597486Dominic Raab ridiculed over claim of ‘talks with Welsh government’, after meeting ToriesDominic Raab has been ridiculed after publishing pictures of himself with “the Welsh government” – when he actually met Tory opposition leaders.The gaffe-prone justice secretary was left red-faced when he tweeted about a meeting in Cardiff about his controversial diluting of human rights laws, to “restore some common sense” he said.Mr Raab claimed the meeting was with “partners” in the Senedd government, which is run by Labour through a cooperation agreement with the nationalists of Plaid Cymru.Our deputy political editor Rob Merrick has the details.Joe Middleton11 February 2022 16:381644596167Next Met Police Commissioner needs to ‘learn from history’The next commissioner of the Metropolitan Police needs to “learn from history” and acknowledge the force’s “systemic failures”, a founding member of the National Black Police Association (NBPA) has said.Leroy Logan, who has been a regular critic of outgoing commissioner Dame Cressida Dick over the last two years, said the next chief must make Scotland Yard “more open and accountable”.The former Met superintendent, who became the first chairman of the NBPA, has tipped Neil Basu for the top job, saying his “cultural competence” may put him “head and shoulders” above other candidates.Speaking to PA, Mr Logan said: “I’ve been calling for her (Dame Cressida) to go for the last two years since 2020 during the Black Lives Matter protests and the whole George Floyd issue and how she responded to that.“She wouldn’t acknowledge institutional racism or any other systemic failure … she was in total denial then, and I found it continued throughout the following two years.”The next candidate for the job must have a “really clear understanding that they need to acknowledge systemic failures – whether it’s institutional racism, sexism, or anything else”, he said, adding that they need to follow that up with making the Met “more accountable and transparent”.Believing improvements can be accomplished “quickly”, Mr Logan said the sudden change in leadership following Dame Cressida’s departure will give the force the chance for a “clean break”.Joe Middleton11 February 2022 16:16 More

Dominic Raab has been ridiculed after publishing pictures of himself with “the Welsh government” – when he actually met Tory opposition leaders.The gaffe-prone justice secretary was left red-faced when he tweeted about a meeting in Cardiff about his controversial diluting of human rights laws, to “restore some common sense” he said.Mr Raab claimed the meeting was with “partners” in the government at the Senedd, which is run by Labour through a cooperation agreement with the nationalists of Plaid Cymru.In fact, he met Simon Hart, the Tory Wales secretary, Andrew TC Davies, the Conservative group leader in the Senedd and other Tory members of the Welsh parliament.Jo Stevens, Labour’s shadow Welsh secretary, said the blunder came hard-on-the-heels of Jacob Rees-Mogg being unable to name Mr Davies when put on the spot.“Dominic Raab doesn’t even realise the Senedd members he’s been pictured with are from his own party and aren’t ‘Welsh Government partners’, Ms Stevens told The Independent.“You couldn’t make it up. A perfect illustration of the Tories’ disinterest in Wales.”Anna McMorrin, a Labour MP in Cardiff, accused Mr Raab of “more spin and lies”, adding: “Or are you actually fooled into thinking these lot are in government?”The deputy prime minister was also ridiculed on Twitter, one Welsh resident posting “Did you actually speak to anyone in the Welsh government? Did anyone explain that the Welsh government is controlled by Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru?”It is understood that Mr Raab did separately meet Mick Antoniw, the Wales counsel general, its chief legal officer, and Jane Hutt, the health minister. who are not captured in the pictures.Mr Raab was demoted from foreign secretary last year, over his failure to prepare properly for the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban and has been criticised for a series of gaffes since.He undermined Boris Johnson’s claim that he was working at the ‘wine and cheese’ event in the No 10 garden – and also admitted a separate Downing Street gathering was “a party” before rowing back. More