UK Politics

Cabinet ministers appear to be squabbling over loyalty to the prime minister after chancellor Rishi Sunak and health secretary Sajid Javid distanced themselves from his Jimmy Savile smear.One cabinet member called for Boris Johnson to sack Mr Sunak, according toThe Times, which also reported that two other ministers have accused him of being “on manoeuvres” for party leadership. The chancellor publicly criticised the prime minister’s discredited claim that Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer “failed” to prosecute Savile – with Mr Sunak saying he “wouldn’t have said it”.An unnamed cabinet minister told the newspaper that Mr Sunak was making “blatant” efforts to position himself as a replacement prime minister. “Once the May elections are out the way, there will be a reshuffle. Sunak has to go. I don’t see how he [Mr Johnson] can keep someone who is so openly on manoeuvres.”A fellow cabinet minister said Mr Sunak was being “sly” and “looking at the future and can see the end of Boris on the horizon”, while another criticised the chancellor’s advisers for “encouraging him to stir things up”.Mr Javid also appeared to find fault with the prime minister over the smear, saying Sir Keir deserved “absolute respect” for the job he did as director of public prosecutions.Culture secretary Nadine Dorries, a fierce defender of Mr Johnson, said on Saturday that Mr Javid was “quite shocked” at how his remarks had been reported as criticism. “I spoke to Sajid Javid last night and he reassured me that he is 100 per cent behind the prime minister,” she said. “What you’re reporting about Sajid Javid turning his back on the prime minister is not true.”Asked about Mr Sunak’s comments on the Savile saga, Ms Dorries said Mr Sunak was “entitled to his views”. But junior treasury minister John Glen has said the situation with No 10 was “deeply uncomfortable, disappointing, and embarrassing”.Writing in his local newspaper The Salisbury Journal, the MP did not call for Mr Johnson to resign, although he did say the culture in No 10 “fell short of what the country had a right to expect”. The minister said he spoke to Mr Johnson this week “and took the opportunity to tell him in person how frustrated and let down we all feel”.Speaking on Newscast, BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said she had been told Mr Johnson was making pledges to wavering MPs in a bid to shore up support. The prime minister was said to have told a backbencher he could sack Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg.“Some say he promised to get rid of the chief whip and one MP suggested he said he would get rid of the leader of the Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg,” said Ms Kuenssberg.She added: “That is not a proven claim but that is what one MP said that in good faith the prime minister told him personally … Whether he does some of the other things he promised to MPs, we will see.”Mr Johnson has also promised backbenchers more power by announcing in a letter on Friday the creation of backbench committees to advise on government policy. More

Boris Johnson’s time at Downing Street appears to be “beginning” to end, a former Conservative minister has said.Tory MP Stephen Hammond suggested he and many others were “considering very carefully” this weekend whether to submit a letter of no-confidence in the prime minister.Asked if he had already sent a letter to 1992 Committee chair Sir Graham Brady, the senior figure said: “No I haven’t – but I’m making it very clear to you that I am considering very carefully over the weekend what are the next steps.”Mr Hammond told BBC Radio 4’s The Week in Westminster: “I think all Conservative colleagues, all of whom I know who are in it for trying to do their best for their constituents and the country, will be wrestling with conscience this weekend.”Asked if it was now “the beginning of the end” for Mr Johnson, he said: “It certainly looks like that at the moment … It looks very difficult for the prime minister from here.”The former transport minister said many wavering MPs would be considering “what he’s explained so far” on Downing Street parties during the pandemic – as well as “looking at knowledge of his personality”.Mr Hammond also rubbished claims by culture secretary Nadine Dorries that moves against the PM were a “Remainer” plot of Tories who did not want Brexit. Ms Dorries has also claimed the small “handful” of people keen to see the PM go had always disliked him.“This is predictable rubbish from a predictable source,” said the senior backbencher. “If you look at where the letters are coming from, I don’t know how anyone could stand up that claim. I think the secretary of state needs to think again.”Tories who want an end to Mr Johnson’s premiership include some red wall MPs from the 2019 intake, some former ministers and the “one nation” caucus opposed to Brexit – as well as some Brexiteers who have lost faith in his leadership.Mr Hammond, a one nation Tory, said he “did not know of any co-ordinated action” by those fed up with Mr Johnson. “Sir Graham Brady has a justified reputation for discretion. It appears colleagues are making their own minds up, over the weekend, as they should.”The backbencher said a no-confidence vote should not be “rushed” – but made clear he thought Mr Johnson had made “very serious errors” and suggested many MPs were now considering his future without waiting for the Metropolitan Police probe to conclude and the full Sue Gray report.He said it was hard for the whips to put in a “counter-operation” because MPs from all wings of the party were now doubting whether Mr Johnson had any future as prime minister.Ms Dorries told Times Radio on Saturday that “regicide runs in the veins of my party” – before insisting that attempts to overthrow the leader was limited to “a small group of MPs”.She said: “There are a small number of voices, whether they are people who were ardent supporters of Remain, who see this as their last opportunity to reverse Brexit.” More

Boris Johnson ‘toxic’ even to his allies, says Malcom RifkindA photograph of Boris Johnson drinking a beer at a birthday event held for him in No 10 is among the 300 images handed to the Metropolitan Police, it has been reported.The prime minister was pictured standing next to Rishi Suank and raising a can of Estrella towards the camera in a photo allegedly taken by the official Downing Street photographer during the first national coronavirus lockdown.Defending Mr Johnson on Saturday morning, culture secretary Nadine Dorries backed a suggestion that the growing rebellion against the PM was partly a “Remainer plot”, after long-serving former schools minister Nick Gibb became the 15th Tory MP to publicly announce he has submitted a letter of no confidence.His intervention came hours after Red Wall MP Aaron Bell also called for Mr Johnson to go, declaring the prime minister’s position was “untenable” because of his handling of the Partygate scandal.Meanwhile the PM has been trying to win over unruly backbenchers – as No 10 insiders warned the increasingly isolated prime minister is becoming “unpredictable and erratic”.Show latest update

1644072648Nadine Dorries says new laws would ‘hold Netflix to account’ over Jimmy Carr’s Holocaust jokeHere’s more from Nadine Dorries’ interview on BBC Breakfast this morning.The culture secretary suggested new laws would hold to account streaming sites from airing jokes such as those made by Jimmy Carr about the travelling community and the Holocaust.In a widely-shared clip from his one-hour Netflix special, His Dark Material, Carr joked about the horror of the Holocaust and “six million Jewish lives being lost” before making a disparaging remark about the deaths of thousands of gypsies at the hands of the Nazis.Ms Dorries said: “We are looking at legislation via the Media Bill which would bring into scope those comments from other video on-demand streaming outlets like Netflix. So it’s interesting that we’re already looking at future legislation to bring into scope those sort of comments.”Pressed that she had previously claimed “left-wing snowflakes are killing comedy”, Ms Dorries said: “Well, that’s not comedy”, adding that the comments were “abhorrent and they just shouldn’t be on television”.Andy Gregory5 February 2022 14:501644071634No 10 situation ‘disappointing and embarrassing’, says Treasury ministerJohn Glen, a junior Treasury minister, said the situation with No 10 was “deeply uncomfortable, disappointing, and embarrassing”, Adam Forrest reports.Writing in his local newspaper The Salisbury Journal, the MP did not call for Boris Johnson to resign.But Mr Glen said the culture in No 10 “fell short of what the country had a right to expect, and responsibility must be taken for the mistakes that were made”.He said he spoke to the PM this week “and I took the opportunity to tell him in person how frustrated and let down we all feel”.Andy Gregory5 February 2022 14:331644070779‘No government in my lifetime has ever imploded in this way,’ Tory MP saysThe assistant editor of The Spectator – the magazine of which Boris Johnson was editor from 1999 to 2005 – reported this week that the consensus among all of the Tory MPs she had spoken to in the wake of No 10’s staff exodus was that “it is definitely a case of when Boris goes, not if”.The magazine reported on Thursday night that “everyone” agrees that Munira Mirza’s departure “ups the dial for Boris” and that while it has “felt fatal for about a week now, things are speeding up”.A formerly pro-Johnson MP – who is yet to send a no confidence letter – is reported to have told the magazine: “The staff are always the last to leave! They’re normally there in Downing Street crying as the PM finally quits, they’re thinking about the resignation honours list. “No government in my lifetime has ever imploded in this way.”Andy Gregory5 February 2022 14:191644069832Erratic PM will ‘make a mess… then play the victim when it blows up in his face’A No 10 insider told The Independent Boris Johnson’s mood has been swinging wildly amid the turmoil in Downing Street.“He’s been erratic. Boisterous and confident one moment and then bleak and full of recriminations the next,” said the source, speaking anonymously.“It’s becoming a pattern. He was difficult to handle after he’d had Covid, and after Dom [Cummings, his former top adviser] left, but now he’s even worse. He’ll make a mess, like Savile, Peppa Pig, the early lines on parties – against the clearest advice – and then play the victim when it blows up in his face.”Laurie Churchman5 February 2022 14:031644068452Ukraine: 41% of Britons think Boris Johnson handling crisis badlyLaurie Churchman5 February 2022 13:401644067252People crossing Channel to UK forced to wait hours on concrete floorPeople crossing the Channel to the UK in small boats are being forced to wait on narrow benches and a concrete floor for hours while being held at a processing site, Border Force staff have warned.The union representing immigration officers said a new temporary reception facility for processing new arrivals on the Kent coast is “less than optimal” for the men, women and children who are held there, sometimes for many hours at a time.“You’ve got folk coming through who have gone through a very hard journey. They’re wet, they need to be warm, they need to be safeguarded. We’ve got no hot food or hot water, we can’t feed or wash them,” said Lucy Moreton, professional officer at the Immigration Services Union (ISU).Laurie Churchman5 February 2022 13:201644066091PM speaks to Macron about Russia-Ukraine tensionsBoris Johnson spoke to French president Emmanuel Macron this morning about rising tensions on the Ukraine border.Russia has moved more than 100,000 troops to its neighbour’s border but denies planning an invasion.In a readout of the conversation, a spokesperson said: ““The leaders updated one another on their respective discussions with international partners, including the prime minister’s visit to Kyiv last week. They agreed that finding a diplomatic solution to the current tensions must remain the overriding priority.“The prime minister and president Macron stressed that Nato must be united in the face of Russian aggression. They agreed to continue to work together to develop a package of sanctions which would come into force immediately should Russia further invade Ukraine.“The leaders discussed their work to strengthen Nato’s Eastern flank, ensuring that allies are fully defended against malicious Russian activity, wherever and however it might occur.”The two leaders also discussed a border closer to home.The readout continues: “The prime minister re-emphasised to president Macron his commitment to work with France on the shared challenge of illegal migration in the Channel. The leaders agreed on the need to cooperate to stop people traffickers.”Laurie Churchman5 February 2022 13:011644065026Revealed: Rishi Sunak’s behind-closed-doors meetings with banking bossesRishi Sunak met with dozens of financial firms and banking industry lobby groups before seeking a “bonfire” of regulations for the City of London, analysis by The Independent has shown.The chancellor, who is reported to be putting the finishing touches to his Tory leadership campaign, is set to relax regulations and tear up rules, including some measures aimed at preventing a future financial crises.My colleague Ben Chapman has the full exclusive report here:Andy Gregory5 February 2022 12:431644064126Tory MP says he is mulling no confidence letter ‘very carefully’Tory MP Stephen Hammond has said he is “considering very carefully this weekend” whether he still has confidence in Boris Johnson, saying it “certainly looks like” the beginning of the end.He told the BBC he would be “reflecting on the events of the week, reflecting on the fact that my constituents and I and almost all of the country obeyed rules, and there seems to be a group of people who haven’t”.He said he had not yet put a letter into Sir Graham Brady, but he said: “I think I’m making it very clear to you that I am considering very carefully over the weekend, what are the next steps.“I think all Conservative colleagues, all of whom I know, are in it for trying to do the best for their constituents and the country will be wrestling with their consciences this weekend.”Asked whether it was “the beginning of the end” for the PM, he said: “It certainly looks like that at the moment.”He added: “It looks very difficult for the prime minister from here.” My colleague Adam Forrest has the full story here:Andy Gregory5 February 2022 12:281644063166‘Remainer plot’ against Boris Johnson is ‘complete nonsense’, Tory MP saysA Tory MP has disagreed with culture secretary Nadine Dorries’ characterisation this morning that those who want Boris Johnson to resign are Remainers or those have always opposed him.Stephen Hammond told BBC Radio 4: “All the rubbish written in some of the right-wing red tops about a Remainer plot, that is complete nonsense. I think as far as I can see, the people who so far declared that they’ve written a letter are from all wings of the party and none.”He said it was “predictable rubbish from a predictable source” to suggest those who wanted him to resign were all from a group of usual suspects.He said: “I’ve known Boris Johnson … I was on his campaign committee in 2008 and 2012, when he was running for Mayor of London, I’ve known Boris for all that time. I think the idea that I’ve always been against him is just nonsense.“If you look at where the letters are coming from, I don’t understand how anyone could stand up that claim, and so I think probably the Secretary of State needs to think again.”Andy Gregory5 February 2022 12:12 More

Cabinet minister Nadine Dorries has admitted that “regicide runs in the veins” of the Conservatives, as Boris Johnson fights to save his premiership from a growing backbench rebellion.The culture secretary also suggested anti-Brexit Tory MPs were behind a plot to get rid of Mr Johnson as he struggles to recover from the Partygate scandal.However, Ms Dorries also claimed the vast majority of backbenchers were still behind Mr Johnson – suggesting that “97 per cent” of Tory MPs backed him.“There are a small number of voices, whether they are people who were ardent supporters of Remain, who see this as their last opportunity to reverse Brexit,” Ms Dorries told Times Radio.Asked whether the moves against Mr Johnson were a “Remainer plot”, Ms Dorries said: “There are a number of reasons actually, it’s not just one, but that certainly is at play with a group.”The minister said “regicide runs in the veins of my party” – before insisting that attempts to overthrow the leader was limited to “a small group of MPs”.Ex-minister Nick Gibb has become the 14th Tory MP to publicly call on Mr Johnson to resign, though the number of MPs to have submitted no-confidence letters to 1922 Committee chair Sir Graham Brady is believed to be higher.Tories now keen to see an end of Mr Johnson’s premiership include some red wall MPs from the 2019 intake, some former ministers and those passed over for positions, the “one nation” caucus opposed to Brexit – as well as some Brexiteers who have lost faith in his leadership.But Ms Dorries claimed those moving against Mr Johnson were “the same names that we continually keep cropping up” and were limited to “safe seats”.She added: “Some of those same names tried to get David Cameron out and tried to get Theresa May out and are now trying to get Boris Johnson and the truth is no prime minister would please any of those.”The culture secretary told Sky News: “There are 365 Conservative MPs. And I can promise you that the vast, vast majority of those MPs, 97% of them will be out in their constituencies today, who are delivering on the promises they made to their constituents and Boris Johnson has made to them.”It comes amid reports the PM was pictured holding a beer in a photo from his 2020 birthday gathering. Mr Johnson also continues to come under pressure over his discredit claim that Sir Keir Starmer “failed” to prosecute Jimmy Savile.Chancellor Rishi Sunak raising eyebrows by criticising the PM’s Savile slur – saying he would not have made the discredited claim.Ms Dorries said Mr Sunak was “entitled to his views”. But she defended Mr Johnson’s remarks by insisting it was right for the Labour leader to have acknowledged the failure of the Crown Prosecution Service when he was head of the body.“What I would say is that when you lead an organisation, you are responsible, the responsibility lands on your desk for what happens within that organisation when you’re leading it,” she said.Health secretary Sajid Javid also appeared to criticise the prime minister over the smear attack, saying Sir Keir deserved “absolute respect” for the job he did as director of public prosecutions.But Ms Dorries told Sky News Mr Javid was “quite shocked” at how his remarks had been reported, adding: “I spoke to Sajid Javid last night and he reassured me that he is 100% behind the prime minister. What you’re reporting about Sajid Javid turning his back on the prime minister is not true.”Earlier on Saturday, Ms Dorries refused to say how much she “communicates” with Mr Johnson in an awkward interview with BBC Breakfast.She also appeared to mix up two Tory MPs with similar names – Martin Vickers and Matt Vickers – while defending Mr Johnson on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. More

Cabinet minister Nadine Dorries has refused to say how much she “communicates” with Boris Johnson in an awkward interview over the prime minister’s battle to save his premiership.The culture secretary – a fierce defender of Mr Johnson during the Partygate scandal – was asked on BBC Breakfast if she had spoken to Mr Johnson in the past 24 hours.“Why? Why are you asking me that question?” Ms Dorries asked.Host Charlie Stayt said: “I’d like to know,” before the minister reluctantly replied: “We’ve communicated.”Pressed on what they had communicated about, Ms Dorries said: “I’m not going to tell you the extent of my communications with the prime minister. I’ve answered your question. We have communicated. What is your next question?”The culture secretary went on to say Mr Johnson’s mood was “very positive” and said a “huge amount of change” was under way at Downing Street in an attempt to reset his premiership.Mr Johnson was hit with a fifth resignation in less than 24 hours when Elena Narozanski, a special adviser in the No 10 policy unit, walked out on Friday.Tory MP Nick Gibb became the last backbencher to call on the PM to resign amid reports he was pictured holding a beer in a photograph from his June 2020 birthday gathering which has been handed to the police.Asked about the growing number of no-confidence letters being submitted to the 1922 Committee chair, Ms Dorries suggested those who were against Mr Johnson were Remainers.She told Times Radio: “There are a small number of voices, whether they are people who were ardent supporters of Remain, who see this as their last opportunity to reverse Brexit.”Asked whether the moves against Mr Johnson were a “Remainer plot”, Ms Dorries said: “There are a number of reasons actually, it’s not just one, but that certainly is at play with a group.”She also told Times Radio that “regicide runs in the veins of my party” – before clarifying that attempts to overthrow the leader was limited to “a small group of MPs”.The culture secretary also suggested the government was considering legislation to stop comedy people find offensive being shown on Netflix.Speaking about the Online Safety Bill, Ms Dorries said the new legislation would not cover comments made by comedian Jimmy Carr about the Holocaust in Netflix special His Dark Material.She said: “We are looking at legislation via the media bill which would bring into scope those comments from other video on-demand streaming outlets like Netflix. So it’s interesting that we’re already looking at future legislation to bring into scope those sort of comments.”The minister said comment by Mr Carr – under fire over a joke made about the travelling community and the Holocaust – were “abhorrent and they just shouldn’t be on television”.It was put to Ms Dorries that she had previously tweeted that “left-wing snowflakes” were “killing” free speech in comedy routines.She replied: “Well, that’s not comedy. What Jimmy Carr did last night is not comedy. And you know, I’m no angel on Twitter, nobody is, but I just would like to say that nothing I’ve ever put on Twitter has been harmful or abusive.“But that last night, Jimmy Carr’s comments, no one can call that, you know, snowflake or wokeishness, that’s just … it was just appalling.” More

French Champagne producers have said they have no plans to sell their sparkling wine in pint measures any time soon, despite the hopes of Brexiteers.The government has touted bringing back the pint measure for Champagne as a supposed “Brexit win” – but practical difficulties mean the product is unlikely to actually hit shelves.Even Pol Roger, the Champagne house famously favoured by Winston Churchill and the former producer of pint bottles, told The Independent the idea was a “non-story”.A relatively small number of pint bottles were sold in the UK before Britain entered the European Common Market until 1973 – but their production ceased because they did not comply with EU weights and measures rules.Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, is said to be keen on bringing the smaller bottles back as a way of highlighting the supposed benefits of Brexit. Brexit-supporting newspapers have repeatedly touted the idea, with encouragement from the Cabinet Office’s “Brexit opportunities unit”, which is desperately seeking to justify the break with Europe.The bottles have a historic link with Winston Churchill, who claimed they were the perfect size.But the idea would require French Champagne makers to actually choose to use the imperial measure, and a number of practical problems are preventing a comeback.One is that the glass bottles needed are largely produced in France, but the last mould to produce pint-sized sparkling wine bottles was lost long ago. Pol Roger, which once shipped pint bottles to the UK in cases of 16, says it would cost tens of thousands of pounds for glassmakers to create a new pint mould – making it a risky business proposition with no obvious benefit.”We tried to encourage our French [operation] to look at it and they’ve looked at it,” James Simpson, managing director of Pol Roger Ltd in the UK, told The Independent.And the requirement for Champagne to be aged in its bottle means that even if producers wanted to, and started producing pints this year, they would not be ready until 2026 at the very.earliest”We can’t just decant from the bottle in the pint bottle and say ‘hey we’ve got it’. How do I put this gently? It’s a non-story trying to be a story which we’ve sort of encouraged over the years because it amuses us, and it harks a bit back to the Churchill link,” Mr Simpson said.The government has also been dragging its feet on legalising the measure, and has not yet actually done so. It is understood that officials are debating whether to introduce actual imperial pints, or to opt for the easier 500ml measure.The latter size would have the advantage of potentially being exportable to other countries, meaning the wine might one day be able to be sold outside the UK – whereas a true imperial pint of 568ml unlikely to be useful anywhere except the UK. Non-sparkling wine is already allowed to be sold in 500ml under both EU and UK rules, and bottle moulds already exist for the size – but going with the decimal measure would undermine the government’s claims that it can bring back imperial measures now Britain has left the European Union.One English sparkling wine house, Rathfinny in Sussex, has already produced 800 of bottles of its drink in 500ml bottles in anticipation of a rule change for the decimal measure.France’s other champagne makers have also confirmed they have no plans to produce pints, or simply ignored the situation. Moët & Chandon, the largest of all the champagne houses, declined to commit to the measure when approached by The Independent, while a spokesperson for G.H. Mumm, another one of the big four producers, said: “We can indeed confirm that we have no plans to produce and sell champagne in pint bottles.”Industry insiders say English sparkling wine producers are keener on the rule change, but actual French Champagne houses have shown little to no interest in bringing anything to market.”I think actually the English sparkling wine boys are pressing rather harder than we are at the moment,” Mr Simpson said.”We’re also in a lucky position that we’ve sold every bottle of Pol Roger that we’ve released, so we’re not desperately rushing to come up with another size because there’s just not the booze to put in it.”The Pol Roger chief also threw cold water on the idea that the pint was once a hugely common measure of selling Champagne in Britain – as claimed in some newspaper reports.”Probably three per cent” of champagne shipped to the UK was in pint bottles rather than the 60 per cent claimed in a recent Daily Mail article, he said. But he added: “The story continues to run and run because people are amused by it.” He added that if “everyone weighs in I’m sure we will eventually follow” but that the barriers were difficult to resolve.Winston Churchill once said that a pint bottle of Champagne was the “ideal size”, being “enough for two at lunch and one at dinner”.The Independent has contacted the Cabinet Office, which hosts the government’s “Brexit opportunities unit”, for comment, but not yet received a response. More