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      Senior Tory accuses ministers of ‘blackmail’ against rebel MPs plotting to topple Boris Johnson

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      A senior Conservative MP has accused ministers of breaching the ministerial code by making threats to rebel colleagues who are considering trying to topple Boris Johnson.William Wragg urged the MPs to go the police, saying: “The reports of which I’m aware would seem to constitute blackmail.”The sensational accusation comes after some MPs considering submitting letters demanding a vote of no confidence in the prime minister reported receiving threats.They were said to include pulling investment from their constituencies – even in target ‘Red Wall’ seats – or them losing out in boundary shake-ups.Mr Wragg, the chair of the public administration committee, protested about the tactics as he quizzed Stephen Barclay, the Cabinet Office minister.“In recent days, a number of members of parliament have faced pressures and intimidation from members of the government because of their declared or assumed desire for a vote of confidence in the party leadership of the prime minister,” he said.“It is of course the duty of the government whips’ office to secure the government’s business in the House of Commons.“However, it is not their function to breach the ministerial code in threatening to withdraw investments from members of parliament’s constituencies which are funded from the public purse.”But Mr Johnson said he had seen “no evidence to support any of those allegations”. Pressed on whether he will look for evidence, he replied: “Of course.”Speaking to broadcasters during a visit to the southwest, the PM dodged questions over whether he will resign if the partygate report by Sue Gray finds he misled parliament.Mr Wragg also raised the alarm over attempts to “embarrass those who they suspect of lacking confidence in prime minister”, which was “simply unacceptable”.He urged MPs to “report these matters to the Speaker of the House of Commons and the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police”.Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, seized on Mr Wragg’s words, saying: “These are grave and shocking accusations of bullying, blackmail, and misuse of public money and must be investigated thoroughly.“The idea that areas of our country will be starved of funding because their MPs don’t fall into line to prop up this failing prime minister is disgusting.”Camilla Cavendish, head of policy for David Cameron, called the allegations “unprecedented” – saying the whips had moved into “mafia territory”, if true.Mr Wragg is one of seven Conservatives to call publicly for Mr Johnson to resign over the partygate scandal – a tally cut from eight when Christian Wakeford defected to Labour on Wednesday.He has also said he has submitted a no confidence letter, saying he was “concerned as a Conservative MP” by the prime minister’s behaviour over the long-denied parties.No 10 appeared to dismiss investigating the allegation, saying it was “not aware of any evidence” to back it up.Asked if there are plans for an inquiry, Mr Johnson’s spokesman said: “Not that I’m aware of” – adding the controversy “is a matter for the whips office”.Mr Barclay did not respond immediately to the accusations, which came after Sajid Javid has insisted Mr Johnson is “safe” in his job, despite the ongoing ‘partygate’ inquiry.The prime minister suffered the blow of Mr Wakeford’s shock defection to Labour on Wednesday, minutes before David Davis rose in the Commons to tell him: “In the name of God, go.”The number of letters from Tory MPs calling for a no-confidence vote in his leadership is on the rise, with other rebels awaiting Sue Gray’s report into No 10 parties before deciding whether to act.But, despite the turmoil, asked if Mr Johnson’s position is “safe”, Mr Javid told BBC Breakfast: “Yes, I think he is.” More

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      UK lawmaker says Johnson critics face government 'blackmail'

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      A lawmaker from Britain’s governing Conservatives accused the government on Thursday of blackmailing opponents of Prime Minister Boris Johnson as the party’s internal rifts deepened.William Wragg, a Tory member of Parliament, said legislators calling for a challenge to Johnson’s leadership have faced “intimidation,” and urged them to contact the police.Wragg accused Johnson’s staff, government ministers and others of “encouraging the publication of stories in the press seeking to embarrass those they who suspect of lacking confidence in the prime minister.” He also alleged that rebellious lawmakers had been threatened with a loss of public funding for their constituencies.Wragg told a parliamentary committee session that such actions “would seem to constitute blackmail. As such it would be my general advice to colleagues to report these matters to the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Commissioner of Metropolitan Police.”Johnson’s 10 Downing St. office said it was “not aware of any evidence to support what are clearly serious allegations. If there is any evidence to support these claims, we would look at it very carefully.”Wragg’s comments are the latest outburst in a Conservative battle over Johnson’s future, sparked by allegations of lockdown-breaching parties by the prime minister’s staff during the pandemic.Wragg is one of a handful of Tory lawmakers openly calling for Johnson to face a no-confidence vote over the “partygate” scandal, which centers on allegations that Johnson and his staff broke restrictions the government imposed on the country to curb the spread of the coronavirus.Senior civil servant Sue Gray is investigating claims that government staff held late-night soirees, boozy parties and “wine time Fridays” while Britain was under coronavirus restrictions in 2020 and 2021.Johnson has apologized for attending a “bring your own booze” gathering in the garden of his Downing Street offices in May 2020, but said he had considered the party a work gathering that fell within the rules.He has urged critics to wait for Gray’s report, which is expected to be published next week.Johnson and his supporters hope a defiant performance at Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday, combined with anger at the defection of a Conservative lawmaker to the opposition Labour Party has helped dissuade party legislators from trying to topple the prime minister.“I think people have recognized that, actually, this constant navel-gazing and internal debating is only to the advantage of our political opponents,” Conservative lawmaker Andrew Percy told the BBC.But David Davis a former Cabinet minister who in Parliament on Wednesday dramatically urged Johnson “In the name of God, go,” said any reprieve was likely temporary.“The party is going to have to make a decision or we face dying a death of 1,000 cuts,” he told the Daily Telegraph. More

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      Key email proving Boris Johnson’s top aide was ‘warned’ to cancel No 10 party ‘found by inquiry’

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      An email central to the charge that Boris Johnson “lied to parliament” over the No10 garden party he attended has been found by the inquiry, it is believed.Sue Gray is also poised to quiz the senior official who sent the email – warning the prime minister’s aide Martin Reynolds to scrap the “bring your own booze” event – the official has said.He will tell the partygate inquiry head that Mr Reynolds “immediately came to his office after receipt of the email and asked him why the party should be cancelled”, ITV News has reported.It is also being alleged that Mr Reynolds, Mr Johnson’s principal private secretary, feared cancelling the May 2020 party would be more embarrassing than going ahead.The decision to plough on now threatens the prime minister’s job, because of his claim – to the Commons – that no-one warned him it was party that broke Covid laws.Many MPs believe Mr Johnson cannot survive in office if it is shown that he misled parliament with his repeated denials that parties took place with his knowledge.Dominic Cummings first alleged that warnings were given – including by himself, to Mr Johnson’s face – arguing it blew apart the prime minister’s defence that he thought the gathering was “a work event”.Robert Peston, ITV’s political editor, says he knows the identity of the sender of the email, but has agreed not to name him.The official has said Ms Gray will interview him – and that he will tell her “Reynolds immediately came to his office and asked him why the party should be cancelled”.Now Mr Peston has added: “I understand Sue Gray has found the email from a senior official to PM’s principle private secretary Martin Reynolds warning him the 20 May party should not go ahead.”The denial that Mr Johnson was alerted to the party is central to his much-ridiculed Commons apology – when he claimed he believed the gathering was “a work event”.In a blogpost, Mr Cummings claimed Mr Reynolds also told him he would “check with the PM if he’s happy for it to go ahead”, on 20 May 2020.“I am sure he did check with the PM. (I think it very likely another senior official spoke to the PM about it but I am not sure),” the post stated.And it added: “The idea that the PPS [principal private secretary] would be challenged by two of the most senior people in the building, say he’d check with the PM then not – is not credible.”Earlier, a senior Conservative MP accused ministers of breaching the ministerial code by making threats to rebel colleagues who are considering trying to topple Mr Johnson.William Wragg urged the MPs to go the police, saying: “The reports of which I’m aware would seem to constitute blackmail.” More

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      Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves says Labour has ditched Corbynite past and is now ‘pro-business’

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      Labour has left behind its far-left days under Jeremy Corbyn and now has a “totally different mentality” towards business and the economy,  the shadow chancellor has declared.Rachel Reeves vowed a Labour government led by Sir Keir Starmer would be profoundly “pro-business” and committed to fiscal discipline.She told the Financial Times: “It doesn’t sound totally preposterous that Labour could be in government some time quite soon.”However, Ms Reeves acknowledged Sir Keir’s Labour had a great deal of work to do to regain voters’ trust after a humiliating defeat in the 2019 election.The shadow chancellor explained that would entail a solid partnership with business to increase growth – including developing infrastructure, more apprenticeships and increased research spending.She said: “Labour is a pro-worker party but we’re a pro-business party too, and very proudly so.” More

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      Brexit: UK-Australia trade deal ‘as one-sided as the Ashes’, Tory MP tells ministers

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      The post-Brexit trade deal Boris Johnson’s government struck with Australia is as “one-sided” as the Ashes cricket series, a Conservative MP has told ministers.Tory MP Neil Hudson said he was worried that the free trade agreement (FTA) could see British farmers undercut and “undermined” by cheap Australian meat imports.“Free trade agreements should be fair to both partners,” he said the Commons. “The Australian FTA, dare I say it, like the Ashes cricket series, is a bit one-sided in favour of Australia.”Mr Hudson said ministers still had to assure UK farmers that safeguard mechanisms in December’s deal would have enough “teeth” to “turn down the supply of meat” from Australia in the years ahead.International trade secretary Anne-Maria Trevelyan responded by claiming the safeguards would protect British farmers and make sure “fantastic British produce” doesn’t suffer from unfair competition.It comes as the government announced that the US has agreed to begin talks to remove the tariffs on British steel and aluminium imposed under Donald Trump’s administration.Ms Trevelyan told the Commons she spoken with US commerce secretary Gina Raimondo on Wednesday – saying the UK was pushing Joe Biden’s administration to “remove these unnecessary and burdensome tariffs” and was “confident” of an agreement.The 25 per cent tariff on steel and 10 per cent tariff on aluminium were imposed by the Trump administration during a dispute with the EU in 2018.Labour MP Stephen Kinnock pointed out to Ms Trevelyan that the EU had managed to get the Biden administration to drop tariffs in October – suggesting the US had been punishing Britain over the threat to suspend the Northern Ireland Protocol.“Here we are three months later and talks are only just starting,” said Mr Kinnock. He said that “the probable cause is the government’s shambolic handling” of recent talks with the EU.Labour also pushed Ms Trevelyan to confirm whether Mr Johnson had personally raised the issue of steel tariffs with Mr Biden, but the trade secretary said only that talks had happened at “all levels of government”.“The prime minister has been more interested in saving his own job than he has in saving jobs in the steel sector,” said shadow trade secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds. “The longer these tariffs they remain in place the more damage to our steel sector.”Confederation of British Industry (CBI) international director Andy Burwell said it is “vital” to agree a negotiated settlement on steel tariffs to “ease pressure on affected industries”.Alasdair McDiarmid, Community steelworkers’ union operations director, said: “This is welcome news but the talks must proceed at pace to limit damage to our steel industry.” More

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      Boris Johnson’s daughter Romy ‘badly’ hit with Covid at five weeks old

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      Boris Johnson’s six-week-old daughter was ‘badly hit’ by Covid-19, a source told the Daily Mail.Romy Iris Charlotte Johnson, daughter of the Prime Minister and wife Carrie Johnson, is now said to be ‘on the mend’ after contracting the virus at five-weeks-old.Last Thursday, Downing Street announced a family member of Mr Johnson had tested positive for coronavirus which the Daily Mail said was his newborn daughter, citing sources.The PM cancelled a visit to Lancashire and did not appear in public for a few days following the announcement.A spokesperson at the time said Mr Johnson would “follow the guidance for vaccinated close contacts, including daily testing and limiting contact with others.”He then reappeared on Tuesday for an interview about parties held by Downing Street staff during Covid restrictions, and faced calls to resign after saying “nobody told” him the gatherings were against the rules.Romy Iris Charlotte Johnson was born on December 9, 2021 and lives with her older brother, Wilfred, and parents in the flat above 11 Downing Street.NHS guidance says that newborn babies are less likely to be at risk of becoming seriously unwell with the virus, but hygiene precautions are strongly recommended.Mr Johnson himself also caught Covid-19 at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 and became seriously ill, spending time in hospital. More

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      Will the UK go into another lockdown in 2022?

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      The emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 caused huge concern around the world when it was discovered in southern Africa in mid-November, not least because it was found to be highly transmissible and because the 32 mutations to its spike protein suggested it might be able to resist current vaccines.Prior to Christmas, UK prime minister Boris Johnson introduced a series of “Plan B” social restrictions to combat the threat posed by the strain, ordering people to work from home, wear masks in public places, present a Covid pass proving their vaccination status in exchange for entry to crowded public venues and to get a third booster jab as a matter of urgency.He declined to tighten the rules ahead of the festive season getting underway in earnest, a decision that allowed him to avoid a repeat of his notorious address of 19 December 2020, and continued to stick to his guns in the early weeks of January, despite total daily cases in England rocketing to a pandemic high of 218,724 on 4 January, according to the UK Health Security Agency, despite pressure growing from experts to take a tougher stance to support beleagured NHS staff.Having weathered that storm, the rate of Omicron infections began to fall, enabling the prime minister to repeal those restrictions on Wednesday 19 January, with working from home dropped immediately and masks and passes abandoned from Thursday 27 January.Taking time out from the firestorm still raging over the Downing Street “Partygate” scandal, Mr Johnson told the Commons that he also hopes to remove the requirement to self-isolate from 24 March, saying: “There will soon come a time when we can remove the legal requirement to self-isolate altogether, just as we don’t place legal obligations on people to isolate if they have flu.“As Covid becomes endemic, we will need to replace legal requirements with advice and guidance, urging people with the virus to be careful and considerate of others.”Changes had already been made to testing and self-isolation guidance in order to minimise staff absences and prevent a further major hit on the UK economy, a primary concern among Conservatives keen to avoid a repeat of the “pingdemic” experienced last summer at the hands of an overzealous NHS Test and Trace app. Responding, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused the prime minister of being “too distracted to do the job”.“The 438 deaths recorded yesterday are a solemn reminder that this pandemic is not over,” Sir Keir said.“We need to remain vigilant, learn the lessons from the government’s mistakes, with new variants highly likely we must have a robust plan to live well with Covid.”The leader of the opposition is right to be cautious.Daily case numbers may have fallen considerably from that early year peak but were still at almost 110,000 on the day of Mr Johnson’s announcement and members of the public are still being advised to exercise caution and get their boosters, which so far less than 64 per cent of the UK’s adult population has done, enthusiasm having apparently stalled.However, barring another extreme spike in cases, perhaps caused by the emergence of another new variant of the virus, we are unlikely to see another lockdown imposed on the British public for the time being, with the measure considered the most extreme available and a last restort.Lockdowns have proven unpopular with the public due to the mental and physical toll they take on individuals and because of the devastation they cause to British industry, hence the particular anger expressed by many at the idea that Mr Johnson and his aides were swilling wine at Downing Street and ignoring the rules while ordinary citizens dutifully complied.Shorter circuit-breaker lockdowns could still be a possibility in future should the circumstances change but it seems more likely that social restrictions will continue to be imposed in stages, according to necessity and in line with the data, the situation kept constantly under review and the steps imposed adjusted accordingly. Even before Omicron began to cast its sinister shadow across the globe, many Britons were already glancing anxiously towards the continent as Austria and the Netherlands reintroduced lockdowns in response to spiking cases of Covid in the autumn.The World Health Organisation (WHO) had said it was “very worried” about the spread in Europe and warned 700,000 more deaths could be recorded by March unless urgent action was taken, bringing the total number of fatalities on the continent to 2.2 million since the pandemic began.Omicron variant shows just how ‘perilous’ Covid situation is, WHO saysPrior to the scare parked by Omicron, Mr Johnson’s government had been deeply reluctant to reimpose restrictions at all, despite consistently high case numbers.While the vaccines kept death rates low after the mass rollout began to have an effect in spring 2021, infection levels typically hovered around the 40,000-per-day mark from 19 July – “Freedom Day” – to the arrival of the new variant on these shores.Mr Johnson also appeared to be concerned that further restrictions might lead to social disorder, having seen anti-lockdown protests – some of them violent – erupt in Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark, Italy and Croatia.Londoners were certainly unhappy about the initial return of the mask mandate, accusing the PM of hypocrisy for declining to wear one himself at several public engagements.However, in other quarters, there appeared to be a clear appetite for new restrictions even before Omicron, at least according to the polls.A survey by Savanta ComRes revealed that 45 per cent of adults would be in favour of a selective lockdown targeting only those who had declined to get their Covid jabs and therefore could pose an ongoing risk to others.But, until the fresh strain threw a fresh spanner into the works, there was a credible case for believing that the UK was in such a strong position that it could avoid the worst of the outbreak marauding across Europe.Although Britain’s infection rate has remained high for months, it has also been highly stable until recently, lingering at a seven-day average of around 600 daily cases per million people, whereas Austria and the Netherlands have suddenly spiked to 1,500 and 1,250 respectively from well below that starting point since the beginning of October.Part of the reason for this is that the UK was hit by the more infectious Alpha and Delta variants of the coronavirus sooner and was therefore able to tackle them ahead of its European neighbours and unlock earlier. 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      Sajid Javid insists Boris Johnson is ‘safe’ in his job despite ongoing ‘partygate’ inquiry

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      Sajid Javid has insisted Boris Johnson is “safe” in his job, despite a former cabinet minister’s dramatic demand for him to quit and even before the ‘partygate’ inquiry is concluded.The prime minister suffered the blow of Christian Wakeford’s shock defection to Labour on Wednesday, minutes before David Davis rose in the Commons to tell him: “In the name of God, go.”The number of letters from Tory MPs calling for a no-confidence vote in his leadership is on the rise, with other rebels awaiting Sue Gray’s report into No 10 parties before deciding whether to act.But, despite the turmoil, asked if Mr Johnson is “safe in his job”, Mr Javid told BBC Breakfast: “Yes, I think he is.”The health secretary added: “At the same time, people are right to be angered and pained about what they have seen and they have heard. I share that anger and pain.”Mr Javid also admitted the controversy is inflicting harm on democracy, telling BBC Radio 4: “Yes, it does. Of course things like this damage our democracy.” The momentum towards a no-confidence vote slowed with Mr Wakeford’s defection, a display of disloyalty which has provoked many wavering Tory MPs to “rally round”.But senior Conservatives say it is too early to predict the revolt will fizzle out – with the investigation into the lockdown-busting No 10 parties, including the one Mr Johnson attended, not due until next week.Only Graham Brady, the chair of the 1922 Committee of backbenchers, knows if he is close to receiving the 54 letters required to trigger a no-confidence vote, 15 per cent of Tory MPs.One former minister summed up how it is impossible to defend the prime minister’s explanation that he was at the party on 20 May, 2020 – but did not realise a party was taking place.“It is like going to a brothel and claiming you didn’t realise that the women there are selling themselves for sex,” the ex-minister told The Independent.Mr Javid also went further than other ministers in admitting there was wrongdoing – something long denied by Mr Johnson, when he was insisting “guidance was followed at all times”.“We do now know that there were some parties – we know that not least because some of the people that were involved and broke the rules have already come forward to say so,” he said.But he argued it is right to give the prime minister “the time and the space for the investigation is taking place to be completed so that the facts can be established”.Anyone who broke the rules “should be disciplined and I look forward to seeing that disciplinary action taking place,” Mr Javid said. More