UK Politics

Boris Johnson’s former senior adviser Dominic Cummings has claimed there are photos of the festive parties held at Downing Street in the run-up to Christmas last year.Pressure on the prime minister over the parties has stepped up after it emerged that his top communications adviser Jack Doyle handed out awards to staff at a gathering on 18 December.Mr Cummings claimed Mr Johnson was “lying” about the gatherings and said photo evidence of the events – as well as invitations sent to people who do not work at No 10 – would soon be revealed.“There’s lots of pictures of the parties which will inevitably get out. And invite lists beyond No 10, to other departments,” he tweeted on Friday.The former strategist also said he thought Mr Johnson probably knew about the 18 December event at the centre of the scandal, and predicted the PM would “be gone before the next election … probably summer”.In a question and answer event for subscribers to his blog, Mr Cummings also suggested that Mr Doyle would become the fall guy for the party scandal – claiming the press chief is a “gonner”.He claimed Mr Johnson “will be thinking ‘not now, gotta keep him as the sacrifice for Case’s inquiry then – I’m shocked, shocked I tell you to discover there was a party and I was misled’.”Mr Cummings also suggested the PM – facing accusations that he lied to his own ethics adviser about donations spent on Downing Street flat redecorations – would “do a deal with Jack to keep all the wallpaper horror buried”.Referring to the events of 18 December, Mr Cummings also suggested Mr Johnson may have known about the gathering of staff. “He knew but I think did not attend, though remember the geography – to get upstairs he has to walk past that area where he could see it – if he was not Chequers.”Mr Cummings also alleged that Mr Johnson, whom he refers to as the “trolley”, had been “lying” when answering questions about the alleged parties in recent days.He claimed: “There were invites sent across Whitehall, it was an organised party. The trolley knows this and tried to lie his way out but was fck (sic) by the video.”The former No 10 strategist also denied claims he was the source of the leaked video which showed adviser Allegra Stratton, who has since resigned, joking about a festive party. Asked if he obtained the clip and shared with ITV News, he replied: “No.”Asked by subscribers how and when the Tories might replace Mr Johnson, Mr Cummings said: “The polls will lead it, plus his inevitable continued flat spin, plus officials kicking him off the ice, plus rivals strategically intervening.”“He’s done, gone by this time next year, probably summer,” he said of Mr Johnson’s leadership – warning the 2019 intake of so-called red wall Tory MPs that they would be “toast” unless they replace him.But Mr Cummings would not be drawn on who would be the next PM. “Don’t want to get into personalities now – [Liz] Truss and [Sajid] Javid are not solutions.” Asked if his former Vote Leave campaign ally Michael Gove was the answer, he said: “No.”It comes as Tory peer Gavin Barwell said the party’s MPs are “definitely” having conversations on how to replace Mr Johnson. “His position depends on being seen as an electoral asset, and if over a period of time that goes then he really is in trouble.”Mr Johnson’s troubles were made worse on Friday when it emerged that his ethics adviser Lord Geidt has restarted an investigation into the funding of the lavish flat refurb.Lord Geidt contacted No 10 after Thursday’s Electoral Commission report appeared to show the prime minister “misled” the adviser own when exactly he knew about funding arrangements. More

Some Conservative MPs are “definitely” having conversations on how to replace Boris Johnson, a Tory peer has claimed amid a turbulent week for the prime minister on multiple fronts.Gavin Barwell, the former chief-of-staff to Theresa May, also described a number of issues, including the Owen Paterson scandal, allegations of parties in government buildings last winter, and questions over funding of the No 10 flat as “self-inflicted wounds”.“That’s why his MPs are so angry,” the former Conservative MP told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.Asked whether there “are now real conversations in the Conservative party, not about imminent change, but possibly change before the next election” in respect to Mr Johnson’s leadership, Lord Barwell replied: “The first thing is there are definitely those conversations happening – MPs have talked to me about it. That doesn’t mean it’s going to happen.“But my observation to you would be that Boris Johnson, more than any previous leader of the Conservative party – his position depends on being seen as an electoral asset and if over a period of time that goes then he really is in trouble.”Lord Barwell also said the issue of the Christmas party held at No 10 was “hugely toxic” for the government, suggesting the idea of one rule for those introducing further restrictions and a different set of rules for the others will “hugely cut through with voters”.He added: “It seems to me the government is in a really difficult position now where things are being dragged out of them – piece by piece, day after day – which is incredibly damaging to its authority.His remarks came as the Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, used an interview with the Daily Telegraph to challenge Conservative MPs to act over the leadership of Mr Johnson, whom he described as “unfit for office”.Sir Keir said: “I’m confident we’re going to win the next general election, whether that’s in 2023 or 2024.“So the question – and this is really the question that I think is central now – for the Cabinet, for ministers and for all Tory MPs, frankly, is are they prepared to endure the next two years of increased degradation of themselves and their party, being put out to defend the indefensible and bringing themselves and their party into further disrepute?“Because this isn’t going to change – he’s unfit for office, it isn’t going to change. Or are they going to do something about it?”Elsewhere, foreign secretary Liz Truss – one of the favourites to replace Mr Johnson if a leadership contest emerges – has been “quietly wooing” fellow Conservatives in the event of a leadership contest, according to the i newspaper.One Tory MP told the newspaper she had been “having regular dinners with backbenchers”, but a spokesperson for Ms Truss said she was “focused on getting on with the job” and “she meets MPs regularly to discuss foreign policy, and previously trade policy”.Allies of chancellor Rishi Sunak are also reportedly sounding out fellow Tory MPs for support for a leadership bid if a contest were to take place.Meanwhile, a senior Conservative figure said Mr Johnson must come back after Christmas “refreshed”. Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, treasurer of the 1922 Committee of backbench MPs, told LBC it was “really a very, very difficult time for the prime minister at the moment”.Mr Clifton-Brown said: “We’re all about to go for a Christmas break. If he comes back in the new year refreshed, able to differentiate between his private life and public life … we can really get onto that agenda away from these other, sort of, personal issues, then I think he’s fine.But the 1992 Committee member warned: “But if we go on having these – what I call personal issues, issues of judgment by the prime minister – then I think that’s a very different scenario.” More

Boris Johnson accused of double standard after video shows staff joking about alleged holiday partyTory MPs are having “conversations” about how to oust Boris Johnson amid a series of damaging government scandals, a Conservative peer has said.“There are definitely those conversations happening – MPs have talked to me about it,” Lord Barwell admitted.“That doesn’t mean it is going to happen. But Boris, more than anyone, his position depends on being seen as an electoral asset. If over time that goes, he really is in trouble,” Theresa May’s former chief of staff added.Lord Barwell’s comments come as the prime minister continues to struggle with the fallout caused by revelations about last year’s Downing Street Christmas parties. The growing controversy comes as an ex-standards chief joined opposition parties in calling for further investigations to be opened into Mr Johnson’s luxury revamp of his Downing Street flat.This follows accusations that the prime minister lied to his own ethics adviser, Christopher Geidt, about donations spent on the redecorations, with Tory MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown saying “the truth must come out”.Show latest update

1639147228‘Multiple people’ responsible for Downing Street leaks, says CummingsIn an Ask Me Anything session earlier today, Dominic Cummings was asked who leaked the footage which led to Allegra Stratton’s resignation as a government adviser this week.The architect of the Vote Leave campaign, who was sacked as Boris Johnson’s chief aide last year, replied: “There are multiple people leaking with multiple agendas & the video was not security footage.” More

Tighter restrictions to curb the coronavirus came into force in Britain on Friday, as the government faced new allegations that officials flouted rules they had imposed on the nation with lockdown-breaking parties last Christmas.Face masks are once again compulsory in indoor public spaces in England under the measures British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced this week to slow the spread of the new omicron virus variant. Vaccination passes will be needed for nightclubs and large events starting next week, and residents will be told to work from home, if possible.The emergence of omicron, which is spreading quickly in Britain, has shaken the government’s hopes that vaccinations would be enough to keep the virus in check. British scientists and officials say omicron spreads more quickly than the currently dominant delta variant and likely is more resistant to current vaccines. It is not yet clear whether it causes more severe, or milder, cases off COVID-19.Along with the new restrictions, the British government is offering everyone 18 and up a third, booster dose of vaccine to try to slow the spread of the virus.The return of restrictions is unwelcome for many, and revelations of apparent rule-breaking by government officials during tough lockdowns last winter have heightened opposition to the new measures.The government has asked Britain’s most senior civil servant to investigate several gatherings, including a Dec. 18, 2020, event at the prime minister’s 10 Downing St. offices, where staff reportedly enjoyed wine, food, games and a festive gift exchange at a time when pandemic regulations banned most social gatherings. Multiple media outlets reported Friday that one of Johnson’s most senior advisers, Director of Communications Jack Doyle, attended the Dec. 18 party and gave awards to staff members. At the time, he was the deputy communications director.In his current role, Doyle has directed the government’s public statements about the party allegations. For several days, Johnson’s office denied a party had taken place and insisted rules had been followed at all times.That claim unraveled when a leaked video showed senior staff members joking about the alleged party. The most senior official in the video, Allegra Stratton apologized and resigned on Wednesday.“It’s been a difficult week for the government,” Paul Scully the U.K.;s small business minister, said Friday adding that the investigation needed to “get to the bottom” of the allegations.“We want to see beyond doubt that there were no rules broken, which is what the assurances have been to the prime minister, and that’s what I’ve heard,” Scully told the BBC. “I wasn’t there. I don’t know.” The Christmas party claims are the latest in a string of allegations of rule-breaking and ethics violations by Johnson and government officials. On Thursday, Britain’s electoral watchdog fined the prime minister’s Conservative Party 17,800 pounds ($23,500) for failing to keep a proper record of money from a donor that was used to refurbish Johnson’s official residence.Wes Streeting, health spokesman for the opposition Labour Party said the stream of allegations undermined trust in the government during a public health crisis.Streeting blamed Johnson, saying “it’s his untrustworthy nature, his disorganization, his dishonesty, which is undermining trust in public health measures.” “Boris Johnson’s character and behavior starts to undermine a whole series of things: the system of standards in Parliament, the way the law is applied in the country and crucially, whether the government can get its message across about public health at a critical time,” Streeting said.___Follow AP’s coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic More

Boris Johnson’s most senior communications adviser Jack Doyle reportedly spoke and gave out awards at an alleged No 10 Christmas party last year. Mr Doyle’s current role involves responding to claims that No 10 held numerous parties while the country was in lockdown or Tier 3 restrictions last Christmas. It was reported by ITV News on Thursday that Jack Doyle had made a thank you speech and given out certificates as part of a joke awards ceremony for members of the communication team at a gathering on December 18. According to the BBC, there were food, drinks and games at the event and Mr Doyle made the speech to a group of 20-30 people. Before his career in politics, Jack Doyle was a journalist. He worked at the Daily Mail newspaper for ten years and rose to the position of assistant editor (politics). He was hired from that position to be a press secretary at No 10 by former director of communications Lee Cain. When Lee Cain resigned at the end of last year, a reshuffle began in the Downing Street communications team. James Slack, a former Daily Mail political editor, was brought in to replace Lee Cain and Jack Doyle became his deputy. When Mr Slack announced that he was quitting to be deputy editor-in-chief at The Sun, Jack Doyle stepped in to take his place. The son of a policeman, Mr Doyle is a father-of-two who is reportedly well liked by his colleagues in the Downing Street communications team. He was deputy head of communications at the time that the gathering on December 18 took place. Before working at the Daily Mail, Jack Doyle was a home affairs correspondent at the Press Association. He held the same position at the Mail before moving into the politics team. Mr Doyle was also reportedly responsible for vetoing plans for daily televised press briefings, which were going to be fronted by then press secretary Allegra Stratton. A video of a mock press conference emerged this week in which Allegra Stratton joked about a “fictional” No 10 Christmas party. She has since had to resign. Mr Doyle was also caught up last month in a bizarre controversy involving the newspaper The New European. Following the publication of a piece in the newspaper which alleged that Boris Johnson had said he had “buyer’s remorse” about marrying Carrie Johnson, the editor, Matt Kelly, received a call “by a man who identified himself as being from Downing Street Communications office.”The man, whose name he didn’t catch, threatened to sue The New European for defamation. The paper’s editor continued: “After a few minutes, the caller eventually told me: ‘You just crack on then mate’ and put the phone down.“I texted him, asking him to repeat his threat of legal action and to send across the Downing Street denial. I also asked him – twice – to identify himself, which he refused to do….“The next morning, I established that the phone number of the caller belonged to Jack Doyle, the Downing Street Director of Communications”. Downing Street then denied that they had threatened legal action against the paper. More

Labour will vote to approve the government’s Covid “plan B” measures next week, Wes Streeting has confirmed, as Boris Johnson faces a mass revolt from his own MPs.Stressing he had confidence in scientific advisers, Labour’s shadow health secretary said he did not want Sajid Javid, the health secretary, going into the weekend “worried about whether he’s got the votes” to deliver key public health measures.“Despite the trouble the government find themselves in, public health will still come before party politics,” Mr Streeting insisted.His remarks come after a slew of Tory rebels spoke out against the prime minister’s plans for Covid passports — a key tenant of the “plan B” measures — ahead of a Commons vote on the issue next Tuesday and amid wider discontent in the party.Last night rebels were confident of topping the tally of 40 needed to neutralise Mr Johnson’s 79-seat majority — leaving him at the mercy of the support of opposition parties at Westminster in order to put the Covid restrictions into law.“Tempting though it might be for the parliamentary defeat on the government that would not be the right thing to do in terms of public health,” Mr Streeting told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.“Across the country there are people who feel let down, lied to and laughed at by Boris Johnson, by the people around him and the chaotic nature of the prime minister is undermining public health at a critical moment in the pandemic.”He added: “My message to the country is I understand why you’re angry, I understand why you don’t trust Boris Johnson — I don’t trust Boris Johnson — but I do trust the chief medical officer, I do trust the chief scientific adviser, and on that basis I will make sure that Sajid Javid has the votes he needs to get these public health measures through.” Mr Streeting said the measures being voted on next week, including the extension of mandatory face masks and Covid passports, alongside guidance from the government to work from home, “strike the balance between trying to reduce social contact but safeguard social interaction at a time of the year that really means something to family, to friends”.After a week of turmoil for the prime minister, including questions over a Christmas party held at No 10 in December 2020, new Covid restrictions, and whether Mr Johnson misled his standards adviser, the business minister Paul Scully also admitted on BBC Breakfast that key government messages were getting lost.“Look, I feel very comfortable about the prime minister’s integrity,” he said. “Clearly though, I don’t feel comfortable about the face that it’s been a difficult week for the government.”However, when pressed on the No 10 party, the minister reiterated that it was key to “get to the bottom” of the allegations through the cabinet secretary Simon Case’s investigation which was launched earlier this week by the prime minister. He would also not be drawn on whether the No 10 director of communications, Jack Doyle, should still be in his job after allegations he attended last year’s gathering.Labour said that Mr Doyle’s presence, first reported by ITV News, exposed the investigation being carried out by the cabinet secretary as “a sham” and showed that Mr Johnson was “unfit to lead”. The development also raises questions over the information issued to journalists by Downing Street spokespeople, who have previously insisted that no party took place on that date. More

Labour has widened its lead over the Conservatives as Boris Johnson is hit by Christmas party scandals, a backbench revolt and more sleaze, new polls have shown.A Survation poll for The Mirror on 1 Dec following the news of Downing Street’s alleged rule-breaking Christmas party, showed Labour had soared to 40 per cent (+1 per cent) while the Conservatives dropped to 34 per cent. The slump which is the Conservative Party’s lowest in almost a year heaps more pressure on the Prime Minister who is already facing rebellion from up to 50 of his own MPs over new coronavirus restrictions, which could leave Boris Johnson reliant on votes from Labour MPs to push the laws through.As Tory rebellion mounted and the new polls surfaced, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer took suggested the PM was not up to the job.A tweet from his official account on Thursday night said: “Boris Johnson is unfit to lead our country.”Sir Starmer also told The Telegraph: “I’m confident we’re going to win the next general election, whether that’s in 2023 or 2024.The last time backing for Labour reached 40 per cent, with the same pollster, was 2 January, 2019 when Theresa May was Prime Minister and Jeremy Corbyn was Labour leader.Ed Davey’s Lib Dems polled at 10 per cent (+1 per cent), while right-wing party Reform UK, headed by Brexiteer Richard Tice, took 3 per cent (+3 per cent). Backing for the Green Party was also up at 4 per cent (+1 per cent).A YouGov poll for The Times also has Labour stretching ahead of The Conservative Party increasing to a four-point lead (37 per cent) – its biggest since January when the nation was under lockdown restrictions. The YouGov poll also highlights the Tories dropping points around 1-2 December when the Covid Christmas party news was first released.Fewer than one in 10 people believe Number 10’s claim that no party took place in Downing Street last December during lockdown, according to an Opinium poll for Sky News this week. It found that 64 per cent think a party did take place while 9 per cent said it did not take place and 27 per cent did not know.It suggests the public are losing trust in Boris Johnson assurances, an attitude backed by a recent poll by the Institute for Public Policy Research, which found that 63 per cent of the British public do not trust UK politicians and believe they are merely “out for themselves” with just 5 per cent saying they believe politicians are motivated primarily by the good of the country. More

Boris Johnson’s government is failing to protect private renters for unsafe housing and bad practice by rogue landlords, according to a damning report by a top watchdog.The National Audit Office (NAO) said regulation was still not effective enough to make sure private tenants across England are treated fairly and their housing is safe and secure.The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities “does not yet have a detailed plan to address the problems that renters face,” the NAO stated.Michael Gove’s department has taken only a piecemeal approach to regulation – including a ban on charging letting fees and a temporary ban on evictions during the pandemic, the watchdog said.But the government still does not have a clear strategy for regulation of the sector as a whole, and is failing to gather enough data on harassment, evictions and disrepair, the NAO warned.Labour MP Dame Meg Hillier, chair of the Public Accounts Committee, said the scathing reports showed that tenants face a “postcode lottery” over the standard of their homes and treatment by landlorrds.The influential backbencher said: “It’s often society’s most vulnerable who suffer the most. The department’s approach to regulation has been piecemeal and it’s been hamstrung by a worrying lack of data.”She said Mr Gove’s department must now “bring some order to the chaos and set out a clear vision for the private rental market” so tenants are better protected.The current system relies heavily on tenants enforcing their own rights and negotiating with landlords directly or going to court over poor-quality housing or financial issues, the NAO argued.The watchdog said privately rented properties are less likely to comply with safety requirements than other types of housing, and are more likely to be classified as non-decent.An estimated 23 per cent of private rented homes in England are classified as “non-decent” – meaning they are a potential threat to a person’s health, they are not in reasonable state of repair or they are not effectively insulated or heated.Mr Gove’s department is planning to introduce reforms to the private rented sector and has committed to produce a white paper in 2022, but Labour accused the government of “dragging its feet” on the issue.Responding to the NAO report, the Local Government Association (LGA) called on the government to give councils across England more power to set up landlord licensing schemes.“With more powers such as the freedom to establish landlord licensing schemes, councils would be better placed to support a good quality local private rented offer in their communities,” said councillor David Renard, LGA’s housing spokesperson.Alicia Kennedy, director of Generation Rent, urged the government to insist all landlords in England are required to register their properties. “This would help the government and councils gather better data about the sector, improve enforcement of the law and give renters better access to redress,” said the campaigner.Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) said the body supports the NAO’s call for a more “strategic approach”.The chief executive of the landlords’ group also said there was a “pressing need for a better evidence base to ensure the system focuses on rooting out criminal and rogue landlords who bring the sector into disrepute”. More