I was pleased to read Janet Todd’s reference (Letters, 23 September) to the “proper understanding of the value of everyone born, and what they are and do well”. In that light, might the Guardian lead the way for other publications to drop all insulting references to “ordinary people”? What is often meant is low-income people. Politicians calling low-income people ordinary dehumanises them as much as “lumpenproletariat”. In the hands of this government, “ordinary people” sorts people into the “them” affected by policy, and the “us” who are clever and decide what’s good for these low-graders. The term legitimises and dulls our reactions to policies that are detrimental to low-income people. As Rab C Nesbitt might spit: “Who are you calling ordinary?” Mary Vine Ryde, Isle of Wight • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Patience Wheatcroft is absolutely right about Liz Truss’s lack of empathy (I was a Conservative peer – Tory voters will not tolerate Liz Truss’s bungs to the rich, 28 September), but her otherwise compelling argument also proves that Truss is merely the embodiment of an empathy vacuum sucking the humanity out of the rest of the party. Wheatcroft argues that voters may balk at the increase in food banks and in-work poverty. However, the fact that Tory MPs would acquiesce with the cynical Truss project “if they had thought it would save their seats”, and only ditch her if they realised she was deaf to those on whom their seats depended, illustrates that their sensitivity to the public mood is entirely superficial and chronically self-serving. Whatever Tory empathy exists in parliament, it begins and ends with concern for themselves. Paul McGilchrist Colchester, Essex • I admit that it was with unashamed glee that I read Patience Wheatcroft’s article. Her shrewd and incisive analysis of Liz Truss’s total lack of political judgment evident in last Friday’s “fiscal event”, the dismayed astonishment of Truss’s own MPs and the chaos caused in the financial markets must represent the broadest ever admonishment of a newly installed prime minister. Couple this with Wheatcroft’s scornful use of the words “ineptitude”, “disastrous”, “intolerable” and “inequity”, this could perhaps portend the beginning of the end of Truss as prime minister. The Conservative party’s psychodrama continues. Peter Riddle Wirksworth, Derbyshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Liz Truss spent the morning speaking to local BBC radio stations to insist her government’s economic policy is on the right course despite Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-budget prompting an emergency intervention from the Bank of England to prevent a run on pension funds, a slump in the value of the pound and a rise in the cost of government debt. The prime minister said she was “prepared to take difficult decisions” and would not change policy, despite being repeatedly pressed by presenters, leading to criticism from many media commentators across the political spectrum, with one calling the interviews an “utter disaster” and another saying it was “the most brutal round of local radio interviews a prime minister has faced”. Here is a roundup: From the Observer’s Toby Helm:
From the Mail on Sunday’s Dan Hodges:
From the Guardian’s Pippa Crerar:
From Politics Home’s Alan White:
From the Telegraph’s Jack Maidment:
From ITV’s Paul Brand:
From the Observer’s Sonia Sodha
From the Times’ Steven Swinford:
From the i’s Paul Waugh:
From the Guardian’s John Crace:
From City AM’s Jack Mendel:
From Byline Times’ Adam Bienkov:
From the New Statesman’s Adrian Bradley:
Every time I hear the expression “bonfire of red tape”, I cannot help but think of the Grenfell Tower fire, which so tragically illustrated what that cliche can actually mean (Who wants Liz Truss’s bonfire of net-zero red tape? Not big business, for a start, 23 September). Do others have the same reaction? Kevin McGrath Harlow, Essex • May I suggest that Adrian Chiles comes and spends some time in the beautiful Staffordshire Moorlands, where our landlords and cafe managers take pride in keeping the toilet facilities clean (I recently saw something in a petrol station toilet southbound on the M1 that I can never unsee, 21 September). He should choose his venues more carefully – or use the ladies. Judy Herbert Leek, Staffordshire • So the population of beavers has increased by 16,700% (Back from the brink: how bison, bears and beavers returned to Europe, 27 September). It reminds me of writing answers to parliamentary questions when I was a private secretary in the early 1970s. If the figures were unimpressive we used percentages; if the percentages lacked zip we used figures. Steve Loveman Sheffield • Tim Harrison is lucky if he at least knows what the tune endlessly looping in his brain is (Letters, 25 September). I had a mysterious tune for weeks that I could not identify. It was only when doing a follow-up call for a client at my weekly volunteer session at Citizens Advice that I finally realised that it was the hold music for the pension credit helpline. Heather Massie Rossendale, Lancashire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
My friend Giles Radice can fairly be described as “the [Labour] party’s outstanding rightwing intellectual of his age” but because of his commitment to the rights of working people, he was open-minded and never sectarian. In the 1960s he supported the introduction of a national minimum wage when it was little more than an outlandish demand by the left. In the 70s he worked hard to persuade the Callaghan government to put workers on company boards when rightwing cabinet members wanted none of it; in the 80s he attacked the Thatcher government’s anti-trade union legislation and in the 90s he was keen to persuade the Blair government to recognise trade unions as social partners. Giles knew the Labour party needed to modernise but he understood that it must keep its focus on improving the lives of working people. For that commitment and for much else, trade union and Labour party members have good reason to honour his memory.
Sir Keir Starmer in his party conference speech in Liverpool said Labour would invest more in the NHS but the damage done by the Tories means “this time the rescue will be harder than ever”. He says Labour will also set a target to get home ownership up to 70%. (It is currently 65% in England.) Starmer said Labour would set up Great British Energy – a new company – within the first year of government. It would take advantages of the opportunities for clean power and would be publicly owned. He said: “Many European, Asian, and American countries have public generating companies, like EDF in France and Vattenfall in Sweden, which partner with the private sector to increase capacity and build clean energy at scale.” The TUC and the CBI both welcomed the proposal. Labour MP Rupa Huq has offered the chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, “sincere and heartfelt apologies” for her “ill-judged” comments describing him as “superficially” black. Huq has had the Labour whip suspended. The MP said: “I have today contacted Kwasi Kwarteng to offer my sincere and heartfelt apologies for the comments I made at yesterday’s Labour conference fringe meeting. “My comments were ill-judged and I wholeheartedly apologise to anyone affected.” David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary, called for the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, for his “crime of aggression”. Sharon Graham, the Unite general secretary, said Keir Starmer’s speech today was “a start” but that he should be bolder. Water bosses could go to jail if they deliberately mislead investigations into water pollution, Jim McMahon, the shadow environment secretary, told the conference. He mentioned the new penalties as he used his speech to say the next Labour government would “finally hold water bosses personally accountable” for their failures to stop sewage discharges.
Quote of the day “My parents would never have believed that their skinny son in NHS prescription glasses who got stopped and searched on the streets of Tottenham would have ended up as shadow foreign secretary.” David Lammy in his speech to the conference. Tweet of the day
Lisa Nandy, the shadow levelling up secretary, epitomising how Labour’s frontbench has stayed resolutely onside throughout conference. Debate of the day In keeping with the public harmony of this year’s gathering, the debate was less of a debate than an affirmation. Labour are very keen on green energy and insulation, which formed perhaps the biggest single policy area of Keir Starmer’s speech. Capping this was the announcement of Great British Energy, in effect a state-owned green power generation startup. The day in a picture
A party leader and their spouse is a conference visual cliche, but like much about leaders’ speeches, it is traditional and expected. Row of the day The first notable row of the conference, and even then more of a controversy than an actual disagreement: Rupa Huq, the MP for Ealing in west London, has had the Labour whip suspended – and has apologised – after describing the chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, as only “superficially” black during a fringe meeting.
Wednesday’s highlights In normal years, Wednesday morning is time for the leader’s speech. But with Starmer shifted to Tuesday, those on the final day risk less attention, and perhaps an emptier hall. But those who remain will have a closing address from Angela Rayner, preceded by a mystery “international speaker”, previewed only as an opposition leader from an autocratic European country. Europe does not have many of these, so it could well be Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya of Belarus.
Labour leader Keir Starmer has said that the country needs new leadership after more than a decade of Conservative governments in his keynote speech to the party conference in Liverpool. We’d like to hear what people in Britain think about Starmer’s speech and what they think of his vision for a Labour government. We’re interested in hearing from a wide range of voters about their views, and which issues people feel Labour should be focusing on. Share your views We will only use the data you provide us for the purpose of the feature. We will delete any personal data when we no longer require it for this purpose. For more information please see our terms of service and privacy policy. If you are 18 years or over, you can get in touch by filling in the form below or contacting us via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding +44(0)7766780300. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details. If you’re having trouble using the form, click here.
Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, has vowed to reinstate the top 45% rate of income tax and put the money into NHS recruitment. Delegates at the Labour party conference have voted to include a commitment to proportional representation in the manifesto for the next election – even though Keir Starmer has already ruled out the idea. (See 6pm.) Labour would renationalise the railways, its conference has been told, although Keir Starmer will continue to face pressure after delegates unanimously passed union-backed motions urging public ownership of Royal Mail and inflation-proof pay rises. Sterling came under fresh, heavy pressure on the world’s financial markets after the Bank of England ruled out an emergency rise in interest rates to defend the struggling UK currency.
Quote of the day “It will fall to us to fix the damage the Tories have done. We have done it before, we will do it again” – Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, making her speech to conference on the day the pound hit a record low against the dollar. Tweet of the day
Debate of the day The economy, stupid. With the pound falling to a record low against the dollar before most delegates had even started their breakfasts, the ripples from Kwasi Kwarteng’s budget-that-was-not-a-budget were always going to dominate. The debate was thus less within Labour than how it would confront the government, and by good fortune Reeves was scheduled to speak on Monday lunchtime. She set out an alternative vision, including the return of the top rate of income tax, with the money put into NHS recruitment. The day in a picture
What better to do the day before your big speech than visit a clean energy centre? Row of the day In keeping with the publicly harmonious mood of this year’s event, this was a fairly behind-the-scenes row, but a row nonetheless. Momentum, the left-leaning grassroots Labour organisation, accused the party of “rigging the system” to avoid debates on the nationalisation of energy and water. The conference did debate nationalisation for rail and Royal Mail, but Momentum said its delegates were not told about a meeting to agree to the motion, meaning its elements were ruled out. Tuesday’s highlights Keir Starmer’s speech. Usually held on the final day of Labour conference, the leader’s address has been switched to the 2pm Tuesday spot, a sign of its importance this year. Labour insiders argue that Starmer has largely clinched the argument for being a credible opposition. Now, they say, he must set out a compelling vision for government with an election looming. No pressure, then.
Good evening, we are closing this blog now, you can read all our UK politics coverage here.
Quote of the day “Queen Elizabeth II was this great country’s greatest monarch. She created a special, personal relationship with all of us. Even now, after the mourning period has passed, it still feels impossible to imagine a Britain without her.” Keir Starmer opens the conference with a tribute to the late monarch against a union flag backdrop. Tweet of day
Debate of the day In true Labour style, the conference kicked off with a debate about what should be debated over the coming days. Affiliate groups get to nominate six subjects, with the once powerful Momentum throwing its weight behind one calling for Labour MPs to be able to join picket lines. But in the end only two of the Momentum-endorsed topics were successful – health and social care – in part because they were also backed by the pro-Starmer Labour to Win group. It means the Labour leader will escape a potentially embarrassing debate about his stance on colleagues standing with strikers. The day in a picture
Row of the day In keeping with this year’s largely polite conference – at least so far – Sunday’s row was little more than a slight disagreement over the specifics of policy. First up, the morning media round. Andy Burnham said if Labour got into power it should reintroduce the 45p top rate of tax and reverse the 1p cut in the basic rate of tax. Half an hour later, Starmer took a different stance to the Greater Manchester mayor, saying he would keep the second tax cut. It is a difference of opinion, but no one particularly seemed in the mood for rowing over it. Monday’s highlights A policy-rich day in the main conference hall will bring a series of speeches from assorted frontbenchers. But the midday slot is likely to be the most crucial, where Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, will seek to flesh out Labour’s plans for what it hopes will be fairer, greener economic growth.
Keir Starmer has led Labour members in tributes to the Queen and a rendition of the national anthem – the first time the anthem has been sung at the party’s conference. Despite warnings that the singing would be likely to attract protests and heckles, the speech and anthem passed without any protests from party members, a moment that one Labour source said was a great signifier of “how the party has changed”. Starmer opened the conference in Liverpool under a banner bearing the Queen’s image, with union jacks either side of the stage, and he praised her as “this great country’s greatest monarch”. He said the end of her 70-year reign offered a reminder of how far the country had come since she took the throne. “A reminder that our generational battle against the evil of fascism and the emergence of a new Britain out of the rubble of the second world war don’t belong only to the past but are the inheritance of each and every one of us,” he said. “As we enter a new era, let’s commit to honouring the late Queen’s memory. Let’s turn our collar up and face the storm, keep alive the spirit of public service she embodied and let it drive us towards a better future.” Delegates stood for a minute’s silence before the singing of God Save the King, with Starmer joined on stage by his deputy, Angela Rayner, and the party chair, Anneliese Dodds.
The former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had criticised the decision to sing the national anthem at party conference, arguing there was no precedent for doing so. In an interview with the BBC, Corbyn said it was “very, very odd” for a Labour conference to sing God Save the King. He said: “They’ve never done it before, there’s never been any demand to do it … We don’t as a country routinely go around singing the national anthem at every single event we go to. “We don’t sing in schools, we don’t have the raising of the flag as they do in the USA and other places. We are not that sort of, what I would call, excessively nationalist.”
Thérèse Coffey’s leaked memo to staff has resurrected an old debate about the Oxford comma (Coffey urges staff to be positive, be precise, and not use Oxford commas, 15 September). As a clear writing coach, I am often asked for my advice on the Oxford comma. It is always this: if one will aid the clarity of your sentence, you should use it. If it will not, then leave it out. For example, in the sentence: “I bought apples, pears and bananas”, adding a comma after “pears” will not make the sentence clearer. But consider the following sentence: “I bought apples and pears on Tuesday, bananas and peaches on Wednesday, and on Thursday I bought mangoes and oranges.” If you leave out the Oxford comma after “Wednesday”, there is a chance that your reader will understand that you bought bananas and peaches both on Wednesday and on Thursday. The confusion may only be momentary, but the Oxford comma eliminates this confusion altogether. While the consequences of misunderstanding a sentence about buying fruit would most likely be minor, they could become more serious in legal text or in a set of instructions. And when communicating on a matter as vital as health, avoiding confusion should be paramount. Ross McQueen Brussels, Belgium • Sometimes the Oxford comma is obtrusive and serves no purpose; sometimes it avoids ambiguity, as in the famous example in the Times: “Highlights of his global tour include encounters with Nelson Mandela, an 800-year-old demigod and a dildo collector.” The interesting thing about the intervention on the subject by the deputy prime minister is that it illustrates a tendency for some people to see simple solutions to fairly complex issues. Neil Ferguson Paris, France
Kwasi Kwarteng, the chancellor, has announced that the national insurance increase introduced earlier this year will be reversed from 6 November. (See 2.46pm.) Britain’s economy is now in recession, the Bank of England has said, as it raised interest rates to tackle the worst bout of inflation for 40 years. Ministers are setting up a £500m emergency fund to get thousands of medically fit patients out of hospital as soon as possible in an attempt to prevent the NHS becoming overwhelmed this winter. Liz Truss is considering designating fracking sites as nationally important infrastructure, potentially cutting out local communities and breaking a leadership election promise, the Guardian can reveal. Britain’s poorest households risk spending almost half of their disposable income on gas and electricity bills this winter despite the government’s energy price guarantee, according to a report.
Liz Truss has vowed to review all tax rates to help struggling households and businesses through the cost of living crisis, in her latest break from Treasury orthodoxy. In interviews in New York, the new prime minister also said she was prepared to be unpopular as she delivered pro-growth policies, such as lifting the cap on bankers’ bonuses (see 3.35pm), and rejected claims her economic plan would prompt the Bank of England to raise interest rates (see 4.18pm). Truss has given her full support to the No 10 chief of staff, Mark Fullbrook, after it emerged he was questioned as a witness as part of a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) inquiry into alleged bribery in Puerto Rico. Mel Stride, the Tory chair of the Treasury select committee has urged Kwasi Kwarteng to allow independent forecasts for the public finances to be published alongside his mini-budget on Friday Keir Starmer is set to face increasing pressure at Labour’s conference over embracing electoral reform, with delegates expected to approve a motion calling for the party to replace first past the post with a proportional system.
Kwasi Kwarteng, the chancellor, is reportedly planning to scrap caps on bankers’ bonuses in a controversially timed move to attract more talent to the City of London. Kwarteng will deliver his emergency mini-budget to bring in winter tax cuts for millions of people and set out more detail on energy support next Friday, sources have confirmed. The UK has made a unilateral decision to continue suspending border checks on farm produce and other goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain, a move likely to antagonise the EU but not provoke further action.
Thérèse Coffey, the new health secretary, has faced criticism after civil servants in her department were advised to avoid jargon when communicating with her – and not to use Oxford commas. The advice, in a memo to staff at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), urged officials to “be positive” in their missives to Coffey, who is also Liz Truss’s deputy prime minister. Health officials told the Financial Times, which first reported on the memo, that they found it “super patronising”, both in terms of framing communications in positive ways, and avoiding the Oxford comma. Department sources confirmed the existence of the document, published on the DHSC’s intranet, saying this was not uncommon when new ministers arrived. However, they claimed it was prepared without Coffey’s knowledge, with one saying there had possibly been “a bit of over eagerness” in the content. Coffey has previously taken to social media to deride the Oxford comma, the grammatically contentious practice in which a comma is sometimes used to separate the penultimate and last words in a list of terms, in 2015 calling it “one of my pet hates”. According to the FT, the document, titled: New secretary of state ways of working preferences, asked staff to “be precise” and also “be positive – if we have done something good, let us say so and avoid double negatives”. A person described as having “knowledge of the mood at the UKHSA” told the paper the email was seen as “super patronising “, adding: “It does make you consider if you’re in the right place when a new minister comes in with this.” One senior public health official said staff view the advice on Oxford commas as “extremely patronising”. A UKHSA spokesperson said: “UKHSA does not comment on leaked emails or briefings. We value enormously all of our hard-working colleagues who work tirelessly to make our nation’s health secure.”
Businesses may face a delay of several weeks in accessing the financial support promised to them by Liz Truss to help ease the burden of spiralling energy bills this winter, Downing Street has admitted. People who wish to protest against the monarchy should respect those mourning the Queen and not ruin their opportunity to express their private thanks, Keir Starmer has said. Abandoning policies to tackle obesity would be “dangerous for the public’s health” and lead to people eating even more unhealthy food, a senior doctor and leading campaigner has warned. The EU executive plans to raise about €140bn (£121bn) by imposing windfall taxes on energy companies’ “abnormally high profits” and redirecting proceeds to households and businesses struggling with soaring bills. The coffin carrying the Queen has been brought to Westminster Hall, where it will lie in state for four days before her funeral on Monday. Members of the public will soon start filing past, and the queue is currently two and a half miles long, according to the DCMS tracker on YouTube. There is further coverage on our separate live blog.
Lord Agnew, a Conservative former Treasury minister, has said that Tom Scholar, permanent secretary at the department, was a malign influence and that Kwasi Kwarteng was right to sack him. (See 12.13pm.) Kwarteng has told Treasury officials to refocus on getting annual growth to 2.5% rather than prioritising fiscal discipline. The number of people who have crossed the Channel in small boats in 2022 has exceeded the total for the whole of 2021, official figures suggest. Margaret Ferrier, the MP who admitted she had “culpably and recklessly” put people at risk after travelling by train from London to Scotland after testing positive for Covid-19, has been ordered to undertake a 270-hour community payback order. Ferrier was elected for the SNP, but was suspended by the party and now sits as an independent. King Charles has resolved to “seek the welfare of all the inhabitants of Northern Ireland” in a formal response to the region’s assembly on his visit to Hillsborough Castle to meet the public and politicians. There is further coverage of all the events related to the death of Queen Elizabeth on our separate live blog. It’s here.
Liz Truss is expected to attempt to hold a mini-budget and travel to the leaders’ summit of the UN general assembly in New York next week in the days after the Queen’s funeral. It had been suggested the new UK prime minister could make time for an official visit to see the US president in Washington but she is now not thought likely to find time to tag on a trip to the White House.
Joe Biden and other world leaders are expected to come to the UK for the Queen’s funeral but Truss is not holding official bilateral meetings with them out of respect for the period of mourning. A minute’s silence will be held on Sunday 18 September at 8pm and the Queen’s funeral will be on Monday 19 September. Truss is also trying to fit in a “fiscal event” before parliament rises again for a recess for party conferences on Friday next week. The most obvious day would be Thursday 22 September, as parliamentary business has been postponed until after Wednesday 21 and Truss is likely to be in New York until then. However, it could potentially be on the Friday if recess were to be delayed. Truss’s official spokesperson said the prime minister was still planning to hold a fiscal event this month, which would most likely mean next week to avoid an overlap with the Labour conference the week after. At the mini-budget, the government is expected to outline further details of Truss’s £100bn-plus emergency bailout for households to help with energy bills as well as plans for tax cuts. No 10 said legislation would not be needed for this as it would involve guarantees between the government and private energy suppliers. Truss’s spokesperson said some legislation might be needed to enact the package of support for businesses.
So, according to Liz Truss’s press secretary, her new cabinet represents “the depth and breadth of talent” in the Conservative party (Politics live, 7 September). Isn’t that the problem? James Wilkinson Ford, Shropshire • As Dilyn the dog is now surplus to PR requirements, we’d like to offer him a berth on our boat. Apart from giving him a break from the worst prime minister since the last one, it would also give my wife and me a small dog each to cuddle when we attempt to keep warm this winter. Ian Grieve Gordon Bennett, Shropshire Union canal • I understand Adrian Chiles’s delight at the quality of service stations in mainland Europe (After three weeks travelling in Europe, I’m calling it – British food is the best, 7 September). He might like to visit Tebay services on the M6, where he will find excellent fresh food and a farm shop selling local produce. Stephen Hawkin Edinburgh • I am concerned that investing in battery-powered heated knickers (Letters, 7 September) will make putting them on while standing up even more problematic. Helen Keats Kingston, Isle of Wight • Re describing unmarried partners, as so often happens, German has a neat way of dealing with this (Letters, 8 September). Lebensgefährte and Lebensgefährtin mean “life companion”. Julie Scattergood Kendal, Cumbria • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
This blog is now closed. For the latest updates on tributes to Queen Elizabeth II and the new reign of King Charles, you can read our dedicated live blog:
You argue that it would be churlish not to credit advances in diverse representation in the Tory cabinet (Editorial, 7 September). But is there any real advance if the views being espoused by its new members are still remarkably similar to the white men they have replaced, and in some cases actually denying the experience of other people of colour? Judy Stober Bruton, Somerset • Sorry, Adrian Chiles, but British food is definitely the worst in Europe (After three weeks travelling in Europe, I’m calling it – British food is the best, 7 September). Having a large variety of restaurants offering foreign cuisine is a completely different matter. What they are offering obviously has nothing to do with “British food”. Uwe Finke Yangon, Myanmar • A farewell piece about Bristol Zoo and not a mention of Johnny Morris and Animal Magic (‘It’s a sad day’: Bristol zoo welcomes last visitors before closing, 3 September)? This wonderful TV series, filmed at the zoo, gave a generation of children pleasure from 1962 to 1983. Pete Lavender Nottingham • When I lived in South Yorkshire in the 1970s, my neighbours referred to an unmarried partner as a “lie-by”, if that is useful for Alison Norris (Letters, 6 September)? Liz Thompson Oxford • My (now) sister-in-law called me her “sister out-law” (Letters, 7 September), which I graduated to after being known as “Colin’s er … um”. Gillian Bassett Great Barford, Bedfordshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Liz Truss will freeze energy bills at an average of £2,500 a year for two years from 1 October, and has pledged to tackle the root causes of the problems in the UK energy market through plans to increase supply, including the resumption of fracking. My colleagues Jessica Elgot and Peter Walker have the story here.
And Rupert Jones has a summary of what the plans involve.
Liz Truss raised more than £420,000 in donations for her successful Conservative leadership bid, with the biggest single contribution made by the wife of a former BP executive. The prayers of the nation are with the Queen, the archbishop of Canterbury has said, as Britain’s leaders sent messages of support to the monarch, who was put under medical supervision after doctors became worried about her health. There is ongoing coverage of this story on our separate live blog.
1. Andrew Wong, digital adviser. 2. Hugh Bennett, adviser on Brexit. 3. Alex Wild, interim press secretary. 4. Jason Stein, political adviser. 5. Katie Harrison, political adviser. 6. Reuben Solomon, digital adviser. 7. Emma Pryor, planning adviser. 8. Kayli Free, Conservative party official. 9. Beatrice Timpson, deputy press secretary. 10. Grace Hanson-Eden, political adviser. 11. Shabbir Merali, economics adviser. 12. Oliver Legard. 13. Iain Carter, strategy adviser. 14. Lizzie Mahon (partly hidden, red hair), political adviser. 15. Mac Chapwell, political adviser. 16. James Harries, deputy head of policy unit. 17. Ruth Porter, deputy chief of staff. 18. Michael Stott, external adviser.
19. Sarah Ludlow, press adviser. 20. Jamie Hope, head of policy unit. 21. Nick Vaughan. 22. Alex Kay, head of broadcast press. 23. Chris Jenkins, constitutional affairs adviser. 24. Emma Pascoe Watson (partly hidden, looking right). 25. Wendy Morton MP, government chief whip. 26. Sophie Jarvis, policy adviser. 27. Thérèse Coffey MP, deputy prime minister and health secretary.
Not since the 1970s has energy poverty been so high on the agenda of an incoming cabinet. The cost of living crisis is the single biggest concern of the electorate at present. However, according to the latest figures on fuel poverty (published in 2022 but which date to 2020), the constituencies represented by the MPs around the cabinet table are less vulnerable to fuel poverty than the rest of the country. Nationally, the proportion of people defined as living in fuel poverty in 2020 stood at 13.2%. However, of the 21 full cabinet members for whose constituencies fuel poverty figures are available (leaving out Lord True and the Scottish secretary, Alister Jack), two-thirds (14 of the total) represent constituencies with below-average levels of fuel poverty.
Here’s the full list of cabinet appointments as things stand at the end of Liz Truss’s first day as prime minister. The cabinet Prime minister Liz Truss Deputy prime minister and health secretary Thérèse Coffey Chancellor of the exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng Foreign secretary James Cleverly Home secretary Suella Braverman QC Defence secretary Ben Wallace Justice secretary and lord chancellor Brandon Lewis Chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, minister for intergovernmental relations and minister for equalities Nadhim Zahawi Leader of the House of Commons and lord president of the council Penny Mordaunt Lord privy seal and leader of the House of Lords Lord True Minister without portfolio and Conservative party chairman Jake Berry Cop26 President Alok Sharma Business, energy and industrial strategy secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg Levelling up, housing and communities Secretary Simon Clarke International trade secretary and president of the board of trade Kemi Badenoch Work and pensions secretary Chloe Smith Education secretary Kit Malthouse Environment secretary Ranil Jayawardena Transport secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan Culture secretary Michelle Donelan Northern Ireland secretary Chris Heaton-Harris Scotland secretary Alister Jack Wales secretary Sir Robert Buckland QC Attending cabinet Parliamentary secretary to the Treasury (chief whip) Wendy Morton Chief secretary to the Treasury Chris Philp Attorney general Michael Ellis QC Paymaster general and minister for the Cabinet Office Edward Argar Minister for development at the Foreign Office Vicky Ford Minister for security at the home department Tom Tugendhat Minister for the armed forces and veterans at the Ministry of Defence James Heappey Minister for climate at the business department Graham Stuart
In his departure speech, Boris Johnson likened himself to Cincinnatus, a figure who “returned to his plough”, apparently suggesting he would return quietly to the backbenches. However, what Johnson, who studied classics at the University of Oxford, did not include in his speech was that while the Roman statesman Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus is said to have left Rome for a bucolic existence on his farm, he was later called upon to return to Rome and lead as a dictator. This detail was seized upon immediately by commentators and historians, such as Tom Holland and Andrew Neil:
The satirist Armando Iannucci said: “Johnson expects to be called back. Cincinnatus was recalled from his plow to become leader of Rome a second time. Someone tell the people with microphones at Downing Street.”
The historian Mary Beard points out that Cincinnatus’s cause was against the common citizens, known as the plebeians. He was in fact an “enemy of the people”.
In what may have been a huge humblebrag by Johnson, Cincinnatus is said to often be held up as a paragon of civic virtue and outstanding leadership, in part because of his swift success and immediate resignation of near-absolute power as dictator after he returned to Rome from his farm. According to Britannica: The core of the tradition holds that in 458 Cincinnatus was appointed dictator of Rome in order to rescue a consular army that was surrounded by the Aequi on Mount Algidus. At the time of his appointment he was working a small farm. He is said to have defeated the enemy in a single day and celebrated a triumph in Rome. Cincinnatus maintained his authority only long enough to bring Rome through the emergency. He then resigned and returned to his farm. And perhaps in a comparison that Johnson would not welcome, Cincinnatus was also the codename used by the whistleblower Edward Snowden when he first contacted the then Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald to tell his story.
On the morning Liz Truss was to be elected as prime minister-in-waiting of the UK, much of the online noise was focused not on politicians but on a comedian. Joe Lycett, the standup comic and presenter of BBC’s The Great British Sewing Bee, managed to make the front page of the Daily Mail, which turned its outrage on comments he made on BBC’s new flagship show Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.
Lycett’s responded gleefully:
Later on Monday, with Truss confirmed as the new leader of the Conservative party and by default the country’s prime minister, Lycett was among the comics and commentators to react to her victory. Lycett continued his tongue-in-cheek support of the foreign secretary:
The master of political satire Armando Iannucci had a dystopian message:
Others likened the current political climate with Iannucci’s The Thick Of It:
The BBC’s satirical quiz show Have I Got News For You piled in:
Many posted clips of This Morning’s Wheel of Fortune-style competition to win cash for energy bills – one to laugh or cry at:
Political comic Nish Kumar saw some silver linings:
A sculpture by a former puppet builder for Spitting Image, Wilfrid Wood, was popular online:
Is there a correlation between the answer to Monday’s word wheel in your print edition (egomaniac) and the announcement of the new prime minister? If so, I may look to the puzzle in future for an insight into notable events. Vanessa Poulton Glastonbury, Somerset • Re tips from Helen Dunmore’s The Siege (Letters, 2 September), my clearest memory from that book is the woman finding a small leather purse down the back of her sofa and boiling it for soup as an unexpected treat for her family. As most purses are now made of plastic, we may not be so lucky. Margaret Harris Isleworth, London • Never mind inflation, fuel price rises, higher interest rates and rent rises, my heart really goes out to the poor souls who will have to pay nearly £900 for a set of World Cup football stickers (Inflation pushes average cost of filling Panini 2022 World Cup sticker album to £870, 31 August). Why is the government doing nothing about this outrage? Martin Stallion Braintree, Essex • Our local radio station reported that there will be an increase in charges at a nearby crematorium. This is, they say, due to an increase in the cost of living. Some mistake surely? Nigel Spencer Hythe, Kent • Your marmalade-making readers should also turn to Marguerite Patten (Letters, 2 September) for the best recipe for marmalade, in which the juice of oranges is added at the same time as the sugar, ensuring that the marmalade has a fresh taste. Aviva Le Prevost Groombridge, East Sussex • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
About the contest Britain’s new prime minister will be announced by 5 September, after Conservative party members vote on the two candidates chosen by Conservative MPs. Candidates initially needed the backing of 20 MPs to even stand in the ballot, a threshold that three leadership hopefuls - Sajid Javid, Grant Shapps and Rehman Chishti - failed to achieve. In the first ballot, for which a candidate needed the backing of a minimum of 30 MPs, Jeremy Hunt and Nadhim Zahawi were eliminated. Candidates are whittled down by a series of voting rounds in which the last-placed candidate will be knocked out, until just two are left to face the membership. If one of the two final candidates drops out, the other would become leader without a membership ballot, but candidates have been asked to give assurances they will not do this.
We’d like to hear what people in Britain think about Liz Truss becoming prime minister after having won the Conservative party leadership contest. We’re interested to hear what people’s hopes and fears are regarding her premiership, and which issue people feel Truss should be tackling first. Share your experiences If you are 18 years or over, you can get in touch by filling in the form below or contacting us via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding +44(0)7766780300. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details. We will only use the data you provide us for the purpose of the feature. We will delete any personal data when we no longer require it for this purpose. For more information please see our terms of service and privacy policy.
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Taking back control of malfunctioning markets must mean challenging neoliberal economics and the myth of market supremacy (Editorial, 29 August). The market is not the sole source of money and wealth. The public economy is equally important – and vital when markets fail or in times of crisis. Even in normal times, the private sector relies heavily on public money, infrastructure and services. The biggest myth of all is that public expenditure is funded from the (private) taxpayer’s pocket. There is a growing alternative economics which shows that it is the state’s capacity to create money that underpins the market, through the authorised banking system and government spending. The illusion that the latter is based solely on borrowing from the private sector or taxation is sustained by the ambivalent role of central banks. When national debt is held by the (national) central bank, the reality is that the government effectively owes the debt to itself. Public spending is not inflationary if it is balanced by taxation. The time has come to recognise the autonomy of public money and the role of the public economy in sustaining the market system. Proposals for public spending for the public good need not fear the neoliberal question: “Where is the money to come from?” We know where it comes from. It doesn’t come from magic money trees – it comes from us, as citizens. Prof Mary Mellor Author of Money: Myths, Truths and Alternatives • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
In his otherwise excellent article (Think it’s all over? Think again – if Truss wins, she will have to call an election, 25 August), Martin Kettle states: “Prime ministers who win general elections unquestionably have a mandate from the country.” That is not “unquestionable” given the UK electoral system, which – unlike in most other democracies – does not come close to translating share of the vote into share of parliamentary seats. From 1945 onwards, no party winning a general election has gained 50% of the vote, yet often they have had a substantial majority of seats in the Commons. Boris Johnson’s Conservatives gained a substantial majority of seats with 43.6% of the vote. A legitimate win under the current rules, yes, but “a mandate from the country”, no. Mike Grainger St Albans
Isn’t describing Alastair Campbell as “white, centrist, Scottish” a tad inaccurate (The G2 interview, 29 August)? Wouldn’t a “bluff, hectoring chap from Keighley” or “Yorkshireman” be more accurate? Parents aside, perhaps an ability to play the bagpipes mysteriously transforms him into a Scot. Delwyn Swingewood Langho, Lancashire • I was aware that wealth and power can open doors, but until Richard Caring decided on a garden makeover I didn’t realise it closed roads too (Billionaire closes main road in South Kensington for gardening work. 27 August). Les Bright Exeter • Last week, my wife, who is approaching 80, received a two-page letter from the DWP telling her that her state pension will be increased by 25p a week. Many thanks. This is just what we need in these days of high inflation. Dr Bryan Sowerby Coventry • There’s only one answer to the letter headlined “Hen harrier recovery has been helped by shooting estates and gamekeepers” (29 August). And that is: “Pull the other one – it’s got bells on.” Rosemary Gill Salisbury • There are also plenty of “coastal grandmothers” in Milford on Sea who are right on trend (Letters, 28 August), but unfortunately I’m not sure many are Guardian readers. Fran Turner Milford on Sea, Hampshire • When the poet laureate John Betjeman wrote In Westminster Abbey, he said Britain was known for “democracy and proper drains”. Is this still true? Mary Dixon Eltham, London
Boris Johnson has made a final visit to Kyiv as prime minister, telling the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, that the country “can and will win the war”. Rishi Sunak has declined to say he would vote for an emergency budget brought forward by Liz Truss to enact tax cuts, after arguing that it would cause an inflationary spiral and damage the economy. Truss would be “robbing Peter to pay Paul” if she diverted £13bn of funding for the NHS to deal with a Covid backlog in social care, experts have said. The government’s levelling up bill has been criticised by MPs for not including the funding needed to make levelling up happen. (See 2.09pm.) Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, is to back the growing Enough is Enough movement, whose leaders are planning dozens of rallies against the cost of living crisis which they say will result in people dying. As my colleague Robert Booth reports, Burnham, a former Labour health secretary viewed as a centrist, joins a group with a growing network of local activists in more than 70 towns and cities, from Crawley to Blackpool. Its demands include a cut to the energy price cap to the pre-April level of £1,277 a year, a real-terms public sector pay rise, a reverse to the national insurance hike, and a £20-a-week universal credit increase – a programme that could cost more than £100bn a year. Scotland’s spending deficit has hit a record of nearly £2,200 a head, despite a massive increase in tax revenues driven by the global surge in oil prices.
Rishi Sunak has suggested he would not accept a job offered by Liz Truss as prime minister, saying cabinet ministers “really need to agree with the big things”. An energy company boss has urged the Conservative party to wrap up its leadership contest early so that the new prime minister can cancel an energy price increase due to be announced on Friday. (See 10.19am.) Inflation in the UK will hit 18% early next year as consumers count the cost of the deepening energy crisis, one of the world’s biggest banks has predicted. Bills for the Covid-19 public inquiry have already hit £85m despite hearings not starting until next year, after the government hired top legal and public relations firms.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, a key ally of Liz Truss, has defended the Tory leadership frontrunner’s suggestion that British workers need “more graft” as “sensible”. Rees-Mogg, the Brexit opportunities minister, told the Mail on Sunday that her comments reflected “poor productivity in the British economy”. He said they “attracted confected political criticism but they reflect an unfortunate reality in much of the British state”, adding: “This is not good for the government, or for the public as a whole.” Rees-Mogg has been tipped for a cabinet position in a Truss government – perhaps as levelling up or trade secretary. Truss’s remarks from her time as a Treasury minister in 2017-19 were leaked to the Guardian last week. In the comments, she attempted to explain the lower productivity seen outside London as being due to “a mindset and attitude thing”. “There’s a fundamental issue of British working culture,” she said. “Essentially, if we’re going to be a richer country and a more prosperous country, that needs to change. But I don’t think people are that keen to change that.”
Truss added that there was a “slight thing in Britain about wanting the easy answers”, before saying: “But actually what needs to happen is more … more graft. It’s not a popular message.” Asked about her remarks this weekend, Truss told the Sun on Sunday: “I’ve always been passionate about helping our country become more successful. I want people to have opportunities. Of course I believe in hard work. “I want our government to be on the side of people that work hard who set up their own businesses.” Labour has said Truss’s remarks made while she was a Treasury minister were “grossly offensive”, saying that she had effectively called British workers “lazy”.
Michael Gove has backed Rishi Sunak to be the next Conservative leader, accusing Liz Truss of taking a “holiday from reality”. He told The Times: “I do not expect to be in government again. But it was the privilege of my life to spend 11 years in the cabinet under three prime ministers. I know what the job requires. And Rishi has it.” Gove, who was sacked as the levelling up secretary by Boris Johnson, added: “And here I am deeply concerned that the framing of the leadership debate by many has been a holiday from reality. “The answer to the cost-of-living crisis cannot be simply to reject further ‘handouts’ and cut tax.”
The article by Lynsey Hanley represents the usual lack of reality that is typical of the left (I’ve drifted left with age, not right. If only Labour would do the same, 15 August). It really isn’t that long ago that Labour did drift left. Rather than an “incredible surge of enthusiasm and optimism”, the British public ended up rewarding Boris Johnson, of all people, with a huge majority, after it had gifted Theresa May’s worst campaign in history with an extra 2.3m votes over those won by David Cameron in 2015. Jeremy Corbyn provided a never-ending supply of material for the Tories and the rightwing press, and his cruel recent take on denying Ukraine the ability to defend itself confirms how right the voters were to reject him. Nostalgia for that period will, of course, continue among the middle-class leftists who don’t really need a Labour government, but for those who want a rational alternative to the Tories, it will always and rightly be regarded with contempt. Matthew Young London • The issue with Lynsey Hanley’s piece is that the median voter is a homeowning 55-year-old plumber from Worcester with a household income of about £35k. As it’s 2022, they’ll support gay marriage and net zero. But they aren’t going to want lots of changes from the status quo. I appreciate that it’s frustrating for younger people who don’t own houses – but if Keir Starmer wants to be prime minister he has to position himself as someone the voters in the middle could support. And while he could generally be a little bolder, I think he is doing pretty well at that. If younger people want more influence, they also need to turn up and vote at election time, as the older homeowners do. Matthew Hutton Haddenham, Buckinghamshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Liz Truss, the Tory leadership frontrunner, said British workers needed “more graft” and suggested they lacked the “skill and application” of workers from other countries, a leaked audio recording revealed. Truss, who at the time of her remarks was the No 2 at the Treasury, was also attempting to explain the difference between London and other regions in the UK, and suggested the disparity was “partly a mindset or attitude thing”. We’d like to hear how people in different parts of the UK feel about these comments. Share your experiences We will only use the data you provide us for the purpose of the feature. We will delete any personal data when we no longer require it for this purpose. For more information please see our terms of service and privacy policy. If you are 18 years or over, you can get in touch by filling in the form below or contacting us via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding +44(0)7766780300. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details.
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As a Canadian member of the Conservative party, I find myself among the 0.2% of the population who can vote on who the next prime minister will be (Truss v Sunak: how do Tory PM contenders differ on policy?, 15 August). The reason for this is supposedly that we have a parliamentary system, not a presidential one. My party is currently dominated by a small, unrepresentative group of increasingly cantankerous old southerners who want to abandon Conservative sound finance for la-la land economics, while the rest of us pay them to pretend that there is no inflation. What about the new Tory-curious voters in the north who gave us the seats we need to govern, but are not yet well represented among the Conservative party membership? A simple change would go a long way to fixing this: give equal weight to the vote from each constituency. That is what the Conservative party of Canada did when they were nearly obliterated in the 1990s. If we do not do this now, we may be forced to – after an election defeat. Joseph Molto Mitcham, London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
In recent days, Tory party members tasked with choosing their next leader and, by default, prime minister, have received their ballot papers. As the final results of the vote loom closer, we look at the lives of the two contenders and the experiences that shaped them. Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, and Rishi Sunak, a former chancellor, both took the same course at Oxford University and both have clocked up at least a decade in the private sector: Truss in the oil industry and telecoms, and Sunak in hedge funds. But the timeline throws up some contrasting credentials in the years Truss was addressing the Lib Dem conference, and Sunak was already penning anti-EU essays. Later, while Truss’s rise through the ministerial ranks under three different prime ministers was steady; his was fast as Johnson chose to promote him to chancellor with only two years’ ministerial experience.
One shred of good news in this energy crisis is that it’s going to be more expensive to fly, and the hubristic idea of £1 flights could be gone for good (Ryanair boss blames Brexit for airport chaos and says era of €10 airfares over, 11 August). Michael O’Leary, for all his faults, is one of the few people with a public voice who has called Brexit what it is: a heap of lies. Rachel Meredith Long Marston, North Yorkshire • The lack of support for people facing crippling energy bills this winter is clearly designed to force people back into the office, as nobody will be able to afford to heat their home and run a computer all day. Joined-up government was the last thing I’d have expected from this lot. Chris Webster Gümligen, Switzerland • The letter (12 August) describing the purchase of a train ticket from Delhi to Oldham made me smile. In Lancashire, a similar story is told of a journey from Timbuktu to Burnley Central, Burnley Barracks, Burnley Rose Grove or Burnley Manchester Road. Sue Hogg Colne, Lancashire • About 40 years ago, I was a university lecturer and invited Raymond Briggs (Obituary, 10 August) to be a speaker. Days later an envelope arrived, inside which was a piece of paper torn out of an exercise book. On it was scrawled: “Don’t do talks. Raymond Briggs.” Paul Johnson Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester • We first came across a small gadget to prick eggs while in Denmark many years ago (Letters, 12 August). There it was called a “klumpe dumpe”. Obviously that is the name we still use. Jane Miller Towcester, Northamptonshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Suella Braverman received £10,000 from a company owned by a leading climate denier to support her campaign for the Conservative leadership, according to the most recent update to the register of MPs’ interests. The attorney general, who came sixth in the leadership race, declared a donation of £10,000 from First Corporate Consultants Ltd, which is owned by the Bristol Port owner Terence Mordaunt. Mordaunt chaired the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF) between 2019 and 2021. The GWPF has been vocal in its opposition to climate crisis policies such as net zero and was sanctioned by the Charity Commission in 2014 for failing to adhere to rules on “balance and neutrality”. The figures also show that Tom Tugendhat received more than £120,000 to fund his leadership bid. Some £42,673 came from a company called Policy Focus Ltd, founded on 27 June, less than two weeks before the leadership campaign began. Companies House records show Policy Focus is owned by property developers Christian Sweeting and Robert Luck. Sweeting previously donated £10,000 to the Conservative Party in 2018, PA reports. MPs have 28 days from accepting a donation to declare it to the parliamentary standards commissioner and so some of the candidates in the contest have revealed little or nothing yet about the funding they have received. But PA Media has summarised what declarations have been declared. Tugendhat, who came fifth, also received £50,000 from the long-time Tory donor Ian Mukherjee and £25,000 from Beacon Rock Ltd, owned by former Conservative party treasurer Sir Michael Davis. Another £6,000 came from business consultancy InvestUK Group. Rishi Sunak has declared the donation of office space, valued at £3,195. Liz Truss, Penny Mordaunt, Sajid Javid, Jeremy Hunt and Nadhim Zahawi are yet to declare any financial support for their campaigns.
Rishi Sunak told the BBC he would “rather lose” the Conservative leadership contest while maintaining his values than promise “false things that I can’t deliver”. Presenter Nick Robinson concludes the programme by saying Liz Truss is still considering an interview request from the programme and has been unable to fit in a slot in her schedule thus far. Truss had declined to be interviewed by Andrew Neil on Channel 4 last month. Liz Truss signals Kemi Badenoch would get promotion to cabinet if she became PM. Liz Truss told GB News she would like to see Britons use Dutch ports more as alternative to French ones. The Rishi Sunak campaign is now formally accusing Liz Truss of doing a U-turn following her concession that she is considering offering people payments to help them with energy costs. (See 10.11am, 11.40am and 3.45pm). Last week she ruled out giving people “handouts”. A spokesperson for the Sunak campaign said: “This is a major U-turn on the biggest issue currently facing the country.” Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, has revealed that, when she met Liz Truss at the Cop26 climate crisis conference in Glasgow last year, one of the main things Truss was interested in was how to get featured in the fashion magazine Vogue. And when Truss learned that Sturgeon had appeared in it twice already, Truss “looked a little bit as if she’d swallowed a wasp”, Sturgeon said. Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, told BBC Breakfast that the party would be proposing extra measures “very, very soon” on tackling rising energy bills. This blog is closing now. Thanks for reading.
Boris Johnson has ruled out new cost of living measures until a new prime minister is in place, with No 10 saying the worst financial pressure on families will not hit until later in the year. No 10 stuck to the line that it would not be appropriate for him to pre-empt a decision that should be taken by his successor despite Labour (see 1.48pm), the former prime minister Gordon Brown (see 11.11am), Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon (see 4pm) and the CBI (see 5.03pm) all calling for an urgent intervention from him now. Rishi Sunak has launched a fresh attack on his Conservative leadership rival Liz Truss’s plan for tax cuts in an emergency budget, describing it as a “big bung” for large businesses and the better-off which would do little to help those most in need over the winter. Doubts have been cast on claims by Boris Johnson that it will be possible to go ahead with plans to axe 91,000 civil servants “without harming” frontline services.
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We are closing this blog now. Here’s a summary of today’s events: Tory leadership hopeful Liz Truss was forced to U-turn on plans to cut civil service pay outside London. The announcement, made at midday, marked the first major gaffe for Truss, who is the favourite to win the race. Truss’s U-turn came after her plans were met with a furious outcry from Conservative MPs and the Conservative Tees Valley mayor, Ben Houchen, who said there was no way the figure could be achieved without pay cuts outside London that would hit levelling up. A spokesperson for Truss’s leadership campaign said there had been a “wilful misrepresentation of our campaign” – without giving specifics – but confirmed she was abandoning plans for regional pay boards for civil servants or public sector workers. But sources in Rishi Sunak’s camp said Truss has previously called for lower pay outside of the south-east when she was chief secretary to the Treasury in 2018. The gaffe came as a new poll showed that Rishi Sunak has narrowed the gap with Truss in the Conservative party leadership race, with the foreign secretary leading by only five points. Truss also came under fire for describing Nicola Sturgeon as an “attention seeker” who ought to be ignored. John Swinney, the deputy first minister, said Scottish voters would be “absolutely horrified” by Truss’s “obnoxious” remarks, made during a Conservative leadership hustings in Exeter on Monday evening. Jeremy Corbyn has urged western countries to stop arming Ukraine, and claimed he was criticised over antisemitism because of his stance on Palestine. Corbyn made the comments in a TV interview likely to underscore Keir Starmer’s determination not to readmit him to the Labour party. Thanks for following along with us. You can read all our politics here.
We’re interested to hear from people who had a non-surgical cosmetic procedure or treatment in the UK and did not get the results they were expecting. Whether you’ve had botox or filler injections, permanent make up such as eyebrow microblading, a treatment promising weight loss, or any other non-surgical cosmetic procedure you weren’t happy with we’d like to hear about your experience and what motivated you to get it done in the first place. Share your experiences We will only use the data you provide us for the purpose of the feature. We will delete any personal data when we no longer require it for this purpose. For more information please see our terms of service and privacy policy. If you are 18 years or over, you can get in touch by filling in the form below or contacting us via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding +44(0)7766780300. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details.
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My friend Beryl Skelly, who has died aged 101, was a secretary to two Labour party leaders, Clement Attlee and Hugh Gaitskell, in the 1950s and 60s. Taken on by Attlee shortly after his defeat in the 1951 general election, she remained as his secretary until his resignation in 1955, and was appointed MBE. When Gaitskell was elected to take over as party leader, he asked Beryl to be his secretary, and over the following eight years the pair developed a close working relationship until Gaitskell’s sudden death at the age of 56 in 1963. Born in Llanelli, south Wales, Beryl went straight into the civil service from school, at first working in Wales and then Doncaster. After the second world war she moved to London. A staunch supporter of the Labour party, she successfully applied to be secretary to Manny Shinwell, who served as a cabinet minister in Attlee’s postwar government.
After Gaitskell’s death, Beryl turned down the offer to become secretary to the future prime minister Harold Wilson, opting instead to work as a secretary for the journalist Hugh Cudlipp when he was chair first of the Mirror Group (1963-67) and then of the IPC publishing group (1967-73). Cudlipp became a Labour peer in 1974 and Beryl continued to work for him until her retirement in 1976. For many years Beryl and her husband, John Skelly, a professional singer turned accountant, whom she married in 1947, lived in Streatham in south London, where they were keen members of Telford Park lawn tennis club and would cruise the Thames estuary and beyond in their wooden yacht, Bird Alone, often with the Cudlipp family on board. Later Beryl and John moved to the Dorset village of Stourpaine, where Beryl is remembered for her prizewinning baking. John died in 1996; Beryl continued to live independently into her 90s before moving to a nursing home. She remained a member of the Labour party until her death.
Labour MPs have expressed support for a group campaigning for sex-based rights that has been barred from having a presence inside the party’s autumn conference. The Labour Women’s Declaration group has been handed a definitive rejection after its request for a stand at the conference in Liverpool. The “gender-critical” group argues that sex-based rights should not be eroded by those based on gender identity. In a letter to the Observer, a group of MPs and peers write: “Just as we have all appreciated and benefited from the presence of other campaign groups at conference, we had hoped that the presence of Labour Women’s Declaration’s stand, alongside those of groups with other perspectives such as LGBT Labour, would be an opportunity for us all to learn more … We therefore call upon the party to reconsider its decision.” The letter is signed by the MPs Tonia Antoniazzi, Feryal Clark, Marsha de Cordova, Rosie Duffield, Julie Elliott, Mary Glindon, Diana Johnson and Steve McCabe. It was also signed by Labour peers including Dianne Hayter and party’s former general secretary David Triesman.
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Boris and Carrie Johnson are to hold a wedding party on Saturday at the Cotswolds estate of a major Tory donor. The outgoing prime minister, 58, and his wife, 34, will host family and friends at 18th-century mansion Daylesford House in Gloucestershire, owned by Anthony Bamford, the chair of construction equipment manufacturer JCB. Johnson abandoned plans to hold the celebration at the prime minister’s official country residence, Chequers in Buckinghamshire, after allegations that he was using the event to delay his departure from office. A huge white marquee topped with bunting has been erected in the grounds of Daylesford House. The event will celebrate the couple’s wedding that took place in a low-key private ceremony at Westminster Cathedral in May 2021 during Covid restrictions.
Guests will be able to relax on hay bales placed outside the tent and eat and drink at casks and small tables as they enjoy views across meadows and orchards, according to reports. Lord Bamford, 76, is covering at least some of the cost of the party at the Grade I-listed mansion, the Mirror reported. The billionaire entrepreneur, who supported Johnson’s successful leadership bid in 2019, has given more than £10m in donations and gifts to the Conservatives since 2001.
The prime minister, who has been married twice before, has regularly mentioned JCB in speeches and events and visited its Gurajat plant during a trip to India earlier this year. He crashed a digger displaying the slogan “Get Brexit Done” through a wall of fake bricks marked “Gridlock” during a visit to a JCB factory in a stunt during the 2019 general election campaign. When asked about the wedding celebrations, No 10 declined to comment on the “private matter”.
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Much of Great Britain’s train network has ground to a halt after workers went on strike, disrupting travel for millions amid a worsening row with rail companies over jobs, pay, pensions and conditions. Liz Truss, the foreign secretary and favourite in the Tory leadership contest, has vowed to change the law to make street harassment a crime, months after a similar move was blocked by Boris Johnson. Rishi Sunak, Truss’s rival in the leadership contest, has been accused of a “screeching U-turn” after proposing to scrap VAT on household fuel bills next year, saving the average household £160. (See 9.25am.) Keir Starmer has sacked Sam Tarry as a shadow transport minister after Tarry joined an RMT picket line on the grounds that Tarry was in breach of collective responsibility. (See 5.23pm.)
The odds are shifting rapidly as Tory MPs vote in a series of ballots to thin out the field of leadership candidates before presenting a final two to the Conservative party membership.
The second one-to-one televised debate between Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, organised by TalkTV and the Sun, was halted midway after the presenter, TalkTV’s political editor Kate McCann, fainted on the set. She is now fine, TalkTV says. Truss, the foreign secretary and favourite in the Tory leadership contest, said in the debate that the tax rises implemented by Sunak as chancellor were “morally wrong”. She said: What has happened is that the tax has been raised on families through national insurance so that they are having to pay more money to the Treasury. I do think it is morally wrong at this moment when families are struggling to pay for food that we have put up taxes on ordinary people when we said we wouldn’t in our manifesto and when we didn’t need to do so. In response, Sunak said it was morally wrong to raise borrowing, which would have to be paid off by future generations. He said: What’s morally wrong is asking our children and grandchildren to pick up the tab for the bills that we are not prepared to meet. Truss said that she would use general taxation to fill the gap in NHS funding left by her plan to reverse Sunak’s national insurance increase, which funded the health and social care levy. She said: I am committed to the extra money that was announced for the NHS. It is needed to deal with the backlog and I would fund that money out of general taxation. Truss suggested earlier in the day that Sunak’s economic policies would be a “disaster” for Britain. (See 3.59pm.) A YouGov poll of Tory members suggests they thought Truss comfortably won last night’s BBC debate. In the poll she was seen as outperforming Sunak on every measure, except who looked most prime ministerial, where Sunak was just one point ahead. (See 1.13pm.) Boris Johnson has told MPs that no government business was discussed “as far as I am aware” when he met the former KGB agent Alexander Lebedev at an Italian palazzo without officials present when he was foreign secretary.
Simon Jenkins says that “political statements can be verified by the media with ever greater ease” (Being ‘economical with the truth’ has a long history in British politics – but enough is enough, 22 July). After 12 years of factchecking them, I don’t agree, but it hardly matters when politicians can carry on repeating false claims without accountability. It is a shocking reality that the House of Commons has no effective way to stop those who choose to mislead. Ministers who refuse to correct false claims get away with it, and backbench MPs who want to correct honest mistakes have no means to do so. In September, the Commons procedure committee meets to discuss the rules on corrections and it is vital that they are changed. Those who want honest politics protected should sign the petition at fullfact.org. It’s time for MPs to stand up for honesty. Will Moy Chief executive, Full Fact • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Re the Tory leadership debate on Monday night (Report, 25 July), Simon and Garfunkel got it right: “Laugh about it, shout about it / When you’ve got to choose / Every way you look at this, you lose.” Rob Horne Coventry • The Tory TV debate was a great example of cognitive dissonance. Yes, we are Thatcherites – a wonderful woman. Yes, we want levelling up, which will mean much to “red wall” constituencies. But didn’t Thatcher’s economic policies wreck industry and employment in red wall areas? Peter Brooker West Wickham, London • Your article (Almost half of British women do no vigorous exercise, survey finds, 25 July) appears to ignore the considerable exercise and energy that housework and gardening entail. I don’t think I need to go to a gym or running or swimming, since keeping the house and garden in shape provides me with plenty of “vigorous exercise”. Perhaps the two-thirds of men who manage to exercise have spare energy, since studies seem to show that women still do the bulk of the chores. Kate Enright Weymouth, Dorset • Re defibrillators (Letters, 24 July), many schools and colleges hire out space to external groups in the evenings. I’m sure their mainly adult participants welcome the availability of defibrillators. Certainly the cardiac support group that I’m involved with does. Graham Imber St Albans, Hertfordshire • Jonathan Liew’s portrait of the hurdler Sydney McLaughlin (The Sydney Project: how elite athletics traps McLaughlin but also sets her free, 26 July) is the single most affecting and poignant piece of sports writing I have ever read. David Mackness Ipswich, Suffolk • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Jonathan Freedland offers the astute insight that Brexit is more a felt vibe than a literal definition (Brexit is a mood, not a policy – and Liz Truss captures it in all its delusion, 22 July). If so, how should democracies argue about and represent moods? What is the mood-world equivalent of a political manifesto? Should we expect democratic citizens to vote in moods or for moods? Must mood politics always be the province of demagogues and manipulators? The political language of rational-choice politics has little to say about mood, often dismissing it as frothy emotional distraction from interest-based preferences. Consequently, we are often dismayed by the shock waves of populism. Some of us within the academy have been paying attention in recent years to the ways in which mood inflects democratic politics. I wonder how often this term will be used in the Guardian and other media outlets between now and the next general election? I wonder if we can learn to take it more seriously? Stephen Coleman Professor of political communication, University of Leeds • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Hundreds of thousands of people in the UK have applied for foreign passports in the years since the Brexit vote, with some giving up their British passport in order to retain their EU rights. We’d like to hear from people from the UK who applied for citizenship of another EU member state because of Brexit. Do you now have dual nationality or did you have to forfeit your British passport? How has it impacted you? Do you feel you made the right decision – or do you have any regrets? Share your experiences We will only use the data you provide us for the purpose of the feature. We will delete any personal data when we no longer require it for this purpose. For more information please see our terms of service and privacy policy. If you are 18 years or over, you can get in touch by filling in the form below or contacting us via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding +44(0)7766780300. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details. If you’re having trouble using the form, click here.
To all the leave voters queueing at Dover (Report, 24 July): you wanted an end to freedom of movement – well, you’ve got it. Wal Callaby Ipswich • Liz Truss has declared she wants to reward hard work. Will these rewards reach hardworking public sector workers, care workers, and cleaners before or after she removes workers’ rights in the bonfire of EU legislation (Report, 22 July)? Rosemary Jenkins London • Re your article (PhD students told to consider selling Avon products to make ends meet, 20 July), I don’t see the problem, frankly. This is a world in which Leicester University provides a “sex work toolkit” so students can sell their bodies “safely”. Sadly, the university fails to offer a complete range of support for impecunious students. It could include a “shoplifters’ checklist”, a “drug-pushers’ handbook” or even a “template for cheating in exams”. Sally Bigwood Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire • As my boat is made from British steel, I can assure David Harper (Letters, 21 July) that there has been no sign of buckling in the heatwave. But attempting to sleep inside it has made me reconsider my wish to be cremated when the time comes. Ian Grieve Gordon Bennett, Llangollen canal • Defibrillators might be rarely used to save a pupil’s life statistically, but school staff might well appreciate one being on hand in an emergency (Letters, 20 July). Lesley Evans Cupar, Fife • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Patrick Minford, the economist cited by Liz Truss as providing the rationale for her plan to use huge tax cuts to stimulate the economy and supposedly cut inflation, has said that interest rates would have to go up to around 7% for his proposal to work. In an interview with the Times, Minford said he agreed that big tax cuts would require interest rates to rise. He said: Yes, interest rates have to go up and it’s a good thing. A normal level is more like 5-7% and I don’t think it will be any bad thing if we got back to that level.” If you’ve got incredibly low interest rates you kill off savings and create febrile markets with a lot of zombie companies surviving because it costs them nothing to borrow. It’s right that a healthy economy should have a decent interest rate. That’s certainly one thing I want to see. The EU has expressed its anger over the backing given by MPs for legislation overriding post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland by launching a further four legal cases against the UK government. Liz Truss, the foreign secretary and favourite in the contest to be the next Tory leader and prime minister, has welcomed the signing of a deal between Ukraine and Russia to allow the export of millions of tonnes of grain from blockaded Black Sea ports. She said the UK had been at the forefront of pushing for the agreement. In a statement she said: Putin’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine has meant some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world are at risk of having nothing to eat. It is vital that Ukrainian grain reaches international food markets, and we applaud Turkey and the UN secretary general for their efforts to broker this agreement. The UK and our allies have been pushing hard to reach this point. Now this agreement must be implemented, and we will be watching to ensure Russia’s actions match its words. To enable a lasting return to global security and economic stability, Putin must end the war and withdraw from Ukraine.
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I represented the two brave women who were Labour employees and asked by the party to sign non-disclosure agreements covering up their complaints that they had experienced sexual harassment during their employment (Ex-aides demand Labour retract media statements on sexual harassment case, 18 July). These NDAs would have prevented them taking legal action against their alleged harasser. One of them raised her experience in January 2020, and they both raised their experiences in March 2020. The party sat on its hands until autumn 2020. No substantive investigation took place and the NDAs were proposed in October 2020. As a matter of principle, both women resigned, rejecting the NDAs and the hush money that came with them.
It is unusual for a lawyer to write a letter of this kind to a newspaper, but there are high public interests in play when a political party makes an official statement denying that it proposed NDAs to cover up allegations of sexual harassment, and now adds insult to injury by claiming that it takes “any complaints of sexual harassment extremely seriously” and that these are “fully investigated”. That is not my experience, nor the experience of these women. These statements, unless corrected, risk undermining these women’s credibility and covering up the appalling things that they believe happened to them. In light of Martin Forde QC’s damning report exposing serious problems of sexism and wider discrimination in Labour, it’s clear that the party cannot address this unacceptable culture while it continues to promote terminological inexactitudes about its handling of allegations of mistreatment of female employees, particularly where NDAs are contrary to Labour policy. Such matters are not susceptible to spin and dissembling – they are far too serious for that. The truth must be set free. Mark Stephens Partner, Howard Kennedy LLP
Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss will face off in front of the public as they compete to succeed Boris Johnson as prime minister. They will appear in several TV debates and go head to head at 12 hustings across the country. A new leader will be announced on 5 September after the approximately 200,000 members of the Conservative party have cast their votes. The dates and locations of Conservative leadership hustings and debates are: 25 July BBC One debate, Our Next Prime Minister, 9pm. 28 July Leeds hustings. 1 August Exeter hustings. 3 August Cardiff hustings. 4 August Sky News debate, 8pm. 5 August Eastbourne hustings. 9 August Darlington hustings. 11 August Cheltenham hustings. 16 August Perth hustings. 17 August Belfast hustings. 19 August Manchester hustings. 23 August Birmingham hustings. 25 August Norwich hustings. 31 August London hustings.
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Attempts to inject some levity into the Conservative leadership contest on social media fell flat on Wednesday when a photograph tweeted of the 1922 Committee led to criticism that it was sexist and outdated. With the announcement of the two remaining candidates for the UK prime minister role about to be announced (at 4pm this Wednesday) or at “tea time” as it was described, the photograph showed members of the committee representing Tory backbenchers posing with teacups in hand and a teapot. But some observers were quick to condemn the optics, pointing out that of the six committee members posing the only female present was the one pouring the tea. The five men, including the 1922 committee chair, Sir Graham Brady, grinned broadly as the joint vice-chair, Nusrat Ghani, obliged by filling up their cups. One response to the picture remarked: “There are five men and one woman in this picture and the woman is the one pouring the tea. Not a good look…” Another wrote: “A bit revealing the only woman in the photo is serving tea to all the men.” “Why is the woman holding the teapot? Can’t one of the men hold it? Or is that too demeaning for Tory men?” commented another. One replied: “So, your vice-chair, the only woman (of colour) in the pic, is the one you chose to serve tea to the men. Well done.” Someone made the point: “Oh, I get it now! It’s called the 1922 committee because they act as if it were still 1922!” While another suggested: “Don’t forget to post another picture later showing her washing up.” The tweet followed another photograph posted this week punning on the heatwave and the heating-up of the voting process – which showed the committee room full of fans.
Keir Starmer appears determined to back himself into a corner. In the last few days, he has declared that electoral reform is not a priority and that he will not entertain any sort of post-election arrangement with the Liberal Democrats (Report, 18 July). The overriding moral and political obligation on the Labour party (alongside dealing with climate change) is to see off our authoritarian government and ensure that it can never return to power by way of first past the post. The surest way to achieve this is for Labour to lead the broadest possible coalition of forces. A passionate promotion of such a strategy would be a more effective response to Tory claims that Labour was surrendering to the Lib Dems than this fearful dismissal of cooperation with them. Labour will not be able to reconstruct our crisis-torn society on its own without a shared understanding of what needs to be done way beyond its own ranks. It may not even get the chance if it slips back into the “one more heave” syndrome that has cost it dear in the past. David Parker Holmfirth, West Yorkshire
As of 4pm on Wednesday, five rounds of voting by Conservative MPs have produced a final two candidates for party leader, ready for the next stage. That process – and the choice of who becomes prime minister – will be down to Tory party members. The party does not say how many members it has, with estimates varying between about 140,000 and 200,000. Every member gets a vote as long as they joined before 3 June this year, three months before the end of the ballot. People who are members of more than one party association get a single vote. Ballots will be posted to members, and are due to arrive between 1 August and 5 August. The vote closes at 5pm on 2 September, with the winner announced on 5 September. They would most likely formally become prime minister a day afterwards. While members have a month to vote, experience of such postal ballots shows a lot of people tend to do it immediately, placing a premium on a rapid, hard-hitting early campaign by the two candidates. There will be a timetable of nationwide hustings events, where members can ask questions, which will also be streamed live. The details for these are expected to be announced on Wednesday evening or first thing on Thursday.
While the electorate choosing the next prime minister is more numerous than the 358 Tory MPs who narrowed down the field it is nonetheless not especially representative of the UK. Tory party members are disproportionately male – in 2017, 71% were men – and more likely to live in London and the south of England. The average age at the time was 57.
Kemi Badenoch has been eliminated from the Conservative leadership race, setting up a battle between Penny Mordaunt and Liz Truss to join Rishi Sunak in the last round. Some bookmakers are now giving odds making Truss the new favourite in the contest. These are the implied odds of winning from Smarkets, the betting exchange company.
Labour under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn was riven by bitter infighting, with his supporters and opponents using the issue of antisemitism within the party “as a factional weapon”, a long-awaited report has said. In his response to the report, published in full on his Facebook page, Corbyn says the report should trigger a debate about whether or not the Labour party is there to serve its members. He says: The appalling behaviour that Forde calls out, including the repulsive racism and sexism shown to Diane Abbott and others, should have no place in a progressive party. Toxic factionalism is far from over - nor are persistent problems of racism and sexism - and action must be taken, as Forde makes clear. Most of all, the party needs to decide what it is for and who decides that. Are we a democratic socialist party, run by members and affiliated unions, that aims for a fundamental transfer of wealth and power from the few to the many? Or are we something else? Millions of public sector workers including teachers, doctors, nurses, and police officers are to receive a below-inflation pay rises this year, raising the prospect of industrial action.
The Talmudic sage Hillel advised that it was possible to recite the whole Torah while standing on one leg (Letters, 17 July), ie “don’t do to others what is hateful to you … the rest is commentary”. It would be a good discipline for all politicians to adopt the same posture when explaining their policies. Given the incoherence of Tory leadership candidates, they might wish to try an easy start – the benefits of Brexit, say, or the achievements of the Conservative government – and work their way up. Dr Anthony Isaacs London • I learned with interest that, in her younger years, Penny Mordaunt had been an assistant to master magician, Will Ayling. My wife, Sue, preceded her, by some years, in that role. She still recalls the time fondly. But, unlike Ms Mordaunt, she harbours no illusions about the competency of this government. Howard Jones Shirley, West Midlands • More resourcing should be put into training doctors and nurses in the UK (Letters, 17 July). However, having just spent two months seriously ill in hospital – now recovering – I was just glad of the excellent porters, ancillary staff, nurses, doctors and consultants, wherever they came from. They are surely welcome here. Keith Flett Tottenham, London • As their current political leader is casting an undeserved pall over all Hungarians, it is worth pointing out that the Latin book Winnie Ille Pu (Letters, 17 July) was a translation by a remarkably talented Hungarian, Sándor Lénárd (Alexander Lenard, 1910-1972). Peter Sherwood London • Angela Rayner is wrong to call Boris Johnson “missing in action”. He is missing in inaction. Colin Baker Llangynidr, Powys • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
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Keir Starmer has said Tory MPs are “tearing each other apart on a daily basis” as the fight to be the party’s next leader unfolds. On Friday night a live instalment of the psychodrama was broadcast on Channel 4 – the first of three televised debates between the candidates. The Guardian is liveblogging all of the debates. Here is a short guide to where and when they can be watched. First debate – Friday 15 July, 7pm Channel 4 Britain’s Next PM: The Conservative Leadership Debate aired from 7pm to 9.30pm, presented by the Channel 4 News anchor Krishnan Guru-Murthy. It can be watched on demand on All 4. You can relive it via the Guardian’s live blog or read the key takeaways.
Second debate – Sunday 17 July, 7pm, ITV The second debate aired on ITV at 7pm on Sunday 17 July. It can be watched on catch-up on ITV Hub, or rerun it via the Guardian live blog and Andrew Sparrow’s verdict. Third debate – Tuesday 19 July, Sky News The third debate, on Sky News, will be hosted by Kay Burley, with questions from a live virtual audience. By this stage more candidates will have been eliminated through further rounds of voting in Westminster. From Monday, there will be further ballots each day to whittle down the remaining contenders with the candidate that comes last being knocked out. The leadership hopefuls will be reduced down to two by Wednesday, just in time for parliament breaking for summer on Thursday. Conservative party members will then vote on their chosen leader and the winner will be unveiled on Monday 5 September.
His premiership may have been grounded and his status as Tory top gun soon to be erased, but Boris Johnson sought to underline his standing as the maverick of British politics last week with a visit to RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire. Donning flying overalls reminiscent of those worn by President George W Bush ahead of his infamous “mission accomplished” speech in 2003, Johnson looked the part as he was given a demonstration of a Typhoon fighter jet. With the Tory leadership race descending into bitter infighting, some believe Johnson is already considering a comeback, though party critics predict it would be a somewhat less successful reboot than Tom Cruise’s recent return as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. The pictures, released this weekend by Johnson’s taxpayer-funded photographer, were actually taken on Thursday, as Tory MPs were casting their votes to find out who should replace him in Downing Street. The current prime minister was actually in somewhat more serene surroundings yesterday, relaxing at his Chequers country retreat. He has one last summer to make use of the grace-and-favour property before giving it up to his successor. Insiders said drinks were planned on Sunday for those who supported his leadership, though No 10 sources said that no taxpayers’ money was being spent on the gathering.
I am baffled by the Conservative party’s electoral procedures for its next leader. It appears to be conducting a number of ballots, eliminating the candidates with the fewest votes and allowing their supporters to switch to one of the other MPs left in the race. Surely this way madness lies? The party has clearly stated in the past that the way to do this sort of thing is to have all the candidates listed on a form and simply put a cross by the one you want. Then the one with the most crosses wins – otherwise you get “perverse” results like the one who came second in the first vote winning. Imagine. If the Tories insist on this foolishness, though, I do have an idea for them. They could rank their choices on the ballot paper in order – first, second, third and so on – and the elimination and redistribution process could all take place in one voting procedure. But then what would we do for news copy? Alan Rose Brighton, East Sussex • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Penny Mordaunt was handed another key boost in the race to make the final two of the Conservative leadership race, with votes putting her in pole position to take on the frontrunner, Rishi Sunak, and the outsider Suella Braverman being eliminated. Boris Johnson is planning to stage parliamentary interventions on Ukraine, Brexit and levelling up, with allies of the outgoing prime minister hinting that those are the areas of his legacy he believes to be most under threat from his potential successor. Proposals to reform gambling laws have been postponed for a fourth time amid turmoil at the top of the Conservative party, sparking outrage from campaigners who warned the delay would cost lives. Nicola Sturgeon has accused Labour of giving “the proverbial two fingers” to Scottish voters, as she warned that regardless of who wins the Tory leadership race it is “virtually certain” to mean a further shift to the right for the UK.
If ever we needed evidence that Boris Johnson has permanently damaged standards in public life, it is to see the frontrunner to replace him not even feeling the need to address the fact that he was also found to have broken the same Covid laws at the same event and paid a fine for it. In fact, Rishi Sunak has already shown worrying signs of an even more extreme attitude to press freedom and public accountability. Not only was John Crace barred from his leadership launch (I was ready for Rishi but he wasn’t ready for me, 12 July), but Beth Rigby of Sky News was heckled at the event when she asked embarrassing questions. Sarah James Monmouth • Simon Jenkins’ column in praise of Rishi Sunak is sadly incoherent (Why the Labour party is praying for the Tories not to vote for Rishi Sunak, 12 July). He quotes Paul Johnson suggesting that the UK’s economic policy over the past three years has got just about everything wrong, and highlights repeated mistakes and misjudgments, but then says that Sunak is “the only candidate ... with a record of sustained competence”. These things cannot all be true. Prof Kath Checkland Hathersage, Derbyshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Martin Kettle nicely identifies the frenzy that has taken over the Conservative party (Forget the ‘natural party of government’: these Tories are headless chickens, 13 July). Like overtired children, this mania is a sign of Tory exhaustion. The leadership candidates’ brutal signalling on things like refugees and human rights are desperate appeals to two small electorates – the most illiberal caucus of MPs in at least 50 years, as well as an ever greyer body of middle-class reactionaries who form the party membership. The concerns of the public are of very little importance at the moment. This is a shame, as the Brexit fever that swept David Cameron from office, transformed the Tory party into an English nationalist party and gave Boris Johnson his large majority has clearly subsided in the country, even if it hasn’t in Westminster or Fleet Street. Just as clearly, the Tories have run out of steam, as they did in 1996-97. We ought to have a general election this autumn. It would be even better if we had a party ready to take over that was full of energy and new ideas, and free to challenge the Brexit omerta that’s dominated our politics for six years. Instead, it seems our entire political system has run into the sand. Robin Prior Wargrave, Berkshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Speaking of Penny Mordaunt and dealing with the EU, Lord Frost says that “she did not master the necessary detail in the negotiations”. This from the man who was instrumental in negotiating the Brexit deal, including the Northern Ireland protocol, oversaw it becoming part of a legally binding international treaty, then immediately turned around and said it was a crap arrangement, so much so that it justifies breaking the law? Graeme Innes-Johnstone Elland, West Yorkshire • The marshmallow test establishes whether someone can resist temptation by not eating one marshmallow now, resistance being rewarded with two marshmallows after a delay. Young children usually fail the test – as, I would suggest, do the candidates for Tory leadership (with the possible exception of Rishi Sunak). Immediate tax cuts are favoured at the cost of not getting good public services in the future. Prof Frederick Toates Milton Keynes • I would propose one simple test for Tory leadership candidates that could be very telling and would differentiate them from the current leader: in an interview situation, can they directly answer a question they have been asked? Carolyn Sutton Glastonbury, Somerset • It is an unforgivable slur on Paul McCartney by Penny Mordaunt for her to liken him, one of the most generous, talented, lovable people in the world, to the selfish charlatan who presently occupies No 10 (Report, 13 July). Mark Whitfield Mojácar, Spain • I can only think that the reason Boris Johnson plans to leave office with his “head held high” (Report, 13 July) is to avoid the foul stench he has left behind. David Monk Little Neston, Cheshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
The government is to table a confidence motion in itself after rejecting a version by Labour that directly criticised Boris Johnson. The unexpected move will force Conservative MPs to back the government but will make the vote more straightforward as it will not constitute an endorsement of the prime minister. “Labour were given the option to table a straightforward vote of no confidence in the government in keeping with convention. However, they chose not to,” a government spokesperson said. “To remedy this we are tabling a motion which gives the house the opportunity to decide if it has confidence in the government. The government will always allow time for appropriate house matters whilst ensuring that it delivers parliamentary business to help improve people’s everyday lives.” The prime minister’s press secretary later added that Johnson planned to open the debate ahead of the vote on Monday. She insisted Labour’s own motion including the Commons not having confidence in the prime minister was “not good use of parliamentary time”.
A Labour source said the decision was “madness” and one they expected would backfire. “Not sure Tory leadership candidates or marginal MPs will welcome this,” they said. Labour reacted with fury on Tuesday night when Downing Street refused to allow parliamentary time for the motion it had tabled. Longstanding convention is that if the leader of the official opposition tables a motion of no confidence, the government makes time for it to be debated and voted on. Tory whips said Labour’s motion fell outside the scope of the convention by identifying Johnson. However, Labour said the motion had been ruled in order by the House of Commons clerks. It pointed to the 1965 confidence motion, which mentioned the prime minister.
Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman, Jeremy Hunt, Penny Mordaunt, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Tom Tugendhat and Nadhim Zahawi have all progressed to the first ballot which will take place tomorrow between 1.30pm and 3.30pm. The result will be announced soon afterwards. Sajid Javid, the former health secretary and former home secretary, is out of the contest as he was struggling to get the 20 nominations he needed. Rehman Chishti’s campaign for the Conservative leadership is over after being unable to receive any public endorsements from colleagues. Grant Shapps also failed to make it to the first ballot. Priti Patel, the home secretary, announced she will not be standing for the Tory leadership. She is not backing any other candidates, but she does not rule out doing so later in the contest. The government and Labour are involved in a briefing war about the rights and wrongs of the No 10 decision not to allow a no-confidence debate in the government tomorrow. Labour is accusing Downing Street of “an abuse of power”, but No 10 says it is Labour that is actually abusing the system because it is “playing politics”.
Your article about the garish internal refurbishment of No 11 (‘Trump-like madness!’– our critic’s verdict on Boris Johnson’s £200,000 No 11 refurb, 8 July) raises so many questions about prime ministers (and other elected officials) being permitted to make huge alterations to their temporary residences. Might I suggest as a taxpayer that future incumbents are subject to the same rules as renters in the private sector? This means they would have to make good any alterations or major decorations they carried out when their time in office ends. Actually, why doesn’t the landlord – ie the state – insist that only minimum changes can be made to fixtures and fittings? Also, neutral colours for walls and floors would allow the incumbent to put in whichever objects they wished, and remove them at the end of their tenure. They could have artistically placed rugs and throws about the place, which could be chucked into the removal van at the sorry end. Máirín Power London • Would it risk looking like ingratitude if Lord Brownlow were approached to pay for the removal of Lulu Lytle’s improvements to No 11 Downing Street? Geoffrey Jamieson Holmrook, Cumbria • Surely the most important thing the Tory leadership candidates must be asking themselves is: “Can I live with the wallpaper?” Elaine Cameron Lichfield • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Readers should recall that the Tory leadership candidate Penny Mordaunt is best known for persistently purveying falsehoods during the 2016 EU referendum campaign. During a TV interview with Andrew Marr, playing on fears of mass immigration, she claimed that Britain would not be able to stop Turkey joining the EU. As a former EU ambassador to Turkey, I can confirm that Turkey was not and is not in line for EU membership. Its membership of the EU customs union does not grant it free movement of people. Britain always had a veto over any aspiring member, and if Mordaunt had previously had any credibility, her infamous dishonesty about Turkey destroyed it. I thought part of the reason for ditching Boris Johnson was his habit of lying. Michael Lake EU official and diplomat, 1973-2001 • Penny Mordaunt’s choice of music for her video (Blue movies: our film critic reviews the Tory leader campaign videos so far, 11 July) is better known as Jupiter – a gas giant. Tells you all you need to know about her. Michael Peel London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Fintan O’Toole says the prime minister’s “dark genius was to shape Britain in his own image” (Boris Johnson has vandalised the political architecture of Britain, Ireland and Europe, 8 July). Rather, I would say the UK, with its archaic, dysfunctional, unwritten constitution – accumulated by centuries of historical accident and relying on its leaders being “good chaps” – was sitting ripe for the picking of a Boris Johnson. If we’re not to get more of the same, and even worse, we need a modern, democratic, functional constitution. A people’s constitutional convention would draw on the wisdom of the nation to get one, and be – for a change – impeccably democratic. Natalie Bennett Green party, House of Lords • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Jacob Rees-Mogg and Nadine Dorries have come out in support of Liz Truss’s Conservative leadership campaign in a major endorsement by two of Boris Johnson’s closest allies. The move by the Brexit opportunities minister and the culture secretary came as the deputy prime minister, Dominic Raab, and transport secretary, Grant Shapps, both backed Rishi Sunak to succeed Johnson as Tory leader and prime minister. Truss’s emerging profile as the “Johnson continuity” candidate will now be further entrenched by Rees-Mogg and Dorries’ backing. It goes some way towards bolstering the credentials of the foreign secretary – who supported remaining in the EU during the 2016 referendum – on the Brexiter wing of the Conservative party. “Liz Truss is the best candidate. She is a proper Eurosceptic who will deliver for the voters and she believes in low taxation,” Rees-Mogg told reporters. In a video clip later posted on social media, Rees-Mogg said of Truss: “She is as good a Brexiteer as I am. She consistently in cabinet opposed Rishi Sunak’s tax hikes and she has the character to be a leader.” Eyebrows could yet be raised by the manner in which Rees-Mogg and Dorries made their announcement, however. The two serving ministers used Downing Street as a backdrop for their intervention in the party political race, while the move could also be seen as a tacit endorsement of Truss by Johnson, who has said that he will not seek to interfere in the contest. The role played by Truss in the remain campaign – which had warned Brexit would be disastrous for the UK – has been regarded as one of her achilles heels in the leadership contest. She said on the referendum campaign trail in 2016: “I have great faith in the British people. I think the British people are sensible people. They understand that Britain will be better off staying in a reformed EU.” Truss publicly declared a change of heart in 2017 and said she would back Brexit if another vote took place.
Tory leadership candidates will need support from 20 fellow MPs to be included in the first round of voting, with nominations opening and closing tomorrow. The first ballot is on Wednesday, with candidates needing 30 votes from Tory MPs, and the second ballot is on Thursday. The winner of the leadership contest will be announced on 5 September ConservativeHome polling has found that Penny Mordaunt is in first place among Tory members to be the next PM, followed by Kemi Badenoch. Education unions have written to the newly appointed education minister, Andrea Jenkyns, warning that her use of an obscene gesture and her excuses since would be unacceptable from a pupil or member of staff. The Conservative MP Jamie Wallis has been disqualified from driving for six months and fined £2,500 after being found guilty of failing to stop, failing to report an accident and leaving the vehicle in a dangerous position, after crashing his car and fleeing the scene.
Your political coverage this week has been insightful and informative. But in your article on the probabilities of success for likely contenders for the Tory leadership (Who will replace Boris Johnson? The runners and riders, 7 July), their “chances out of 10” add up to 46, a statistical impossibility. With such a long list of names, a recalibration is required, giving chances out of 100. On that basis, Ben Wallace, Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt would score 13/100, with Priti Patel trailing at 4/100 – a fair summary of their competencies. Phil Williamson Norwich • Your editorial (7 July) refers to Boris Johnson as “the worst prime minister in modern British history”. Why the qualification? Has there ever been a worse one in our history? Sean Young Wick, Worcestershire • So many people being interviewed on TV say Boris Johnson “has done a lot of good things for the country too”. Can someone enlighten me as to what they are? I am at a loss. Kate Young Wallasey, Merseyside • If the Conservative party has any problems finding a leader, it occurs to me that most of the Guardian readership could run this country standing on one leg (Letters, 7 July). Ellie Sedgwick Westhall, Suffolk • Let’s all celebrate Boris Johnson’s leaving. Shall we go outside at 8pm on Monday to give him one big clap? Kathleen O’Neill Hayling Island, Hampshire • He’s gone, but still there. Do we have a Schrödinger’s prime minister? Pam Barrett London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
On another momentous day, Boris Johnson announced his resignation but said he wants to stay on as prime minister until the Conservative Party elects a new leader despite senior figures including Lord Michael Heseltine and Sir John Major calling for him to go immediately. Johnson told his cabinet the government would now focus on the agenda on which it was elected, and not seek to implement new policies or make major changes of direction. A timetable for succession is set to be announced by the 1922 Committee of backbench MPs next week. According to polling of Conservative party members by YouGov, Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, is in the best position to succeed Johnson. Conservative backbencher Tom Tugendhat has become the first contender to throw his hat into the ring to succeed Boris Johnson. Grant Shapps has been backed by his junior minister Robert Courts on BBC’s Newsnight to become Tory leader. Sir Keir Starmer has warned that if Johnson does not step down immediately, Labour would table a vote of no confidence in the government in Parliament The hastily-assembled new team of ministers has been announced including the return of Will Quince as an education minister, having quit two days ago. Johnny Mercer MP is to be a Minister of State (Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) at the Cabinet Office while Sir Robert Buckland is the Welsh secretary.
Boris Johnson has planned a July wedding party with his wife, Carrie, at his prime ministerial retreat, multiple sources have said. Johnson, who resigned on Thursday, and his wife have sent save-the-date invitations to guests to the party at Chequers, the prime minister’s grace-and-favour home in Buckinghamshire, at the end of the month. The pair married last year in a small ceremony with 30 guests because of Covid restrictions, but Johnson’s spokesperson said at the time they planned to celebrate again in summer 2022. It is the third marriage for Johnson, who has two children with Carrie. The ceremony last year at Westminster Cathedral was prepared in secret and guests celebrated in the Downing Street garden, with just one official photograph released. The plans for the wedding party at Chequers, first reported by Bloomberg, are likely to come under renewed scrutiny now that Johnson has said he will resign as Conservative leader and leave Downing Street when a new candidate is elected.
His critics in the party – including the former prime minister John Major – have urged him to go immediately and let his deputy, Dominic Raab, serve as a caretaker PM because of the lack of confidence his party has in him. Carrie Johnson watched her husband’s resignation speech in Downing Street, carrying their daughter, Romy, in a sling. Their toddler son, Wilf, was waiting in the No 10 entrance hall.
Boris Johnson has resigned as Conservative leader after a series of cabinet ministers told him he had lost the support of the party. We would like to hear your thoughts on Boris Johnson stepping down as party leader. We’re particularly interested in hearing from Tory voters on their hopes for the next leader of the Conservative party. Who would you like to succeed him as party leader and why? Share your views You can get in touch by filling in the form below or contact us via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding +44(0)7766780300. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details. If you’re having trouble using the form, click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.
Nadhim Zahawi has called on Boris Johnson to resign just over a day after being appointed chancellor in his government, as more cabinet ministers stepped down. In a public letter, Zahawi said he was “heartbroken” that Johnson was not listening to his advice as a friend of over 30 years. “Prime Minister: this is not sustainable and it will only get worse: for you, for the Conservative party and most importantly of all the country. You must do the right thing and go now,” he said, but stopped short of resigning himself. Michelle Donelan, the education secretary appointed this week, also resigned, saying the cabinet needed to force Johnson’s hand. She followed Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland secretary, who also resigned on Thursday morning.
Lewis said: A decent and responsible government relies on honesty, integrity and mutual respect - it is a matter of profound personal regret that I must leave government as I no longer believe those values are being upheld.” The latest developments make it increasingly likely that Johnson will not be able to last the day as prime minister, despite No 10’s insistence on Wednesday night that he wanted to “fight on”.
Michael Gove was sacked by Boris Johnson on Wednesday evening after telling the prime minister to quit earlier in the day. Allies confirmed the levelling up secretary had been dismissed after a delegation of cabinet ministers told Johnson he should resign. Gove was not among them, but had met the prime minister on Wednesday morning and urged him to resign, telling him the party would not support him. Gove told Johnson he would not stand against him as party leader and was not part of a leadership bid. His sacking followed the resignation of cabinet ministers Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid as well as more than 40 other junior ministers and parliamentary aides. No 10 sources have been briefing against Gove for weeks, believing he was behind negative quotes in the media about Johnson. One very senior aide to Johnson said several weeks ago that they thought Gove was plotting the prime minister’s downfall. Other cabinet ministers may depart in Gove’s wake. Tory sources had expected the transport secretary Grant Shapps and the Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis to resign – but they had not gone by late Wednesday evening. Johnson may yet opt to sack them. The Welsh secretary Simon Hart announced his resignation late on Wednesday. Johnson appeared determined to fight on, despite a delegation of senior cabinet ministers, including home secretary, Priti Patel, and Shapps, personally urging him to resign. Shapps, who did the number crunching for Johnson’s leadership bid, is understood to have told the PM there was no way he could win a second confidence vote. He told him he must make a more dignified exit than that, and should set his own timetable for his departure. Johnson disagreed. Another cabinet minister among the group confirmed that Johnson had told them he had no intention of stepping down, despite haemorrhaging support throughout Wednesday.
Boris Johnson’s battle for survival has triggered a slew of memes across social media. Here are some highlights. Cold War Steve The collage artist is seen as the internet’s satirist of record for the British political system. So he clicked into gear immediately on Tuesday.
Chris Kamara and Jeff Stelling reunited In political terms, it was end-to-end stuff yesterday for the sports broadcasters.
Guffaws in the House of Lords This isn’t a meme really, but it probably meets the definition of satire. The appropriately named Cabinet Office minister Lord True read out a statement about upholding public standards – prompting howls of laughter from the red benches.
Mock Succession credits Footage of Tuesday morning’s grim cabinet meeting – why did Johnson let in the cameras? – was overhauled to look like the opening credits of that festival of parricide, Succession.
Would I Lie to You? The latest iteration of a popular meme format of the comedy gameshow.
Obligatory Thick of It references There were several Thick of It-based memes yesterday but here is an example featuring the programme’s fictional Tory minister.
The mayor from Jaws He is Johnson’s favourite character from the film after all.
Johnson as Gazza This is from last month but it has not aged.
Count Binface weighs in One of Johnson’s most dogged political adversaries also joined in.
The Big Brother house Davina McCall was redeployed outside a frenzied Downing Street.
Under both Boris Johnson and Theresa May, Steve Barclay has proved to be one of those ministers who are rarely lauded but nonetheless greatly valued by a prime minister: hard-working, loyal – and most of all, largely uncomplaining. Barclay, an MP since 2010, took on a series of junior frontbench roles before May made him Brexit secretary in 2018 after David Davis resigned in protest at her planned EU departure deal. It was a job he kept even when Johnson took over, with his very different view of Brexit, a sign of Barclay’s adaptability. The end of the Brexit ministerial brief with the UK’s eventual departure from the orbit of the EU in January 2020 saw Barclay accept a demotion to being No 2 in the Treasury, before moving back to the cabinet 18 months later as Cabinet Office minister. In February this year, a reshuffle after a string of controversies and mishaps showed the value Johnson and his team place on the former solicitor from Lancashire. Barclay was made the PM’s chief of staff, with the cabinet role of chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster. That job has not gone to plan, given the plan was to stabilise Johnson’s operation with some “grownups” in charge. That was not, however, necessarily Barclay’s fault, and he has been rewarded with an even bigger job – secretary of state for health.
Two of Boris Johnson’s most senior cabinet minsters have quit, raising doubts over the prime minister’s future and questions over whether other members of his team will support him or turn their backs. Here is the state of play among key figures: Quit Rishi Sunak, chancellor Sajid Javid, health secretary Bim Afolami, Conservative vice-chair Alex Chalk, solicitor general Jonathan Gullis, parliamentary private secretary Saqib Bhatti, parliamentary private secretary Nicola Richards, parliamentary private secretary Virginia Crosbie, parliamentary private secretary Andrew Murrison, trade envoy Theo Clarke, trade envoy Silent so far George Eustice, environment secretary Grant Shapps, transport secretary Penny Mordaunt, international trade minister Staying put Nadhim Zahawi, chancellor Steve Barclay, health secretary Michelle Donelan, education secretary Dominic Raab, deputy prime minister and justice secretary Liz Truss, foreign secretary Priti Patel, home secretary Michael Gove, housing secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, business secretary Thérèse Coffey, work and pensions secretary Nadine Dorries, culture secretary Ben Wallace, defence secretary Chris Heaton-Harris, chief whip Brandon Lewis, Northern Ireland secretary Simon Hart, Welsh secretary Alistair Jack, Scotland secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg, Brexit opportunities minister Suella Braverman, attorney general
With Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid gone from the cabinet, it could all be over for Boris Johnson – although quite how long it will take his enemies to finish him off is not at all clear and his defenestration does not look immediate. The two byelection defeats almost two weeks ago prompted calls for cabinet ministers to mount a coup against the prime minister, and in the wake of the Chris Pincher scandal it finally seems to be happening. We have not had confirmation yet, but it is impossible to believe that the resignations of Javid and Sunak were not coordinated. Perhaps there are more to come. Sunak’s resignation is the most serious of the two. Since the spring statement, the chancellor has not been the obvious heir apparent he once was. But he is still a powerful figure in the party. The resignation of Nigel Lawson helped bring down Margaret Thatcher, although it took just over a year for that to eventually play out. Even if there are no more resignations, the mood in the Conservative party has already turned against Johnson, perhaps decisively. Under current rules Johnson is safe from another leadership challenge until next summer. But the executive of the 1922 Committee can change the rules whenever it wants. A new anti-Johnson executive is expected to be elected next week, but even the current executive – more evenly split between loyalists and critics – could act now if it felt there was a consensus in the party. Johnson is famously stubborn, and he is unlikely to quit just because two ministers have decided to go. But increasingly Conservative MPs believe they have no chance of winning the next election under his leadership. Ultimately that assessment should prove decisive.
That’s it from me, Tom Ambrose, and indeed the live politics blog for the evening. You can read all about Chris Pincher’s suspension as a Tory MP here, as well as this profile on his career so far. Follow all the latest UK politics news here. Goodnight.
Boris Johnson has said the UK will spend 2.5% of GDP on defence by the end of this decade, after a cabinet row over defence spending and claims the government would ditch a key manifesto commitment on the issue. Liz Truss has defended plans to cut the British army by nearly 10,000 troops as she called on other Nato countries to “step up” their defence spending. Ministers have announced a U-turn on key elements of the government’s schools bill, scrapping or amending clauses that would have given the Department for Education (DfE) greater control over “virtually every aspect” of academy trusts in England. Natalie McGarry, a former Scottish National party MP who embezzled almost £25,000 from two pro-independence groups has been jailed for two years.
I am 64 and have six children. I am upset but not surprised by the decision to exclude women with babies from parliamentary debates (MPs should not bring babies into Commons, says cross-party review, 30 June). A woman and her baby are a single unit while she is breastfeeding – until the child is at least six months old. Explanations such as “longstanding practice” should not be used to prevent women from playing a full part in society. For far too long our society has been a male arena, where babies are treated as if they do not exist and the women caring for them have been excluded from most areas of life. We should create a society where mothers are welcomed with their small babies, starting now. I wish Stella Creasy and her few fellow MPs who have small babies the best of luck in challenging this outrageous decision. Rachel Phipps Dean, Oxfordshire • The idea of an MP bringing a baby into debates in parliament is lovely; it would humanise what seems to be a very unnatural environment. Babies are the future. The sight of a few of them might prompt some MPs to worry more about the long-term future of the country and planet, not just the next election. Martin Cooper Bromley, London • “MPs should not bring babies into Commons”? Is it that there are enough in there already? Jack Winter Hove, East Sussex • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
The Commons privileges committee has announced that No 10 staff will be able to give evidence anonymously to its inquiry into whether Boris Johnson lied to MPs about Partygate. (See 2.54pm.) In a statement, the committee said it was particularly interesting in hearing from people with knowledge of “Mr Johnson’s knowledge of the activities in 10 Downing Street and the Cabinet Office under Covid regulations, from the occurrence of those events until now” and “any briefing given to, or inquiries made by, Mr Johnson relating to those events”. Dominic Raab has expressed doubts about including the right to an abortion in the forthcoming bill of rights, saying the matter was already “settled in UK law”. China would be making “a catastrophic miscalculation” if it invaded Taiwan, Liz Truss has said, telling the Nato summit that the UK and other countries should reconsider trading relationships with countries that used economic power in “coercive” ways. Ben Wallace, the UK defence secretary, has publicly called for higher defence spending by the middle of the decade in light of Russia’s war on Ukraine, in a move that sets him at odds with Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak. Tariffs on steel imports from China and other countries are to be extended for another two years, the UK government has announced, admitting the move risks breaching World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. John Swinney, Scotland’s deputy first minister, has issued a correction after sowing confusion over the Scottish government’s claims it could win a mandate for independence at the next general election.
Stella Creasy has appealed for witnesses after her constituency office in north-east London was targeted by vandals. The Labour MP for Walthamstow posted a photo on social media showing multiple cracks on the front door of her office. The incident is believed to have taken place between 5.30pm and 8pm on Tuesday on Orford Road. The Metropolitan police said officers are investigating. No arrests have been made yet. Creasy wrote on Twitter: “Walthamstow if you were on Orford road near my office between 5.30 and 8pm today please come forward to help us catch the cowards who attacked my office. “Please share to help find who did this – you can also give anonymous info on crime stoppers on 0800 555 111.” The Metropolitan police was contacted for comment.
Earlier on Tuesday, Creasy told the Guardian she will table an amendment to the forthcoming British bill of rights to give women the fundamental right to an abortion. She said she would expect MPs to be given a free vote on the issue, as a matter of conscience, and the amendment would be tabled when the bill is published at second reading. “Most women in the UK do not realise abortion is not a right but there is only a law giving exemption from prosecution in certain circumstances,” she said. “What the US teaches us is that we cannot be complacent about entrenching those rights in law.” Waltham Forest Metropolitan police Service tweeted: “Anyone with info, pls call the Met on 101 and quote ref 7222/28jun.”
The government has won the vote on the second reading of the Northern Ireland protocol bill by 295 votes to 221. The vote result means Boris Johnson’s bid to effectively tear up parts of the Northern Ireland protocol has cleared its first Commons hurdle, amid Tory warnings the plans are illegal. Former prime minister Theresa May said she could not support the Bill, saying it will “diminish” the UK in the eyes of the world. The majority of 74 gives the Northern Ireland protocol bill a second reading which clears the way for it to undergo detailed scrutiny in the coming weeks. Earlier, Boris Johnson claimed the legislation - that will allow the UK government to abandon large parts of the protocol, in what critics argued is a clear breach of international law - could become law by the end of the year. Asked if the measures could be in place this year, he replied: “Yes, I think we could do it very fast, parliament willing.” Boris Johnson has said that he considers the Conservative party leadership issue now “settled”. Downing Street rejected a claim from Lord Frost, the former Brexit minister, that the online harms bill makes speech that is legal offline effectively illegal online. Sajid Javid, the health secretary, has given a Commons statement to mark the publication of the draft mental health bill. He told MPs it would address a number of “alarming issues” with the way the current Mental Health Act is used.
Here’s a roundup of today’s politics news and developments. Boris Johnson has said that he won’t undergo “some sort of psychological transformation” in response to criticism from parts of his party after two byelection defeats on Friday. Johnson refused to give examples of when he would consider resigning, beyond public and political appetite for supporting the Ukrainian government during the conflict with Russia. Foreign secretary Liz Truss has said she has “100%” faith in the prime minister, as does the cabinet. The third day of rail strikes this week have got underway, meaning about a fifth of normal services are running. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch has said transport secretary Grant Shapps should “tone down the rhetoric” and “get on with the job”. An opinion poll of 2,000 people, conducted before the strike action took place, backed the RMT and three out of five people said the government should intervene to get a settlement. Its assistant director general Eddie Dempsey told a rally at King’s Cross station in London that current proposals will mean rail workers would have to accept “being poor, losing jobs and protecting profits of private companies.” The number of people who have arrived in Britain in small boats from the French coast has now reached more than 12,000. According to the Ministry of Defence, 231 people arrived on Friday in five boats. Boris Johnson planned to spend £150,000 on buying a treehouse for his son Wilf at Chequers, according to a story in the Times. That’s all for today, thank you for following along. Enjoy the rest of your Saturday, and if you’ve not had your fill of live blogs, a reminder that our Glastonbury live coverage continues.
Labour won in Wakefield, which had been a Labour seat since the second world war until the 2019 election, with a very healthy swing of almost 13%. But the Tories also lost Tiverton and Honiton to the Liberal Democrats. Oliver Dowden quit as Tory chair, taking swipe at Johnson’s conduct, after Tories suffered a historic byelection defeat. Johnson suggested the cost of living crisis was to blame for the Tory elections defeat. Not his own conduct or leadership. Michael Heseltine, the former Conservative deputy prime minister, who now sits as an unaffiliated peer in the Lords after falling out with his party over Brexit, told Sky News Johnson wouldn’t survive a second no confidence vote. Sir Malcolm Rifkind, foreign secretary in John Major’s government, told Sky News that if government ministers want Boris Johnson to quit, they should go and tell him. He claimed that a dozen ministers would force him out. Michael Howard urged cabinet ministers to oust Johnson. But would not say whom he wanted to see as the next leader. Nadine Dorries, the culture secretary and probably Boris Johnson’s most loyal supporter in cabinet, has claimed byelections are “useless” as a guide to what will happen in a subsequent general election. Speaking at a news conference Boris Johnson said of the defeats in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton: “I’m not going to pretend these are brilliant results. We’ve got to listen, we’ve got to learn.” The former health secretary Matt Hancock told Times Radio that he backs Boris Johnson, and that the party needs to “pull together” for a general election in which “the only alternative will be a combination of Nicola Sturgeon and Keir Starmer”. That’s it from me for today, and for the blog. Thanks for reading.
When giving television interviews from his office, Grant Shapps, secretary of state for transport, is invariably seen with a ministerial red box prominently displayed behind him (Rail strikes: anger as UK government refuses to join last-ditch talks, 20 June). When he was interviewed by Sophy Ridge on Sky News last Sunday, there were two red boxes strategically on display plus – “discreetly”, in a bookshelf – what seemed to be part of a small poster with “GRANT SHAPPS” in bold print, which just happened to be there for the TV cameras to catch. It is, of course, completely unnecessary to have these items on view and so placed. It is not up to me to analyse his reasons for having them there. Some may think it is to compensate for a sense of inferiority. I am not one of them. After all, he did gain five O-levels, as a source close to him pointed out to the Observer in 2012 amid a controversy over Shapps deleting information from his Wikipedia biography, including the apparently incorrect claim that he had “obtained four O-levels including an A in CDT”. Nevertheless, such a display will strike many as tasteless, vulgar and ostentatious – perhaps all best expressed in the Yiddish word shprawnsy. Sam Monteve Levy London • In June 2022, the secretary of state for transport, Grant Shapps, has refused to intervene to avoid a crippling rail strike. In October 1907, with a national rail strike imminent, the president of the board of trade, Lloyd George, intervened and his “geniality, finesse and a certain bold art” ensured success. He was invited to Windsor to be congratulated by the king and queen, as well as by the German emperor, who was there on a visit. Sadly, we have no one of that stature now. Rufus Adams Rhyl, Denbighshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
After the byelection wins by the Lib Dems in Tiverton and Honiton and Labour in Wakefield, this is surely is the moment for an anti-Tory alliance. Ed Davey, Caroline Lucas and Keir Starmer should get together with promises to put the planet first, clean up British politics, and get a grip on the economic crisis. No shilly-shallying, Keir. No “we can go it alone”, Ed. Let’s usher in the leader we all need: Caroline. Alison Leonard Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire • When my husband was in the last few days of his life in April this year, the community nurse asked him if he would like anything changing. “The government,” he said. Well, we’ve made a start. Thank you. Gill Garratt Falmouth, Cornwall • Boris Johnson would be well advised to remain in Rwanda. There is a splendid modern hotel in Kigali well set up to receive long-stay guests from the UK. Anne Anderton Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire • I imagine that the prime minister will try to “draw a line” under the two byelection defeats, as well as the resignation of Oliver Dowden as Tory party co-chair. The man has drawn more lines than a cubist. Tom Stubbs Surbiton, London • Boris Johnson says he’ll “keep going”. How soon will he be gone? Brian Morris Wakefield • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
A Labour MP has warned antisemitism is rife even at junior level in football, with reports of seven-year-old Jewish players being hissed at by their opponents as a way to replicate the noise of the gas chambers. Christian Wakeford urged the government to do “much more” to ensure that British football players can play their “beautiful game” without being subjected to unacceptable abuse. Speaking during a Westminster Hall debate on antisemitism and other forms of racism in football, the Bury South MP warned there are examples of antisemitism everywhere in football, even at junior level. Conservative former cabinet minister Theresa Villiers, who led the debate, said the idea of people making hissing noises at seven-year-old Jewish footballers is “just revolting” and “profoundly disturbing”. She insisted it is a “real illustration that antisemitism remains a serious problem in football”. Culture minister Nigel Huddleston acknowledged there is “still more to do” but assured MPs the government is committed to continue to work with football authorities to “combat racism, discrimination and antisemitism both in person and online, from grassroots to the boardroom”.
The RMT has said it will resume talks with rail management tomorrow. But commuters face certain disruption again on Thursday, when the next national strike is scheduled, because of the extent to which services and timetables have already been upended. There is full coverage of today’s strike - the biggest for more than 30 years - and its impact in our rail strikes live blog.
Boris Johnson has signalled that the government is not minded to give in to the RMT’s demands, telling cabinet that the country must be ready to “stay the course” because reforms to the rail network are essential. (See 10.14am.) Downing Street has defended its decision to oppose above-inflation pay rises for public sector workers while approving what is likely to be an above-inflation increase in the value of the state pension for next year. (See 12.51pm.) Keir Starmer is on a collision course with the left wing of his party over strike action, after at least three junior frontbenchers defied his instructions and joined RMT union picket lines on Tuesday morning. Michael Ellis, the Cabinet Office minister, has tolds MPs that Boris Johnson “intends to appoint a new ethics adviser”. But the evasive tone he adopted, when questioned in a Commons debate, left MPs sceptical about the value of his assurance. (See 5.21pm.) Later tonight MPs will vote on a Labour proposal for a Commons committee to appoint its own adviser to do this job if Johnson does not within two months choose someone to replace Lord Geidt, who resigned as ethics adviser because of Johnson’s lack of respect for the ministerial code. Annual pay growth stalled at 4% in May, leaving most workers with a rise in earnings worth less than half the 9% increase in prices. New rules that will allow Ukrainian children to come to Britain alone are expected to be announced this week.
For the past few months, Westminster has been abuzz with little else other than Boris Johnson and his nine lives. Now, however, he may have a rival in that particular field: Lindsay Hoyle’s new cat, Attlee. The feline will follow in the steps of other parliamentary moggies including the Foreign Office’s Palmerston, Treasury’s Gladstone and Downing Street’s Larry. Although the Speaker has to resign his political allegiance, Hoyle has named the cat after the Labour prime minister from 1945 to 1951, Clement Attlee. Like many modern pet owners, he has set up an Instagram account for his cat. Hoyle posted the announcement alongside a picture of him sat in the Speaker’s chair, holding the four-month-old Maine Coon. Attlee replaces Patrick, a fellow Maine Coon, who was named after Conservative peer Patrick McCormack.
Hoyle said: “Introducing Attlee. A bold little kitten who’s brought much joy to my office and team. He brings a smile to the faces of everyone he comes into contact with on the parliamentary estate. Of course I’ll always miss Patrick, and I’m certain they both would have got along very well.” He went on to tell Sky News: “Attlee is just the boldest, craziest life force you can imagine: he races around my office, much to the amusement of my team, and brings a smile to the face of doorkeepers, police officers, cleaners – and everyone who comes into contact with him.”
The Chorley MP is a well-known animal lover, naming some of them after political figures. He has a parrot called Boris, a tortoise named Maggie and, like Attlee, his dog Gordon was named in honour of a former Labour prime minister. Larry, perhaps Westminster’s most popular resident, initially moved into David Cameron’s Downing Street in 2011 and was later seen getting into a street scuffle with a pigeon yards away from the prime minister’s home. Palmerston announced his “retirement” as the Foreign Office’s Chief Mouser on Twitter in 2020.
That’s all for today, ahead of the first day of this week’s strike for RMT staff on the rail network and on the London Underground. Tomorrow’s strike will be the biggest strike on the railways since 1989. The RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch, said the union had “no choice” over striking and that the government was not allowing rail companies to negotiate freely. Lynch said a “wave” of industrial action was coming amid the cost of living crisis and said the Labour party should find a way to “ride that wave of resistance”. Last-minute offers by train operating companies (TOCs) had been rejected today, he said in a statement. The. transport secretary, Grant Shapps, told the House of Commons that the strike was being organised by “some of the best-paid union barons representing some of the better paid workers in this country”. Shapps added that there was no place for the government in negotiations. The shadow transport secretary, Louise Haigh, accused Shapps of a “dereliction of duty” by not intervening. The TUC and the UK’s body representing recruiters had told the government to drop plans to lift a ban on agency staff filling in for workers who are out on strike. Away from tomorrow’s industrial action Criminal barristers have voted for strike action over legal aid funding, that will begin next week. Downing Street has confirmed it asked the Times to withdraw a story that made allegations that Boris Johnson offered his now-wife, Carrie, a job while was foreign secretary. The TSSA rail union said it would be “outraged” if the government closed all ticket offices in England. Johnson successfully underwent an operation on his sinuses. That’s all for today, thanks for following along. Here’s our story this evening on tomorrow’s strikes.
The former health secretary Jeremy Hunt has revealed he had cancer and has since recovered. The Conservative MP said he would be taking part in a 5km race to raise money for cancer charities after the disease affected some of his relatives “very dramatically” and he experienced a “minor" one” himself. Hunt, now chair of the health and social care select committee, said: “Every member of my family has had cancer. I have had a minor one myself which has fortunately been resolved. “So it’s touched my family very dramatically and I know it has touched many many families. My work on the select committee has shown me there are lot of things we can do to improve our cancer survival rates. “They are getting better but the more we can do to raise money and raise awareness, the more lives we’ll save.” Hunt, 55, will be running with cancer survivor Rod Pluthero, 73, and fellow Tory MP Angela Richardson, 47. Richardson, who represents the Guildford constituency, said: “There will be few of us who have been untouched by cancer – with one in two people now developing it at some stage of our lives, research into successful treatments and prevention of the disease is an overwhelming health priority. “Jeremy has been an advocate and champion of cancer research, advanced treatments and better patient experiences for many years. “It’s my pleasure to be able to join him at the Race for Life and for us to be taking forward this campaign together to allow the best possible outcomes for cancer patients in the future.” Half of people in the UK born after 1960 will get cancer in their lifetime, according to Cancer Research UK.
Race for Life, in partnership with Tesco, is a nationwide series of 3km, 5km and 10km races, along with children’s events, which raise millions of pounds every year.
The chair of an influential group of MPs has echoed comments made by the cabinet minister Michael Gove, who has warned the UK must maintain control of public finances in the face of “tough times ahead” for the country and the global economy. Jake Berry, the chair of the Northern Research Group, a pressure group of Tory MPs calling for increased investment in the north of England, said it was right that “we have to keep public finances in order”. Speaking at the Times CEO Summit in London, Gove, the levelling up secretary, said while the government had a responsibility to help the very poorest, it also had a responsibility to bear down on the root causes of inflation.
“We do definitely need to have a monetary policy that squeezes inflation out of the system and that will mean undoubtedly that we need to maintain control of our finances and that we need to ensure in the difficult period over the next few years we are not knocked off our course,” he said. “I think it is inevitably the case that, when you are squeezing inflation out of the system, you will rely on the Bank of England and the government having the fiscal and the monetary policies, which will inevitably mean we cannot do all the things that we would, in ideal circumstances, like to do in order to support people through a difficult period.
“I think it is an unavoidable consequence of the central bank policies the UK and others have had to follow. There are inevitably tough times ahead for the UK and the global economy.” Asked to comment on the remarks on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Berry, who along with the NRG is calling for devolved control over corporation tax, so regions in the north of England can set their own rates, as well as cuts to personal taxes, said: “I think it was quite an accurate thing for Michael Gove to say: we have to keep public finances in order.” “Michael is accurate, you can’t do everything for everyone, you have to target your support,” he added.
The prime minister’s spokeperson refused to confirm that Lord Geidt will definitely be replaced as the PM’s ethics adviser. The spokeperson said that having a process for ensuring standards are maintained by ministers was “vitally important”. Geidt said in his resignation letter that the final straw was a request to consider a proposal that he said would be a “deliberate and purposeful” breach of the ministerial code. He implies that Boris Johnson asked him to approve of this breach. Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Brexit opportunities minister, told Newsnight’s Nicholas Watt that the Geidt resignation saga is really a story about Boris Johnson “protecting the British steel industry”. (See 1.45pm.) At the Downing Street lobby briefing, the prime minister’s spokesperson said ministers would not be getting directly involved in talks to stop the rail strikes next week. The Foreign Office has announced a fresh wave of sanctions against Vladimir Putin’s allies, including on officials involved with the “barbaric treatment of children in Ukraine”. Nicola Sturgeon has claimed the Conservatives are “terrified” of another vote on Scottish independence after the party’s leader in Scotland challenged her priorities. Witnesses should not be able to avoid giving evidence at inquiries after “an increasing number of rich and powerful” people have done so in recent years, MPs have said. As PA Media reported, the Commons committee of privileges has published a report recommending the introduction of legislation that would ensure parliament can compel witnesses to turn up to the House of Commons when summoned.
Priti Patel was accused by Labour of overseeing a “shambles” and participating in a “government by gimmick” after the 11th-hour cancellation of the first plane carrying asylum seekers to Rwanda. The UK is likely to challenge the European court of human rights ruling that stopped the deportation to Rwanda of people seeking asylum and is already preparing for the next flight, a cabinet minister has said. Brussels has urged Westminster to throw out the “illegal” attempt by Boris Johnson to unilaterally rewrite the post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland, as the EU launched fresh legal action against the UK. Keir Starmer has accused Boris Johnson of trying to fool the public with “nonsense” about a booming economy, as an often bad-tempered prime minister’s questions saw the pair square up over stagnant growth and tax rises. Boris Johnson has said the UK government is “deeply concerned” about the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the British journalist Dom Phillips, after Theresa May called on the prime minister to make the case “a diplomatic priority”.
The first flight taking asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda was cancelled minutes before takeoff after the European Court of Human Rights issued last minute injunctions to stop the move. A total of seven individuals were believed to have been due to board the flight before the series of interventions were made. The plane, which stood ready on a Ministry of Defence runway at Boscombe Down in Amesbury, Wiltshire, was scheduled to takeoff at 9:30pm before being delayed to 10:30pm and then being cancelled. PA understands that the appeals were considered by an out of hours judge on papers, overruling the UK rulings. It is believed that at the present time there is not a route for the Home Office to appeal against the decision. Home secretary Priti Patel said she was disappointed the flight to Rwanda was not able to leave but would not be “deterred from doing the right thing”. Downing Street has defended the appointment of David Buttress as the government’s new cost of living tsar despite Buttress saying in January that Boris Johnson should resign. Buttress has also criticised Johnson and the Tories more widely, as well as arguing that the Rwanda deportation policy lacks common decency. Moves to sell off Channel 4 are not conservative but “destructive”, ministers have heard. Conservative MP Sir Peter Bottomley told the Commons: “We have more than three different types of public service broadcasters, government is proposing to abolish one of them. That is not conservative, that is destructive.” Conservative chair of the digital, media, culture and sport committee Julian Knight said the value of selling off the channel would be “marginal” to the Treasury, servicing the national debt for “72 hours”. Plaid Cymru said Wales and the rest of the UK should rejoin the EU single market due to the cost of living crisis.
If the NHS is like the defunct video rental chain Blockbuster, as the health secretary suggests (NHS ‘doesn’t need any more money’, says Sajid Javid as waiting lists rise, 11 June) then what is the Tory party reminiscent of? Woolworths, perhaps? Dr Michael Symonds Sutton Bonington, Nottinghamshire • Val Seddon writes about the need for bus shelters at bus stops, to stop us getting soaked (Letters, 8 June). The other thing we need is a proper bench – not a plastic ledge to perch on. A bench at every bus stop would transform public transport. Shayne Mary Mitchell Cambridge • I was born in Birmingham, my wife in Blackpool. We were disappointed that Heather Wheeler did not slag off Hull too so that we could claim a full set (Tory MP apologises for calling Birmingham and Blackpool ‘godawful’, 10 June). Dave Hanson Hull • It took your contributor 800 words to answer the question “The mayor thinks New York gets ‘special energy’ from crystals. Is he right?” (9 June). Three would do: “Is he bollocks”. David Marcer Maisemore, Gloucestershire • Let them eat venison? Is Boris Johnson having a Marie Antoinette moment (‘Worse than half-baked’: Johnson’s food strategy fails to tackle cost or climate, 10 June)? Bridget Marrow Pinner, London • Boris Johnson describes the proposed RMT strikes as “reckless and wanton” (Rail strikes stance reflects Starmer’s more cautious approach to unions, 8 June). That’s some brass neck. Dave Hepworth Rowland, Derbyshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
The United Nations refugee agency has made a dramatic intervention to try to halt Priti Patel’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda. As Diane Taylor and Rajeev Syal report, in a late submission of evidence, the UNHCR claimed the home secretary misled refugees over the organisation’s support for the plan. A decision from the high court is expected very soon on whether to grant an injunction halting the first deportations to Rwanda, which are due to take place next week. The Council of Europe has rebuked the UK over a plan to grant conditional immunity to people accused of murder and other offences during the Northern Ireland Troubles. The government’s social mobility tsar has said she does not think Boris Johnson is a good role model for children. The UK may be entering its third wave of coronavirus this year, researchers warn, as official figures show infections are on the rise again in England and Northern Ireland.
What is it with Tories and their ridiculous stereotyping? If it isn’t “Waitrose woman” then it’s “vegetarian Guardian readers” (Tory MPs spend jubilee weekend placating angry voters, 5 June). I suppose we should be thankful that they don’t feel more emboldened by Boris Johnson’s liberal use of insulting stereotypes. I’m a vegetarian Guardian reader (a subscriber, in fact), but I doubt that the MP who made this remark has someone like me in mind. I’m also a subscriber to the Financial Times, I do not own a kaftan and I live in a house in bluest Berkshire, not a yurt in the forest. But more pertinently, any political party really needs to appeal to someone like me, rather than make cheap assumptions. Why? Because in most respects “people like me” (in my case, white, retired, male, comfortably off) are exactly the same as those who are the usual objects of prejudice and scorn, whether they be women, ethnic minorities, the “undeserving” poor or, God forbid, remainers. None of us want sewage in our rivers, none of us want to be turned away from hospital when we’re sick, none of us want anyone to go hungry and none of us want a lying cad as prime minister. So come on, Guardian, defend this rich white man’s honour. Strike back. Show them how idiotic they make themselves look when they resort to these lazy cliches – which are, let’s remember, also a crucial component of the Tories’ so-called culture war. You can’t attack the “woke”, for instance, without relying on some widely shared (and conveniently hazy) assumptions. Having said all that, no one likes a thin-skinned killjoy of any sort. A bit of joshing at one’s own expense is obviously fine – necessary, in fact. So make it funny too. Robin Prior Wargrave, Berkshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Boris Johnson has raised the spectre of a 1970s-style “wage-price spiral” that could force the Bank of England to push up interest rates dramatically, if workers demand to be compensated for rocketing prices. The PM made the speech in a major speech in Blackpool on the cost of living and housing. See 3.33pm for a full summary. Charities and housing experts have criticised plans announced by Johnson to extend right to buy to housing association tenants. (See 12.01pm.) Labour criticised the plans too. Lisa Nandy, the shadow levelling up secretary, said: This speech was yet more evidence that the prime minister and his tired government are out of ideas. You can’t solve a housing crisis with back of the envelope policies that have no realistic chance of success. Every family deserves the security of their own home, but under the Conservatives housing has become more insecure and unaffordable. Homeownership rates have plummeted. Nearly 200,000 socially-rented homes have been sold off. The impractical proposals announced today will do nothing to fix that. British-EU relations will probably get worse over the next two years because “the narcissistic politics of self-preservation” will continue to prevail in the UK, according to Sir Ivan Rogers, the former British envoy to Brussels. Lisa Nandy, the shadow levelling up secretary, has said she is on the side of both the public and workers as unions prepare to stage major strike action on the rail network in the coming weeks.
Boris Johnson has said “absolutely nothing and no one” will stop him continuing in office, during his first prime minister’s questions since an unconvincing victory in a confidence vote among Tory MPs. Sajid Javid has said he would like to see the government “do more on tax cuts”, adding to the pressure on Johnson from senior Conservatives after the damaging revolt over his leadership. More talks will be held this week between unions and rail industry leaders in an attempt to avoid a week of national strikes that will shut down much of Britain’s rail network in late June. YouGov suppressed polling in last few weeks of the 2017 election campaign because it was too positive about Labour, a senior former employee has said. Boris Johnson has been warned by his Irish counterpart that ditching the post-Brexit deal on Northern Ireland would be a “historic low point”, citing the outbreak of war in Ukraine as a reason why international law must be respected. Priti Patel’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda as soon as next week is facing a legal challenge under emergency proceedings launched in the high court on Wednesday. The Scottish government has been urged to “come clean once and for all” about whether it has the power to legislate for a second independence referendum at Holyrood. Alok Sharma, the UK cabinet minister who led last year’s Cop26 climate summit, is in the running to be the UN’s global climate chief, at a crucial time for international action on greenhouse gas emissions.
Jon Allsop’s assessment of whether a Trump-style “new right” could gain ascendancy in British politics is far too complacent (The ‘new right’ is Trump’s toxic legacy – and it could shape the future of British politics, 3 June). There is a Conservative “inner circle” that orchestrated the election of Boris Johnson as leader of the Conservative party and keeps him in post as prime minister. Groups such as the European Research Group and the Common Sense Group overwhelmingly determine government policies and dominate the current political narrative. These powerful factions exploit notions such as “wokery” and “cancel culture”, and tolerate Johnson’s off-the-cuff ideas such as reintroducing imperial measurements. They do so because these divert the public’s attention and deflect the government’s opponents from challenging legislation which attacks the very tenets of our democracy – restricting the right to protest, curtailing the effectiveness of independent broadcasting media, increasing privatisation of the NHS, removing fundamental human rights of asylum seekers, introducing identity checks to restrict our right to vote, and much more. The Trumpian tactics of the new right already have a strong foothold in this Conservative government, and we minimise the significance of this at our peril. Peter Riddle Wirksworth, Derbyshire
Martin Kettle is right to suggest that what he characterises as “the Burnham problem” is a serious one, but he doesn’t go far enough in his prescriptions (Andy Burnham is a prime Labour leader candidate, but also a mayor. That’s a problem, 30 May). If, as the historian Peter Hennessy has recently argued, the “good chap” model of government has been fatally undermined by the current occupant of No 10, we need a far more thorough reform of our institutions and constitution, including at a minimum the replacement of first past the post with proportional voting, with the process legitimised by citizens’ assemblies feeding into a UK-wide constitutional convention. To that I’d add an elected upper house (possibly along Germany’s Bundesrat model mentioned by Kettle), the Human Rights Act and Nolan principles to be written into the constitution, and abolition of the monarchy and the vestigial monarchical powers exercised by the executive (though now is not perhaps the best time to be making that particular argument). The sine qua non for all this, however, is voting reform – once our two main parties are released from the thrall of a system that demands the pretence of ideological conformity, genuine political disagreement will be thrust into the open, where it properly belongs, and the promise of devolution can more fully be realised. The renewal of our democracy demands nothing less. Adam Newey London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
What sane government would consider the reintroduction of a system of weights and measures that has not been taught in schools for the best part of two generations (‘It makes no sense’: reaction to plan to revive imperial measurements in UK, 29 May)? A quick poll of my adult children suggests that most of their generation wouldn’t have any idea how many ounces there are in a pound, or fluid ounces in a pint. I assume that the restoration of pounds, shillings and pence cannot be far away, although given the fantasy world our government inhabits, perhaps galleons, sickles and knuts are their preferred option. Keith Montgomery Aberdeen • I expect Boris Johnson’s next step will be the redefinition of the imperial yard as a measure of his, not King Henry’s, arm’s length. Taking into account his relationship with the truth, however, the length of his nose might provide a better, if inflationary, metric. Dr Richard Shillitoe Ilkley, West Yorkshire • It’s no surprise that the only archaic measurement Boris Johnson isn’t suggesting that we bring back is scruples. Peter Bartram Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex • Why stop at bringing back imperial measures? Perhaps the government could level up by reintroducing fahrenheit – 32F seems so much warmer than 0C in an energy crisis. Stuart Taylor Wantage, Oxfordshire • The resurrected imperial/metric measurement controversy has been overtaken. On the radio this week, I heard the height of something being described as “three giraffes”. Sue Durham Cambridge • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
This blog is closing now, thanks for following today’s developments
Weights and measures are back in the headlines, with the UK government touting a return to imperial measurements as part of the platinum jubilee celebrations. People in Britain will be able to buy a pint of beer and declare they are 5ft 8in tall and weigh just under 10 stone. But how well do you know your weights and measures? Take our fun quiz – which is based on the legal definitions set out in the UK’s 1985 Weights and Measures Act – and find out. The Guardian’s weights and measures quiz If you think there has been an egregious error in one of the questions or answers, please feel free to email martin.belam@theguardian.com. But remember, the quizmaster’s word is always final, and all definitions in this quiz are based on the UK’s 1985 Weights and Measures Act.
I wish that Gaby Hinsliff’s optimism about the possible demise of populism in the UK was grounded in more than hope (Australia has shown how quickly the right can crumble. Boris Johnson, be warned, 23 May). Australia’s electoral system involves the transfer of votes cast where a candidate does not have a clear majority in a constituency contest. The transfer of votes is what did for Scott Morrison. Alas, the system in the UK does not require a majority vote for a candidate to be elected. Millions of votes are wasted in each and every election. Votes are not transferred. Protest votes against the right mean nothing. The UK’s rotten populist government is safe from an Australian-style ousting. I fear that the right is in power in perpetuity in the UK now. Stephen Farrer Sydney, Australia
I have just been given the all-clear after radiotherapy for cancer. I named my tumour Boris because it was a malign growth that needed to be eradicated. Now, at 77, I am determined to survive long enough to see off the other Boris. Rodney Smith Glasgow • So Lord Hogan-Howe found Boris Johnson “to be loyal, honourable” and that “he did what he promised to do” (Boris Johnson faces backlash after pushing former Met chief for NCA role, 23 May). On the basis of that judgment alone, he is surely unsuited to high office? Pat Comery Bridford, Devon • Surely making a badge that reads “I am NOT Banksy” is exactly the sort of thing that Banksy would do (Mr Banksy, I presume: the councillor who quit over claims he has a secret, 27 May)? Pete Lavender Nottingham • Re the suggestion that tennis needs to reconsider its rules (Letters, 27 May), I propose that the entitlement to a second service be dropped. This would improve the game enormously. Imagine if in football a second chance was given on failing at the first attempt at a penalty. David Handley Gargrave, North Yorkshire • Even better than a sheet and blanket (Letters, 25 May) are separate single sets of sheets and blankets on a shared double bed. Then you can grab and throw to the tune of your own hot flushes all night long without disturbing the other person. Mary Gildea Charlton, London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
My mother, the late Baroness Williams of Crosby (Shirley Williams), died in April 2021. In accordance with the Covid restrictions that were in place at the time, her funeral was attended by only 30 people, and was limited to 40 minutes, with no singing allowed, and no indoor gathering following the service. I did invite a very few close friends of my mother afterwards to my garden, insisting that they remain outside, despite it being a bitterly cold day, as I understood that that was what the law required. Most of those attending were elderly and became very cold outside. I took blankets out for them, but was adamant that I could not invite them in. Three close friends of my mother have died in the year since then and did not get the opportunity to say goodbye to her. Had I known then what I now know, I would have had the funeral I wanted for her and the one that my mother deserved. Much of my working life was spent as a government lawyer, advising the government of the day on the legality of policy proposals and ministerial decisions. The governments that I served as a member of the civil service took their democratic responsibility to act according to the law seriously. I could not have served this government, and this prime minister, for whom “taking responsibility” are empty words without consequences. My mother, a lifelong public servant of the utmost integrity, must be turning in her grave at this country’s current pitiful state of governance. While I miss her every day, I am glad she is not alive to see the cynical abandonment of the foundations of our democracy to which she devoted her life. Rebecca Williams Little Hadham, Hertfordshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
The world is heading for climate burnout. Inflation spirals upwards and hundreds of thousands fall into poverty. The government is led by a law-breaking narcissist, ridiculed by many in his own party and most of the country. And in the Guardian I open the magazine to see a page and a half devoted to resolving the conundrum: “Should my husband stop dusting with a dry cloth?” (You be the judge, 21 May). No room is dark enough to lie down in. Richard Barnard Wivenhoe, Essex • Mary Anning (Statue of fossil-hunting pioneer Mary Anning to be unveiled in Dorset, 21 May) was on the curriculum in 1972. I covered her work with a class of eight-year-olds. Admittedly, I had never heard of her, but this deficit was made good by an excellent TV series by the BBC schools service. Linda Weir Kirby Muxloe, Leicestershire • What an uplifting article about Luis Díaz (‘Short and thin’ – Luis Díaz’s long road from Barrancas to Liverpool, 26 May). I am a Manchester United supporter, but I will be cheering on Díaz as he plays for Liverpool this weekend in Paris. Helen Evans Ruthin, Denbighshire • Rishi Sunak calls it a “temporary, targeted energy profits levy”. Can anyone recall what Margaret Thatcher tried to call the poll tax? Jude Carr London • Windfall tax? Nothing of the sort! It’s a “special economic operation”. Tony Fisher Gotham, Nottinghamshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Boris Johnson has suffered the first resignation of a PPS since the publication of Sue Gray’s damning report into Partygate with the departure of Paul Holmes as a ministerial aide to the home secretary. But Johnson has said he is confident that Conservative MPs will continue to back him as party leader and PM. (See 1.55pm.) Johnson is changing the rules to let ministers avoid resigning if they break the ministerial code, allowing them to apologise or temporarily lose their pay instead. Johnson has said the UK is “not necessarily” heading for a recession after his chancellor announced a £15bn package to help people deal with rising energy bills and inflation. Shell has said Rishi Sunak’s windfall tax is a threat to investment in North Sea oil and gas as Britain attempts to ramp up domestic energy supplies. Johnson has said Ukraine should be supplied with long-range multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) to help Kyiv’s embattled forces prevent Russian invaders from gaining ground in the Donbas. Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s former chief aide, was never contacted by police seeking information about alleged lockdown-breaching parties inside Downing Street during his time working there, he has said. That’s it from us for today. You can read our latest story on Boris Johnson here:
Rishi Sunak has announced a £15bn package of support for households struggling with the cost of living crisis, part-funded by a £5bn windfall tax on energy companies. My colleague Hilary Osborne has more details of how the new payments will work here.
Sunak has confirmed that benefits will be uprated next year in line with the rate of inflation this September. That is the normal practice, but with inflation at its highest level for 40 years, there has been concern the government might uprate in line with a lower rate. In his Q&A with Martin Lewis a few minutes ago Sunak stressed this in response to concerns that claimants were not getting enough help, saying that because inflation would be high this year, that would mean a significant increase in the value of benefits next April. Sky’s Ed Conway explains the significance of this here.
The government’s £15bn cost of living handout is not enough to help struggling families, and only a “drop in the ocean” compared with the pressures consumers are facing, the boss of Asda has said. The Metropolitan police investigated parties inside Downing Street “without fear or favour”, and found no evidence that Boris Johnson had breached Covid regulations more than once, the force’s interim head has insisted. Four Conservative MPs have called for Boris Johnson to resign in the aftermath of the Sue Gray report, saying they cannot reconcile themselves with his previous statements on Partygate. The former Labour MP Claudia Webbe has lost an appeal against her conviction for harassing a love rival, but her sentence has been reduced.
New photographs have emerged showing Boris Johnson at an event on 13 November 2020, for which he was not fined, after the Metropolitan police last week ended its investigation into a string of Downing Street and Whitehall parties. At the time, England was under a national lockdown meaning only two people from different households could meet outdoors socially distanced. We would like to know what you were doing on 13 November 2020. Share your experiences You can get in touch by filling in the form below or contact us via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding +44(0)7766780300. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details. If you’re having trouble using the form, click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.
As a recently retired doctor, I find it unbelievable that the sort of behaviour that would have got me struck off is routinely indulged in by MPs (The Guardian view on abusive MPs: beware the arrogance of power, 18 May). I suggest that it is time for politicians to stop regulating themselves. I believe that we need a professional body (General Council for Public Office?), independent of political parties, to decide on the ethical standards and duties expected of politicians. It would issue a licence to hold public office and have the ability to issue sanctions, up to and including withdrawal of the licence for serious transgressions of professional behaviour. The Nolan principles would be a good starting point. I looked them up recently and couldn’t find one that I believe Boris Johnson has adhered to. I can see that oversight and safeguards would be an issue, but the disreputable state of public life needs urgent improvement. After setup costs, MPs and other holders of public office could be charged a fee for their licences to help finance the running of the body, as happens with doctors. Dr Justin Walker Derby • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
A Conservative local election candidate has caused outrage after a post on his account said 16-year-old girls smell “buttery [and] creamy”. On Saturday a post on the Twitter account of Jonty Campbell, who has stood for the party in Preston on a number of occasions, said: “Here’s the thing with girls 22 or under, they smell massively different to a girl of 28. Girls aged 16 to, say 23, have this buttery, creamy, slightly sweet smell that is unbelievably magnetic.” Campbell is listed on Preston Conservative Association website as holding the position of deputy chair of campaigning. He has been a candidate for the party five times in recent elections and byelections for Preston city council, most recently in Ribbleton in May, where he lost to the Labour party. The Conservative party has been faced with a number of sex scandals in recent weeks, with one MP, Imran Ahmad Khan, found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy. He stood down but was defended by his former colleague Crispin Blunt, who said he was a victim of a “serious miscarriage of justice”. Another MP in the party has been arrested on suspicion of rape and other offences and has been ordered to stay away from Westminster. He has not been named and has not been charged. Campbell’s comments sparked anger online. The author and women’s rights activist Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu responded: “What did I just FREAKING read? Where do you begin to deconstruct this evil. It’s the mindset of misogyny/violence against women personified. What a sick disgusting perversion about young women. Jonty Campbell is who @Conservatives have as candidate? What a pervert! @CmdrJonty” Campbell’s Twitter account has now been set to private. Preston Conservatives have been contacted for comment.
I voted for Margaret Beckett as Labour party leader in 1994, and given the same choice I would do so again today. No great radical, she nevertheless had roots in the party and the labour movement that Tony Blair never had. However, she is quite wrong to claim, in her interview with Zoe Williams (Margaret Beckett on Blair, the Iraq war and half a century in politics, 17 May), that “everybody in the world believed that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction”. Williams rightly corrects her on this, citing the examples of Robin Cook and Clare Short. But there were stronger and earlier voices against the war on Iraq. At the Labour party conference in 2002, the former US weapons inspector Scott Ritter stated that most of Saddam’s weapons, and his capacity for producing them, had been destroyed. A letter from the late Mundher Al-Adhami (Other lives, 2 May), co-signed by 99 other Iraqi exiles, totally opposed to both Saddam and to the threatened war, was published by the Guardian on 5 September 2002. Hans von Sponeck, a former humanitarian aid coordinator for Iraq, wrote in your columns on 22 July 2002 that “the US Department of Defence and the CIA know perfectly well that today’s Iraq poses no threat to anyone in the region, let alone in the United States”. And I myself followed that up by suggesting an independent team of inspectors raised by the peace movement and civil society. So, Margaret, please do not try to whitewash the tragedy – the crime – that was perpetrated on Iraq in 2003, and all the subsequent horrors. Frank Jackson Former co-chair, World Disarmament Campaign; Harlow Labour party • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Boris Johnson will not receive any more fines for lockdown-breaching parties, it has been confirmed, after the Metropolitan police said they had completed their investigation into gatherings in Downing Street and Whitehall. The government is now expected to publish the Sue Gray report next week, which will set out in more detail how the lockdown rules were broken in No 10. Johnson will respond with a statement in parliament. The conclusion of the Met investigation also means the Commons privileges committee is free to start its inquiry into whether Johnson deliberately misled MPs about the parties, although it is not clear yet exactly when this will start. Labour says Johnson told a “barefaced lie” about the parties, and that this, above all, is why he should resign. (See 1.54pm.) The EU ambassador to the UK has rejected Liz Truss’s demand that the Northern Ireland protocol be rewritten, and issued a blunt warning of retaliation if the government passes a law disapplying aspects of the agreement. Downing Street has denied reports claiming it is blocking the Treasury from imposing a windfall tax on energy companies (see 9.48am) as the chancellor faced pressure from the CBI to “help the hardest-hit now” with financial help to get them through the cost of living crisis. (See 9.09am.) As PA Media reports, the PM’s spokesperson said he had seen “lots of reports” on division between the departments, but he insisted Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak were “aligned” on the issue. Labour accused the government of acting like “headless chickens” on the matter and suggested a U-turn was inevitable. (See 12.52pm.)
The Metropolitan police have completed their investigation into gatherings in Downing Street and Whitehall, and have confirmed that Boris Johnson will not receive any more fines for lockdown-breaching gatherings. Whether you were fined yourself or lost a loved one at the time, we would like to hear from you. How do you feel about the conclusion of the police investigation? Share your views and experiences You can get in touch by filling in the form below or contact us via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding +44(0)7766780300. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details. If you’re having trouble using the form, click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.
After today’s meeting in Belfast between Boris Johnson and politicians in Northern Ireland Boris Johnson claims planned law allowing UK to ignore parts of NI protocol just ‘insurance’ in case talks fail Irish PM Micheál Martin urges UK to resume substantive talks with EU over Northern Ireland protocol DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson says it’s ‘puerile nonsense’ for Sinn Féin to claim UK government siding with his party Sinn Féin says it got ‘no straight answers’ from Johnson Away from Northern Ireland, Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey spoke to MPs amid rising living costs. Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey repeats his call for people to ‘reflect’ before asking for big pay rises – but says message aimed at high earners Unite say workers don’t need ‘lectures’ on wage restraint ‘Apocalyptic’ food prices will be disastrous for world’s poor, says Bank governor
Mark Nelson admits he made a mistake, grew cannabis, served his time and has not offended again (I’ve lived in Britain 22 years and have kids here – why am I being deported to Jamaica?, 13 May). He’s a car mechanic and has children. He’s been here for decades. What good can deporting him possibly do, depriving his children of a father and putting him at risk? And for what? To pander to anti-immigrant noise? It’s wrong. I’m trying to sponsor Ukrainian refugees but the Home Office is making that impossible; the Rwanda plan is wildly expensive and won’t work; Windrush is a stain on our country. It’s all cruel and unnecessary. Go to any hospital, care home, restaurant or building site and see how dependent we are on immigrants. We need a sympathetic system, not a dysfunctional Home Office. This random cruelty must stop now. Diana Good London • Two things strike me – how unfair and blinkered the initial decision to deport Mark Nelson was, and that the Home Office has the capacity to act quickly when it is at risk of being held to account. Leatrice Bailey London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
That’s all for our live coverage for today. Here’s a summary of the day’s main developments in case you missed them. Boris Johnson is set to visit Northern Ireland on Monday amid a political crisis. Stormont failed to elect a new speaker after the DUP blocked the process in protest against the Northern Ireland protocol, preventing the devolved assembly from functioning. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe came face to face with Boris Johnson for the first time since her release in March. He fell short of apologising as she said she had “lived in the shadows” of his wrong comments for over four years. The PM signed a deal on security, sustainability and economic prosperity with Norway. Tory party co-chair Oliver Dowden denied that his champagne donation to a fundraising auction was intended as a “souvenir of Partygate”. Jacob Rees-Mogg was sent out on the morning broadcast rounds, in which he said that Partygate fines were a “non-story”, suggested the EU is trying to punish the UK for Brexit and rejected suggestions that the civil service job cuts represented a return to austerity. The Tony Blair Institute published a report with advice for Labour leader Keir Starmer on how to win voters back to Labour, including by rejecting “woke politics” and focusing on the economy.
Ministers’ plans to slash 90,000 jobs from the civil service come at a time when there are a series of administrative logjams in the system – which a drop in staff numbers could exacerbate. Passports The Passport Office has just announced that it is hiring 700 extra staff after widespread reports of people being unable to travel as planned because of significant delays in receiving passports or receiving updates on what is happening. There is an ongoing scramble for scarce appointments – and warnings that new passports could take weeks to be issued. The new staff will be hired by an outside contractor, Teleperformance, which indicates another potential issue with a wholesale reduction in civil service numbers – if staff are simply replaced by contractors, little money is likely to be saved. Driving licences A longer-running saga even than the passport imbroglio. Large numbers of people have complained about significant delays receiving documents from, or even being able to contact, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. The issues appeared to begin with Covid-related issues at the DVLA’s Swansea base, with some people saying they had waited for up to six months. Visas for Ukrainians Home Office data shows that just over 100,000 visas have now been issued, from around 133,000 applications, under the schemes by which displaced Ukrainians can come to the UK because of family links or because they are sponsored by an individual or organisation. But there have been repeated reports of long delays for Ukrainians eligible to come, and some have even given up on coming to Britain. Tax processing HMRC has been affected by both Covid and the complications of Brexit, with a particular complaint being the time it can take for tax refunds to be sent out. A process that should take weeks can sometimes now last months, and some people are still owed significant sums.
More than 90,000 civil servants are likely to lose their jobs in an attempt by Boris Johnson to find money to ease the cost of living crisis. The prime minister is understood to have tasked the cabinet with cutting staff by a fifth, telling them every bit of cash saved on government spending could be better used elsewhere. He is thought to have made the demand to ministers during an away day in Stoke-on-Trent on Thursday. “We have got to cut the cost of government to reduce the cost of living,” he told the Daily Mail. He hinted at future tax cuts, suggesting the billions saved from reducing civil servant numbers could help fund such measures. “Every pound the government pre-empts from the taxpayer is money they can spend on their own priorities, on their own lives,” he said. Johnson ordered ministers to return civil servant numbers to those of 2016 in the coming years, with staffing having increased by almost 25% to 475,000 full-time equivalent jobs. Ministers will have a month to put together proposals for how they will achieve this within their departments. A government spokesperson said: “The PM and ministers are clear that the civil service does an outstanding job delivering for the public and driving progress on the government’s priorities. “But when people and businesses across the country are facing rising costs, the public rightly expect their government to lead by example and run as efficiently as possible.”
Johnson has reportedly indicated the government was poised to cut taxes amid the cost of living crisis – but the idea was quickly shut down by the Treasury. “We will have the maximum energy, effort and ingenuity to help the British people,” Johnson said the following day. “You know the money we’re already spending. Of course there will be more support in the months ahead, as things continue to be tough with the increase in energy prices.”
Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, has reiterated her threat to scrap parts of the Northern Ireland Brexit protocol, telling the EU’s Brexit negotiator it was a matter of “internal peace and security”. The government has declined a Commons instruction to release information about the decision to make Evgeny Lebedev a peer, saying this would undermine the confidentiality of those nominated and could degenerate into “political point-scoring”. More than 100 fixed-penalty notices have now been handed out for breaches of lockdown rules in Downing Street and Whitehall, the Metropolitan police have announced. Rishi Sunak has said he is “pragmatic” about the idea of introducing a windfall tax on energy companies, insisting “no options are off the table”, in the latest hint that the government may be preparing fresh measures to tackle the cost of living crisis. The chair of the UK Covid-19 public inquiry has urged the prime minister to significantly widen its scope to better examine the pandemic’s unequal impact on minority ethnic people, on children and on mental health. The UK has become “the jurisdiction of choice for dirty money”, harming its national reputation and democratic institutions, a cross-party group of MPs have said as they urged a new government focus on money laundering and corruption.
That’s all for our live coverage for today, but here’s a summary of all the day’s developments in case you missed them. Conservative MP Lee Anderson was criticised after claiming the UK has no “massive use for food banks” and that people use them because they “cannot cook properly [or] budget” Responding to the comments, Labour said: “Out of touch doesn’t even cover it” A number of Tory MPs called on the prime minister to introduce tax cuts to help address the cost of living Boris Johnson visited Finland and Sweden to sign mutual security agreements with both countries At a press conference in Helsinki, he said the invasion of Ukraine would not be the end of Vladimir Putin’s “neo-imperialist ambitions” if he was not resisted DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Robinson indicated his party may refuse to nominate a speaker for the Northern Ireland assembly until the government scraps the Northern Ireland protocol The party had already said it would refuse to nominate a deputy first minister to the power-sharing executive at Stormont Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove indicated the government was no longer committed to a manifesto target to build 300,000 homes a year He also drew derision after affecting a series of strange voices to parody opponents during an interview with the BBC
In a historic victory in the Northern Ireland assembly election, Sinn Féin won 29% of the first preference vote and will be the biggest party in Stormont, meaning they have the right to nominate the first minster. Wherever you are in Northern Ireland, we’d like to hear from you and find out the mood across the region. How do you feel about the result? What are your hopes for the future of Northern Ireland? Share your experiences You can get in touch by filling in the form below or contacting us via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding +44(0)7766780300. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details. If you’re having trouble using the form, click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.
“Not a shred of work was done in the ward,” said a “Labour insider” of the shock council result in Hampstead Town, when a Labour councillor was returned for the first time in the ward’s history (How Boris Johnson’s Conservatives lost their grip on London). This came as a surprise to my 81-year-old mother and other local party members, who have been pounding the streets of Hampstead for months in the buildup to this election. In politics, as in so much of life, quiet hard work gets things done and yet all too easily goes unnoticed. Kitty Stewart London • I wonder if the government’s disastrous handling of our economy, inflation, food banks, energy prices and Brexit is really a deliberate immigration policy, to make our country unattractive? Martin Cooper Bromley, Kent • A female colleague said to me: “What beautiful eyes you have. In fact, I think you would have been really pretty when you were younger” (Letters, 6 May). I was 66 at the time. Patricia Newsome Ossett, West Yorkshire • One day, walking along with my daughter who was dressed in pink, a woman stopped and said: “What a lovely little boy.” “She’s a girl, actually,” I replied. “Are you sure?” was the stranger’s reply. Janet Mansfield Aspatria, Cumbria • Obscure words in songs (Letters, 6 May)? “There’s yttrium, ytterbium, actinium, rubidium”, not to mention the rest in Tom Lehrer’s The Elements. Tony Abramson Leeds • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Sinn Féin is to become the largest party in the Northern Ireland assembly for the first time. It reached 27 seats in the election, pushing the DUP into second place. Michelle O’Neill is now set to become the country’s first nationalist first minister. Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis said: “I encourage the parties to form an executive as soon as possible.” Sir Keir Starmer said he is “confident” that he did not breach lockdown rules by having a beer and curry at a campaign event. The Labour leader spoke after Durham constabulary confirmed it was investigating claims an evening event attended by the Labour leader with other senior party figures and activists last year might have broken social distancing regulations. Boris Johnson will use the Queen’s Speech as an effort to secure his leadership following a bruising set of local elections which saw the Tories lose control of key authorities and suffer a net loss of more than 400 councillors. The speech on Tuesday, setting out the Government’s priorities, would focus on the economy, health and national security, Cabinet minister Nadhim Zahawi said as he urged Tory MPs to rally around the Prime Minister. The Aspire party has taken control of Tower Hamlets in East London from Labour. On Friday, Aspire’s Lutfur Rahman defeated Labour incumbent John Biggs to become the elected mayor of Tower Hamlets. Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross has no plans to quit as leader despite losing 60 councillors in the local elections. The day after his party dropped to third place in Scotland, he said he would “try to do better” and continue fighting against the SNP.
About the council elections On 5 May all councils in Scotland and Wales held elections for all of their councillors. In England, the picture is more complex. Many parts of England held no election at all. Others held elections for a third of seats as part of a four-yearly cycle in which a third of lower-tier seats are elected each year, with the upper-tier being chosen in the fourth year. In other areas there is a “unitary” council, being elected in its entirety. There are also four new councils, although two consist of single-tier councils replacing two-tier arrangements: North Somerset and North Yorkshire. Cumbria will now have two separate councils, Cumberland, and Westmorland and Furness. In all of these cases the new councils come into effect in 2023 with the councillors elected this year. The data on councillor numbers comes from PA Media. Because PA only reports on complete councils, the numbers for councillor change may differ from those reported by other sources who report each council seat as it comes in. In addition, there are differences in the point of comparison: PA calculates change based on the status of each seat just before the election, not on its status after the preceding election. Lastly, there are frequent changes in ward boundaries and the number of councillors per ward, to maintain equality of representation. This may mean that parties’ net seat changes in one particular council may not balance each other out. Local councils have responsibility for services and amenities including roads, parks and refuse collection, as well as education in the case of upper tier or unitary authorities.
I read George Monbiot’s wholesale damnation of the last 12 years of Tory government with interest (Ask yourself this before you vote: can anyone truly say the Tories have made Britain better?, 5 May). Would he now reconsider his article about the last Labour government from 14 years ago (This government has been the most rightwing since the second world war, 20 May 2008), in which he wrote: “Yes, I worry about what the Tories might do if they get in. I also worry about what Labour might do if it wins another term. Why should anyone on the left seek the re-election of the most rightwing government Britain has had since the second world war?” And: “All we are left with is fear: the fear that this awful government might be replaced by something slightly worse.” Does George (for whom I have great admiration) now concede that since 2010 we have had a government that has been more than “slightly worse” than its predecessor? Chris Donnison Sheffield • While I applaud George Monbiot’s assessment, I am disappointed that he did not include the Windrush scandal, which has had profound and lasting effects on many British citizens of Caribbean descent. Gerald Clarke Titchfield, Hampshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Flagship London councils held by the Conservatives, two since the 1960s, have been lost to Labour in this year’s local elections, with Lib Dems and Greens also making key gains across the UK. Wherever you are in the country we’d like to hear from you and find out the mood across the country. Share your experiences You can get in touch by filling in the form below or contacting us via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding +44(0)7766780300. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details. If you’re having trouble using the form, click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.
As voting closes for this year’s local elections across the UK, we would like to know what influenced your vote. What issues were most important to you? Did concerns around the cost of living, inflation or energy prices make you consider voting differently this year? Share your experiences You can get in touch by filling in the form below or contacting us via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding +44(0)7766780300. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details. If you’re having trouble using the form, click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.
That’s it for us today, with the polls now almost closed. For all the latest results as they happen, please head over to our new dedicated UK politics liveblog from 10pm, which will take you through all the action as it happens into tomorrow.
Boris Johnson has used a major TV interview to signal that he is opposed to bringing forward benefit rises to help people with the cost of living because it could be inflationary. (See 10.26am.) He conceded that the government had not yet done enough to provide people with the help they needed, but, although he said “there is more that we can do”, he said nothing to indicate what this might involve, or when further support might be provided. Labour said that in the interview Johnson came across as narcissistic and out of touch. (See 11.36am.) Johnson has told the Ukrainian parliament that there should never be a peace settlement imposed against the will of the Ukrainian people, calling the fight to hold back Russian forces “Ukraine’s finest hour”. Legal challenges to the policy of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda could be a reason why the plan has not yet, as intended, started to deter unofficial Channel crossings, Downing Street has said. Keir Starmer has accused the Conservatives of “mud-slinging” over allegations he broke lockdown rules after a photograph emerged of him drinking a beer with staff in a constituency office last year. BP’s profits more than doubled to $6.2bn (£5bn) in the first three months of the year, adding to pressure on ministers to impose a windfall tax to aid households struggling with soaring energy and fuel bills. That’s it from us for today. For the latest live news, follow our Ukraine war live blog:
We have been trying to help a mother and her two-year-old under the Ukraine sponsorship scheme for 37 days (Priti Patel faces legal action from Ukrainians stuck in visa backlog, 2 May). The mother is still waiting for a visa, but the child has been granted one. No reason has been given as to why the mother has not been issued a visa to travel with her child. We cannot think of a more foolhardy and stupid way to process applications. There are mothers with children having to live in underground bunkers in Ukraine, short of food and fresh water, with no power, desperately trying to keep their children safe. If you are in this position and your child gets a visa, do you try and get them to safety or do you wait for your visa, knowing you could both be killed any day? The mother and child we are trying to help are friends. Their home was damaged and they sought refuge. The visa delays are adding to their stress and anxiety. The young boy has special needs, so he needs specialist support. His condition is not being helped by the trauma that he has experienced from the war. How can the Home Office be mad enough to issue a two-year-old permission to travel alone? David and Pamela Hopcroft Brierfield, Lancashire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
We would like to see the leaflets you have received from council candidates ahead of the local elections in England, Scotland and Wales on 5 May. Which political parties have you received materials from? You can send in your photos using the form below. Share your experiences You can get in touch by filling in the form or contacting us via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding +44(0)7766780300. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details. If you’re having trouble using the form, click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.
Boris Johnson is facing ridicule after he appeared confused about the location of his campaign activity in north-east England. In a since-deleted tweet, the prime minister called for his followers to vote Conservative in Thursday’s local elections and stated that he was in Teesside where the Conservatives are “delivering a massive programme of investment as part of our plan to level up the whole of the UK”. Many on Twitter were quick to point out that the prime minister was in Whitley Bay, which is in North Tyneside and not Teesside, about 40 miles away. Alan Campbell, MP for Tynemouth and opposition chief whip, retweeted the post and said: “The PM believes he was campaigning in Teesside. Actually he was in Whitley Bay North Tyneside. He doesn’t really care where he is or what he says. He doesn’t really care about who he meets or what they care about. Vote Labour on Thursday.”
Angela Rayner, MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, who has written to Boris Johnson calling for answers after reports a “sexist of the year” award was handed out at a No 10 Christmas party, tweeted her shock at the mistake: “Erm … how to say this …? That’s not Teesside.” Bridget Phillipson, MP for Houghton and Sunderland South, shared her frustration at the prime minister’s lack of knowledge regarding the north-east: “Teesside, Tyneside, all the same to him. He doesn’t even know where he is. Britain deserves better. On Thursday, vote Labour.” Residents of both Teesside and Tyneside also voiced their concern that that prime minister appears not to know which part of the country he is campaigning in, yet seeks to encourage voters in those areas to vote Conservative on Thursday. “Tell me we’re the forgotten north without telling me we’re the forgotten north” read one Twitter post, while another user pointed out that despite the Conservatives deleting the tweet and posting another with “north east” instead of Teesside, an “hour is a long time in politics when you think Whitley Bay is in Teesside”.
There is only one way that parliament could be reformed and that would be to consign the current building to history by making it into a wonderful museum and not wasting money on trying to make it into a modern working environment. Design a beautiful piece of architecture that is fit for purpose and encourages proper debate and efficient working practices (just take a look at the Scottish parliament building) and maybe our MPs will then drag themselves into today’s world. Margaret Garland Saffron Walden, Essex • How can we trust a premier such as the British Virgin Islands’ Andrew Fahie if he needs a calculator to work out 10% of $7.8m (‘Head coach wants to play’: the US drug sting that led to BVI premier’s arrest, 29 April)? Toby Wood Peterborough • Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe for allium tuna bake (30 April) broke new ground for me. Not only had I heard of all the ingredients but I actually had them in stock. The temptation was too great so I made it for Saturday lunch and it was delicious. I hope this is part of a new trend. Melvyn Ellis Harrogate, North Yorkshire • Re backhanded compliments (Letters, 28 April), as proud first-time parents we welcomed a second visit from the local vicar. “What an improvement,” he said when he saw her. Diane Morris High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire • To all you “audio” Wordle buffs (Letters, 29 April), I have only one word to say to you: “Adieu!” Ian Garner Keighley, West Yorkshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
The UK politics blog is now closed. Thanks for following along throughout the day. You can keep across all the latest news here. Bye for now.
Neil Parish, the Tory MP who has said he will resign after admitting watching pornography in the House of Commons, has a strong interest in farming, the countryside and animal welfare issues. The announcement on Saturday of his planned resignation comes after a 12-year parliamentary career in which the MP for Tiverton and Honiton had rarely – if ever – been elevated to national importance. A farmer and former member of the European parliament for south-west England, and a councillor before that, Parish, 65, was part of the 2010 parliamentary intake when he won what has increasingly become a safe Tory seat. Since then, he had avoided controversy and has served since 2015 as chair of the environment, food and rural affairs select committee (Efra). Before entering politics, Parish managed the family farm in Somerset after leaving school at 16. He was elected to the European parliament in 1999 but did not stand for re-election in 2009, having already been selected as the Conservative candidate for Tiverton and Honiton at the 2010 general election.
He was subsequently elected with a majority of 24,239 over the Labour party. Parish is married to Sue, 66, who he employs as a junior secretary, and they have two children, Jonathan and Harriet, and two grandchildren. His leisure interests include music and swimming. The MP’s website also lists “the politics of Africa” as being among his other interests, adding that a ban on him re-entering Zimbabwe after he criticised Robert Mugabe’s regime in his capacity as an election monitor remained in place to this day. The MP had said this week that he also wore “as a badge of honour” the fact that he was among more than 280 MPs who had been “sanctioned” by Russia.
Neil Parish, the Conservative MP for Tiverton and Honiton, has reported himself to the parliamentary authorities over allegations that he watched pornography in the House of Commons chamber. The former Labour deputy leader, Harriet Harman, told Times Radio that this was a “new low” for the House of Commons and that Parish should resign immediately. Karen Bradley, the Conservative former cabinet minister, minister, told the BBC’s PM programme she hoped Parish would “do the right thing and not come into parliament” while being investigated. The Liberal Democrats said Boris Johnson should force Parish to resign now (see 4.16pm) and the Labour party accused the government of trying to cover up the scandal, because Parish’s name could have been released earlier. (See 4.13pm.) Boris Johnson is allowing a “wild west” culture of misogyny to grow in Westminster by failing to tackle “the arrogance of privately educated men,” Tracy Brabin, England’s only female metro mayor, has said. Britain will send investigators to Ukraine to help gather evidence of war crimes, including sexual violence, the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, has said. The National Crime Agency has launched a potential fraud investigation into a PPE company linked to Michelle Mone and searched the Tory peer’s shared home.
The whips’ response to the Conservative party’s latest scandal (Tories hit by another scandal after MP accused of watching porn in Commons, 27 April), saying it was up to female MPs to raise the matter with the independent complaints and grievance service, is disappointing. Aside from the gross insult to parliament and the people of this country, in what other occupation would you not be sacked immediately for watching porn while being paid to be at work? Pam Walker Hartburn, Northumberland • Grant Shapps suggests allowing MOT tests every two years to save motorists money (Report, 26 April). The maximum cost of an MOT for a car is £54.85. What tend to be expensive are the parts and labour that the MOT shows to be necessary to make a car roadworthy. Mike Lowcock Sandbach, Cheshire • Fewer MOT tests? That’s less work for small garages and self-employed mechanics then. Removing limits on the number of children carers can look after? That’s fewer jobs for carers then. Joined-up government, anyone? Matthew Taylor Hove, East Sussex • Your headline in the print edition (Dorset birds lay first osprey egg in south of England in 200 years, 27 April) should have begun “Dorset bird lays first...”, egg-laying not being a cooperative venture. What next? “Couple give birth in maternity ward”? Gerrard Raven Teddington, London • Jessica Fostekew (25 April) is not alone in receiving questionable compliments. I was once told “you look just like your brother, but he’s much better looking”, and a “friend” said “you look really good from behind”. Jean Stringfellow Salford • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
An investigation has been launched by the government chief whip into reports that a Conservative frontbencher watched pornography on his phone in the Commons chamber. Boris Johnson has been branded the “Comical Ali of the cost-of-living crisis” by Keir Starmer, who accused the government of burying its head in the sand and standing by while inflation spirals and taxes rise for many. No 10 has said Johnson was “uncomfortable” about the attempt by Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker, to summon David Dillon, editor of the Mail on Sunday, to a meeting to discuss his concerns about the paper’s much-criticised article about Angela Rayner. (See 2.34pm.) Dillon said last night he was refusing to attend. (See 9.27am.) Rayner has hit out at claims that she viewed “sexist slurs” made against her as a joke. Lowering food tariffs will not solve the cost-of-living crisis and it would be “misleading” to suggest as much to consumers, the president of the farmers’ union said after reports ministers were considering slashing import taxes. Rishi Sunak has been cleared of breaching the ministerial code over his wife’s tax affairs, in a report by the cabinet’s ethics adviser, Lord Geidt. A £25m “fraud squad” is to be launched after MPs criticised the government’s failure to crack down on criminals who stole billions of pounds of taxpayers’ cash through Covid support schemes.
Boris Johnson’s “terrors of the earth” threat to his misogynist colleague (Report, 25 April) was a more appropriate quotation than he perhaps realised. The passage is spoken by King Lear, who now finds his followers reduced in number and his authority passing to others. Pathos rather than threat, in other words. Peter Griffith Droitwich, Worcestershire • It was unfortunate that the Tory MP admiring “Boris’s Oxford Union debating training” (Angela Rayner hits out at ‘sexism and misogyny’ in politics, 24 April) had not first read your article on how the Oxford Union created today’s ruling political class (The long read, 19 April). Richard Davies Southport, Merseyside • I’d add bamboozling, boorishness and bravado to Neil Hutton’s list of skills supposedly provided by Boris Johnson’s Oxford Union debating training (Letters, 26 April). Maggie Butcher London • Baloney, bravado, and bullshit. Les Bright Exeter • Half Man Half Biscuit (27 April) have a song for every occasion. This line from the band’s Token Covid Song neatly sums up the government’s attitude to living with Covid: “Others simply cross their fingers and hope.” Melanie White Reading, Berkshire • Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition (Letters, 26 April). Carol Hedges Harpenden, Hertfordshire • It’s “t’Spanish Inquisition”. Dr Allan Dodds Bramcote, Nottinghamshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Simon Jenkins’ analysis sets out with clarity the trouble that Boris Johnson is in (Boris Johnson’s guilt is beyond doubt. There is no way back from this, 21 April). His treatment of Rishi Sunak, however, is inexcusably generous and looks alarmingly like support for his candidacy should Johnson do the decent thing and resign. Jenkins describes Sunak as an inexperienced but competent chancellor who has made mistakes and faces the toughest challenge in a generation. This ignores or at best glosses over the seriousness of those mistakes: the green card, his failure to recognise or understand the desperate plight of so many, his failure to grasp the significance of his wife’s tax affairs, the disastrous spring statement etc. Worse still, Jenkins goes on to assert, without any supporting argument or evidence, that Sunak “did not deserve to be paraded as Johnson’s accomplice in the last fixed-penalty ritual”. It is difficult to see what distinguishes Sunak from Johnson here; the two men in the two greatest offices of state are guilty of the same offence. If Johnson goes, as he should, and Sunak were to replace him, Keir Starmer would have another readymade wounded target to torment at prime minister’s questions. Surely even this incompetent bunch that passes for a government can see that. Colin Jones West Norwood, London
I see Boris Johnson called a JCB factory in India a “living, breathing incarnation of the umbilicus between the UK and India” (Outcry in India as Boris Johnson visits JCB plant amid demolitions row, 21 April). This is someone who has a classics degree and doesn’t know that the umbilicus is the navel. Anyone else might have said “umbilical cord”, but he has to pretend that he knows Latin. A poor analogy, anyway, since the cord only serves a useful purpose for nine months. John Illingworth Bradford • It would be a more appropriate analogy to compare Boris Johnson to the incomparable WG Grace (Letters, 22 April). When bowled out in a game, he simply put the bails back on the stumps and said: “They’ve come to see me bat!” Arif Qawi London • Your list of the greatest Annie Lennox songs (21 April) had a glaring omission – 17 Again, from the Eurythmics’ 1999 album Peace, is a bittersweet evocation of lost youth and missed opportunities featuring an emotional delivery by Lennox as she belts out, with mixed feelings: “And it feels like I’m 17 again. Feels like I’m 17.” Beverley Mason Cardiff • According to my dictionary, a spill is “usually or especially accidental”. Can we please change the rhetoric over water firm sewage spills and call them what they really are: sewage dumps (Ban bonuses for water firm bosses until sewage spills stopped, urge Lib Dems, 19 April)? Pete Lavender Woodthorpe, Nottinghamshire • I was just told to say there was trouble at t’mill. I didn’t expect the Spanish Inquisition (Letters, 25 April). John Irving Clarke Wakefield • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker, has summoned the editor of the Mail on Sunday, David Dillon, to a meeting to discuss a story published by the paper yesterday that was widely condemned as sexist. Hoyle said reporting like this discouraged women from standing for parliament. (See 2.54pm.) Earlier Boris Johnson described the article as “sexist, misogynist tripe” and said if the Tory source for the story were identified, they would be punished. No 10 has backed Jacob Rees-Mogg over Nadine Dorries amid a cabinet split over his drive to get civil servants to stop working from home, which Dorries had labelled “Dickensian”. British universities are facing a brain drain as the row over Brexit in Northern Ireland threatens £250m in research funding from the EU, it has emerged. As my colleague Lisa O’Carroll reports, the European Research Council (ERC) has written to 98 scientists and academics who were recently approved for €172m (£145m) in grants telling them that if the UK’s associate membership of the €80bn Horizon Europe programme is not ratified they will not be eligible to draw down the money. The Labour party has vowed to abolish the “non-dom” tax loophole used by Rishi Sunak’s wife to save paying up to £20m in UK tax. Labour says the move could raise up to £1bn for the exchequer, but tax experts have questioned this, on the grounds that the 76,000 non-doms in the UK contributed £7.9bn in tax in 2019-20 (the most recent year for which data is available), including £5.6bn in income tax. “If non-dom status is scrapped, there is a real risk that the net effect on the UK tax base will be negative, not positive,” said Josie Hills, a tax manager at the law firm Pinsent Masons.
Here’s a summary of the day’s major events: Boris Johnson insisted he would still be prime minister when the time arrives to make good on his promise to deliver a trade agreement with India. Johnson is facing a deepening crisis as MPs vote for a parliamentary investigation into his conduct and some of his own party colleagues have joined opponents in calling for him to resign. But he claimed to be confident of still being in office by Diwali; when he has said he expects a deal to have been struck. The UK will reopen its embassy in Kyiv, the prime minister said. Johnson denounced the “barbarism” being perpetrated by Putin’s forces and said the UK will be “sending more artillery” – as well as reopening the embassy. A Russian military victory in Ukraine is a real possibility, Johnson said, but added Putin would never conquer the spirit of the Ukrainian people. During his visit to India, the PM said: Putin has a huge army. [But] he has a very difficult political position because he’s made a catastrophic blunder ... No matter what military superiority Vladimir Putin may be able to bring to bear in the next few months – and I agree it could be a long period – he will not be able to conquer the spirit of the Ukrainian people. That’s all from me for now. You can follow our live coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine here:
If we all thought Etonians understood one thing, it would be the finer points of cricket. However, Jacob Rees-Mogg’s analogy to the game during a recent on-street interview with Nick Watt of BBC Two’s Newsnight programme either betrayed that he was no devotee of the game or, perhaps, that he was subtly betraying his esteemed leader. He said that Boris Johnson’s reaction to Partygate could be compared to a batsman, given out by the on-pitch umpire, turning to the DRS (decision review system) – an honest disagreement. But if that were the case and the DRS showed him to be out, the batsman would not be at liberty to announce: “This was all a jolly rotten misunderstanding, but I’ll just continue batting.” The image on the big screen would twirl around a couple of times, and then announce “OUT!” in very large letters. And he would have to go. Clive Stafford Smith Symondsbury, Dorset • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Thatcherism is rightly remembered and cited as the cause of many of the ills that dog us to this day. David Cameron might not be acknowledged to be worthy of an “ism” so far, but his time in office has been as damaging as that of Margaret Thatcher. Perhaps it is because his policies have taken time to show their true long-term destructive effects. The poor insulation of so many of our houses should have been improved years ago – with massive payback now – but that initiative was dismissed by him as “green crap”. The legacy of this is the antipathy shown towards energy saving measures in the recent “energy strategy”. The indiscriminate cutting of so-called red tape at all costs by his government, with the “one in, one/two/three out” mandate for new regulations (along with a desire not to upset the building industry), appears likely to have contributed to the severity of the Grenfell Tower fire. Hundreds of properties and thousands of people are still at risk because safety was sacrificed so that businesses could prosper. The snowball effects of the austerity measures introduced by Cameron’s chancellor, George Osborne, are still – and increasingly – inflicting damage on the physical and mental health of so many. Finally, for the time being, the simplistic EU membership referendum and its unplanned-for outcome is another slowly unfolding disaster for the United Kingdom, the full and true cost of which will possibly never be reckoned. Perhaps “Cameronism” will one day be acknowledged as a thing and commemorated in the fullness of time – in some hall of shame. Stuart Pringle Alyth, Perth and Kinross • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
It seems clear that we can only expect to be disappointed by the workings of our Home Office. I wonder if anyone else has shared my latest experience of its careless inefficiency? On Monday evening at about 5pm, I submitted the form for a visa application for a Ukrainian family I am sponsoring under the Homes for Ukraine scheme. At 5.44pm, I received acknowledgment of the form from UK Visas and Immigration, followed at 7.01pm by further confirmation from the TLS Contact team. On Tuesday, to my delighted astonishment, I received an email, sent at 3.20pm, from which the following is the relevant extract: “We are pleased to say that a decision has been made on your Ukraine Scheme visa application. Please find attached to this email a permission to travel letter. You will need to show this, along with your passport, to the airline, train, or ferry company you are travelling to the UK with. You will also need to show it at the UK border.” This was followed by another email at 3.21pm thanking me for my application, “currently being prepared for consideration by an entry clearance officer”. At 5pm I opened a third email sent at 3.25pm and headed “Please ignore previous email”, followed by a repeat of what was in fact the previous email sent at 3.21pm, as opposed to the one from 3.20pm, which presumably was the one to be ignored. I am pleased at least that I had given my email as the contact and not the email of the Ukrainian family concerned. You do despair. Anabel Loyd Mildenhall, Wiltshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Gordon Glassford (Letters, 16 April) needs “tae think again” about Flower of Scotland. It is no surprise that the brutal savagery visited on the Scottish in the past should have left an anti-English legacy. The recent renewed focus on slavery shows that we cannot just forget the past and its impact. Looking back is essential to looking forward in the most constructive way. It is absurd to reduce Scottish nationalism to anti-English sentiment. The Scottish have a history, culture, language and identity that they quite reasonably wish to be enshrined in independence. The imposition of Brexit on Scotland against its will is just the latest example of English arrogance and indifference to Scottish interests. But “we can still rise now and be [a] nation again”. Nigel Florence Mevagissey, Cornwall • A national anthem does not need words. I’ve always thought that a fitting anthem for an independent Scotland would be the wonderful theme from the final movement of Mendelssohn’s Symphony No 3 (the “Scottish”). Stirring, romantic and not encumbered by any embarrassing or clumsy declarations. And the work of a German Jew. A fitting choice for an outward-looking modern nation. John Mair London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Jessica Taylor’s haunting photograph of Tory MPs being taken to task by Keir Starmer about their leader’s lies, published in your print edition above the article listing their excuses for him (Cakes, raves and robbery: How Tory loyalists got creative to defend PM, 20 April), has echoes of the guilty men at the Nuremberg trials of leading Nazis. There is the same arrogance, indifference and inability to look at either the speaker or the consequences of their actions. The game is up and they know it. But they don’t care. Dave Massey Bristol • After Tuesday’s long read on the Oxford Union (A nursery of the Commons’: how the Oxford Union created today’s ruling political class, 19 April) and your report (19 April) about the “canoe man” accents, perhaps the Church of England could put out a message to help calm the choppy politics v religion waters: “Spot t’CE-laid note re kayaker: Eton dialect tops” (Letters, 20 April). Fr Alec Mitchell Holyhead, Anglesey • I’ve heard that the French version of The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe has been entitled Pas de lieu Rhône que nous. David Robson London • Thank you, Lucy Mangan, for telling it like it is on childbirth for a change, in your review of Yorkshire Midwives on Call (18 April). My own experience left me with a terror of ever finding myself on a desert island with a midwife. Tessa Hall Woodstock, Oxfordshire • There was a rumour going round that Flamin’ Nora (Letters, 19 April) had married Gordon Bennett. Or was it Ian Grieve? Terry Carbro Sleights, North Yorkshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
That’s all from us this evening. Here’s a summary of the key events from today: MPs to get vote on Thursday relating to claims Johnson lied to parliament, Speaker announces. No 10 refuses to back Lewis’s claim that PM’s fine for breaking lockdown rules like parking ticket. Theresa May says Rwanda plan may be illegal and impractical, and is likely to increase trafficking of women and children. Johnson restates apology for lockdown breach, claiming he has ‘even greater’ sense of duty to deliver on priorities of British people. Starmer reprimanded by Speaker after telling MPs Johnson is “dishonest”. Mark Harper, the former Tory whip, says he no longer thinks Boris Johnson is “worthy of the office he holds”. Bereaved relatives of people who died from Covid called Boris Johnson “a liar and a charlatan debasing the office of prime minister”. Boris Johnson started his meeting with the 1922 Committee of Conservative MPs by telling them that their government “has got the big calls right”. During “bullish” 35-minute private meeting, he repeatedly asked if Tories preferred Labour government to Johnson leadership. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the BBC criticised by PM for views on Rwanda.
Nicola Sturgeon has been reported to police after footage showed her appearing to break Scotland’s Covid laws on face masks. A video posted on social media showed the first minister not wearing a mask during a local election campaign visit to a barber’s in East Kilbride, south Lanarkshire, on Saturday. In the mobile phone video Sturgeon, who became first minister in 2014, is seen without a face covering as she speaks to customers and pats the head of a man in a barber’s chair while mimicking the sound of electric clippers. However, in another video posted on her official Twitter account from the same event, she can be seen wearing a tartan face mask as she shaves a man’s beard. Restrictions in Scotland mean it is a legal requirement to wear a face covering in most indoor public places, including shops, public transport and hairdressers. The rules will become guidance on Monday, though they will recommend that people continue to wear masks when appropriate. Sturgeon apologised in December 2020 when she breached Covid rules by taking off her face mask at a funeral wake, describing it as a “stupid mistake”. Voters will go to the polls to elect their local councils in May. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We can confirm that we have received a complaint, which is currently being assessed.” An SNP spokesperson said: “The first minister was invited into the barbers during an outdoor visit on the street. Within a few seconds, she realised she hadn’t put her mask back on and immediately put it on.” The Scottish Conservatives’ health spokesperson, Dr Sandesh Gulhane, said the incident showed that Sturgeon was a hypocrite. “The video clearly shows Nicola Sturgeon isn’t practising what she preaches on face masks. She’s happy virtue signalling for official photos but behind closed doors it’s clear she doesn’t believe in her own rules, so why should anyone else?” Press Association contributed to this report
We were stopped in a service station in France by a family who looked at our car and said how much they admired our president. It took a few strange looks while I said what a liar he was, referenced illegal parties and how ashamed of him we were before they realised that UK on our car meant United Kingdom, not Ukraine. Penny Pickles London • Your editorial on partygate (12 April) says: “There is one set of rules for those in power and another for the rest of us.” This is misleading. There appear to be no rules for those in power. Richard Barr Nottingham • I didn’t want a party. I just wanted my mother’s funeral to be attended by more than 20 people and last more than 20 minutes. A cup of tea afterwards would have been nice. Maxine Leyland London • I would love to see the iconic Athlone House in Highgate, north London, restored to its role as an NHS convalescent home (Letters, 13 April). I worked at the Middlesex hospital in the 1970s. Following surgery, patients could recover in beautiful surroundings overlooking Hampstead Heath. No one thought this remarkable – it was part of the service provision. Lynne Scrimshaw London • It is an excellent idea to use a fork-type implement to lift the lid on a toilet (Letters, 15 April). Here in the North West Cape of Australia, we use a similar device. Not so much for maintaining personal hygiene, but more to check for snakes, scorpions or spiders. Julian Hodge Exmouth, North West Cape, Australia
I am pleased to say I have spotted the first concrete evidence of the government putting its levelling-up agenda into action. While viewing information on my NHS app, I found the guide to foreign travel under Covid regulations, with the following very useful guidance: “Find out what you need to do … to take your pet dog, cat or ferret.” The inclusion of ferrets in this list really does show that the government takes the interests of northerners into account in its policies, don’t you think? Unfortunately, there is no mention of what to do if you want to travel with your ferret down your trousers or up your jumper – but it’s early days, so no doubt they will learn the finer points of ferret-keeping as we go along. Philip Robins Addingham, West Yorkshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Tens of thousands of unauthorised migrants who seek sanctuary in the UK will be flown more than 4,000 miles to Rwanda under a new set of immigration policies, Boris Johnson has said. Johnson has dodged fresh questions over the future of his leadership after being given fixed-penalty notices by police for breaking Covid laws, as a former minister suggested he should consider his position. Imran Ahmad Khan, the MP expelled from the Conservative party after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy, has announced he will resign, meaning a byelection will be triggered in his Wakefield constituency. Coronavirus infections have fallen slightly in most of the UK, figures from the Office for National Statistics show, although experts analysing the data say it is too soon to tell whether infections have passed their peak.
That’s it from a busy night in Westminster. Thanks for following along and do join us again tomorrow for Prime Minister’s Questions and, inevitably, more on those Partygate penalties. It’s goodnight from me, Tom Ambrose. It seems appropriate to finish the blog tonight on this compilation of denials from the prime minister, following today’s confirmation that he and his chancellor, Rishi Sunak, did break their own laws during lockdown.
Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak are to receive fixed-penalty notices for breaking Covid laws after a police investigation into Downing Street parties during lockdown. We would like to hear your views on the results of the investigation. What activities did you give up due to Covid restrictions? Did you receive a fine yourself during the pandemic? Share your views and experiences You can get in touch by filling in the form below or contact us via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding +44(0)7766780300. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details. If you’re having trouble using the form, click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.
Keir Starmer has accused Rishi Sunak of taxation “hypocrisy” on the grounds that he is putting up taxes for ordinary Britons while his family has been reducing its own tax liabilities. (See 2.19pm.) The Labour leader spoke out after No 10 confirmed that the independent adviser on ministerial standards will investigate Sunak’s declarations as a minister to see if they comply with the ministerial code. But No 10 would not confirm that the inquiry will cover Sunak’s decision to keep his US green card when he joined the government, and even when he became chancellor (see 12.29pm), as Labour says it should (see 12.56pm). Jeremy Corbyn will not have the Labour whip restored while he continues to associate with the Stop the War coalition, Starmer has suggested, saying it was “very clear” those who wanted to be Labour MPs had to be supporters of Nato and reject “false equivalence” between Nato and Russian aggression. Ali Harbi Ali, 26, has been convicted at the Old Bailey of the terrorist assassination of the Conservative MP Sir David Amess. The Conservative MP Imran Ahmad Khan has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy. This could trigger what would be an important byelection in Khan’s constituency, Wakefield. These are from the politics professor Rob Ford.
Ministers should reconsider England’s “living with Covid” plans, health leaders have said, while accusing the government of ignoring the ongoing threat for ideological reasons. That’s it from me for today. For the latest from Ukraine, you can read our Ukraine live blog:
Rishi Sunak’s family has moved out of Downing Street in the wake of the controversy over the tax affairs of his wife, Akshata Murty. Removal vans visited Downing Street, where the family occupies the flat above No 10, to move the Sunaks’ belongings to their home in Kensington. Sunak is expected to spend weekdays in Downing Street, while returning to his family in Kensington at weekends. The move has fuelled speculation that Sunak wanted to remove his family from the spotlight of life in Downing Street following the furore over his wife’s tax status. However, his allies have said the move was related to wanting to be closer to their elder daughter’s primary school during her final term before moving to boarding school.
There have been reports that Sunak was considering quitting his job over the weekend over the focus on his family’s finances. “He was considering whether he could withstand his family taking this any more,” a source told the Sunday Times. He gave an interview to the Sun last week hitting out at “smears” against his wife and criticising the focus on her tax affairs. However, Murty released a statement on Friday saying she would in future pay UK tax on worldwide earnings from the IT firm founded by her billionaire father.
Truly, the human race has a death wish. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Doomsday Clock has been set at 100 seconds to midnight – the latest it has ever been – for the past two years. Yet even more expenditure is planned on the means of death and destruction (Aukus pact extended to development of hypersonic weapons, 5 April). In January, the five primary nuclear weapon powers, the US, Russia, France, China and the UK, made a joint statement, echoing the original declaration by Reagan and Gorbachev in 1985, that “a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought”. Just months later, the response to the carnage in Ukraine, and the threat to use nuclear weapons, is not to draw back from the precipice, but to accelerate the drive to the cliff edge. When are the (mis)leaders of the world going to recognise that the only answer to the many existential threats that face us is cooperation at all levels to find peaceful solutions to potential, and actual, conflicts? Frank Jackson Former co-chair, World Disarmament Campaign
The House of Lords will be carefully scrutinising and voting on controversial aspects of the government’s elections bill this month. You report (31 March) that UK citizens living overseas for more than 15 years may now be able to vote in general elections. The issue of them being able to give unlimited sums of money to political parties is much more controversial. In 2009, parliament decided that UK citizens who are resident abroad for tax purposes should not be able to donate to political parties. But since then, the government has maintained that it is administratively too difficult to ban such donations and that someone’s tax status is confidential. This means that a billionaire tax exile who remains a UK citizen will be able to donate millions for the rest of their lives. In the absence of a general cap on the size of donations to political parties, it cannot be right that such non-doms could have massive influence on our elections. The government has also announced plans to raise the legal limit that parties can spend in the year before a general election by as much as 80%. The House of Lords has a duty to try to prevent our democracy becoming the best that money can buy. Chris Rennard Liberal Democrat, House of Lords • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
The government’s former ethics chief has apologised for her “error of judgment” after she was fined by police for attending a party in the Cabinet Office during lockdown. Helen MacNamara, who now works for the Premier League, issued a statement after a leak naming her as one of the 20 people issued with fines after a Met investigation. She said: “I am sorry for the error of judgment I have shown. I have accepted and paid the fixed-penalty notice.” MacNamara was fined in connection with a leaving party held on 18 June 2020 to mark the departure of a private secretary, Hannah Young, who was moving to New York to take up a role with the British consulate general. She is said to have provided a karaoke machine for the event, which is understood to have been one of the most raucous under investigation. Boris Johnson was not present at the event but the former cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill and the former No 10 aide Dominic Cummings are reported to have been in attendance. Cummings has written a blog defending Young and saying: “It is deeply, deeply contemptible that not just the PM but senior civil servants have allowed such people to have their reputations attacked in order to protect the sociopathic narcissist squatting in the No 10 flat.” MacNamara left government in February 2021 and joined the Premier League the following May, where she holds the position of chief policy and corporate affairs officer. Hired due to the depth of her experience and her contacts within 10 Downing Street, MacNamara has led the league’s response to the government’s fan-led review of football governance, which last autumn called for the introduction of an independent regulator for the game.
The government is facing the threat of industrial action by civil servants after publishing guidance saying they should get average pay rises of 2% - with maximum awards capped at 3%. (See 2.05pm.) Keir Starmer has said the public should be told if the prime minister’s wife, Carrie Johnson, receives a fixed-penalty notice for breaking lockdown rules. The shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, has said refugees in Ukraine are facing “Kafkaesque” bureaucracy as they try to navigate Home Office visa requirements. The UK government has expanded its sanctions against Russia to 14 more people and organisations principally involved with information and media, including a prominent TV anchor and the group that controls the RT television channel. The Home Office has failed to transform its culture or to become a more compassionate department as it promised to do after the Windrush scandal, a critical inspection report has found. Lord Grade, the Conservative peer chosen to oversee regulation of the internet, has said he does not use social media but is aware of how it works thanks to his children. The company running the national tutoring programme (NTP) has been axed and funding will go directly to schools instead after the government was forced into a climbdown over its flagship scheme.
Re your report about Caroline Dinenage (Former minister takes second job as No 10 drops plan to cap MPs’ earnings, 22 March), the salaries of our parliamentary representatives are paid by the taxpayer and they are employed by their constituents. With increasing surveillance of staff by employers, online and via cameras, perhaps we should follow suit and monitor MPs in the same way. They use (or should be using) government computers for their constituency work and, thanks to Matt Hancock, we know there are cameras. Let’s follow the example of other employers and have webcams in the Houses of Parliament, government and constituency offices, and weekly reports on MPs’ online activity on government computers. To augment this, we could also have the old- fashioned timesheet to log activities not covered by the aforementioned and include a column for time spent on second jobs. Sue Edwards Sidmouth, Devon • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Boris Johnson compared Ukraine’s struggle to Brexit (Please don’t compare Ukraine to Brexit, Petro Poroshenko asks Boris Johnson, 23 March). A better comparison is with the Boer war, where (in this case two) smaller countries fought for their independence, which the mighty Albion did not grant them. All of Europe was in favour of the Boers, but nobody dared to go to war against the English. Ton Karelse Emmerich am Rhein, Germany • Could all of the Premier League teams change their away kit for the rest of the season to a yellow and blue strip, such as the one Arsenal wore to win the FA Cup in 1971, thereby showing their support and that of their millions of fans in the UK and worldwide for the people of Ukraine. Andy Stuart Rye, East Sussex • This is what Polly Toynbee does best (Spend a day with me in the eviction court, Mr Sunak, and you’ll understand the ‘cost of living’, 22 March). Doing the research, meeting the people, going to places not in the news. What an excellent direct appeal to the chancellor. Please keep telling these truths. Caroline Bond Leeds • The first and obvious step to tackle gambling addiction (Gambling addiction could be nine times higher than industry claims, 23 March) is to stop the deluge of gambling adverts on TV and radio. These are broadcast at all hours every day. Please, somebody get this insanity stopped. John Buglass Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria • So Adrian Chiles picked up Covid in Swansea (My daughter says it’s uncool to get Covid now. So, naturally, I got the dreaded second red line, 24 March). Did he by any chance pass through Felindre? Because I’ve got it too. Rev Dr Peter Phillips Felindre, Swansea • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
P&O Ferries broke the law by choosing to sack 800 workers without consultation because “no union could accept our proposals”, the firm’s boss has admitted. Rishi Sunak has said more financial support could be announced later this year to tackle soaring energy bills but stressed he could not solve “every problem”, after criticism of the mini-budget designed to tackle the cost of living crisis. Sunak’s spring statement will push 1.3 million people – including half a million children – below the poverty line next year while raising tax to the highest level since the second world war, according to leading economists. Russia has been hit with 65 new sanctions by the UK, in a move the Foreign Office said was designed to target “key strategic industries and individuals” as the war in Ukraine entered its second month. Boris Johnson has described Russian plans to host the 2028 men’s European Championships as “beyond satire” and recommended the tournament be hosted by Ukraine, despite the UK and Ireland’s joint bid. Michael Grade has been chosen as the government’s choice to oversee the media regulator, Ofcom, ending one of the more controversial and drawn-out government recruitment processes in recent British political history.
A high-powered cross-party UK delegation to India led by the Commons Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, and his deputy has been called off at the last minute in a sign of a growing rift over India’s refusal to distance itself from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The 10-strong delegation has been in discussion with India since January and was planning to visit Delhi and Rajasthan, but the Indian high commission is understood to have raised objections at the last minute. Boris Johnson spoke with Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, on Tuesday in an attempt to use his influence to persuade India to take a more robust position over the Russian invasion. India has not imposed sanctions or even condemned Russia, its biggest supplier of military hardware. The Speaker’s visit, the first of its kind to India and part of his effort to act as a diplomat between parliaments, was due to go ahead during the Easter parliamentary recess. The delegation had originally been envisaged as giving a nudge to encourage progress on a UK-India free trade deal, but the context of the visit changed after the invasion of Ukraine in February, and Britain’s leading role in supporting the armed resistance of the Ukrainians. It was not clear if India’s issues were with individual members of the chosen delegation or related to a wider concern about British MPs being given a platform in India to urge Modi to take a more robust position. Britain has been concerned by reports that India’s central bank is in initial consultations on a rupee-rouble trade arrangement with Moscow that would enable exports to Russia to continue after western sanctions restricted international payment mechanisms. The talks would allow India to continue to buy Russian energy exports and other goods. However India, locked in a land border dispute with China, may feel it cannot afford to alienate its main arms supplier.
Boris Johnson was accused of “buffoonish” behaviour for chuckling and pulling a face while the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, spoke in the Commons of the terrifying ordeal faced by millions of Ukrainians. As Sunak began his spring statement, Johnson appeared to relax having just faced half an hour of prime minister’s questions. Sunak’s serious demeanour as he paid tribute to people fighting or sheltering from the Russian military appeared at odds with Johnson’s. For nearly 15 seconds, the prime minister chuckled at the opposition benches, his shoulder shaking with laughter. At one point, he appeared to pull a face, while the home secretary, Priti Patel, glowered at Labour MPs, seemingly disapproving of the amount of noise in the chamber. “As I stand here, men, women and children are huddled in basements across Ukraine seeking protection,” Sunak read from his notes, while Johnson smiled at his side. “Soldiers and citizens alike have taken up arms to defend their land and families.” A clip of the moment was shared widely on social media and viewed nearly 1.5m times. Layla Moran, a Liberal Democrat MP, condemned the behaviour. She said: “It’s all a joke to Boris Johnson. His buffoonery is a national embarrassment. He should apologise to the people of Ukraine. Their bravery stands in great contrast to Johnson’s childish behaviour.” Johnson said later in the day that he had spoken to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and praised the country’s “steadfast resistance”. In a tweet, the prime minister added: “The UK stands with Ukraine – we will send further defensive aid and they have our full backing in the negotiations.”
Rishi Sunak has cut fuel duty by 5p a litre, raised the threshold at which workers start paying national insurance by £3,000 a year and announced a future 1p reduction in income tax in response to the fastest rise in the cost of living in three decades. But the Office for Budget Responsibility said the net tax cuts announced today offset just a sixth of the net tax rises introduced by Sunak since he became chancellor, and a snap YouGov poll suggests two-thirds of voters think they will not benefit much, or at all, from today’s measures. (See 5.41pm.) Here are the key points from the statement.
Here is a verdict from a Guardian panel, with contributions from Miatta Fahnbulleh, Katy Balls, Alice Bell and Diane Skidmore.
And here’s our spring statement calculator, which shows what it all mean for your personal finances:
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has said she should have been released from detention in Iran six years ago and challenged the British government to explain why it had not paid the $400m (£303m) debt to Iran that Tehran said would bring her release earlier than last week. The Metropolitan police has revealed that it is widening its investigation into Partygate. It said that more than 100 people have now been sent questionnaires about the No 10 parties that are thought to have breached lockdown rules, but that so far no fines have been issued - implying no one has yet voluntarily admitted to having broken the law. (See 4.51pm.) The Russian state was responsible for hoax calls to Ben Wallace and Priti Patel, pretending to be the Ukrainian prime minister, Downing Street has said. A second whistleblower has gone public to say it was “widespread knowledge” in government that Boris Johnson ordered the prioritisation of an animal charity based in Afghanistan for evacuation during the Taliban takeover last summer. Labour has described the government’s approach to refugees as “deeply shameful” after ministers confirmed they are to stick with a planned law change that could potentially see Ukrainians who arrive in the UK without the correct visa jailed for four years. That’s all from me for today. But our Ukraine coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
How kind of the prime minister to compare me, and the other 48% who voted to remain in the EU, with the murderous regime of Vladimir Putin (Rishi Sunak defends Boris Johnson from fury over remarks on Brexit and Ukraine, 20 March). What a great way to bring the country together and heal our divisions. It is also ironic if you consider that the Ukrainian government is seeking to bolster its freedom by joining the EU, and we can be confident which way Putin would have voted in the Brexit referendum. Don Castle Caterham, Surrey • Boris Johnson is half right: there are comparisons to be made between the conflict in Ukraine and Brexit. Both involve hostile Russian interference in the affairs of a sovereign nation. The difference is that the Ukrainians, unlike the UK government in 2016, are trying to stop it. Mark Walford London • The prime minister is right in one respect: both Brexit and the war in Ukraine are based on politicians’ lies. Jim Waight Hertford, Hertfordshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
The Conservative chairman has announced Boris Johnson is kicking off a two-year election campaign from this May, in a speech that hit out at “net zero dogma” and sought to pitch Labour as still linked to Jeremy Corbyn. Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Brexit minister, has claimed that the Ukraine war has illustrated how the Partygate scandal was just “disproportionate fluff”. (See 12.49pm.) Boris Johnson has used a speech to the Scottish Conservative party’s spring conference to repair relations with the Scottish party leader, Douglas Ross. Ross called for Johnson’s resignation over Partygate, but last week withdrew his letter demanding a no confidence vote, saying the war in Ukraine meant changing leader would not be appropopriate. In his speech Johnson paid tribute to Ross, saying that he had stopped Nicola Sturgeon winning an outright majority in the Holyrood elections last year. In what came across as a laboured joke about Ross’s call for a leadership election, Johnson also said that Ross deserved credit for saying “loud and clear” what was obvious to everyone - that now was not the time for another independence referendum. (See 5.03pm.) Unions and the Labour party have demanded immediate action over the sacking of 800 British crew by P&O Ferries, including suspending the licences of its parent company, DP World, as it emerged the government was made aware of the move the previous night. A resurgence of Covid cases is under way across the UK, with infections in the over-70s at a record high and school leaders fearing that preparations for A-levels and GCSEs are being disrupted by outbreaks among staff and students.
P&O Ferries has been strongly condemned by MPs from all parties for the way it sacked 800 workers today without notice. In an emergency Commons statement, Robert Courts, the transport minister, said the tactics were “completely unacceptable”. Asked when the government was first told what the company was planning, he said “yesterday evening”. His Labour shadow, Louise Haigh, said the company’s behaviour was “beneath contempt – the action of thugs”. (See 5.11pm.) At least 20 Conservative MPs lobbied a committee investigating new rules on second jobs and their behaviour in the Commons chamber, with many saying they strongly disagreed with time limits on outside work. The equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, has strongly condemned the strip-searching of a 15-year-old black girl in a London school, but said the public backlash against the incident shows the UK is “a country that cares about ethnic minorities”. Campaigners pushing for the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe were told by the Foreign Office not to make a “song and dance” about her plight, according to her MP, Tulip Siddiq.
Here is a picture of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori together as they walked from the plane.
Around 1,500 people registered on a government website offering to host Ukrainian refugees within about an hour of it launching, Michael Gove, the levelling up secretary, told MPs. He disclosed the figure as he made a Commons statement giving details of the Homes for Ukraine scheme first announced over the weekend. The scheme, which will allow Ukrainian refugees without close relatives in the UK to come to the country where a sponsor has agreed to house them, was welcomed in the Commons by Tory MPs, who have been alarmed by how few people fleeing the war have benefited from the one scheme already operating (for Ukrainians with close relatives already in Britain). But Lisa Nandy, Gove’s Labour shadow, complained that the scheme involved too many bureaucratic hurdles, and charities working with refugees said what was proposed was far too limited given the scale of the crisis. (See 5.38pm.) Four squatters who have been surrounded by police on the balcony of a central London mansion owned by the oligarch Oleg Deripaska say they have “made their peace with getting arrested”. Petrol could soar to £2.50 a litre, while diesel could hit £3 and might even be rationed, experts told MPs on Monday, as they warned of worsening pain for consumers as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine hits global energy markets. Boris Johnson is expected to visit Saudi Arabia to push for an increase in oil output despite an outcry over the regime’s biggest ever mass execution and growing fears the prime minister may try to limit media scrutiny of the trip. All remaining Covid travel restrictions are to be dropped in England from later this week, despite a concerning rise in cases and hospitalisations. That’s all from me for today. But our Ukraine coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
Philip C Stenning claims circular and semicircular debating chambers discourage “simplistic left-right political dichotomy” (Letters, 6 March). Unfortunately, his theory is proven wrong by the situation in the US. A “simplistic left-right political dichotomy” is so inherent to American politics that it is literally called the “two-party system” – and yet both houses of the US Congress are set in semicircles. Mr Stenning also encourages us to search the internet for “Nunavut legislature image” for an example of “respectful political debate”. He could also search for “parliament fight image” and be treated to pages of brawling politicians across the world, who don’t seem at all to have been soothed to consensual dialogue by their gentle, curved chambers. Rober Frazer Salford, Greater Manchester • If Arthur’s round table had worked (Letters, 7 March), he wouldn’t have been killed by his son at the battle of Camlan during the revolt of the younger knights. Pete Bibby Sheffield • How about the war room in Dr Strangelove, a round table that didn’t work? Mark Ormiston Isleworth, London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Here’s a summary of the day’s main developments: A further 386 people – all members of the Russian Duma who supported the breakaway of the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk – were sanctioned by the UK government. The Foreign Office said the sanctions would “ban those listed from travelling to the UK, accessing assets held within the UK and doing business here”. But Downing Street declined to say whether any of those sanctioned have any assets in the UK. The prime minister acknowledged government plans to pass the burden of welcoming Ukrainian refugees on to individuals as they ask Britons to open up their homes. The proposal is part of a “sponsored” humanitarian route to belatedly begin admitting Ukrainians without family links to the UK. The Russian military will probably launch a renewed offensive, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. Officials concluded it was “highly unlikely” the Kremlin had successfully achieved its invasion plan so far. That’s all from me for today. Thanks very much for reading and commenting. My colleague Léonie Chao-Fong is continuing to cover all of the developments in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Boris Johnson has voiced fears that President Putin may use chemical weapons in Ukraine. (See 5.28pm.) The Chelsea football club owner, Roman Abramovich, is among seven of Russia’s wealthiest and most influential oligarchs who have been hit with sanctions by the UK, in an effort to further punish allies of Vladimir Putin over the invasion of Ukraine. The UK is to ease its rigid entry requirements for Ukrainian refugees, meaning those with passports can apply for entry online and only have to give biometric details when they are in the UK, Priti Patel has said. British soldiers who travel to Ukraine to fight can expect to be court-martialled, Boris Johnson has said, adding that civilians should also avoid going there to fight. Twitter has removed a post from the Russian embassy in London about the Mariupol hospital bombing which claimed the facility was no longer operational and that images had been faked, following criticism from Downing Street. Boris Johnson has promised bereaved families will have their voices heard, as he published wide-ranging terms of reference for the public inquiry into the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Waiting times for cancer care in England are the longest on record, the latest figures have revealed, forcing tens of thousands of patients every month to wait longer than they should to see a specialist or start treatment. That’s all from me for today. But our Ukraine coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
Britain is planning to supply Starstreak anti-aircraft weapons and “a small consignment” of Javelin anti-tank missiles to Ukraine as Russian forces close in on Kyiv to the east, Ben Wallace, the defence secretary has said. Keir Starmer has accused Boris Johnson of presiding over a “failed energy policy” that is resulting in rocketing bills, as he called for the government to invest in nuclear and renewable energy sources and insulate homes to reduce reliance on Russian oil and gas. Downing Street has refused to rule out lifting the government’s moratorium on fracking, saying “all options” would be considered as the government considered how to end the UK’s reliance on Russian energy. (See 2.10pm.) The briefing seemed to embarrass Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, who was giving a statement to MPs an hour or so later and who recently dismissed fracking as a solution to the UK’s energy problems. (See 2.39pm.) Johnson has described the Russian attack on a children’s hospital in Mariupol as “depraved”.
Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, has said the west must go “further and faster” in its response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, saying victory for President Putin would have “terrible implications for European and global security”. In a press conference in Washington with Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, she said: We know from history that aggressors only understand one thing, and that is strength. We know that if we don’t do enough now, other aggressors around the world will be emboldened. And we know that if Putin is not stopped in Ukraine, there will be terrible implications for European and global security. We would be sending a message that sovereign nations can simply be trampled on. So we must go further and faster in our response. That is all from me for today. But our Ukraine coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
The fact that there are serial bullies and liars in the House of Commons surprises nobody. That only one of them has been banned from parliament simply serves to show how degraded our national politics has become, especially having a serially lying prime minister as final arbiter over the ministerial code (John Bercow found to be ‘serial bully’ and liar by independent inquiry, 8 March). Deirdre Burrell Mortimer, Berkshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
The front-page photograph in your print edition (9 March) of Volodymyr Zelenskiy receiving a standing ovation in the House of Commons demonstrates a key message learned from coronavirus. Clapping involves much less risk and unpleasantness than actually doing something that makes a difference. Peter Brooker West Wickham, Kent • Your report (Boris Johnson has fended off a leadership challenge … for now, 6 March) quotes a Tory MP: “At the moment, it’s certainly working in our party’s favour.” The whole ethos of the Tory party summed up in 10 words. Peter Stevens Farley, Wiltshire • There is probably no definitive or satisfactory answer to Jenny Haynes’ profound question as to whether praying for peace worked – or, indeed, ever works (Letters, 8 March). But since I can imagine how much worse things might have been, had no prayers been made at all, I’m truly thankful and glad that they were. Fr Alec Mitchell Holyhead, Anglesey • Re changes of names made in the light of Putin’s atrocities (Letters, 8 March), after 14 years answering to the name Vladimir, my cat now only responds to Volodymyr. Danielle Lowy Manchester • My peaceful morning ruined. Having my quiet cuppa and shortbread biscuit in bed, himself shoves your article in front of me (‘We’re having way better sex than our kids!’ The seventysomethings hitting their kinky, blissed-out peak, 9 March). I barely escaped from under the duvet to run downstairs. And now you’re suggesting morning and noon as well as night. God help me! Jo Burden Marlow, Buckinghamshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Boris Johnson has said the UK may have to increase its domestic gas and oil production in order to wean itself off Russian resources, despite the opposition of climate campaigners and some scepticism in the cabinet. But, speaking at a press conference with his Canadian and Dutch counterparts, Johnson also signalled that a US proposal for a western ban on oil and gas imports from Russia was unrealistic in the short term. (See 3.32pm.) The UK government’s policy towards Ukrainian refugees has been thrown into chaos after Priti Patel’s pledge to introduce a new humanitarian route to enter the UK was contradicted by Downing Street and ministers. Patel has told MPs that people smuggling gangs “roaming around Calais” could seek to exploit Ukrainian refugees hoping to reach the UK. She made the comment as she opened the second reading debate on the economic crime (transparency and enforcement) bill, which will clear all its Commons stages tonight. Patel also said the government had set up a visa application centre “en route to Calais”, but away from the port. She was responding to complaints that Ukrainians who reached Calais and tried to get a visa for the UK have been told to return to Paris to get one. Johnson has dimissed complaints about his role in securing a peerage for Evgeny Lebedev, the son of a former KGB agent turned oligarch, suggesting the criticism made the UK look “anti-Russian”. (See 1.10am.) Sir Alan Duncan, the Tory former Foreign Office minister, has said sanctions against Russia could lead to “dystopian economic collapse” for the west if taken too far. (See 10.21am.) That’s all from me for today. But our coverage of the Ukraine war continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
For a few years, I was the honours secretary for the newly formed Department of Energy and Climate Change (which became part of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in 2016). I worked with ministers and senior civil servants to use the system as a force for good – to build relationships with people whose help we needed; to reward innovation, vision, selflessness and hard work; to inspire people working to make energy safer and cleaner and those helping to protect the fuel-poor; and to honour achievements, especially of women, people from ethnic minorities and, ideally, those from outside London. The support I had from the department was immense, and I believe we did a fantastic job to make honours more relevant, more reflective of a modern Britain and, crucially, less of a laughing stock to those who don’t have one or an “entitlement” for those who do. Gavin Williamson is hardly the first to fail upwards into an undeserved knighthood (Report, 3 March), but it is a disgrace. This should be a source of lasting shame for everyone who approved it. Jeremy Yapp Hatfield, Hertfordshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Your correspondents (Letters, 1 March and 3 March) have missed the point in discussing “semicircular layouts” for parliamentary debating chambers. The benefit of semicircular, or even circular, layouts for such venues, is not that they “get rid of confrontational bear pits”, but that they recognise there are more than two sides to almost any debate, thus discouraging simplistic left-right political dichotomy. Indigenous communities have understood this for centuries with their traditional decision-making circles. But for modern examples, Google “Nunavut legislature image” to see the recently built Nunavut legislative assembly hall in Iqaluit in northern Canada, where respectful political debate rather than purely oppositional decision-making is encouraged. Or consider Aboriginal “yarning circles” in Australia. Then, of course, there’s the circular United Nations security council chamber layout. Philip C Stenning Eccleshall, Staffordshire • Confrontation is not the essence of debate, but the essence of point-scoring, which is what we see all too often. Decision-making needs to be devolved to the lowest practical level of politics, with matters that cannot be resolved moving up through the tiers of decision-making. Our two-party system gives a false picture of the range of views that exist in society. Robin Gardner Nottingham • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
MPs are to get a good pay rise, and some of them will deserve it (MPs to get £2,200 pay rise next month, 1 March). However, the rest of the public sector miss out with lower rises. It is now time for all public sector pay to be related to that of MPs – or even the prime minister. That way, all will get the same rise – whether a nurse, doctor, teacher or refuse collector. In fact, the prime minister’s allowance, and that of MPs, could be linked to the private sector. Running a country is as important as running a major business and should be rewarded accordingly. If the prime minister’s allowance was equal to, say, the median of that paid in the previous calendar year to executive directors of the FTSE 250 companies, then all jobs and professions in the public could have their pay set at an appropriate percentage of the prime minister’s allowance. All would be reviewed for payment from April. Of course, in the unlikely event that company directors cut their pay, all those in the public sector would also have a pay cut. Gerard Cavalier Southampton • It’s reassuring in this time of so much uncertainty that little has changed at the trough in Westminster. As our heating bills go through the roof, and our shopping basket gets more expensive, MPs are to get another £40 a week pay rise. It’s good to know that while the world is in turmoil, the Westminster bubble just carries on. Syd Vaughan Birmingham • Let us hope that this proposed pay rise alleviates MPs’ poverty sufficiently for them to relinquish their second jobs and devote themselves fully to the day job. Patricia Baker-Cassidy Oxford • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
In an otherwise sensible letter, Roy Appleyard suggests parliament’s chambers should have “semicircular layouts to get rid of the confrontational bear pits” (Letters, 1 March). This would hardly be a step forward. Confrontation is the essence of debate. The purpose of politics is to act out peacefully the clashes of interests that exist in society. Compare the vivid exchanges in the Commons with the bland tedium of, say, the European parliament or the US Senate. Dr Harry Harmer Shrewsbury, Shropshire • David Prothero (Letters, 1 March) is right to include, in the list of songs with placenames, Michael Chapman’s iconic Postcards of Scarborough, one line of which is “Took a walk up to Paradise”. Paradise is a short street above Scarborough harbour. When he introduced the song, Michael would say that he wished he lived there, so that if he was ever pulled over by the police and they asked for his address he could say, “Paradise, man”. Ray Kipling Holt, Dorset • Adrian Chiles wouldn’t be able to meet his old teacher Mr Fenwick in the Labour in Vain (2 March); it’s long been closed and is being converted into apartments. They’d have to meet in the Seven Stars, which is still open, and much closer to Stourbridge Junction station. Roger Wells Stourbridge, West Midlands • There is a new form of poor etiquette; it’s when someone in a public place loudly announces the letters they have got right in Wordle, before I’ve had a chance to start mine. Copland Smith Whalley Range, Manchester • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
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Keir Starmer has questioned why Roman Abramovich has not faced UK sanctions over the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as Boris Johnson appeared to accept a Labour offer to strengthen a new bill cracking down on illicit assets. The UK defence secretary has once again ruled out a no-fly zone over Ukraine, saying it would be counterproductive. However, he warned there was a risk Vladimir Putin would start to “ruthlessly pummel” cities from the air. Changes to student loans in England announced by the government last week will hit lower-earning graduates even harder than first feared, costing them an extra £28,000, according to updated analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Peers have inflicted a defeat on government plans to send asylum seekers who arrive in the UK to other safe countries where they have a connection, PA Media reports. PA says the Lords voted 221 in favour, 172 against (majority 49) an amendment to the nationality and borders bill which would require the government to have a “formal returns agreement” with other countries before asylum seekers could be sent there. That’s all from me for today. But our Ukraine coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
Boris Johnson and Priti Patel plan to allow more relatives of Ukrainian nationals to enter the UK after being faced with growing pressure for the UK to take in more of those fleeing war in eastern Europe. Johnson has warned that President Putin might try to “Grozny-fy” the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and destroy it. (See 4.58pm.) A Ukrainian campaigner challenged Johnson over the UK’s failure to bring in swift sanctions against Russians resident in London, in an emotional intervention during a press conference in Poland. You can read her speech at 12.31pm. That’s all from me for today. But the Ukraine coverage continue on our global blog covering the crisis. It’s here.
Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, has told MPs that Britons will face “some economic hardship” as a result of the sanctions being imposed on Russia. This has always been implicit in the announcements, but until now ministers have been reluctant to state this publicly. (See 3.45pm.) Russian vessels will be banned from British ports, transport secretary Grant Shapps said on Monday, in an effort to ensure the Kremlin isn’t funding its war effort in Ukraine with sales of oil and gas in the UK. Boris Johnson is facing demands from 37 Tory MPs that Britain must go further in welcoming Ukrainians fleeing war after a backlash against the government’s refugee policy. In the Commons, Priti Patel, the home secretary, claimed that the various changes to visa rules announced for Ukrainians fleeing the war amounted to a “bespoke humanitarian route” for people to come to the UK and that 100,000 extra people should be able to benefit. (See 3.22pm.) But Patel was criticised for not announcing any further changes to the rules. (See 5.08pm.) Patel has been accused of misleading MPs about the generosity of her visa rules for Ukrainians. In the Commons she told Yvette Cooper, her Labour shadow, that a a 69-year-old Ukrainian woman, with a daughter living in the UK, would benefit as a result. (See 3.34pm.) But Cooper told MPs, on a point of order, a few minutes ago that she had subsequently found out that Patel was wrong, and that the woman would not benefit. She said that it was “totally confusing” and that Patel should correct the record. Downing Street has publicly distanced itself from Liz Truss’s suggestion that Britons should be able to join the fight in Ukraine, saying this would contravene travel advice and people should instead consider making a donation instead. That is all from me for today. But our Ukraine coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
Boris Johnson has addressed a message directly to the people of Russia, saying in Russian: “I do not believe this war is in your name.” In a video posted on social media, the prime minister also spoke in Ukrainian, after urging an end to the conflict “because the world needs a free and sovereign Ukraine”. He said: “The scenes unfolding in the streets and fields of Ukraine are nothing short of a tragedy. Brave young soldiers and innocent civilians are being cut down, tanks are rumbling through towns and cities, missiles raining indiscriminately from the skies. “It’s a generation or more since we witnessed such bloodshed in Europe. We hoped we would never have to see such sights again.” On Friday, the UK, US and the EU announced plans to impose personal sanctions on the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, in response to the Russian assault on Ukraine. As Ukrainians continued to flee across their country’s borders, Johnson said he would bring forward measures “imminently”, while the White House and Brussels said they would freeze the assets of the two Russians. Britain said it was also extending a ban of Aeroflot flights landing in the UK to cover Russian private jets favoured by Moscow’s oligarchs. The foreign secretary, Liz Truss, called Moscow “a global pariah”. “Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and violation of the UN charter will have severe consequences,” she said.
You can follow the latest developments around the clock in Ukraine in our main blog:
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Boris Johnson has been formally reprimanded by the official statistics watchdog for the second time in a month after he misleadingly claimed that there are now more people in work in the UK than before the start of coronavirus. The reproach from Sir David Norgrove, the head of the UK Statistics Authority, follows concerns he raised with Johnson at the start of February about an incorrect claim that crime levels were falling. In his new letter to Johnson, Norgrove noted that at prime minister’s questions on Wednesday the PM had said there were now more people in employment than before the pandemic began. However, Norgrove said, this was only the case if you considered only workers on payrolls, which was misleading, as it was more than offset by a drop in numbers of self-employed people – if you include them, the total is now 600,000 lower. “If, as seems to be the case, your statement referred only to the increase in the number of people on payrolls, it would be a selective use of data that is likely to give a misleading impression of trends in the labour market, unless that distinction is carefully explained,” Norgrove told Johnson. He added: “I hope you will agree that public trust requires a complete statement of this important measure of the economy.” Johnson has made the same misleading claim at earlier editions of prime minister’s questions.
On 3 February, Norgrove announced that he would be writing to the offices of Johnson and Priti Patel, the home secretary, to highlight what he called a “misleading” use of crime statistics. Speaking in the Commons, Johnson had said the government was “cutting crime by 14%”, a reference to statistics between September 2019 and September 2021, a claim echoed in a Home Office press release. However, this was only the case if the statistics excluded fraud and computer misuse, which have risen quickly over the Covid period.
Two men have been charged with sending offensive or menacing messages to Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader. Greater Manchester police said Stuart Kelly, 53, from Halifax, and Michael McGrath, 71, from Sheffield, were charged with sending an offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing message to a woman in Tameside, Greater Manchester. Kelly was charged over telephone calls made on 15 October last year to Rayner – the police statement identified her only as female and aged 42. McGrath was charged in connection with an email sent to Rayner on 16 October. Both were bailed ahead of an appearance at Westminster magistrates’ court on 17 March. Rayner, who is the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, is a shadow Cabinet Office minister and shadow secretary of state for the future of work. Last month, Greater Manchester police said they had arrested a 68-year-old man in Brighton as part of the same investigation into alleged abusive messages targeting Rayner. At the time the force said it was the fourth arrest, with one man previously having been charged and given a suspended prison sentence. A spokesman for Rayner said last month: “We are working with the police to ensure that the perpetrators of these crimes are brought to justice and Angela would like to thank the police for their work during these investigations. “Abuse and threats of this nature don’t just have an impact on Angela but also on her family, her children and her staff, who are on the receiving end of these communications.”
The correspondence about the meaning of “woke” illustrates the cognitive bias of failing to see ourselves as others see us, and vice versa (Letters, 22 February). A quick scan through other newspapers indicates to me that woke means self-righteous, puritanical, bossy and intolerant. Paul Whitby Market Lavington, Wiltshire • Jenny Welsh describes her alphabetical list of countries to recite as she falls asleep (Letters, 22 February) as “Azerbaijan to Zambia”. I reckon she’s 11 short, mainly at the front end, but if she began using it before 1980, Zimbabwe would not have been around yet. Fergus Nicoll Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, Powys • In response to Varrie Blowers (Letters, 17 February), our present monarch is thankfully not descended from Charles II, who had no legitimate children. Her Stuart ancestor through the Hanoverian line is his grandfather James I. I know I should get out more. George Howson Lancaster • I’m with Valerie Gidlow (Letters, 20 February). Now 80, I well remember, as a schoolgirl, bopping to Bill Haley and His Comets at the Grand Theatre, Swansea. How my hard-up parents afforded the ticket for me I’ll never know. Julia Phillips Combe Down, Somerset • All this talk of shoes only to be worn outdoors (Letters, 21 February) reminds me fondly of the late Guardian columnist Michele Hanson plodding to the corner in her slippers to post a letter. David Hamer Sheffield • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Boris Johnson has announced a series of sanctions against Russia, imposing asset freezes on five major Russian banks and three high net worth individuals. But, as he took questions on his proposals from MPs for an hour and a half, many Tory and opposition MPs complained that his measures did not go far enough. (See 2.37pm.) Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, later said that subsequent sanctions might go “much further” (see 4.20pm) and in a separate debate James Cleverly, the Foreign Office minister, said the government would tighten sanctions even if President Putin did not step up the attack against Ukraine. (See 5.15pm.) Scotland’s system of mandatory vaccine passports for nightclubs and sports venues is to end next week, as Nicola Sturgeon moved to lift rules requiring face masks on buses and in shops. That is all from me for today. But our coverage of the Ukraine crisis continues in our global blog. It’s here.
I never expected my home town of Carrickfergus to be mentioned by Marina Hyde (18 February). While growing up, there was a road called Kennedy Drive, named after JFK I believe. During the Troubles it was changed to Prince William Way after perceived offence caused by Senator Edward Kennedy. Perhaps Prince Andrew Way could be renamed Kennedy Drive? David Sinclair Edinburgh • Colin Hartley reminded me of when I taught in Swaziland (Letters, 21 February) . On arrival at school at the start of the week, the children took off their shoes, and at the end of the week, I had to remind them to take them home. While working in the bush, my geologist husband had Swazi helpers who went barefoot until he got wellingtons issued to them. Treading on a black mamba would have been fatal. Veronica Edwards Malvern, Worcestershire • Rosemary Gill won’t get a sensible definition of “woke” from her MP because none exists (Letters, 21 February). Throughout history and literature, there has never been a need to describe in negative terms qualities such as decency, fairness and sensitivity. William Todd Wetherby, West Yorkshire • What is the antonym of woke? Bigoted? Nick Hart St Neot, Cornwall • I’ve used Frank Newhofer’s technique for falling asleep for years (Letters, 20 February), listing countries in alphabetical order. I call it “Azerbaijan to Zambia”, and it never fails. Only once have I got as far as Denmark. The Rev Jenny Welsh London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Angela Rayner’s outspoken views on crime (Angela Rayner: police should ‘shoot terrorists and ask questions second’, 17 February) emerge as Sadiq Khan attempts to sort out decades of inaction in relation to the conduct of the Metropolitan police. She advances a policy of police shooting first and using violence against “criminals” by beating down their doors “until they realise disrupting lives is not OK”. Police like that used to be called stormtroopers. Does Rayner really think that the structural racism and sexism identified in police forces are going to be tackled when a brief like this has been flagged up by Labour’s deputy leader? What fun the Tory party will have with Labour’s law and order policies. If Keir Starmer doesn’t clarify the party’s position, then it won’t be drifting to the centre ground, it’ll be wallowing on the far right, and many of us voters will be considering our position. Peter Martindale Grantham, Lincolnshire • Angela Rayner would do well to remember Jean Charles de Menezes, an innocent man who was shot dead by the Met police on his way to work. These stupid soundbites lose the votes of reasonable people and gain the support of Trump-like reactionaries. Mike Harris Dromahair, County Leitrim • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
We’re now closing this live blog. Here’s the full report on Angela Rayner’s comments:
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Marina Hyde and John Crace have been unmissable for their take on recent events in Downing Street and the Met police. But on Friday, Vlad did it backwards and in heels (Cryptic crossword, 11 February), centring on George Washington’s reputed admission of truthfulness. Whether readers do cryptic crosswords or not, I urge them to read the clues for this extraordinary encapsulation of the same events. Clare Smedley Rudyard, Staffordshire • The recorder can also sound beautiful in modern music, eg Fool on the Hill by the Beatles, Ruby Tuesday by the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven (Letters, 11 February). John Rix Rugby, Warwickshire • I welcome the opening (finally) of the Post Office public inquiry (‘I knew something was wrong’: first witness in Post Office hearing breaks down, 14 February). But can someone please explain to me why this is a public inquiry rather than a police investigation? Peter Hughes Newton, Cambridgeshire • I worked at Whitechapel library in London (Letters, 9 February) in 1967-69. A few years ago, I booked a meal at Angela Hartnett’s Whitechapel restaurant. Imagine my surprise to find that not only was my office now a restaurant but the card catalogue held the cutlery. Moira Gray Newcastle upon Tyne • At the risk of propelling mushrooms into the same arena as those once-popular 35mm film canisters, could I suggest replacing the small knob of butter (Letters, 11 February) with a healthy squirt of mayonnaise? Mark Hainge Hay-on-Wye, Powys • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Boris Johnson broke lockdown laws, appears to believe rules do not apply to him and is creating an atmosphere of mistrust in politics that threatens the long-term democratic future of the UK, Sir John Major has said. Generally Johnson, who has been in Belgium and Poland today on Ukraine-related visits, has not responded to Major’s speech, but the PM did say his predecessor’s claim that Johnson had “shredded” Britain’s reputation abroad was “demonstrably untrue”. (See 4.08pm.) Downing Street has pledged to reveal if Boris Johnson is fined by police for attending any parties while Covid restrictions were in force, but the prime minister refused to rule out staying on even he is found to have broken the law. Dame Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan police commissioner, has said it was not the job of officers guarding Downing Street to prevent illegal parties. (See 1.50pm.) Keir Starmer has launched an outspoken attack on the Stop the War coalition, in which Jeremy Corbyn is a leading figure, effectively accusing the campaign group of siding with Russia against Nato. Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, has has personally warned Moscow of tough sanctions that are to be imposed if Russia attacks Ukraine, during tense talks that Russia’s top diplomat said were like a conversation of “the mute with the deaf”.
Scotland Yard has said it will look again at a quiz held in Downing Street in December 2020, after a new photo emerged of Boris Johnson at the event, featuring an open bottle of prosecco and staff wearing tinsel. Boris Johnson plans to abolish the last domestic Covid restrictions in England, including the requirement for people with the virus to self-isolate, in less than two weeks, a month earlier than initially proposed, he has announced. Unison, Britain’s biggest public sector union, said Johnson was going too far, too soon. Christina McAnea, its general secretary, said: Everybody wants to get back to normal, but Covid risks haven’t disappeared. This is going too far, way too soon. Infections are still rife in schools. Large numbers of pupils and staff are off. Allowing a premature return could lead to a further jump in infections and disrupt learning for thousands more children and young people. Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said the surprise announcement seemed to have more to do with “digging the prime minister out of a hole than dealing with the serious challenge facing the country”. The news came as the ONS said coronavirus rates in England have been rising over the past fortnight. (See 3.37pm.) Gillian Keegan, a health minister, has apologised for continuing with a meeting despite being aware she had tested positive for Covid. Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has signalled he is prepared to try to oust the Metropolitan police commissioner in days or weeks over a series of scandals. The Met police has said that it will not investigate claims that No 10 sought to blackmail Tory MPs organising to bring down Boris Johnson because officers concluded no criminal offences had been committed. (See 5.36pm.)
His director of communications assures us that the prime minister is “not a complete clown” (Report, 7 February). I love all mountebanks, trick cyclists, contortionists, street cardsharps, living statues and the like. Why does my blood run cold at this incomplete clown? John Birtwhistle Sheffield • Given the jolly meeting of Boris Johnson and Guto Harri singing lines from Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive, how long before we hear Conservative MPs singing “Go … walk out the door, just turn around now, ’cause you’re not welcome any more”? Dave Harris Bristol • I am aware that the Guardian’s style guide frowns on the use of titles and ancestries, but perhaps an exception could be made for the Hon Kirstie Allsopp, daughter of the 6th Baron Hindlip, when she pontificates on why young people find it harder to buy a house than she did at their age(No, Kirstie Allsopp, cancelling Netflix won’t buy a house – in any location?, 7 February). Dr Chris Howell Newcastle upon Tyne • When our neighbour’s daughter gained admission to an upmarket school, little Jimmy observed: “She’ll be speaking all pound notey now” (Letters, 6 February). Mike Day Cambridge • I cannot remember more uplifting column inches than those penned by the young country diarists on Saturday (5 February). Ash and Rohan shared heartfelt observations. Maybe they are the Attenboroughs and Packhams of the future. Well done, Guardian, for giving young people space to tell us old cynics what they think. Frances Kitson Kingston upon Thames, London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Boris Johnson has made Jacob Rees-Mogg the new minister for “Brexit opportunities” and installed a key loyalist as his chief whip in a reshuffle intended to shore up his position after weeks of terrible headlines. Commenting on the purpose of the reshuffle, the PM’s spokesperson told at the afternoon lobby briefing: As the PM said last week, it is important that we both make immediate changes to improve both how the No 10 operation works and the work of the Cabinet Office, and further changes to strengthen cabinet government and improve that vital connection between No 10 and parliament. The changes being made today will strengthen that connection. We have changes to the whips’ office, improving engagement with MPs and helping to drive the government’s ambitious agenda. We have a new Brexit opportunities minister, a role that’s been created to drive forward the changes we are able to make now that we have left the EU, delivering on our post-Brexit agenda across Whitehall. The NHS waiting list in England, which already stands at a record 6 million, will keep on growing for another two years as millions more patients seek care, Sajid Javid has told MPs. Boris Johnson will not apologise for remarks falsely linking Keir Starmer to the failure to prosecute Jimmy Savile, his spokesperson has said, as Conservative MPs called on the prime minister to back down after protesters shouted abuse at the Labour leader on Monday.
This live blog is now closed but coverage of UK politics continues on Wednesday’s blog:
Once again, it’s remarkable to see how little is understood about the workings of capitalism by those who operate at the very top of it (Bank of England boss criticised for asking workers not to demand pay rise, 4 February). “The rich cannot buy great quantities of bread,” the economist JK Galbraith observed after the Wall Street crash of 1929 and America’s struggle to revive its economy. He meant that the goods and services that keep the high street (and its suppliers and manufacturers) going come from the everyday spending of the masses, not from the activities of the very few mega-rich speculators and rentiers who always end up causing volatility and boom and bust. While no one would want a return to the union militancy of the 1970s, it was pointed out at the time by some economists that at least the big pay rises to workers put money in their pockets to spend, which stopped the economy tilting into recession. The real problems today come from high rents, a dysfunctional housing market and private sector greed. The average household is mired in personal or mortgage debt – a problem that wouldn’t have been so evident in the 1970s, but is certainly a problem today, as the Bank of England worries about the effects of raised interest rates. David Redshaw Gravesend, Kent • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
I moved into a newly built house in June 2020. HMRC has still not updated my postcode on its records, so passport and driving licence renewals have had to be completed by post. I have tried to complain about this using the online complaints system. After spending 45 minutes completing six pages of the signing-in process, and receiving a one-time password and my 12-digit ID, I was asked for … my postcode. Jim Rotheram Preston, Lancashire • It’s hard to impress on non-south Asians what Lata Mangeshkar meant to one-sixth of humanity (Lata Mangeshkar, legendary Bollywood singer, dies at 92, 6 February). She was the background music of the lives of millions over many decades. In a time and place where division was – and remains – the modus operandi, she was a bridge between generations, castes, religions, and even countries. She was a national treasure. Sheilendr Khipple Wilmette, Illinois, US • Growing weary of Wordle, I have devised an alternative mental challenge – Sunaku – in which the sum of the numerals in each square, with an appropriate number of zeros inserted in the correct positions, will equal the total government write-off for fraud during the pandemic. Hilary Veale Weymouth, Dorset • Dr David Mathieson (Letters, 2 February) got off lightly on the duty that he paid for his books post-Brexit. My son sent me a painting for Christmas, marked as a gift. I had to pay £65.12 before Parcelforce would deliver it. Philomena O’Hare Farsley, West Yorkshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Last week I found myself saying: “No, I am telling the truth, I’m not doing a Boris Johnson.” Am I the first person to say this useful self-evident phrase? Richard Dimbleby Northampton • Boris Johnson apparently praised Munira Mirza as a “powerful nonsense detector” (3 February). Rather surprising then that it took her 14 years to detect the “nonsense’” right under her nose. David Cottee Cambridge • Mark Flinn (Letters, 4 February) observes that Simon Parkin did not mention in his long read the sinking of SS Arandora Star. In fact, Parkin writes about it vividly and at length in his book, The Island of Extraordinary Captives, on which the long read was based. Dr Peter Phillips Swansea • In the mining village that I lived in as a child, someone slightly unpopular with my parents was “badly liked” and someone more unpopular was “very badly liked” (Letters, 3 February). John Rippon Durham • Whenever someone asked my father if he would care for another drink, his reply was invariably “a bird never flew on one wing” – a saying that he said originated in his hometown of Dublin. Veronica McGregor Sudbury, Suffolk • You can’t have too many books (Letters, 4 February). The real problem is too few shelves. Jeremy Jago Nottingham • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Another Conservative MP has called for Boris Johnson to resign. Nick Gibb, the MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, said his constituents were “furious about the double standards” and said the prime minister had been “inaccurate” in his statements to the Commons. Gibb, a former schools minister who served under three prime ministers, has also submitted a letter of no confidence to the chairman of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, the Daily Telegraph reported. He wrote: “My constituents are furious about the double standards – imposing harsh and, to my mind, necessary restrictions as we and the world sought to defend ourselves against this new and deadly virus, while at the same time flagrantly disregarding those rules within the fortress of Downing Street.” Gibb also claimed that Johnson had been “inaccurate” in statements to the Commons. The MP wrote in the Telegraph: “The prime minister accepted the resignation of Allegra Stratton for joking about a Christmas party that she hadn’t attended, but he won’t take responsibility for those that he did attend.
“I am sorry to say that it is hard to see how it can be the case that the prime minister told the truth.” He said there was still support for Johnson in his constituency, but that voters were also questioning whether they could trust him. The MP said: “To restore trust, we need to change the prime minister.” Gibb’s intervention brings the total number of MPs who have publicly called for Johnson to go to 15, but privately the number is likely to be higher.
The blog is closing now, but read our full story of the day’s developments here:
Raising the rate of national insurance contributions (NICs) by 1.25 percentage points across the board is an unnecessary way to fund health and social care spending (Boris Johnson ‘fully committed’ to national insurance rise, 28 January). Instead, billions of pounds could be raised by levelling up the current rate of 2% paid on employee annual earnings above £50,000 to 12%, ie the rate currently paid on earnings between around £9,500 and £50,000. Employee NICs are no different to income tax. We know this because HMRC’s annual tax summaries, sent to every taxpayer, combine income tax and NICs in calculating how our taxes have contributed to government spending. So there is no reason why the poorest in the land should be paying 12% on a major proportion of their income, while the richest are paying only 2% on a major proportion of theirs. Neil Hornsby Inverness • Boris Johnson is right: it is “absolutely vital to find the money” to invest in the NHS and social care, but not through an unfair increase in national insurance – a regressive tax levied on workers, employers and the self-employed. Instead, raising income tax and capital gains tax would ensure that taxpayers receiving income from wealth and pensions would also be required to contribute, spreading the burden more widely and fairly. Kim Loader Goathland, North Yorkshire • While the government is going to tax income more through higher NICs, a couple in their 70s who own their home can inherit a house from a widowed parent, sell it for £300,000 and have no tax to pay. Taxing inheritance more would fund social care for the elderly. It would reduce the iniquity whereby heirs who inherit from parents whose wealth went on care fees are left with depleted inheritances, while those whose parents live autonomously until they die do so much better. Alan Fairs Bewdley, Worcestershire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Dear Prime Minister, It is with great regret that I am writing to resign as your Head of Policy. You are aware of the reason for my decision: I believe it was wrong for you to imply this week that Keir Starmer was personally responsible for allowing Jimmy Savile to escape justice. There was no fair or reasonable basis for that assertion. This was not the normal cut-and-thrust of politics; it was an inappropriate and partisan reference to a horrendous case of child sex abuse. You tried to clarify your position today but, despite my urging, you did not apologise for the misleading impression you gave. I have served you for fourteen years and it has been a privilege to do so. You have achieved many important things both as Prime Minister and, before that, as Mayor of London. You are a man of extraordinary abilities with a unique talent for connecting with people.
You are a better man than many of your detractors will ever understand which is why it is desperately sad that you let yourself down by making a scurrilous accusation against the Leader of the Opposition. Even now, I hope you find it in yourself to apologise for a grave error of judgement made under huge pressure. I appreciate that our political culture is not forgiving when people say sorry, but regardless, it is the right thing to do. It is not too late for you but, I’m sorry to say, it is too late for me. Yours sincerely, Munira
Well, it’s been another busy day in Westminster, with more letters of no confidence going in to the 1922 Committee chair Sir Graham Brady and Boris Johnson finally getting around to that call with Vladimir Putin. Here is a brief round-up of what’s been going on throughout Wednesday: Boris Johnson has now held his delayed phone call with the Russian president Vladimir Putin as the situation on the Ukrainian border continues to escalate. It is understood the prime minister expressed his “deep concern” about Russian aggression to Putin this afternoon and warned that a further incursion into Ukraine would be a “tragic miscalculation”. A third Tory MP has become the latest to go public today in calling for a vote of no confidence in the prime minister. Gary Streeter, the Conservative MP for South West Devon has posted on his Facebook account that he “cannot reconcile the pain and sacrifice of the vast majority of the British public during lockdown with the attitude and activities of those working in Downing Street” and has submitted a letter of no confidence. Lisa Nandy, the shadow levelling-up secretary, has criticised Michael Gove’s long-awaited white paper, claiming it is evidence of “a government in freefall: out of ideas, out of energy”. Keir Starmer accused Boris Johnson of “parroting the conspiracy theories of violent fascists” for political gain after the prime minister doubled down on false claims about the Labour leader’s blame for the failure to prosecute Jimmy Savile. Lord Goldsmith, a Foreign Office and environment minister, has told peers that a “misunderstanding” was to blame for an official in his office writing an email saying Boris Johnson had authorised the evacuation of animals from Kabul last summer. That’s it from me, Tom Ambrose, and indeed the UK politics blog for today. We will be back, as ever, in the morning. Thanks for following along. Goodnight.
Bob Kerslake states that Downing Street has betrayed the civil service (1 February). Surely it is we the people who have been betrayed by the civil service? Maggie Owen Hockwold, Norfolk • In response to Richard Smith (Letters, 31 January): yes, Deezer allows you to transfer your Spotify favourites over easily, but if this is meant to be a protest against Spotify’s hosting of Joe Rogan you will be disappointed. Deezer also hosts some of his material. Tracy Berger Brisbane, Australia • My Welsh grandmother had a raft of funny sayings (Letters, 1 February), but my favourite was when she had an indiscreet moment and would say, “An empty house is better than having a bad tenant”. I will let readers work out what the indiscretion was. Ralph Griffiths Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire • Was Emma Howard Boyd’s letter a serious defence of the performance of the Environment Agency in combating pollution (30 January)? If so, her admission that the EA, which she chairs, received “more than 76,000” reports of incidents last year and managed to respond to “hundreds” rather undermines her efforts. Colin Piper Winchester, Hampshire • Will correspondents please stop listing institutions we can be proud of. You are just giving the Tories ideas for what to destroy next. Lawrence Ahlemeyer Beckenham, London • The prime minister’s position: un10able. Martin Constantinides Ely, Cambridgeshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Jack Dromey knew how to make things happen and capture public attention, as I found out when working alongside him at the TGWU. When the union was seeking to improve the pay and conditions of cleaners in government buildings including the offices of the secret services, the Sun headlined the story “The name’s Mop – Mrs Mop”. He also did much on behalf of refuse and other workers when councils transferred their services to outside employers. The landmark victory secured then has protected many thousands of workers since. Jack always had a number of reasons for doing what was necessary in every campaign he was involved in. He would list them in his presentations, and in the end it always came down to one simple reason – it was the right thing to do.
Downing Street has said this afternoon that, if Boris Johnson is fined by the police over illegal parties at No 10, the public will be told. At a lobby briefing this morning the PM’s spokesman refused to give that assurance, prompting protests from the opposition. (See 4.27pm.) The Commons Speaker has rebuked Johnson for making a false insinuation that Keir Starmer refused to prosecute the serial sex offender Jimmy Savile, but stopped short of demanding an apology. Johnson is about to hold a press conference in Kyiv with Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian president. There will be live coverage here.
Here the latest key developments at a glance: The Metropolitan police has received 300 images and 500 pages of documents about the partygate allegations from the Sue Gray inquiry. It is working “at pace” to contact people present, who may face a fine, it said. Boris Johnson refused to commit to resigning if he is fined by police for breaking lockdown rules. The prime minister initally refused to commit to publishing the report in full once the police inquiry has concluded, but said later he is “considering” the publication of further details. A short while later, Downing Street said Sue Gray will be given the chance to publish an “update” of her findings in full once the police inquiry is over. Snap polls into how the public is reacting to today’s events in the Commons and the details that have been published from Sue Gray’s report so far are fairly consistent: Opinium found 64% want the PM to resign, YouGov 63% and Savanta 69%. A meeting of Boris Johnson, Tory MPs and ministers resulted in different verdicts from MPs about the PM’s future, with some saying he will be safe for now after he turned the mood, while others predicted partygate and the PM’s troubles aren’t going anywhere. The Tory MP Angela Richardson has become the first member of the government to resign over partygate, and said she stepped down as Michael Gove’s parliamentary private secretary last week over the Sue Gray report, citing “failings at Number Ten Downing Street that let us all down” and “deep disappointment” in the prime minister. The government has confirmed plans to scrap an order forcing all NHS staff in England to get vaccinated against Covid, in a U-turn that will prevent an exodus of thousands of frontline health workers. Foreign secretary Liz Truss has tested positive for Covid, shortly after she attended a packed Commons session and Tory MP meeting without wearing a face mask. That’s all from me, this blog will now close, goodnight.
Liz Truss has tested positive for Covid, shortly after sitting in a packed House of Commons without wearing a mask. Writing on Twitter on Monday evening, the foreign secretary said: “I tested positive for Covid this evening. Thankfully I’ve had my three jabs and will be working from home while I isolate.” After the session in the Commons, during which she gave a statement about Russia, Truss also attended a packed meeting with Boris Johnson, Tory MPs and ministers on Monday evening at Portcullis House in Westminster, where she also did not wear a face mask. All members of the parliamentary Conservative party were invited to the meeting, with the rooms reportedly being so full that some MPs left early. Very few Tory MPs, including on the Commons frontbench, wore masks in the Commons on Monday; the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, and health secretary, Sajid Javid, were notable exceptions.
Truss was due to travel to Ukraine with the prime minister on Tuesday to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky amid rising tensions with Russia, and was also supposed to meet Maroš Šefčovič, the vice-president of the EU Commission for Interinstitutional Relations, later this week to work on reaching “a solution to the NI protocol that works for all sides”, as the foreign secretary put it earlier on Monday. Her announcement comes hours after the education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, said he had tested positive for the virus. “Yesterday I tested positive for Covid and will therefore be watching my brilliant colleagues at oral questions today instead,” he tweeted on Monday morning. “Thankfully, I’ve had my three jabs and will be working from home while I isolate.”
Your story left me in tears (Sri Lankan man left in immigration limbo for decades can stay in UK, 30 January). I cannot believe that the Home Office is not offering a full apology and compensation to this man. He has missed out on education, marriage, having a family, seeing his own family and so much more that we take for granted. Unfortunately, this is still happening to many other people. Rekha Shah Bournemouth • A dear old friend from up north had some wonderful expressions (Letters, 30 January). If anyone was miserable Mary would say they had “a face as long as a gasman’s mac”; if she had a troublesome stomach, “I’ve got a tummy like a boiled pudding”; and if anyone was in a bit of a muddle, they’d be “in a worse state than Russia”. Cath Green Chislehurst, Kent • After making my first batch of marmalade this year, I looked up my mother’s costing of the same recipe in 1961. Then, a jar cost about 6d (2.5p); mine cost 60p. So still a bargain. I’m 87, but I hope I will be like your older readers a couple of years ago and still be doing it for a few more years yet. Terry Bailey Westley Waterless, Suffolk • I still have a copy of The Hitch-hiker’s Guide to Europe from the early 1970s. The write-up for Albania is just two words: “Forget it.” It seems times have changed (UK tourists head to Albania for ‘sense of exotic’ without long-haul flight, 29 January). Paul Wadsworth Buckfastleigh, Devon • British institutions to be proud of (Letters, 25 January)? The pub. Barry Norman Drighlington, West Yorkshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Your report describes the rendition and torture of Abu Zubaydah by the US government (The CIA tortured him after 9/11. Then they lied. Will the truth ever come out?, 29 January). UK intelligence agencies played a key role in his interrogation, despite knowing that he was subject to unlawful torture. Yet we still do not know the full extent of the British role in torture and unlawful rendition during this era. The intelligence and security committee (ISC) was, in its own words, “unable to conduct an authoritative inquiry” or produce a “credible report” in its latest attempt in 2018. This was because it was thwarted from collecting the necessary evidence, as its report explains. This is unacceptable. The ISC in its current form is unable to complete such work. Long-mooted reforms to bolster the powers of the ISC must be implemented so that parliament and the public have confidence that the ISC is able to perform its role effectively. Stephen Timms MP Andrew Tyrie House of Lords All-party parliamentary group on extraordinary rendition
Felix Bellaby’s letter (27 January) reminded me of my recent hospital stay, where I spent a long time in the recovery room after surgery with my blood pressure refusing to rise to an acceptable level. The nurse switched on the radio to catch the news, dominated by Boris Johnson and “partygate”. “Listen to this,” he instructed me, “this will get your blood pressure up.” It worked. I was back in my bed a few minutes later. Chris Scarlett Sheffield • I bumped into Barry Cryer (Obituary, 27 January) several years ago on a train from London to Warrington. He was in standard class, and he bought me and a few others several cans of lager and entertained us with marvellous funny stories for a couple of hours. In these ludicrous times, his wit and humanity will be sadly missed. Phil Sinnott Liverpool • Thank you to all the country diary writers who bring us a little oasis of calm among all the politics, doom and gloom. Nearly every day it includes a word I don’t know, such as “marcescence” (28 January). Judith Milnes Farnsfield, Nottinghamshire • After Liz Truss’s very expensive lunch and now using a private jet to get to Australia at vast expense to the taxpayer (Report, 27 January), I dread to think how much the redecoration of No 10 will cost if she ever becomes prime minister. Michael Ennals Maldon, Essex • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Downing Street has still not received the Sue Gray report into “partygate”, according to a briefing this afternoon, leading to speculation that it will now not be published until Monday. Labour has said it is increasingly clear that Boris Johnson has lied about his involvement in the decision to authorise the evacuation of dogs and cats from Afghanisation as part of the humanitarian airlift in August. The shadow levelling up secretary, Lisa Nandy, made the claim about the PM following the publication yesterday of emails showing that Foreign Office officials thought Johnson had agreed to the evacuation of the animals.
Johnson today dismissed the claims that he intervened personally on behalf of the animals as “rhubarb”. (See 1.42pm.) But No 10 has failed to explain why officials in Whitehall, and others (see 3.51pm), thought he was involved, what conversations he had with people about this, and why Johnson’s parliamentary private secretary, Trudy Harrison, was involved in trying to help facilitate the airlift. After the PM’s interview, Newsnight’s Sima Kotecha released extracts from two emails showing that Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, and a senior diplomat both wanted advice from No 10 as to whether the animal charity, Nowzad, should get help. The BBC reports: In one, a senior official to then-foreign secretary Dominic Raab said Mr Raab was “seeking a steer from No 10” on whether the charity’s staff should be called forward for evacuation. Another, from the PM’s special representative for Afghanistan, Nigel Casey, suggests National Security Adviser Sir Stephen Lovegrove was asked to “seek clear guidance for us from No 10 ASAP on what they would like us to do”. Peers have called for Zac Goldsmith to explain why his office sent an email last August which said Johnson had authorised the animal airlift if that was not the case. Liz Truss has been criticised for taking a private jet to Australia for official business rather than using a scheduled flight.
We have got used to reading of the shocking goings on in Downing Street day after day – with some degree of schadenfreude, I admit. But it was truly appalling to read that 22% of of the population were living in poverty even before the pandemic (Editorial, 24 January). In one of the richest countries in the world, that is over a fifth – more than one in five. Do those in power have no shame at all? Florence Challands London • I am beginning to lose track of all the parties that took place at Downing Street during lockdown. Perhaps it’s time to produce a handy Guardian wallchart? Nick Rozanski London • After 25 years of haphazard advice and lengthy botched attempts to prune my blackcurrants, I went up to the allotment after reading Alys Fowler’s article (January is the time to prune your fruit trees for a bountiful summer crop, 22 January) and just snipped out the darkest stems – 10 minutes, job done. Thank you, Alys, I love you. Jill Webster Frogpool, Cornwall • John and Judy Watson ask (Letters, 25 January) if they had the most delayed Christmas card this year – posted in Southampton on 23 December, reached Manchester on 15 January. About 225 miles in 23 days. My sister’s card to me was much slower. Posted in Winchester on 20 December, reached London on 21 January. About 70 miles in 32 days. Frances Holloway London • On 14 January I received a first-class item posted on 8 December. Patrick Parrinder London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
The Commons has adjourned for the day, meaning that making a statement to MPs tonight on the Sue Gray report into the partygate scandal is no longer an option for Boris Johnson. Johnson had at one point been expected to publish the report, and take questions on it from MPs, today. But No 10 has not given any more detailed guidance on when it will be published, and there has even been speculation about it being delayed until next week. We are pausing the blog tonight, but if anything changes in the next few hours, we’ll revive the blog immediately. Keir Starmer has called in parliament for Boris Johnson to resign immediately for misleading MPs over Downing Street parties, saying the prime minister’s continued attempts to save his career were causing “immense damage to public trust”. Foreign Office emails appear to contradict Downing Street’s insistence that Boris Johnson did not personally authorise the controversial rescue of cats and dogs from a British animal charity in Afghanistan. That’s all from me for today. But if there are any important developments in the Waiting for Sue Gray saga later tonight, a colleague will reactivate the blog.
Here is a summary of the latest key developments: Boris Johnson is braced for the most perilous 48 hours of his premiership, with exasperated Conservative MPs due to see an official inquiry by the senior civil servant Sue Gray, reportedly set to be published this week. The Metropolitan Police has launched an investigation into alleged parties held in Number 10 during lockdown. Officers were looking into “potential breaches of Covid-19 regulations” in Downing Street and Whitehall since 2020, Commissioner Cressida Dick said. Number 10 said it had not yet received Sue Gray’s report but reports say the PM could make a statement on it in the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon. Many Conservative MPs said they are waiting for the report before deciding whether to try to remove Johnson. North West Leicestershire MP Andrew Bridgen said he hoped the report would be published “unredacted” on Wednesday. Northern Ireland minister Conor Burns claimed the prime minister had been “ambushed with a cake” during his birthday when, according to reports, his wife Carrie Johnson organised a surprise birthday get-together on 19 June 2020 against Covid restrictions. Labour leader Keir Starmer said trust in Boris Johnson is at an “all-time low”, adding that some members of the Cabinet “need to look themselves in the mirror and ask themselves why they are still supporting this prime minister.”
Here a summary of the latest key developments: Boris Johnson is under fire again after it emerged that his then fiancée Carrie threw him a surprise lockdown birthday party in Downing Street in June 2020. The event, which involved cake and party food and has not been denied by Downing Street, is said to have been attended by up to 30 people, including the interior designer Lulu Lytle. This would constitute a breach of the social distancing rules that were in place at the time: Gatherings were permitted for up to six people outdoors, but not indoors. It was not until more than two weeks later, on 4 July, that indoor gatherings between two households were permitted. The number of suspect government events that allegedly took place in contravention of the rules has now grown to 15. The revelation has been widely condemned, including by Ruth Davidson, the former leader of the Scottish Conservatives, and former Tory party chair Baroness Warsi, who said that “anybody who was at a party where rules were broken, whether that’s the prime minister, ministers, special advisers, or civil servants, should resign.” Sir Keir Starmer and various Labour MPs have called for Boris Johnson’s resignation. That’s all from me, this blog will now close, goodnight.
Carrie Johnson threw a surprise birthday party for Boris Johnson during the first lockdown, despite the rules forbidding social gatherings indoors, according to ITV. Downing Street has admitted the prime minister attended the gathering in the cabinet room at No 10 with up to 30 people at 2pm on 19 June 2020, but denied reports he held a birthday party later in the Downing Street residence. ITV News reported that the interior designer Lulu Lytle, who was not a member of No 10 staff, attended the gathering. Lytle was the designer tasked with renovating Johnson’s flat in Downing Street, which became the subject of significant controversy after a donor was asked to fund the refurbishment. Staffers brought the prime minister a birthday cake and picnic food from M&S, and the gathering lasted 20-30 minutes. No 10 said Johnson attended for less than 10 minutes. Johnson is alleged to have hosted family friends later that afternoon in his home but No 10 has denied this, claiming he hosted only a small number of family members outside. Asked about the party, a No 10 spokesperson said: “A group of staff working in No 10 that day gathered briefly in the cabinet room, after a meeting, to wish the prime minister a happy birthday. He was there for less than 10 minutes.” Regarding the later party in the flat, a spokesperson said: “This is totally untrue. In line with the rules at the time, the prime minister hosted a small number of family members outside that evening.” Social gatherings indoors at the time were banned, with people permitted only to meet outside in groups of up to six.
The reference to Jacob Rees-Mogg as “the honourable member for the 18th century” is a soubriquet that I find extremely distressing (Rees-Mogg’s roots tell a true Conservative tale – just not the one he wants us to hear, 22 January). It should be noted that the 18th century was the age of enlightenment, with a long list of luminaries whose names have become bywords for the possibilities of the thinking and endeavour of which humans are capable. A quick “Kanter” through without racking one’s brain could produce Voltaire, Rousseau, Hume, Wollstonecraft, Hegel, Diderot, Paine et al. Rees-Mogg’s entire demeanour puts me in mind of a rather more 19th-century precursor – Klemens von Metternich. Rees-Mogg should never be confused with the search for knowledge, betterment and understanding, which characterises 18th-century intellectuals. Toni Silver Eastbourne, East Sussex
Never mind Partygate, soaring energy prices and hundreds of Covid deaths a day. Grant Shapps has got his priorities right. What could be more important than cutting train announcements (Train passengers in England to be given break from ‘endless’ announcements, 21 January)? Sue Ward Newcastle upon Tyne • At a grammar school in the 1980s, we held fortnightly departmental meetings in a local pub (Letters, 20 January). The headmaster would plead with us not to all travel in the same car. He didn’t want the whole of his maths department to be wiped out in one go. John McCrae Herne Bay, Kent • Working as a bus conductor in the 1970s, I remember that whenever a management meeting was held in the lounge bar of a local pub, a union meeting was arranged in the adjacent public bar. Apparently the tipsy managers never twigged that they were also picking up the tab for the thirsty workers. Tim Barker Eastington, Gloucestershire • As every owner of a smaller dog knows, being a “big dog” is all about attitude, not size (Letters, 20 January). Ian Grieve Gordon Bennett, Llangollen Canal • Joyce Turcotte praises masks for covering up wrinkles (Letters, 16 January), but I find them useful for covering up my yawning in face-to-face meetings. Tim Martineau Wirral • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Today might come to be seen as something of a lull in the storm as Westminster quietened down following a tumultuous week, and geared up for the anticipated publication of civil servant Sue Gray’s investigation into the Downing Street parties next week. Here’s what happened: In the morning, business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng told broadcasters that he expected an investigation would take place “if it’s not being so already”. He said said blackmail and intimidation “has no place in British politics”. However No 10 said it would only launch an investigation if evidence was found. Overnight in Australia, foreign secretary Liz Truss affirmed that the prime minister had her “100% support”. Wales’ first minister Mark Drakeford launched a volley of accusations at Boris Johnson, who he said would “never escape the damage to his reputation”. Meanwhile polling in Scotland suggested that most Scots, including half of Scottish Tory voters, think Johnson should resign. Former Attorney General Dominic Grieve told Sky News the government “should not be handing out money for projects in constituencies because they happen to be held by a Conservative member of parliament”. Former Tory MP Ben Howlett said he received threats by a then-whip that funds would be withheld from his constituency if he did not support the government in Brexit votes. Downing Street intervened in the row over mask-wearing classrooms, urging teachers to follow government guidance and end their use. The Telegraph published new details of the Downing Street parties based on eyewitness reports. There’s not much that’s new, but we did learn that there was lots of music, drinking, pizza and enjoyment of Wilf’s slide. Conservative ministers and whips began spreading rumours about Christian Wakeford’s personal life minutes after the MP defecting to Labour, it has been alleged The live blog is now closing – for coronavirus updates - please follow the global Covid live blog
It’s been another busy day in Westminster. Here’s a summary of what happened: Sajid Javid said the partygate scandal had been “damaging to our democracy”, and defended the lifting of mask rules in schools since it is “harder to teach children” if they wear them. The Conservative MP William Wragg accused the government of trying to “blackmail” MPs pushing for a confidence vote in Boris Johnson. No 10 swiftly responded and, without outright refuting Wragg’s claims, said it was “not aware of any evidence” to support them. The stance was repeated soon after by Johnson. The Lib Dem leader, Ed Davey, accused Johnson of acting “like a mafia boss”, and Labour called for an investigation into the blackmail claims, which was echoed by the Scottish Tories. The former Brexit minister Steve Baker suggested that “it does look like checkmate” for Johnson, while the Treasury chief secretary, Simon Clark, said it would be “absolutely wrong” for government whips to threaten to withdraw constituency funding. Wragg’s claims were followed by allegations from Christian Wakeford, the Bury South MP who defected to Labour, that he had been threatened with a loss of funding for his constituency if he rebelled as a Tory MP. Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, called for an investigation into bullying and blackmail, which she called “gravely serious allegations”. She also cast her doubts on the decision to lift Plan B restrictions. “There are still significant uncertainties ahead,” she said. The shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, accused the Conservatives of no longer being the party of business given that they had presided over a “lost decade” of low growth. Both I and the blog are signing off for the evening. For coronavirus news from around the world, you can follow our global Covid blog:
Marina Hyde’s article (How will the great wrecker Boris Johnson break himself out of this bind?, 18 January) is the best in-depth commentary on the fallout of partygate, and makes us realise that the daily cross-questioning on our screens is far more serious than mere scandal. As No 10’s actions become a spectator sport, the danger is that we don’t notice our NHS being bled dry, our national broadcaster being softened up for private sale, our schools hosting a virus that can be deadly and life-changing for our children, and more than £4bn being lost to fraudsters and not recouped. Thank goodness for the House of Lords, quietly sitting it out while everyone’s eyes are on the main stage, so that Priti Patel’s policing bill is voted down and we might get to keep our right to protest (Report, 18 January). Yes, serious emotional damage has been done by the party culture that may preclude any government from ever demanding such sacrifice again. But for now, we need to maintain our vigilance to protect the services and institutions that express the integrity and compassion that is absent at the very top. Yvonne Williams Ryde, Isle of Wight • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Boris Johnson has had some low moments as Britain’s prime minister, but last week, surely, will take some beating. As “partygate” revelations threatened to overwhelm his administration, he tried first to convince parliament that he had wandered unwittingly into a “bring your own booze” party in the Downing Street garden. By Friday he was apologising to the Queen after it emerged No 10 staff had held a drunken leaving do on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral. Toby Helm reflects on a crisis from which few believe the prime minister can escape. There’s a look at the Tory runners and riders manoeuvring to replace Johnson – and John Harris explains why whoever may follow could prove much worse for the UK. Then, on the Opinion pages, the actor Rory Kinnear recalls the heart-wrenching experience of his sister’s lockdown funeral, held on the day of one of the most notorious parties – a vivid reminder of why the scandal has caused such anger. Across the Atlantic, Joe Biden last week marked an eventful first year in the White House. How has he got on? Lauren Gambino and David Smith mark the US president’s report card in key areas such as climate, economy and social justice. In Kyiv, Luke Harding finds a mood of resignation among Ukrainians about the threat of conflict with Russia, with the city’s professional classes, from actors to lawyers, preparing to take up arms against Vladimir Putin’s massing troops. Following a week of seemingly fruitless diplomatic manoeuvring, Julian Borger weighs up the diminishing prospects of averting war. In the features section, the French-Israeli film-maker Roy Cohen writes movingly about his childhood friendship with a Palestinian activist who was subsequently killed. Then, Oliver Milman takes an alarming look at the damage the climate crisis is inflicting on the world’s insect population. Get the Guardian Weekly magazine delivered to your door.
For anyone who has been closely following ministerial media rounds this week, the same slightly anomalous-sounding word has cropped up time and again in discussions of Boris Johnson’s alleged lockdown-flouting social activities: “implicitly”. The same word has also been used by Johnson’s official spokesperson and, most crucially, the prime minister himself when apologising in the Commons for attending a drinks event in the No 10 garden on 20 May 2020: “I believed implicitly that this was a work event.” What’s going on? The understanding is that Downing Street – most likely with legal advice – has imposed strict messaging on how ministers discuss the subject, in the hope Johnson can face the findings of a report into the various parties without it being proved that he lied.
Key to this is the somewhat thin and slippery political plank Johnson is attempting to walk along in accepting he went to the 20 May event but that he also did not realise it was a party – he popped into what is also his own private back garden, chatted to colleagues and returned inside. The use of “implicitly” ties into this narrative of a hard-working prime minister used to seeing colleagues regularly meet outside for work in the May sunshine and automatically assuming this post-6pm gathering, even with bring-your-own-booze drinks, must be the same thing. Legal observers like barrister and Covid rules expert Adam Wagner have noted that other elements of Johnson’s apology and other No 10 language have been similarly cautious, such as the idea it “technically” fell within then-guidance, and that he only realised “with retrospect” that the event was a bad idea. Amid speculation that dozens of Tory MPs have lost faith in Johnson, all this linguistic manoeuvring might be too late to keep him in Downing Street, but it could protect him in the event of something else – a future police investigation.
Nadine Dorries, the culture secretary, has signalled the government does not have an alternative funding model for the BBC in mind as it commits to a review of the licence fee. (See 4.59pm.) In a statement to MPs, she also hinted she may have gone further than intended when she said yesterday the licence fee was definitely being abandoned. Today she just said she could not see the review allowing it to continue. (See 5.23pm.) The BBC has described the parallel announcement that the licence fee will be frozen for two years as “disappointing”. (See 5.17pm.) Dominic Cummings, the PM’s former chief adviser, says he is prepared to give evidence on oath proving Boris Johnson has been lying about the party held in Downing Street on 20 May 2020. (See 6.08pm.) There is “massive anger” among grassroots Conservative party supporters over the Downing Street parties scandal, the head of a leading group has said as its survey found 40% thought Boris Johnson should resign. Downing Street has said Boris and Carrie Johnson followed Covid guidance when the prime minister was “commuting” from Chequers to No 10 during the first lockdown in 2020 – but declined to answer further questions, including whether the pair held social events. Nadhim Zahawi has denied the government is rushing out a series of policy ideas in an attempt to save Boris Johnson, arguing that the prime minister is safe in his job despite a string of Downing Street parties during lockdowns.
A minister has said Boris Johnson needs to “change his ways” as he recalled how, in the same month when some in No 10 were “not behaving appropriately”, he was not able to support his children before they died. Guy Opperman, the pensions minister and MP for Hexham, said Johnson should stay in his post, but was critical of the rule-breaking. Johnson has continued to face criticism, including from those on his frontbench, after admitting to attending a “bring your own booze” garden party in No 10 on 20 May 2020, which he says he understood to be a “work event”. Opperman and his wife Flora’s newborn twin boys, Teddy and Rafe, died the following month. Speaking to BBC’s Politics North programme, the Tory MP said: “I feel pretty emotional about this because in May 2020 my wife and kids were unwell and they went to hospital. I was not able to go there to support them. And I’ve got constituents who couldn’t go to the care homes, to funerals, who were obviously obeying the rules, and quite clearly in No 10 at that time there were a number of people not behaving appropriately. I feel pretty emotional that I wasn’t able to support my wife and kids.” Another Tory MP, Ian Levy, said he had been unable to see his relative due to the restrictions. The Blyth Valley MP said in a statement online: “My own family was affected by this – unable to see my wife’s mother when she was dying in a nursing home. “I understand the real anger at reports that those in power were not abiding by the rules. The public deserves better than this.”
This live blog is now closing - than you for reading. For more on Friday’s events, see the stories below. No 10 apologises to Queen over parties on eve of Prince Philip funeral Former Covid taskforce head ‘sorry’ over party in December 2020 Johnson’s apology to the Queen marks a new low for a prime minister For more on the global coronavirus situation, please follow the Covid live blog.
Your report (Bus services in England face axe as end to emergency Covid funding looms, 11 January) doesn’t mention the most economic solution to connect communities to town centres – the minibus. I am an honorary director of West Oxfordshire Community Transport (WOCT), which runs five minibus services linking estates and villages to the centres of Witney and Carterton. Some of these places used to have bus services, but the routes were hugely subsidised as there were only small numbers of passengers rattling around in expensive doubledeckers. Although overall demand was low, there was a demand for the service from people who had no access to a car – usually people on low incomes or people who are unable to drive. A minibus of up to 16 seats is much cheaper to operate – the driver doesn’t have to have a public service vehicle licence, and the capital cost is much lower. However, all passenger minibuses in the UK are converted vans and, while the few companies that do these conversions do them reasonably well, structurally they are not really up to taking the weight of 16 passengers and a driver over a prolonged period of time. Our services are subsidised, as most such services meeting a social need will be, by the local authorities. There is a huge opportunity for a company to be established in the UK to produce right-hand-drive minibuses for passenger use. If it is accepted that the cost-effective solution to providing links from communities to town centres, or frequent public transport services, is the minibus then the government should seriously consider establishing a minibus production company in this country. Mike Parker Director, WOCT; former director general, Nexus (the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive) • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Rory Kinnear has written eloquently about his sister before but this article was heart-wrenching (On the day of No 10’s lockdown party, I buried my sister, 12 January). Boris Johnson and every Tory MP should be made to read it. If they do not feel guilty afterwards, they are inhumane and do not possess a conscience. Val Malone Edinburgh • If Boris Johnson’s intellect is so suboptimal that he cannot recognise a party when he encounters one, do we really want him in charge of the country? Or maybe he just needs glasses? Could he pop up to Barnard Castle for an optician’s appointment? Virginia Withers Chertsey, Surrey • Norman Baker comments that Prince Andrew had been “well and truly chucked under the bus” (Prince Andrew loses military roles and use of HRH title, 13 January). Would it not be truer to say that Prince Andrew had thrown the royal family under the bus? Dr Brigid Purcell Norwich • As the Tory party and the monarchy, two pillars of the establishment, disintegrate in front of our eyes, I can only assume that Justin Welby is walking round with his fingers crossed, hoping these things don’t come in threes. George Steel Liverpool • I’ll wager that I’m not the only Guardian reader who has just posted a letter addressed to “The Liar, London” (Letters, 13 January). Stephen Rafferty Buckland Brewer, Devon • Further to Philip Clarke’s letter (7 January), in the hymn Onward Christian Soldiers, it is not the Christian soldiers who are “going on before” but “the cross of Jesus”. The soldiers are “marching as to war”. Frederick Robinson Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Thursday’s top three stories involved men who fail to tell the truth and ultimately come unstuck. Is this a “man thing”? This morning I asked my husband if he had brought the recycling bins in (I wasn’t sure if those outside belonged to our neighbour). Thirty seconds of bickering ensued: “Go and have a look.”“Can’t you see I’m busy?” “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Until, finally, “DID. YOU. BRING. THE. BINS. IN?” “No, not yet.” I think he was hoping Sue Gray would come along and rescue him. Julia Greenwood Brighton • Could I suggest to the compiler of Wednesday’s quick crossword that a senior moment is not a “momentary lapse of memory by those of certain age” (No 16,125, 12 January). That is simply forgetting, and can happen at any age. Surely a senior moment is a flash of insight that could only occur to someone with considerable life experience? Mary Brown Stroud, Gloucestershire • My favourite mishearing (Letters, 11 January) comes from Baby Grumpling in The Perishers some 60 years ago with his cross-eyed teddy bear named Gladly, so called after the hymn “Gladly, my cross-eyed bear”. Bob Waring Southport, Merseyside • A windfall tax on the fast-lane PPE contracts would be the best way to level up (Lords watchdog assesses complaint against Michelle Mone over PPE firm, 11 January). Catherine Dunn St Andrews, Fife • I wonder if a letter addressed to “The Liar, London” would find its way to No 10 (Letters, 12 January)? Pete Bibby Sheffield • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Labour has said that a leaked letter suggests the housing budget, and not new taxes for developers, may end up paying the £4bn cost of new protection for leaseholders living in flats with dangerous cladding. The shadow levelling up secretary, Lisa Nandy, made the claim in the Commons, where she said the announcement from Michael Gove was less substantial than he implied. (See 3.50pm.) Gove insisted the government was willing to use taxation to force developers to pay up. (See 3.54pm.) He also said the government would legislate to protect leaseholders not just from cladding costs, but from non-cladding costs too. (See 5.38pm.)
Boris Johnson has said the government is “looking at the science” of moving to an isolation period of five days in England instead of seven for a positive Covid case, after calls to ease staffing shortages across the economy. The number of Covid patients in hospital in England and Scotland has continued to increase, according to newly reported figures, as the UK reported 142,224 Covid cases on Monday – the first rise in six days. Hospitals in England will be able to use private hospitals and staff under a deal with the NHS to maintain services as Omicron cases surge, avoiding delays in treatment for patients with illnesses such as cancer. Boris Johnson will not face a new investigation by the parliamentary standards commissioner, Kathryn Stone, over the refurbishment of the Downing Street flat, No 10 has confirmed. The UK has recorded 142,244 new Covid cases and 77 further deaths, the government has announced. That means the number of new cases over the past week is just 1% up on the total for the the previous week.
That for is all from me for today. But our Covid coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
The Conservatives warned that if Jeremy Corbyn were elected prime minister he would take Britain back to the 1980s. With all the cheese and wine parties at Downing Street (Dominic Cummings makes new claim of party in No 10 garden in lockdown, 7 January), it seems as if Johnson is aiming for the 1970s. Pete Lavender Nottingham • Pots and kettles, worms not so much turning as performing pirouettes … Dominic Cummings leaves me breathless. He “claimed he warned at the time this appeared to be against the rules but it went ahead regardless”. Really? Vivien Scorer Southwell, Nottinghamshire • Elaine Yeo, a retired GP, writes a brief letter but delivers a big punch (Letters, 7 January): “I’ve long felt that general practice is an art – the art being when to use the science.” As a semi-retired psychoanalytic psychotherapist, I feel exactly the same. No matter what “the science” – the grand master of our times – prescribes, it always falls short of grasping the subtleties and paradoxes of human relationships. Peter Wilson Ashford, Kent • I remember as a child nightly praying for God to “lead us not into Thames station but deliver us from evil”, both of which he has subsequently failed to do (Letters, 7 January). Richard McNicol Malmesbury, Wiltshire • A year ago we were writing on the jam jar labels: “Marmalade 6-1-2021. Goodbye, Trump”. What should we write this year? Muriel and Christopher Nankivell Birmingham • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Steve Bell, Keith Flett (Letters, 5 January) and Simon Jenkins (‘Sir Tony Blair’? How cheaply knighthoods come in our broken honours system, 5 January) represent a formidable trio to engage in a quarrel for which few Guardian readers would choose to build the barricades: the elevation of a discredited former prime minister to an outdated institution through a corrupted honours system. Nonetheless, there is arguably a danger in acquiescing in the attack on Tony Blair orchestrated by the press and others on the right that is greater than marching to the front in a lost cause. The case rests on the motives behind this denigration and its intended outcomes. The right have no particular quarrel with bellicosity, under-regulation of financial markets or lucrative consultancies in Kazakhstan. The real – but concealed – target of their attack is the substantial body of achievement under New Labour: restoring the NHS, rebuilding schools and colleges, establishing Sure Start and committing, more broadly, to an idea of social justice that has since been sacrificed. Equally important, one of Blair’s finest achievements was surely the Belfast agreement, reflecting his tireless energy and ability to engage with the key players. Since Brexit requires either a border across the island of Ireland or down the Irish Sea, the posturings of Lord Frost and now Liz Truss pose a real threat to the agreement, and those that support this manifest folly have a vested interest in pretending there is nothing substantial to lose. The attack on Blair is surely designed to airbrush his most historic achievement out of the record altogether. For no other reason than that, Sir Tony Blair deserves our unwavering support. Paul Clarke Horsham, West Sussex • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Wise words from Grant Shapps: people “can’t just go round and cause vandalism, destroy the public realm, and then essentially not be prosecuted” (Minister vows to close ‘loophole’ after court clears Colston statue topplers, 6 January). But could our courts handle the flood of corrupt Tories? John Airs Liverpool • Interesting that dogs respond selectively to human speech (Report, 6 January); the same may be true of humans. I used to turn on the Today programme at my 7am alarm, and would fall asleep again, to be woken with a start by John Humphrys at around 8.10am. Since Nick Robinson et al have taken over, I have slept right through and have had to resort to a further alarm. Margaret Squires St Andrews, Fife • Royal Mail has a long history of delivering incompletely addressed letters (‘Lives across from the Spar’: bizarrely labelled letter finds way to UK address, 7 January). The only piece of fan mail I ever received – in 1967 – came addressed to Dave the Folk Singer, Westward Ho!. It was delivered in person by the local head postmaster (my father). David Cooper Nafferton, East Riding of Yorkshire • As a postman in the 1970s, I once successfully delivered a card addressed “Nearly opposite the Church, Blue doors, Red Curtains”. Trevor Lindley Weymouth, Dorset • So Norwegian conscripts have got to return their underwear as Covid hits supplies (Report, 7 January). I suppose they’ll just have to go commando. Chris Osborne West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
I was interested to see the prices paid by Liz Truss at a luncheon “event” at 5 Hertford Street (Liz Truss asked for public money to cover £3,000 lunch, 2 January). As of 4 January, independent wine merchants were offering Coudoulet de Beaucastel rouge at £19.99 to £22.23 per 75cl bottle, and Pazo Barrantes Albariño at £17.50 to £18.33, compared with Ms Truss’s expenditure of £130 for two bottles of the former and £153 for three of the latter – out of the public purse. The proprietor of the establishment concerned was a donor to Boris Johnson’s leadership campaign and is related to a Conservative life peer and current minister. What faith can we have in Ms Truss’s judgment in her role as foreign secretary when it comes to striking international trade deals? Should she become prime minister, will public money continue to flow at exorbitant rates to cronies? Would Ms Truss benefit from a crash course in restaurant wine price inflation? Dr Jonathan Punt London • You report that, in the pursuit of a chimerical trade deal, Liz Truss “paid” £153 for three bottles of Albariño. Albariño can be extremely pleasant when paired with the right food, but grand cru it is not. Aldi does a very nice version at £6.99 and I will happily bet Ms Truss a case of the latter that, in a blind tasting, she would not be able to pick out the ridiculously overpriced stuff that she served up at our expense. Michael Pyke Lichfield, Staffordshire • You report (‘I’m always tired, Miss’: the sleepless children of Leeds’ bed poverty crisis, 2 January) how a family had only one chair and one lightbulb, and no beds. Meanwhile, Liz Truss “hosted a £3,000 lunch”. Levelling up? No chance with this government. Alan Lane Abingdon, Oxfordshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
I can’t help but feel sympathy for Lord Geidt (Boris Johnson accused of corruption after ‘great exhibition’ text emerges, 6 January). “Ethics adviser to Boris Johnson” must be an even more thankless job description than “honesty adviser to Richard Nixon”. Tony Green Ipswich, Suffolk • Jake Wallman says he was born in a different millennium to his twin (31 December). But of course he wasn’t: 31 December 1999 and 1 January 2000 are both safely within the second millennium CE, which ended at midnight on 31 December 2000. No doubt there are unsung twins for whom the quoted words are true! Hedley Stone Southam, Warwickshire • Re Margaret Davis’s roses, and others who report unseasonal blooms (Letters, 4 January), last week the lemon tree on my city fifth-floor balcony produced four beautifully scented blooms. While having my morning coffee I noticed something moving in the leaves: it was a tiny wren, busy scoffing the lot. My question is: how did it know? Rosalind Napier Birmingham • The bus services in my boyhood pit village were all labelled with a letter and a number, such as C4 or A2. Hence, while singing at the chapel Sunday school, I believed the Christian soldiers were urged onward to Nottingham as they were “going on B4” (Letters, 6 January). Philip Clarke East Bridgford, Nottinghamshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Boris Johnson has been criticised by his ethics adviser for acting “unwisely”, but cleared of being deliberately misleading during an investigation into the funding of his Downing Street flat refurbishment. Downing Street has ruled out delaying a tax rise this April despite increasing concern among Tory MPs and cabinet ministers over the toll on voters of the cost of living. Britain is not a country where “destroying public property can ever be acceptable”, a cabinet minister has said, as Conservative MPs vented their frustration at four people being cleared of tearing down a statue of the slave trader Edward Colston. Farmers in England will be given taxpayers’ cash to rewild their land under plans for large-scale nature recovery projects announced by the government. Johnson has criticised anti-vaccine activists for spreading “nonsense” on social media, while stressing that he does not support moves to overtly pressure people into having Covid vaccines. A further 179,756 Covid cases have been recorded in the UK. And, as PA Media reports, a further 231 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid. Today’s dashboard also shows a total of 17,988 people were in hospital in the UK with Covid as of 5 January. This is up 50% week-on-week and is the highest number since 18 February. During the second wave of coronavirus, the number peaked at 39,254 on 18 January 2021.
That’s all from me for today. But our Covid coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
Downing Street has said that more than 20 NHS trusts have now declared critical incidents - but argued that this is not a “good indicator” of NHS performance. (See 5.26pm.) This came a day after Boris Johnson faced criticism from some health leaders for allegedly making light of the difficulties the NHS is facing, saying the country could “ride out” the Omicron wave. But the head of NHS Providers, Chris Hopson, said he agreed that counting critical incidents was not the best way of measuring the pressure on the NHS. (See 6.07pm.) The aviation and travel industry has welcomed the scrapping of pre-departure tests for people travelling to England, which it had claimed were unnecessary and hugely damaging to the sector. Almost 200,000 more Covid cases have been reported in the UK, as an infection survey revealed one in 10 Londoners had Covid towards the end of last year. Boris Johnson and Angela Rayner have clashed over energy prices and the wider cost of living in the first prime minister’s questions of the year, during which Johnson made a series of false statements to advance his arguments. Reduced timetables are to be brought in across Great Britain’s entire railway network by the middle of this month to deal with Covid staff shortages and to match falling passenger numbers. Hundreds of care homes are closing their doors to new admissions because of the rapid spread of Omicron, increasing pressure on embattled hospitals that are unable to discharge patients into the community. Nicola Sturgeon has cut Scotland’s self-isolation period from 10 to seven days, after sustained pressure from businesses and opposition parties to address soaring staff absences. That is all from me for today. But our Covid coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
Keir Starmer, while approving a knighthood for Tony Blair, notes that Iraq remains an issue for many (UK government urged to rescind Tony Blair’s knighthood, 4 January). The problem is that elevating the former prime minister to the Order of the Garter is an official attempt to say that the Iraq war doesn’t matter any more. The current Labour leader had it right when, as a QC and human rights lawyer, he wrote in the Guardian on 17 March 2003 that “flawed advice does not make the unlawful use of force lawful”. Many of us remember the point; it’s a pity Sir Keir seems to have forgotten it. Keith Flett Tottenham, London • In 1928, a particularly useless, irresponsible and profligate Lord Lonsdale was made a Knight of the Garter by George V, an act described by a courtier of the time as “sheer tomfoolery”. At least Lonsdale didn’t lead us into unnecessary wars, but now we have Tony Blair, who did. I realise that the Garter is in the Queen’s personal gift, but how can her advisers be so out of touch with the mood of the nation? This year Tony Blair, next year Boris Johnson? Dr Patrick Hoyte Wootton Courtenay, Somerset • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Boris Johnson has admitted at a No 10 press conference that some hospitals already feel “at least temporally overwhelmed”. (See 6.15pm.) But he also said “I just think we have to get through it as best as we possibly can”, and he said there was a “good chance” no further restrictions would be introduced in England. (See 5.29pm.) This is from Shaun Lintern, the Sunday Times’ health editor, on his comments.
About 100,000 workers in key industries in England will be told to take Covid tests on every working day to catch infections early and avoid the virus spreading to colleagues, Johnson has said. Keir Starmer has used a major speech to repeatedly stress Labour’s patriotism, and to put “security, prosperity and respect” at the heart of the party’s offer to voters. (See 1.59pm.) Confirmed daily Covid cases in the UK have hit another record high, with 218,724 reported in the past 24 hours. Heart attack patients calling 999 in parts of northern England are being asked to get a lift instead of waiting for an ambulance as hospitals in the region experience more than double the growth rate in numbers of Covid patients compared with London. Reinfections should be included in Covid figures for the UK as soon as possible, scientists have said, amid warnings that up to 15% of Omicron cases could be people who have had coronavirus before. It is likely that as many as one in 10 people in parts of Northern Ireland had Covid-19 over the festive period, the region’s chief scientific adviser has said. As PA Media reports, Prof Ian Young said one in 20 tested positive in some areas, but with limits on PCR tests, it is likely the true figure was as high as one in 10 last week. Downing Street has expressed concern over moves to end the prosecution of young people caught with cannabis in some London boroughs, under a pilot scheme being developed by Sadiq Khan. That’s all from me for today. But our Covid coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
Your report (‘Not if … but when’: Sinn Féin on path to power in Ireland, 28 December) refers to Sinn Féin as a party “founded in 1905”; this unfortunately omits important context in understanding modern Irish politics. The Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 was negotiated and supported by the British government and an Irish delegation led by Arthur Griffith, the founder of the original Sinn Féin party of 1905. Following intense debate, the treaty was passed in the Irish parliament (Dáil Éireann) in January 1922 to establish the Irish Free State. In the June 1922 general election, almost 80% of votes cast were for pro-treaty candidates. The successful pro-treaty Sinn Féin party elected WT Cosgrave as president of the Irish Free State and the party changed its name to Cumann na nGaedheal (Association of the Irish), the precursor to today’s Fine Gael (Family of the Irish). Most of anti-treaty Sinn Féin were led by Éamon de Valera to become today’s Fianna Fáil. The small remaining rump of Sinn Féin maintained a policy of abstentionism to the Irish parliament, leading to a split in 1970 – those wishing to take their seats became Official Sinn Féin, and then the Workers’ party. Those wishing to maintain abstentionism called themselves Provisional Sinn Féin, which included a young Gerry Adams. By 1986, the Adams wing ended its policy of abstentionism and adopted a shorter name that no other party was using: Sinn Féin. Councillor David McManus Fine Gael, South Dublin county council • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
The Guardian keeps the readership excellently apprised of the (mis)behaviour of some of our ministers and MPs. Surely the time is right to bring politics closer to the lived experience of more voters. I suggest two changes that could contribute to this. First, rather than MPs being able to tell us proudly that they are accountable every five years at the ballot box, what if they were required to participate in an annual independent appraisal process that would be published in the spirit of transparency? This is a common way of monitoring performance and encouraging personal professional development. Among other things, any new paid positions would be declared and discussed, plus how the appraisee contributes to life in the House of Commons in terms of committee work and speeches, as well as a record of constituency activity. Second, to attempt to counter some of the misleading statements made in session or at prime minister’s questions, there should be a rapid fact-checking facility to try to make ministers and backbenchers more careful in their use of language and statistics both in the House of Commons and in interviews. Feedback would be delivered by the Speaker or in the media as soon as possible after the event, with a requirement for the person responsible to issue a correction. Gradually, it may become possible to have more confidence in our representatives, some of whom could state an aspiration to be better acquainted with the truth at their annual appraisal. Dr Andrew Bates Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
I was disappointed to read Naga Kandiah’s comments on the removal of British citizenship (Like Shamima Begum, I could soon be stripped of British citizenship without notice, 15 December). Removing British citizenship on grounds of being “conducive to the public good” is used against the most dangerous of people, such as terrorists, extremists and serious organised criminals. It’s been possible for over a century. It comes with a right of appeal and is only used in exceptional circumstances in a small number of cases each year. The nationality and borders bill doesn’t change any of that – it’s only about how someone is notified. We would always try to notify someone, but this may not be possible in exceptional circumstances – such as if they’re in a war zone, their location is unknown, or it would reveal sensitive intelligence sources. Maintaining our national security and keeping the public safe are the government’s top priorities, and it’s a duty I take incredibly seriously. Damian Hinds Minister for security and borders
After weeks of embarrassing headlines over lockdown gatherings and criticism over his failure to heed scientists’ advice ahead of Christmas, Boris Johnson has found himself the target of some rather different negative publicity.
Chants of “Stand up if you hate Boris” could be heard as spectators packed Alexandra Palace in London for the 2022 PDC World Darts Championship on Monday evening. Public health experts have warned the event was “Covid spreаding on steroids”. Earlier on Monday, millions of people and businesses were left in limbo after a two-hour cabinet meeting on new Covid restrictions ended with no decision being taken. Prof Keith Neаl, а public heаlth expert аt the University of Nottinghаm, said the championship – which is expected to draw in 80,000 fans – should not have gone ahead with fans in attendance. “There is no concept of social distancing and they will not be wearing masks because they are drinking,” he said.
Johnson may have hoped to score points by delaying new Covid measures but Downing Street’s failure to apologise for a photograph showing him, his wife and up to 17 staff seemingly having drinks during the first lockdown in May 2020 appears to have put his face squarely back on the public’s dartboard.
There have been a series of explanations as to why Boris Johnson, his wife and 17 other people were photographed with wine and cheese in the Downing Street garden during the Covid lockdown in May last year. Johnson’s spokesman on Friday, after sources told the Guardian and Independent about the event: In the summer months Downing Street staff regularly use the garden for some meetings. On 15 May 2020 the prime minister held a series of meetings throughout the afternoon, including briefly with the then health and care secretary and his team in the garden following a press conference. The prime minister went to his residence shortly after 7pm. A small number of staff required to be in work remained in the Downing Street garden for part of the afternoon and evening. Johnson’s spokesman on Sunday, after seeing the photo: As we said last week, work meetings often take place in the Downing Street garden in the summer months. On this occasion there were staff meetings after a No 10 press conference. Downing Street is the prime minister’s home as well as his workplace. The prime minister’s wife lives in No 10 and therefore also legitimately uses the garden.
Dominic Raab on Monday: I think there’s a lot of exhausted people, and they, as people do in work, were having a drink after the formal business had been done. Johnson’s spokesman on Monday: This shows colleagues who were required to be in work, meeting following a press conference to discuss work … It was not against the regulations for those individuals to have a drink outside working hours, but still discussing work. Johnson on Monday: This is where I live, it is where I work. Those were meetings of people at work, talking about work.
Boris Johnson has held off announcing further Covid restrictions now - although he has hinted that new measures may be announced shortly. In a statement after a cabinet meeting lasting at least two hours, he claimed that the arguments for and against further restrictions - interventions being forcefully demanded by government scientific advisers - were “very, very finely balanced”. (See 5.50pm.) One leading Tory rebel on this issue welcomed this as evidence that the PM was pushing back against “lockdown fanatics”. (See 6.01pm.) But Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, accused Johnson of being “scared of his backbenchers”. Streeting suggested the government should be following the example of the Labour administration in Cardiff, which has already announced that further restrictions will come into force in Wales after Christmas.
The UK has recorded 91,743 new coronavirus cases - the second highest daily total on this measure. (See 4.15pm.) Downing Street has defended a photograph showing Boris Johnson, his wife and up to 17 staff seemingly having drinks in the Downing Street garden during the first lockdown, insisting they were discussing work at the time. In his post-cabinet TV interview Johnson said the photograph just showed “people at work talking about work”.
UK nightclubs and gyms have joined hospitality operators in calling on the government to provide urgent financial support, as trade slumps and customers stay away amid rising Covid cases. Staff shortages caused by a jump in Covid cases have started to impact UK train services ahead of the annual festive getaway, with rail operators across the country announcing cancellations for the rest of the week until Christmas. At least five national attractions including the Natural History Museum and Edinburgh Castle have closed because of the surge in Covid cases. That is all from me for today. But our Covid coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
The departure of Lord Frost as Brexit minister (Report, 19 December) is the first sign I have seen for some time that the Conservative government may be pursuing some sensible policies. Frost either misunderstood the EU or grossly underestimated its resolve, and has been a disaster in negotiating our exit. His departure is to be warmly welcomed, and one hopes that it leads to a substantial reset of the UK’s approach in that area. Moreover, his additional reasons for leaving the government – that the Covid response is too interfering and the tax policy too socialist – amply demonstrate his detachment from both reality and humanity. As he was only ennobled to complete our EU exit, one presumes he will be handing back his ermine robes? David Smith Accra, Ghana • After Lord Frost’s resignation, Nadine Dorries tried to defend the prime minister in the Conservative WhatsApp group (Report, 19 December), but her post was deemed unacceptable by “libertarian” Steve Baker, who then deleted her from it. Surely any true libertarian should respect this most basic principle described by John Stuart Mill: “The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation; those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it.” Apparently, however, Mr Baker has no respect for this principle. Peter Swann Nottingham • So Lord Frost has resigned because he does not like the direction the government is going in. I had no idea this government had a direction. Pray, tell us more. Kathleen O’Neill Hayling Island, Hampshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Joy Morrissey MP seems more impressed by the medical advice of elected politicians than that of medical professionals (Chris Whitty v Tory MP Joy Morrissey: who to believe on Covid?, 17 December). Perhaps the next time she needs medical treatment, she should be treated not by her GP or a hospital consultant, but by an elected representative. The question is, would it need to be an MP, or would a local councillor do? Ian Saville London • In your article (18 December) on the Duchess of Argyll and her 1963 divorce, you say “the contraceptive pill [was] made available for single women the following decade”. It was well before then. Thank goodness for an enlightened doctor at Newcastle University in 1967. My life might otherwise have been very different (I’m still with him, by the way). Jan Jeffries Brewood, Staffordshire • I have a lot of sympathy for Tom Kerridge and the whole hospitality industry (The government has hung hospitality out to dry – I’ve lost £65k in bookings this week, 16 December), but I can’t help feeling that had the industry supported vaccine passports, they would now be in a better position – as would we all. Pete Grist London • As an arachnophile, I can’t help regretting that Spider-Man (‘Comic-book crack for generations’: why Spider-Man still has us all in his web, 17 December) shoots streams of web from his hands and not from his bum. What missed potential. Fr Chris Benson Manaton, Devon • When my great-uncle Ellis wanted guests to leave (Letters, 19 December) he’d sit down at the piano and play God Save the King. Vivien Heilbron London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
I feel sorry for Boris Johnson (North Shropshire: PM in ‘last chance saloon’, 18 December). Coming from a long-standing member of the Labour party, this may sound odd. I should add that I also come from a family that sent boys to Eton – girls were, and still are, spared such a fate – so I have intimate knowledge of the damage that such a “good education” can do. Puzzled readers have only to refer to Richard Beard’s Sad Little Men, as recommended by John Harris (Boris Johnson’s crises boil down to one thing: contempt for the rest of us, 12 December). That book makes clear how tearing boys away from their families from the age of seven, isolating them from the real world for months on end and subjecting them to a regime of bullying conformity – with the promise that one day they will lead the country – creates men who find emotional connection and empathy a real challenge, to put it mildly. Whatever one thinks about the current predicament of Johnson, this is not the sort of education to which the young people of our country should aspire. Henrietta Heald London • The offices of bailiff of the manor of Northstead and steward of the Chiltern Hundreds are effectively resignation vehicles for MPs. I would like to suggest a third office: governor of Peppa Pig World – for which there is now an obvious candidate. Frank Learner Barry, Vale of Glamorgan • In appointing Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, to investigate parties at No 10, Boris Johnson should have heeded Inspector Truscott’s maxim in Joe Orton’s Loot: “Never search your own back yard – you may find what you’re looking for” (No 10 party inquiry head steps down over claims he also broke rules, 17 December). John Bailey St Albans, Hertfordshire • Simon Case, henceforth to be known as the drinks cabinet secretary. Colin Jones West Norwood, London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
In an extraordinary defeat for the Conservatives, Lib Dem Helen Morgan won 17,957 votes in the North Shropshire byelection, 5,925 more than the Tories’ Neil Shastri-Hurst. Labour’s Ben Wood was third with 3,686, and turnout was 46.3%. A Tory safe seat since its creation, the Tories had won North Shropshire comfortably in 2019 with a majority of nearly 23,000. We would like to hear your views on the results below. Were you expecting this result? If you live in North Shropshire, what does it mean for you and what are your hopes for the future? Share your thoughts You can get in touch by filling in the form below. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details. If you’re having trouble using the form, click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.
Re John Crace’s sketch (Broken Boris Johnson can no longer lie his way out of trouble, 15 December), there were two blatant falsehoods from Boris Johnson at Wednesday’s PMQs. Perhaps we don’t care any more. Or perhaps they should always be called out. The prime minister claimed “we have the fastest growing economy in the G7” and that “we now have 500,000 more people in work than there were when the pandemic began”. However, from the Office of National Statistics website, we can see that there were in fact 33,012,000 people employed in January to March 2020 (before the pandemic) and 32,506,000 in August to October 2021. That’s roughly 500,000 fewer people in work, not more. With regard to the “fastest growing economy in the G7”, this also doesn’t seem to be true. From the figures for quarterly GDP growth published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, we can clearly see that the UK was behind Germany, Italy and France for the third quarter of 2021. UK growth in the second quarter was a lot better (5.5%), but that would be cherry-picking a good quarter. In the overall ranking of recovery compared with the start of the pandemic, the UK is a laggard. How is he allowed to spout this easily disprovable nonsense? Tom Parke Abingdon, Oxfordshire • I could not believe what I was hearing at PMQs, so I am grateful to John Crace for confirming that Boris Johnson actually denied that the government had to rely on Labour to win the vote on new Covid measures in England. Surely the Speaker should have intervened with the prime minister and called him out for ordure, ordure. Mike Pender Cardiff • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
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Boris and Carrie Johnson have announced the name of their daughter, Romy Iris Charlotte Johnson. Carrie Johnson, posting on Instagram, said Romy was picked after her aunt Rosemary, Iris after the Greek word for rainbow, and Charlotte after the prime minister’s late mother. She has previously described her daughter as a “rainbow baby”: a term to describe a child born after a miscarriage. The 33-year-old has spoken of having a miscarriage earlier in the year. The prime minister revealed the first name of his seventh – or possibly eighth – child to reporters while on a visit to a Covid vaccination centre in Kent. The couple announced Romy’s birth on 9 December. She is the second child of the prime minister with his third wife, following the birth of their son, Wilfred, in April 2020. Johnson, 57, has four children with his former wife, the barrister Marina Wheeler, and one – Stephanie – with the art consultant Helen Macintyre, with whom he had an affair while he was mayor of London in 2009. The prime minister had previously denied being Stephanie’s father but in 2013 the court of appeal ruled it was in the public interest for the details of his extramarital affair to be known. In an interview with NBC in September last year, Johnson said he had six children. But during the 2013 court ruling, the three judges suggested there may be a second child from an extramarital affair, making eight children in total. No details are known about the alleged second child. The prime minister did not take an extended period of leave after Romy’s birth as he battles a string of political scandals as well as the spread of the Omicron Covid variant.
Nearly 100 Conservative MPs voted against plans for Covid vaccine certificates for some large venues in England – marking the largest rebellion of Boris Johnson’s premiership. The number of rebels far exceeds Johnson’s parliamentary majority of 79 – and the 56 MPs needed to trigger a vote of no confidence in his leadership. In a separate vote, 63 Tories voted against mandatory vaccinations for NHS and social care staff in England. Labour supported the measure but Keir Starmer suffered his own rebellion, with 22 Labour MPs voting against. MPs also backed compulsory face coverings in more indoor public places including museums and galleries, as well as allowing fully vaccinated people who come into contact with a Covid case to take daily lateral flow tests for seven days, rather than self-isolating Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, a senior member of the Tory backbench 1922 Committee, said a leadership challenge in the New Year is “on the cards” unless the PM unites the party by delivering a “major change in the way he does things”. Labour leader Keir Starmer said the rebellions were “a very significant blow to the already damaged authority of the prime minister” but stopped short of explicitly calling for him to resign
Late update: The UK Health Security Agency has been in touch to offer final confirmation as to what Sajid Javid meant when he told MPs earlier that “the current number of daily infections are around 200,000”. He did mean that it is estimated that 200,000 people are getting infected with the Omicron variant every day. That is what we thought originally, but we took down the headline on the post (see 4.19pm) after it was suggested he meant something else, and it has taken a while to get clarity from officials. A UKHSA spokesperson said Javid was “referring to the number of new infections today [13 December] based on modelling, not the number who are currently infected”. I have amended the wording in the summary as a result.
Your report on the Capita takeover of the Turing exchange scheme from the British Council (Report, 8 December) raises interesting questions about privatisation. As a former British Council officer with direct experience of the tendering of council services, I recognise the advantages of seeking competitive pricing for government-funded schemes. But student exchange is a core area of British Council work, where it has an unbeatable international network of contacts and experience. Privatisation of those services may achieve financial savings, but at what cost? You comment on Capita’s shortcomings in past contracts, but the issue is much wider than that. Must we have to continue experiencing the kind of failings that we have encountered in the probation and prison services, the chaos of the privatised gas industry, the unacceptable mess in electricity services, the rip-off of Covid testing, the railway muddle, to mention but a few? When will we realise that privatisation is an avoidable evil, requiring judgment rather than dogma? Roger Iredale Emeritus professor of international education, University of Manchester • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
How depressing to read that “Labour has begun to campaign more in earnest” in North Shropshire (Key question on Tory MPs’ minds: is Boris Johnson still a winner?, 9 December). Opposition party activists may find it difficult to go against the grain, but most opposition voters, I would suggest, are not currently primarily Labour or Lib Dem or Green, nor that bothered by party divisions. What we are, and maybe more strongly united than ever in being so, is against this Conservative government. The key question for voters in North Shropshire is not “Do you want Labour to win?” but “Do you want the Conservatives to lose?” If their answer to that is yes, then it’s in the country’s interest, and in democracy’s interest, to support the Lib Dems in making that happen. While Labour activists may have felt unable to advise people to vote Lib Dem, the previously low-key canvassing was speaking volumes. If Labour is serious about getting the Tories out, then please don’t make people feel guilty about, at the very least, getting Boris Johnson out. Achieving that would be a win – including for Labour. Helen Johnson Sedbergh, Cumbria • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
It was not quite the grand switching on ceremony that Downing Street had anticipated for its Christmas lights. A Labour MP has admitted she unwittingly turned on the lights early after mistaking the switch for a doorbell. Carolyn Harris, MP for Swansea East, attended a meeting at No 10 last Wednesday but said that, when the door failed to open, she pressed a grey button nearby. The door then opened at the same time as the Christmas tree lit up, an hour earlier than scheduled. Ironically Boris Johnson’s first attempt at switching on the festive lights was unsuccessful in front of an audience of children who sang carols. After a countdown, footage posted on social media showed the prime minister pressing the switch only for the lights to flicker on for a second before turning off again. The lights remained on after a second press of the button. Harris told BBC Radio Wales: “I got to the door and I’m waiting for the door to open and it doesn’t. I think ‘that’s odd, I thought the door automatically opened’. “So I looked on the wall and there’s this grey box, so I think it’s a doorbell, so I press the grey box – the front door does open – but the Christmas tree lights came on at the same time. I get inside and I say ‘the tree looks lovely’ and they say ‘yes, the prime minister is going to switch them on at five o’clock for the carol service’. “So I said ‘I think you’ll find I’ve already done that’, so I had to go back outside to turn the tree lights off, which was quite funny, especially when the prime minister did turn them on an hour later and they didn’t work the first time he tried it.” Harris said she “cried laughing” with fellow MPs afterwards, adding: “I don’t know if the prime minister will be very happy that somebody beat him to it after the week he’s had.”
I’m sure all those at the party were just testing their eyesight through the champagne glasses (PM accused of lying after No 10 officials caught joking about Christmas party, 7 December). Phil Sinnott Liverpool • Re Zoe Williams on dogs (The inner lives of dogs: what our canine friends really think about love, lust and laughter, 9 December), our family dog of years ago would greet a homecomer with bared teeth (grinning) and lots of sneezing. For us, that was definitely a dog laugh. Richard Griffiths Syderstone, Norfolk • With the solutions to four of Thursday’s Quick Crossword clues being mettle, nettle, settle and kettle, your compiler has undoubtedly shown himself to be in fine fettle. Adrian Brodkin London • Each time a travel insurer asks me if I have a pre-existing illness (Letters, 7 December), I feel like telling them that pre-existing means “before it existed”. Dennis Hawkins Leominster, Herefordshire • My bete noire is “pre-recorded”. A term used even in the television industry. It suggests that a programme is recorded before it’s actually made. John Huntley Letheringsett, Norfolk • In anticipation of the requirement of such a missive, I had this letter pre-prepared. Dr Martin Schwarz Oldham, Greater Manchester • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
The UK has recorded 58,194 new coronavirus cases, the UK Health Security Agency has announced. That is the highest daily total since 9 January, when 59,937 new cases were recorded.
The UKHSA has said that the number of confirmed Omicron cases in the UK has gone up by 448 from yesterday to 1,265. That’s a 55% increase. As my colleague Nicola Davis reports, the UKHSA now expects Omicron to be the dominant variant in the UK by mid-December.
Here is the latest risk assessment for Omicron.
The Omicron variant has the potential to “very substantially overwhelm the NHS” and cause up to 10,000 hospitalisations a day if it is as virulent as Delta, according the leading epidemiologist Prof Neil Ferguson. Boris Johnson’s ethics adviser, Lord Geidt, has demanded an explanation after the prime minister was accused of misleading him over the Downing Street flat scandal, with sources suggesting Geidt could resign if the answer does not satisfy him. No 10 has cancelled its Christmas party this year because of worries about Covid, despite still encouraging people to go ahead with workplace functions. Parliament’s intelligence watchdog has said it was misled by the government when it failed to reveal that a former GCHQ boss had been allowed to resign quietly after it emerged he had helped a paedophile priest to avoid jail.
Boris Johnson could face sanctions involving suspension from the House of Commons as MPs piled pressure on the standards commissioner to investigate spending on his flat in the wake of a serious censure by the Electoral Commission. A review into government staff parties in defiance of Covid rules has been widened to look at more events, including one that Boris Johnson is believed to have attended. The price of a pint could rise by about 10p as a result of the latest Covid restrictions, according to the chairman of the City Pub Group who said Christmas party cancellations had risen since the move to plan B was announced yesterday. Three UK cabinet ministers have gone into isolation after being in close contact with the Australian deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, who later tested positive for Covid. GPs have begun offering booster vaccines to patients under 40 against official guidance. Boris Johnson has picked the prominent Brexit campaigner Gisela Stuart for a senior role in charge of regulating appointments to the civil service. The charity regulator should stay as far as possible out of debates about “wokeness”, the government’s preferred candidate to head the watchdog has told MPs, saying he does not believe charities are too political. EU citizens and other non-Irish or non-British nationals who cross the border from the republic of Ireland into Northern Ireland will have to get pre-clearance under new rules being proposed by the UK government. As Lisa O’Carroll reports, they will require a US-style waiver known as an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to cross the border as part of the new post-Brexit immigration nationality and borders bill. The scheme is expected to come into force in 2025 but has already been denounced as “unworkable” on the Irish border, where thousands of people commute in both directions for schools, work and shopping.
Paul Evans’s excellent country diary from Wenlock Edge (9 December) was quite symbolic of this week’s political farce. His description of a fallen 200-year-old tree, revealing the hidden bones, uncovered and carefully reburied to respect their secret, spoke volumes. But the classic uplift of the wren being an omen and bringing news was a ray of hope for those of us wishing for better times. Dr Mark Wilcox New Mill, West Yorkshire • Rather than being a chronological process (I’m not yet 50 – so why does everyone keep calling me middle-aged?, 7 December), “middle age is when the soul collapses with secretly accumulating disgust”, a definition I heard on the radio late one night many years ago. I’m happy to say that, at 82, my soul is still buoyant. Hal Dunkelman Cote, Oxfordshire • Only the wrapping paper (Letters, 7 December)? I remember my mother ironing actual presents, such as a scarf she didn’t fancy, to be recycled for a birthday or next Christmas. She made a pencilled early version of a spreadsheet to avoid embarrassing errors, which still occurred. Coincidentally, “gift” is the German for “poison”. Brian Smith Berlin, Germany • Until recently, the rolling information bar at the bottom of the large screen in our doctor’s surgery said: “Don’t forget to pre-book your next appointment.” I nearly added “dizzy” to my list of symptoms (Letters, 8 December). James Vickers Redcar, North Yorkshire • The one that drives me mad is “redouble your efforts” – when you probably haven’t yet doubled them. Stuart Waterworth Tavistock, Devon • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Boris Johnson’s wife, Carrie, has given birth to a baby girl, they have announced, a second child for the couple and at least the seventh for the prime minister. “The prime minister and Mrs Johnson are delighted to announce the birth of a healthy baby girl at a London hospital earlier today,” a statement said. “Both mother and daughter are doing very well. The couple would like to thank the brilliant NHS maternity team for all their care and support.” The girl is a sister to their son, Wilfred, born in April 2020. The couple were married in a secret ceremony in May this year. Johnson had four children, all now in their 20s, with his second wife, the barrister Marina Wheeler. The couple’s divorce was finalised in 2020 after 25 years of marriage. He also has at least one other child from an extramarital relationship. Johnson has repeatedly refused to say precisely how many children he has fathered, although in an interview with NBC in September he affirmed he had six. The news comes amid a tumultuous week for Johnson as prime minister, who has had to launch an investigation into widespread reports of a lockdown-breaking party in Downing Street in December last year. When Wilfred was born, Johnson was still recovering from a bout of Covid that had resulted in him being admitted to intensive care. The prime minister was present throughout the birth, it is understood. A spokesperson for the couple said: “Both mother and daughter are doing very well. The couple would like to thank the brilliant NHS maternity team for all their care and support.” The pair were photographed walking into the hospital, reportedly at 7.40am. The Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, sent his congratulations to the couple on the arrival of their baby, and added: “Wishing your family health and happiness.”
That’s it from me, Tom Ambrose, for this evening. Thank you for following along with the live blog. All the latest news will be on the homepage so keep an eye out for any further developments as England moves to ‘Plan B’ Covid restrictions.
Re your report (Middle-class drug users could lose UK passports under Boris Johnson’s plans, 6 December), organised crime is a “bad thing”, with organisations that supply drugs such as cocaine and heroin connected to many other crimes. Gangsters make obvious villains in many policy narratives. But after 30-odd years examining substance use by young people, I suggest four measures that have nothing to do with additional penalties: • Improve child protection: histories of abuse and severe adversity figure prominently in the development of adults who use cocaine and heroin habitually. • Reduce social inequalities: the demand for drugs is greatest in neighbourhoods where young people grow up feeling they are already life’s losers. • Create accessible and stable housing in the same neighbourhoods: this is the foundation for recovery in many drug users. • Encourage the employment of adults with histories of drug use: so many people with criminal records find legitimate jobs impossible to get. Prof Woody Caan Duxford, Cambridge • Boris Johnson appeared in a police uniform in a recent photocall. While it is perfectly legal to impersonate a prime minister, impersonating a police officer is a criminal offence (assuming that there is an intention to deceive). Felix Bellaby Buxton, Derbyshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Sajid Javid, the health secretary, has told MPs that there are now 336 confirmed Omicron cases in the UK and that there is there is “community transmission across multiple regions of England”. (See 5.34pm and 5.35pm.) Theresa May, the former prime minister, has joined the ranks of Conservative MPs expressing concern about the prospect of further Covid restrictions being introduced. (See 6.01pm.) Downing Street has denied that a party took place in Downing Street last December and said it was a “statement of fact” that no Covid rules were broken. (See 2pm.) For further coronavirus coverage, do read our global live blog.
Stella Creasy’s article on taking babies into the House of Commons (Here’s why my baby was banned from parliament – and why we must all fight this, 25 November) brought back memories of Mid Glamorgan county council in the 1990s. The late councillor Ray Davies, of Machen, a champion of equalities even then, was often accompanied by his infant son. During an impassioned debate at a planning committee meeting, one councillor declared that another “has no right to speak on this subject. Ray Davies’s baby has been to more meetings on this matter than he has.” Phil Jayne Llangenny, Powys • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Margaret Hodge, the veteran Labour MP and former chair of the public accounts committee, has announced she will not stand again for parliament at the next election. Following a career in the Commons that spanned 27 years, Hodge told local party members in her east London seat of Barking she had made the “tough decision” not to contest the constituency again. A Jewish MP who was a fierce critic of Jeremy Corbyn during the former Labour leader’s tenure, Hodge has not held a frontbench post since 2010, choosing instead to focus on work as a backbencher. Hodge said she loved having served as an MP, and thanked her local party for “the warmth, the friendship, the support and the love that you’ve shown me down the years”. In a video message released on Thursday night, the 77-year-old-added: “We’ve done fantastic things together.”
Hodge, who was made a dame in 2015 for her political and public service, said her proudest moment was beating Nick Griffin, the then-British National party leader, when he contested the Barking seat in 2010. She said: “The biggest, biggest success and the biggest moment in my life was really our campaign to get rid of the BNP and see them off.” Recalling a speech from the time, Hodge said she would always remember having “told them to pack their bags and go”, adding: “That is still absolutely stamped on my heart as a massive moment.” She also said Labour was a very different party now from the one she remembered when she became an MP in a byelection in 1994. Hodge was well known for her chairing of the public accounts select committee, and went on to write a book, Called to Account, about how corporate “bad behaviour and government waste” had cost taxpayers millions of pounds.
She was also an outspoken critic of Corbyn over anti-Jewish sentiment within the Labour party, and called him a “racist and antisemite”. At the time, a spokesman for Corbyn said Hodge’s accusation was unacceptable.
Boris Johnson has said that people should not be cancelling Christmas events in the light of concern about the Omicron variant. Some firms and individuals have been cancelling bookings, but Johnson said he did not want to see that because there was “no need for that at all”. (See 3.42pm.) He was asked to clarify the government’s position after George Freeman, the science minister, suggest big parties might be best avoided. (See 9.40am.) Keir Starmer said firms should adopt a “common sense approach”, but - like Freeman - he implied that events with hundreds of people from across the country might be unwise. (See 5.12pm.) The UK has recorded its biggest daily figure for new Covid cases for more than four months (see 4.23pm), although the week-on-week rise remains slight (2.8%). For the second day in a row the number of confirmed Omicron cases in the UK has risen by 10, and the total is now 42. (See 5.29pm.) The number of people dining out across the UK has fallen to the lowest level since the reopening of indoor hospitality, according to restaurant industry figures covering the first few days since news broke about the Omicron coronavirus variant. The advertising boss Sir Martin Sorrell has said clients are cancelling Christmas events in response to Omicron, and criticised the UK government for failing to give sufficient guidance on masks. Johnson has refused to explain what happened at the two Downing Street parties last winter that happened during lockdown. (See 4.12pm.) No 10 claims the lockdown rules were not broken, but it has not disputed factual accounts from witnesses suggesting the opposite. Scientists believe they may have found the trigger behind the extremely rare blood clot complications stemming from the Oxford/AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine. A slew of the cheapest deals on PCR tests have been removed from the government website amid concerns travellers are being misled by companies advertising the coronavirus testing service for less than a £1.
Emmanuel Macron’s description of Boris Johnson (Macron privately called Boris Johnson a ‘clown’, says French magazine, 2 December) is grossly insulting to clowns. They are engaged in a serious profession; Johnson isn’t. Prof Bob Brecher Brighton • I would like to point out that “circus” is not the appropriate translation for “cirque” in this context (despite the misleading reference to the “clown”); “shambles” or “madhouse” would be more to the point. Jean-Pierre Hingamp Montreuil-le-Gast, France • Boris Johnson can hardly deny that last year’s Christmas gathering at No 10 was a “party” (Johnson under growing pressure over No 10 parties during lockdown last year, 1 December). I mean, they had a clown and everything. Chris Webster Gümligen, Switzerland • Re the “boozy party” in No 10 on 18 December last year, as a Covid response team doctor making home visits, I attended several lonesome “gasping for breath” parties that day. Denis Jackson Glasgow • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Every eligible adult in the UK should be offered a Covid booster by the end of January as ministers race to increase protection against the Omicron variant, Boris Johnson has announced. Johnson has said he does not want people to cancel Christmas parties or school nativity plays because of concerns about Omicron. When asked about people cancelling these at this press conference, he replied: We don’t want people to cancel such events. We think that overwhelmingly the best thing for kids is to be in school, as I’ve said many times throughout this pandemic. What we are doing is trying to take a balanced and proportionate approach to the particular risk that seems to be posed by Omicron, or certainly is posed by Omicron, focused in particular on measures at the borders. Earlier Johnson made it clear that he disagreed with Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, who used an interview on the Today programme to say that people should avoid unnecessary socialising before Christmas. (See 1.02pm.) MPs have approved tougher Covid rules that came into force overnight making masks mandatory in more places in England and changing isolation requirements due to concern over the Omicron variant. Eight more cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant have been detected in England, the UK Health Security Agency said. All nine cases of the Omicron variant in Scotland trace back to a “single private event” held on 20 November, Nicola Sturgeon has told the Holyrood parliament in her weekly Covid update. The energy regulator has promised to enact tougher stress tests for energy suppliers to prove they have the financial strength to weather a surge in energy market prices – with consequences for suppliers which fail. The Northern Ireland Brexit protocol has not “shattered” the constitutional status of Northern Ireland within the UK, as some unionists have argued, a government lawyer has told a court in Belfast.
The UK’s minimum gap for Covid booster jabs will be halved from six months to three, after the government accepted advice from its vaccines watchdog to speed up the programme to limit the spread of the Omicron variant. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation said in a statement the new policy would “accelerate the deployment of Covid-19 vaccines before the peak of any impending Omicron wave”. In a statement to MPs, Sajid Javid, the health secretary, said that he was accepting the JCVI proposal. But he also told MPs “if it emerges that this variant is no more dangerous than the Delta variant, then we won’t keep measures in place for a day longer than is necessary”. MPs vote on the new restrictions announced for England in response to the Omicron threat - compulsory mask wearing in shops and on public transport, isolation for close contacts of Omicron cases , and PCR tests for new arrivals - after a three-hour debate tomorrow. Scientific advisers are bracing themselves for hundreds of UK cases of the Omicron Covid variant to be confirmed in the next week or so, the Guardian has learned. Downing Street has rejected a call from the Scottish and Welsh goverments for all arrivals in the UK to be made to spend eight days in isolation to reduce the spread of the Omicron variant. (See 11.06am, 11.46am and 1.52pm.) Keir Starmer has sparked a row in the Labour party by launching a shadow cabinet reshuffle as his deputy was giving a major speech attacking “corruption” by the government. MPs should face a complete ban on working as paid consultants and ministers should be more open about any potential conflicts of interest, parliament’s internal standards watchdog has proposed among a series of new anti-sleaze rules. Senior French ministers have accused the UK of operating a labour market akin to slavery and called on London to open safe routes for migrants, as the two governments continued to deflect blame for last week’s drownings in the Channel.
I welcomed Polly Toynbee’s article giving us a positive picture of the 1970s (Are the 2020s really like living back in the 1970s? I wish …, 20 November). However, she omitted what is to me one of the most important and visible differences from now. I was a teenager in the 1970s and was shocked, when going to Italy for the first time, to see people begging on the street. Until the advent of Thatcher it was very rare to see anyone sleeping rough, except on the Embankment in London. It was only with Thatcher’s policies that this became commonplace. As somebody who remembers a world with high income tax and low poverty and homelessness, I consider it a duty to remind those who don’t that such a society is possible and existed not long ago. Rabbi Margaret Jacobi Birmingham • Oh, Polly Toynbee, take off those rose-tinted specs. Yes, university was free for our generation, but the majority finished school at 15 or 16. Jobs with pensions? Not for me, as a secretary, until a public sector job in 1989. Cheap houses? Maybe, but mortgage lenders only took a proportion of the wife’s income into account, assuming correctly that it would disappear once she started a family. Hindsight is not necessarily 20/20 vision. Rita Gallard Norwich • Polly Toynbee is correct when she writes “the 70s were a good time to be alive”, but she makes a very unfair reference to the Austin Allegro. I had one to succeed a much-liked Ford Escort. The Allegro was not only faster and more economical, it had better handing and was the best car in the snow I’ve driven in 45 years or so of motoring. If you need a car to be the epitome of things being bad, the Ford Pinto would be a good start. John Parkin Nuneaton, Warwickshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Keir Starmer has called Boris Johnson’s social care plan a “working-class dementia tax”, accusing the prime minister of breaking the Conservatives’ manifesto promise that no one would have to sell their home to pay care costs. No 10 has said that Boris Johnson will be chairing a meeting of the government’s Cobra emergency committee this afternoon to discuss the situation in the Channel. It follows a report that more than 20 people have died after a boat carrying refugees sunk. My colleague Caroline Davies is covering the latest developments on a separate live blog.
The House of Commons will review rules that led to the Labour MP Stella Creasy being reprimanded for bringing her young baby while she spoke at a debate in parliament, the Speaker has announced. Boris Johnson once again flouted official requests to wear a mask as he watched a performance of Macbeth at a busy theatre in north London on Tuesday night, witnesses say. David Cameron lobbied a director of Lloyds Banking Group, whom the former prime minister had given a peerage, to reverse the bank’s decision to withdraw support from Greensill Capital, which it later did. The shadow social care minister, Liz Kendall, is expecting to be the first serving MP to have a child through surrogacy.
And here the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg again on tonight’s narrow government win on the social care cap, despite an 80 seat majority in the Commons:
This blog will close now, thanks for following along, goodnight.
Your leader on urban rewilding schemes (19 November) correctly points out the ecological value of brownfield sites such as Kent’s Swanscombe peninsula. But not all brownfield sites are as valuable, and a stronger “brownfield first” policy is still urgently needed to protect against the escalating loss of valued countryside. According to a 2021 CPRE report, there is enough brownfield land available for 1.3m new homes. Yet planning legislation favours building on greenfield sites, which is easier and more profitable for developers. Boris Johnson recently adopted “brownfield first” rhetoric, but will it guide Michael Gove’s new planning legislation? After Chesham and Amersham, and with more byelections coming up, ministers would do well to notice what’s happening in Kent on Sunday. Campaign groups are coming together for a day of action, Save Kent’s Green Spaces. They know how much of the Garden of England will be lost if current plans for huge housing developments go ahead. Across the country, many are distressed at the suburbanisation of their countryside. Planning legislation must now be harnessed to protect nature and open spaces. Ros Coward London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
The register of members’ interests is the system by which MPs declare what they earn on top of their salary as an MP, by working for private firms or others outside parliament. They also have to declare gifts, or substantial shareholdings, among other interests. In the most recent update, the prime minister has added an entry confirming that he took free hospitality at a Heathrow VIP lounge on the way to his controversial stay at a villa owned by the Goldsmith family in Spain. This is the first published version of the register since the Owen Paterson affair erupted. Our search also shows how each MP voted in the Leadsom amendment, which sought to spare Paterson from punishment for breaching lobbying rules, and to change the system of regulation. That motion passed but has since been rescinded.
Priti Patel has described the build-up of people seeking to travel to the EU as “a mass migration crisis” and blamed the bloc’s open borders policy for allowing it to happen. The home secretary said the Schengen Agreement, which abolished national borders among member states, has left France “overwhelmed” with migrants trying to reach the UK. Speaking to reporters in Washington DC on Thursday, she said migration had been exacerbated by free movement within the EU. “Let’s not forget that the real problem on illegal migration flows is the EU has no border protections whatsoever – Schengen open borders,” she said. “I think it’s fair to say they [France] are overwhelmed. That is a fact. When you think about the flows, what are they doing? They are absolutely patrolling the beaches [but] I would maintain the numbers are so significant that have they got enough resources? We are constantly pressing France on this.”
More than 24,500 migrants have crossed the Channel in small boats this year – almost triple the number that reached the UK in 2020. More than 1,000 arrived on Tuesday, while on Thursday dozens more migrants are believed to have crossed the Channel, including an individual who had to be airlifted to hospital after suffering a suspected medical episode while attempting to cross by boat. Asked whether the £54m she has promised France to tackle the crisis in the summer was value for money given that more than 12,000 have crossed the Channel since the deal in July, Patel said: “It’s not about value for money. There is a mass migration crisis. “You have people coming from the Sahel, you have them coming from Libya, right into Italy, Greece. “Now Greece has a different policy and they have not decided to sit behind the EU block of competency but as a result, if you speak to my French counterpart, and even their civil servants, they would all say 70 per cent of people come into northern France. “They all come from Belgium. That is a fact because of open borders.”
This live blog is now closing. Thanks for reading along.
Here’s my colleague Aubrey Allegretti’s full report on the vote. That’s it from me, Tom Ambrose, and indeed the UK politics blog this evening. Thank you for following along. You can stick with me by joining me over on the coronavirus blog now if you like, but otherwise have a good evening.
The Conservative MP who accused Marcus Rashford of “playing politics” and said he should stick to football has a second job herself, it has been revealed. Natalie Elphicke, MP for Dover, criticised the Manchester United and England footballer in July after he missed a crucial penalty in the Euro 2020 final. After the match, she sent a private message to colleagues suggesting he stuck to his day job rather than calling on the government to act over free school meals and campaigning against child food poverty. She wrote: “They lost – would it be ungenerous to say Rashford should have spent more time perfecting his game and less time playing politics.” But it has since been revealed that Elphicke, who earns £82,000 as an MP, also gets £36,000 a year from her role as chair of the New Homes Quality Board. She says in the register of members’ interests that her role on the board, which is “an industry-led initiative to promote a new code for housebuilding standards together with a structure for an independent New Homes Ombudsman”, takes around eight hours a week for which she is paid £3,000 a month. The news was first reported by the i newspaper. Following Elphicke’s criticism over the Euro 2020 match, Rashford wrote in The Spectator: “Disappointingly for some, the ‘stick to football’ advice doesn’t cut it where I’m from. I’d be doing [my] community and my family a disservice if I did not use my platform to speak on behalf of the millions whose voices are not being heard.” Elphicke apologised for the message and said that she regretted her “rash reaction about Marcus Rashford’s missed penalty”. The Labour deputy leader, Angela Rayner, told the i news site: “Boris Johnson needs to decide whether his MPs are MPs representing their constituents or if they are advisers and consultants working for private interests who pay them. They can’t be both.” The Guardian has approached Elphicke for comment.
Polly Toynbee (Tory sleaze proves that British politics needs cleaning up. Labour must do it, 9 November) calls for a written constitution as part of an anti-corruption charter. Even a superficial examination of US politics shows that this is not a panacea: it seems that politicians will game any system if vast financial rewards are in question. The problem in both countries is that rightwing political parties, which exist basically to preserve existing privileges (and expand them), are unscrupulous in their methods in proportion to the size of those rewards, which in turn depends on the levels of inequality that exist in their societies. The real solution for UK politics is to return to the relative equality of the postwar years, and the only way to achieve this is by a revolution in the way we tax income and – especially – wealth. Jeremy Cushing Exeter • Polly Toynbee’s notion of a charter-based constitutional alliance may be more of a runner than the much-touted progressive alliance. The latter is a term so vague and slippery that it cuts little ice in serious political arguments. However, obeying the law is a relatively straightforward concept, even when people in high office show contempt for the rules. Apart from the Boris Johnson faction that captured the parliamentary Conservative party, most elected politicians, from parish councillors upwards, understand what a constitution is supposed to do. During Monday’s Commons debate, Chris Bryant made the interesting point that universal suffrage was established less than a century ago. The extension of the franchise to that point was achieved through very specific demands, often expressed through charters. Geoff Reid Bradford • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
The chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, Lord Evans, has urged the goverment to “rapidly” implement plans that would stop MPs working as political consultants and limit the amount of time they can spend on second jobs. He said it could act quickly because a well-considered plan is already “on the table”, having been set out in a report from his committee three years ago. (See 11.07am.) A hospital trust has admitted that Boris Johnson did briefly ignore its rules on mask wearing during a visit on Monday. (See 5pm.) Rishi Sunak has said the government “must do better” in upholding standards in public life, as Conservative MPs continue to be mired in sleaze allegations. Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, has accused three opposition MPs of disrespecting the armed forces by getting drunk on a trip to visit soldiers in Gibraltar. The EU’s Brexit commissioner will tell David Frost that negotiations over Northern Ireland are doomed to fail unless he drops an “unattainable” demand over the role of the European court of justice. Practicalities, not principles, are holding back the payment of a £400m British debt to Iran, seen as a precondition of the release of British-Iranian dual nationals held in Tehran, the former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt has said. Britain’s recovery from its third Covid-19 lockdown slowed sharply over the summer as the economy’s growth was hit by rising infection rates, the pingdemic and global supply shortages.
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In compliance with the House of Commons code of conduct, MPs are required to register financial interests they may have which are relevant to their parliamentary work. These include outside jobs, consultancy work, gifts or membership of organisations that may affect their position as members of parliament. The declarations are listed in the register of members’ interests, which is usually published annually with each new parliamentary session. It is worth keeping in mind that MPs are responsible for deciding what they think is relevant to include. For example, Boris Johnson explicitly said he would not include a free luxury holiday at a villa in Marbella owned by the Goldsmith family, which he says he has declared on a separate ministerial register. Similarly, Owen Paterson had dutifully declared all his consultancy earnings but still fell foul of the regulator because she judged he engaged in lobbying for companies he worked for.
Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, earned money from legal work in the past on top of his job as an MP, the Commons register of interest shows. Starmer, a barrister and former director of public prosecutions, was paid almost £26,000 for work carried out while he was an MP but before he became Labour leader in 2020. He does not currently do legal work, as he gave up his certificate to practise when the party said in 2019 it would ban second jobs unless there were specific exemptions. Labour supports an overhaul of the rules around second jobs for MPs but has stopped short of saying they would be banned altogether. In the House of Commons on Monday, Starmer called on Boris Johnson to “ban paid directorships and consultancy roles” for MPs but the party said its policy was wider than that, in favour of banning second jobs unless there were specific exemptions.
This would, for example, allow MPs to still be able to carry out professional work on the side as doctors, nurses or social workers, or write a book, but not do consultancy or legal work. Only three Labour MPs have second jobs in consultancy or as directors, compared with 90 Conservatives. Chris Bryant, the Labour MP and chair of the Commons standards committee, who is looking at the case for reform of the rules, suggested on Tuesday that political consultancy seemed to be an “inappropriate peddling of influence”. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I can’t prejudge what the committee will decide but that is certainly the argument that has been made by the committee on standards in public life.” “In the end it is about whether you are using those magic letters MP, which can sometimes open doors, whether you are using that always on behalf of your constituents or whether you are using that on behalf of some commercial interest of your own.”
The Conservative MP Andrew Bowie has announced he will resign as a vice-chair of the party in the wake of the sleaze scandal engulfing Boris Johnson. Bowie said he requested to step down but agreed to stay in post until a successor has been appointed. He believed he could not continue to defend the government after the prime minister’s botched bid to save a colleague from suspension and overhaul the standards system. The fallout is continuing and another Tory MP, Geoffrey Cox, is also in the spotlight and has been referred to the commissioner by Labour for appearing to conduct legal work from his Commons office. Bowie’s resignation is significant as he was a key adviser to Theresa May when she was prime minister, serving as her parliamentary private secretary. He became the Conservative vice-chair for youth and the UK union in August 2019, a few months after Johnson became prime minister. Bowie was first elected in 2017 to represent West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine in the Commons. He has a wafer-thin majority of 843 votes. Another Conservative aide, Angela Richardson, temporarily lost her job for voting against the government-backed bid to reform the standards system, but got her job back when Johnson U-turned and ditched the plans.
Boris Johnson rejects the idea of a blanket ban on lucrative second jobs for MPs but believes they must be “visible” to their constituents, No 10 has said. This amounts to implicit criticism of Sir Geoffrey Cox, the Conservative MP and former attorney general who it emerged was voting remotely during lockdown while in the Caribbean doing legal work for the the British Virgin Islands, a tax haven. Labour demanded an inquiry, saying his work was inappropriate because he was helping the BVI respond to a corruption investigation initiated by the UK government. (See 1.13pm.) Downing Street has announced MPs will get a second chance to approve the standards committee report saying Owen Paterson broke Commons rules. (See 12.27pm and 4pm.) All 1.4 million NHS staff in England will have to be vaccinated against Covid by next spring if they want to keep their jobs, Sajid Javid has told MPs. Anna Soubry, a former Conservative minister has accused the government of blacklisting dissenters in contests for senior public jobs after claiming she was overlooked for high-profile roles at Ofcom and the Charity Commission. Ireland has begun making contingency plans for a possible trade war between the EU and the UK in the event that Boris Johnson walks away from the Northern Ireland Brexit protocol.
Stephen Barclay, the Cabinet Office minister, has expressed regret and admitted it was a mistake to try to spare a Tory MP from suspension by ripping up the standards system in a move that sparked a huge backlash from colleagues and the public. He was speaking at the start of a three-hour emergency debate on sleaze and corruption in parliament in which Keir Starmer accused Boris Johnson of giving “the green light to corruption”. (See 4.44m.) Opposition MPs, and even a former Tory chief whip, also criticised Johnson for not being in the Commons himself for the debate; he had an engagement in Northumberland, and No 10 said he could not get back in time because he was travelling by train. Johnson did give a media interview during his visit, but in it he refused point blank to apologise for the Paterson vote last week - even in the mild terms (“regret”, not “apologise”) used by Barclay. (See 1.36pm.) The former health minister James Bethell has conceded that WhatsApp messages he sent at the height of the Covid crisis may have been deleted as he tried to free up memory on his phone. Downing Street has argued that Kathryn Stone, the parliamentary commissioner for standards, should not investigate who paid for the renovation of Boris Johnson’s flat, in the latest apparent attempt to exert pressure on the independent regulator.
You report that the parliamentary watchdog is looking at the rules governing MPs’ second jobs (MPs could be barred from consultancy roles in sleaze clampdown, 7 November). How about capping any income from these jobs at an hourly rate that more realistically reflects the expertise offered? I would suggest the current minimum wage. Alex Heaton Yarwell, Northamptonshire • A relaxation of rules to allow more zebra crossings cannot come soon enough (Charities call for easing of zebra crossing rules to promote walking, 7 November). I live between two small towns, Wigton and Cockermouth. For me, Wigton is particularly dangerous, with only two traditional crossings. Marvejols in France (population 4,700), twinned with Cockermouth, has 37 crossings. Janet Mansfield Aspatria, Cumbria • Regarding British Airways’ owner, IAG, you say that “An annual loss of €3bn would be lower than the €4.3bn deficit reported in 2020” (BA owner says US flights nearly full but warns of €3bn loss, 5 November). It is several years since I retired from the profession, so I am reassured to find that at least one fundamental principle of accountancy remains unchanged. Michael Robinson Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire • Is it a coincidence that the clue for 11 across in the Quick Crossword was “excessive maleness” on the same day that the Wordsearch in your print edition contained 15 poets and they were all white men (G2, 8 November)? Emma Baines Rugby, Warwickshire • How I smiled when I read that M&S has already run out of 12-month-matured Christmas puddings (M&S Christmas ‘food to order’ service sells out of dozens of item, 5 November). We always have these, bought the previous January when reduced. Linda Gresham Birmingham • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Boris Johnson has no intention of placing Owen Paterson in the House of Lords, government sources have indicated. Speculation that the former Conservative cabinet minister might get a peerage, despite the Commons standards committee ruling that he committed an “egregious case of paid advocacy” in defiance of Commons rules, was triggered by a lobby briefing on Friday at which the PM’s spokesperson pointedly refused to rule out the prospect. The briefing prompted Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, to write to the House of Lords appointments commission asking it to issue a public statement saying Paterson was unsuitable for a peerage. But on Sunday, government sources went further, apparently ruling out a peerage for Paterson, at least in the short or medium term. One source familiar with the thinking in No 10 on the matter said there was “no intention of a peerage at all”. The source also strongly rejected suggestions that Paterson, who announced his resignation as an MP on Thursday, had already been offered a seat in the Lords, or that Johnson had discussed the prospect with his fellow Brexiter. Downing Street has yet to quash Paterson’s hopes of a peerage with an on-the-record statement, but ministers and officials are likely to be asked about this again in the coming days. Last year, Johnson gave a peerage to Peter Cruddas, a former Conservative party co-treasurer, even though the appointments commission said it could not approve him getting a peerage because of his past involvement in a cash for access controversy.
We’re wrapping up this live blog now. Here’s a summary of the day’s main events: Labour demanded an investigation into the prime minister’s luxury holiday in Marbella. Angela Rayner said Boris Johnson’s stay, funded by the family of a friend he made a peer and handed a government job, was not declared properly. Downing Street insisted there was no irregularity in the way the gift was declared. The prime minister’s spokesman said it was not recorded on the register of members’ interests because it was a gift from a government minister and, therefore, was to be properly declared on the register of ministerial interests. The rows over the Northern Ireland protocol and fishing rights rumbled on. There was little progress in talks between the Brexit minister and the EU Commission’s vice-president, though the two agreed to meet again in London. If you’d like to follow more of our live news coverage, my colleague Oliver Holmes is running our Cop26 live blog:
What happens when an MP receives a criminal conviction? If an MP receives a sentence of 12 months or under, even if it is suspended, they can expect to face a recall petition if their appeal fails. If they receive a sentence of over 12 months, they automatically lose their seat. Webbe, now an independent MP, was handed a 10-week jail term – suspended for two years – and 200 hours’ community service at Westminster magistrates court. This means there will be an automatic recall petition in Leicester East if her appeal fails. If 10% of the electorate within the constituency sign the recall petition, a byelection is called. If there is a byelection, could Webbe stand again? She could, but not as a Labour candidate. She was expelled from the party upon sentence, a Labour spokesperson confirmed. It is understood the expulsion process began when she was convicted. Given her conviction, will Webbe be able to vote in parliament while she appeals her sentence and will she still receive her salary? She will. How long could it take for her appeal to be heard? Given the current backlog of court cases, it could be many weeks. Have there been similar cases of an MP receiving a serious criminal conviction and continuing to vote in parliament while they appeal? Yes. Fiona Onasanya, the former Labour MP for Peterborough, was convicted for perverting the course of justice in December 2018 and became the first sitting MP in 28 years to be jailed after being sentenced to three months imprisonment. Onasanya served a month of her sentence and was allowed to vote in parliament while tagged. Her final appeal was refused in March 2019, triggering the recall process and a byelection in June 2019 – won by Lisa Forbes for Labour.
Boris Johnson has been accused of “staggering hypocrisy” after it emerged that he flew back to London from the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow by private jet to go to a dinner at a men-only private members’ club. The prime minister is reported to have attended the exclusive private members’ club The Garrick in the West End for a reunion of Daily Telegraph journalists. He flew 400 miles on Tuesday night from Glasgow to London, according to the Daily Mirror. A spokesperson for No 10 said the journey, which alternatively can be done in four and a half hours by train, was taken with consideration of “time restraints”. Anneliese Dodds, the Labour party chair, said: “This is staggering hypocrisy from the prime minister. After warning world leaders it’s one minute to midnight to prevent climate catastrophe, Boris Johnson clocked off from Cop26, jumped in his private jet and flew down to London for dinner at a gentleman’s club with a self-confessed climate change sceptic. “It seems that when it comes to taking action to tackle the climate crisis, there’s one rule for the Conservatives and another rule for the rest of the world.” Pictures obtained by the Mirror show the PM leaving the club at about 10pm alongside Charles Moore, a former editor of the Daily Telegraph who has written sceptically in the past about the climate emergency and was recently handed a life peerage by Johnson. A No 10 spokesperson said: “All travel decisions are made with consideration for security and time restraints. The prime minister returned on Tuesday night from four days of engagements in Rome and Glasgow, ahead of updating parliament on the important commitments secured both at the G20 and Cop26. “The prime minister travelled on one of the most carbon-efficient planes of its size in the world, using the most sustainable aviation fuel possible. The UK will be offsetting all carbon emissions associated with running Cop26, including travel.” Lord Moore declined to comment to the Mirror.
MPs have voted to shelve a recommendation from the standards committee for the former Tory minister Owen Paterson to be suspended from the Commons for 30 days for breaking the rules banning paid lobbying. This is the first time since the second world war that the Commons has rejected a recommendation from its own disciplinary committee to suspend an MP for misconduct, and critics claim the vote could dismantle the standards regime that has been in place for MPs since the cash for questions scandal in the 1990s. A committee is now being set up to consider a new system, and to decide whether the Paterson case needs to be reviewed, but the opposition parties say they will boycott it - which means it may never get off the ground. (The amendment pased today says it has to include opposition MPs.) Sir Keir Stamer says that this amounts to corruption and that Boris Johnson - who took the unusual step of ordering Tory MPs to vote down the standards committee report - is the source of the “rot”. (See 5.40pm.) Covid vaccination is to be made compulsory for the NHS’s 1.45 million staff in England, despite criticism that forcing frontline personnel to get jabbed is heavy-handed and will lead some to quit. Too many people believe the Covid-19 pandemic is over, England’s deputy chief medical officer has said, adding that he is worried that increasing numbers of deaths show “the infection is now starting to penetrate into older age groups”.
George Gater was a congenial colleague at the National Economic Development Office (NEDO) in the 1970s. Some of his colleagues involved in the organisation of the “little neddies”, the industrial working parties, tended to favour the interests of particular sectors. But George never lost sight of the ultimate purpose of the activity – improving the performance of the British economy – on which economists like me were more focused. Our lunchtime conversations ranged more widely, to such matters as the influence of social and historical factors in national economic performance.
We’re winding up our live UK politics coverage now. You can continue to follow coronavirus updates on our Covid live blog here:
And updates from the Cop26 climate conference here:
In UK politics news today: Covid restrictions are being stepped up in parliament, with MPs told to wear masks, tours of the building cancelled and some staff told to work from home. Jacob Rees-Mogg has questioned the fairness of the Conservative MP Owen Paterson facing a six-week suspension from parliament and possible byelection, after he was found to have committed an “egregious” breach of lobbying rules. MPs will vote on the matter on Wednesday. France backed down on its threats to clog up British trade and ban UK fishers from its ports after Jersey offered to speed up approval for “five or six” new fishing vessels in its waters. Ian Gorst, Jersey’s minister for external affairs, said the offer from his administration, which was mirrored by the UK government over an undisclosed number of boats, had proven to be a “good way to move things forward”.
The Treasury committee hearing has ended so that’s all from me for today. Thanks for reading and commenting. Here’s a summary of the key events covered today: The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, was grilled on the budget by MPs on the Commons Treasury committee. He defended the decision to raise taxes as making a “progressive” improvement to people’s quality of life and essential to fix the problems caused by the pandemic. However, he insisted he would bring down taxes in future. The European Union called a meeting involving officials from the UK, France, Jersey and Guernsey as the fishing row escalated. There were fears of Brexit violence in Northern Ireland after armed and masked men hijacked a bus and set it on fire, citing the protocol as their reason. The Conservative party readmitted MP Rob Roberts after he was expelled for sexually harassing a staff member. Follow our Covid blog here:
Boris Johnson is flying back from the Cop26 climate conference on a private plane rather than the train after spending two days warning world leaders to reduce their emissions. The prime minister left himself open to accusations of hypocrisy after urging other countries to do everything possible to pledge lower emissions and warning that they would be judged by their children if they fail to act. Johnson flew into Cop26 in Glasgow from Rome after attending the G20 of world leaders. But instead of getting the train, which takes about four and a half hours, he has decided to take a short internal flight from Glasgow to London. Earlier, he told a roundtable of leaders of developing nations: “When it comes to tackling climate change, words without action, without deeds are absolutely pointless.” The prime minister is one of hundreds of world leaders and businesspeople who have chartered planes to attend the conference aimed at limiting global temperature rises to less than 1.5C. Jeff Bezos, the boss of Amazon, was one of those who flew in to Scotland for the conference. Johnson’s spokesperson defended the move, saying the plane ran partly on “sustainable aviation fuel” and emitted about half the emissions of other aircraft. The plane will still cause far more emissions than a trip by train. “It’s important the PM is able to move around the country. We have obviously faced significant time constraints,” Johnson’s official spokesperson said. The plane – an Airbus A321 – appears to have been leased from a company called Titan Airways, while the prime minister’s usual Voyager is being serviced. His spokesperson said: “The plane is one of the most carbon-efficient planes of its size in the world. It produces 50% less CO2 emissions than, for example, the larger Voyager plane.” Prince Charles also flew from Rome to Glasgow on a private plane separately from the prime minister. It also used sustainable aviation fuel – a mixture of conventional fuel and biofuel.
I echo the comments in Patrick Butler’s piece (Millions will not benefit from Sunak’s ‘tax cut for low paid’, say activists, 27 October). We need to look at inequality in terms of jobs, not just pay. Work-related inequality for disabled people is an issue that runs deep. Disabled people are still shouldering more of the pandemic’s economic impact than their non-disabled peers. Easing the drop in universal credit payments for low-earners in work is a step in the right direction, but doesn’t do enough to account for the extra costs of having a disability, or that disabled people are more likely to be out of work. The latter will still have faced a welfare cut with the end of the £20 universal credit uplift, to say nothing of rising inflation. Gemma Hope London • In reducing the universal credit taper rate from 63% to 55%, the chancellor has recognised that the taper rate is in effect a tax. How then can he justify a marginal tax rate of 55% for the lowest paid, while those with an income of more than £150,000 only pay 45%? Prof Rhys Jenkins Norwich • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
That’s all from me for today. Thanks for reading and commenting. Here’s a summary of the latest news: The UK government threatened to harry EU fishing vessels with “rigorous enforcement processes” over a row with France. During a meeting with the vice-president of the European Commission, the Brexit minister, David Frost, said the UK would launch “dispute settlement proceedings” if several issues are not sorted within the next few days. Earlier, the environment secretary, George Eustice, had warned Paris that “two can play at that game” as he addressed the detention of a British trawler in a French port. “It’s always open to us to increase the enforcement we do on French vessels, to board more of them if that’s what they’re doing to our vessels, there are other administrative things we can require of vessels,” he said. And he implied that the French approach was due to the impending elections there. The government agreed to cut the cost of repeat prescriptions for hormone replacement therapy for those experiencing symptoms of the menopause after a campaign by a Labour MP. Carolyn Harris introduced a private members’ bill and withdrew it on Friday after the health minister, Maria Caulfield, said the government would amend the way the charges are levied – potentially saving affected women hundreds of pounds per year. There is no evidence that ministers or officials considered potential conflicts of interest before handing government contracts to a former No 10 adviser, Whitehall’s independent watchdog found. The National Audit Office report said two projects involving the disgraced financier Lex Greensill’s firm offered no material benefits to the NHS. If you’d like to follow our live coverage of the pandemic, which is being run by my colleague Tom Ambrose, you can find that here:
In late 2019, we were warned that the election of a Labour government would result in chaos – fuel shortages, higher prices, increased borrowing and debt, inept political leadership, loss of business confidence and higher taxes. Thankfully, we dodged this bullet by electing Boris Johnson’s Conservatives instead. Pete Dorey Bath • I realise that the English language that we “oldies” have so cherished has now been crushed into bite-size acronyms for texting. But shame on the Guardian for neglecting its standards and writing single column headlines in your print edition such as “Queen WFH ...” (Report, 26 October). WTF! Steve Mason Hornchurch, Essex • Re recycling (Letters, 26 October), my mother was given a rolling pin as a wedding present in 1943. Made of glass, it had a note attached saying: “You can only hit him once.” Needless to say, it was never used, either on my father’s head or otherwise. I still have it, unused, nearly 80 years later. Jo Burden Marlow, Buckinghamshire • Further to “Buy it, Rent it, Thrift it” and “Make it yourself” (Letters, 26 October), I suggest “Bespoke it”. Support your local (independent) dressmaker who will design and make it for you. Ann Gowland Farnham, Surrey • Maybe Tesco could provide pictures of the even rarer ingredients of Feast recipes (Letters, 27 October). Mike Keddie Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
The Tory MP Owen Paterson faces a 30-day suspension from the House of Commons for an “egregious” breach of lobbying rules, raising the possibility he could lose his seat if enough constituents trigger a byelection. Paterson has strongly reject the Commons standards committee’s findings, and claimed the inquiry into the accusations against him contributed to his wife taking her life last year. (See 2.24pm.) Plans to take tougher action against water companies for pumping sewage into rivers and the sea will once again be opposed by the government, Downing Street has announced. Peers are debating the environment bill, and later today they are expected to debate a new amendment from the crossbencher, the Duke of Wellington, who tabled the original proposal to protect rivers from raw sewage that was controversially voted down by MPs. Wellington’s latest amendment says water companies should “take all reasonable steps to ensure untreated sewage is not discharged from storm overflows into inland & coastal waters”. Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, has told MPs that he does not think Nato was militarily defeated in Afghanistan. Instead there was a failure of political resolve, he told the Commons defence committee. He said: I don’t think that we were defeated. Our resolve was found wanting, I would say, rather than defeated Nato were there to enable a political campaign and I think that is what failed. The military were there to put in place the security environment in order to try and deliver that. When that is withdrawn, that is when you find out whether your political campaign has worked. What was we discovered is it didn’t work. It was the western resolve and the western narrative or political foundations they had laid failed. There are a lot of searching questions there for all of us. That’s all from me for today. But our coronavirus coverage continues on our global live blog.
Facebook is “unquestionably making hate worse”, MPs and peers have been told by the American whistleblower Frances Haugen. She made the claim during a long appearance before the committee considering the draft online safety bill. Although much of what Haugen said echoed what had already been leaked to the US media, or revealed in her recent testimony to Congress, her damning indictment of the company seemed to make a powerful impact on the parliamentarians. This is from the BBC’s Faisal Islam.
Boris Johnson has admitted Britain could fail to broker adequate enough deals to curb irreversible and devastating climate change at the global summit of world leaders beginning in Scotland later this month. Johnson has been criticised by the Recycling Association for saying that recycling plastic is a “red herring” because what matters is cutting plastics use. (See 12.52pm and 4.57pm.) Past chancellors would have resigned for revealing details of the budget before the official statement, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker has told MPs, expressing fury at the briefing of a slew of measures to be announced on Wednesday. The UK’s “national living wage” is to go up to £9.50 an hour from next April, meaning a pay rise for millions of low-paid workers. The government has launched a defensive social media campaign after MPs faced anger from their constituents over last week’s sewage vote, in which an amendment to the environment bill that would have placed a legal duty on water companies not to pump waste into rivers was voted down.
The UK recorded 49,298 new Covid cases on Friday and a further 180 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, the latest government figures show. The seven-day average shows that cases have risen by 18.1% in the last week, while deaths are up by 15.8%. Boris Johnson said that the government sees “absolutely nothing to indicate that [a full lockdown] is on the cards at all” when asked to rule out a shutdown with ““stay at home” advice and shops closing this winter. Johnson refused to commit to wearing a face mask in parliament following a call by health secretary Sajid Javid for MPs to do so. Former Labour MP Frank Field asked peers to back efforts to relax the law on assisted dying as it was announced he is terminally ill. That’s all from me for today after a slightly stop-start afternoon. You can follow the latest UK Covid developments over on our global blog – that’s here:
Boris Johnson used his White House-style press briefing room, which cost the taxpayer £2.6m, to enjoy a screening of the new James Bond film with No 10 staff. It was understood the prime minister attended the screening of No Time To Die at No 9 Downing Street after work hours on Thursday. Lobby briefings with Westminster’s political journalists instead took place in a room in No 10 that day, as well as on Friday. A No 10 spokesperson said: “The prime minister met with Pinewood Studios, Universal Pictures, Eon Productions and the BFI to congratulate them on the success of the latest James Bond instalment – a testament to the talent of the British creative industry. An evening film screening took place for staff, who made voluntary donations, with all proceeds going to Sarcoma UK.” All installation costs were said to have been met by the companies involved, and that similar screenings have happened previously. The PA Media news agency revealed in March, through a Freedom of Information Act request, the refurbishments to the former courtroom in No 9 had cost the taxpayer £2.6m. The renovations took place under plans to hold daily televised media conferences at the venue, and to be led by former journalist Allegra Stratton, who was appointed as the prime minister’s press secretary. But in April it emerged the plans had been scrapped amid concerns about the “political risk” involved, and Stratton was moved to become a spokeswoman for the Cop26 climate summit. Labour criticised the controversial transformation a “pointless vanity project” and said the money should have been spent giving a pay rise to NHS workers. The opposition also accused Johnson of “running scared of scrutiny”. Johnson and his cabinet ministers have since used the room mainly for national coronavirus briefings.
Boris Johnson has said there is no need for the government to activate its Covid plan B because coronavirus cases are not rising beyond expectations. (See 3.51pm.) The UK has recorded more than 50,000 new daily Covid cases - the highest rate for more than three months. (See 4.21pm.) Sir Keir Starmer has said the government’s plan A is “failing” because the vaccine booster rollout is happening too slowly. (See 4.42pm.) He called for booster shots to be delivered at the rate of 500,000 a day - a target also set in a paper from Tony Blair’s thinktank. (See 10.27am.) Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the Commons, has refused to back Sajid Javid’s call for Tory MPs to set an example by wearing masks in the Commons. No 10 also defended the right of MPs not to wear masks in the chamber. (See 1.16pm.) Jeremy Hunt has called for the government to cut the time required between Covid vaccine doses to allow more booster jabs to be given as concern grows about the pace and organisations of the latest rollout. When asked if the government would act on this recommendation, Johnson sidestepped the question. (See 3.31pm.) The Department for Health and Social Care has announced it will spend £162m helping care homes retain and recruit staff. The money will go to councils to allow them, working with providers, to recruit staff. “It will also be available to help retain the existing workforce - through overtime payments and staff banks of people ready to work in social care - and will provide further capacity to support their health and wellbeing through occupational health,” the DHSC says.
Ministers will do “what it takes” to ensure the NHS is not overwhelmed this winter, Sajid Javid has said as he warned that the number of new infections across the UK could hit a record 100,000 a day. The health secretary said the government would not heed the call from the NHS Confederation to implement “plan B” measures such as mandatory mask-wearing “at this time”. But he underlined the fact that ministers would be, “staying vigilant, preparing for all eventualities”. The government has come under mounting pressure to take action to contain the virus. The latest data shows 49,139 new infections recorded in the last 24 hours, and 179 deaths.
That’s it from us for today. Thanks for following along. You can read the full story on the government’s net zero strategy here:
On a moving day in Westminster, MPs and Lords have been paying tribute to Sir David Amess after he was killed on Friday. Prime minister Boris Johnson said his killing was a “contemptible act of violence striking at the core of what it is to be a member of this house” and during a session of tributes in the House of Commons, he said Sir David was one of the “nicest, kindest and most gentle” of MPs (see 15:46). Southend will become a city, meaning the success of a campaign Sir David had championed for his 38 years as a backbench MP. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told the Commons that the attack was “an attack on our country and our way of life” (see 15:51). Conservative MP and Essex MP Mark Francois said Sir David was “the best father of the House of Commons that it will never have in an emotional tribute (see 15:59). The father of the suspect currently being interviewed over the stabbing has previously worked on “anti-extremism projects”. The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby told a remembrance service at St Margaret’s Church in Westminster that the “light” of the late-MPs public service “may flicker but it will never be extinguished” (see 18:36).
Julian Coman carefully outlines the current tensions in the Tory party between orthodox Thatcherites and a more interventionist right (Labour, take note: Boris Johnson is redefining modern Conservatism, 12 October). As the Conservative commentator Tim Montgomerie puts it, for the Tories post-Brexit, “the magnetism of national sovereignty has finally overtaken the magnetism of free markets”. Coman argues that this shift heralds a return to the one-nation Conservatism of the Harold Macmillan era, reinvigorating neglected traditions in the Tory party. Yet the version of the 2020s is very different. The political significance of the shift from neoliberal economics to national populism is that it enables Conservatives to appeal to workers with an apparent anti-capitalist message, challenging the iniquities of foreign capital and calling for bosses to pay higher wages. This is combined with a powerful dose of nationalism and social conservatism, shown most persistently in the frequency with which Conservatives attack anti-racism campaigns. Culture wars are at the heart of Boris Johnson’s project. He sees them as the glue to keep his electoral coalition together. Thus, while Ted Heath sacked Enoch Powell from his shadow cabinet for the infamous “rivers of blood” speech, Johnson backs Priti Patel as she demonises refugees and condemns the England football team for “taking the knee”. The progressive response to the changes that Coman charts should be more economic intervention, combined with a renewed commitment to social liberalism. Jon Bloomfield Birmingham • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
The leader of Britain’s GPs has condemned ministers’ “malicious criticism” and “vilification” of family doctors amid a furious backlash from the profession at government demands for them to increase face-to-face appointments. Jeremy Hunt, the Conservative former health secretary and chair of the Commons health committee, has said the £250m plan to improve GP services announced today will fail to “turn the tide”. (See 1.05pm.) Prof Chris Whitty, the government’s chief medical adviser, has said the NHS will face an “exceptionally difficult” winter even without a spike in Covid cases. (See 10.34pm.) The number of people waiting for hospital treatment in England has hit a record high of 5.7 million, as the NHS struggles to clear the growing backlog of care worsened by the pandemic. Sajid Javid, the health secretary, has said he is sorry for the losses that have occurred due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but fell short of apologising for the government’s decision to delay lockdown last March. He also claimed it was too early to know what lessons could be learnt from the Covid pandemic. (See 9.28am.) Boris Johnson gave personal assurances to the Northern Ireland MP Ian Paisley that he would commit to “tearing up” the Brexit protocol that is now the centre of a major row between the UK and the EU, it has been claimed. A Conservative police commissioner accused of victim blaming in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard has resigned after being told there was a “catastrophic lack of confidence” in his position.
The EU has offered to abandon 80% of checks on supermarket goods that enter Northern Ireland from Britain but officials in Brussels conceded they were “preparing for the worst” amid signs Boris Johnson is unlikely to accept the deal. The DUP has said the EU proposals “clearly fall a long way short of being the basis of a sustainable solution”. (See 6.23pm.) The UK government responded by saying it now wanted “intensive talks” between the two sides to start.
The EU’s proposals to break the impasse over the Northern Ireland Brexit protocol have gone “beyond expectations” of local businesses who say the bloc has listened to their demands and come up with solutions. The UK government always intended to “ditch” the Northern Ireland protocol, Boris Johnson’s former adviser Dominic Cummings has claimed. Claudia Webbe MP has been found guilty of harassment and is expected to face demands to stand down from her seat. China’s “deeply concerning” plan to burn more coal threatens to derail the UK’s efforts to coordinate tougher global commitments to reduce carbon emissions at next month’s Cop26 summit in Glasgow, according to climate experts and Labour.
The piece by a former Home Office decision-maker on asylum claims (The Home Office is failing refugees. I’ve seen it from the inside, 8 October) took me right back to 2006-07 and my time as a subcontracted trainer for the Home Office, inducting ab initio asylum case workers into what was known as the “new asylum model”. In a Home Office characterised at the time as “unfit for purpose”, this was a hurriedly cobbled together attempt at change management. At a stroke, tens of thousands of outstanding asylum claims were shoved aside as a “legacy” to be worked on in (even) slower time, and a new, supposedly more effective system for dealing with claims brought in. Clearly, no good came of it. The litany of challenges, lack of humanity, and ethos of a “hostile environment” (a phrase not yet in common parlance then) was all too evident back then. So nothing has changed. What an embarrassment and national disgrace. Anyone with an ounce of compassion should be ashamed of a government that, to garner votes, allows a dysfunctional asylum processing system and promotes hostility to migrants. Name and address supplied • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Boris Johnson jets off on holiday yet again (Report, 11 October). In January 1942, at the height of the second world war, his hero Winston Churchill had a freebie break in Florida. Following talks with Franklin D Roosevelt in Washington to discuss a joint war strategy, Churchill was flown down to Pompano beach for a holiday and stayed in a house provided by the US secretary of state, Edward Stettinius. The local newspaper, the Miami Daily News, had a cartoon showing two overweight middle-aged men flopped on a beach, captioned: “Hard work is the thing that will win this war – we must keep at it night and day.” Eric Tyrer Brighton, East Sussex • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Phil Burton-Cartledge asks “Why do the Tories look so invincible?” (8 October). The Guardian’s endless slagging-off of Keir Starmer and Labour might have something to do with it. Peter Brooker West Wickham, Kent • Oh, how I miss my daily dose of Steve Bell. The occasional cartoon only serves to remind me of the irreverent, acerbic, supremely rude wit and artistic genius that readers are missing. I’m sure he’s not past squeezing one out four or five times a week. Neil Burgess London • I was mystified by an article about what to do with leftover biscuits (Waste not, 9 October), but reassured by Alys Fowler’s gardening column advising me that “the best thing you can do for your garden is very little” (Saturday magazine, 9 October). That’s more like it. Matthew Newman Leeds • Peter Bottomley is concerned about MPs’ pay (Politics live with Andrew Sparrow, 7 October)? What’s the solution – maybe a £20-a-week increase? Patricia Baker-Cassidy Oxford • I once asked a student why his brother hadn’t made it to school. “Oh, he’s still in bed, Mr C. He’s well ill,” came his reply. Despite the apparent contradiction, I knew what he meant (Letters, 6 October). David Cordingley Lincoln • Adrian Chiles suggests that we “Ask not what the NHS can do for us … but what can we do for the NHS?” (6 October). A very simple way to give something back is to become a blood donor. Michael Church Lincoln • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Business leaders have been “infuriated” by what Boris Johnson has been saying about them this week, Tony Danker, the head of the CBI, has said. (See 3.53pm.) Voters preferred Sir Keir Starmer’s party conference speech to Johnson’s, a poll suggests. (See 9.31am and 11.39am.) The EU has urged the UK to drop the “political rhetoric” in the row over Brexit negotiations for Northern Ireland, revealing it will make what it described as “far-reaching proposals” to break the impasse next week. Men across Scotland must challenge themselves and one another over misogynistic behaviour, Nicola Sturgeon has said, as she called for events of the past few weeks to mark a turning point “where we stop expecting women to fix these problems, and put the full glare where it belongs, on men who behave in a deeply unacceptable way”. Stormont ministers have agreed to remove a legal requirement for social distancing in bars and restaurants in Northern Ireland, PA Media reports. PA says the 1-metre rule will be removed on 31 October, when nightclubs can also reopen. On that date, customers will also now be able to move around all hospitality premises freely again and dancing will once again be permitted. The executive will ask event organisers and venues to require patrons to either prove full vaccination or a negative lateral flow test or evidence of a Covid infection within the previous six months. Sir Peter Bottomley, the Conservative leader of the Commons, has been criticised for saying MPs should be paid more. (See 2.49pm.) The Conservative party has suspended a councillor and is investigating allegations that he has been a secret supporter of a far-right organisation.
Boris Johnson has outlined his vision for an upbeat, optimistic UK buoyed by higher wages and improved opportunity for all, contrasting this with a Labour party he labelled “tired” and divided. The full text of the speech is here. Johnson has argued that his levelling up plans will “take the pressure off parts of the overheating south-east”. The claim is significant because the Conservatives have been struggling to explain why levelling up would support their wealthier supporters, particularly in the home counties. (See 9.56am.) Johnson’s vision for the UK has had a frosty reception with business and union leaders, with one thinktank condemning the prime minister’s speech to Conservative conference as “economically illiterate”. Johnson has faced criticism after it emerged that the single notable policy announcement in his conference speech was not new, and was one of three sections on education that failed to properly stand up to scrutiny. And here is an analysis from my colleague Aubrey Allegretti, with key points from the speech, and why they are significant.
Quote of the day “I think you should be called Alok Charmer,” said Stanley Johnson as he interviewed the Cop26 president. It was only downhill from there at one of the more bizarre events at conference, as Johnson kept returning to the idea of anal swabs to test for Covid. Tweet of the day Jonathan Black, a former president of the London Criminal Courts Solicitors’ Association.
Debate of the day For his only conference fringe event, Rishi Sunak submitted to an hour of questions from low-tax diehards the Institute for Economic Affairs and Taxpayers’ Alliance, and, in a sign of how the Tory party is very much under new management, he offered them very little in the way of assurances. The chancellor did concede he would prefer the state to be closer to 20% of GDP rather than the 40% it is fast approaching, but added with almost an apologetic shrug that the 2019 Tory manifesto was “a pretty expansive agenda”. Translation: we’re all Johnson-ists now, and as long as he’s popular, we have to accept it. The day in a picture Carrie Johnson arrives in Manchester for her one special event – an appearance at the LGBT+ Conservatives reception.
Row of the day Was it cold toast at the Midland hotel buffet or a late-night essay crisis on his speech? Whatever it was, Johnson had a tetchy start with the BBC’s Nick Robinson on the Today programme. Robinson started with a reproach that Johnson hadn’t appeared in two years, which the prime minister seized on as an explanation every time he gave a long and rambling answer to a question – he was making up for lost time. At one point, Robinson had to shout: “Prime minister stop talking.” A clearly miffed Johnson then jabbed back about being “allowed to speak” several more times during his answers. Tomorrow’s highlights There’s only one ticket in town – it’s Boris Johnson’s speech. It’s at 11.30am and comes in at a nippy 40 minutes – half the length of Keir Starmer’s. Expect lots of sunlit uplands and very little actual policy.
Michael Gove, the new levelling up secretary, has been accused by campaigners of being “vacuous” after giving his most detailed account to date of what the government’s levelling up policy means. (See 3.35pm.) The Conservatives have been under pressure to give back donations given to the party by two businessmen with alleged links to corruption. Rishi Sunak has signalled that any further spending pledges will need to be funded by tax rises rather than borrowing, as he told the Conservative party that it should not trash its reputation for “fiscal responsibility”. Five people have been arrested over an alleged assault on Iain Duncan Smith, the former party leader, outside the conference hall. (See 5.53pm.) Nadine Dorries has labelled the BBC an institution riven by bias and staffed by people “whose mum and dad worked there”, despite Boris Johnson urging colleagues to dial down culture war rhetoric. The UK will react in a “robust” manner if the EU launches a retaliatory trade war in the event of Brexit talks on Northern Ireland breaking down, the government has warned. A man has been thrown out of the Conservative party conference after a senior energy executive said she was aggressively assaulted in the main bar on Sunday night.
Queues for petrol and mass culls of pigs at farms because of a lack of abattoir workers are part of a necessary transition for Britain to emerge from a broken economic model based on low wages, Boris Johnson has argued. But the British Meat Processors Association said Johnson was talking “nonsense” about the reasons for the problem in its sector. (See 3.07pm.) Senior Tories have urged Johnson not to give up on low-tax Conservatism. (See 6.49pm.) The conference has opened with a battle cry against “woke aggression”, with cabinet ministers decrying “cancel culture” and expected to rail against leftwing bias at the BBC. A Tory MP has said that he hopes the current HGV driver shortage will lead to supermarket supply chains being dismantled. “It will mean that the farmer down the street will be able to sell their milk in the village shop like they did decades ago,” Chris Loder said. (see 4.10pm.) The Conservatives’ young women’s group has called for an investigation into “the apparent culture of misogyny in the police”, piling pressure on Johnson after he faced down calls for a major independent inquiry. Oliver Dowden, the party co-chair, has confirmed that the party is rethinking its planning reforms. (See 4.04pm.)
Charities and the Labour party have criticised the government’s planned £500m winter hardship fund as a “temporary sticking plaster” that will not help struggling households recover from next week’s £20-a-week cut to universal credit. Keir Starmer has blamed the fuel crisis on Boris Johnson’s “whack-a-mole” approach to running the country, urging him to plan ahead or risk staff shortages in a string of other industries in the coming months. Simon Clarke, the new chief secretary to the Treasury, has been described as “ridiculous” by a fellow senior Tory for arguing that the shortage of HGV drivers has nothing to do with Brexit. (See 10.14am.) Johnson has claimed that the Cop26 global climate crisis conference taking place in November could mark “the beginning of the end of climate change”. (See 4.35pm.) Mark Drakeford, the Welsh first minister, has launched a strong attack on the UK government, claiming that a combination of ideology, incompetence and malevolence had resulted in the fuel crisis and is leaving the most vulnerable people facing one of the most difficult winters for years. A City firm has been put on standby to take control of a large energy company amid fears that one could collapse soon, overwhelming the existing safety net put in place by the regulator, Ofgem.
During Grey Gowrie‘s time as deputy to Jim Prior in Northern Ireland, for which he had much affection, I served as his private secretary. Some Unionists viewed him with suspicion: Ian Paisley hailed him as “the little green Lord”, only partly referring to his green overcoat. The first of the two enduring marks he left on the region concerned the long overdue decriminalisation of male homosexual acts in 1982. During the consultation period, Paisley led various delegations. At the end of one meeting, Gowrie said wearily: “You don’t understand, Dr Paisley. We’re not proposing to make it compulsory.” When Prior prepared a white paper in 1983 setting out a way to restore devolution on terms acceptable across Northern Ireland’s political spectrum, Gowrie wrote a distinctive chapter proposing something along the lines of an explicit deal between the two main communities, an idea that came to underlie the Good Friday agreement of 15 years later. Efforts to persuade him to get rid of a cardboard box in his London office from his previous department, topped by a teddy bear, were rebuffed with the comment that it was a valuable reminder of the transience of ministerial life.
Quote of the day Winning a general election. I didn’t come into politics to vote over and over again in parliament and lose and then tweet about it. I came into politics to go into government to change millions of lives for the better. Keir Starmer, in an interview with the BBC, when asked what mattered to him most politically. Tweet of the day
Diane Abbott isn’t about to let Starmer off on the idea of a £15 minimum wage, and she has the photographs to help her. Debate of the day Perhaps less a debate than a policy statement of intent, in the conference hall speech by Nick Thomas-Symonds. The shadow home secretary spoke to an audience including the head of the Police Federation, and accused the Conservatives of “defunding the police”, borrowing the slogan used by some backers of Black Lives Matter, and calling the Tories “the party of crime and disorder”. The day in a picture
Delegate Catherine Atkinson addresses the conference while holding Elena, aged nine months – who is, happily, at the correct age to enjoy clapping herself. Row of the day The culmination of a row, but a row nonetheless: the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers’ Union, which is small but has been affiliated to Labour for more than a century, is to cut its ties with the party. Sarah Woolley, its general secretary, said the decision was taken because of “how far the Labour party has travelled away from the aims and hopes of working-class organisations like ours”. Wednesday’s highlights A highlight, singular: Starmer’s speech, starting at midday, the last event in the main conference hall. It is billed as a chance both for the leader to set out a vision for what a Starmer prime ministership would look like, and to send home the delegates with a spring in their step after a somewhat mixed event so far. No pressure, then.
Sir Keir Starmer has said that winning a general election is more important to him than party unity. In an interview with the BBC, he also claimed that common ownership and nationalisation were “worlds apart”. (See 5.36pm.) The Conservatives were accused of “defunding the police” through a decade of cuts in a speech on Tuesday by Nick Thomas-Symonds, the shadow home secretary, which aimed to reposition Labour as the party of law and order. See 3.23pm for an analysis of the speech’s significance. The leftwing bakers’ union has announced it is going to cut its links with Labour. (See 4.31pm.) Delegates have voted in favour of a £15 per hour minimum wage. (See 6.12pm.) Wes Streeting, the shadow child poverty secretary, has said “private education will be made redundant” under Labour because it would improve the experience on offer in state schools. (See 11.50am.) Jeremy Corbyn has declined to rule out standing as an independent at the next election if by then he has not had the Labour whip restored. (See 11.54am.)
A shadow cabinet minister has quit Keir Starmer’s top team, citing the leadership’s failure to support a £15-an-hour minimum wage and saying Labour is “more divided than ever”. Labour would invest £28bn a year in climate measures to protect Britain from disaster, Rachel Reeves has announced in by far the party’s biggest spending pledge to date. In an analysis, my colleague Larry Elliott says Gordon Brown’s old motto, “prudence for a purpose”, provides a good summary of what Reeves was trying to achieve.
An attempt by Labour activists to pass a motion committing the party to backing proportional representation for Westminster elections has been defeated. (See 6.43pm.) As my colleague Peter Walker reports, CLPs were about 80% in favour. But it failed because the unions were 95% against.
The delegates did vote for a motion condemning the new Aukus pact as a “dangerous move that will undermine world peace” - even though Starmer told MPs that Labour supported the pact. (See 3.56pm.)
Quote of the day “I have read the 11,500 words. We were told it was 14,000 words – so there is 2,500 missing. That must be where the politics was. The rest of it is banality after banality. It really is.” John McDonnell, speaking at a fringe event about Keir Starmer’s policy pamphlet. Tweet of the day
Debate of the day Labour’s green policies came under the spotlight, as delegates passed a sweeping motion supporting a green new deal – including nationalisation of energy – just as Starmer made clear on Marr on Sunday that he had no intention of bringing the big six energy firms under state control. Momentum claimed the vote as a significant victory, underlining the Labour membership’s appetite for radical policies on climate. The day in a picture
Row of the day It’s the Sunday of Labour conference and therefore it’s always about rule changes. After a fierce row that dominated the run-up to conference, Starmer pushed through some watered-down reforms of how the party choses its next leader. Momentum said it would mean MPs get “exaggerated weight” in future leadership elections. Starmer says it will turn the party outwards to focus on the public – which is code for: “Let’s ram this through now and then never have this row ever again.” Tomorrow’s highlights As Labour moves – it hopes – from the knotty question of rule changes to showing that it is ready to govern Britain, shadow chancellor and close Starmer ally Rachel Reeves will give her big speech, setting out how Labour would combine fiscal responsibility with financing the transition to a green economy. Conference will also hear from shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Reynolds, who has led the fight against the universal credit cut.
Jeremy Corbyn saw a Labour conference fringe event on the climate emergency disrupted by his brother Piers, who protested by shouting and handing out climate science-denying leaflets. The former Labour leader appeared on a panel at the radical-left World Transformed fringe festival at the conference, where he spoke in favour of nationalising energy companies and tackling the climate emergency with a green industrial revolution. As Keir Starmer confirmed that he was retreating from Labour’s commitment to nationalising energy, Corbyn called for collective global action on the climate emergency and “public ownership of energy, of water and all the other transport industries, with public investment” that must “end the domination of private greed that has done so much damage to our country, our environment and our planet”. He also attacked Starmer for trying to push “unnecessary, undemocratic … rules changes” through the conference in Brighton. Piers Corbyn stood up wearing a “Resist! Defy! Don’t comply!” anti-lockdown T-shirt, and a fellow protester became agitated when the panel’s moderator asked for a second round of questions only from women and people of colour. When the fellow protester was removed from the tent, Piers Corbyn began shouting and refused requests to leave. He was booed by many of the hundreds of people in the tent who had turned out to listen to his brother. Throughout the episode, the former Labour leader remained calm and did not comment publicly on the protesters’ antics. After the event, Piers Corbyn gave out leaflets claiming “Man-made climate change does not exist” and urging the government to “stop jabbing children”. He said he “doesn’t care” what Jeremy made of his protests and claimed his brother had been “captured by the trade unions”, adding: “I have supported him since he was 15 – no, actually, since he was nought.”
Here’s a summary of the day’s key events from our rolling coverage of the 2021 Labour Conference. Jeremy Corbyn has said Britain should stay out of the Aukus defence pact, which he fears could see the country drawn into a new cold war with China. Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, tore into “Tory sleaze” and tax-dodging firms as she set out plans to boost workers’ rights. Within the first 100 days of a Labour government, the party said it would legislate to launch sector-wide fair pay agreements, starting in social care, as part of a “fundamental change” to the economy. Leader Keir Starmer’s watered-down set of Labour reforms will be put to the party’s conference after he was forced to ditch a major shake-up of the leadership election process. Labour’s general secretary David Evans was backed by the party’s conference after facing down critics by putting his leadership role to a vote. Evans was supported by 59.05% votes to 40.95% in the vote at the gathering in Brighton.
John McDonnell, the former shadow chancellor, has said that a 12,000 word essay by Sir Keir Starmer setting out his vision for Labour won’t inspire votes and reads “like the Sermon on the Mount written by a focus group”. (See 11.01am, 11.56am and 2.48pm.) Ministers are examining a £1bn-a-year increase in benefit payments to cushion the impact of the imminent £6bn-a-year cut in universal credit. Further evidence has emerged that the government operated a “VIP” fast-track process for favoured companies leading to accusations that ministers misled the public about billions of pounds of Covid-19 testing contracts. Kwasi Kwarteng, the business minister, has conceded that rising energy prices will hit people in the north more because of the colder weather they experience. (See 12.44pm.) Downing Street has urged people to buy fuel as normal despite the closures of some forecourts. The prime minister’s spokesman told journalists: It’s important to restate that there’s no shortage of fuel so people should continue to buy it as usual. Fuel, as in food, we have a very resilient and robust supply chain. So as I say people should continue to shop for fuel as usual. Keith Vaz, the former Labour minister, has been reprimanded and faces a ban from the Parliamentary estate after being found to have engaged in “sustained and unpleasant bullying” towards a parliamentary member of staff, an official report has concluded. Boris Johnson’s national insurance hike to fund health and social care will hit NHS and care workers with a £900m tax bill, the Guardian can reveal. Equalities minister Kemi Badenoch has been criticised after leaked messages revealed that she claimed not to “care about colonialism”, amid warnings that Conservatives could haemorrhage support from the black community. That’s all from me for today. For more Covid coverage, do read our global live blog.
Prof Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, has justified the plan to vaccinate 12- to 15-year-olds, telling MPs it is almost inevitable that children will get infected, and that half of them have probably had coronavirus already. (See 2.18pm and 4.15pm.) Keir Starmer could be forced to delay plans for Labour party reforms amid resistance from key trade unions, who have said they need more time to consult on plans to rewrite the leadership election rules. Gordon Brown has called the government’s decision to cut £20 a week from universal credit the most “socially divisive and morally indefensible” policy he has witnessed in UK politics, saying it was being pursued with open disregard for its impact. The UK gas crisis has claimed another two energy companies, bringing the total number of households that have lost their supplier this year to almost 2m. Angela Rayner has accused the government of failing the British people over the looming energy crisis in a prime minister’s questions notable for its stand-in participants and a series of jibes about the holiday habits of her opponent, Dominic Raab. The US will start to allow imports of UK lamb for the first time in decades, Boris Johnson has said, as he used his trip to Washington to talk up what he termed “solid incremental steps” in mutual trade, in the absence of a formal bilateral deal. Johnson has jokingly dismissed French concern about the new Australia/UK/US defence partnership, Aukus, telling President Macron he should “prenez un grip about this and donnez moi un break”. (See 1.51pm.) Brazil’s health minister, Marcelo Queiroga, has tested positive for Covid and gone into isolation, 24 hours after meeting a maskless Boris Johnson and other British officials in New York. That’s all from me for today. But our Covid coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
Labour is set to reignite a major row over how it selects its party leader, with a vote expected on a return to the system that hands MPs more power. Jennifer Arcuri, the American tech entrepreneur, has told members of the London assembly that any trade help she received from the GLA was due to her being an effective “hustler”, not to her relationship with Boris Johnson. (See 5.45pm.) Johnson has refused to accept that the energy crisis could lead to people struggling at Christmas. (See 2.43pm.) Ministers are very close to reaching a deal to restart carbon dioxide (CO2) production at factories on Teesside and in Cheshire, in an effort to ease fears of food shortages. Headteachers say the government needs to be on “high alert” to curb school Covid outbreaks, after more than 100,000 children were absent with confirmed or suspected infections last week – the highest number for England during the pandemic. That’s all from me for today. But our Covid coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, has told MPs that there is no danger of the UK running out of gas and that talk of return to the three-day week is “alarmist, unhelpful and completely misguided”. But he also said the government would take steps to protect consumers. (See 3.35pm.) He did not say what new measures might be taken, but he did reveal that a joint announcement from the government and Ofgem is coming later. Damian Green, the Tory former first secretary of state, has said that the UK is facing a cost of living crisis, with many people facing “very, very difficult times ahead”. (See 2.14pm.) The US will lift Covid-19 travel restrictions to allow fully vaccinated passengers from the UK and most European Union (EU) countries to travel into the country from early November, the White House has announced. Boris Johnson has walked into a diplomatic row with one of the UK’s closest allies after claiming the prime minister of the Netherlands had been seeking to “mediate” between Brussels and London over the post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland. Johnson has told world leaders at the United Nations he is growing “increasingly frustrated” that their commitments to tackle the climate crisis are “nowhere near enough”. (See 3.10pm.) That’s all from me for today. But our Covid coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
Rules for English travellers heading overseas have been significantly simplified, with the “amber” list of countries scrapped and the traffic light designation replaced with destinations listed as either “red” or OK for travel. Coronavirus infection levels have risen in schoolchildren in England, data has revealed, with more than one in 37 of those in years 7 to 11 estimated to have had Covid last week. People in Wales will have to show an NHS Covid pass to enter nightclubs and attend many events including big football and rugby matches from next month, the first minister has announced. Boris Johnson’s new cabinet has met for the first time, assembling without masks in a packed room, as the prime minister delivered what he termed a “half-time pep talk” to his revamped team. The Liberal Democrats have kicked off their annual conference with a trenchant condemnation of government attempts to return migrants arriving from France, saying Priti Patel’s treatment of refugees “shames our country”. That’s all from me for today. But our Covid coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
Boris Johnson has been challenged by his predecessor, Theresa May, as to whether the newly signed Aukus defence pact between the UK, US and Australia could lead to Britain being dragged into a war with China over Taiwan. Johnson has also denied claims that the deal has damaged relations with France. (See 12.23pm.) The new international trade secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, has been accused of rejecting the science behind the climate emergency after a series of tweets came to light showing her dismissing those who believe in global heating as “fanatics”. Johnson is still working on his government reshuffle, with some junior ministers due to be moved, although nothing has been announced by No 10 since early this morning. (See 9.26am.) Labour and senior legal figures have raised concerns that Dominic Raab was appointed as justice secretary in order to enact wholesale changes to the Human Rights Act. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith launched a new wave of backbench pressure on the government to solve the building safety crisis leading a rally of affected leaseholders into a chant outside parliament of: “Michael Gove: we want justice!” Rules on genetically modified farming, medical devices and vehicle standards will be top of a bonfire of laws inherited from the EU as the government seeks to change legislation automatically transferred to the UK after Brexit. Sajid Javid, the health secretary, has said the government should be reducing inequality, in a speech saying “we can’t tackle health disparities without tackling wider disparities too”. (See 2.51pm and 5.24pm.) Care homes may be forced to close and thousands of staff risk losing their jobs if they decline to receive their first Covid-19 vaccine by the end of Thursday, ministers have been warned. That’s all from me for today. But our Covid coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
The British Council is most certainly not “the British government’s cultural arm” as suggested by your article (British Council to close 20 offices across globe after cuts and lost income, 9 September). It is a public corporation and charity, governed by royal charter. Unfortunately, because of the pandemic shortfall on language tuition and other services, it will not be able to balance its books. As someone who has worked with the council in Africa, I can tell you that far too many politicians simply do not understand the good that the British Council does for the UK’s reputation, and the despair and disappointment when its offices are closed. Alliance Française and the Goethe-Institut do not suffer from such political indifference and have funding that makes the UK’s equivalent, the British Council, look seriously third-rate. Bob McIntyre Llandovery, Carmarthenshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication. • This letter was amended on 17 September 2021. An earlier version said “most of [the British Council’s] funding comes from the government”. In fact, about 15% of its income is from government grants; the rest is earned through teaching and exams, tendered contracts and partnerships.
The prime minister’s puerile remarks on penal policy (PM condemned for joke about UK becoming ‘Saudi Arabia of penal policy’, 14 September) plumb new depths in what passes for debate on the subject in this country. Short of conscription, the decision to imprison represents probably the most extreme manifestation of the state’s authority over individuals. Deciding how we exercise that power deserves better than a second-rate stand-up routine. Peter Dawson Director, Prison Reform Trust • I was wondering if the reluctance on the Conservative government benches to wear face coverings in the House of Commons was because it was making it impossible for them to be a bunch of barefaced liars (The politics sketch, 14 September). Derek Anderson Broughton, Hampshire • Is it possible for our planet to survive capitalism? The long read (When Wall Street came to coal country, 14 September) provided further evidence of the predatory nature of capitalism, relying as it does on the exploitation of human and natural resources for private gain. It appears that this system can never be sufficiently “tamed” to retain a sustainable home for life to endure. Martin Marsh Riding Mill, Northumberland • Studying history at university in the 1970s, I too received a scathing comment on an essay (Letters, 9 September). On returning my work on Napoleon III, my lecturer wrote: “As Sarah Bernhardt said of marriage, ‘There must be more to it than this’.” I recovered, but never forgot it. Zora Castling Retired history teacher, Kingsley, Cheshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Marsha de Cordova, the shadow equalities secretary, has resigned from Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet with immediate effect citing a desire to focus on her marginal constituency. The Guardian understands that the shadow women’s minister, Charlotte Nichols, has also stepped down for personal reasons unconnected to any political dispute. Nichols is expected to return to the frontbench in a different brief. De Cordova’s resignation will leave Starmer with a significant role to fill ahead of Labour’s conference next weekend, with a replacement expected to be announced shortly. She announced her resignation in a tweet saying: “It has been an immense privilege to serve as the shadow women and equalities secretary for the past 17 months. It therefore comes with much sadness that I am resigning with immediate effect. “Having only been elected in 2017 for the historically marginal constituency of Battersea, I would like to focus more of my time and efforts on the people of Battersea. I will continue to support Keir Starmer from the backbenches.” Starmer said he wanted to thank De Cordova for her work, including “highlighting the disproportionate impact the pandemic has had on black, Asian, minority ethnic and disabled people … Marsha has also laid the foundations for a new Race Equality Act that Labour would introduce to tackle the structural inequalities which have existed in our society for too long.” One senior MP said the role would be difficult to fill, citing tensions at a senior level over the party’s stance on transgender rights.
Government scientific advisers have urged ministers to bring in a “basket of measures” soon or risk daily hospitalisations soaring to between 2,000 and 7,000 next month as the new school term and returning office workers threaten to drive up cases of Covid. Sajid Javid, the health secretary, has said the government may need to reintroduce mandatory face masks and advise the public to work from home, as he set out the government’s plans for coping with Covid in England through the autumn and winter. Covid boosters will be offered to all over-50s and those at greatest risk of the disease as part of the “toolbox” of measures for controlling coronavirus over the autumn and winter following guidance from the government’s vaccine advisers. MPs have voted to give the health and social care levy bill a second reading. Six Conservative MPs voted against the bill - John Baron, Sir Christopher Chope, Philip Davies, Dehenna Davison, Ben Everitt and Esther McVey - but another 41 Tories did not vote in the division. Some of those will have been authorised absences, but some were abstentions. MPs are now debating amendments to the bill, which is due to clear the Commons tonight. Brexit controls on food and animal products that were due to come into effect in January are being postponed until July 2022 because of the potential impact on businesses, the British government has announced. That’s all from me for tonight. But our Covid coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
I am delighted that Gavin Williamson wants universities to tackle “an increasingly casualised workforce” (Universities in England favour cancel culture over quality, says Williamson, 9 September). Does this mean that he is in favour of better working conditions and proper contractual arrangements for lecturers? If so, could the government’s concern include care workers on zero-hours contracts and exploited supply teachers? For once he seems quite switched on to the issues in the education sector by calling out the way in which some universities spend student loans on bureaucracy and marketing at the expense of more direct activity. If only this could be widened to the ways in which academy trusts utilise public funds. Would we at last see an end to excessive pay for some multi-academy trust bosses and more funding finding its way into the classrooms by increasing numbers of teaching assistants? Yvonne Williams Ryde, Isle of Wight • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
The blame for MPs’ excessive workload (‘We’re all absolutely knackered’ says MP’s office manager, 5 September) lies with them. For a century and more, MPs have supported governments that have systematically reduced the functions and funding of local government. MPs, instead of concentrating on the great international issues of the day, have allowed themselves to become welfare officers for their constituents. With properly devolved powers to local government, most of these issues would more effectively be dealt with by local councillors. Peter Wrigley Birstall, West Yorkshire • National insurance is obviously a tax, not an insurance scheme (Report, 7 September). Every time the basic rate of income tax has fallen, it has been matched by an increase in NI, replacing a progressive tax with a regressive tax. The pretence has been oddly successful in deceiving people. Karen Fletcher Sheffield • Re your headline “PM stakes reputation on £12bn health plan”, what reputation? Tony Green Ipswich, Suffolk • Late summer heatwave, eh (Report, 7 September)? In my local Asda they’ve started flogging Christmas chocolates. Martyn Taylor Newark, Nottinghamshire • At times, I gasp at the sheer brilliance of your crossword setters. As I did when struggling with Quick Crossword 16017. The winter hanger-on defeated me. A clue of creative brilliance. Tudor Rickards Woodford, London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
The work and pensions secretary has announced the triple lock on the state pension will be temporarily suspended next year, to avoid the government having to hike payments by 8%. Thérèse Coffey told the House of Commons the state pension would increase either by 2.5% or inflation, whichever is higher, in April. She said that sticking to the triple lock – which promises state pensions will rise by the highest of inflation, earnings or 2.5% – would be unfair, given that wages were increasing at a rate of well over 8% a year. Coffey said this was “not a real-life basis” for making a decision, given that wage inflation has been artificially boosted by the many thousands of workers coming off the furlough scheme and returning to the payroll, which she called a “statistical anomaly”. She said the decision was “fair and reasonable” and that the triple lock would be restored after one year, and the government would implement the policy throughout the remainder of the parliament. The triple lock announcement – breaking an explicit manifesto promise – came on the same day as Boris Johnson confirmed national insurance contributions would increase by 1.5 percentage points to fund the NHS and social care. The triple lock was introduced by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government in 2010. The shadow work and pensions secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, criticised the Conservatives for breaking their manifesto promises.
How Lee Cain has the temerity to try to transfer the blame for this government’s shortcomings is beyond me (PM’s former aide blames Whitehall for Covid ‘mixed messages’, 4 September). Blaming the civil service for a lack of expertise is unforgivable and wrong, when most were working flat out into the night and over weekends to implement ever-changing policy decisions. It was the prime minister and others in government who sent mixed messages, with Boris Johnson shaking hands and not having the guts to stop people mixing at Christmas. I suspect the press conference slides that Cain refers to were often sent moments before the start of conferences because so many advisers wanted sight of the final versions. There was previously a Central Office of Information, which acted successfully for 65 years as the government’s communications agency, reporting directly to the Cabinet Office from civil service departments. It was closed in December 2011 – axed in the coalition government’s austerity drive. Civil servants communicate government policy. If Cain wishes to seek a scapegoat for the mixed messages, his time would be better spent looking at disordered government policy. Sue Hardman Woodbridge, Suffolk • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
The correspondence on Latin teaching (Letters, 19 August) reminded me of a former colleague who, before Post-it notes arrived, had developed his own short message forms. These had the phrase “te absente stercus flabellum tanguit” across the top, and he assured us that it was Latin for “while you were out, the shit hit the fan”. Probably an appropriate note for Dominic Raab and Boris Johnson to have received after the Taliban took Kabul during their holidays. Paul Faupel Somersham, Cambridgeshire • “Dominic Raab ‘refused to be contacted’ in days before Afghanistan fell” while on holiday in Crete (Report, 19 August). “British workers are the worst idlers in the world.” (Raab et al, 2012). Discuss. Mike Jones Pinhoe, Exeter • The most misquoted well-known phrase (Letters, 19 August)? I offer “One bad apple…”, which should conclude with “…can spoil the whole barrel.” It is usually deployed by apologists for institutional corruption to suggest the exact opposite of the original meaning. Dr Brian O’Callaghan Sonning, Berkshire • Your marvellous photos featuring artists with costumes made from rubbish (The Guardian picture essay, 20 August) do not just highlight the problems associated with waste, they also provide a great audition lineup for the next series of Doctor Who. David Collins Kidderminster, Worcestershire • Likening the new hotel in Edinburgh to a poo emoji is fully justified (Editorial, 18 August). We have always referred to the Gherkin as the London Suppository. Ian Winstanley Ashton-in-Makerfield, Manchester • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
On the idea of “levelling up” (Letters, 16 August), I was reminded of Lord Grade when he was told about the high costs of making his film, Raise the Titanic. Apparently he mused that it could possibly be cheaper to lower the Atlantic. John Rathbone Cheltenham, Gloucestershire • You could lace a billion pairs of shoes with the irony of the prime minister, Boris Johnson, telling the Commons on Wednesday that on Afghanistan, “we will judge this regime on the choices it makes and by its actions rather than its words” (Tories rebuke Boris Johnson over ‘catastrophic’ Afghanistan failure, 18 August). Mark Boyle Johnstone, Renfrewshire • We were a non-sewing family. Fortunately, you could buy made-up clothes from Clothkits (Letters, 17 August). I regularly wear two shirts bought in the late 1980s. Moreover, they still fit. Chris Palmer Ayr, Ayrshire • After the comment by Christine Hawkes (Letters, 16 August), I am reminded that, upon prescribing metformin tablets for me, my doctor pointed out that my posterior would be able to play the whole of the Last Night of the Proms. “You’ll be blown away by it,” he said. How right he was. Philip Wood Port Logan, Wigtownshire • If any readers are feeling wistful about their inability to fully participate in the latest trend, I have a recipe for a very nice sprout curry which I could share. Mike Perry Ickenham, London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Andy Street, the West Midlands mayor, is right that the concept of levelling up is “not completely new” (West Midlands mayor tells PM: ‘Red wall voters want to see delivery’, 16 August). In 1891, Jerome K Jerome wrote: “I have sometimes thought that it was a pity we could not level up sometimes, instead of always levelling down; but, of course, that is impossible.” David Collins Kidderminster, Worcestershire • I note that the £6m costs incurred by Conservative-run Westminster council for the Marble Arch mound include provision for its eventual removal (Marble Arch Mound: deputy council leader resigns over £6m cost, 13 August). Will that then count as Tory levelling up? Trevor Cowie Eddleston, Scottish Borders • Fiona Collins (Letters, 15 August) may do “loads more” than the average 15 farts a day, but she is doing nothing wrong. Our son proudly wrote to the Guardian (Letters, 21 June) stating that he had farted the first three notes from Holst’s Mars. Perhaps with her cache, Fiona could aim at the whole Planets suite. Christine Hawkes Cambridge • On the matter of unfortunate spelling mistakes, I once noticed a referral on a sexual health clinic list for “saw penis” (Letters, 8 August). Martin Jones Eastbourne, East Sussex • As the debacle in Afghanistan continues (The fall of Kabul: a 20-year mission collapses in a single day, 15 August), one asks: “Who sold the Taliban all their weapons?” Tony Meacock Norwich • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Melvyn Caplan should be congratulated for resigning as a councillor, having recognised that the buck stopped with him (Marble Arch Mound: deputy council leader resigns over £6m cost, 13 August). Perhaps Boris Johnson will take note and require cabinet members to act honourably in the future – but we probably shouldn’t hold our breath. Les Bright Exeter, Devon • I am concerned that the annual photograph of the Appleby horse fair in your print edition (Pictures of the week, 14 August) shows mounts on a dry gravel bed of the River Eden, rather than hock deep as is the tradition. Another sign of global warming? Simon Aumônier Steeple Aston, Oxfordshire • Your article (‘The soundtrack to my life was burping and farting’: how disgusting is your partner?, 14 August) has left me feeling worried. According to wind expert Julie Thompson, “we emit in the region of 15 farts a day on average”. Even without counting, I can tell you I do loads more than that. What am I doing wrong? Fiona Collins Carrog, Denbighshire • A father came to see me when teaching in a comprehensive some years ago (Letters, 13 August). “Why did you give our Johnnie detention?” he asked. I told him that Johnnie was heard swearing. “My son doesn’t fucking well swear” was the response. David Blackledge Formby, Merseyside • It’s time to expel Keir Starmer from the Labour party (Director Ken Loach says he has been expelled from Labour, theguardian.com, 14 August). Derek Chown Framsden, Suffolk • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
I note that the Department for Transport spokesperson referred to special provisions for dealing with Brexit congestion as “temporary” in the announcement that the provisions are to be permanent (Report, 10 August). I am now assuming that Brexit “teething troubles” will continue for the rest of my life (like the “temporary” UK aid cut) – or until we rejoin the EU. Mike Cashman Milton Keynes • Anyone worried about shrinking with age (Study links women’s middle-age height loss with greater risk of death, 9 August) should seriously consider taking up church bellringing. The upward stretch on the spine is extremely pleasant and counteracts the effects of age and gravity. I grew 1cm in my early days of ringing. Besides which, it ticks all the boxes for health and wellbeing. Bellringers live longer. Mary Jones St Ives, Cornwall • Perhaps the Guardian could give a more positive spin on news. Your headline implies that women retaining height through middle age can expect immortality. Roy Grimwood Market Drayton, Shropshire • If cricket is to be included in future Olympic Games (Report, 10 August), surely novel-writing will follow (Monty Python, 1973)? Iago Cymraeg London • A PE teacher I knew became suspicious when he received a note saying “Please excuse Sean from PE today as he has forgotten his PE kit” (Letters, 9 August). Andrew Steed Walsall, West Midlands • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Boris Johnson has full confidence in Rishi Sunak, his spokesman has said, but he would not deny that the prime minister threatened to demote his chancellor. After reports of tensions, the No 10 spokesman said: “The prime minister and the chancellor have always enjoyed a close and effective working relationship, and will continue to do so.” However, he did not deny that Johnson had floated the idea of demoting Sunak to health secretary after a letter from the chancellor calling for Covid travel restrictions to be lifted was leaked last week. Johnson is reported to have been furious about the leak, partly because he largely shared Sunak’s position on the need to relax restrictions. The letter, which made its way into the hands of the Sunday Times, was pitched as an unprecedented intervention to persuade the prime minister to change the UK’s quarantine policy. Johnson brought in Sunak after a rift with the former chancellor Sajid Javid, but since then relations have soured, with the chancellor now more popular with grassroots Conservatives than the prime minister, according to ConservativeHome surveys. Asked about the difficult relations in Downing Street, Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, told broadcasters: “I happen to think the PM and chancellor get on very well generally. They are both very good … there are always disagreements. There is always going to be a slight creative tension between No 10 and No 11. I happen to think this PM and chancellor are working very effectively together.” He said there was no need to move the chancellor but “that’s up to the PM”, adding: “I think Rishi is doing a great job as chancellor.” The prime minister’s official spokesman also said there were no imminent plans for a cabinet reshuffle.
So, we learn that Margaret Thatcher closed the mines because of global warming (Johnson makes ‘unbelievably crass’ joke about Thatcher closing coal mines, 5 August). And by the way, the success of our cycling Olympians is entirely due to Norman Tebbit. Duncan Sidwell Asfordby, Leicestershire • The common feature of our divided society is that those at the top end are rewarded with large bonuses (HSBC boosts bonus pool and dividend as profits more than quadruple, 2 August) when those at the sharp end of HSBC services are rewarded with a clawback of occupational pensions. So much for “levelling up”. Dr Peter Wimpenny Gairloch, Ross and Cromarty • I wonder if the British Olympic boxer who said winning silver is only losing gold (Ben Whittaker takes Olympic silver but light-heavyweight final defeat hurts, 4 August) knows the saying “Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser”? Roland White Bognor Regis, West Sussex • Years ago, working in a small county town practice to qualify as an architect, I remember handing the boss, Graham Frecknall, an envelope addressed to “G Fucknall Esq”, which was met with a sardonic: “Well, at least they left the N in!” (Letters, 4 August). Simon Hanna Tadley, Hampshire • A distant memory from my first year of teaching is a note explaining a child’s absence: “It’s because of her face, she’s had it an awfully long time” (Letters, 5 August). Jane McIntosh Lewes, East Sussex • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Your report (Labour calls on Tories to reveal which ministers met elite donors’ club, 1 August) on Ben Elliot and his role in assisting the super-rich gain access to the best events and social circles that Britain has to offer, while at the same time raising funds from them and others for the Conservative party, underlines the dishonesty of the distinction that David Goodhart – and after him Theresa May – made between people from “somewhere” and people from “anywhere”. Goodhart’s anywheres were identified as intellectuals: people who like cooking foreign food and taking holidays abroad, as against the solidly patriotic British (who holiday in Benidorm and eat pizza). The real anywheres, in contrast, keep much of their money abroad, are involved in offshore firms and avoid paying UK tax as far as they possibly can. Ben Elliot, like many in London, has made a successful career out of catering to this offshore world. Meanwhile, those whom Goodhart dismissed as insufficiently patriotic have been working in underfinanced schools, the underfinanced NHS and elsewhere in the public sector, trying to hold this country together. William Wallace Liberal Democrat, House of Lords • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
I read your article (MPs enjoy free tickets worth £100k during Covid large event pilots, 30 July) with amazement. In my early years as an NHS consultant, I was the recipient of such freebies from big pharma and other medical industries, but by the time I retired (in the last century), such hospitality was rightly seen as corrupting and was banned. To see that for politicos of all shades it is today “within the rules” when “fully declared” indicates that the rules need urgent revision. Michael Ruttley Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan • Politicians seem to be more remote from public opinion than ever. We talk about taking “freebies” – but these particular gifts were made in the context of a review of the gambling laws. Members of parliament are supposed to police gambling, not profit from it. The fact that an MP has declared a gift is irrelevant except that it indicates an ongoing contempt of the voters, which was exemplified by the expenses scandal. This sort of thing (which seems to be habitual among both Labour and Tories) looks like corruption to me and should be treated as such, but first we need to find a way of bringing our representatives back into the real world that their voters inhabit. Jeremy Cushing Exeter, Devon • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Craig Murray, the former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, has handed himself into police in Edinburgh as he faces an eight-month prison sentence. The ex-diplomat, 62, arrived at St Leonard’s police station in Edinburgh on Sunday morning and was joined by family and supporters. Murray drank from what appeared to be a bottle of champagne and thanked the crowd for their attendance. Murray was judged to have been in contempt of court over blogs he wrote during the trial of the former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond.
A court ruled in March that his blogposts contained details which, if pieced together, could lead readers to identify women who made allegations against Salmond, who was acquitted of all 13 charges including sexual assault and attempted rape in March last year. At a virtual sentencing in May, judge Lady Dorrian said Murray knew there were court orders giving the women anonymity and he was “relishing” the potential disclosure of their identities. Dorrian said Murray deliberately risked what is known as “jigsaw identification”, saying: “It appears from the posts and articles that he was in fact relishing the task he set himself, which was essentially to allow the identities of complainers to be discerned – which he thought was in the public interest – in a way which did not attract sanction.” The British press standards regulator, IPSO, prohibits the publication of information which might identify victims of sexual assault. The Scottish arm of international free speech NGO PEN International expressed “grave concern” over Murray’s pending imprisonment. “We fear this ruling will have a chilling effect on reporting and free expression,” said the organisation in a tweet.
That’s all from today’s UK Covid-19 liveblog. My colleague Mattha Busby has got further Covid updates on our global blog, which will run for the rest of tonight.
Vaccines have prevented 22m coronavirus infections and 60,000 deaths in England, new research has said. (See 2.22pm.) Only 13% of testing sites for fully vaccinated critical workers to free themselves from isolation are up and running, Downing Street has admitted. The government is using the threat of domestic vaccine passports to coax people into getting fully vaccinated, Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, has said. A French government minister has described the decision to keep stricter quarantine measures in place for fully vaccinated travellers arriving in England from his country as discriminatory and incomprehensible. Staff in the arts and creative industries overtook hospitality workers as the most likely to be on furlough in June, as the number of people being paid through the UK scheme dropped by 590,000 to 1.9 million ahead of government subsidy cuts that forced employers to begin paying towards the job protection scheme. That’s all from me for today. But our coronavirus coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
Double-vaccinated travellers from the US and most of Europe will have their jab status recognised, meaning they can avoid quarantine when arriving in England. Scotland has confirmed that it is adopting the same policy (see 5.50pm), and the Welsh first minister, Mark Drakeford, has said his government will do the same. (See 3.49pm.) Here is the UK government’s news release. And here is an explainer by my colleague Aubrey Allegretti.
The UK has begun exports of coronavirus vaccine doses to poorer countries, announcing that 9m will be delivered this week around the world as its domestic programme slows. The daily number of Covid cases reported in the UK has risen for the first time in eight days. (See 4.15pm.) Boris Johnson has said it is “far, far too early” to conclude that the pandemic crisis has passed. (See 9.37am.) Johnson has rejected claims that the government’s review of the Officials Secrets Act poses a threat to journalists. (See 10.39am.) Simon Stevens’ deputy, Amanda Pritchard, is replacing him as the head of the NHS after months of speculation that the job could go to the head of test and trace, Dido Harding. That’s all from me for today. But our coronavirus coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
Offenders guilty of anti-social behaviour should be in “fluorescent-jacketed chain gangs” publicly paying for their crimes, Boris Johnson has said. People should not “run away with premature conclusions” despite falling Covid cases, Johnson has urged, as he warned the situation could deteriorate again within weeks. Ken Clarke said he was not responsible for blood products during the early days of the infected blood scandal despite being a health minister at the time, an inquiry has heard. People advised to shield in the first wave of the pandemic were five times more likely to die after a confirmed Covid infection than those considered at low risk from the disease, according to research in Scotland. England faces a surge of people being forced to sleep on the streets if the government scraps the scheme introduced to tackle the problem during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a report by an influential group of independent experts. Wes Streeting, Labour’s shadow child poverty secretary, has fully recovered from kidney cancer diagnosed in May and is returning to work, he has said in a video message. Hundreds of vulnerable children in the care of Lambeth council in south London were subjected to horrendous cruelty and sexual abuse over several decades on a scale that was “hard to comprehend”, an independent inquiry report has found. That’s all from me for today. But our coronavirus coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
We’ll be shutting this liveblog down shortly, but you can follow the latest, including UK developments, on our global blog. Thanks for reading.
Keir Starmer has appointed an adviser from the Blair and Brown years as his chief of staff in the final step of a reshuffle of the Labour leader’s top team after the party’s byelection losses. Sam White, who was a special adviser to Alistair Darling when he was chancellor, will run the leader of the opposition’s office from September. He will replace Morgan McSweeney, who was named Labour elections director. White, 46, was the longest-serving adviser to Darling while he was chancellor under former prime minister Gordon Brown, and also worked for him when he held cabinet positions under Tony Blair. In his new role, McSweeney will work with campaign coordinator Shabana Mahmood. Announcing the new appointments, Starmer said White “brings great experience from both inside and outside government”. And he said Morgan will be responsible for “running a modern, efficient, winning campaign at the next election”. Starmer started a shakeup of his office after last month’s poor result in the Chesham and Amersham byelection when Labour won just 1.6% of the vote and lost its deposit. It followed the loss of former Labour stronghold Hartlepool to the Conservatives in May. Despite concerns over how Labour would fare in the Batley and Spen byelection earlier this month, Kim Leadbeater’s narrow victory took some pressure off the Labour leader. Starmer said on Saturday: “I’m pleased to be able to announce the latest changes to the team as we prepare for the next election. “Morgan brings great election experience and strategic judgment to the election coordinator role, and he will ensure that we are running a modern, efficient, winning campaign at the next election. “I’ve worked with Sam before. I know he brings great experience from both inside and outside government to running my office as we take our message out to the country at conference and beyond.”
The Office for National Statistics estimates that more than 800,000 people in the UK had coronavirus last week, its latest infection survey shows. (See 12.31pm, 1.16pm, 1.24pm and 3.43pm.) Exemptions enabling more than 10,000 people in England’s food sector to avoid self-isolation will not be extended to other sectors, a minister has said, despite industry concerns that “cumbersome” new rules will cause confusion. Workers in critical roles in Scotland will be able to avoid self-isolation when notified by the NHS Covid app if they are fully vaccinated and are tested daily, Nicola Sturgeon has announced. Experts and charities have raised the alarm about rising youth violence in the UK and say it could erupt over the summer, aggravated by Covid lockdowns, mental health problems and months out of education. Gordon Brown has criticised the official inquiry into the Greensill affair as unsatisfactory and missing vital evidence that meant the government was not properly scrutinised for its actions. Security forces had a “real prospect” of preventing the 1998 Omagh bombing – the deadliest atrocity of the Northern Ireland Troubles – a Belfast high court has ruled. That’s all from me for today. But our coronavirus coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
The Labour MP Dawn Butler has been ordered to leave the Commons chamber for the rest of the day after saying that Boris Johnson has lied “over and over again” about coronavirus. (See 4.07pm.) The government “risks losing social consent” for its test-and-trace programme if it does not immediately allow fully vaccinated people to avoid isolation, the former health secretary Jeremy Hunt has said. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has rejected Boris Johnson’s move to renegotiate the Northern Irish protocol, raising the temperature of a simmering Brexit row. Post Office workers who have had convictions for theft, fraud and false accounting resulting from computing errors quashed will each get an interim compensation payment of up to £100,000 the government has said. That’s all from me for today. But our coronavirus coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
Health unions have accused ministers of treating NHS staff “with contempt” after the government pulled an announcement about this year’s pay rise at the last minute without explanation. The UK has launched an attempt to substantially rewrite the Northern Ireland Brexit protocol that Boris Johnson signed up to in 2019, arguing “we cannot go on as we are” given the “ongoing febrile political climate” in the region. The EU has said it will not renegotiate the protocol (see 3.25pm) and the move has not been welcomed in Brussels. This is from Sebastian Fischer, spokesperson for the German ambassador to the EU.
Boris Johnson faces a tight vote over plans to make Covid certificates compulsory for nightclubs, after Labour said it was prepared to vote against the proposal unless testing status was also accepted. Keir Starmer has accused Johnson of presiding over a “summer of chaos” due to confused policies and mixed messaging over Covid restrictions. Handing £55m to French authorities to clamp down on migrants crossing the Channel in small boats is “throwing good money after bad”, Priti Patel, the home secretary, has been told by a Conservative colleague as she was grilled by MPs. Up to 70,000 care home staff in England could leave the workforce or lose their jobs because the government is insisting they must be vaccinated against Covid, with women and ethnic minorities disproportionately affected, according to an official estimate. That’s all from me for today. But our coronavirus coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
Border officials are no longer required to make basic Covid checks on arrivals in England from green and amber list countries, according to leaked instructions that prompted claims the government is turning a blind eye to the risk of importing Covid cases More than 1 million children in England were out of school last week for Covid-19-related reasons, with absence rates at a record level, government figures have revealed. No 10 has refused to rule out extending domestic vaccine passports to pubs or other sectors of the economy from September, saying it wanted to look at data on their effectiveness from around the world. Downing Street has urged people to isolate if they are “pinged” by the NHS app, after the business minister, Paul Scully, suggested individuals and employers could choose to ignore the instructions. Boris Johnson has delayed plans to fix the crumbling social care system until the autumn, after negotiations foundered with the three key players isolating. That’s all from me for today. But our coronavirus coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
Ebony Rainford-Brent (The Hundred has won me over but it remains a gamble for cricket in England, 17 July) sees the potential of the new cricket competition, the Hundred, and likes “the marketing, the imagery, the kind of music that’s been booked”. Which is like choosing your new car because you like the windscreen wipers and ashtrays. David Hoult Stockport, Greater Manchester • A case of cultural rather than gender confusion happened when I filled in my full name as I applied for a new bank account in Muscat, Oman (Letters, 18 July). My bank card arrived emblazoned with the name Gordon al Exander. I truly felt that I had arrived in the Middle East. Gordon Alexander Forbes Assen, the Netherlands • I am an 89-year-old emeritus professor of English and quite well-read. Zoe Williams’ sketch (15 July) is the wittiest piece of satiric prose I have ever encountered. Boris is a blight on the land, but he is also a supernaturally sent gift to writers such as Williams and Marina Hyde. Tom McAlindon Kirk Ella, East Yorkshire • The prime minister is in self-isolation on “freedom day”. There is a God, and she has a sense of humour. Sue Ball Brighton • I don’t want Boris Johnson in self-isolation. I’d rather he were in permanent exile. Helene Grygar Bampton, Oxfordshire • “Substitute the wakame for any other seaweed that you like or have to hand” (Yotam Ottolenghi’s cooling summer salads, 17 July). Sorry, Yotam. Fresh out of seaweed up here. Colin Flint Claverdon, Warwickshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
The UK expects to pay a Brexit divorce bill of £37.3bn, the latest Treasury figures show. (See 3.30pm.) Boris Johnson has set himself on a likely collision course with the authors of a new national food strategy by effectively ruling out its key recommendation for a £3bn sugar and salt tax to tackle the dominance of junk food. Johnson has called for greater devolution across England as a way to boost his “levelling up” agenda, while indicating this would only be granted for areas where the leadership was viewed as sufficiently pro-business. Two residential properties in the south of England have been raided by data protection officers, as part of their investigation into who leaked CCTV footage of Matt Hancock kissing an aide in his office. Ireland’s foreign minister has warned that a British government plan to bring prosecutions for killings during the Troubles to an end would breach its international obligations. Rishi Sunak said Britain’s economy was bouncing back after the latest official figures showed the number of workers on payrolls surged in June by 356,000. Plans to tweak the NHS Covid app to make its alerts less sensitive and avoid mass disruption to people’s lives will not be introduced for several weeks, a cabinet minister has said. Increased drinking during the Covid pandemic may have fuelled a sharp rise in deaths from diseases caused by alcohol, data for England suggests. That’s all from me for today. But our coronavirus coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
Foreign aid has been slashed by about £4bn a year for the foreseeable future after Boris Johnson narrowly saw off an attempt by Tory rebels to block the cut. Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed that Scotland will move on 19 July to a “modified” form of level 0 of her government’s five-tier system of Covid controls, but with continuing restrictions on physical distancing and numbers meeting both indoors and outdoors. The UK has recorded 36,660 new coronavirus cases and 50 new deaths, the government’s dashboard shows. That is the highest number of new cases since late January and the highest number of deaths since early April.
Johnson has summoned tech companies to Downing Street to order them to do more to tackle online abuse, amid mounting criticism of the government after black England players were deluged with racist posts in the aftermath of their Euro 2020 defeat. Police are investigating allegations the Scottish National party mishandled hundreds of thousands of pounds raised for independence campaigns yet to take place. That’s all from me for today. But our coronavirus coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
Your assertion that London’s first generation tramway was overtaken by the tube network (Hidden London tram station opens to public for first time in 70 years, 4 July) is incorrect. On its formation in 1933, the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB) acquired a fleet of over 2,600 cars, covering a network of nearly 350 route miles. The LPTB also inherited 61 trolleybuses, all in south-west London. Their successful operation convinced the new undertaking that it should replace its remaining trams with trolleybuses and, between 1935 and 1940, the trolleybus network grew from 18 to 255 miles while the tramways reduced to 102 miles, mostly in south-east and south London, areas that to this day remain largely unserved by the tube network. The final tram to trolleybus conversion took place in June 1940, and after the war it was decided to replace the remaining trams with motorbuses; the electrical equipment was nearing life expiry and diesel buses were cheaper to run. The first stage of the conversion took place on 1 October 1950 and the last trams ran on 5 July 1952. Mark Lyons Ashford, Surrey • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
The government’s claim that “everyone eligible to vote will be able to do so” (Millions in UK face disenfranchisement under voter ID plans, 4 July) is highly misleading. Its own figures show that millions of people may lack the necessary photo ID to be able to vote. It is an unnecessary waste of perhaps £20m to create a barrier to voting supposedly to tackle a virtually nonexistent problem. The government places unnecessary barriers to inclusion on the electoral register. Even if this process is not done automatically, as it should be, young people should be provided with online registration details when they get their national insurance numbers. Its failure to do this speaks volumes about its aim of voter suppression. Chris Rennard Liberal Democrat, House of Lords • I’m surprised that no one has proposed a simpler solution to the voter ID issue. All eligible voters are already sent a polling card. There are a trivial number of “personations” in elections, and requiring production of the polling card would trap – or thwart – most of those. Tom Beaton Isleworth, London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Security minister James Brokenshire has resigned, telling Boris Johnson that his recovery from lung cancer treatment is “taking longer than anticipated”. The former cabinet minister, who announced in January that his cancer had returned, said he had been hoping to return to full duties after taking leave. “My recovery from treatment and return to full duties is, however, taking longer than anticipated,” he said. “Given my responsibilities to the public, the government and to parliament, I have therefore concluded that it is best that I stand down from my ministerial role and focus on restoring my health.” In his reply, Johnson offered his full support and said he hoped he would return to the frontbench, wishing him a “speedy return to full health”. “I understand entirely your need to step down from your role but look forward to welcoming you back as soon as possible,” the prime minister wrote. The former Northern Ireland secretary said in June he had completed his cycles of chemotherapy, calling it “tough going but recovering steadily” and saying he had the support of his wife, Cathy, and his children. Brokenshire, the MP for Old Bexley & Sidcup, said in his letter to Johnson that he “hoped to be able to serve again in some way in the future”. No announcement has yet been made about his successor. The MP has previously spoken in the House of Commons about seeking early treatment for the condition. “Given my age, fitness and that I was a non-smoker, I didn’t fit the mould of a person at high risk of lung cancer, so when I cleared my throat and saw a small blob of blood in my tissue, it’s fair to say such a diagnosis wasn’t at the forefront of my mind. I did however feel that something was wrong and went to my GP straight away,” he said.
More than 640,000 children in England were absent from school last week due to Covid, as the government announced its plans to sweep away the current system for containing Covid outbreaks within schools, colleges and nurseries. Close contacts of people in England who have tested positive for Covid will not have to self-isolate from 16 August if they have received both their vaccinations, or if they are under 18, Sajid Javid, the health secretary, has announced to the Commons. England will be entering “uncharted territory” in its wholesale scrapping of Covid lockdown rules and infection numbers could easily rise above 100,000 a day over the summer, Javid has said. Boris Johnson’s “freedom day” will be a day of fear for elderly and vulnerable people and those with compromised or suppressed immune systems, for whom the efficacy of vaccines is much reduced, charities have warned. Rishi Sunak will need to spend an additional £10bn a year for the next three years on public services to deal with the continuing fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, the Treasury’s tax and spending watchdog has said. That’s all from me for today. But our coronavirus coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
That’s it from the UK politics blog. You can follow our global coronavirus coverage here -
Boris Johnson’s Anglocentric British nationalism threatens the union (Editorial, 1 July), but Labour also suppresses debate about England’s place within it. A recent policy review for “Britain” blithely ignored how Labour’s own devolution gave each part of the union separate health, education, local government and transport policies (and, indeed, that a Labour government actually makes those policies for Wales). Labour’s “Britain” is the England it will not name, and the party fantasises that the nation can be divided out of existence into regions that few want or recognise. Like the Conservatives, Labour wants England governed by the same union state that is fracturing in front of our eyes. The absence of debate about England is of Labour’s making too. Prof John Denham Director, Centre for English Identity and Politics, and former Labour cabinet minister • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
“Labour is back,” Keir Starmer told Labour activists and assembled TV cameras in Batley and Spen. “Labour is coming home.” For those not fully versed in football-politics symbolism, the phrase might have seemed a bit gnomic. But the Labour leader was, in a sense, paying tribute to a tribute.
At the Labour conference in autumn 1996, months before the party’s election win, Tony Blair famously said: “Seventeen years of hurt/Never stopped us dreaming/Labour’s coming home.” This in turn was a variant of a refrain from Three Lions, the 1996 hit for comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner, with band the Lightning Seeds. “Football’s coming home” has been a popular terrace chant ever since.
With England playing Ukraine in the quarter-finals of the Covid-delayed Euro 2020, Starmer, who was in the Wembley crowd for the national team’s 1996 defeat to Germany, was trying to bring some of the feelgood factor his way.
Here are some of the key developments from the day: Kim Leadbeater has narrowly won the Batley and Spen byelection for Labour, defeating her Conservative rival by just 323 votes. Keir Starmer welcomed the “fantastic” victory for Labour’s “positive campaign of hope” and later said: “Labour is coming home.” In her victory speech, Kim Leadbeater made a point of thanking the police, whom she said “sadly, I have needed more than ever over the last few weeks”. This was a reference to the violence and intimidation that has marked what has been a particularly unpleasant byelection. George Galloway claimed outside the count that his campaign had been derailed by a false claim made about him and that he would be going to court to try to get the result overturned. Brendan Cox, husband of Jo Cox, has tweeted his thanks to Conservative Batley and Spen candidate Ryan Stephenson for “fighting the campaign on the issues and not pandering to divisions”. Public anger at Matt Hancock’s breach of social distancing rules with an aide with whom he had started an affair was a factor in the Conservative party’s “disappointing” failure to win the Batley and Spen byelection, the party’s co-chair has conceded. A man has been charged with common assault after England’s chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, was accosted in a central London park. Nicola Sturgeon has insisted that Scotland’s contact tracing system Test and Protect is “coping well” despite growing concerns that it is struggling with the recent surge in coronavirus cases. German chancellor Angela Merkel has said double-jabbed Britons should be able to have a holiday in Europe without quarantine in the “foreseeable future”, following her opposition over the Delta variant.
The UK has recorded 27,989 new coronavirus cases, the government has announced. For the second day in a row, the daily total is the highest for five months. (See 4.13pm.) Boris Johnson has warned that some “extra precautions” may still be needed in England after 19 July - the day when the government hopes to be able to lift all legal limits on social contact. (See 12.27pm.) Johnson has not ruled out double-vaccinated travellers from England being able to skip quarantine when they return home from amber list countries later this month. Almost nine in 10 parents in England say they favour giving their children a Covid vaccine if they are offered it, according to a national survey released by the Office for National Statistics. Angela Rayner has been forced to deny any immediate plans to challenge Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership, amid feverish speculation at Westminster as voters in Batley and Spen go to the polls. Downing Street has said the Nissan £1bn electric vehicle investment in Sunderland shows Brexit can be an opportunity for car industry. (See 1.45pm.) That’s all from me for today. But our coronavirus coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
Labour is calling on England’s employers to allow staff to leave work early to watch the Euro 2020 clash with Germany. Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner urged the prime minister to back their call for an early finish, so that the public don’t miss a minute of the 5pm fixture. Gareth Southgate’s team face the German side at Wembley on Tuesday, as they bid to secure a place in the quarter-finals. Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, said: “Today is an absolutely massive day for our country. After being apart from our friends and family for so long, many of us will want to watch the game with our loved ones, whether at home or in the pub. “So we urge the prime minister to back Labour’s call to let staff finish early so they can enjoy the game and get behind the England team.” Rayner added: “Obviously this won’t be possible for lots of key workers and shift workers – the very same people who have kept our country going through this pandemic. So we think we all owe them another big thank you today.” Starmer tweeted: “Good luck to England ahead of today’s game against Germany. Staff should be allowed to finish early so they can watch the match.” Rayner has been shadow secretary of state for the future of work since May, when Starmer moved her aside from her role as party chair after the Hartlepool byelection loss. Labour’s general secretary, David Evans, has told its staff they can knock off in time to get home to watch the game, the party said. The schools minister, Nick Gibb, earlier told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme it was “a matter for industry and for business”, whether workers were able to watch the match. He said he would be taking part in a debate in the Commons when the football started. Asked if his own staff at the Department for Education could finish early, he said: “Civil servants have a very demanding job and I’m sure they’ll be able the juggle the demands of being a civil servant with being able to sneak a glimpse.”
Here’s a roundup of the key developments from the last few hours: Covid restrictions in England “must come to an end” on 19 July, the new health secretary, Sajid Javid, has announced, saying the public and ministers will have to “learn to live” with the virus. The new health secretary said he hoped to say more on the potential to use testing in schools to prevent whole class bubbles from being told to isolate, with the health secretary confirming he had asked for “fresh advice” on the policy. An individual who allegedly lost top secret defence documents found in a bus stop in Kent has had their access to sensitive material suspended while an investigation is undertaken, a minister has said. Labour has demanded that Boris Johnson comes clean and tells the truth about the use of private emails by government ministers after a cabinet office minister contradicted statements made by the prime minister’s official spokesperson and the department of health and social care. Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, has hinted that Matt Hancock’s conduct with his adviser does raise legitimate questions about ministerial conduct, while refusing to offer any opinions on his colleague’s ethics. Scotland has recorded its highest number of coronavirus cases over 24 hours since the start of the pandemic. The UK has recorded 22,868 new coronavirus cases, according to the latest update on the government’s dashboard. Schools, colleges and universities in Wales are to be given more local control over what Covid restrictions are put in place, the Welsh education minister, Jeremy Miles, has said. We’ll be closing this liveblog shortly. Thanks so much for joining us today and for all the comments.
The Sky News presenter Trevor Phillips has recalled the recent funeral of his daughter to highlight anger at Matt Hancock’s behaviour. Phillips, the former head of the Commission for Racial Equality who presents the channel’s Sunday morning political show, was interviewing the Northern Ireland secretary, Brandon Lewis. He questioned why it had taken Hancock so long to resign after footage emerged of him kissing his aide Gina Coladangelo in his office, a clear breach of Covid regulations. Boris Johnson has been criticised for not sacking the health secretary and quickly declaring the matter closed. “Over the past two days every cabinet minister, including you, has come out to essentially defend the prime minister and Matt Hancock,” Phillips said to Lewis. “The pictures that we saw were of an encounter on 6 May. On 11 May, my family buried my daughter who had died, not of Covid, but during the lockdown. “Three hundred of our family and friends turned up online. But most of them were not allowed to be at the graveside, even though it was in the open air, because of the rule of 30. Because of the instruction by Mr Hancock. “Now the next time one of you tells me what to do in my private life … explain to me why I shouldn’t just tell you where to get off?”
Lewis said he understood and accepted the frustration and “even the anger people have, having been through the situations they have been through”. Hancock had acknowledged that what he had done was wrong “and it is ultimately why he has taken the decision that his position was untenable and distracting from the wider work we’ve all got to do, to move forward in the pandemic and out of the pandemic”, Lewis said. By resigning Hancock had “put his family and indeed all of us across the UK first”, he said. Phillips’ daughter Sushila died in April after living with anorexia for 22 years. She was 36.
With the number of doctors retiring early trebling in England and Wales (Report, 23 June), this exodus will intensify the crisis that we are already facing in rheumatology. The latest data collected by the British Society for Rheumatology reveals that chronic workforce shortages mean departments lack sufficient staff to provide a safe level of care. Relocation, reduced hours and retirements are contributing to severe understaffing and high levels of vacancies. More than 10 million people in the UK live with arthritis and that’s just one of the 200 conditions we work with in rheumatology. Prompt treatment is vital to avoid long-term disability. Yet some patients, such as those in Northern Ireland, can wait six years for their first referral. In Scotland, there are seven unfilled consultant posts and an additional five pending retirements are expected by 2025. Retirements are also high among nurses with one in four departments reporting specialist nurses stopping work. This is the picture across the UK; teams are struggling to keep afloat. To keep people well and out of hospital, we desperately need more specialty training posts to address high consultant vacancy rates in rheumatology. It has to be a whole system approach. We need long-term, sustainable workforce planning in the NHS, and we need the UK parliament to act now before this crisis cripples our nation. Dr Sanjeev Patel President, British Society for Rheumatology • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Here’s a roundup this evening of today’s news as Matt Hancock has been caught breaching social distancing rules with an aide. The health secretary, Matt Hancock, is facing calls to resign, after photos emerged of him breaching social distancing by kissing Gina Coladangelo, an adviser to his department. In a statement Hancock said he was “very sorry” for breaching social distancing rules and asked for privacy for his family. Downing Street said prime minister Boris Johnson had accepted Hancock’s apology and “considers the matter closed”. The Labour party chair, Anneliese Dodds, said his position was “hopelessly untenable” and called for him to resign or be sacked. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has called for an investigation and said it could erode support for lockdown rules. A longtime friend of Hancock would have gone through a “very rigorous” process before being given a job at the health department, Grant Shapps has said, after questions have been raised over Coladangelo’s appointment. The vaccines minister, Nadhim Zahawi, has said he has “every confidence” in the health secretary. Labour has called Boris Johnson “spineless” for failing to sack the health secretary and accused the government of an attempted cover-up. Families bereaved by Covid have called on Hancock to resign or be fired. Scientists have warned the incident could stop people following Covid rules.
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Boris Johnson has said that England remains on course to lift all remaining restrictions on 19 July - but that the NHS faces a “rough winter”. (See 12.47pm.) Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, has challenged Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, to explain why she has imposed a ban on non-essential travel to and from his city. (See 5pm.) Downing Street under Boris Johnson is “a branch of the entertainment industry” and nothing will get done in terms of serious policy focus until he leaves, Dominic Cummings has said in his latest blast at his former boss. People in England who are double vaccinated but notified by the NHS Covid-19 app for coming into close contact with someone infected with the virus may soon no longer need to isolate, Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has confirmed. The UK’s economic recovery accelerated in May as tourism and recreation firms reopened, but the delay in ending Covid-19 restrictions is putting hospitality firms at risk, research shows. Scotland’s plans for their crucial Group D game against Croatia at Hampden Park on Tuesday have been seriously disrupted after Billy Gilmour, who played a starring role in the draw at Wembley on Friday, tested positive for Covid-19. Gilmour will now complete 10 days of isolation. That’s all from me for today. Our coronavirus coverage continues on our global live blog.
As a small child at a convent school in London in the 1950s, I had an attack of hiccups in the playground one day. Mother Ignacius (a small, terrifying nun) was on duty. Beckoning me to her, she took a penknife from her pocket, opened the blade and pointed it at me. “Hold this!” she commanded. For what seemed like an eternity but was probably a matter of seconds, she glared at me while I held on to the blade, trembling. I stopped hiccuping immediately through sheer terror – of the nun rather than the blade (Drinking straw device is instant cure for hiccups, say scientists, 18 June). Margaret Histed Bristol • At teacher training college in the 60s, we had to wear large navy blue knickers for PE and dance (Letters, 17 June). As it was a church college we called them “harvest festivals” as “all is safely gathered in”. Rev Margaret Roylance Tenterden, Kent • Virginia Woolf heard birds singing in Greek and blamed her own mental state. Does recent evidence (Do Norfolk birds speak Punjab? 10 June; Letters, 17 June) support the case for a biographical reassessment? Sheila Cornelius Southport, Merseyside • Heaven forfend that I should want to advertise my advanced age (Letters, 18 June); I merely wish to moan about not getting a letter into the Guardian since 1955. Richard Thomas Wye, Kent • To be fair (Edwin Poots resigns as DUP leader after 21 days in post, 17 June), three weeks is a long time if you are a creationist. Jude Carr Charlton, London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
There were 10,476 new Covid-19 cases in the UK and 11 new deaths reported in the today as the Delta variant now accounts for 99% of cases. The Irish taoiseach, Micheál Martin, called for calm as Northern Ireland emerges from a “very turbulent” 24 hours after the resignation of the DUP leader, Edwin Poots. Prime minister Boris Johnson said the Conservatives’ performance in Chesham and Amersham was “disappointing”. Jess Phillips, Labour’s shadow minister for domestic violence and safeguarding, said the government’s actions from its rape review is “small fry” and “piecemeal”. Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said the party is ‘sending a shockwave through British politics’ after defeating the Conservatives in the Chesham and Amersham byelection. That’s all from me. But coronavirus coverage continues on the liveblog, here:
Prof Chris Whitty, the government’s chief medical adviser, said he expected a further Covid surge in the autumn or winter. (See 3.19pm.) Matt Hancock’s mandatory Covid vaccine policy for care home workers in England will turn managers into jab “bouncers”, sector leaders have warned as growing numbers of staff say they would rather quit than be vaccinated. Downing Street has said it has no plans to introduce a legal right to work from home - although it has confirmed that it is considering plans to make flexible working “the default”, which could end up amounting to much the same thing. (See 1.06pm.) Previous infection with coronavirus does not necessarily protect against Covid in the longer term, especially when caused by new variants of concern, a study on healthcare workers suggests. Some stocks of PPE in Scotland came within eight hours of running out at the height of the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report by the country’s public spending watchdog. Edwin Poots, the new DUP leader, is reportedly expected to face a no confidence motion after many of his MPs and MLAs objected to his decision to nominate Paul Givan as first minister. Poots went ahead with the nomination, intended to allow a cross-party executive to be formed, after talks involving Sinn Fein resolved a stand-off involving Irish language legislation. Sinn Fein wants the legislation, the DUP was unwilling to commit to passing the legislation at Stormont within a certain timescale, and the compromise involved Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland secretary, saying Westminster will pass its own bill implementing this if Stormont does not act by the end of September. Many in the DUP think Poots has given away too much to Sinn Fein. This is from the BBC’s Darran Marshall.
That’s all from me for today. But our coronavirus coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
That’s it from the UK politics blog team, thanks for following our coverage. You can follow our ongoing global coronavirus blog here -
Your editorial (14 June) states, as if it were fact, that my late husband, Jeremy Heywood, “was also a key figure in the Greensill drama”. Instead, this is a sweeping, all too convenient fiction. There was no “drama” in relation to Lex Greensill until many years after he ceased to hold any role in government and also some considerable time after my husband’s death in 2018. When Mr Greensill worked as a government adviser, he did so exploring the potential for supply chain finance – in which he had recognised expertise – to increase the share of government business going to small and medium-sized enterprises, a political priority at the time. His engagement was confirmed through signed letters of appointment and resulted in the pharmacy early payment scheme, which has been described in parliament as “a life-saver” for thousands of small businesses. It was my husband’s job to explore new ways for government to achieve its policy objectives. In 2012 Mr Greensill had none of the notoriety he has taken on in recent months. To suggest otherwise, and thereby misrepresent actions and decisions taken at the time in good faith, lacks the intellectual rigour that the Guardian aspires to. You are not the first to seek to heap responsibility for later and unrelated events upon an honourable man who is not here to defend himself. That does not make it any less disappointing. As such, I would suggest it is your reputation, not his, that is in peril. Suzanne Heywood London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has called for more information about protections for UK farmers in a new trade deal with Australia, amid fears the UK might face a potential flood of cheaper meat, and concerns about a lack of detail on animal welfare and environmental safeguards. The British government said UK food standards would not be relaxed, but has so far not provided details on areas such as higher levels of antibiotics used in Australian meat. We’d like to hear what British farmers think of this news, and what they believe such a trade deal could mean for their businesses. We’re also interested in hearing how they feel about working in the sector at the moment. Share your experiences You can get in touch by filling in the form below, anonymously if you wish or via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding the contact +44(0)7766780300. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details.
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That’s brought the debate to a close. That’s it from me, thank you for following our coverage this evening – as Boris Johnson announced a four week delay to the relaxation of rules in England. Our Covid-19 coverage will continue on our global live blog. It’s here:
Ministers could face a five-year ban from lobbying after leaving office and face fines if they break the rules. Lord Evans, chair of the committee on standards in public life, will propose the tougher measures following an emergency review carried out in the wake of the Greensill scandal. Lord Evans, 63, will call for a revamp of rules governing current and former prime ministers and other office-holders. His report will demand an overhaul of the rules in an attempt to stop former ministers using their contacts and expertise for private gain, the Sunday Times reported.
The report follows widespread disquiet over the extent and secrecy surrounding lobbying efforts by the former prime minister, David Cameron, on behalf of the Australian finance company Greensill Capital. The company employed Cameron to help acquire government contracts. Greensill’s collapse earlier this year has put tens of thousands of jobs in jeopardy. It was revealed that Cameron lobbied senior ministers including the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, via scores of private emails, texts and WhatsApp messages. Ministers could face lobbying bans of up to five years, as well as anti-lobbying clauses in their contracts, requiring the government to publish details of lobbying meetings monthly. Lord Evans told the BBC Westminster Hour programme that he there needed to be “greater transparency” about lobbying.
Boris Johnson was accused of hypocrisy after announcing at the G7 leaders’ summit he would provide £430m of extra UK funding for girls’ education in 90 developing countries – only weeks after his government made “inexcusable cuts” of more than £200m to funding set aside for the same cause this year. Johnson has told G7 leaders at the start of their summit they should stop inequalities becoming “entrenched” after the Covid pandemic. (See 3.09pm and 4.01pm.) Johnson has rejected claims that his plan for the UK to donate 100m doses of vaccine to poorer countries over the next year does not go far enough. (See 9.18am) He has said that he wants a total of one billion doses of vaccine to be pledged to developing countries at the G7 summit. Given that the US has already promised a 500m-dose donation, he is 60% of the way there already. (See 9.40am.) But aid campaigners say Johnson’s target is not ambitious enough. (See 4.14pm.)
Am I the only Guardian reader getting more and more confused by the hegemonic use of the term “liberal”? The word pops up everywhere: social liberal, economic liberal, liberal left, neoliberal right, classical liberalism, liberal feminism, muscular liberalism, liberal multiculturalism, etc. Am I missing something? Dr Paul Clements London • Boris Johnson claims that Britain is the “buckle that fastens, the hyphen that joins everything together” (UK and US gird for a titanic struggle – if they can avoid falling out first, 10 June). He ought to choose his metaphors more carefully: buckles have been largely superseded by Velcro, and hyphens are an endangered species in present-day English. James Fanning Greifswald, Germany • You report that “the PM is supporting the England football team and wants them to succeed”, according to a spokesman (Boris Johnson refuses to condemn fans booing England taking the knee, 7 June). Has he already given up hope on Scotland and Wales? Richard Walker West Malvern, Worcestershire • Oh no! Greatest summer songs (11 June)? How could you have missed Jerry Keller’s Here Comes Summer? Keller is 84 on 20 June – repair the omission without delay, please. Paul Collins Horton-cum-Studley, Oxfordshire • Another typo! Did Michael Parkinson really dream of “inciting” Ingrid Bergman to live with him? (Teenage kicks, 10 June). Jim Wilson Banbury, Oxfordshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Boris Johnson and Joe Biden have had their first in-person meeting at Carbis Bay in Cornwall, where the G7 summit will start tomorrow. Johnson described the president as a “breath of fresh air”. (See 6.06pm and 6.21pm.) And Biden reaffirmed his commitment to the UK-US “special relationship”. The two men also signed a new “Atlantic Charter” (pdf). Here is the joint statement (pdf) explaining it. It says: The president and the prime minister set out a global vision in a new Atlantic Charter to deepen cooperation in democracy and human rights, defence and security, science and innovation, and economic prosperity, with renewed joint efforts to tackle the challenges posed by climate change, biodiversity loss, and emerging health threats. Biden has announced that the US is buying 500m doses of the Pfizer vaccine to donate to 100 poorer nations. That’s all from me for tonight. But our US coverage continues on our US live blog.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker, has said he wants to see MPs given a binding vote on the government’s controversial decision to cut the aid budget. In a welcome move for the government, he refused to allow a vote on the topic tonight that would have been binding - because it would have changed legislation. But he has also allowed an emergency debate tomorrow on the topic under the standing order 24 procedure. We have not seen the wording of the motion yet, and even if it calls for the cuts to be reversed, the government could lose the vote but still ignore it - which is what it does when it loses votes on opposition day motions. But Hoyle also said he wanted parliament to take an “effective decision” on this matter - ie, to have a binding vote. (See 5.43pm.) It is not clear yet what he has in mind. Everyone aged 25 and over in England will be invited to get a coronavirus vaccine from Tuesday, Matt Hancock has announced, adding that the government is “reassured” that jabs still offer protection against the Delta variant discovered in India. Dozens of secondary schools in England have reintroduced mask requirements in the classroom, despite government guidance dropping the rule in May. Downing Street has confirmed that Boris Johnson is not a fan of the term “special relationship” to describe UK-US ties, one used by Joe Biden only a day ago, ahead of the G7 leaders’ summit in Cornwall. Brussels is preparing to make concessions over Northern Ireland but has warned Lord Frost ahead of a key meeting that the EU’s “patience is wearing thin” over the UK government’s repeated failure to fulfil its obligations. That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
That’s it from us for the day. Thanks for reading along and if you want more coronavirus news from around the world, head over to our global Covid blog:
Regardless of whether Tuesday’s television interview presented the “real” Keir Starmer – football fan, undergraduate with dodgy dress sense, and a bloke who clearly loved his mum – the public want and need to know what he stands for (Keir Starmer: coming months are make-or-break for Labour, 1 June). Voters will come back to Labour when they know what he’s going to do to rebalance the economy, combat climate change, create jobs, deal with poor housing and rebuild relationships with our neighbours – and whether the party will collaborate with others to defeat the government. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking, time is short, and outing himself as an Arsenal fan won’t help in much of London, let alone the rest of the country. Les Bright Exeter, Devon • Re the front-page photo trail in your print edition for coverage inside of Keir Starmer’s interview with Piers Morgan (Who’s that boy?: Picture emerges of young leader, 2 June), please stop playing the game. Keir as winsome rebel, Keir in hi-vis jackets or (my favourite) awkwardly holding a pint. If Keir Starmer really wants to connect with the electorate and lead a radical and transformative Labour government, may I suggest he revisits the 10 pledges he made to enable him to win the last leadership election? Les Garner Chair, Crouch End Labour • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Here’s a roundup of the key developments so far today: Former chief scientific adviser to the government Professor Sir Mark Walport said the UK was in a “perilous moment” and potentially on the cusp of a third wave but that more data was needed before the final decision could be made about the June 21 easing of restrictions. Heathrow has begun processing arrivals from red list countries in a dedicated terminal following concerns about them mixing with other passengers. Travellers arriving from red list nations on direct flights are being taken to Terminal 3. The job of the Covid-19 vaccination programme is not yet “done”, an immunisation expert has said as scientists are split on whether the government should press ahead with the final stages of easing social restrictions later this month. Covid-19 case rates are starting to rise steeply in more areas of north-west England, though rates in Bolton are continuing to fall, new analysis shows. The widespread rise in Covid-19 cases has led to a small rise in hospital admissions on a national level, according to Guardian analysis of NHS data. Boris Johnson sees nothing in current coronavirus data to suggest the end to coronavirus lockdown restrictions will need to be delayed past 21 June, Downing Street has indicated. Glasgow is to move from level 3 to level 2 of the Scottish government’s coronavirus restrictions from Saturday, Nicola Sturgeon has said. Teachers’ unions have criticised government plans to extend the school day in England by 30 minutes and said they could potentially do “more harm than good”. The UK reported no deaths from Covid-19 in its daily update today, according to the latest update. This is the first time the figure has been at zero since July last year. We’re closing the live blog now. Thanks so much for joining me. Our global live blog will still be continuing, which you can follow here:
I have occasionally contributed to your “Other lives” obituaries column and I am a friend of Kenneth Ball, whose cri de cœur you published last week (27 May). Ken, if I live long enough, it would be an honour for me to compose a tribute to you, but we hope not just yet! Anders Ditlev Clausager (age 71) Birmingham • Fiona Collins (Letters, 28 May) offers to have a go at my obituary. How will I know that she will include my marmalade-making and doesn’t alter it after the event? I might just settle for inclusion in your Birthdays column – mine is on 11 August. Kenneth Ball (age 91) Ditchling, East Sussex • If there are 1.1 billion smokers in the world and smoking killed nearly 8 million of them in 2019 (Number of smokers has reached all-time high of 1.1 billion, study finds, 27 May), can I point out that that is 0.73%. Why are they still going on about this? Couldn’t we have some clarity here? I am still smoking. Love life. David Hockney La Grande Cour, Normandy, France • I see that Boris Johnson has announced his latest vanity project, a new royal yacht to be used as a floating trade mission (Boris Johnson plans to sink £200m into new ship of state, 31 May). Will its captain command it from a garden bridge? David PJ Smith Dunning, Perthshire • It is not only lager drinkers who are given short shrift in the Albion, Chester (Letters, 26 May). Another sign reads “All our customers give us joy when they arrive … and some when they leave”. John Creswick Chester • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Here’s a round-up of today’s news The R number is above 1 in England, according to latest estimates, with London and the north west where the virus is spreading fastest. ONS data on infections in the community shows a big jump in cases in Northern Ireland and Scotland. Glasgow will remain in level 3 amid a high case rate in the city. First minister Nicola Sturgeon said case rate figures were troubling, as they rose from from 112 per 100,000 people to 146 per 100,000, with a test positivity rate of around 4%. A summit of the UK’s four nations could be held next week, after it postponed yesterday following protests from the Welsh and Scottish governments. The single-shot Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine has been approved for use in the UK. Ministers are under pressure to push back the 21 June relaxation of rules, amid growing case rates in the UK driven by the India variant. Covid cases in the UK rose by 4,184 – the largest rise since 1 April. A report has found that a Tory donor did fund the refurbishment of Boris Johnson’s Downing Street flat, and the prime minister acted “unwisely” in his lack of concern over how it was being paid for. Health secretary Matt Hancock was found to have broken the ministerial code over part-ownership of a family firm which won an NHS contract, but he was “unaware” and acted with “integrity throughout”, according to report author Lord Geidt. New Democratic Unionist party (DUP) leader Edwin Poots denied he was “pushing out” first minister Arlene Foster, saying she can stand down at a time of her choosing – as unhappiness grows in the party. That’s it from me for today. For more coronavirus news, you can head to our global blog, which has updates from around the world:
Matt Hancock broke the ministerial code by failing to declare a stake in a family company that won an NHS contract. A “technical” oversight by the health secretary was uncovered by Christopher Geidt, the government’s new adviser on ministerial standards, who also said Boris Johnson acted “unwisely” over the funding of renovations to his Downing Street flat. While the prime minister was cleared of having broken the ministerial code, Hancock was found by Lord Geidt to have broken it – albeit it “in technical terms” and only in a “minor” way. Questions were raised about Hancock’s register of interests, given that his sister and brother-in-law run a company called Topwood Ltd in which the health secretary has a 20% stake. The firm won a contract with NHS Shared Business Services Ltd in 2019, but he did not immediately declare his interest. This prompted criticism from Labour that the Conservative government was “infected with widespread cronyism”, though a government spokesperson insisted last month that Hancock had “acted entirely properly”.
Geidt said there was a danger people might perceive Hancock’s link to the firm to represent a conflict of interest and that it should have been declared at the time. But this did not occur, because of the health secretary’s “lack of knowledge” about the contract being awarded and it was “in no way deliberate”, Geidt found. Hancock, who is already fighting to salvage his reputation after Dominic Cummings accused him of “criminal” behaviour and repeated lies in the handling of the Covid pandemic, was judged by Geidt to have acted “with integrity”, so the finding should “in no way impugn his good character or ministerial record”. A spokesperson for the health secretary said the ministerial code breach was “only … technical in nature” and his interests were “declared diligently”, but said he accepted Geidt’s finding. Hancock has denied Cummings’ claims.
George Galloway is to contest the upcoming Batley and Spen byelection in a move that could make it harder for Labour to hold the seat. After the party’s defeat to the Tories in the recent Hartlepool byelection, Labour had been regarded as facing a tough battle to hold Batley and Spen when voters go to the polls on 1 July. But the entry of Galloway, a former Labour MP who has edged the party out in previous battles for seats in Bradford West and Bethnal Green, presents a new challenge and potentially increases the chances of a Conservative win. In announcing on Thursday that he would stand, Galloway made it clear that his focus was on placing Labour’s leader under pressure. “I’m standing against Keir Starmer. If Keir Starmer loses this byelection it’s curtains for Keir Starmer,” he said in a video posted online. “So if, for whatever reason, you think that the current leader of the Labour party needs to be replaced, I’m your man,” added Galloway, who had been a vocal supporter of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership from outside the party. Kim Leadbeater, who was selected as the Labour candidate for the seat on Sunday, said the party needed more “real people” in parliament to reconnect to its former voters and has vowed to “burst the Westminster bubble” if she wins. She is the sister of Jo Cox, the seat’s former MP who was murdered by a rightwing terrorist in 2016. Voters in West Yorkshire constituency will be going to the polls following the resignation of Tracy Brabin, who was elected the first mayor of West Yorkshire. Labour holds Batley and Spen with a narrow majority of 3,525 and a defeat would deal a further blow to Starmer’s leadership after the Hartlepool byelection and local election losses this month. Galloway was expelled from the Labour party in 2003 after being found guilty of four of five charges of bringing the party into disrepute. A vocal supporter of Brexit, Galloway is likely to attract some voters who would have been expected to vote for the Conservatives.
Tory MPs have made clear their disdain for Dominic Cummings after the prime minister’s former top adviser sharply criticised Boris Johnson, Matt Hancock and other government figures for their handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Though only a few dozen Conservatives originally demanded his resignation last spring for making trips during the first national lockdown, many have now piled in on the former Vote Leave campaign director, credited with helping the party to win a large majority at the last election by dismantling parts of Labour’s “red wall”. In a subtle jibe at Cummings the morning after his seven-hour evidence session to two parliamentary committees, a Conservative backbencher, Dehenna Davison, displayed a “Barnard Castle eye test” behind her during a virtual appearance in the Commons. The Bishop Auckland MP’s constituency contains the beauty spot Cummings visited from Durham last April; he said he make the round trip to test his eyesight before driving back to London. Anna Turley, the former Labour MP for Redcar who lost her seat in 2019, pondered: “Alexa, what’s the definition of gaslighting?” While Thom Brooks, dean of Durham Law School and director of Labour Academics, tweeted: “Dominic Cummings’ drive to Barnard Castle was a major factor undermining public confidence in guidelines aimed at protecting the public and saving lives. It’s not a joke – and Bishop Auckland voters deserve better than this.” Other Conservatives in the Commons on Thursday attacked Cummings’ “unsubstantiated Westminster gossip” and branded criticism of the government “opportunism and revisionism”, despite the serious nature of his claims. They include: that Johnson ignored scientists’ advice to order a second national lockdown, that hospital patients discharged into care homes with Covid were not properly tested and that the health secretary lied and held back some coronavirus tests to meet a “stupid” target.
Dominic Cummings, in his seven hours of evidence, revealed himself as something of film buff as he referenced Hollywood movies and memes to describe the disarray in Downing Street. By March the government was so consumed by chaos that it “seemed like an out-of-control movie,” he said. It was “like a scene from ‘Independence Day’ with Jeff Goldblum saying ‘the aliens are here and your whole plan is broken and you need a new plan”. The 1996 Roland Emmerich film saw alien ships orbiting Earth and governments not knowing what to do. Goldblum plays David Levinson, a computer and tech genius who realises the gravity of the threat after decoding a signal which is a countdown to invasion.
In Cummings version, the Goldblum character is Ben Warner, a data geek who was a key figure behind the computer modelling used by Vote Leave during the 2016 EU referendum. After Brexit, Warner was invited to work for the prime minister and he repeatedly warned of the looming disaster, Cummings said. By September, Cummings claimed Boris Johnson was refusing to listen to advisers and impose a new stay-at-home order and even expressed regret about ordering the first lockdown. Johnson told him: “I should have been the mayor in Jaws and kept the beaches open – that’s what he said on many occasions.” As in Mayor Larry Vaughn? The well-meaning fool played by Murray Hamilton who orders Amity beach to remain open despite the obvious, overwhelming evidence of a killer shark in the water. “People are having a wonderful time,” he says shortly before everyone flees in terror.
Cummings also referenced Spider-Man to illustrate what he saw as a lack of accountability. He told MPs: “You know that Spider-Man meme, both the Spider-Mans pointing at each other? It’s like that but with everybody ... all the different Spider-Mans are pointing at each other saying ‘you’re responsible’.” Many were unimpressed at the reference. “What? It’s Spider-Man’s fault!” tweeted former justice secretary David Gauke.
Ministers were forced to climbdown on travel restrictions to English Covid hotspots after a day of mounting confusion and anger left millions of people wondering if they needed to cancel bank holiday plans. Contentious advice will be removed from the government website, a spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday evening. It had advised against all but essential travel to and from eight areas of England where the Covid variant identified in India has been spreading. Instead, people will be advised to “minimise travel”. The controversial guidance directly affected 1.7 million people living in eight local authorities – Bedford, Blackburn, Bolton, Burnley, Kirklees, Leicester, North Tyneside and the London borough of Hounslow – as well as many others who had holidays or family visits planned to those areas following the easing of restrictions. It was criticised by Conservative and Labour politicians as having been introduced “by stealth” after it appeared on the government website last week with no warning. The full story is here:
Boris Johnson is reportedly to marry his fiancee, Carrie Symonds, in July 2022 after sending save-the-date cards to family and friends, according to the Sun. They have been engaged since late 2019 but, like many couples, had put their marriage plans on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic with numbers able to attend ceremonies curtailed. While this will be Johnson third marriage, it will be the first for Symonds. It is unknown where exactly the couple will celebrate the occasion. However, the prime minister’s Buckinghamshire residence, Chequers, is tipped to host the wedding. Another possible venue is said to be the Port Lympne safari park in Kent, as Symonds works for the conservation charity. It had also been previously reported that the pair could marry in Italy, where Symonds has relatives. However, a source told the Sun: “It would be nice for Chequers to be in the news for happy reasons for once.” The paper said the location would remain secret but the save-the-date cards were for Saturday 30 July. Johnson, 55, and Symonds, 33, were the first unmarried couple to live in Downing Street, moving there in July 2019, and he reportedly proposed on holiday on the Caribbean Island of Mustique. The parliamentary standards commissioner, Kathryn Stone, has since announced she is investigating a possible breach of the MPs’ code of conduct over the funding of the 10-day holiday. Their engagement, and the news that Symonds was pregnant, was announced in February last year. The same month, Johnson had formally divorced his estranged wife Marina Wheeler, with whom he has two daughters and two sons. Johnson was also once married to Allegra Mostyn-Owen. Symonds’ and Johnson’s son, Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson, was born in April 2020. The name Nicholas was a tribute to the two doctors who treated Johnson while he was in hospital with coronavirus. Downing Street and aides to the prime minister declined to comment on the Sun’s report.
That’s it from us for today. You can read our Heathrow story here:
And for the latest coronavirus news from around the world, head to our global Covid blog:
Public Health England has said that a total of 3,424 cases of the India variant of coronavirus B1.617.2 have now been confirmed in the UK. That is an increase of 2,111 on the total for the previous week (1,313), representing a rise of 160%. (See 6pm and 6.04pm.)
Downing Street has confirmed there was what it called “a short delay” in tracking down the contacts of people who tested positive for coronavirus for several weeks, a failure being blamed for assisting the spread of the variant first identified in India. A new wave of coronavirus infections could throw into jeopardy efforts to clear a backlog of surgery in the NHS, experts have warned. EasyJet has criticised the government’s “confusing” approach over travel to amber countries, as the airline claimed health data proves the majority of European destinations should be moved to the green list. The former MP Mike Hill breached parliament’s sexual misconduct policy but will escape any major sanction, an independent expert panel has found. That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
Prof Devi Sridhar argues correctly for prolonging the travel ban (If we loosen restrictions too early, there is a real risk of a third wave in the UK, 17 May). Creating distance between us and the virus (masks, ventilation, social distancing, travel bans etc) has been the main battle tool. But shouldn’t we also be advised to keep our own bodies’ defences in the best possible condition? I cannot understand why public health doesn’t emphasise this – for instance, by recommending we stock up on vitamin D stores. Some 30%-40% of the UK population has a severe vitamin D deficiency. Why is this tolerated when we are in the middle of a pandemic and know that vitamin D is a vital ingredient for a healthy immune response? Ireland’s public health bodies recently published a report addressing vitamin D deficiency. Finland, meanwhile, has for some years fortified food in sufficient amounts, so that the average Finn has double the vitamin D blood level of the average Scot. Now even the Spanish Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology recommends this. What is stopping our public health bodies from doing the same? Helga Rhein Retired GP, Edinburgh • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
The scenario of a Conservative north versus a liberal south, envisioned by John Harris, is being treated as a bizarre inversion of normality (Could England’s future be a left-leaning south facing off against a conservative north?, 16 May). But if anything it’s a return to the mean: the robust traditionalism of provincial England versus the febrile changeability of metropolitan England has a much deeper history than the collapse of Labour’s “red wall”. After all, during the civil wars, it was northern England and Wales which supported the conservative King Charles – the wealthy grandees of London and the gentlemanly south still declared for the roundhead radicals of parliament. Robert Frazer Stockport, Greater Manchester • John Harris offers a challenge to those of a liberal/left persuasion who wish to integrate their politics and lifestyles. If you want to be an agent of change, one way – should the opportunity arise – is to go and live somewhere where most people are in many respects not like you. It was good to see JB Priestley quoted, although from his early 20s he spent his life living and working well south of Bradford. Geoff Reid Bradford • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
That’s it from the UK blog team, thanks for following our coverage. You can follow our global coronavirus blog here -
To the acres of post-election coverage about jobs, levelling up and devolution, we now have a Queen’s speech calling for lifetime training without answering the question “training for what?” What is lacking is any practical, transformational first-step proposal for achieving all these goals, while providing an answer to how to pay for it. To fill this gap, the Green New Deal Group is calling for the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, to unveil a new market-leading “green recovery bond” Isa this summer, to keep his March budget promise of an NS&I green bond. Our research shows that this, like the pensioner bonds of 2015, could raise tens of billions of pounds and, as a first step to creating jobs in every constituency, that could be spent on employing a massive multi-skilled carbon army to make all the UK’s 30m buildings energy efficient. Meeting the official UK government target of net zero emissions by 2050 will require making up to 20,000 properties a week energy efficient for the next 30 years. Providing a secure, long-term funding stream for home retrofits is a priority, since buildings generate over a third of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Green recovery bonds would not only be popular with older savers, offer good quality jobs for younger generations, and turbocharge the levelling up agenda by creating employment nationwide – they would also show that the government is finally getting serious about delivering on its climate targets in advance of the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow in November. Caroline Lucas MP, Clive Lewis MP, Colin Hines Convener, Green New Deal Group, Prof Richard Murphy Sheffield University Management School
John Harris mentions “the arrival of Conservative MPs in such traditional Labour redoubts as ... Wolverhampton” (Labour’s crisis comes from the huge gap between politics and people, 9 May). Before the 2019 general election, Wolverhampton had had at least four Conservative MPs since 1970, including the long-serving Enoch Powell and his successor with similar ideological affinities, Nick Budgen. So I’m not convinced that “Labour redoubt” is an accurate description of the city’s political complexion. Michael Cunningham Wolverhampton • My late father, Arthur White, was a proud compositor on the Manchester Guardian from 1946 until his retirement in 1984. When I was a child growing up in Moss Side, he told us that you didn’t read the Guardian but wore it. Ironically, he read the Express. He always encouraged me to take the Guardian as it improved his generous pension. I have had it delivered for 50 years, and would rather miss my breakfast than my paper. Laura Hopkins Manchester • Congratulations to 92-year-old Scottish grandfather Gordon McCulloch on the success of his self-published poetry collection(Report, 4 May), from an 87-year-old English grandfather who has recently had his collection of over 100 poems, Life’s Lines, self-published via Amazon. Clearly, old is good! Tony Mitchell Keynsham, Somerset • The union flag flying outside the Hartlepool Labour HQ (‘Obsessed with the flag’: Labour recriminations begin in Hartlepool, 7 May) is upside down, which signals “distress”. A huge mistake in a famous port. Oh dear. Sue Rawson Scarborough, North Yorkshire • If thinking about a new name for the Labour party (Letters, 9 May), how about the Progressives? Pat Lambert Kenilworth, Warwickshire • Why is the starling “notoriously” imitative (Letters, 6 May)? How about superbly, wittily, intelligently? Nick Starling East Finchley, London • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Boris Johnson has signalled that the government will set up a public inquiry into Covid within a year, telling MPs it will happen before the end of this parliamentary session. (See 3.46pm.) The UK’s financial regulator has launched a formal investigation into the collapse of Greensill Capital, as David Cameron’s text message lobbying of serving ministers in an efforts to save the controversial bank were made public for the first time. The Cameron documents are available here (pdf). Lex Greensill, the financier, has rejected a suggestion from a member of the Commons Treasury committee that he is a fraudster. (See 5.06pm.) A dramatic loosening of planning laws to create a housebuilding boom will damage local democracy and destroy swathes of countryside by granting property developers a freer hand to build over green fields, planning experts have warned. Boris Johnson has been accused of backtracking on a promise to boost workers’ rights after leaving out landmark reforms to zero-hours contracts and the gig economy from the Queen’s speech. Campaigners for LGBT+ rights have criticised the prospect of a further delay before ministers fulfil a pledge to ban conversion practices, sometimes known as “gay cure” therapy. Keir Starmer’s closest parliamentary aide, Carolyn Harris, has resigned after MPs suggested she had stoked tensions during the bitter briefing war between Starmer’s office and his deputy, Angela Rayner. More people died with Covid in care homes in England and Wales in the second wave of the pandemic than the first, according to official figures. Most Scots will be able to hug their loved ones and meet indoors for first time in up to eight months from next Monday, with the country also moving to a traffic light system for foreign travel, in a significant relaxation of coronavirus restrictions. That’s all from me for today. But our coronavirus coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
I am 14 years old, and this was the first election I have campaigned in. I am delighted that Dan Norris was elected West of England mayor (Labour’s victories show importance of localism and positive vision, 8 May), a gain for Labour on a day when the party mostly did not do well (Keir Starmer concedes Labour has lost the trust of working people, 7 May). But let’s not forget that the Conservative party is riding high on the success of the vaccination programme. Looking at the results, it seems to me that voting in the next general election has to be simple – ABC: Anything But Conservative. The Green party and the Lib Dems did well, with both having the environment, a great concern to many people, high on their agenda. I have enjoyed watching Keir Starmer challenge Boris Johnson at prime minister’s questions, but due to the pandemic, he hasn’t had a proper chance to offer the electorate an alternative vision for a fairer, more caring society for all of us. I think that he now needs to hold out the hand of friendship and partnership to all the other parties and form an ABC coalition. Joseph Walker Bath • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
I first got to know Shirley Williams in 1966, when I was, briefly, a member of the Labour party, and she was its MP for Hitchin, in Hertfordshire, and a minister in Harold Wilson’s government. After a meeting about the Common Market at a hall in Letchworth the following year, I tackled her about nuclear weapons, even though the subject was not relevant to the meeting. Her taxi was waiting, and we were standing in the pouring rain – yet she spent several minutes with me, a mere 15-year-old, forcibly arguing her case for multinational, rather than unilateral, disarmament. She had a passion for people and making sure that even non-voting teenagers could express their views. A Liberal Democrat councillor in later life, I canvassed locally with her several times and was impressed at how good her memory was in recognising people for whom she had done casework, and canvassed, decades earlier when she was MP, from 1974 for Hertford and Stevenage. She became president of Stevenage Liberal Democrats and kept up her links with the town, always willing to attend local, council or party events.
It’s been another busy day of election results, with England’s final local councils and West Yorkshire’s mayor declared amid mounting tensions around Labour’s reshuffle. Here’s what we’ve had today: After what felt like a very long 24 hours, Angela Rayner has been promoted to shadow Cabinet Office minister, as well as taking on the roles of shadow chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster and shadow secretary of state for the future of work. The reshuffle has also seen Rachel Reeves replacing Anneliese Dodds as shadow chancellor, while Dodds was made party chair. Veteran chief whip Nick Brown has been replaced by his deputy, Alan Campbell. England’s 143 local council elections delivered notable wins for the Conservatives and the Greens. The Tories won the most seats, as well as gaining control of 13 councils, giving them 63 in total. Although they remain without a council majority, the Greens more than doubled their number of seats nationally, with 88 more councillors elected to take them to 151. In contrast, Labour lost control of eight councils, leaving them with 44 in total. The Lib Dems gained one council, taking them to seven. Mayoral races delivered better results for Labour however, with their candidate Tracy Brabin elected West Yorkshire’s inaugural mayor. Brabin is also the first female metro mayor in England. Brabin’s victory – which will now trigger a by-election in her constituency of Batley and Spen – means that Labour have won 11 of the 13 mayoral contests, including two gains from the Conservatives. That’s all from me for today – we’ll be shutting down this blog shortly. Thanks for reading along.
Boris Johnson has been celebrating after “Super Thursday”, the biggest electoral event outside a general election in modern British history, opened with the Conservatives winning Hartlepool from Labour with a huge, 16-point swing. Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to redouble efforts to regain the trust of the British public following Labour’s defeat in Hartlepool - but he and his allies have found it hard to articulate how this could be achieved. Labour leftwingers have said he should embrace Jeremy Corbyn’s policy agenda, Peter Mandelson has said the party needs to show that it understands “Brexit values” and Andrew Adonis has in effect said that Starmer should resign. Nicola Sturgeon has played down the prospects of winning an overall Holyrood majority. The SNP picked up key seats in Edinburgh Central - where former SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson replaced the one time Scottish Tory boss Ruth Davidson - and in Ayr and East Lothian. But under Holyrood’s proportional representation system, those successes could see it lose seats on the regional list ballot. Labour’s Jackie Baillie held on to her Dumbarton constituency - which had been the most marginal seat in all of Scotland and a top target for the SNP. In Wales, Labour has won 26 constituency seats, five short of a majority, with votes to elect a further 20 regional seats due to be counted on Saturday. London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey won the most votes in the Ealing and Hillingdon constituency and the West Central constituency over Labour rival Sadiq Khan. That’s all for our election blog this evening but we will be back in the morning with more results, analysis and reaction.
Like Ian Campbell (Letters, 6 May), I too live in Buckinghamshire and had to force myself to go to the polls on Thursday to cast what I knew would probably be a wasted vote, although at least at local level, with three choices on the voting slip, I had some small chance of my vote having weight. However, until the system for electing our national government moves away from first-past-the-post, voters like me are in effect entirely disenfranchised. Jill Wallis Aston Clinton, Buckinghamshire • The Hartlepool electorate is 70,000. About 28,000 voted on Thursday, in such a high-profile byelection. It looks like a massive win for the silent majority. Stephanie Bailey Norton-sub-Hamdon, Somerset • Sheila Bailey’s letter asking what “British values” are (Letters, 4 May) reminded me that I posed a similar question in the Guardian letters page a few years ago, asking if readers could name a value that is uniquely applicable to the people of this country. The only response was that it’s uniquely British (or English?) to find Carry On films funny. They’re not, but they do seem to have provided the model for our current government. Mark Walford London • In the interests of accuracy, what can be seen coming out of cooling towers is not steam, which is invisible, but water vapour (Letters, 6 May). Yes, I know I should get out more. Richard Bull Woodbridge, Suffolk • Re the giant wood moth found in Australia (Report, 5 May) – a behemoth surely? Jill Hearing Dorchester, Dorset • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
We’re going to close down this live blog now. Thanks for reading and commenting. Here’s a summary of the day’s developments: Voters all over Great Britain began heading to the polls in a series of elections. Scottish parliament and Welsh Senedd elections, as well as local votes and others were being held in three of the four constituent nations of the UK. The protests over post-Brexit measures in the waters around Jersey continued. French fishermen displayed their anger, while patrol vessels from both the UK and France kept watch. Senior party figures in the UK were seen at polling stations. There were the traditional images of the leaders of the major parties heading in to cast their votes. If you’d like to read more, my colleague Heather Stewart and I have put together this article:
Sir Keir Starmer has said that Labour’s electoral recovery was always going to take more than a year ahead of Britain’s biggest electoral event outside of a general election in modern history. (See 11.14am.) With two years’ worth of English local elections taking place at the same time, plus elections for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments, city and metro mayors, the London assembly and police and crime commissioners, and a byelection in Hartlepool, Starmer faces a real risk of losing Hartlepool, a town that has not voted Tory since the 1950s, and perhaps doing less well in the local elections than Jeremy Corbyn did in his first year as Labour leader. (See 1.55pm.) Boris Johnson has suggested that the publication of plans for the reform of adult social care will be delayed again until the summer. (See 1.15pm.) French fishers are threatening to blockade the ports in the Channel Islands in an escalation of a post-Brexit row in which the French maritime minister has backed calls to cut off Jersey’s electricity supply. Young people concerned about the climate crisis and air pollution are urging the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, to abandon his plans for a new four-lane road tunnel under the Thames or risk losing their support. Britain’s post-Brexit future was determined by “the quarrels, low blows, multiple betrayals and thwarted ambitions of a certain number of Tory MPs”, the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, has said in his long-awaited diaries. That’s all from me. A colleague will be writing the blog tomorrow. And I’ll be back early on Friday morning to bring cover to Hartlepool (which is counting overnight) and to cover all the other results as they come in. With counting set to continue over the weekend, we will also be running a blog on Saturday and on Sunday.
Police have confirmed that the Labour candidate for mayor of West Yorkshire did not break electoral law by handing out brownies while campaigning. West Yorkshire police had been looking into the allegations against the Batley and Spen MP Tracy Brabin after the Conservatives reported her for a potential breach of electoral law. The Tories had accused her of “treating”, an offence under the Representation of the People Act 1983. The legislation states that a person is “guilty of treating if either before, during or after an election or referendum they directly or indirectly give or provide (or pay wholly or in part the expense of giving or providing) any food, drink, entertainment or provision in order to influence any voter to vote or refrain from voting”. Pictures of the brownies in boxes marked “vote Labour” were posted to Twitter by Kerron Cross, the Labour and Co-operative candidate for Knottingley and Ferrybridge, prompting questions about whether Brabin’s generosity represented a contravention of electoral law.
However, it is understood that the treats were only given to party members after canvassing – which is not against the rules. A police spokesperson said: “West Yorkshire police can confirm that after an investigation following the circulation of social media posts and a direct complaint re electoral matters that no offences have been recorded.” Brabin, a former Coronation Street actor, is one of seven candidates in the West Yorkshire mayoral election on 6 May. If elected, Brabin would become the UK’s first female mayor of a combined authority. • This article was amended on 5 May 2021. An earlier version said that the West Yorkshire mayoral election was originally slated for May 2020 but was postponed due to the pandemic. In fact that election was always planned for May 2021.
Keir Starmer has sought to manage expectations ahead of what he admitted would be a “very important set of elections for [Labour]”, and promised he would take “full responsibility” for his party across the country. Downing Street has refused to deny reports that a Tory donor was asked to pay the costs of a nanny for Boris Johnson’s son. (See 1.04pm.) A cross-party group of MPs have pushed for formal action against Boris Johnson for allegedly misleading the Commons over the transparency of Covid contracts, saying the cabinet secretary, Simon Case, incorrectly cleared the prime minister of wrongdoing. More needs to be done to encourage women into politics, the UK’s leading charity for gender equality has said, as data reveals that just one-third of candidates in this week’s English council elections are women. Hopes that holidays to popular tourist destinations could soon restart have been boosted after the government scrapped advice that said people should avoid all but essential travel to areas including mainland Portugal and Spain’s Canary Islands. Teaching unions, scientists, public health experts and parents are calling for masks to remain compulsory in classrooms in England to protect children and their families and reduce the risk of a third wave of Covid-19. Recent data on Covid deaths and rates of infection in the UK is “very encouraging”, and though a third wave of infections is possible in late summer, it is unlikely to overwhelm the NHS, the leading epidemiologist Neil Ferguson has said. That’s all from me for today. But our coronavirus coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here:
When Frank Judd became secretary general of International Voluntary Service in 1959 it was running 12 projects. In 1966, when he left following his election as an MP, there were 120 of them, and opportunities for long-term volunteering had been opened up at home and abroad. During these years, IVS changed from “pick and shovel” action to responding to the changing needs of social communities across the world. Frank was a brilliant administrator and an inspiring speaker, and his achievements in these years set the scene for his future work with VSO and Oxfam. Anthony Bradley Once my husband and I met Frank Judd at parliament to discuss a refugee project my husband was involved in. He had assumed that we must have been motivated by some sort of religious interest. When he discovered this was not the case, he turned to a colleague and said with great delight, “Hooray, they’re not religious!” He left us listening to a debate in the Lords. Trying to exit, we told an usher who our host had been. Considerably exasperated, he said that we should not have been left alone – “That Lord Judd, he’s always breaking the rules.” A wonderful man. Bridget Patterson Frank Judd displayed remarkable political candour. When in 1970, as chair of the Labour club at what is now the University of Kent, I hosted him as our speaker, he was happy to be completely open about his boss, Harold Wilson, to whom he was parliamentary private secretary at the time. “Harold,” he said, “is usually astute, but sometimes the mask can slip. At a rally in Chatham, then still a naval town, where I was accompanying him as PPS, he stressed how keen he was on funding the navy. ‘And why,’ he asked, ‘do I say this?’ To which the immediate heckle back was: ‘Because you’re in Chatham, you berk!’” Both Frank and Harold collapsed in laughter, and both Frank and I liked to recall that rare slip in the facade of competency that was Wilson’s trademark. John Burnell
The number of people in England estimated to have Covid-19 has dropped 40% in a week, according to new figures. As PA Media reports the Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, which covers private households, shows an estimated 54,200 people were likely to have tested positive for Covid-19 in the week to 24 April, down from 90,000 the previous week. This means around one in 1,010 people in private households in England had Covid-19 in the week to 24 April, down from one in 610. It is the lowest figure since the week to 5 September, when the estimate stood at one in 1,400. (See 12.37pm, 1.20pm and 1.28pm.) But the government has also published figures showing a slight increase in the estimate for the R number for England, taking it to between 0.8 and 1.1. Last week it was between 0.8 and 1. (See 2.31pm.) Vital coronavirus research, including a project tracking variants in India, has had its funding reduced by up to 70% under swingeing cuts to the UK overseas aid budget. A small number of people vaccinated against Covid have been admitted to hospital with the disease and died, researchers have found, but most were frail and elderly and caught the virus before the jab could have taken effect. Lord Ricketts, a former national security adviser, has said Boris Johnson should be much more digitally secure after reports that the prime minister’s mobile phone number has been available online for the past 15 years. That’s all from me for today. But our coronavirus coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
Boris Johnson called the row over his Downing Street refurbishment a “farrago of nonsense” despite a formal Electoral Commission investigation, as No 10 confirmed its own inquiry would not be published in full. Labour has submitted a complaint about Johnson to the parliamentary commissioner for standards. (See 4.40pm.) Johnson has made a solo visit under cover of darkness to the National Covid Memorial Wall, infuriating bereaved families who have been asking for weeks for him to “walk the wall” and meet them there. The UK has recorded 22 further coronavirus deaths. But, in a sign that the death figures are now plateauing after weeks when they have been falling sharply, the total number of deaths over the last seven days is now up on the total for the previous week - although only by 0.6%, or one single death. For most of the last three months the week-on-week death rate has been going down steeply.
Homeowners have reacted with “horror” after parliament finally voted against protecting them from post-Grenfell fire safety costs that could run to £10bn. Women are to hold UK ambassadorships in all the world’s key postings after the role in Paris was given to Menna Rawlings, the first female appointee in British history. That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global live global live blog. It’s here.
While Westminster waits to see who survives the fallout from the “cash for curtains” controversy, further north in suburban Cheshire a different political scandal has so far claimed two scalps. Handforth parish council, which found itself at the centre of a media storm after a Zoom meeting went viral earlier this year, has since lost two members. First to quit was chairman Brian Tolver, who told stand-in clerk Jackie Weaver she had “no authority here”. He was followed out of the virtual door by vice-chairman Aled Brewerton, who barked at Weaver to “Read the standing orders! Read them and understand them!”
Weaver launched a thousand memes for her remorseless use of the Zoom eviction button and went on to be immortalised in a song by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Tolver, 74, quit at the Cheshire council’s latest meeting but did not give a reason. One fellow councillor claimed it was from the fallout over the Zoom meeting, the BBC reported.
Councillor Susan Moore said she thought the chairman had quit as his grip on power had weakened following the Weaver controversy. She said: “He is isolated on the council as his allies have not been seen since that meeting with Jackie Weaver. “He has no power so he cannot do what he wants. He should have apologised for his behaviour but he didn’t.” Brewerton, who appeared on the fateful Zoom call alongside an older man, has not given a public reason for his resignation. But the vacancy it opens up was announced on the Handforth parish council website on Wednesday.
Rishi Sunak has defended the government’s delay in implementing a national lockdown in the autumn, as No 10 refused to deny the prime minister had said of coronavirus that he would rather “let it rip” than impose strict curbs. Hundreds of thousands of leaseholders living in unsellable and potentially dangerous high-rise homes will continue to face fire safety bills of up to £100,000 each after MPs again voted against banning building owners from passing on remediation costs. Boris Johnson has been accused of a “dismal failure” in his diplomatic efforts after Iran sentenced Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe to a further year in jail on top of the five-year sentence she has already served. Landmark domestic violence legislation is expected to become law after peers ended their stand-off with the government following concessions. As PA Media reports, the breakthrough came with time running out in the dying days of the parliamentary session. A key sticking point on the domestic abuse bill in the Lords had been the demand for action to keep tabs on and deal with serial perpetrators and stalkers. The upper chamber had backed a change aimed at ensuring such offenders would be registered, monitored and managed under multi-agency public protection arrangements (Mappa). But ministers argued the move would not achieve its goal and outlined changes to strengthen the existing system. The government also moved its own amendment to develop a strategy for prosecution and management of offenders within 12 months of the bill becoming law. This would aim to take steps to reduce the risk of domestic abusers and stalkers from committing further such offences. Boris Johnson’s decision to back Priti Patel and disregard the findings of his adviser on ministerial standards that the home secretary had bullied staff can be challenged in court, a hearing has ruled. That’s all from me for today. But our coronavirus coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
I’m afraid Martin Kettle is going to have to wait a long time for a Shirley Williams-style compromise between parties (An electoral fix alone won’t save Britain’s progressives. Agreeing principles might, 21 April). Williams compromised with the Tories over Andrew Lansley’s catastrophic NHS reforms, demonstrating that the more powerful political partner usually gets most of what it wants. Since there are no “broadly shared political objectives” in parliament, as there was with postwar Butskellism, the centre-left has no alternative but to form an electoral alliance with the shared objective of constitutional reform.
Most progressive politicians could get behind a federal system of nations, and English regions represented in a senate (with the Lords abolished); proportional representation for both houses; local devolution of power; and perhaps the French model of separated powers between the executive and the legislature to avoid coalitions. This should result in majority opinion being properly represented and perhaps end the dysfunctional relationship between the Tory and Labour right and left. Philip Wood Kidlington, Oxfordshire • Martin Kettle is too pessimistic – surely Labour would consider empowering its rivals if that is the only way to gain a majority? Labour getting a majority on its own at the next election seems unlikely. But offering to stand down candidates in selected seats to help the Green party and Liberal Democrats gain seats, and vice versa, would make a parliamentary majority very likely. There would be clear incentives for each party: the chance of a seat in government to tackle the climate emergency (Greens), a return to its recent political heft (Lib Dems) and a return to government (Labour). Alan Terry Exeter • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
One of Boris Johnson’s closest aides, Lord Udny-Lister, is leaving his post as the prime minister’s special envoy to the Gulf, Downing Street has said. The 71-year-old peer served in City Hall as Johnson’s chief of staff when he was mayor of London. When Johnson became prime minister in 2019, he brought into No 10 as his chief strategy adviser. He recently took up the post of Gulf envoy. In that role, it was reported that Johnson asked him to investigate after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman complained the Premier League was blocking a Saudi takeover bid for Newcastle United. It came after the Daily Mail reported that the prime minister was asked to intervene to “correct” the Premier League’s “wrong” decision not to allow the £300m takeover last year. A Downing Street spokesman said: “The prime minister is hugely grateful for Lord Lister’s dedicated service over many years. “He has been an outstanding servant to the country, to the government and to the prime minister when he was mayor of London.”
India will be added to England’s travel “red list” from 4am on Friday, Matt Hancock has announced, as surge testing got under way to tackle a growth in cases of a coronavirus variant first discovered in the country. Boris Johnson’s planned visit to India next week has been cancelled because of the country’s escalating coronavirus crisis, a joint statement by the UK and India has announced. People working from home during lockdown spend more time at their jobs and are less likely to be promoted or take time off sick, but are paid above average wages, according to the Office for National Statistics. A “David versus Goliath” legal action started at the high court as hospitality bosses try to force the UK government to bring forward the reopening date for pubs and restaurants indoors. David Hare has channelled Jonathan Swift to write a furious, exasperated satirical poem pouring bile on Boris Johnson and his handling of the pandemic. A controversial report into racial disparities in the UK attempts to “normalise white supremacy” and the government should reject its findings, UN human rights experts have warned. Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary, has told MPs the government will “put everything on the table” to stop the proposed European super league going ahead as planned. That’s all from me for today. But our coronavirus coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
Despite living in a post-Brexit failed state with the most mendacious, corrupt and criminally incompetent government in living memory, and with the highest number of coronavirus deaths in Europe, having just received my new British passport (albeit black rather than blue), I can now say with pride that it’s all been worthwhile. Tony Mays Sheffield • “Money advice may be the best medicine for long-term health issues”, says the headline in the print version of your article (19 April). Given that poor people have worse health and shorter lives than rich people, it’s a pity that the word “advice” has accidentally slipped in to that heading. Kath Howard Telford, Shropshire • I thank Dr Antony Wyatt for the correction regarding “stickball” being hockey rather than golf (Letters, 18 April). Perhaps the name of the game that would be played by the new European Super League should be “greedball”. Dr Richard Lewis Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire • In my experience, golf is usually referred to as “lost ball”. Geoff Court Gilmorton, Leicestershire • Surely you “buy” the Guardian if you pay cash for it, and you “take” it if you have a subscription (Letters, 18 April). Stuart Waterworth Tavistock, Devon • We “get” the Guardian. In more ways than one. Jennifer Evans Aldershot, Hampshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
In response to Polly Toynbee’s article (Cameron passed a lobbying act, but it was never meant to curb corruption, 15 April), as a Liberal Democrat minister in coalition, I was involved in drawing up the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014. At no point did I, or any of my colleagues, ever discuss introducing measures designed to target the National Union of Students because we “lived in terror” of it. What we did discuss was the risk of groups similar to the US National Rifle Association emerging as major players in UK politics. These organisations support a preferred candidate by viciously targeting their main opponent, but because they act “independently”, their spending does not count against their favoured candidate’s election spending limit. I regret that the measures we introduced haven’t stopped these shadowy non-party campaigning organisations from throwing significant amounts of money, which might originate from foreign sources, at Facebook advertising and billboards. This happened in the 2019 general election and is happening now in the Scottish elections. That would have been a valid and accurate point to make. Tom Brake Deputy leader, House of Commons, 2012-15 • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
Here is a quick recap of all of the main Covid updates from the UK today: One in six UK adults are now fully vaccinated against Covid-19, with more than 2m second doses delivered in the past week. The first of the 77 cases of the India variant of coronavirus found in the UK were detected in specimens dating back to February, the Guardian has learned. Boris Johnson’s visit to India will still go ahead despite rising Covid cases and fears over a variant first identified there. Paul Hunter, a professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, said the variant featured two “escape mutations” – E484Q and L452R – that “are causing people to be concerned”. Covid-19 infections across all parts of the UK have fallen to the lowest level since the autumn, new figures suggest. That’s all from me for today. Our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here:
In 1967, Harold Wilson appointed Shirley Williams minister of state for education. In that capacity she visited Southampton University, which enjoyed a reputation for leftwing radicalism. She was greeted by a large crowd of vociferous students, and the vice-chancellor was anxious to usher her into the building where their discussion would take place. But she simply sat down on the steps and engaged the students in an informal exchange along the lines of “Well, this is my idea of socialism”. It was a civilised and relaxed form of politics that seems unimaginable today. Martin Pugh In 1996 I was an MEP, and met Shirley Williams on a flight to Brussels. When I asked why she didn’t rejoin Labour, she replied that under Tony Blair “they’re much too rightwing for me!” Hugh Kerr
Here is a quick recap of the main political developments from today: MEPs in two key European Parliament committees have voted in favour of the EU-UK trade agreement. There were 108 votes in favour of the agreement, with one against and four abstentions. An SNP government will provide funding to companies to pilot a four-day working week, it was announced by Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, as she launched the party’s manifesto. Lord Pickles, the chair of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, called for urgent reform over “anomalies” that allowed conflicts of interest in Westminster and Whitehall. During the committee meeting this morning, he said had been “considerably worried about what has been going on below Acoba level” for some time. The public accounts committee, meanwhile, said it intends to launch an inquiry into supply chain financing, which Greensill Capital was involved in. William Wragg, chair of the public administration and constitutional affairs committee, announced a “full inquiry into the topical matters around Greensill” That’s all from me for today. Our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here:
Here is a quick recap of the main political developments from today: The government has defeated Labour plans for a parliamentary inquiry into lobbying. The prime minister said he cannot remember when he last spoke to “Dave”, in reply to a question about when he last talked to the former prime minister David Cameron. SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said “we’ll see you in court”, as he claimed the government’s legal move to override Holyrood legislation undermined the rights of children. Boris Johnson defended the inquiry he had launched, but faced accusations of a return to “Tory Sleaze” from Keir Starmer during a heated PMQs. That’s all from me for today. Our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here:
Here is a quick recap of the main Covid-related news in the UK today: The Department of Health and Social Care has insisted Johnson & Johnson’s decision to delay the rollout of its vaccine in Europe will not derail the UK’s programme to offer a jab to all adults by the end of July. The Covid testing firm Randox says it will reduce the price of PCR tests to £60 for travellers returning to the UK from overseas. This is about half the typical cost. Nicola Sturgeon said Covid figures are now at their lowest since September, and have fallen by 40% in the past two weeks. Scotland’s first minister has brought forward relaxations to travel and outdoors meetings. But she stressed that international travel remained a significant risk. Boris Johnson said that easing curbs will ‘inevitably’ mean more infections, hospitalisations and deaths. Prof Jeremy Brown, a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, warned that, even with the vaccination programme in place, there could be a “big third wave” of Covid-19. That’s all from me for today. Our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here:
Here the latest key developments at a glance: The government is set to a launch an independent investigation into former prime minister David Cameron’s lobbying for the now-collapsed Greensill and the role of the scandal-hit financier Lex Greensill in government. The Department of Health and Social Care confirmed that doses of the Moderna vaccine will be rolled out in England from “mid April” after first doses were already delivered in Wales and Scotland, while Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, said jabs would be offered to the over-40s as early as this week. Shoppers hit the high streets and queued around blocks across England and Wales, pubs in England started pouring drinks again and hairdressers and beauty salons welcomed customers amid relaxations of restrictions for the retail, leisure and hospitality sector for the first time in almost four months. Progress in tackling Covid-19 has created enough headroom to allow for further lockdown relaxations in Northern Ireland, said the deputy first minister, Michelle O’Neill, after first minister Arlene Foster had expressed hope that opening dates for close-contact services, such as hairdressers and beauticians, and non-essential retail can be announced later this week. Terrorists could have a “greater opportunity to operate” as coronavirus lockdown restrictions are eased, a senior police officer has warned. Many young people showed lower levels of concern over the risks of catching coronavirus and did not comply with social mixing guidance, a new study by the Office for National Statistics has shown. Wales has become the first UK country to give a first dose of Covid-19 vaccine to half its population. That’s all from me for today, this blog will close shortly.
Here is a recap of the main Covid-related events from the UK: There were more women than men in the 20-39 age group admitted to hospital with Covid-19, according to documents published by Sage. About one in 340 people in the community in England are thought to have had Covid in the most recent week. Jet2.com extended the suspension of its flights and holidays up to 23 June after the government’s announcement on how foreign leisure travel will resume. Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, has said he is “concerned” about the cost of the polymerase chain reaction type of test. He said the government was committed to driving down the price of these by working with the private sector. That’s all from me for today. But our coronavirus coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here:
Derek Draper has returned home after more than a year in hospital being treated for Covid-19. Draper, 53, the husband of Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway, was admitted with coronavirus symptoms in March 2020 and was subsequently placed in a coma. The former political adviser and lobbyist was driven by ambulance to the couple’s home in north London on Wednesday, the Sun reported. He has been taken off all machines and breathing apparatus but will receive 24-hour care at the property which Garraway has adapted to make it more accessible. The couple have two children, daughter Darcey, 15, and 11-year-old son Billy. Last month ITV broadcast Finding Derek, a documentary exploring Draper’s illness and its effect on their children. One scene involved Garraway, 53, recall being told by Draper’s doctors that he was the most seriously ill person they had seen who remained alive. In another scene, Garraway suggested they would have a “completely different dynamic” in their marriage when he is able to leave hospital. Although the virus has not been present in Draper’s body since the late summer, it has led to kidney failure, damage to his liver and pancreas and heart failure. He has holes in his lungs following bacterial pneumonia and several infections. Last month Garraway said doctors do not know why the virus has had such a destructive effect on his health and told her it is unlikely he will make a full recovery. The presenter, who has been unable to visit her husband since December when the third lockdown was imposed, said his condition deteriorated dramatically without human contact. She said: “I feel like he is in an ocean of unconsciousness and sometimes he comes up to the surface. “In the run-up to Christmas there were moments of consciousness where I felt like we were really communicating.” PA Media contributed to this report
I find your editorial (29 March) on the “festival of Brexit” staggering. If we are celebrating Brexit, where does it put the majority of people in Northern Ireland and Scotland who voted against the economic disaster that they are now mired in? What exactly do they have to celebrate? This is about appealing to the Tory heartlands and ignoring the rest of the UK. The comparison with the Festival of Britain is ludicrous, since Brexit has created massive divisions throughout the UK, which wasting vast amounts of taxpayers money to celebrate will not assuage, only exacerbate. Since this government treats every expenditure as an opportunity to corruptly benefit its allies, donors and friends, we can expect that to be a prominent part of the Brexit celebrations. Renaming it the “Festival for the end of the United Kingdom” would be more appropriate. John Cookson Bournemouth, Dorset • “There’s no reason to think that Festival UK 2022 will be a celebration of Brexit”, says your print headline. But the fact remains that the festival was inaugurated for just that purpose. In the words of the festival director, Martin Green: “There is no doubt that money has been made available because this country is exiting the EU.” Healing divided communities is a noble aim, but the community that I was once a member of – the EU – has been taken away from me. How exactly is a festival dedicated solely to UK talent going to heal that? Tim Shelton-Jones Brighton, East Sussex
Our police don’t overreact (Report, 30 March); we don’t have institutional racism (Report, 31 March); the prime minister is a model of honesty and integrity (Report, 29 March). Truly, this is the best of all countries. Peter Brooker West Wickham, Kent • Will Pedanticus tear up his copy of Tuesday’s Guardian? A photo caption on page 7 read: “NHS staff eat lunch on a wall across the river from the House of Commons that is being turned into a memorial for victims of the pandemic.” Ian Clegg Ravenshead, Nottingham • There’s no shame in cocking up a 180 in Llangollen basin, Tony Collins (Letters, 30 March). I’ve accidentally recreated the “ramming speed” scene from Ben-Hur more than once there. But labelling your family “crew” is always going to test their loyalty. Ian Grieve Gordon Bennett, Llangollen canal • It must be because I’m from Yorkshire that I can solve crosswords even before they are compiled (Letters, 30 March). Wendy Collins Batley, West Yorkshire • Andrea Meanwell’s account of her flock and her desire for Cumbrian sheep farming to be passed to the next generation was uplifting (Country diary, 30 March). I hope her aspirations are fulfilled. Michael Cunningham Wolverhampton • On Tuesday, we were delighted to see our first swallow of the spring here on the Preseli Hills. A few days earlier than last year. Charlie Mason Hermon, Pembrokeshire
That’s all from me for today. Our full story on Novavax is here:
And our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
It is easy to blame the pandemic for the UK asylum system “grinding to a halt”, as this neatly absolves the Home Office from responsibility (Child asylum seekers ‘falling apart’ due to Home Office delays, 25 March). The truth is that the asylum system has been made increasingly hostile and disbelieving over the past two decades through a deliberate policy aimed at trying to discourage people from seeking asylum in the UK. Home Office delays and misjudgments are common, as are claims lost or not resolved for well over 10 years. In addition, for young asylum seekers, there is the misery of age assessments carried out by social services who know they have scarce resources to offer protection and help to children, and who frequently assess weary, broken, exhausted and lost young people as over 18. Asylum seekers often suffer as much from failures in the UK asylum system as they have from losing their homes and countries, and from arduous journeys seeking safety. What asylum seekers lose here in the UK is hope of any kind of justice or safety, and we are about to make this suffering all the worse under the cruelty of proposed new legislation. Sushila Dhall Oxford
In response to your editorial (The Guardian view on Scottish politics: a battle with no winners, 24 March), I would like to take issue with the implication that the SNP government is in a state of stale incumbency. Living in Scotland and looking at their record in office, it is clear to see why the SNP is hard for other parties to beat fairly. Families receive 600 hours of early learning and childcare, and Scottish students receive free university tuition. Prescription charges are free, and free personal and nursing care is available to all who need it, regardless of age. Council tax is cheaper than in England and there is a national council tax freeze. The Scottish government also has a good record on social security and provision of affordable homes. It has passed legislation for the world’s most ambitious emissions reduction targets and banned fracking in Scotland. Voters like me are influenced far more by this impressive record than by opposition politicians seeking to exploit one mistake to discredit the SNP before the Holyrood elections in May. Sarah Mackay Glasgow
Boris Johnson has comfortably won a vote on extending the Coronavirus Act, emergency legislation giving the government sweeping powers, for another six months. With Labour backing the government, there was no chance of defeat, but 35 Conservative MPs defied the whip and voted against the government. Some cited their concerns about the illiberal implications of the Coronavirus Act, but most of them were critical of the lockdown (which is largely enforced under different legislation - also extended today in a vote that went through on the nod). The Tory rebellion was smaller than the one in December on the new tiering restrictions (when 53 Conservatives voted against the government) and smaller than the one in October on keeping the 10pm curfew (when 42 Tories voted against). Sir Keir Starmer also suffered a rebellion because 21 Labour MPs defied the whip and voted against extending the act. Boris Johnson has suggested that Covid status certificates are unlikely to be required until the whole population has been offered a vaccination, after MPs and scientists warned of the risk of a two-tier system if certification were required for pubs. Ursula von der Leyen has revealed to EU leaders that 21m doses of Covid vaccine have been exported to the UK from suppliers based in the bloc’s member states as she emphasised the need to secure jabs at home. That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on on global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
Oliver Dowden asserts that the permanent flying of the union flag will act as “a proud reminder of our history and the ties that bind us” (Government buildings to fly union jack continuously under new rules, 24 March). It is more likely to act as reminder of the culture war that divides us – a war started by his own government. Michael Woodgate Bristol • It would seem that this government of scoundrels has now officially reached its last refuge. That didn’t take long. Sue Durham Cambridge • Re pen pals, for a number of years the Quakers have been writing to men and women in prison (‘A letter tells someone they still matter’: the sudden, surprising return of the pen pal, 23 March). Like Liz Maguire, we write letters to strangers. The connection and communication it gives to both parties is really worthwhile, especially as we outside have a little more understanding of what it is to be incarcerated today. Christine Hayes Wokingham, Berkshire • The other way to make Codewords more challenging (Letters, 23 March) is to not fill in the grid, but do it all in your head. This also works with the quick crossword, with the added advantage of leaving it empty for my wife to do later. Not, however, recommended for an Enigmatist cryptic. Paul Johns Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire • Who is right? Miles Brignall with his “least-worst option” (Consumer champions, 22 March)? Or Chris Maslanka with his “least bad option” (Pyrgic puzzles, 20 March)? For all us pedants, I think we should be told which is the best option. Neil Petrie Edinburgh
A formal investigation has been launched into whether David Cameron breached lobbying laws through his work on behalf of Greensill Capital. However, the Guardian understands the former prime minister will say he was acting as an employee for the firm. According to guidance by the register of consultant lobbyists, people who lobby on behalf of their own organisation do not need to declare themselves on the register. Cameron has come under growing pressure to explain himself amid allegations that he contacted the chancellor, Rishi Sunak on his private phone last April while working as an adviser for Greensill. At the time the firm, which collapsed earlier this month, was trying to secure access to hundreds of thousands of pounds of emergency Covid loans. Granting Greensill access to the 100% government-backed Covid corporate financing facility (CCFF) would have meant bending the rules, since lenders are not meant to borrow money through the programme. The registrar in charge of enforcing lobbying laws, has now launched a formal investigation into Cameron’s alleged lobbying efforts. A spokesperson for the registrar said on Thursday: “Following media reports, the registrar of consultant lobbyists is investigating whether Mr David Cameron has engaged in unregistered consultant lobbying. The registrar will not comment on this further while the investigation is ongoing.” UK rules require people who directly lobby ministers or senior officials on behalf of a third party to declare their efforts on an official government register for lobbyists. Breaching those rules can result in fines of up to £7,500 and in severe cases even criminal charges. However, Cameron is expected to say he was a Greensill employee at the time, rather than a consultant. Greensill administrators at Grant Thornton declined to comment. Rich’s office was not immediately available for comment.
Serhii Plokhy’s article (Boris Johnson is playing a dangerous nuclear game, 19 March) explains why this could not be a worse time for the government to raise the cap on nuclear warheads. Musicians for Peace and Disarmament (MPD) has been campaigning for a nuclear-free world since 1983. Although progress towards this end has been painfully slow, little did we expect such a sudden and profound setback as the recent announcement.
This reckless decision threatens to destabilise the already fragile world order, and instead of using precious funds for positive purposes, it squanders them on weapons of mass destruction that can never be used, are illegal, and are inherently immoral. Society will need rebuilding after the destructive effects of the pandemic; millions of people around the world are in desperate need of help after years of conflict in their countries, yet foreign aid has been cut; and the climate emergency, now almost at the point of no return, must be made a matter of absolute priority. Along with countless other people who have expressed their dismay, MPD strongly urges the prime minister and his government to show political wisdom and moral leadership by withdrawing this plan. Tony Lamb Chair, MPD, Frankie Armstrong, Wissam Boustany, Sir Mark Elder, Julian Jacobson, Dr Colin Matthews, Ralph McTell, Peggy Seeger, Roger Vignoles Patrons, MPD
Nicola Sturgeon has been cleared of breaching the ministerial code over her dealings with Alex Salmond after an independent inquiry into allegations she misled the Scottish parliament. Boris Johnson has urged international cooperation over vaccines, saying a third wave of coronavirus elsewhere in Europe would inevitably affect the UK. The government has confirmed that Covid-19 restrictions against protests in England will be lifted from next week, though gatherings are still likely to have conditions imposed. Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, has argued that modern advances mean “greater effect can be delivered by fewer people” as he confirmed the army will shrink by around 10,000 troops. As PA Media reports, detailing a major overhaul of the armed forces, Wallace urged MPs not to play “Top Trumps” with force numbers on Monday as he broke a pledge the Conservatives ran the last election on. (See 2.35pm.) Wallace told MPs: The army’s increased deployability and technological advantage will mean that greater effect can be delivered by fewer people. I’ve therefore taken the decision to reduce the size of the army from today’s current strength of 76,500 trade trained personnel to 72,500 by 2025. The army has not been at its established strength of 82,000 since the middle of last decade. These changes will not require redundancies and we wish to build on the work already done on utilising our reserves to make sure the whole force is better integrated and more productive. Whisky, cheese and chocolate producers have suffered the biggest post-Brexit export losses in the food and drink sector, new figures from HMRC have shown. Britain and the EU have taken joint action with the US and Canada to impose parallel sanctions on a senior Chinese officials involved in the mass internment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang province. That’s all from me for today. But our coronavirus coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
Ruth Pickles wonders whether the number of union flags behind a politician is inversely proportional to their level of competence (Letters, 21 March). Probably, but I also consider this form of rightwing virtue signalling to be most prevalent among politicians who treat many British people with contempt and cruelty. Pete Dorey Bath, Somerset • From an early age, my father, a second world war veteran and dyed-in-the-wool Daily Telegraph reader, instilled in me the principle that displaying the union flag should be reserved for formal or ceremonial purposes, and that anyone whose proof of patriotism or self-esteem depended on ostentatious resort to the same was probably “up to some funny business”. How right he was. Paul Roper High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire • While he may have been a great writer, Douglas Adams had obviously not done his homework on the derogatory term “berk”, which he spells “burk” (Douglas Adams’ note to self reveals author found writing torture, 22 March). The insult is derived from the cockney rhyming slang term “Berkshire hunt”, which readers may care to look up after the 9pm watershed. Colin Burke Cartmel, Cumbria • Re the walrus seen off the Pembrokeshire coast (RSPCA checks on Arctic walrus spotted off south Wales coast, 21 March), has a yellow submarine been sighted in the area? Howard Apps High Peak, Derbyshire • Doug Simpson asks (Letters, 19 March) how is electoral reform possible with the current Conservative dominance. Well, I suggest we take to the streets and protest peacefully, as is our right … Doh! Dominic Faulkner Beaminster, Dorset
Gerry Adams has launched his latest bid for Irish unity, this time in the form of a chocolate egg. In a video shared on Twitter, the former Sinn Féin president unveiled a “very, very, very special package that we have put together at considerable expense” – a chocolate egg wrapped in a sheet of paper that says #Time4Unity. Adams said: “While we honour our patriot dead, and it’s very, very important that we do so and we remember the sacrifices of all of those generations, and particularly the men and women of our own time and also the men and women of 1916 … Easter is also about Easter eggs. “What better thing to unite the people of Ireland, than a Uniting Ireland Easter egg. Let me tell you, even the unionists like Easter eggs.”
Adams and his long-term ally and press officer, Richard McAuley, have previously brought out Valentine’s Day and St Patrick’s Day cards as part of their Uniting Ireland project. He said it was a “cross-community, all Ireland, all island Easter egg” and included a proclamation and Easter lily. Owing to coronavirus restrictions there is a limited supply, and the eggs are only available in Belfast, Adams said. Some Twitter users accused Adams of disrespect for announcing the news on the 28th anniversary of the death of 12-year-old Tim Parry and three-year-old Jonathan Ball, who were killed by an IRA bomb in Warrington. More than 50 people were injured in the attack, for which no one has ever been prosecuted. “Greetings from Warrington. 28 years ago today. Shame on you talking about your Easter eggs,” one user responded.
Boris Johnson has received his first dose of a coronavirus vaccine at London’s St Thomas’ hospital, where last year he was treated in intensive care for Covid, and urged others to have the jab.
Photographs showed the prime minister, his left shirtsleeve rolled up to the shoulder, being injected with a first dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, the version which has been at the centre of a row after many EU countries suspended its use. Another photo showed the prime minister after the injection, raising both thumbs in the air. “I literally did not feel a thing and so it was very good, very quick and – you know what I’m going to say – I cannot recommend it too highly,” Johnson told reporters as he left, wearing a sticker on the lapel of his suit to show he had received the jab.
“Everybody when you get your notification to go for a jab, please go and get it. It’s the best thing for you, the best thing for your family, and for everybody else.” Asked what he would say to people worried about the suspension by some countries of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, he said: “Don’t just listen to me, listen to all the scientists … The risk is Covid, this is a great thing to do.”
Downing Street announced earlier in the week that Johnson, who is 56, was due to receive the vaccine, and that it was to be Oxford/AstraZeneca. This was not requested, but officials knew where the vaccination would take place, and therefore which one he would receive. Regulators in the EU and UK reaffirmed their faith in the safety of the vaccine after the suspensions in EU countries over fears about an association with blood clotting issues. Johnson is among more than 26 million people in the UK who have received at least their first dose of a vaccine.
Coronavirus “certificates” that would show whether people have had a vaccine or a negative test are being considered by the government as a way of getting people back to larger events, the culture secretary has said. Oliver Dowden told Sky News that he hoped people would be able to return “in significant numbers” from 21 June if “all goes to plan”.
“We’re piloting the different things that will enable that to happen – clearly it will have to be done in a Covid-secure way,” he said. There would be tests of one-way systems, masks and hand-hygiene, he added. “Another thing that we are considering is a Covid certification, and we will be testing whether we can use Covid certification to help facilitate the return of sports.” He said final decisions had not been made and the department was working with the Cabinet Office minister, Michael Gove, who is leading a review. Dowden said: “Social distancing makes it very, very difficult … for theatre productions to be run profitably. It makes it very, very difficult for our football clubs to run profitably if you have to have those large distances between people.” But the government was proceeding with caution because it wanted to ensure a “permanent reopening”.
He said the roadmap out of lockdown would not be affected by vaccine supply issues, but there was still not yet a “full picture” of data after the return of most pupils to schools. “The roadmap is not affected, so at the moment we remain on course for the next easing on 29 [March],” he told LBC.
John Harris’s excellent article (The Conservatives are now the party of England. Changing that will be hard, 14 March) unfortunately mapped out our political future for the coming years. The Conservative party is dominant because since winning the 2010 general election, it has faced no real credible opposition. You only have to look at the inept politicians who have served in the cabinet over the past 10 years, Chris Grayling chief among them, and still Labour couldn’t convince the public to vote for it. Infighting in the Labour party has played into the Tories’ hands. And, backed up by their rightwing media friends and benefactors, they have brilliantly delivered their message to their core voters, while at the same time gathering up disenfranchised Labour voters with untruths based on the benefits of Brexit. Stuart Carruthers Lewes, East Sussex • There is no mystery about why the Tories are still riding high, despite all their failures. In the Bernwood ward of Buckinghamshire council, where the Conservatives are said to have held power for over a century, three Tories are opposed by three Labour, three Green and three Liberal Democrat candidates. Until the anti-Tory forces in England, can collaborate – perhaps by each standing in one-third of areas – the Tories will always win. Roderick Floud Haddenham, Buckinghamshire • Please, John Harris, spread the word that Conservative dominance is inevitable without electoral reform. Kate Allen Guisborough, North Yorkshire
Your correspondent is wrong in saying the decision on assisted dying lies with the medical profession (Letters, 12 March). The law forbids assisted dying whatever the sufferer and their medical advisers think. Many in the medical profession support some form of assisted dying. The difficulty is how to frame the law so as to protect the vulnerable and deter the unscrupulous. Dr Peter Estcourt South Chailey, East Sussex • The leave campaigners told the truth (Exports to EU plunge by 40% in first month since Brexit, 12 March). Post-Brexit trade really is “frictionless”. No trade, no friction. Jonathan Stanley Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire • I was very interested to read about Matthew Newman’s temperature scale based on the number of people wearing shorts (Letters, 12 March). I do, however, have a query. The wearing of shorts by postal workers does not correlate in any way with the ambient temperature – but it is a predictable constant. Does Matthew have a correction factor within his formula to address this phenomena and thereby avoid a potentially falsely high temperature reading? Dr Robert Boon Manchester • I remember hours spent in the late 1950s making bobbles by winding wool round small circles of cardboard with a hole in the middle (Letters, 12 March). The wool was then cut round the rim to unfurl and tie it. The purpose of the bobble was clearly to keep small children quiet and out of the way of adults with important things to do. Alex Faulkner Lewes, East Sussex • It’s a pompom, not a bobble. Tom Leanse Tottenham, London
The UK government has made eight major U-turns on its adopted timetable for customs controls on trade with the EU. In early March, ministers prompted a row with Brussels after unilaterally delaying two sets of controls on goods entering Northern Ireland from Britain. On Thursday, after warnings that controls on imports from the EU could lead to empty supermarket shelves in July, the government delayed a further six measures, a tally by the Guardian shows. Ministers set back to January 2022 the opening of a network of more than 30 customs posts, which had been scheduled for 1 July. Deadlines for controls on incoming animals, plants and certain food products were also pushed back to 2022. The decision to delay imposing yet more Brexit red tape on businesses already hamstrung by EU customs checks came a day before official figures on Friday revealed that exports from Britain to the EU crashed by 40% in January, highlighting the impact of leaving the single market, coupled with the pandemic. Ahead of Britain’s departure from the EU, the British government adopted a phased approach to the movement of goods, services and people between the two jurisdictions. While the EU has stuck to its timeline for controls, which largely came into force on 1 January, the UK has pushed back the deadlines that it had set for itself. Other deadlines for financial services, data and citizenship remain in place – for now. Here is a timetable of the controls that have already been imposed, and those that are upcoming.
“The Assault on Truth” continues. Your recent review of Peter Oborne’s book with the aforementioned title highlighted how Boris Johnson now tells lies with impunity (3 February). This cannot be allowed to continue. The prime minister “misspoke” at Wednesday’s PMQs when he said, several times, that Labour had voted against a NHS pay deal (Untouchable Boris? Bluster-busting Starmer could well put him on the back foot again, 10 March). At the end of the session, Jonathan Ashworth raised the matter with the Speaker as a point of order. He accepted what Ashworth said as a point of clarification. It has to be more than that. The Speaker must uphold the convention that ministers give accurate information to parliament, “correcting any inadvertent error at the earliest opportunity”. Johnson’s press secretary, Allegra Stratton, later declined 12 times to accept he had been wrong. Parliament and the public deserve to be told the truth and when that does not happen the record needs to be corrected. Barbara Veale London • Now that our political discourse is littered with untruths, isn’t it time to discontinue the ludicrous “unparliamentary language” rule that forbids MPs from pointing out that one of their number has lied in the House of Commons? Not so long ago lying in politics was a sackable offence; it happened to Boris Johnson in 2004. It was deemed so serious in the 1960s that John Profumo resigned and devoted his life to charity work after having done so. Nowadays, lying is not punished, but pointing out a lie is. Cherry Weston Wolverhampton
Prof Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, has warned MPs that revising the government’s roadmap to emerge from lockdown sooner than planned would risk a more serious third wave of Covid infections. Nicola Sturgeon has announced some limited relaxations to outdoor mixing in Scotland, in particular for teenagers, as she told the public that “we cannot afford to take our foot off the brake too soon” if the country is to enjoy a “much more normal summer”. Assessments of pupils in England due to sit GCSE and A-level examinations in summer 2022 are likely to be adapted to take into account the disruption to their studies caused by the pandemic, MPs have been told. George Osborne, the former Conservative chancellor, has criticised the main revenue-raising measure in last week’s budget - the corporation tax increase. Speaking at an Institute for Government online event, Osborne said: I don’t want to criticise Rishi Sunak - he is doing a pretty good job in difficult circumstances. But I would say the idea you can increase Britain’s business tax by 25% and there will be no consequence - I don’t think even he would claim that either - is a mistake. Tax increases have consequences and we will wait to see - if this tax increase does indeed go ahead - what impact it will have. I think you have got to be careful as a country what signals you are sending around the world to a world that certainly doesn’t have much time to look into the UK tax code. Osborne said he was worried if the “basic message” to come from the budget was that the UK was moving to a “very high rate of corporation tax”. He explained: You’re just sending a message around the world that Britain is not a particularly enterprising or pro-business place at the very moment when you want to be encouraging that in a recovery. That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
The reopening of schools will have an impact on infection rates that could affect the roadmap for lifting restrictions, Boris Johnson has warned, as England’s deputy chief medical adviser said infections were still at a rate where a fourth wave could take off. The UK has recorded 65 new Covid deaths and 4,712 further cases - the lowest numbers on these measures for about five months. (See 4.57pm.) Black people, younger adults, people living in deprived areas of England and parents of children under five are more likely to be hesitant to receive the coronavirus vaccine, according to Office for National Statistics research. The UK can see light at the end of the Covid-19 tunnel but the economy will never fully return to its pre-pandemic pattern, the governor of the Bank of England has said. A planned reduction in aid spending may not go to a vote in the Commons, Downing Street has indicated, which would head off a likely rebellion by Conservative MPs but could expose the government to legal action. Boris Johnson will use his next cabinet reshuffle to boost the number of women in his top team, his press secretary has suggested. That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
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Please ban guests from using “impatience” as the innocuous trait they most deplore in themselves in the Q&A section of your Saturday magazine. It disingenuously suggests that their brains work faster than us mortals, which inhibits them in their quest for greatness. Robin Nicholas Farnham, Surrey • If there were a poll among other animals that humans share the planet with, I suspect many of them would agree wholeheartedly that a decline in fertility of humans would be welcome (Falling sperm counts ‘threaten human survival’, expert warns, 26 February). Sam White Lewes, East Sussex • The former French ambassador Sylvie Bermann accuses Boris Johnson of being an “unrepentant and inveterate liar” (Boris Johnson ‘a liar’ who will blame Brexit costs on Covid, says diplomat, 24 February). Is she telling the truth or is this merely the language of diplomacy? Dr Michael Griffiths Caerphilly • In response to Dr Mark Wilcox (Letters, 28 February), I had washing on the line further north, here in Darlington, all day on Saturday. Then I brought it in to dry. Elaine Hope Darlington, County Durham • Washing? Snowdrops? Pshaw! The first ice-cream van chime of the year was in January. Carole Coleman Halifax, West Yorkshire • I’ve received another Covid-related letter signed by the health secretary simply as “Matt”. One dictionary definition gives this as “lack of visual brightness”. Richard Bourne York
Prof Jonathan Van-Tam, deputy chief medical officer for England, said there were some worrying signs that people are taking their foot off the brake at exactly the wrong time, imploring people during the press briefing not to “wreck this” (See 5.18pm). The government said a further 345 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Friday, recording 8,523 more cases (See 4.19pm). Unions representing police, prison officers and teachers have expressed dismay at the decision to base the next stage of the coronavirus vaccination programme purely on age (See 3.19pm). The UK R number has not changed since last week and is still between 0.6 and 0.9, according to the latest government figures (See 1.38pm). New Covid-19 cases continued to fall across the UK in the week ending 19 February, ONS figures indicate (See 1.27pm). That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here:
A former MP has been cleared of sexual harassment alleged to have taken place several years ago in a House of Commons bar, in the first ruling by a new body set up to investigate potential misbehaviour by parliamentarians. The claim against Ross Thomson, the Conservative MP for Aberdeen South from 2017 to 2019, was investigated and dismissed in an initial investigation, and a follow-up investigation by the commissioner for standards last year. But the complainant appealed and had their case examined by an independent expert panel – the first time such a group has been formed to consider a case. The system was set up to avoid MPs being involved in judging the actions of their colleagues and as a result avoiding the appearance they may have acted more or less favourably towards them. The allegation against Thomson came from another former Scottish MP, Labour’s Paul Sweeney, who said Thomson had first touched and stroked him for several minutes, then groped his backside and genitals on 30 October 2018. An initial investigation upheld the first claim but dismissed the second – and concluded Sweeney made it “maliciously”. The commissioner for standards upheld there was no breach of the sexual misconduct policy to which MPs must adhere, but also decided the complainant’s claims were not “malicious”. The issue was referred to an independent expert group, when the complainant appealed – alleging the initial investigations were “unfair and inadequate”, according to a report published on Tuesday. But his appeal was rebuffed on the grounds that the expert group found the first investigation met a “sufficient standard” and the second was “very thorough”. A claim that investigators failed to speak to a “key material witness” was also dismissed, given the person “did no more than receive a hearsay account from an eyewitness”. Sweeney’s spokesperson said he is “considering the implications of the decision” and welcomed the first allegation about Thomson remaining upheld.
Your editorial (18 February) is right to reference the postwar desire to rebuild Britain as a model for Labour today. One could go further and refer to the Beveridge report of 1942 and the five issues it listed: want (caused by poverty), ignorance (lack of education), squalor (poor housing), idleness (a lack of jobs) and disease (inadequate healthcare provision). These were the problems to be addressed by the welfare state established by Clement Attlee’s Labour government, but the pandemic has shown the glaring failures of the system and the need for those fundamental issues to be addressed once more. What is needed is another blueprint for the future, not simply tinkering at the edges or a recovery bond. Keir Starmer may have begun the process – now he needs to show much greater vision to reclaim the lost Labour voters, just as Attlee did in 1945. And it is worth bearing in mind that it was the programme that appealed to the voters rather than Attlee’s personality. Neil Wynn Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
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The Government said a further 533 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Friday, bringing the UK total to 119,920 (See 4.18pm). Boris Johnson should implement a “phased return” of school and college pupils to classrooms in England or risk another spike in Covid infections, according to a coalition of education unions (See 2.59pm). The UK’s R number is between 0.6 and 0.9, according to the latest government estimates (See 1.57pm). First Minister Mark Drakeford has said the Welsh government is able to make “modest changes” to lockdown rules, allowing four people from two different homes to exercise together from Saturday, while weddings can resume from next week (See 1.01pm). Primary schoolchildren in Wales will return to face-to-face teaching from 15 March if the coronavirus situation in the country “continues to improve”, he also said (See 09.19am). The high court has ruled that the government acted unlawfully by failing to disclose details of its Covid contracts. The Good Law Project had launched a judicial review against the Department of Health and Social Care (See 12.45pm). Around one in 115 people in private households in England had Covid-19 between 6 and 12 February, according to new ONS estimates (See 12.19pm). That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog here:
A further 454 people have died within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test in the UK, according to government data, taking the number of deaths by this measure to 119,387. There have also been a further 12,057 positive cases in the last 24 hours (See 4.12pm). Children in primary 1 to primary 3 – ages four to seven – are set to go back to school in Northern Ireland on 8 March - despite an expectation that lockdown will be extended until 1 April, the BBC reported (See PA Media reports at 2.44pm). Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, has said there is “compelling evidence” that the vaccination programme is starting work, as she pointed to weekly figures showing a sharp decline in care home deaths (See 1.13pm). In a virtual keynote speech, Keir Starmer set out plans for a new “British recovery bond” to allow people to invest billions of pounds in savings amassed during the pandemic in local communities, jobs and businesses. The Labour leader also proposed start-up loans for 100,000 new small firms, particularly in areas outside the south-east (See from 11.09am). That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog here:
The government said a further 738 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Wednesday, bringing the UK total to 118,933 (See 4.23pm). Covid-19 case rates for three of the four UK nations have dropped to their lowest level since early autumn 2020, according to fresh analysis (See 12.36pm). Boris Johnson has said easing England’s restrictions will be done in “stages”, noting that the reopening of hospitality was one of the last things to return after the first lockdown (See 11.58am). The world’s first coronavirus human challenge study will begin in the UK within a month, which will involve up to 90 healthy adult volunteers being exposed to Covid-19 in a safe and controlled environment (See 10.49am). The number of Covid-19 cases needs to drop to under 50,000 before Boris Johnson can consider easing lockdown, Chris Hopson, the NHS Providers chief executive, has warned (See 9.30am). That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog here:
Dominic Raab has defied the trend for Conservative politicians to pose in front of union flags when appearing on television via video call, instead opting for an old-fashioned world map, a framed engraving and … a broom. It was the foreign secretary’s broom that drew particular comment on Wednesday morning, as Twitter users speculated as to why it was resting up against the door of the room he was broadcasting from. It appeared, suggested one user, that Raab had positioned the broom as a wedge against the door “to keep the family out”. Another replied: “What’s the betting the family put a broom on the other side first?” Another remarked, unkindly: “TBF, that’s the cleverest thing he’s done in years.” The perhaps not-so-carefully curated background to Raab’s television appearance came after a number of his Conservative colleagues were seen to have the national flag hanging in apparently informal circumstances at home or in the office. Boris Johnson, Priti Patel, Grant Shapps, Gavin Williamson, Robert Jenrick, Matt Hancock and Nadhim Zahawi are among the senior Tories who have had flags on prominent display when broadcasting recently. Another Conservative politician hung bunting above her head before appearing on a broadcast video call. There is no suggestion that Raab intended any affront to his colleagues by not choosing to fly the flag in his house. One sensible explanation of his decision, which appeared on social media, was that the broom was there to gently keep the door closed. “My guess is that the latch is broken and the door swings open otherwise,” wrote a Twitter user going by the name of Richard. “This is his stopgap solution. I have a door like this that I’ve only recently fixed. The Guardian asked the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office if any symbolism was intended by the broom, but had not received a reply by the time of publication.
David Frost misled the Lords EU committee when he blamed the EU for the “niggling border issues”, like the interruption of trade in shellfish, that have followed the last-minute agreement that he negotiated (EU to seek more time to ratify Brexit trade deal amid tensions with UK, 9 February). He represented a government that insisted that we were an independent third country, seeking a minimalist agreement on Canadian lines. That’s what the trade and cooperation agreement gave us. It’s dishonest to complain now that the EU did not offer us extra concessions not in its treaty with Canada. He is, after all, an expert in diplomacy; he cannot have been unaware of the consequences of what he so carefully negotiated. William Wallace Liberal Democrats, House of Lords • Michael Gove compares the ongoing disruptions from Brexit to the initial turbulence at takeoff, before the flight settles down and the passengers are treated to a gin and tonic. Lord Frost says the relationship with the EU has been “more than bumpy” in the last six weeks. How would Michael Gove accommodate “problematic” to his flight simile? Failure in one of the engines? Emeritus Prof Chris Hendry Nottingham
The impropriety of Boris Johnson’s dog, Dilyn, being photographed in at taxpayers’ expense (Report, 10 February) could easily be resolved by appointing Dilyn as a cabinet member. There is a precedent as the Roman emperor Caligula – like Boris, popular with the crowds in his early reign – maintained that his horse, Incitatus, was wiser than his senators; Dilyn might be more capable than some of the cabinet. Bill Sharrod Hadnall, Shropshire • Jane Smiley says she “tossed” Philip Roth’s novel American Pastoral when “the main character ... asked his daughter to kiss him in an erotic way” (Books that made me, 5 February). Actually, it’s the protagonist’s daughter who pleads, heartbreakingly, with her father, struggling to get the words out because of her serious dysfluency, to “kiss me the way you kiss mother”. Prof David Brauner Reading, Berkshire • When I went for my Covid-19 vaccine, I took along my current international vaccination certificate and the people administering my jab were only too happy to fill it in (Letters, 10 February). Alice Brown Liverpool • I am 68 years old, and have just had my first jab. I don’t think I can immediately do anything today that I couldn’t do yesterday, but if the minimum age to go to the pub were raised from 18 to 65 then it would help the hospitality industry, and give me a change of scenery in the evening. Win-win, as they say. John Barnes Marsden, West Yorkshire • I am de-icing water and laying on food not just for birds (Letters, 11 February) but two hedgehogs who have been arriving regularly between 9.30pm and 10pm for the last week. They seem unfazed by the freezing temperatures and are refusing to follow their seasonal lockdown rules. Anthea Falk Little Marlow, Buckinghamshire • Can we now expect a call for the return of the “Preseli marbles” (Dramatic discovery links Stonehenge to its original site – in Wales, 12 February)? Andy Jenkinson Ascot, Berkshire
The UK has recorded 678 further deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test. There were 13,494 people who tested positive in the last 24 hours and 1,842 people were admitted to hospital since yesterday. More than 13.5 million people have had at least one vaccine dose as of 10 February.
On the whole, Nesrine Malik makes some fair observations about how we in the party must find our own progressive way in the world when it comes to pride in our country and institutions (Labour won’t beat the right at flag-waving. It needs its own progressive patriotism, 8 February). Many of us have made the same point for a number of years as armed forces veterans active in the Labour party. Malik makes a passing and dismissive comment about Labour Friends of the Forces, which I and a group of grassroots Labour members, also veterans, have reformed into a purposeful campaigning organisation with Labour values firmly at its core. Listen to Labour MPs in the House of Commons and hear the impact of our lobbying for visas for Commonwealth veterans and proper mental health support. This is the stuff of Labour support for people in the armed forces: the soldiers, sailors, airmen and women who salute the flag. It is no faint echo of the Tories, but a strong and passionate movement based on Labour values. I implore commentators on the left, including Malik, to please come and find out something about the long relationship between the armed forces and the left before writing off the authentic progressive patriotism that has long existed in our party. Sarah Church Co-chair, Labour Friends of the Forces
In just over 12 weeks’ time, Bristol, like many other places, will have elections for the council, mayor, metro mayor and crime commissioner (Elections in England and Wales to go ahead in May despite Covid, 5 February). Normally by now, political activists would be holding meetings, delivering leaflets, knocking on doors and doing everything possible to introduce their candidates and policies to the electorate. They would stand at street stalls, talk to people and try to answer questions. This raises awareness of the elections and increases public involvement in our democracy, and all of it is now forbidden or dangerous. On election day itself, these activists would be out urging people to vote, perhaps giving them lifts to polling stations. Then, hundreds of people would gather round tables in school halls or civic buildings to count the votes, while representatives of all the parties peer over the tables to make sure no votes are put into the wrong piles. How can this be done safely, even if all the over-50s have received their first vaccination? Without giving parties the chance to meet people, put forward their policies and answer questions, we cannot have fair elections, so they should be postponed until September. Telling people to bring their own pencil is not enough. Some people may say that it is the same for all parties, so will not be a problem. Unfortunately, a low turnout usually benefits the Conservative party and, as it has fewer active supporters and is usually less visible on the ground, it has every reason to press ahead with elections in which the opposition parties will struggle to be heard. Rosemary Chamberlin Bristol • I wonder whether anyone has seen the plans for online and text voting. Given that we have known about Covid for a year and have kept postponing our local and mayoral elections, you would have thought that these plans would have been announced by now. Derek Wyatt (Former MP), Aldeburgh, Suffolk
I am an overseas NHS nurse from Luton and Dunstable university hospital. Overseas nurses have held the hands of patients who have succumbed to sickness, more prominently Covid. Knowing all the risks and dangers that this role entails, we still carry on and provide the best nursing care to the British public. The thought of us being thousands of miles away from our families is quite daunting, but on top of this we have to deal with the complexity and politics involved regarding our stay in the UK. The government has given some of us free visa extensions for a year and we are truly grateful for that. But this pandemic is not going away in a year’s time and this puts us under immense pressure. I truly believe that the immigration (health and social care staff) bill, which calls for migrant healthcare workers to be granted indefinite leave to remain, will lift that heavy burden that we are experiencing. I am merely asking people to help us so that we may continue helping the great nation that is United Kingdom get back on its feet. I have started a petition calling for indefinite leave to remain to be offered to all NHS and social care workers. Please sign it here and share it. Mictin Janardhanan Ponmala Luton, Bedfordshire
A Democratic Unionist party MP has sparked condemnation after describing an edition of Songs of Praise that featured only black people as the “BBC at its BLM worst”. Politicians in Northern Ireland and anti-racism campaigners urged Gregory Campbell to apologise and called on the DUP to sanction him. Sinn Féin said it had reported his comments to the House of Commons standards commissioner. The East Derry MP linked the programme to the Black Lives Matter movement in comments posted on Facebook on 31 January after the semi-final of the gospel singer of the year competition. He wrote: “There were five singers, all of them black. There were three judges all of them black and one presenter who was incidentally, yes black. The singers were all very good but can you imagine an all-white line up with an all-white jury and presented by a white person? No I can’t either.” The North West Migrants Forum said in a statement it was astonishing that Campbell watched a programme full of love and praise for God and saw only skin colour. “Is he uncomfortable watching a programme where Black British people and culture are celebrated centre stage? Did he think the BBC was racist when other programmes – night after night, decade after decade – only featured white people?” it said. The group added: “It is deeply worrying that Mr Campbell can confidently display such clear bias, apparently without fear of challenge or accountability.” The statement was co-signed by Belfast Islamic Centre, Amnesty International UK, Black and Asian Lawyers for Justice and other groups. Stephen Farry, an Alliance party MP, urged the DUP to remove the whip from Campbell. The DUP made no immediate response. The East Derry MP was expected to issue a statement later on Monday. He has triggered complaints before by mocking the Irish language, saying “go raibh maith agat” (thank you) sounds like “curry my yoghurt”.
It is a huge missed opportunity; Wandsworth borough council’s mega development at Nine Elms provides so little for local people, particularly housing (Penthouses and poor doors: how Europe’s ‘biggest regeneration project’ fell flat, 2 February). The irony is that in the early 20th century, Battersea borough council, Wandsworth’s predecessor in the area, was one of the pioneers of council housing built by its own workforce and available to local people at modest rents. Michael Leigh London • I’m surprised that in elaborating on the use and derivation of “jab”, your article (Steven Poole’s word of the week, 4 February) did not mention the word that is more commonly used in Scotland. Here we have nothing as relatively gentle as “jab”, but instead the far more pointed (pun intended) “jag”. Sally Cheseldine Edinburgh • I am glad to hear of the generous proposed legislation extending maternity leave for cabinet ministers to six months on full pay (Report, 4 February). Can we expect the same generosity to now be extended to all working mothers? Margery Toller Iona, Argyll and Bute • I have just checked my copy of Eine Kleine Beatlemusic, and the B-side is actually called On the Bayreuth Beat – My Old Man’s a Dutchman (Letters, 3 February) is just one of its excellent tracks. Alexandra Denman Bristol • Your weekend supplements contain many delicious recipes. However, the time has come for your writers to face up to the reality of Brexit. I haven’t seen an aubergine for sale anywhere for several weeks. John O’Dwyer Steeple Claydon, Buckinghamshire
Captain Sir Tom Moore, the second world war veteran who raised almost £39m for NHS charities during the first coronavirus lockdown in spring 2020, has died aged 100 after testing positive for coronavirus. Nicola Sturgeon has announced a phased return to school for Scotland’s youngest children, with nurseries and all primary pupils from P1 to P3 back in the classroom from 22 February. She also said her government would introduce a “much more comprehensive” quarantine policy than England’s, introducing “managed quarantine” for anyone arriving in Scotland, regardless of where they have come from. (See 3.50pm.) Oxford University has released research showing that a single dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine has an efficacy rate of 76% after 22 days until 90 days. The research also suggests giving single doses of the vaccine could reduce transmission by 67%. (See 5.57pm.) Scientists have said evidence that the Kent variant of coronavirus, which is now the dominant one in the UK, is becoming more similar to the South African one is worrying. (See 12pm.) Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has said the testing is being boosted in parts of Bristol and Liverpool after “mutations of concern” were found in the virus circulating there. (See 1.32pm.) The number of excess deaths in the UK has gone above 100,000, cementing the country’s position as one of the developed nations worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic. The UK government is to seek the lifting of unexpected Brexit controls in Northern Ireland, including checks on pets crossing the Irish Sea and a ban on British soil entering the region in potted plants from English garden suppliers. The great hope for drug treatments against Covid-19 – the monoclonal antibodies – are failing against variants of the virus, such as those that have emerged in South Africa and Brazil, scientists have found. That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
I enjoyed Ben Fletcher’s vivid image of Dante’s fifth circle of hell for the post-Brexit channel crossings (Report, 31 January). There’s a big difference, though: in Dante the poor souls are suffering their torment as punishment for their own sins (intemperate anger), whereas at Dover the lorry drivers are enduring their misery because of the sins of others (and one hopes the drivers’ righteous anger would therefore not be considered sinful). But I wonder in what circle of hell Dante would place those who are responsible for the chaos. Presumably somewhere in the eighth – but is it among the fraudulent counsellors, or the falsifiers, or even the treacherous to country and cause? Martina Crowther-Menn Cambridge • To claim that “the last thing Britain needs is to fall apart in a fit of absence of mind” (Editorial, 28 January) is to ignore England’s uncompromising Brexit, forced through in an absence of mind. I have changed my mind on independence. It will be difficult but worth it – worth it to be rid of Westminster. Let Scotland decide. Matt Ritchie Inverness
Road freight between Britain and the EU is down by more than a third year on year, data shows. Figures from Transporeon, an EU logistics data platform, suggest that the volume of goods moving between Great Britain and the EU was 38% lower in the third week of 2021 compared with the same week in 2020. The data also shows that hauliers are increasingly refusing to take loads to Britain as increased border controls caused by Brexit and coronavirus checks make those journeys less profitable. The rejection rate for loads destined for Great Britain from France was more than twice the average for the third quarter of 2020.
Transporeon’s CEO, Stephan Sieber, said “rejection rates are on the rise again and higher than normal and, on some lanes, every fifth contract load got rejected” last week. Hauliers are also charging more to take goods from mainland Europe to Great Britain. The spot rate for haulage from France to Britain in the third week of 2021 was 51% higher than the average for Q3 last year.
Sieber said that while his company’s data was focused on hauliers travelling to the UK, “there is evidence that the opposite direction is also facing significant challenges. We observe very high rejection rates from Great Britain to Germany and France. “This supports the anecdotal evidence of unprepared shippers, maxed-out bank guarantees for transit documents, and carriers preferring to go back to the continent empty.” The UK’s Road Haulage Association said “between 40 to 50% of trucks going back to the EU through the Dover short straits crossing are carrying nothing but fresh air – normally that level would be 15 to 18%”. The latest data on sea freight confirmed the picture painted by hauliers. Figures released by the Office for National Statistics show that visits by cargo and tanker ships in the third week of January were also lower than the same time last year, by about 20%.
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We should give credit where it’s due (Key questions PM must answer on his handling of Covid crisis, 27 January); whoever decided the UK would adopt the emergency use authorisation route for Covid-19 vaccine approval deserves several medals for the lives they have saved. Jane Eminson Wolverhampton • Here’s a 57th idea to beat boredom in lockdown (Lockdown cabin fever? 56 tried, tested and terrific ways to beat the boredom, 27 January). Put all your editions of Feast in chronological order and then check if you have two editions of issue No 88 on 21 and 28 September 2019. Made my day! Sue Williams Norwich • The government’s “Keep your business moving” Brexit advert in your Wednesday issue is now laminated and stuck next to the cabinet containing laxatives in our bathroom. It seemed more useful and appropriate there. John Hackney Hyde, Greater Manchester • Santa Claus will need to be careful when he goes to the Facebook office party this year (Facebook apologises for flagging Plymouth Hoe as offensive term, 27 January). Tom Inglis Crieff, Perth and Kinross • The “man-in-shorts” is a perennial all through the winter in these parts (Letters, 26 January). The really hardy version also has flip-flops. Jim Vickers Redcar, North Yorkshire • Am I the only one to call the pieces of peel “lades” and the goo surrounding them “marma” (Letters, 26 January)? David Jones London
Here is a quick recap of the main Covid-related events from the UK: The government has confirmed that a further 1,239 people died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Thursday, bringing the UK total to 103,126. (See 4.13pm) Downing Street has refused to rule out the possibility of the UK sending vaccine supplies to the EU once the most vulnerable people in the UK have been vaccinated. (See Peter Walker’s take at 2.37pm). Coronavirus case rates are continuing to fall in all regions of England, the latest weekly surveillance report from Public Health England shows. (See 2.23pm). The rate of new cases in London is the highest rate of any region, followed by the West Midlands. Labour (41%) has gained a four-point lead over the Conservatives (37%) in YouGov’s latest poll of voting intentions. (See 11.12am) Asda has hosted the first dose of vaccine to be administered at a supermarket in England, with Harbans Kaur, 78, among the first patients to receive a jab at the new seven-day vaccine hub. (See 09.56am) Cabinet minister Michael Gove has said there “will be no interruption” to UK vaccine supplies from AstraZeneca after the European Union demanded doses from British plants during a row over supply shortages. (See 09.28am) That’s all from me for tonight. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog here:
Few involved in running elections believe that those scheduled for May can be held safely. No guidance has been received from the government on any way in which they could be (Make May elections in England more Covid-safe, Labour urges, 17 January). As an election agent, I see no way at present in which I could ensure the safety of canvassers, or of myself. Even delivering leaflets – there is no Freepost in local elections – will be virtually impossible; just delivering nomination papers to the returning officer will be accompanied by some risk. Even if it could all be done electronically, we know that not all voters can register for a postal vote or could exercise it via their computers – because they don’t all have computers or smartphones, or any desire to acquire them. The government’s dithering on this issue may be typical of Boris Johnson’s haphazard approach to decision-making in general, but it is unacceptable to those charged with making the system work. The government should decide now that the elections should be postponed to the autumn or, if necessary, even later. Robert Jones (Labour constituency party secretary), Ventnor, Isle of Wight
Keir Starmer is having to self-isolate for the third time in four months after the Labour leader was told he had again come into contact with someone who subsequently tested positive for coronavirus. “This morning I was notified that I must self-isolate after coming into contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19,” Starmer said in a tweet. “I have no symptoms and will be working from home until next Monday.” While the self-isolation period for such contacts is 10 days, it begins from the moment of the contact, meaning he would have encountered them at the end of last week. Starmer did not say how he was informed, or who the person was. A series of senior political figures have been forced to self-isolate in recent weeks, including Boris Johnson’s press secretary, Allegra Stratton. On Friday, it emerged that she will be away from work all this week. Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has only just finished a period of self-isolation after saying he had been “pinged” by the NHS app to warn he had been in contact with someone who had tested positive. Starmer has had to self-isolate twice before: in September, after a family member showed coronavirus symptoms, and in December after a staff member in his private office tested positive for coronavirus. The latest enforced absence from parliament means he will again quiz Johnson at Wednesday’s prime minister’s questions from home. In November, Boris Johnson had to self-isolate after a 35-minute meeting with a group of Conservative MPs from the Midlands and north of England in Downing Street, one of whom subsequently tested positive for Covid-19. A photograph of the event showed Johnson, who was seriously ill with coronavirus in April, standing with the MP Lee Anderson seemingly less than 2 metres apart, with neither wearing a mask.
The £80m investment for drug treatment is welcome (Ministers spurned drug tsar’s guidance of £900m funding to tackle misuse, 21 January) but will do little to reduce the record numbers of drug-related deaths, or to support the thousands living with addiction. Councils plan to spend £208m less after inflation on adult addiction services this year than in 2013/14. Since then, patients have received patchy care and addiction services have been disconnected from mental health services. In the meantime, there has been a 31% increase in drug deaths since 2014. If the government is serious about combating this public health crisis, it must urgently publish Dame Carol Black’s recommendations for overhauling addiction services, invest £374m a year in adult addiction services, and move the clinical part of treatment back into the NHS. More lives will be lost to this treatable health condition unless the government takes decisive action. Dr Adrian James and Prof Julia Sinclair Royal College of Psychiatrists
The daily number of coronavirus deaths has reached 1,820, the highest since the pandemic began. The home secretary, Priti Patel, is at the centre of a fresh row after saying the UK’s borders should have been closed earlier, claiming she had been an advocate of shutting them at the start of the Covid pandemic last March. Downing Street has ruled out changing the vaccine priority list to give the police priority ahead of the over-50s - an idea floated by Patel this morning. (See 2.47pm.) The government has told schools to pause the daily coronavirus testing of students and staff in England, five weeks after it was announced as a “milestone moment” by the education secretary, Gavin Williamson. Coronavirus vaccines may need to be redesigned this year to boost protection against a new variant that emerged rapidly in South Africa, research suggests, while past Covid sufferers may not be protected against reinfection. The footballer Marcus Rashford has called on ministers to offer a guaranteed “meal a day” to all school pupils in England in financially struggling families as he warned that his campaign to end child food poverty still had a “million miles to go”. A British freight company director with more than over 20 years’ experience has told how EU hauliers and transport companies are turning their backs on UK business because they are being asked to provide tens of thousands of pounds in guarantees to cover VAT or potential tariffs on arrival in Britain. That’s all from me for tonight. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
The UK has recorded its deadliest day from coronavirus so far, with 1,610 deaths recorded on the government’s dashboard.
There could be a phased reopening of schools in England based on regional infection rates after a lifting of the national lockdown, MPs have been told. Scotland’s lockdown will continue until “at least the middle of February”, Nicola Sturgeon has told the Scottish parliament, with no definite date for a full return to schools and nurseries. About one in eight people in the community in England would have been expected to test positive for coronavirus antibodies in December, data suggests, revealing the majority of the population are still at risk from Covid-19. Matt Hancock has become the latest senior politician to self-isolate after contact with someone who has contracted coronavirus, with the UK health secretary saying he had been “pinged” by the NHS app. Ministers are set to halt plans for daily coronavirus tests in England’s secondary schools after teachers expressed alarm that the flagship policy had not been approved by regulators. Nearly three-quarters of the pubs promised a £1,000 grant by the prime minister to help them survive the loss of Christmas sales in England are still waiting for the money, the industry trade body has warned. Britain’s most senior police chief has said she is “baffled” by the government’s decision not to prioritise frontline police officers for Covid vaccines despite her repeated requests to ministers. MPs have just started voting on a series of amendments to the trade bill, with Boris Johnson facing a revolt by some Conservative MPs who are backing a proposal intended to give the high court the power to block a trade deal with a country if that country is responsible for genocide. We will be covering the outcome here. That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
Small businesses in the UK have been suffering since the country left the EU on 1 January, experiencing problems such as delays at borders and complicated paperwork. We would like to hear from small and medium enterprises on their Brexit experiences. Have you encountered any difficulties? Do you have any concerns? Share your experiences You can get in touch by filling in the form below or via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding the contact +44(0)7867825056. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details.
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That’s it from the UK blog team. You can continue to follow our global coronavirus coverage here -
Martin Kettle’s unadorned, factual assessment of Brexit’s consequences (If Brexit is ‘done’, then where’s the dividend?, 13 January) courteously acknowledges the government’s blithe assurance that these are mere “teething troubles” while otherwise making it clear that on the current evidence they will prove to be anything but. Kettle’s language is restrained. He maintains respect for views he regards as emotional. But if we imagine his piece not to be about the UK, but some unspecified land far away, we learn something extraordinary. We learn of a country agreeing a trade deal that erects barriers to trade; a deal that uniquely creates a customs border within its own sovereign territory; one that not only makes its people poorer but produces a fivefold increase in bureaucracy; a deal that makes the country less secure while probably hastening its own disintegration. If one were to offer a single-word description of such a plan, what are the options? Incredible? Unbelievable? Ridiculous? One wonders which word Kettle might choose – perhaps a different one entirely. David Thomas Hereford
The plan by the Department of Health and Social Care to dump Covid-19 patients into care homes has not been given adequate publicity, so the Guardian’s attention to this scheme is very welcome (Plan to discharge Covid patients to care homes in England is ‘madness’, 14 January; ‘Hot homes’ scheme to ease strain on NHS falls well short of target, 11 January). My frail and elderly father is in a care home in Bradford which has been deemed “suitable” for providing a dedicated Covid-19 ward. There have already been two outbreaks of the virus in this home; in fact a Care Quality Commission inspection of the premises in order to judge its suitability for the scheme took place during the last outbreak. In this particular home – and I am sure this is also true of others – staffing is not adequate to confine confused patients to their rooms and they wander into all other areas. It is also the case that the staff for the proposed new Covid-19 ward will not be separate from other staff and although they might use a different entrance into the premises they all have to use the same lift and staircases. News about the Covid-19 ward was shared with residents’ relatives only after the contract was signed with the local authority – and residents were told last of all. What happened to Matt Hancock’s assertion that he had “thrown a protective ring” around care homes? Sylvia Andresco Baildon, West Yorkshire
In the last week or so, your opinion articles have been pretty depressing as, one after the other, they have drawn readers’ attention to the many ways in which our government has failed to deal with the pandemic. George Monbiot’s piece (What’s as scary as Covid? The fact our leaders still have no plan to control it, 13 January) powerfully highlights the mess this country is in. But we do need to ask ourselves: how it is that the electorate was persuaded to vote for austerity and increasing privatisation of public services, when these policies have caused such an adverse effect on our ability to cope with the pandemic? And why did so many people vote to be governed by a privately educated elite who consistently lie and make promises they can’t keep, and who seem incapable of making good decisions and planning in advance? Until we have addressed these questions, we will be stuck with an incompetent government and an increasingly damaged society. So, Guardian readers: once the pandemic is over, how can we start to build a society with first-class public services, decent housing and a fair income for all? And how do we persuade more of the electorate to vote for a party whose policies will enable such a society to be achieved? Mary Barber Huddersfield, West Yorkshire • George Monbiot’s article brought to mind observations by Geoffrey Vickers about the two absurdities into which human beings often fall when faced with crisis: “the absurd speed with which we come to accept as normal almost any outrageous condition once we have actually lived with it”, and “the absurd slowness with which we come to accept as real any impending change which has not yet happened, however near and certain it may be”. Charlie Mason Hermon, Pembrokeshire
Travellers from South America and Portugal will be banned from arriving in the UK from Friday morning as a precautionary measure aimed at preventing the new Brazilian Covid variant from reaching the country, the government has announced. Headteachers in England have been told not to provide either free school meal vouchers or food parcels for disadvantaged children over the half-term holiday next month, it has emerged. A plan to discharge Covid patients from hospitals into care homes without tests has been branded “madness” by care home providers who warned the move risks a repeat of last spring’s crisis, which was partly fuelled by pressure to relieve the NHS. Scotland’s plan for the distribution of coronavirus vaccinations has been taken offline after the UK government raised concerns that the document included sensitive details about vaccine supply. The government has faced sustained criticism in parliament from Conservative MPs representing fishing areas, including in Scotland, over red tape and delays caused by the introduction of the post-Brexit fishing regime. The embattled Scottish Labour party leader, Richard Leonard, has resigned only months after narrowly surviving a rebellion from fellow MSPs. That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coraonvirus live blog. It’s here.
Sirin Kale concludes that Death in Paradise is “good” (Murder mystery: how Death in Paradise quietly became one of TV’s biggest hits, 13 January). Why, then, does she say that the show uses “a cast of C-list actors”? I’m sure the likes of Kate Beckinsale, Anna Chancellor, Samuel West and Adrian Dunbar, all of whom have appeared on the show, will be somewhat discombobulated with this labelling. Rupert Bagilhole Brighton • Any readers feeling sympathetic about the pressures on ICU staff (Report, 13 January) might consider a donation to the Laura Hyde Foundation, which supports NHS staff with mental health issues. Elaine Webb London • I do hope that Aaron Whiteside, living in the 1930s (Modern life is rubbish! The people whose homes are portals to the past, 12 January), remembers to get dressed under the blankets, as the complete absence of heating in bedrooms meant that, in winter, ice formed on the insides of windows until central heating arrived in the 1960s. Owen Wells Ilkley, West Yorkshire • “Perhaps a [Brexit] dividend will come,” writes Martin Kettle (If Brexit is ‘done’, then where’s the dividend?, 13 January). The Brexit campaign bus promised £350m a week for the NHS. By my calculation, the NHS is £700m up already. Is this not right? Jim Golcher Greens Norton, Northamptonshire • Harriet Friedmann (Letters, 13 January) suggests that we find an alternative to “conspiracy theory”, since “theory” implies a degree of seriousness and veracity. She suggests “conspiracy myth”. How about “conspiracy bollocks”? Richard Burtle Laceby, Lincolnshire
As a user of a wheelchair, Margaret Tebbit became a vigorous campaigner to secure access for disabled people. At the time I was chief executive of Westminster city council. I learned to expect a weekly call from Margaret when she discovered some part of the city without a wheelchair-accessible public toilet. The current provision owes much to her determination.
More people think Boris Johnson should resign as prime minister than think he should continue in office, according to the latest Opinium poll for the Observer. The first poll of 2021 found that 43% thought he should resign, while 40% said that he should remain as leader. However, most Conservative voters (87%) think Johnson should stay on as leader, with just 7% thinking he should resign. Just 20% believed Keir Starmer should resign as Labour leader, with 52% saying he should remain as leader. There were also signs of a slight drop in support for the government’s handling of coronavirus. Some 72% (+4 on the last poll) think the government has not acted fast enough, with 42% (+4) thinking they are definitely not acting fast enough.
The public appear to want to err on the side of caution in terms of Covid restrictions. More than three in five (64%) said they would prefer “a government who quickly puts lockdown measures in place, even if that means that sometimes measures are put in place that didn’t need to be”. Only 25% said they would prefer “a government who tries the hardest they can not to put lockdown measures in place, even if that means that sometimes decisions are made later than they would otherwise have been”. Johnson’s overall approval numbers have seen a slight drop. The proportion approving is now 37% (down one point from the last poll), while 45% disapprove (up one point). The government’s handling of the virus more generally has also seen a small drop. The number who approve is now 31% (-3), while the number disapproving is 48% (+3). This is the highest disapproval number since early November. Overall, Labour hold a one-point lead on 40% of the vote, with the Conservatives on 39%. The Lib Dems are on 6%, the SNP on 5%, and the Greens on 4%. Opinium polled 2,003 people online on 6-7 January.
The UK transport secretary, Grant Shapps, has apparently used his bookshelves to flatter the incoming Biden administration in the US, while condemning Donald Trump for encouraging the storming of the Capitol building. During a round of broadcast interviews on Friday morning, Shapps was seen with a copy of a memoir by Pete Buttigieg, Joe Biden’s nominee for transportation secretary, placed behind his head as he gave video interviews from home.
In an interview with Sky News, he condemned the violence in Washington as “despicable” and said it was “inescapable that people were encouraged to go a march on the Capitol building”. Shapps’s comments and his backdrop of the memoir, Shortest Way Home, come only months after he declined to condemn Trump for suggesting people should inject themselves with bleach to protect themselves from Covid. They also underline how quickly senior Conservatives have moved from praising Trump to condemning him. Shapps stopped short of calling for Trump to be impeached as Democratic leaders in the US have demanded. He said: “What happened completely dishonours democracy and was just despicable to see those people encouraged to go to the Capitol building and to ransack it like that. I think we can very fairly leave it to the Americans to work out what they should do next, that’s their call clearly.” He added: “It’s not for me interfere in American politics any more than I expect an American president or politician to do in the UK.” Shapps’ bookshelves have drawn attention before, having previously featured union flags, a ministerial red box and face-up covers of books with titles including Getting Inside People’s Heads and How to be Nice to People.
The Labour MP Jo Stevens has expressed her gratitude to the NHS staff who cared for her after she returned home following treatment in hospital for coronavirus. Stevens said she “cannot begin to describe my gratitude to the wonderful people who have cared for me in hospital” and described healthcare workers as “truly exceptional”, in a tweet sent late on Wednesday night. She described how lucky she felt to have been discharged from hospital, saying she knew that for many families it was a “very different situation”. Her discharge comes in a critical week for hospitals, as figures show more than 1,000 deaths were recorded in the previous 24 hours from the virus.
The MP for Cardiff Central was said on New Year’s Eve to have been “laid low with Covid for a while”. Three days later, her team announced she had been admitted to hospital, triggering an outpouring of support. Her team tweeted on Tuesday that her condition was improving, writing: “She has asked us to thank you all for your kind concern and good wishes which have been overwhelming.” The Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, expressed pleasure that his shadow culture secretary had returned home in a tweet on Wednesday evening. He also thanked the NHS.
Stevens, 54, is the fourth MP known to have been treated in hospital with Covid. Along with the prime minister, Boris Johnson, who was admitted to intensive care in April, the Labour MPs Yasmin Qureshi and Tony Lloyd were also admitted to hospital. Lloyd spent 10 days on a ventilator in an induced coma.
That is all from us tonight folks. To see how your MP voted, visit our interactive
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Fears around the impact of Brexit and coronavirus restrictions on lorry drivers and the flow of goods are continuing to grow, with concerns that delays could last up to six months. Several lorry drivers are understood to have been turned away at Dover for not having the right paperwork following the end of the Brexit transition period last week. We’d like to speak to hauliers about their experiences. Share your experiences You can get in touch by filling in the form below, anonymously if you wish or via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding the contact +44(0)7867825056. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact for publication before we publish, so please do leave contact details.
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Here’s a quick run-through of this evening’s events. England will enter its toughest nationwide lockdown since March, with schools closed and people allowed to leave home once a day for exercise for at least six weeks. “If things go well”, Johnson said the government expects to have offered the first dose to everyone in the four top priority categories by mid-February. Exams “will not be able to go forward as normal”, Johnson said. Primary schools, secondary schools and colleges across England will move to remote teaching from tomorrow - except for key workers’ children and vulnerable children. The government is advising people who are clinically extremely vulnerable to begin shielding again. The UK reported its highest ever daily number of new cases, with 58,784 further infections registered. As well as being a record rise, Monday’s figure is also the seventh time in a row that the daily number of cases has topped 50,000, which had never happened until last week. The UK’s four chief medical officers and NHS England medical director have recommended that the UK alert level should move from level 4 to level 5. The Scottish MP Margaret Ferrier, 60, has been arrested and charged in connection with alleged culpable and reckless conduct over an alleged breach of coronavirus regulations between 26 and 29 September 2020. All schools and colleges in Wales will move to online learning until 18 January, the education minister has said. The number of Covid-19 patients in hospital in England stood at 26,626 as of 8am on 4 January — a week-on-week increase of 30%. That’s all from the politics blog for today, but you can follow our global blog for any major UK developments as well as international stories.
With the Brexit deal signed into law on Thursday morning, the UK’s relationship with the EU is set to change dramatically on 1 January. We’d like to hear how you will be impacted by Britain’s departure from the EU, particularly those working in industries which will be directly impacted, such as farming, pharmaceuticals and haulage. We’d also like to hear from people working in small businesses, and those who travel often. Share your experiences You can get in touch by filling in the form below or via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding the contact +44(0)7867825056. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details.
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The legislation implementing the UK-EU trade deal is in course to become law late tonight, or in the early hours of tomorrow morning, after MPs voted for it by by 521 votes to 73 - a majority of 448. The EU (future relationship) bill is still being debated by peers, but it is due to pass all stages in the Lords without amendment by around 11pm tonight. However, peers are expected to pass an amendment expressing reservations about the deal. (See 5.28pm.) Three Labour MPs have resigned as junior frontbenchers after defying Keir Starmer and refusing to vote for Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal. But, although Starmer infuriated many in his party by ordering his MPs to vote for a deal that they view as bad for Britain, only one MP, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, actually voted against. Another 36 abstained. (See 3.47pm.) Starmer was widely criticised when he ordered his party to abstain in a vote on Covid restrictions earlier this month - he was accused of being indecisive on a matter of national importance - and although his decision to back the government today angered hardline pro-Europeans and leftwingers, it was firmly in line with what the public expect. According to a YouGov poll, the public wanted MPs to back the trade deal bill by a margin of more than six to one. (See 12.22pm.) Johnson’s Brexit trade deal has been resoundingly rejected by the Scottish and Northern Irish parliaments, as the UK’s devolved nations branded it disastrous and damaging. Johnson has refused to accept that his deal will create new barriers to trade with the EU. In an at times bizarre interview with the BBC, he also suggested having to fill out customs forms for the first time could benefit firms exporting to the EU - because it would mean the same rules applying for exports to any part of the world. (See 6.11pm.) That’s all from me for tonight - and for 2020. Happy new year everyone. Thank you for your time and your interest, and your contributions, and your support. I’ll be back on Monday next week.
The news that musicians have been left off the list of UK workers who qualify for visa-free travel in the EU is a huge blow for the industry (UK performers raise alarm as Brexit deal threatens EU touring, 29 December). My experience is of the classical sector, but I imagine the situation is similar in other genres: when you’re building a reputation, you often barely break even on performances abroad. The post-Brexit imposition of visa fees, carnets, certification of the value of instruments and so on will mean that playing in Europe is simply not viable for many UK musicians. For classical musicians this is especially painful, because it is precisely in EU countries, with their long tradition of support for this music, that performers feel particularly valued. I hope that our government will look again at this situation and grant musicians the same visa-free access to Europe that many other professionals have been offered. Susan Tomes Edinburgh • Parliament is to be allowed one day’s virtual debate on the EU trade deal. It is clear to whom this government feels sovereignty has returned, and it is not parliament. Adrian Cosker Hitchin, Hertfordshire
We’re closing the liveblog now after an eventful Christmas Eve, as Boris Johnson announced that the UK had struck a trade deal with the EU. Thank you for following, and have a Merry Christmas, however you’re spending it.
The UK and the EU have struck an agreement on the UK’s future trading and security relationship with the European Union on Christmas Eve, four and half years after the country voted to leave the European Union, and just over a week before the end of the Brexit transition period. As the country leaves the single market and customs union on 31 December, new arrangements allowing for tariff-free trade in goods and close police and judicial cooperation will come into force. We’d like to hear what people think of the deal and how it might affect them. Share your experiences You can get in touch by filling in the form below. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details.
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Nicola Sturgeon has apologised for breaching Covid rules after she was photographed without a face covering at a wake. The Scottish Sun published a picture of Scotland’s first minister standing talking to three people at a social distance, but with her face uncovered, while she was attending a wake after the funeral of a Scottish government civil servant who died with Covid. Sturgeon had been wearing a tartan mask and is believed to have taken it off briefly as she was leaving the venue. Sturgeon told the Sun: “Last Friday, while attending a funeral wake, I had my mask off briefly. This was a stupid mistake and I’m really sorry. “I talk every day about the importance of masks, so I’m not going to offer any excuses. I was in the wrong, I’m kicking myself and I’m sorry.” The mandatory use of face masks for customers in hospitality settings has been law since 14 September. Customers in hospitality venues must wear a face covering except when seated – including when they are entering, exiting and moving around a venue. Anyone breaching the rule may be liable for a fine of £60 in Scotland. A Scottish Conservative spokesperson said: “The first minister should know better. By forgetting the rules and failing to set a proper example, she’s undermining essential public health messaging. “It’s a blunder that an ordinary member of the public wouldn’t get away with. There cannot be one rule for Nicola Sturgeon and another for everyone else.”
In view of Liz Truss’s ill-informed speech (Liz Truss’s record of picking white, male trade advisers criticised, 17 December), I look forward to the government (1) finally enacting section 1 of Labour’s Equality Act 2010 – “the socio-economic equality duty” – which is aimed at the very inequality she purports to care about; and (2) introducing an anti-poverty strategy to combat the poverty that Tory policies since 2010 (and previously) have caused and exacerbated, highlighted by Owen Jones (The Tories created the very class inequality they pretend to rail against, 18 December). To be effective, such a strategy must address the intersecting inequalities of gender, race and disability that shape poverty’s impact and incidence. Ruth Lister Labour, House of Lords • It seems to me that Liz Truss may have made more than one mistake in her speech about equality. The first is that by appointing a majority of white men, she will miss opportunities to gain from a greater diversity of experience and views. Rather than ignoring “unrepresentative voices”, she is now only able to hear the voices of the overrepresented. Her second error is, therefore, that she perpetuates the exclusion of certain groups from positions of power (for example, women and members of black, Asian and minority ethnic communities), voices that for too long have not been represented, heard and listened to. I suggest that her mistakes signal errors of judgment and a lack of regard for social justice. Prof Simon Gibbs Newcastle University • “Equalities minister” Liz Truss has misgivings about her state education in Leeds, claiming: “While we were taught about racism and sexism, there was too little time spent making sure everyone could read and write.” My understanding is that Ms Truss’s comprehensive school enabled her to gain a place at Oxford, so the evidence suggests her literacy did not suffer unduly. I’m not convinced the racism and sexism lessons worked, though. Chris Barnham London
The UK may have returned more non-white MEPs to the European parliament than any other country in 2019 (Letters, 15 December), but they are no longer there. MEPs from Ukip, whose anti-immigration policies won them their votes, turned their backs at the EU parliament, refusing to sing the anthem. These two facts reveal a more accurate picture of UK voters’ attitude to immigration. Sue Clark London • “Get Brexit done” was the phrase that got Boris Johnson elected as PM. Seventeen months later, it is time to ask him: “Quo usque tandem abutere, Boris, patientia nostra?” Christiane Goaziou Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire • Much as Boris Johnson would like 2020 to be remembered as the year Britain shook off the shackles of Europe, history will judge it to have been the year destitution returned to a once great nation and Unicef felt obliged to feed its children (Unicef to feed hungry children in UK for first time in 70-year history, 16 December)). Peter Waterson Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire • Thanks to the movie Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, it has been a delight to see the recent focus on the great blues singer (The 50 best films of 2020, 15 December). And what could be more topical than her fine 1926 recording Don’t Fish in My Sea? Dr Dave Allen Portsmouth • The willow tit may be declining nationally (Willow tit becomes Britain’s fastest declining resident bird, survey finds, 17 December), but in our part of old industrial Wigan they are thriving. They are seen daily at the Wigan Flashes and at the Three Sisters local nature reserve. Ian Winstanley Friends of Three Sisters
This is it for the UK live blog for today. Thank you so much to everyone who got in touch and followed along. If you would like to continue following our coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, head over to our global live blog:
Large swathes of the south and east of England are to be put under the highest level of coronavirus restrictions, as the government rejected calls to allow hospitality businesses to reopen in other parts of the country. Here is the full list of what which areas are moving up or down a tier, and what the tiers will be for all parts of England from Saturday. Rishi Sunak is to extend the furlough scheme for an additional month and has said the government will hold a budget on 3 March to outline the next stage of its response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Welsh government has been strongly criticised for a delay in adding 11,000 positive Covid tests to official figures because a computer system was down for maintenance. The home secretary, Priti Patel, has accused a senior Tory MP of breaching Covid-19 rules after he attended a Christmas dinner for 27 people at a private members’ club. Michel Barnier has raised hopes of a weekend Brexit deal after persuading the European parliament to stretch its deadline to last thing on Sunday – even as UK ministers put the chance of an agreement at less than 50%. That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
Dog, cat and ferret owners will have to follow new rules if they wish to travel to the EU or to Northern Ireland with their pet following Brexit, it emerged on Wednesday. From 1 January, people travelling from Britain with pets and assistance dogs will need to ensure they have an animal health certificate (AHC) instead of a pet passport no earlier than 10 days before travel, the UK government said on its website. British pets required only a passport while their country was part of the EU. Only vets officially allowed to inspect animals for export can issue the certificates. The same rule will apply for taking animals from England, Scotland and Wales to Northern Ireland. The change is because the UK will have part 2 listed status under the EU Pet Travel Scheme. Owners will also have to ensure their animal is microchipped, and protected against certain diseases. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has said dogs, cats and ferrets will need to be vaccinated against rabies 21 days before travelling, and dogs must be treated against tapeworm if they are travelling to some countries. Pets and assistance dogs will also need to enter the EU through a travellers’ point of entry, which includes all the major French ports such as Calais, Caen and Dunkirk. There will be no change to the current health preparations or documents for pets entering Great Britain from the EU or Northern Ireland. Owners have been advised to check the government website for guidelines. UK chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss said: “Your vet will be able to advise what you need to do in order to obtain the correct documentation to travel and you can find the latest pet travel advice on gov.uk or by searching ‘pet travel’.” Meanwhile, the government is continuing to press the European commission to secure Part 1 listed status, stating that the UK meets all the requirements for it.
Boris Johnson has urged families to limit the length and scale of Christmas gatherings, saying existing rules for a festive respite from Covid regulations across the UK would not be changed – but that people should be extremely cautious.
Fresh lockdown measures are to be imposed in Wales beginning on Christmas Eve, while the law will be changed to limit Christmas mixing to two households, the first minister, Mark Drakeford, has announced. A fifth of people still have coronavirus symptoms five weeks after being infected, with half of them continuing to experience problems for at least 12 weeks, official data suggests, as concerns grow about the scale and impact of “long Covid”. Prof Chris Whitty, the government’s chief medical adviser, has said that he expects the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine to be approved for use in the UK by early in the new year. Speaking at the No 10 press conference, when asked when it would be available, he said it was up to the regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). He went on: I think there’s a fair chance that by early in the new year, possibly before, but that entirely depends on the data, they will be able to say whether they are confident that this vaccine is both efficacious and safe. Unicef has launched a domestic emergency response in the UK for the first time in its more than 70-year history to help feed children hit by the Covid-19 crisis. More than 300 passengers were stranded on a ferry overnight in Birkenhead after six crew members tested positive for Covid-19. A clash over EU access to British fishing waters could still sink hopes of a post-Brexit trade deal, Ursula von der Leyen has said, with agreement said to be “so close but yet … so far away”. That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
My only income is a state pension but we pensioners don’t need urging to donate to charity (Letters, 13 December). I give my £100 share of the winter fuel allowance to charity (divided between the Guardian and Waitrose/John Lewis this year). As a treat, I spend my £10 Christmas bonus on a slightly more expensive bottle of wine than I would normally buy. Consella Fahy Crewe, Cheshire • I am surprised that the professor of government at King’s College London does not recognise the Conservatives as the radical right party in our legislature (Letters, 15 December). I had already accepted John le Carré’s definition of a fascist state in a letter further down the same page. Jill Adams Moseley, Birmingham • Dear Roger (Letters, 14 December). Thank you for your Christmas list. I understand you’d like an election and renewed membership of the EU. My elves are rather overstretched at the moment gift wrapping portable loos for the main approach roads into Dover. So how about a toy naval gunboat? Lots of little boys are wanting one this year. Keep behaving yourself. Love from Santa. Jenny O’Shea London • After a lifetime of studying English, I have never come across the word “autarkic” (Editorial, 14 December). Now, when asked by my son what I get for the £2.20 cost of the Guardian, I can say truly: education, education, education! Trevor Rawlings Urmston, Manchester • Was the £45,000 Boris Johnson gave to Dominic Cummings (Report, 15 December) a pay rise or just his mileage allowance? Alan N Frost Salisbury, Wiltshire
Marmalade-makers like me worry that their access to Seville oranges in shops in January may be interrupted in the event of a no-deal Brexit. As I understand it, some of the oranges are harvested in November and then sit in warehouses. Why can’t they be made available in December, especially this year, when many marmalade-makers might appreciate the comforting diversion? Perhaps the Brexit mandarins could help? Robert Veale Weymouth, Dorset
• To maintain sanity in the current chaos (Letters, 14 December), try party games. Cut out a Ben Jennings cartoon of Boris Johnson, stick it on to a large piece of card, write the word “LIES” on another piece of card and push a drawing pin through it. Blindfold the player and the winner is the one who sticks the “LIES” card squarely over Johnson’s mouth. A variation is to use pictures of Michael Gove and a Scotch egg. Val Harrison Birmingham, West Midlands • My wife easily won our daily race on 10 December by completing her in-paper grid for Picaroon’s crossword, while my iPad Guardian stubbornly resisted until I pressed “reveal” to find that the electronic grid demanded an acute-accented é. A grave situation, n’est-ce pas? David Banks Crookham, Northumberland • So there have now been 300,000 Covid deaths in the US, the country that has managed the pandemic so disastrously (Report, 14 December). About the same proportion of the population as here, then. Wendy Barnaby Chilbolton, Hampshire • Christmas was in fact suppressed during Cromwell’s time (Letters, 13 December). John Evelyn’s diary makes clear that from 1652 to 1658 he was only able to keep Christmas privately, at home or at underground services in private dwellings. Bill Evershed Kidlington, Oxfordshire
Dominic Cummings was handed a pay rise of at least £40,000 for his role as the prime minister’s top adviser, new figures suggest. Cummings, whose trip to Durham during the height of the first national Covid-19 lockdown prompted an outcry, was paid between £95,000-£99,999 in 2019 but a new report reveals his pay packet was bumped up to £140,000-£144,999 this year. The disclosure is included in the publication of a Cabinet Office report (pdf) which details the £9.6m total pay cost – including salary, national insurance and pension contributions – for 102 government special advisers, referred to in Westminster as Spads, from April 2019 to March 2020. Last month, it emerged that Cummings was leaving his Number 10 post, as was his ally, communications chief, Lee Cain. The Cabinet Office report states: “Lee Cain and Dominic Cummings are in the process of leaving their government posts and are not included in the above list. They are, however, included in the December FTE numbers. Both individuals were in PB4 and pay band £140,000-£144,999.” Meanwhile, newly appointed press secretary Allegra Stratton, who will be fronting televised Downing Street briefings next year, earns between £125,000 and £129,999, according to the report. Responding to Cummings’ pay rise, Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner, said: “Boris Johnson defended Dominic Cummings when he broke lockdown rules - then awarded him a £50,000 pay rise. Yet he’s freezing pay for key workers and refusing to give our care workers a pay rise to the living wage. “Cummings’ bumper bonus is an insult to key workers denied the pay rise they deserve. It’s another example of how under this government it is one rule for the Tory Party and their friends and another for the rest of us.”
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John Bourn (Letters, 10 December) may be correct, in his response to Lynsey Hanley (The myth of a reactionary ‘red wall’ obscures the causes of the north-south divide, 8 December), to assert that millions of people in the north manage to get around without driving. However, this assertion depends on where you live. Mr Bourn lives in Gateshead, where buses may well be plentiful, but would he spare a thought for those people stranded in rural districts across the north (and elsewhere), where bus services are rudimentary or nonexistent thanks to years of underfunding and neglect resulting from deregulation? My village could claim a rudimentary bus service until April 2019, when it was axed. There is now only one bus a day, which transports students to and from York College. There are no services at the weekend and nothing at all during holiday weeks. Despite efforts to improve service provision, campaigners are repeatedly informed that this service is sufficient for our needs. To realise this government’s plans for a green revolution, surely we should begin by providing clean, efficient and affordable public transport across all of the country? Judith Laity Helperby, North Yorkshire
The Brexit transition period will end on 31 December, and with it the free movement of workers between the UK and other EU member states. On 11 November, The Immigration Act received Royal Assent and was signed into law, marking a new era for people living in Europe and wanting to move freely between the continent and Britain. After 11pm on 31 December 2020, freedom of movement will be replaced with a points-based immigration system, and people wanting to come into the UK to work will need to apply for permission in advance. Visas will be awarded to people who gain enough points for a job offer at the appropriate skill level, if they speak English, and if they meet a salary threshold. We’d like to hear from EU citizens who plan to relocate to the UK before the end of year deadline in order to reserve the right to settle in the country, and from UK citizens trying to settle in the EU while they can. Share your experiences You can get in touch by filling in the form below, anonymously if you wish or via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding the contact +44(0)7867825056. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact for publication before we publish, so please do leave contact details.
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Here’s a summary of the day’s developments so far: The UK and the EU have agreed to keep talks on a post-Brexit trade deal going. The British prime minister, Boris Johnson, and the European commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, agreed there was sufficient hope off a deal being reached to make a continuation worthwhile, making Sunday the latest deadline to be missed. The parties remain far apart in the negotiations, Johnson said. Talks have reached deadlock over disagreements on fishing and measures to protect the level playing field within the single market. Business leaders welcomed the continuation of talks. The heads of the British Chambers of Commerce, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and the CBI all backed the decision. Several key figures had expressed hope a deal could be reached and had called for discussions to continue. The Irish taoiseach and the UK’s foreign secretary were among those to insist that a deal of some sort could be reached, though the latter in particular sought to lay much of the blame for the failure to find one so far on the EU. We’re pausing this live blog now and will resume our coverage later if there are any developments.
Police have dropped an investigation into allegations of rape against a Conservative MP and former minister. The MP, who has not been named, was arrested on suspicion of rape on 1 August and later released on bail. He was accused of sexual offences and assault relating to four alleged incidents in London. On Sunday, however, the Metropolitan police said the allegations had not met “the evidential test”. A spokeswoman said no further action would be taken, following a thorough investigation. “The complainant has been made aware of the decision,” she said. The alleged victim told the Sunday Times she intended to appeal against the decision under the victims’ right to review scheme. The MP agreed in August not to attend the House of Commons while the allegations were investigated. The Conservative party resisted calls at the time to suspend the whip from the MP while the investigation continued. The chief whip, Mark Spencer, said it was a matter for the police to investigate. A spokesman for Spencer said: “The chief whip takes all allegations of harassment and abuse extremely seriously and has strongly encouraged anybody who has approached him to contact the appropriate authorities, including parliament’s independent complaints and grievance scheme, which can formally carry out independent and confidential investigations.” A Conservative party spokesman said at the time: “We take all allegations of this nature extremely seriously. As this matter is now in the hands of the police it would be inappropriate to comment further.” The investigation came days after the former Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke was convicted at Southwark crown court in a separate case of sexually assaulting two women, one of whom was a parliamentary worker.
Boris Johnson has put Britain on course for a no-deal Brexit, claiming it is now “very likely”, as it emerged that Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel have flatly rejected his appeal for direct talks. Four Royal Navy patrol ships will be ready from 1 January to help the UK protect its fishing waters in the event of a no-deal Brexit, in a deployment evoking memories of the “cod wars” in the 1970s. The Bank of England has warned of volatile financial markets from a no-deal Brexit and disruption for customers of UK and EU banks should the two sides fail to strike an agreement before the end of the month. The self-isolation period for people in contact with someone who has coronavirus is being cut from 14 to 10 days across the UK, it has been announced, and could be dispensed with entirely early next year. Mass Covid-19 testing should be implemented in schools across England, teachers’ leaders have said, amid fury in the north at the speed at which testing has been rolled out in new hotspots in London and the south-east. That’s all from me for today. Our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
That’s all from us tonight. I’ll leave you with this report from Heather Stewart, Jessica Elgot and Lisa O’Carroll on the prime minister’s warning that there is a strong possibility the UK will trade with the EU on WTO terms after 31 December.
Even if the PM comes back from Brussels with a deal, it is going to be pretty thin gruel compared with the delightful oven-ready meal he promised. In four years’ time, when there is another general election, much else will have happened to absorb voters’ attention, but sadly many “red wall” voters are likely to have discovered that their lives have been further levelled down rather than up, and that at least part of the reason will lie with Brexit (This is the last exit to Brexit. But in truth, there was only ever one road, 8 December). So why would Labour want to be associated with this disaster? It does not need to vote against a deal, if there is one, but surely abstention or a free vote leaves the party able to assess the result of Brexit without having its hands tied by “but you voted for it”(Shadow cabinet MPs express Labour Brexit strategy doubts, 8 December). Sarah Cemlyn Bristol • Martin Kettle hits the nail on the head: Europe will remain a live issue in British politics – and especially within the Conservative party – for years to come (The partition of Ireland reverberates through history – and Brexit will too, 9 December). Labour should take note, because if Keir Starmer gets into bed with Boris Johnson over his deal, whatever form it may take, he and his party will pay for it – for years to come, in the same way the Lib Dems have had to own tuition fees and austerity. Food shortages? Labour voted for it. Power cuts? Labour voted for those too. Job losses? The right honourable gentleman didn’t so much as mention that on the day he walked through the lobby… Robin Prior Stroud, Gloucestershire
As the winter season sets in, many people will be planning their holidays to other EU countries next year. But under current Covid restrictions, British holidaymakers will be barred from travelling to the European Union once the Brexit transition period ends on 1 January 2021. We would like to hear from people who are planning trips to Europe in the new year, whether they are thinking of cancelling, and if they have any concerns. Share your experiences You can get in touch by filling in the form below. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details.
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Boris Johnson experienced an awkward exchange with the European commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, just before their make-or-break Brexit dinner in Brussels on Wednesday, when she urged him to maintain social distancing After the prime minister arrived at the commission’s Berlaymont headquarters just after 8pm local time, the two leaders went to pose for the cameras. Johnson asked Von der Leyen if they were taking their masks off. She agreed that they could do so, but told him to “keep distance” as they briefly removed their face coverings, prompting him to quickly step back. She added: “Then we have to put it back on. You have to put it back on immediately.” The PM responded as he donned his mask again: “You run a tight ship here, Ursula, and quite right too.” The pair then headed off for a three-course dinner as talks on a post-Brexit trade deal remained “on a precipice”. Flanked by his chief negotiator, David Frost, and senior aides, Johnson spelled out the UK’s position, telling Von der Leyen and the bloc’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, that he could not accept the terms in a treaty that would tie Britain to EU rules. EU sources told the Guardian the bloc planned to publish its no-deal contingency plans “very soon indeed” in order to keep planes flying and to protect borders in the event of the talks collapsing irretrievably. The outcome of the dinner was being anxiously awaited across the continent, amid growing fears of economic and security chaos when the transition period ends in just three weeks’ time. When the 27 EU heads of state and government meet on Thursday to begin a two-day summit, Von der Leyen is likely to update them on the talks.
Can we assume that the Blind Date column this Saturday will tell us what happened when Ursula von der Leyen, 62, president of a major international political and trading group, had a meal out with Boris Johnson, 56, trainee prime minister (Brexit: Johnson heads to Brussels after UK holds out olive branch, 7 December)? In our household we are on tenterhooks waiting for the answer to: “Would you introduce him to your friends?” Graham Head London • Mother of three. Teacher for 30 years. Negotiating skills second to none. I wish they would fly me to Brussels to bang a few heads together! Nicola Campbell Macclesfield, Cheshire • One immortal line from Corrie that my wife and I have long since adopted (Tony Blair wanted to be briefed about Deirdre!’ The inside story of Coronation Street, G2, 9 December) is that of Vera Duckworth on returning home to find that Jack has failed to start getting their tea ready: “Six o’clock and norra sausage pricked.” The line can be used in any domestic spat, culinary or otherwise. Stephen Percy Easton, Hampshire • By withholding the bad sex award (Bad sex award cancelled as public exposed to ‘too many bad things in 2020’, 8 December), the Literary Review has in fact deprived us of what we need most – a good laugh. Dr Mary Wrightson Oundle, Northamptonshire • If I too had a coach and horses, perhaps I’d also be allowed to drive them through the travel restrictions, like William and Kate (Lukewarm welcome for William and Kate in royal tour of Scotland and Wales, 8 December). David Napier Lewes, East Sussex
The negotiations may be protracted and difficult, and their outcome uncertain. But neither side appears keen to enter this final round of Brexit talks on an empty stomach. Here, Jon Henley imagines an appropriate menu for the occasion. Dinner at the European commission, Wednesday 9 December 2020 Entrée European vegetables matured in the back of a truck stuck on the outskirts of Calais for seven days – with sour cream or Scotch egg, constituting in some countries, a substantial meal Plat principal Sixty percent of a fresh grilled North Sea horse mackerel caught by a Danish trawler off the Northumberland coast: a fine British fish, presently and undeservedly little known in London or Roast beef of Olde England, hung, drawn and quartered by European butchers then lovingly done to a turn. Both dishes served with Brussels sprouts, obviously
Cheese Swiss, of course, since one course at least should be neutral – a gentle reminder that the UK’s negotiations with the European Union have only just begun. Selection of innovative British chutneys. Dessert Fudge cake. As rich as it comes. or Bendy-banana split
Carriages at midnight, shut the door on your way out and for heavens sake don’t miss the one Eurostar of the day or you could be stuck here for a very long time indeed
That’s all from us for today. For a detailed summary of an eventful day for Brexit, see 6.06pm. Meanwhile, for those who want to follow our coverage of the latest coronavirus updates from around the world, head over to our global liveblog, here:
That’s it from me, Nadeem Badshah, signing off for the night. You can continue to follow our coverage of the latest coronavirus updates from around the world at:
Priti Patel’s use of the Windrush scandal to turn her fire on those lawyers and black public figures attempting to ensure that further injustice was not being done in last week’s deportation flight to Jamaica is shameless (Windrush victims accuse Priti Patel of ‘deeply insulting’ behaviour, 4 December). For all her fine words, very few Windrush victims have yet received the compensation promised to them and some have already died while waiting for it. Ever since the Windrush scandal broke, successive Tory home secretaries have tried to gloss over it as an unfortunate oversight in an otherwise fair and stainless system – the exception that proves the rule. In doing so, they have cynically used Windrush to obscure the plight of the many other victims of our immigration system, an updated version of the distinction between “good” and “bad” immigrants. Rod Edmond Deal, Kent • The home secretary castigates campaigners for Windrush victims as ill-informed Labour politicians and do-gooding celebrities. So has it now come to it that doing good is an insult, and does it mean, therefore, that we should now applaud doing bad? Pat Staples Southampton
Will this “oven ready” turkey (Chance of a Brexit deal is no higher than 50%, say UK sources, 5 December) be ready for Christmas? A complex, 600-page document to be read, understood, debated and agreed by the finest minds in Britain; let’s hope so. Marc Smith-Evans Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines • I can’t hold it in any longer. Monolith: “a single block of stone” (OED). Not shiny metal sheets riveted together and dropped in the countryside (A Utah monolith enchanted millions and then it was gone, leaving mysteries behind, 5 December). Ah! That’s better! Nick Pattinson Stockport, Greater Manchester • Keith Flett waxes lyrical on the virtues of a Scotch egg as a substantial meal washed down with a pint (Letters, 4 December). Out here in the barren wastes of tier 3 our chances of even a substantial pint have been well and truly scotched. Austen Lynch Garstang, Lancashire • In the light of George Eustace’s suggestion (Report, 1 December) that a Scotch egg in a pub is a substantial meal, I am reminded of the expression “a Glasgow salad”, which refers to a poke of chips with two pickled onions on the top. A poke is, of course, a bag, as in “a pig in a poke”. Tony Manning Selkirk, Scottish Borders • I devoured the Feast recipes on Saturday, a Christmas food special. Of all the recipes, only two have the final instruction of “serve at once”. Both have the main ingredient of brussels sprouts. In case yule change your mind? Siobhán Ní Chuanaigh Dublin, Ireland
I met Mike Cooley in 1970, when I was working with the Cinema Action collective on the film Fighting the Bill, made as a campaigning tool to oppose the Tory government’s anti-trade union legislation. Mike was more than happy to collaborate with us and delivered a fiery speech, which I filmed, explaining how invidious this proposed legislation would be for the trade union movement. Although a militant, Mike was no rabble-rouser but a mild-mannered man and profound thinker. His ideas on converting arms factories into centres of peaceful manufacturing, producing environmentally sustainable means of transport, equipment for the health service and aids for people with disabilities were far ahead of their time. He was a visionary thinker, whose ideas were sadly ignored not only by the powers that be but also by many of his trade union colleagues.
That’s all from the UK blog today, you can keep following our coronavirus coverage over on our global blog. Thanks for reading along.
Plans to erect a statue of Margaret Thatcher in her home town of Grantham have been unanimously approved by South Kesteven District Council. The Conservative-led council announced that it will underwrite an unveiling ceremony of the statue to the tune of £100,000. The council agreed to fund the event but said they “fully expected” that the expense will be recouped in donations, while critics have described the cost of the ceremony as an “insult” to struggling local residents. We’d like to hear from local residents in the South Kesteven area how they feel about this proposal. Share your thoughts Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details.
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MPs approved the UK government’s plan for a tougher tiered system for England to begin on Wednesday by 291 votes to 78. It means the new tier restrictions will replace the second national lockdown at midnight. However, the figures represent the government’s biggest defeat since it won last year’s general election, thanks to a sizeable Tory rebellion against the new measures. A total of 55 Tory MPs voted against the government and 16 did note vote (some of these will have been abstentions, others will have been absences for other reasons). Senior Tories, MPs who would usually back Johnson on Brexit, as well as some from the 2019 intake, were among the rebels. For the most part, the Labour party abstained from the vote, though 15 of its MPs voted against the government. The division list is here. The UK’s total Covid-19 death toll has passed 75,000, according to a tally of all fatalities that mention the disease on death certificates. Our story here.
Matt Hancock’s reported comments (Matt Hancock wants to use NHS testing system to fight flu after Covid, 24 November) that people should not struggle into work when ill should be commended. However, this is a relatively recent conversion. As a lay rep in a public sector union, I remember clearly that Hancock, as cabinet office minister, had ultimate responsibility for the decision to impose ever more draconian measures to deal with attendance management in the civil service. If you stayed in bed every time you had a cold, something he now seems to suggest, you would be subject to disciplinary procedures. I hope he has now changed his views. A better society would be one in which no worker is made ill by the work they do. If the global pandemic is to have any positive legacy, then outlawing punitive attendance management policies would be a good start. Adherence in all sectors to working time directives, and restoring funding for local authorities and the Health and Safety Executive to ensure that every workplace is inspected regularly should follow. I am not convinced that this will be on the government’s agenda. Julian Wilson Tonbridge, Kent
“It is not clear how Starmer undoes the damage” caused by the erosion of Labour loyalty, says Rafael Behr (Johnson looks worn down, but the ‘Boris effect’ may yet return, 25 November). It might help to start with the recognition that under its present construction, Labour is dying. It is, in effect, two parties – one liberal democratic, the other authoritarian socialist – fighting over the spoils of the dying regime. While social class was the major determinant of voting behaviour, these two parties enjoyed an uneasy accommodation in the interests of electability. This is no longer the case. Politics is now increasingly fought over questions of values and culture, rather than over the economic interests of capital and organised labour. Resolving these divisions will not be easy and implies a major reset of our organisation of politics. Broadly, what is needed for Labour is a reconstruction of centre-left politics around shared values. This would be facilitated by electoral reform and a centre-left progressive alliance in place in time for the next general election. This must be Keir Starmer’s priority over the coming months. Roy Boffy Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands
Your report (UK facing risk of ‘systemic economic crisis’, official paper says, 24 November) prompted me to check our provisions. Once again toilet paper may run short and, in these straitened times, I wondered if old copies of the Guardian might suffice. My wife suggested the compostable wrappers of the newspaper may be the ideal recycling option. Robert East London • Michael Harrison (Letters, 25 November) asks for a conversion formula to calculate how many lorries to the mile if queued end to end? The average artic is 16.5 metres long. If they’re parked tightly nose to tail, that’s about 60 per kilometre or 96 per mile. Allowing a small space between them, 7,000 trucks parked in a single line would stretch from the M25 to Dover. Dave Young Former truck driver, Hastings • Adrian Chiles (Britain still makes things? Who knew?, 25 November) and Christopher Lovejoy’s letter (The grim reality that is ‘getting Brexit done’, 25 November) made me wonder: what do we actually export these days that needs a lorry? Sue Stephenson Barrow-upon-Humber, Lincolnshire • As Boris Johnson has decided to get rid of seven-twelfths of Christmas (Report, 26 November), at least we won’t all have to put up with those lords and ladies dancing and a-leaping everywhere. Although I will miss all the drumming. Ian Grieve Gordon Bennett, Llangollen canal • In the interests of a greener, lower-waste Christmas, could the Guardian could bring back its artist-designed Christmas wrapping paper as the centre spread? Maggie Johnston St Albans, Hertfordshire
You report (24 November) that leftwing members of Labour’s national executive committee staged a mass walkout of an online meeting. The mind boggles as to how you walk out of an online meeting. Do you just switch off your device or leave it switched on, leave the room and allow your colleagues to admire your wallpaper, pictures or the titles on your bookshelf? John Marriott Lincoln • Barbara Thompson (Letters, 24 November) seems very unlucky. Here in Liverpool, where I took part in the vaccine trial, we were offered tea, coffee and chocolate biscuits, and told to help ourselves. Maybe it’s just Yorkshire? Laurie Canham Liverpool • You report five-mile lorry queues in Kent (24 November). We have been threatened with queues of 7,000 lorries. Could we have a consistent scale or at least a conversion formula: how many lorries to the mile (or kilometre in France)? Michael Harrison Oxford • Life isn’t fair, is it? Reading Polly Toynbee’s article (By freezing pay and benefits, Sunak will be levelling down, not up, 24 November) just underlines that fact. My husband and I, in our 70s and 80s, have been beneficiaries all our lives. From the start of the NHS, to decent occupational pensions and now the triple lock on the state pension. And our grandchildren? Sod all. Val Prior Waterlooville, Hampshire • What the people of this country want is for Boris Johnson to stop saying “What the people of this country want…” Alan Cleaver Whitehaven, Cumbria
As many as three different households will be allowed to mix for five days over the Christmas period, government sources have said, under a UK-wide plan agreed on Friday between ministers and the devolved nations. The NHS should routinely test people for illnesses such as seasonal flu once the coronavirus pandemic has passed, Matt Hancock has said, adding that he wants to end the UK’s culture of “soldiering on” and going to work while ill, infecting others. The UK has recorded 608 further coronavirus deaths - the highest daily total since early May - although case numbers are continuing to fall, the latest government figures show. (See 4.35pm.) The government will be forced to rely on Labour support to pass new tiered coronavirus restrictions in England with about 70 MPs believed to be considering rebelling when the measures are put to parliament next week. The education secretary, Gavin Williamson, acted unlawfully in removing safeguards for children in care at the start of the Covid pandemic without consulting children’s rights organisations, the court of appeal has ruled. The travel industry has welcomed the change in quarantine rules that will allow passengers returning to the UK from high-risk countries to reduce the time they self-isolate to five days, if they can provide a negative Covid test result. Leftwing members of Labour’s governing body have staged a mass walkout in protest of the actions of the Labour leadership, including the election of a key ally of Keir Starmer as the body’s chair. That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
That’s all from the UK blog today, you can keep following the latest coronavirus developments over on our global blog:
If Rishi Sunak imposes yet another squeeze on public-sector pay (New UK spending row as Rishi Sunak puts squeeze on public sector salaries, 20 November), supposedly to bring it in line with the private sector, it will be even clearer that the government is levelling down, not up. Geoff Booth Knebworth, Hertfordshire • Boris Johnson tries to deflect blame from himself by calling Keir Starmer “Captain Hindsight” (Politics live, theguardian.com, 18 November). Military nicknames for the prime minister abound – General Incompetence, Captain Clueless, etc. Surely, after this year’s showing, his everlasting moniker should be Major Catastrophe. Susan Castles Wem, Shropshire • I see the government is getting the NHS to manage the vaccination programme (NHS assembles army of staff for mass coronavirus vaccinations, 19 November). Have they run out of chums? Elizabeth Pearson New Barnet, London • Perhaps Elena Ferrante was a bit distracted when composing this list (Elena Ferrante names her 40 favourite books by female authors, 21 November). That might explain the complete omittance of any works by Daphne du Maurier, Virginia Woolf, Barbara Pym and Sylvia Plath. Stefan Badham Portsmouth, Hampshire • I feel obliged, having used one extensively during my time as a clerk, to provide the technical term for the page-turning and paper-counting aid mentioned by Dr Brigid Purcell (Letters, 18 November): a fingerette. Diana Cairns Edinburgh • So the farming year “begins with a bang for ewes”, despite the rams’ vasectomies (Country diary, 20 November). A Bluefaced Leicester? I’m not surprised. Brian Smith Berlin, Germany
In the US we have an egomaniac smashing up the house because he’s been told he has to leave. Here we have Jeremy Corbyn determined to cause as much damage out of office as he did during his tenure as Labour leader (Labour in fresh turmoil as Starmer refuses to restore whip to Corbyn, 18 November). If bad behaviour becomes magnified once an incompetent incumbent leaves office, heaven help us when Boris Johnson departs. Amanda Baker Edinburgh • As an art school tutor in the 1970s (Letters, 17 November), I said to an early member of Duran Duran: “This music thing is OK, but have you thought of being a textile designer?” Tom Jones Edgbaston, Birmingham • So, the government plans to allow Christmas gatherings, with more severe restrictions before and after (England told to expect tougher Covid rules to allow for Christmas gatherings, 19 November). Is it really worth it? The letup will be very unfortunate for those who contract Covid-19 over Christmas and die. It is also an insult to those of other faiths who have endured lockdown over their major festivals. Rev C Mary Austin Tibberton, Worcestershire • Marina Hyde lacks faith in Boris Johnson’s commitment to the union (Boris Johnson’s saboteur is back, and looking strangely familiar, 17 November). She should rest reassured that in 2019 he adopted the title minister of the union, channelling Henry VIII as defender of the faith. Austen Lynch Garstang, Lancashire • Boris Johnson claimed the UK’s response to the virus exemplified the “sheer might” of the union (Report, 17 November). It has been widely accepted in Scotland that this was a Spoonerism. Andrew Johnstone Dundee
Sir Keir Starmer has reignited a conflict with the Labour left by refusing to readmit Jeremy Corbyn to the parliamentary party, despite a disciplinary panel deciding yesterday that his suspension from the party should be lifted. Twenty seven Labour MPs have signed a statement describing Starmer’s decision as “wrong and damaging”. (See 5.13pm.) The UK has recorded 19,609 further coronavirus cases - its lowest daily total for more than two weeks. (See 4.45pm.) Tough restrictions on socialising will be needed before and after Christmas to keep the spread of coronavirus under control if families and friends are to be allowed to meet over the festive season, government advisers have said. Starmer has described Boris Johnson as the “single biggest threat to the future of the United Kingdom” following his comments about Scottish devolution, during a history-making prime minister’s questions in which Johnson appeared via video link. Care bosses are demanding £500m in extra government funding to make care homes safe in the run-up to Christmas, while some councils have been accused of taking infection control too far by banning tinsel or advising against trees. Johnson is expected to announce on Thursday that the Ministry of Defence has been awarded a multi-year funding settlement, after it emerged this week that several billions would be cut from the aid budget. That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
More than 2 million Scots will face near-lockdown restrictions for three weeks after Nicola Sturgeon imposed the country’s highest level of Covid restrictions across the west of Scotland. Full details of the announcement are here. The shock of the Covid-19 crisis has caused permanent change to the UK economy and could be the catalyst for ending a long period of low investment and weak productivity growth, the governor of the Bank of England has said. The UK government is reviewing England’s tiering system to decide which coronavirus restrictions should be put in place when the national lockdown ends on 2 December, the communities secretary has confirmed. The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has refused to disclose whether he will profit from a surge in the share price of the Covid-19 vaccine manufacturer Moderna, one of the biggest investments held by the hedge fund he co-founded before entering parliament. EasyJet has slumped to a £1.3bn full-year loss, the first in its 25-year history, but said bookings had been boosted by positive news on Covid-19 vaccines. The Welsh government has launched a withering attack on Boris Johnson’s dismissal of devolution as “a disaster north of the border”, calling the prime minister’s remarks “shocking” and claiming the conduct of his administration is threatening the future of the United Kingdom. The Treasury is planning to slash billions from the overseas aid budget despite the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, praising the government’s 0.7% aid target on Monday as representing UK values in front of aides to Joe Biden. Jeremy Corbyn’s suspension from the Labour party could be resolved as early as Tuesday, with a panel of the party’s governing body expected to meet to consider disciplinary action against the former leader, the Guardian understands. That’s all from me for today. Our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
• You report (Dissatisfied Tory MPs flock to ERG-inspired pressure groups, 11 November) that only 59 Conservative MPs self-identify as members of the Common Sense group, and that of these only 28 are prepared to be named. I believe your report, because you couldn’t make it up. David Cooper Nafferton, East Yorkshire • It’s not only gulls that match their dining to human timetables (Letters, 15 November). We eat breakfast and lunch at our kitchen table with a great view of the bird feeders through the window, and we are joined every day at more or less the same time by many garden birds: goldfinches, green finches, blue tits, sometimes a nuthatch. We are convinced they know that it is time to join us for something to eat. Fran Turner Milford-on-Sea, Hampshire • If you are an older person who says, “I don’t care if I get the virus, I’ve had a good life”, you are missing the point – it is not an instant death. You might end up in a hospital bed that would otherwise have been given to someone who really wants to live. You might suffer pain, you might die alone, you might survive, but have long-lasting effects. You will almost certainly infect others. If you catch the virus, others will suffer too. Carol Granère Evie, Orkney • The character assassinations, spinning, misogyny, poisonous leaks and mendacious briefings in Downing Street have been riveting (‘What goes around comes around’: the intrigues behind Lee Cain’s departure, 12 November). Is someone writing the opera? Dr John Doherty Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire • I suspect everyone involved is getting their “Mexican firing squads” confused with their “Mexican standoffs” (Letters, 15 November). Ralph Jones Rochester, Kent
Dominic Cummings making a showy exit via the front door of No 10 features on most of the front pages today.
The Times says “Cummings forced out in purge of Brexiteers” describing it as part of “a clearout” by Boris Johnson of leavers.
The Sun couldn’t bring itself to part with its “Great Kane robbery” front and damning coverage of the Yorkshire Ripper’s death but “Carried away” is the headline for its Cummings story inside – playing on the role of the PM’s fiancee in seeing off the adviser.
“PM’s team torn apart by Feud” says the i, which adds that Johnson had lost patience with his “controversial adviser”.
The Guardian declares the “End of Cummings era”.
The Telegraph says “Cummings exits No10 with parting shot at PM” – that being a claim the Barnard Castle enthusiast and his circle had begun briefing against Johnson and accusing him of “dithering”.
“Cummings goes – see ya!” says the Star in its own inimitable fashion …
The Mirror stays with the Ripper story but Cummings is of course covered inside where “Dom a goner” is the headline.
The Mail prefers to stay with a bit of Covid Christmas cheer for care homes but “Boris boots out Dom” is a stick down the right-hand side.
The Express treats Dominic Cummings in a similar fashion while splashing on a Diana, Princess of Wales story.
The FT weekend edition lets its hair down a bit with “Johnson cuts Cummings loose” and says his exit “caps day of tantrums”.
After an exciting evening we are now closing the blog, thank you for following developments with us.
Your writer from Northampton complained that his team’s FA Cup tie with Oxford United was ignored (Letters, 11 November). Given that the Cobblers were in fact playing non-league Oxford City and lost 2-1, I should think he would be quite pleased at the Guardian’s silence on the matter. Steve Carden Brighton, West Sussex • Just before the consequences of Brexit hit, Dominic Cummings jumps ship (Dominic Cummings to leave Downing Street role by Christmas, 13 November). The rat. Pete Bibby Sheffield • Maybe Boris Johnson was actually telling the truth when he said that the virus would be gone by Christmas. Ian Grieve Gordon Bennett, Llangollen Canal • In the discussion of Maggi Hambling’s sculpture, Linda Fairbrother contrasts the representation of men and women (Letters, 11 November). In Lewes, the sculptor Marcus Cornish portrayed Thomas Paine emerging from the earth (his humble beginnings), book in hand, pushing against bureaucracy. It is a beautiful sculpture. Simple, solid and effective. Jan Mortimer Lewes, East Sussex • I would like to reassure Linda Fairbrother that there is a recent statue of a suffragette that is truly excellent. Emily Wilding Davison has been commemorated in her home town of Morpeth with a statue made of steel. Emily is fully clothed and inspires us all whenever we pass her. Livia MacDonald Morpeth, Northumberland
The UK has recorded 33,470 further coronavirus cases - a new daily record, and more than 10,000 more than the total for yesterday. (See 4.58pm.) Today’s figure is also more than 6,000 above the previous highest daily total. At a No 10 press conference Prof Stephen Powis, the NHS England medical director, was unable to give an explanation for the striking increase, but he stressed that the seven-day rolling average was a better guide to the trend than a single daily figure. The seven-day average for new cases is now running at 22,524, compared to 22,398 a week ago. (See 5.06pm.) People with learning disabilities are dying of coronavirus at more than six times the rate of the general population, according to “deeply troubling” figures that have prompted a government review. People from Black and Asian backgrounds are at substantially greater risk of contracting coronavirus than white people, according to a study that highlights the disproportionate impact of the disease on different groups in society. The government’s struggling test and trace system for England was hit by “huge” IT issues that delayed calls to some of the most vulnerable coronavirus patients last month, NHS emails show. Britain’s economy grew at a record quarterly rate of more than 15% as lockdown restrictions were eased in the summer but the recovery was losing momentum even before new curbs came in, the latest official figures have revealed. There has been “unhappiness” about Downing Street operations for some time, a leading Tory backbencher has said following the resignation of one of Boris Johnson’s most senior aides. I’ve corrected the post at 4.05pm, about the Imperial College React survey, because originally the paragraph with regional prevalence figures was in the wrong place, making it look as if they were R numbers, not prevalence rates. That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has told MPs he will consider a proposal to use rapid-result testing for people who have been told to self-isolate for 14 days after being in contact with someone testing positive. Hancock spoke after Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford University and a member of the government’s vaccine taskforce, told MPs that the current self-isolation policy was “massively ineffective” and that the new lateral flow tests, which deliver results very quickly, made it more sensible to test people in this category instead. (See 1.47pm and 12.50pm.) Boris Johnson has had his first call with Joe Biden, the US president-elect. Although not first in the queue for a call with Biden, who spoke to Canada’s Justin Trudeau yesterday, Johnson got to speak to Biden around the same time or ahead of other major European leaders. Fears that he might be snubbed because of his close links with Donald Trump proved unfounded. (See 5.13pm.) Dedicated GP clinics are being established to each deliver nearly 1,000 Covid-19 vaccines a week in England, according to an official document. Dido Harding, the head of the NHS’s test and trace programme, has acknowledged it failed to predict the scale of demand for coronavirus testing as schools and universities returned this autumn. The UK government is under pressure to reconsider cancelling exams in England next summer after Wales called off end-of-year GCSE and A-level tests for its students. The government’s furlough scheme and a recovering economy failed to prevent record redundancies in the period before tougher lockdown restrictions were imposed, according to the latest official data. That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
Following the defeat of key parts of proposed Brexit legislation in the Lords, a government spokesperson said: We are disappointed that the House of Lords has voted to remove clauses from the UK internal market bill, which was backed in the House of Commons by 340 votes to 256 and delivers on a clear Conservative manifesto commitment. We will retable these clauses when the bill returns to the Commons. We’ve been consistently clear that the clauses represent a legal safety net to protect the integrity of the UK’s internal market and the huge gains of the peace process. We expect the House of Lords to recognise that we have an obligation to the people of Northern Ireland to make sure they continue to have unfettered access to the UK under all circumstances. The comments come after the government suffered a major defeat on controversial Brexit legislation as peers rejected a bid to give ministers power to break international law. Thanks for following along this evening - that’s all for today. Take care.
More than three times as many UK voters wanted Joe Biden to win the US election than favoured Donald Trump, according to the latest Opinium poll for the Observer. About 57% of British people chose Biden against just 16% who backed Trump in the presidential election. Even Conservative voters preferred Biden to Trump, with 40% wanting Biden against 28% who favoured the outgoing president. A clear majority of UK voters – 62% – said they believed the US election was generally conducted fairly and properly, with 67% saying that Trump’s claims about electoral fraud were not true. A majority (58%) also said they believed Biden would be positive both for the United States and the world. Meanwhile at home, in the week that a second national lockdown began in England as the government tried to control Covid-19, Labour has opened a four-point lead over the Tories. Labour is up two points, on 42%, compared with a fortnight ago, while the Conservatives are unchanged on 38%. The Liberal Democrats are up one point on 7%.
It is the biggest lead for Labour since Keir Starmer became leader in April and represents a remarkable change in the standing of the two main parties. Early on in the pandemic in March, Boris Johnson and the Tories led Labour by 26 points in an Opinium poll, before the lead was gradually eroded as the government struggled to bring the virus under control. Two-thirds (64%) of people in England say they support the latest four-week lockdown, while only 20% oppose it. However, three in five (62%) think it was implemented too late. While there is broad support for most of the lockdown, some 37% said more sport should be allowed outdoors.
We are now closing this blog. If you want to read more coronavirus news from around the world, you can head over to our global blog. Thanks for following along.
Rishi Sunak has announced the government will extend furlough until the end of March as the second coronavirus wave and renewed lockdown measures threaten to drive up unemployment. The Bank of England has launched a fresh £150bn stimulus package for the UK economy. Boris Johnson has claimed that people will be able to have “as normal a Christmas as possible” if they comply with the lockdown rules. Speaking at his press conference this evening, he said: I have every confidence, if we follow this package of measures [ie, the lockdown] in the way that we can, as we have done before, I have no doubt that people will be able to have as normal a Christmas as possible and that we will be able to get things open before Christmas as well. The second national lockdown in England has been caused in part by a lack of public compliance, Robert Buckland, the justice secretary, has said, adding that it will be a “huge challenge” to get the public to follow the strict rules this time. Boris Johnson has been under pressure to follow European leaders and warn Donald Trump that he will be damaging democracy worldwide if he continues to allege ballot fraud in the US presidential election without any supporting evidence. Sainsbury’s has said the supply of some fish, dairy and meat products to its stores in Northern Ireland could be significantly reduced from January because of Brexit. That’s all from me for tonight. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog.
And of course, for the latest from America, do follow our US presidential election results live blog.
If Boris Johnson is worried that a Tory rebellion in the Commons might scupper his lockdown plans (PM moves to stop Tory mutiny with vote on England lockdown extension, 2 November), why doesn’t he apply a three-line whip, as he did with the recent vote on free school meals during school holidays? It worked then. Gary Bennett Exeter • Sir Graham Brady and other Tory libertarians object to tougher lockdown restrictions (The lockdown rebels preparing to defy No 10 on Covid restrictions, 2 November). Had their fathers, during the second world war, opposed the blackout they would have been locked up. Is this situation so very different? Martin Brayne Chinley, Derbyshire • I don’t believe “virtue signalling” is necessarily the evil practice James Bartholomew alleges it to be (Virtue signalling: the culture war phrase now in BBC guidelines, 30 October). Surely it’s streets ahead of the “nasty piece of work signalling” engaged in by Bartholomew and many Tories. Phil Coughlin Houghton-le-Spring, Tyne and Wear • After I anxiously asked whether swimming pools would be closed, the receptionist at our local pool cheerfully said “you’re all covered with bleach, so it’s very safe” (Boris Johnson kills hopes of lockdown reprieve for grassroots sport, 2 November). Elaine Fullard Oxford • Butternut squash? Emma Beddington should be so lucky (The second lockdown is a chance to get it right – so I’m taking a new approach, 2 November). Up here in Newcastle we get the ubiquitous swede. Joanna Rimmer Newcastle upon Tyne • Join the conversation – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit theguardian.com/letters
On Sunday, 23,254 people were tested positive for Covid-19. A further 162 people have died within 28 days of a positive test. The daily dashboard also shows there are 1,442 more patients in hospital. For a closer look at the numbers and the situation in your are, you can check the government’s website here.
That’s all from us for today. For more coronavirus updates from around the world, head over to our global live blog. Thanks for following along.
A government claim that the new UK-Japan trade agreement will lead to cheaper soy sauce has been shot down as it was pointed out that Britain pays 0% tariffs under an EU deal. The Department for International Trade (DIT) made the claim in a tweet during Tuesday night’s broadcast of The Great British Bake Off, where it was Japanese week and the bakers made kawaii cakes.
The trade secretary, Liz Truss, keen to promote the benefits of the much-heralded post-Brexit deal with Japan, retweeted the post.
But it was pointed out that the tariff on soy sauce from Japan is already 0% thanks to a free trade agreement between Tokyo and the EU.
David Henig, a trade expert, wrote: “Current tariff on soy sauce entering the UK from Japan – 0%. Tariff on soy sauce entering UK after UK-Japan trade deal – 0%. Not a good look when you can’t trust a government social media account to tell the truth.” Others noted that the UK imports relatively little of its soy sauce from Japan.
The popular Kikkoman brand is manufactured in the Netherlands and is currently imported free of any duty. The tariff will rise to 6% by default if no trade deal is agreed with the EU before the end of the Brexit transition period at the end of the year. Other popular brands are made in Wales, as the Welsh MP Anna McMorrin pointed out along with hundreds of others.
DIT appeared to compound its own goal by adding later that “under WTO terms, the tariff on soya [sic] sauce is 6%. Under our deal, they will be 0%”. The UK does not trade under WTO terms with Japan and would default to a tariff system that would closely follow the EU tariff regime if it crashes out of the bloc without a deal. A DIT spokesperson said: “Currently the UK global tariff on soya sauce is 6%, therefore if we had not secured a UK-Japan trade deal, soya sauce would cost consumers more come the 1 January 2021.”
Masochistically, if I ever see a story about VAT, I’ll read it. In the old days, it just made my brain ache (17.5%? What kind of maths even is that?). This year, it has been the symbol of the seriousness of the coronavirus crisis (I’ve known cuts to it and bumps to it, in the service of a choppy economy, but until the pandemic I had never known payments be suspended). From here on in, I suspect, VAT stories will be all about Brexit, because from 1 January, EU sellers will be liable for VAT to the UK government. For smaller EU businesses, especially those whose UK markets aren’t huge, it just won’t be worth selling to us. To look on the bright side, this might be a bonanza for small UK businesses, which will have less competition. To unpack that hard economic jargon for the layperson, “less competition” means we won’t be able to buy stuff, and the stuff we can buy will be more expensive and possibly not as good, because there’s no other stuff we could buy instead.
It reminds me of the stories we used to hear about Russia in the 80s. Tourists came back from there all saying the same two things: first, the Kremlin/Hermitage is beautiful; second, nobody could get hold of Levi’s. This was the shorthand we used to understand the depredations of communism towards the end of its tenure. Sometimes it was embellished, and the returning traveller had been offered cash for the Levi’s they were standing up in. It made no sense, but it made all the sense; practically speaking, why not just wear something else? Emotionally, it was the lived reality of the powerlessness of life in a communist dystopia. You wanted something. You could afford it. But you couldn’t have it. I make no comment on whether we need all the stuff we are buying from the EU in the first place. I merely observe that “a bit like Russia in the 80s, only with less of a resistance movement” was not on the side of anyone’s bus.
Reviewing Exit Management by Naomi Booth, Nina Allan writes: “In a genre … traditionally … dominated by men, it is particularly gratifying to read a London novel written by a woman” (Review, 23 October). Has she never heard of Maureen Duffy’s London novels, or, in this century, Zadie Smith and the late Andrea Levy? John Wilson London • I was delighted to read that “guising” is still practised in Scotland (Be ready for digital Christmas, says Scotland’s public health adviser, 22 October), but it is not entirely synonymous with trick or treat. Guising traditionally involved some effort by the participants, eg singing a song or telling jokes, rather than just turning up – an approach that would doubtless win the approval of many government ministers today. Elaine Rowland Chester • It’s a bit rich for Bernard Jenkin, a member of the party that frequently accuses its opponents of political opportunism, to say they have “misunderstood the mood of the country” re free school meals (Report, 25 October). Where is Charles Dickens when we need him? David Marcer Gloucester • Is it just me? If I close my eyes when Rishi Sunak is speaking, I hear the voice of ex-chancellor George Osborne. Derek Beaumont Stony Stratford, Buckinghamshire • Re Durham student experiences (Letters, 21 October), when I was there in the 70s at a formal dinner, I cut off the nose of the cheese. The way they all started harrumphing, you’d have thought I’d said: “Bollocks to the Queen.” Ian Garner Keighley, West Yorkshire
Boris Johnson has expressed his frustration with NHS Test and Trace after the latest figures showed its performance continuing to deteriorate on key measures. (See 5.20pm.) Rishi Sunak has announced an expansion of the furlough replacement scheme with the government paying a larger share of workers’ wages to protect companies struggling with Covid-19 restrictions. The number of Covid-19 cases reported by Public Health England appears to have stabilised after seven weeks of rising numbers, although the number of people being admitted to hospital is rising. The Canary Islands, the Maldives, Denmark and the Greek island of Mykonos have been added to the travel corridors list for England - meaning people arriving from there no longer need to go into quarantine for 14 days. (See 5.32pm.) Nottingham is braced to head into England’s strictest coronavirus measures as talks begin with local government leaders amid anger over an “insulting” decision to exclude local MPs from discussions. Hundreds of thousands of people in Stoke-on-Trent, Coventry and Slough are facing tougher Covid-19 restrictions including a ban on households mixing socially indoors. A Nightingale hospital for coronavirus patients in north-west England will reopen next week after the number of people being treated by medics in Liverpool surpassed the peak of the first wave. Celebrities and politicians from across the spectrum have come out in support of Marcus Rashford’s campaign to end child hunger in England, a day after the government voted against extending free school meals to disadvantaged children during the holidays. That’s all from for tonight. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is home to 10 councils and the largest labour market outside south-east England. Highly skilled jobs have grown over the past decade, but most work is in sectors such as retail, hospitality, tourism, construction and care, where pay rates tend to be low and pockets of deprivation persist. The case for more Covid-19 support has focused on the region’s relatively high business density compared with other regions. Sheffield city region
Taking in areas including Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster and Barnsley, the region has high levels of deprivation as well as flourishing and emerging manufacturing sectors such as aerospace and healthcare. Tourism had also been driving the hospitality sector. Liverpool city region
The region encompasses six local authorities: Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral. Unemployment rates have been falling over the past decade, from a peak of 10%, though wage rates are low in comparison to the rest of the country. As in some other post-industrial northern cities, hospitality and leisure has become an increasingly vital sector, supporting 50,000 jobs across the region. Lancashire
Covering Lancashire county council, Blackburn with Darwen council, Blackpool council and Lancashire’s 12 district councils, the area is home to a slightly older population than surrounding areas, and jobs growth has lagged behind. The retail and health sectors account for around a third of all employment, followed by a manufacturing base. * The funding formula: £8 per head for test and trace and £20 per head for business support, according to the communities secretary, Robert Jenrick ** Test and trace: Though still subject to talks, funding is expected to be used to help additional staff. Some local authorities have separately reached agreement with the government on accessing data in order to try to reach contacts who cannot be reached centrally.
That’s it for today as the conflict between central government and local leaders in Greater Manchester rumbles on – here’s a quick recap of the key points. Some welcome clarification this evening from the health and social care secretary, Matt Hancock, as he confirmed the government’s offer of financial support for Greater Manchester businesses “remains on the table”. It came after Boris Johnson confirmed the government was imposing tier 3 on the region from 12.01am on Friday, but failed to clarify in his press conference the situation regarding financial support. Earlier, at his own press conference, the Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, said £60m had been on the table for business and employment support but he rejected it, because he said the region needed £65m as a bare minimum. He found out during the conference on live TV that the government was steaming ahead with tier 3 despite talks having broken down. Labour will force a vote in the House of Commons tomorrow on local lockdown restrictions to ensure a “fair, one-nation deal”. For all the latest coronavirus updates head to our global liveblog
Your report of Michael Gove saying the “door is ajar” on Brexit talks (18 October) reminded me of the stage direction given by Samuel Beckett that a door should be “imperceptibly ajar”. When a stage manager asked how this should be effected, Beckett explained: “It means the door is shut”. John Bevis Ironbridge, Shropshire • Lizzie Collingham (Crumbs! A history of biscuits in 15 fantastic facts, 18 October) writes that the practice of “sin eating” had all but disappeared by the 17th century. However, in the churchyard at Ratlinghope in Shropshire is the grave of Richard Munslow, who died in 1906 and was widely believed to be the last sin eater in the area. Graham Russell Market Drayton, Shropshire • I first encountered the practice of trying to smash a biscuit into three using one’s elbow many years ago (Letters, 19 October). The smasher was Scottish and the biscuit a ginger nut. Later I heard it is also done in Sweden using pepparkakor – Swedish ginger biscuits. Success in achieving three fragments is thought to confer good luck or the granting of a wish. Margaret Farnworth Liverpool • You suggest the weekend’s European rugby victories by Exeter and Bristol will “warm the hearts of small-town folk nationwide” (Exeter desperate to add Premiership title to Champions Cup success, 18 October). Admittedly they are not London or Manchester, but Exeter and Bristol are cities. Tim Westcott London • In 1353, the deadliest epidemic in history, the Black Death, ended; 666.6 years later Covid-19 erupted. David Peett River Common, West Sussex
Theresa May has expressed contempt for the government’s post-Brexit policing plans by appearing to mouth “utter rubbish” as Michael Gove declared the UK could do “better” without joint law enforcement operations. The former prime minister made her feelings known as Gove claimed the UK could “cooperate more effectively” in many areas over border security outside the EU than “we ever could inside”. She was caught on camera grimacing and mouthing an incredulous “what?” when Gove said the UK had “a variety of methods and arrangements open to us, open to Border Force and open to our security and intelligence services” after Brexit. A PA Media reporter in the Westminster press gallery said that off-camera May also appeared to mouth “utter rubbish” as Gove went on to explain the no-deal contingencies. Police have expressed deep concern over their capabilities if they lose the European arrest warrant or access to live passenger data, critical in fast-moving counter-terror operations.
May told the Commons that “the government appears resigned to the prospect of no deal, yet one area which they should not be resigned to the prospect of no deal is in security”. She noted that neither Gove, in his update to the house on Monday, nor Boris Johnson, in his letter to parliamentarians on Friday, had mentioned security in recent statements. “Will [Gove] confirm that if the UK walks away with no deal then our police and law enforcement agencies will no longer have the necessary access to databases, such as PNR (passenger name records), in order to continue to identify and catch criminals and potential terrorists in order to keep us safe?” Gove said “significant progress” has been made over security cooperation, but added that in the case of a second tool at the disposal of police – the Schengen Information System 2 (SIS2) – the EU was demanding a role for the European court of justice in the event of disputes, which the UK “cannot accept”.
That’s it from the UK coronavirus blog team today. You can continue to follow our coverage in the global coronavirus blog here –
It is depressing that we have a health secretary who does not understand, let alone believe in, herd immunity (Tory rebels fire warning shot as 42 MPs vote against stricter Covid measures, 13 October). The three examples that he quotes of diseases that never reach herd immunity are all incorrect, in different ways. With malaria, the problem is the lack of individual immunity, and with flu the problem is that different strains of the virus emerge from time to time, bypassing any herd immunity that has built up. But it’s his inclusion of measles that really upsets me. You do get herd immunity, in the adult population, but this gets diluted out because people keep having babies. This can be easily counteracted by vaccination of children. Because measles is far more infectious than Covid-19, with R possibly as high as 20, achieving herd immunity requires vaccine uptake of about 95%. Obtaining that requires a continuing campaign to counter the ignorance and misinformation about vaccines that is circulating. By wrongly suggesting that herd immunity is impossible for measles, Matt Hancock has just shot himself, and us, in the foot. Prof Jeremy Dale Glossop, Derbyshire
The UK has recorded 19,724 new coronavirus cases - a new daily record and an increase of almost 2,500 (or 14%) on the figure for yesterday. (See 4.27pm.) People who live in Covid-19 hotspots in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland are to be banned from travelling to Wales, the Welsh first minister has announced. Northern Ireland is to close schools, pubs and restaurants as part of new restrictions to try to contain exploding rates of Covid-19 infection. Keir Starmer has piled more pressure on Boris Johnson over his refusal to implement a national “circuit breaker” lockdown in England, confronting the prime minister about why he ignored top scientific advisers who urged him to impose the measure.
A “circuit break”, in the form of a two-week lockdown during the half-term or Christmas school holidays, could cut Covid deaths by January by between 29% and 49%, depending on the rate of infections in the country, say experts. Talks have been taking place about including more areas in the north of England and the Midlands in the very high alert tier 3, which would see them being subject to the strictest restrictions. But no decisions have yet been taken, according to the BBC’s Matt Cole.
Hundreds of dedicated Covid-positive care homes are to be set up in an effort to keep patients discharged from hospitals from spreading the virus more widely, as happened in the first wave of the pandemic. The UK travel association Abta has accused the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, of failing to “bat for his sector”, being too slow to provide support and create an airport Covid-19 testing regime. Boris Johnson will be advised by his chief negotiator that a trade deal with the EU is still possible should the prime minister ditch his deadline and continue to negotiate with Brussels as tentative signs of a compromise on fisheries emerged. That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
Boris Johnson warned northern leaders that a failure to agree tougher coronavirus restrictions within days would be “unforgivable” as he faced doubt and frustration over a new system designed to prevent the “inexorable” spread of Covid-19. But Prof Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, warned that even the toughest curbs would probably not contain the spread of the virus in the worst-hit areas and said local authorities would need to add extra restrictions. “The base will not be sufficient. I think that’s very clearly the professional view,” he said. The full story is here.
Whether culture wars are a sign of the Tories’ weakness is debatable (The Tories’ culture war is a reminder that the right isn’t as fearless as it seems, 9 October), but they are dangerous territory for Labour. Andy Beckett proffers only the hope that attitudes will change over time, but this is by no means assured and, in the meantime, Tory hegemony will be consolidated. Keir Starmer needs to rethink his chosen battleground of family, security and patriotism. These notions are sufficiently all-encompassing that they can be embraced by politicians of any complexion, but any reasonable interpretation risks being drowned in a torrent of rightwing populism. The Covid-19 pandemic should not involve, as Starmer has said, wiping the slate clean. On the contrary, it gives Labour an opportunity to dominate the narrative on the very values that the public agree are the basis for a post-Covid future, based on social solidarity, equality and preservation of the planet. The Tories are on much weaker ground here, having presided over private sector failure, demonstrated the importance of massive state intervention and endorsed the green industrial revolution, even if only rhetorically. These are the battles Labour must win, rather than being sidetracked by phoney wars of the Tories’ choosing. Dr Anthony Isaacs London
As a Dutch reader living in the UK, I was pleased to see John Crace (Digested week, 9 October) refer to the Dutch “activity” of niksen, ie, of “doing nothing”. He appears to refer to this as an art form contributing to happiness. However, in common parlance it will be used as follows: de hele dag lopen niksen or de hele dag zitten niksen, which mean “walking about all day doing sod all” and “sitting around all day doing sod all”. Both are derogatory comments. This interpretation is more in keeping with the Dutch work ethic. Wico van Mourik Gainford, County Durham • There are hundreds of dogs in shelters deserving a home so the best advice about buying a puppy is don’t shop, adopt (Puppy power: the costs and pitfalls of buying a dog, 10 October). Richard Wetherell London • Another attack is made on do-gooders (Legal profession hits back at Johnson over ‘lefty lawyers’ speech, 6 October). So out goes Jesus, “a man who went about doing good” (Acts 10v38). Rev Peter B Godfrey Stonehouse, Gloucestershire • Given that MPs have relinquished to ministers some of their duties to scrutinise laws and trade deals, thus reducing their workload, should they not take a pay cut, rather than the projected £3,000 pay increase? Pat Whitaker Hurst Green, East Sussex • When we asked where we were going on holiday (Letters, 11 October), we were always going “there and back to see how far it is”. Linda Gresham Birmingham
That’s all from the UK blog for today - you can continue following our coronavirus coverage over on the global live blog. As always, thanks to everyone for reading along, sending in your thoughts and your comments.
The UK’s daily coronavirus case count has risen by a quarter in 24 hours, reaching 17,540. (See 4.29pm.) The figures were published a few hours after a health minister said hospitals in England were only 10 days away from reaching a critical point if the virus was not contained. (See 11.27am.) Boris Johnson is now expected to announced further restrictions for England shortly, which could see pubs and restaurants in the worst-affected areas facing full or partial closure. The number of coronavirus patients in intensive care in the north of England will surpass the April peak in 22 days if infections continue rising at the current rate, MPs have been warned in a briefing chaired by Chris Whitty and a minister. Ministers are facing open revolt from leaders in northern England over fresh coronavirus restrictions due to be announced within days, as mayors, MPs, and council leaders, vowed they would fiercely oppose any new measures without substantial financial support. More people died of Covid in the year to August than have died annually from flu and pneumonia combined in any year since 2000. Just 150 of the 1,000 academic mentors promised as part of the government’s £1bn education catchup plans will be in schools in England by the end of the year, the Guardian has learned. The government faces a potentially serious rebellion over its plans to centralise and accelerate the housebuilding process in England after Theresa May led a string of senior Tory MPs in expressing opposition to the proposals in parliament. The former ITV journalist Allegra Stratton is expected to be announced as the face of Downing Street’s new daily televised press briefings. That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
Former ITV journalist Allegra Stratton is expected to be announced as the face of Downing Street’s new daily televised press briefings. Stratton, who is currently an adviser to the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, will host daily briefings for political journalists. The role will make her a high-profile spokeswoman for Boris Johnson. There are currently two daily lobby briefings for political journalists, which are on the record, but take place behind closed doors. One of these will be replaced by the new daily televised briefing, in a significant shift. The briefings are currently taken by Johnson’s official spokesman, James Slack, the former Daily Mail political editor who did the same job for Theresa May. He is expected to be promoted to a more strategic role. Stratton’s post is part of a shake-up masterminded by Johnson’s director of communications, Lee Cain, who is increasingly centralising government communications in Downing Street, and intends to significantly reduce the number of civil servants dealing with the press. Cain is having a large room in 9 Downing Street fitted out as a new broadcast studio for the briefings. Stratton was formerly a Guardian journalist, before going on to work at BBC Newsnight before becoming national editor of ITV news Downing Street sources have not yet made any announcement, with one No 10 source insisting the appointment remained “unconfirmed”.
What a surprise that Boris Johnson’s promise that the flu vaccine would be available to everyone over 50 has led to unprecedented demand (GPs in England left waiting up to a month for flu vaccine supplies, 4 October). I phoned my GP to make an appointment and was told: “Ring again mid-November.” I’m 61. Let’s hope the flu virus knows to hold off until late November. Liz McInnes Rossendale, Lancashire • On Tuesday, straight from the horse’s mouth, an NHS nurse told me that they had been told to turn off the NHS test-and-trace app while in the hospital (GSK tells UK staff: turn off Covid test-and-trace app while at work, 6 October). I’m staying with Prof Tim Spector’s Covid-19 app. How valid is the NHS app? Kathleen Hines Washington, Tyne and Wear • I was amused to read that the PM attacked Sir Keir Starmer as “Captain Hindsight” in Monday’s conference speech. Presumably we’re meant to be impressed that Boris’s position as General Incompetence means he outranks him in the military hierarchy? Will Tomsett Oxford • Disappointin’ to see that the home secretary isn’t talkin’ like she really does and droppin’ her “g”s (Steve Bell’s If … , 6 October). Stuart Waterworth Tavistock, West Devon • Surely a “broliday” would be more appropriate word for staycation (Letters, 5 October), particularly if visiting Yorkshire. Roger Winterbottom Carleton, North Yorkshire • So, Donald Trump tested positive for Covid and recovered in three days. Fake news? Sarah Sheils York
Boris Johnson’s Tory predecessors tried to add pizzazz to their conference speeches by declaiming them while striding up and down without notes, or in Theresa May’s case, bopping on to the platform to Abba’s Dancing Queen. But without the buzz of a live audience to perform to, Johnson went for the more traditional approach of shuffling through the pages of a printed script – on which, aides say, he likes to scrawl last-minute changes. When he appears at prime minister’s questions in the House of Commons, Johnson’s notes often include a small photo of the backbench MP whose query he is due to answer, in an attempt to help him create a personal note. Without an audience, he was left instead to direct his upbeat promise to rebuild Britain beyond Covid straight into the camera and press on immediately after making jokes, instead of waiting for Conservative members to collapse into guffaws. Despite his brush with coronavirus, Johnson arguably sounded healthier than May during her 2017 conference speech, when she coughed incessantly, was handed a fake P45 by a comedian and ploughed on while the lettering fell off the conference backdrop. Afterwards, as the audience rose to applaud May – not least because they were glad the ordeal was over - television cameras captured then home secretary, Amber Rudd, ordering Johnson, sitting next to her in the front row, to “get up!”. The following year, May was comprehensively overshadowed by Johnson, who had resigned as foreign secretary and swept in to the Birmingham conference centre to deliver a packed-out speech trashing her Brexit plan. And last year, in Manchester, Johnson’s first speech as leader was frequently interrupted with bursts of applause, and peppered with jokes, including a promise to blast “communist cosmonaut” Jeremy Corbyn into space. A pre-election, pre-Covid crowd-pleaser – from a different age.
Ministers have been accused of “putting lives at risk” through data failures which led to nearly 16,000 coronavirus cases going unreported in England, but Matt Hancock insisted the problem had been addressed. The UK has recorded 12,594 new coronavirus cases. This is almost double the daily rate at which new cases were running at last week and, unlike the high figures published on Saturday and Sunday, it is not inflated by the inclusion of the cases that went missing because of the data error. (See 4.26pm.) Manchester now has its weekly new case rate running at more than 500 cases per 100,000 people after the figures were revised to include the data that went missing. (See 5.25pm.) Other towns and cities, particularly in the north of England, have seen their case rate figures jump significantly. These are from the BBC’s Daniel Wainwright.
Shares in Cineworld have plunged after it confirmed it will temporarily close all of its cinemas in the UK and US as it struggles with the pandemic-induced lack of new films to draw in audiences, including the twice-delayed new James Bond instalment. Rishi Sunak has warned “hard choices” will need to be made to tackle record levels of national debt incurred during the coronavirus pandemic, saying the government has a “sacred responsibility” to balance the books for future generations. Campaigners have launched legal action against the government over its decision to award a contract to a lobbying and PR firm co-founded by an ally of Dominic Cummings without a competitive tender during the pandemic. The education secretary, Gavin Williamson, has stressed the need for teachers to be politically neutral in the classroom, following the publication of controversial new guidance warning schools not to use resources produced by organisations with “extreme political stances”. That’s all from me. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
Boris Johnson has admitted the UK public are furious at the continued coronavirus restrictions, but said scientific advice suggested a vaccine or mass testing would be possible by spring. He was speaking in an interview with the BBC’s Andrew Marr. Full summary and analysis here, at 11.52am. Priti Patel, the home secretary, has said that she wants to overhaul what she called the “broken” asylum system - but warned Tories that this will “take time”. (See 4.07pm.) Legislation will not be published until next year, she said in a speech which repeated many of the arguments and proposals made (in more detail) by Theresa May when she was home secretary five years ago. The Covid-19 app that launched on 24 September – more than four months later than initially promised – has been downloaded 15m times, Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has told the virtual Conservative party conference. That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
Activists and observers were temporarily unable to log into the virtual Tory party conference on Saturday. The problem occurred while the Cabinet Office minister, Michael Gove, took part in a so-called “fireside chat”. It was unclear how many people were able to tune in. People and organisations who had paid for virtual stalls in the exhibition hall reportedly received messages from the Conservatives on Saturday afternoon saying: “Dear exhibitor, we are currently having some technical issues therefore you may not experience the full functionality of the stand or the platform at the moment. We are working extremely hard on getting that back up and running as soon as possible. “If you continue to experience technical issues please contact technical help otherwise I will keep you updated as we progress. We appreciate your patience with this.” The glitch was fixed after about 30 minutes The Tories created a 3D virtual conference with a computer-generated auditorium, foyer and fringe meeting rooms, while politicians from other parties at their conferences simply spoke directly to camera. Last year a flaw in the Conservatives’ official phone app for their conference made the private data of senior party members – including cabinet ministers – accessible to anyone who logged in as that conference attendee. At the start of this weekend’s conference, Gove said the delivery of free ports, HS2 and the prime minister’s lifetime skills training guarantee would help create opportunities across the country. Speaking in conversation with the West Midlands mayor, Andy Street, Gove also discussed the possibility of a trade deal with the EU. “I suspect there will be one or two ups and downs along the way, but I am optimistic that we will get a deal,” he said. “But if we don’t, we have been making extensive preparations to be ready for anything.”
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For the latest on Donald Trump’s Covid diagnosis, you can read our US coronavirus live blog:
The former SNP MP Margaret Ferrier is under pressure to resign from her Rutherglen and Hamilton West seat after she reportedly broke a series of coronavirus regulations. These are the dates of the potential breaches and the penalties. Saturday 26 September Ferrier took a coronavirus test after experiencing symptoms. A person experiencing Covid symptoms, however mild, in Scotland must self-isolate for at least 10 days and book a test. But instead she travelled to London the next day. Sunday 27 September Ferrier travelled to London by train. Transport Scotland guidance is that you should stay at home if you or anyone in your household is experiencing coronavirus symptoms or is self-isolating. Monday 28 September Ferrier was in London when she received her positive test, and it is a legal requirement in England to inform your employer if you are told to self-isolate. The SNP says that Ferrier told the party about her positive test only on Wednesday. Tuesday 29 September Ferrier returned to Scotland, again by train. Again, the guidance from the Department of Transport is that you should not use public transport if you are experiencing coronavirus symptoms. It is a criminal offence to leave self-isolation in England without a reasonable excuse – anyone who does not isolate after a positive result can be fined up to £10,000 – but this law only came into force on Monday, so it is unclear whether it applies retrospectively, to those who took a test before then, as Ferrier did.
Sir Keir Starmer has called for a rethink of the compulsory 10pm closing time for pubs (see 4.09pm), as growing numbers of Tory MPs have also expressed their opposition to the policy. (See 5.39pm.) More than 2 million people in Merseyside, Warrington and Teesside will be banned by law from mixing with other households indoors in the latest extension of lockdown restrictions, as Middlesbrough’s mayor took the extraordinary step of saying he was prepared to defy the government. Turkey and Poland are being removed from England’s travel corridor list, as people who breach Covid-19 quarantine restrictions face tougher fines of up to £10,000. The SNP MP Margaret Ferrier says she has reported herself to the police for breaking self-isolation rules. On Monday she travelled by train to London to attend parliament while awaiting the results of a Covid test, which she ordered because she had mild symptoms. She subsequently learnt she was positive on Monday night. But then she returned home by train on Tuesday.
The NHS 111 service has permanently stopped nurses and other healthcare professionals in a clinical division handling calls with people suspected of having Covid-19 after an audit of recorded calls found more than 60% were not safe. The EU has launched legal action against the UK after Boris Johnson failed to respond to Brussels’ demand that he drop legislation that would overwrite the withdrawal agreement and break international law. That’s all from me. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
Boris Johnson has declared that he would not hesitate to order further restrictions to tackle coronavirus if necessary. He made the comment at a sobering news conference where his two most senior scientific advisers stressed that the Covid figures were heading “in the wrong direction”. (See 6.17pm.) The UK government has caved in to demands that MPs be given a vote in parliament on any new UK-wide or England-wide coronavirus restrictions, after up to 100 Conservatives threatened a rebellion. The Merseyside economy may collapse and leave a legacy of poverty “for generations to come” without urgent financial support tied to new coronavirus restrictions, according to the region’s political leaders. Keir Starmer has accused the government of abandoning people with “viable” jobs by refusing proper support during continued lockdown restrictions, as the response to coronavirus again dominated prime minister’s questions. Deloitte, the consultancy giant hired by the government to help run the NHS test-and-trace programme, is involved in selling separate contact tracing services directly to local health officials in the UK. That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
Parks are very important in our lives, especially for those without a garden (Joggers and drinkers: what a day in the life of a Leeds park tells us about modern Britain, 29 September). Councils have no obligation to support, or even have, a park, so parks need vigilant friends who can fight off developers, or the council itself, from taking over what is a cheap greenfield site – often in a desirable area – for building or infrastructure. Most have no legal protection, which is why we in Nottingham are amazingly fortunate to have 130 acres of green spaces given by the town’s Inclosure Act of 1845, therefore theoretically protected from commercial use (although we have lost a few acres). We have four parks, including an important arboretum, and three miles of tree-lined walks encircling the city centre. To celebrate these, there has been an annual walk each summer, the last one, in 2019, started by the city’s head of parks. A video was made and can be seen online under “Nottingham’s inclosure walk”. It is hoped that when things return to normal the plan to make it a “town trail” will be completed so that visitors can enjoy it by themselves. A place to switch off and reset the day indeed. June Perry Nottingham
That’s it for tonight, after another tumultuous evening in the House of Commons. To recap, MPs voted 340 to 256, majority 84, in favour of the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill at its third reading, despite warnings that the legislation threatens the Union and the country’s global reputation. Ministers have defended powers contained in the bill, which gives them the opportunity to override the Brexit divorce deal. The Bill will undergo further scrutiny in the Lords at a later date. The government was forced to compromise earlier in the bill’s passage in the face of a Tory backbench rebellion, which resulted in changes to give MPs a vote before ministers can use the powers which would breach the Withdrawal Agreement brokered with Brussels last year. Tonight, however, no Conservative MPs rebelled to oppose the bill, according to the division list. Those who did not record a vote included former prime minister Theresa May who voiced concerns about the bill. Read our full story here:
Gordon Brown warned attendees at the Communication Workers Union conference that the UK faces a lost Covid generation of up to half a million young people who will face long-term unemployment and hardship (Labour accuses Rishi Sunak of consigning 1m jobs ‘to the scrapheap’, 27 September). During his time in office as chancellor and prime minister, Brown developed a range of new initiatives which included Sure Start and children’s centres, and weekend and holiday activities for young people. He invested in youth services, and ensured that all relevant services worked collaboratively to give young people in deprived communities had the best possible life chances. As a former youth service manager, I’ve been able to track some of those beneficiaries from 1998 onwards and the majority are in full and worthwhile employment. Brown says there are flaws in Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s proposals aimed at reducing unemployment and he calls for a UK-wide summit aimed at ensuring that the next generation has the skills and confidence to successfully compete in the global job market. Hopefully some young adults who benefited from those initiatives will be invited to present their journeys from entrenched poverty to employment. Norma Hornby Frodsham, Cheshire
Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has said a legal ban on visiting other people at home will be introduced in parts of the north-east of England. (See 4.24pm.) The details are here. Downing Street has dismissed calls for a review of the compulsory 10pm closing time for pubs. (See 2.06pm.) Hancock seems close to seeing off a potential revolt from Tory MPs who want to the Commons to have prior votes on lockdown measures “as far as is reasonably practicable”. In a Commons debate Hancock said that the government would shortly offer further consultation (see 4.05pm). He subsequently met government backbenchers threatening to rebel over this, and afterwards one of them, Steve Baker, posted this on Twitter.
Criminals have been abusing a government loan scheme set up to help firms manage through the coronavirus crisis, a BBC investigation has revealed. The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, has warned that the capital faces a bleak future of crumbling infrastructure and a return to the “bad old days” of unreliable tube and bus services unless the government steps in with almost £5bn of funding. The Labour MP Claudia Webbe has been charged with an offence of harassment and will appear in court next month, the Crown Prosecution Service has announced. That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
For 10 years Martin O’Neill (obituary, 8 September) and I shared an office in the House of Lords. I marvelled at his grasp of whatever he undertook: whether as shadow spokesman on defence or energy, he was always unflappable. This and his sense of humour made him for me the ideal person to work alongside. If Labour had returned to power earlier he would have made a great cabinet minister.
Business leaders have heaped pressure on the government to agree a last-minute Brexit trade deal after a survey showed that more than three-quarters backed an agreement with Brussels. The CBI warned ministers that only 4% of company bosses from a survey of 648 said they supported a no deal Brexit, while 77% said they wanted a deal. Businesses reported that the pace of decline in parts of industry had eased, but half of respondents said the impact of dealing with Covid-19 had negatively affected preparations for Brexit. The study showed that private sector activity fell in the quarter to September, but at a slower pace, adding to concerns from the British Chambers of Commerce and Make UK, which represents manufacturers, that the recovery has stalled across much of the economy. Carolyn Fairbairn, CBI director general, said: “Next week Brexit talks enter the 11th hour. Now must be the time for political leadership and the spirit of compromise to shine through on both sides. A deal can and must be made. “Businesses face a hat-trick of unprecedented challenges – rebuilding from the first wave of Covid-19, dealing with the resurgence of the virus, and preparing for significant changes to the UK’s trading relationship with the EU. “A good deal will provide the strongest possible foundation as countries build back from the pandemic. It would keep UK firms competitive by minimising red tape and extra costs, freeing much needed time and resources to overcome the difficult times ahead.” The fall in private sector activity is expected to continue over the next three months, though at a slower pace, said the CBI.
Hurrah for Norman Foster (The pandemic will accelerate the evolution of our cities, 24 September). Unlike most men of his age, whose opening gambit is a whinge, his article on the future of cities was full of the enthusiasm of youth and the wisdom of age. All power to his pencil. John Webster Yeovil, Somerset • £16,000 for Prince Andrew to fly from England to Northern Ireland (UK royals set for cutbacks after £35m pandemic blow, 25 September), at a time when Flybe still offered “regional connectivity”? We woz robbed! Les Bright Exeter, Devon • I disagree about stopping the clocks going back to keep British summer time going this year (Letters, 25 September). Surely one less hour of 2020 is a good thing? Ian Taylor Ilkley, West Yorkshire • A proper coup always used to start with taking over the TV and radio stations (Hardline BBC critics reportedly offered top media roles, 26 September). It’s good to know the Conservatives are still maintaining some traditions. Chris Webster Gümligen, Switzerland • Thank you for not describing Sir Jim Ratcliffe as a “high net-worth individual”. You saved me from writing another letter about that (Sir Jim Ratcliffe, UK’s richest person, moves to tax-free Monaco, 25 September). Mark Walford London • I’d always thought the last word on this was “Jesus saves! But God collects the interest” (Letters, 24 September). Chris Baker Willington, Derby
That’s it from the UK blog for now. You can continue to follow our coverage in the global coronavirus blog below -
The UK has recorded 6,634 new coronavirus cases - its highest daily total since the pandemic began. Public Health England has said this increase should be “a stark warning for us all”, but it does not mean that the spread of coronavirus in the community is anything close to what it was at the peak in early spring because far more testing is taking place now, and so far more positive cases are being picked up. But the pace of rise – today’s total is almost 500 higher than yesterday’s – will be seen as justification for the tighter restrictions announced around the UK this week. (See 5.31pm, 5.34pm and 5.51pm.) The government will cover almost a quarter of pay for workers in “viable” jobs for the next six months, Rishi Sunak said as he outlined plans that will take over from the furlough scheme when it finishes at the end of October. Lockdown sceptics in the Conservative party have heralded comments by the chancellor saying that Britons must learn to live “without fear” and highlighting the importance of human contact and social interaction. The UK has a comparatively high test capacity but is failing to use it efficiently in tackling Covid-19, researchers say, raising concerns including a lack of follow-up and adequate financial support of those isolating. NHS Test and Trace is still failing to meet key targets, its latest performance data shows. (See 2.55pm and 5.04pm.) More than 40 MPs have now signed an amendment to a motion being debated next week saying MPs should in future get a chance to vote on Covid restrictions. Since March almost all the regulations used to enforce the lockdown, or impose other coronavirus-related rules, have been imposed via secondary legislation, with MPs having no chance to block them before they take effect. This is from the Tory MP Steve Baker.
That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coronvirus live blog. It’s here.
Labour will broadcast a film of Keir Starmer outside his semi-detached childhood home in Surrey, aimed at underlining the party leader’s ordinary roots before a major address to the nation later on Wednesday night. Starmer is pictured in the garden of his parents’ former home in Oxted in the party political broadcast that will air on television a few hours before he makes the address in response to Boris Johnson’s message on Tuesday. He will mention being the first in his family to go to university and how the NHS cared for his disabled mother. The broadcast will also underline the party’s focus on leadership values and patriotism, which was emphasised in the virtual conference speech delivered by Starmer on Tuesday, an effort to put clear water between both him and Johnson and him and his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn. The broadcast highlights Starmer speaking to veterans at the Cenotaph and talking about NHS support for his mother. Standing at his childhood home, he will say: “Together we can make Britain the best place to grow up in and the best place to grow old in.”
Filming took place over the summer across the UK, including Edinburgh, Stevenage, Birmingham, Chesterfield and north Wales, as Starmer toured the country. Narrating the film, Starmer says: “I love this country. I’m proud of this country, of all it has achieved and all it will go on to achieve. “This country has given me so much. An NHS that cared for my mother for much of her life. The chance to be the first in my family to go to university, to go on into the law and to lead our Crown Prosecution Service for five years.” The Labour leader’s address on the BBC, expected around 8pm, will express support for the new restrictions aimed at containing the virus. However, it will also underline that any second full lockdown should not been seen as inevitable but rather as a strategic failure by the government.
In 1993 the Judicial Studies Board (now Judicial College) conducted a series of racial awareness seminars under the leadership of Mr Justice (later Lord) Dyson. All judges were required to attend. Many, including me, thought they were wholly unnecessary and a slighting of our professional dignity. We were quite wrong and had our eyes opened wide to our unconscious bias. Equality training developed in later years and is an essential part of judicial training. It is wretched, but only too predictable, to see MPs mouthing the same kind of objections that judges were finished with 27 years ago (MPs urged to do unconscious bias training as dozens of Tories set to reject it, 21 Septmember). Party leaders have to get a grip. His Honour Paul Collins Horton-cum-Studley, Oxfordshire • MPs are obliged to represent all of their constituents and should determine their position on any issue after taking into account all of the available evidence. Prejudice can only damage this process, and every effort should be made to exclude it. Any MP who isn’t prepared to examine their own prejudices renders themselves unsuitable for the office they hold. Michael Cooper Howden, East Riding of Yorkshire • Join the conversation – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit theguardian.com/letters
Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has warned that the UK is at a “tipping point” nationally, while new coronavirus restrictions on London could be introduced in the coming days. Hancock has said that people should report anyone failing to self-isolate to the police - apparently contradicting Boris Johnson, who said last week he had “never much been in favour of sneak culture myself”. Asked by the BBC’s Andrew Marr whether he would snitch on a neighbour to police himself, Hancock said: Yes. And for the self-isolation part, that is absolutely necessary because that is how we break the chains of transmission. Sir Keir Starmer has said that the government should act “in the next few days” to tackle the rising number of coronavirus cases, instead of waiting for weeks. (See 10.20am.) Starmer has said that Labour should be less shy about expressing its patriotism. (See 12.26pm.) Shortly after he made the comment in an interview on Times Radio, his deputy Angela Rayner used her speech to Labour’s virtual conference to argue that the “fire and rehire” policies being adopted by some major firms were not just immoral but unBritish. (See 12.19pm.) She said: Mass firing, and re-hiring, on lower pay and worse terms, using the threat of the dole queue to pick the pockets of the very staff who have kept those companies going. So I say to companies like British Airways and British Gas. If you use our country’s name, then you better respect our country’s values. Rayner used her speech to condemn Boris Johnson as a “Bullingdon Club blagger” less equipped to serve as prime minister than any of his predecessors. (See 12.19pm.) I’m afraid this blog is wrapping up now because I’m required elsewhere in the virtual newsroom. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
Dido Harding, head of the UK’s test-and-trace programme and the newly created National Institute for Health Protection, has told parliament’s science and technology committee that demand for coronavirus tests across the UK is three to four times higher than capacity Almost nine in 10 of all Covid-19 tests in England are now taking longer than 24 hours to produce results, as figures also revealed a 75% increase in positive weekly cases. The health secretary, Matt Hancock, has announced an almost doubling of the infection control fund for care homes in England in an attempt to stop mobile temporary staff spreading Covid-19 in the coming months. Nearly 2 million people in north-east England will be banned from mixing with other families under the strictest measures imposed since the country eased out of nationwide lockdown. The Commons leader, Jacob Rees-Mogg, has complained about what he called “this endless carping” about shortages of coronavirus tests, prompting Labour to accuse the government of being out of touch with public concerns. That prompted this response from Sadiq Khan, the Labour mayor of London.
Scientists have warned the government must act fast to contain the spread of coronavirus, including further restrictions on public mixing, though ministers have denied they are considering a full England lockdown. Downing Street has clarified that it would ask parliament to support using powers to override parts of the Brexit withdrawal agreement only if the EU undermines the “fundamental purpose” of the Northern Ireland protocol. That’s all from me for today. Our coverage continues on the global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has been accused of “losing control” of attempts to stem the rising tide of Covid-19, as Downing Street comes under fresh fire over its handling of the country’s testing system. Boris Johnson has privately sought to calm angry MPs who plan to back an amendment to dilute his bill that unpicks the EU withdrawal agreement. Laboratories that analyse swabs from people in the community, including care homes, were stretched to capacity even in late August, unable to process all the Covid test samples coming in and seeking help from the NHS, the Guardian can reveal. More than one in nine state school pupils were absent last week as schools across England reopened, according to Department for Education figures. Two families of four stopping for a chat in the street would contravene England’s “rule of six” coronavirus restrictions and constitute mingling, the home secretary has said. Tens of thousands of people may require kidney dialysis or transplants because of coronavirus, according to experts who warn the long-term effects of Covid are causing an “epidemic in primary care”. Noel Gallagher has said he refuses to wear a mask during the coronavirus pandemic, complaining that it is a violation of his liberty. That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
A comfortable win, as expected, for the government as MPs voted by a majority of 77 to approve the internal market bill at its second reading, despite concerns it would give the government the power to override key elements of its own withdrawal agreement with the EU - notably on the Northern Ireland Protocol - and breach international law. Despite 30 Conservative abstentions (which could be for a number of reasons, e.g. some might be away), including from senior Tories, only two actually voted against the government at this stage - Sir Roger Gale and Andrew Percy. As it was widely expected the government would win this vote and the potential Tory rebellion would not mount to what some touted, attention turns to Bob Neill’s amendment which, if disillusionment among backbench Conservative MPs continues to fester, will be the real showdown for No 10 and its own party. That amendment would require a vote of parliament before ministers can exercise the new powers in the bill. The bill now moves to its committee stage and MPs are due to begin detailed line-by-line scrutiny of the bill tomorrow, with votes expected next week on amendments to the Northern Ireland provisions which some Tories may back.
And that’s it for tonight. Thank you for reading along!
Boris Johnson has the audacity to tell his backbench MPs that he believes the EU is intent on “breaking up our country” (Brexit: UK negotiators ‘believe brinkmanship will reboot trade talks’, 11 September), while in truth no Tory leader has done so much to undermine the constitutional framework that has bound the UK together since Bonar Law a century ago. His penchant for centralising responsibilities devolving back from Brussels is exemplified in the new internal market bill, which is already alienating Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast over its naked power grab on such matters as state aid, trade regulation and revenue raising. If his great Brexit gamble was to exchange the EU’s single market with a neoliberal north American market, the refusal of the EU to offer a Canada-style trade treaty – and the threat of the formidable Irish lobby in Congress to block any US-UK trade deal until the possibility of reimposing an Irish border is removed – could fatally scupper those ambitions. This, at the high noon of a cliff-edge transition period, would inflict enormous political damage upon the Tories, but even more on their leader. Paul Dolan Northwich, Cheshire • This article was amended on 15 September 2020. An editing error meant that the letter referred to “the Bonar Law”, when Bonar Law was a Conservative politician who served as prime minister of the UK from 1922 to 1923.
Martin Kettle concludes his article (This Brexit bill finally buries the Conservative party of law and order, 9 September) by suggesting that “the government actively seeks disorder” and that this is “a very different kind of Tory party from any of its predecessors”. Surely this is the point? The party that governs this country is not the Conservative party, but the Cuckoo party, which, like its avian cousins, has no scruples about ejecting the legitimate occupants of the “nest” to further its interests. The cuckoos are an evolved species of the Farageist breed, led by an unelected algorithm, controlling a puppet, to manipulate the public and party. Boris Johnson is the ideal frontman. Together, using the Conservative label, they have succeeded in occupying the space of authentic Conservatives to deliver a version of the party that bears no resemblance to the original model. No wonder regions are now considering secession from the union. Unless parliamentarians of all parties unite to drive these interlopers out, England will be reduced to an isolated, corrupt, poverty-stricken outpost of an empowered EU. Gillian Maher Cuckfield, West Sussex
That’s it from me for today. For all the latest on coronavirus, you can head over to our global live blog:
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The international trade secretary, Liz Truss, said it was a historic moment and in a way it was. For the first time since leaving the EU, Britain has struck a free trade deal and with the world’s third biggest economy – Japan – at that. In practical terms, the agreement is small beer. On the government’s own estimates, the impact will be to boost the size of the UK economy by £1.5bn. Given that Britain’s annual output is about £2tn, that represents less than 0.1% of gross domestic product. What’s more, it will take time for the benefits to show up. The reason the gains are so small is that the deal largely replicates the one already negotiated between Brussels and Tokyo, from which the UK benefited. While Truss was lauding the boost to exports, the deal mattered more for its symbolism than its direct economic effects. There are pros and cons of running an independent trade policy. The upside is that it allows the UK to broker bespoke agreements that focus on sectors in which it is strong, such as financial services, rather than accept an EU-negotiated deal that might be more weighted to the needs of German carmakers or French farmers.
The downside is that the EU can offer access to a market of almost 450 million people rather than the UK’s 67 million, which gives Brussels greater clout. Truss said Britain’s financial sector would enjoy greater market access to Japan as a result of the deal but judging by the estimated size of the boost to UK exports and GDP the Japanese have not given away that much. Still, news of the accord between London and Tokyo provided the government with a welcome – if temporary – distraction from the much more significant trade talks with the EU. Business liked the deal and welcomed it but made clear it would welcome a deal with Brussels even more.
Brussels has given Boris Johnson three weeks to drop plans to break international law or the UK will face financial or trade sanctions, as EU lawyers ruled that Britain has already breached the withdrawal agreement by tabling the internal market bill. Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, has suggested that trust between the EU and the UK has been damaged. He made the point in a tweet following the conclusion of this week’s UK-EU trade talks. In a statement he also said “significant differences remain in areas of essential interest for the EU”. He went on: The UK is refusing to include indispensable guarantees of fair competition in our future agreement, while requesting free access to our market. We have taken note of the UK government’s statement on “A new approach to subsidy control”. But this falls significantly short of the commitments made in the political declaration. Similarly, we are still missing important guarantees on non-regression from social, environmental, labour and climate standards.
Nicola Sturgeon has warned that the pandemic is accelerating again as she introduced a stricter version of Boris Johnson’s “rule of six” for gatherings in Scotland. The government could consider ways to give certain people priority access to coronavirus tests, Matt Hancock has said, as he faced criticism from fellow Conservative MPs about recent delays and disruption to the testing system. The number of people in England who tested positive for coronavirus rose by 43% in a week, according to the latest test-and-trace figures, providing further evidence of a rise in infections. That’s all from me. But our coverage continues on the global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
Sir Keir Starmer has described the government’s testing regime as being “on the verge of collapse”. (See 5.09pm.) He was speaking after Sarah-Jane Marsh, the testing director at NHS test and trace, the service for England, apologised for the fact that many people have been unable to get a test, or have been told to travel long distances if they want to get one. (See 11am.) Matt Hancock, the health secretary, told MPs it would take at least two weeks to resolve the processing problems that have led to these problems. (See 12.32pm.) Starmer has criticised Boris Johnson for not yet delivering on his promise to get a Brexit trade deal. (See 5.51pm.) A series of tougher measures have been imposed in Bolton to stem a surge in Covid-19 cases, including restaurants and pubs being restricted to takeaways, as well as late-night limits on opening hours. Downing Street is considering whether to reduce the maximum permitted size for social gatherings in England following a sudden rise in coronavirus cases, and warnings that people have “relaxed too much” in their precautions. The Bank of England’s chief economist has warned the government against extending the furlough scheme, arguing it will delay an “inevitable” shake-out of businesses hit by the pandemic. Leaders across much of northern England have pleaded with residents to “do their bit” to prevent a second wave as the number of Covid-19 cases rises. The government has admitted that its plan to reinterpret the special Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland will break international law. That’s all from me for today. Our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
The UK has seen almost 3,000 recorded cases of Covid-19 for a second consecutive day, raising fears of a resurgence in the virus, as Matt Hancock urged young people in particular to stick to social distancing rules. Seven Greek islands are being removed from England’s list of locations exempt from 14-day Covid quarantine, in a significant shift in the government’s travel corridor policy. Dozens of schools across England and Wales have reported coronavirus outbreaks, prompting some to shut their doors while others have sent staff and pupils home to self-isolate. Fatigue, headache and fever are the most common symptoms of coronavirus in children, with few developing a cough or losing their sense of taste or smell, researchers have found, adding to calls for age-specific symptom checklists. Downing Street has defended plans to give British ministers unilateral powers over Brexit arrangements in Northern Ireland, putting them on a collision course with the EU and Irish leaders in a week of crunch negotiations. The pound has slumped as investors bet on the growing likelihood of the UK leaving the Brexit transition period at the end of December without a deal, amid reports that Boris Johnson’s government is preparing to override the EU withdrawal agreement signed with Brussels in January. That’s all from me for today. Our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog.
Mention of the national anthem being played at cinemas (Letters, 31 August) put me in mind of an ex-serviceman who worked at the Regent cinema in Crosby, Liverpool. At the end of the Saturday morning ABC Minors session, there would be a mad rush for the exit as soon as the lights came on, and he would stand between us and the door demanding that we show some respect: “I fought in the war for the likes of you lot.” We, of course, had all seen A Hard Day’s Night and shouted Ringo’s retort: “I bet you’re sorry you won!” John Hodgkinson Brighton-le-Sands, Merseyside • I was so busy contemplating a possible application for a scholarship at the University of Fine Arts in Hamburg to explore “active inactivity” (Editorial, 1 September) that I did not have the energy to play exercise bingo, go on a hiking date or go whitewater rafting (One, two, free! 25 brilliant ways to escape 2020’s groundhog days, 2 September). Sally Bunce Harpenden, Hertfordshire • The idea of not working all the time (Letters, 1 September) is not new. I recall reading Bertrand Russell’s 1932 essay In Praise of Idleness when I was a student, and enthusiastically acting on his ideas. Malcolm Pim Aylsham, Norfolk • Why are we importing Dutch poo to spread on our fields (Nearly 30,000 tonnes of sewage sludge containing human waste to enter UK, 2 September)? What is wrong with good English poo? Sally Tomlinson Oxford • When Margaret Thatcher said “U-turn if you want to”, I think Boris misunderstood (Boris Johnson tries to calm Tory mutiny with vow to keep taxes low, 2 September). Patrick Baker Gloucester • Join the conversation – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters
I am in broad agreement with Larry Elliott’s analysis of the four macroeconomic regime options that an independent Scotland would face (Nicola Sturgeon should not limit Scotland’s economic options, 30 August). I would, though, question his claim that sterlingisation is a “feasible” option, particularly with Scotland’s fiscal deficit heading north of 25% of GDP due to the pandemic. Scotland persistently runs a deficit on the current account of its balance of payments of around 10% of GDP (£16bn). Currently this deficit is settled by the UK. With independence, Scotland would be responsible for financing its twin fiscal and current account deficits. Sterlingisation is a form of fixed exchange rate and therefore does not provide a balance-of-payments adjustment mechanism, and since an independent Scotland would also no longer have fiscal transfers from the rest of the UK, it would need large-scale borrowing to compensate. However, financial markets would not regard a fixed exchange rate system combined with large twin deficits as credible, and this would produce a classic currency crisis in which sterlingisation would have to be abandoned and replaced with a new separate currency at a sharply devalued rate. The combination of no external adjustment mechanism and large-scale borrowing in a foreign currency, along with a unitary probability of devaluation, is simply a recipe for national bankruptcy. Prof Ronald MacDonald Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow • Join the conversation – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters
I have two additions to your excellent article (How to stop your bicycle from being stolen, 28 August). First personalise your bike – in my case with flowers. My husband has put masking tape to hide all the manufacturer’s details. Paint works well. The second recommendation is Pinhead locks, which require a key to remove pedals, headset, saddle etc. This deters thieves since they would be unlikely to be able to sell the bike. Rosemary Aikman Manchester • The movie meal that stays in my mind (Letters, 30 August) is in Peter Greenaway’s The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover: the deliciously cooked Alan Howard is stuffed with his own books and served to Michael Gambon in Le Hollandais restaurant by his unfaithful wife, Helen Mirren. Christine Hawkes Cambridge • Stuart Jeffries, reviewing a TV programme about Spurs, writes that it “comes from our boringly sanitised era of sports documentary” (31 August). No mention of the excruciatingly honest Sunderland ’Til I Die, which certainly doesn’t. John Huntley Manchester • Shortage of rightwing comedians (Rightwing comedians not funny enough for BBC shows, says insider, 1 September)? Haven’t they tried the cabinet? Pete Rushforth Sheffield • Simon Case’s appointment as head of the civil service (Report, 1 September) presumably qualifies him as Head Case. Dr Patrick O’Sullivan Liskeard, Cornwall • Join the conversation – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters
The prime minister’s address to the nation’s children as they prepare to return to classrooms was upstaged by Twitter tongues wagging over a school librarian with a sense of humour. As Boris Johnson told children at Castle Rock school in Coalville, Leicestershire, that exam results had almost been derailed by “a mutant algorithm”, eyes turned to the bookshelves behind him, lined with titles like The Twits, Betrayed and The Subtle Knife. On the day it was announced that the top civil servant at the Department of Education (DfE), Jonathan Slater, was to leave his job, hot on the heels of Ofqual chief Sally Collier, the titles had a resonance which did not go unnoticed. “Has a savvy school librarian or English teacher snatched a golden opportunity to have a pop at the PM in front of the nation?” asked a reporter from the TES. “Whichever librarian managed to get not just the “The Twits” but also “Betrayed”; “Resistance” and “Fahrenheit 451” in the shot behind Johnson has my admiration,” tweeted Sam Freedman, a former senior policy advisor at the DfE. Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel by American writer Ray Bradbury about a society where books are banned.
Freedman continued: “It has been noted that the Subtle Knife; Glass Houses; The Toll (about a monstrous dictator); and Guards Guards (about a shady villain installing a puppet king) are all there too. It looks like it’s been carefully curated!” The thread that followed included much praise for librarians.
Jonathan Slater, the most senior civil servant in the Department for Education (DfE), is to step down from his post in the wake of the exams fiasco. Slater will step down on 1 September after the “prime minister concluded that there is a need for fresh official leadership” in the department, the DfE said. Slater’s departure follows that of Sally Collier, the chief executive of exams regulator Ofqual, whose resignation was announced on Tuesday. Slater is one of several senior Whitehall figures to have stepped down in recent months, including the cabinet secretary, Mark Sedwill, and the Foreign Office permanent secretary, Simon McDonald. He has been permanent secretary at the DfE since 2016. His departure is likely to infuriate civil service unions, which reacted angrily to Gavin Williamson’s attempts to blame officials for the exams U-turn. Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “It’s just a scorched-earth policy for civil servants. The ministers who should be resigning because of their political decisions have just refused to take responsibility and are laying into these civil servants, the unfortunate fall guys and galls for ministerial incompetence.” The prime minister on Wednesday suggested the exams fiasco, which saw thousands of results reversed, had been caused by a “mutant algorithm”.
The prime minister’s holiday reading – Lucretius’s On the Nature of Things – impressed me (Yurt alert: how the holiday PM dodged the great British exams meltdown, 21 August). I wonder if he got as far as Book III, lines 55-58: “So it is more useful to watch a man in times of peril and in adversity to discern what kind of man he is; for then at last words of truth are drawn from the depths of his heart, and the mask is torn off, reality remains.” John Gillibrand Pontarddulais, Swansea • Would the anonymous Tory MP who proclaims that “education is the centre of everything that we are doing” (Boris Johnson moves to seize control of schools agenda after exams chaos, 24 August) care to enlighten us just what it is that the government is doing and with what effect? Jeremy Beecham Labour, House of Lords • My elder daughter decided years ago that a proper job (Letters, 23 August) had a title of three words or fewer. I was always OK – systems analyst, then audit coordinator – but my husband went over the line as production and services manager. She is a nursing sister. Sally Lambert Oxford • Re Zoe Williams’ observation that “every passport has a worse photo than the last” (My blue passport has arrived – and with it a crushing new sense of our Brexit nightmare, 24 August), my late father had a theory that passport photos were proof of the missing link between apes and Homo sapiens. Val Harrison Birmingham • If London is the UK’s second city (Letters, 23 August), how do we differentiate between Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham for third, fourth and fifth? Stuart Nisbet Glasgow • Join the conversation – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters
In February, I lost my passport in the stupidest way yet. I was not mugged, pickpocketed or burgled (passports one to three), I did not drop it in a pond (passport four), or lose it in a house move (passport five), I just walked through a station in a bit of a daze, and by the time I got to my platform, it was gone. I tried to self-soothe with the fact that, at least I now had time to renew before the blue ones came in, but that plan did not square with the global pandemic, and the document arrived today, as blue as midnight and also as dark. Some observations: we definitely are not in the EU any more. There are no stars, just a lion, a unicorn and a peculiar and bereft illustration of the UK, with Northern Ireland a floating blob, the rest of the landmass etched out like Trotsky’s face. I don’t know why I should find this so disappointing. Obviously on some subconscious level, I thought it was all a dream, or a joke. The colour, meanwhile, is not the nostalgia kick you might have hoped for, if that was your thing, since it genuinely is blue, while the pre-EU ones looked more like black. This somehow says it all about the Brexit project, that it would fight to the death over a principle that was trivial and wrong. Three flowers and a shamrock are embossed on the back, for poetry I suppose, except the daffodil could be any flower, and the overall effect is of someone finding free graphics on the internet for a superbly boring PowerPoint presentation. Yet by far the worst thing about it was my own photo, as ever, contriving to look meaner and more like Myra Hindley than the last, which was itself the worst picture I had ever taken. Remarkably, and powerfully, this lifted my spirits. Some things never change. Every passport has a worse photo than the last – even, mysteriously, one you lost after only six months. But everything else can change, and who knows, by 2030, the blue years could be over. • Zoe Williams is a Guardian columnist
With his hands clenched and gaze fixed, it was a picture likely intended to show the education secretary’s steely determination to fix the exams fiasco. But the image of Gavin Williamson, taken in his office after he announced a major reversal on A-level and GCSE grades, only served to trigger bewilderment – because of the whip positioned on the desk in front of him. Williamson, who has faced calls to resign over the results crisis, confirmed on Monday that pupils in England could be graded on teacher assessments rather than a computer algorithm, two days after he had pledged “no U-turn, no change”.
The picture, posted on Twitter by Press Association photographer Stefan Rousseau, prompted Twitter users to reach for a deeper meaning. Former Tory MP Sarah Wollaston, who defected to Change UK before joining the Liberal Democrats, tweeted: “So much immaturity & poor judgement summed up by the secretary of state for education #Williamson posing with a whip & a mug. In a crowded field, the most under-demoted of inadequates in government.” Some suggested the picture was an attempt to convey a message that, given his previous role as chief whip under Theresa May, he knows where the bodies are buried and will not go quietly if he loses his place in the cabinet. One caller to LBC on Tuesday elaborated on the theory: “The photo that was released yesterday is just a key example of them trolling us because that whip on the desk, with his little red book placed handily on it, is … a sign to say, ‘You come after me and I’m coming after you.’”
The whip in question is understood to have been a gift from a friend of Williamson to mark his time as chief whip and was said to typically sit on his desk rather than having been placed there specifically for the purposes of the photo. It’s not the only unexpected object kept by Williamson; he previously housed his pet tarantula in a glass tank on his desk.
Simon Jenkins is right to say that the future of Britain’s economy rests in its towns, and I would add suburbs (The age of the office is over – the future lies in Britain’s commuter towns, 13 August). Unfortunately this will add to house price inflation, social disparities, congestion and pollution unless action is taken to mobilise under-used land close to railway stations and other infrastructure. Such sites can lie vacant for decades, while housebuilders focus on easier and more profitable sites in the countryside (as can be seen around Stroud where I am writing from). The solution does not lie in more roads, but in using the Covid-19 crisis to rebalance the way we live and move. This could in turn provide a much-needed boost to our struggling economy. My report on the state of London’s suburban town centres (Over the Edge?) highlighted contrasts with those in the surrounding areas. The disparities reinforce the need for regional and spatial planning, and for financial mechanisms to support planning reform. It would be folly to assume that somehow the property market will fix the problems without first levelling the playing fields. Dr Nicholas Falk Stroud, Gloucestershire
Given the repeated denials by Dominic Cummings and the PM’s assurances over the evidence he has seen (Two stories, different witnesses. So where was Dominic Cummings on 19 April?, 7 August), I think it’s time to stop arguing and just accept that Cummings’ phone was indeed in London that day. Ray Fisher Huddersfield, West Yorkshire • Kae Tempest has adopted the non-gendered pronouns they and them (Kate Tempest announces they are non-binary, changes name to Kae, 6 August). Kae may not be either male or female, but is not more than one person. For a more pleasing grammatical concinnity, it should be “they is”, not “they are”. Neil Ferguson Vaillac, France • I am concerned about the effect of working from home on Noel and Pauline Hodson of Oxford, whose separate letters you published (6 August). Are they thinking as one, dreaming the same dream etc? Or just not talking to each other? Pete Rosser Wakefield, West Yorkshire • Newspapers are delivered to my small village and left in a box for residents to collect from. When a neighbour saw me picking up the Guardian, she said “Oh, you’re one of those” (Letters, 7 August). Jenny Haynes Horkstow, North Lincolnshire • As a preschool child in the 1950s, I was taught to read at home with the Manchester Guardian, as it then was. I’ve been reading it ever since. Pam Lunn Kenilworth, Warwickshire • Another mixed message from the government: when I signed up for a speed awareness course recently, I found that at present it can only be done using Zoom. Peter Bevington Leeds • I bet Michael Portillo owns several pairs of velveteen breeches (Letters, 6 August). Mike Keddie Dewsbury, West Yorkshire • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters
The latest candidates for the peerage (Who else would be more useless as a peer? They’re in, said Boris, 3 August) are yet another manifestation of our government’s desire to return us to an earlier century. After the 1900 election, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, the Marquess of Salisbury, formed a Conservative government – dubbed “the Hotel Cecil” by the Liberals – containing no fewer than six members of his own family. In waning health, he retired as prime minister in July 1902, and had no difficulty in ensuring his nephew Arthur Balfour succeeded him; hence the exclamation “Bob’s your uncle!” Dr Anne Summers Birkbeck, University of London • So a partnership of 152 “put Worcestershire in the velveteen breeches” against Gloucestershire (County cricket live blog: Bob Willis Trophy, 2 August). Great phrase, but what does it mean? I tried to Google it, but this led to awkward questions from my employer. John Clark Bristol • Unlike Leigh Stenson’s experience (Letters, 2 August), when we moved to Malvern from Manchester a neighbour came to introduce herself. On seeing our newspaper on a table she said: “Oh, you are Guardian readers. That’s all right then.” Betty Clarke Malvern, Worcestershire • While living in a Cornish village some years ago, I went to collect my pre-ordered Guardian to be greeted by another customer with a hug, saying: “So you’re the other Guardian reader in the village!” Chris Fuller Aldington, Kent • Spare a thought for Morning Star readers! Tim Barlow Chester
Boris Johnson has been accused of tastelessly exploiting the coronavirus crisis to boost support for the union on his first visit to Scotland since the general election. At a news conference Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, said: “I don’t think any of us should be championing or celebrating a pandemic that has taken thousands of lives as some example of the pre-existing political case we want to make.” (See 2.19pm.) She was responding to Johnson’s claim that an independent Scotland would not have had the financial muscle to stop coronavirus causing an economic “disaster”. (See 10.40am.) Sturgeon said the UK government was only able to help in the way that it did because it could borrow billions and that, under independence, Scotland would also have borrowing powers. Johnson’s visit coincides with opinion polls in Scotland showing support for independence consistently ahead of opposition to it for the first time since devolution. (See 11.28am.) But Johnson said, even if the SNP secured a majority in next year’s Scottish parliamentary elections, that would not justify a second referendum. (See 12.02pm.) Michel Barnier has said a trade and security deal with Boris Johnson’s government by the end of the year appeared “unlikely”, as he complained that Britain was demanding “near total exclusion” of European fishing boats from its waters. Jon Lansman, the founder of Momentum, has apologised for joining Labour’s attack on the whistleblowers who broke their silence about the party’s handling of antisemitism on Panorama last year. Face coverings will be compulsory in takeaways, banks and post offices as well as shops, supermarkets, indoor shopping centres and stations in England from Friday, the government has announced. That’s all from me for today. Our coronavirus coverage continues on our coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
I have just caught up with Lynsey Hanley’s eulogy to Roy Jenkins and her dismissal of Keir Starmer as unlikely to live up to what in reality is a social liberal mythology that surrounded one of the founders of the Social Democratic party (Labour will win by changing minds – not pandering to rightwing voters, 16 July). Strange to eulogise about someone who was responsible for splitting the centre-left, and to present him as an example of how, in her words, to avoid “pandering” to those who voted Conservative, sometimes for the first time. Those of us who have been in politics a very long time are familiar with the ridiculous adage that we should not “compromise” with the voters. But, interestingly, a real examination of Jenkins and his achievements may come to a different conclusion to the web of historic method that surrounds him. All the aspects of social liberalism which Hanley mentions are either the responsibility of private members’ bills that, in his time as home secretary, Jenkins was benign enough to give a fair wind in providing government time, or inherited from his predecessor. However, the most telling action of Jenkins, whatever his merits, was the drafting of the early versions of the 1968 Race Relations Act which he bequeathed to Jim Callaghan. Sadly, this was not a liberal response to Enoch Powell but a reaction to the support he was receiving following his infamous speech. David Blunkett Labour, House of Lords • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters
Oxford University’s experimental coronavirus vaccine is safe and generated a strong immune response in the people who volunteered to help trial it, researchers have said, raising hopes it could contribute to ending the pandemic. Trials of an experimental drug inhaled by patients have found a significant reduction in hospital patients with Covid-19 needing to be put on a ventilator or dying from the disease, according to researchers. England’s poorest communities are at greater risk of a second wave of coronavirus owing to imbalances in the national test-and-trace system, official figures suggest. England’s chief nurse has confirmed she was dropped from a daily Downing Street coronavirus briefing after refusing to back Dominic Cummings. Mayors and local authorities must be trusted to deal rapidly with new coronavirus outbreaks, as well as being given powers to take charge of blighted cities’ economic recoveries, Dan Jarvis, the mayor of Sheffield city region, has said. Marks & Spencer is to cut 950 jobs at its head office and stores, in the latest blow to UK high street retailers hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. The famous Beefeaters at the Tower of London are among staff at six palaces in London and Northern Ireland threatened by redundancies as the coronavirus pandemic hits visitor numbers. The UK is to immediately suspend its extradition treaty with Hong Kong and also bar the export of riot control equipment following Beijing’s imposition of a sweeping national security law on the territory, Dominic Raab has announced. That’s all from me for today. Coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog.
Grant Shapps has become the first senior UK politician to break ranks and declare he is taking a summer holiday abroad this year. The transport secretary said he and his wife, Belinda, had decided to take advantage of the relaxation of Foreign Office guidance on non-essential overseas travel. “My wife looked at all of these new changes that were made and has now booked a break for the first time for a couple of years,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. Senior politicians had previously been queuing up to indicate they would be staying in the UK after the coronavirus pandemic threw international travel plans into disarray. Boris Johnson, who spent the new year in the Caribbean with his partner Carrie Symonds, said this week he would be holidaying in the UK. “This country is uniquely blessed with fantastic places to holiday, whether coastal or otherwise. And I am certainly going to be doing that, but I won’t necessarily tell you where at this stage,” he told reporters on Monday. The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, and the Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, have also chosen to enjoy the attractions of the UK. The health secretary, Matt Hancock, said as far back as May that he would be remaining in the UK. Shapps had previously warned that anyone booking a holiday for August would be taking a chance, but he told the Today programme: “Of course, since that time the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have been able to change their travel advice. “We have established air bridges or international travel corridors to a number of different countries allowing that to happen. These are personal choices but we have issued guidance now for airlines to ensure that people can travel in a Covid-safe manner as well. So there is much more structure in place now as we approach the summer.”
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Where is the “incoherence” in the Scottish nationalist position that “demands regulatory independence from London, while mourning the fact that regulation is no longer dictated in Brussels” (Editorial, 15 July)? The SNP sides with the majority of the Scottish population in wanting to remain in the EU. Participating as a member state of the EU on the basis of shared values is categorically different from being steamrollered by a Tory government increasingly wedded to a specifically English nationalist agenda. Anne McLaren Liverpool • I still wear my father’s old Crombie coat (Letters, 15 July). When I once asked him how old it was, he said: “It is older than you.” I’m now 65. Not only is it older than me, it feels heavier than me. Barry Norman Drighlington, Leeds • I feel quite angry with the man who “found a fortune in a charity shop” (Experience, 10 July). I wonder what the volunteers from the now closed shop think of his “small anonymous donation” after the book he picked up for 50p raised £16,000 at auction. Geraldine Halsey Hitchin, Hertfordshire • Your advertisement supplement from the UK government about UK holiday destinations (16 July) tells us that Sutherland and Caithness are “as remote as the UK gets”. Remote from where? Paul Brownsey Glasgow • What about “Domocracy” as a descriptor for this shambolic government (Letters, 14 July)? Julian Roberts Ilkley, West Yorkshire
Face coverings are to be mandatory in shops and supermarkets in England from 24 July, Matt Hancock confirmed. The health and social care secretary said a store can refuse someone entry if they aren’t wearing one and call the police if there’s a problem. People who don’t wear one will face fines of up to £100. Children under 11 and those with disabilities will be exempt from the new rule. The government will reach a decision about the future of Leicester’s local lockdown this week. The latest coronavirus data from the 14 days since lockdown was reimposed will be examined to determine whether restrictions can be eased. Data released on Monday suggested the rate of new cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 population in Leicester had fallen slightly. Blackburn with Darwen has introduced stricter measures to try to avoid a local lockdown after a rise in coronavirus cases. Wearing face coverings in all enclosed spaces, including workplaces and beauty salons, bumping elbows and limits on the number of people who can visit a household are among the measures, after 70 cases were recorded in the week to 11 July. The UK’s death toll rose by 138 to 44,968. Thank you to everyone who got in touch today and to all of you for reading along. If you would like to continue following the Guardian’s coronavirus coverage, head over to the global live blog.
Monday will mark 100 days since Keir Starmer was elected leader of the Labour party. In an Observer poll today, 49% of all voters said Starmer had made them think more favourably about the Labour party, and two weeks ago, the poll showed he had overtaken Boris Johnson as preferred prime minister. However, Starmer has been criticised for his response to the Black Lives Matter movement, which has seen renewed support around the world following the death of George Floyd. We’d like to hear from Labour supporters about their opinions on Starmer and his first 100 days as leader. Share your thoughts You can get in touch by filling in the form below, anonymously if you wish. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. One of our journalists will be in contact for publication before we publish, so please do leave contact details.
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For George Osborne it was a Byron burger and chips, with the upmarket chain undermining his bid to convey a man-of-the-people image. Philip Hammond settled for a personalised Emma Bridgewater mug emblazoned with his name. But the current chancellor, Rishi Sunak, appears to have gone one step further in the traditional pre-budget photo opportunity by posing with a “smart mug” costing £180. A series of snaps released by the Treasury show Sunak at work, with the expensive gadget on his desk as he pores over the details of the mini-budget he will deliver to the Commons on Wednesday. The Ember travel mug, reportedly a gift from his wife, Akshata Murthy, the daughter of a billionaire businessman, retails for up to £179.95 online, with a product description boasting that it “does more than simply keep your coffee hot”. It adds: “Our smart mug allows you to set an exact drinking temperature and keeps it there for up to three hours, so your coffee is never too hot, or too cold.” The 355ml mug is apparently dishwasher safe and even includes a charging coaster. It is a far cry from the image of Osborne chomping on fast food that he tweeted in 2013 on the night before he delivered the comprehensive spending review. The picture prompted ridicule, with the then chancellor accused of a misguided attempt to project a populist image. The Sun pointed out that the cheapest Byron burger was priced at £6.75, with the lowest priced McDonald’s at 99p. Osborne saw the funny side and later tweeted: “There I am working late on my speech, and I’ve got a takeaway hamburger, but it puts you on the front page of the Sun. It’s an occupational hazard.” In 2018, Hammond was pictured slurping from an Emma Bridgewater mug with his name and “chancellor” on the side.
The government has repeatedly refused to apologise after Boris Johnson said many care homes did not follow proper procedures on coronavirus, comments the head of a leading social care charity condemned as “clumsy and cowardly”. At least four pubs in England that reopened their doors for the first time on Saturday have been forced to close again after customers or staff tested positive for Covid-19. Asos and Next have dropped the fast-fashion brand Boohoo after claims that some factories supplying its clothes paid less than minimum wage and failed to protect workers from coronavirus. The number of unemployed people in Britain could soar to almost 15% of the working population if the country experiences a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has said. Hotel bookings for traditional regional tourist destinations in the UK are returning, as Britons plan summer trips to the seaside and the countryside, according to the owner of the Premier Inn hotel chain. Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, came under pressure to reverse a decision to force frontline workers to pay income tax on Covid-19 tests purchased by their employers, as he was warned that it risked deterring people from getting checked for the coronavirus.
A mobile testing lab has been set up at JD Sports’ central warehouse in Rochdale after a small number of workers there tested positive for coronavirus. The Tory party annual conference is the latest political fixture to be affected by coronavirus with organisers confirming they are switching to a virtual format. That’s all from me. But the coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
Boris Johnson has been criticised by the care home sector for suggesting they were partly to blame for the spread of coronavirus among their residents. (See 5.05pm.) The UK government has said it will no longer publish data on the number of individual people being tested for coronavirus, after five weeks of failing to release such daily statistics. The Department of Health and Social Care has released figures suggesting that around a fifth of coronavirus tests sent out have effectively been wasted. (See 2.59pm.) Bereavement charities in the UK predict demand for their services could double in 2020 because of the pandemic, as struggling families of Covid-19 victims call on the government for more funding for grief counselling. Long-awaited UK government sanctions against human rights abusers, including a close aide to the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, over the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, have been unveiled by the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab.
China’s ambassador to the UK has said a ban on the Chinese tech company Huawei from playing a role in developing the UK’s 5G network would damage Chinese trust in the UK and its belief that the UK can run a foreign policy independent of the US. That’s all from me for today. Our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
A further 22 deaths of people who had tested positive for Covid-19 in the UK were recorded today, taking the total to 44,220. People across the UK have expressed their gratitude to the health service and its staff in a nationwide clap to commemorate the 72nd anniversary of the NHS. NHS England has launched a coronavirus recovery service to support survivors of the virus as they navigate the long-term effects. You can read more here. The chief executive of NHS England said the NHS was preparing for a possible second wave of coronavirus in the winter. Sir Simon Stevens this would be particularly difficult if it coincided with seasonal bouts of the flu, which has similar symptoms to coronavirus, so the NHS needed to roll out unprecedented flu immunisation schemes. Fears that emergency services would be overwhelmed after the reopening in pubs in England yesterday appear to have been unfounded. While the longer-term impact on the spread of the virus is not yet clear, police and A&E departments said they coped well last night. Despite the circulation of photos showing crowds and no social distancing in London’s Soho last night, health secretary Matt Hancock said the vast majority of people were “doing the right thing”. Chancellor Rishi Sunak is expected to roll out a new economic package focused on jobs on Wednesday. One of the largest studies into the long-term health implications of coronavirus launched in the UK today. Around 10,000 patients are expected to take part in the study, which has been given £8.4m by the government. You can continue to follow live developments on our global live blog:
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Will Boris’s Jet Zero ever fly? The prime minister’s call for Jet Zero on Tuesday may owe more to his fondness for a punchy slogan than any realistic view of how UK aviation might develop in the next three decades. “We should set ourselves the goal now of producing the world’s first zero-emission long-haul passenger plane,” Boris Johnson said. “Jet Zero, let’s do it!” But as far as the technology goes, Johnson might have more luck building a garden bridge to France than getting British-made, long-haul, zero-emission passenger planes in service before 2050.
Short-range electric flight is, for the very smallest planes, already a reality. Multiple firms, including UK start-ups, are working on zero-emission eVtols – electric vertical take-off and landing craft, or flying taxis – but the concepts are primarily for domestic inter-city travel, with only a handful of passengers on board. Battery weight and range means that manufacturers currently view larger electric planes as feasible only for short-haul flights – and even then the focus is largely on hybrid-electric, with jet fuel needed for take-off. The big UK contribution to this vision, a Rolls-Royce-Airbus collaboration called the E-Fan X, was quietly canned during lockdown. EasyJet, should it survive, has long spoken of its hopes for a short-haul electric regional plane, and engine trials with a partner in the US, they say, have been encouraging. Meanwhile, work continues at Cranfield university and elsewhere, trying to convince sceptics that hydrogen could eventually be a viable fuel for passenger jets. Plants to produce synthetic jet fuels could be part of a net-zero mix (although not zero-emission when burned in flight). Low-emission flight – rather than no-emission – is currently the overwhelming ambition of civil aviation engineers. Johnson’s target for a UK-built long-haul zero-emission plane before 2050 may, alas, swiftly crash-land with reality.
Boris Johnson has refused to rule out raising taxes to meet the costs of tackling the Covid-19 crisis, as he promised to use infrastructure spending and planning reforms to “build, build, build” his way out of a looming recession. Theresa May has launched a forthright attack on Boris Johnson’s government over the appointment of the EU negotiator David Frost as the UK’s national security adviser. Downing Street has been accused of sowing confusion and anxiety in Leicester as it imposes the first local lockdown to combat a surge in Covid-19 cases in the city, with the health secretary facing demands to pinpoint how the measures will work. Britain and Brussels have each accused the other of holding up a decision on the City of London’s ability to do business in EU markets from next year, prolonging the financial services’ state of uncertainty about the future. The Bank of England’s chief economist has said the UK economy is on track for a V-shaped recovery from the Covid-19 crisis, but warned that a surge in unemployment could nudge the country off course. The ONS has said that by mid-June excess deaths were no longer occurring in the UK. That means the death rate was back in line with what would be expected for this time of year. That’s all from us for tonight. Coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog.
A streamlined application process will enable pubs and restaurants to get permission for on-street dining in around 10 days, a measure forming part of the government’s Covid recovery plan. Outlining reforms aimed at boosting the hospitality sector as it prepares to reopen on 4 July, business secretary Alok Sharma stressed there were safeguards for local councils to refuse applications if they block the highway, the Press Association reports. Former Tory minister Caroline Nokes criticised the recovery plan, which has cross-party support, as being “designed by men for men” as she questioned why barbers could open but not beauty bars. Speaking during the second reading of the Business and Planning Bill, Sharma said: “Public safety and access for disabled people using pavements is of course absolutely vital, so I can confirm that local authorities will be able to refuse or revoke licences where appropriate.” He added: “There are safeguards in place. This extension will not include premises that have been denied off-sale permission, or had it removed, within the last three years.” The Bill also seeks to reduce the planning appeal process from almost a year to around six months, extend the hours construction sites can operate to stagger working times and also allow bus and lorry drivers to extend their driving licences for a year without the requirement for a medical review, to free up time for GPs to deal with Covid-19. I will wrap this blog up now, many thanks for reading and commenting as always.
Labour leader Keir Starmer has overtaken Boris Johnson as the public preferred choice for Prime Minister, according to the latest Opinium poll for The Observer. Starmer is preferred to lead the country by 37% of voters polled on Thursday and Friday last week, compared with 35% who say Johnson would be the best Prime Minister. While the Tories remain four points ahead of Starmer’s party on 43% to Labour’s 39%, the gap has closed from over 20% in February and early March when the Tories enjoyed a regular commanding lead as the country rallied behind the government, and Jeremy Corbyn was reaching the end of his time as Labour leader.
When asked about the relative performances of the government and Labour in reacting to the Covid-19 crisis, Starmer’s party stretched its lead by 9 points last week alone and now has a net approval rating of +13. This is the figure reached when the percentage of those who disapprove is subtracted from the percentage who approve. By contrast the Tory approval stands at -10, having been at +26 shortly after the full lockdown was announced by Johnson on March 23. After a week in which many people flocked to crowded beaches to enjoy the hot weather some 54% of people now think the UK is coming out of lockdown too fast, up from 46% last week. Meanwhile, most of the public (59%) continue to think testing levels for Covid-19 are insufficient. • This article was amended on 28 June 2020 because an earlier version said the Tories “remain four points ahead of [Labour] on 44%”, whereas the correct figure is 43%.
That’s all for the UK coronavirus blog today - updates will be continuing on our global blog into the evening. You can also follow the latest developments on the incident in Glasgow, in which a suspect was shot dead by police and a 42-year-old police officer was among those injured.
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We’re closing this live blog down now. Thanks for reading and commenting. For the latest developments in the Jenrick story, read my colleague Rajeev Syal’s latest article:
And, for those not fully up to speed, here’s the background:
You can read a summary of the day’s earlier events here.
In another major U-turn by Boris Johnson’s government, the NHS Covid-19 contact-tracing app was abandoned. Instead, focus will turn to technology from Apple and Google, after the trial on the Isle of Wight revealed the app was highly inaccurate when used on iPhones. The latest test and trace figures suggested a significant reduction in social distancing in early June. The DHSC figures revealed 4,366 infected people passed on details of 44,895 contacts, suggesting that between 4 June and 10 June infected people were each in contact with 10.28 other people on average, up from 5.88 for the week prior. The first minister of Northern Ireland Arlene Foster announced an easing of lockdown restrictions, including abandoning the 2 metre rule for schools. Schools there are set to reopen on 24 August with a 1 metre social distancing measure in place. The move increases pressure on Boris Johnson as many of his MPs have been urging him to do the same for England for some time now. Dominic Raab was criticised for “insulting” the Black Lives Matter movement when he said taking the knee felt like “a symbol of subjugation or subordination” and that he thought the idea came from Game of Thrones. In case you missed it, here’s the video. Face coverings will be compulsory on public transport in Scotland from Monday. Nicola Sturgeon announced further lockdown-easing measures including shops, churches and dental surgeries to reopen over the next two weeks, and an ‘extended household’ scheme for single adult households. The UK death toll rose by 135 to 42,288. That’s it from us on the UK side. If you’d like to continue following the Guardian’s coronavirus coverage, head over to the global live blog for the worldwide picture.
If Dominic Raab has “taken the knee” to HM the Queen he must have received the accolade of knighthood (Dominic Raab: taking the knee ‘feels like symbol of subjugation’, 18 June). And since we haven’t heard about it, it must have been in secret. Being sworn of the privy council requires briefly kneeling on two knees to signify loyalty to the country and sovereign, not deference or “subjugation”. “Taking the knee” signifies racial and social solidarity. Sentient kneelers tend to comprehend the distinction. Either the foreign (maybe the clue is in the word these days, as in “foreign body”) secretary doesn’t recognise the nobility and necessity of solidarity, or his ignorance comes from the same abyss as his surprise that Dover is important to trade movements. Perhaps an FA course in “awareness” could help? Neil Kinnock Labour, House of Lords • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters
Less than a third of the public now approve of the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the latest Opinium poll for the Observer. The poll found that approval of the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis is down four points to a new low. Only three in 10 people approve, giving the government an overall approval rating of -18 for its handling of the pandemic.
However, the pollsters found that disapproval of the way Boris Johnson is acting as prime minister appears to have levelled off, with no significant increases in either approval or disapproval over the past three weeks. He has a net approval score of -6 points. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer’s approval ratings remain very high on +24, but have dropped four points since last week. Johnson still only has a one-point lead when voters are asked who makes the best prime minister – a historic low for him. After seeing their poll lead shrink 23 points in the previous eight weeks, the Conservatives saw a slight increase over Labour this week. Their share of the vote went up 43% to 44%, while Labour suffered its first dip since the second week of April, down one point to 39%.
There are also signs that Brexit is re-emerging as an issue occupying the minds of voters. While dropping from the most important issue because of the coronavirus crisis, Opinium found it is “slowly but surely making a comeback” and is now just five points away from being level with the economy in terms of importance to voters. Meanwhile, support is high for the government’s handling over the forcible removal of the statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol, with over half of UK adults saying they disapprove of the protestors who pulled it down. Approval for the protestors is highest in London, at 42%. Whilst 39% would have supported the removal of the statue of Colston by the local authority, 31% actively would have actively opposed this. Opinium polled 2,001 people online between 11 and 12 June.
The UK’s GDP posted a record fall of 20.4% in April as the economy suffered a total lockdown loss of 25%, ONS figures revealed. The staggering figures showed just how badly the pandemic paralysed the economy. The figures marked the biggest monthly decline since 1997 when records began. Poorer areas in England and Wales have bit hit hardest by Covid-19, ONS figures showed. The data revealed that people living in the most deprived areas died of coronavirus at double the rate of those living in the most wealthy areas. The London borough of Brent recorded the worst overall age-standardised rate with 210.9 deaths per 100,000 population. The UK ‘formally confirmed’ the Brexit transition period would not be extended. Michael Gove said the moment for extension had passed and Michel Barnier said the EU “took note” of the UK’s decision adding talks would be intensified: “We must now make progress on substance”. Full border controls on goods entering the UK won’t apply until July next year, the government announced. Its plan involves a phased implementation of controls in January, April and July next year. The R number may be above 1 in parts of England, figures released by Sage revealed. The R for all regions remains close to 1 with the South West of England recording the highest, at between 0.8 and 1.1. The UK death toll reached 41,481. Another 202 deaths were recorded across all settings. That’s it from me today on the UK side. If you would like to continue to follow the Guardian’s coverage of the pandemic, head over to the global live blog for the worldwide picture.
However, Hancock’s claim that 85% of contacts had been traced is “deeply misleading”, according to the Independent Sage group. The health secretary Matt Hancock said that 85% of contacts given were self-isolating had still ‘beaten his expectations’. But analysis showed that between 28 May and 3 June, 8,117 individuals tested positive and were referred for contact tracing. Of those, 5,407 (67%) were reached and asked for contacts. However, ONS surveillance data suggests there were at least 23,000 new symptomatic cases in that period, meaning that 75% of cases were not found. Jeremy Hunt, who chairs the health select committee, expressed concern that the system won’t be able to do its job if less than a fifth of new infections are being picked up. Matt Hancock did not rule out making cooperation with test and trace compulsory. Priti Patel was accused of using using her own experiences of prejudice to “gaslight” the “very real racism” faced by black people in the UK. A group of 33 BAME Labour MPs wrote to the home secretary, accusing her of trying to “silence” Florence Eshalomi when she told the Commons of her experiences of racism and said she would “not take lectures” on prejudice. Things then took an odd turn when Matt Hancock accused those MPs of treating Patel as “the wrong type of BAME”. Urgent cancer referrals in England fell by 60% in the first month of lockdown. NHS England figures revealed fewer urgent cancer referrals made by GPs in April (60% down from last year) and urgent referrals for breast cancer fell by 78%. The UK death toll rose by 151 to 41,279. That’s it from us today on the UK side. If you would like to continue to follow the Guardian’s coverage of the pandemic, head over to the global live blog for the worldwide picture.
We’re closing this blog down now. Thanks for reading and commenting. You can follow our global pandemic coverage here:
And here, you can follow our coverage of the black lives matter protests as George Floyd’s brother testifies before the US Congress:
Alok Sharma, the business secretary, has confirmed that non-essential shops in England can open from Monday, saying the move will “allow high streets up and down the country to spring back to life”. Hundreds more deaths from Covid-19 in the north-west of England and in care homes have driven up the number of excess fatalities since the UK went into lockdown to more than 63,000, a toll believed to be greater than anywhere else except the US. Only one in four children returned to schools in England last week, wrecking Boris Johnson’s ambitions for a phased reopening of schools to allow parents back to work to boost the economy. The Department for Education released the figures as Gavin Williamson, the education secretary for England, confirmed that primary schools will not have to take any more pupils before the end of the summer term. Williamson also told MPs that it would take a year or more to repair the damage done to pupils’ education by the time spent in lockdown. (See 2.30pm.) Ministers need to rebuild public trust in their handling of the coronavirus outbreak and compensate people for lost earnings when asked to self-isolate to prevent a resurgence of the epidemic, leading scientists have warned. The UK government’s testing and contact-tracing system is not fit for purpose and will not be able to keep coronavirus in check as other countries have done, according to an independent group of scientists. That’s all from us for tonight. But the coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog.
Here’s a roundup of today’s key UK coronavirus updates. The UK’s coronavirus death toll has risen by 77 – the lowest daily figure since the lockdown began. The official death toll of people who tested positive for Covid-19 across all settings now stands at 40,542, according to the Department of Health and Social Care. Scotland and Northern Ireland have reported no new coronavirus deaths. However, the Scottish health secretary warned people that it was “very likely” that more deaths would be recorded in the coming days, reiterating that there is often a lag in the registration of deaths over the weekend. Thousands of people have continued to attend anti-racism protests across the UK. In London, demonstrators gathered outside the US embassy before marching towards Downing Street. Protests also took place in cities including Edinburgh, Glasgow and Nottingham. The Met police confirmed that 29 people had been arrested at protest in the capital yesterday. Protesters in Bristol have pulled down a statue of the slave trader Edward Colston and dumped it in the River Avon. It happened after at least 5,000 people packed into the College Green area to hear from speakers and hold an eight-minute silence in memory of George Floyd, who was killed by police in the US. The nationwide lockdown “should have started earlier”, according to a Sage expert. The epidemiologist professor John Edmunds said he believed the government’s “situational awareness” in March would have made it difficult to impose measures sooner, but that the delay had “cost a lot of lives”. In response, Matt Hancock said he was “sure” the decision to impose lockdown on 23 March had not cost lives. Hancock said the government had “made the right decisions at the right time”, but said lockdowns could be reimposed locally or nationally if infections rose significantly.
Thousands of protesters rallied in solidarity with Black Lives Matter across the UK. Defying calls from government officials to avoid mass gatherings amid the coronavirus pandemic, crowds wore face masks and gloves creating powerful scenes as they demonstrated for an end to systemic racism and demanded racial justice. NHS chiefs complained of being left ‘completely in the dark’ about new face mask policy. Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers, said trusts were not consulted or given notice on government plans for all hospital visitors and outpatients in England to be required to wear face coverings from 15 June and all hospital staff to need to wear surgical masks. Schools in parts of the north-west of England are being ‘strongly advised’ not to reopen amid fears the R value is above 1 in the region. Both Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, and the Liverpool city region metro mayor, Steve Rotheram, have questioned whether lockdown relaxation was being lifted too soon, driven from London, with the regions and the north not being listened to. Sunday trading laws could be suspended for a year in a bid to stimulate the economy post-lockdown. Unions said the move was “grossly unfair” and “misguided” as it would disrupt the lives of retail workers by increasing workloads and pressure from working longer hours. The plans could also see cafes and pubs given fast-tracked approval to serve food and drink outside. The UK death toll rose by 204 to 40,465. That’s it from us on the UK side. If you would like to continue following the Guardian’s coverage of the pandemic, head over to the global live blog for the worldwide picture.
The UK’s equality watchdog is launching an inquiry into the “long-standing structural racial inequality” thrown into the spotlight by the pandemic. The Equality and Human Rights Commission said analysis and evidence-based guidance is needed to tackle entrenched racism and Covid-19 death rates among BAME groups. It comes after Public Health England’s review came under criticism for not explaining the reasons for already known disparities in health outcomes and not making recommendations for tackling them. The R value in England has risen to between 0.7 and 1. The latest data suggests the north-west and south-west are areas of concern, and Matt Hancock confirmed the R was higher in those regions than the rest of the country. National easing of lockdown measures would go ahead, he said, with a focus on localised lockdowns to address flare-ups. All hospital staff, patients and visitors in England must wear face coverings from 15 June. Hospital staff will be required to wear type one or type two surgical masks at all times, while patients and visitors will need to wear face coverings, the health secretary said. The UK’s death toll passed the grim milestone of 40,000. The DHSC confirmed a rise of 357 deaths, bringing the total of reported deaths following a positive test to 40,261. That’s it for today from the UK. If you’d like to continue following the Guardian’s coverage of the pandemic, head over to the global live blog for the worldwide picture.
Wearing face masks is to be made compulsory on public transport in England from 15 June. The move was welcomed by the unions, with Unite saying this should become the “new normal”, though Labour said this should have been done two months ago and the government had been far too slow to act. Grant Shapps said he expected the devolved administrations to introduce a similar face covering rule. Earlier today, Nicola Sturgeon said she was considering making the wearing of face masks mandatory on public transport and in shops in Scotland and reminded Scots that this is already advised. The government’s coronavirus economic measures are set to cost £132.5bn, according to the OBR. That is a rise of 7.5% on estimates made last month on the expected cost of measures including the furlough scheme and grants for the self-employed. The business secretary Alok Sharma received a negative test result for Covid-19. The R number in Scotland has dropped to between 0.7 and 0.9. It was previously between 0.7 and 1. Sturgeon said however that it was “fragile” and stressed the need for caution with easing lockdown measures as new cases continue to be recorded every day. The UK death toll approaches 40,000 as a further 176 fatalities were recorded, bringing the total to 39,904. That’s it from us here in the UK. If you would like to continue following the Guardian’s coverage of the pandemic, head over to the global live blog for the worldwide picture.
That’s all for the UK live blog today, thanks for reading along - you can continue following the latest coronavirus coverage over on our global blog:
That’s it for the UK live blog today, thank you for reading. If you want to continue following the latest coronavirus developments, do head over to our global liveblog.
I emailed my MP, Sally-Ann Hart (Hastings and Rye), on 26 May to express my surprise that, after careful consideration of the known facts, she had reached the conclusion that Dominic Cummings had done the right thing, and asked her to reconsider her position following the negative response to Mr Cummings’ actions from many of her colleagues. To date I have not received an acknowledgment, let alone a reply (Constituents bombard MPs with tens of thousands of emails over Dominic Cummings, 29 May). My wife wrote to her later the same day, expressing similar views, but mentioned that, viewing the evidence as a retired judge, she had had some difficulty in understanding the conclusion Ms Hart, herself a lawyer, had reached. She received a reply from Ms Hart on 30 May, apologising for the delay and explaining that there had been an overwhelming postbag, but reiterating the position she had previously stated. Is there an algorithm that sorts out the wheat from the chaff and determines which of us is worth replying to, eventually? Christopher Cotter Rye, East Sussex • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters
It was a sentiment perhaps shared by at least some people who had watched Boris Johnson’s press conference, but not necessarily what you might expect from the official account of the civil service. “Arrogant and offensive,” read the tweet from the @UKCivilService Twitter account, which has just over 250,000 followers. “Can you imagine having to work with these truth twisters?” The tweet elaborated no further, but given that it was sent soon after Johnson had finished a sometimes extraordinary press briefing at which he had vigorously defended his under-fire chief aide, Dominic Cummings, the implication was fairly clear.
A delighted Twitter shared the message tens of thousands of times before it was deleted, leaving the civil service account to its usual, more sober stream of messages about ways for businesses to cope with lockdown and other practical issues. A government spokesman said: “An unauthorised tweet was posted on a government channel this evening. The post has been removed and we are investigating the matter.” At the press conference, Johnson had dismissed criticism of Cummings’ decision to drive more than 260 miles to his parents’ estate in Durham with his wife and young son after his wife became ill, saying Cummings had been trying to keep his family safe. “I think he followed the instincts of every father and every parent,” Johnson said. “And I do not mark him down for that.” The prime minister added: “I believe that in every respect he has acted responsibly, legally and with integrity, and with the overriding aim of stopping the spread of the virus and saving lives.”
To ask “did the UK Government prepare for the wrong kind of pandemic?” (21 May) is a little too reminiscent of British Rail’s “wrong kind of snow”. Granted, stockpiling influenza antivirals could be seen as a waste of money if no pandemic materialises before they expire. However, at least 90% of the preparedness measures for Sars are the same as those for an influenza pandemic. We are dealing with a medical, epidemiological, social, economic and psychological problem, and exactly what type of virus is involved is not so important. In the successive versions of the UK’s National Risk Register (2008-17), influenza is consistently the No 1 risk. That Sars is not an influenza virus is immaterial, as “influenza” is a surrogate for any virus with high reproducibility in humans and a significant case-fatality rate. In the government’s response to the current crisis, the deficiencies have not been in scientific advice, but in the marginalisation of emergency planning and management – in the context, of course, of declining health, social care and welfare services. UK pandemic planning has suffered from an abyss between the plans and their implementation, and the lack of a joined-up system with a nested hierarchy of compatible plans, from local to national. The UK’s resolutely top-down approach to local problems is at the heart of this failure. To cap it all, we are now treated to the unedifying spectacle of the UK government endeavouring to treat Covid-19 as if it were a terrorism problem. Not the wrong kind of pandemic: the wrong kind of government. Prof David E Alexander Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction, University College London • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters
The importance of staying at home and not making unnecessary journeys, including to older relatives, has been hammered home since the start of the coronavirus outbreak. The government’s instructions were: “Only go outside for food, health reasons or work (but only if you cannot work from home); if you go out, stay two metres away from other people at all times; wash your hands as soon as you get home.” Crucially, they added: “Do not meet others, even friends or family. You can spread the virus even if you don’t have symptoms.” Announcing school closures at a Downing Street briefing on 18 March, Boris Johnson urged families not to turn to older relatives to look after children. He said: “Children should not be left with older grandparents or older relatives who may be particularly vulnerable. I know that’s going to be difficult too and I want to thank families for their sacrifice at this difficult time.” At a No 10 briefing on 27 April, the health secretary, Matt Hancock, said: “We understand the impact of not being able to hug your closest family. It affects us all too. We just hope we can get back to that as soon as possible. The best way we can get there, the fastest way, is for people to follow the rules.” Even now that lockdown rules have been eased slightly, visiting friends or family in their own homes is still off-limits. The current guidance states: “As with before, you cannot visit friends and family in their homes.” It also says: “We are advising those who are at increased risk of severe illness from coronavirus (Covid-19) to be particularly stringent in following social distancing measures. This group includes those who are aged 70 or older (regardless of medical conditions). “If you are showing coronavirus symptoms, or if you or any of your household are self-isolating, you should stay at home – this is critical to staying safe and saving lives.”
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The tragedy that England has the highest excess death rate in Europe (How England found itself at the wrong end of the Covid-19 league table, 17 May) is not all down to austerity and the indolence of current ministers. England has been failed by a political culture that still clings to the imperial idea that everything can be run from London. When things go wrong, the instinct of ministers and officials is to seek more central action. They hoard power and hand contracts to private companies while ignoring the expertise and capacity of local government. The divergence with the devolved nations, tensions with city mayors in the north and in London, and the childish game of chicken between ministers and councils over their financial crises demonstrate that this British unionist approach can neither compel nor command cooperation. It is costing lives. We will need a more resilient state in the future. But this must not mean more power, money and officials for ministers and Whitehall departments. The priority must be to empower and invest in England’s local and combined authorities, and to give England the ability to govern itself well. Prof John Denham Centre for English Identity and Politics, University of Southampton; secretary of state for communities and local government, 2009-10
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That’s it for the UK blog today. As always thanks for reading along, and my colleague Clea Skopeliti is continuing our coronavirus coverage over on the global blog, as Spain records its lowest death toll in two months.
I’m closing our UK live blog for the day. Thanks so much for joining us. Please follow our global live blog for all further developments this evening.
Lord (Ted) Graham of Edmonton was a true champion of the underprivileged people of the London borough of Enfield, which contains the Edmonton constituency that he represented as an MP. When I was project manager for Enfield council he and I had several meetings about setting up the community-led Edmonton Credit Union, and he was always polite, charming and generous with his time.
British trade negotiators have been exceptionally busy this week. They are in formal talks with both the EU and the US, and on Wednesday the trade secretary, Liz Truss, announced negotiating objectives for talks with Japan. But what deals does Britain already have, and what will happen if it does not conclude an agreement with the EU by the end of the year?
So Britain – at least on current trade terms – has more to lose from the failure of the EU talks than it has to gain from the success of the US talks. But it would also be wrong to imagine that Britain could just turn its back on Europe and conduct all its business with the US instead. The UK imports a large amount of fresh food, particularly from the Netherlands. Currently this produce can be shipped to Britain quickly and lorries carrying it pass directly through ports with minimal bureaucracy. Increased customs procedures and tariffs would make this trade more difficult, and getting fresh lettuces across the Atlantic has its own challenges. Currently, Britain’s trade with the US has a very strong services component. Trade in services (such as financial and legal services) are relatively unaffected by customs procedures or tariffs, but can be affected by mutual recognition of standards and qualifications. A beneficial deal with the US might therefore look quite different from a beneficial deal with the EU.
Sources: Trade deals from the Department for International Trade. 2019 trade figures from the ONS.
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Ron Jeffries’ letter (11 May) about using tights to stake a cherry tree reminds me that in my youth we were advised to throw old nylon stockings into our tree, weighted with a stone, to prevent birds stealing all the cherries. “The starlings will think they are snakes,” the local sage assured us. After the birds ate every cherry, the stockings and tights remained in the tree for years, causing much local amusement and embarrassment for my mother, especially in the bare branches of the winter. Adam Liddell Bournemouth • Old tights have another use on cherry trees: when the cherries start to ripen, pull old tights over the branches to effectively keep pigeons from gorging on the ripening fruit. Richard Ives Kettlestone, Norfolk • If Emmanuel Macron had wanted the French people to “stay alert”, he would have used the phrase “restez alertes”, not “restez prudents”; the latter translates as “be careful”, which makes much more sense in relation to an invisible virus (Johnson giving no clear direction on lockdown exit, says Starmer, 11 May). Veronica Leonard Caterham, Surrey • You report me (11 May) as saying that Boris Johnson’s broadcast to the nation on Sunday was a “dog’s dinner” in communication terms. Please may I apologise, through your letters page, for that insult to pet food manufacturers? Chris Whitehouse Managing director, The Whitehouse Consultancy Ltd • After five weeks of inactivity in lockdown, the need for a comfortable bra to wear when exercising will extend to far more than just the female half of the adult population (Letters, 10 May). Ian Grieve Steyning, West Sussex
There is no guarantee of a Covid-19 vaccine, Boris Johnson said at this evening’s press conference, though he said the UK is at the heavily involved in the work to develop one. I’m hearing some very encouraging things from what’s going on at Oxford to achieve a vaccine [but] this is by no means guaranteed. I believe I’m right in saying that, even after 18 years we still don’t have a vaccine for Sars. What I can tell you is that the UK is at the forefront of concerting international activity to try to deliver a vaccine. He said the UK government is putting “huge sums” into finding a vaccine, but added: If you ask me am I absolutely certain that we won’t be living with this for a long time to come, I can’t say that. It may be that we have to become ever more flexible, ever more agile, ever smarter in the way that we tackle, not just this infection, but potentially future infections as well. While he agreed the development of a vaccine cannot be guaranteed, the UK government’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said: I’d be surprised if we didn’t end up with something.
• This article was amended on 12 May 2020. One of the potential answers to question 7 was replaced to avoid confusion with the intended correct answer.
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Thanks everyone. I will be closing the live feed today. Below is a summary of the latest developments. Please do get in touch to share any news tips and insights. The health secretary, Matt Hancock, said just over 85,000 coronavirus tests took place yesterday. That’s a second day where the headline total has fallen below 100,000, the target for the end of April. The work and pensions secretary, Thérèse Coffey, has been updating MPs on her department’s work in tackling the economic impact of the Covid-19 crisis. She said the “hidden heroes” in her department had processed an extraordinary 1.8m new claims for universal credit (UC) since mid-March – as well as 250,000 claims for jobseeker’s allowance (JSA), and 20,000 for employment support allowance (ESA). Councils could restrict access to rubbish tips by only allowing cars with particular number plates to visit on a given day, the local government secretary has said. Last week MPs on the Commons culture committee had a frustrating time at a hearing when they tried to get answers from representatives of Facebook, Google and Twitter about what they were doing to halt the spread of disinformation about coronavirus. Now Julian Knight, the committee chair, has written to the three companies with a series of follow-up questions. In a statement he accused them of being “deeply unhelpful”.
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I object to being assumed to have a “heart of stone” just because I’m among those who remain utterly indifferent to all but the possible political fallout of the assorted vicissitudes of the prime minister’s personal life (Boris Johnson’s baby is the perfect symbol of his personality-driven politics, 29 April). I fear that Martin Kettle is sliding into sentimentality. Dr Brigid Purcell Norwich • Congratulations are in order to the PM and his fiancee. I wonder what the child will be called. Perhaps they will follow the classical style favoured by Jacob Rees-Mogg and go for Sextus? Or perhaps Septimus? Octavian? Dodecadus? Only Boris knows. Simon Cherry Claygate, Surrey • Since we are not sure how many children Boris Johnson has fathered (Report, 30 April), I suggest the new arrival be named “Enth”. Michael Riggs Frome, Somerset • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters
According to the Holmes-Rahe stress scale, moving house, divorce, serious illness, a new job and gaining a new family member are among the most stressful events a person can encounter in their life. Boris Johnson has crammed all of them into the past 18 months.
July 2018: Quits as foreign secretary over Theresa May’s soft Brexit plans. 7 September 2018: Johnson and his second wife, Marina Wheeler, announce they plan to divorce after 25 years. June 2019: Launches bid to become new Conservative party leader. July 2019: Becomes prime minister after winning party leadership contest. July 2019: Carrie Symonds moves into Downing Street.
October 2019: Agrees new Brexit deal with the EU.
November 2019: Agrees sale of former family home in Islington, north London.
12 December 2019: General election. Returned as prime minister with 80-seat majority. 31 January 2020: Britain leaves the EU. 18 February: Family court approves £4m divorce and gives Wheeler permission to apply for a divorce decree. 29 February: Johnson and Symonds reveal she is pregnant with the baby due in early summer. She says they got engaged in late 2019.
11 March: World Health Organization declares coronavirus a global pandemic. 23 March: Johnson orders lockdown measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.
27 March: Johnson self-isolates after testing positive for Covid-19. 4 April: Symonds reveals that she is recovering after a week in bed with symptoms. 5 April: Johnson admitted to St Thomas’ hospital in Westminster suffering Covid-19. 6 April: The prime minister is moved to intensive care and the first secretary, Dominic Raab, asked to deputise. 9 April Johnson moved out of intensive care. 12 April: Johnson leaves hospital saying his condition “could have gone either way”.
27 April. The prime minister returns to work after a period of recuperation at Chequers with Symonds. 29 April: Healthy baby boy is born, with congratulations pouring in from across the political divide.
Downing Street was unable to say on Tuesday night if Boris Johnson will face Keir Starmer at prime minister’s questions on Wednesday. With less than 24 hours before the prime minister was due to appear in the House of Commons, Labour had not been informed whether Johnson would be fit enough to face Starmer, the new leader of the opposition, across the dispatch box. No 10 said it could not confirm whether Johnson would take part, after he returned to work in Downing Street full-time on Monday amid reports he was “raring to go”. He was described on Tuesday by Downing Street as “fine” after he chaired the daily morning coronavirus meeting and then met the chancellor and cabinet secretary. He has spent the rest of the day in meetings, reading papers and doing box work.
If he does attend, it would have been Johnson’s first appearance in parliament since he fell ill with coronavirus on 27 March. He was later taken to hospital and spent three days in intensive care and then two weeks recuperating at Chequers. However, Johnson is expected to have a phone call with Starmer on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the coronavirus crisis, even if he does not take prime minister’s questions. Last week, Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary and first secretary of state, took prime minister’s questions in Johnson’s absence while he was still deputising. Starmer used his first outing as Labour leader in the Commons to accuse the government of being far slower than other EU countries on testing and said its personal protective equipment strategy was not working.
In his first podium speech since he left intensive care earlier this month, Boris Johnson described coronavirus as a “physical assailant”. It was “an unexpected and invisible mugger”, he told the nation, giving a colourful twist to the martial metaphors he and his cabinet have tended to use when talking about the disease (in March, he described the crisis as a “fight … in which every one of us is directly enlisted”). Perhaps it’s appropriate that the prime minister chose to personify Covid-19 more directly than in the past. He has, after all, emerged from his own very intimate bout with the virus. And it’s not surprising that the pandemic has proved fertile ground for linguistic invention either: things aren’t readily accessible to the five senses – whether abstract concepts like Brexit, or invisible pathogens – tend to get “translated”, via metaphor, into easily graspable images. That process, though, is not a neutral one. As linguists such as George Lakoff have pointed out, the metaphors we choose both reflect our prejudices and influence our approach to the world. With Brexit, no deal was either a “cliff edge” or a “clean break”, depending on where your sympathies lay. The “physical assailant” metaphor is one way to look at the challenge of coronavirus, but it is not the only one. Some have taken to social media to complain that the idea of the “surprise attack” disguises the fact that the government had many weeks to prepare a better response to the pandemic than the one it has executed. People with cancer have long lamented the drawbacks of framing the disease process as a “battle”. And the prime minister’s idea that we “wrestle [coronavirus] to the floor” would seem at odds with the patient, precise work that will have to be done, over many months, to keep it at bay. David Shariatmadari is the author of Don’t Believe A Word: The Surprising Truth About Language
Here are the key points from the Downing Street briefing: The increase in daily hospital deaths from coronavirus is at it lowest level since the end of March. George Eustice, the environment secretary, said 413 people had died in hospital, taking the total to 20,732. This is the lowest level since 3o March but it is expected to increase during the working week. Eustice said furloughed workers would be encouraged to take on second jobs as fruit pickers to help farmers struggling with labour supplies. He pointed out that only a third of the usual workforce was available to farmers. Stephen Powis, the medical director of NHS England, said he would have no problem with the government publishing the membership of Sage. But Eustice defended keeping the composition of the group secret, saying: “It’s important scientists can have discussions free of external influence.” He also said it was important to protect their security. Eustice claimed there had been a “dramatic improvement” in food supplies. He said grocery supplies were back to normal levels and panic-buying had subsided. Powis said he was encouraged by the decline in hospital admissions and deaths. “All our efforts, hard though they might be, have begun to pay off,” he said. But he added: “This is not the time to say: ‘We’ve done a good job, we need to stop complying with social distancing.’” That’s it for today. They’ll be more from about 7.30am on Monday. You can follow the latest on our coronavirus outbreak section, and also on our global liveblog
That’s all from the UK side for today – thank you for following and writing in. Head over to our our global liveblog to keep up with the latest developments from around the world.
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The medical director for Public Health England defended the PHE guidance last week advising NHS staff to wear aprons in some circumstances instead of full-length gowns when the right equipment was not available. Prof Yvonne Doyle said this was a “precautionary set of advice”, based on guidance that already existed and in line with WHO advice covering exceptional circumstances. More than 140,000 firms have today applied for help from the government’s coronavirus job retention scheme. The Resolution Foundation says these applications alone could cost the government £4.2bn. The numbers of people testing positive for coronavirus has stabilised. Prof Dame Angela McLean, the government’s deputy chief scientific adviser, said the figures were “pretty much stable and flat”. UK coronavirus hospital deaths total rises by 449 to 16,509. As of 5pm on 19 April, 16,509 people in hospital who tested positive for coronavirus and died, up by 449 from the day before. Former prime minister Tony Blair’s thinktank has published a potential exit plan from lockdown. Blair told Sky News that an exit strategy was essential because the lockdown would do crippling damage to the economy, government revenues and people’s lives if it were allowed to continue for too long. Here’s the report (pdf) Virgin boss Richard Branson says airline survival depends on government loan. “This would be in the form of a commercial loan - it wouldn’t be free money and the airline would pay it back,” The Virgin Group boss said in a blogpost. Boris Johnson ‘against lifting lockdown over second wave fears’. The prime minister is reported to be cautious about easing the lockdown for fear of sparking a second wave of coronavirus infections. The culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, confirmed that the government was reluctant to lift the lockdown for fear of sparking a second wave of infections.
That’s it from me, Nadeem Badshah. To continue following our coronavirus coverage, you can check out our global blog -https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/apr/19/coronavirus-live-news-europe-deaths-approach-100000-as-us-looks-to-lift-restrictions
As member of the Greater London council for Hampstead and vice-chair of its transport committee, Enid Wistrich did much in the late 1970s to save the North London line. British Rail and the Department of Transport wanted to close it, but the GLC gave BR a subsidy to keep it going, and eventually it was incorporated into the very successful London Overground network.
Thank you for following today’s UK-focused coronavirus coverage. You can keep up with all the latest developments from around the world on our global liveblog.
Here a brief overview of the latest key developments: The toll of reported hospital deaths in the UK has passed 10,000, up from 9,875 the previous day. The daily rise of reported hospital deaths has thus slowed down, but as always, a delay in the reporting as well as delayed test results for those who have died prevent clear-cut insights into the behaviour of the curve. The UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, was discharged from hospital today and released a video address the nation, in which he thanked NHS staff for saving his life. The PM mentioned two immigrant nurses in particular, who had monitored him round-the-clock for 48 hours in the ICU. He said the NHS “is unconquerable. It is powered by love.” The health secretary, Matt Hancock, refused to apologise over the delay in providing NHS frontline staff with PPE, after the Royal College of Nursing said that, as a last resort, staff might have to refuse treating patients if they did not have appropriate protection. Hancock announced the development of a new contact-tracing app that would let people enter their personal health data, recent contacts and coronavirus symptoms, as the government got under increased pressure to announce plans for an exit strategy from the lockdown. The Scottish government is set to publish data on the deaths of elderly care home residents from Covid-19 after disclosing more than a third of Scotland’s care homes have had coronavirus cases. This is all from me, and this blog will now wrap up. For more updates, please head over to our global coronavirus blog. Thanks for reading and writing in, be well.
That’s it from me, Nadeem Badshah. For a summary of the evening’s events, check out the summary at 6.25pm. For more coverage, head over to the global live blog:
Your excellent obituary (5 April) on the former cabinet secretary Robert Armstrong contrasts uncomfortably with the following day’s front-page story about No 10 briefing against civil servants (UK ministers accused of prioritising careers over lives of coronavirus victims, 6 April). When I joined in the 1950s, the civil service had maintained the wartime tradition of trust and cooperation between ministers and senior officials – and Armstrong’s distinguished career eminently reflected that tradition in later times. A crisis (such as coronavirus) would be met by forming a committee of ministers (not joint minister-officials like Cobra), supported by a committee of senior officials to coordinate the work of relevant departments, which would then brief their ministers – all organised by the Cabinet Office, which would brief the prime minister. This matched the theory of “cabinet government”. Special advisers were few, mainly experts like the “Hungarian twins” – economists Thomas Balogh and Nicholas Kaldor – and scientific adviser Solly Zuckerman. What a contrast with the picture that emerges of our current government – a head of the civil service without much experience of the workings of Whitehall, trying to coordinate the work of departments headed by permanent secretaries who were appointed to make huge cuts in the service and are now struggling to win the trust of small-state politicians surrounded by clamorous special advisers and instinctively suspicious of departmental advice. But I am absolutely confident that the tradition is still there and that everyone is doing their very best in these challenging times. Sir Alan Bailey Permanent secretary, Department of Transport, 1986-91 • The letter above was amended on 10 April 2020 to restore the words “the picture that emerges of”, which had been lost during the editing process.
Dominic Raab has said he has not spoken to Boris Johnson since the prime minister was admitted to hospital, but insisted the government continued to function smoothly. Giving an update on Johnson’s health at Thursday’s coronavirus briefing, Raab said: “He is still in intensive care but he continues to make positive steps forward, and he is in good spirits.” Johnson has been described as sitting up, but he has not been playing any role in government decision-making while he receives treatment at St Thomas’ hospital in London. Asked if he had been in contact with the prime minister, Raab said: “Not yet. I think it’s important, particularly while he’s in intensive care, to let him focus on the recovery. We in the government have this covered.
“I chaired the Cobra meeting that I’ve just come from. We’re pursuing all the different strands of our strategy to defeat the coronavirus, and I’m confident we’ll get there.” Johnson was taken into hospital on Sunday after his coronavirus symptoms, including a cough and a high temperature, persisted. He was moved into intensive care on Monday evening. The government has said he has not been put on a ventilator but has continued to receive “standard oxygen treatment”. Johnson tested positive for the virus on 27 March, but continued to work while isolating himself in Downing Street, including chairing meetings by video-link. The home secretary, Priti Patel, told Talk Radio on Thursday that at the virtual cabinet meeting a week ago, pictures of which were released to the media, it was evident to colleagues that he was continuing to experience symptoms. “It was clear he was unwell, and needed to get rest and recuperation,” she said. Johnson tested positive on the same day as the health secretary, Matt Hancock, and and the chief medical officer for England, Chris Whitty, also announced he was experiencing symptoms.
When Lord Garel-Jones acted as the official translator for John Major, it was in Bogotá in June 1992, on the first ever prime ministerial visit to South America. The Earth Summit was being held in Rio and Tristan, whose responsibilities included Latin America as well as Europe, persuaded his good friend to visit Colombia on the way. The visit, in the times of the drug baron Pablo Escobar, was seen as a splendid gesture by the Colombians and transformed our relationship. It was part of a boost to our relations with Latin America as a whole that Tristan inspired. Latin American leaders had never met a British politician who spoke Spanish as well as them and also knew and loved the region so well. He was very popular indeed. He himself convinced members of the cabinet to visit the region, which they did in unprecedented numbers. One result was a British-Latin-American trade meeting in the Banqueting Hall, Westminster, in 1997 four years after Tristan’s retirement. It was attended by three presidents and many ministers from Latin America, the prime minister and six members of the British cabinet. He put everyone at ease with his jokes, switching from English to Spanish and back, even using some Portuguese, as relaxed as if it was a gathering of friends, which, of course, for him it was. I cannot think of any British minister who could have put on such an international show. He told me that his Latin American visits, which he so enjoyed, helped to keep him sane during the grind of the Maastricht legislation. I was so glad to see him still on good form during the state visit of President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia in 2016: Santos as trade minister and old London hand had organised the Major visit a generation before. Tristan’s initiative was still bearing fruit.
With warm weather forecast this weekend, in a moving moment during the daily news conference the chief nurse Ruth May pleaded with people to remember Aimee O’Rourke and Areema Nasreen, two nurses who died after contracting Covid-19. “Please stay at home, for them”.
The health secretary Matt Hancock issued a call for more volunteers to take part in “essential” clinical trials. He said the bigger the trials, the greater the data, the faster treatments can be rolled out. UK hospital deaths saw a record daily rise of 684, bringing the total to 3,605 patients who have died after testing positive for Covid-19. The NHS Nightingale Hospital in London was opened by the health secretary and the Prince of Wales (via video link). In addition to ones in Birmingham and Manchester, two more temporary hospitals were announced in Bristol and Harrogate. The Welsh government is to make it a legal obligation for companies to ensure employees stay 2 metres apart. The law will come into effect on either Monday or Tuesday next week. The Premier League will ask footballers to take a 30% wage cut and it is committing £20m to the NHS and £125m to lower leagues. It also confirmed the league would not resume at the end of May. Confirmed cases among inmates rose by 20% in the last 24 hours to 88 across 29 prisons in England and Wales. The prime minister Boris Johnson remained in self-isolation as he continued to have a high temperature. Road travel fell to levels not seen since 1955 as all forms of travel plunged in urban areas. The exam regulator unveiled plans for how GCSE and A-level students will get their grades: a combination of teacher assessment, class rank and school performance will determine grades. And finally, the Queen has recorded a special coronavirus broadcast, which will be aired on Sunday. It will be only the fourth time she has issued a televised address to the nation in troubled periods.
The health secretary, Matt Hancock, has set the government a new target of carrying out 100,000 Covid-19 tests a day by the end of April as he sought to defend the government’s approach. Read the full story here.
Boris Johnson is still displaying coronavirus symptoms, meaning he may not be able to leave No 11 Downing Street on Friday, where he is self-isolating. The prime minister’s official spokesman said Johnson was still symptomatic, six days after he first came down with signs of the illness. If he still has a temperature on Friday, he will not be able to leave quarantine as planned, despite having observed a recommended seven days in isolation. The spokesman said: “What the guidelines say is that if you still have a high temperature, for example, you should keep self-isolating until your temperature returns to normal. The guidance is that you should stay at home for seven days or for longer if a high temperature persists.”
When asked if the prime minister had a temperature, the spokesman said only that he continued to have “mild symptoms”. Johnson has been leading the response to coronavirus from No 11 by video conference with other key ministers and officials for almost a week. His chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, also continues to work from self-isolation and did not provide an update on his condition. However, Matt Hancock, the health secretary, will leave self-isolation on Thursday after seven days of being in quarantine. He is expected to give a press conference in No 10 setting out a new “action plan” for testing for coronavirus, after a backlash against the government’s poor testing numbers. A No 10 spokesman said the government “acknowledges that more needs to be done and we need to make progress quickly” in relation to testing NHS staff, with 2,800 undergoing tests so far out of 500,000 frontline workers.
Downing Street also confirmed the government was looking at the idea of “immunity passports” to allow some people who have had coronavirus to leave the lockdown. The spokesman said: “That’s something other countries have done. We are always watching what other countries are doing and looking to learn.”
A total of 1,789 patients have died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK, as of 5pm on Monday. This represents a 27% day-on-day increase – by far the biggest so far. Covid-19 was mentioned on 210 death certificates in England and Wales by 20 March, according to new stats released this morning by the ONS. This was the first time non-hospital deaths (in the community and in care homes) were included in the death figures. Thousands of new ventilators are to be delivered to the NHS next week, Michael Gove told the daily news conference. He said that as well as buying more from abroad, the UK was developing new sources of supply at home, which would roll off the production line this weekend to NHS hospitals. There are some signs that physical distancing measures are working to flatten the spread of infection, but this is no time to become complacent, said Stephen Powis, the medical director of NHS England. He said while there was a “bit of a plateau” in the number of new cases testing positive, “we must not take our foot off the pedal”. Gove added that “this is absolutely not the time” to be relaxing physical distancing measures: “People’s sacrifices are worth it, they are making a difference, but we must not let up.” Nearly 3,000 migrant doctors, nurses and paramedics plus their family members are to have their visas extended for a year to assist the fight against coronavirus, the Home Office announced. The extension, which is free of charge, will apply to about 2,800 NHS workers whose visas are due to expire before 1 October. You can follow our global liveblog here. That’s all for from the UK for today.
Evening summary The government has announced a £75m initiative to fly Britons who are stranded abroad home. The foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, said charter flights would help repatriate Britons from “priority countries”, and travellers in countries where commercial flights were running would be given subsidies for tickets. The UK’s death toll from Covid-19 has risen to 1,408. The figures published by the Department of Health and Social Care relate to those that had died in hospitals as of 5pm on Sunday. From tomorrow, the ONS will begin producing weekly statistics which take in deaths in the community. The number of coronavirus-related admissions to hospitals is expected to continue to rise in coming weeks. Currently the NHS is seeing around 1,000 new patients a day, but the government’s chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, insisted this was “not an acceleration”. He added that though the number “may go up a little bit”, it could begin to stabilise and fall in two or three weeks time. London may be “two or four weeks away” from its peak of coronavirus cases, according to the city’s mayor. Sadiq Khan said his estimate was “not an exact science” but referred to when the largest number of people would have the virus, and when the highest number of deaths would be recorded. BrightHouse and Carluccio’s have entered administration. The two UK companies said they had suffered a slump in customers since non-essential shops were shut as part of the lockdown. More than 4,000 jobs are at risk. The Prince of Wales has come out of self-isolation. Clarence House confirmed that Charles, 71, had consulted with his doctor after testing positive for coronavirus last week. Dominic Cummings, the prime minister’s chief adviser, is self-isolating with symptoms in line with those of the virus. The news comes after Boris Johnson and the health secretary, Matt Hancock, were confirmed as positive cases last week.
That’s it from us here on the UK side. Head over to our global live blog for all the latest worldwide coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.
That’s all from us for this evening. Thanks for reading. Here’s a summary of the latest news: The most significant set of restrictions on British life in living memory were set in place as the prime minister ordered people to stay in their homes. Boris Johnson announced a nationwide lockdown in a bid to stop the coronavirus outbreak and warned that the police would be called in to enforce it. A swathe of businesses were ordered to close as part of the measures. With notable exceptions, retailers followed pubs and restaurants in being told to shut their doors after a weekend during which many people were still out and about, despite government pleas to isolate themselves. There was widespread support for the measures – but there were also calls for greater clarity. Both the Labour party, which has been calling for such measures, and trade unions largely united behind Boris Johnson as he took the drastic step in what he termed a time of “national emergency”. But political and trade union opposition also called on No 10 to offer the British people more detail on how, exactly, its plan will work. UK death toll increases to 335. The Department of Health and Social Care released its latest figures, showing that 6,650 people have tested positive for Covid-19 and 335 patients have died. FCO advises all Britons abroad to return home while they still can.The foreign secretary, Dominic Raab said the million or so British people on holiday or working abroad should return home now – before the option to do so disappears altogether. Emergency coronavirus legislation passed the Commons. The bill, which will hand ministers wide-ranging powers as they try to get a grip on the crisis, will pass to the Lords after MPs decided they could wave it through without the need for a vote. You can read a summary of the day’s earlier events here. And my colleague in Australia, Helen Sullivan, is continuing our global coronavirus coverage here:
All cafes, pubs, bars, clubs, restaurants, gyms, leisure centres, nightclubs, theatres and cinemas must close tonight, Boris Johnson announced as the government brought in stronger measures to enforce social distancing. The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced the government would for the first time step in and pay people’s wages, as he launched an unprecedented economic rescue plan. The government will cover 80% of the salaries of retained workers up to £2,500 per month, and defer the next quarter of VAT payments due from businesses. He also outlined £6bn of extra support for the welfare system. Social distancing may be needed ‘for at least most of a year’, scientists advising the government said in evidence made public today. EasyJet announced it would ground the majority of its aircraft fleet from Tuesday 24 March, as the number of passengers collapsed in recent weeks. The UK death toll rose by 40 in 24 hours. The total number of confirmed coronavirus-related deaths in the UK now stands at 177. There have been 167 such deaths in England, six in Scotland, three in Wales and one in Northern Ireland. Pupils whose GCSE and A-level exams were cancelled will receive calculated grades by the end of July, the Department for Education announced. That’s all from us for today on the UK side – and what a day it’s been. But the global coverage of the pandemic continues over on our worldwide coronavirus blog, which you can continue to follow here.
Your This is Europe series, and your commitment to it, are in the tradition of what Great Britain has always represented for liberal, democratic thought. Social and political debate in Britain, both in and outside of parliament, abiding by a set of accepted rules in the function of its democracy, for all its shortcomings, have always been a beacon in a world where such values are not always respected. Certainly this new series follows in that tradition. Truly, in these troubling times, I can almost hear Winston Churchill’s “We shall never surrender” as your motto. Alfredo Hamill Milan, Italy • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters • Do you have a photo you’d like to share with Guardian readers? Click here to upload it and we’ll publish the best submissions in the letters spread of our print edition
The UK will ramp up testing for coronavirus infection to 25,000 tests a day and NHS frontline staff are a priority, Boris Johnson has told the House of Commons. Doctors and nurses working in hospitals have been calling for testing so that they can know whether they are infected with the virus and in danger of passing it on to patients. One junior doctor started an online petition that accumulated 700,000 signatures.
“We are prioritising NHS staff for the obvious reason that we want them to be able to look after everybody else with confidence that they are not transmitting the disease,” Johnson said during prime minister’s questions. “This country is far ahead of many other comparable countries in testing large numbers of people.”
He said the NHS was increasing its testing from 5,000 to 10,000 a day. In response to questions from the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who pointed out that the healthcare frontline workforce was far larger than that, Johnson went further. “We’re moving up to 25,000 a day,” he said. Last week NHS England said it would be increasing testing from 5,000 to 10,000 a day, but on Tuesday the government’s chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, said 4,000 tests were being carried out daily.
On Thursday last week Johnson announced the start of the “delay” stage of the response, in which testing would be largely restricted to people ill in hospital. NHS staff were not on the list of groups who would be tested, and they were told to self-isolate if they had a consistent dry cough and fever. Many were alarmed by this, warning that if they became ill they could have infected other doctors and nurses who in turn might infect patients. The World Health Organization has consistently advised countries to test everyone suspected of infection and their contacts, saying this was key to China and South Korea having brought down their numbers of cases and deaths.
Boris Johnson has unveiled a series of hugely stringent new restrictions to slow what he said was the now-rapid spread of coronavirus in the UK, including a 14-day isolation for all households with symptoms, a warning against “non-essential” contact, including trips to pubs and clubs, and an end to all mass gatherings. See 6.15pm for a summary of Johnson’s unprecedented announcement. The UK government has promised to ramp up testing of suspected coronavirus cases, although the measures still fall significantly short of the levels called for by the World Health Organization (WHO). Major British manufacturers have been sent blueprints showing them how to make up to 20,000 ventilators to treat coronavirus patients in the event of an surge in cases. The Old Vic, The Institute of Contemporary Arts and the National Gallery are the latest British cultural institutions to close or postpone shows as the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the UK’s arts and culture sector spreads. World leaders at a G7 video summit told Donald Trump that medical firms must share and coordinate research on coronavirus vaccines rather than provide products exclusively to one country. That’s all from me for today. But for further coverage, do read our coronavirus outbreak live blog, which will be running all evening. It’s here.
It was concerning to read your story concerning MoD lobbying for reduced public notice of any UK drone testing (MoD clashed with civil regulator about drone flight warning to pilots, 10 March). The evolution of drones and the continued automation of weapons of war raise ethical and moral questions. It is a vital part of any democracy to have the right to protest. It is particularly important that issues of defence and security can be explored via public debate and challenged via, among other things, peaceful protest. After all, the purpose of any defence force is to keep the public safe, and so the public should be able to engage and interrogate the ways the state acts in its name. Richard Bickle Chair of trustees, The Fellowship of Reconciliation • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters • Do you have a photo you’d like to share with Guardian readers? Click here to upload it and we’ll publish the best submissions in the letters spread of our print edition
Hidebound by the electoral cycle, all too often governments are paralysed by the short term. The existential threats of extreme climate change, runaway technological “advancements” and global pandemics mean that now, more than ever, decision-makers must properly take account of the long-term effects their decisions will have on our children’s children (The importance of worst-case thinking, Journal, 6 March). With the eyes of future generations upon us, I am advancing a private member’s bill, the wellbeing of future generations bill, through parliament. My draft legislation – inspired by the work of Wales’ future generations commissioner, Sophie Howe – aims to root in sustainability and prevention at the heart of policymaking to ensure that the UK thinks and plans for the long term. I am encouraged by the cross-party support the bill is attracting, including the 72 MPs who signed the Big Issue’s future generations pledge (including each of the party leaders) at the last general election. The bill’s second reading on 13 March is a chance for peers to unite around our shared mission to safeguard the rights of future generations. Guided by a positive vision of the long-term future we should be trying to protect, I am hopeful that Mr Johnson’s administration will welcome this chance to level up opportunity between the generations – and act today for tomorrow. John Bird House of Lords • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters • Do you have a photo you’d like to share with Guardian readers? Click here to upload it and we’ll publish the best submissions in the letters spread of our print edition
In the summary of the life of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum (Profile: will reputation survive, 6 March), it is stated that “he studied at Cambridge.” Well, not quite. In 1966 he studied in Cambridge, at what was the Bell English language school (now the Bell Educational Trust). In the scale of the accusations against him, a triviality, though perhaps a relief for the University of Cambridge that the sheikh can’t claim alumnus status. He could, of course, if he hasn’t already, endow a chair in racehorse studies, with the Duke of Cambridge as patron. Bruce Ross-Smith Oxford • It’s fascinating that Boris Johnson cites the warrior queen Boudicca as one of the “five women who have shaped my life” (Pass notes, 5 March), given that she sought her redress by bringing intense violence against the British government and butchering innocent children, women and men in their thousands in St Albans, Colchester and London. Andrew Dailey Mold, Flintshire • At a funeral in a Welsh village church for a man who had loved trees and music, a fitting end to the service was Joyce Kilmer’s poem Trees sung by Paul Robeson, it was extremely moving (Tree of the week, G2, 9 March). Helen Evans Ruthin, Denbighshire • The composer Michael Tippett started making marmalade when he was 30 (Letters, 9 March). He said eating it helped ease a severe stomach complaint. He lived until he was 93. Leslie East Enfield, London • My wife has just panic-made 30 jars of marmalade. Julian Roberts Ilkley, West Yorkshire • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters • Do you have a photo you’d like to share with Guardian readers? Click here to upload it and we’ll publish the best submissions in the letters spread of our print edition
Alright folks, we’re signing off on what was an incredible International Women’s Day. Thousands of women and allies gathered in cities across the world to protest for women’s rights and protection against violence. Demonstrations were seen in over a dozen countries, from Pakistan to Argentina. For some, the risks of protesting were great. In many cities, women were often met with counter-protestors, sometimes in the form of riot police who used tear gas to disperse crowds. No matter the risk, women showed up and demanded to be heard, showing the fight for rights will continue well past this day for women.
Amber Rudd’s disinvitation by an Oxford University student society has been framed as yet another example of the free speech “crisis” on campus (Report, 7 March). It is no such thing; in fact, it has absolutely nothing to do with free speech, since the students’ protests were not directed at what she was planning to say or had said in the past, and indeed had nothing to do with her expressed views about anything. Nor was she even planning to speak about the topic over which the students were apparently protesting. Rather, they were concerned about her actions (or lack thereof) as home secretary in relation to the Windrush scandal. Her freedom to speak was therefore not denied; nor was she no-platformed, since no-platforming is about denying legitimacy and thereby normalising morally repugnant ideas and opinions. These distinctions matter, but this apparently doesn’t seem to matter to those who are determined to manufacture a free speech crisis at every opportunity and/or appear to know very little about free speech. Prof Anshuman Mondal University of East Anglia • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters • Do you have a photo you’d like to share with Guardian readers? Click here to upload it and we’ll publish the best submissions in the letters spread of our print edition
Keir Starmer, the Labour leadership frontrunner, has declined to rule out campaigning to rejoin the EU in the years ahead, saying it was a question for future generations. The shadow Brexit secretary said he did not think it was a “priority for now and the immediate future” and has previously said the question of leaving the EU is over. But when pressed to rule out advocating rejoining the EU in future, he said: “It’s for our kids to decide what our future relationship is.” Starmer was the only candidate not to rule out campaigning to reverse Brexit at a Labour hustings hosted by the Mirror in Dudley. Rebecca Long-Bailey was the candidate who posed the question to her two leadership rivals and she ruled it out herself. Lisa Nandy said: “I’d rule it out. We haven’t got the option, we’ve lost that right because we didn’t take the deal that ticked every box that we had about protecting close economic and political cooperation. We refused to do it.”
Starmer was instrumental in shifting Labour’s position in favour of a second referendum before the election. But he told the hustings that the party’s Brexit policy had not been the main factor in its election defeat. He told the hustings that if people think “we were cruising to victory but for Brexit then I’ll suggest they weren’t out there campaigning”. Starmer has previously said: “I don’t think there’s really any question of rejoining the EU. We’ve just left the EU. The leave-remain debate is over. The divide is over and we need to let it go. All of us, whichever way we voted.”
Layla Moran has revealed she plans to run for leadership of the Liberal Democrats, saying the party needs to “move on from the last decade”. The former teacher, who has been an MP since 2017, would mark a break from the party’s years in coalition with the Tories from 2010 to 2015. Speaking on Sky’s Ridge on Sunday, the MP for Oxford West and Abingdon said she would put climate change and electoral reform at the heart of her agenda. “I want to lead and empower the Liberal Democrats to fight for this future and to grow our support, so that we can make people’s lives better. I want the party to be in a position to win power within a generation, so that we can bring about the change our country so desperately needs,” she said. Moran, who recently came out as pansexual, has previously been critical of former leader Jo Swinson, saying the 2019 election campaign was “arrogant”. She had been expected to run for the leadership in 2019 but withdrew after it emerged she had slapped her then boyfriend in 2013 at the party’s conference. Her rivals are likely to include Ed Davey, the former energy secretary, who is currently acting leader and lost out to Swinson in 2019. The first candidate to declare was Wera Hobhouse, the MP for Bath since 2017, who entered the race saying she wanted a “clean break” with the coalition era. Other potential candidates include Daisy Cooper, the St Albans MP, who has only been an MP since December.