No 10 refuses to back minister’s claim that PM’s Partygate fine similar to parking ticket – UK politics live | Politics

The Conservative MP Bob Seely informed Radio 4’s the World at One which Boris Johnson ought to ship “the mom of all apologies” when he addresses MPs this afternoon. However Seely additionally steered the lockdown guidelines had been extreme. He informed the programme:

I feel all of us make errors, clearly. However I do assume the mom of all apologies is the order of the day. And it’s fairly clear that No 10 workers didn’t assume they had been risking dying by having an finish of works drinks. Clearly the foundations imposed on us weren’t believed by some.

This morning Brandon Lewis, the Northern Eire secretary, steered that Boris Johnson’s wonderful for breaking Covid rules was like a parking ticket. (See 9.34am.) Lewis appeared to be in search of to minimise its seriousness (though he claimed he wasn’t), however he was in all probability engaged on the idea that folks do at the very least pay their parking fines.

Not Johnson. Because the Oxford Mail reported on the time, 15 years in the past Johnson wrote about how he merrily ignored the parking tickets he acquired when he was a pupil within the metropolis. His automobile was registered in Belgium, he defined, and so he was capable of work on the idea the foundations wouldn’t apply to him.

Scottish Energy’s chief government, Keith Anderson, informed the Commons enterprise committee this morning that the federal government ought to introduce a “social tariff” to guard vitality clients with pre-payment meters (who are usually poorer, and who usually pay extra for his or her vitality than different clients). He additionally accused the federal government of not doing sufficient to deal with the issues that vast worth rises are inflicting, and mentioned a “huge shift” in coverage was wanted.

These are from ITV’s Robert Peston on the listening to.

Listed here are the details from the Downing Road foyer briefing.

• No 10 refused to again Brandon Lewis’s declare that the wonderful levied on Boris Johnson for breaking lockdown guidelines was comparable in seriousness to a parking ticket. (See 12.27pm.) The PM’s spokesperson confirmed that Boris Johnson would cowl this in his assertion to MPs this afternoon, however he wouldn’t say what Johnson would inform the Commons, past reiterating what the prime minister mentioned on this final week.

• The spokesperson confirmed that, if Johnson receives additional fines over Partygate, the general public might be informed. Requested if additional fines can be adopted by additional statements to the Commons, the spokesperson mentioned that may rely on the circumstances, however that he would anticipate Johnson to remark publicly.

• Cupboard ministers had been informed that the subsequent part of the struggle in Ukraine might final a number of months, the spokesperson mentioned. Commenting on what occurred at this morning’s cupboard, the spokesperson mentioned:

The prime minister up to date cupboard on the most recent state of affairs in Ukraine. He mentioned Ukraine’s place remained perilous with Putin angered by defeats, however decided to say some form of victory whatever the human value. He mentioned this meant it was extra important than ever to extend world help …

Cupboard had been up to date by a senior nationwide safety official, who confirmed Putin was focusing his consideration on the Donbas area and that the subsequent part of the struggle was more likely to be an attritional battle, which might final a number of months. Russia would purpose to take advantage of its troop quantity benefit however Ukraine had already proven that this was unlikely to be decisive by itself. There are some indicators that Russia had not realized classes from earlier setbacks in northern Ukraine. And there was proof of troops being dedicated to the battle in a piecemeal vogue. Stories of poor Russian morale continued with claims of some troopers leaving items and refusing to battle.

The chief of the defence workers up to date cupboard on ongoing efforts to help the Ukrainian army. He mentioned different international locations, together with the US, had been increasing army assist to Ukraine and the UK continued to play a number one position, together with in sourcing appropriate gear from different international locations which might be used as a part of Ukraine’s defence.

• The spokesperson indicated that Johnson wouldn’t publicly criticise India for not distancing itself from Russia when he visits the nation later this week. India abstained final month within the United Nations vote condemning the Russian invasion, and in current weeks it has elevated imports of Russian oil. Requested what Johnson would do on his go to to steer India to steer it to seek out different sources of vitality, the spokesperson mentioned:

With regards to India and different democratically-elected international locations we expect the perfect strategy is to have interaction with them constructively, to attempt to broaden the alliance of democratic states in opposition to Russia.

We need to present different choices to international locations that are maybe extra depending on vitality and safety. That’s the strategy we expect might be best.

We don’t assume that pointing fingers or shouting from the sidelines are efficient methods of partaking with democratically-elected international locations.

• Johnson informed cupboard that he wished to get civil servants again within the workplace, moderately than working from dwelling. At cupboard Jacob Rees-Mogg, minister for Brexit alternatives and authorities effectivity, briefing colleagues on his plans to get civil servants again to their desks. Rees-Mogg “mentioned head to head working supplied clear advantages each to workers and to the general public and that it was vital all departments took motion to return to the pre pandemic place of full occupancy”, the spokesperson mentioned. He went on:

The prime minister agreed and inspired ministers within the division to do every thing potential to hurry up the return of extra civil servants into the workplace.

MPs will in all probability get a vote on Thursday on holding an inquiry into whether or not Boris Johnson lied to MPs about Partygate, the Mirror’s Pippa Crerar experiences.

The Commons authorities have confirmed that there might be three statements within the chamber this afternoon.

At 3.30pm: Priti Patel, the house secretary, on sending asylum seekers to Rwanda.

After 4.30pm: Boris Johnson on what’s being billed as a “authorities replace” (Ukraine and his partygate wonderful).

After 5.30pm: Kwasi Kwarteng, the enterprise secretary, on the vitality safety technique.

Usually the prime minister would go first, however Johnson can be taking part this afternoon in a name for worldwide leaders on the struggle in Ukraine, and his assertion has been scheduled round that. Joe Biden, the US president, may even be on the decision, alongside the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Poland, Italy, Romania, Japan, Nato and the EU.

On the Downing Road foyer briefing, which has simply ended, the prime minister’s spokesperson refused to help Brandon Lewis’s declare that the wonderful levied on Boris Johnson for breaking lockdown guidelines was much like a parking ticket. (See 9.34am.) Requested if the PM agreed with what Lewis mentioned, the spokesperson replied:

On this problem the prime minister might be making an announcement to the home and I feel, as a lot as potential, it’s proper that parliament hear from him first moderately than from me.

He’s talked about understanding the energy of feeling about this problem, which is why he has apologised, and totally respects the result of the police investigation.

Pressed a second time on whether or not Johnson agreed with the Lewis analogy, the spokesperson mentioned he had not requested the PM about this.

Requested if the experiences saying Johnson doesn’t imagine that he did something improper had been right, the spokesperson repeated the purpose about Johnson making an announcement later. He went on:

You’ve heard from the prime minister direct [in his statement last week] … He talks about [how] many will really feel that he fell quick “when it got here to observing the very guidelines which the federal government I lead had launched to guard the general public” and he accepts the general public had a proper to anticipate higher. And he totally respects the result and the choice the police have made.

Requested if Johnson himself is likely one of the many individuals who feels he “fell quick”, the spokesperson mentioned Johnson can be setting out his views himself later.

I’ll submit extra from the briefing shortly.

Vitality firm executives have been telling the Commons enterprise committee this morning that rising costs will result in a “important” enhance in gas poverty. My colleague Jasper Jolly is protecting the listening to on the enterprise dwell weblog right here.

Boris Johnson should have recognized events had been happening in Downing Road in breach of lockdown guidelines, Emily Thornberry, the shadow lawyer basic, informed the At present programme this morning. Requested to justify Labour claims that Johnson was mendacity when he informed MPs that the foundations had at all times been adopted and events had not taken place, she replied:

The sheer variety of events occurring at Quantity 10 frequently make it completely clear to any cheap particular person, not to mention the one that made the foundations, that these guidelines had been being damaged and so they had been being damaged consciously.

The truth that Dominic Raab mentioned that when he was in charge there weren’t any parties exhibits that folks knew there have been events occurring and he made certain that, when he was accountable for Quantity 10, when the prime minister was in hospital, that these types of issues stopped, I feel, once more makes it clear.

Thornberry additionally confirmed that the opposition events have been speaking to the Commons Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, about holding a vote on Johnson’s conduct this week. However she mentioned she might say extra in regards to the negotiations, that are confidential and ongoing. (As Erskine Could, the Commons procedural rulebook, makes clear, it’s for the Speaker to resolve whether or not to permit such votes, and MPs planning to desk a contempt movement are speculated to request permission privately, not in public.)

However Thornberry burdened that the result of any vote can be determined by Conservative MPs. She mentioned:

No matter means we take, the problem we are going to at all times have is that, for the reason that 2019 election, the Conservatives have an 80-seat majority when there’s a vote.

Until Conservative MPs can take a look at their consciences and vote the precise approach, we aren’t going to get the form of outcome that we must always get.

Until the prime minister seems to be to his personal conscience and decides that he ought to do the precise factor, we aren’t going to get the outcomes that we must always get and, frankly, the outcome that the general public need us to get, which is that this prime minister ought to go.

The UK will ship armoured anti-aircraft automobiles to Ukraine to assist Kyiv’s forces as they face a Russian onslaught within the nation’s east, PA Media experiences. PA says:

The Stormer automobile launches Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles which can be utilized to focus on planes and helicopters.

Boris Johnson is anticipated to talk to allies together with the US president, Joe Biden, at the moment to debate western help for Ukraine as Russian forces centered on capturing the Donbas area.

The availability of the Stormer to Ukraine comes after the UK invited Ukrainian generals to Salisbury Plain earlier this month to see the army equipment which might be accessible to them, together with armoured automobiles.

The availability of Stormers – reported by the Solar – has not but been formally confirmed, however defence secretary, Ben Wallace, is anticipated to replace MPs this week.

A defence supply mentioned: “It’s no secret that the UK has dedicated to serving to Ukraine with its anti-air capabilities. The defence secretary might be making an announcement to parliament this week.”

Labour has mentioned it could insulate 2m homes inside a 12 months to slash payments and scale back reliance on Russian fuel, accusing Boris Johnson of a “shameful” failure to cease Britain’s properties leaking warmth, my colleague Rob Davies experiences.

And listed here are some extra traces from the Keir Starmer’s interview with ITV’s Lorraine.

• Starmer mentioned it was “offensive” for No 10 to make use of the Ukraine struggle as a purpose to argue Boris Johnson needed to stay in workplace. He mentioned:

I don’t actually purchase into this concept, by the best way, that Johnson is the one particular person of any significance within the Ukraine disaster … He’s utilizing that, actually, as a defend and I feel that’s fairly offensive.

• He mentioned Tory MPs had been making a “big mistake” in the event that they thought the general public would simply neglect about Partygate. “I feel folks nonetheless discuss this, they actually harm about it,” he mentioned.

• He mentioned he believed Johnson had lied to parliament about it.

Keir Starmer has additionally ridiculed the declare that Boris Johnson’s wonderful for breaking lockdown guidelines was like a rushing ticket. In an interview on ITV’s Lorraine this morning, he mentioned:

I’ve by no means had anyone break down in entrance of me as a result of they couldn’t drive at 35mph in a 30mph zone; I’ve had no finish of individuals in tears – in actual bits – about complying with guidelines that actually, actually harm them.

In a reference to ministers like Brandon Lewis, Starmer mentioned there had been a “pathetic show of Tory MPs going out to defend the indefensible” and it was “one thing all of them must be ashamed of”.

In his in a single day story my colleague Aubrey Allegretti confirms that the native elections have change into the brand new Sue Grey report – the occasion being cited by Tory MPs because the second when they could take a choice about eradicating Boris Johnson. (“Now” by no means appears to be the precise time.)

In an interview on the At present programme, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, treasurer of the Conservative 1922 Committee, mentioned that his colleagues weren’t calling for the prime minister to go in the meanwhile as a result of “they’re withholding their judgment and ready to see what occurs”.

He mentioned he wished to see “all of the proof” which would come with whether or not extra fines are issued, what Sue Grey has to say when she publishes her remaining, full report into Partygate, and what the decision of the British folks is within the native authorities elections.

Triggering a management contest now can be a mistake, he mentioned. He defined:

At a time when hundreds of our constituents are dealing with the most important squeeze of their value of dwelling for a technology, when we face a bloody struggle in Europe the like of which we haven’t seen for the reason that second world struggle, once we are seeing a slowdown of the world financial system due to all of that – to power the prime minister out and have instability on the prime of presidency for at the very least two months, as I do know as treasurer of the 1922 once we re-selected a successor to Theresa Could, I feel can be not within the nation’s pursuits.

Ed Davey, the Lib Dem chief, has known as Brandon Lewis’s feedback this morning (see 9.34am) “an insult to bereaved households”. He mentioned in an announcement:

The justifications of Conservative ministers are getting extra pathetic by the day. There’s a huge distinction between getting a parking wonderful and Boris Johnson breaking his personal lockdown guidelines.

It’s an insult to bereaved households and all those that made big sacrifices whereas Johnson partied in Quantity 10. Conservative MPs want to find their ethical spine and sack Johnson as an alternative of defending the indefensible.

Good morning. It was mentioned that Boris Johnson was a politician who at all times refused to apologise for something. Whereas in some respects true (though most politicians are loth to problem an apology), it’s now not a helpful statement to make about Johnson as a result of he has now established fairly a considerable again catalogue of Partygate apologies. We are going to get one other addition to the gathering at the moment.

At present’s is more likely to be modelled on the assertion he made on digital camera at Chequers every week in the past at the moment which began:

At present I’ve acquired a fixed-penalty discover from the Metropolitan police regarding an occasion in Downing Road on 19 June 2020, and let me say instantly that I’ve paid the wonderful and I as soon as once more supply a full apology.

And in a spirit of openness and humility, I need to be fully clear about what occurred on that date.

Over the past week a few of Johnson’s aides and allies have been briefing journalists, with out attribution, that the wonderful doesn’t matter a lot as a result of it’s akin to a parking ticket, or a rushing offence. This morning. Brandon Lewis, the Northern Eire secretary, tried deploying this argument on the document. He informed Sky Information:

I feel we do see constantly, whether or not it’s via parking fines or rushing fines, ministers of each events over time have been in that place. We’ve had prime ministers up to now who’ve acquired penalty notices, from what I can see, and in addition frontbench ministers.

I noticed there was a parking discover that Tony Blair had as soon as. We’ve seen frontbench Labour ministers and, let’s be frank, authorities ministers as effectively.

You’ve requested me, can somebody who units the legal guidelines and the foundations, can additionally they be somebody who breaks the foundations. That clearly has occurred with a variety of ministers over time.

It was not clear what Lewis was referring to – Blair by no means drove a automobile when he was PM, so parking tickets had been a matter for his driver – however the folly of creating the parking/rushing ticket comparability had been highlighted when Lewis tried it once more an hour or so afterward the At present programme. He mentioned there had been instances up to now the place Labour or Conservative ministers got rushing fines (no point out of Blair and a parking ticket this time). When the presenter, Mishal Husain, requested him to make clear this, Lewis mentioned:

As I say, if any person will get a rushing ticket – and I’m not in any approach attempting to equate a rushing ticket that any person has had with the state of affairs of the sacrifices folks made via Covid, I’ll be actually clear about that …

Husain interrupted, telling Lewis: “You’ve truly actually simply accomplished that.” Later she informed him:

These had been guidelines that we had been informed we couldn’t even flex as a result of lives are at stake. This was a second of nationwide disaster wherein all our lives modified. And you’re primarily downplaying that by bringing in some spurious experiences that you just’ve heard with out even backing.

At this level Lewis retreated, falling again on his level that when Johnson informed MPs that the foundations had been following in No 10, he was saying what he believed to be true on the time.

Opposition social gathering MPs have ridiculed Lewis for his feedback. That is from the Inexperienced MP Caroline Lucas.

And that is from the Plaid Cymru MP Hwyel Williams.

Right here is my colleague Aubrey Allegretti’s in a single day preview story. Though there might be curiosity within the actual nature of Johnson’s newest apology, and the Tory response to it, the primary information at the moment is more likely to come when Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker, broadcasts how he’ll reply to opposition requires a debate on a movement about claims Johnson intentionally misled MPs. It appears we’re more likely to have a vote later this week on some type of contempt movement, both calling for an inquiry, or declaring outright that Johnson did deliberately mislead MPs. Given the dimensions of the Tory majority, Johnson is sort of sure to win, however the opposition events need to disgrace the MPs who should defend him.

Right here is the agenda for the day.

10.30am: Vitality corporations give proof to the Commons enterprise committee about vitality costs.

11.30am: Downing Road holds a foyer briefing.

After 3.30pm: Boris Johnson is because of make an announcement to MPs, protecting Ukraine and his wonderful for attending a shock party in No 10 in breach of lockdown guidelines.

Early night: Johnson is because of deal with a personal assembly of Conservative MPs.

I attempt to monitor the feedback beneath the road (BTL) however it’s not possible to learn all of them. When you’ve got a direct query, do embrace “Andrew” in it someplace and I’m extra more likely to discover it. I do attempt to reply questions, and if they’re of basic curiosity, I’ll submit the query and reply above the road (ATL), though I can’t promise to do that for everybody.

If you wish to entice my consideration rapidly, it’s in all probability higher to make use of Twitter. I’m on @AndrewSparrow.

Alternatively, you possibly can e mail me at andrew.sparrow@theguardian.com.