Johnson may not replace ethics adviser
“Boris Johnson is considering not replacing Lord Geidt as his ethics adviser after he suddenly quit, accusing the prime minister of preparing “a deliberate and purposeful breach of the ministerial code”. Geidt, a former private secretary to the Queen, is the second independent adviser on ministerial interests to resign in protest at Johnson’s behaviour in under two years. Downing Street said this afternoon that Johnson would conduct a review into the “vitally important” function performed by the adviser before deciding whether to replace him… The prime minister’s official spokesman said that he would take time to “carefully consider” how best to fulfil the role of ensuring “rigorous oversight and scrutiny of ministerial interests”.” – The Times
- Ethics chief accuses Prime Minister of plotting ‘deliberate’ breach of code – The Sun
- Peston forced into ‘humiliating climbdown’ after false claims – Daily Mail
Comment:
- Whitehall can no longer rely on the ‘good chap’ theory of government – Sebastian Payne, FT
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Another one bites the dust
Ellis calls for Harriet Harman to stand down as chair of Partygate inquiry
“A senior minister appeared to pile pressure on the chair of an upcoming Partygate inquiry to stand down, as he questioned her suitability to conduct the investigation fairly. Michael Ellis, the paymaster general, suggested Labour’s Harriet Harman should not lead the investigation into whether Boris Johnson misled parliament by repeatedly denying Covid rules were broken at law-breaking No 10 parties. The privilege committee’s previous chair, Chris Bryant, recused himself for having been an avid Johnson critic. While the committee has a Conservative majority… Ellis sought to discredit the possibility it could be seen to handle the subject fairly.” – The Guardian
- Labour accused of hypocrisy over steel row that led Geidt to quit – Daily Telegraph
Agency workers will replace striking rail staff, Shapps says
“Ministers will put agency workers on the railways if strikes drag on, the transport secretary has said. Grant Shapps insisted the government will “look at a full range of options” to deal with future strikes including legislation to allow agency staff to fill roles during walkouts. Speaking at a rail depot in north London, he said people with “transferable skills” could be employed… Ministers are also said to be looking at bringing in “minimum service levels”, which will prevent unions from being able to shut down the entire network.” – The Times
- Transport Secretary warns strikes risk thousands of job losses – FT
- Blocking medics and patients getting to hospital could prove fatal – Daily Mail
Say ‘women’ not ‘people with ovaries’, Javid orders NHS
“Sajid Javid is prepared to wage war against gender-free language after he demanded the NHS stop dropping the word ‘women’ from its online health advice. The minister, 52, has repeatedly said he does not agree with the health service removing the word from its ovarian cancer guidance webpage. ‘Women’ does not appear in the overview of the disease on the NHS.uk website, instead being replaced with the ambiguous and gender-neutral term ‘anyone’. The word first appears on the third page of the ovarian cancer section of the website.” – Daily Mail
>Today: Georgia L Gilholy’s column: Conservatives must comprehensively reject the latest anti-smoker crusade
Plans to prevent Strasbourg court from Rwanda-style interventions
“The UK is planning legislation to make it easier to disregard European Court of Human Rights injunctions after the Strasbourg court blocked the first flight of asylum seekers to Rwanda this week. The move would potentially avoid the disruptive elements of a full-blown British withdrawal from the Court and the underpinning European Convention on Human Rights — a step Boris Johnson recently hinted at. But it would also limit the court’s ability to issue interim orders such as the one that grounded the Rwanda flight.” – FT
- New laws to be revealed ‘in days’ – The Sun
- British Bill of Rights designed to restrain Strasbourg judges – The Times
More:
- Rape courts pilot in England dismissed as ‘gimmick’ amid low conviction rates – The Guardian
>Yesterday: Professor Richard Ekins in Comment: The Government should reject this European Court decision – and press on with those Rwanda migrant flights
Northern Tories warn Boris Johnson he must slash taxes or risk losing the Red Wall
“Northern Tory MPs will today warn Boris Johnson he must cut taxes or risk losing the party’s Red Wall seats. The Prime Minister will visit Doncaster to attend a conference of the Northern Research Group (NRG) of backbench Conservatives. In a speech, the group’s chairman Jake Berry will tell him: ‘It’s time to stop talking about being the party of low tax, it’s time to be the Government of low tax.’ He will call on devolved mayoral authorities in the North to be given the power to cut local taxes, promoting competition between regions.” – Daily Mail
- Can the Conservatives keep the ‘blue wall’ from crumbling? – FT
- Wakefield by-election: we can regain trust like GPs did after Shipman, says Tory – The Times
- Election guru Lynton Crosby attending morning meetings – The Guardian
More:
- Allies fret that Starmer’s caution hampers Labour’s hopes of governing – FT
- Angry peers demand Downing Street is sent to the North instead – The Sun
>Today: Lord Ashcroft in Comment: My focus groups in both by-election battlegrounds find the Tory vote roughly halved on 2019
Frost drops strong hints he could stand to become a Tory MP
“Lord Frost has given his strongest indication yet that he plans to stand to become a Tory MP at the next general election, but said he will only do so if Boris Johnson cuts taxes. The former Brexit minister, who is from Derby, announced he would prefer a seat in the East Midlands and insisted he would only run for the House of Commons “if people want me to go for it”. In an interview, he said the Government did not “seem to have a plan and people can sense that”. He called for the Prime Minister to return to a traditional Conservative agenda.” – Daily Telegraph
- Rees-Mogg’s department quietly quadruples in size – The Times
- Northern Ireland at risk from Britain’s ‘unsafe goods’, says EU – Daily Telegraph
>Yesterday:
- Stephen Booth’s column: Brexit is a process, not an event. It’s far too early to judge whether it’s working.
- John Longworth in Comment: The Prime Minister has an opportunity to go for growth. He must not waste it.
UK throws weight behind £3.5bn package to rebuild post-war Ukraine
“The UK has thrown its weight behind a new £3.5bn support package to rebuild Ukraine. This comes ahead of the UK-Ukraine Infrastructure Summit, taking place in London tomorrow. The high level talks, centred around how the international community can help rebuild Ukraine after the war, will see representatives from Ukraine attend alongside key business leaders. Anne-Marie Trevelyan is expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ukraine, confirming the UK’s support for future reconstruction efforts.” – Daily Express
- Russia has already ‘strategically lost’ the war, head of Britain’s Armed Forces insist – Daily Mail
- EU to give fast-tracked opinion on Kiev bid – The Guardian
Government paves the way for renters to own pets
“Landlords and tenants across Britain had a rare moment of joint celebration today after the Government paved the way for renters to own pets without causing massive risk for property owners. Housing Secretary Michael Gove’s Renters Reform Bill could allow tenants to have a legal right to keep a pet while landlords could request people living in their properties to take out insurance for damage caused by animals… Law changes in 2019 made it illegal for landlords to ask tenants to take out insurance for damage caused by pets as part of their tenancy agreement.” – Daily Mail
- Levelling Up Secretary warns that ministers can’t help everyone with cost of living… – The Times
- …and backs education reform – The Times
News in Brief:
- Rwanda case exposes the perils of lawfare – Lee Rotherham, CapX
- Has the Tory left deserted Northern Ireland? – Owen Polley, The Critic
- France could plunge the eurozone into its next crisis – John Keiger, The Spectator
- The paranoia driving office politics – Kat Rosenfeld, UnHerd