“Tory rebels have said that Boris Johnson’s handling of claims that a Conservative whip drunkenly groped two men has bolstered their efforts to oust him. Critics of the prime minister have told The Times that the scandal embroiling No 10 and Chris Pincher, the former deputy chief whip, means he is more likely to lose support within the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers. Rebels want to fill the executive of the committee with MPs who believe that Johnson should be replaced. Pincher, 52, resigned from the government on Thursday night and admitted having “embarrassed myself and other people” in the Carlton Club the night before. It took until Friday evening for Johnson to withdraw the whip from Pincher after he heard a first-hand account of the events from an MP and discovered that it had been reported to a parliamentary watchdog.” – The Times
“Backbenchers have launched a plot to oust him sooner than this by getting rebels elected to the 1922 Committee’s executive and then changing the rules to allow an earlier vote. At the moment, the chairman of the committee must receive 54 letters from MPs – representing 15 per cent of the parliamentary party – expressing their lack of confidence in the Prime Minister to trigger a vote. But there is a plan to add a new rule that would state that if 90 new letters – representing 25 per cent of the party – are submitted, it could trigger a new vote immediately rather than having to wait for the full year to elapse.” – Daily Telegraph
“Boris Johnson is under mounting pressure to reveal what he knew about allegations of inappropriate behaviour concerning Chris Pincher when he was appointed deputy chief whip. Labour chairwoman Anneliese Dodds has written to the PM seeking details on what No 10 knew of the claims. “Only Boris Johnson could have looked at this guy’s record and thought ‘he deserves a promotion’,” she said.” – BBC
>Yesterday:
“No sooner had Chris Pincher resigned as deputy chief whip last week than he announced he would seek “professional and medical support”. For when public figures are facing claims that they have abused their power these days, in this case after alleged sexual assaults, it is commonplace to blame a “medical condition” such as sex addiction. This refusal to take responsibility is the result of a shamelessness that benights our public life and wider society…We see it in society all the time: irresponsibility, shamelessness, and a confidence among those who do ill that they will get away with it.” – Nick Timothy, Daily Telegraph
“Britain will play a key role in rebuilding war-ravaged Ukraine, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is to pledge. It will coordinate plans and help raise cash from around the world. Funds from a summit hosted by the UK next year will be earmarked for repairing or replacing shattered buildings, restoring infrastructure and clearing mines.” – The Sun
>Today: John C Hulsman on Comment: Putin’s new war plan – Win Ugly. And wait for the liberal democracies to fall out among themselves
“Rules governing childminders and nurseries in England could be relaxed as part of a raft of proposals to reduce the escalating cost of childcare that is increasingly squeezing working families. The Department for Education announced on Monday it would consult on plans to change adult-child ratios for two-year-olds in nurseries from 1:4 to 1:5, a move it said could decrease childcare costs by up to 15 per cent.” – Financial Times
“Tory rebels are hatching a plan to sink Priti Patel’s Rwanda deportation policy, The Sun can reveal. Plotters are seeking an alternative after 3,042 illegal immigrants tried to cross the Channel in small boats last month. The One Nation supporting rebels aim to rip up the Rwanda plan and see Britain do a deal to let France process would-be migrants.” – The Sun
“Schools, hospitals, theatres and office buildings under construction must include separate lavatories for men and women, a government minister has ordered. Kemi Badenoch, the equalities minister, had been told that some schoolchildren were avoiding using gender-neutral lavatories because they did not want to share them with the opposite sex.” – The Times
“Sir Keir Starmer will on Monday signal that Labour is willing to fight Boris Johnson over his Brexit legacy at the next election, setting out a five-point plan to tackle the economic pain caused by Britain’s EU exit…Labour would seek a veterinary agreement with the EU to cut onerous agrifood checks, mutual recognition of product standards and a deal on mobility to facilitate short business trips and help artists tour in Europe.” – Financial Times
>Today: Columnist David Gauke: The case for a measured response to Blair’s conference from the right
“Labour was embroiled in a fresh row over gender last night after women’s groups claim they have been denied a stall at the party’s conference. The Labour Women’s Declaration (LWD), the women’s charity FiliA and the lesbian and gay charity LGB Alliance said their requests for a stand was turned down. The latter two charities, which are not politically affiliated, have been granted stalls at the Conservative and Liberal Democrat conferences. Labour has struggled with reconciling women’s and trans rights, with Sir Keir Starmer and his frontbenchers unable to define what a woman is.” – Daily Mail
“More than 22,000 crime suspects are on the loose after failing to appear in court, the Daily Mail can reveal today. Fugitives accused of assault, rape and even murder remain at large, sometimes decades after their alleged offences. Many are thought to be at their given addresses but police are too stretched to arrest them. The Mail investigation even managed to locate two suspects at their own homes.” – Daily Mail
Other political news
“The recent introduction of our Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill gives us the opportunity to make the UK the best place in the world to invest in agritech innovation. Through the Bill, we are going to remove unnecessary barriers inherited from the EU to enable the development and marketing of precision-bred plants and animals. We have the chance to breed disease-resistant crops and reduce reliance on pesticides. One example is virus yellows, a group of viruses that can cause yield losses of up to 50 per cent in sugar beet. Boosting resistance to those viruses would be a game changer and a study funded by UK Research and Innovation has identified several promising sources of genetic resistance that can be introduced through precision breeding.” – George Eustice, Daily Telegraph