“Sunak wrote: “When I became Prime Minister last year, I pledged that the Government I lead would have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level. “That is why, following new information which came to light in recent days regarding your personal financial arrangements and declarations, I asked Sir Laurie Magnus, the Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests, to fully investigate this matter. You agreed and undertook to cooperate fully with the inquiry. “Following the completion of the Independent Adviser’s investigation – the findings of which he has shared with us both – it is clear that there has been a serious breach of the Ministerial Code. As a result, I have informed you of my decision to remove you from your position in His Majesty’s Government.”” – Sunday Telegraph
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“I guess, like many, I’ve been appalled by the debate surrounding Nadhim Zahawi. Again and again, commentary has focused on whether Rishi Sunak should have sacked him, how it will affect the Tory “brand” and other tactical ephemera. I think we need to wake up to what most of the public — whose trust in politics is at the lowest level yet recorded by Ipsos — can see: the creeping normalisation of corruption in public life… I am not referring to corruption in the traditional, criminal sense of the word. Indeed, the devastating irony is that this kind of shady activity can happen without any rules being flouted.” – Sunday Times
“Supporters of Boris Johnson claim they have been offered honours in exchange for their ‘good behaviour’ in the Commons while Rishi Sunak struggles to rein in Labour’s opinion poll lead. The MPs say that the promises of knighthoods and other gongs have been whispered to them in the Commons’ tearooms. One said: ‘No 10 is trying to disband the awkward squad who are very restless about Rishi’s failure to make any inroads into Starmer’s lead of 20-points plus. But they haven’t got long to turn it around.’ The claims come amid concerns from Mr Sunak’s allies that he could face a challenge from the Boris wing of the party if the local elections on May 4 are as bad as feared.” – Mail on Sunday
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“More than five years on, with more than four million people affected by the fallout and almost 700,000 residents still living in fire-risk flats all over Britain, he feels that weight. On the window sill in his Westminster office stands a framed photo of a Grenfell billboard: “Never forget.” After years of dithering, buck-passing and government delays, Gove is clamping down on the companies that profited from unsafe homes. Sitting in front of that photo, he makes a remarkable admission: “faulty and ambiguous” government guidance allowed the scandal to happen. Never before has a minister acknowledged this. Evidence to the Grenfell inquiry has shown that official guidance was widely seen to allow highly flammable cladding on tall buildings.” – Sunday Times
“Union bosses are risking children’s safety by insisting that their members keep headteachers in the dark about whether they will strike, the Education Secretary has said. Gillian Keegan has written to leaders of the National Education Union (NEU) ahead of the first day of industrial action next Wednesday, asking them to encourage teachers to alert school leaders if they intend to walk out. The NEU has advised its members to “ignore” any questions from headteachers about whether they intend to strike, on the basis they are not legally required to provide this information. However, education leaders have warned that this will force far more schools to close…” – Sunday Telegraph
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“More than half a million patients a year will be treated in “hospitals at home” in an attempt to relieve pressure on A&E departments. Under the plans, elderly and frail patients who fall will be treated by video link, with ministers saying that a fifth of emergency admissions could be avoided with the right care. Health officials said the “virtual wards” would be backed up by £14 billion in extra spending on health and care services over the next two years, as the NHS tackles record backlogs, with seven million people on waiting lists. Rishi Sunak said the Urgent & Emergency Care Recovery Plan, to be published on Monday, showed that the NHS was one of his “top priorities”.” – Sunday Telegraph
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“The Prime Minister is heading for a ‘civil war’ with the country’s most senior law officer over plans to hold migrants without a hearing into their claim and strip them of their right to claim asylum, senior Home Office sources say. With Tory MPs increasingly fearful that the Government’s failure to tackle the small boats crisis will cost them the next election, Rishi Sunak is planning to write the revolutionary measures into the forthcoming Illegal Migration Bill to overturn decades of asylum law. However, the sources say that Attorney General Victoria Prentis has warned No 10 that moves to allow migrants to be detained without having their case heard for three months – when the maximum permitted for terrorism suspects is 28 days – would ‘never get through the courts’.” – Mail on Sunday
“A new law to combat Just Stop Oil’s slow-walking protests is set to be blocked by Labour as peers prepare for a knife-edge vote on the Government’s plans. House of Lords sources said that it was “50-50” whether the proposals in the Government’s Public Order Bill would be passed when they come before peers on Monday. Chris Philp, the policing minister, issued an 11th-hour appeal to critics, saying it was the job of politicians “of all colours” to stand up for the law-abiding majority whose lives were seriously disrupted by such protests. Writing in The Telegraph, below, he said that the changes were requested by police and criticised opponents who labelled the measures anti-democratic.” – Sunday Telegraph
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“A majority of unionists would vote against the Good Friday Agreement if the referendum was held today, a new opinion poll has suggested. A LucidTalk poll for the Belfast Telegraph said that only one in three unionists in Northern Ireland now endorses the agreement as the 25th anniversary of the historic peace deal nears. The poll said that 64 percent of people in Northern Ireland would back the deal if another poll was held now. The results showed that while 95 percent of nationalists and 96 percent of Green Party and Alliance voters would vote yes, only 35 percent of unionists said they would do the same. The agreement, which led to the establishment of the Stormont Assembly, was backed by 71 percent of people across Northern Ireland in a referendum in 1998.” – Daily Express
>Today: ToryDiary: Why a rushed Protocol deal that tried to sidestep the Democratic Unionists would fail