“Boris Johnson has been referred to police by the Cabinet Office over new claims he broke lockdown rules after his ministerial diary revealed visits by friends to Chequers during the pandemic. The Cabinet Office has passed concerns to the Metropolitan Police and Thames Valley police after several visits to the prime minister’s grace and favour residence — as well as new allegations about his behaviour in Downing Street — were highlighted during preparations for a public inquiry into the pandemic. The privileges committee, which is investigating claims that Johnson misled parliament over lockdown-breaking parties, has been informed. Johnson was made aware of the concerns last week and has since written to the Cabinet Office denying rulebreaking.” – The Times
“Right-wing Conservative MPs are piling pressure on Rishi Sunak to clear Suella Braverman of wrongdoing, claiming that she was the victim of a political “witch-hunt” over her handling of a speeding offence. In a concerted effort to rally support for the home secretary, several Tory MPs spoke in the Commons in her defence…The prime minister has still to decide whether to ask the independent adviser on ministerial interests to investigate the claims more than 72 hours after they emerged. Braverman is accused of breaching the ministerial code…by asking civil servants to help her avoid a speeding fine…by arranging a private driving awareness course. Allies say she was simply asking for advice on the security arrangements of attending a course with other drivers.” – The Times
>Today:
>Yesterday:
“The head of Britain’s equality watchdog is being investigated by a senior lawyer over complaints made by colleagues. A king’s counsel (KC) has been called in by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to carry out an independent investigation into dozens of allegations made against its chair, Kishwer Falkner. The Guardian understands that 40 complaints have been made by 12 current or former staff members at the EHRC. The nature of the allegations has not been revealed by the watchdog but it said in a statement that it treats “allegations of bullying and harassment with the utmost seriousness…”. The Daily Mail… suggested she is the victim of a witch-hunt because of the position the watchdog has taken on trans rights under her leadership.” – The Guardian
“Inflation has fallen into single digits for the first time in eight months as the rising cost of living slows after last year’s energy crisis. The consumer prices index dropped to 8.7pc last month from 10.1pc in March, according to the Office for National Statistics. It is the first time it has been below 10pc since August last year and leaves inflation at its lowest level since March last year. The fall, which is the largest since the Bank of England began raising interest rates to tackle the cost of living crisis in 2021, comes as last April’s sky high rise in energy prices drops out of the calculation. The energy price cap jumped higher a year ago as wholesale prices rocketed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.” – The Daily Telegraph
“Britain’s food manufacturers have rejected government claims that they are stoking inflation by imposing unjustifiable price rises on consumers as they called on ministers to do more to support the sector. Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, yesterday called leading figures from the industry to the Treasury to warn them of “widespread concern” about the current level of food price inflation, which new figures show is running at more than 17 per cent. He called on them to do more to “ease the pressure on consumers” and said the government was “ready” to impose tough new pricing rules after an investigation by the Competition and Market Authority. But industry sources pushed back against the Treasury’s claims…” – The Times
“Rishi Sunak warns on Wednesday that “uncontrolled” legal migration risks leading to unmanageable pressures on housing, schools and hospitals. In an exclusive article for The Telegraph, the Prime Minister said he was committed to bringing down legal migration because when it was “too high and too fast” it was difficult for new arrivals to integrate into communities. The Government on Tuesday announced all foreign students except those doing postgraduate research would be barred from bringing family members to the UK from January 2024, a move that could reduce net migration by as much as 150,000. Figures to be published…by the Office for National Statistics are expected to show net migration…hit a record high of between 700,000 and one million for 2022.” – The Daily Telegraph
“I have a very clear view on immigration. It must be legal, it must be controlled and it must be fair. And fundamentally net migration needs to come down. My starting point is simple. It should be this country – and your Government – that decides who comes here… We will remove the right to bring dependents on the student visa route unless you are on a postgraduate research programme. The numbers suggest this might be being used by some as a loophole so we will close it… We will also look to explore alternative options for eligibility, including a system which differentiates between the quality of institutions… It’s a basic question of fairness and control…To me it is clear and unarguable: net migration is simply too high. I will bring it down.” – The Daily Telegraph
“Britain will pay Albania to take hundreds of prisoners back home to serve their sentences – saving taxpayers thousands of pounds. Twelve murderers, eight rapists and over 100 found guilty or drug or firearm offences are expected to be sent back to serve the rest of their sentences. Ministers have sealed a fresh deal with the Eastern European nation to send at least 200 of the most dangerous prisoners in English jails back to Albania. And they will help modernise the system to get them sent back quicker. They hope the prison transfer arrangement will help ease pressure on Britain’s overflowing jails, too. It is understood to include coke thug Erlin Hasa who stabbed a loving dad 62 times – landing him with a life sentence.” – The Sun
“A chemical weapons expert who was barred by the government from speaking at a conference because he criticised ministers has described the decision to exclude him as “sinister and pathetic”. Dan Kaszeta, 54, a specialist in nerve agents, was told this year that his invitation for the Chemical Weapons Demilitarisation Conference had been rescinded. The conference, sponsored by the Ministry of Defence, was to discuss technical details, such as which drill bits were best used to deactivate buried munitions. But Kaszeta’s political opinions were deemed sufficient to exclude him. Kaszeta is a world-renowned expert with three decades of experience in his field. He is a British citizen but is originally from the US and worked in the White House for 12 years.” – The Times
“All major government spending plans are to be dissected for fraud risks under plans to stop scammers from hoovering up taxpayers’ cash. A new team within Whitehall will “stress test” big funding pledges and check them for loopholes before the cash can be disbursed to the public. The reform has been introduced after the Treasury lost £4.5 billion to fraud during the Covid-19 pandemic, much of which is yet to be recovered. More than £21 billion has gone missing since the start of 2020, according to the National Audit Office, the bulk of which is “very unlikely” to be recovered. Ministers said the Government’s in-house anti-fraud squad, known as the Risk, Threat and Prevention Service, is the first of its kind in the world.” – The Daily Telegraph
“Facebook owner Meta is ‘turning a blind eye’ to an epidemic of child sexual abuse across its platforms, the security minister has warned. Tom Tugendhat launched a scathing attack on the tech giant yesterday over its decision to encrypt private messages which he said would ‘allow predators to operate with impunity’ on Facebook and Instagram. With law enforcement no longer able to spot or collect evidence of grooming, tens of thousands of children in the UK and around the world would be put at danger of exploitation, he warned… He added that social media sites like Facebook – which accounts for two thirds of the 32 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation in the US – were a ‘one-stop shop’ for predators.” – The Daily Mail
“People will need to have their national insurance number checked to obtain a postal vote as anti-fraud rules are extended. Identification requirements will also be toughened for proxy votes, with people who do not want to vote in person having to reapply more often. The changes come before a full analysis of the impact of photo ID rules…which were attacked by opposition parties as an attempt to reduce turnout among younger, poorer voters less likely to back the Tories. Dehenna Davison, the levelling up minister, said in a written statement that the government wanted “appropriate safeguards to reduce the opportunity for individuals to exploit the absent voting process and steal votes”. People can currently cast proxy ballots on behalf of any number of other voters…” – The Times
“Ron DeSantis will announce his 2024 presidential bid during a conversation with Twitter boss Elon Musk on Wednesday evening, according to reports. The Florida governor, 44, will release a launch video the same evening followed by a campaign blitz of the early voting states. Mr DeSantis will announce his long-anticipated White House campaign during an event hosted on Twitter by Mr Musk at 11pm in the UK (6pm Eastern Time), according to NBC and Fox News… It came as Mr DeSantis made a pitch to evangelical Christian voters by suggesting he could increase the US Supreme Court’s conservative majority over two presidential terms. He made an implicit contrast with Donald Trump, 76, who could only serve one more term if he is returned to the White House…” – The Daily Telegraph
“Labour is on course to take more than 20 Scottish seats from the SNP in a revival that could propel Sir Keir Starmer into Downing Street, new research suggests. The YouGov projections, using the same statistical model that successfully forecast the 2017 and 2019 UK general elections, found that Labour would regain many former central belt strongholds held by the nationalists since their historic 2015 landslide. The party would gain six of Glasgow’s seven Westminster seats, helping to increase its overall Scottish tally to 23, from one currently. Meanwhile, the SNP would win 27 Scottish seats, down from the 48 it won in 2019, according to the forecast. Such a result would prove a major boost to Sir Keir’s chances of becoming the next Prime Minister, experts said…” – The Daily Telegraph
“Women can “quite clearly” have a penis, the Lib Dems leader says. Sir Ed Davey raised eyebrows by backing Labour counterpart Sir Keir Starmer’s stance. Sir Ed said it was possible for a woman to have male genitalia as he called for more compassion for trans people. Tories accused Labour and the Lib Dems of forming an “anti-women alliance”. It also fuelled speculation about a pact if Sir Keir does not win a majority at the next general election. But, like the Labour chief, Sir Ed, 57, insisted it was only a “small number” of people… Grilled on the issue by a radio show listener he…defended trans people who were discriminated against and suffered mental health distress from not knowing what gender they felt comfortable in.” – The Sun