The former cabinet minister Dame Andrea Leadsom has blamed Boris Johnson for “unacceptable failings of leadership” over the partygate scandal. The former business secretary is the 40th Conservative MP to have publicly voiced their displeasure with the prime minister since he was fined by the Met for breaching lockdown rules in Downing Street, according to
Politics
The trickle of MPs publicly calling for Boris Johnson to resign is now a modest stream and gathering pace. And the dangerous thing is, the rebellion feels uncoordinated and therefore unpredictable. With the number of MPs openly questioning the prime minister‘s authority at 40, senior Conservatives are braced for the possibility of a vote of
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s own ethics adviser has asked him to explain why he believes he has not broken the ministerial code after being fined for a lockdown breach. Lord Geidt said there was a “legitimate question” over whether the code has been broken – which would normally mean a minister would have to resign.
A government consultation that could mean greater use of imperial measurements will be launched on Friday. In 2000, the EU weights and measures directive forced traders to use metric when selling packaged or loose goods such as fruit and veg. They can still use pounds and ounces but must also list grammes and kilos, except
Syrian and Afghan refugees are believed to be on the list of people set to be deported to Rwanda in a fortnight, charities have said. Zoe Gardner, head of policy and advocacy at the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI), said 15 Syrians have been told they will be sent to Rwanda in
The deputy prime minister has insisted there will not be a Boris Johnson leadership vote next week, saying the “Westminster bubble whips this stuff up”. Dominic Raab downplayed any threat to Mr Johnson’s premiership as the number of Conservative MPs publicly calling for him to go reached 41 in the wake of the Sue Gray
Boris Johnson has said he was “very, very surprised” to receive a fine for attending a lockdown-breaking gathering in Downing Street. The prime minister, talking to Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts, was questioned on issues from partygate and Northern Ireland to nappies and his favourite book to read to his children. Asked by a teacher why
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and deputy leader Angela Rayner have both received questionnaires from Durham Constabulary in relation to a potential breach of lockdown rules in April 2021. Sir Keir has come under pressure over an event in Durham in April 2021 with party colleagues when he was filmed having a drink and a
Another Conservative MP has submitted a letter of no confidence in Boris Johnson, making him the 28th Tory to publicly call for him to go over the partygate scandal. John Stevenson, MP for Carlisle, said he has been “deeply disappointed” in the rule-breaking parties at Number 10 and Mr Johnson’s response to parliament. He said
Tory staffers have come under pressure not to sign a letter calling for more stringent checks on those wishing to become an MP in light of the ongoing “pestminster” scandal, Sky News can reveal. The letter, organised by Angus McVean and Henry Dixon-Clegg, is addressed to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Conservative Party chairman Oliver Dowden
A former cabinet minister has become the latest Conservative MP to publicly call for Boris Johnson to resign in the wake of the partygate scandal. Jeremy Wright, who was culture secretary and attorney general under Theresa May, posted a statement on his website saying “accountability and restoring faith in good government” required more than apologies
The culture secretary has called on UEFA to launch a formal investigation into violent scenes in Paris that delayed the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid. The size of the crowd outside the Stade de France on Saturday evening appeared to overwhelm security, with many supporters waiting outside for hours, while others were
Boris Johnson is poised to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with a post-Brexit pledge to bring back pounds and ounces in Britain’s shops. Whitehall sources have told Sky News he will announce on Friday that imperial measurements are to be revived as part of a bonfire of EU regulations. His promise of legislation will be
Boris Johnson is facing twin allegations of a partygate cover-up, with opposition leaders accusing him of “behaving like a tinpot despot”. The Liberal Democrats claim reports that Downing Street put pressure on Sue Gray to dilute her report reveal an attempt to cover up “lies and law-breaking”. And Labour is to force a Commons vote
Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said he will not be silenced by the far right after a “vile racist” was found guilty of sending the MP a death threat. Glenn Broadbent sent the Labour Tottenham MP a Twitter message that said: “Are you hanging off a tree monkey boy? You will hang from a
A drip feed of no confidence letters in Boris Johnson has continued as pressure grows following the Sue Gray report into partygate. There has been a steady trickle of Conservative MPs publicly calling for the PM to go after senior civil servant Ms Gray published her findings into lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street and Whitehall.
The final remaining COVID restrictions are expected to be lifted in Wales, the government has said. Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford will announce the update on Friday, with the restrictions to be removed from Monday, 30 May. Wales moved to alert level 0 in January and the majority of measures were removed in March. But
The Metropolitan Police acted with “integrity” during its partygate investigation and officers made decisions “based on the facts and were proper”, the force’s acting commissioner has said. Sir Stephen House, giving evidence to the London Assembly’s police and crime committee, defended the nearly four-month investigation into lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street and Whitehall. The investigation
Sky’s Beth Rigby speaks to Conservative minister Jacob Rees-Mogg about the cost of living crisis, partygate, and not being able to cook. Plus, Beth’s analysis of the week’s big stories and more of your emails with producer Mollie Malone. Follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker Advertisement
Rishi Sunak, a devotee of Nigel Lawson, believes in a smaller state, curbing borrowing, lower taxes and combating inflation. Yet again, he delivered a major fiscal announcement where he did the opposite. Today’s £15 billion spending splurge expanded the role of the state with the advent of one-off financial transfers, could stoke inflation, add to