Boris Johnson resignation – latest: Ex-PM declares ‘I’ll be back’ as report on lying to parliament looms

Boris Johnson has pledged that he will return to frontline politics as he vowed: “I’ll be back.”

Just hours after officially resigning as an MP, he pledged he would push the Tory party “to fully deliver on Brexit and on the 2019 manifesto”.

It comes after an escalating war of words between the ex-PM and Rishi Sunak on Monday. Mr Johnson accused the prime minister of “talking rubbish” after Mr Sunak said his predecessor asked him to overrule the vetting committee for appointments to the House of Lords.

Earlier on Monday, Rishi Sunak alleged the former prime minister asked him to “do something I was not prepared to” by overruling the approval committee for peerages.

Taking questions at the London Tech Week conference, Mr Sunak said he was asked to “overrule the Holac (House of Lords Appointments Commission) committee or to make promises to people.”

“Now, I wasn’t prepared to do that. I didn’t think it was right and if people don’t like that, then tough.”

Key Points

• Boris Johnson formally resigns as MP

• Rishi Sunak: ‘Boris Johnson asked me to do something that I wasn’t prepared to do’

• Keir Starmer tells Rishi Sunak to ‘find a backbone’ and call snap election

• ‘Shut up and go away’, Tory MP says of Boris Johnson

• Tories 'don't miss the drama' of Boris Johnson, says Grant Shapps

• Boris Johnson resigns: statement in full

‘Weird’ for Boris career to be destroyed, says ex-spin doctor

10:08 , Eleanor Noyce

Former No 10 communications director Guto Harri said “miscommunication” was to blame for the feud between Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak over his honours.

“I don’t think Rishi Sunak was trying to be malicious or malevolent, I don’t think Boris Johnson was careless,” he told TalkTV. Mr Harri said “something got lost in translation”, adding: “It’s all gone a little bit of horribly wrong.”

Asked about the privileges committee’s Partygate report – set to find Mr Johnson deliberately misled parliament – Mr Harri said: “Forgive me if I think it’s a bit weird if he settled a £50 fine by police, but allow a committee ruled by a former Labour leader to destroy what’s left of his career.”

Covid inquiry to look at Brexit impact on pandemic

09:37 , Tara Cobham

The Covid inquiry will examine the impact of Brexit on Britain’s readiness for the virus and the government’s handling of the pandemic.

Two years after then-PM Boris Johnson announced a public inquiry would be set up, chairwoman Baroness Hallett will officially begin the first day of evidence on Tuesday.

The first module – investigating the country’s preparedness for the crisis – will include evidence on “any impact arising from the UK’s departure from the European Union”.

Adam Forrest reports:

Covid inquiry to look at Brexit impact on pandemic

Nadine Dorries calls Rishi Sunak a 'privileged posh boy'

09:20 , Tara Cobham

Boris Johnson ‘will be found to have deliberately misled parliament’

09:00 , Tara Cobham

Boris Johnson will reportedly be found on Wednesday to have deliberately misled MPs over parties in Downing Street during the pandemic.

The Privileges Committee has rejected the former prime minister’s defence that senior officials advised him Covid rules and guidance had been followed in No 10, according to the Times.

But Mr Johnson – who resigned on Friday after receiving the group’s report – struck a defiant tone, quoting Arnold Schwarzenegger as he told the Daily Express: “I’ll be back.”

The ex-MP accused the committee of “bias” and likened it to a “kangaroo court” in a furious 1,000-word exit statement after receiving a draft of its findings.

The panel, chaired by Labour MP Harriet Harman but with a Conservative majority, found that one of his most senior officials in fact warned him against claiming social distancing guidelines were followed at the gatherings, the Times reported.

The committee’s report is also expected to make clear that criticism of the committee should be considered contempt of parliament after Mr Johnson and his allies dismissed the inquiry as a “witch hunt”.

Downing Street defended the group for having done “exactly what parliament asked them to do” while senior Tory MP Damian Green said it was “monstrous” the committee was being attacked for their work.

Boris Johnson ‘pushed Sunak to knight father Stanley’ in crunch meeting with PM

08:40 , Tara Cobham

Boris Johnson is said to have pressed for his father Stanley to be given a knighthood during his crunch talks with Rishi Sunak on his honour list.

The former prime minister told his successor his dad should be honoured for his work for the Conservatives and the environment, according to The Times.

Frustrated at his father being cut from the list, Mr Johnson is said to have argued that it was customary for family members to be recognised in a PM’s resignation honours.

But No 10 is said to have worried about how handing Stanley Johnson a knighthood would be perceived. A government source told the newspaper: “It just would have looked terrible.”

Adam Forrest reports:

Boris Johnson ‘pushed Sunak to knight father Stanley’ in crunch meeting

‘Posh boys’ at No 10 blocked my peerage, says Nadine Dorries

08:22 , Tara Cobham

Nadine Dorries has claimed “posh boys” – Rishi Sunak and his adviser James Forsyth – were behind moves to “duplicitously and cruelly” block her from getting a peerage.

She used an interview with TalkTV to launch a fresh attack on the PM, claiming he used “weasel words” and “sophistry” in a meeting with Mr Johnson last week which left the outgoing MP believing she would be included.

“I’m broken-hearted, not just for me but for everyone who comes from a background like mine,” she said.

The ex-culture secretary claimed Mr Johnson’s own background is not a fair comparison because he attended Eton on a scholarship and has “no money”.

‘“Gentlemen” like Boris Johnson are over. Instead, all hail the true gent'

08:00 , Tara Cobham

It’s sad that when most people write about the East End of London today, it’s done in relation to lattes, frappes, fancy flats and pricey olives. The reality is a bit different. For example, there’s still a really potent cockney presence in the area that scarcely gets talked about. It’s a living, breathing force of actual pride, which manifests in fabulously unsubtle ways: pearly queens getting gently mobbed, for example, or the occasional old-school cockney funeral passing by – featuring all the trimmings such as plumed horses and wooden carriages.

It was seeing one of those grand spectacles pass by a few years ago that set me off on a wild train of thought, inspired by a flower arrangement in a hearse that just read “A True Gent”. What is “a true gent”, I wondered. How is it different to just calling someone a gentleman? Why did that phrase feel so profound in the context of a lavish cockney funeral, in a way it wouldn’t in some tepid marketing spiel or tabloid headline? Bear with me, I think I’ve cracked it.

Oliver Keens writes:

‘Gentlemen’ like Boris Johnson are over. Instead, all hail the true gent

ICYMI: Johnson says Sunak’s ‘talking rubbish’

07:39 , Tara Cobham

Boris Johnson has accused Rishi Sunak of “talking rubbish” over his House of Lords nominations as the increasingly bitter feud between the prime minister and his predecessor descended into open warfare.

The astonishing clash came as the former Tory leader faces the final reckoning of his political career after a Commons committee finalised its Partygate report – expected to find that the former PM deliberately lied to parliament about lockdown parties.

Senior Tories expect the damning privileges committee findings to finish off any hopes of a comeback, telling The Independent that it would mark “the end of the circus”.

However, Mr Johnson threatened just that on Monday, telling The Express newspaper: “As the great Arnold Schwarzenegger said, I’ll be back.”

Adam Forrest and Archie Mitchell report:

Boris Johnson: Sunak’s ‘talking rubbish’ – I didn’t ask PM to bend honours rules

Boris Johnson ‘bullied’ prime minister over peerages

07:00 , Namita Singh

Boris Johnson “bullied” the prime minister into accepting his appointment of allies to the House of Lords, parliament has been told.

Former London mayoral candidate Sean Bailey, who was photographed with Tory aides at a mid-lockdown social gathering, was among seven nominees put forward for a peerage as part of the former PM’s resignation honours list.

Others joining the unelected chamber are high-profile Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen and former No 10 chief of staff Dan Rosenfield.

However, former culture secretary Nadine Dorries and ex-minister Nigel Adams were not among them.

Mr Johnson’s camp accused Rishi Sunak of having “secretly blocked” their peerages, amid a public spat between the current and former prime ministers.

In response, Ms Dorries and Mr Adams both announced they were immediately standing down as MPs - triggering by-elections.

Pointing to the prospect of the new intake to the upper chamber, Labour former minister Lord Foulkes of Cumnock told parliament: “We will have an influx of new talent into this House - all of whom, sadly, appallingly and disgracefully, will be Conservative members, with no new opposition peers at all.

“This list, put forward by Mr Boris Johnson, who bullied the prime minister into accepting it, is very interesting in many ways.”

Voices of those who suffered most to be heard as Covid inquiry begins

06:00 , Namita Singh

The voices of some of those who suffered most in the pandemic will be heard as the UK Covid-19 Inquiry officially begins its first day of evidence.

Two years after then-prime minister Boris Johnson announced a public inquiry would be set up, chairwoman Baroness Heather Hallett will formally open the first substantive hearing on Tuesday.

Following her statement, a video featuring people from across the UK sharing their experiences of loss will be played to those gathered at the hearing centre in west London.

A statement from the inquiry team ahead of the opening warned the film of “some of those who suffered most during the pandemic” may be “difficult to watch”.

More here:

Voices of those who suffered most to be heard as Covid inquiry begins

‘Johnson was warned against claiming social guidelines were followed’

05:30 , Namita Singh

Boris Johnson accused the Privileges Committee of “bias” and likened it to a “kangaroo court” in a furious 1,000-word exit statement after receiving a draft of its findings.

The panel, chaired by Labour MP Harriet Harman but with a Conservative majority, found that one of his most senior officials in fact warned him against claiming social distancing guidelines were followed at the gatherings, the Times reported.

According to the paper, Martin Reynolds, Mr Johnson’s principal private secretary at the time, advised him in December 2021 that he should remove a claim from a statement to the Commons that “all guidance had been followed at all times”.

The aide reportedly questioned “whether it was realistic to argue that all guidance had been followed at all times”.

Mr Johnson is said to have removed the line from his opening statement, but repeated the assertion during a debate later – which the committee reportedly views as evidence MPs were deliberately misled.

Privileges Committee finds Johnson deliberately misled parliament – report

05:00 , Namita Singh

Boris Johnson will reportedly be found on Wednesday to have deliberately misled MPs over parties in Downing Street during the pandemic.

The Privileges Committee has rejected the former prime minister’s defence that senior officials advised him Covid rules and guidance had been followed in No 10, according to the Times.

But Mr Johnson – who resigned on Friday after receiving the group’s report – struck a defiant tone, quoting Arnold Schwarzenegger as he told the Daily Express: “I’ll be back.”

Report:

Privileges Committee finds Boris Johnson deliberately misled Parliament – report

Labour and Lib Dem cooperation key to defeating Tories at by-elections, top polling guru says

02:00 , Joe Middleton

Cooperation between Labour and the Liberal Democrats could be key to defeating Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives in a slate of upcoming by-elections, a top political scientist has said.

Sir John Curtice said tactical voting would be crucial in the seats up for grabs after Boris Johnson and two other Tory MPs quit the Commons.

Mr Sunak is facing three difficult electoral tests in Mr Johnson’s former West London seat of Uxbridge and West Ruislip, as well as in the constituencies of Mid-Bedfordshire and Selby and Ainsty.

Labour and Lib Dem cooperation key to beating Tories at by-elections, poll guru says

UK should be 'grateful' for what Boris Johnson did as PM, says Michael Gove

01:00 , Joe Middleton

Where does Nicola Sturgeon live? Former SNP leader arrested over financial scandal

Monday 12 June 2023 23:59 , Joe Middleton

Nicola Sturgeon has been released without charge pending further investigation after she was arrested as part of a probe into the SNP’s finances.

The former party leader has said she was “shocked and distressed” by the arrest on Sunday, stressing that “I know beyond doubt that I am in fact innocent of any wrongdoing’’.

It is the latest development in Police Scotland’s ongoing investigation into alleged financial irregularities within the party, known as Operation Branchform.

All we know about arrested Nicola Sturgeon’s home searched during fraud probe

Drop culture war battles, Penny Mordaunt tells Tories

Monday 12 June 2023 23:00 , Joe Middleton

Cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt admitted the Conservative party had not been true to itself or the UK’s values in “recent history” as she urged the Tories to drop its culture war obsession.

The former leadership contender urged her party to spend less time on divisive issues and focus on “building more and taxing less” during an appearance at a Margaret Thatcher conference in London on Monday.

Arguing that the electorate had not yet “sealed the deal” with Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour, Ms Mordaunt said: “I think there’s all to play for and I think that historic fifth term is within our grasp.

Drop culture war battles, Penny Mordaunt tells Tories

The fall of Boris Johnson: How we got here and what comes next

Monday 12 June 2023 22:15 , Joe Middleton

In the fog of the Tory civil war it’s good to know how we got here, writes Sean O’Grady

The fall of Boris Johnson: How we got here and what comes next

Boris Johnson pledges: “I’ll be back”

Monday 12 June 2023 21:42 , Joe Middleton

Boris Johnson has pledged that he will return to frontline politics and vowed: “I’ll be back.”

Speaking to the Daily Express, Mr Johnson said he intends to push the Tory party “to fully deliver on Brexit and on the 2019 manifesto”.

He added: “We must smash Labour at the next election. Nothing less than absolute victory and total Brexit will do – and as the great Arnold Schwarzenegger said, I’ll be back.”

It comes after an escalating war of words between the ex-PM and Rishi Sunak. Mr Johnson accused the prime minister of “talking rubbish” after Mr Sunak said his predecessor asked him to overrule the vetting committee for appointments to the House of Lords.

Dorries resigned due to ‘sheer audacity’ of Chief Whip

Monday 12 June 2023 21:23 , Joe Middleton

Nadine Dorries said the “significant thing” that made her resign was the “sheer audacity” of Chief Whip Simon Hart when he contacted her about the honours list.

“It was the sheer audacity of the Chief Whip thinking that at my age having worked in Parliament for 21 years, serving 18 years on the back benches, having been a minister during Covid... having been a secretary of state, that he can dangle out to me some kind of stick and carrot, like ‘be a good girl and we’ll make sure something’s sorted for you in the future’, which is basically what he was saying to me. That for me, and that moment, was what made me change my mind,” she told TalkTV.

She said she was “broken-hearted” that a woman from her background had had the appointment taken away from her “by two privileged posh boys who went to Winchester and Oxford, duplicitously and cruelly.”

Nadine Dorries claims she was ‘bullied’ by No 10

Monday 12 June 2023 21:22 , Joe Middleton

Nadine Dorries said she has been “bullied” by No 10 and decided she “can’t allow that to happen”.

She denied “knifing the party” by triggering a by-election in her constituency,” telling TalkTV: “I think you come to a point in life when you have to stop, when you can’t just be pushed around, when you can’t allow people to bully you, as I’ve just been bullied by No 10. You can’t allow that to happen, you have to stand up for yourself, and that’s what I did.”

The former culture secretary added: “It was a painful decision ... I didn’t want to cause a by-election.”

Rishi Sunak: Boris Johnson 'asked me to do something I wasn't prepared to do'

Monday 12 June 2023 21:00 , Joe Middleton

Sunak ‘set to block Boris Johnson from standing again as Tory MP’

Monday 12 June 2023 20:22 , Joe Middleton

Rishi Sunak will block any attempts that Boris Johnson makes to stand again to become a Tory MP, according to reports.

The prime minister and Mr Johnson engaged in an escalating war of words today over the former prime minister’s failure to get a number of close allies elected to the House of Lords.

A Tory source told The Guardian: “It’s the leader who is in charge of the party. Why would Rishi let Boris on to the candidate list?

“It’s pretty obvious to me that he won’t. The party needs to move forward from this clown show. The vast majority of MPs agree.”

We mustn’t let AI cause a repeat of 1980s job losses - Starmer

Monday 12 June 2023 20:08 , Joe Middleton

Sir Keir Starmer has vowed not to allow Artificial Intelligence (AI) cause a repeat of widespread job losses seen during Margaret Thatcher’s deindustrialisation of the 1980s.

Writing for The Independent, the Labour leader insisted that AI “must work for working people” – pledging a revolution in skills and training so Britain to avoid a major spike in employment.

“We must also learn from the deindustrialisation of the 80s and tech revolution of the 90s, a time when manual and clerical jobs were being automated or sent abroad to be done in other countries,” said Sir Keir.

Starmer vows not to let AI lead to job losses of Thatcher era

Boris ‘pulling out the bricks’ as he leaves, says William Hague

Monday 12 June 2023 19:42 , Joe Middleton

Fellow Tory leader William Hague also condemned Boris Johnson and his camp in his latest Times column – saying cries of “witch-hunt” against the privileges committee were “highly inaccurate and insulting”.

Lord Hague attacked Mr Johnson’s “sadly irredeemable flaws”, saying: “The most serious of those has been a tendency to damage the institutions around him. Even as he bolts out of the door, Boris pulls out a few bricks from the wall of another vital institution, parliament.”

Farage invited Boris to join forces with him

Monday 12 June 2023 19:36 , Joe Middleton

Nigel Farage has invited Boris Johnson to join forces with him and the Reform Party and claimed they would have to re-fight the battle for Brexit if a Labour government wins the next election.

Speaking on GB News he said: “There’s an open civil war now going on between Sunak and Johnson. I thought the Sunak comment, about the honours list and why some of them weren’t accepted, was Sunak saying, ‘he didn’t think it was right’. He’s kind of saying, Johnson’s dodgy. This is turning very, very nasty now.”

He added: “If Johnson wants a future involved in active politics, and wants to try and fight for the Brexit legacy, which if there is a big Labour majority, could be game on again as far as Brexit is concerned, he’s got to consider doing something outside of the Conservative Party and that was why I talked about Reform.”

EXCLUSIVE: Starmer vows not to let AI lead to job losses of Thatcher era

Monday 12 June 2023 19:19 , Joe Middleton

Sir Keir Starmer has vowed not to allow Artificial Intelligence (AI) cause a repeat of widespread job losses seen during Margaret Thatcher’s deindustrialisation of the 1980s.

Writing for The Independent, the Labour leader insisted that AI “must work for working people” – pledging a revolution in skills and training so Britain to avoid a major spike in employment.

“We must also learn from the deindustrialisation of the 80s and tech revolution of the 90s, a time when manual and clerical jobs were being automated or sent abroad to be done in other countries,” said Sir Keir.

Adam Forrest reports.

Starmer vows not to let AI lead to job losses of Thatcher era

Foreign officials express ‘discomfort’ with discussion over Scottish independence, says Alister Jack

Monday 12 June 2023 19:02 , Joe Middleton

Foreign officials have expressed “discomfort” when Scottish ministers discuss independence during international visits, Alister Jack has said.

The Scottish Secretary appeared before Westminster’s Scottish Affairs Committee on Monday to discuss how the UK Government promotes Scotland abroad.

He told the committee that the foreign representative had personally told him they were not comfortable with Holyrood ministers raising the issue of separation or Scotland’s re-entry to the European Union.

He said: “Consuls of foreign countries have made this point to me directly that they find it uncomfortable when the Scottish Government raise separation, independence or other constitutional foreign affairs issues with them because they would no more want, if the French or the Spanish consul or ambassador would no more want to have to organise a meeting, or expect to organise a meeting with, say, the separatists in Catalonia or Corsica with UK Government ministers, nor would they expect us to meet with separatists from other countries.

“They understand that we are one state - the United Kingdom - and it puts them in an invidious position and it is not appreciated”.

He told Scottish Tory leader and Moray MP Douglas Ross that he had been trying to “de-escalate” the tension with the Scottish Government, however, had received “a lot of push back on it and no acknowledgement of these blatant breaches”.

PA

Boris ‘not telling truth’, says ex-Tory leader

Monday 12 June 2023 18:40 , Joe Middleton

Former Tory leader Michael Howard – also a former Holac member – suggested Mr Johnson was lying about his recent conversation with Mr Sunak.

“Not only was he not telling the truth this afternoon he must have known he wasn’t telling the truth,” he told LBC. Lord Howard ruled out any possibility of a Boris comeback.

“I think the Conservative party has learned that it can do without Boris Johnson and that the time has come to move on ... the time has come to draw a line under this psychodrama that has gone on for too long.”

Labour jokes Tories are ‘too busy seriously disrupting themselves’ as Braverman announces protester legislation

Monday 12 June 2023 18:17 , Joe Middleton

Suella Braverman’s announcement of legislation she says will crack down on “serious disruption” by protesters has been seized by Labour as the butt of jokes about the row over Boris Johnson’s resignation, our home affairs editor Lizzie Dearden writes.

The home secretary spoke in the House of Commons on Monday afternoon to announce a controversial statutory instrument that would further lower the threshold for police intervention in demonstrations.

The law faces a rare “fatal motion” in the House of Lords on Tuesday, backed by peers outraged by the government’s use of a parliamentary bypass to bring in powers they previously voted down.

But Monday’s debate in the Commons quickly verged into wider matters, with Labour shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper saying the Conservatives were “too busy seriously disrupting themselves” to govern.

“You can see why Conservative ministers might be worried about an organised minority of people causing disruption, protesting against decisions made by the prime minister with no respect for the rules,” she added.

“Yes, the public are sick of them and it’s why we want to get rid of all of them in a general election.”

Ms Cooper said the new legislation, which can come into effect without parliamentary scrutiny, was “making the same claims” as two wide-ranging protest laws brought in over the last two years.

“You’ve got to wonder how chaotic and incompetent this home secretary is that she has to keep legislating for the same things again and again,” she added.

“The government is making it possible to go after peaceful protesters and passers-by. That is not the British tradition.”

Several opposition politicians questioned the vague wording of the law, which states that police can impose conditions on protests that cause disruption that “may be more than minor”, to the “community” - within and outside the “vicinity of the procession”.

SNP MP Alison Thewliss asked: “What is minor? Is it a couple of minutes late? What does ‘affected’ mean? It’s really unclear in this legislation, which will give police a huge amount of discretion.”

Boris Johnson: Sunak’s ‘talking rubbish’ – I didn’t ask PM to bend honours rules

Monday 12 June 2023 17:56 , Joe Middleton

Boris Johnson has accused Rishi Sunak of “talking rubbish” over his House of Lords nominations as the increasingly bitter feud between the prime minister and his predecessor descended into open warfare.

The astonishing clash came as the former Tory leader faces the final reckoning of his political career after a Commons committee finalised its Partygate report – expected to find that the former PM deliberately lied to parliament about lockdown parties.

Senior Tories expect the damning privileges committee findings to finish off Mr Johnson’s hopes of a comeback, telling The Independent that it would mark “the end of the circus”.

Adam Forrest and Archie Mitchell report.

Boris Johnson: Sunak’s ‘talking rubbish’ – I didn’t ask PM to bend honours rules

The fall of Boris Johnson: How we got here and what comes next

Monday 12 June 2023 17:00 , Eleanor Noyce

In the fog of the Tory civil war, it’s not always clear who’s winning or even exactly who’s on the field of battle.

Sometimes there’s a surprising consensus on the course of events, but also a perplexing conflict over who said what to whom.

In particular, the way the nominations for Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list were handled (especially peerages for Nadine Dorries and others), is particularly opaque.

But, as they say, we are where we are and it’s good to know how we got here.

Sean O’Grady maps out a timeline:

The fall of Boris Johnson: How we got here and what comes next

Boris Johnson formally resigns as MP

Monday 12 June 2023 16:54 , Joe Middleton

Boris Johnson has written to the chancellor to formally resign as the MP for Uxbridge and Ruislip, a source close to the former PM has said. He has just changed his Twitter bio.

His ally Nigel Adams has also thought to have formally declared intention to step down as an MP to kick start a by-election process, though no word yet on fellow Nadine Dorries.

The quitting MPs will be appointed to Steward and Bailiffs of the Chiltern Hundreds or the Manor of Northstead as part of a Commons tradition while waiting for byelections to be held.

Humza Yousaf rejects calls to suspend Nicola Sturgeon from SNP following her arrest

Monday 12 June 2023 16:45 , Eleanor Noyce

Meanwhile, Humza Yousaf has said he “sees no reason” to suspend Nicola Sturgeon from the SNP following her arrest on Sunday.

The former first minister was interviewed as a suspect for almost seven hours by detectives investigating allegations of financial misconduct at the Scottish National Party.

After questioning she was released without charge pending further investigation – but a number of figures both within and outside the party have called for her to be suspended.

Ms Sturgeon, who stepped down from her role as party and government leader in April, said in a statement on Sunday night that she was “innocent of any wrongdoing”.

Asked about the calls to suspend his predecessor, SNP leader Mr Yousaf said he would do “what I believe is right to the values of natural justice”.

Jon Stone writes:

Humza Yousaf rejects calls to suspend Nicola Sturgeon from SNP following her arrest

Comment: I went to university with Charlotte Owen. If she’s a worthy lifetime peer, I’m a baroness

Monday 12 June 2023 16:30 , Eleanor Noyce

To say that Lady Charlotte Owen’s rise to power has been meteoric would be something of an understatement. The 29-year-old, who was awarded Britain’s highest honour in Boris Johnson’s resignation list, has gone from parliamentary intern to baroness in a matter of just six years.

She is currently the youngest person ever to sit in the House of Lords, but of course there is no expiration date on her new privilege. As a life peer, she will be scrutinising our legislation until she chooses to retire – and judging by the current House of Lords demographic, that’s not likely to be any time in the next half century.

I’ve monitored Lady Owen’s career with interest, and increasing bafflement. If we’re in the business of enobling 29-year-old York grads with short – and not particularly distinguished – careers in parliament behind them, where’s mine, asks Olivia Utley:

If Charlotte Owen is a worthy lifetime peer, I’m a baroness

Sunak ‘forwarded the list unaltered’ - Downing Street

Monday 12 June 2023 16:17 , Eleanor Noyce

Downing Street refused to be drawn on Boris Johnson‘s accusation that Rishi Sunak was “talking rubbish” after the Prime Minister accused his predecessor of asking him to overrule the House of Lords Appointments Commission over his nominations for peerages.

Asked whether Mr Sunak was talking rubbish, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman told reporters: “You’ve got the words from the PM this morning.

“I’m not going to get into more detail. He was very clear he was not prepared to deviate from established convention or do anything unprecedented, which is why, in line with a long-standing custom, he forwarded the list unaltered.”

‘He gave a clear answer’, says Downing Street on Sunak statement

Monday 12 June 2023 16:14 , Eleanor Noyce

Rishi Sunak does not regret accusing Boris Johnson of asking him to overrule the vetting committee to push through his House of Lords nominations, Downing Street said.

Asked whether the prime minister regrets his comments and getting into a public row with his predecessor, his spokesman told reporters: “No. As I say, he was asked a direct question. He gave a clear answer.”

Johnson and Sunak feud descends into warfare as they trade blows over resignation honours

Monday 12 June 2023 16:00 , Eleanor Noyce

The row between Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak today descended into a open warfare as the former PM accused his successor of “talking rubbish” about the resignation honours list saga.

Mr Johnson hit back at the prime minister after Mr Sunak accused his one-time ally of asking him to “do something I wasn’t prepared to do” by bending the rules on peerages.

In his first public comments since Mr Johnson quit as MP, a defiant Mr Sunak claimed Mr Johnson asked him to either overrule the committee which vets peerages - known as Holac - or “make promises to people” on the issue.

Mr Sunak claimed he was “not prepared to do that” because he didn’t think it was “right”. Ramping up his message, he added: “If people don’t like that, then tough.”

Archie Mitchell reports:

Boris hits back after Sunak comes out swinging in honours row

What to know as the falls of Boris Johnson and Nicola Sturgeon roil UK politics

Monday 12 June 2023 15:50 , Eleanor Noyce

Two very different British politicians who often clashed, Boris Johnson and Nicola Sturgeon both led their parties to great heights — and both have had sudden and dramatic falls.

Former U.K. prime minister Johnson quit as a lawmaker rather than face being ousted for lying to Parliament. Sturgeon, the ex-leader of Scotland, was arrested and questioned by police investigating her party’s finances.

Here’s what to know about dramatic developments in U.K. politics:

What to know as the falls of Boris Johnson and Nicola Sturgeon roil UK politics

Tax cuts without lower inflation is ‘betrayal’ of Thatcher, says minister

Monday 12 June 2023 15:45 , Eleanor Noyce

Tax cuts must wait until inflation has come down, a Cabinet minister has said amid renewed calls by backbenchers for lower taxes.

In a speech to a conference in London, Gillian Keegan said cutting taxes without ensuring “sound money” and “fiscal discipline” was “fairytale economics”.

She said: “Whilst lower taxes are at the heart of Conservative economic thinking – Margaret Thatcher never thought that the way to achieve a low-tax economy was by dramatically increasing public sector debt and borrowing.

“She knew that you had to deal with inflation first otherwise every tax cut or spending pledge would simply be eaten by inflation.”

Christopher McKeon reports:

Tax cuts without lower inflation is ‘betrayal’ of Thatcher, says minister

Penny Mordaunt criticises people attacking Parliament ‘for carrying out its work'

Monday 12 June 2023 15:42 , Eleanor Noyce

Penny Mordaunt has criticised people attacking Parliament “for carrying out its work”.

The cabinet minister told the Centre for Policy Studies’ Margaret Thatcher conference: “We have to be really strong about people who are attacking institutions, people who are attacking the House for carrying out its work, people who are attacking the media.”

She added: “The price of not doing so is going to be very great indeed.”

Her comments come after Boris Johnson and several other Conservatives attacked the Privileges Committee investigation into whether the former prime minister misled Parliament over the partygate scandal.

We’re being softened up for more interest rate rises

Monday 12 June 2023 15:30 , Eleanor Noyce

You could bet your mortgage on another interest rate rise at the next meeting of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) next Thursday.

Consider the latest intervention by external member Jonathan Haskell, via a column for The Scotsman. He stuck to the script, allowing only that more rate rises “may be necessary”. But take note of his conclusion, which could easily be regarded as a softening-up exercise: “As difficult as our current circumstances are, embedded inflation would be worse.”

Haskell’s message is that ‘we know this is hard medicine but the alternative is much worse.’

The inflation dragon must be slain, says James Moore:

We’re being softened up for more interest rate rises

Letters to the editor: Rishi Sunak needs to put an end to the Tory turmoil

Monday 12 June 2023 15:15 , Eleanor Noyce

“The Conservative Party is now in more turmoil and chaos than ever before, with no chance of winning the next general election. Rishi Sunak should take this as an opportunity to retrench and consolidate, to expel the far-right fringe and anyone else who refuses to toe his pragmatic and sensible line.

The party would, of course, be smaller, but it would be more cohesive and manageable, and would gradually rebuild in strength by welcoming back those disillusioned by the David Cameron, Boris Johnson, and Liz Truss years of lunacy.

I shall never vote Tory, but democracy needs a realistic and robust opposition, which I regret we shall not have after the next (hopefully imminent) general election.”

Letters to the editor: our readers share their views. Please send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk.

Rishi Sunak needs to put an end to the Tory turmoil

Reform UK and Reclaim parties announce deal to boost chances in by-elections

Monday 12 June 2023 15:05 , Eleanor Noyce

The Reform UK and Reclaim parties have announced a deal to boost each other’s chances in the by-elections triggered by the resignations of Boris Johnson and Nadine Dorries.

Actor Laurence Fox, who leads Reclaim, will stand in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat vacated by the former prime minister while Reform UK will not stand a candidate there.

Dave Holland of Reform, which was founded with Nigel Farage’s backing, will stand in former culture secretary Ms Dorries’ Mid Bedfordshire’s constituency.

Mr Fox said: “The Reclaim Party and Reform UK offer the only genuine conservative alternative to the electorate, seeking for a smaller state, lower taxes, control of our borders and a full debate over net zero and the contentious ideologies being forced onto our children in schools.”

Reform leader Richard Tice added that “this co-operation enables us to have extra focus on specific by-elections”.

Reclaim has one MP after recently welcoming Andrew Bridgen following his expulsion from the Tories for comparing vaccines to the Holocaust.

Boris hits back after Sunak comes out swinging in honours row

Monday 12 June 2023 14:59 , Eleanor Noyce

The row between Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak intensified today as the former PM accused his successor of “talking rubbish” over a claim he was asked to bend the rules on peerages.

Mr Johnson lashed out after Mr Sunak said he had been asked to “do something I was not prepared to” by bending the rules for his resignation honours list.

The prime minister claimed Mr Johnson asked him to either overrule the committee which vets peerages - known as Holac - or “make promises to people” on the issue.

But a furious Mr Johnson hit back, saying: “Rishi Sunak is talking rubbish.

He added: “To honour these peerages it was not necessary to overrule Holac - but simply to ask them to renew their vetting, which was a mere formality.”

My colleague Archie Mitchell has the full story:

Boris hits back after Sunak comes out swinging in honours row

Sunak ‘talking rubbish’, says Johnson

Monday 12 June 2023 14:53 , Eleanor Noyce

Boris Johnson has accused Rishi Sunak of “talking rubbish” after the prime minister said his predecessor asked him to overrule the vetting committee for appointments to the House of Lords.

In a statement, Boris Johnson said: “Rishi Sunak is talking rubbish. To honour these peerages it was not necessary to overrule Holac - but simply to ask them to renew their vetting, which was a mere formality.”

It comes after Downing Street said it is “entirely untrue” that Mr Sunak or members of his No 10 team removed names from the House of Lords Appointments Commission (Holac) list.

Johnson ‘a partial architect of his own demise’, says Conservative peer

Monday 12 June 2023 14:45 , Eleanor Noyce

Conservative peer Lord Marland offered a staunch defence of Boris Johnson, as he questioned the work of the Privileges Committee.

“Boris resigned because he was offended by the fact they didn’t believe him,” Lord Marland told BBC Radio 4’s World At One programme.

He rejected the point that it was a Conservative-majority committee that was investigating the former prime minister.

“There is a lot of difference of views and personal jealousy within the Conservative Party, as there is within the Labour Party.

“In some ways, you’re better coming up in front of an entirely Labour group than a mixture.”

Lord Marland added: “Who would be prime minister? There has not been a prime minister since Margaret Thatcher who has not left office vilified.”

He admitted that Mr Johnson was “a partial architect of his own demise”, but added: “Other people have conspired to help that.”

Establishment ‘has seen Boris out the door’, says Jake Berry

Monday 12 June 2023 14:39 , Eleanor Noyce

Former Tory chairman Jake Berry, a friend of Boris Johnson, told reporters: “The establishment has seen Boris out the door.”

Berry said he had “no idea” about private conversations between Johnson and Sunak, and whether the former PM had been promised his honours list.

Asked if he would like to see Boris back in the Commons one day, Berry said: “He appeals to the great British public more than I’ve seen an British politician do. There is something special about him. He’s an extraordinary character.”

But the senior Tory MP added: “I look forward to campaigning with my friend Rishi – not just in three byelections but in a general election.”

Boris ally claims Sunak blocked ‘eight people’ from peerages

Monday 12 June 2023 14:35 , Eleanor Noyce

Lord Marland suggested on BBC Radio 4’s World at One that Rishi Sunak is to blame for blocking some of Boris Johnson’s resignation honours. The Johnson ally said that there were “eight people who Rishi decided not to support” for peerages.

Put to him that the House of Lords appointments commission [Holac] had removed the names, he said: “No, they didn’t. They had the names removed on the suggestion of elements of the civil service, the Cabinet Office or the Inland Revenue [as is] often the case, and then Holac don’t have to adjudicate.”

He added: “It is in the remit of the prime minister that, if he really wants someone to become a prime minister, he can push hard for Holac to do with, as various prime ministers have done in the past.”

No 10 has rejected the claims from the Boris campaign. “The prime minister then accepted Holac’s approved list and forwarded it unamended to the sovereign for their approval.”

Blow for British businesses as EU rules out renegotiating Brexit trade deal for years

Monday 12 June 2023 14:00 , Eleanor Noyce

The EU‘s Brexit chief has ruled out renegotiating Britain’s trade deal until 2026, dashing hopes it could be improved and prevent businesses fleeing the UK.

Maroš Šefčovič said the trade and cooperation agreement had only been in force for two years and was not yet being used to its full potential.

The deal, signed by Boris Johnson on 30 December 2020, has been criticised by business groups for increasing costs and bureaucracy compared to membership of the EU single market and customs union.

“We have received quite a lot of questions and I’ve seen that there is increased interest in the TCA review. As far as our calendar goes, I think that it’s more for 2026,” Mr Šefčovič told the EU-UK forum on Monday.

He added that he did not want to put the deal “in the shredder”.

Our Policy Correspondent Jon Stone has the full story:

Blow for British businesses as EU rules out renegotiating Brexit trade deal for years

Selby & Ainsty by-election: Key numbers

Monday 12 June 2023 13:40 , Eleanor Noyce

Elsewhere, the seat of Selby & Ainsty was created at the 2010 general election and has always been held by the Conservatives.

Nigel Adams took 49% of the vote in 2010 and pushed up his share at every subsequent election, winning 53% in 2015, 59% in 2017 and 60% in 2019, when he won a majority of 20,137.

Labour came second in 2019 with 25% of the vote, 35 percentage points behind the Tories.

The Liberal Democrats finished third with 9%, while the Greens came fifth - behind the Yorkshire Party - on 3%.

For Labour to win this North Yorkshire seat at a by-election, it would need a swing in the share of the vote of 17.9 points, or 18 in every 100 people who voted Tory in 2019 to switch to them.

The last time Labour achieved a swing at a by-election of at least 17 points was in February 1997, when the party won Wirral South from the Conservatives.

The Lib Dems would need a swing of 25.9 points, or 26 in every 100 former Tory voters to switch to them.

Mid-Bedfordshire by-election: Key numbers

Monday 12 June 2023 13:25 , Eleanor Noyce

Meanwhile, Labour would need a much larger swing in Mid-Bedfordshire to win the seat from the Conservatives.

Nadine Dorries notched up a huge majority of 24,664 at the 2019 general election, along with 60% of the vote.

The constituency has been held by the Tories without a break since 1931, with Ms Dorries becoming its MP in 2005.

Labour finished in second place in 2019 on 22% of the vote, 38 percentage points behind the Conservatives.

The Lib Dems were further behind on 13%, while the Greens were fourth on 4%.

To win the seat at the by-election, Labour would need a swing in the share of the vote of 19.1 percentage points - that is, 20 in every 100 people who voted Conservative in 2019 would have to switch.

Labour has not achieved this size of swing in a by-election since winning South East Staffordshire from the Tories in April 1996.

The Liberal Democrats would need an even bigger swing to leap from third to first place in Mid-Bedfordshire: 23.6 points, the equivalent of 24 in every 100 people who voted Tory in 2019 switching directly to the Lib Dems.

The party has pulled off this kind of swing in recent by-elections, however.

In June 2022 the Lib Dems won Tiverton & Honiton from the Conservatives on a swing of 29.9 points, while in December 2021 they won North Shropshire from the Tories on an even bigger swing of 34.1 points.