8 News Stories You May Have Missed Because Of Dominic Cummings

Posted on 26/05/2021 by Boris Clair

Former number 10 special advisor Dominic Cummings leaves Parliament after giving evidence to a Parliamentary... — Former number 10 special advisor Dominic Cummings leaves Parliament after giving evidence to a Parliamentary committee hearing in London on May 26, 2021. –

Boris Johnson has been left licking his wounds after Dominic Cummings dropped bombshell upon bombshell on the prime minister over his handling of Covid.

The former aide sent shockwaves through Westminster at his long-awaited Commons committee hearing, in which he called for health secretary Matt Hancock to be sacked over alleged lies and said the PM was “unfit” for office.

In a frankly bizarre turn, the PM’s ex-adviser also claimed that in the early days of the pandemic, Johnson considered having Covid injected into him live on television by chief medical officer Chris Whitty.

Amidst all this, you may have missed some other important news.

Let’s get you caught up with some of today’s other headlines.

1, The Hillsborough trial collapsed

Retired police officer Donald Denton leaves court

Two retired police officers and an ex-solicitor accused of altering police statements after the Hillsborough disaster have been acquitted.

The trial against Donald Denton, 83, retired detective chief inspector Alan Foster, 74, and solicitor Peter Metcalf, 71, collapsed on Wednesday after a judge ruled there was no case to answer.

The three men denied charges of perverting the course of justice after it was alleged they tried to minimise the blame on South Yorkshire Police.

Mr Justice William Davis said the amended statements were intended for a public inquiry into safety at sports grounds, however, and that as such it was not a course of public justice.

Ninety-six Liverpool fans died as a result of the crush at the FA Cup semi-final match at Sheffield Wednesday’s ground on 15 April 1989.

Margaret Aspinall, whose son James was among them, said the ruling was “an absolute mockery” and a “shambles”.

“We’re always the losers no matter what the outcome today,” she said.

2, Raab met Israeli and Palestinian leaders for peace talks

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met this afternoon, at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, with British Foreign Secretary @DominicRaab.

PM Netanyahu: “It’s good to see you again in better times and we’ll work together to make them even better. “https://t.co/9DnE1y1v79 pic.twitter.com/guleNV5PwS

— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 26, 2021

Dominic Raab met with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas as he reiterated the UK supports a two-state solution in the Israel-Gaza conflict.

The foreign secretary called for a “lasting peace” on Wednesday and visited both Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories following last week’s ceasefire.

The ceasefire was declared on Friday after 11 days of fighting killed more than 250 people, the vast majority in Gaza, in what was the worst violence in the conflict since 2014.

Raab tweeted: “Vital we make progress towards a more positive future for Israelis and Palestinians.”

3, Five arrested after Black Lives Matter activist shot

Black Lives Matter activist Sasha Johnson

Five men have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder over the shooting of black equal rights activist Sasha Johnson.

The 27-year-old Oxford graduate is fighting for her life in hospital after being injured at a party in Peckham, south-east London in the early hours of Sunday.

The Metropolitan Police said that officers detained three teenagers and two older men on suspicion of other offences, before they were all also arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

The first suspect, a 17-year-old boy, was held on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and drug dealing on Tuesday afternoon.

Police then raided an address in Peckham where they arrested three men – aged 18, 19 and 28 – on suspicion of affray and possession with intent to supply class B drugs.

A fifth man, aged 25, was arrested later that evening following a car chase, also in Peckham, on suspicion of affray and failing to stop for police.

All five have also since been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

4, Disgraced MP Rob Roberts avoids by-election

Disgraced MP Rob Roberts may escape a by-election despite breaching sexual misconduct rules.

The MP for Delyn faces being suspended from the Commons for six weeks after repeated unwanted advances to a member of staff during which asked him to be “less alluring”.

Roberts has been stripped of the Tory whip but the way recall laws are drawn up means he cannot face the prospect of losing his seat.

The sanction was proposed by the panel set up in 2020 to deal with cases raised under the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme.

But the Recall of Parliament Act was passed in 2015 and only allows the prospect of a by-election for sanctions imposed on the recommendation of the Commons Committee on Standards.

House of Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg will invite the “relevant bodies” to consider whether the laws need to be changed to enable the recall process to be triggered.

MPs need to approve the six-week suspension.

5, SNP in talks with Scottish Greens over ‘formal’ government

Nicola Sturgeon has revealed her SNP government is in talks with the Scottish Greens over a formal co-operation agreement.

The first minister has said that by working together the two parties “can help build a better future for Scotland” as she set out her priorities following the SNP victory in the Holyrood election earlier this month.

She stressed discussions between the two parties – which are being supported by the civil service – will continue over the coming weeks, and said it is “not inconceivable” that they could see Green MSPs joining the SNP in the Scottish Government.

Both parties support the case for Scottish independence.

6, ‘Super mutant’ virus fears

Coronavirus is going to do “weird” things going forward, and “super mutant viruses” may emerge, an expert has warned.

Professor Ravi Gupta, professor of clinical microbiology at the University of Cambridge, said that while this would not necessarily be a bad thing, the virus would try to become more efficient at transmission as more people are protected.

He added that coronavirus is unpredictable and we should not be overconfident at any stage.

Asked about how to prepare for future variants, Gupta told a press briefing: “I think that we have good vaccines, now we need to keep the pressure on vaccine designers, manufacturers to adapt vaccines.”

He added: “Secondly, the virus is going to do some weird things. I mean, this is just the beginning.

“I think it’s going to recombine, you’re going to get super mutant viruses, I believe.

“But that’s not not necessarily a terrible thing, but the virus is going to do very unexpected things because the amount of pressure on it is going to be severe, so it will adapt.

7, Chris Grayling makes plea over ‘tragic’ decline of hedgehogs

Former Tory cabinet minister Christ Grayling has urged the government to do more to stop the decline of hedgehogs

The Epsom and Ewell MP said the “catastrophic loss” of the small, spiky mammals was due to a mixture of habitat loss, the reduction of wildlife and protections available.

Speaking in a Commons debate on the Environment Bill, he said: “It is tragic, back in the 1950s there was something like 30 million hedgehogs in this country, now it’s estimated to be about 1.5 million, that is a catastrophic loss.”

“When I was a child, hedgehogs were around in the garden all the time, I have never as an adult seen a hedgehog in my garden or anywhere near it, this is a tragic loss and one we have to work to reverse.”

Too many species he said had declined in numbers, adding “we should be protecting them all”.

Saying hedgehog numbers had declined by 95% in recent years, he asked the government to address “shortcomings” in current legislation, adding: “I hope we’ll all be hedgehog champions going forwards and I’d say to the minister we’re going to be holding her feet to the fire to make sure her department delivers.”

8, It’s Jeremy Corbyn’s birthday

And finally … Jeremy Corbyn is celebrating his 72th birthday.

The former Labour leader shows no sign of slowing down campaigning, however, as he plans on celebrating the milestone with an online event entitled ‘Happy Birthday Jeremy – Restore the Whip’.

Corbyn sits as an independent MP after his successor Keir Starmer suspended him from the Parliamentary Labour Party following his claim that anti-Semitism in the party on his watch had been “overstated” by his opponents.

He remains a member of the Labour Party, however.

At the event will be comedian Alexei Sayle, as well as a number of left-wing MPs, including Richard Burgon and Zarah Saltana.

There were no well wishes from Dominic Cummings, however, who told MPs as part of his marathon evidence session: “There’s a very profound question in the nature of our political system, any system that leaves people with the choice between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn is obviously a system that’s gone extremely badly wrong.”

Boris Johnson Forced To Ditch Travel Advice For Covid Hotspots

Posted on 25/05/2021 by Boris Clair

Hollie Adams via Getty Images

Prime Minister Boris Johnson departs 10 Downing Street

Boris Johnson has been forced into a climbdown over travel restrictions for England’s Covid hotspots after councils revolted over the move.

On Monday evening it emerged the government had quietly updated advice for eight places hit by the India variant, telling people they should not travel in or out of the area or meet others indoors.

Local authority leaders in Burnley, Bedford, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton, Kirklees, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside said ministers failed to notify them of the move, taken last week, and began rejecting local lockdowns “by stealth”.

Confusion then reigned when a statement by local public health teams said town halls were assured no travel restrictions were in place, but Downing Street insisted the advice applied.

Now, the Department of Health and Social Care has said guidance will be updated to make clear no new restrictions are in place and that people are advised to “minimise travel”.

The prime minister was accused of presiding over an “utter shambles” by Labour, with local leaders such as Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham criticising the PM.

Following outcry, a government spokesperson said: “We will be updating the guidance for areas where the new Covid-19 variant is spreading to make it clearer we are not imposing local restrictions.

Barrington Coombs – PA Images via Getty Images

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham

“Instead, we are providing advice on the additional precautions people can take to protect themselves and others in those areas where the new variant is prevalent.

“This includes, wherever possible, trying to meet outdoors rather than indoors, keeping two metres apart from anyone you don’t live with and minimising travel in and out the area.

“These are not new regulations but they are some of the ways everyone can help bring the variant under control in their local area.”

North Tyneside’s Labour mayor Norma Redfearn was among those angry at the government.

She said: “After a day of confusion the government have clarified there are no restrictions on travel in or out of North Tyneside.”

She added: “We have seen throughout the pandemic that clear communications are vital and this confusion has caused stress and anxiety for many people in North Tyneside and the region.

“There was no consultation on this advice, which was wrong.”

A joint statement issued by directors of public health in Burnley, Bedford, Blackburn with Darwen, Bolton, Kirklees, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside said: “Following the national coverage of recently revised guidance we have met with national officials and confirmed there are no restrictions on travel in or out of each of our areas: There are no local lockdowns.

“In areas where the new Covid variant is spreading we are all working together to boost testing and vaccination and to support self-isolation.

“There are sensible public health precautions people can take as individuals
in line with the sorts of advice we have all been following throughout the
pandemic.

“We will keep sharing that and working with national officials to make sure
people understand what they need to think about as they go about their daily
lives.”

Cabinet Reshuffle? Here’s Who Could Be In Or Out

Posted on 21/05/2021 by Boris Clair

Like the rain this May, rumours about a Cabinet reshuffle never really go away, but they do at times intensify.

This appears to be one of those times, as HuffPost UK understands that officials are on alert for Boris Johnson changing his top team as early as next week.

The BBC and Sky News heard similar on Friday morning, prompting No.10 to strongly play down suggestions of a reshuffle to distract from Dominic Cummings’ appearance before a committee of MPs next Wednesday.

Johnson’s former top aide is threatening to steal the headlines with some bombshell revelations on the government’s handling of the pandemic.

But the prime minister’s press secretary has stressed: “There are no plans for a reshuffle”.

However, like outdoor drinkers caught out without a brolly, Westminster hacks cannot avoid the sudden storm of speculation.

So at the risk of looking like a pedestrian drenched by a car speeding through a puddle, i.e. silly, here’s what might happen when Johnson does decide to rejig his team.

Cabinet Reshuffle? Here’s Who Could Be In Or

While there may be “no plans” for a reshuffle next week, Times Radio’s Tom Newton Dunn reported this week that environment secretary George Eustice was digging in so hard against tariff-free meat imports from Australia that it risked becoming a resignation matter for him.

That said, the PM appears to be leaning towards Eustice’s opponent in the Cabinet row, trade secretary Liz Truss, and Eustice has not yet quit.

However, if he does, that could be the catalyst for a wider shake-up of Johnson’s team.

And even if Eustice does not resign, he is seen as “quite an easy person to get rid of” and “not on the green agenda” the government is now pushing, according to one source.

If the reshuffle does go ahead, it appears that the great offices of state will not change with chancellor Rishi Sunak, foreign secretary Dominic Raab and home secretary Priti Patel all widely seen as safe in their positions.

Patel seems likely to keep her job despite becoming embroiled in a scandal over her alleged bullying of officials, as she is a useful figure to shore up the Tories’ right wing.

As one insider puts it: “That woman has staying power and she knows what her brand is, and do you want to piss off Iain Duncan Smith and all that crowd?

“Who else is Boris going to put there, if it’s all about the red wall?”

That is likely to make the central figures of any upcoming reshuffle Michael Gove and Matt Hancock.

Not the most popular in No.10 or among Tory lockdown-sceptics, Hancock has long been seen as under threat, although backbench MPs tell me they appreciate how much he makes himself available to answer their questions, or record video messages for their constituents.

But if the health secretary is moved, many insiders are tipping Gove to take over, believing his problem-solving policy brain is perfectly suited to finally tackling the thorny issue of social care reform.

One Tory source also insists that Gove has moved on from the education secretary who battled “the blob” alongside Cummings to become a more consensual figure who got onside with lawyers as justice secretary and farmers as environment secretary – a skill that will be vital if he is given the task of driving through huge changes to social care.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson is likely to be moved

Gavin Williamson meanwhile is almost certain to be moved from his education secretary job following the exams fiasco and other mis-steps.

But Johnson is still said to be “pretty loyal to Gavin” due to the key role he played in his Tory leadership campaign and has been telling people inside No.10 that “Gavin is not leaving Cabinet”.

“This implication of that is: even the PM seems to be saying he’s probably leaving his post,” a source said.

“I just don’t know how you do a reshuffle that seems to anyone fair unless Gavin is gone.”

He could go back to chief whip, a role he performed successfully in the past, replacing Mark Spencer who could be in line for a promotion.

Controversial communities secretary Robert Jenrick could be saved by virtue of being an ally of Sunak.

But Scotland secretary Alister Jack is thought to be at risk, with Andrew Bowie potentially in line for the job as a younger, more dynamic figure to take the independence fight to the SNP.

Sajid Javid is meanwhile tipped for a comeback, although Johnson may struggle to find a role senior enough for the former chancellor, who quit the government last year in a row with Downing Street over sharing a team of special advisers.

Kit Malthouse, a long-time ally of Johnson who worked under him at London City Hall, is also being widely tipped for a promotion.

And Anne-Marie Trevelyan could return to the Cabinet after she was effectively made redundant when her department for international development was subsumed by the Foreign Office, with Johnson thought to be keen to boost the number of women in Cabinet.

The reshuffle could be most interesting in the junior roles where Johnson will be looking to improve and diversify the pipeline of talent to the Cabinet.

Tory figures mention new MPs Laura Trott, Clare Coutinho and Saqib Bhatti as “the shining stars” of the 2019 intake who could be brought on the payroll.

But several sources question the wisdom of carrying out a reshuffle next week, with July seen as a more likely date, while the traditional wargaming whiteboard has not yet been erected on the walls inside Downing Street.

“If you do it at the beginning of holidays then you send everyone away and they’ve got the chance to feel better in Tuscany don’t they?’ one MP says.
“I don’t get why you’d do it before the end of July, I can’t see an incentive.”

Whatever happens next week, at some point sooner rather than later Johnson is going to have to decide which of his ministers to leave high and dry.

Will Boris Johnson’s Covid Caution Finally Snap This Summer?

Posted on 18/05/2021 by Boris Clair

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In politics, as with the British summer, it never rains but it pours. Just under a fortnight since his stunning local elections success in England, Boris Johnson is finding out just how the political weather can change pretty quickly. And in true 2021 style, lots of problems are coming at once.

First, we had Jenny McGee, the NHS nurse who looked after the PM when he was in intensive care last year. McGee has told a Channel 4 documentary that she has quit her job because of the government’s 1% pay offer and the lack of respect it entailed. “I’m just sick of it,” she said.

Her remarks should act like an ice-bucket challenge to the government, jolting MPs out of their complacency and reminding ministers of just how horrific life has been on the front line for NHS staff this past year. Many are still dealing with post-traumatic stress from the helplessness of combatting this awful virus and its knock-on effects on other healthcare. Many are exhausted.

Yet as the caravan moved on and debate turned to summer holidays, staff in England will never forget they weren’t even given a Christmas bonus (unlike counterparts in Scotland and Wales), let alone a real terms pay rise offer. McGee revealed she couldn’t bring herself to take part in a ‘clap for carers’ photocall alongside the PM, not least as there was little cash for carers.

The second problem came in the shape of Dominic Cummings, who once more hit the Twittersphere to resume his ominous attacks on Johnson’s handling of the pandemic. Ahead of his potentially explosive evidence before MPs next week, the former adviser signalled he had argued for hard and fast lockdowns last year but was ignored.

Cummings also said the UK had a “joke” border policy to deal with Covid, a point heartily seized on by Labour, which is highlighting the rising cases of the Indian variant of the virus and calling for much tougher controls on travellers. Although we know that almost all cases of the Indian variant in London were caused by travel or linked to those who had travelled, there is a strange silence from the government on the breakdown of cases across the UK.

Add to all that the sheer confusion on travel policy. In the morning, cabinet minister George Eustice said ‘amber list’ countries were open to those who wanted to visit family or friends. At lunchtime, No.10 firmly contradicted that, saying all travel to such states was banned other than for a few exceptions. The PM himself said these countries [France, Spain, Italy and so on] were “not somewhere you should go on holiday”.

Even though it is legal to visit such countries and no longer punishable by a £5,000 fine, by the evening another minister had gone much further in the war on travel. Lord Bethell said that any overseas trips were “dangerous”, adding “travelling is not for this year, please stay in this country”. For good measure, he even praised as “creative” the idea of putting electronic tags on anyone quarantining on return from abroad.

No one should underestimate the PM’s houdini-like ability to wriggle out of his political woes. He could arrive at PMQs on Wednesday armed with his strongest hint yet that money had been put aside for a real terms pay rise for NHS nurses, should the independent review body suggest it. Cummings’ own rule-breaking and tarnished credibility in the eyes of the public may blunt his political assassination attempt. Holiday chaos may not really hit home until July.

Instead, it may be travel within the UK, rather outside it, that becomes the PM’s most pressing problem. Eustice went on record to admit local lockdowns were now an “option” for dealing with the Indian variant. Under one hardline option, that could mean travel restrictions into and out of areas like Bolton and Bedford where B.1617.2 is rising in clusters.

The problem is that such local lockdowns have their real potential to cause deep divisions. The Guardian reports today that Bolton council’s Tory leader warned Hancock on Friday that a new local lockdown would cause “civil unrest”.

As well as being potentially toxic to community cohesion, given differing rates of vaccine hesitancy in different ethnic groups, such a plan may simply not work. Even with vaccines, the variant may still escape a tiered system. The Kent variant certainly did when it ripped through the country in December.

On the other hand, if the PM delays the full exit from lockdown for the rest of the country, effectively tying the whole of England to the variant clusters, he faces a sizeable backbench revolt from areas where there is zero Covid. After months of their local businesses living on life support, MPs’ patience could snap and so could Johnson’s.

Still, a national delay may be his least worst policy option. Most of the big changes took place yesterday, and a few weeks more wearing masks and pre-planning pub trips may be more palatable than a fourth wave. There is also a case for saying that in fact the real final unlockdown date should be linked to the government’s own target date for the whole English adult population getting jabbed – the end of July. Any earlier, and unlockdown could be earlier.

But as Johnson tries to justify any delays to his roadmap, the need to ‘protect’ the battered NHS will again become his defence shield. Imagine how much stronger that defence would be if he had thousands of NHS nurses, properly paid and respected, backing his case.

Now Health Minister Says Holidays Abroad Are ‘Dangerous’

Posted on 18/05/2021 by Boris Clair

A health minister has added to the confusion over coronavirus travel rules after saying going abroad is “dangerous” and “not for this year”.

Lord Bethell’s comments come after environment secretary George Eustice was slapped down by No.10 for suggesting people could travel to so-called “amber list” countries to visit friends.

Boris Johnson also later stressed that amber list countries were “not somewhere you should be going on holiday”.

But Bethell went much further than government rules, which allows people to travel to Portugal, Iceland and nine other countries without having to quarantine on their return, opening the door to summer holidays.

The peer’s comments are the latest example of chaotic messaging on foreign travel from the government, and are likely to fuel confusion following the lifting of the ban on foreign holidays on Monday.

He made his remarks amid continuing concern over the rise in cases of the potentially more transmissible variant that originated in India in parts of England.

Labour said the confusion had created “dangerous chaos” and called for “a pause on international travel”, while Johnson’s former aide Dominic Cummings has labelled the UK’s border policy a “joke”.

Going much further than the government position, Bethell said: “Travelling is dangerous. That is not news to us or to the people who get on those planes in the first place.

“We do ask people, particularly as we go into the summer, travelling is not for this year, please stay in this country.”

Gareth Fuller – PA Images via Getty Images

Passengers prepare to board an easyJet flight to Faro, Portugal, at Gatwick Airport on Monday

Earlier, Eustice struck a markedly different tone, suggesting people could travel to even amber list countries if they “feel the need” to visit family or friends.

But the prime minister’s official spokesperson said travel to amber list countries was only permitted for a very limited number of reasons.

“The position remains that people should not travel to amber list countries and that is to protect public health,” they said.

“We recognise that the restrictions that have been placed are difficult for the public.

“There may be essential reasons for which people still have to travel to amber list countries but of course strict quarantine and testing measures will apply.

“There are some limited reasons why it might be acceptable to travel – for work purposes, protecting essential services or compassionate reasons such as a funeral or care of a family member but otherwise people should not be travelling to these countries.”

Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said: “The Conservatives’ border policies have unravelled into dangerous chaos within a matter of hours since international travel was opened up.

“There is a lack of strategy, which has meant the UK government, and their own ministers, are giving out conflicting and confused advice about whether people are allowed to travel, especially between ‘amber list’ countries.

“Labour has been clear that there should be a pause on international travel, to guard against further importing of dangerous strains, setting back hopes for ending restrictions.”

Covid: ‘More Transmissible’ India Variant Threatens June Re-Opening

Posted on 14/05/2021 by Boris Clair

The Indian Covid variant could make it “more difficult” for England to move further out of lockdown in June, Boris Johnson has said.

After cases of the Indian variant more than doubled in the past week, the prime minister told a Downing Street press conference on Friday that the four-step “road map” we will move to step three in England from Monday as planned – be he raised the possibility of altering the final stage.

The PM said: “But I have to level with you that this new variant could pose a serious disruption to our progress and could make it more difficult to move to step four in June.

“I must stress we will do whatever it takes to keep the public safe.”

At the briefing, chief medical officer Chris Whitty said there is “now confidence” that the India variant is “more transmissible” than the strain first discovered in Kent.

It is expected that the Indian variant will overtake Kent to become dominant in the UK, though there is currently no evidence to suggest vaccines do not work against it.

Johnson said that if the Indian variant proves to be “significantly more transmissible” than other Covid strains “we’re likely to face some hard choices”.

In recent days, the government has launched a series of measures in a bid to dampen any impact from the Indian variant.

The latest is people over 50 and the clinically vulnerable being offered their second dose of a Covid-19 vaccine eight weeks after the first – rather than 12.

The variant is now in at least 15 areas of England – including Bolton, Blackburn, London, Sefton and Nottingham – where councils and Public Health England officials are working to contain any clusters.

This includes surge testing, encouraging people to isolate if they test positive and longer opening hours at vaccination centres.

Johnson said that if the variant turned out to be much more transmissible than other variants, the country could face “hard choices” as he warned of the need to be “utterly realistic”.

He said: “This doesn’t mean that it’s impossible that we will be able to go ahead with step four, I don’t think that’s the case at all. But it does mean there is now the risk of disruption and delay to that ambition. And we have to be utterly realistic about that.”

Tories Should ‘Manage Expectations’ On ‘Levelling Up’, MP Says

Posted on 13/05/2021 by Boris Clair

Boris Johnson should “manage expectations” on how long it will take to complete his plan to “level up” left behind communities across the UK, a Tory MP has said.

Kevin Hollinrake, who is Michael Gove’s parliamentary private secretary, said the economic gap between the north and the south-east was comparable to the disparity between East and West Germany before reunification.

He told HuffPost UK’s Commons People podcast that, as in Germany, it would take 30 years to complete the levelling up agenda, which was front and centre in the Queen’s Speech this week but is still posing questions about how the prime minister sees it progressing and how its success can be measured.

Hollinrake suggested that average wages in different regions could be a reasonable measure of the success of levelling up, but warned that it was “dangerous measuring outcomes rather than opportunities”.

The Thirsk and Malton MP also stressed that levelling up was a “huge task” that could take decades to be completed.

Ian Forsyth via Getty Images

Johnson visits Hartlepool, where the Tories toppled Labour in a by-election last week and a target area for ‘levelling up’ policies

He told Commons People: “Levelling up is really exciting, it’s a big ambition, it’s a huge task.

“The economy disparity between London and the south-east and the north-east in relative terms is as big as it was between East and West Germany prior to reunification – two-and-a-half times – a phenomenally big gap.

“So this is going to take three decades to resolve it, that’s what it took Germany and they haven’t narrowed it completely yet.

“It’s going to take three decades and – two trillion dollars Germany spent on narrowing that gap, we’ve got to be in it for the long haul.”

Hollinrake went on: “I think it’s important to manage expectations, that this isn’t going to happen overnight.

“There are some things you can do really quickly – so yes building a road, a railway or a railway station takes a while to have an economic effect.

“But other things can happen more quickly, such as relocation of civil service jobs – Treasury north coming to Darlington, Cabinet Office going to Glasgow, Michael Gove was there this week, you’ve got the UK Investment Bank coming to Leeds.

“So things can happen pretty quickly and that’s all there now, or just about being put in place now.

“Freeports as well, these tax-free zones will attract a lot of private sector investment.”

One of the quickest ways to deliver on levelling up would be reform of the tax system, Hollinrake suggested.

“There’s some things in-built in the tax system that aren’t particularly fair, council tax is one of them for example. There’s a proportionately higher burden on parts of the country,” he said.

“Very expensive properties in London for example pay a fraction of the council tax we pay in a much smaller house in the north, it just can’t be fair.

“There’s ways you can do things like that, I’m not going to pre-empt what the chancellor might do.

“Business rates I think again are due for reform.

“There are lots of different things we could do to make it a fair and more level playing field, which would then encourage investment in different parts of the country.”

Hollinrake suggested there may be value in measuring the success of levelling up by looking at average wages across regions.

But he stressed that ultimately the agenda’s success should be judged by how much it creates equality of opportunity across regions.

Asked how the success of levelling up should be measured, he said: “Average wages, for example, would be a good measure that we should use.

“But it’s very dangerous measuring outcomes rather than opportunities because clearly not everybody makes the best of their opportunities and it’s got to be about the individual as well as the state.

“In fact, it’s much more about the individual than the state.

“For me, you create a fair and level playing field, a stable framework that encourages investment, and things like infrastructure are really important to do that as well as the tax breaks, and then let people get on with it.”

Starmer Warned Ducking Brexit ‘Not Viable Strategy’ As Pro-EU Campaign Launched

Posted on 12/05/2021 by Boris Clair

Leon Neal via Getty Images

Labour Party leader Keir Starmer

Keir Starmer has been warned Labour cannot duck challenging Boris Johnson over Brexit as pro-EU campaigners launched a new platform to monitor damage to the economy.

Brexit Spotlight will track how withdrawal from the EU hits the UK, from the loss of workers’ rights and free movement, to science funding, jobs and new regulations.

The initiative by Another Europe Is Possible is aimed at pressuring politicians on the left into backing closer ties with Europe in future.

After Leave voters in seats across the midlands and north backed Boris Johnson at the 2019 general election, Labour MPs voted for the Conservatives’ trade deal with Brussels in December.

Starmer has since said rejoining the EU was “not realistic” and there was no scope for “major renegotiation” of the government’s deal.

But pro-EU Labour members, most of whom backed Starmer in the Labour leadership election, are thought to be increasingly frustrated at the party’s approach and want to see Johnson’s deal scrutinised.

The new site will monitor Brexit’s impact “in real time” and also focus on the environment, exports and human rights, as well as feature exclusive investigations and research.

Laura Parker, a member of Another Europe is Possible’s national committee and a former national coordinator of Momentum, told HuffPost UK: “The fallout from Brexit is going to dominate our politics for decades to come, and if last week’s elections demonstrated anything, it was that refusing to talk about the issue is not a viable strategy – for Labour or for anyone else.

“Places like Hartlepool voted Tory because they have been neglected for decades and then sold a lie about immigration being to blame rather than this deliberate, chronic under-investment.

“English nationalism is the force which Boris Johnson will use to mobilise his new voter base; Labour and the wider progressive left must learn to put forward a positive alternative.”

Gareth Fuller – PA Images via Getty Images

Another Europe is Possible organiser Michael Chessum addressing protesters in central London

The Office for Budget Responsibility said in March that Brexit was likely to shrink the UK economy by 4% over the next 15 years.

Labour MP Nadia Whittome said the party should respond to Johnson’s “levelling up” agenda by referencing Brexit’s impact.

She said: “The real effects of leaving the EU have only just begun to be felt. The government wants to use Brexit to create a race to the bottom on rights and living standards, destroying decades of progress to benefit the super-rich and giant corporations.

“Attacks on workers’ rights and environmental standards will hurt all of us, regardless of whether we voted Leave or Remain, as will job losses and toxic trade deals which bring down our food standards.”

There were signs Labour was willing to task the government to task on Brexit, however, with new shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves telling ministers on Thursday voters “haven’t heard a word still about this government’s vision of how we will become global leaders in manufacturing and industry outside of the European Union”.

She said: “They are lacking in ambition, and they are in denial about what businesses need to thrive in a new environment.”

Michael Chessum, Another Europe is Possible’s national organiser, said: “Brexit is already an unfolding disaster – and not just for the people who opposed it. Farmers, fishers and exporters are already facing ruin, and as the process continues so will many of the people who voted Leave.

“This project is about exposing that reality in real time, so that the effects of Brexit are not just a series of disconnected shocks, and building a case for a much closer relationship with Europe in the future with regulatory alignment and free movement at its heart.”

No.10 Says £535 Debt Claim Against Boris Johnson ‘Totally Without Merit’

Posted on 12/05/2021 by Boris Clair

Boris Johnson will apply to a county court to “strike out” a claim against him for a £535 unpaid debt because it is “totally without merit”, Downing Street has said.

Private Eye reported on Wednesday that the official register for county court judgments (CCJs) in England and Wales shows the prime minister was served with a notice of the judgment in October 26, 2020.

A search of the county court judgments database shows the “unsatisfied record” registered to Johnson at “10 Downing Street”.

The official court records do not state who the creditor is, nor the nature of the debt.

County court judgments can be issued if someone takes court action against an individual and they do not respond.

The judgment means the court has formally decided the money is owed, according to the government site.

But HuffPost UK understands that No.10 regards the claim as not genuine.

Responding later on Wednesday, a No.10 spokesperson said: “An application will be made for an order to set aside the default judgment, to strike out the claim and for a declaration that the claim is totally without merit.”

The judgment was issued less than a fortnight after a Conservative donor told the party he was donating £58,000 in relation to refurbishments at Johnson’s Downing Street flat.

No. 10 denied there was any connection between the CCJ and the flat revamp.

Keir Starmer’s Commons Aide Carolyn Harris Quits Amid Briefing Row

Posted on 11/05/2021 by Boris Clair

Ben Birchall – PA Images via Getty Images

Carolyn Harris

Keir Starmer’s parliamentary aide has quit amid claims that she spread groundless rumours about fellow MPs’ private lives.

Carolyn Harris resigned from her post of parliamentary private secretary (PPS) after a formal complaint was made by a senior MP about her conduct, HuffPost UK has been told.

The departure of the Swansea East MP, who is also deputy leader of the Welsh Labour Party, was seen as the latest fallout from a bitter briefing war over Starmer’s shadow cabinet reshuffle and his decision to “sack” deputy leader Angela Rayner as party chair and campaigns chief.

In a statement issued by Starmer’s office, she said: “It has been the proudest moment of my career to co-chair the campaign that saw Keir Starmer elected as Labour leader, and to serve as his PPS for the past year.

“Stepping back from this role is the right thing at this moment, coming as it does after some trying personal times and an ever-increasing workload as deputy leader of Welsh Labour. I have enjoyed every minute, and look forward to supporting Keir the best way I can in the months ahead.”

It is understood that Harris, who has made no secret of her combative approach to the leader’s critics within the party, sparked a backlash with recent briefings about shadow cabinet ministers’ alleged disloyalty and about MPs’ personal lives.

The Times, which first broke the news that she was stepping down, alleged that Harris had spread “salacious rumours” about colleagues.

One frontbencher told HuffPost UK: “She’s been stirring it about shadow cabinet members, among the PLP, for weeks. She’s been spreading it about in the [Commons] tea room, everywhere. And she’s finally been caught red handed this weekend.”

“The job of PPS is to be the ears and eyes of the leader, not the mouth,” one senior MP said. “She was playing too high a profile role, throwing her weight around, interfering rather than feeding back what the PLP felt. Listen, assess, report, that’s the job.”

Another said: “It felt like Keir wasn’t fully aware of what she was up to, or at least I hope he wasn’t. It would be much worse if he sanctioned it.”

Starmer is now on the hunt for a new PPS. “We need to stop thinking of PPSs as some new intaker, and maybe appoint someone who’s been around a bit,” one backbencher said. “Amiable, clubbable, friends with everybody, that’s what you want.”

Relations between the Labour leader and his deputy soured badly on Saturday night when she learned from the Sunday Times of a plan to fire her from her campaigns role.

At one point, Rayner was tempted to go public with her anger at being apparently made a scapegoat for Labour’s poor local elections performance in parts of England.

Starmer used the Queen’s Speech debate in the Commons to joke about his recent showdown with Rayner over her move to a new role, saying a “black belt” in martial arts would be useful for “the next shadow cabinet meeting”.

Boris Johnson jibed that Rayner, whose authority in the party was enhanced by several new roles including shadow first secretary of state, was a “lioness” who was likely to become hungrier “the more titles he feeds her”.

Sitting opposite, she gestured that she had her eyes on the Tory leader, and later wrote on Twitter: “The only title I’m hungry for, Boris Johnson, is Deputy Prime Minister.”

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