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Boris And Carrie Johnson ‘Intend To Hold Chequers Wedding Party’ Before Departing

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Boris and Carrie Johnson are reportedly ploughing on with plans for a wedding party at Chequers as the prime minister shifts to a caretaker role in his final days in office.

The pair married in a low-key, private ceremony at Westminster Cathedral last year.

A small group of family and friends attended the wedding, organised in strict secrecy, which was followed by a reception in the gardens of 10 Downing Street.

It was known the Johnsons planned to have a larger celebration in 2022, when coronavirus restrictions were likely to be relaxed.

They were said to have sent save-the-date cards to family and friends for the celebration on July 30.

The Evening Standard reported last month that this would take the form of a “champagne-soaked soiree” at the PM’s country residence to celebrate the couple’s first anniversary.

It has now been suggested that Johnson wanted to stay on as a caretaker prime minister in part to see this through – although this claim was denied by Downing Street.

The Mirror said it was told by two separate sources that the pair were keen to go ahead with the celebrations.

One Tory source said: “It beggars belief that even after all the criticism Johnson has faced regarding integrity and probity, one of the reasons he is staying is to have his wedding party at Chequers.

“It’s a national asset not his personal home. The Johnsons should do the decent thing and find a different venue. And Boris should do the decent thing and leave No 10 immediately”.

A second insider told the paper: “It’s crass if it goes ahead.”

But a spokesman for Johnson said: “The PM has a strong sense of duty and will continue to serve his country until a new leader is in place solely to continue his obligation to the public.”

It comes after the outgoing PM appeared to slip up in his resignation speech at Downing Street, thanking the “wonderful staff here at Chequers”, before quickly correcting himself to say “here at No 10”.

“And of course at Chequers,” he added.

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Tory MPs Trigger No Confidence Vote In Boris Johnson’s Leadership

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Boris Johnson is on the verge of being ousted as Conservative Party leader and prime minister, after the number of Tory MPs demanding he resign reached the threshold for a vote of no confidence.

Chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee Sir Graham Brady has announced that 54 or more Tory MPs have requested a vote of confidence in the PM, triggering a leadership vote.

Tory MPs will vote this evening between 6pm and 8pm on whether they want Johnson to remain.

While plenty of Westminster insiders predict Johnson will survive the vote, the fact it has been called is damaging for the prime minister.

Brady said in a statement: “The threshold of 15 per cent of the parliamentary party seeking a vote of confidence in the leader of the Conservative Party has been exceeded.

Sir Graham Brady making the announcement to camera
Sir Graham Brady making the announcement to camera

“In accordance with the rules, a ballot will be held between 6pm and 8pm today Monday June 6 — details to be confirmed.

“The votes will be counted immediately afterwards. An announcement will be made at a time to be advised. Arrangements for the announcement will be released later today.”

Speaking to journalists, Brady suggested some MPs had post dated their letters so the vote did not overshadow the Queen’s jubilee celebrations.

It comes after former minister Jesse Norman became the latest Tory MP to announce that he has submitted a letter calling for a confidence vote in Johnson.

Norman, the MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire, said Johnson had presided over “a culture of casual law-breaking” in No.10 and that his claim to be vindicated by the Sue Gray report was “grotesque”.

In order to oust him, 180 MPs would have to vote against Johnson in the confidence vote.

However, the odds are in the PM’s favour with around 140 MPs on the “payroll” alone including ministers and aides.

Cabinet ministers have been lining up to declare their support for the prime minister.

Foreign secretary Liz Truss tweeted: “The prime minister has my 100 per cent backing in today’s vote and I strongly encourage colleagues to support him.

“He has delivered on covid recovery and supporting Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. He has apologised for mistakes made. We must now focus on economic growth.”

Levelling up secretary Michael Gove added: “I’ll be voting for Boris this evening. The PM got the big decisions right on Brexit and Covid.

“We need to focus now on defending Ukraine, driving levelling-up and generating growth. We need to move past this moment and unite behind Boris to meet these challenges.”

Conservative MP Michael Fabricant said he thinks Johnson will win the vote no of confidence on Monday evening.

He told Times Radio: “I think he is going to win. I think that something like two-thirds of the party will vote to support him and I really do wonder why it’s happening at this time.”

A No.10 spokesperson said:“Tonight is a chance to end months of speculation and allow the government to draw a line and move on, delivering on the people’s priorities.

“The PM welcomes the opportunity to make his case to MPs and will remind them that when they’re united and focused on the issues that matter to voters there is no more formidable political force.”

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Rishi Sunak’s Wife Now Says She Will Pay UK Taxes On Overseas Income

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Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murty, has moved to end the controversy around her financial status by saying she will now pay UK taxes on all her overseas income.

Murty is estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of pounds, and the “non-dom” status exempted her from paying tax in the UK on foreign income.

Some reports suggested the fashion-designer daughter of a billionaire potentially avoided up to £20 million in UK tax.

In a statement, Murty said she did not want her non-dom status to be a “distraction” for her husband.

“For this reason, I will no longer be claiming the remittance basis for tax,” she said.

“This means I will now pay UK tax on an arising basis on all my worldwide income, including dividends and capital gains, wherever in the world that income arises.

“I do this because I want to, not because the rules require me to.

“These new arrangements will begin immediately and will also be applied to the tax year just finished.”

Earlier, Sunak faced further embarrassment after he admitted holding a US green card while chancellor, amid demands he “come clean” about his finances.

And the chancellor was also hit by claims in the Independent that he has been listed as a beneficiary of tax haven trusts linked to Murty in the British Virgin Islands and Cayman Islands.

In response, a spokeswoman close to the Sunak family said: “No-one in Akshata’s family is aware of this alleged trust.”

Murty confirmed she holds non-dom status after the Independent website revealed the arrangement on the day a national insurance hike hit millions of workers.

Sunak said his wife was entitled to use the non-dom arrangement as she is an Indian citizen and plans to move back to her home country to care for her parents.

He insisted she is not attempting to pay less tax, saying “the dates don’t make a difference”.

Murty is reported to hold a 0.91% stake in Infosys, an IT business founded by her father, and has received £11.6 million in dividends from the Indian firm in the past year.

Non-dom status means she would not have to pay UK tax at a rate of 39.35% on dividends. India sets the rate for non-residents at 20%, but this can fall to 10% for those who are eligible to benefit from the UK’s tax treaty with India.

Public records show Infosys has received more than £50 million in UK public sector contracts since 2015.

Murty pays an annual levy of £30,000 to the UK government to keep her non-dom status, her spokeswoman said.

Earlier, a spokeswoman for Sunak released a statement confirming that he held a green card while chancellor until seeking guidance ahead of his first US trip in a government capacity, in October last year.

The US inland revenue says anyone who has a green card is treated as a “lawful permanent resident” and is considered a “US tax resident for US income tax purposes”.

The spokeswoman said Sunak continued to file US tax returns, “but specifically as a non-resident, in full compliance with the law”, having obtained a green card when he lived and worked in the States.

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Rishi Sunak Hits Out At ‘Smear’ Over Wife’s Non-Dom Controversy – But Its Not Clear Who To Blame

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Rishi Sunak has defended his wife after it emerged she holds the tax-reducing non-domiciled status – but who is to blame for the leak appears to depend on the newspaper you read, as a Westminster briefing war was in full swing.

The chancellor said his spouse Akshata Murty – who is estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of pounds – had done nothing wrong in choosing a financial arrangement that means she is not legally obliged to pay tax in Britain on foreign income.

He blamed Labour for the “awful” smears against his family.

Sunak told The Sun newspaper that Murty was entitled to use the so-called “non-dom” arrangement as she is an Indian citizen and plans to move back to her home country to care for her parents.

The fashion-designer daughter of a billionaire married the chancellor in 2009 before he became an MP.

But there were other reports his allies have accused No. 10 of being responsible for the briefings.

The Telegraph reported that unnamed allies of the chancellor claimed the prime minister’s office were behind the leaks – an allegation No 10 and No 11 strongly denied.

A No 10 spokeswoman told the PA news agency: “It is categorically untrue that No 10 is behind the briefings.

“The prime minister and chancellor are united.”

The Times carried briefings claiming Sunak was the victim of a “political hit job” and a “co-ordinated attack”.

“He thinks it’s a total smear,” one ally said. “It feels like there’s a full-time briefing operation against him. This is a hit job, a political hit job. Someone is trying to undermine his credibility.”

A well as weighing up the Labour vs No. 10 claims, the paper revealed Sunak had told only a few people in government about his wife’s tax status – and that included senior officials at his former berth the housing ministry, as well as the Treasury and the Cabinet Office.

Murty is reported to hold a 0.91% stake in Infosys, an IT business founded by her father, with The Guardian reporting that the share is worth £11.5 million per year to Sunak’s wife.

The paper also reportedMurty had potentially avoided up to £20 million in UK tax by being non-domiciled.

With Murty born in India and her father also from the south Asian country, UK government rules allow her to list India, rather than the UK, as her permanent residence, meaning different tax rules on foreign earnings apply.

The chancellor said it was “unpleasant” to read attacks on his wife “especially when she hasn’t done anything wrong”.

“She hasn’t broken any rules. She’s followed the letter of the law,” Sunak told The Sun.

The chancellor said his partner “pays full UK tax on every penny that she earns here in the same way that she pays full international tax on every penny that she earns internationally”.

Asked during the interview whether he thought his family were victims of a “Labour smear campaign”, Sunak said he did.

But Labour hit back, with a party source telling PA: “The chancellor would do better to look a little closer to home.

“It’s clear that No 10 are the ones briefing against Rishi Sunak and, after his failure to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, you can understand why.”

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12 Key Questions For Rishi Sunak Over His Wife’s Non-Dom Status

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Chancellor Rishi Sunak is under fire after it was revealed his wife has “non-dom” status.

It means Akshata Murthy, daughter of an Indian billionaire, can earn money from abroad free of UK tax.

A non-domiciled tax status is designed for individuals whose permanent home is not the UK.

Murthy, who lives in Downing Street with her husband, said she has the status because of her Indian citizenship as the country does not allow its citizens to hold dual nationality.

However, some experts argue there are ways she can remain an Indian citizen while ending her non-dom status.

There is no suggestion any laws or rules have been broken, however Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has described the arrangement as appearing to represent “breathtaking hypocrisy”.

A Treasury spokesman has insisted that Sunak has “followed the ministerial code to the letter in his declaration of interests”.

The code states that, on appointment to each new office, ministers must provide their permanent secretary with a full list of all interests which might be thought to give rise to a conflict – including the interests of their spouse, partner or close family.

Labour is arguing that her non-domicile status is a matter of public interest because the chancellor may have directly benefitted from it.

They have written to Sunak with 12 questions, they include:

1. How much have you benefited from Murthy’s tax status as a ‘non-dom’?

2. Has Murthy ever claimed the remittance basis?

3. Do you accept that claiming the remittance basis was an active choice by Murthy, and not [as her spokesperson claimed yesterday] something that followed automatically from her citizenship?

4. What is Murthy’s claimed domicile?

5. On what basis is it not the UK, given her life suggests she intends to permanently remain in the UK?

6. For how long has Murthy been claiming the remittance basis? Companies House filings say Murthy has been living in the UK since at least 2013.

7. How much tax has been saved by claiming the remittance basis?

8. Where are all of Murthy’s non-UK income and gains fully taxed?

9. Does Murthy hold investments/property through trusts or companies in offshore jurisdictions?

10. When Murthy hits 15 years of being in the UK, she will cease to be entitled to claim the remittance basis. Often the wealthy avoid the resultant tax by putting their assets into trusts before the expiry of the 15 years. Will she commit not to do that?

11. Do you as chancellor support the claim of Murthy’s spokesperson that her Indian citizenship means she must be treated as non-domiciled for UK tax purposes?

12. What measures have you as chancellor put in place to ensure that you are not involved in Treasury discussions around potential amendments to the non-domicile status rules?

A Treasury spokesperson has not responded to a HuffPost UK request for a response to the questions.

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Government’s Landmark LGBT+ Conference Cancelled After Conversion Therapy Ban Backlash

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The UK government’s international LGBT+ conference has been cancelled amid the row over partially banning conversion therapy, multiple reports have suggested.

It comes after more than 100 organisations, including Stonewall, boycotted the landmark Safe To Be Me event, to be held in in London in June, over plans to exclude trans people from the legislation.

Earlier on Tuesday, the government’s LGBT business champion resigned in protest at the decision to water down the ban.

Boris Johnson last week changed the government’s policy twice within a matter of hours.

First, the administration said it was abandoning plans to ban the practice, with the cost of living crisis and war in Ukraine cited as reasons to “rationalise our legislative programme”.

However within hours of the announcement, it was revealed legislation would be included in the Queen’s Speech in May – but trans conversion therapy would be excluded.

Conservative MP Dehenna Davison expressed dismay at the decision to cancel the conference.

“We had such a huge opportunity to prove the UK (and the Conservative Party) is a defender of freedom,” she posted on Twitter.

“As a Conservative member of the LGBT+ community, it is so wrong it has come to this.”

The Times reported a senior Downing Street figure is said to have claimed that “the majority of people won’t care” that the event is not going ahead.

More than 80 LGBT+ groups and more than 20 HIV groups said they will not take part in the global, UK-hosted conference unless Johnson would revert to his promise for a trans-inclusive ban on conversion therapy.

Iain Anderson, the UK’s LGBT+ business champion, quit the role as he accused the government of engaging in a “woke war”.

He said ministers are trying to “drive a wedge” between the community.

Anderson added that it was “profoundly shocking” that the government had backtracked on protection for trans people during the same week that the first trans MP felt able to share his journey.

A government spokeswoman said: “We thank Iain for his contributions as LGBT business champion.

“The government has a proud record on LGBT rights and we remain committed to building upon that work with sensitivity and care.”

On Monday, the UK’s first openly trans MP has said he is “bitterly disappointed” by his own government’s decision to scrap the ban on trans conversion therapy.

Jamie Wallis, who came out last week in a heartfelt post shared on Twitter, said pressing ahead with outlawing conversion therapy – but not for trans people – would be a “broken promise”.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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BBC Question Time: Comedian Dom Joly Blasts Government’s ‘Disgusting’ Treatment Of Ukrainian Refugees

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Comedian Dom Joly has condemned the government’s “disgusting” treatment of Ukrainian refugees as he blasted the visa requirement and ministers’ fears of letting in spies.

Speaking on BBC’s Question Time, the Save the Children ambassador also criticised Conservative policies that tried to deter the “wrong sort of refugee”.

Joly took issue with the bureaucracy around the Homes for Ukraine scheme, with the government yet to say how many visas have been issued via the programme.

He also spoke out against ministers warning that women fleeing Ukraine could be Russian spies coming to Britain to launch Salisbury-style attacks.

Joly said: “Firstly, this government seems to … well, its supporters mainly, seem to have an anti-refugee, anti-immigrant feeling and so I think they feed off that, they feel that is the way to go.

“And certainly they have been incredibly confused by the fact that people seem to be incredibly sympathetic towards Ukrainian refugees and I cannot, for the life of me, see what the difference is between Ukrainian refugees and Syrians and Afghans. Well, actually, I can and I think that is one of the reasons, for instance, that there were no visa offices set up at Calais, because they did not want the wrong sort of refugee or immigrant turning up.”

He said the apparent sluggishness in issuing visas via the Homes for Ukraine scheme spoke to the “ludicrous amount of complications”.

“Why are we the only country asking people to have visas?,” he said, referring to the European Union, by contrast, granting temporary residency to Ukrainians fleeing the invasion and giving them access to employment, social welfare and housing for up to three years.

“There was this ridiculous excuse that somehow some of these people might be spies or they might be secret agents coming to do that. Well, that does not seem to affect any other country, so why are we so special?”

He finished: “I think it is disgusting the way we treat it, I really do.”

Almost a week after its launch, the government has not confirmed how many Homes for Ukraine applications have been successful. On Question Time, government minister Damian Hinds said a report detailing the figures has yet to be published, but “thousands” of Ukrainians with family links have been given visas.

He said: “Everybody recognises that there is the most enormous humanitarian emergency going on. We are a warm-hearted, kind-hearted nation, and we must do not only our share, but we want to do more than our share.”

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Anoosheh Ashoori: Freed Iran Detainee ‘Angry’ UK Government Delayed Paying Debt To Tehran

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A father freed from a prison in Iran after a five-year ordeal has said he feels “angry” the UK government took so long to secure his release.

Anoosheh Ashoori, 68, a retired civil engineer, accused Boris Johnson of “opportunism” after the prime minister ignored his request for an intervention two years ago, and is now offering a meeting.

Ashoori, a British-Iranian dual national, was arrested in August 2017 while visiting his elderly mother in Tehran.

He was detained in the notorious Evin prison for almost five years, having been accused of spying. He consistently and vigorously denied the allegations.

Ashoori was released at the same time as charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, and came after months of intensive diplomatic negotiations between London and Tehran.

The UK finally agreeing to settle a £400 million debt dating back to the 1970s appeared to break the deadlock.

British-US national, Morad Tahbaz, remains imprisoned in Iran.

<img class="img-sized__img landscape" loading="lazy" alt="Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori.” width=”720″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.wellnessmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/anoosheh-ashoori-freed-iran-detainee-angry-uk-government-delayed-paying-debt-to-tehran-2.jpg”>
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori.

Leon Neal via PA Wire/PA Images

The mother-of-one said she was let down by successive foreign secretaries before she was finally freed last week.

Speaking at a press conference in the House of Commons, Zaghari-Ratcliffe said she disagreed with her husband, Richard, who had thanked the government for finally reaching a deal over a £400 million debt owed to Iran by the UK over an order for Chieftain tanks more than 40 years ago.

The British-Iranian said there had been five different foreign secretaries over the course of her six years in jail.

She said: “How many foreign secretaries does it take for someone to come home? Five?

“What’s happened now should have happened six years ago.”

When asked on Beth Rigby Interviews on Sky News whether, after being held for nearly five years under four different foreign secretaries, he felt forgotten, Ashoori replied: “I agree with Nazanin 100%. She in fact put her finger on the right button by saying that. She should have been here years ago, if that debt was paid. That wasn’t a ransom, that was a debt that the British government owed. It should have been paid, and if it was paid perhaps none of this would have happened. So yes, I feel a bit angry.”

He added the prime minister had written to him “eager to see us”, despite Johnson previously snubbing a 2020 voicemail from Ashoori that attempted to get his case heard (his wife, Sherry, did not hear back).

Ashoori said: ”​I think that it’s a bit of opportunism involved in it, at the same time as all of this has happened under his command. So one could argue that it was the British government, the present British government, that succeeded in doing that, which is correct. At the same time you could say that why didn’t you contact us, my family, and now you are eager to do that.

“How would you expect us to absorb that? How would you expect us to think of you with this letter now? Why couldn’t this letter be sent five months ago, a year ago, two years ago? Why now?”

Ashoori said he was “not sure” whether he would see Johnson now.

In an interview with the Guardian, Ashoori questioned whether ministers would have acted earlier if they had spent just a day in Evin.

He told the newspaper: “Is it such a big job to pay this debt? Would those ministers be able to stand even one day of their life in Evin? If they could feel what it is like maybe they would have made the right decision much earlier. You cannot imagine yourself in that hell, that cesspool.”

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Rishi Sunak Confronted On Live Radio By Mother Who Cannot Afford To Heat Home

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A single mother-of-two has confronted Rishi Sunak about how she cannot afford to heat her home despite taking on two extra jobs and reducing her grocery bill to £15 a week.

On LBC Radio, Hezel tackled the chancellor – on the day of his spring statement – about the “intense strain” rising costs had put on her ability to provide for her children, despite “on paper” having what is considered a good salary.

She said a government grants are not “going to cut it” as she asked Sunak “what else you suggest I can be doing to help myself”.

Experts – including consumer champion Martin Lewis – have said measures in Sunak’s financial update will do not go far enough in alleviate the squeeze on households.

The caller said: “The significant increase in our energy bills has meant that we don’t have the boiler on.

“The lights are always off unless absolutely necessary and when it’s cold, we wear jumpers and coats and sometimes you can see our breaths when we breathe.

“Now, despite working a full-time job I’m having to find ways to bridge the gap. I’ve started cleaning houses and I spend every evening riding a bike delivering Uber Eats.

“I’ve managed to cut my grocery shop down to just £15 a week for an adult and two children, and I often go without myself to make sure the kids get what they need and they’re fed.”

Sunak replied that he “cannot imagine how difficult” her job was, as he has a “wife and other help”, adding that he pays tribute to her for “working your socks off to look after them”.

He pointed to the energy bill rebate and higher national insurance threshold that will give a tax cut in July, although it will only offset a tax rise due in April.

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Martin Lewis On Rishi Sunak Tackling The Cost Of Living Crisis: ‘Nowhere Near Enough’

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Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis has said Rishi Sunak’s spring statement announcements to help tackle the cost of living crisis were “nowhere near enough”.

On Wednesday, the chancellor brought fuel duty down by 5p until next March, raised the national insurance contribution thresholds to remove more low-paid workers from paying it, and took a penny off the basic rate of income tax by 2024.

But the founder of moneysavingexpert.com, speaking to Sky News, made clear there was very little to help with soaring household bills.

Lewis said the national insurance change would have a limited impact on people claiming Universal Credit. and extra cash for a “starving or freezing” fund would only help those in the most extreme circumstances.

Lewis said: “The chancellor has done more than I expected him to do but still nowhere near enough.

“We are still standing on a personal finance precipice in the UK.

“The chancellor is now the only person who can pull us back from that and I don’t think what we saw today is enough to do it.”

Lewis pointed to a “very dangerous time” where typical households will see their energy bills in October go up by £1,300 compared to the same time a year earlier.

“There is nothing close in this budget to covering that amount of money,” he said.

The consumer journalist said the country was reaching the point where people were “heating the human not heating the home”. He explained: “Don’t turn your central heating on, sit in a sleeping back. This is not advice, this is the tangible situation people are putting themselves in. Whether you have to get an electric blanket to get the heat you need, then leave the house to be cold. That is a tactic I am seeing people doing. Stark, isn’t it?”

He added in a message to Sunak: “Chancellor, you are the only person who can help.”

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