Boris Johnson news – live: Former Tory chair attacks party’s ‘seediness and mendacity’

Nadine Dorries says she doesn’t ‘fancy’ Boris Johnson

Downing Street has not refuted claims that Boris Johnson spoke with aides about getting wife Carrie Johnson two top jobs while prime minister.

Mr Johnson discussed environmental roles for his wife in autumn 2020, either for the Cop26 summit or with the Royal Family, sources told the Daily Mirror.

The latest claim followed reports Mr Johnson tried to hire her as his chief of staff when he was foreign secretary in 2018.

The PM allegedly went on to suggest securing her a role as green ambassador in the run-up to Cop26 or as communications director for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Earthshot Prize.

Downing Street said he had never recommended Ms Johnson for a government role, but stopped short of denying that he considered or discussed the move.

The PMs’s official spokesman said: “The Prime Minister has never recommended Mrs Johnson for a government role, or one as part of the Earthshot Prize.

“Beyond that I wouldn’t get into any conversations the Prime Minister may or may not have had in private.”

Show latest update 1655727902 No 10 urges businesses to consider pay restraint in light of soaring inflation

Downing Street has urged businesses to “take heed” of soaring inflation and to consider pay restraint.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “The Government wants a high wage, high growth economy and it’s not down to governments to dictate to private companies what wages they set. Everyone has different circumstances, so a top-down approach is not our position.

“But, clearly, the Government is taking heed of the economic situation in which we find ourselves and we expect private-sector companies will do so as well.

“There is a global challenge we are seeing, particularly around inflation at the moment, and we need as a country to avoid doing anything that would stoke inflationary pressures further.

“I’m not necessarily saying it would be around pay but there are a number of factors that could stoke inflation that people need to be mindful of.”

Pressed if pay is one of those factors, he said: “Certainly pay rises could be one of those areas that could be of detriment.”

Maryam Zakir-Hussain20 June 2022 13:25

1655726061 Carriegate: No 10 admits pressuring The Times to drop Carrie Johnson story

Downing Street has confirmed that members of Boris Johnson’s team intervened following the publication of a story about his wife Carrie in The Times, but denied that the prime minister himself contacted the paper to complain.

Our political editor Andrew Woodcock reports:

Maryam Zakir-Hussain20 June 2022 12:54

1655725230 Boris Johnson put under general anaesthetic for hospital operation as Dominic Raab runs country

Prime minister Boris Johnson was placed under general anaesthetic for a routine operation on his sinuses this morning, Downing Street has said.

Responsibility for “significant decisions” facing the government was passed over to deputy prime minister Dominic Raab for a 24-hour period from the start of the operation.

Mr Johnson was driven to an NHS hospital in London around 6am on Monday morning and was put under anaesthetic shortly afterwards for the operation, which No 10 described as “minor”.

The op – which had been scheduled for some time and was not an emergency – was described as a success and Mr Johnson returned to Downing Street around 10am, where he is spending the day resting.

Our political editor, Andrew Woodcock, reports:

Maryam Zakir-Hussain20 June 2022 12:40

1655723584 David Lammy investigated by parliamentary standards commissioner over late declarations

Parliament’s standards commissioner has opened an investigation into Labour MP David Lammy over allegedly failing to declare £27,000 in financial interests in good time.

On Monday the watchdog announced that the shadow foreign secretary was under investigation over late declarations of earnings and hospitality.

The late entries are believed to relate to payments for speeches during Black History Month and separate invites to Tottenham Hotspur football club, which is in his constituency.

Our policy correspondent, Jon Stone, has more:

Maryam Zakir-Hussain20 June 2022 12:13

1655721602 Boris Johnson accused of using ‘Putinesque’ tactics by staging protocol row with EU

Boris Johnson is using a “Putinesque” strategy by staging a “humongous” row with the EU over his protocol bill, according to former Northern Ireland secretary Peter Hain.

The ex-Labour cabinet minister said the prime minister would try to keep a distracting Brexit dispute going “with the old villain Brussels” all the way until the next general election.

Comparing Mr Johnson’s tactics to the Russia president Vladimir Putin, Mr Hain said Mr Johnson had cast aside “old-fashioned notions of truth, sticking to your word, trust, and obeying international law”.

“There is something Putinesque about the government’s framing of its Northern Ireland Protocol Bill,” the former NI secretary wrote in The Guardian.

Politics writer Adam Forrest has more here:

Maryam Zakir-Hussain20 June 2022 11:40

1655720402 Over 300 people crossed the Channel to Britain in small boats this weekend

More than 300 people made it to Britain after crossing the Channel in small boats over the weekend, latest figures have revealed.

The Ministry of Defence has confirmed seven boats were intercepted in the English Channel and brought to shore.

On Saturday, 321 people were rescued, but there were no intercepted crossings and nobody was brought to shore on Sunday.

Last week was the busiest week for Channel crossings in recent weeks, likely due to the warm weather and calm seas providing ideal weather conditions.

Some 1,512 people were brought to shore after being intercepted in the Channel last week.

The busiest week for Channel crossings so far this year was April 11 to 17, where 1,792 people were brought to shore – but the busiest seven-day period was 2,076 crossings in the seven days to April 19.

Crossings have continued despite the threat of asylum seekers being sent to Rwanda under new Home Office plans.

However, the first flight to Rwanda, planned for Tuesday, was cancelled at the last minute following an order from the European Court of Human Rights.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has previously described the court’s decision as politically motivated while Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said it was wrong for the injunction to be granted.

Ongoing court battles have created uncertainty over when any further attempts to fly asylum seekers to the African country will be made, although Ms Patel has previously said the Government “will not be deterred from doing the right thing, we will not be put off by the inevitable last-minute legal challenges”.

Maryam Zakir-Hussain20 June 2022 11:20

1655719142 Labour faces ‘serious questions’ if Wakefield lost, says Wes Streeting

This week’s byelection in Wakefield is a must-win for Labour and its leader Sir Keir Starmer, one of the party’s senior frontbenchers has said.

Wes Streeting, shadow health secretary, said the leadership would face “serious questions” if the party failed to take the red wall seat back from the Tories.

Thursday’s contest in West Yorkshire is a “big test” of whether voters in key seats are ready to put their trust in Labour again, the shadow minister said.

“We win it – it shows Labour is on the path back to government. We lose – we will face serious questions,” he told The Mirror.

Maryam Zakir-Hussain20 June 2022 10:59

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