Covid isolation laws will be scrapped this month after Boris Johnson said he expects to end the remaining Covid-19 restrictions a “full month early”.
Speaking in the Commons during Prime Minister’s Questions, he said: “It is my intention to return on the first day after the half-term recess to present our strategy for living with Covid.
“Provided the current encouraging trends in the data continue, it is my expectation that we will be able to end the last domestic restrictions – including the legal requirement to self-isolate if you test positive – a full month early.”
He intends to confirm the end of Covid isolation rules on February 21.
Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, said: “We are the freest country in Europe thanks to the strong defences we have built. We’re learning to live with Covid.”
Mr Johnson faced off Sir Keir Starmer for the first time since the Labour leader was mobbed by protesters in Whitehall on Monday night, with the PM branding the group “thugs and yobs”.
Follow the latest below.
01:08 PM
We’re learning to live with Covid, says Sajid Javid
The Government should be able to end Covid restrictions a full month early – including the requirement to self-isolate, Sajid Javid confirmed after Boris Johnson’s announcement.
Mr Javid gave the caveat that the remaining regulations will be repealed early “provided positive trends in data continue”.
“We are the freest country in Europe thanks to the strong defences we have built. We’re learning to live with Covid.”
01:06 PM
Yesterday’s reshuffle was PM’s attempt to get a grip
What Boris Johnson has done there is moved one of his most ardent Brexiteers and one of his most loyal ministers into a job which basically about promoting the successes of Brexit, says Tony Diver.
There is a bit of a strategy there, but really this is about making sure that No 10 and the parliamentary party are getting on well.
And we also know that that’s the reason why Steve Barclay took that Chief of Staff role at Downing St in the first place. The previous guy, Dan Rosenfield, was very unpopular but Steve Barclay is pretty well-liked.
Although it’s probably very boring for everyone, in reality what this is is Boris Johnson desperately trying to get a grip on his own MPs and stop what looked like a pretty serious challenge to his entire premiership.
And for Mutaz Ahmed, the reshuffle shows Boris Johnson “doesn’t have many cards to play” – bringing back Guto Harri is the PM pressing “the emergency button”.
12:59 PM
Boris Johnson’s reshuffle is a sign of a plan – but also shows his weaknesses
Yesterday’s fascinating reshuffle taught us a lot about the thinking in Downing Street, says Mutaz Ahmed.
He brought in a Brexiteer, he made Jacob Rees-Mogg the minister for Brexit opportunities.
He’s clearly decided that the way he’s going to save himself, Boris Johnson, is by doubling down on his appeal to the Brexit wing of the Parliamentary party, and for now ignoring the One Nation Tory MPs, people like Tom Tugendhat, which shows that he has a plan at least.
But it shows his weakness because he probably sees those soft, moderate Tory MPs as beyond reach.
The question is are there enough One Nation Tory MPs now to trigger a leadership contest.
12:51 PM
Olivia Utley: Keir Starmer ‘lost momentum’ at PMQs
Sir Keir Starmer’s attacks on the Government at PMQs felt a “little bit desperate”, says Olivia Utley, our Assistant Comment Editor.
“We’ve often said this before, but quite often Keir Starmer seems to have a fantastic hand to play and and sort of doesn’t really play it that well.
“I thought he was good on loans, forcing people to take out loans and I thought he was very good on fraud, which actually is a huge issue which is affecting a hell of a lot of people in this country.
“But he did begin to lose attention, he lost his momentum I felt a little bit as the last PMQs of the season went on.”
12:50 PM
New ‘partygate’ photo ‘probably not terrible news’ for the PM
A new photograph from an event on December 15, 2020 may not be enough to “reheat” the “partygate” saga – but could be enough to tip the balance over the event, says Tony Diver, our Political Correspondent.
“We’ve seen a photo before of the Prime Minister on this Zoom quiz greeting colleagues and celebrating.
“The defence from Downing Street has always been that this was really a work event and it was done on Teams, so there’s no reason that it would have broken the rules.
“This photo shows an open bottle of Prosecco and some food on the table at the same event. A Covid regulations lawyer, Adam Wagner, says that this means that it could constitute a breach of the rules because it shows that it was a sort of Christmas celebratory event rather than a purely work thing.”
For Mutaz Ahmed, our Comment Journalist: “If this is where we are, you know you find an open bottle in Downing Street and that’s huge breaking news, and it’s probably not terrible news for Boris Johnson.”
12:37 PM
Dominic Cummings suggests more pictures exist
After the publication in the Daily Mirror of a new image showing Boris Johnson with an open drink bottle at a virtual No 10 quiz on December 15, 2020, his former aide has weighed in:
there’s waaaaay better pics than that floating around, incl in the flat
— Dominic Cummings (@Dominic2306) February 9, 2022
Mr Johnson was again asked at the end of Prime Minister’s Questions if he will refer the photo to the police.
“It already has been… That event already has been submitted for investigation.”
12:32 PM
Boris Johnson commits to publishing Sue Gray report in full
Mark Harper, the Tory MP for the Forest of Dean, once again asks Boris Johnson to commit at the Despatch Box to ensuring Sue Gray’s final report is published “immediately and in full”.
Mr Harper says he did not receive a satisfactory answer the last time he asked that question.
“I do believe I answered that last Monday, but I’ll repeat for the benefit of the House that as soon as all of the inquiries are concluded I will immediately publish in full whatever Sue Gray gives me,” Mr Johnson confirms.
12:31 PM
Johnson asked about Harri’s Huawei links
Asked by Matthew Pennycook about Guto Harri has gone through the necessary checks in light of his reported links to Huawei, Boris Johnson says it is “a curious question to come from the benches that contain someone who took £586,000 from the Chinese government”.
“This Government took the brave and necessary step of making sure we excluded Huawei from our national infrastructure and that is the right thing to do,” Mr Johnson says.
12:28 PM
Boris Johnson condemns ‘thugs and yobs’ who mobbed Keir Starmer
Ruth Jones, the Labour MP for Newport West, claims Keir Starmer was “hounded outside of this Parliament” because of Boris Johnson’s words – and suggests he should sing ‘Careless Whisper’ instead of ‘I Will Survive’.
Ms Jones also lays the blame at Mr Johnson’s door for the imprisonment of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in Iran.
“I don’t think that she should either let the thugs and yobs who bullied and harassed the Right Honourable opposition off the hook because they are culpable any more than she should let the Iranian government off the hook because they are culpable”.
12:25 PM
Good Friday Agreement being ‘upset’ by Protocol, says Boris Johnson
Ian Paisley, the DUP MP for North Antrim, urges Boris Johnson to take the opportunity to speak to the Irish government over the Northern Ireland Protocol.
He calls for a solution that “saves the union that has been undermined by it”.
Mr Johnson agrees: “There must be a solution that commands cross-community support and at the moment there is no doubt the balance of the Good Friday Agreement is being upset.
“We need to fix it, that’s what we’re going to do and if our friends won’t agree then of course we will implement Article 16.”
12:23 PM
New image surfaces purporting to show Downing Street party
Fabian Hamilton refers to a photograph that has just emerged that appears to show Boris Johnson “surrounded by alcohol, food and people wearing tinsel” on December 15, 2020 – one of the gatherings that did not meet the threshold for criminal investigation.
“For the sake of my constituent and the sacrifice she made, will the Prime Minister be referring this party to the police?” he asks.
Mr Johnson says Mr Hamilton “in what he’s just said is completely in error”.
12:20 PM
Sir Ed Davey takes PM to task on fraud
Sir Ed Davey asks if Boris Johnson understands “the hurt he and his ministers cause crime victims” like his constituent Janet “when they erase them from crime figures”.
Mr Johnson directs the Liberal Democrat leader to what he has already said.
“He knows very, very well that this Government hates fraud, it hates online fraud, we’re tackling the scammers by helping people to come forward when they get an email, when they get duped, of course we’re helping them in any way we can.
“But we’re also cutting our crime that affects people up and down the country – neighbourhood crime, dealing with the county lines drug gangs”.
12:16 PM
Ian Blackford and Boris Johnson clash on National Insurance
Ian Blackford, leader of the SNP at Westminster, describes the Downing Street reshuffle as a “sight to behold”.
“It’s amazing how much energy the Prime Minister can summon when it comes to saving his own skin,” he says. “While he’s been busy rearranging the deckchairs, in the real world people continue to be punished by the Tory cost-of-living crisis.”
He cites a report from the OpenDemocracy site which concluded nurses will “take a pay cut” due to the National Insurance rise.
Boris Johnson insists on the need to “clear our Covid backlog” with six million already on the waiting list.
“That’s why we’re recruiting 50,000 more nurses, there are 11,000 more this year than there were last year. We’ve increased the starting salary for nurses… We value our nurses, we love our NHS and we’re paying for it.”
12:14 PM
‘The loan shark Chancellor’
Keir Starmer labels Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson “the loan shark Chancellor and his unwitting sidekick” which “leaves taxpayers in debt”.
“It’s the same old story with this Government – get in a mess, protect their mates and ask unwitting people to pick up the bill. It’s all one big scam and people across the country are paying the price.”
Mr Johnson maintains the Government is “absolutely committed to doing the right thing for the people of this country, when Labour is calling for us to take the easy way out.”
He claims Sir Keir Starmer wanted to remain in the European Medicines Agency.
“Our plan for jobs is working, we have record youth unemployment, our plan for the NHS and care is working, they have no plan at all. We have a great vision to unite and level up. I say to him plan meets no plan. We have a great plan for this country, they play politics.”
12:11 PM
Keir Starmer urges windfall tax on oil and gas giants
Sir Keir Starmer urges Boris Johnson to “stand up to his Chancellor, support families rather than loading them with tax”.
He notes that Shell and BP’s profits have risen by billions in the last year.
“Every second of the day they make £750 from rising prices… Why on earth is this Government forcing loans on British families when they should be asking those with an unexpected windfall to pay a little more?”
Mr Johnson says Labour’s vision is an “improvement on what I thought he stood for, which is nationalising” energy companies.
“What he would be doing is hitting the energy companies at exactly the wrong moment. What this Government is providing is £9.1bn worth of support. I just repeat my point – the only reason we can do it is because we kept our economy moving in those tough times. We came out of lockdown in July when he opposed it.”
12:09 PM
Keir Starmer: Boris Johnson ‘not one for reading terms and conditions’
Sir Keir Starmer asks if people are being “forced to take out a loan” as they will have to pay back the energy bill payment they will receive in October.
Boris Johnson again labels his scheme “faster, generous and more effective” than Labour’s alternative.
“This is a global problem caused by the spike in gas prices. But what they would do is clobber the oil and gas companies right now with a tax that would deter investment in gas just as this country needs gas as we transition to green fuel.
“It would be totally ridiculous and it would raise prices for consumers.”
Sir Keir says he was “always worried the Prime Minister wasn’t one for reading terms and conditions [and] didn’t understand what the Chancellor signed him up to”.
12:07 PM
Boris Johnson: Our plan ‘more generous and effective’ than Labour vision
Keir Starmer references Lord Agnew’s comments that he had to “smash some crockery to get people to take notice” of the anti-fraud response.
“It’s almost as if he’s been completely distracted for weeks. Talking of scams, households are going to have to fork out an extra £19bn on their energy bills. The Government is insulting people’s intelligence by pretending it’s giving them a discount.
“But it’s not, it’s a con, a buy-now-buy-later scheme – a dodgy loan not a proper plan. He shakes his head, so let me put this in language he might understand: when his donors give him cash to fund his lifestyle, and tell them he has to pay it back later, are they giving him a loan or a discount?”
Mr Johnson’s response: “Our plan to tackle the cost of living is faster, more efficient and more generous than anything… We’ve lifted the living wage by record amounts, we’ve cut the tax for people on Universal Credit and we’re now setting out a fantastic plan to help people with their energy bills.
“It’s more generous and more effective than anything Labour has set out. The only reason we can afford it is we have a strong economy, the fastest growing in the G7 which I think I may have pointed out – not just last year but this year as well.”
12:05 PM
Keir Starmer and Boris Johnson clash on fraud
Sir Keir Starmer asks if Kwasi Kwarteng was “right to say fraud is not something people experience in their day to day lives”.
Boris Johnson responds that this country “despises people who defraud people” and points to measures to strengthen the anti-fraud task force.
“We also attach huge importance to tackling neighbourhood crime and I’m very pleased those crimes are down 17 per cent.”
Sir Keir says the Prime Minister’s answer “has a big hole in it” after lockdown, and makes a joke about the number of illegal lockdown parties “having gone through the roof”.
“The Business Secretary casually suggests on TV [fraud] isn’t real crime. There’s a crime gang in Manchester nicking people around the world and shipping them around the world, all financed by Covid loans from the taxpayer. What’s the Chancellor’s response? Write off £4.3bn in losses and block an investigation.
“Is it any wonder that his anti-fraud minister realised no one in Government seemed to care and threw in the towel?”
Mr Johnson insists ministers are “tackling crime across the board” and putting more police on the street – “thanks to the big calls the Government got right”.
12:02 PM
Breaking: Boris Johnson hopes to end isolation rules a month early
Boris Johnson tells MPs it is his intention to return on the first day after the half-term recess to “present our strategy on living with Covid”.
Mr Johnson says he anticipates being able to end “the last domestic restrictions – including the legal requirement to self-isolate if you test positive – a whole month early”.
11:53 AM
On his way
Boris Johnson has left Downing Street for Prime Minister’s Questions.
Mr Johnson will go into today’s PMQs with changes to his team after holding a mini-reshuffle yesterday in an attempt to regain his grip on power.
Expected to join him on the front bench is Chris Heaton-Harris, the new Chief Whip who has replaced Mark Spencer.
11:47 AM
NHS waiting lists will soar no matter what, warns Sajid Javid
NHS waiting lists will rise no matter what level of “investment or reform” the Government provides, Sajid Javid has said.
In an article for The Telegraph, the Health Secretary set out “radical” plans to tackle record backlogs built up during the pandemic, but admitted that the total waiting list will only start to come down in 2024.
By then, Mr Javid pledged, “99 per cent of patients will be waiting for less than a year”.
Under the plans, patients will be “put in control of their care, with all the information they need at their fingertips”, with a new web platform meaning they can see where they are in the queue for treatment.
11:32 AM
Will the Prime Minister’s No 10 reset work?
That’s the question our experts will be discussing in our weekly “post-match analysis” of Prime Minister’s Questions.
Join Mutaz Ahmed, our Comment Journalist, Olivia Utley, our Assistant Comment Editor, and Tony Diver, our Political Correspondent – whose discussion and debate will be anchored by David Knowles, our Head of Social Media.
Listen at the link below and follow this blog for all their best analysis
11:27 AM
Coming up in the Commons
The showpiece of today’s action in Parliament will be Prime Minister’s Questions at 12pm.
This will follow oral questions to the Wales Secretary, which start in a few minutes at 11.30am.
This will be followed by urgent questions on Britain’s response to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, reports that six North Sea oil and gas fields will be approved this year, and reports of failings in the TOEIC English language tests in 2012.
We can also look forward to a statement from Edward Argar on the Integration White Paper, motions on the Police Grant Report and local government finance, and a 10-minute rule motion on protecting seals.
11:22 AM
Guto Harri must declare any recent contact with Huawei, says ex-MI6 chief
A former MI6 chief has said that Guto Harri should declare any recent contact with Huawei and confirm he supports banning the Chinese firm from Britain’s 5G network, writes Lucy Fisher, our Deputy Political Editor.
Sir Richard Dearlove on Tuesday night called for the Prime Minister’s new director of communications to make public the extent of his past association with the Chinese telecoms giant and to clarify his current views on it.
The intervention came after The Sun revealed that Mr Harri asked a senior adviser to Boris Johnson which ministers could receive a “nudge” for his client Huawei in June 2020.
Mr Harri represented Hawthorn Advisors, the lobbying firm, during the 25-minute video call that included Huawei executives, as well as Lord Udny-Lister, the Prime Minister’s chief strategic adviser at the time
Sir Richard Dearlove urges PM’s new recruit to come clean
11:15 AM
SNP ‘rewriting history’ by denying plan to chop classroom doors to stop Covid
SNP ministers have been accused of “an astonishing rewriting of history” after denying they ever planned to spend £300,000 chopping the bottom off classroom doors in an attempt to stop the spread of Covid.
Shirley-Anne Somerville, the education secretary, blamed a “wilful misunderstanding” of the situation by opposition parties, and said trimming doors had merely been one element of an “example scenario”.
She said it would only happen if other measures aimed at improving air flow led to changes to air pressure in a room and doors being harder to open.
However, her insistence that there had never been a plan for chopping off the bottom of doors met further mockery. A letter from Ms Somerville to Holyrood’s education committee detailed the proposal and the £300,000 budget.
Nicola Sturgeon then defended the plan against accusations that it was “bonkers” at last week’s First Minister’s Questions, saying it was “basic common sense”.
Simon Johnson, our Scottish Political Editor, has the story
11:07 AM
Gillian Keegan broke guidance – but not the law, says barrister
Health minister Gillian Keegan breached Covid guidance but according to a barrister did not break the law, writes Lucy Fisher.
She received a positive result from a lateral flow device, but only a PCR and being directed to self-isolate by a “relevant person” (NHS Test & Trace) triggers a “legal obligation”, he says:
On Gillian Keegan a few people have asked me whether she breached guidance or the law – the answer as far as I can tell is she breached guidance.
Assuming she means by LFD a lateral flow positive test this does not trigger a legal obligation 1/2 https://t.co/im06AEdFBc
— Adam Wagner (@AdamWagner1) February 9, 2022
Under the self-isolation regulations trigger a legal obligation is triggered when you are notified by a “relevant person” which is generally the NHS and will happen after a positive PCR test. A lateral flow test does not have that effect 2/3
— Adam Wagner (@AdamWagner1) February 9, 2022
10:55 AM
Fact check: Was Keir Starmer responsible for the CPS failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile?
Boris Johnson is under pressure to withdraw his attack on Sir Keir Starmer over the failure to prosecute Jimmy Savile.
The Prime Minister’s remarks in Parliament last week about the Labour leader caused a storm even among Mr Johnson’s own backbenchers and personal advisers.
On Monday a mob targeted Sir Keir near Parliament, shouting “traitor” and accusing him of “protecting paedophiles”.
Former Cabinet minister Julian Smith was among Tory MPs publicly calling for Mr Johnson to withdraw the Savile remark.
“It is really important for our democracy and for (Sir Keir’s) security that the false Savile slurs made against him are withdrawn in full,” Mr Smith said.
Labour’s Kim Leadbeater, whose sister Jo Cox was murdered while she was a serving MP in Batley, said: “Words have consequences, leaders have a duty to behave responsibly, and politics is not a game. Our country deserves far better.”
Mason Boycott-Owen looks at the truth of the matter
10:45 AM
China slaps down Liz Truss over Falklands
China’s UK embassy said it “firmly supported” Argentina’s claims over the Falkland Islands as Beijing and Buenos Aires deepened ties with a major financial support deal, Sophia Yan reports from Beijing.
The embassy in London said it recognised Argentina’s “full sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands” in a rebuke aimed at Liz Truss.
Ms Truss, the Foreign Secretary, tweeted on Monday that the UK “completely” rejected “any questions over sovereignty of the Falklands,” after Chinese and Argentinian leaders met in Beijing.
Xi Jinping agreed to help prop up the faltering Argentinian economy with $23.7 billion in financing for projects. Alberto Fernandez, the Argentinian president, officially signed on to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a global network of infrastructure projects that in some instances has been compared to debt bondage.
Rebuke after Truss said ‘Falklands part of British family’
10:34 AM
Lord Geidt investigating Nusrat Ghani allegations, says Mark Spencer
Lord Geidt is investigating allegations of Islamophobia made by Nusrat Ghani, the new Leader of the Commons has told a local radio station this morning.
Mark Spencer, the former Chief Whip, broke cover last month to deny incendiary claims by Ms Ghani – a vice-chairman of the 1922 Committee – that a whip said her “Muslimness” was raised at a meeting before her sacking from her transport minister role in 2020.
[embedded content]
“To ensure other Whips are not drawn into this matter, I am identifying myself as the person Nusrat Ghani MP has made claims about this evening,” Mr Spencer said at the time. “These accusations are completely false and I consider them to be defamatory. I have never used those words attributed to me.”
Asked about the issue on BBC Radio Nottingham, Mr Spencer, the MP for Sherwood, said: “If I’m honest with you… that is a bit rough, when you’re accused of something of that nature. It’s a bit rough not being able to defend yourself until the results of that investigation come forward.
“I’ve just got to keep my mouth shut, present the facts to Lord Geidt who’s doing the investigation, and then once that’s concluded, I think we’ll be able to have a fairly open conversation about that.”
Lord Geidt also produced the report into the refurbishment of Boris and Carrie Johnson’s Downing Street flat.
10:24 AM
What does the Public Accounts Committee’s Brexit report say?
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Challenges caused by the Northern Ireland “need to be resolved”, the report insists. Both the UK and EU have recognised that there are issues with the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol. The Cabinet Office told us that the results of its monitoring of the impact of the Protocol had been very concerning and had revealed considerable diversion of trade.”
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New border checks are creating additional costs for businesses, the report notes, with the caveat: “It is not yet clear to what extent the declines in UK trade with the EU since the end of the transition period have been caused by EU exit, or by the Covid-19 pandemic.”
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The report also finds the Government could do more to prepare small and medium sized businesses for “the additional costs and administration” required post-Brexit.
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New border arrangements are “have yet to be tested with normal passenger volumes” because of the pandemic and “could be exploited” when goods arrive from the EU – urges the Govt to set out its scenario planning for passenger numbers this year
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“Much work remains to be done” in the absence of all of the necessary systems, infrastructure and staff, while there is also “more to be done to ensure that traders and hauliers across the 27 EU countries are prepared for UK import controls”.
10:13 AM
I’d do things differently on Brexit and customs, says Lord Frost
The former Brexit minister has said he “lost the internal argument” on the UK’s customs process.
Lord Frost, who resigned from Boris Johnson’s Cabinet in December, labelled a report by the public accounts committee “quite thin stuff” but said it was right to note how this year is affected by the new inward customs processes that were introduced on January 1.
“I wouldn’t have done this but I lost the internal argument,” he said. “But there is still time to think carefully before introducing full SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) controls from July.
“We have to put up with EU controls. But we don’t have to replicate them ourselves. We should have a light-touch border to the whole world.
“That’s a Brexit opportunity. The EU believes in protectionism. We don’t, and our controls should reflect our philosophy not theirs.”
10:00 AM
Crack down on economic crime to tackle Russia, urges Labour
Labour has urged the Government to crack down on economic crime or risk yielding to Russia in the face of the Ukrainian border crisis.
Speaking as part of a cross-party panel at the Royal United Services Institute Centre (RUSI), Pat McFadden, the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury , said: “Economic crime is not just an issue of finance and taxation. It is also an issue of national security. And it should be treated as such.
“How can we crack down effectively on the finances of oligarchs when the UK has been such a welcome home to those oligarchs and their money over the years?
“Boris Johnson has already spent two and a half years as Prime Minister not doing anything on the economic measures the UK needed to hit the pals of Putin where it hurts.”
Mr McFadden called on the Government to enable tighter propriety checks by reforming Companies House, bring in a register of overseas entities bill as promised by the Conservatives in 2017, and update the public on what action will follow the Russia Report.
09:51 AM
Boris Johnson ‘right to clarify’ Jimmy Savile comments
Boris Johnson was right to clarify his comments about Sir Keir Starmer and Jimmy Savile as “words have consequences”, a minister has said ahead of today’s Prime Minister’s Questions.
Edward Argar, the health minister, indicated Mr Johnson would not apologise for his claim that Sir Keir “failed to prosecute” Savile while Director of Public Prosecutions, but welcomed Mr Johnson’s comments that the Labour leader had no personal involvement in the decision.
“I think you’re right to say words have consequences, that’s why I think it was right the Prime Minister clarified what he meant and was very clear in that clarification,” he told Sky News.
“I think it was clear he was not suggesting any personal involvement by Sir Keir, I’m pleased he made that clarification. I think the Prime Minister has set out his position very clearly, he explained very clearly it wasn’t a personal reference and I think that that is an appropriate way for him to have moved things forward.”
09:44 AM
The truth about the Keir Starmer video
One in five statements shouted at Sir Keir Starmer by protesters who surrounded him outside Parliament on Monday night related to Jimmy Savile, analysis of the footage by The Telegraph reveals.
Demonstrators made 14 references (19 per cent) to Savile and the slur that Sir Keir was “protecting paedophiles”. It came after Boris Johnson had accused the Labour leader of “failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile” while Director of Public Prosecutions.
Forty-one per cent of the protesters’ statements labelled Sir Keir a “traitor”. Fifteen per cent accused him of “fake” or controlled opposition and seven per cent were about Julian Assange. The remainder of their comments focused on other topics.
Labour shadow ministers have called on Mr Johnson to apologise, and pointed to the fact Sir Keir had no personal involvement in not prosecuting Savile.
Telegraph analysis reveals wide-ranging attacks
09:38 AM
Smart meter overhaul to open gates for ‘surge pricing’
Smart meters are to automatically send energy suppliers half-hourly updates on their customers’ power use in a revolutionary move that will allow “surge pricing” in millions of households’ bills.
The energy regulator Ofgem will be granted legal powers in May allowing it to change the way smart meters operate, so that information about usage is sent to suppliers every 30 minutes by default.
Suppliers will be able to use the data to change consumer energy prices as much as 48 times per day, allowing them to charge more at peak times.
The plans are viewed by industry experts as a key stepping stone towards “time of use” tariffs, which would charge customers different rates for energy throughout the day depending on demand.
09:24 AM
Sir John Major set to accuse Boris Johnson of harming trust in politics
Sir John Major is expected to accuse Boris Johnson of corroding trust in politics over the “partygate” saga in a bruising intervention to be delivered later today.
The former prime minister and Conservative leader will deliver a speech entitled “In democracy we trust?” at the Institute for Government think tank.
Sir John is set to call into question Downing Street’s response to allegations of lockdown-breaking parties, which at first saw a blanket denial issued by Mr Johnson’s press team.
He is also likely to criticise the behaviour that led to accusations of hypocrisy being levelled at Number 10 officials who drank alcohol and socialised while the public was in lockdown.
Ben Riley-Smith, our Political Editor, has the story
09:09 AM
Keir we go again
Sir Keir Starmer was pictured leaving his home this morning ahead of his weekly showdown with Boris Johnson at Prime Minister’s Questions.
The Labour leader has not commented on the events of Monday, which saw him rescued by police after he was surrounded by a mob who accused him of “protecting paedophiles”.
The group repeated an accusation made by Boris Johnson in the Commons last week, when he suggested Sir Keir was responsible for the “failure to prosecute” Jimmy Savile while Director of Public Prosecutions, a decision Sir Keir had no personal involvement in.
Last week at PMQs, Sir Keir said of the Conservative Party: “Our parties stood together as we defeated fascism in Europe. Now their leader stands in the House of Commons parroting the conspiracy theories of violent fascists to try and score cheap political points.”
It will be interesting to see what gets said on the matter by either leader this week.
09:03 AM
Sajid Javid: NHS backlog a mission with social justice at its heart
As wave after wave of Covid has crashed against our defences during the last two years, the NHS has managed to stand its ground, Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, writes for The Telegraph.
Nurses, doctors, cleaners and so many others have put everything on the line to care for patients and families up and down the country. Over this recent omicron wave, the heroism of those who work in the NHS has shone through once more.
But this has not come without cost. Staff have been stretched to their limits and we’ve seen a huge build-up in the Covid backlog of elective care. We know that up to 10 million people didn’t come forward for treatment during the pandemic and it is imperative that as many as possible come forward and get the care they need.
With 17 million cases of Covid-19 recorded, the pressures on the NHS cannot be underestimated and so neither can the scale of the task ahead. The hard truth is that with people returning to the NHS for scans, checks and procedures – and with many people already having waited so long – the total number of people on the waiting list will rise.
In the short term, there is no amount of investment or reform that could prevent that reality. But we must and will turn the tide and it is investment and reform that we need if we are to bring the waiting lists and waiting times down.
Sajid Javid: NHS crisis demands radicalism and we will deliver
08:55 AM
Why are Charing Cross officers still in a job, asks Sadiq Khan
Sadiq Khan has questioned why nine out of 14 officers based at Charing Cross police station involved in vile social media exchanges are still serving with the Met.
One officer who joked about raping women at knifepoint was allowed to keep his job, it emerged last week, while two others sacked for sharing misogynistic, homophobic and racist messages were granted anonymity by the force.
“I think Londoners can’t understand why nine of these 14 police officers are still serving,” the Mayor told the Today programme. “I’ve asked that question.”
“And by the way, I only discovered last week that two of them have been promoted.”
Mr Khan said the Met’s plan to win back public trust was a matter of “days and weeks” after the force was implicated in a series of scandals.
08:46 AM
Move on from the Jimmy Savile row, urges Labour minister
A shadow minister said he does not want to “continue the debate” over Boris Johnson’s comments about Jimmy Savile and Sir Keir Starmer.
“The truth is, the longer you and I are talking about this, in a way that’s what Boris Johnson wants,” Pat McFadden told Sky News.
“Because I think he wants to continue this debate, I think he’s quite happy with this scurrilous rumour being spread around.
“And actually, what I’d rather be talking about – of course, you can ask whatever you want – but there’s a lot going on in the world.
“We’ve got high energy prices, we’ve got the story on NHS waiting lists that was announced yesterday where people are waiting much longer for treatment, we’ve got major issues with fraud and crime that we are talking about today.”
08:32 AM
Minister apologises for attending meeting with Covid
The care and mental health minister has apologised for continuing to attend a meeting after being told she had coronavirus.
“Earlier today, ahead of a planned visit I took a precautionary [lateral flow device] test which gave a positive result. I am now isolating at home and fortunately feel fine,” Gillian Keegan wrote on social media last night.
“When I was told my test was positive I was listening to three fathers who had tragically lost their daughters to suicide. I told them the result and took further precautions but with their consent, I stayed for a short period to hear their stories.
“I should have immediately ended the meeting and on reflection this was an error of judgment on my part. I fully recognise the importance of following the letter and spirit of the policies, so want to be upfront about what happened and to apologise for the mistake I made.”
08:30 AM
Sadiq Khan’s support for Cressida Dick ‘contingent on response’
Not exactly a ringing endorsement of Dame Cressida Dick’s leadership of the Metropolitan Police from Sadiq Khan this morning.
After it emerged he had put Dame Cressida “on notice”, Mr Khan told Radio 4: “I think it’s possible on the one hand to recognise the brave officers we have, the excellent officers we have but also say what we have seen too often are examples of racism, misogyny, sexism, discrimination and the like.
“I’ve been quite clear to the Commissioner. My expectation is the next time I see her I want to see what her response is to the examples of not one officer, but 14 officers, being involved in racist, sexist, misogynistic, homophobic, antisemitic, Islamophobic and the like behaviour – none of whom are still serving – and secondly what her plans are to win back the trust and confidence that’s been both knocked and shattered as a consequence of these cases.”
On whether Dame Cressida still has his confidence, Mr Khan said: “That’ll be contingent on the response from the commissioner the next time I see her. If I believe the commissioner can’t win back the trust and confidence of Londoners…”
08:25 AM
Mark Spencer was ‘highly effective’ Chief Whip, says minister
Edward Argar praised Mark Spencer as a “highly effective” Chief Whip as he refused to comment on the ongoing investigation after allegations of Islamophobia made by Nusrat Ghani.
Mr Spencer was replaced by Chris Heaton-Harris and made Leader of the House of Commons in yesterday’s reshuffle, while Jacob Rees-Mogg became the Minister for Brexit Opportunities.
“There is an investigation going on into those specific allegations that were made, so it wouldn’t be right for me to comment while that process is going on,” Mr Argar told Times Radio.
“Speaking on the basis of my working relationships, and as a colleague, I’ve always found Mark to be an incredibly decent, forthright and genuine person and I found him to be a highly effective chief whip.
“And from my perspective as a minister taking legislation through the House of Commons… indeed at the moment, I rate Mark’s skills very highly and I look forward to working with him as Leader of the House in helping to get my legislation through, as well as every other piece of legislation.”
08:21 AM
Former adviser to Gordon Brown backs windfall tax
A former adviser to Gordon Brown has backed a one-off windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas companies.
Professor Michael Jacobs pointed to Margaret Thatcher instigating a windfall tax on the banks in 1981 and Labour’s windfall tax on privatised utilities in 1997.
“In the end they weren’t taken to court or challenged by the companies because in the court of public opinion, both of those occasions everybody thought ‘those companies have not earned those profits’,” he told the Today programme.
“A windfall tax is a good thing because it doesn’t affect their behaviour.”
08:11 AM
‘What about a sense of personal responsibility?’
Boris Johnson’s leadership is “past the point of no return”, according to a billionaire hedge fund manager who has donated more than £3million to the Tory Party.
John Armitage, who has donated more than £500,000 to the Conservatives since Mr Johnson became Prime Minister in 2009 but last year donated £12,500 to Labour, told BBC Breakfast he felt the PM had now lost “moral authority”.
“If you do things which the average person, your mother, someone who you admire, if you do something or say something which on the front page of the Sunday Times looks terrible, and you do that consistently, and you betray a sense of not really caring, I think you should leave.
“I find the lack of honour inherent in modern politics incredibly distressing… ‘I’m going to change my advisers’ – God above, what about a sense of personal responsibility?”
08:07 AM
NHS targets ‘ambitious but realistic’, says minister as one in nine on waiting lists
The health minister said new targets for tackling the NHS backlog are “ambitious but realistic”.
Mr Argar corrected Sky News’s Kay Burley when she said one in 10 Britons were on a waiting list, saying: “It’s around one in nine… That’s a huge figure and every one of those people will understandably be concerned. They’ll either be in pain or understandably anxious.
“We’ve got to be realistic and honest with people about the scale of that challenge and the impact that will have both on workload and on workforce so what we’ve set is what we think is ambitious but realistic as a way to bring that waiting list.”
Mr Argar echoed comments made by Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, on Monday, as he warned the waiting list “will go up before it goes down”.
08:05 AM
Boris Johnson won’t apologise to Keir Starmer, suggests minister
The health minister has suggested that Boris Johnson will not apologise for his comments about Sir Keir Starmer and Jimmy Savile at the despatch box later today.
“The Prime Minister has been very clear, he’s clarified what he was talking about,” Edward Argar told Sky.
“He’s clarified that he was talking about Sir Keir in the context of his leadership role at the CPS, just as quite rightly Sir Keir holds him to account for his leadership role over the Government.
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“That doesn’t mean personal responsibility for individual decisions and to be honest with you I suspect that’s what you’ll hear from the Prime Minister today.
“All politicians, all of us in the public eye – media, politicians, individuals on things like Twitter – need to think carefully about the words they use.”
08:04 AM
Good morning
Boris Johnson was right to clarify his comments about Sir Keir Starmer and Jimmy Savile as “words have consequences”, a minister has said ahead of Prime Minister’s Questions.
Here’s the front page of your Daily Telegraph today:
