Britain can train Ukraine’s forces, Boris Johnson has said after he met with Volodymyr Zelensky on a surprise visit to Kyiv.
Mr Johnson confirmed Britain will offer Ukrainian forces a major training programme which would have the capacity to train as many as 10,000 soldiers every 120 days, using battle-proven British Army expertise.
“My visit today, in the depths of this war, is to send a clear and simple message to the Ukrainian people: the UK is with you, and we will be with you until you ultimately prevail,” he said.
“As Ukrainian soldiers fire UK missiles in defence of your nation’s sovereignty, they do so also in defence of the very freedoms we take for granted.
“That is why I have offered President Zelensky a major new military training programme that could change the equation of this war – harnessing that most powerful of forces, the Ukrainian determination to win.”
Posting a photograph of him with President Zelensky on Twitter, Mr Johnson wrote: “Mr President, Volodymyr. It is good to be in Kyiv again.”
Follow the latest updates below.
05:38 PM
Eliot Wilson: The Tories have a House of Lords problem on their hands
One of the signs of a government beset by malaise is the frequency of the unforced error, notes Eliot Wilson.
There seems to be a law of politics that as administrations begin to wobble, they start to make mistakes which, in retrospect, could so easily have been avoided. Perhaps it’s inattention, perhaps plain karma, but the current regime seems to be following this pattern, and the problems are coming from an unlikely source.
No premier has really lost sleep over the House of Lords since Asquith. The Parliament Act 1911 gutted the upper house’s veto powers, allowing money bills to pass unscathed and other legislation only to be delayed rather than blocked entirely. The peers have since then been a potential irritant to governments but no longer an existential threat.
That irritant factor is strong at the moment, however, both institutionally and individually. Just in the last week, the lords spiritual collectively opposed the government’s project of moving asylum-seekers to Rwanda.
More generally, the House of Lords is truculent. In the last session (2021-22), the government sustained 128 defeats in the Lords, more than in any session since the 1970s. The composition of the House, where no party has a majority and the votes of the non-partisan crossbench peers are important, makes government victory less than automatic.
Eliot Wilson: The second chamber must be managed carefully
05:23 PM
Is Boris ‘burning through goodwill’?
Not everyone is as happy as Ben Houchen (see 4.59pm) about Boris Johnson’s no-show at the Northern Research Group conference in Doncaster in favour of his visit to meet President Zelensky in Doncaster.
A Northern Research Group source tells the Telegraph’s Associate Editor Christopher Hope: “Sadly, today’s events show the PM has no commitment to levelling up, his voters, or the North of England.
“He is burning through goodwill, and looks scared to come and engage with the very group who delivered for him during the vote.”
05:21 PM
Stop putting unions ahead of saving people’s lives, Sajid Javid tells Labour
Labour is putting support for unions before saving the lives of patients, the Health Secretary has said.
Writing to Wes Streeting, Sajid Javid said that his shadow counterpart was neglecting his duty to protect patients and NHS staff.
He wrote: “These strikes will put patients at risk. The disruption these strikes will cause will make it more difficult for doctors, nurses, carers and other healthcare staff to get into work.
“They will also make it harder for patients to come in to see them for much-needed treatments. Some of these patients will have had to book time off work to attend their appointments.”
Mason Boycott-Owen has the full story
05:03 PM
Pictured: PM and Zelensky’s talks and press conference
04:59 PM
Ukraine ‘absolutely more important’ than Red Wall
One of the most prominent ‘Red Wall’ Tories has defended Boris Johnson after he was criticised for missing today’s inaugural conference of the Northern Research Group of Conservative backbenchers.
Ben Houchen, the first ever directly-elected Mayor of the Tees Valley, wrote on Twitter: “To all the rubbish being spouted on Twitter at the moment, Ukraine’s fight against Russia is absolutely more important than the PM attending a conference of Red Wall Tory politicians.”
04:56 PM
PM suggests no peace talks until Russia fully expelled from Ukraine
Boris Johnson stressed Britain will give Ukraine “the strategic endurance that you will need” and pledged to intensify sanctions on Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
“We’re going to do everything we can to continue to strengthen the diplomatic coalition of support across the world for Ukraine. We’re going to work together to liberate the grain, as you rightly say, that is being held hostage right now by Putin, depriving people around the world of the food that they need.
“Of course, we will continue as we have from the beginning to provide the military equipment that you need, and now of course the training that may be necessary to go with that new equipment so that you, the Ukrainian people, the Ukrainian armed forces, will be able to do what I believe Ukrainians yearn to do, and that is to expel the aggressor from Ukraine.
“And that will be the moment for talks about the future. And it will be in that context of a free Ukraine that we and other countries will be making the security commitments and guarantees that we’ve discussed so often.”
04:52 PM
‘It’s good to see visitors from other European countries’
Speaking at a joint press conference with Volodymyr Zelensky, Boris Johnson said it is “great to see how life is coming back to the streets, to the restaurants, to the cafes – much livelier, I think, than a few weeks ago than you and I went on our impromptu walkabout, Volodymyr.
“It’s good to see visitors, let me put it this way, from other European countries coming too to Kyiv. But we’ve got to face the fact that only a couple of hours away a barbaric assault continues on entirely innocent people.
“Towns and villages are being reduced to rubble, and as you rightly say Volodymyr we continue to see the deliberate target of civilians in what is unquestionably a war crime, and in a hideous echo of the past the illegal deportation of people that the Russian forces believe are insufficiently sympathetic to Putin’s aggression.”
Mr Johnson saluted the “bravery of your armed forces” and said he “completely understand[s] why you and your people can make no compromise with Putin”.
04:33 PM
GCSE and A-level grades ‘will be the most generous ever’
GCSEs and A-levels this year will get the “most generous grades ever”, England’s chief exam regulator has said, despite the pledge to return to pre-pandemic grading standards.
Jo Saxton, the chief regulator of Ofqual, said that “grading this year will make sense for this year’s students”, adding that “results will reflect a staging post between 2021 and 2019”.
Speaking at the Confederation of School Trusts’ annual conference in Birmingham on Friday, Ms Saxton warned schools that they would see “lower” results than the 2021 teacher-assessed grades, but that they would be the highest “ever” since pre-pandemic grading.
India McTaggart has the story
04:18 PM
President Zelensky writes on Telegram…
Many days of this war have proved that Great Britain’s support for Ukraine is firm and resolute.
Glad to see our country’s great friend Boris Johnson in Kyiv again.
04:05 PM
What would training for Ukrainian troops look like?
If accepted by Ukraine, the British scheme would see soldiers learn “battle-winning skills for the front line” in addition to basic medical and cyber-security training and counter-explosive tactics.
Operation Orbital saw the UK train more than 22,000 personnel between 2015, the year after the Russian annexation of Crimea, and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February.
“The battle-winning skills taught during the seven-year programme enabled Ukrainian forces to launch a ferocious defence against Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion,” Downing Street said in a statement this afternoon. “The new programme would train forces outside of the country.”
It follows more than£1.3billion in humanitarian and economic support to Ukraine since February 24, including military aid.
03:56 PM
Breaking: UK confirms major training programme for Ukrainian forces
The United Kingdom will offer Ukrainian forces a major training programme, Downing Street has confirmed after Boris Johnson met with Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv earlier today.
Mr Johnson said the UK could facilitate a training scheme with the capacity to train as many as 10,000 soldiers every 120 days, using battle-proven British Army expertise.
If the offer were to be accepted by Ukraine, international partners would also be invited to host the programme.
Mr Johnson said: “My visit today, in the depths of this war, is to send a clear and simple message to the Ukrainian people: the UK is with you, and we will be with you until you ultimately prevail. As Ukrainian soldiers fire UK missiles in defence of your nation’s sovereignty, they do so also in defence of the very freedoms we take for granted.
“That is why I have offered President Zelensky a major new military training programme that could change the equation of this war – harnessing that most powerful of forces, the Ukrainian determination to win. Two months on from my last visit, the Ukrainian grit, determination and resilience is stronger than ever, and I know that unbreakable resolve will long outlive the vain ambitions of President Putin.”
03:38 PM
The Prime Minister tweets…
03:37 PM
The last time PM went to Ukraine
Boris Johnson also travelled to Kyiv in secret on April 9, when he had a meeting in the capital with Volodymyr Zelensky.
Mr Johnson was understood to have travelled late the night before “in a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people”.
It came as he set out a new British package of military and financial aid, prompting Andriy Syibha, a Ukrainian presidential aide, to describe him as “the leader of the anti-war coalition [and] the leader of sanctions on the Russian aggressor”.
While that visit was announced by the Ukrainian embassy on Twitter, news of today’s was confirmed in a one-line update provided to the PA news agency.
03:33 PM
Breaking: Boris Johnson travels to Kyiv
Boris Johnson is understood to have travelled to Kyiv, a day after European Union leaders including Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz.
Mr Johnson’s visit, his second time to Ukraine since the Russian invasion, was confirmed by the PA news agency.
It comes after he met Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, back in April to pledge Britain’s unwavering support to the country.
03:26 PM
Cochrane’s Scotland: Running a remote island’s school just the ticket out of rail strikes
It was about 40 years ago that I missed what I now realise may have been the opportunity of a lifetime, writes Alan Cochrane.
I’d gone, with the now sadly departed John Downing – who would go on to become a world-famous war photographer – to write about life on Foula in Shetland, which is, alongside Fair Isle, one of Britain’s most remote and least inhabited bit of real estate.
We had flown in a tiny plane in which, because the weather was getting worse, we were told we’d have to fly out again within a few hours – a fact that didn’t give us much time at all. However, it was enough to work out that this was a magical place with a fascinating history.
And if you want to escape rail strikes? Or are anxious to avoid the resultant road congestion? Or can’t afford £100 to fill up your petrol tank? Or are fed up queuing in supermarkets for over-priced food? Then the solution is at hand. Foula is looking for a headteacher – indeed, its only teacher – for its school.
Read the full Cochrane’s Scotland column here
03:11 PM
Where is the Prime Minister?
The chairman of the Northern Research Group has said he does not know why Mr Johnson did not address Tory MPs and party members at an event in Doncaster earlier today.
Jake Berry, the MP for Rossendale and Darwen, said: “”When you have the Prime Minister of your country who is going to come and attend your conference, which is brilliant, and he’s a huge supporter and has been in touch to wish us all the best.
“Occasionally things happen, which I understand will come out in the next hour about why he’s had to cancel the whole of his tour to the North of England today.”
It was 1pm when Mr Berry said the reason for the PM’s absence would be clarified “in the next hour”, although there is no word from Downing Street just yet.
02:55 PM
Transport inequality ‘must be confronted’
Improving transport in the north must be the “number one priority for levelling up,” the co-chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on ‘Left Behind’ has said.
“The disparity between transport investment in the north compared to the south must be confronted if we are to truly equalise opportunities for everyone in the UK,” Paul Howell said as he appeared at today’s Northern Research Group conference of Tory MPs.
“Investing in the North East’s transport infrastructure has been something I’ve championed since becoming the MP for the Sedgefield constituency.
“Investing in our transport networks is the number one priority for levelling up our great country.”
02:35 PM
Lift congestion charge for motorists during rail strike, Sadiq Khan told
A government minister has urged Sadiq Khan to lift the congestion charge in London and stop non-essential roadworks during next week’s rail strikes.
Paul Scully, the business minister, also said the industrial action “risks people’s livelihoods” at a “fragile” time for personal finances. Speaking on LBC, he said:
If you’re going to strike you risk other businesses, other people’s livelihoods, but also the rail system up and down the country, including in London.
Because we are at a point where we are trying to get people back into work and it’s fragile – any excuse to stop people travelling really does affect the fare box and the financial viability of the rail service.
We don’t want to risk anybody’s job so please get around the table, it’s not helping anybody.
02:32 PM
Good afternoon
Dominic Penna here, taking you through the rest of this gloriously sunny afternoon in Westminster.
It seems Boris Johnson has more important matters on today after cancelling his by-election visit and Q&A session with Northern Tories.
Tony Diver, our Whitehall Correspondent, is told that all will be revealed shortly.
02:09 PM
PM cancels visits
Boris Johnson has cancelled a Wakefield by-election campaign visit and Q&A with Northern Tories today, writes Tony Diver, The Telegraph’s Whitehall Correspondent.
It sounds like the order came down from the top last night and people in CCHQ and No 10 are baffled.
Today had been marked out in the No 10 grid as “LEADERSHIP”.
02:00 PM
We underestimated inflation, admits Bank of England
A top Bank of England official has admitted that the central bank underestimated inflation, but insisted it wasn’t behind the curve in tackling the surge in prices.
Huw Pill, the Bank’s chief economist, said: “In the sense of the outcome of our forecasts, yes we have underestimated inflation.”
It comes after the Monetary Policy Committee increased its estimates for peak inflation to just above 11pc – the eighth time in a year it’s been forced to change its forecasts.
You can read the latest here.
01:58 PM
Poll: Has Lord Geidt’s resignation damaged PM?
01:12 PM
Fuel duty is most wanted tax cut
There is a clear frontrunner when it comes to the tax people would most like to see cut: Fuel duty.
A Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll for The Telegraph conducted on June 15 found 44 per cent of people said fuel duty is the tax they would most like to see reduced.
In second place was income tax with 19 per cent and in third place was VAT with 13 per cent.
12:55 PM
Poll: More people now view Tories as tax raising party
More people now associate the Tories with being a party that raises taxes rather than one that lowers them, a new poll has found in a fresh blow to Boris Johnson.
An exclusive survey for The Telegraph conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies found that 43 per cent of people now most associate the Tories with raising taxes while 19 per cent most associate the Conservative Party with lowering taxes.
The poll also showed that more people now associate Labour with lowering taxes than raising them.
Some 29 per cent of respondents said they most associate Labour with lowering taxes while 23 per cent said they associate the party with raising taxes.
The numbers are likely to prompt alarm bells in Conservative HQ because they suggest the Tories are at risk of losing their reputation as the party of lower taxes.
12:37 PM
No 10 defends review of ethics adviser role
Downing Street was asked at lunchtime if Boris Johnson agreed with John Penrose who said this morning that it would be a “big mistake” to scrap the role of the PM’s ethics adviser following the resignation of Lord Geidt. (see the post below at 08.35).
The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman said: “The Prime Minister believes it is right to consider some of the issues that have been raised by both Lord Geidt and PACAC. It is right to consider those issues and reflect on them before taking a decision on how best to fulfil the PM’s commitment to ensure rigorous oversight of ministerial interests.”
12:32 PM
Government remains committed to income tax cut in 2024
Rishi Sunak announced in March this year that he intends to cut the basic rate of income tax by 1p in 2024.
There have been calls from some Tory MPs to bring that cut forward to help families struggling amid the cost-of-living crisis.
No 10 said at lunchtime that there are “no plans” to change the timetable.
The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman said: “You will remember that the Chancellor has set that out. There is no plans to change that but obviously taxation is a matter for the Chancellor and the Treasury.”
12:28 PM
No 10 welcomes chance for UK to host Eurovision
The UK is set to host Eurovision in 2023 after broadcast bosses ruled that previous winner Ukraine was unable to stage the next song contest, with the BBC in talks over organising the event (you can read the full story here).
No 10 has welcomed the prospect of the UK hosting the competition.
The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman said: “Ukraine’s victory in the Eurovision song contest was richly deserved and as the rightful winner the Government’s firm wish has been to see next year’s contest hoisted there.
“If the EBU decides that the competition can’t go ahead in Ukraine we would of course welcome the opportunity to work closely with Ukraine and the BBC to host it here in the UK.
“But we would be committed to ensuring it overwhelmingly reflects Ukraine’s rich culture, heritage and creativity as well as building on the ongoing partnership between our two countries.”
12:09 PM
‘We can’t intervene in negotiations’
Labour has repeatedly called for ministers to get involved in talks between the unions and train companies to avert the strikes.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, said on Wednesday that Boris Johnson “could do something to stop the strikes, but he has not lifted a finger”.
Asked if ministers could intervene, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman said: “As I have said, we are not the employer here and we can’t intervene in negotiations between rail companies and the unions.
“But ultimately what we would like to see is the unions call off their strikes, get back round the table with the rail companies.”
12:08 PM
No 10 rules out last-ditch bid to halt rail strikes
Downing Street has effectively ruled out a last-ditch intervention by ministers to halt disruptive rail strikes which are due to go ahead next week.
Strikes by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union on Network Rail and 13 train operators are set for June 21, 23 and 25 next week. There will also be a walkout on London Underground on the June 21.
The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman said the Government continues to “call on the unions to call them off” but said ministers will not be intervening.
He said: “Obviously ministers remain close to the ongoing situation with regard to what are live discussions.
“But as we have made clear, we are not the employers in this case and we can’t intervene in the negotiations between rail companies and the unions.
“But what we want to see is unions get back round the table with their employer and call off the strikes next week.”
11:24 AM
Ukraine takes step closer to joining the EU
Ukraine has taken a step closer towards joining the EU after the European Commission recommended it to be granted candidate status to join the bloc.
The boost to Ukraine’s hopes of membership is laden with meaning in a country that turned defiantly westwards during the 2013 Euromaidan protests that toppled its pro-Russian president.
Official: European Commission recommends EU candidate status for Ukraine.
The clue was in Ursula von der Leyen’s outfit. pic.twitter.com/v0rn0mXyJp
— Jennifer Rankin (@JenniferMerode) June 17, 2022
It will be a blow for Vladimir Putin, whose illegal invasion was an attempt to force Ukraine back into Moscow’s sphere of influence.
EU leaders are expected to approve Ukraine’s candidate status at next week’s European Council summit but with strict conditions.
You can read the full story here.
11:19 AM
Julian Assange: Priti Patel signs US extradition order
The Home Secretary has signed an order to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States, it was announced on Friday.
WikiLeaks called it a “dark day” for press freedom and British democracy.
You can read the full story here.
11:18 AM
Number of migrants crossing Channel passes 11,000
The number of people crossing the English Channel to reach the UK this year has now passed 11,000, the latest figures suggest.
Analysis of Ministry of Defence data shows 11,092 people have been brought to shore by Border Force or the RNLI after being rescued from small boats in the Channel.
It comes after 146 people on four small boats were brought to Britain yesterday. The daily number has been decreasing steadily throughout the week after a high of 444 on Tuesday. That was the highest number since 562 on April 14.
11:06 AM
Is being ‘boring’ a good or bad trait for a PM?
Among those people who said they agreed Sir Keir Starmer is “boring” (see the post below at 10.56), some 41 per cent said they believed it is a bad trait for a potential future prime minister.
Asked if being “boring” is a good or bad trait for a PM, some 29 per cent said bad and 12 per cent said very bad.
About one in five said it was a good or very good trait – nine per cent said very good and 12 per cent said good.
Some 37 per cent said it was neither good nor bad.
10:56 AM
Almost half of voters believe Sir Keir Starmer is ‘boring’
Reports earlier this week suggested Sir Keir Starmer had urged his shadow cabinet to stop telling journalists that he is “boring”.
An exclusive poll for The Telegraph has now found that 45 per cent of voters believe the Labour leader is “boring”.
The survey conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies found 18 per cent said they strongly agreed he is “boring” while 27 per cent said they agreed.
Just four per cent strongly disagreed and 14 per cent said they disagreed. Just under a third – 28 per cent – said they neither agreed nor disagreed.
10:30 AM
One in five believe Rwanda plan is ‘too relaxed’
The nation is split on whether Boris Johnson’s Rwanda policy is too tough, with one in five people actually of the view that the “offshoring” plan is “too relaxed”.
An exclusive poll of 2,000 people for The Telegraph, conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies, found almost one third of voters – 30 per cent – believe the approach is “about right”.
But 21 per cent said they believed it is “too relaxed” while 24 per cent said it is “too tough”.
A quarter of respondents were unsure.
10:21 AM
Poll: More people back Rwanda policy than oppose it
Just over four in 10 Britons – 42 per cent – support the Government’s Rwanda migrants policy, an exclusive poll for The Telegraph has found.
The survey, conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies on June 15, found that 20 per cent of people strongly support the policy while 22 per cent support it.
The policy is strongly opposed by 17 per cent of people and opposed by 11 per cent of people – a total opposition of 28 per cent.
Some 16 per cent of respondents said they neither supported nor opposed the policy.
10:10 AM
Prospect of scrapping ethics adviser role is ‘shocking’
The prospect of Downing Street potentially scrapping the role of ethics adviser to the PM is “shocking”, according to Sir Ed Davey.
The leader of the Liberal Democrats said the independent adviser on ministers’ interests should be made totally independent because upholding the ministerial code is “really critical”. The adviser is currently appointed by the PM and the PM has final say on matters relating to the code.
Sir Ed told Times Radio: “The idea that the Government isn’t going to reappoint an ethics adviser to oversee the ministerial code, I think it’s quite shocking.”
10:04 AM
PM is not ‘like most Conservatives’
Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, has claimed Boris Johnson is not “like most Conservatives”.
He told Times Radio: “I don’t think the Prime Minister is like most Conservatives, actually. I think most Conservatives try to do the right thing, the decent thing, this Prime Minister never has.
“I’m just shocked that Tory MPs A. put him there in the first place and B. allow him to continue when the evidence is overwhelming.”
09:55 AM
Sir Ed Davey: Families facing a ‘cocktail of problems’
Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, has warned families are facing a “cocktail of problems” as he repeated his calls for immediate tax cuts.
He told Times Radio: “It means a tax cut for people who are struggling. We’ve argued for an emergency cut in VAT of 2.5 per cent, that would deliver for the average household £600 in VAT tax cut.
“That’s needed, because people are struggling with rising food prices, petrol prices, interest rates. I mean, it’s a real cocktail of problems for families at the moment.”
Sir Ed said the Government’s help on the cost of living so far has been “poor” and not of the “right order”.
09:28 AM
Northern Ireland border row could take a ‘decade’ to resolve
David Davis, the former Brexit secretary, has warned it may take a decade to resolve the Northern Ireland border row between the UK and the EU.
Mr Davis told Politico that some Brexit benefits had not materialised because of disruption caused by the coronavirus crisis.
He said: “It’s largely recoverable. I mean, Ireland’s going to take a long time. It’s going to take a decade to get right, I think… maybe I’m wrong about a decade, but it’s going to take years.”
09:10 AM
‘There won’t be tax cuts now’
Paul Scully, the business minister, has categorically ruled out imminent personal tax cuts.
He told Sky News: “What I don’t want to do is write a Budget months ahead of a Budget. There won’t be tax cuts now because as I say any taxes are dealt with at a Budget in the autumn.
“There is so much to go until we get to the autumn and things can change in a number of ways.”
09:05 AM
‘We are not going to be able to save every business’
The Bank of England warned yesterday that inflation will climb to 11 per cent this year while Rishi Sunak indicated that he will not cut personal taxes until spiralling prices are brought under control (you can read the full story here).
The increasingly grim economic picture has prompted renewed scrutiny of what the Government is doing to help take the sting out of the cost-of-living crisis.
Paul Scully, the business minister, said the Government “can’t solve every problem” but will do “everything we can” to help people.
He told Sky News: “In terms of existing householders and people’s everyday bills, the Chancellor will look and respond accordingly.
“What we can’t do, he has already said, he’s absolutely right, the Government can’t solve every problem within this. We are not going to be able to save every business and work with everybody’s individual costs but we will do everything we can within the remit of keeping public finances tight as well.”
08:53 AM
MPs ‘should not have say’ on next ethics adviser
The Liberal Democrats have called for Parliament to be given a say on the appointment of the PM’s next independent adviser on ministers’ interests (if there is one).
Paul Scully, the business minister, rejected the idea this morning as he suggested Parliament should not be involved in the “day to day running” of the Government.
He told Sky News: “I think it is difficult because you then get into positions where government governs and parliament scrutinises that.
“Parliament will undoubtedly continue to debate this matter but I am not sure that that day to day running, the Government is beholden to Parliament in that sort of balance of power as it were. In our unwritten constitution I am not sure that is how it works.”
08:48 AM
Minister unsure if Lord Geidt will be replaced
Paul Scully, the business minister, was asked if there will be another ethics adviser appointed following the resignation of Lord Geidt.
He told Sky News: “That I don’t know. There is a number of questions that Lord Geidt has raised about the way that that system works and that is right that No 10 actually takes time to look at that and work that through. That will be for them to announce.”
Asked if anyone would actually want the job, Mr Scully said: “As I say, I think that is part of the consideration is how the system works.”
08:43 AM
Minister insists PM upholds ‘highest standards of his office’
Paul Scully, the business minister, is on the morning media round for the Government.
He was asked if he could say that he believes Boris Johnson upholds the “highest standards required of his office”.
He told Sky News: “Yeah, I can. I think he has been clear in his approach regarding the fine that he received.
“I think Lord Geidt seemed to have resigned on the discussion around when the Prime Minister asked him for advice for supporting our industries in the next few months.”
08:37 AM
Labour: PM ‘doesn’t have a moral backbone’
Emily Thornberry, the shadow attorney general, has claimed Boris Johnson “doesn’t have a moral backbone”.
Ms Thornberry was asked during an interview on LBC Radio if she believes voters care about Lord Geidt’s resignation.
She said: “I think people care that they have a Prime Minister who is dishonest and who is happy to break the rules and who doesn’t have a moral backbone, just doesn’t, and keeps losing ethics advisers because he is not ethical. I think that matters.”
She added: “What is important is that we have a Prime Minister who doesn’t seem to think that the rules apply to him and they do.”
08:36 AM
PM is ‘overdrawn’ with voters and MPs
John Penrose, the Government’s former anti-corruption tsar, said Boris Johnson is currently “overdrawn” with voters and MPs.
The senior Tory MP said the “parameters” of the role of independent adviser on ministers’ interests could be changed but the role itself should remain.
He told the BBC: “So by all means change the parameters but I don’t think you can weaken it, particularly at the moment.
“I just think the Prime Minister is currently overdrawn, if I can put it that way, on his account with both the voters and with the Parliamentary party.
“They need to show that they are serious about this. This is part of the reset, I would argue, which the Prime Minister has rightly said he wants to do after last week’s vote of no confidence, good for him. This would be a good way of being part of that then moving it forward.”
08:35 AM
Scrapping ethics adviser role would be ‘big mistake’
Downing Street said yesterday that the role of ethics adviser could be scrapped following the resignation of Lord Geidt.
John Penrose, the Government’s former anti-corruption tsar, said this morning the PM would be making a “big mistake” if he does abolish the role.
He told the BBC: “Well, I think that that would be potentially quite a big mistake. The point here is that you can obviously, and if they felt it was sensibly it might be useful to look at it, you can obviously change the role a bit but you shouldn’t be weakening the role if you are going to come up with a revised version as a successor to Lord Geidt, some new format, some new way of dealing with the issue.”
08:34 AM
Good morning
Good morning and welcome to today’s politics live blog.
Downing Street is facing a backlash after it said yesterday that the role of the PM’s ethics adviser could be scrapped following Lord Geidt’s resignation.
Tory MPs have warned against the move and No 10 is under pressure to appoint a replacement as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, ministers are also facing calls to do more to help tackle the cost-of-living crisis amid growing fears the UK is heading for a recession.
There is lots going on in Westminster this morning and I will guide you through the key developments.
