Please sir, can I have some more? On the day inflation hit a 40-year-high, Downing Street has rejected calls to increase public sector worker pay. A spokesperson for the prime minister said it would be “reckless” to provide across-the-board pay rises in line with inflation to teachers, nurses and more. They said an increase would […]

4 years ago

Was this the plan? The Liberal Democrats seemed to go off script on Tuesday morning by condemning striking railway workers. In a tweet posted by the official Liberal Democrats party account, they said: “Franky, the Government and RMT are just as bad as each other. The country is sick of them both playing politics with […]

4 years ago

Mystery over vanishing story deepens Downing Street has confirmed that members of the prime minister’s team were involved in the withdrawal of a story about his wife Carrie Johnson. Number 10 denied Boris Johnson had been personally involved in the discussions. On Saturday, the Times reported that Boris Johnson had tried to hire his now-wife […]

4 years ago

Boris Johnson said lawyers were ‘abetting the work of criminal gangs’ Downing Street has condemned death threats sent to lawyers following last-ditch court hearings that took place ahead of the first flight sending asylum seekers to Rwanda. On Thursday, a spokesperson for Boris Johnson said: “I think the Prime Minister is certainly of the view […]

4 years ago

The former Queen’s private secretary is described by many as an ‘honourable man’ Boris Johnson’s former ethics adviser says he quit his role after the PM put him in an “impossible and odious” position by asking him to approve a “deliberate” breach of the ministerial code. In a letter to the prime minister, he said […]

4 years ago

I can have no part in this On Wednesday, Lord Geidt resigned as the prime minister’s independent advisor on ministers’ interests. In a statement he said: “With regret, I feel that it is right that I am resigning from my post as Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests.” Here is the full letter: And here is […]

4 years ago

Very ethical of him Lord Geidt has resigned as the prime minister’s independent advisor on ministers’ interests. In a statement he said: “With regret, I feel that it is right that I am resigning from my post as Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests.” He did not give a reason for his departure. It comes after […]

4 years ago

Rwanda isn’t working A record 444 migrants were rescued after trying to cross the English channel on Tuesday, the same day the U.K. had scheduled its first deportation flight to Rwanda. This is the highest number of people since 562 were detected on April 14 earlier this year. According to the Ministry of Defence, a total […]

4 years ago

Priti Patel loses The first flight scheduled to take migrants to Rwanda has not been able to depart, following an injunction by the European Court of Human Rights. Earlier on Tuesday evening, the ECHR issued a last-minute injunction on behalf of an Iraqi asylum seeker. Following the intervention, the number of asylum seekers eligible for […]

4 years ago

It means tomorrow’s deportation flight can go ahead The court of appeal has ruled that a controversial deportation flight to Rwanda due to take off on Tuesday evening can go ahead, following an appeal. Lawyers acting on behalf of the asylum seekers had appealed a decision made on Friday that saw Justice Swift refuse to […]

4 years ago

The government said they would continue to defend their Rwanda policy in court Downing Street have said there are no plans to cancel a deportation flight to Rwanda tomorrow, even if there is only one person on board. The original number, thought to have been 37 people, has been dramatically reduced to 11 following several […]

4 years ago

‘I can feel your pain,’ one protestor cried. Human rights activists chanted “no Rwanda” as they gathered outside an immigration removal centre on Sunday afternoon. Scores of demonstrators shook the outer fence of the Brook House Immigration Removal Centre, close to Gatwick Airport, near Crawley, West Sussex. Detainees inside could be heard shouting “help us” […]

4 years ago

A charter flight has been scheduled for Tuesday night Home secretary Priti Patel’s highly-controversial plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda on a plane has been given the go-ahead. The Rwanda charter, a special flight – not operated by commercial scheduling – will depart 21:30 (UTC) this Tuesday from Stansted airport, arriving in Kigali the following morning. […]

4 years ago

A charter flight has been scheduled for Tuesday night Home secretary Priti Patel’s highly-controversial plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda on a plane has been given the go-ahead. The Rwanda charter, a special flight – not operated by commercial scheduling – will depart 21:30 (UTC) this Tuesday from Stansted airport, arriving in Kigali the following morning. […]

4 years ago

‘They’ll probably claim I harassed someone, or bullied my staffers to get me banned from the estate’ Conservative MPs say they felt bullied and pressured into voting for Boris Johnson on Monday evening, following a confidence vote on the prime minister’s leadership. Speaking to PoliticsJOE, backbench Conservative MPs said Downing Street was running parliament “like […]

4 years ago

People across the country ‘want this Prime Minister gone’ Leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Ed Davey has said the country is looking at a “summer of discontent” after the Prime Minister fended off a leadership challenge on Monday evening. Speaking on BBC Radio 4, the MP for Kingston and Surbiton said his party were […]

4 years ago

By the skin of his teeth Boris Johnson has survived a vote of no confidence in his leadership, meaning he will continue on as Prime Minister and party leader. Voting in a secret ballot, MPs have decided 211-148 to keep Johnson in place following weeks of political turmoil surrounding the partygate scandal. The process had been […]

4 years ago

The MP said the Prime Minister “has broken the ministerial code” Boris Johnson’s “anti-corruption champion” John Penrose has resigned citing a “fundamental breach of the ministerial code”. The MP for Weston-super-Mare said the Prime Minister had broken the code in a “very material way”. In a blistering letter made public on Monday morning, he said […]

4 years ago

The government have said it will shortly begin shipping out migrants to Rwanda for processing The Home Office have said it has issued formal removal notices as the “final administrative step” before deporting a number of asylum seekers to Rwanda. While little detail around the policy has been made available, the department said the first […]

4 years ago

A great day for democracy Sue Gray’s report into lockdown-busting parties in Downing Street has been published. The damning publication contains photographs from the prime minister’s birthday on June 19th 2020, and the alleged former director of communications leaving-do on November 13th. 1. People were “being sick” from excessive drinking On 18 June 2020, over […]

4 years ago

Sue Gray is in the building Boris Johnson has received Sue Gray’s updated report into lockdown-breaking Downing Street parties. The damning publication contains photographs from the prime minister’s birthday on June 20th 2020, and the alleged former director of communications leaving-do on November 13th. Gray reports evidence of “excessive alcohol consumption”, one individual that was […]

4 years ago

It’s getting legal The Good Law Project has launched legal action over the Metropolitan police’s alleged failure to “adequately investigate” the lockdown-busting parties held in Downing Street. Led by veteran government-challenger Jolyon Maugham, the group will represent Lord Paddick, who is a former deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and is now a Liberal […]

4 years ago

Will Johnson survive as PM? Fined by the police and facing falling favour in the polls, Boris Johnson is fighting off the largest threat to his premiership. It takes 54 letters from Tory MPs to trigger a no confidence vote, and the latest development in the “partygate” scandal could take that number over the fold. […]

4 years ago

“If they send me to Rwanda as an illegal, I will try again and again” A group of Sudanese men stand shivering around a campfire. It’s a grey, spring day in Calais and they are discussing the British government’s plan to ship asylum seekers to Rwanda. “The British government is racist,” says Mo “but the […]

4 years ago

It’s not looking good, Prime Minister Leaked photographs from one of the alleged rule-breaking parties show the Prime Minister laughing and drinking on the Downing Street estate during lockdown. The four images obtained by ITV News show Boris Johnson at a leaving party on 13th November 2020 surrounding by food, drink and a group of […]

4 years ago

Please sir, can I have some help? People waiting for help with the cost of living crisis will “just have to wait a little bit longer,” the prime minister has said. Speaking during a visit to a school in south east London, Boris Johnson conceded the struggle “is going to go on” but more help […]

4 years ago

The long-awaited report is expected this week Civil servant Sue Gray is expected to publish her damming Partygate findings after Scotland Yard concluded its probe into lockdown bashes in Downing Street and Whitehall last week. The release of the full report had been delayed until an inquiry by the Metropolitan Police concluded. While that inquiry […]

4 years ago

Dominic Cummings claims the WFH ‘farce’ is being influenced by big business Boris Johnson’s former advisor has claimed the government is facing mounting pressure from newspapers and big business to get people back into the office. Writing on Twitter Dominic Cummings said the working from home “farce” was being driven by newspaper proprietors and editors […]

4 years ago

It’s understood one of the partygoers once stood to be a Conservative councillor A source behind Keir Starmer’s ‘Beergate’ photo could have been at a gathering nearby, leaked texts suggest. In text messages seen by PoliticsJOE the source said in reference to the Labour leader’s now infamous curry: “It wasn’t an online event at all […]

4 years ago

The Met had been waiting for local elections to conclude Scotland Yard has confirmed it has issued more than 100 fines for partygate related offences. In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: “As of Thursday 12 May, Operation Hillman, the investigation into breaches of Covid-19 regulations in Whitehall and Downing Street, has made more than […]

4 years ago

If he is fined, he will resign Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer has said he will stand down as party leader if he is found to have broken lockdown rules. It comes after days of mounting pressure on Sir Keir to announce whether he would leave his job if issued with a fixed penalty notice by […]

4 years ago

‘It was already a bad Friday night. The curry was bad and the chat was worse’ Sir Keir Starmer will be investigated by Durham police over  “beergate” – the allegation that he broke lockdown rules while drinking with colleagues. It means Starmer will be the first leader of the opposition to be investigated by the […]

4 years ago

English voters can’t vote in Scottish elections In the run-up to Thursday’s polling day, the Scottish Tories spent a lot of money advertising to English voters. According to Facebook’s advertising records, the party dropped a staggering £4-4.5k on an ad that claimed “the best way to beat the SNP” is to vote Scottish Conservative. The […]

4 years ago

Alex Salmond’s Alba party sees itself as the champion of sex-based rights It’s a grey morning on the outskirts of Dundee, and Alex Salmond is meeting a youth kickboxing champion. It’s pouring with rain and there’s no other media anywhere to be seen on this campaign stop. The former first minister of Scotland is out […]

4 years ago

The identity of the MP accused of watching porn in the House of Commons has been revealed The Conservative MP for Tiverton and Honiton Neil Parish has been accused of watching pornography on his mobile phone in the House of Commons while sitting alongside a female minister. According to The Telegraph, Parish had the whip removed on […]

4 years ago

The MP faces a two-day punishment Labour’s Liam Byrne should be suspended from the House of Commons for bullying a members of his constituency staff, a disciplinary panel has concluded. The MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill was found to have “ostracised” a constituency staff member in a dispute that constituted a “serious breach” of Parliament’s […]

4 years ago

Elderly and disabled care home residents were unlawfully exposed to Covid-19 The government broke the law by failing to protect care home residents who died after being exposed to Covid-19, the high court has ruled. A decision to discharge patients from hospital into care homes at the start of the pandemic was unlawful, as it […]

4 years ago

‘I’m not going to second guess the decisions of editors’ Dominic Raab has defended the editor of the Mail on Sunday for refusing to meet with the Speaker of the House of Commons to discuss a “misogynistic” story about Angela Rayner. Sir Lindsay had summoned the newspaper’s editor David Dillon to a meeting – after […]

4 years ago

James Heappey said the comments about ‘Ange’ reflected sexism felt by many of his colleagues A government Minister has welcomed Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle’s probe into a “misogynistic” article published by the Mail on Sunday. Speaking to LBC, the Armed Forces minister James Heappey said “all the female colleagues I have spoken to since Sunday […]

4 years ago

Sir Lindsay said the comments were ‘misogynistic’ and ‘offensive’. Speaker of the House has summoned the editor of the Mail on Sunday to discuss an article published about Angela Rayner. Sir Lindsay said the article was demeaning and offensive to MPs, and could deter women from standing for election. He confirmed that he would be […]

4 years ago

‘We want to make sure British internet is the safest internet in the world’ Nadine Dorries has appeared on TikTok and the culture secretary comes across about as well as you’d imagine. In the video posted on Thursday evening by fellow Tory, Dr Luke Evans, Dorries gets a little confused when talking about the internet, […]

4 years ago

Boris Johnson will fight on The prime minister has said he will still be in post later this year despite facing mounting pressure to resign. So far twelve tory MPs have called on Johnson to resign immediately, while a further six say they would not support him in another general election. The PM had been […]

4 years ago

The Prime Minister will be investigated for lying MPs have backed the Labour-led motion to investigate whether Boris Johnson lied the Commons when he denied lockdown rules had been broken during Partygate. It means the Prime Minister will be referred to the Privileges Committee, which could find him in contempt of Parliament. Labour’s motion passed […]

4 years ago

‘It is utterly depressing to be asked to defend the indefensible’ Tory MPs have launched a scathing attack on the Prime Minister during a debate on Thursday. Speaking in the commons, senior Conservative Steve Baker said while he originally felt compelled to forgive Boris Johnson, he now feels the “gig is up” and “the prime […]

4 years ago

Labour say the U-turn is “humiliating” The government has performed a screeching U-turn and will no longer seek to delay an investigation into Partygate, should MPs decide to launch one in a vote later today. Tory MPs will now be given a free vote today on whether Boris Johnson should be investigated by the Privileges […]

4 years ago

PM admitted weeks ago the claim was categorically not true The Prime Minister has today made a claim to parliament that he admitted weeks ago was categorically not true, and promised not to make again.  Boris Johnson said there were more people in work now than there were before the pandemic – despite admitting one […]

4 years ago

The Labour leader said the Prime Minister was ‘a man without shame’. Sir Keir Starmer has told Conservative MPs to “bring an end to this shameful chapter” and “remove the prime minister from office” during a brutal takedown on Tuesday afternoon. The Labour leader was responding to Boris Johnson’s statement to the house of commons, in […]

4 years ago

The former prime minister said there were issues of “legality” Theresa May has criticised the Home Secretary’s plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda on the grounds of “legality, practicality and efficacy”. The former Conservative prime minister said the policy could split families and increase the trafficking of women and children. It comes after the […]

4 years ago

Shadow Home Secretary said plans to deport asylum seekers were ‘unethical’ Labour’s Yvette Cooper has described Home Secretary Priti Patel’s plans to deport refugees to east Africa as an “unworkable shameful and desperate attempt to distract from the PM’s lawbreaking”. Speaking in the commons on Tuesday afternoon, Cooper accused the Home Secretary of attempting to […]

4 years ago

Spokesperson was not able to confirm which nationalities would be deported under the scheme A Downing Street spokesperson has said there is “no possibility” a Ukrainian refugee who had arrived illegally in Britain would be deported to the UK’s Rwanda detention centre for processing. Ukrainians “would be able to access safe and legal routes,” they […]

4 years ago