All you need to know about this week’s by-election battles July 17, 2023 With Parliament set to break up for summer recess this Thursday, MPs of all stripes are preparing to head back to their constituencies for the summer. But before the long August holidays, there could be some political upsets in store. Voters in three constituencies of Uxbridge and South Ruislip, Selby and Ainsty and Somerton and [...]
Cabinet Office MUST hand over Boris Johnson messages by Monday after court loss July 6, 2023 The Cabinet Office will have to hand over Boris Johnson’s unredacted WhatsApp messages, notebooks and diaries by Monday afternoon after it lost a High Court challenge against the chairwoman of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry. The department brought legal action over Baroness Heather Hallett’s order to release the documents, arguing it should not have to hand [...]
Chris Pincher: Ex whip facing suspension over ‘profoundly damaging’ groping claims July 6, 2023 Former Government whip Chris Pincher is facing a potentially by-election triggering eight-week suspension from the Commons after the standards watchdog upheld “profoundly damaging” groping allegations. The Standards Committee said his conduct was “completely inappropriate” and “represented an abuse of power”, in its report published on Thursday. Mr Pincher was found to have groped two people [...]
Britain to rejoin EU’s R&D Horizon scheme after months of hard post-Brexit talks July 5, 2023 Britain and the European Union (EU) are edging closer to a deal on the UK’s re-entry into the Horizon Europe research programme. Sources said negotiators have produced a draft document following months of talks, with Rishi Sunak expected to consider it in the coming days. However, the prime minister could still reject the proposals over [...]
Sue Gray: Partygate investigator broke Whitehall rules with Starmer talks July 3, 2023 Partygate investigator Sue Gray broke civil service rules “as a result of the undeclared contact” between her and the Labour Party, according to a Whitehall investigation. The former senior civil servant is due to take up the role as opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff after being cleared to start the job in [...]
Tories facing biggest by-election defeat in UK history as Nadine Dorries’ seat goes up for grabs July 3, 2023 The Conservative Party is facing the biggest by-election defeat in British history in Nadine Dorries’ Mid Bedfordshire seat, pollsters at Opinium have warned. Labour is set to overturn the former culture secretary’s 24,664 majority in the ‘safe’ seat, which has voted blue since 1931. Adam Drumming, from Opinium, said: “The Conservatives are holding onto just [...]
Lord Goldsmith, accused of undermining partygate probe, quits government due to its ‘apathy’ on the environment June 30, 2023 Foreign Office minister Lord Goldsmith has announced his resignation over what he described as Government “apathy” towards the environment. In a scathing letter to the Prime Minister on Friday, the Tory peer accused Rishi Sunak directly of being “simply uninterested” in climate issues. The departure comes just a day after the peer was censured in [...]
Dorries and Rees-Mogg ‘waged campaign to undermine’ privileges committee probe into Johnson June 29, 2023 Boris Johnson allies Nadine Dorries and Jacob Rees-Mogg were among MPs who attempted to undermine the privileges committee’s investigation into the ex-prime minister. Eight current and former MPs – Dorries, Rees-Mogg, Lord Zac Goldsmith, Mark Jenkinson, Michael Fabricant, Brendan Clarke-Smith, Andrea Jenkyns, and Priti Patel – were involved in a “campaign waged outside Parliament… to [...]
Johnson’s ‘unambiguous’ breach over Daily Mail column shows need for reform, Tory peer warns June 27, 2023 Boris Johnson’s “unambiguous rule breach” over his Daily Mail column shows the urgent need to reform the approach to post-ministerial jobs, the government has been warned. Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) chairman Lord Eric Pickles wrote to deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden with his concerns today. The Conservative peer said the former prime minister’s [...]
Mel Stride urges Johnson and cabinet to ‘row together’ and end hostilities after vote June 20, 2023 Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride expressed hope that Boris Johnson and the Cabinet can now “row together” and end the hostilities. Mr Stride told Times Radio he backed the Privileges Committee’s findings that the former prime minister lied to MPs but said he felt “quite uneasy” with the 90-day suspension recommended so decided to [...]