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 [...]
MPs vote to sanction Boris Johnson after ‘damning’ privileges committee report June 19, 2023 Boris Johnson will no longer have a pass to Parliament after MPs voted to back sanctions against him in the apparent final chapter of his parliamentary career. Watched over by Sir Ian McKellen, MPs debated the privileges committee report which ruled the former prime minister had “deliberately misled” and committed “serious contempt”. It followed an [...]
Sunak keeping quiet on Boris partygate report as he ‘would not want to influence anyone’ before crunch vote June 19, 2023 Rishi Sunak has refused to say whether he will approve the report that found Boris Johnson lied over partygate, saying he “would not want to influence anyone in advance of that vote”. Speaking to Good Morning Britain on ITV, the Prime Minister said: “This committee was established under the former Prime Minister. It commanded the [...]
A day after report found Boris Johnson lied to Parliament he joins the Daily Mail as a columnist… but ‘did not inform watchdog’ June 16, 2023 Boris Johnson has confirmed he is joining the Daily Mail as a columnist but could already be in hot water with parliamentary authorities over the job. The former prime minister – who vowed to offer uncensored views – could again find himself under scrutiny as Whitehall’s anti-corruption watchdog said he had not applied for clearance. [...]
‘A massive mistake’: Liz Truss bemoans Boris Johnson’s removal after Brexit mandate June 16, 2023 Liz Truss has waded into the fallout over the partygate report which found her predecessor Boris Johnson lied to Parliament, branding his removal a “massive mistake”. The former prime minister, who stood down after a short and tumultuous premiership last autumn, told GB News that Johnson had a “huge mandate” in support of Brexit. Asked [...]
Rishi Sunak facing two by-election tests after damning Boris Johnson partygate report June 16, 2023 Rishi Sunak will face a test of his leadership in two by-elections next month caused by Boris Johnson and an ally. The former prime minister quit his Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat to avoid the judgement of the Privileges Committee. The cross-party panel subsequently found he should have faced a 90-day suspension for deliberately misleading [...]