Inside Politics: Boris Johnson under pressure over NI rise

Minister says No 10 in ‘listening mode’ as MPs use Johnson’s future as leverage in calling for tax rise to be axed, writes Matt Mathers

Friday 28 January 2022 08:44 GMT

(PA)

Since it’s Friday here’s some good news to get you started: next week it will no longer be January, the days will be slightly longer and the nights a bit shorter. Back to the present, Boris Johnson is coming under increasing pressure to set out what he’ll do to help families with the cost of living squeeze, amid reports that he could scrap the planned rise to national insurance contributions, which would also help him to win the support of MPs considering sending in no confidence letters over the partygate scandal. There is still no sign of Sue Gray’s report. Elsewhere, Lizz Truss is under fire over a gas-guzzling and emissions-busting flight to Australia.

Inside the bubble

Commons action gets underway at 9.30am with a day of private members’ bills.

Coming up:

– Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves on BBC Radio 4 Today at 8.10am

– Technology minister Chris Philp on ITV GMB on 8.30am

Daily Briefing

HOSTAGE SITUATION: Boris Johnson’s government is coming under increasing pressure to set out what it will do to offset Britain’s cost of living squeeze as the prime minister is said to be wavering on a controversial plan to raise national insurance contributions to fund social care. With the PM firmly in survival mode as he awaits the apparently delayed and hotly anticipated Sue Gray probe into Downing Street drinks gatherings, reports say some MPs are using their leverage to exert pressure on the Big Dog over the tax rise due in April, telling him their support in a future no confidence vote is dependent on it being axed.

‘HE’S WOBBLING’: Johnson himself has said there are currently no plans to delay the rise, as has been reported, but last night James Heappey, the armed forces minister, struck a slightly more conciliatory tone, while not confirming one way or the other. “You’ll have noticed the top of the government is in listening mode at the moment,” he told BBC’s Question Time, before asking the audience in Morecambe if they were opposed to the policy (a good portion were not in favour). The Times cites a government source as saying Johnson was considering delaying the rise for a year as “red meat” for his critics on the right of the party.“He’s wobbling, I think he would do anything to survive,” the source said. Talks on what other policy levers could be pulled to lessen the burden on families struggling with rising energy bills have been torpedoed by partygate and the operation to save the PM. Separate reports say Rishi Sunak’s Treasury is alarmed by his boss’s wavering and has told MPs the NI rise must go ahead. A plan by the chancellor to give council tax relief to people whose properties are in band A to C has been criticised.

REBEL FEARS: Back to partygate and there is still no sign of Gray’s report as of this morning and it looks as though it won’t land until Monday at least, when tired MPs trudge back to Westminster from their constituencies, meaning the PM will have another full weekend to straighten out his response to its findings and to practise his sincerest apologies with advisers. There is also a chance it could be published later when parliament is deserted as tired MPs trudge back to their constituencies for the weekend. Meanwhile, rebel Tory MPs who are trying to oust Johnson from office are voicing concern that apparent delays to the crucial report may give the PM the chance to spin its findings in his favour. One rebel told The Independent: “If they have it in their hands for three days before Boris has to make his statement to the house, there’s no doubt it’ll leak like a sieve and there’ll be an effort to control the narrative and suggest he’s in the clear.”

JUST IN: The Met Police has this morning issued a new statement on partygate: “For the events the Met is investigating, we asked for minimal reference to be made in the Cabinet Office report. The Met did not ask for any limitations on other events in the report, or for the report to be delayed, but we have had ongoing contact with the Cabinet Office, including on the content of the report, to avoid any prejudice in our investigation.”

COME FLY WITH ME: Next up is a top scoop from The Independent’s top travel correspondent Simon Calder, who reveals that foreign secretary Liz Truss flew by private jet to Australia at a cost of over half a million pounds to the taxpayer, rather than using scheduled flights that would have been faster and far cheaper. One estimate said the gas guzzling trip produced a whopping 500 tonnes of CO2 just months after the UK hosted the Cop26 climate summit, when the PM and ministers lectured world leaders on their emissions. The Ministerial Code makes clear that only the foreign secretary could authorise such a flight. The Foreign Office said all rules were followed. Simon has all the details here.

On the record

“The prime minister did not at any point tell the secretary of state for defence, chief of defence staff or anybody else in the MoD that he wanted any course of action with regard to Pen Farthing’s animals.”

Defence minister James Heappey denies PM authorised airlifting of animals.

From the Twitterati

“People who say Boris Johnson was involved; Farthing ’s charity. FCDO whistle-blower. Multiple emails from FCDO officials. His own PPS on a call to a airplane charter firm. People who say he wasn’t: Boris Johnson.”