Inside Politics: ‘We will fight’

PM to face MPs for first time since being fined for breaking Covid laws and Putin’s troops launch fresh offensive in Donbas region, writes Matt Mathers

(REUTERS)

The Easter reprieve is over for Boris Johnson, who faces MPs for the first time since being issued a fine for breaking Covid laws. The prime minister, who today marks 1,000 days in office, is expected to apologise for the breach and claim that any previous statements to the house on Partygate were made in good faith. Away from Partygate, Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Putin’s war has entered another new phase after his troops launched a fresh offensive in the Donbas region.

Inside the bubble

Commons business gets underway with health questions at 2.30pm. Following that comes any urgent questions and ministerial statements. Later Tim Farron, the former Lib Dem leader and MP, has a motion on sewage before the second reading of the Online Safety Bill.

Boris Johnson will give a statement to the Commons at around 3.30pm, in which he will address his Partygate fine.

Coming up:

– Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis on ITV GMB at 8.30am

– Shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry on LBC at 8.50am

Daily Briefing

• BATTLE FOR DONBAS: Vladimir Putin’s troops have launched a fresh offensive on Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address on Monday as he warned the war had entered another new phase. Following weeks of regrouping and moving away from towns and cities in the north having suffered a series of setbacks there, a “significant part” of the entire Russian army is now concentrated on the offensive, the Ukrainian president said. “No matter how many Russian troops are driven there, we will fight,” a defiant Zelensky said. “We will defend ourselves. We will do it every day,” he added. Ukraine officials had earlier said Moscow’s forces attacked the “entire front line of Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions”. We’ll have all the latest updates on our liveblog.

• WISH IT WAS SUNDAY: Boris Johnson faces the music today over his fine for breaking Covid laws. What will he say and what could happen afterwards? According to the Telegraph, Johnson will make a “full-throated” apology but will stop short of going into specific details about the gathering he was fined for, or any other lockdown-busting events, including the leaving do of former aide Lee Cain, which he has been accused of instigating (No 10 denies the claims). It is understood that Lindsay Hoyle, the house speaker, will shortly decide whether or not MPs can vote to refer Johnson for a parliamentary investigation over claims by opposition parties that he misled the Commons, usually a resigning matter under the ministerial code, when he told MPs “all rules were followed”. Any vote would certainly increase the pain for Johnson but is ultimately likely to fail because it would require the backing of Tory MPs. We’ll have all the latest Commons action on our liveblog.

• SNOOPING FEARS: Powerful spyware used by hackers to snoop on communications and steal data has been found on a device at Downing Street, researchers have said. Specialists at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab said the notorious “Pegasus” Trojan horse appears to have been used to target both the prime minister’s office and the Foreign Office (FCDO). The researchers said they had identified “multiple suspected instances of Pegasus spyware infections” on devices used by UK government officials. Several No 10 mobile phones, including Boris Johnson’s, were tested after the 2020 breach – but UK officials were apparently unable to locate the infected device nor the nature of any stolen data. The researchers believe the cyberattack targeting Boris Johnson’s office came from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – while the identified FCDO infections appear to be linked to Pegasus “operators” in the UAE, India, Cyprus, and Jordan.

• MASKLESS: Johnson is not the only UK leader coming under fire for breaking Covid laws. Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon has issued an apology after being reminded by police about the importance of wearing one “when there is a legal requirement to do so”, although she will not be issued with a fine for breach. Sturgeon was spotted visiting a barbershop on Saturday while out campaigning. “Local officers have spoken to the first minister,” Police Scotland said in a statement on Monday. “Given the circumstances of this incident, Police Scotland is satisfied that no further action is necessary. This is in line with our proportionate approach throughout the pandemic.”

The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.

On the record

“Every day that Boris Johnson remains tarnishes his party and the office of the prime minister. Removing him is not the only ethical thing for Conservative MPs to do. It also profoundly in their long-term interest.”

Tory MP Rory Stewart.

From the Twitterati

“Boris Johnson will be deposed when a majority of Tory MPs think their lives will be better under an alternative leader. Morality, logic, public opinion are all secondary to that question. They are all Gerry in Succession: ‘How does it serve my interests?’”

New Statesman senior politics correspondent Harry Lambert on Partygate.

Essential reading

• Sean O’Grady, The Independent: Boris Johnson is the biggest asset the opposition parties have now, they should cheer up
• John Rentoul, The Independent: Priti Patel’s Rwanda plan is even worse than it seems
• William Hague, The Times: Shared values that shaped the west are at risk
• Lauren Wolfe, The Atlantic: How to seek justice for rape in the war on Ukraine

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