Boris Johnson news - live: Fresh Partygate fines ‘issued’ as PM warned no-confidence vote ‘inevitable’
Polling expert says party MPs will have say within months
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At least two Downing Street staffers have received police fines for attending a ‘bring your own booze’ event on 20 May, 2020, sources told The Independent.
This is the second event that Boris Johnson is known to have attended at which revellers have been given fixed penalty notices.
It comes as senior Conservatives have warned the prime minister that a no-confidence vote on him is now inevitable over the Partygate scandal, with one warning the mood had “turned against him”.
Tory peer Lord Hayward, the party’s influential polling expert, predicted a vote within months, and former defence minister Tobias Ellwood said a ballot on Boris Johnson’s future was a matter of “when not if”.
Polling guru Sir John Curtice says Partygate is set to be a major problem for the Tories at the May local elections, after MPs voted for the Privileges Committee to investigate whether the prime minister misled Parliament.
Partygate most closely examined event since World War II, claims minister
Boris Johnson’s Partygate scandal is going to be the most closely scrutinised event since World War II, a government minister has claimed.
The prime minister is struggling with growing unease among Tory MPs as he now faces a Commons investigation into whether he lied to parliament over the No 10 parties.
Tory MP Conor Burns shared Mr Johnson’s “frustration” with the new probe, saying: “This is going to be the most looked at event, possibly, since the Second World War.”
Adam Forrest reports:
Partygate most scrutinised event since World War II, claims minister
PM has ‘nothing to fear’ from new investigation, says close ally Conor Burns
PM and Modi telling negotiators to 'get trade deal done by Diwali in October’
Boris Johnson and Indian counterpart Narendra Modi have told negotiators working on a post-Brexit trade deal to get it brokered by Diwali in October, the prime minister said.
Speaking alongside Mr Modi in Hyderabad House in New Delhi, Mr Johnson said: “As the next round of talks begin here next week, we’re telling our negotiators ‘Get it done by Diwali in October’.”
‘We must stop drinking the Kool-Aid’, says former Tory minister
Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood has repeated his call to “stop drinking the Kool-Aid” by supporting Boris Johnson as leader.
Speaking on Sky News, the former defence minister said: “All MPs are deeply troubled by what the party is now going through and what to do next, given the huge credit you must give to Boris Johnson in bringing the party so far.
Following an earlier tweet in which he offered a similar line, he continued: “But we must stop drinking the Kool-Aid that’s encouraging us to think this is all going to disappear and that we can all move on.
“We can’t use Ukraine as a fig leaf to dodge those difficult questions - the issue of partygate continues to distract from both domestic and international issues and is just not going away.
“We’re going to see, I’m afraid, a steady trickle of letters, resignations... I predicted that.
PM’s critics have always disliked him, says minister
Northern Ireland minister Conor Burns hit out at Tory MPs calling for Boris Johnson’s resignation.
“There are a number of colleagues across Parliament who have never really supported the prime minister,” Mr Burns told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
He added: “If the prime minister stepped off Westminster Bridge and walked on top of the water they would say he couldn’t swim – that is a fact.”
Tory MPs must ‘matters into own hands’ to force out PM
In continuation of Tobias Ellwood’s diatribe against the prime minister this morning, he said the onus is on Tory MPs to force a change in leadership.
Speaking on Sky News, the Conservative MP said: “There’s a recognition that every MP now realises it’s up to us to take ownership of this, because, I’m afraid, the absence of discipline, of focus and leadership in No 10 during that lockdown period has led to a huge breach of trust with the British people.
“It’s causing such long-term damage to the party’s brand and that’s proving difficult to repair.
“Can it be repaired in time for the next general election?
“So it’s beholden upon all Conservative MPs then to take matters into their own hands, and I think, as I say, I think this is where things will go, particularly as we have more bad news to follow.”
UK and India to push trade agreement to conclusion by end of year, says Modi
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi said of a free trade agreement (FTA) with the UK that there has been “good progress and we have decided to make all efforts to conclude the FTA by the end of this year”.
On Ukraine, he said: “We emphasised an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine.”
Boris Johnson set to use Queen’s Speech to pick Brexit fight with EU
Boris Johnson is set to use the Queen’s Speech to pick a Brexit fight in the European Union over the deal he signed with Brussels.
After prolonged absence from the news agenda in Westminster, UK-EU relations will soon make a major comeback – as the prime minister seeks to move on from the Partygate scandal and energise his base.
The government’s legislative programme is reportedly to include powers for ministers to scrap the Northern Ireland protocol, a key part of the agreement Mr Johnson negotiated with Brussels.
Our policy correspondent Jon Stone reports:
Boris Johnson set to use Queen’s Speech to pick Brexit fight with EU
The prime minister is expected to give ministers powers to override parts of the Northern Ireland protocol
Watch: Labour MP takes down Priti Patel's 'illegal asylum seeker' definition
UK deserves a PM who ‘recognises that truth, decency and rule of law matter’, says Lammy
Labour’s shadow foreign secretary has called for a prime minister who “is taken seriously on the global stage” as support for Boris Johnson’s premiership wanes among the Tory party ranks.
Tweeting this morning, David Lammy said: “Boris Johnson is in India in a desperate attempt to distract from his law-breaking and lies.
“Britain deserves a Prime Minister who is taken seriously on the global stage.
“For this we need a leader who recognises that truth, decency and the rule of law matter.”
Partygate will be major problem for Boris Johnson at local elections, says polling guru
Boris Johnson’s Partygate scandal will be a major problem for the Conservatives at the local elections, according to one of the country’s top political scientists.
Sir John Curtice said polling had got worse for Tories since the prime minister was fined for his law-breaking birthday bash – saying the saga had “significantly damaged” his party.
“The story is not going to go away, the story has now got legs again,” the polling guru told The Independent. “The opposition is just going to keep on talking about it. All of this plays to Keir Starmer’s advantage.”
Adam Forrest has the story:
Partygate will be major problem for Tories at local elections, says polling guru
‘The story is not going away’, says Sir John Curtice – pointing to further poll damage since PM’s fine
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