Boris Johnson news – live: ‘Shameful and crass’ PM refuses to apologise after blaming care homes for coronavirus deaths, as UK resumes arms sales to Saudi Arabia
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Your support makes all the difference.No 10 has said Boris Johnson won’t be offering an apology to the care sector after provoking anger with his claim “too many” care homes didn’t “properly follow procedures” during the coronavirus crisis. Care sector chiefs condemned his remarks as “cowardly”.
"Care homes across the country were dealing with an extraordinary amount of different guidance that was coming out from Government on an almost daily basis.", Vic Rayner, executive director of the National Care Forum, told the BBC "So for the suggestion that they were not following procedures as laid out is totally inappropriate and, frankly, hugely insulting."
It comes as the government announced Britain will resume selling arms to Saudi Arabia despite assessing the country could be using them to commit war crimes. Meanwhile, Russia said it would hit back at UK sanctions against 25 Russian officials with reciprocal measures.
Elsewhere, Huawei has denied targeting members of the British elite for support. It follows claims made in a new dossier – reportedly compiled with the help of former MI6 spy Christopher Steele – that the firm tried to persuade high-profile figures in the UK to act as “useful idiots”.
‘Boris Johnson’s boomerang of blame has hit him in the face’
Our chief political commentator John Rentoul has taken a look at the flak received by the prime minister over his claim care homes “didn’t really follow the procedures” – and the idea he is trying to shift the blame for Britain’s high coronavirus death toll.
“The worst thing about Johnson’s comment from his own point of view is that it feeds an unhealthy public mood of hunting out someone to blame,” he writes.
“By trying to shift the blame from himself and his government, the prime minister has only lit the torches of the pitchfork-wielding crowd besieging No 10.”
Workers forced to pay extra tax if employers cover costs of Covid-19 tests
Workers will have to pay extra tax when an employer is billed for their coronavirus test, under new Treasury rules.
The practice has been condemned by the Tory chair of the Treasury committee Mel Stride – who has urged Rishi Sunak to think again.
“Many of our key workers could be faced with the perverse incentive of avoiding employer-sponsored tests in order to reduce their tax bill,” said Stride. “This cannot be right. I’ve asked the chancellor to look into this as soon as possible.”
More details here:
Frost and Barnier to dine on fish
Britain’s chief negotiator David Frost and the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier will have dinner in No 10 later on Tuesday to kick off the latest round of Brexit talks, a spokesman for Boris Johnson said.
“David Frost and Michel Barnier are having dinner at No 10 this evening for informal talks,” said the spokesman. “The dinner tonight kicks off the talks and then tomorrow there’ll be teams of officials from the UK and from the EU sitting down having further discussions.”
The menu? Chargrilled asparagus, followed by a fillet of halibut and then a terrine of summer fruits, we are told.
Downing Street said the talks were likely to include discussions on the so-called level-playing field. The PM’s spokesman said: “They are informal talks so there is no published agenda, but I think you'll be fully aware of the full range of issues that we need to reach agreement with the EU on.
“So I’m sure discussions will cover everything from what the EU calls the level-playing field through to governance structures.”
‘We can only regret such unfriendly steps’
More now on the Russian warning of retaliatory sanctions against the UK. The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow regretted the “unfriendly” actions of the UK government after Dominic Raab announced 25 Russian officials were on Britain’s first unilateral list of sanctions for human rights abuses since leaving the EU.
“We can only regret such unfriendly steps,” Peskov was quoted as saying by the Tass news agency. “Of course, the principle of reciprocity will be enforced to the extent that would fit the interests of the Russian Federation.”
On the unilateral list of sanctions for human rights abuse are the head of Russia’s investigative committee, Alexander Bastrykin, deputy prosecutor general Viktor Grin and deputy interior minister Alexei Anichin.
UK to resume arms sales to Saudi Arabia, says government
Britain is to resume selling arms to Saudi Arabia despite assessing that the country could be using them to commit war crimes, the government has announced.
International trade secretary Liz Truss said on Tuesday that the government had completed a review of how arms export licences were granted in order to comply with an earlier court ruling suspending sales.
Truss said in statement that while some “credible incidents of concern” related to Saudi forces’ conduct had been classified as “possible” breaches of international humanitarian law (IHL), the UK government viewed these as “isolated incidents”.
MPs demand Boris Johnson apologise after blaming care homes
A cross-party group of MPs has now written to Boris Johnson to demand an apology for his apparent attempt to blame care home operators for deaths of residents from coronavirus.
In the letter, signed by Lib Dem leadership candidate Layla Moran, as well as party colleagues Wendy Chamberlain, Jamie Stone and Wera Hobhouse, Labour’s Clive Lewis, Green MP Caroline Lucas, the MPs branded the PM’s comment “deeply offensive”.
They said: “Whether your comments are an attempt to shift the blame, or just a case of unfortunate wording, it really is deeply offensive and has caused great hurt in a sector you supposedly champion in words, maybe not in deeds.”
The group also called on the PM to come forward with his long-promised plan for reform of the sector’s funding, as well as a pay rise for social care staff.
Tory conference cancelled – and replaced with virtual event
Conservative party chair Amanda Milling has announced there won’t be a proper party conference this October. Event are still being held “online” so members can share ideas.
She said: “If guidelines allow we hope we can include some elements of the traditional Party Conference we all know and love.”
White House-style TV briefings ‘obviously political move’, says Starmer
Keir Starmer doesn’t like the idea of White House-style daily press briefings from No 10, claiming they risk “unbalancing the political discourse” in Britain.
No 10 is expected to recruit an experienced broadcaster as a “political appointee” to answer questions from Westminster journalists starting in October.
The Labour leader said the televised events were “obviously a political move” and that his party is considering a right of reply.
Starmer told the Evening Standard: “Nobody can quarrel with greater transparency but this is political and one of the greatest things in our democracy is balance and hearing both sides.
“We are exploring, and keen to explore, just how the political balance is maintained if you move to this style of briefing. That’s the risk of it, that it unbalances the political discourse.”
Keir Starmer visits Tower Hill pub (PA)
No new target for ending illegal migrant crossings, says Patel
There is no new target for when illegal migrant crossings should have become an “infrequent phenomenon”, the home secretary has said.
Priti Patel said the crossings are a “complicated issue” and the English Channel has become “far too viable for criminals”.
Less than a year ago she vowed “urgent action” on the dangerous crossings, aiming for them to be virtually eradicated by spring this year.
But at least 2,324 migrants have crossed to the UK in the first six months of 2020, according to analysis by the PA news agency.
Patel was asked if there was a new target date for the crossings to be reduced to an “infrequent phenomenon” – a reference to her pledge in 2019.
Patel replied: “No. The fact of the matter is, I’ve said from day one this is a complicated issue. Illegal migration has been a feature of every single government. The fact of the matter is, and I have repeatedly said this, when it comes to small boats in particular that is a route that has become far too viable for criminals.”
Barnier issues warning ahead of No 10 dinner
Ahead of today’s meeting-and-dinner talks with UK negotiator David Frost, Michel Barnier, Brussels’ chief Brexit negotiator, tweeted that the EU “wants an agreement - and we are doing everything to succeed - but not at any price”.
Posting an image from his train journey to London, Barnier added: “We are engaging constructively & I look forward to equivalent engagement from the UK this week.”
Incidentally, we’re told this evening’s menu consists of chargrilled asparagus, followed by a fillet of halibut and then a terrine of summer fruits.
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