Boris Johnson news: PM warns Trump over threat to bomb Iranian cultural sites, as Long Bailey handed Labour leadership boost
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Your support makes all the difference.Boris Johnson has warned Donald Trump against any attempt to target Iranian cultural sites – with the PM’s official spokesperson citing “international conventions” that prevent destruction of heritage.
It comes as Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) decided the rules for electing Jeremy Corbyn’s successor, and confirmed a new leader will be announced after a three-month long contest on 4 April.
Meanwhile Labour MP Angela Rayner, launching her own bid for the party’s deputy leadership, has said she is backing Rebecca Long Bailey for the leadership if her “friend” decides to join the contest.
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Brexiteers want to throw Parliament Square party on 31 January
Nigel Farage wants to throw a £100,000 Brexit “celebration” party with fireworks, bands and speakers to mark our expected exit from the EU on 31 January.
A comedian called Dominic Frisby (no, haven’t heard of him either) will perform alongside all those many other talented “Brexit artists” at the planned event in Parliament Square.
Farage told The Telegraph the whole shebang will be an “upbeat, optimistic, genuine celebration with no direct political edge whatsoever”. Not sure how the most divisive political issue in decades can have “no direct political edge”, but there you go.
Brexit Party chairman Richard Tice also promised it would be very, very nice and very, very cheap. “If there is a ticket price we want it to be extraordinarily affordable / almost zero,” he said.
Nigel Farage in Hartlepool (Reuters)
Labour’s general secretary now ‘cancer free’ following treatment
Jennie Formby, the general secretary of the Labour party, has shared the news she is “cancer free” on Twitter and thanked people for their support during her treatment.
Alan Johnson dresses up in all-gold Pharaoh suit
In case you missed it, the former home secretary Alan Johnson dressed up as a snake-headed Pharaoh and sang a Bangles song on live television last night.
The ex-Labour MP Alan Johnson made an appearance on ITV’s 90-minute nightmare The Masked Singer.
When the former postie revealed his identity, it looked very much like Jonathan Ross had to shout “it’s Alan Johnson!” to confused fellow panellists Rita Ora and Ken Jeong.
Labour leadership: Who would benefit from changing contest’s ‘freeze date’?
As the NEC prepares to meet at midday today, here’s what we know about how the Labour leadership contest might work.
The party’s current rules would give potential new members at least two more weeks to sign up for the right to vote once the contest is officially launched this week.
The NEC could, however, decide to change the “freeze date” deadline for people to join, with some fearing a deliberate effort to stop too many new “moderates” from swaying the outcome.
Yet a narrow window could benefit Sir Keir Starmer, since polling suggests he has most support from the current pro-EU membership, and there has been speculation a longer timetable would allow staunch Corbyn backer Ian Lavery, the chairman, to build some momentum (no pun intended) if he decides to join the race.
The rules for “registered supporters” to take part will also be decided, allowing non-party members to sign up temporarily at a reduced cost to cast a vote.
In 2015, people were given two months to sign up for a small fee of £3 – but, a year later, the charge went up to £25 and they were given just two days by the Corbynites who dominated the NEC, who feared “moderate” entryism – only for Corbyn to win again.
Although she is entitled to attend, Rebecca Long Bailey is not expected to attend today’s meeting in case she is seen as influencing a contest she’s still expected to be standing in.
Who will replace current leader Jeremy Corbyn? (AFP)
Richard Ratcliffe demands meeting with Boris Johnson
More on the husband of Iran-detainee Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe requesting an urgent meeting with Boris Johnson.
Richard Ratcliffe said he believes it is now an “appropriate time” for the prime minister to meet him to discuss his wife’s case. “This is not a case where you can stand on the sidelines and just wait quietly,” he said.
The PM’s handling of the case was widely criticised when he was the foreign secretary in 2017, after he mistakenly said she had been “teaching people journalism” in the country.
Although Johnson later apologised for his remark and said she had been there on holiday, his comment was cited as evidence against her in an Iranian court.
Angela Rayner: ‘I will be voting for my friend Rebecca Long-Bailey’
Labour MP Angela Rayner is launching her bid for the deputy leadership role in Stockport – and will confirm she’s backing Rebecca Long Bailey for the leadership if her “friend” and former flatmate runs.
“I believe this deputy leadership election is our chance to debate what went wrong, and that a core role of the next deputy leader will be to put it right,” she is set to tell party members and supporters. “It is why I want the leadership of our party to be a team effort.
“I will be quite straightforward: I will be voting for my friend Rebecca Long-Bailey if she stands for the leadership.
“But our collective leadership must go far wider than simply who is elected to these positions. It is why I want us to have an honest, but friendly, conversation with each other. And at the end of it, a united party that starts winning elections for us all.”
Angela Rayner, bidding to be Labour's deputy leader (Getty)
No 10 warns Trump against strikes on Iranian cultural targets
Boris Johnson is meeting foreign secretary Dominic Raab, defence secretary Ben Wallace and senior officials including the cabinet secretary at Downing Street to discuss the situation in Iran, writes our political editor Andrew Woodcock.
Johnson will also speak by phone today with his Iraqi counterpart Adil abd al-Mahdi, the prime minister’s official spokesman has confirmed.
Following the non-binding vote of the Iraqi parliament for the removal of US troops, Johnson is expected to press for coalition forces – including the UK – to be allowed to remain in the country to continue operations against the Islamic State terror group.
“We urge the Iraqi government to ensure that the coalition is able to continue its vital work countering this shared threat,” said the spokesman.
Asked whether Johnson backed Donald Trump’s threat to target cultural sites in Iran, the spokesman said: “There are international conventions in place that prevent the destruction of cultural heritage.”
The National Security Council is due to meet to discuss Iran on Tuesday, when the Commons will be updated on the situation in a ministerial statement.
Dominic Raab arrives at No 10 for talks with PM (Getty)
Ian Lavery says NEC meeting ‘will not be five-minute job’
Labour chairman Ian Lavery said he expected the party’s NEC to come up with the “right solution” during its discussion on the leadership contest.
The possible contender said “we’ll see what happens” when asked whether he would stand to succeed Jeremy Corbyn.
Speaking to the media on his way to the meeting, he said: “We’ll be having thorough discussions. Let me tell you that this NEC will not be a five-minute job, it never is.
“Every letter and every proposal will be discussed and we’ll come up with the right solution, believe me.”
Ian Lavery arrives for Labour's NEC meeting (PA)
Shadow minister does not expect major rule changes by NEC
Jon Trickett, shadow minister for the Cabinet Office, said he did not expect the leadership rules to be changed by the NEC.
The NEC member admitted he had not seen any new proposals when asked by journalists before entering Labour headquarters.
He said: “I imagine they’ll stay as they were. I imagine.”
Chief opposition whip Nick Brown, who attends the NEC but does not vote, said “no” when asked whether he feared a “stitch-up”.
Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott and former deputy leader Dame Margaret Beckett both arrived for the midday meeting without giving any comment.
Jon Trickett arrives for NEC meeting (PA)
No 10: Iran announcement on nuclear deal ‘concerning’
More from that No 10 briefing this lunchtime. Boris Johnson’s spokesman said Iran’s announcement that it will abandon the limits in the unravelling nuclear deal on fuel enrichment, its uranium stockpile and research activities was “extremely concerning”.
“It’s in everyone's interest that the deal remains in place,” the PM’s spokesman said. “It makes the world safer by taking the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran firmly off the table.
“We’ve always said the nuclear deal is a reciprocal deal and in light of Iran’s announcement we are urgently speaking to partners about next steps.”
He confirmed Downing Street has urged the Iraqi government to allow foreign troops to remain in the country to fight against the threat posed by IS.
“The coalition is in Iraq to protect Iraqis and others from the threat from Daesh at the request of the Iraqi government,” he said. “We urge the Iraqi government to ensure the coalition is able to continue our vital work countering this shared threat.
“The foreign secretary spoke to the Iraqi president and prime minister this weekend.
“The prime minister is speaking with his Iraqi counterpart today and our ambassador in Baghdad is in touch with political leaders in Iraq to emphasise these points and urge them to ensure we can keep fighting this threat together.”
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