Rishi Sunak - live: Dominic Raab ‘bullied’ Gina Miller during ‘aggressive’ encounter

Campainger says incident took place at the BBC in 2016

Rishi Sunak ‘comfortable’ with Dominic Raab keeping job despite bullying allegations

Prominent Remain campaigner Gina Miller has claimed that embattled deputy prime minister Dominic Raab bullied and demeaned her during an “aggressive” encounter in 2016.

Mr Raab, the justice secretary, is already facing a string of bullying allegations spanning different government departments throughout the past few years, all of which he denies.

In an exclusive article for The Independent, Ms Miller said she was “bullied and demeaned” by Mr Raab after he called her “stupid” and “naive” when they met at the BBC during the referendum campaign.

Mr Raab said they are “baseless and malicious claims”.

Elsewhere, prime minister Rishi Sunak has admitted his first 100 days in No 10 have been “challenging” while being interrogated by broadcasting heavyweight Piers Morgan.

The TalkTV host grilled Mr Sunak on a range of issues, from mounting Tory sleaze claims and the winter crisis in the NHS, to growing unrest in the public sector and deepening cost of living fears.

Key Points

• Rishi Sunak: I believe wholeheartedly I can turn UK mess around
• Rishi Sunak vows to ‘ratchet up’ return of Albanian migrants and start Rwanda flights
• Rishi Sunak vs Piers Morgan: 5 pitfalls and payoffs for PM from TV clash
• Dominic Raab faces claim he ‘bullied and demeaned’ leading anti-Brexit campaigner

[3 February 2023 13:24 · Matt Mathers]

We’re pausing our live politics coverage for today.

Thanks for reading and join us again soon for all the latest updates from Westminster and elsewhere.

Have a good weekend when you get there.

[2 February 2023 18:40 · Emily Atkinson]

Rishi Sunak vs Piers Morgan: 5 pitfalls and payoffs for PM from TV clash

Should the PM be worried about being caught out by the TalkTV host? Or can he use the interrogation to reset his image with the public? Our political correspondent Adam Forrest takes a closer look at potential pitfalls for Mr Sunak, and where he could gain some ground.

[2 February 2023 18:43 · Emily Atkinson]

Rishi Sunak vows to ‘ratchet up’ return of Albanian migrants and start Rwanda flights

Rishi Sunak has pledged to “ratchet up” removals of illegal migrants from Albania and insisted the controversial policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda will go ahead.

In an interview with Piers Morgan for TalkTV, the prime minister said asylum claims will be sped up to a “matter of days or weeks” and “not months or years”.

Mr Sunak warned arrivals who are deemed “inadmissible” for settlement in Britain “will not be able to stay here”.

My colleague Liam James has more:

[2 February 2023 18:46 · Emily Atkinson]

Sunak continues to resist predecessor’s calls to send fighter jets to Kyiv

Ahead of his interview with Piers Morgan this evening, Rishi Sunak on Thursday continued to resist calls by former prime minister Boris Johnson to supply fighter jets to Ukraine.

Mr Johnson has used a US tour to push for the West to step up military assistance for Kyiv, dismissing arguments against the supply of sophisticated Nato aircraft.

But Downing Street said it would take years to train Ukrainian pilots to fly the RAF’s Typhoon and F-35 planes and said the current prime minister was focused on providing support that would be of use now.

“We will continue listening to the Ukrainians and consider what is right for the long term,” the spokesman said.

“But it’s helpful to understand the situation, that the fastest training programme for a new pilot is approximately 35 months.

“The current UK fast jet training programme takes five years.”

[2 February 2023 19:00 · Emily Atkinson]

Watch: Trailer for Piers Morgan's interview with Rishi Sunak

Piers Morgan has promised an hour of “unmissable TV” as his interview with Rishi Sunak hits screens from 8pm.

“Is the Conservative party toast after 13 years in power?” the formidable interviewer asks in the promotional video for the anticipated show.

Watch the full trailer here:

[2 February 2023 19:13 · Emily Atkinson]

Dominic Raab faces claim he ‘bullied and demeaned’ leading anti-Brexit campaigner

TalkTV’s Piers Morgan, interviewing Rishi Sunak tonight, is likely to ask the prime minister exactly what he knew and when about Dominic Raab’s conduct, as his deputy PM faces an investigation into bullying allegations.

Our Whitehall editor Kate Devlin has the latest on this:

Dominic Raab is facing fresh allegations of bullying amid claims that he launched an “abusive attack” on a prominent anti-Brexit activist.

Remain campaigner Gina Miller said she was “bullied and demeaned” by the deputy prime minister after he called her “stupid” and “naive” during an “aggressive” encounter at the BBC in 2016.

Her claims, written in an article for The Independent, are the first on-the-record accusations of abuse against Mr Raab, who faces an official inquiry into claims that he bullied civil servants. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has appointed Adam Tolley KC to look at claims of bullying against Mr Raab, involving up to 24 civil servants.

Read Kate’s article in full here:

[2 February 2023 19:27 · Emily Atkinson]

Scandals, sackings and U-turns: Rishi Sunak’s first 100 days in the job

Michael Gove proudly boasted that “boring is back” when Rishi Sunak walked through the door of No 10 in October. But his first 100 days in office have been much more eventful than anyone expected.

The prime minister has suffered from a series of scandals, some partly inherited from Boris Johnson’s time in Downing Street. There have been poor poll ratings, probes into his ministers’ conduct and some major policy climbdowns, with his authority with Tory MPs already under threat.

Our political correspondent Adam Forrest took a closer look at the sleaze problems and rebellions swirling around Mr Sunak as he tries to reset his premiership ahead of crucial local elections.

[2 February 2023 19:40 · Emily Atkinson]

Piers Morgan recalls Boris Johnson hiding in fridge to avoid interview ahead of Sunak stand-off

Piers Morgan appears to have praised Rishi Sunak for agreeing to be interviewed on tonight’s show – taking a swipe at his predecessor Boris Johnson for hiding in a fridge while a reporter attempted to speak to him.

On the eve of the 2019 general election, then-PM Johnson was joining an early morning milk round in Leeds when he was confronted by a Good Morning Britain reporter about his “promise to talk to Piers [Morgan] and Susanna [Reid]”.

“I’ll be with you in a second,” Mr Johnson replied, before famously escaping into a large fridge.

Taking to Twitter this afternoon, Mr Morgan reflected on the bizarre dodge:

[2 February 2023 19:50 · Emily Atkinson]

What do the Dominic Raab bullying allegations mean for Rishi Sunak?

With Zahawi gone and perhaps soon Raab too, Sunak can demonstrate that he is his own man, and prepared to jettison figures who, in his judgement, do not live up to the ideals he declared himself committed to on his first day in No 10 – “integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level”.

Read the latest from Sean O’Grady here:

[2 February 2023 19:55 · Emily Atkinson]

Rishi Sunak understands public anger over ‘extraordinary’ Shell profits, No 10 says

Five minutes to go...

In the meantime, read Whitehall editor Kate Devlin‘s latest report:

Rishi Sunak “absolutely” understands people’s anger over Shell’s record profits at a time of soaring household energy bills, Downing Street has said.

No 10 also suggested that the oil giant should invest more of its record-breaking $40bn bonanza in the UK.

But the prime minister’s official spokesperson would not be drawn on calls for a higher windfall tax on energy firms, saying he was “not aware” of any plans to reform the levy.