Boris Johnson confirms he’ll publish communications with James Dyson
Labour has accused Boris Johnson of behaving like the top of a “tin pot dictatorship” after Dominic Cummings accused the prime minister of planning to fund a refurbishment of his Downing Street flat by Tory celebration donors.
Former lawyer basic Dominic Grieve stated it was fairly clear the prime minister had obtained “a big reward” in direction of the job and accused him of working No 10 as a “cronyistic cabal”.
In an explosive blog publish, the prime minister’s former prime aide additionally claimed Mr Johnson sought to dam an inquiry into the leak of plans for a second coronavirus lockdown in England.
Downing Street has denied the transfer, which Mr Cummings stated got here after Mr Johnson was warned it might implicate an in depth pal of his fiancee Carrie Symonds.
Mr Cummings, who the prime minister had a day earlier accused of “systematic leaking”, wrote in a prolonged blog publish that Mr Johnson had fallen “far under the requirements of competence and integrity the nation deserves”.
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1619266083Scenes from the native election marketing campaign path
Politicians of all stripes are out campaigning within the solar at present. Local elections are actually lower than a fortnight away.
Steve Rotheram, present mayor of Liverpool metropolis area who’s standing once more, has been out in Cressington.
David Mundell, former Scottish secretary for the Conservatives, is on the path up in Dumfrieshire.
And there’s Scottish Labour chief, Anas Sarwar, with native candidates out by the Falkirk Wheel, which is inexplicably not the UK’s most well-known landmark.
(PA)
Liam James24 April 2021 13:08
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Remember Vote Leave?
Carole Cadwalladr from The Observer taking the chance to recall the warring pair’s historical past with dodgy cash.
Vote Leave, the profitable marketing campaign to go away the European Union which Boris Johnson fronted and Dominic Cummings directed, was fined £61,000 for breaking the regulation on election spending limits.
There was a £7m restrict set on the referendum. But Vote Leave funnelled £675,000 by a separate pro-leave group within the marketing campaign’s ultimate days to make sure they didn’t go over the official restrict.
Liam James24 April 2021 12:30
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Cummings lively on Twitter
Dominic Cummings has welcomed the weekend with some Twitter exercise. Several retweets on subjects together with Covid vaccines, Nasa and border closures. No point out of the elephant in everybody else’s room.
Liam James24 April 2021 12:02
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Grieve: Boris Johnson is ‘integrity vacuum’ who turned No.10 right into a ‘cronyistic cabal’
More on Dominic Grieve’s feedback earlier from Policy Correspsondent Jon Stone right here:
Liam James24 April 2021 11:50
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Cummings ushered in secretive ‘boys membership’ fashion to Downing Street, say former Whitehall insiders
Claims of “authorities by WhatsApp” have been fuelled by former Whitehall insiders who informed The Independent that the arrival in energy of Boris Johnson and Vote Leave supremo Dominic Cummings introduced a brand new extra secretive fashion to Downing Street.
Overnight, communications which had beforehand been placed on paper or in emails had been moved to the encrypted WhatsApp message system, whereas some veterans of the Brexit marketing campaign favoured the high-security Signal messaging app or Proton electronic mail, stated one former insider.
“Things had been accomplished in a way more cryptic means,” stated a former insider talking on situation of anonymity, “There was an effort to guarantee that conversations weren’t traceable as a lot as potential, except there was a deliberate cause to make them traceable. Where they had been fairly intelligent was that if there was one thing they had been OK with being leaked, that might go on electronic mail.”
Read the complete report from Political Editor Andrew Woodcock right here:
Liam James24 April 2021 11:29
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Labour requires full investigation of Downing Street revamp
Labour frontbencher Rachel Reeves has written to Boris Johnson calling for an investigation into the Downing Street flat refurbishment.
“Given we all know it solely takes a textual content message from a pal to get the complete consideration on the prime of your authorities, many individuals will surprise what private goodwill may very well be generated by a secret donation to the redecoration of your residing quarters,” the shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster requested.
Ms Reeves contains 14 questions for the prime minister, asking for full particulars of the cash spent and who offered it, and whether or not he breached the Ministerial Code.
Liam James24 April 2021 11:09
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It doesn’t matter if the texts had been leaked by Dominic Cummings | Sketch
During the paragraphs that observe, I would really like you to try to preserve saying to your self, again and again, simply in a bit of whispered voice in your head, the next phrases: “These are the folks working the nation.”
… If you’re ready so as to add in “throughout a pandemic by which 150,000 folks died” then be happy, however I recognize it’s actually not straightforward.
Tom Peck’s tackle the bitter row engulfing, that’s proper, the folks working the nation, may be discovered right here:
Liam James24 April 2021 10:48
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PM ‘personally briefed’ newspapers on alleged Cummings leak
Sam Coates from SkyNews stated Boris Johnson personally known as newspaper editors to transient that Dominic Cummings had leaked his textual content change with James Dyson.
There have additionally been murmurs on Twitter about Michael Gove’s place in all this given his shut relationship with Mr Cummings. Others asking why the prime minister would spark all of this bitterness now by accusing Cummings, who, if nothing else, may be relied on to reply damagingly.
Liam James24 April 2021 10:24
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Dominic Grieve says it’s ‘clear’ Boris Johnson ‘obtained vital reward’ for flat revamp
Former lawyer basic Dominic Grieve has known as on Boris Johnson to clarify the place the cash got here from for his Downing Street flat refurbishment.
Mr Grieve stated the prime minister was a “vacuum of integrity” who should now come clear.
“It is all smoke and mirrors. He hasn’t stated when he determined to repay it or whether or not he has now repaid it,” he informed the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
“The truth is that he did get, I feel it has turn into fairly clear, a big reward in direction of the refurbishment of the flat.
“If a minister goes overseas and will get given a gold watch by a international diplomat he has at hand it again to the federal government or he has to purchase it again. He would not find yourself with £58,000 – if that is determine – for refurbishing your personal flat in Downing Street.
“My impression is there was fixed wriggling in regards to the supply of the cash for this refurbishment.”
Mr Grieve has known as the prime minister’s integrity under consideration on a number of prior events and was one of many 21 Tory MPs expelled from the celebration by Mr Johnson in 2019 after rebelling in an try to keep away from a no-deal Brexit.
Liam James24 April 2021 09:59
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London mayor Sadiq Khan says ‘zero homicide’ goal is ‘not sensible’
London mayor Sadiq Khan has dominated out committing to a goal of “zero murders“ within the capital inside 10 years if he’s elected for a second time period.
The proposal was put ahead by the Green Party candidate Sian Berry earlier this month in the course of the contest to elect the capital’s subsequent chief.
“I’m additionally eager to not give folks false hope,” Mr Khan added. “We are a world metropolis. On a median day, we now have greater than 10 million folks in London.”
Mr Khan maintains an enormous lead on the London mayoral ticket forward of polling day on 6 May.
Liam James24 April 2021 09:37
