Partygate: Boris Johnson's ethics adviser asks PM to explain why he believes he has not broken the ministerial code - Sky News

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's own ethics adviser has asked him to explain why he believes he has not broken the ministerial code after being fined for a lockdown breach.

Lord Geidt said there was a "legitimate question" over whether the code has been broken - which would normally mean a minister would have to resign.

"It may be that the prime minister considers that no such breach of his ministerial code has occurred. In that case, I believe a prime minister should respond accordingly, setting out his case in public," he added.

Twenty-eight MPs now want Boris Johnson out immediately - follow latest updates

In an exchange of letters the prime minister replied that there was "no intent to break the [COVID] regulations".

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"I did not consider that the circumstances in which I received a fixed-penalty notice were contrary to the regulations," Mr Johnson replied.

"I have accepted the outcome and paid it in compliance with legal requirements. Paying a fixed-penalty notice is not a criminal conviction."

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Lord Geidt said he had repeatedly told the prime minister to publicly explain why he thought incurring a fixed-penalty notice would not be in breach of the code of conduct for ministers, but said: "That advice has not been heeded."

He said the prime minister had "made not a single public reference to the ministerial code".

Lord Geidt also criticised the prime minister for refusing to give him the freedom to launch his own inquiries into possible breaches and said he would still need the prime minister's consent before proceeding.

Last week, Mr Johnson was accused of watering down the ministerial code after the government said it was being updated to make clear that ministers will not necessarily have to resign for more minor violations.

Instead the prime minister will have the option of imposing lesser sanctions such as "some form of public apology, remedial action or removal of ministerial salary for a period".

Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said there was a "legitimate question" over whether the prime minister broke the ministerial code after he was fined over partygate.

"The prime minister's second ethics adviser has now threatened to quit, in the latest sign of the rampant sleaze engulfing Downing Street," she said.

"This is a prime minister who changed the rules while being investigated for breaking those same rules. He has made himself judge and jury in his own trial, giving himself a free pass to ride rough shod over British values of decency.

"However much he tries to rig the rules and evade scrutiny, the prime minister has been found out and his days are numbered."

Liberal Democrat chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said: "This scathing criticism shows even Boris Johnson's own ethics adviser no longer trusts him to tell the truth. He is not fit to hold public office.

"It's no wonder the prime minister has been trying to water down the ministerial code and rewrite the rules. The only person he cares about is himself.

Application of ministerial code called into question

By Elizabeth Bates, political correspondent

The ministerial code has been in the spotlight since the Sue Gray report was released last week.

It is central to upholding standards in public life and its ultimate arbiter is the prime minister – even if he is the one suspected of breaking it.

But at the very moment that it is needed most, when the behaviour of those in power is under scrutiny – its application has been called in question by the government’s ethics advisor Lord Geidt.

He has publicly called out Boris Johnson, saying if the prime minister believes he hasn’t broken it by being fined for his Downing Street birthday party he must explain why.

This comes after it emerged last week that the code is set to be watered down.

The convention has always been that any breaches are a resignation matter but that will now be changed to allow for minor infringements to be dealt with in other ways – an apology, for example.

Like many aspects of the British political system, it only works if those in power respect it and enforce it. If they don’t it becomes just a wish-list of rules that are free to be ignored.

"The net really is closing in around Johnson. He's missed the boat to do the decent thing and resign, now Conservative MPs must give him the sack."

It comes after 28 Tory MPs have publicly called for the prime minister to step down over the partygate scandal.

A total of 41 Tory MPs have voiced their displeasure at the PM's handling of partygate, according to a Sky News tally, but 28 have actually called for him to resign.

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2022-05-31 20:37:30Z
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More flights cancelled ahead of Jubilee break - BBC

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Holiday giant Tui is cancelling more flights as air passengers face ongoing disruption ahead of the Jubilee bank holiday weekend.

Tui will cancel six flights a day until the end of June, affecting around 34,000 travellers in all.

Other airlines have also cancelled flights, as around two million people prepare to fly over the next few days.

One family, whose flight was cancelled with less than two days notice, said their children were "devastated".

Joanna Chandramani said she, her husband and their seven-year-old twin girls had been set to fly to Turkey on Wednesday, but she got a text on Monday evening telling her their holiday was cancelled.

She said Tui had now offered them vouchers but the family did not want to re-book with them so were flying with Jet2 to Mallorca instead.

"We have lost all faith in Tui," she added.

Tui said customers affected by cancellations would receive a full refund for their holidays "as well as an extra gesture of goodwill".

The company said the cancellations represented about 4% of its flights.

Tui said it understood the cancellations would be "disappointing" but added: "We believe this is necessary to provide stability and a better customer service at Manchester Airport."

• What are my rights if my flight is cancelled?

Thousands of passengers across the UK have had their flights cancelled or faced delays at airports when checking in and collecting baggage as the half-term break began.

Before the Covid pandemic, airports and airlines across Great Britain employed around 140,000 people, according to Airlines UK. However, since then thousands of jobs have been cut, including around 30,000 for UK airlines alone, due to the restrictions on international travel.

The industry has struggled to cope with a surge in flyers as demand picked up again, with many finding it difficult to recruit and train new staff quick enough.

Prospect, the union which represents staff across air traffic control and in aviation engineering, warned that things could "get worse before they get better".

The Airport Operators Association, which represents the industry, said big recruitment campaigns had been under way since before the start of this year and additional staff were now being deployed.

It said most passengers were getting through security smoothly and the association would continue to work with the government to be ready for the summer.

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Around 10,000 flights are set to leave the UK between Thursday and Sunday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the government was working with the travel industry to tackle the problems.

"We put in place billions of pounds of support for the travel industry, in particular during the pandemic," he said.

"Right now there are conversations happening between the industry and ministers to make sure disruption can be eased."

But Garry Graham, deputy general secretary of the Prospect union, said: "The government point to the furlough scheme but ignore that it ended well before the majority of international restrictions on travel came to an end."

Trade unions say airlines are struggling to recruit staff because jobs in the industry are not well-paid or secure enough and training new staff takes time. As a result the problems are likely to continue for some time.

'Absolute chaos'

Michael Turner, a nurse from Shoreham, is currently on his third attempt to go on holiday with his family to Tenerife.

Due to fly from Gatwick last Thursday, Mr Turner was told his EasyJet flight had been cancelled 20 minutes before departure. He re-booked a Tui flight which was all that was available and said he experienced "absolute chaos" in the departure lounge at Manchester Airport.

After boarding the plane, Mr Turner said its pilot called the police as no-one was able to get off for three hours.

The family was then escorted to collect their baggage and put on a coach without being told where they were going and are now waiting to be taken back to the airport for a flight this evening.

Manchester Airport said Tui and Swissport, which provides ground services such as baggage handling, "are experiencing temporary staff shortages, in common with other aviation and travel companies".

A spokesperson for Swissport apologised for its part in any disruption, adding that the return of demand for flights was "exacerbating resource challenges across the aviation industry.".

A number of other airports reported high traffic on Tuesday.

Mirjana Gavrilovic Nilsson

Glasgow Airport said queues at security were "longer than usual" in the morning, though passengers moved through at a "steady pace".

A spokesperson said the airport was "busier than it has been for more than two years" but urged people not to arrive early.

At Edinburgh Airport some passengers had to wait outside the terminal building to check in luggage.

Meanwhile, Stansted is forecasting 80,000 passengers a day over the next week.

• Half-term holidays in shreds as flights cancelled
• Airport passengers urged not to arrive early

There were also long waits for Eurostar train services at London's St Pancras station, with queues extending outside the building.

Eurostar said one train was taken out of service earlier due to a technical fault, leading to delays of 30 to 60 minutes.

A spokeswoman said queues were moving and staff were working hard to ensure check-in was as smooth as possible.

Meanwhile, the RAC predicts drivers will make 19.5 million trips by car over the Jubilee bank holiday weekend, potentially clogging the roads.

The motoring group said Friday is expected to be the busiest day, with the M25 forecast to be a hotspot.

Southbound M5, A303 and A720 Edinburgh city bypass are all also being flagged as roads to watch for potential delays, with transport experts Inrix predicting traffic conditions could be worst in the mornings of the bank holidays.

Inrix are advising drivers to start their journeys as early as possible or wait until later in the day to avoid any jams.

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2022-05-31 16:35:49Z
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Essex crime: Public urged not to approach wanted West Mersea man who is on recall to prison - Essex Live

Members of the public have been urged not to approach a wanted man. Nicholas Dimopolous is being recalled to prison and is wanted by Essex Police.

The 29-year-old has links to West Mersea and Colchester, particularly the Cherry Tree pub. He is also described as being 5 foot 8 inches tall and of a medium build.

Essex Police has urged the public not to approach him. However, anyone who has seen him has been urged to contact the force with any information.

READ MORE: Asbestos found in at least 55 council-owned properties in Essex including leisure centres and a town hall

A spokesperson for Essex Police said: "We want to speak to Nicholas Dimopolous in connection with a recall to prison.

"The 29-year-old is described as 5ft 8ins tall and of medium build and has links to West Mersea and Colchester, particularly the Cherry Tree pub. We’re advising the public not to approach him but if you have seen him or have any information about where he is to contact us.

If you have any information you can submit a report online at https://www.essex.police.uk or use the 'Live Chat' button to speak to an online operator between 7am-11pm. You can also call police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Want the latest news delivered straight to your inbox? Click here to sign up for Essex Live's newsletters.

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2022-05-31 09:22:08Z
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Holidays at risk as chaos is blamed on airline cuts - The Times

The government criticised airports and airlines last night over “completely unacceptable” disruption as holidaymakers were warned that Platinum Jubilee bank holiday getaways were at risk.

Passengers were affected by delays and cancellations to flights across Britain yesterday. Experts said that further disruption was likely before the bank holiday weekend.

Ministers have been urged to intervene to prevent trips being ruined as airports and airlines struggled to cope with a sharp increase in demand. But last night a government source blamed the aviation sector. “The sudden cancellations of flights and airport delays are completely unacceptable,” the source said.

Anna Saunders, her husband Matthew and their children found that their trip to Cyprus had been cancelled

SWNS

“The simple fact is that airlines and airports overcut staff during the pandemic, ignoring the fact that the billions of pounds of aid — including furlough — handed

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2022-05-30 23:00:00Z
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Revealed: The quickest and slowest police forces for answering 999 calls - Sky News

Police forces are routinely failing to answer "life and death" 999 calls within target times, new data shows.

Only one force in the UK - Avon and Somerset Police - is meeting the standard to answer 90% of 999 calls in under 10 seconds.

Forty-three police forces failed to meet it over the six months from November 2021 and April 2022.

Overall, 71% of 999 calls were answered within 10 seconds.

It is the first time national statistics have been published showing how quickly police forces answer 999 calls.

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Which forces are answering the slowest?

The worst performing force was Humberside Police, with only 2% of calls answered in under 10 seconds.

South Yorkshire Police answered 17% of calls within the target, Durham Police 41%, North Yorkshire Police 44% and Gloucestershire Police 49%.

And the fastest?

While Avon and Somerset lead the way, others came close to the target.

Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire police forces fell just below the standard with 89%.

Police Scotland aim to have a mean answering time of under 10 seconds - and recorded 10.1 over the period.

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The Home Office said there was a range of reasons for disparities - prank calls, a lag time in connecting, and inappropriate use of 999 to contact police for non-emergencies.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said "the public deserve to know that their local police force will be at the end of the phone, ready to leap into action at seconds' notice to protect them from harm".

She said "calling 999 can literally be a matter of life and death" and releasing the data was about "driving up standards in our incredible emergency services" so that people can have "every confidence in the police's ability to save lives and keep our streets safe".

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2022-05-31 06:29:25Z
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Shropshire earthquake: 3.8 magnitude quake hits UK near Shrewsbury - Sky News

A 3.8 magnitude earthquake struck Shropshire on Monday afternoon, the British Geological Survey (BGS) said.

The BGS said the quake - the third to hit the UK in the last 24 hours - happened at around 3.36pm at a depth of 8km.

Earthquakes measuring 3.8 magnitude or more are only seen in the UK "roughly every two years", the organisation said.

"BGS has received numerous reports that this event has been felt by residents in Shropshire and surrounding counties," they said in a statement.

Image: The epicentre of the quake is believed to be about five miles east of the town of Wem in Shropshire

"An earthquake of this size can result in strong shaking within about 10km of the epicentre but damage is unlikely."

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"The earthquake may have been felt at distances as far as 100km away," the BGS added.

The epicentre of the quake is believed to be about five miles east of the town of Wem in Shropshire, just under 11 miles from Shrewsbury.

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People declared "my chair wobbled", "house felt like it moved from left to right", "noticeable shaking coming through the floor", "noticed an odd trembling through my office chair, faint but persisted for about three seconds" and "all the windows rattled," according to the BGS website.

Ruth Reed, who works as an architect in Upton Magna in Shropshire, said: "Just after half past three, there was a jolt and the offices shook.

"We thought a lorry had hit the building and looked out both sides.

"People came out of the other offices to see what was happening."

Claire Osborn, from Shropshire, said on Twitter that she felt the earthquake tremor while gardening.

Meanwhile Sam Roberts, in Wem, said: "I definitely felt it… quite an [un]usual experience!!"

West Mercia Police and Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said they had not yet been called to any reports of incidents related to the quake.

Earlier on Monday, a 2.1 magnitude earthquake was recorded in Arran, North Ayrshire, Scotland just before 8am, while another with a magnitude of 2.3 struck in Sale, Greater Manchester, at 8.40pm on Sunday, according to the BGS.

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2022-05-30 18:56:15Z
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Shropshire earthquake: 3.8 magnitude quake hits UK near Shrewsbury - Sky News

A 3.8 magnitude earthquake struck Shropshire on Monday afternoon, the British Geological Survey (BGS) said.

The BGS said the quake - the third to hit the UK in the last 24 hours - happened at around 3.36pm at a depth of 8 km.

Earthquakes measuring 3.8 magnitude or more are only seen in the UK "roughly every two years", the organisation said.

"BGS has received numerous reports that this event has been felt by residents in Shropshire and surrounding counties," they said in a statement.

Image: The epicentre of the quake is believed to be about five miles east of the town of Wem in Shropshire

The epicentre of the quake is believed to be about five miles east of the town of Wem in Shropshire, just under 11 miles from Shrewsbury.

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People declared "my chair wobbled", "house felt like it moved from left to right", "noticeable shaking coming through the floor", "noticed an odd trembling through my office chair, faint but persisted for about three seconds" and "all the windows rattled," according to the BGS website.

Claire Osborn, from Shropshire, said on Twitter that she felt the earthquake tremor while gardening.

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Meanwhile Sam Roberts, in Wem, said: "I definitely felt it… quite an [un]usual experience!!"

West Mercia Police and Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said they had not yet been called to any reports of incidents related to the quake.

Earlier on Monday, a 2.1 magnitude earthquake was recorded in Arran, North Ayrshire, Scotland just before 8am, while another with a magnitude of 2.3 struck in Sale, Greater Manchester, at 8.40pm on Sunday, according to the BGS.

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2022-05-30 17:37:30Z
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