Babak Belurs

Selasa, 19 April 2022

Partygate: MPs to vote over whether Boris Johnson should be investigated for misleading Parliament - Sky News

Boris Johnson will face a Commons vote on whether claims he misled MPs over partygate should be investigated.

Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle granted a request from opposition MPs for a vote which will be held on Thursday - and which Sky News understands will seek to refer Mr Johnson for investigation by the privileges committee.

The Speaker's ruling came as Mr Johnson prepared to face Parliament for the first time since he was fined last week for attending a gathering to mark his birthday in June 2020, in breach of his own government's social distancing rules.

Politics Hub: Johnson to face MPs for first time since partygate fine - latest updates from Westminster

The debate on Thursday will centre on the question of whether Mr Johnson misled MPs when he initially said, after claims about parties in Downing Street first surfaced, that no rules were broken.

It will take place at a time when the prime minister himself is scheduled to be away on a visit to India.

Sir Lindsay told MPs it was not for him "to determine whether or not the prime minister has committed a contempt" but rather whether there was "an arguable case to be examined".

The Speaker ruled, having considered the issue, that Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer could table a motion for debate.

Labour sources say the committee has wide-ranging powers which may mean it could ask for civil servant Sue Gray's yet-to-be-published report into the affair as well as photos, and that it has the power to recommend sanctions.

But for the investigation to take place, opposition parties will have to persuade Tories disquieted by the PM's behaviour to join them in voting for the probe.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey urged Conservatives to "do their patriotic duty" in Thursday's vote while Labour's shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry earlier told Sky News that Tory MPs should "look at their consciences".

However, one backbench critic of the PM, Tobias Ellwood, appeared to rebuff the notion of cooperating with opposition parties, telling Sky News the matter should be kept "in house".

Police have been investigating 12 events in Downing Street and Whitehall during 2020 and 2021 when lockdown rules were alleged to have been broken and so far more than 50 fines have been announced.

Last week it was revealed that Mr Johnson had been fined over a gathering on his birthday in June 2020, with his wife Carrie and Chancellor Rishi Sunak also each receiving a punishment.

Downing Street is understood to be braced for more fines for the PM and reports over the weekend painted him as the instigator of leaving drinks for a staff member in November 2020 - another of the events being investigated.

Ministers have rallied around the prime minister with Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis likening his fixed penalty to a parking fine.

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2022-04-19 15:23:53Z
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Woman dies at Lansdowne Court in Bristol: Updates after 'fall' at block of flats - Bristol Live

A woman has died following a fall from a block of flats in Bristol this morning (Tuesday, April 19), police have confirmed.

The emergency services were called by a member of the public at around 12.30am, and police found a woman lying at the bottom of Lansdowne Court in Easton. Police officers carried out first aid to no avail, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset police said a man has been arrested on suspicion of murder, and an investigation is underway. Police also said they will be carrying out extra patrols in the area, and pictures from the scene show a cordon is in place.

Also read: Police update after boy, 16, dies in through-about crash

We will bring you the latest updates on this tragic incident, as and when we get them, in an updates below. This is a live blog - scroll down for the latest:

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2022-04-19 10:34:44Z
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Senin, 18 April 2022

Jason Leitch criticised for defending Nicola Sturgeon over face mask fallout as police assess complaint - The Scotsman

It comes as Police Scotland is currently assessing a complaint after footage showed her apparently breaching Scotland’s Covid face mask law on the council election campaign trail.

A video posted on social media appears to show Scotland’s First Minister not wearing a mask during a visit to a barber’s in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, on Saturday.

The event took place before the legal requirement to wear a face covering was scrapped from Easter Monday onwards.

The National Clinical Director Jason Leitch has been criticised for defending Nicola Sturgeon after she was pictured in a barber shop without a face mask.

Speaking on BBC Good Morning Scotland this morning, Professor Leitch said the First Minister’s actions were “actually what we’re asking people to do”, adding the First Minister realised within “a matter of seconds” she had to put a face covering on.

Defending Ms Sturgeon, Professor Leitch said: “’I’ve done that too, I’ve got up from the dinner table quite recently out for a meal, gone to the bathroom and halfway there you realise, ‘Oh, I need to put my face covering on’.

"Because it does still feel like a slightly odd thing to have to do. My understanding of that incident – I haven’t spoken to the First Minister today, I imagine I’ll speak to her later – my understanding is it was a matter of seconds, she realises the place is crowded, puts her face covering on, which is actually what we’re asking people to do.

"The guidance says if you are in a crowded area, inadvertently or deliberately, then put a face covering on and that will protect you and others.”

Nicola Sturgeon reported to police after being accused of breaking Covid face ma...

Criticising Professor Leitch, The Scottish Conservatives have said his remarks were “inappropriate” for him to make as a civil servant.

Scottish Conservative MSP, Craig Hoy said: "It is inappropriate for a civil servant to defend Nicola Sturgeon in this way. These kinds of questions should be left to politicians to answer. Instead, SNP ministers are in hiding and Jason Leith is blurring the lines between ministers and government officials.”

The Scottish Conservatives also accused Professor Leitch of “misrepresenting” the Covid laws that were in place at the time.

Mr Hoy added: "Face mask use was still in law until today but Mr Leitch backed up Nicola Sturgeon's excuse that she only had to put the mask on when in a crowded space.

"If the SNP had listened to us weeks ago and changed face mask rules from law to guidance, he and Nicola Sturgeon would have been correct.

"But they failed to do this and Mr Leitch should not be confusing the public, or doing the SNP's job for them, by trying to defend Nicola Sturgeon in this manner."

An SNP spokesman said: “The First Minister was invited into the barber’s during an outdoor visit on the street.

“Within a few seconds, she realised she hadn’t put her mask back on and immediately put it on.”

Those who breach the face covering rules can face a fine of up to £60.

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2022-04-18 09:36:26Z
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Minggu, 17 April 2022

Prince Harry 'back among his own people' as he and Meghan enjoy first full day of Invictus Games - Sky News

The Duke of Sussex is "back among his own people", a war veteran friend of his has said, as a beaming Harry appeared at ease with his wife, Meghan, on the first full day of the Invictus Games.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex posed for photographs and met and hugged competitors at the event at the Zuiderpark in The Hague, the Netherlands.

The couple spent Easter Sunday morning at the athletics track and were in the front row for the sitting volleyball.

Jaco van Gass, a Paralympic gold medallist and former Invictus competitor who suffered life-changing injuries with the British Army, sat with them.

Mr van Gass, 35, met Harry, 37, in 2011 when the duke joined the record-breaking team of wounded soldiers he was part of that trekked unsupported to the North Pole.

He said it was "amazing" to see Harry and Meghan, 40, adding that it was "wonderful" to catch up with them and they were "friendly as ever".

He said Harry told him he is having a "really, really good time".

Mr van Gass said: "Invictus is his family, basically. There's so many familiar faces that he's not seen in a while, and again to all the nations, just to catch up with them again.

"He's back with his own people, he's back in an environment that he's so natural in and that he cares about. I think that's the most important thing - this great depth of care that he has for the games."

The duke founded the Invictus Games to aid the rehabilitation of injured or sick military personnel and veterans from across the globe, by giving them the chance to compete in sporting events similar to the Paralympics.

Harry, who served in the British Army for a decade, was stripped of his honorary military roles after the duke and Meghan stepped back from royal duties.

The event has a special significance for the couple, who chose to make their first public appearance together at the Invictus Games almost five years ago.

Mr van Gass said he also spoke briefly with Meghan.

"She's having a good time," he said. "She's in really good form and really enjoying all the events… it's so inspirational".

The couple, now based in California, visited the Queen in Windsor on Thursday, having flown in from the US.

Harry and Meghan's trips to the UK and the Netherlands come after the pair were absent from the Duke of Edinburgh's memorial service in London last month.

The couple have two young children, Archie, who is three-years-old next month and Lilibet, whose first birthday is in June.

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2022-04-17 15:36:51Z
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Priti Patel's top official warned her about sending migrants to Rwanda - a day before policy was announced - Sky News

Priti Patel's top official told her it was "highly uncertain" that sending migrants to Rwanda would reduce attempts to cross the English Channel - the day before the policy was announced.

In a letter to the home secretary, dated Wednesday, Matthew Rycroft also said there was "uncertainty" over "value for money".

The permanent secretary at the Home Office said financial value was "dependent" on the policy being "effective as a deterrent".

He added: "Evidence of a deterrent effect is highly uncertain and cannot be quantified with sufficient certainty to provide me with the necessary level of assurance over value for money."

Mr Rycroft said that while the policy may put migrants off travelling, "there is not sufficient evidence for me to conclude that it will" at present.

He added, however, that he recognised there are "potentially significant savings to be realised from deterring people (from) entering the UK illegally".

Having set out his argument, he asked for Ms Patel's "written instruction to proceed".

In her reply, the home secretary admitted it is "not possible for HMG to accurately model the deterrent effect from day one".

But she said she was confident that "this policy is our best chance at producing that effect".

A combination of "new incentives and effective deterrents" are required to "take on the criminal gangs facilitating illegal entry", she added.

Ms Patel said she recognised Mr Rycroft's concerns over value for money.

But she added that "without action, costs will continue to rise" and there are "credible invest-to-save arguments in the long term".

She concluded by saying it would be "imprudent" to "allow the absence of quantifiable and dynamic modelling" to "delay delivery of a policy that we believe will reduce illegal migration, save lives and ultimately break the business model of the smuggling gangs".

Ms Patel wrote: "I am therefore formally directing you as Accounting Officer to take forward this scheme with immediate effect."

The number of people arriving in small boats on Saturday was 252, the Ministry of Defence said in its latest statement.

It added that it "does not believe" any of them "arrived on their own terms".

Boris Johnson has described the plan to transport migrants to Rwanda as "morally" the "right thing to do", but the Archbishop of Canterbury has denounced the scheme, saying it raises "serious ethical questions".

The Most Revd Justin Welby used his Easter Sunday sermon to say: "It cannot carry the weight of our national responsibility as a country formed by Christian values, because sub-contracting out our responsibilities, even to a country that seeks to do well like Rwanda, is the opposite of the nature of God who himself took responsibility for our failures."

But Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen said the archbishop was showing a "little bit of naivety", adding: "I don't think he's in step with his congregation, I don't think he's in step with the views of the country."

This is not a policy-wrecking intervention - analysis

Rob Powell

Political correspondent

@robpowellnews

Ministerial directions are rare and this one does highlight the fact that a lot of taxpayer cash is about to be spent on the Rwanda resettlement plan with no guarantees it will produce tangible benefits.

But if you read the text of Matthew Rycroft's letter, it is clear this is not the policy-wrecking intervention some are claiming.

The permanent secretary says that after taking legal and operational advice he sees no feasibility or propriety issues.

His concerns are that the deterrent effect can't be quantified with certainty at this point.

Government sources say the reason the documents were published over the Easter weekend was to counter claims that civil servants were "against" the plan.

Priti Patel clearly believes the severity of the situation means the risk is worth taking.

Her allies will no doubt applaud her for that, and point to the old saying that "advisers advise and ministers decide".

Mr Rycroft said he recognised the "scale of the issue we are facing".

He noted: "The asylum system is costing the taxpayer over £1.5bn per annum - the highest amount in over two decades, and current spend on hotels is c. £4.7m per day including those who have arrived through resettlement programmes."

He also said he had "satisfied myself that it is regular, proper and feasible for this (Rwanda) policy to proceed".

Ms Patel said she was concerned about the effect that dealing with high levels of illegal migration was having on staff.

She wrote: "Each day I am struck by the extremely challenging work we are asking Home Office officials and Border Force operational staff at all levels to undertake.

"It is with this in mind that I believe there is an imperative to act now to mitigate the impact on staff wellbeing as well as departmental operational and financial pressures in the longer term."

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2022-04-17 12:56:15Z
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New partygate claims emerge as Labour say Boris Johnson has 'deliberately misled Britons at every turn' - Sky News

New allegations have emerged regarding lockdown parties in Downing Street - with Labour claiming Boris Johnson has "deliberately misled the British people at every turn".

The prime minister has already been fined once for breaking COVID rules on his birthday in 2020, but that is said to be regarded as the least problematic of a series of incidents.

Mr Johnson is understood to have been present at six of at least 12 gatherings being investigated by the Metropolitan Police, including the "bring your own booze" one in the Downing Street garden on 20 May 2020.

The latest claims concern what happened on 13 November 2020, when leaving drinks for Number 10 director of communications Lee Cain were allegedly "instigated" by the prime minister.

A gathering in the Downing Street press office did not start as leaving drinks, a source told The Sunday Times.

Rather, it was the "usual Friday evening wash-up drinks", they added.

But Mr Johnson "came fumbling over, red box in tow", and "gathered the staff around the press office table, which did have bottles of alcohol on it", they continued.

"He said he wanted to say a few words for Lee and started pouring drinks for people and drinking himself. He toasted him."

A photographer is said to have been present throughout and is believed to have captured pictures of the prime minister, The Sunday Times said.

The newspaper added: "A Downing Street source did not dispute the description of the event but denied that Johnson had organised it."

Mr Johnson then apparently returned to his flat above 11 Downing Street, where a second gathering involving his wife and her friends - with Abba music blaring out - is claimed to have taken place that same evening.

Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said that "if the latest reports are true", it means "not only did the prime minister attend parties, but he had a hand in instigating at least one of them".

Mr Johnson has previously said that "all guidance was followed", but Ms Rayner said he had "deliberately misled the British people at every turn".

She added: "While the British public was making huge sacrifices, Boris Johnson was breaking the law.

"The prime minister has demeaned his office. The British people deserve better. While Labour has a plan for tackling the cost-of-living crisis, Tory MPs are too busy defending the indefensible actions of Boris Johnson."

The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, said during his Easter sermon that Britain should ponder whether it wants to be known for the "robustness of our democracy, where those in public life live to the highest standards, and where we can trust those who lead us to behave with integrity and honour".

Downing Street declined to comment and has repeatedly said it will not be doing so until the police investigation has concluded.

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2022-04-17 13:10:51Z
1360428059

Rwanda asylum scheme: Archbishop of Canterbury hits out at government plans, saying they are ungodly - Sky News

The government's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is "opposite the nature of God", the Archbishop of Canterbury will say.

Reverend Justin Welby will use his Easter Sunday sermon to criticise the government scheme that will see refugees who reach the UK through illegal routes deported to Rwanda.

He is expected to say that the policy is un-Christian and raises "serious ethical questions".

"The details are for politics," he will say. "The principle must stand the judgment of God, and it cannot.

"It cannot carry the weight of our national responsibility as a country formed by Christian values, because sub-contracting out our responsibilities, even to a country that seeks to do well like Rwanda, is the opposite of the nature of God who himself took responsibility for our failures."

The archbishop's unexpected intervention comes after criticism for the scheme from Labour politicians, human rights groups and the United Nations.

The prime minister and home secretary have defended the partnership, while Conservative MPs have broadly backed the plans.

It emerged on Friday that Home Secretary Priti Patel had to issue a ministerial direction over the plan, which means she overruled objections from senior civil servants within her department.

The first migrants are expected to be sent to Rwanda on a chartered flight in May, however, it could be delayed with the government anticipating legal challenges against the partnership.

Under the plans, approved refugees will have to stay in Rwanda, rather than return to the UK, and those who are rejected by the Rwandan government will be deported.

Responding to the archbishop's criticisms, a Home Office spokesperson said: "The UK has a proud history of supporting those in need of protection and our resettlement programmes have provided safe and legal routes to better futures for hundreds of thousands of people across the globe.

"However, the world is facing a global migration crisis on an unprecedented scale and change is needed to prevent vile people smugglers putting people's lives at risk and to fix the broken global asylum system.

"Rwanda is a fundamentally safe and secure country with a track record of supporting asylum seekers.

"Under this agreement, they will process claims in accordance with the UN Refugee Convention, national and international human rights laws."

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2022-04-17 02:08:10Z
1371042462

Selasa, 19 April 2022

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Minggu, 17 April 2022

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