Attacks on Carrie Johnson are sexist and questions about the role of a prime minister’s partner in public life should be “off limits”, Sajid Javid said today.
The health secretary’s intervention came after Mrs Johnson accused “bitter ex-officials” of trying to discredit her with explosive claims that her meddling in government had contributed to the chaos engulfing her husband’s premiership.
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In an unusual public statement following the publication of extracts of a critical biography , a spokeswoman for Mrs Johnson was forced to insist that the prime minister’s wife “plays no role in government”.
In the book, published by the former Conservative Party deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft, Johnson is accused of appointing staff because “Carrie would be cross with him” if he did not,
Sajid Javid has denied that a long-awaited plan to tackle the NHS backlog - which was due to announced today - has been put on hold because the Treasury blocked it.
Speaking to Kay Burley on Sky News, the health secretary rejected reports of increasing tensions between Downing Street and the Treasury, saying the plan "is not coming today because we had a roadblock with Omicron".
Mr Javid said because of the Omicron variant, the government "rightly changed our focus to boosters" and that the plan to tackle the NHS backlog will be published "shortly".
He also warned that "waiting lists are going to continue to grow" and that it is "hard to say" when things will improve.
But Mr Javid said officials are "doing everything we can to get services back up and running" as the country recovers from the pandemic.
Image:Mr Javid denied the NHS backlog plan announcement is being held up by the chancellor, as reports suggested. Pic: UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor
His comments come after reports in The Daily Telegraph suggested the Treasury refused to sign off the NHS backlog plans in a last-minute intervention over the weekend, calling off Monday's publication of the National Recovery Plan for the health service.
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The Telegraph report contained sources citing concerns over value for money after deadlines for hitting treatment targets slipped because of the Omicron surge.
Sky News' political correspondent Tamara Cohen said NHS figures are saying that they were expecting a fuller plan.
A government spokesperson told Sky News: "We of course want value for taxpayer's money and any delay is a working through of final details."
Nearly six million people in England were waiting to start routine hospital treatment in November, with NHS figures showing that 5.7 million people were on waiting lists at the end of August - the highest figure since records began in August 2007.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Mr Javid had been due to make an announcement today as evidence of the government's determination to tackle hospital delays due to the COVID pandemic.
The health secretary did reveal on Sky News that patients will be able to compare hospital waiting times through the NHS app and receive information about non-urgent procedures.
"Every individual on the waiting list will be able to see where they are on the list," Mr Javid said, adding that the government want to "provide as much transparency as possible" to people in regard to the backlog.
Image:Millions of people are waiting for treatment on the NHS
Big week ahead for under-pressure PM
The delay to the PM and Mr Javid's plan comes after five Number 10 aides resigned last week in the wake of the "partygate" scandal.
And another two Conservative MPs also called for Mr Johnsonto quit on Friday - with Nick Gibb and Aaron Bell both submitting letters of no confidence in his leadership.
Boris Johnson should be given “time and space” to lead, the UK business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng urged on Sunday, as the prime minister battled to shore up backbench support with a shake-up of his Downing Street team.
Following a chaotic week, which saw the departure of five senior officials and public criticism from cabinet ministers, Steve Barclay, chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, was appointed Johnson’s chief of staff.
Guto Harri, a former BBC journalist and communications director during Johnson’s first term at City Hall as London mayor, will become the prime minister’s director of communications.
Disgruntled MPs say they are willing to give Johnson more time but expect further changes to his operation to be announced in the coming days. The prime minister’s allies say he is considering replacing his team of Tory whips in the House of Commons, as well as a possible ministerial reshuffle.
“Change is needed in the whips office,” said one backbench Tory MP. “I am also sick of ministers being promoted who are clearly incompetent.
“It’s a team game and loyalty is important but we need brains and intelligence in the key positions and people who don’t routinely bomb during media interviews and [at] the despatch box.”
David Canzini, who works at the political consultancy CTF Partners, is understood to be in talks to join Johnson’s Downing Street team.
The move to reset his team comes as Johnson contends with more letters of no confidence in his position and a police investigation into possible Covid-19 lawbreaking at the heart of his government.
Nine Tory MPs have publicly declared they have submitted letters of no confidence in the prime minister but senior ministers think there may be as many as 40 overall. A threshold of 54 letters is needed to trigger a confidence vote.
Sir Charles Walker, a traditionally loyal Tory MP and former vice-chair of the 1922 Committee, told The Observer newspaper that Johnson’s departure had become an “inevitable tragedy”.
However, business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng told the BBC that Johnson “has got a clear mandate and we have got to give him time and space to deliver on that mandate”.
The recent appointments to his team were “a step in the right direction”, Kwarteng said.
Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a former Tory party leader, agreed Johnson should be given time to sort out “the big, big crises that are hitting the government”, adding: “As far as I’m concerned the prime minister is the one that has to sort this out.”
Speaking to the BBC, the MP also urged those vying for the leadership to “temper their ambition”. An internecine war in the party should not be the priority as the country grapples with a cost of living crisis, he said.
Johnson was forced to start building a new team over the weekend after the departure of senior aides.
Under Barclay, officials hope there will be fewer factions, clearer lines of accountability in Downing Street and a more simplified structure.
Barclay campaigned to leave the EU and is a close ally of the chancellor Rishi Sunak, who publicly criticised Johnson’s conduct last week. Insiders said Barclay’s appointment was designed to appease Sunak’s frustration with the Downing Street operation.
The departure of a key member of the so-called “Carrie camp” of advisers working in Downing Street, referring to those said to be close to the prime minister’s wife Carrie Johnson, was also noted by backbench MPs as a sign real change was afoot.
Henry Newman, once noted by Mrs Johnson to be among her “favourite people”, has been moved from his role as a senior adviser in Number 10 to work for levelling-up minister Michael Gove.
Mrs Johnson’s allies claim she is the victim of a briefing war by people close to Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s former adviser who was ousted in November 2020 and has since become one of the prime minister’s most ardent critics.
Reports circulated over the weekend about Mrs Johnson, who has been accused of negatively influencing her husband’s decision-making.
Her spokesperson said: “Yet again Mrs Johnson has been targeted by a brutal briefing campaign against her by enemies of her husband. This is just the latest attempt by bitter ex-officials to discredit her. She is a private individual who plays no role in government.”
Prince Andrew will give evidence under oath next month as part of the civil sex assault case being brought against him, it has been confirmed.
"We agreed to voluntarily produce the duke for a deposition on 10 March," a source close to him said.
Andrew, 61, has strenuously denied all allegations against him.
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Charles avoids Andrew question
He will face what is known as a deposition in London, in what has been described as a neutral location.
The source said his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, has not yet committed to a date or location for her deposition, "despite repeated requests", the PA news agency reported.
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The Duke of York's deposition - the process of taking sworn, out of court testimony - is expected to last two days and will be conducted by Ms Giuffre's lawyers, David Boies and Sigrid McCawley, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Andrew's former assistant, Robert Olney, and Shukri Walker, who claims to have seen him in Tramp nightclub, are also due to give depositions, the newspaper added.
Ms Giuffre is suing the duke for damages, claiming she was trafficked by disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein to have sex with the royal when she was 17.
It is alleged to have happened at Ghislaine Maxwell's London home in the early 2000s. Under US law, Ms Giuffre was a minor at the time.
The duke is also alleged to have sexually abused Ms Giuffre during a visit to Epstein's private island, Little St James, and on a separate occasion at the financier's New York mansion.
Lawyers for Ms Maxwell have filed a motion for a retrial after she was found guilty of recruiting underage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein.
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'Do you support Prince Andrew?'
Mr Boies has spoken of "confronting" the Queen's second son "at his deposition and at trial".
In 2010, Time magazine listed the lawyer as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Prince Andrew has asked for a jury trial, and the set piece is scheduled to take place between September and December.
The parties need to confirm by 28 July whether they wish to proceed to that stage.
Four teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 20-year-old man was stabbed to death near Manchester.
Police were called by the ambulance service responding to a report of a stabbing on Cheetham Hill Road, Dukinfield in Tameside, on Friday at 9.30pm.
A man, believed to be 20, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Four boys, two aged 16 and two aged 17, have been arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in police custody.
Detective Superintendent Ian Crewe, of Greater Manchester Police, said: "Our thoughts are with the victim's loved ones - specialist officers are liaising with them and caring for them.
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"We have four suspects in custody but our investigation is very much ongoing and I would appeal to anyone with information or dashcam footage from the main or surrounding roads at around 9.30pm last night to contact us.
"We have deployed extra officers to the area to support the investigation team and the community and I want members of the public to know that they can approach and talk to them.
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"The force is working with partner agencies to fight, prevent and reduce knife crime so I'll also use this opportunity to encourage anyone who knows or suspects someone is carrying a weapon to report it before it's too late."
Local Labour MP Jonathan Reynolds said: "Awful news from Dukinfield this morning. I am in touch with the police and the council as further details emerge.
"I am thinking of the family and friends of this young man, the whole Cheetham Hill Road community, who I know will feel rocked by this, and the emergency responders attending the scene."
The force urged anyone with information to contact police quoting 2866 04/02/22 via 0161 856 3400 or gmp.police.uk.
A former minister has become the 14th Conservative MP to publicly call for Boris Johnson to resign as prime minister.
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Nick Gibb declared "we need to change the prime minister" and confirmed he has submitted a letter of no confidence to the 1922 Committee.
The MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton said that the Conservative Party must face the "hard truths", and added his constituents are "furious about the double standards" following the partygate revelations.
Mr Gibb is among nine Tory MPs who have revealed that they have submitted letters of no confidence in Mr Johnson, while a further five have publicly called for the PM to go.
Image:'We need to change the prime minister,' former schools minister Nick Gibb has said
Mr Johnson will face a vote of confidence in his leadership if 54 Tories - 15% of the party's 360 MPs - send letters to the chairman of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady.
Other Tory MPs are expected to consider over the weekend whether to write to Sir Graham in an attempt to force a leadership contest.
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However, Mr Gibb added that there is "still support" for the prime minister in his constituency for "getting Brexit done", the COVID vaccine rollout, and the fact that "people like his style, his positivity, and optimism".
But he warned that people have "serious doubts" about whether they can trust him.
PM's position is 'untenable'
His newspaper article came hours after Conservative MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme, Aaron Bell revealed he has also handed in a letter of no confidence, saying the PM's position is "untenable".
I have submitted a letter to Sir Graham Brady.
Please see the statement attached explaining my reasons.
He spoke in the Commons on Monday as Mr Johnson faced MPs in the wake of the release of a partial version of senior civil servant Sue Gray's report into partygate.
Mr Bell recalled how only 10 people were present at his grandmother's lockdown funeral before asking Mr Johnson: "Does the prime minister think I'm a fool?"
PM tries to rally support
Meanwhile, Mr Johnson sent a letter to all Conservative MPs on Friday, seen by Sky News, saying he is "committed to improving the way 10 Downing Street, and government more broadly, works", adding that the process "is now under way".
The PM said he will be working with Sir Graham and heads of the 1922 Committee "to re-establish backbench policy committees" as he sought to reassure backbenchers their work and views matter to his government.
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How to replace a Tory PM
After the departure of a number of aides, the beleaguered Mr Johnson told staff a line from The Lion King, saying "change is good".
Her departure comes after Number 10 revealed Dan Rosenfield, the prime minister's chief of staff, and Martin Reynolds, Mr Johnson's principal private secretary, are leaving their roles.
Two other key advisers to Mr Johnson - press chief Jack Doyle and policy chief Munira Mirza - have also resigned.
Prime minister pictured with beer
Further turmoil struck on Friday after The Daily Mirror reported a photograph of the prime minister holding a beer at an alleged gathering in June 2020 has been handed to the Met Police.
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Tory MPs critical of PM
The paper said it was one of the 300 photos given to the force as part of their investigation into 12 alleged gatherings that may have broken COVID restrictions.
The photo is reported to have also included Chancellor Rishi Sunak, holding a soft drink.
Number 10 told the PA news agency it could not comment while the Met Police's investigation was ongoing.
Around 40 beheaded skeletons are among 425 bodies exhumed by HS2 archaeologists after being found in a large Roman cemetery.
In several instances, after the head had been removed, it had been placed between the legs or next to the feet.
The 50-strong team working alongside construction of the high-speed railway, uncovered the remains at the cemetery in Fleet Marston near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, which is along the the HS2 route.
Image:Experts said all the remains would be 'treated with dignity, care and respect'
HS2 Ltd said it was believed some of the people buried may have been "criminals or a type of outcast", although decapitation was a "normal, albeit marginal" part of burial during the late Roman period, which is towards the end of 410 AD.
The bodies are being held in storage for further analysis.
HS2 is not required to rebury them, unlike those exhumed from Christian grounds.
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The archaeologists also discovered more than 1,200 coins at Fleet Marston, indicating it was an area of trade and commerce too.
Domestic objects including spoons, pins and brooches were found, while gaming dice and bells suggest gambling and religious activity also occupied people's time at the site.
Image:The discovery was described as 'significant'
The latest excavation was carried out over more than a year by Cotswold Archaeology and Oxford Archaeology (Copa), working on behalf of a HS2 contractor.
'Rich history of Britain'
Copa senior project manager Richard Brown said: "The excavation is significant in both enabling a clear characterisation of this Roman town but also a study of many of its inhabitants.
"Along with several new Roman settlement sites discovered during the HS2 works it enhances and populates the map of Roman Buckinghamshire."
Image:The archaeological site at Fleet Marston
Fleet Marston is one of more than 100 archaeological sites examined by HS2 since 2018 on the route of the first phase of the railway between London and Birmingham.
HS2 Ltd's head of heritage Helen Wass said: "The HS2 archaeology programme has enabled us to learn more about our rich history in Britain.
"The large Roman cemetery at Fleet Marston will enable us to gain a detailed insight into the residents of Fleet Marston and the wider Roman Britain landscape.
"All human remains uncovered will be treated with dignity, care and respect and our discoveries will be shared with the community."
