Boris Johnson – live: Senior Tory says ex-PM ‘finished’ after humiliating Partygate hearing - The Independent

Boris Johnson seen for first time since Partygate defence dossier published

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Boris Johnson is “finished”, a senior Tory MP said after a the former prime minister suffered a day of double humiliation in the House of Commons.

A three-hour grilling by the Privileges Committee yesterday saw Mr Johnson lose his cool and accuse the panel of “complete nonsense” after Tory veteran Sir Bernard Jenkin suggested his former boss did not seek "proper" advice before telling MPs that no parties took place in Downing Street during the pandemic.

Mr Johnson argued that it was “completely wrong” to say he partied in lockdown, and accused committee chair Harriet Harman of being “prejudicial”.

After expressing concern that the former prime minister had relied on “flimsy assurances” that he was not intentionally misleading parliament, the seven member committee will now consider all the evidence. If they find against him he could face a suspension that may force a by-election.

Proceedings were interrupted by a vote on Northern Ireland, which saw Mr Johnson’s attempted Commons revolt against Rishi Sunak’s new Brexit deal failed to garner significant support.

The Windsor Framework, which overwrites Mr Johnson’s earlier agreement with the EU, passed the Commons by a mammoth majority of 486.

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Senior Tory says Boris Johnson ‘finished'

Senior Tory MP Caroline Nokes said Boris Johnson’s comeback hopes were “finished” after the Partygate inquiry committee suggested he had failed to correctly interpret his own Covid guidance or seek proper assurances.

Asked if Mr Johnson is finished if he is punished by the committee, Ms Nokes told ITV’s Peston: “I think that Boris Johnson is finished anyway. I think there was a very clear message from his own ministers back in the summer that they didn’t want him to carry on.”

“He didn’t choose to stand against Rishi Sunak back in the autumn when we had the second leadership challenge. As far as I’m concerned, Boris Johnson is not coming back as prime minister.”

Liam James23 March 2023 07:49

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Boris performance was ‘bit of a mess’, says former comms chief

Offering his verdict on Thursday’s hearing, Will Walden, Mr Johnson’s former communication chief, told LBC: “He’ll be wanting to tell himself it’s all alright – but I don’t think it is, really.

“It was a bit of mess. He managed to last to the end of the first proper question before he got angry. At times he was churlish, frustrated, disbelieving, stroppy, shameless.”

Mr Walden added: “A man with an elastic relationship with the truth, swearing on a bible to tell the truth about whether in the past he told the truth or not – I mean you literally couldn’t make it up!”

Liam James23 March 2023 08:34

1679559358

Boris Johnson claimed No 10 drinks party was for official who didn’t leave until month later

Boris Johnson has been urged to correct his Partygate inquiry testimony after he was found to have claimed a No 10 party marked the exit of the top civil servant who did not resign until a month later.

The former Tory prime minister claimed the notorious “bring your own booze” garden party on 20 May 2020 had been aimed at motivating staff because cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill had quit.

But Mr Sedwill did not resign until 29 June 2020 – more than a month later – revealing he would step down from his top Downing Street role in September.

Adam Forrest looks at the former prime minister’s evidence:

Liam James23 March 2023 08:15

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Gallagher says Boris Johnson got his ‘ass handed to him’

Liam Gallagher was among those chastising Boris Johnson as the former prime minister addressed the Privileges Committee over the Partygate scandal yesterday.

“Boris Johnson getting his fat ass handed to him on a plate who’s says the nowt on TV these days marvellous [sic],” the former Oasis frontman tweeted during the broadcasted hearing.

Gallagher has made a number of political statements in the past, last year dedicating his NME award for Music Moment of the Year to NHS workers and “all the people that give a s*** in general”.

Tom Murray reports.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar23 March 2023 07:30

1679554800

ICYMI | Boris Johnson was warned against claiming all Covid guidance followed new Partygate evidence reveals

Britain’s most senior civil servant has said he did not give Boris Johnson any assurances that Covid rules were followed at all times in No 10 during lockdown.

Cabinet secretary Simon Case said he offered no assurances in written evidence given to the cross-party privileges committee due to grill Mr Johnson later on whether he misled MPs over the Partygate scandal.

It has also emerged that Mr Johnson was warned by his principle private secretary Martyn Reynolds against claiming that all Covid guidance had been followed – but went ahead and made a denial in the Commons.

Matt Mathers and Adam Forrest have more:

Emily Atkinson23 March 2023 07:00

1679554203

Boris Johnson shouts ‘complete nonsense’ during grilling

Boris Johnson lost his cool and shouted “complete nonsense” during his three-hour grilling by the Privileges Committee yesterday.

He was livid after Tory veteran Sir Bernard Jenkin suggested that the former prime minister did not seek “proper” advice before telling MPs that no parties took place in Downing Street during Covid lockdown.

“This is complete nonsense, I mean, complete nonsense,” he said. “I asked the relevant people. They were senior people. They had been working very hard. Jack Doyle gave me a clear account of what had happened.”

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar23 March 2023 06:50

1679553024

Mary Lou McDonald says Boris government was ‘not upfront’ with unionism

Mary Lou McDonald has said that Boris Johnson’s government had not been “upfront” with unionism, and had been determined to act “in a unilateral fashion”.

The Sinn Fein president added that she had found Mr Johnson’s tenure as British prime minister difficult and frustrating, saying that there was a tendency to act “outside of good faith”.

Ms McDonald was speaking in a pre-recorded interview for ITV show Peston as the former Tory leader voted against a key element of the latest EU-UK deal on the protocol.

Read more here.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar23 March 2023 06:30

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What were the Covid rules and guidance when Boris Johnson attended parties?

Boris Johnson has endured a tense showdown with MPs who are investigating whether he intentionally misled Parliament over parties held at Downing Street during the Covid lockdown.

Mr Johnson, who was prime minister at the time, this week admitted that he did mislead MPs, but has denied doing so “intentionally or recklessly”, saying he relied on advice from aides during the events at No 10 that took place between May 2020 and April 2021.

As Covid-19 swept the UK, the government laid out rules for everyone to follow, which were passed into law, in an attempt to curb its spread and reduce pressures on the NHS. But it also published guidance, including for employers, on working arrangements to reduce the risk of employees spreading the virus.

My colleague Jane Dalton has the details here:

Emily Atkinson23 March 2023 06:00

1679549424

Boris Johnson suffers double Commons humiliation

Boris Johnson was dealt two humiliating blows in parliament yesterday as he was forced to plead “hand on heart” that he had not lied to MPs over Partygate while he also failed to lead a Commons revolt against Rishi Sunak.

During an occasionally bad-tempered three-hour grilling, the former prime minister defended the decision to hold parties inside No 10 during the pandemic – including one attended by his wife and his interior designer – saying they had been “necessary” for work purposes.

It also emerged that Mr Johnson had been explicitly warned against claiming that all Covid guidance had been followed – but did so anyway.

Meanwhile, his efforts to undermine Mr Sunak’s post-Brexit agreement with the EU ended in abject failure as a vote on the Windsor Framework passed the Commons by a mammoth majority of 486.

Kate Devlin and Adam Forrest report.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar23 March 2023 05:30

1679547600

Who is Sir Bernard Jenkin and who else is on the Privileges Committee?

Emily Atkinson23 March 2023 05:00

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2023-03-23 08:34:58Z
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Man charged with attempted murders after fire attacks on men leaving UK mosques - The Guardian

A man has been charged with two counts of attempted murder after
two men were set alight in Birmingham and London after leaving mosques, West Midlands police said.

Mohammed Abbkr, 28, was charged on Thursday morning, police said.

More details soon …

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2023-03-23 08:13:00Z
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Leith port accident: Dozens injured as huge ship topples over in dry dock during strong winds - The Independent

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A huge ship has blown over in high winds in Edinburgh, leaving dozens of people injured in the “terrifying” incident.

Emergency services, including an air ambulance, have been called to the incident after the vessel dislodged from its holding at Imperial Dock, Leith at around 8.35am on Wednesday.

The Scottish Ambulance Service said 21 people were taken to hospital following the incident in Leith, Edinburgh, while a further 12 were treated and discharged at the scene on Wednesday morning.

If you saw what happened, email tara.cobham@independent.co.uk

RV Petrel was previously owned by the estate of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen

(Tomafc83)

RV Petrel has blown over in high winds in Edinburgh

(Tomafc83)

The ambulance service said 15 patients were taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, four to Western General Hospital and two to Victoria Hospital.

The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh is urging the public to avoid attending A&E where possible, Jacquie Campbell, Chief Officer of Acute Services at NHS Lothian, said earlier.

The 76m (250ft) Petrel, a research vessel, was previously bought and outfitted by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who died in 2018, but it is no longer owned by his estate as it was sold last year.

A wind speed of 38mph was recorded in Edinburgh at 8am on Wednesday, while a 44mph gust was recorded at 9am, according to Met Office data.

The estate of the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who died in 2018, sold RV Vetrel last year

Pictures posted on social media show the vessel leaning at a sharp angle. Leith councillor Adam McVey described the incident as “major” and “terrifying” for those on board in a tweet.

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “Officers and emergency service colleagues are responding to an incident at Imperial Dock in Leith, Edinburgh, whereby a ship on dry dock has become dislodged from its holding.

RV Petrel dislodged from its holding at Imperial Dock

(Tomafc83)

“Police were called to attend at around 8.35am on Wednesday and officers remain at the scene. The public are asked to avoid the area to allow emergency service access.”

Leith councillor Adam McVey said the ship became dislodged in strong winds.

A huge ship has blown over in high winds in Leith

He tweeted: “Emergency services are responding to a major incident at Leith docks – a ship has been dislodged from its holding in strong winds.

“Terrifying for those on board, my thoughts are with those who’ve been injured & hope everyone recovers quickly. Please avoid area.”

A spokesman for the ambulance service said: “We received a call at 8.29am today to attend an incident in Leith.

The vessel can be seen leaning at a 45-degree angle

“We have dispatched five ambulances, an air ambulance, three trauma teams, our special operations team, three paramedic response units and one patient transport vehicle.

“We transported 15 patients to hospital; 11 to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and four to Western General Hospital. A further 10 patients were treated and discharged at the scene.”

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: “We were alerted at 8.43am on Wednesday to reports of an incident at Imperial Dock, Leith, Edinburgh.

“Operations control mobilised four appliances and a number of specialist resources.

Emergency services at the scene in Leith

“Crews currently remain in attendance.”

The coastguard also sent teams to the scene.

A spokesman said: “HM Coastguard is currently assisting Police Scotland in responding to a major incident at Imperial Dry Dock in Edinburgh.

“At around 9.30am, Coastguard rescue teams from Fisherrow, South Queensferry and Kinghorn were sent to the scene.

The incident at Imperial Dock has been described as “major”

“This is a multi-agency response, with the Scottish Ambulance Service and Scottish Fire and Rescue also in attendance.”

Dales Marine Services, which runs the dry dock, said it had no comment.

Edinburgh City Council has confirmed that emergency services are still on site. It said: “The emergency response is continuing at Imperial Dock in Leith. Please continue to avoid the area to allow the emergency services to do their job.”

Jackie Campbell, NHS Lothian acute services chief officer, said: “We’re on standby to receive a number of patients at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh’s A&E department following a major incident at Imperial Dock in Leith.

“We have been reviewing the current capacity at the RIE, with support from other sites, to accommodate these patients.

“Given the expected pressure on the site, we urge people not to attend A&E at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh unless it is an emergency.”

People seeking urgent care are asked to contact their GP or NHS 24.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Met Office warned of heavy downpours and gales set to hit parts of the UK.

A total of 25 people were injured and 15 are in hospital after the RV Petrel blew over in high winds

(Tomafc83)

High-speed gusts were predicted to reach 75mph in parts of western Scotland, with spray and large waves expected along some of the western coasts.

It came as a yellow weather warning for wind had been issued from 4am until 1pm on Wednesday for most of Scotland.

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2023-03-22 16:01:05Z
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The Tory MPs who voted against Rishi Sunak's Brexit deal - The Telegraph

Rishi Sunak's new Brexit deal sailed through the House of Commons despite fears that the prime minister would face a major Tory revolt.

MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of the Windsor Framework as it was backed by 515 to 29, a majority of 486.

Three former Tory leaders voted against Rishi Sunak’s Brexit deal as they joined Eurosceptics who warned it is not the right solution for Northern Ireland.

Here, The Telegraph takes a look at each of the 22 Conservative MPs who have opposed the Stormont Brake in a vote in Parliament. 

Adam Afriyie 

Adam Afriyie, one of the original ‘Spartans’ voted against the agreement despite having welcomed it as the “last major Brexit hurdle” that “secures our United Kingdom”.

Jake Berry

The former Tory party chairman had not declared his intentions ahead of the vote, but is well known as a loyalist to both Boris Johnson and Liz Truss who opposed the deal. 

Peter Bone

The former deputy Commons leader said that he was “pretty miffed” about the Government’s handling of the debate and vote on the Brexit deal.

Bill Cash

Sir Bill Cash drew up the European Research Group’s legal analysis of the deal which was damning of the its key provisions, describing the Stormont Brake as “likely useless in practice”.

Christopher Chope

Sir Christopher Chope, another veteran eurosceptic and member of the Spartans, also voted against the agreement. 

Simon Clarke

Simon Clarke, a former levelling up secretary, said the Windsor agreement risked “cementing the imperfections” of the original Protocol and meant Northern Ireland was “still not being placed on a truly equal footing to Great Britain”. 

Richard Drax

Richard Drax, a senior Brexiteer, delivered a speech to the Commons praising the agreement when it was struck for achieving “what many said could not be done” but ended up voting against it. 

James Duddridge

Sir James Duddridge, a former trade minister, described the deal as a "betrayal of Brexit" and said the Government could not “polish a little brown thing”.

Iain Duncan Smith

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a former Tory leader, was another senior member of the party to cast their ballot against ratifying the agreement. 

Mark Francois

The chairman of the European Research Group said the deal did not stack up in reality and “I’m afraid the Government have completely oversold it”.

Jonathan Gullis

Jonathan Gullis, a former education minister, had attended an ERG gathering the morning before the vote at which members had agreed to vote against the deal. 

Adam Holloway

Adam Holloway, the MP for Gravesham, told The Telegraph upon leaving an ERG meeting on Wednesday that he would be voting against the Government.

Andrea Jenkyns

The MP for Morley and Outwood said she would be “right behind” Boris Johnson after he announced he would vote against the deal, slamming it as a “capitulation to the EU”.

Boris Johnson

The former prime minister described the deal as “unacceptable” telling the Telegraph it “would mean that the whole of the UK was unable properly to diverge and take advantage of Brexit”.

David Jones

David Jones, the deputy chairman of the European Research Group (ERG), said the agreement created “a situation where the United Kingdom could be subject to all the obligations of EU membership, without any benefits”

Danny Kruger

Danny Kruger, the MP for Devizes, is another longstanding Brexiteer who also joined the rebellion against the Government. 

Craig Mackinlay

Craig Mackinley, the MP for Thanet, described the agreement as "rather short" of what was required and added: "This has been rushed, it’s been oversold and I’m a little disappointed.”

Matthew Offord

Dr Matthew Offord, the MP for Hendon, voted against the agreement. 

Priti Patel

Priti Patel, a former home secretary, told The Telegraph: "I will not be buying shares on the Government's smoke and mirrors on Windsor."

John Redwood

Sir John Redwood, a veteran eurosceptic, described the deal as "an invitation to the EU to push and push, to control more and more things, and for the UK to get angry about it just as we did when we were a member”. 

Jacob Rees-Mogg

The former business secretary had said he could not support the deal, adding: “The Windsor Framework expects us to trust the EU. History tells us not to.”

Liz Truss

Liz Truss, another former prime minister, also voted against the deal arguing it “does not satisfactorily resolve the issues thrown up by the Protocol and almost fatally impinges on the UK’s ability to diverge from EU rules and regulations”.

---

Rishi Sunak's Brexit deal - poll

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2023-03-22 15:50:00Z
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Quizzing of Boris Johnson about misleading Parliament begins - watch live - Evening Standard

B

oris Johnson told the Privileges Committee that “hand on heart I did not lie to the House” over partygate as MPs probe whether he deliberately misled Parliament.

It comes after a 110-page dossier of evidence was relased, with claims from an unnamed No10 official that Mr Johnson “had the opportunity to shut down" lockdown gatherings in Downing Street but “allowed the culture to continue”.

In his appearance before the committee the former prime minister is expected to argue the evidence shows he did not intentionally mislead Parliament - saying he told Parliament Covid rules were followed at all times in No10 in “good faith”.

It comes as Rishi Sunak faces a potentially embarassing vote in the Commons on his Windsor Framework, with senior Tories, including former prime ministers Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, saying they will vote against it.

The vote is subject to a three-line whip so Mr Johnson will need to leave the committee to vote before returning.

Read More

Live updates

1679497816

Staff ‘making a huge effort to follow guidance'

Boris Johnson said he accepts that “perfect social distancing” was not always taking place in No 10, but this was not in breach of guidance.

“I accept that not everybody is perfectly socially distanced in that picture”, he told Committee member Bernard Jenkin, but he said people “were making a huge effort to follow the guidance”.

“I struggle to see how I could have run No 10...without having brief farewell events of a kind... that did not fall foul of the rules.”

(Sue Gray Report/Cabinet Office)

/ PA Media

1679497391

Staff tried their best within confines of No 10, Johnson argues

Comittee member Bernard Jenkin argued that people at the gathering were not socially distanced by two metres.

Boris Johnson claimed that guidance at the time was for everyone to abide by a one metre socially distant rule.

“You can’t expect human beings in an environment like No 10 to have an invisible electrified fence around them, they will occassionally enter another person’s orbit,” Mr Johnson said.

1679497136

‘Guidance to be implemented where possible,’ Johnson says

Tory MP Bernard Jenkin pointed out how Boris Johnson “regularly repeated” Covid guidance at press conferences, proving there is “no doubt” he knew the guidance and what they were intended to achieve.

Boris Johnson accepted this. Photographs have been shown of Mr Johnson with at least 6-8 others standing in close proximity.

Mr Jenkin asked if Mr Johnson accepts that people were not socially distanced at the gathering.

He said “at all stages the guidance was intended to be implemented where possible”.

1679496885

Questions begin

The Privileges Committee is now asking Boris Johnson questions.

On December 21, 2021 and onwards, Mr Johnson told the House that Covid rules and guidance were followed “at all times”, Committee chair Harriet Harman said.

Committee member and Tory MP Bernard Jenkin is asking the first question.

1679496752

Boris Johnson asks Committee to be ‘fair'

“I trust that the Committee will be fair to me...and conclude I did not unwittingly mislead the Commons...and that no contempt has been committed,” Boris Johnson said in ending his opening statement.

1679496599

Boris Johnson apologises for ‘inadvertently misleading’ MPs

Boris Johnson said it’s “ridiculous” for the Privileges Committee to suggest he should not have relied on advise from his senior advisers.

“I had to rely on, and was fully entitled to rely on, senior advisers,” he told the Committee.

He went on to say he apologises for “inadvertently misleading this House”, but claimed it was not “recklessly”.

1679496439

Johnson: Gathering on December 18, 2020 was ‘within the rules’

Referring to the gathering on December 18 in 2020, in the press room in No 10, Boris Johnson said he was not there but believed the gathering “was within the rules”.

He said he was inclined to believe the event “must be in line with the rules and guidance”.

1679496256

It was not obvious guidance was breached, Johnson claims

Boris Johnson said it was not obvious that guidance was being breached.

He said the vast majority of events relied upon by the Privileges Committee he only attended for 15 to 25 minutes.

“I will believe to the day I die that it was my job to thank staff for what they had done,” he said, adding that staff “morale did begin to sink”.

He said police agreed to his attendance to these gatherings.

1679496081

Social distancing was not ‘complied with perfectly’, Johnson said

Boris Johnson said when he claimed that rules and guidance were not broken at No 10, he was not trying to “conceal” the truth, but said “in good faith” what he believed at the time.

“That did not mean that I believed that social distancing was complied with perfectly,” he said, but rather it was “not possible” to have social distancing at No 10.

1679495917

Boris Johnson continues opening statement

Boris Johnson is continuing his opening statement.

He said most important of all, if it was obvious he was breaking rules, it must have been “equally obvious” to senior lawmakers and the current Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, who was Chancellor at the time.

“You are not only accusing me of lying, but all those civil servants,” he said, adding that the Privileges Committee is not giving anyone else an opportunity to defend themselves.

He said officials believed rules and guidance were being adhered to.

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2023-03-22 14:58:56Z
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Discrimination, funding, public trust: what Casey says about the Met police - The Guardian

Louise Casey’s review, commissioned in the wake of Sarah Everard’s murder, has laid bare in more than 300 pages a series of grave concerns about the Metropolitan police’s culture and standards.

Describing her findings as “rigorous, stark and unsparing”, she said she hoped they would lead to fundamental change in the force.

Discrimination

The report identifies institutional homophobia, misogyny and racism in the Met.

This can be seen in mistreatment and abuse of LGBT+, female, Black, Asian and minority ethnic officers and staff and unfair outcomes for these groups inside the organisation as a result of bias in processes and systems and in attitudes and behaviours.

There are unfair outcomes in communities that result from underprotection or from overpolicing, or both, and a culture of downplaying and denial of discrimination and repeated unwillingness to accept and deal with institutional failures that let down Londoners, it says.

But the Met has only reluctantly accepted discrimination and has preferred to put this down to a minority of “bad apples” and to systemic bias, the report adds.

Sexism and misogyny

Sarah Everard’s murder and other horrific crimes perpetrated by serving Met officers against women in London have shone a light on shocking treatment of and attitudes towards women in the Met, the report says.

Despite improvements in gender representation and increasingly flexible working practices, women are not treated equally in the workforce, with new female recruits resigning at four times the rate of all probationers.

Homophobia

While the relationship between the Met and London’s LGBTQ+ community is vastly different to what it was in the last century, it has been in decline in recent years, the report says.

Trust in the Met among LGBTQ+ Londoners has fallen at a faster rate than that among other Londoners over the last seven years and has coincided with criticism of the Met’s defensive handling of the murders of Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth and Jack Taylor by Stephen Port.

Racism

The Met’s proportion of Black, Asian and other minority ethnic officers falls far short of the diversity in London’s communities, and it is even more unrepresentative at higher ranks or among women.

At current recruitment rates it will take at least another 30 years to come anywhere even close to ethnic balance, the report adds.

Tackling corrosive and racist myths about needing to “lower the bar” in order to recruit more diversely, and addressing the racism experienced by officers and staff in the Met is necessary, the report says.

Two specialist units (specialist firearms MO19 and parliamentary and diplomatic protection PADP)

The report found these two specialist units were well-resourced, with elitist attitudes and toxic cultures of bullying, racism, sexism and ableism.

Normal rules do not seem to apply in MO19, with junior ranking officers and trainers holding disproportionate power in their relationships with senior officers because of the importance of their “blue card” firearms status to Met operations.

In parliamentary and diplomatic protection, with which both Wayne Couzens and David Carrick served, the report found low morale, overtime-dependency and a “dark corner” of the Met – in which two of the most serious police offenders in British history had worked – where “banter” and a bullying culture were not challenged.

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The Met and Londoners

In a growing and increasingly diverse city, the Met has tried but failed to ensure its workforce fully reflects all the communities it serves, the review says.

More crimes are being reported but fewer cleared up, the report says.

In the same period, public trust and confidence in the Met has fallen, hitting its lowest ever point, persistently lower among Black Londoners but now falling sharply in communities where it has traditionally scored highly.

The Peelian principle of policing by consent is at risk, the report warns.

Resources and austerity

The Met has been challenged significantly during a period of financial austerity, the report finds.

It has prioritised officer numbers, but even these fell below 30,000 during the last decade.

Other efficiency measures taken have weakened the management and have had an impact on frontline policing in the capital and its connection to Londoners.

Met spending levels are now around £700m, or 18%, lower in real terms than they were 10 years ago, the report adds.

Spending on contracted services more than doubled from £24m in 2017-18 to £54.5m in 2021-22.

Spending on external consultants, excluding HR, finance, and commercial services, more than tripled from £10.4m in 2015-16 to £32.1m in 2021-22. For the years 2017-18 to 2020-21 it was spending about £50m each year on consultants.

How the Met is run

The Met’s management systems have resulted in an organisation that is incoherent and unstrategic, the report concludes.

Poorly implemented systems of recruitment, vetting, management, training and promotion, with specialist and frontline units competing for resources, allow a culture in which poor performance, behaviours and attitudes can go unchallenged.

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2023-03-21 12:52:00Z
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Teachers wear black arm bands during Ofsted inspection in solidarity with head who took own life - The Independent

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Teachers at a school where the headteacher had planned to refuse Ofsted inspection were pictured wearing black armbands in solidarity with Ruth Perry.

It comes as Suffolk Primary Headteachers’ Association said they will discuss wearing armbands throughout inspections later this afternoon in an open letter to Ofsted.

But staff from John Rankin Schools, in Newbury, Berkshire already made a statement with the armbands this morning as they stood outside the gates of the school.

It follows plans by their headteacher, Flora Cooper, to boycott the Ofsted inspection. She took to Twitter on Monday to organise the boycott, saying: “We have to do this! I’m taking the stand!” and that she is, “Doing this for everyone for our school staff everywhere!”

However, she later asked people not to come out in protest, concerned for the safety of the children and staff.

Despite her initial refusal to allow Ofsted inspectors entry to the school, the inspection went ahead today.

A photograph of Ruth Perry attached to the fence outside John Rankin Schools in Newbury, Berkshire

A man who said he was on the board of governors came out from the John Rankin Schools, in Newbury, Berkshire, and read a statement to reporters just after 9.30am at the school gates.

He said: “The Ofsted inspection is now going to go ahead and the school will fully engage in the process.

“What I’m going to ask you all is to please if you can move away from the school entrance as much as possible, and from the vicinity to safeguard the children and their families as we start the day because most important is the children, the families and their wellbeing. There’s no further comment at this time.”

Headteacher Flora Cooper, wearing a black armband, stands next to a photograph of Ruth Perry as she closes the school gate at John Rankin Schools in Newbury

Teachers at John Rankin School wore a black armband during an Ofsted inspection on Tuesday

He added inspectors had been at the school from just before 8am and the school day had not started yet. He declined to give any further details about himself or the situation.

It follows the tragic death of Ms Perry who killed herself in January while waiting for an Ofsted report which gave her school the lowest possible rating, her family said. The 53-year-old was head teacher at Caversham Primary School in Reading.

Ms Perry’s sister, Professor Julia Waters, said in a statement on behalf of the family that some of the Ofsted inspectors’ conclusions were “sensationalist” and “drawn from scant evidence”, such as gaps in record-keeping and typical childish behaviour.

Two former teachers stood in protest outside John Rankin Infant School on Tuesday morning following the death of Ms Perry.

Liz, a former primary school teacher who was mentored by Ms Perry when the school went into special measures, said: “It is just unimaginable.

“There is not a day where I don’t think about Ruth and the loss not only obviously to her family but the entire teaching community.

“She didn’t just care and dedicate herself to her school and her pupils, she was also a huge support for schools in the Reading area and beyond.

“She was absolutely brilliant and the pressure and the stress that she was under was immense.”

Ellen and Liz outside the gates to John Rankin Schools in Newbury, Berkshire

Jelena, who has a child at John Rankin Junior School in Newbury, Berkshire, but asked not to give her surname, said she was backing headteacher Flora Cooper against “intensely cruel” Ofsted inspections.

The 53-year-old full-time mother said: “I just wanted to come out and show my support to Flora, who has bravely come forward.

“I was surprised because it’s a brave move but I thought it was a bold move and it had to be done and I knew why she was doing it.

“The system is so antiquated and needs a complete reform.

“To give a school so little notice and put that school and those teachers under pressure when they’re already under pressure is intensely cruel.

“People’s mental health is at stake, as we found out at Caversham. Who’s managing that? Nobody. Where’s the support for that? There isn’t any.”

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2023-03-21 12:40:08Z
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