Recall Act could be triggered with Johnson at risk of losing Uxbridge seat, HoC committee report suggestsBoris Johnson could be forced to face a byelection in his Uxbridge constituency if he is found to have misled MPs over Partygate, a report from the House of Commons privileges committee has made clear.Despite having resigned as Conservative leader, Johnson still faces a parliamentary probe over whether he misled MPs when he told them repeatedly that “all guidance was followed” in Downing Street during the pandemic – something subsequently proved to be untrue. Continue reading...
Appeal court hears attorney general’s arguments against Guardian challenge to decisionThe public interest was not harmed by excluding the media from a hearing where a senior judge decided to seal Prince Philip’s will for 90 years, an appeal court has heard.Sir James Eadie QC, representing the attorney general, made the argument on the second day of an appeal by the Guardian against a decision to seal Philip’s will at a hearing from which the press were excluded. Continue reading...
British Gas owner Centrica says insurance plan won’t stop risky business practices while Octopus calls ringfencing ‘financially illiterate’The owner of British Gas has hit back at rival Octopus Energy in a row over how best to protect households’ overpaid credit in the fallout from a string of supplier failures.Centrica’s chief executive, Chris O’Shea, said its competitor’s proposed solution to protect consumers with an insurance scheme would allow companies to “operate risky business models and dip into customers’ deposits as a free overdraft facility”. Continue reading...
Border Force tactics against small boats in Channel found to be ‘ineffective and inefficient’The Home Office has been accused of dodging scrutiny after a damning report on the government’s response to the surge in Channel crossings was published on the last day of parliament.David Neal, the chief inspector of borders and immigration, said the response was “ineffective and inefficient” and left vulnerable migrants at risk. He revealed that 227 migrants had absconded after arriving in the UK in the space of just five months last year, with some disappearing before having their fingerprints or photographs taken. Continue reading...
Councillors criticised for going against wishes of public after voting to remove role of city mayorLiverpool council has voted to scrap the role of city mayor, putting an end to the city’s confusing three-mayor system.From May 2023, the council will return to a leader and cabinet model after councillors voted 51 to 18 to remove the elected position, which sat alongside the role of lord mayor and metro mayor of the Liverpool city region. Continue reading...
Analysis: Brothers of Italy have lead in polls as postmortem begins on technocrat’s government of disunityIf Wednesday marked a brutal, undignified end for Mario Draghi’s government, one person who enjoyed watching his downfall from the sidelines was Giorgia Meloni, the leader of Brothers of Italy, a party with neofascist origins, who is in pole position to become Italy’s next prime minister after snap elections expected this autumn.As the shenanigans played out in the senate, culminating with three key parties in Draghi’s coalition boycotting a confidence vote and him resigning, Meloni took to the stage in Piazza Vittorio, a square in Rome where Brothers of Italy, the only party to stay out of Draghi’s government, have set up a shop for the month of July, to express her satisfaction. Continue reading...
Few would rule out the prime minister staging a comeback, if only to prove his opponents wrongHaving departed the dispatch box with the words “hasta la vista, baby” and told MPs “mission largely accomplished – for now”, Boris Johnson was typically attention-seeking during his final prime minister’s questions.“He cannot stand not having attention. It’s hard-wired into him. So, he is playing with us. He is doing it deliberately so we all rush to write articles saying: ‘Will he come back?’, ‘Can he come back?’, ‘How will he come back?’ It’s actually quite funny,” said Sonia Purnell, a biographer of Johnson. Continue reading...
Watchdogs tell carriers not to cause pain for passengers by overselling flights and failing to warn of cancellationsAirlines have been warned that they could face fines if they do not tackle “harmful practices” fuelling chaos at UK airports, including selling more tickets than they can supply and not warning passengers about the risk of cancellations.In an open letter, the aviation and competition watchdogs told carriers they could be penalised if they are shown to be contributing to the misery of passengers hit by this summer’s widespread airport disruption. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#61NC7)
Guy’s and St Thomas’ trust having to postpone and divert appointments, with doctors unable to see patients’ notesOne of the NHS’s biggest hospital trusts is facing major problems after its IT system failed because of the extreme temperatures earlier this week.Guy’s and St Thomas’ trust (GSTT) in London has had to cancel operations, postpone appointments and divert seriously ill patients to other hospitals in the capital as a result of its IT meltdown. Continue reading...
Part of a £300m regeneration of the area near Tottenham Court Road station, @sohoplace combines intimacy with innovative designA major new West End theatre is to open this autumn, designed to give audiences an alternative to the restricted legroom, poor sightlines and iffy acoustics – not to mention stuffy heat – of some of London’s older playhouses.On a tour of the venue, which has been named @sohoplace, its owner Nica Burns explained that the building’s proximity to the redeveloped Tottenham Court Road station brought another set of challenges, namely noise and vibrations. The new Elizabeth line, as well as the Northern and Central lines, pass directly beneath the site and Crossrail’s enormous ventilation system lies adjacent to the auditorium. Continue reading...
by Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondent on (#61N8Z)
‘Landmark’ for eight-year-old British enterprise as it turns £14m loss into £32m annual profit helped by Covid loansStarling Bank has reported its first annual profit thanks to a surge in lending, though executives played down the impact that a controversial boom in Covid loans had on its path to profit.The chief executive and founder, Anne Boden, said the latest set of earnings were a “landmark” for the eight-year-old digital bank. Starling, which is backed by investors including Goldman Sachs and Austrian billionaire Harald McPike, swung to an inaugural annual profit of £32m for the year to March, from a loss of nearly £14m over the previous 12 months. Continue reading...
Band cite heat, dust and smoke from French wildfires as the cause of vocal cord damage, resulting in cancellation of Vienna gigEddie Vedder, frontman with rock band Pearl Jam, has suffered damage to his throat and attributed it to extreme weather conditions in France this week.Pearl Jam performed at the Lollapalooza Paris festival on Sunday, where temperatures reached a mid-afternoon high of 36C (96.8F). Continue reading...
New council chief condemns ‘failed experiment’ under which Barnet called itself the country’s first ‘easyCouncil’A former Tory council has voted to end the mass outsourcing of frontline services, bringing most back in-house and ending one of the most controversial local government policies in recent years.Barnet council, in north London, called itself the country’s first “easyCouncil” in 2013 when it announced it would provide only the legal minimum of services, outsourcing everything else from disabilities and highways to planning and procurement through contractors Capita. Continue reading...
An increase could mean lower income tax and and also help young people on to the property ladderBritain’s property taxes are outdated and favour a wealthy elite, according to a comparison with other countries carried out by the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).The report found that surging property prices across the OECD’s 38 member states were a cause for concern and should be restricted by more punishing property taxes. Continue reading...
Analysis: Political turmoil could hinder any chance of tackling the ongoing economic crisisOn Thursday morning, 45 years to the day since he was first elected to parliament, Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the eighth president of Sri Lanka, replacing the ousted and exiled Gotabaya Rajapaksa. His pathway to executive power – the office Wickremesinghe has clamoured after for so many years – was extraordinary. As a searing editorial in Sri Lanka’s Daily FT newspaper put it on Thursday morning: “Wickremesinghe has no popular mandate and he has won the presidency by proxy.”Many believe that Wickremesinghe’s election, far from stabilising Sri Lanka after the dramatic toppling of Rajapaksa, will instead put it on a pathway of ongoing turmoil and unrest. For a country grappling with the worst economic crisis since the great depression, the consequences could be severe. Continue reading...
Ukrainian leader dismisses latest measures, also targeting Russian gold and major bank, as ‘not enough’New EU sanctions hitting Russian gold, a major bank, a nationalist motorcycle club known as the Nightwolves and actors backing Vladimir Putin have been dismissed as insufficient by Volodymyr Zelenskiy.Approval of the EU’s seventh wave of economic sanctions by the 27 member states on Thursday morning has been lauded by the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, as a “strong signal”. Continue reading...
by Robert Booth Social affairs correspondent on (#61N1W)
Ministers to face cross-examination as chair Lady Hallett says inequalities ‘will be at forefront’ of investigationMinisters will have a year to prepare before cross-examination at the UK’s Covid-19 public inquiry, its chair Heather Hallett announced, as she opened what is set to be one of the broadest statutory investigations in the nation’s history.The first cross-examinations of the government response to the pandemic including decisions on lockdowns, maintaining public confidence and handling of scientific advice, will begin in summer 2023, two and a half years after the arrival of the virus which has claimed more than 200,000 lives in the UK. Continue reading...
False claims that Tiggy Legge-Bourke had affair with Prince Charles ‘were likely spread to help secure exclusive’The BBC has agreed to pay substantial damages to the former royal nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke after false allegations she had an affair with Prince Charles were used to obtain Martin Bashir’s 1995 interview with Diana, Princess of Wales.Legge-Bourke’s solicitor, Louise Prince, told the high court the allegations caused “serious personal consequences for all concerned”. Continue reading...
Anti-abortion centers, which are known to use inaccurate information to dissuade people from the procedure, often open in close proximity to abortion clinicsOriginally published by the 19thWith Roe v Wade overturned, abortion providers are flocking to New Mexico, one of the largest south-western states that protects abortion access. Continue reading...
A community ignored and undermined during the Aids crisis 40 years ago feels they are again being failed by the governmentSan Francisco leaders and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups gathered this week in front of the US Health and Human Services’ regional office to protest what they see as a sluggish response to the monkeypox outbreak.“There’s a lot of anger, and it’s totally justified,” said state senator Scott Wiener, who joined protesters from the Alice B Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, San Francisco Aids Foundation and Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club and other groups demanding increased access to monkeypox vaccines, testing and therapeutics for an outbreak that so far has been disproportionately affecting gay and bisexual men. Continue reading...
CEO Michael Murray says shoppers have returned to high street but prices likely to rise due to construction costsMike Ashley’s Frasers Group, the owner of Sports Direct and Jack Wills, plans more acquisitions and store openings after sales rose by almost a third and profits bounced back following the end of high street lockdowns.Pre-tax profits for the company, which also owns House of Fraser, Flannels, Game and Evans Cycles, and recently bought the online specialists Missguided and Studio Retail, soared to £366m in the year to 24 April from just £8.5m a year before, as sales rose almost 31% to £4.7bn. Continue reading...
Allegations include 160 killings of ex-government officials and security forces, torture and punishmentsTaliban authorities have presided over widespread human rights abuses since they took control of Afghanistan last August, the UN said, including 160 killings of former government officials and members of the security forces, and dozens of cases of torture, arbitrary arrests and inhumane punishments.A UN report, released on the day an Australian journalist said she had been detained in Kabul and forced to tweet a retraction of her reporting, also detailed a broad assault on the press. In total 173 media workers were affected by abuses including detention, threats, ill-treatment and assault. Continue reading...
US deputy attorney general hails ‘interesting’ find on board yacht seized by US authorities and sailed from Fiji to San DiegoWhat could be a priceless Fabergé egg has been found on board a Russian oligarch’s superyacht seized by US authorities, one of the more curious items unearthed in sanctions-led investigations so far.US deputy attorney general Lisa Monaco told the Aspen security forum on Wednesday it was one of the more “interesting” finds her team has made. Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#61MSE)
Universities must do more, says thinktank, noting need for support for those from poorer backgroundsUniversities must do more to track and prevent student homelessness, which is expected to increase because of the cost of living crisis and widening participation in higher education, according to a report.Students are less likely than their peers in the general population to experience homelessness, but with more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds being admitted to universities experts say they could be at greater risk of homelessness and in need of extra support. Continue reading...
Popular opposition to Ranil Wickremesinghe’s election by MPs could spill over into violence as he picks an old schoolmate as PMSri Lanka was braced for more unrest after newly appointed president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, vowed to crack down on the protests that toppled his predecessor, condemning them as “against the law”.Speaking after being MPs picked him as successor to Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Wickremesinghe made it clear he would not tolerate those he perceived to be stirring up violence. Continue reading...
by Samantha Lock (now); Maya Yang, Zaina Alibhai, Rac on (#61KEQ)
This live blog is now closed, you can find our latest coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war hereThe European Union will set out emergency plans later today to reduce gas demand within months, warning countries that without deep cuts now they could struggle for fuel during winter if Russia cuts off deliveries.
Zurich UK says fraudulent property claims from 1 January to 31 May 25% higher than in same period in 2021A growing number of financially squeezed households are “turning to crime” by submitting bogus insurance claims, with data revealing a sharp rise in cases over the past year.Zurich UK, one of Britain’s biggest insurers, said the cost of living crisis was fuelling the increase in insurance fraud, where people exaggerate or make up claims for items such as jewellery and electrical goods. Continue reading...
by Nadeem Badshah(now), Andrew Sparrow (earlier) on (#61KJQ)
The final two will face each other in a TV debate on Monday before weeks of hustings with Conservative membersIn an analysis of the yesterday’s public sector pay awards published this morning, the Institute for Fiscal Studies thinktank says the new prime minister will have to decide whether to increase departmental spending budgets, to fund the higher-than-expected pay awards, or to require the awards to be funded from existing budgets, requiring cuts elsewhere. It says:One option is to top up spending plans to at least partially fund the costs of higher-than-expected pay awards, shoring up departments’ ability to deliver on the government’s public service objectives (such as clearing the NHS backlog). This would come at the cost of higher borrowing and reduced fiscal room for the tax cuts seemingly desired by the entire field of would-be prime ministers.The other option is to stick to existing spending plans, instead requiring public services to make some painful cuts: to other budgets, to headcount, or to the range and quality of service provision. Reducing the government’s public services ‘offer’ is a coherent response to a series of global economic shocks that make us poorer as a nation. But the government should be honest about what that implies for the NHS, local government, and other public services. Continue reading...
Twitter complaints of sexism and dated views pour in after 1922 Committee tries jest with teapot amid Tory leadership contestAttempts to inject some levity into the Conservative leadership contest on social media fell flat on Wednesday when a photograph tweeted of the 1922 Committee led to criticism that it was sexist and outdated.With the announcement of the two remaining candidates for the UK prime minister role about to be announced (at 4pm this Wednesday) or at “tea time” as it was described, the photograph showed members of the committee representing Tory backbenchers posing with teacups in hand and a teapot. Continue reading...
The Guardian is attempting to overturn decision that prevented media from attending hearingA leading judge acted unlawfully by authorising a secret court hearing in which he decided that Prince Philip’s will should be kept secret without notifying the media, an appeal court has heard.On Wednesday the Guardian opened its legal case to overturn the decision that prevented media from attending the hearing, arguing that it was a serious interference with the principle of open justice. Continue reading...
Former European Central Bank chief had failed to secure support from coalition partners in confidence voteItaly’s prime minister, Mario Draghi, is expected to confirm his resignation after three key parties in his broad coalition did not participate in a confidence vote on the conditions he set for his government continuing.The former European Central Bank chief told the senate earlier on Wednesday that the survival of his unity administration hinged on “rebuilding the pact of trust” and spirit of cooperation of its early months, and asked for a vote on this basis. Continue reading...
Executive tells MPs new clarity on levy’s December 2025 end date means no longer a need to review investmentsBP has said that the windfall tax on oil and gas operators will not affect its investments in the North Sea despite warning on the fallout from the new levy.Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the energy profits levy in May, which he hoped would generate £5bn to help offset the impact of the cost of living crisis for households struggling to pay energy bills. Continue reading...
Graham Mansfield, 73, said Dyanne, who had stage 4 cancer, was ‘the most precious thing in the world’A 73-year-old man accused of murdering his wife, who had cancer, has told a court that she asked him: “When things get bad for me, will you kill me?”Graham Mansfield, 73, was found lying in a pool of blood in his kitchen on the morning of 21 March 2021. The body of his wife, Dyanne, 71, was slumped in a chair in their garden. Continue reading...
The French midfielder and a male passenger were stopped by Italian police in Milan after he was mistaken for someone elseAC Milan footballer Tiémoué Bakayoko has spoken out against Italian police who held him at gunpoint after mistaking him for someone else.The French midfielder and a male passenger were stopped as they drove in the Porta Garibaldi area of Milan on 3 July as police searched for suspects involved in an alleged shootout the night before. Continue reading...
Director apologises for delays and says 550,000 applications were in the system at end of JuneThe Passport Office has admitted that more than 50,000 Britons have been waiting more than 10 weeks for their passport, as civil servants struggle with a record number of applications before the summer holiday getaway.MPs were told on Wednesday that there were 550,000 passport applications in the system at the end of June and that one in 10 had exceeded the 10-week turnaround that people are advised by the Passport Office to allow for. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#61KXZ)
Workers such as teachers on term-time contracts may be able to claim back pay after supreme court judgmentThousands of teachers on term-time-only contracts, and workers with similar arrangements, could be entitled to back pay after a ruling by the UK’s highest court.The supreme court judgment on Wednesday means such employees should receive the same amount of paid annual leave as their colleagues working all year around. Continue reading...
The daughter of the celebrated artist is suing the New York courts over claims that he is being mistreated in a case that could affect the entire systemThe daughter of a celebrated pop artist who created famous images of the “cosmic sixties” is suing the New York court system over what she claims are secretive communications between her father’s court-appointed guardian and judges that drastically impact his life and violate her basic rights.Libra Max lodged a federal lawsuit on Wednesday in which she alleges that her father, Peter Max, 84, is being held in virtual isolation by a court-appointed guardian. She claims multiple judges have allowed the guardian to communicate with them behind closed doors, without the family’s knowledge, leading to one-sided decisions that profoundly impact his life and that constitute a gross distortion of justice. Continue reading...
Tata Steel UK reported a pre-tax profit of £82m in the year to the end of MarchThe owner of Port Talbot steelworks in south Wales has made its first pre-tax profit in 13 years thanks to record steel prices and a recovery in demand across Europe as pandemic restrictions eased.Tata Steel UK (TSUK) reported a pre-tax profit of £82m in the year to the end of March, a dramatic improvement on the £347m and £654m losses of the previous two years. Continue reading...
by Harriet Sherwood Arts and culture correspondent on (#61KRN)
Antelope by Samson Kambalu depicts John Chilembwe wearing hat in defiance of colonial rule in Nyasaland, now MalawiA sculpture of a preacher who was killed in an anticolonialist uprising in what is now Malawi will be unveiled in September on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square.Antelope by Samson Kambalu is the 14th contemporary artwork to be commissioned for public display in the historic central London square. Continue reading...
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