Boris Johnson newest information: Sue Grey report delay might give PM time to spin findings

Ministers are being sluggish to behave on doubtlessly lethal air air pollution as a result of they’re “cowards”, an MP has stated

Geraint Davies, the Labour chair of the All Occasion Parliamentary Group on Air Air pollution, advised The Impartial the federal government had a “responsibility” to wash up its air for its residents — and that this was not occurring quick sufficient.

The Impartial’s affiliate editor Sean O’Grady explains what Sue Grey’s Partygate report might seem like and what explains the present delay?

Boris Johnson has insisted he couldn’t have been “ambushed with cake” at a celebration in Downing Avenue, reportedly telling allies there was no cake current on the time.

Earlier this week, it was reported Mr Johnson’s spouse Carrie organised a shock gathering for his birthday on 19 June with greater than 30 folks there.

Tory MP Colin Burns went on to defended Mr Johnson, telling Channel 4 Information in feedback he was later ridiculed for on social media: “So far as I can see, he was in a way, ambushed with a cake. It was not a premeditated, organised social gathering.”

However within the newest growth within the Partygate saga, the shut ally to the prime minister has now urged there was not a cake in spite of everything.

Mr Burns advised The Telegraph’s Chopper’s Politics podcast: “I’m advised underneath some authority certainly from him that there really wasn’t a cake.”

Overseas secretary Liz Truss has defended chartering a personal jet to Australia after The Impartial reported that the journey’s flights would have value taxpayers round £500,00, writes Adam Forrest.

Truss stated the personal authorities aircraft was obtainable “exactly in order that authorities ministers can journey”.

Pressed on whether or not it will have been higher to have used industrial flights as an alternative, the minister stated: “Each authorities resolution relies on worth for cash.“We now have a authorities aircraft particularly so ministers, like me in my function as overseas secretary, can go and do the work abroad, which is in the end delivering for the British folks.”

Recommendations the prime minister might have been “ambushed” with cake at his lockdown-breaking celebration have been opposed by one in every of his shut allies – who has as an alternative alleged there was no cake current.

NI minister Conor Burns advised The Telegraph’s Chopper’s Politics Podcast: “I’m advised underneath some authority certainly from him that there really wasn’t a cake.”

He stated: “I have to be the primary authorities minister in historical past who stands accused of cake-ism with out an precise cake.”

Mr Burns then went on to explain the No 10 gathering as “a gathering.”

His remark made to Channel 4 Information that Mr Johnson was as an alternative subjected to a “cake ambush” – since met with ridicule on social media – was “not a part of a method” to defend the PM, he stated. “That was undoubtedly a lone operation, for which I’ve paid a worth,” he added.

“A colleague stated to me this morning: ‘You do realise, Conor, that’s going to be in your obituary. That can stick with me for a while.’

“However pay attention, once you make a little bit of an a— of your self, the secret is to personal it and to not be pompous about it.”

Insurgent Tory MPs are voicing concern that delays to Sue Grey’s essential report on Downing Avenue events might give Boris Johnson the prospect to spin her findings in his favour.

They’re nervous that if she fingers her report back to No 10 on Friday – when Parliament is all however abandoned as MPs go to their constituencies – the PM might delay publication to Monday whereas allies use the period in-between to plant tales within the weekend press placing the absolute best gloss on its contents.

One advised our political editor, Andrew Woodcock: “If they’ve it of their fingers for 3 days earlier than Boris has to make his assertion to the Home, there’s little doubt it’ll leak like a sieve and there’ll be an effort to regulate the narrative and counsel he’s within the clear.”

Metal magnate Sanjeev Gupta wrote to senior minister Nadhim Zahawi to thank him for his “instrumental” function in serving to safe controversial loans from Greensill Capital, newly-published particulars have revealed.

The Gupta Household Group Alliance (GFG) obtained the emergency, government-backed Covid loans throughout from Greensill – the failed finance agency on the centre of a political scandal about David Cameron’s lobbying actions.

In October 2020 Mr Gupta despatched a letter to Mr Zahawi, who was then a minister within the enterprise division, to thank him for his “assist” in acquiring the Greensill loans by way of the British Enterprise Financial institution, based on a report within the Monetary Occasions.

Adam Forrest has the story:

Following on from Simon Calder’s unique, which discovered the overseas secretary flew by personal jet to Australia at a price of over half one million kilos to the taxpayer, Liz Truss has responded saying she used a authorities aircraft to take the journey, which she judged was a “good use” of public funds.

Ms Truss has stated the federal government has a aircraft “exactly in order that ministers can journey” after dealing with criticism for chartering a jet for her journey to Australia.

“I used the federal government aircraft – that’s the reason we’ve a authorities aircraft: to allow authorities ministers to conduct authorities enterprise, and that’s what I flew to Australia in,” she advised broadcasters.

Requested whether or not she deemed its deployment a “good use” of public cash, she replied: “We now have a authorities aircraft exactly in order that authorities ministers can journey.”

Boris Johnson ought to filter the “woke crowd” and “neo-socialists” at No 10 if he needs to cling on to energy, ex-Brexit minister David Frost has stated.

In a stinging assault on the prime minister, the Tory peer stated “important” modifications have been wanted in insurance policies and personnel at Downing Avenue.

Mr Johnson is preventing to save lots of his premiership as Tory MPs anticipate the findings of Sue Grey’s inquiry into lockdown-busting events earlier than deciding whether or not to ship letters of no-confidence.