Summary of the day
Today might come to be seen as something of a lull in the storm as Westminster quietened down following a tumultuous week, and geared up for the anticipated publication of civil servant Sue Gray’s investigation into the Downing Street parties next week.
Here’s what happened:
- In the morning, business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng told broadcasters that he expected an investigation would take place “if it’s not being so already”. He said said blackmail and intimidation “has no place in British politics”.
- However No 10 said it would only launch an investigation if evidence was found.
- Overnight in Australia, foreign secretary Liz Truss affirmed that the prime minister had her “100% support”.
- Wales’ first minister Mark Drakeford launched a volley of accusations at Boris Johnson, who he said would “never escape the damage to his reputation”.
- Meanwhile polling in Scotland suggested that most Scots, including half of Scottish Tory voters, think Johnson should resign.
- Former Attorney General Dominic Grieve told Sky News the government “should not be handing out money for projects in constituencies because they happen to be held by a Conservative member of parliament”.
- Former Tory MP Ben Howlett said he received threats by a then-whip that funds would be withheld from his constituency if he did not support the government in Brexit votes.
- Downing Street intervened in the row over mask-wearing classrooms, urging teachers to follow government guidance and end their use.
- The Telegraph published new details of the Downing Street parties based on eyewitness reports. There’s not much that’s new, but we did learn that there was lots of music, drinking, pizza and enjoyment of Wilf’s slide.
- Conservative ministers and whips began spreading rumours about Christian Wakeford’s personal life minutes after the MP defecting to Labour, it has been alleged
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Conservative ministers and whips began spreading rumours about Christian Wakeford’s personal life minutes after the MP defecting to Labour, it has been alleged amid growing concerns over dirty tactics in politics. Rowena Mason, Aubrey Allegretti and Heather Stewart report:
The Guardian has been told that the rumours were spread in parliament by senior members of the government after the MP for Bury South crossed the floor on Wednesday.
It comes after the senior Tory MP William Wragg urged MPs to report government ministers, whips and advisers to the Speaker – and even the Metropolitan police – for what he claimed was attempted blackmail of some colleagues suspected of opposing Boris Johnson. Johnson said he had “seen no evidence” of such threats.
For full details:
In a coruscating editorial in the Financial Times, former Conservative cabinet minister Rory Stewart writes:
Boris Johnson is a terrible prime minister and a worse human being.
But he is not a monster newly sprung from a rent between this world and the next. Twenty years have passed since the Conservative party first selected him as a candidate. Michael Howard and David Cameron made him a shadow minister, and Theresa May gave him the Foreign Office. Thirty years of celebrity made him famous for his mendacity, indifference to detail, poor administration, and inveterate betrayal of every personal commitment.
Yet, knowing this, the majority of Conservative MPs, and party members, still voted for him to be prime minister. He is not, therefore, an aberration, but a product of a system that will continue to produce terrible politicians long after he is gone.
MPs selected him because they would not risk the possibility of a smaller majority under a better leader. Winning mattered more than governing well. And the public often seems to share this indifference
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New details of Downing Street parties emerge
The Telegraph has just published some more details from the parties involving about 30 people that took place in the basement of Downing Street the night before Prince Philip’s funeral. These come from witness reports, and are confirmed through text messages and photos.
Here are the key details:
- Downing Street staff partied from around 6pm until 1am in a seven-hour drinking session, text messages seen by the Telegraph indicate.
- People were served wine and spirits with mixers in plastic disposable cups, with alcohol at one point getting spilled on an office printer
- The people at the parties played loud music on a laptop and ordered four large takeaway pizzas.
- A photograph seen by the Telegraph showed No 10 staff - some with drinks - gathered in the Downing Street basement, backing up accounts published earlier this month.
- The existence of photographs could become a point of focus for Sue Gray’s investigation. The Telegraph has opted not to publish these for source protection.
- Some attendees are alleged to have gone down a child slide belonging to Wilf Johnson, Boris Johnson’s son. It has previously been reported that Wilf’s swing was broken that night.
- A former adviser who spoke to the paper said the basement was an unusual choice of venue given No 10’s range of function suites, and was likely selected “to hide the party”.
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First the Westminster drama cut through to Saturday night prime-time TV when partygate was referenced by Ant and Dec on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, now it’s a marketing ploy for popcorn.
Butterkist have erected a billboard outside Downing Street with the slogan “here for the drama” emblazoned on it, arguably reflecting the fact the furore over parties, cover-ups and blackmail is all anybody is talking about.
Butterkist popcorn trying to cash in on the drama here in Westminster by setting up stall outside Downing Street! pic.twitter.com/SA1EXHwKc9
— Rob Powell (@robpowellnews) January 21, 2022
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The MP for Brecon and Radnorshire Fay Jones has said she does not recognise the blackmail allegations.
She told Sky News:
It really isn’t an experience I have been through, in the couple of years I have been in parliament the whips have been extremely fair to deal with, easy to deal with.
Their job is to get government business through but some of the reports that have been made, some of the allegations that have been made, really just don’t ring true to me.
So I’m a bit confused, to be honest.
Jones added that nobody has “come forward with any evidence”.
Nobody who I work with is able to stand any of these claims up so I really don’t recognise the picture that is trying to be painted here.
I have been relying on the whips’ office for the last couple of months because I have a bit of a family issue at the moment and they have been nothing but kind and supportive and helpful.
I really don’t understand where these allegations are coming from and I’d like to see their evidence if there is any.
PM urges schools to end mask-wearing in classrooms
Boris Johnson has waded in to the furore over mask-wearing in classrooms after teachers insisted they would ignore the change in government guidance and ask pupils to continue wearing masks.
A spokesperson for the prime minister said “children have been one of the hardest hit as a result of the disruption throughout the pandemic”, adding that Johnson “believes it is vital that children are receiving face-to-face education and can enjoy a normal experience in the classroom”.
He added:
The prime minister also thinks that the schools should follow the latest guidance.
We’ve been clear that we removed the requirement for face masks to be worn in classrooms and we will remove advice for face masks to be worn in communal areas from 27 January.”
The Guardian’s full report on the skirmish is here:
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Guardian reporter Steven Morris reports on the response to Wales’ first minister Mark Drakeford’s comments earlier.
The Tories in Wales are furious at the first minister Mark Drakeford’s comments on Boris Johnson. Drakeford has claimed the easing of restrictions in England is a tactic to distract from the Downing Street parties scandal.
Welsh Conservative Senedd leader, Andrew RT Davies MS said:
These are completely unnecessary and inappropriate comments by the first minister and is further proof that it’s always been about the politics, and not the science, for his Labour administration in Cardiff Bay.
Davies suggested that Drakeford’s comments were themselves a ploy. “They are a straightforward deflection tactic from a government that has punished Welsh families and businesses with the harshest restrictions in the UK throughout the pandemic.”
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Wales’ first minister Mark Drakeford said he was not surprised the prime minister found himself embroiled in partygate, PA reports.
He said:
If I’m truthful about it, the prime minister is someone who’s been sacked from two previous jobs for not telling the truth
I think The Times wrote an editorial on the eve of the December 2019 election pointing to the many flaws in the prime minister’s record and in many ways, I think what you see is his history catching up with him.
Drakeford also criticised the decision taken by the UK government to lift the restrictions in England - accusing them of seeking to distract the public’s attention from Downing Street parties.
Everything that goes on in Whitehall and Westminster at the moment for the UK government is seen exclusively through the lens of ‘how does this make a difference to the efforts that are being made to shore up the position of the prime minister?
This is a Government that at the moment is simply not capable of doing the ordinary business of government in a competent and sensible way because it is overwhelmed by the headlines that surround a dreadful events that went on in Downing Street.
Rachel Hall here back on the blog - if you’d like to get in touch I’m at rachel.hall@theguardian.com.
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The London mayor’s office said the decision to stand down the major incident declared in London last month comes following the gradual improvement in the number of cases in the capital, the pressures on critical services delivery reducing to manageable levels and a significant improvement in staff absences.
Khan said wearing of masks remained a condition of carriage on TfL The Omicron variant was still with us, and daily infection rates are still too high, he said.
Wearing a face covering remains one of the single most important and easiest things we can all do to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and that’s why I’m renewing my calls for the government to rethink their plans and keep legislation in place to make them mandatory on public transport.
They still have a huge role to play in keeping our city open and our friends, family and communities protected. Covid-19 continues to pose a significant threat and our hospitals remain under pressure.
That’s why it’s crucial that Londoners test regularly and report their results, come forward for vaccination and continue to wear a face covering when travelling on TfL services, where it remains a condition of carriage.
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The major incident declared in London last month as Omicron spread across the capital has been stood down.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan took the decision on December 18 to declare a major incident due to the spread of the variant, a rise in patients in London hospitals and the impact of staff absences in frontline services.
Khan said he is standing down the major incident status but warned the city will remain on high alert.
No 10 resists investigation into 'blackmailing' of Tory MPs critical of Johnson until 'evidence' found
Downing Street was resisting opening an investigation into allegations of Tory MPs being blackmailed into supporting prime minister Boris Johnson as he faces a threat to his leadership, despite a cabinet minister saying they needed to be looked at.
Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng disputed the allegation first made by a senior Conservative, but told Sky News if true it would be “completely unacceptable” and ministers “need to get to the bottom of the matter”.
But No 10 suggested on Friday that an investigation would only be launched “if there was any evidence” to support the claims, despite calls from Labour and Tory MPs.
A spokesman for the prime minister said: “We’re not aware of any evidence to support what are clearly serious allegations.
“If there was any evidence to support it, it would of course be looked at.”
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Wales has passed the peak of Omicron infections, according to the first minister, Mark Drakeford.
Drakeford told a Welsh government briefing:
After many difficult and worrying weeks, I’m very pleased to say the situation has improved significantly.
We can say confidently today that we have passed this peak of the Omicron wave and the incredibly high levels of infections we have seen across Wales.
It is all your hard work and the ongoing success of our fantastic vaccination programme has helped us through this very challenging period.
He said cases peaked at just over 2,300 per 100,000 people in early January before falling back to around 500 cases per 100,000.
These are similar to the levels we were experiencing just before the Omicron variant arrived in Wales. But coronavirus is still circulating at high levels in our communities.
He added that Office for National Statistics figures suggest “Wales had a lower rate of infection than anywhere else in the UK”, with just one in 25 people infected compared to around one in 20 in the other three nations.
Once again, you can clearly see the gap between Wales and Scotland – where there were increased levels of protections – and in England.
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No 10 has insisted the inquiry being carried out by senior official Sue Gray into gatherings across Whitehall during Covid-19 restrictions is independent.
Gray’s investigation has consistently been described as “independent” despite her being a senior civil servant.
A spokesman for the prime minister said:
It is for that inquiry, that team, to establish the facts, we’ve said before ... it’s an independent investigation team, I think we’ve set that out from the start.
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Former Tory MP says he was threatened by whip
The former Tory MP Ben Howlett said he received threats by a then-whip that funds would be withheld from his constituency if he did not support the government in Brexit votes.
Howlett, the MP for Bath between 2015 and 2017, told BBC News:
I was campaigning for a range of different things for my constituents, particularly my constituents will remember my campaign on link road.
There were some very dicey votes for the government and I was campaigning to receive government funding, and of course one of the tactics used to make sure I fell into line on some of the Brexit rebellions was to threaten the withholding of money to pay for an investigation into whether or not this link road would have been built.
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Following on from the piece from Conservative Home’s Paul Goodman arguing that there have been rumours of an insidious culture of blackmail among whips for some time, Jim Pickard, the chief political correspondent at the Financial Times, writes on Twitter:
The whips threatening to cancel new funding in the constituencies of rebel Tory MPs is the thin end of the wedge.
This administration has embraced pork barrel politics more broadly.
He cites earlier reporting from March, in which the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, is asked why 40 out of 45 towns receiving £1bn through new “town deals” happen to have Conservative MPs and why affluent Richmondshire (his seat) is designated as “priority one” in the separate levelling-up fund while places like Barnsley are priority two.
Sunak responded that it was all fair and that there was an index of economic need.
- the whips threatening to cancel new funding in the constituencies of rebel Tory MPs is the thin end of the wedge
— Jim Pickard (@PickardJE) January 21, 2022
- read this thread to understand how this administration has embraced pork barrel politics more broadly https://t.co/KzuWCM2geH
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Constituency funding shouldn't be assigned on basis of party membership, says former attorney general
The former Attorney General Dominic Grieve has told Sky News the government “should not be handing out money for projects in constituencies because they happen to be held by a Conservative member of parliament”.
He said:
The remarkable thing is that this allegation is the whips then tried to say we are going to withdraw from funding and I think, William Wragg is absolutely right, this is a form of blackmail and is completely improper if it took place.
Of course, the whips are going to arm-twist. They are going to say to people, if you aren’t loyal you won’t be promoted within the party, your chances of ministerial office won’t be good, they will appeal to people’s sense of loyalty as well.
But to stray into the path of saying they are going to regulate government funds... so if you don’t conform to the government’s view and you don’t support the prime minister you won’t get funds for projects in your constituencies is an outrageous act.
He added there are “wider issues” about the PM’s leaderships besides from partygate.
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One piece that is gaining a lot of traction on Twitter today is this column by former MP and Conservative Home editor Paul Goodman.
His piece argues that there is “no reason to doubt Wragg’s claims”, and that the questions surrounding them likely reflect differing definitions of blackmail. While he’s sceptical that this is ever explicit, he argues it is widely used in subtler ways, enabling whips to evade the scrutiny of the court.
He adds that these allegations have not completely come out of nowhere: there were previously rumours that the towns fund was used by the Treasury to pressure “recalcitrant backbenchers” into voting with the government.
He writes that Wragg’s allegations are likely the result of a shifting political culture:
The dumping of the whips’ dirty linen in TV reports and on front pages would have been unthinkable even a few years ago. But the culture of celebrity is extinguishing the old culture of discretion.
He worries that this “culture of celebrity” may end up engulfing the whole party in scandal. Noting that Wragg is known as “serious person”, he writes:
Wragg was throwing the dice when he urged his colleagues to go to the police if necesssary. That his decision will have an effect on the Conservative leadership turmoil scarcely needs saying.
Updated
Parts of the north-east, which are some of the worst affected areas by the Omicron wave, are reporting Covid-related fire service staff shortages.
In Cleveland there should be 18 fire engines available for use at any one time, but at the moment there are typically levels of only 12-15. In Tyne and Wear, 11% of fire and rescue service staff are off on sick leave, according to the latest figures from the Fire Brigades Union. Staffing levels are also said to be affected in Teeside and County Durham
Fire Brigades Union regional secretary for the North East Brian Harris said:
Covid is hitting the fire and rescue service hard, with fire engines left out of use in their stations – but this is entirely avoidable. A fire and rescue service with sufficient levels of staffing and decent levels of resilience would be able to continue past these challenges. But across the country we’ve had one in every five firefighters cut since 2010 as financial constraints have hit, so we aren’t in that position. It’s entirely unclear how the government thinks it is acceptable to have a fire and rescue service with such a low level of resilience.
In addition to the impact of Covid, fire and rescue services are struggling with 13.8% cuts to government funding - £140 million - between 2016-17 and 2021-22. This has resulted in staffing cuts, with some areas worse affected than others. Cleveland and Tyne and Wear each lost one in three (34%) of their firefighters between 2010 and 2021.
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The full report of Kwasi Kwarteng’s comments this morning is here, from Guardian reporter Matthew Weaver.
He writes:
The business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, has said allegations of blackmailing by government whips against Tory rebels need to be investigated but are unlikely to be true.
Speaking to Sky News, Kwarteng said: “Any form of blackmail and intimidation of that kind simply has no place in British politics.” He added: “We need to get to the bottom of the matter. I’d find it very unlikely that these allegations are true.”
Scots think Johnson should resign, polling shows
Scotland correspondent Libby Brooks reports:
Almost four in five Scots think Boris Johnson should resign over the ongoing Downing Street party revelations, according to a new poll in the Scotsman this morning.
Half of those who voted Scottish Conservative in last May’s Holyrood elections also believe he should quit, although the newspaper cautions that this is a smaller and less reliable sub-sample. 54% of respondents also believe that the scandals have hurt the case for the Union, according to the Savanta ComRes poll.
In the first test of Scottish public opinion since the allegations emerged of late night partying the day before Prince Philip’s funeral, the polling also suggests that the scandals have not impacted significantly on people’s support for independence, with Yes and No camps evenly split at 50%, meaning that Yes is up two points up from October, excluding don’t knows, and both Yes and No sitting at 46% when 8% don’t knows are taken into account.
Wales first minister Mark Drakeford says 'no escape' from partygate for Johnson
Wales first minister Mark Drakeford said Boris Johnson will “never escape the damage to his reputation” over lockdown-breaking parties at No 10.
Speaking to Sky News, he said:
Conservative MPs have been fighting each other like ferrets in a sack this week, and it’s very hard to see how the prime minister survives.
Even if he were to survive, he will just limp on because he’s never going to escape the damage that this week has done to his reputation.”
From my point of view, the thing that worries me the most is the fact that the UK government is frozen by the impact of what has happened to them.
They’re just not able to make the sorts of decisions you’d expect the government to make, because everything is seen through this lens, the attempt to try and shore up the prime minister to protect him from the attacks that his own side are making on him.
That means it’s a government that’s turned in on itself and isn’t capable of doing the job that it was elected to do.
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Whips withholding funds would be 'completely unacceptable', minister says
Good morning. It’s going to be another busy and tumultuous day in Westminster as fears mount inside 10 Downing Street about the contents of civil servant Sue Gray’s report on partygate, while the fallout of yesterday’s blackmail and bullying disclosures continues.
Things kicked off this morning with comments from Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, who said blackmail and intimidation “has no place in British politics”.
He told Sky News:
As far as the specific allegation about whips withholding funds, I think that’s completely unacceptable. I think any form of blackmail and intimidation of that kind simply has no place in British politics.
I don’t think it’s something that I’ve ever heard of, I don’t think this would happen.
Kwarteng added that he expected an investigation would take place “if it’s not being so already”. However he added that in 12 years as an MP he had “never heard anything like this” and speculated that the allegations could be intended to “discredit” the government.
Sky News also reported this morning that there is nervousness in No 10 that the investigation has unearthed damaging evidence and that the report is unlikely to exonerate the prime minister. The report is rumoured to be published as early as Monday. A damning conclusion is likely to spark further calls for Johnson to go, yet close allies of Johnson insist that he will be able to ride out the storm.
One of these is Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, who emphatically told a press conference in Sydney:
The prime minister has my 100% support. He is doing an excellent job. I want the prime minister to continue as long as possible in his job. He is doing a fantastic job.
Our full report is here:
I’ll be keeping you updated on the key happenings in Westminster over the course of the day, including any major coronavirus-related developments. For more on that, you can check out our global blog:
Do drop me a message if there’s anything I’ve missed, you can reach me at rachel.hall@theguardian.com. Have a good day!
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