Inside Politics: Biden says there is no evidence of Russian troop withdrawal

With parliament in recess, political eyes remain very much fixed on the Ukraine crisis, which is knocked off the top spot this morning by the news that Prince Andrew has settled his civil sexual abuse claim with Virginia Giuffre by reportedly paying out at least £10 million. The first of two weather systems set to bash the UK with gale force winds and rain is due to hit today. Meanwhile, the cost of living storm clouds continue to gather with the news that inflation has risen to 5.5 per cent and remains at a 30-year high.

Politics commentator Andrew Grice on what to look out for:

The Ukraine crisis will top the agenda at a meeting of Nato defence ministers, including the UK’s Ben Wallace, in Brussels.

Publication of the inflation figure for January will shine more light on whether wages are keeping pace with the increased cost of living. The Office for National Statistics will also issue the house price index.

Sajid Javid, the health secretary, will announce £10m of aid funding for research into vaccines to combat potential epidemics in developing countries.

Coming up:

– Defence secretary Ben Wallace on BBC Radio 4 Today at 8.10am

– Former UK ambassador to Russia Andrew Wood on Times Radio Breakfast at 8.45am

Daily Briefing

JUST IN: There is no end in sight to Britain’s cost of living squeeze as new figures released by the Office for National Statistics earlier this morning show that inflation remains at a near 30-year high. The ONS said Consumer Prices Index inflation reached 5.5 per cent in January, up from 5.4 per cent in December and remaining at the highest level since March 1992, when it stood at 7.1 per cent. Energy prices have been driving up inflation over the past few months but a key factor in the January increase was the rising cost of clothes and footwear, the ONS added. Ominously, the government body warned that inflation is likely to rise further in April when energy prices are expected to peak. Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, said the government has “stepped in to provide millions of households with up to £350 to help with rising energy bills.” He continues to resist calls for a one-off, pandemic crisis windfall tax on oil and gas giants to help the poorest families with their bills. Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, said: “Food. Petrol. Energy. We’re all feeling it. This isn’t just a global problem. The Tories have failed to get a grip and working people are paying the price.”

MIXED SIGNALS: Despite Moscow withdrawing some troops yesterday, Boris Johnson said that the latest intelligence from the Ukraine border is “not encouraging”, adding that Moscow is sending out “mixed signals” on whether it is likely to launch an offensive. In an interview following an emergency meeting of the government’s Cobra committee, the PM said the construction of field hospitals – used to provide treatment for troops injured in battle – can only be “construed as preparation for an invasion”. Joe Biden, the US president, is similarly convinced that an attack is still very much possible as he said there was no evidence that troops had actually been removed from the border. We’ll have all the latest Ukraine updates on our liveblog.

PUTIN THE WORK IN?: For his part Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, continues to insist that he doesn’t want war, is raising legitimate security concerns and is open to further negotiations with western leaders. He wants guarantees that Nato will not expand further east and that Ukraine will not join the alliance, an offer Kiev apparently made over the weekend before backtracking on Monday. “Do we want this or not? Of course not,” Putin said. “That is exactly why we put forward proposals for a process of negotiations. “Unfortunately, there has been no meaningful constructive response to our proposals,” he added. A steady stream of western leaders have been travelling to Moscow over the past few days and weeks to hold crunch talks with the president at his ridiculously long table (he is apparently paranoid about catching Covid). If you’re finding all the war updates slightly depressing and need something a bit more light-hearted, then why not take a look at this very important Twitter thread by The Guardian’s Shaun Walker, who has put together the best memes poking fun at said table. You won’t regret it.

BASIC INCOME TRIAL: The Welsh government’s trial of a universal basic income will pay around 500 people £1,600 a month, the devolved administration has announced. Under the pilot policy some vulnerable young people will be paid £19,200 a year for 24 months from their 18th birthday – the highest rate of any large-scale pilot. The scheme will be open to all young people leaving care, and extend to double the number of people that had previously been planned. Some members of the Welsh parliament last month expressed concerns that the pilot, originally expected to cover just 250 people, might be too small to be a useful study. But unveiling details on Tuesday evening Welsh ministers said the programme is now likely to be taken up by around 500 care leavers. The experiment is planned to last for a “minimum” of three years.

HANCOCK COMES OUT SWINGING: You just can’t keep a good man down, as the saying goes. Matt Hancock is back in your inbox this morning after a short hiatus from the news, following a run-in with members of a swimming club in west London last month. Don’t panic, there’s no need to put your cornflakes to one side for this update – he hasn’t been spotted kissing anyone. The former health secretary broke equality laws by hiring Baroness Dido Harding to a top health job at the height of the Covid pandemic in 2020, the High Court has ruled. Judges said that he failed to comply with public sector equality duty in the process of appointing Baroness Harding and her ex-Sainsbury colleague Mike Coupe to senior posts. Despite the ruling against him, Hancock came out punching, releasing a statement attacking the Good Law Project, which lost a claim in the case. “What the judgement does make clear is that ‘the claim brought by Good Law Project fails in its entirety’, therefore highlighting the fact this group continues to waste the court’s time,” a spokesperson for Hancock said. The case has sparked a debate in some sections of the media about the GLP’s future, with some commentators claiming that the judgement has dealt the organisation a potentially “existential blow”.

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT: Keir Starmer visited Burnley yesterday as part of his own levelling up tour, where he was on a mission to ram home the message that the Labour Party has changed under his leadership. Accompanied by shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy, Starmer said Labour would back manufacturers to drive Britain’s recovery from the Covid pandemic. Earlier in the day broadcaster Richard Madeley caused a stir by appearing to suggest that death threats against Starmer were not a big deal.

“Last night going into today, clearly there are signs of a diplomatic opening. There are grounds for a conversation about Ukraine, with Ukraine, and that’s good. We are seeing Russian openness to conversations. On the other hand, the intelligence we’re seeing today is still not encouraging. So mixed signals, I think, at the moment.”

PM on Ukraine crisis.

“Apparently parties are fine because Downing Street was ‘unique’ in being both a home and a workplace. Give me a break.”

New Statesman senior associate editor Rachel Cunliffe on Johnson’s partygate defence.

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