Inside Politics: Russia accused of further war crimes as mass graves found
Western leaders call for more sanctions on Moscow after hundreds of civilians found in and around Bucha, near Kyiv, writes Matt Mathers
Russia has been accused of further war crimes after hundreds of civilian bodies were found in a town near Kyiv. Western leaders have condemned the killings and called for more sanctions on Moscow. On the domestic front, a former government ethics chief is reported to be among the first group of people fined over the Partygate scandal. Boris Johnson’s energy strategy is due to be published this week and an MP has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital after an investigation was launched into allegations about his behaviour.
Inside the bubble
The Commons is not sitting
Coming up:
– Shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson on Sky News Breakfast at 8.05am
– Welsh secretary Simon Hart on ITV GMB at 8.30am
Daily Briefing
- ‘GENOCIDE’: Haunting and graphic images from liberated Bucha, about 37km northwest of Kyiv, make the front of most major outlets this morning after officials there found evidence of mass graves and torture, with one describing the town like “a scene from a horror move”. Ukraine has accused the Kremlin of a “massacre” and “genocide” and war crimes after the discovery of hundreds of civilian bodies, some of them strewn across residential streets while others had their hands bound, gunshot wounds to their heads and showed signs of torture following the withdrawal of Russian troops from the area. “Indeed, this is genocide,” Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, said in an interview with US media on Sunday. “The elimination of the whole nation and the people,” he added, speaking through a translator. “We are the citizens of Ukraine and we don’t want to be subdued to the policy of Russian Federation. This is the reason we are being destroyed and exterminated.” Western leaders have vowed to hold Putin and his troops accountable for the killing of civilians in Bucha and the surrounding towns and are calling for tougher sanctions on Moscow. In its latest update, Britain’s Ministry of Defence said Russian troops are continuing to consolidate and reorganise as they refocus their offensive into the Donbas region in the east of Ukraine. We’ll have all today’s latest updates on our liveblog.
- EX-ETHICS CHIEF FINED: If ever you needed reminding of just how difficult and embarrassing the Partygate scandal is for the government, then look no further than this morning’s news that one of the first people reportedly known to have received a fine for breaking Covid laws while partying in Downing Street is… a former ethics chief, who was responsible ensuring the highest standards of propriety, integrity and governance within Whitehall. According to the Daily Telegraph, Helen MacNamara, who used to be the deputy cabinet secretary, is said to be among the first group of people to receive a fixed-penalty notice from the Metropolitan Police. The paper said MacNamara received a £50 fine on Friday in connection with a leaving do held in the Cabinet Office on 18 June 2020 to mark the departure of a private secretary. Expect more names to dribble out this week as Westminster hacks find themselves with more time on their hands than usual during the Easter recess.
- CABINET SPLITS: Johnson and Kwasi Kwarteng’s overdue energy strategy is finally due to be published this week and tensions at the top of government on how best to wean Britain off fossil fuels were laid bare yesterday when Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, branded onshore wind farms an “eyesore” that create “problems of noise” while on his Sunday morning broadcast round. Kwarteng, the business secretary, was said to be keen on doubling the power generated by onshore wind turbines by 2030 in order to help wean the UK off gas. But the PM is poised to bow to pressure from Shapps and other Conservative MPs to block new onshore wind farms and will reject calls to kickstart the industry in response to the energy crisis. Instead, he is said to favour offshore wind, solar and nuclear alternatives, plans for which are expected in the final document to be unveiled on Thursday.
- MP CLAIMS: Tory MP David Warburton has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital after an investigation was launched into allegations about his behaviour. The Somerton and Frome MP, who has had the Tory whip removed, is being treated for shock and stress. It comes after it emerged his conduct was being examined by the parliamentary harassment watchdog following sexual harassment and drug use claims.The Sunday Times reported two women had filed formal complaints to parliament’s Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme about Warburton’s behaviour, while a third woman made allegations about his conduct. The allegations reported by the newspaper relate to sexual misconduct and a claim he had taken cocaine.
- ORBAN 4TH TERM: Hungary’s nationalist prime minister Viktor Orban scored a fourth consecutive landslide win in Sunday’s election, as voters endorsed his ambition of a conservative, “illiberal” state and shrugged off concerns over Budapest’s close ties with Moscow. Russia’s 24 Feb invasion of Ukraine had appeared to upend Orban’s campaign in recent weeks, forcing him into awkward manouvering to explain decade-old cosy business relations with President Vladimir Putin. But he mounted a successful campaign to persuade his Fidesz party’s core electorate that the six-party opposition alliance of Peter Marki-Zay promising to mend ties with the European Union could lead the country into war, an accusation the opposition denied.
The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.
On the record
“I don’t favour a vast increase in onshore wind farms, for pretty obvious reasons – they sit on the hills there and can create something of an eyesore for communities as well as actual problems of noise as well. So I think for reasons of environmental protection, the way to go with this is largely, not entirely, but largely off-sea.”
Grants Shapps says on energy strategy.
From the Twitterati
“If Sunak’s actually planning to fly to a £5m penthouse Santa Monico apartment after the Spring Statement he’s just given then his political instincts are legendarily bad. It is an unfortunate time to be an ultra-rich chancellor. Why make it worse?”
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism global editor James Ball on chancellor’s recess plans.
Essential reading
- Rob Merrick, The Independent: How Boris Johnson’s mission to ‘level up’ the country is over before it began
- John Harris, The Guardian: Cost of living crisis’? No – this is a social emergency that will define who we are
- Hamish McRae, The Independent: Western companies have severed ties with Russia – could China be next?
- Bel Trew, The Independent: The elderly, sick and disabled are unable to escape bombs falling on Ukraine
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