Boris Johnson news – live: Sturgeon says ‘overpowering stench of sleaze’ as PM deemed ‘integrity vacuum’

The Sunday Telegraph reports that Downing Street are terrified that Dominic Cummings could release a “treasure trove” of emails and memos from his time at the heart of government.

It reports an ‘insider’ as saying: “Apparently he has got loads of stuff”, while another source said fearfully that the prime minister’s chief aide “used to scribble a lot in that book”.

Responding to Nicola Sturgeon’s warning to Boris Johnson (see earlier), Downing Street has described the push for a second Scottish independence referendum as divisive, irresponsible and a distraction.

A UK government spokesperson said: “Now more than ever, people in Scotland want to see the UK government and the devolved administrations working together to protect lives and livelihoods.

“The United Kingdom is the most successful political and economic union the world has ever seen, and this pandemic and our collective response, from the furlough scheme to vaccine procurement and the backing of our military personnel, has shown that we are at our strongest when we work together towards a common goal.

“The push for a divisive referendum is simply irresponsible. It is a distraction, when we need to focus on continuing to tackle the pandemic and rebuilding our economy.”

The Daily Star on Sunday is offering Dominic Cummings £1.25 to spill the beans on Boris Johnson. Who could resist?

Nicola Sturgeon has warned Boris Johnson not to emulate Donald Trump by trying to block a second referendum on Scottish independence.

Writing in the Observer, Scotland’s first minister said people in Scotland should be given a vote if there is a majority in Holyrood after the May election.

Ms Sturgeon wrote: “Tackling the pandemic and getting the recovery under way come first. However, if there is a majority in the Scottish parliament after this election for an independence referendum, then Scotland must have the chance to put the recovery into Scotland’s hands.

“For the UK Government to seek to block it would be unsustainable. For it to try to take legal action, as has been suggested, would be asking a court to effectively overturn the result of a free and fair democratic election.

“That would be an appalling look for any prime minister. More to the point, it didn’t work for Donald Trump, and it wouldn’t work for Boris Johnson.”

The SNP’s election manifesto has set out plans to hold a second vote on Scottish independence by the end of 2023.

The same Opinium poll shows that voters’ approval of the government’s handling of the pandemic has improved since the start of the year.

It shows that 72 per cent of UK adults approve of the vaccine rollout and more than half of adults approve of the financial support.

Meanwhile the public’s opinion of the government’s handling of the pandemic has risen from 30 per cent approval in January to 43 per cent now.

More than a third of UK adults view Boris Johnson and his government as corrupt, according to a new poll.

However the survey also shows that the Tories have increased their lead over Labour to 11 points.

Here’s a rundown of the names and faces involved in the Downing Street cronyism row, from Dyson to Case via Greensill, Newman and Cummings.

In a major blow to Priti Patel’s immigration plans, EU countries have said they will not strike bilateral agreements with Britain to facilitate the deportation of refugees to Europe.

Here’s the exclusive report from May Bulman:

Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon - who said today there was a “stench of sleaze” surrounding Boris Johnson’s government - and trade secretary Liz Truss will be on the politics shows tomorrow morning to give their views on the latest Dominic Cummings spat.

Dominic Cummings may have audio recordings from his time as Boris Johnson’s chief adviser, according to rumours swirling around Whitehall.

Tim Shipman, in his roundup of events for the Sunday Times, recounts how the prime minister “snapped” after the latest leaks about texts between him and businessman James Dyson about tax.

Mr Johnson ‘defied senior aides’ and put out the story that Dominic Cummings was responsible.

“Cummings’s response was predictable,” writes Mr Shipman. “He is a man who takes nuclear weapons to a pillow fight. He has had months to copy emails and messages. There are rumours he has audio recordings.”