Boris Johnson news – live: No 10 fails to deny PM discussed two top jobs for Carrie

Rail unions have accused the government of “actively preventing” the resolution of a dispute which will see millions of passengers’ journeys disrupted from Tuesday in the most significant strikes to hit the network since the 1980s.

The RMT union pulled the plug on last-ditch talks with employers on Monday, blaming ministers for preventing Network Rail and the train operating companies from negotiating freely on pay, jobs and conditions.

But Grant Shapps’ Department for Transport dismissed the claim as “absolutely not true”, insisting that a £2bn shortfall in resources for the national network which the RMT attributed to government cuts was in fact the result of reduced passenger numbers following Covid.

England football fans say they want to win games and Labour supporters say they want to win seats, but, asks Marie Le Conte, do they really want that at any cost?

The government has been accused of overseeing a “total economic and environmental policy failure” on tree planting, with current rates not even halfway to hitting targets set in 2019.

Boris Johnson said the government would plant 30,000 hectares (75,000 acres) of new woodland in Britain every year by 2024. But with a year and a half to go, official figures reveal planting is still below 14,000 hectares for the year to 31 March 2022.

The Confederation of Forest Industries (Confor), which represents more than 1,500 forestry and wood businesses around the UK, said that the “woeful” rate of progress meant there was now “zero chance” of reaching the targets.

Harry Cockburn reports.

If the prime minister does decide to call an election next May, a promise to ditch the protocol checks could form part of a manifesto pitch, writes Adam Forrest.

A whistleblower has said orgies in the army are fairly common as she warned the recent incident at Merlville Baracks points to a wider culture of misogyny in the armed forces which views women as “lesser beings”.

Speaking exclusively to The Independent , the woman, who previously worked in recruitment for the British Army, said the institution often felt like a throwback to the 1950s.

It comes after a group of paratroopers were put under military police investigation after footage surfaced of them having an orgy with a civilian woman at Merville Barracks - a military base in Colchester.

Maya Oppenheim reports.

The government did not rule out trying to send another deportation flight to Rwanda before the outcome of a full High Court review of the policy.

A Home Office minister was asked by the SNP’s home affairs spokesman to confirm Priti Patel will not be “gambling on another utterly reckless, degrading and expensive attempt at these removals” before the judicial review is heard.

Tom Pursglove told Stuart C McDonald “we do not comment on what are ongoing legal proceedings”.

He then noted “every day that this new partnership is not in operation is a day that people continue to risk their lives in the Channel”.

The first deportation flight to Rwanda was supposed to take place last week, but was blocked at the last minute after a late intervention by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). A full judicial review of the policy is expected to take place in July.

However, it is not clear whether the Home Office will attempt to send another flight to Rwanda before then.

Mr McDonald said: “The full hearing on whether the Home Secretary’s policy in Rwanda is lawful will take place, as the minister has said, in July.

“So, surely if she has one iota of respect for UNHCR, and the importance of the Refugee Convention, she will confirm now that she will wait for the outcome of that hearing, instead of gambling on another utterly reckless, degrading and expensive attempt at these removals?”

Mr Pursglove replied: “The honourable gentleman will recognise that of course, we do not comment on what are ongoing legal proceedings, but what I would say to him is this, and we have had this debate many times, but every day that this new partnership is not in operation is a day that people continue to risk their lives in the Channel.

“That is not acceptable. It’s not sustainable.”

PA

Parliament is set to vote on a Labour plan to grant MPs on a cross-party select committee new powers to hold Boris Johnson and his ministers to account following the exit of his ethics adviser.

Lord Geidt quit last week as the independent adviser on ministers’ interests – saying the PM had put him in an “impossible and odious position”.

Mr Johnson is considering not replacing his ethics watchdog, with No 10 saying there would be a review into how best manage the “vitally important” function and admitting the position could be abolished.

Adam Forrest reports.