Boris Johnson news – live: Ex-ethics adviser quit over PM’s ‘readiness to break law’

Boris Johnson‘s former ethics adviser Christopher Geidt has said his resignation was prompted by the PM’s willingness to breach international law.

In a second letter to explain his shock decision to quit on Wednesday, Lord Geidt said that the details of the row over steel tariffs which finally provoked his departure were a “distraction” from his real motivation to leave his position.

He said that he walked out because he was unready to endorse the government’s openness to breaking its international obligations.

His comments suggest he may be concerned over Mr Johnson’s attempt to override the Northern Ireland Protocol in a way which will breach the Brexit treaty that he signed less than three years ago.

Meanwhile, the government has faced a backlash over reports it will not appoint a new ethics adviser after Lord Geidt’s resignation.

John Penrose, who quit as the anti-corruption tsar earlier this month over the Partygate scandal, said: “You can’t just pretend it doesn’t matter, and that there’s no job to be done.”

Read the full story here by Andrew Woodcock

Julian Assange’s wife Stella Moris said it is a “travesty” that an order for his extradition to the US was signed by home secretary Priti Patel.

The wife of the WikiLeaks founder Mr Assange, who is currently in Belmarsh prison, said: “This was always a possibility that Priti Patel would send Julian to the country that has plotted to assassinate him, to a country that Julian has exposed of crimes.

“We are not at the end of the road here. We are going to fight this. We are going to use every legal avenue and I’m going to spend every waking hour fighting for Julian until he’s free, until justice is served.”

After calling the signing of the order a “travesty”, she said: “I have no words to express what it’s like to see the UK process being used as a way to prolong Julian’s suffering.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and deputy leader Angela Rayner have returned questionnaires to police investigating whether they broke lockdown regulations, a party spokesman has said.

Durham Constabulary are looking into whether the rules were violated after Sir Keir was caught on camera drinking a beer in an MP’s office after a day of campaigning for the local elections in Durham in April 2021.

Both the Labour leader and Ms Rayner have said they will stand down if they are issued with fixed-penalty notices.

At the time of the gathering, non-essential retail and outdoor venues including pub gardens were open, but social distancing rules, which included a ban on indoor mixing between households, remained in place.

But Labour has argued that food was consumed between work events, meaning it was within the rules.

Last month, Durham Constabulary announced they had reversed an earlier decision that no offence had been committed, after receiving “significant new information”.

Boris Johnson has paid tribute to the Ukrainian forces as he again pledged Britain’s support in their fight to drive out the Russian invaders.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, the PM said the Ukrainians had inflicted heavy losses on the Russians.

“If Ukrainian troops are suffering then I have to tell you all the evidence is that Putin’s troops are under acute pressure themselves and they are taking heavy casualties,” he said.

“Their expenditure of munitions – of shells and other weaponry – is colossal. After 114 days of attack on Ukraine, they have still not achieved the objectives they set out for the first week.

“We are here once again to underline that we are with you to give you the strategic endurance that you will need and we are going to help to continue to intensify the sanctions on Putin’s regime.”

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Home secretary Priti Patel has signed an order to extradite Julian Assange to the US to face espionage charges.

The Wikileaks founder, who faces trial over his leaking of US intelligence, can launch an appeal over the next 14 days.

“In this case, the UK courts have not found that it would be oppressive, unjust or an abuse of process to extradite Mr Assange,” the Home Office said.

“Nor have they found that extradition would be incompatible with his human rights, including his right to a fair trial and to freedom of expression, and that whilst in the US he will be treated appropriately, including in relation to his health.”

Read the full story by Andrew Woodcock here

In a series of tweets, defence secretary Ben Wallace defended PM Boris Johnson’s unexpected visit to Ukraine today.

He said: “There is a lot of rubbish being spouted about the PM’s trip to Ukriane [sic]. Firstly these trips are organised in total secrecy. Very few, and I mean very few, people know the dates and arrangements.

“Visits are sometimes necessary in person because not everything can be discussed securely over phones etc. Russia has an aggressive electronic warfare and signal intelligence operation.”

Mr Wallace added: “As a Northern MP myself, I am not affronted by the fact he had to cancel speaking at the conference ... Helping Ukriane win and trying to help at home are linked.

“Part of the inflation we see comes from gas and food prices which are partly driven upwards because of this conflict.”

The Ukrainian ministry of defence has tweeted a photo of Boris Johnson and Volodymyr Zelensky walking around Kyiv together.

lt wrote, in posting a photo of Mr Johnson with his Ukrainian counterpart: “True brotherhood happens only between free people and nations.”

Mr Johnson’s unexpected trip is the second time he has flown out to meet Mr Zelensky in the space of about two months – while Ukraine is being invaded by Russia.

Today, the PM was accused by Labour of abandoning his duties in the UK to engage in talks with Mr Zelensky.

The government has warned public sector workers that they cannot expect pay rises to keep up with the soaring cost of living that is mainly driven by high inflation.

Treasury chief secretary Simon Clarke said such pay demands risked creating a 1970s-style wage-price “inflationary spiral”.

His intervention came after the Bank of England forecast inflation was set to hit 11% in the autumn as it hiked interest rates to 1.25% – the fifth successive rise.

Mr Clarke told the BBC: “There isn’t an automaticity between inflation and pay settlements and we need to be very careful to avoid fuelling an inflationary spiral in a way which actually is to everyone’s detriment if we allow it to run away from us.

“That is what the governments of the 1970s failed to address.

“If we end up in a world where we are saying all settlements try to match inflation or even exceed it then we are in a position where we are actually creating the conditions whereby those expectations become baked in, become self-fulfilling. That is the inflationary risk.”

On Thursday, communities secretary Michael Gove warned the economy faced a “painful” adjustment as the government and the Bank try to “squeeze” inflation out of the system.

Mr Clarke made clear that public sector pay rises would need to be held in check and that ministers would be looking closely at the recommendations of the pay review bodies over the coming weeks.

“We are very far away from a world here of a public sector pay freeze. That is not what we are doing now,” he said.

“We are looking very carefully at what the pay review bodies are sending through to us. The early signs are encouraging. There is sensible progress being made.

“We will have to wait for the full readout of those negotiations but when that concludes in a few weeks' time I think a lot of workforces will see they are getting good pay offers and that is to be welcomed.”

His warning came as 40,000 rail workers were expected to bring much of the country to a halt with a series of one-day strikes in support of a wage increase to keep up with prices.

Reporting by PA

On Saturday, the Independent’s front page will feature a story about the Home Office’s plan to tag refugees after they reach Britain by crossing the English Channel in small boats.

A 12-month pilot will see some of those who travel to Britain – via what the government calls “unnecessary and dangerous routes” – fitted with tags, according to new Home Office guidance.

If tagging conditions are breached, the people may be considered for detention and removal, subject to administrative arrest, or prosecuted.

Campaigners and experts have accused ministers of adopting a “draconian and punitive” approach that will see asylum seekers who have fled conflict and danger treated as “criminals”.

Read the full story here by May Bulman

That’s it for today’s coverage of UK politics news. Thanks for following.