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As it happenedended
2 years ago

Boris Johnson news - live: Rayner condemns ‘perverted’ Tory smear as PM hits out at anonymous ‘misogyny’

Ms Rayner had been accused by her Tory colleagues of putting the prime minister ‘off his stride’ in the Commons

Emily Atkinson
Sunday 24 April 2022 11:00 EDT
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Patel outlines Rwanda plan, Johnson visits India and France goes to the polls | This Week in Politics

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Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner has hit out at a story in the Mail on Sunday this morning which suggested she had been using a “Basic Instinct ploy” to distract Boris Johnson in the Commons.

The paper claimed that Ms Rayner had been accused by her Tory colleagues of putting the prime minister “off his stride” in the chamber by crossing and uncrossing her legs.

Ms Rayner said she believed the prime minister was himself behind the the “desperate, perverted smears” which likened her body language toward the PM to Sharon Stone’s iconic scene in the 1992 erotic thriller.

Prime minister Boris Johnson has since been forced to publicly denounce the blatant “misogyny” directed at the Labour MP for Ashton-under-Lyne.

Tweeting today, Mr Johnson said: “As much as I disagree with Angela Rayner on almost every political issue I respect her as a parliamentarian and deplore the misogyny directed at her anonymously today.”

But the PM’s criticism has become the subject of ridicule on Twitter after beady-eyed users spotted that culture secretary Nadine Dorries shared an identical tweet in condemnation of the accusations against Ms Rayner.

2 years ago

Watch: Keir Starmer says asylum seekers should apply to UK from Calais

Keir Starmer says asylum seekers should apply to UK from Calais
Emily Atkinson24 April 2022 11:47
2 years ago

Culture secretary Nadine Dorries and prime minister Boris Johnson appear to have shared identical tweets in condemnation of suggestions Angela Rayner had been using a “Basic Instinct ploy” to distract the PM in the Commons.

Emily Atkinson24 April 2022 11:54
2 years ago

Transgender MP tells young people not to ‘wait as long as I’ve waited’

The first openly transgender MP has told young people dealing with gender issues not to “wait as long as I’ve waited”.

Last month, Jamie Wallis revealed he was raped and blackmailed, wants to transition to be a woman, and also suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in a highly personal statement.

The Tory MP for Bridgend was praised for his bravery after revealing that he was “not OK”, and for being open about having gender dysphoria.

Transgender MP tells young people not to ‘wait as long as I’ve waited’

MP Jamie Wallis has opened up about his experience as transgender in a tell-all interview.
Emily Atkinson24 April 2022 12:10
2 years ago

Civil servants shunning offices is ‘a cost to the taxpayer’, says Jacob Rees-Mogg

“Empty offices are a cost to the taxpayer,” Jacob Rees-Mogg has said in condemnation of civil servants choosing to work from home.

It comes after he had reportedly been leaving notes in Whitehall workspaces with the message: “Sorry you were out when I visited. I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon.”

Writing in the Mail On Sunday, Mr Rees-Mogg said: “Those who are at their desks every day seem to be younger, hard-working and ambitious civil servants, often renting house-shares in London for whom the office provides the right environment for work.

“Meanwhile, others enjoy the fruits of their London-weighting at home in the shires. As the minister responsible for government property, it is my job to ensure the government estate is run efficiently and commercially. Empty offices are a cost to the taxpayer.

“The Government is committed to reducing the number of civil servants but there are 91,000 more than in 2015-16. This necessarily means a smaller but better-used Government estate in the heart of Whitehall.

“Essentially, if people are not back in their office it will be fair to assume that the job does not need to be in London. This is clearly a financial opportunity of working from home, which many businesses have taken, by downsizing their offices. This, perhaps, is the trade-off.

“The British people rightly have high expectations of the State. We need to reform Government with a smaller, high-performing and correctly incentivised Civil Service, where talented officials thrive. In order to do that, we need to get back to the office.”

Emily Atkinson24 April 2022 12:22
2 years ago

MPs and peers to clash over refugees, protests and voting curbs in crucial few days at parliament

MPs and peers will scrap over controversial plans to “offshore” refugees, ban “noisy” protests and slap curbs on voting, in a critical four days at parliament.

Boris Johnson faces a nail-biting deadline of Thursday to pass the hotly contested legislation, with battles also ahead over restrictions on judicial reviews and residents’ bills in danger flats, following the Grenfell disaster.

The government has been accused of cruelty to asylum seekers and assaults on democracy and the right to protest, through the bills yet to pass as the parliamentary session nears its close.

Any bills without royal assent when the curtain comes down fall automatically, which would be a major embarrassment.

Our deputy political editor Rob Merrick has more:

MPs and peers to clash over refugees, protests and voting curbs in crucial week

MPs and peers to clash over refugees, protests and voting curbs in crucial few days at parliament
Emily Atkinson24 April 2022 12:41
2 years ago

We have to make Westminster more welcoming to women, says Tulip Siddiq

Labour’s Tulip Siddiq said there needed to be a “zero tolerance” approach to alleged harassment by MPs.

It comes after The Sunday Times reported that three Conservative cabinet ministers and two Labour shadow cabinet ministers are facing allegations of sexual misconduct after being reported to the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS).

Ms Siddiq, the shadow economic secretary to the Treasury, told Sky News: “I’m also very upset about these allegations, that there is more stories coming out of MPs abusing their position for sexual favours or to manipulate staff or all the accusations that are coming out.

“I don’t care which party the MPs are from, there has to be an independent review, there has to be an independent panel that looks into this.

“If there are people from my party, there should be a zero tolerance to this. If there are people from Government, there should be a zero tolerance.

“We have to make Westminster more welcoming for female MPs but also staff members as well.”

Emily Atkinson24 April 2022 13:01
2 years ago

Jeremy Corbyn will not be a Labour MP again after attack on Nato, Keir Starmer suggests

Jeremy Corbyn has lost any lingering chance of standing again as a Labour candidate after his attack on Nato, Keir Starmer has suggested.

The former party leader was exiled for refusing to retract his insistence that the extent of antisemitism in Labour during the years he led it had been “dramatically overstated”.

But he has now clashed with the current leadership by suggesting military alliances such as Nato can build up “greater danger” in the world and should ultimately be disbanded.

Rob Merrick has more:

Jeremy Corbyn will not be a Labour MP again after attack on Nato, Starmer suggests

‘It is very difficult to see how that situation can now be resolved’, Labour leader says
Emily Atkinson24 April 2022 13:27
2 years ago

Blackford: UK has had ‘massive missed opportunity’ to reduce nuclear threat

The UK has had a “massive missed opportunity” to reduce the threat of nuclear weapons, the SNP’s Westminster leader has said.

Ian Blackford was speaking to Sophie Raworth on the BBC’s Sunday Morning programme.

Asked about the SNP’s ambition to remove the Trident nuclear deterrent from the Clyde Naval Base, Mr Blackford said the UK should have acted sooner to remove itself as a threat amid suggestions Vladimir Putin could use such weapons in his war in Ukraine.

Mr Blackford said: “You’ve got someone [Putin] that you don’t know if they’re prepared to press that button or not.

“There’s been a massive missed opportunity over the course of the last decades, because we should have been getting round the table with the Russians and others, and making sure that we were reducing the threat from nuclear weapons, reducing nuclear warheads.

Blackford: UK has had ‘massive missed opportunity’ to reduce nuclear threat

The SNP’s Westminster leader said the UK should have acted sooner to remove its Trident deterrent programme.
Emily Atkinson24 April 2022 13:47
2 years ago

Watch: Patel outlines Rwanda plan, Johnson visits India and France goes to the polls | This Week in Politics

Patel outlines Rwanda plan, Johnson visits India and France goes to the polls | This Week in Politics
Emily Atkinson24 April 2022 14:07
2 years ago

MoD update on war in Ukraine

The latest UK intelligence update on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is as follows:

“Ukraine has repelled numerous Russian assaults along the line of contact in the Donbas this week.

“Despite Russia making some territorial gains, Ukrainian resistance has been strong across all axes and inflicted significant cost on Russian forces.

Poor Russian morale and limited time to reconstitute, re-equip and reorganise forces from prior offensives are likely hindering Russian combat effectiveness.”

Emily Atkinson24 April 2022 14:23

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