Boris Johnson news: More than half of Britons ‘think Tories made wrong decision keeping PM’

The government will keep measures introduced to ease the cost of living squeeze “under review”, a minister has said.

Schools minister Robin Walker told Sky News: “We need to make sure that people are keeping more of the money that they earn.

“That’s why the rising of the threshold in National Insurance is really important, that will keep more money in people’s pockets.

“It’s why the whole range of measures through that £37 billion package of support that the chancellor has announced can make a real difference to keeping people going.

“But it’s also why we need to keep all of these things under review to see if more help is needed.”

The case of the two Britons sentenced to death for fighting Russian forces will raised by Liz Truss during talks with her Ukrainian counterpart today.

Aiden Aslin, 28, from Nottinghamshire, Shaun Pinner, 48, from Bedfordshire, and Brahim Saadoun, from Morocco, were captured earlier in the war. A court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic handed down death sentences on Thursday.

The foreign secretary has called it a “sham judgement”, insisting it has “absolutely no legitimacy”.

According to the BBC, Ms Truss will speak with Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba regarding the captured pair later on Friday.

No 10 has said the men are entitled to combatant immunity as prisoners of war.

The foreign secretary said: “I utterly condemn the sentencing of Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner held by Russian proxies in eastern Ukraine.

“They are prisoners of war. This is a sham judgment with absolutely no legitimacy.

“My thoughts are with the families. We continue to do everything we can to support them.”

Russia must “take responsibility” for the invasion of Ukraine and for the “sham” trials held in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, minister Robin Walker has said.

He also said that the UK will continue to support Ukraine while making the case for two Britons sentenced to death for fighting Russian forces.

He told Times Radio: “I think we need to do everything we can at a diplomatic level to make representations to Russia, to show our support to Ukraine, but also to show our support to the families of these people, and I understand that’s what my colleagues at the foreign office are doing.

“I don’t think this should make any difference to our overall support to Ukraine and continuing to provide material support to a democracy defending itself from unprovoked aggression.”

He added: “We have to be very clear who is responsible for this - both for the illegal, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and for this sham trial by a government which don’t have authority, and that’s of course Russia.

“Russia needs to take responsibility, its responsibilities under the Geneva Convention, for the treatment of prisoners of war.”

“Some mistakes were made” by the government in its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, a minister has admitted, but defended its efforts overall.

Asked on Times Radio about news that £4 billion of unusable PPE will be burned, schools minister Robin Walker said: “Clearly there were huge pressures on Government at the start of the pandemic, we needed to make sure that we secured as much protective clothing and vaccines, and everything else that was required, in as short a time as possible.

“I think it’s clear that some mistakes were made during that time period and it’s right that there have been apologies for that.

“I have to say overall, though, we’ve been able to protect lives, we’ve been able to protect the economy, we’ve had a hugely successful vaccine rollout and we were one of the first countries to be able to open up after the pandemic, which has put our economy in a stronger place where we can now afford this help with the cost of living.

“So, I do think we have to look at the overall picture and we have to learn the lessons where mistakes were made in a totally unprecedented situation which ministers at the time were facing.”

Former cabinet minister David Frost has warned Boris Johnson has until the Conservatives’ autumn conference to set out a clear vision, or risk being ousted from Downing Street.

Lord Frost, who quit as Brexit minister in 2021, urged the prime minister not to ignore the “depth of opposition” he faces within the party after narrowly surviving a vote of no confidence on Monday.

He also called on Mr Johnson to set out a “10-year Conservative plan to restore the viability of the British state”, reverse controversial tax increases, cut VAT on energy bills, alongside a “serious strategy” to deliver reforms.

Out political correspondent Ashley Cowburn reports:

A former minister for Northern Ireland has said he had “deep concerns” about the protocol while in the role, but now feels “confident” the government will propose “reasonable” changes to it in future.

Robin Walker, who served in the post from February 2020 until September 2021, told LBC: “I had, consistently during my time as Northern Ireland minister, deep concerns about some of the inner workings of the protocol.

“And the frustration here is that there was always supposed to be a process to address these through the committee system that was set up with the UK and the EU.

“Those meetings have taken place but we simply have not seen the movement that would actually address the genuine issues that people in Northern Ireland are facing with the workings of the protocol.

“So I think it’s right that the government has to look at all tools at its disposal within the law to make sure it can deliver on what we all see is the protection of the Good Friday Agreement, the protection of the way of life of people in Northern Ireland that allows them to identify as British or Irish or both, and the protection within that of the United Kingdom.”

The now-schools minister added that ministers are “right” to continue discussions with the EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol, and he is “confident” that future proposals by the government on amendments for it will be “reasonable”.

The government should not “rule out any options to name and shame” retailers who are not passing on the benefits of the cut in fuel duty to consumers, schools minister Robin Walker has said.

He told Times Radio: “I think this is really important that we do have visibility and transparency.

“Some of that consumers can see for themselves, but I think it’s very important that we should make sure if it’s clear that retailers haven’t passed on the benefits of that 5p cut in fuel duty.

“I don’t think government should rule out any options to name and shame people who aren’t.

“But I think what we do need to make sure as well is that we’re supporting people in other ways.

“And that’s why I think the packages of support the Chancellor has announced and then substantially increased - we’re rising from £15 billion to £37 billion - can and will make a real difference.”

Parliamentary authorities have refused to reveal how much porn MPs and their staff are trying to look at on work computers, citing “national security”.

The refusal to disclose the information under the freedom of information act comes after Tory MP Neil Parish quit as an MP after he was caught looking at pornography at work in a “moment of madness”.

But ahead of the by-election to replace Mr Parish later this month authorities rejected a freedom of information request by The Independent, citing Section 24(1) of Act.

Our policy correspondent Jon Stone reports:

Boris Johnson is not a good role model for children, the government’s top social mobility cheif has said.

Chair of the Social Mobility Commission (SMC) Katherine Birbalsingh has suggested that, despite liking the prime minister, his personal life made her “raise an eyebrow”, and questioned whether he looked “professional” enough.

While Ms Birbalsingh said she did not know the full details of the Partygate scandal under Mr Johnson’s premiership, she added: “It does sort of make you pause and go, hmm, hmm.”

And asked directly whether Mr Johnson is a good role model for children, Ms Birbalsingh, the headteacher and co-founder of Michaela community school in Wembley, London, replied: “No, I do not think so.

“I don’t. I wish he could be, but he isn’t,” she said. “And that is a bit sad.

“But I can’t get into the ins and outs because I don’t know enough. People say: ‘Should he be there? Should he not be there?’ I don’t know.

“I like Boris, I don’t think he’s a bad guy. I don’t know enough about what he’s got up to, but I do not think he is a good role model for children.”

Here’s more from our political correspondent Ashley Cowburn: