Boris Johnson news: PM warns Trump over threat to bomb Iranian cultural sites, as Long Bailey handed Labour leadership boost

Johnson warns US not to break international law after Trump's threats to bomb cultural sites

Boris Johnson has spoken out against Donald Trump’s threat to bomb 52 Iranian cultural sites if the crisis escalates, in a rare crack in the transatlantic alliance.

“There are international conventions in place that prevent the destruction of cultural heritage,” the prime minister’s spokesman said.

However, he declined to say whether such an attack would be a war crime – and gave stronger backing to the assassination of Qasem Soleimani than in Mr Johnson’s comments on Sunday.

Asked whether the UK accepted Washington’s justification for the attack, the spokesman said: “States have a right to take action such as this in self-defence and the US have been clear that Soleimani was plotting imminent attacks on American diplomats and military personnel.”

Long-Bailey confirms backing for Rayner

Johnson, von der Leyen and Barnier to meet this week

The prime minister is meeting the new European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at No 10 this Wednesday.

The commission has announced its chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier will also be tagging along – though it does not mean the opening of trade talks has yet begun.

UK foreign policy becoming ‘weakened and disabled’ says Alastair Campbell

Tony Blair’s former communications chief Alastair Campbell has mourned a “weakened” British foreign policy on BBC’s Politics Live discussing the legacy of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

“You see this in the Labour party leadership election. It’s almost neuralgic – you cannot say anything on a foreign policy platform that suggests Iraq was anything that a total disaster, which I don’t necessary agree with.”

Warning against learning the “wrong lessons” from the Blair era, he said: “I worry we are moving to a position where because of Iraq – and what it did or didn’t achieve – British foreign policy is weakened and disabled.”

PM and Iraqi counterpart agree to work on finding ‘diplomatic way forward’

No 10 has issued a read-out of Boris Johnson’s conversation with Iraqi counterpart Adel Abdul-Mahdi.

A spokesperson said: “The prime minister spoke to prime minster Abdul Mehdi of Iraq this morning. 

“The leaders discussed the need to deescalate tensions in the region following the death of Qasem Soleimani and agreed to work together to find a diplomatic way forward.

“The prime minister underlined the UK’s unwavering commitment to Iraq’s stability and sovereignty and emphasised the importance of the continued fight against the shared threat from Daesh.”

Labour must ‘win or die’, says Angela Rayner

Deputy leadership candidate Angela Rayner has said Labour faces the “biggest challenge in our history”, saying the party must “win or die” after its catastrophic election defeat.

Our correspondent Lizzy Buchan has more on Rayner’s pitch to the party faithful, as she set out her stall at the Stockport housing estate where she was raised.

PM wants official ‘Brexit Day’ events to mark our exit from EU

Boris Johnson is planning formal events to mark the UK’s expected exit from the EU at the end of the month, Downing Street has indicated.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said that details of “Brexit Day” plans would be announced “shortly”.

But he declined to say whether the PM will give the government’s support to a move by Tory hardliners to have Big Ben sound at 11pm on 31 January.

It comes as Nigel Farage announces his own plans for an “upbeat, optimistic, genuine celebration with no direct political edge whatsoever” in Parliament Square as the country departs the bloc.

Parallel trade talks with US and EU?

The UK could conduct post-Brexit trade talks with the US in parallel to those with the EU, Downing Street has hinted.

The PM’s official spokesman said the UK would be “free to hold trade discussions with countries across the world” after it has left the bloc at the end of the month.

He said: “Once we have left the EU on January 31 we will be free to hold trade discussions with countries across the world and not just focus on discussing the future partnership with the EU.”

It follows reports in The Sunday Times that Johnson’s ministers are split over how best to negotiate a new trade deal with the EU, with some figures, including Dominic Raab and Liz Truss, reportedly pushing for parallel talks with the US to put pressure on the EU.

However the paper said other ministers think it is “unrealistic” to use the US talks as a leverage against Brussels.

The UK is scheduled to leave the bloc at the end of the month, and the government is confident will push the necessary legislation through the House of Commons by the end of Thursday.

Angela Rayner points out that ‘fantastic northern woman’ Jess Phillips is from Midlands

Discussing her bid to be Labour’s deputy leader on Sky News, Rayner has pointed out the difference between the Midlands and the north of England.

Asked if she would be happy to work for “fantastic northern woman” Jess Phillips, she said: “I’d work for Jess Phillips”.

She then pointed out her colleague is from Birmingham which is “slightly different … I don’t think they’d class themselves as the same”.

Keith Vaz ‘begged to attend NEC meeting’

Former Labour MP Keith Vaz was reportedly allowed to attend today’s big NEC meeting to make a statement after he “begged to attend”.

Vaz, who has sat on the NEC as a representative of BAME Labour group, announced his retirement from parliament as an MP for Leicester East before the election.

It came only just weeks after the Commons Standards Committee recommended he be given a six-month suspension for causing “significant damage” to the reputation of the House after he was found to have “expressed a willingness” to purchase cocaine for others during an encounter with male prostitutes.