Brexit news - live: Trade issues not ‘teething problem’, warns Cameron as PM branded ‘unrepentant liar’

Downing Street has rejected the suggestion that Boris Johnson is a “populist”, after two former ministers said the Conservative Party had drifted away from its roots.

Former chancellor Philip Hammond said this week that the prime minister was in charge of a “populist government” which courted short-term popularity, while former home secretary Amber Rudd said the party no longer welcomed pro-Europeans.

Jon Stone reports:

Alex Salmond, the former first minister of Scotland, will appear on Friday before an inquiry into the Scottish government’s mishandling of harrassment complaints made against him.

Earlier this week, he refused to attend a committee session because some of the evidence he wanted to give was redacted. But it appears he has had a change of heart.

The evidence session will start at 12.30pm and could last as much as 4 hours.

DUP leader Arlene Foster has met with a representative group for loyalist paramilitaries over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

It comes amid anger among loyalists at new checks on goods arriving at ports, with claims an economic wedge has been driven between the region and the rest of the UK which undermines the Union.

Graffiti has appeared across Northern Ireland expressing opposition to a border in the Irish Sea.

Ms Foster, along with her party's deputy leader Nigel Dodds and East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson, discussed opposition to the protocol with the Loyalist Communities Council.

It represents loyalists groups including the UVF, UDA and Red Hand Commando.

A party spokesman said afterwards: "We listened to the views expressed and the need for political and constitutional methods to safeguard the United Kingdom single market and ensure there is an unfettered flow of trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland."

The schools minister has rejected compulsory lessons about the Empire and the slave trade by claiming they would risk lowering “standards”, triggering criticism, deputy political editor Rob Merrick reports.

More than 268,000 people have signed a petition condemning the curriculum for failing to teach students about “Britain’s role in colonisation” and the shame of trading in slaves.

But the call has been rebuffed by Nick Gibb, the schools minister – who said the government did not want to “pile on” more topics that curtailed teachers’ freedom to choose.

The Cabinet Office has dismissed a complaint about the equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, by arguing her tirade at a journalist was issued from a "personal" Twitter account.

Ms Badenoch was widely criticised for accusing Nadine White of "creepy and bizarre" behaviour after the HuffPost reporter sent a standard request for comment to a government press office.

The minister published correspondence between the journalist and officials in launching the attack, which led to an alert about the risk to media freedom being registered with the Council of Europe.

Cabinet Office permanent secretary Alex Chisholm responded to a formal complaint from HuffPo by saying Ms Badenoch is responsible for her own conduct on her social media account.

"I note that the tweets were not issued from a government Twitter account, but instead from a personal Twitter account," his letter said.

"The minister is personally responsible for deciding how to act and conduct herself, and for justifying her own actions and conduct.

"As such, this is a matter on which the minister would be best placed to offer a response. I note in addition the Prime Minister's press secretary has already provided comments on this matter."

Boris Johnson has said he entered politics after suffering the "beginnings of a midlife crisis" in his mid thirties.

The prime minister, now aged 56, said he had chosen to pursue a career as an MP because he wanted to "contribute more".

Speaking to pupils during a visit to Accrington Academy in Lancashire, he said: "I used to have a wonderful job as a journalist, which I loved.

"Then, when I was about 35 years old, I had the beginnings of a midlife crisis. I knew that I had to do something. I felt I had to sort of start to contribute more and so I went into politics.

"It has gone on from there. There were lots of things I wanted to do."

Mr Johnson had previously worked as a journalist on The Times and The Daily Telegraph before becoming editor of The Spectator in 1999. He continued to edit the magazine after being elected as Conservative MP for Henley in 2001 until 2008.

As Britons look forward to a possible end to the coronavirus lockdown, millions of people are also anxiously awaiting the chancellor’s spring Budget announcement.

Rishi Sunak will outline the government’s financial plans 3 March, when he expected to focus on “the next stage” of the UK’s Covid response.

My colleague Kate Ng has a helpful explainer here:

Boris Johnson has been told he must avoid pursuing a strategy of "empire unionism" and take a longer term interest in helping Wales develop.

Labour former minister Kevin Brennan also warned the Welsh secretary, Simon Hart, to show greater respect to voters after he advised the Welsh Government to stop fretting about its "little status in Cardiff".

The remarks came amid criticism of a £4.8bn fund to drive regeneration across the UK being managed by Whitehall.

Opening the annual Welsh affairs debate in the Commons, Mr Brennan (Cardiff West) raised concerns about Westminster’s approach to the union.

“Now is not the time for empire unionism from the Welsh secretary or the prime minister,” he said.

"Now is the time to recognise that this voluntary union of four nations can only function through equality and respect for devolution, a commitment to enhance and develop democratic institutions in Wales, and in the nations and regions of the United Kingdom."

The US has dashed Boris Johnson’s hopes of a quick post-Brexittrade deal, announcing a “review” of the negotiations so far, deputy political editor Rob Merrick reports.

Joe Biden’s pick to be his trade envoy slammed the brakes on the talks, pointing to a lot of “developments” since they began in 2018 and the priority of defeating the Covid-19 threat.

In what is likely to be exciting news for many, Downing Street has confirmed pubs can serve takeaway drinks from 12 April.

The hospitality industry have hailed as “vital” to the sector’s survival, my colleague Sam Hancock reports.