Cummings ‘discussed removal’ of Boris Johnson right after election – Live

Maros Sefcovic, Vice-President of the European Commission, said of the proposals for Gibraltar: “By presenting this draft mandate, we honor the political commitment we have made to Spain to start negotiations for an agreement. separated between the EU and the UK on Gibraltar.

“This is a detailed mandate, which aims to have a positive impact for those who live and work on both sides of the border between Spain and Gibraltar, while protecting the integrity of the space Schengen and the single market. “

Dominic Raab, the Foreign Minister, expressed his disappointment after the European Union released its draft mandate on post-Brexit negotiations on Gibraltar.

The European Commission has said it is keen to start negotiations on future UK-EU relations and has set out in a draft mandate targets to “abolish physical checks and checks on people and goods at the land border between Spain and Gibraltar, while ensuring the integrity of the Schengen area and the internal market ”.

In a statement, Mr Raab said: “The UK, along with Gibraltar, and Spain have carefully agreed to a pragmatic framework agreement, in full consultation with the European Commission.

“The mandate proposed by the commission, published today, directly conflicts with this framework. It seeks to undermine the sovereignty of the United Kingdom over Gibraltar and cannot constitute a basis for negotiations.

“We have always been pragmatic and flexible in finding arrangements that work for all parties, and we are disappointed that this has not been reciprocated. We urge the EU to think again.

Dominic Cummings said he discussed Boris Johnson’s impeachment as Prime Minister just weeks after helping him secure an 80-seat majority in the December 2019 election.

The remarkable plot was revealed in an explosive interview between the Prime Minister’s former senior adviser and BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg.

Mr Cummings – who left Number 10 last fall after a power struggle with Johnson’s wife Carrie – said: “Even before mid-January[2020[wehadmetatnumber10tosaythatitisclearCarrieveutsedoutriddingdenoustous[2020[wewerehavingmeetingsinNumber10sayingitusewantsclearthatCarallri[2020[nousavionsdesréunionsaunuméro10pourdirequ’ilestclairqueCarrieveutsedébarrasserdenoustous[2020[wewerehavingmeetingsinNumber10sayingit’sclearthatCarriewantsridofallofus

“At that point, we were already saying that by the summer we will either be all gone from here or we will try to get rid of him and recruit someone else as prime minister. “

Updates to this landmark Andrew Woodcock story can be found here:

Stormont politicians have rejected a controversial UK government plan for an effective amnesty in unrest-related cases.

During an emergency session, members of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) criticized proposals made by Brandon Lewis last week to introduce legislation to create a statute of limitations project to put end to all new criminal prosecutions until April 1998 – when Good Friday Agreement was reached.

In a recalled session in Stormont, the motion tabled by SDLP deputy leader Nichola Mallon, expressing his opposition to the proposals, was passed Wednesday without a dissenting voice during a two-hour debate.

Political correspondent Ashley Cowburn has all the latest news on it:

Richard Burgon has reacted angrily to the expected expulsion of Labor members who are part of four far-left factions the party will outlaw.

At a meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee today, the body is expected to approve the expulsion of members who joined the Resist, Labor Against the Witchhunt, Labor In Exile and Socialist Appeal groups, who are accused of downplaying anti-Semitism or extreme views.

Mr Burgon, a close ally of former leader Jeremy Corbyn, said the party should “lead the fight against the Tories” rather than “drive out young socialists”.

The UK will send two warships to Asian waters to be permanently based there, Zoe Tidman reports.

The ships will be assigned to the Indo-Pacific region from the end of the year, according to the British Ministry of Defense.

This is expected to follow plans for a British aircraft carrier and escort ships to conduct exercises in the Philippine Sea alongside forces from other countries in August.

The two warships – HMSSpeyand HMSTamar– will be deployed at the end of August and will be supported by Australia, Japan and Singapore, among other partners, in their operations.

More details on the program for this summer here:

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker, said he had received no indication that MPs would need vaccine passports to sit in the Commons.

Presence in the chamber has been restricted throughout the pandemic due to social distancing rules, although those measures have now been relaxed.

He was responding to a point of order from former Tory chief whip Mark Harper, who chairs the Covid Recovery Group, skeptical of the lockdown.

Mr. Harper, MP for Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, said of vaccine passports: “It would be outrageous if the executive tried to prevent any MP in the House from representing our constituents without first undergoing medical intervention. .

Sir Lindsay replied: “I have had no indication that the government considers that the policy it has mentioned should apply to this House.

“Nothing prevents a member from coming here, you have the right to come to this House unless this House says otherwise. The government hasn’t been in contact, I don’t expect them to be in contact because, as far as I’m concerned, that doesn’t apply to members.

Boris Johnson’s government has pledged to further expand the prison estate in England and Wales – despite campaigners’ concerns, it will do nothing to tackle the root causes of crime, writes Adam Forrest.

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has promised the government will bring forward proposals to “go beyond” current prison expansion plans later this year and create “the next generation of places of detention.”

But prison reform groups fear ministers are “just repeating the mistakes of the past” – warning that building more prison spaces and increasing the time criminals spend in prison will do nothing to combat them. underlying causes of crime.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said he “did not believe” Boris Johnson was planning to watch the BBC interview with his former adviser Dominic Cummings tonight.

The interview is scheduled to air at 7 p.m. tonight and will air on BBC Two.

“I have to say I was slightly shaken by some of the data on Covid deaths. The median age is 82-81 for men 85 for women. It is above life expectancy. So catch Covid and live longer.

“Almost all of those under 60 go to hospital (4%) and among them, practically all survive.

“And I don’t buy all that overwhelmed NHS stuff anymore. Folks, I think we might need to recalibrate.

The Prime Minister made the mistake of comparing two incompatible life expectancy figures, according to Kevin McConway, professor emeritus of applied statistics at the Open University.

Professor McConway said: “To compare the life expectancy at birth and the average age at death of people who have died from Covid is like comparing apples and pears. It’s just a bad comparison. He noted that researchers at the Health Foundation had calculated that the average person who died from Covid in the UK had lost around 10 years of life.

Michel Coleman, professor of epidemiology and vital statistics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said The independent: “Besides being incredibly amoral in the midst of a pandemic, the remark reported by the Prime Minister last October was just plain stupid.

“For the thousands of people who died from Covid before the age of 80, getting Covid can hardly be described as a passport to a longer life. “

With the report of political correspondent Jon Stone