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Tag: Boris

  • Johnson urged to apologise  

    Johnson urged to apologise  

    Starmer was confronted by angry protesters on Monday who surrounded him after an anti-Covid vaccination demonstration…reports Asian Lite News

    After protesters hounded Britain’s opposition leader Keir Starmer, Prime Minister Boris Johnson came under heavy pressure to withdraw a claim that Starmer had failed to prosecute one of the country’s most notorious child abusers.

    Johnson is facing the gravest crisis of his 30-month premiership after a series of scandals including revelations that he and his staff attended Downing Street parties during Covid lockdowns.

    As Johnson apologised to parliament for the parties on Jan. 31, he falsely claimed Starmer had failed to prosecute Jimmy Savile, a late TV star who abused hundreds of children, during his time as Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). 

    Starmer was confronted by angry protesters on Monday who surrounded him after an anti-Covid vaccination demonstration.

    As the Labour Party leader was escorted into a police car, some of the protesters shouted “Traitor!” and “Were you protecting Jimmy Savile?” at him.

    “It is really important for our democracy and for his security that the false Savile slurs made against him are withdrawn in full,” said Julian Smith, a lawmaker in Johnson’s ruling Conservative Party.

    Another Conservative lawmaker, Roger Gale, said: “This, I fear, is the direct result of the deliberately careless use of language in the Chamber.”

    The row risks further undermining Johnson’s authority as he battles to reshape his Downing Street team and face off claims from opposition parties that he is unfit to govern.

    Opposition lawmakers called on Johnson to apologise for the Savile remarks.

    Savile, a BBC TV and radio host who was never prosecuted despite a number of police investigations, died in 2011, aged 84. After his death it was revealed he had abused hundreds of victims, mainly children. The youngest victim was an 8-year-old boy.

    Johnson’s supporters said that while the behaviour of the protesters was unacceptable, it was a step too far to pin the blame for their actions on the prime minister.

    Johnson said on Feb. 3 that he had not meant to imply Starmer had personally failed to prosecute Savile, but he has refused to apologise for his remarks.

    Johnson’s attempt to clarify his remarks failed to satisfy Munira Mirza, his head of policy who had worked with him for 14 years, and prompted her to quit her job last week. Finance minister Rishi Sunak has said he would not have made such remarks.

    House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle, who previously ruled that Johnson’s comments on the matter were inappropriate but not against parliamentary rules, told lawmakers he had requested a report on the incident from police.

    “These sorts of comments only inflame opinions and generate disregard for the House…,” he said. “Our words have consequences and we should always be mindful of that fact.”

    ALSO READ-Revolt Against Boris Begins

  • Boris hits reshuffle button

    Boris hits reshuffle button

    The shake-up of the ministerial team follows the appointment of Stephen Barclay as the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, reports Asian Lite News

    Embattled British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, under pressure to resign over parties in Downing Street during lockdown, on Tuesday reshuffled his Cabinet and appointed Jacob Rees-Mogg as the minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency.

    Rees-Mogg, 52, currently leader of the House of Commons, will be based in the Cabinet Office.

    Mark Spencer, the current Chief Whip, will replace Rees Mogg as the Leader of Commons.

    Rees-Mogg, a prominent Leave campaigner during the 2016 EU referendum, will be a full member of the Cabinet, having previously only attended it. Spencer, who was previously chief whip, will continue to attend.

    Chris Heaton-Harris has become the new Chief Whip, in charge of disciplining Conservative MPs.

    Stuart Andrew, former Deputy Chief Whip, will be the minister for housing.

    Andrew, the MP for Pudsey since 2010, previously held the position of Treasurer of HM Household and was a Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons.

    The shake-up of the ministerial team follows the appointment of Stephen Barclay as the Prime Minister’s chief of staff.

    It also comes as Johnson, 57, seeks to relaunch his administration following the ‘Partygate’ row. He is facing intense pressure to step down from the Opposition and Conservative MPs.

    The Prime Minister has already changed many of his advisers and other staff of 10 Downing Street, as he attempts to ward off calls from the Opposition and some of his own MPs, to resign.

    At the sub-cabinet level, Stuart Andrew has moved from being deputy chief whip to housing minister.

    In her report on gatherings that took place in 10 Downing Street during lockdowns, published last week, senior civil servant Sue Gray criticised “failures of leadership and judgement”.

    In response, Johnson has promised a “change” in culture and to consult Conservative MPs more on setting policy.

    Meanwhile, Johnson’s office said that the prime minister has no intention of apologising after falsely claiming that Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer had failed to prosecute serial sex offender Jimmy Savile when he was director of public prosecutions.

    The reshuffle follows several backbench Tory MPs criticising his leadership.

    If 54 MPs write letters to Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the Conservative Party’s 1922 Committee, this will prompt a vote of no-confidence in the prime minister.

    If he lost this, there would be a full leadership contest, in which Johnson could not run.

    At the last Cabinet reshuffle in September last year, Nadine Dorries became culture secretary and Liz Truss became foreign secretary, while Dominic Raab was moved from the Foreign Office to become the deputy prime minister.

    Last week, Prime Minister Johnson’s five aides, including longstanding policy chief Munira Mirza, chief of staff Dan Rosenfield, principal private secretary Martin Reynolds and communications director Jack Doyle, resigned from their posts within hours of each other.

    They stepped down after a damning investigation revealed that multiple parties took place at Downing Street while the rest of the United Kingdom was living under strict Covid-19 lockdown rules.

    Officers from the Met Police are investigating a total of 12 Downing Street parties.

    It is believed that as many as six of those could have been attended by the Prime Minister.

    ALSO READ-Boris brings in new staffers to move past ‘partygate’ scandal

  • Boris brings in new staffers to move past ‘partygate’ scandal

    Boris brings in new staffers to move past ‘partygate’ scandal

    A total of 16 parties have been investigated by a senior civil servant, Sue Gray, with a dozen of them also under investigation by the Metropolitan Police…reports Asian Lite News

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson has brought in new senior staffers as he tries to restore his flagging authority — including a communications chief who has called lockdown-breaching government parties “unforgivable.”

    The prime minister hired Guto Harri, an aide from his days as London mayor who has recently been critical of Johnson, to try to regain control of the government’s messaging after weeks of turmoil that have led some in the ruling Conservatives to call for his removal. He also appointed a senior Cabinet minister, Steve Barclay, as his new chief of staff.

    Visiting a hospital cancer center on Monday outside London, Johnson said he was “completely focused” on clearing a backlog of millions of medical procedures built up during the pandemic. It’s one of a pile of critical issues, including a squeeze on household finances from inflation and a looming tax hike, that are being overshadowed by Johnson’s personal woes.

     “I think what people want is for the government to focus, not on stuff going on at (the government district of) Westminster, but to focus on life … beyond Westminster, and to focus on the needs of the country,” Johnson said. “And that is what we’re doing.”

    Johnson’s grip on power has been shaken by public anger over revelations that his staff held “bring your own booze” office parties, birthday celebrations and “wine time Fridays” in 2020 and 2021, while millions in Britain were barred from meeting with friends and family because of his government’s Covid-19 restrictions.

    A total of 16 parties have been investigated by a senior civil servant, Sue Gray, with a dozen of them also under investigation by the Metropolitan Police.

    In an interim report last week into the four parties not under criminal investigation, Gray found that “failures of leadership and judgment” enabled events to occur that “should not have been allowed to take place” and described a Downing Street operation marked by excessive drinking and dysfunctional dynamics.

    Johnson apologized — without admitting personal wrongdoing — and pledged to fix the problems in his office.

    But on Friday he was rocked by the departure of five senior staff, including his chief of staff, his communications director and his policy director, Munira Mirza. Mirza, a loyal longtime aide, stood by the prime minister amid the “partygate” revelations. But she said Johnson’s “scurrilous accusation” this week that an opposition leader had failed to stop a notorious pedophile was the final straw.

    Johnson responded to the departures with a Downing Street shakeup that included the eye-catching appointment of Harri, a former BBC journalist who worked for Johnson at City Hall from 2008 to 2012 but has more recently criticized him. In 2018, Harri called Johnson “sexually incontinent,” and in 2020 he said government communications during the pandemic had been “a masterclass in incompetence.” Last month Harri said reports of parties in Downing Street while Britain was in lockdown were “unforgivable,” though also “understandable in some ways.”

    Harri told a Welsh-language news site that Johnson greeted him on his first day by singing Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.”

    The staff moves are intended to reassure Conservative lawmakers who are debating whether to seek a no-confidence vote in the leader who won them a big parliamentary majority just over two years ago.

    Under party rules, a no-confidence vote is triggered if 15% of party lawmakers — currently 54 people — write letters calling for one. If Johnson lost such a vote, he would be replaced as party leader and prime minister.

    Only 15 of the 360 Conservative legislators have publicly called for Johnson to quit, though the number who have written letters is likely higher.

    Conservative lawmaker Tom Tugendhat, who has already said he will run for leader if Johnson is ousted, said the prime minister’s fate depended on “how the reset goes.”

    He said “there’s an awful lot of talent going in,” but also “an awful lot of talent coming out.”

    ALSO READ-Boris ‘sorry’ after ‘partygate’

  • Govt sets out blueprint to transform UK

    Govt sets out blueprint to transform UK

    It is the most comprehensive, ambitious plan of its kind that this country has ever seen and it will ensure that the government continues to rise to the challenge and deliver for the people of the UK…reports Asian Lite News

    Initiatives unveiled in the Levelling Up White Paper include helping the Glasgow City-Region become an Innovation Accelerator.

    Last year the government announced £200 million investment for projects in Scotland supported by its Levelling Up Fund, Community Renewal Fund and Community Ownership Fund.

    Following publication of the white paper, Secretary of State for Levelling Up Michael Gove will invite to the First Ministers of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland to join a new collective effort to level up the whole of the United Kingdom.

    In addition, the Glasgow city region will become one of three new ‘Innovation Accelerators’. These new centres for innovation, research, and development will drive-up prosperity and opportunity for local people – each backed by a share of £100 million of UK government funding.

    This Innovation Accelerator, alongside others in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, are inspired by the Stanford-Silicon Valley and MIT-Greater Boston models of combining excellent research with cutting-edge industry in a city-region.

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, “From day one, the defining mission of this government has been to level up this country, to break the link between geography and destiny so that no matter where you live you have access to the same opportunities. The challenges we face have been embedded over generations and cannot be dug out overnight, but this White Paper is the next crucial step. It is a vision for the future that will see public spending on R&D increased in every part of the country; transport connectivity improving; faster broadband in every community; life expectancies rising; violent crime falling; schools improving; and private sector investment being unleashed.”

    It is the most comprehensive, ambitious plan of its kind that this country has ever seen and it will ensure that the government continues to rise to the challenge and deliver for the people of the UK.

    Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Rt Hon Michael Gove MP said, “The United Kingdom is an unparalleled success story with one of the world’s biggest and most dynamic economies. But not everyone shares equally in the UK’s success. Great cities like Glasgow, Belfast, Swansea and Manchester, and proud towns from Aberystwyth to Armagh, to Bangor and Yeovil, have huge potential but contain inequalities which hold too many back. Our ambitious plan to unite and level up the whole UK seeks to end that historic injustice and call time on the postcode lottery.”

    Among the White Paper’s 12 central missions are plans to: close the gap between the UK’s highest and lowest performing cities; improve educational attainment among children leaving primary school; narrow the gap in healthy life expectancy between the best and worst performing areas of the UK; and close gaps in transport and connectivity.

    These missions will drive real change by spreading opportunity and prosperity and reverse the postcode lottery of life chances in the UK.

    Where policies are reserved, the UK government will lead on delivery UK-wide. Where missions fall in devolved policy areas, the UK government will seek to work collaboratively with the devolved governments to deliver for the people we jointly serve.

    The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Michael Gove, will write to the leaders of the devolved administrations to invite them to work together to deliver for people across the UK.

    Proposals will include using the new structures created in the landmark Intergovernmental Relations Review to drive collaboration to overcome geographical disparities and the creation of a new body to share evidence and analyse success in devolved policy areas across the UK.

    ALSO READ-Boris assembles new cohort of business leaders to turbocharge economy

  • UK govt in crisis as PM’s four top aides quit

    UK govt in crisis as PM’s four top aides quit

    Lawmakers in Conservative Party are mulling whether to seek a no-confidence vote in the leader who won them a big parliamentary majority just over two years ago, reports Asian Lite News

    Four of Boris Johnson’s most senior staff quit on Thursday, triggering new turmoil for the embattled British prime minister.

    Johnson’s office said chief of staff Dan Rosenfield and principal private secretary Martin Reynolds had both tendered their resignations. Director of Communications Jack Doyle and senior adviser Munira Mirza also said they had left Downing Street.

    Reynolds is a key figure in the partygate scandal over lockdown-breaching parties held by Johnson and his staff during the coronavirus pandemic. He sent an invitation to about 100 staff to a bring your own booze garden party in May 2020, when Britons were banned from socializing in groups as part of restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19.

    The garden gathering is one of 16 alleged parties under investigation by senior civil servant Sue Gray. A dozen of the events are also being investigated by the Metropolitan Police.

    This week Gray released an interim report looking at the four parties police are not investigating. She found that failures of leadership and judgment allowed events to occur that should not have been allowed to take place and described a Downing Street operation marked by excessive drinking and dysfunctional dynamics.

    Johnson has apologized and pledged to fix the problems in his office, but has not admitted personal wrongdoing.

    The prime minister’s grip on power has been shaken by revelations that his staff held bring your own booze office parties, birthday celebrations and wine time Fridays in 2020 and 2021 while millions in Britain were barred from meeting with friends and family.

    Lawmakers in Johnson’s Conservative Party are mulling whether to seek a no-confidence vote in the leader who won them a big parliamentary majority just over two years ago. Under party rules, such a vote is triggered if 15 per cent of party lawmakers currently 54 people write letters calling for one. If Johnson lost such a vote he would be replaced as party leader and prime minister.

    It’s not known how many letters have been sent, though a handful of lawmakers said this week that they were seeking a no-confidence vote. Conservative discontent grew after Johnson accused opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer in the House of Commons on Monday of failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile when he was the UK’s director of public prosecutions. Savile was a veteran television personality who was revealed after his death in 2011 as one of Britain’s worst serial sexual abusers.

    Starmer said it was a ridiculous slur peddled by right-wing trolls, and some Conservatives also recoiled at the attack. Mirza, who has worked for Johnson since he was mayor of London a decade ago, resigned over the Savile comment.

    “You are a better man than many of your detractors will ever understand, which is why it is so desperately sad that you let yourself down by making a scurrilous accusation against the leader of the opposition,” she wrote in a resignation letter, published by the Spectator magazine of which Johnson is a former editor.

    As Johnson’s troubles mounted Thursday, a government minister, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke, was asked by Channel 4 news whether it felt like the last days of Rome in Downing Street.

    “The last days of Rome, I think, were more fun,” he said.

    ALSO READ-Revolt Against Boris Begins

  • Boris slams criticism as party allegations escalate

    Boris slams criticism as party allegations escalate

    Johnson faced multiple questions from opposition MPs at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday over fresh allegations of parties during the coronavirus lockdown…reports Asian Lite News

    Boris Johnson dismissed criticism about the conduct of his government after further reports of parties in Downing Street during lockdown prompted renewed pressure within his ruling Conservative Party for him to resign.

    The U.K. prime minister told the House of Commons on Wednesday that it was “more vital than ever” for the government “to get on with the job” — pointing to a long-awaited plan to reduce economic inequality, and his efforts to help ease tensions between Ukraine and Russia.

    But he faced fresh turmoil on Wednesday when Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, chair of the Commons defense committee, joined rebels in submitting a letter to the influential 1922 committee calling for a vote of no-confidence in Johnson’s leadership. That came hours after the premier returned from Kyiv after talks with the Ukrainian leadership.

    The relentless flow of allegations of rule-breaking gatherings, dubbed “Partygate” by the U.K. media, has damaged Johnson’s standing within his Conservative Party, and the danger for the prime minister is that enough of Ellwood’s colleagues are also persuaded to submit letters. If the total reaches 54 — or 15% of the party’s MPs — it will trigger a no-confidence vote in the premier.

    So far about a dozen Tories have publicly either called for Johnson to go or said they’ve written a letter. Tory MPs Andrew Mitchell, a former cabinet minister, and Peter Aldous also this week called on him to quit. But many others have said they’re reserving judgment until a police inquiry into 12 gatherings reaches its conclusion.

    Johnson faced multiple questions from opposition MPs at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday over fresh allegations of parties during the coronavirus lockdown. The Telegraph reported that he was seen heading up to his flat on Nov. 13, 2020, when a gathering was held which is now being investigated by the police. The Guardian said he’d attended another boozy leaving do for staff in January 2021.

    Ian Blackford, the Scottish National Party’s Westminster leader, branded Johnson a “dangerous distraction at home and a running joke on the international stage.” The premier said he could not comment on alleged gatherings while the Metropolitan Police was investigating.

    The police probe into potential criminal offenses — which could take weeks or even months –has delayed the publication of the full findings of a civil service inquiry by the senior official Sue Gray. Johnson’s official spokesman Max Blain told reporters in a regular briefing Wednesday the prime minister had not yet been contacted by police for interview.

    Gray’s final report and the police investigation will provide moments of danger for the prime minister and ensure the lockdown parties remain in the public eye.

    In an attempt to shift the narrative, Johnson’s government on Wednesday fleshed out his vision to “level up” Britain — a key catchphrase in the Conservative Party’s election-winning campaign of 2019 — and said it would move many decision-making powers away from London and seek to boost pay and productivity in the U.K.’s most deprived regions.

    Key measures in the plan include creating more local mayors, a commitment to boost public investment outside the south-east of England and regenerate town centers, according to a statement from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

    ALSO READ-Johnson dials Putin to discuss Ukraine

  • Boris assembles new cohort of business leaders to turbocharge economy

    Boris assembles new cohort of business leaders to turbocharge economy

    This new Businesses Council will help drive this vision forward and ensure our Plan for Growth is delivered successfully – levelling up across the country and powering a high growth, high productivity economy…reports Asian Lite News

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson launches new Business Council following two-year Brexit anniversary, as part of ambitions to assert the UK as the best place in the world to do business.

    The Prime Minister’s revamped Business Council, co-chaired by the Chancellor, will convene a new cohort of business leaders to work in partnership with the Government, helping to drive a high productivity, high growth economy over the next 12 months and level up local economies around the country.

    The new Council will support the UK’s recovery from Covid-19 and prioritise delivering the green industrial revolution, creating new jobs and developing a skilled workforce, and unlocking global investment. This follows the Prime Minister’s pledge this week to capitalise on regulatory freedoms two years on from our departure from the EU, in another move that will support businesses to invest, innovate and create jobs.

    Building on the successes of last year’s Build Back Better Business Council, the Prime Minister’s Business Council will retain and implement the three core pillars of the Plan for Growth framework – infrastructure, innovation, and skills – against which Council members will continue to translate goals into measurable action.

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, “We’ve got one of Europe’s most open economies thanks to our vaccine rollout programme, and with Plan B restrictions firmly behind us we can now go further to turbocharge the economy and unleash the benefits of Brexit. Harnessing the extraordinary powers of our new Business Council, together we will knuckle down on creating new high skilled, high wage jobs, driving innovation in science and tech, and mobilising investment to deliver the green industrial revolution – all while levelling up and securing the UK as the best place to do business.”

    Meanwhile, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said, “Thanks to the speed of our vaccine rollout and unprecedented package of covid support we have the fastest growing economy in the G7 – and it’s vital we continue on that path by grasping the opportunities ahead. We’re investing billions in innovation, infrastructure and skills to release the potential of the whole of the UK and ensure the UK continues to be the most attractive place in the world to do business.”

    This new Businesses Council will help drive this vision forward and ensure our Plan for Growth is delivered successfully – levelling up across the country and powering a high growth, high productivity economy.

    Meeting at least quarterly, the Prime Minister’s Business Council will be comprised of 28 members from a range of industries and sectors, including manufacturing, financial services, energy, and world renowned science and technology sectors. The line-up also consists of 13 women, which sees an increase in the proportion of female members from last year’s Build Back Better Business Council.

    The Business Secretary and Trade Secretary will be standing members, with the addition of the Education Secretary to focus on skills. Other Cabinet Ministers will attend meetings as required.

    The first Prime Minister’s Business Council is scheduled for the coming weeks, and will be co-chaired by the Prime Minister and the Chancellor.

    Amanda Blanc, Group CEO, Aviva said, “A thriving UK economy takes partnership between government, business and our communities. We all benefit when companies are able to invest in the jobs, skills and infrastructure the country needs to compete globally, and seize the opportunities of a sustainable, low carbon future. I’m delighted to join the Prime Minister’s Business Council to promote our nation’s growth.”

    ALSO READ-Russian forces pose ‘clear danger’ to Ukraine, says Boris

  • Next 24 hours could decide PM’s future

    Next 24 hours could decide PM’s future

    Boris Johnson’s immediate predecessor and Conservative party colleague Theresa May, whose exit he is said to have engineered, sarcastically asked him if he had not read Covid rules, did not understand them or thought he was exempt? reports Ashish Ray

    Boris Johnson characteristically came out fighting in the House of Commons, as his future as the Prime Minister of Britain hung in the balance following an investigation by a senior civil servant, Sue Grey, into partying at his office-cum-residence at 10 Downing Street in London damningly violation of Covid-19 laws at the epicentre of political power in the UK.

    He described the report as ‘a tissue of nonsense’ in response to the leader of the Labour party and of the opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, accusing him of ignoring it and calling him a ‘man without shame’.

    Johnson cowered behind a police inquiry currently underway as a result of the facts unearthed by Grey.

    Johnson’s immediate predecessor and Conservative party colleague Theresa May, whose exit he is said to have engineered, sarcastically asked him if he had not read Covid rules, did not understand them or thought he was exempt?

    May is looked upon as a person who might navigate Johnson’s ouster from behind the scene. If 54 Conservative MPs ask for a leadership contest, this will automatically be triggered.

    A leadership contest could open the door for Rishi Sunak, now Chancellor of the exchequer, to throw his hat into the ring.

    Controversially, what surfaced in the public domain on Monday after a week of dilly-dallying was reportedly a heavily redacted report. The British capital’s metropolitan police, popularly known as Scotland Yard, insisted on this, so as not to jeopardise the criminal inquiry it has been entrusted with, based on Grey’s findings.

    The Yard is probing 12 of the 16 parties examined by Grey, which will interrogate Johnson ‘under caution’, which means as a suspect, not as a witness.

    Johnson in other words is believed to have committed the crime of allowing or himself being knowingly and willingly a participant in the concerned parties or social gatherings, thereby not following Covid-19 rules legislated by his own government.

    Grey concluded: “At least some of the gatherings in question represent a serious failure to observe not just the high standards expected of those working at the heart of the government, but also of the standards expected of the entire British population at the time.”

    She disclosed: “Some staff wanted to raise concerns about behaviours they witnessed at work but at times felt unable to do so.”

    “The whole of the country rose to the challenge,” she wrote, adding: “Ministers, special advisers and the Civil Service, of which I am proud to be a part, were a key and dedicated part of that national effort. However, as I have noted, a number of these gatherings should not have been allowed to take place or to develop in the way that they did.”

    It was circulating in media that Grey admitted her report does not provide a ‘meaningful’ account of ‘partygate’ because of omissions requested by the police. It was, though, still quite a bombshell, as expected.

    In a rowdy session of the Commons, leader of the Scottish National Party, Ian Blackford, was ordered to leave the chamber by the Speaker after the former insisted on saying Johnson had ‘misled the House’ – by convention a resigning matter in British politics.

    The parties allegedly took place between March 28, 2020 and May 17, 2021.

    ALSO READ-NHS expands Covid vaccines to at-risk 5 to 11-year-old kids

  • Boris ‘sorry’ after ‘partygate’

    Boris ‘sorry’ after ‘partygate’

    He also pledged to get on with the job” despite widespread political and public anger and calls for him to quit or be forced out…reports Asian Lite News

    UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has apologised after his government was criticised for “failures of leadership and judgment” in allowing lockdown-breaching parties at his offices, media reported.
    The prime minister told the House of Commons: “I’m sorry for the things that we simply didn’t get right and also sorry for the way this matter has been handled.”

    He also pledged to get on with the job” despite widespread political and public anger and calls for him to quit or be forced out, it was reported.
    “I get it and I will fix it,” Johnson added, promising sweeping changes to his Downing Street operation.

    Boris Johnson on Monday refused calls to resign after an investigation into a string of parties held at his official residence in Downing
    Street during the COVID-19 lockdown found there were serious “failures of leadership and judgment.” “I am going to get on with the job,” Johnson told Parliament following the release of the report on the inquiry conducted by senior civil servant Sue Gray.

    Report finds ‘failures of leadership and judgement’

    The long-awaited report, which was published as an update because the London Metropolitan Police had asked the senior civil servant conducting the probe to make minimal reference to some of the gatherings to avoid prejudice to their own investigation, concluded that the parties held at Downing Street during the lockdown “should not have been allowed to take place.”

    “Against the backdrop of the pandemic, when the government was asking citizens to accept far-reaching restrictions on their lives, some of the behaviour surrounding these gatherings is difficult to justify,” Gray said. Johnson has been grappling with calls to resign after a series of revelations showed that several social gatherings were held at his offices throughout 2020 and 2021, flouting COVID-19 social distancing rules.
    Calls for him to step down from his role were renewed during the heated debate that took place in Parliament following the publication of the damning report but the prime minister said people must wait for the conclusions of the police inquiry.

    The British government on Monday published a long-awaited report into parties held at Downing Street that allegedly breached the country’s COVID-19 rules, found serious “failures of leadership and judgment” by the UK government. “At times it seems there was too little thought given to what was happening across the country in considering the
    appropriateness of some of these gatherings, the risks they presented to public health and how they might appear to the public. There were failures of leadership and judgment by different parts of No 10 and the Cabinet Office at different times. Some of the events should not have been allowed to take place. Other events should not have been allowed to develop as they did,” the findings of the report said. “A number of these gatherings should not have been allowed to take place or to develop in the way that they did. There is significant learning to be drawn from these events which must be addressed immediately across Government,” the text added.

    Earlier UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office apologized to the royal family for holding staff parties in Downing Street on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral last year, when COVID-19 rules barred indoor socializing. “It is deeply regrettable that this took place at a time of national mourning and Number 10 has apologized to the Palace,”
    Xinhua News Agency had reported quoting a spokesperson for British Prime Minister. The prime minister had conceded: “With hindsight, I should have sent everyone back inside. I should have found some
    other way to thank them.” Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labour Party, had raged against Johnson’s “ridiculous” apology, saying the prime minister’s excuse that he “did not realize he was at a party” was “offensive” to the British public. (ANI/Sputnik)

    ALSO READ-Boris warns Russia against ‘catastrophic invasion’

  • Boris warns Russia against ‘catastrophic invasion’

    Boris warns Russia against ‘catastrophic invasion’

    Foreign secretary Liz Truss says that new legislation, which is expected to be announced in the House of Commons on Monday, will widen current sanctions so “there will be nowhere to hide for Putin’s oligarchs”, reports Asian Lite News

    Boris Johnson has warned Russia against a “catastrophic invasion” of Ukraine – as the government said widened sanctions would see it pursue “Putin’s oligarchs”.

    The prime minister said on Sunday that the “picture is increasingly concerning” as he urged Russia to engage in talks and “avoid a reckless and catastrophic invasion”.

    It comes after Johnson offered to double the number of troops to strengthen Europe’s borders, as well as send defensive weapons.

    And foreign secretary Liz Truss doubled down by saying Downing Street will broaden its scope to target Russian oligarchs in the UK.

    She told Sky News that new legislation, which is expected to be announced in the House of Commons on Monday, will widen current sanctions so “there will be nowhere to hide for Putin’s oligarchs”.

    Truss said the “number one thing that will stop Vladimir Putin taking action is if he understands the [financial] costs of that action”.

    “Currently, the economic sanctions are fairly narrowly drawn, so we could only target companies with a direct involvement in destabilising Ukraine.

    “What we are looking to do is widen that so any company of interest to the Kremlin and the regime in Russia would be able to be targeted, so there will be nowhere to hide for Putin’s oligarchs, for Russian companies involved in propping up the Russian state.”

    Truss added “nothing is off the table” amid suggestions the sanctions could include the seizure of oligarchs’ property in London.

    Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg told the BBC that potential sanctions on Russia would have an effect on the country as it would have to pay a “higher price”.

    However, he added he was concerned about retaliations from Russia if there were sanctions, such as cutting off gas supplies to Europe.

    Major deployment of troops

    Meanwhile, Britain is preparing to offer NATO a “major” deployment of troops, weapons, warships and jets in Europe, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Saturday, to respond to rising “Russian hostility” towards Ukraine.

    The offer, set to be made to NATO military chiefs next week, could see London double the approximately 1,150 UK troops currently in eastern European countries and “defensive weapons” sent to Estonia, his office said.

    “This package would send a clear message to the Kremlin — we will not tolerate their destabilising activity, and we will always stand with our NATO allies in the face Russian hostility,” Johnson said in a statement late Saturday.

    “I have ordered our Armed Forces to prepare to deploy across Europe next week, ensuring we are able to support our NATO allies on land, at sea and in the air,” he added.

    The British leader said if Russian President Putin chose “bloodshed and destruction” in Ukraine, it would be “a tragedy for Europe”.

    “Ukraine must be free to choose its own future,” he argued.

    Johnson, who has been under intense political pressure for weeks following a series of scandals, said Friday he will speak to Putin in the coming days to urge de-escalation over Ukraine.

    Meanwhile, he is to visit the region next week.

    Relations between Russia and the West are at their lowest point since the Cold War after Moscow deployed tens of thousands of troops on the border of Ukraine.

    Britain’s foreign ministry is expected to announce the toughening of its sanctions regime on Russia in parliament Monday, to target strategic and financial interests.

    Meanwhile UK officials will be dispatched to Brussels, home to NATO headquarters, to finalise details of the military offer after ministers discuss the differing options also on Monday.

    Britain’s chief of defence staff Tony Radakin, the head of the armed forces, will brief the cabinet on the situation in Ukraine the following day.

    The possible deployment of aircraft, warships and military specialists as well as troops and weaponry will reinforce NATO’s defences and “underpin the UK’s support for Nordic and Baltic partners”, according to Johnson’s office.

    Britain already has more than 900 military personnel based in Estonia, and more than 100 are currently in Ukraine as part of a training mission started in 2015.

    Meanwhile a light cavalry squadron of around 150 personnel is deployed in Poland.

    The warship HMS Prince of Wales — currently in the so-called “High North” European Arctic region, leading the NATO’s Maritime High Readiness Force — is on standby “to move within hours should tensions rise further,” Downing Street said.

    On the diplomatic front, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace are preparing to visit Moscow for talks with their counterparts in the coming days, it added.

    “They will be asked to improve relationships with President Putin’s government and encourage de-escalation,” Johnson’s office said.

    Wallace is also set to travel to meet with allies in Hungary, Slovenia, and Croatia next week.

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