Keir Starmer: PM’s ‘back was against the wall’ over sleaze row
A friend of cabinet minister Michael Gove won more than £160 million in PPE contracts after being referred through a “VIP” lane, a leaked document has revealed.
The communities secretary recommended Meller Designs, a company which is co-owned by Conservative donor David Meller, who supported Mr Gove’s Tory leadership campaign.
Responding to the leak, Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said it proved “just how engulfed in corruption this government is”.
Six other Conservative MPs and peers were also involved in business referrals during the pandemic, details published by Politico website show. This includes Lord Feldman, a friend of David Cameron, who suggested three companies which went on to gain tens of millions of pounds in contracts.
Meanwhile, the sleaze row in Westminster continues on Wednesday with a vote on whether to ban outside consultancy work.
Boris Johnson belatedly backed the Labour proposal in an attempt to stem the backlash from a string of lurid headlines.
Triggering Article 16 ‘very real option’, warns Lord Frost
Brexit minister Lord David Frost has warned that triggering Article 16 of the Northern Ireland protocol is a “very real option”, ahead of meetings with politicians and business leaders in the territory.
His comment to BBC Radio Ulster on Wednesday comes the week after he rowed back on the threat amid negotiations with the EU over post-Brexit arrangements in Northern Ireland.
He added that he “very much” hopes that talks with the EU come to a successful conclusion soon.
“If we can’t, if there can’t be an agreement, then obviously the famous Article 16 is a very real option for us,” he said.
Rory Sullivan17 November 2021 09:02
PM ‘ignored’ Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s hunger-striking husband
Boris Johnson has been accused of walking past and ignoring the husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe while he was on hunger strike to protest against his wife’s detention in Iran.
In the statement on Tuesday, Richard Ratcliffe said: “Today marks day 2,054 of Nazanin’s detention. We are approaching our sixth Christmas apart. A little girl has been without her mother for five and a half years now. It did not have to be like this.
“The prime minister did not visit me on hunger strike, though he did pass me one day without coming over. His government continues to put British citizens in harm’s way, Nazanin’s story shames this country.”
Rory Sullivan17 November 2021 08:44
Patel blames Liverpool bombing on ‘dysfunctional’ asylum system
Home secretary Priti Patel appeared to make political mileage out of the terror attack in Liverpool on Sunday, claiming it would not have happened without Britain’s “dysfunctional” asylum system.
The suspect, Emad Al Swealmeen, 32, who was the only person to die in the blast, reportedly arrived from the Middle East in 2014 and had an application for asylum rejected the following year. However, he remained in the UK.
“The case in Liverpool was a complete reflection of how dysfunctional, how broken, the system has been in the past, and why I want to bring changes forward,” Ms Patel was quoted as saying.
Rory Sullivan17 November 2021 08:20
Boris Johnson bows to pressure on MPs’ second jobs
Boris Johnson has bowed to political pressure by backing a motion to ban MPs from doing consultancy work.
The decision comes after the government was beset by a string of sleaze allegations, including its attempts to prevent the suspension of Owen Paterson MP for lobbying.
The Commons will vote on the potential ban on outside consultancy jobs this afternoon.
Our political editors Andrew Woodcock and Rob Merrick look at the latest developments:
Rory Sullivan17 November 2021 08:04
Seven Tory politicians helped firms access PPE contracts via VIP lane, leak reveals
Michael Gove is among seven Tory MPs who helped firms access lucrative PPE contracts through a “VIP lane”, leak documents have revealed.
His friend David Meller’s company Meller Designs won more than £160 million in government contracts.
The issue is likely to add more pressure on the government, which has been accused of cronyism by Labour.
My colleague Adam Forrest has this report:
Rory Sullivan17 November 2021 07:46
Good morning, and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the sleaze scandal engulfing the government.
Rory Sullivan17 November 2021 07:44
Read More:Boris Johnson news live: Latest updates as Michael Gove’s friend awarded millions in PPE contracts
2021-11-17 08:44:09
