Tory MP Neil Parish’s decision to resign after admitting watching porn in the House of Commons has created a vacancy in his Devon constituency. He has held his Tiverton and Honiton seat for 12 years and won the last election in 2019 with a 24,239 majority. According to reports, the former Brexit Minister has been...
Partygate: Boris Johnson has become ‘great debaser of decency’ after ‘shredding’ ministerial code, historian says
Boris Johnson “shredded” the ministerial code over the partygate scandal and has become a “great debaser of decency” in political life, according to an eminent historian. Five days after Mr Johnson was issued with a fixed-penalty notice for flouting Covid regulations, and refused to resign, Lord Peter Hennessy said it was the “most severe constitutional crisis involving a prime minister”....
Sir David Amess: Ali Harbi Ali convicted of murder and planning terror attacks on other MPs
The Isis-supporting terrorist who killed Sir David Amess has been convicted of murdering the MP and plotting attacks on other politicians. Ali Harbi Ali, 26, said he murdered the Conservative politician because he had voted for airstrikes against Isis in Syria and Iraq. He had been plotting to murder an MP since May 2019, researching other potential targets including Michael...
Priti Patel breached human rights with unlawful policy of seizing asylum seekers’ phones, court rules
The High Court has ruled against home secretary Priti Patel’s secret policy of confiscating asylum seekers’ mobile phones by declaring it unlawful. The Home Office has had a secret blanket policy of seizing phones belonging to asylum seekers who had arrived in the UK via clandestine routes, such as in small boats. The phones’ data was then...
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace fears Russian attack on Ukraine is ‘highly likely’
The Defence Secretary has compared diplomatic efforts to prevent a Russian invasion of Ukraine to appeasement as he said it is “highly likely” Vladimir Putin will order an attack despite the concerted talks to avert war. Ben Wallace said there is a “whiff of Munich in the air”, in a reference to the agreement that allowed German annexation of the Sudetenland in...
Queen’s milestone Platinum Jubilee to be celebrated in 2022
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee will be a milestone celebrated across the country in honour of a monarch who has left an indelible mark on the life of the nation. Spanning a period from post-war Britain when rationing was still in place, to a world of virtual currencies, driverless cars and pandemics, the Queen’s period as head of...
Rene Magritte ‘masterpiece’ estimated at more than £44 million to be auctioned
A painting by Belgian artist Rene Magritte estimated to be worth more than £44 million is to appear in London ahead of auction. The Empire Of Light, considered to be “a masterpiece of 20th century art”, will be exhibited at Sotheby’s auction house in the capital in March. The series of paintings depicts a paradoxical image of a night...
Boris Johnson again courts scandal amid rule-breaking party claims
Reports that Boris Johnson and his then fiancé Carrie Symonds attended a “bring your own booze” party in the No 10 garden during lockdown have reignited uproar for a Prime Minister familiar with scandal. On Monday, an email in which Mr Johnson’s principal private secretary Martin Reynolds invited Downing Street staff to the gathering in May 2020 was leaked . It...
Will Boris Johnson make a Covid announcement today? Next speech date
Boris Johnson has already been forced to introduce social restrictions to combat the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus and rocketing infection numbers in January could ultimately see him forced to tighten them still further. The prime minister has already brought back mandatory mask-wearing on public transport and in shops, cinemas, theatres and places of worship, asked citizens to work from home where possible...
Edward Colston ‘sentenced to death’ as statue thrown in harbour, court told
A protester who helped roll the statue of Edward Colston to Bristol Harbour and throw it in the water has said he was staging a symbolic “sentencing” of the slave trader. The memorial to the 17th century merchant was toppled during a Black Lives Matter march in June 2020, before being dragged and rolled 500m and dumped in the harbour. It...