Absolutely thrilled and honoured to win RTS Political Journalist of the Year. Thank you
@RTS_media
for the recognition and thank you to everyone in our peerless Westminster unit that make it all happen 🙏🏻👏🏻
PM has just said “I’m not giving you a deadline right now. I have been forbidden from announcing any more targets”
By whom? He’s the *actual prime minister*
This is from a Conservative MP. “Frankly I feel disgusted on how a Conservative Prime Minister can treat decent people who have sacrificed so much with such contempt.”
.
@KayBurley
What’s the govt advice if you’re struggling with your eyesight?Gove: It’s to seek medical advice
KB: So it’s not to take a 60 mile round trip with your 4 year old strapped in the back?
“I don’t claim to have the education of an MP in parliament, but I do have a social education. I’m clued up on the difference a U-turn decision would make on 1.3m vulnerable children registered for free school meals because ten years ago I was one of them”
When Paddington Bear takes tea with the Queen. Exquisite. One to watch on repeat (and finally after 70 years we find what the Queen keeps in her handbag…)
❤️💙🤍
#PlatinumJubilee
.
@BethRigby
: 'Are you worried about inflation?'
'People have been worried about inflation for a very long time, and those fears have been unfounded' says Boris Johnson, adding that he is "looking at robust economic growth".
Read more here:
BREAK: And so it begins. Just heard that Jacob Rees-Mogg has resigned from govt. A close ally of both Johnson and Truss, I’m told his letter has been delivered to the new PM
Listening back to PM statement again. Strip it back and in a nutshell, he apologising to people for how it looks, not the actual BYOB event on May 20, which he maintains was a 'work event'.
Raab ‘corrects’ Starmer and points out that capacity is at 40,000 and says the govt are working with commercial partners to get to 100k.
Starmer: I didn’t need correcting because I pointed out the actual test figure which is 18k. Ouch
#PMQs
"If the other three police officers who were standing around when George Floyd was murdered had thought about intervening like what we did, George Floyd would be alive today."
Patrick Hutchinson, who was pictured carrying a protestor to safety at violent demo says what happened.
Conservative MP texts: 'My inbox is overloaded with furious constituents. Good, decent everyday folks. I think seeing any British PM treat the nation's grandparents like they are idiots was a very uncomfortable thing. It was excruciating'
Sky News wasn't selected for a Q at the press conference today, so I have to sit this one out.
But I'm dismayed to see that this press conference is an all-male affair.
Not one female participant - from the podium to the press and the public.
Woken up to startling news; Jacinda Ardern resigns as NZ PM after concluding she “no longer has enough in the tank to do it justice”. I’ve only ever seen political leaders forced out or voted out, but in Ardern we find a rare exception, who again shows us how to lead differently
Oof. PM takes aim at Starmer for having more ‘flip flops than Bournemouth beach.
But Starmer prepared this time and comes back with a zinger. “This is the former columnist who wrote two versions of every article he every published”
#PMQs
💥A Tory source tells me a substantial amount of letters gone into Sir Graham Brady who is apparently away in Athens but returns on Monday. “Wait till he gets back”
A viewer points out an inconsistency in Cummings explanation of events
Mary Wakefield said when her husband fell ill (March 28) he couldn’t get out of bed for 10 days.
But in his statement yesterday Cummings said he drove to hospital to collect his son on Apr 3
NEW: Starmer has written to PM about inaccurate comments he made in the House of Commons about govt guidance on care homes. Asks the PM to come to the Commons to correct the record
This is a big deal. Another Sage member, the highly respected director of the Wellcome Trust also openly disagreeing with decision to lift lockdown. Trace & trace must be ‘fully working’. Infection rates lower. *And trusted*
Covid-19 spreading too fast to lift lockdown in England. Agree with John & clear science advice. TTI has to be in place, fully working, capable dealing any surge immediately, locally responsive, rapid results & infection rates have to be lower. And trusted
BREAKING: Con MP William Wragg accuses No10 of intimidation & breaching ministerial code by threatening to withdraw money from constituencies/leak stories abt rebels. Urges them to go to Police/Parly authorities
"The reports of which I'm aware would seem to constitute blackmail”
I don't think I have ever seen anything like it. For such a senior advisor to so openly and comprehensively try to demolish a sitting prime minister is jaw-dropping. And whatever you think about Cummings, Johnson let him into the inner room, which means his testimony counts
The senior former cabinet minister who told me on Tues night “he’s finished” and said the PM had just “a few days” left, tells me this today: “This is mad. He has lost his mind”
Big news this evening > Post Office is under criminal investigation by Met Police over wrongful prosecution of hundreds of sub-postmasters. Police confirm tonight they’re looking at “potential fraud offences” in the handling of the Horizon IT scandal
A year ago you said there'd be a border him the Irish Sea - and I quote you "over my dead body" - and here we both are, there is a border in the Irish Sea. Were you lying when you said no border or did you not understand the treaty you signed over Brexit?
Boris Johnson tells
@BethRigby
that he is willing to "do whatever it takes" as he repeats his threat to suspend Brexit agreements with the EU over Northern Ireland
Read more here:
Today, racing from SW1 to Dom Raab’s house for an interview, I left my credit card in a black cab. Joe, the cabbie, called my credit card company to track me down and then brought my card to my office. Joe is a good man and made me feel very happy. Thank you Joe!
Little love lost between the PM &
@TomTugendhat
, as the chair of the foreign affairs select committee interrupts the PM, telling him: "I am interested in your answers to my questions, not the ones you wish I had asked"
Latest tally 9 resignations tonight. 2 cabinet, 4PPS, 1 vice chair, 2 trade envoys.
And it’s getting very ugly. One former cabinet minister (and not an obvious agitator) tells me tonight: “PM’s finished” When I asked how long he’s got, the MP said “a matter of days”
I’m absolutely thrilled to be appointed Sky News’s Political Editor. Huge opportunity and responsibility at such an important time in our political life. An honour to follow in the footsteps of
@faisalislam
and
@adamboultonSKY
It’s interesting in this pool clip the PM keeps describing Partygate a ‘media obsession’ when the saga and his handling of it has triggered 148 of his own MPs (41 percent of parliamentary party) deciding they’d lost confidence in him. Bit deeper than a media storm?
Starmer to PM: "This wasn't a plan for living with Covid. It was a plan for ignoring it."
Starmer asks what the scientific advice for ending legal requirement to self isolate if you test positive?
Q: I want to talk to you about the optics of it. U claimed £4.5k hols, £16k clothing, £35k football, £17k tix. May be human reasons for it, but do u understand optics of it when you're the PM who said you'd do politics differently & looks like you're claiming loads of freebies?
'For some people it looked like you were going to do politics differently and now they're seeing that you're claiming lots of freebies.'
@BethRigby
presses Sir Keir Starmer on the donations he has accepted including £20k to help his son with his GCSEs.
I wasn’t given a Q. I called to PM asking her if she was out of her depth as she left. Journalists genuinely shocked that on such a big important day the PM didn’t answer Qs or explain
Starmer begins on UK’s death toll & says this is not“apparent success” (reflecting words of the PM on steps on Downing Street Apr 27). “How on earth did it come to this?”
PM: “At this stage I don’t think the data is there to draw conclusions”
Starmer: “These your slides’
#PMQs
Q: You can’t get a train, can’t get a GP appointment, can’t be sure if an ambulance will come in time. That’s the reality of Britain in 2023. Now more promises after 13 years of Conservative rule…Why should the public believe you’re any different from those who have come before?
'Why should the public believe you're different to any of your predecessors?' -
@BethRigby
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says he's proud of the record he has as chancellor and adds that the 'country's priorities are his priorities'
📺 Sky 501 and YouTube
Seems to me that Vallance seemed far more cautious/downbeat than PM about easing lockdown. R still close to 1. 56,000 new cases a week. Govt are really going to need public to comply for this to have any hope of working
I’ve watched this a number to times now and it’s deeply uncomfortable for the PM. Yes the man is a Labour activist but what viewers see when they watch this is a distressed father with a very sick young child who sees an opportunity to tackle the PM and takes it.
"What do you mean there's no press here, who are these people?"
@BorisJohnson
was confronted by a Labour activist during a visit to a hospital - the man, who was visiting a sick relative, told the PM "the NHS has been destroyed".
Read the full story:
NEW: Labour has a UQ straight after PMQs from Yvette Cooper: To ask the Home Secretary to make a statement on her resignation and reappointment as Home Sec. Lab also calling for
investigation into Braverman’s reappointment.
Tory party mood dark
V senior Tory says: ‘It’s as bad as it gets. Fact Dowden was telling people what they couldn’t do from one room & less than hour later this was happening in garden is indefensible
Another: ‘Mood terrible -even those who profess loyalty to him are in despair
PM spox says Sunak has full confidence in his Home Sec, but I'm getting some v critical briefings from colleagues on Braverman. Someone who sat with her in cab: "She's not up to it. She relies on others out of govt to advise her on what to do. She's not good enough"
This from NHS chief Simon Stevens on
@MattHancock
. Watch his reaction when asked ‘do you believe Matt Hancock is hopeless & do you have confidence in health secretary’
Immigration minister Robert Jenrick asked about Braverman’s “invasion” remarks. Clearly unimpressed by Home Sec’s choice of words. “In jobs like mine you have to choose words carefully, and I would never demonise people in search for a better life”
No drawing a line under this after
@Keir_Starmer
and
@DavidLammy
were mobbed today outside parliament by protesters shouting abuse and Jimmy Saville slurs. Deeply disturbing footage
Part of the reason what May said was so very powerful, is because she has stood in Johnson's shoes. She knows the challenges of office and decision making in ways others cannot imagine and yet her verdict was damning, her criticism clear and her disdain, fury even, palpable
Former minister tells me: “Either she goes today or Sunday/Monday. First, it’s the insubordination, Second is the ministerial code. Everybody’s livid, there’s a lot of messaging of the chief whip saying enough is enough”
I asked
@Keir_Starmer
about Saka’s goal in Eng v Sui on plane: “That was classic Bukayo cuts in from the right & that shot is absolutely classic – inside of the post – I’ve seen it so many times. And I’d remind you, England have not missed a penalty under a Labour govt in 2024”
PM chides Starmer for his negative tone....
Starmer says 34,000 is negative and adds “of course I am going to ask about that”
Starmer seems to be getting under PM’s skin. Johnson being pretty tetchy
#PMQs
Labour backs Lineker: “BBC’s cowardly decision to take Lineker off air is an assault on free speech in face of political pressure
“Tory politicians lobbying to get people sacked for disagreeing w govt policies should be laughed at, not pandered to. BBC should rethink decision”
BREAKING: PM has just said in the HoC "I am protecting the triple lock on pensions" Comes just 48 hours after the CX told me he couldn't commit. A line kept this morning by cabinet too. What on earth going on? Is it her position that counts or Hunt's?
#PMQs
Is Boris Johnson an honest man?
Kemi: Sometimes
Penny: Severe issues & he paid price
Rishi: Trust & honesty part of reason I resigned
Liz: He's been clear he made mistakes
Tom: No (gets applause)
#C4LeaderDebate
🚨NEW: Starmer to make a statement on the Durham police investigation at 4pm. Understand he will offer his resignation if issued with a FPN. His team adamant he’ll be cleared & this an attempt to draw line between Starmer & Johnson that not all politicians are the same
No Conservative MP or minister spoken out (other than in support) for Cummings. But privately there is anger and incredulity. Senior minister told me tonight Cummings has to go because he’s ‘damaging the team and the policy’. PM using up a lot of political capital
ANALYSIS: Johnson has at times been dubbed a populist, but when it comes to this pandemic he’s taking a scientific-only approach, refusing to be blown off course by other leaders’ more dramatic actions.
Experts do matter & the PM’s put his trust in them
Johnson scrapped cabinet committee supposed to ensure UK was ready to cope with a pandemic 6 mths before Covid-19 hit
Simon Walters reports committee mothballed by May so govt could focus on Brexit. It then abolished by Johnson when he became PM last July
To my mind, this now key line from Starmer following the publication of Gray 'update': "There can be no doubt that the Prime Minister is subject to criminal investigation"
David Beckham queued overnight - 13 hrs - alongside tens of thousands of others to pay tribute to the Queen. A superstar celebrity, who in this moment of national mourning, was just like everyone else. For me, it’s the perfect gesture. Find it strangely moving (& uplifting)
David Beckham pays tribute to the Queen at Westminster Hall.
He appeared emotional as he wiped away tears as he approached the monarch's coffin.
Latest:
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube
PERSONAL NEWS: Very excited to say I’ll be hosting a brand-new big interview show on
@skynews
. More than politics, we’ll be talking to decision-makers from all walks of life in a show that aims to revive the in-depth interview as a tool of journalism 1/
ANALYSIS: The PM asked the public to make up their own minds, and they have. Whatever Cummings’ fate, the PM has been weakened by this affair and government policy undermined
Starmer: I read today the PM decided to take control of the response to virus. Who’s been in direct control of the virus now?
PM: Asks Starmer for more signs of co-operation..
Starmer: I wrote to him 2 wks ago in confidence (offering help in kids back to school). He didn’t reply
Blown away by news of local businesses stepping up to fill the voucher scheme deficit during the October half term. Selflessness, kindness, togetherness, this is the England I know 🏴
Add
#ENDCHILDFOODPOVERTY
to your tweets so I can track them. I will share as many as I can ♥️
Toby Helm: Asks Dowden Q on Cummings & then to JVT: Should people in authority obey the rules?
JVT: I’m quite happy to answer. In my opinion the rules are clear & they have always been clear. In my opinion they are there for the benefit of all & in my opinion they apply to all
Julian Lewis statement via PA
1/ PM doesn’t get to pick ISC chair
2/ He did not give undertaking to support Grayling
3/ Given Govt explicitly denied it was trying to parachute candidate in, it’s ‘strange’ to have whip removed for failing to vote for ‘preferred’ candidate
Qs still around why the govt delayed putting India on the red list. Whitty says we'd be storming ahead and lifting restrictions on time if it was not for the Delta variant
NEW: Just 1 vote in it; MPs vote 170 to 169 to exclude MPs accused of serious sexual or violent offences from parly at point of arrest rather than when charged. This LD amendment tabled by Wendy Chamberlain & co-signed by
@jessphillips
& goes further than govt had wanted
NEW: Sky news understands HS2 will go from Euston to Man, but at Birmingham will switch onto normal tracks
So the PM, despite telling me today he wasn’t going to be forced into making premature decisions’ about HS2, had made the decision (which I put directly to him in our i/v)
Excoriating from Harman: “If I was going 100mph & I saw the speedometer saying 100mph, it’s be a bit odd, wouldn't it, if I said somebody assured me that I wasn't, cos it's what you see with your own eyes…we’re entitled to be a bit dismayed abt flimsy nature of this assurance”
🚨 NEW: In remarks that will likely further inflame tensions at home, PM tells reporters in Rwanda that he not only expects to win the next general election, but is planning to remain in power in the “mid 2030s” - he wants three terms
If you’re just waking up, Tories lose both by-elections. Tiverton an earthshaking result & a record-breaker - the largest Tory percentage majority loss in a by-election. The swing to LDs 29.9%, overturning 24k Tory majority. Will leave MPs feeling seats not safe under Johnson
.
@Keir_Starmer
called for this Oct 13 PM accused him of opportunism
Day Starmer made call, senior Lab figure told me: They’ll have to go beyond tier system. Circuit break only measure likely to make real difference. Sage minutes make it clear. PM making same mistake as March’
Starmer absolutely brutal. To PM: "what a pathetic spectacle" and to the cabinet still supporting him: "have some self-respect" as he calls the cabinet "nodding dogs"
#PMQs
On porn watching in chamber. MP at meeting says female minister saw it “next to her” & a colleague corroborated it. Also says women have subsequently spoken to chief whip & named man. Minister apparently also said culprit had been doing “in committee so repeat offenders”