Commons leader Jacob Rees Mogg has just told MPs that Dominic Raab's own comments which came out of his own mouth and were recorded on tape were "shockingly distorted by low quality journalism" by me.
Judge for yourself...
The Labour-run Welsh Government is loaning England four million Covid tests to help with the shortage.
An absolute gift for
@Keir_Starmer
as he starts thinking about his first
#PMQs
of 2022 next week...
On Liz Truss's suggestion she grew up "at the heart of the Red Wall" in Roundhay, Leeds, local MP Fabian Hamilton: "The suggestion that Roundhay is a red wall area is frankly laughable and shows how out of touch Liz Truss and the Conservatives are when it comes to the North...
Dominic Raab says the infection (R) rate is between 0.5 and 0.9.
But Prof John Edmunds (sits on Sage) just told the Commons science committee it's between 0.75 and 1, and has gone UP in last 2 weeks.
Who is right?
Jacob Rees-Mogg has just called me "either a knave or a fool" for reporting words that Dominic Raab said.
Bit of a contrast from an event I covered with him when he was speaking to journalism students at PA, when he warned politicians against accusing journalists of "fake news"
UPDATE: Department for Transport says the no-deal Brexit firm (the one with no ships) put terms and conditions from a takeaway food shop on its website in "error".
But why is the Department for Transport issuing statements on behalf of Seaborne Freight?
Hugely significant that Durham Police has found that Cummings broke the lockdown rules, as per
@Telegraph
report, because No.10's entire defence has rested on him acting within the guidelines.
Jacob Rees Mogg has also misled parliament by accusing HuffPost UK of using a "cheat" to "edit the recording" - this is not true, we did not edit any recording passed to us and quoted it in full.
Update
@Jacob_Rees_Mogg
: He has conceded on his podcast he was wrong to claim
@HuffPostUK
had doctored the recording we were leaked of Dominic Raab on human rights.
He also wrongly claims our report was "inaccurate in its quotation".
EXC Dominic Raab has told officials in a video call leaked to
@HuffPostUK
that Britain will seek trade deals with countries around the world that violate ECHR standards on human rights
Full story:
Why are we scared of calling Trump racist? "Not helpful to use that kind of language", says Hunt. It either is or isn't racist, calling it out is not a slur or lowering the tone. Johnson's answer similarly wet. FFS.
Jo Cox’s friend Rachel Reeves describes Commons scenes as an “horrendous spectacle” and accuses PM of sowing division with language of “surrender and betrayal”.
Furious Labour MPs point to Cox’s plaque behind them.
“Remember that?” shouts Jess Phillips. “I remember every day”
NEW Home Office painted over Mickey Mouse murals for lone children at asylum centre two days ago - after we revealed Robert Jenrick’s order to take down the art as it was too welcoming
It's war.
Labour MP Rupa Huq, in response to Angela Smith saying ethnic minority people had a funny tinge, says: "“They claim their new Party is anti racist and modern yet in the same breath describe black, asian and minority ethnic people as having 'a funny tinge'.
For me personally, Andrea Leadsom suggesting a debate on Islamophobia is one for the Foreign Office to respond to is far worse than Amber Rudd's terrible choice of words. Suggests British Muslims aren't British.
We'll still have food, says a senior Leaver: “We won’t be able to get certain foods like bananas or tomatoes but it’s not like we won’t be able to eat. And we’ll be leaving at a time when British produce is beginning to come into season so it’s the best possible time to leave.”
So
@Jacob_Rees_Mogg
accused me of "distorting" Dominic Raab's comments about the UK wanting trade deals with nations that fall below ECHR-level human rights standards.
But the foreign secretary has just confirmed to MPs that it is, in fact, 100% true.
Why do the woke left and Remainer elite hate Priti Patel so much? It’s because she’s an immigrant with right-wing views. These people loathe non-whites who deviate from what they consider to be correct thinking. It is outright racism, says Brendan O’Neill
UPDATE: Senior Labour MP Andy McDonald has now been suspended over the ‘river to the sea’ speech
The decision comes after fast-paced internal discussions on Monday afternoon
Number 10 source says Boris Johnson's team repeatedly asked to move the press conference inside "due to the number of people who would boo and chant" over it, but Luxembourg refused.
“The whole series of events is extraordinary and reflects far more on them than it does us.”
“Not a good start Boris” shouts one wag as government loses by 27 votes. MPs have control of the order paper tomorrow to pass legislation to block a no-deal Brexit
Tory MP tells me: "I don’t understand why the prime minister is so dependent on (Cummings) unless the prime minister believes he’s got to have a svengali - someone to tell him what to say.
“And if he has he shouldn’t be prime minister.”
Shots fired! Senior Tory MP William Wragg says Covid plan B proposals are a “distraction” from No 10 Xmas party story, and slams plans for vaccine passports
#PMQs
Boris Johnson’s “friend” Jennifer Arcuri yesterday suddenly changed the address of her company from a nondescript block of flats in Macclesfield to a rented workspace in London as MPs probed whether it was eligible for a taxpayer funded grant.
As a reminder,
@Jacob_Rees_Mogg
accused me of:
- "low quality journalism"
- "editing" the comments
- being "either a knave or a fool"
But Raab has just confirmed, again, that it is government policy.
Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle notably refuses to rebuke Starmer for saying the public think Johnson is “lying through his teeth”.
MPs are not meant to accuse each other of lying in the chamber.
Hoyle rules that Starmer was reflecting public opinion
#PMQs
NEW 'No ships' Chris Grayling to be paid £100,000 to advise ports company
Grayling, once dubbed the “worst transport secretary of all time”, will collect his six-figure salary for just seven hours of work per week.
🚨EXC Boris Johnson to water down promise on Northern Powerhouse Rail line
This week’s Integrated Rail Plan will not contain a key new Leeds-Manchester line via Bradford, and will instead see more cash for upgrades to existing route
He also says
@HuffPostUK
left "a false impression as to what has been said".
Reminder: Raab reconfirmed yesterday that what we quoted is, in fact, government policy.
He also claimed The Times reported the story "fairly", but
@HuffPostUK
didn't. Both stories contained the exact same quotes from Raab.
Asked to apologise, Mogg said: "I don’t suffer from that particular temptation.”
Boris Johnson writes to Keir Starmer to highlight the fact that the guidance on care homes was written when there was no community transmission.
But it was not replaced until March 13, eight days after CMO Chris Whitty said there WAS community transmission.
A senior Labour source says: “One of the reasons people react is because they don’t expect it from us, but Braverman’s dog whistle last week was accepted as par for the course?”
Some personal news: Delighted and excited to say I'll be joining
@HuffPostUK
as Deputy Political Editor next month, when maybe, just maybe we'll have a Brexit deal...
But very sad to leave the
@yorkshirepost
- a brilliant and important newspaper staffed by top class journalists.
News UK spokeswoman: "There's been a medical issue, it's not a security issue and the candidates are okay" - "if we can get back on air we will"
#TalkTV
Boris Johnson says his comments about Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe made no difference to her imprisonment in Iran. Her husband told me different last week:
🚨 Another headache for Boris Johnson as newly elected ERG chair Steve Baker:
- calls for an election pact with Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party
- vows to oppose Brexit deal even if backstop is removed
- criticises PM’s threat to sack opponents of any new deal
...I became the first Labour MP for the area in 1997. Before then, North East Leeds was represented by Conservative MPs and mostly Conservative Local Councillors. But over the past 12 years, the people of Roundhay have strongly rejected the Conservatives at the ballot box"
Minister claims firms have 'head in the sand' over Brexit as UK heads for December cliff-edge.
Lord Agnew sparks a backlash as he tells bosses: it's your firm at stake if it all goes wrong...
Keir Starmer could face a leadership challenge if he keeps dividing Labour, Ian Lavery tells our Commons People podcast.
The senior MP says Starmer appears to have a "personal and political vendetta" against Corbyn.
@sarahwollaston
is clear: “No deal doesn’t have majority support in Parliament.
“If it became the main government policy objective for Brexit then I and many colleagues would resign the party whip.”
EU advisers claimed David Davis 'did not give a f**k' about the Irish border during Brexit talks, in footage now revealed by BBC Four Brexit Behind Closed Doors documentary
149 MPs from the north and Midlands have been shown data by CMO Chris Whitty which suggests more than 30% of coronavirus exposure is in pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes.
Big story this. Both
@SarahChampionMP
and
@CarolineFlintMP
now backing no deal over no Brexit from the Labour side. And Champion suggests she might not back a vote of no confidence to bring down the Tories.
"This is, at best, the casual racism of the 70s that I thought we’d long left behind. But it will strike many as an appalling, racist comment. Is the Independent Group going to investigate?"
🚨Rishi Sunak's own well-off seat has been prioritised for levelling up cash.
He says the fund should invest in areas like "ex-industrial areas, deprived towns, coastal communities".
But Richmondshire is 251 out of 317 on govt's own deprivation index
Lib Dem candidate for the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election
@DoddsJane
says “Mae sylwadau di-glem Boris yn dangos pa mor allan o gyswllt yw e gyda Cymru ac ardaloedd fel ein rhai ni."
EXC Russian-owned firm played key role in Downing Street media refit
The company in 2013 was bought by Okno-TV, a Moscow-based firm that has carried out work for state-controlled broadcasters Russia Today, Channel One, and Public Television of Russia
💻 NEW
@singharj
appointed Deputy Political Editor
@theipaper
. Arj joins from HuffPost UK, where recent scoops included a recording of Foreign Secretary saying Britain will need to place trade deals above human rights concerns. Former Yorkshire Post, PA
Powerful Q from
@TanDhesi
who urges Boris Johnson to apologise for his “racist” remarks about veil wearing Muslim women looking like bank robbers and letterboxes.
Dhesi, the first turban wearing Sikh in Parliament recalls a life of abuse for his appearance.
No apology from PM
Patel initially said yesterday a centre had been set up en route to Calais.
She later clarified her remarks to say it was in the process of being set up.
Immigration Minister Kevin Foster points this out and points towards the Lille centre
Boris Johnson accused of lying about sharing coronavirus test data with local authorities after Leicester's 'lost week' in which officials were unable to see detailed figures which illustrated the outbreak
Excited to start as deputy political editor
@theipaper
today - not like there's much going on...!
Please do get in touch if you have any stories, tips, or just want a chat or to meet for coffee/lunch. My DMs are open or email arj.singh
@inews
.co.uk
BREAKING Government U-turns again by reversing plans to ease local lockdowns in Manchester.
Another U-turn, and in the middle of
#PMQs
as Boris Johnson gets a going over from Keir Starmer.
Boris Johnson’s mistaken comments about jailed British mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe are still used to discredit her in Iran, her husband Richard Ratcliffe tells me.
NEW:
@BorisJohnson
is finally visiting South Yorkshire this morning - six days after the flooding hit.
He is doing one pooled interview and not talking to regional media.
@itvcalendar
|
#GE19
|
#Floods