Nicola Slawson
The Deputy Prime Minister has said he believes the number of letters that have been sent to Graham Brady is “quite far” from the amount needed to activate a vote of confidence.
Dominic Raab has said he does not believe former cabinet minister Andrea Leadsom sent a letter to the 1922 committee.
Speaking to Times Radio, Raab said:
First of all, you said that there were 30 deputies who have been public [in their criticism of the prime minister]. Of course, there are more than 350 Conservative MPs.
Presenter Aasmah Mir replied, “Well, you have to get to 54, so it’s not that far, right?”
Raab said:
Well, if you’re 30, which is what you just said, I think you’re pretty far away, but my point is that even when it comes to supporting the Prime Minister, the overwhelming majority hasn’t been public. about this kind of criticism.
Although to be fair, I mean I understand frustrations and worries.
Deputies publicly expressing their criticism of Boris Johnson does not mean they have sent a letter.
Explaining his thoughts on Leadsom’s letter to voters shared on social media, which he criticized Prime Minister Raab said:
I have known Andrea for a long time, we came in as deputies, I love her very much.
I think it’s clear that he expresses his frustration, he hasn’t put up a letter as far as I understand, he hasn’t said it.
The most important thing is that the Prime Minister has addressed all these points [and] reviewed operation number 10.
Welcome to today’s live blog. I will keep you updated throughout the day. Email me at nicola.slawson@theguardian.com or tweet me @Nicola_Slawson if you think I’m missing something or if you have any questions.
Updated at 10.03 BST
Conservative MP Huw Merriman confirmed that he would not send a letter of censure against Boris Johnson and called on colleagues to focus on policy-making rather than regime change.
The chairman of the select transportation committee, which in February suggested Johnson should improve or leave Downing Street, told Sky News:
There’s been a mistake, he’s apologized, he raises his hands, I judge people for what they do to change things, and I think we need to give him that time to do that.
Merriman added:
I have definitely not put any letter and I will not put a letter in it because if I do, I am responsible for the fact that the political recommendations I have been making through my committee have not been delivered.
He said he did not know how many letters had been sent, and added:
In my opinion, perhaps my call to colleagues is that our voters need us right now and they need the government to do it and the parliament to do it.
We will not be able to do that if we go through a prolonged leadership contest, it will only change the whole approach, the whole direction, all the chances we have of making better policy changes that will help people overcome difficulties. times. You can’t have both.
People may focus on the theater and want to change direction and respect their position if they want to, but the government cannot be expected to go ahead and govern and make a policy, which is ultimately the most important thing. for me.
Updated at 11.32 BST
A 1922 Committee member has said Conservative MPs need to consider what “crimes” Boris Johnson “actually committed” before launching a leadership coup.
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today program, said:
You need to find out if this new prime minister will really be a positive asset to the country, compared to what you have right now.
As for what he has actually committed, the crimes he has actually committed, and find out whether we should change or not.
Clifton-Brown said he wanted Johnson to remain in his position as “a man who knows how to handle crises,” citing his response to the Ukrainian war and the rising cost of living.
“When the big calls are made, the prime minister is right,” he said.
However, he added that “the situation is changing every day.”
Updated at 11.32 BST
Dominic Raab has said he does not believe there will be a no-confidence vote against Boris Johnson next week.
He told Sky News:
I just don’t see it. I think the bubble and the people of Westminster are whipping up these things. I’m not saying it’s not serious and significant. But we dealt with all these issues, the Prime Minister has dealt with all these issues.
There seems to be a lot of comment on this issue when I’m actually talking to MPs, when I’m talking to the whole House of Commons about the issues I’m pushing forward … they want to see us pushing this agenda. .
To be honest with you, the censorship votes, the leadership contests, all of that, even more Westminster speaks for itself. Not talking to the public, not talking to our constituents.
I think the vast majority of parliamentarians respect it, acknowledge it and agree with it.
The Deputy Prime Minister said the only “two people who want a leadership contest” were Labor leader Keir Starmer and Westminster SNP leader Ian Blackford.
He told Sky News:
The two people in the House of Commons who want a leadership contest, who are talking about it in the House of Commons, are Keir Starmer and Ian Blackford for the SNP.
They don’t ask for it because they think it’s in the public interest or, in fact, in the interest of conservatives. I think there is some political benefit to doing so.
Raab again questioned the number of letters that had been sent to the 1922 Committee, adding: “I don’t know what the numbers are, I don’t think anyone knows. I doubt it is so high in terms of lyrics, but the truth is I don’t know. “
Updated at 10.59 BST
Full story: A Partygate fine doesn’t mean Johnson broke the ministerial code, says Raab
Rowena Mason
Boris Johnson MP has insisted that the Prime Minister did not break the ministerial code even though he was fined by the police for attending a No. 10 party in confinement, as the head of government ethics allegedly threatened to resign. the scandal.
Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister and secretary of justice, said Wednesday that Johnson had only violated the law “unintentionally” and “involuntarily” by attending a 10th anniversary meeting during the confinement, which led him to be fined by the police.
He said this did not violate the ministerial code, although the prime minister’s ethics chief, Lord Geidt, asked if it had been so.
Geidt’s future on paper is in doubt after he said it was a “legitimate” question if Johnson had breached the code. In response, the Prime Minister made it clear that he did not believe the code had been broken.
The prime minister is still the only one who can give permission for an ethics investigation and made clear on Tuesday his intention to block his own conduct on the fixed sanction notice.
The dispute with Geidt is the latest headache for the prime minister, as he faces a wave of discontent from his MPs over the fixed-sanction warning. More than 40 Conservative MPs have publicly questioned Johnson’s ability to hold office, including 18 who are known to have sent letters to Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Conservative Committee of Deputies, to formally ask for a vote of confidence.
The rest have openly called for the resignation of the prime minister or said they have lost faith in his leadership.
Raab said he did not believe there would be a censure vote against Boris Johnson next week. He told Sky News: “I don’t see it. I think the bubble and the people of Westminster are whipping up these things. I’m not saying it’s not serious and significant. But we dealt with all these issues, the Prime Minister has dealt with all these issues.”
Speaking to broadcasters, Raab said that Geidt “had made a number of concerns clear, but the Prime Minister has addressed them in his response and, in particular, made clear the explanation that he did not believe he had broken the ministerial code. “.
Dominic Raab has accused airlines of “unpreparedness” over the holiday hike.
He told Sky News:
The good news is that more tourists are confident after the pandemic to book these flights. During the pandemic, the government provided £ 8 billion in support. There have been some tweaks to the regulation to make it easier to hire the airline industry.
I also think there has clearly been a lack of preparation for this surge in summer demand.
Grant Shapps has been talking to the industry for months and says, “This is coming and you need to make sure you have your hiring in place.”
So I know there’s a little pointing finger right now, but that’s the support and that’s the advice.
The Deputy Prime Minister added:
I don’t think the airlines have done the hiring they should have done, and they have followed the advice given to them by the transportation secretary.
Updated at 10.38 BST
Julia Borger
The UK Special Envoy for the Northern Ireland Protocol has said he told US officials it has become a threat to the Good Friday deal.
Conor Burns, the Northern Ireland Minister assigned to present the UK case in Washington, earlier this month rejected a threat from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to block a free trade agreement between the two countries. United States and the United Kingdom if the United Kingdom takes unilateral action to repeal the protocol. .
The protocol negotiated between the United Kingdom and the EU established customs controls between Britain and Northern Ireland. Pelosi said plans by the UK to introduce legislation that would create exemptions to the protocol, if they could not be agreed with the EU, were “deeply worrying”.
She warned:
If the United Kingdom decides to undermine the Good Friday agreements, Congress cannot and will not support a bilateral free trade agreement.
On a visit to …