Boris Johnson resignation – latest: Top Tory MP accuses former prime minister of ‘orchestrating a mutiny’

A Tory MP has accused Boris Johnson of “orchestrating a mutiny” and said he should not be allowed to stand as an MP again until he shows “commitment” to the party.

Tobias Ellwood, who chairs the defence select committee, told The Independent that adulation for Mr Johnson had been replaced by “total indignation” after his actions triggered three by-elections.

Mr Johnson dramatically resigned as MP on Friday over the outcome of the Partygate inquiry, with two of his allies – Nadine Dorries and Nigel Adams – also quitting with immediate effect.

It comes as senior Cabinet minister Grant Shapps said “the world has moved on” and that Tories did not miss the drama of a Johnson administration. One senior MP, who is close to Mr Sunak, told The Independent: “Good riddance.”

Senior Tories accused the former PM and his allies of a “coordinated attempt to damage the Sunak government”.

But Sunak loyalists have attempted to play down the row, insisting the PM will be relieved at having a chance to draw a line under the “Boris madness”.

Key Points

• ‘World has moved on’ from Boris Johnson – Shapps

• Blocking Johnson’s return will plunge Tories into ‘civil war’ – Rees Mogg

• Tories facing triple by-election test as third Johnson loyalist quits

• Honours ‘farce’ shows need for reform – former Lords speaker

• Boris Johnson resigns: statement in full

Stop Boris Johnson standing as MP, top Tories urge as they seek end to party turmoil

18:26 , Joe Middleton

Senior Tories have called for Boris Johnson to be blocked from standing again as an MP as the party attempts to draw a line under a weekend of mayhem triggered by his resignation.

Former minister Tobias Ellwood said Mr Johnson should not be allowed to stand again until he has shown “commitment” to the party, after a tumultous few days which left it in turmoil.

Johnson quit in dramatic fashion on Friday but used his 1,000-word exit statement to leave open the door open for a return to Westminster. His resignation, along with two allies, has prompted three by-elections as part of what some claimed was a co-ordinated attempt to sabotage the Sunak administration.

Jon Stone reports.

Stop Boris standing as MP, top Tories urge as they seek end to party turmoil

Nicola Sturgeon released without charge, say police

18:05 , Joe Middleton

Nicola Sturgeon has been released without charge pending further investigation after being arrested as part of a police probe into the funding and finances of the SNP, Police Scotland said.

The force said in a statement: “A 52-year-old woman who was arrested earlier today, Sunday, 11 June, 2023, as a suspect in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party, has been released without charge pending further investigation.

“The woman was questioned by Police Scotland detectives after she was arrested at 10.09am. She was released from custody at 5.24pm.

“A report will be sent to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

“The matter remains active for the purposes of the Contempt of Court Act 1981 and the public are therefore advised to exercise caution if discussing it on social media.

“As the investigation is ongoing we are unable to comment further.”

Paul Scully fails to make Tory London Mayor shortlist

17:40 , Joe Middleton

Ross Lydall, City Hall Editor at the Evening Standard, is reporting the Minister for London Paul Scully has not made the Tory shortlist for London Mayor.

Nicola Sturgeon: Why was the former Scottish first minister arrested?

17:36 , Joe Middleton

Nicola Sturgeon: The former First Minister whose independence dreams were never realised

17:03 , Joe Middleton

Nicola Sturgeon‘s resignation was a surprise to many in politics – but the events that have unfolded since she left office have come as even more of a shock.

Four months after her resignation, which she insisted was “not a reaction to short-term pressures”, the former first minister has been arrested as part of an investigation into SNP funding and finances.

Police Scotland said on Sunday that she is in custody and being quizzed by detectives.

The former First Minister whose independence dreams were never realised

Labour candidate begins campaign for Boris Johnson’s seat after ex-PM resigns as MP

16:33 , Joe Middleton

VOICES: Guy Walters – Boris’s resignation honours are the latest in more than 100 years of corruption and cronyism

16:14 , Joe Middleton

The honours system is as broken as just about every other system in this country, and has been for over a century, writes Guy Walters.

Boris Johnson’s resignation list is far from honourable | Guy Walters

SNP reacts to Sturgeon’s arrest

15:55 , Joe Middleton

An SNP spokesperson said: “These issues are subject to a live police investigation.

“The SNP have been co-operating fully with this investigation and will continue to do so, however it is not appropriate to publicly address any issues while that investigation is ongoing.”

Why is the SNP under investigation over its party finances?

15:44 , Joe Middleton

Police Scotland’s investigation into alleged financial irregularities within the Scottish National Party (SNP), known as Operation Branchform, has taken a further twist after Nicola Sturgeon was arrested.

Police Scotland said the former SNP leader, who quit in February, is in custody and is being questioned by detectives.

A spokesman for Ms Sturgeon said she attended an interview “by arrangement with Police Scotland, where she was to be arrested and questioned in relation to Operation Branchform”.

Why is the SNP under investigation over its party finances?

Peerages committee says it did not support eight of Boris Johnson’s nominations

15:33 , Holly Bancroft

The House of Lords Appointments Commission said it would “not comment on individuals” as it confirmed it had not supported eight peerage nominees submitted in former prime minister Boris Johnson’s resignation honours.

A spokesman for the independent commission said in a statement: “The House of Lords Appointments Commission (Holac) considered the nominations proposed by the Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP in line with its usual processes.

“All nominations made by Mr Johnson were received and processed by Holac.

“Eight nominees were not supported by the commission.

“The commission is advisory to the Prime Minister and is not involved in the appointment processes after providing advice.

“The commission does not comment on individuals.”

The SNP leader said this just hours before Nicola Sturgeon’s arrest…

15:16 , Joe Middleton

What has Nicola Sturgeon said in response to her arrest?

15:08 , Joe Middleton

A spokesperson for Nicola Sturgeon said the former SNP leader voluntarily attended an interview with Police Scotland and that she would co-operate with the investigation.

Breaking: Nicola Sturgeon arrested in connection with SNP finances probe

14:40 , Matt Mathers

Nicola Sturgeon has been arrested in connection with the investigation into the SNP’s finances.

Police Scotland said she is in custody and is being questioned by detectives.

The force said: “A 52-year-old woman has today, Sunday, June 11, been arrested as a suspect in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party.”

The former first minister’s arrest comes after her husband Peter Murrell was arrested in April.

Mr Murrell and MSP Colin Beattie, who was SNP treasurer at the time, were both released without charge pending further inquiry.

As well as the arrests, searches were carried out at a number of properties, including Mr Murrell and Ms Sturgeon’s home – where a police tent was erected in the garden – and SNP headquarters in Edinburgh.

Why Eurostar trains built to link Manchester to Paris permanently hit the buffers

14:20 , Matt Mathers

Trains were constructed and new track even laid to link cities across the North, Scotland, and Wales to the Channel Tunnel, writes Jon Stone. But the plans fell at the last hurdle.

Read Jon’s full long read below:

How Eurostar trains were built to link Manchester to Paris – and why they never ran

Comment: The ghost of Boris Johnson will continue to haunt the Tories for a long time

14:00 , Matt Mathers

He will continue to grab headlines whenever he chooses, distracting attention from the PM’s painstaking work to drag the Tories back into the game, writes Andrew Grice.

Read the full piece here:

The ghost of Johnson will continue to haunt the Tories for a long time | Andrew Grice

ICYMI: Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list in full

13:40 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list has finally been confirmed by the government, after months of wrangling.

Below is the full list of gongs handed out to those favoured by the prime minister:

Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list in full

Top Sunak aide secretly removed names from honours list – Johnson allies

13:20 , Matt Mathers

One of Rishi Sunak’s top aides secretly removed names from Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list before it was submitted to a committee for approval, it is claimed.

Allies of Boris Johnson say James Forsyth, Mr Sunak’s political secretary, was responsible for the move, which he and No 10 deny, Isabel Oakeshott reports.

She wrote on Twitter: “As I revealed on @TalkTV and @bbclaurak this morning, Boris believes Sunak’s best friend and political Secretary James Forsyth secretly removed 5 names from his honours nomination list *before* it was submitted to the honours committee.

“This broke a long standing convention that sitting PMs don’t meddle with their predecessors’ honours lists. Boris allies claim no10 “lied and lied” about what they did. That is emphatically denied by Downing St and James Forsyth today. But the suspicion -right or wrong – is what triggered Friday night’s resignations.”

E-bikes need number plates and insurance – MPs and industry

13:00 , Matt Mathers

Electric bikes must have number plates and insurance in order for pedestrians to be safe, Conservative MPs and the industry have said.

They want them to be regulated in the same way as other vehicles given the damage they can do if they hit someone.

E-bikes can weigh twice as much as a conventional bicycle and, while most cannot travel faster than 15.5mph by law, some have been modified to go much faster.

Children are allowed to ride them from the age of 14.

Ian Stewart, chairman of the Commons Transport Select Committee, told the Mail on Sunday: “There is a case for looking at insurance arrangements.

“I don’t think the regulations are a good fit for new technologies.

“It’s not just e-bikes, there are issues with e-scooters and driver-assist/self-driving technology increasingly embedded in cars.”

Johnson ‘taken charge’ by resigning, says ex-PM’s former communications director

12:45 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson’s resignation shows he has “taken charge,” the former prime minister’s ex-director of communications has said. Holly Patrick reports:

Speaking on Sky News, Guto Harri said Mr Johnson had stepped down as an MP on his own terms rather than “being dragged kicking and screaming.”

Mr Johnson resigned on Friday, 9 June, after launching a scathing attack on the Commons Privileges Committee investigation into whether he misled MPs with his assurances over the Partygate scandal.

Longtime allies of the former PM, Nadine Dorries and Nigel Adams, announced their resignations shortly afterwards.

CCHQ declines to say if it will block Johnson in Mid Bed by-election

12:30 , Matt Mathers

Conservative Party HQ has declined to say if it would block Boris Johnson from standing as a candidate in the Mid Befordshire, according to a report.

“Up to three candidates will be put to the association members”, a spokesperson told the Mirror.

A source close to Mr Johnson said “there’s a lot of ideas under discussion,” the paper added.

Farage claims 10 Tories willing to join new party

12:10 , Matt Mathers

Nigel Farage said he believes “it’s the end of Boris Johnson in the Conservative Party” as he suggested more than 10 Tory MPs could be willing to join a new party.

The prominent Leave campaigner, appearing on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show, added that the “gap for another insurgency is actually bigger than it was 10 years ago”.

Mr Farage said: “I think it’s the end of Boris Johnson in the Conservative Party. I think all this talk of ‘oh, he’ll go for this seat or that seat’, well, hang on, he’s virtually just gifted Uxbridge to the Labour Party, there’s no way he’s going to be given a seat, if he really wants to be in politics he is going to have to be part of some sort of centre-right realignment.

“It’s been talked about years ago, the referendum stopped it, now the Ukip insurgency was getting to such a level that there was real talk about this happening, and is Johnson somebody who would want to be part of a new attempt to break the mould of British politics, or would he rather be on the after-dinner speaking circuit?

“I look at reform and, you know, I’m not actively involved in it at the moment, but I think the gap for another insurgency is actually bigger than it was 10 years ago.”

Rees-Mogg and Patel shouldn’t have been given honours – Lammy

11:55 , Matt Mathers

Former Cabinet ministers Jacob Rees-Mogg and Priti Patel should not be rewarded with honours, a senior Labour politician has said.

Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said comments made by Mr Rees-Mogg in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire make him unfit for a knighthood.

Mr Rees-Mogg is tipped for the title in Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list alongside Ms Patel, who will receive a damehood.

Asked about Mr Johnson’s list, Mr Lammy told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “After Grenfell Tower, where I lost a friend, Jacob Rees-Mogg said that the residents of that tower lacked common sense.

“I don’t believe he is someone who should have been rewarded.

“Priti Patel was found to be bullying in her department. I don’t believe she should be rewarded.

“I don’t believe that if a Government sets rules for everybody else during a pandemic, it is right that those who encouraged parties in No 10 should be rewarded.”

Johnson acting like a ‘baby-man’

11:25 , Matt Mathers

Labour has accused Boris Johnson of acting like a “baby-man” and blaming his mistakes on everyone else, Jon Stone reports.

Pat McFadden, Labour’s shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme that the ex PM hadn’t been forced out of parliament by the committee.

“It just triggers a recall petition where he could face the voters,” he said.

“But the truth is he didn’t want to face any of the verdicts because he can never accept responsibility for his own actions.

“That’s true of all these right-wing populist leaders. They are like baby-men. Whenever anything goes wrong, it is everybody else’s fault.”

Labour repeats call for general election

11:10 , Matt Mathers

Pat McFadden, Labour’s shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, said a general election was the only way to prevent Conservative “chaos”.

Speaking to Sky News’ Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme about Sir Keir Starmer’s call for a snap election, the Opposition politician said: “I don’t think there’s any cure for this chaos under the current government.”

Mr McFadden added: “They are the party of government, and if this goes on, the chaos will continue.

“You’ve got Jacob Rees-Mogg, one of Boris Johnson’s principal allies, writing in one of the Sunday newspapers today that not only should Boris come back, but that he would be a good candidate in a future leadership election.

“So, it is quite clear. This is going to continue in the Conservative Party and they cannot fix it themselves. The only way to fix this is to have a general election and a change of government.

“Otherwise, the country is going to be bedevilled by this chaos and instability, and it is having a real effect on the governance and the economy of the country.”

Recycling deposit scheme row shows devolution not working – Yousaf

10:55 , Matt Mathers

Humza Yousaf has said the deposit return scheme – the recycling initiative which has now been delayed to at least 2025 – was an example of how “devolution is becoming unworkable”.

He told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show that the UK Government had sought to “sabotage” the scheme at the 11th hour.

He was asked if the Scottish Government would pay compensation to businesses which had paid millions to prepare for a scheme which is now not going to happen.

Mr Yousaf said: “We don’t believe there’s a case for the Scottish Government to need to compensate because the action we’ve had to take is because of that 11th hour, last-minute intervention from the UK Government, which has meant that a Scottish scheme, unfortunately, isn’t viable.”

Scottish independence will be ‘front and centre’ of SNP election campaign – Yousaf

10:44 , Matt Mathers

Humza Yousaf has said Scottish independence will be “front and centre” of the SNP’s general elections campaign.

He told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show that at the next general election “very simply a vote for the SNP is going to be a vote for independence”.

Discussing polling on independence, he said different polls showed support above or below 50 per cent.

The first minister said: “I don’t want to be there or thereabouts, I want independence to be the consistent, settled will.

“At the moment, for example, it’s pretty obvious that independence is not the consistent, settled will of the Scottish people.”

Asked if it is realistic that Scotland would not be independent within five years, he said: “Not if I’ve got anything to do with it.”

Uxbridge by-election ‘acid test’ for Labour majority

10:12 , Matt Mathers

The by-election in Boris Johnson’s old seat will be an “acid test” as to whether Labour can win a general election, the chief executive of Ipsos Mori has claimed.

Speaking on Sky News, Ben Page said: “If Starmer is going to win a general election convincingly, this ought to be in many ways a breeze for Labour.

“That really is going to be an acid test.

“If they breeze through that, then all the polls showing an average 16-point lead for Labour, people will bake it in.

“If they don’t, or it’s only very narrow, then I think there will be a lot more uncertainty.”

Former prime minister Mr Johnson resigned as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip on Friday.

‘Not true’ that a member of Sunak’s team altered Johnson’s honours list

09:43 , Matt Mathers

Grant Shapps has flat-out denied claims that Rishi Sunak or any member of his team got names removed from Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list, Jon Stone reports.

The issue has come to light as Tory Nadine Dorries and Nigel Adams both believed they would be in line for peerages – but quit as MPs after they did not receive them.

Asked whether Mr Sunak removed any names, Cabinet minister Mr Shapps told the BBC:

“No. The list that came to him was the list that went to the House of Lords commission that looks at these things, called Holac.

“And just to be clear the committee would have to say if the Prime Minister removed anyone.

“The Prime Minister has exactly followed the very, very long standing conventions of prime ministers who simply take the list, pass it on, and receive it back.”

He added: “You’re asking me upfront if he removed anyone: my understanding is no.”

Asked specifically whether – as reported – a member of the prime minister’s team had removed anyone from the list months ago before it went to the Commission, Mr Shapps replied:

“As far as I’m aware, that’s not true. The list went across, the commission are the people who made those decisions.”

Resignations not part of ‘plot’ to destabalise Sunak – Guto Harri

09:38 , Matt Mathers

The resignation of Boris Johnson and three of his allies is not part of a plot to destablise Rishi Sunak, Mr Johnson’s former spokesman has suggested.

Guto Harri, Mr Johnson’s former No 10 director of communications, also said it was “virtually impossible” to write off his former boss when asked if he thought Mr Johnson would return as an MP.

“But I don’t think this is part of an elaborate plot to sort of destablise and topple Rishi Sunak,” he told Sky News.

“I think Boris Johnson feels there is an opportunity for him now to go off and lick his wounds but also seize new opportunities.”

Johnson has to ‘face consequences’ of own decision to quit Commons

09:26 , Matt Mathers

Former Tory leader Michael Howard – who sacked Boris Johnson from his shadow cabinet in 2004 for lying about an affair – said the ex PM would have to “face the consequences” of his decision to quit the Commons, Jon Stone reports.

“Boris had many achievements to his credit, and there’s no doubt about that,” he told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme.

“It’s his decision to walk away its decision to leave the House of Commons and he will have to face the consequences of that.”

He added that government was “full of bumps in the road”.

Shapps dodges question on whether he’d like to see Johnson return as MP

09:19 , Matt Mathers

Grant Shapps dodged a question on whether he would like to see Boris Johnson return as an MP in the future

The former PM said in his resignation letter he was leaving parliament “for now”, fuelling speculation of a comeback.

“I’m sure he’s got many other things he wants to do,” Mr Shapps said when asked by Sky’s Sophy Ridge if he would like to see Mr Johnson make a comeback.

“He’s been spending a lot of time around the world”.

Shapps denies Johnson was removed by ‘the blob’

09:09 , Matt Mathers

A cabinet minister said former prime minister Boris Johnson had removed himself from political life by resigning as an MP.

Energy security secretary Grant Shapps, asked on Sky News whether he agreed with Sir Jake Berry’s comments suggesting the “establishment” was in charge rather than voters, said: “No, actually in the end Boris was perfectly entitled to remain as an MP.

“He has decided to step down and a couple of my other colleagues, all of them whom I’ve worked with and Boris in particular, I liked working with him as prime minister.

“But … the world has moved on. He is the one who has removed himself from the current political scene, standing down as a member of Parliament.

“We’ve got excellent leadership in place in No 10 with Rishi Sunak.”

Boris was ‘right man’ for job of Brexit

09:04 , Matt Mathers

Grant Shapps said that he liked working with Boris Johnson and thought he was “the right man at the time”, Jon Stone reports.

But he told Sky News that “a lot of drama” came with Mr Johnson’s successes and that the government was now getting on with other things.

“You won’t find me saying bad things about Boris – I enjoyed working with Boris,” he said.

“I thought he was the right man for that time, particularly to break that Brexit impasse, which he successfully did.

“I thought he was very good in leadership of the world in Ukraine after the invasion, and other things. But a lot of drama came with it.”

Brexit is working in favour of UK – Shapps

09:02 , Matt Mathers

Brexit is working “in favour” of the UK, a cabinet minister has insisted despite growing evidence it has damaged the economy.

Grant Shapps said the country was now able to move “much faster” in “getting on with the job” in “lots of different ways”.

Brexit has enabled the UK to change “rules which enable us to bring in more innovative tech and…actually use the advantage of being outside of the EU but working very closely with it,” he added.

Shapps ‘certain’ Sunak did not alter Johnson’s resignation list

08:50 , Matt Mathers

Grant Shapps can say for “certain” that Rishi Sunak did not alter Boris Johnson’s honours list.

Reports say the ex-prime minister’s sensational resignation on Friday stemmed, in part, from a meeting between him and Rishi Sunak about his resignation honours list.

Mr Shapps said he would not comment on individual meetings, but added: “What I can say for certain is that Rishi Sunak has not changed or altered this list in any way.”

‘World has moved on’ from Boris Johnson – Shapps

08:39 , Matt Mathers

The world has “moved on” from Boris Johnson, a cabinet minister has suggested as he sought to play down internal strife within the Conservative Party following the resignation of three MPs in 24 hours.

Grant Shapps, the energy security and net zero minister, told Sky News the “dramatic” periods of Brexit and the Covid pandemic were no longer in most people’s minds.

“Factually speaking, Boris Johnson is no longer prime minister,” he added when asked if the world had move on from the ex-PM.

Jon Stone has the full report:

The world has moved on from Boris Johnson, Grant Shapps says

ICYMI: What by-elections mean for Rishi Sunak as Boris Johnson, Nadine Dorries and Nigel Adams step down

08:30 , Matt Mathers

The immediate resignations of Boris Johnson, Nadine Dorries and Nigel Adams has left Rishi Sunak facing three imminent by-elections.

And while his Conservative government command healthly majorities in Ms Dorries’ Mid Bedfordshire and Mr Adams’ Selby and Ainsty constituencies, the situation is far more precarious in the former prime minister’s seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

Oliver Pritchard-Jones reports:

What by-elections mean for Rishi Sunak – and what might happen

Recap: Tories in turmoil as bitter Boris allies force third by-election in ‘revenge’ attack

08:12 , Matt Mathers

Rishi Sunak is facing a third by-election as fresh turmoil engulfed the Tories after another close Boris Johnson ally resigned from the Commons in an apparent revenge attack aimed at creating “chaos” for the prime minister.

Capping a tumultuous 24 hours, Mr Johnson’s friend Nigel Adams announced on Saturday that he was following the ex-PM and the former culture secretary Nadine Dorries in quitting parliament with “immediate effect”.

Senior Tories told The Independent that Mr Johnson and his “bitter” associates are “lashing out” in an attempt to damage the Sunak administration, as some speculated that they could coordinate a string of by-elections this summer.

Jon Stone and Adam Forrest report:

Tories in turmoil as Boris allies force third by-election in ‘revenge’ attack

Sunak could start firing gun on elections as early as Monday

07:52 , Matt Mathers

Rishi Sunak could start the firing gun on three upcoming by-elections as early as next week.

Commons sources told the Mail on Sunday the writ for Boris Johnson’s Uxbridge seat could be moved on Monday.

The paper says Mr Sunak could hold all three contests – the other two in Nigel Adams and Nadine Dorries seats – on the same day to challenge Labour.

Commons convention means the party that holds the vacant seat formally moves the writ to start the by-election, with the contest usually taking place between 21 and 27 working days later.

This means the earliest date at which the Uxbridge vote could take place is 13 July.

Small boats bill ‘could lead to more dangerous routes and increase trafficking’

07:42 , Matt Mathers

The government’s new small boats bill could lead to asylum seekers taking “more dangerous routes” to the UK, benefit people smugglers and worsen trafficking, a parliamentary report has found.

An inquiry by the cross-party Joint Committee on Human Rights said the government had not provided any evidence backing its claim that the Illegal Migration Bill would deter Channel crossings.

Lizzie Dearden reports:

Small boats bill ‘could lead to more dangerous routes and increase trafficking’

Blocking Boris’s return will plunge Tory Party into civil war – Rees-Mogg

07:28 , Matt Mathers

Blocking Boris Johnson’s return to parliament would plunge the Tory Party into “civil war” Jacob Rees-Mogg has warned.

In an article for the Mail On Sunday, the former business secretary warned of a potential schism if the party machinery attempts to “block” his return.

“I would most strongly warn Conservative Party managers against any attempt to block Boris if he seeks the party nomination in another seat,” he said.

“Any attempt to do so would shatter our fragile party unity and plunge the Conservatives into civil war.”

‘Find a backbone’ and call an election, Starmer tells Sunak

07:22 , Matt Mathers

Rishi Sunak has been urged to call a snap general election after three quick-fire MP resignations left the Prime Minister facing by-election battles on multiple fronts.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Sunak “must finally find a backbone” and send the country to the polls after the prime minister found himself three MPs down in the space of 24 hours.

“Rishi Sunak must finally find a backbone, call an election, and let the public have their say on 13 years of Tory failure,” he told the Sunday Mirror.

“This farce must stop. People have had enough.”

The call was echoed by Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey as rival parties hope to inflict more damaging by-election defeats on the Tories.

Jon Stone has the full report:

Keir Starmer tells Rishi Sunak to ‘find a backbone’ and call snap election

07:14 , Matt Mathers

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live politics coverage.

We’ll be covering the continuing fallout from Boris Johnson’s resignation as an MP and other stories from Westminster and elsewhere.

Stay tuned for the latest updates.

David Lammy on LBC: ‘It’s time for a general election’

04:00 , William Mata

Tottenham MP David Lammy has given his views of Boris Johnson for what he hopes is the last time.

Speaking on LBC, the shadow foreign secretary said: “I hope this is the last time, but I fear because he is a narcissist that it is unlikely that it is.

“He’s frit, he’s scared, he’s a coward, and so he’s gone. He’s left the people of Uxbridge and he has given us a sort of nod and a wink that one day he might be back.”

Mr Lammy said more resignations could be on the way because of “vengance”.

“It’s time for a general election,” he added.

Tomorrow’s front page

03:00 , William Mata

The Independent is set to lead on ‘Tories in turmoil’ for Sunday, June 11.

Read that story here.

And to see the full paper, click here.

From earlier: Conservative party donor Crispin Odey to leave business

02:00 , William Mata

The millionaire hedge fund manager and Conservative party donor Crispin Odey is to leave his eponymous asset management firm following a series of sexual abuse and harassment allegations.

Mr Odey was seen as a key ally of Mr Johnson.

In a statement on Saturday, the executive committee of Odey Asset Management said Mr Odey will “no longer have any economic or personal involvement in the partnership”.

Read the full article here.

Latest election odds

01:00 , William Mata

Oddschecker is making Labour the favourites for an overall victory in 2024.

The amalgamation of bookmakers has shown that odds are generally shortening for the party and lengthening for the Conservatives.

Some have the Tories with odds as long as 17/2 and 43/5 to win an overall majority.

The shortest odds for Labour are 8/11.

Stuart Andrew: Tory MP denies party is in crisis

Sunday 11 June 2023 00:00 , William Mata

Conservative Stuart Andrew has played down reports that his party is in crisis.

The MP for Pudsey instead is looking to the next election, which he says the party is “determined to win”.

“I don’t think there’s a meltdown in the Tory party,” he told Sky.

“I am sorry to see colleagues like Nadine and Nigel go, they are very dear friends.

“We are going to run a campaign that is positive and we’re determined to win.”

Major: ‘It’s making a monkey out of the House of Lords’

Saturday 10 June 2023 23:30 , William Mata

John Major has said a ‘modest number’ of peerages should be given each year.

The former prime minister told an audience at Kite Festival on Saturday: “I don’t know how many it would be each year. Parliament would have to decide that – but I would suggest a modest number.

“But it’s making a monkey out of the House of Lords. And people say, ‘oh well, the House of Lords doesn’t matter’, but the House of Lords does matter a great deal.

“It matters because it’s a different sort of house of parliament. It isn’t elected.”

Sunak celebrates Champions League win

Saturday 10 June 2023 23:00 , William Mata

“Never thought I’d see another team win the treble in my lifetime,” the prime minister tweeted after Manchester City defeated Inter to win the Champions League.

“Whoever you support it’s an incredible achievement.

“Congratulations to Pep and the team.”

Read our report here.

Views on the ground in Uxbridge

Saturday 10 June 2023 22:30 , PA

Here is what some of Boris Johnson’s now former constituents think of what has been going on.

…

Ron Redworth, 61, who works for Waitrose and lives in nearby Windsor and Maidenhead – which Theresa May represents, said: “I was surprised (to hear Boris had resigned), I was very surprised.

“I feel there has been an attempt to oust him because he was pro-Brexit.

“He should definitely have resigned over the coronavirus because you can’t be the leader of your country and carry on like that.

“You have to toe the line.

“He should have resigned as prime minister but not as an MP.”

Lea Valaris, 70, who lives in marginal Harrow, said: “He has probably done the right thing.

“I voted for him. He was a good prime minister, especially in relation to Ukraine. However he was kind of immature, he ran Downing Street a bit too lax. He should have tightened the reins.”

She said she has never voted Labour before, but is “not sure” who she will vote for at this stage.

She went on: “The Conservatives have not lived up to my expectations at all.

“They have had, unfortunately, a series of rather weak PMs.

“David Cameron, he should never have called the referendum and then Theresa May, I expected a bit more from her.”

Anna Casey, 40, who lives in the constituency said: “This is a born liar. He was going to do all he could to stop the Third Runway and HS2 but he did a complete U-turn.

“I won’t be voting for the Conservatives in the by-election even though I have voted for them before.

“If he had stuck to his word maybe I would have voted for them again.”

Debbie Cusmans, 59, a carer who lives in the constituency, stood by the ex-PM.

She said: “We voted for Boris Johnson as our MP and the people voted for Boris Johnson as our prime minister. It is disgusting that they have taken away our votes and put Rishi Sunak in as PM.

“They said he was having parties, he wasn’t having parties. He was having a leaving event.. and he had meetings, business meetings he didn’t have any parties.

“People like Rishi Sunak don’t like Boris because Boris left the EU got Brexit done, and was taking back control of our country and people like Rishi Sunak don’t want the people to take back control of our country.”

Herbert Crossman, 75, is thinking of standing as an independent councillor as he believes the major parties do not have the answers to problems facing the UK.

He said: “He’s been hung and drawn in one fell swoop hasn’t he. He’s lied all the way along and you can’t carry on like that. The country needs stability now it doesn’t need unrest, which is what we’ve got, and I’m afraid the party system is defunct, it’s finished.

“The two party system has got to go, we’ve got to have change to happen if the country is going to grow again and expand.”

Davis: ‘Most MPs thought Johnson had lied’

Saturday 10 June 2023 22:00 , William Mata

Veteran Tory MP David Davis, who served in Theresa May’s cabinet alongside Mr Johnson, said “most MPs” thought the former No 10 incumbent had lied.

The former Brexit secretary told GB News: “The truth of the matter is, ask around Parliament, ask most of the MPs, most people are fairly sure he misled the House.

“And he did so many times and he did so knowing that these parties had occurred and he had been at some of them.

“It is hard to be at a party and not notice it is a party.”

Government declassifies peerage nominees list after row over whether Sunak blocked approval

Saturday 10 June 2023 21:12 , Holly Bancroft

The government has taken the unusual step of declassifying the list of peerage nominations in an apparent bid to counter allegations from Boris Johnson’s allies that prime minister Rishi Sunak interfered with his list.

A list of peerage nominations supported by the House of Lords Appointments Committee following vetting has been published on the government website. The short list does not include Nadine Dorries, Alok Sharma or Nigel Adams, all of whom were reportedly nominated by Mr Johnson.

Allies of Mr Sunak have said that these names were removed by the House of Lords Committee, with the prime minister then approving the final list. Allies of Mr Johnson had tried to claim that Mr Sunak interfered with the process in some way.

The prime minister’s press secretary has previously said: “As is convention, the prime minister forwarded the former prime minister’s peerage list to Holac unaltered. Holac then passed back their approved list. The prime minister then accepted Holac’s approved list and forwarded it unamended to the Sovereign for their approval.”

Boris comeback claim ‘should be taken seriously’, says top Tory aide

Saturday 10 June 2023 20:45 , William Mata

A top Tory aide has said Boris Johnson’s comeback rumour should be taken seriously.

Philip Blond, a former advisor to David Cameron, said Boris Johnson has “resigned to reserve his political capital” and not to lose his title as the man who always wins.

He told GB News: “I think that he resigned to preserve his political capital because he wasn’t sure he would win the vote in parliament. So he’s preserved his political capital in the event of a likely Conservative defeat at the next election.

“Boris will have plenty of options – there will be plenty of constituency parties who would be thrilled to have him as their MP. So I think this is an act of political self-preservation. I think we should take his own words seriously about coming back.”

Boris Johnson now ‘free and dangerous’

Saturday 10 June 2023 20:30 , Holly Bancroft

Boris Johnson’s allies have also told The Telegraph he is now “free and dangerous” and warned Rishi Sunak not to block his potential run for a safer seat.

David Campbell Bannerman, chairman of the Conservative Democratic Organisation, said Mr Johnson was “free and dangerous” after being driven out by a “coordinated coup”.

A senior Conservative also said: “I don’t see how everybody is going to work together and keep the show on the road now. I think we won’t be able to win by-elections. We will not be able to motivate the base.

“Those of us who have been around the party for decades are seething at how the greatest, most successful party in the Western world has been reduced to this.”

Voters in Boris constituency ‘turning away from the Tories’

Saturday 10 June 2023 20:15 , William Mata

Voters in Boris Johnson’s former constituency have said they are turning away from the Tories as Labour tries to win the seat for the first time in its history.

Some passers-by in the centre of Uxbridge, at the heart of the Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency where a by-election will now take place, told the PA news agency they have abandoned the party.

The seat is becoming increasingly competitive for Labour – which is seeking to overturn a 7,200 majority.

Round-up: Tories in turmoil as bitter Boris allies force third by-election in ‘revenge’ attack

Saturday 10 June 2023 20:00 , William Mata / Jon Stone / Adam Forrest

Tonight’s round-up:

Rishi Sunak is facing a third by-election amid fresh turmoil for the Tories as another close Boris Johnson ally resigned from the Commons in an apparent revenge attack aimed at creating “chaos” for the prime minister.

Capping a tumultuous 24 hours, Mr Johnson’s friend Nigel Adams announced on Saturday that he was following the ex-PM and the former culture secretary Nadine Dorries in quitting parliament with “immediate effect”.

One senior Tory MP told The Independent: “This is the grand finale of the Boris madness. Good riddance. There will be short-term pain – but then we can clear the decks after the byelections and start afresh. I think Rishi will be pleased to get rid of him.”

The leading Conservative, who is close to Mr Sunak, said: “There’s no coherent logic to it [the resignations] – he and Nadine are just spitting the dummy, lashing out to create chaos for Rishi. It’s partly they’re bitter about the peerages, and also want to cause trouble if they were going to go anyway.”

Read the full article here.

Lib Dems attempt to prise Mid Bedfordshire seat from Tories

Saturday 10 June 2023 19:45 , William Mata

As earlier reported, the Conservatives are looking to hold on to the seat vacated by Nadine Dorries.

Mid Bedfordshire is a strong Tory base and it would take a 23.6 per cent swing for it to change hands.

However, the Lib Dems are committed to giving it a go.

A local councillor told Sky News: “We are going out, knocking on doors, talking to local residents and they’re telling us they’re really concerned about the cost of their shopping, the cost of their mortgages, and they think they’ve been let down by the Conservatives for too long.”

And the party is currently favourites to win the constituency in a by-election. Ladbrokes has them at 4/5 and the Conservatives at 11/8.

Blame it on the blob: ‘Establishment’ forced Boris out, claims ex-Tory chairman

Saturday 10 June 2023 19:30 , William Mata

Former Conservative chairman Jake Berry has rounded on the party, asking ‘who is in charge here’?

The Tory MP held offices during the governments of Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.

Mr Berry tweeted: “You voted for Brexit – the establishment blocked it. You voted for Boris Johnson – the establishment has forced him out. Who is in charge here … The voters or the blob?”

‘You’re on it’: Boris Johnson’s reported message to Nadine Dorries about honours list

Saturday 10 June 2023 19:15 , William Mata

Boris Johnson reportedly messaged ally Nadine Dorries to assure her that she would be on the honours list after a meeting with prime minister Rishi Sunak.

According to a report in The Sunday Times, Mr Johnson left a meeting with Mr Sunak assured that his original honours list would be approved. He messaged Ms Dorries to say: “Just finished the meeting with Rishi. List being published imminently. You’re on it,” the paper reported. Ms Dorries did not appear on the honours list and resigned as an MP hours after it was published.

A Johnson ally said Mr Sunak “thinks he’s being very clever when he’s being very stupid”, adding: “He’s like a s*** batsman who completely misreads the delivery”.

Jacob Rees-Mogg to be made a “sir” under Boris Johnson resignation honours

Saturday 10 June 2023 19:00 , William Mata

Boris Johnson has doled out knighthoods and other gongs to fellow Brexiteers as part of his resignation honours.

Former Brexit opportunities minister Jacob Rees-Mogg is among those to be made a “sir” in the list – a perk for prime ministers who are leaving office.

Other knighthoods included Leave-supporting Conservative MPs Michael Fabricant and Conor Burns.

Jon Stone has the full article here.

Privileges committee report ‘found Johnson made inaccurate claims under oath’

Saturday 10 June 2023 18:59 , William Mata

The privileges committee report that prompted Boris Johnson’s resignation as an MP found that he had deliberately lied to MPs and made further inaccurate claims under oath, The Sunday Times has reported.

The committee of MPs were apparently convinced to impose a harsher punishment on Mr Johnson because of evidence submitted to the police, which was also shared with the group.

Boris downfall is ‘Britain’s Watergate’, says top peer

Saturday 10 June 2023 18:45 , William Mata

Baroness Cavendish, crossbench peer and the former policy director under David Cameron’s government, said Boris Johnson’s downfall is Britain’s “Watergate” moment.

Dismissing claims of a witch-hunt, she noted that the privileges committee “includes Bernard Jenkin – who was a Brexiter long before Boris Johnson was.

She told Radio 4’s PM programme: “This was not a witch-hunt by Remainers, it was not a kangaroo court, it was the process of democracy and justice working and I don’t really think we’ve seen anything like this in England in 300 years of history. This was our Watergate.”

Comment: He’s the author of his own downfall

Saturday 10 June 2023 18:30 , William Mata

At long last, the moment has come when the albino greased piglet hasn’t been able to save his own bacon, Sean O’Grady writes.

“Nothing befits Boris Johnson more than the manner of his own departure.

“Just as he did in office, and all too shamefully and literally during the dismal Partygate phase, he’s trashing the place on the way out.”

Read the full article here.

Zahawi quashes speculation he might be next to quit

Saturday 10 June 2023 18:25 , William Mata

Boris Johnson’s ally Nadhim Zahawi has moved to quash any idea he might be next to quit immediately.

The former chancellor said “any speculation that I might be stepping down from my seat is untrue”.

He added on Twitter: “The people of Stratford-on-Avon, and the country, want the Government to get on with delivering for Britain, I will be continuing to support the Government from the Conservative benches in the House of Commons.”

No comeback? Tories speculate on Johnson’s future

Saturday 10 June 2023 18:10 , William Mata

Conservatives have downplayed the prospect of Boris Johnson ever making a comeback.

MP Bob Seely has said the former prime minister “ain’t going to be leader of the Conservative Party again”. In a Times Radio interview, he added: “[His merits are] all in the past.”

Meanwhile Gavin Barwell, a former Number 10 chief of staff, tweeted: “Had Boris been the only MP to resign, a comeback post-election might have been possible.

“But this is now looking like a coordinated attempt to damage the Sunak government – and therefore the prospects of Conservative candidates at the next election.

“Bridges well and truly burnt.”

By-elections: What is likely to happen?

Saturday 10 June 2023 17:45 , William Mata

The immediate resignations of Boris Johnson, Nadine Dorries and Nigel Adams has left Rishi Sunak facing three imminent by-elections.

And while his Conservative government command healthly majorities in Ms Dorries’ Mid Bedfordshire and Mr Adams’ Selby and Ainsty constituencies, the situation is far more precarious in the former prime minister’s seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

Oliver Pritchard-Jones has considered what the potential outcomes could be for each seat.

‘The ghost of Boris Johnson will continue to haunt the Tories for a long time’

Saturday 10 June 2023 17:27 , William Mata

He will continue to grab headlines whenever he chooses, distracting attention from the PM’s painstaking work to drag the Tories back into the game, writes Andrew Grice.

“It’s a delusion, but Johnson’s goodbye will be a long one. He will be throwing rocks for a good while yet.”

Read the full opinion piece here.

‘Bring it on!’ Tories begin Mid Bedfordshire campaign

Saturday 10 June 2023 17:19 , William Mata

Tory MP Bim Afolami tweeted a photo next to party activists as they seek to defend the seat of Mid Bedfordshire, where Nadine Dorries has stepped down.

The Conservative won a 24,664 at the last election in 2019 and Rishi Sunak really will be looking over his shoulder should it be lost at the by-election.

Mr Afolami tweeted: “The campaign in Mid Beds has started – great response this morning.”

Sunak ‘too weak’ to unite Tories

Saturday 10 June 2023 17:00 , William Mata

Rishi Sunak has “lost control” of his party and is “too weak” to unite the Conservatives, Labour’s campaign coordinator has said.

Speaking to Sky News in front of a group of activists in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency, Shabana Mahmood said: “People here care about the cost of living, the Tories care about themselves.”

When asked whether winning the Mid-Bedfordshire and Selby and Ainsty by-elections would be a “tall order”, she insisted the party is “fighting for every vote”.

She also said she would be a “billionaire” if she had £1 for every time a journalist had asked her whether Sir Kier Starmer and Sir Ed Davey have had discussions about an unofficial pact.

She went on: “We need MPs who are going to be the voice of their areas in Parliament, not treating their MP title as a plaything to do damage to their Tory Prime Minister.

“It is clear that these resignations and these by-elections are designed to do maximum damage to this Tory Prime Minister.”

Labour: ‘Nothing being taken for granted in Uxbridge and South Ruislip’

Saturday 10 June 2023 16:50 , William Mata

Labour’s candidate in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election has said he is not “taking anything for granted”.

Danny Beales told the PA news agency at the party’s campaign launch in Hillingdon: “I think people are telling us that they’re pretty fed up – whether they voted Labour or Conservative last time, they feel the country is not working.

“I definitely think we’re in with a shot, we just need to get out there, speak to as many people as we can and make the case that I would be a great full-time MP and we need change, a new government too.

“I think mostly the sense for the last 10 years was we haven’t had a local MP, there hasn’t been an advice surgery where you can go and see your MP.

“You may write, you may get a response, you might not.”

What is the majority of all of the seats?

Saturday 10 June 2023 16:11 , William Mata

Nigel Adams, Nadine Dorries and Boris Johnson departing will see three seats up for grabs although some are more winnable than others.

Rival parties will have the best chance in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, perhaps, Mr Johnson’s seat winning a majority of 7,210 from Labour in 2019.

Nadine Dorries commanded a huge majority of 24,664 when she won her Mid Bedfordshire constituency of 24,664 in 2019. Labour finished second at that time.

In Selby and Ainsty, Mr Adams won with a majority of 20,137 in 2019 from Labour.

Danny Beales to stand for Labour in Uxbridge by-election

Saturday 10 June 2023 15:57 , Matt Mathers

Danny Beales will be standing for Labour in Boris Johnson’s former seat.

Shabana Mahmood, Labour’s campaign coordinator, told Sky News while in Hillingdon that Danny Beales will be standing in the former Tory leader’s Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat.

She said: “Boris Johnson’s handling of the last 24 hours speaks for itself, this is not a man who is about anything other than Boris Johnson and frankly, the sooner everybody stops giving him limelight and attention that he clearly craves the better.

“What we care about is the voters of Uxbridge, he has shown disdain for the voters of Uxbridge, but Danny Beales as a Labour candidate and future MP for Uxbridge will put the people of Uxbridge first, he will be fighting for them in Parliament, that’s what the people here need and that is singularly what Boris Johnson has always failed to do.”

Most Tories think Johnson misled Commons over Partygate – Davis

Saturday 10 June 2023 15:30 , Matt Mathers

Most Tories think Johnson misled Commons over Partygate – Davis

Boris Johnson “never showed any appetite” to run a Conservative economy and most MPs think he misled the house over Partygate, according to David Davis.

The veteran Tory MP told GB News: : “Boris never showed any appetite for what you need to do to bring taxes down to run a conservative economy. Margaret Thatcher would be tearing her hair out watching the performance of Boris.

“Of course, it’s going to be tougher to win now but I suspect in Uxbridge, the election wouldn’t have been about the government, it would have been about Boris. It would have been about telling the truth or not. It would have been about accepting the rules of Parliament or not and that wouldn’t have served him well.”

Tories in ‘meltdown’ and must call election ‘now’ – Lib Dems

Saturday 10 June 2023 14:40 , Matt Mathers

The Conservative Party is in “meltdown” and must call a general election “now” following the resignation of Nigel Adams, the Lib Dems have said.

“After years of failing our NHS and failing to deal with the cost-of-living crisis it is time people across the country have their opportunity to give a verdict on this chaotic Conservative government,” deputy leader Daisy Cooper said.

Party leader Ed Davey also called for a national poll following the resignations of Boris Johnson and Nadine Dorries, a strong ally of the former prime minister.

Mr Adams is also a supporter of Mr Johnson. Sir Bill Cash has also announced he is stepping down as an MP, although he will remain in his seat until the next election.

Breaking: Tories facing third by-election test as another Boris Johnson ally quits as MP

Saturday 10 June 2023 14:22 , Matt Mathers

Rishi Sunak is facing an unwelcome third by-election test after another MP ally of Boris Johnson dramatically quit his seat on Saturday.

Nigel Adams, the MP for Selby and Ainsty, said he had told his party he would be standing down “with immediate effect” – triggering a contest to replace him.

Jon Stone has the full report:

Tories facing third by-election test as another Boris Johnson ally quits as MP

Saturday 10 June 2023 14:09 , Stephanie Cockroft

Tories facing third by-election test as another Boris Johnson ally quits as MP

MP Nigel Adams, an ally of Boris Johnson, has announced he will be standing down with “immediate effect”, triggering a by-election in his Selby and Ainsty consistency.

It comes after Boris Johnson and Nadine Dorries quit on Friday.

ICYMI: Nadine Dorries dramatically quits as MP amid Boris Johnson’s honours list snub

Saturday 10 June 2023 14:00 , Matt Mathers

Conservative MP Nadine Dorries has resigned her seat with immediate effect after she was passed over for a peerage in Boris Johnson’s resignation honours.

The former culture secretary has caused a major headache for Rishi Sunak by triggering a by-election contest – saying she thought it was time for someone else to represent the area.

Jon Stone reports:

Nadine Dorries dramatically quits as MP amid Boris Johnson’s honours list snub

Johnson labelled a ‘coward’ for quitting as MP before partygate report released

Saturday 10 June 2023 13:30 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson has been accused of being a coward for quitting as an MP before the findings of a cross-party investigation into whether he lied to the Commons has been published.

Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, said the former prime minister had “jumped” to avoid facing a potential by-election in his marginal constituency.

Patrick Daly reports:

Johnson labelled a ‘coward’ for quitting as MP before partygate report released

Tory MP Bill Cash to step down at next election

Saturday 10 June 2023 13:06 , Matt Mathers

Sir Bill Cash, the veteran Conservative MP and arch Eurosceptic, has announced he will step down at the next election and retire from political life.

In a statement published on Stone Conservatives website, Sir Bill said: “It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve as the MP for Stone for the past 26 years and for Stafford before that for 13 years – having received 64% of the vote on a 72% turnout at the last general election.

“I have made the decision to retire at the next general election.

“I am now 83 years old and will therefore have served in Parliament for 40 years by the next general election.”

He added: “Retiring is a big wrench because I love the House of Commons and my constituents.

“I have done my best over the time, and I thank everyone for what they have done for me.”

‘Farce’ surrounding Johnson’s honours list bring system into question – former Lords speaker

Saturday 10 June 2023 12:25 , Matt Mathers

The “farce” surrounding Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list brings into question whether former prime ministers should be able to hand out awards after leaving office, according to a former House of Lords speaker.

Baron Fowler of Sutton Coldfield said prime minister Rishi Sunak has “an opportunity to put all this right” by reforming the system whereby outgoing No 10 incumbents have the right to put forward an honours roll.

Lord Fowler told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that, upon hearing that Mr Johnson’s honours roll was to be published, he assumed there had been “no problem” with the committee investigation when the “exact opposite” was the case.

“I think it just brings into question the whole business of prime ministers’ honours,” the former Tory Party chairman said.

“It has been a farce really from beginning to end. There has been leak after leak of the whole thing. It’s no way of running a government.”

Opposition parties are wasting no time moving to exploit Tory woes

Saturday 10 June 2023 12:05 , Matt Mathers

Labour’s campaign coordinator Shabana Mahmood will be campaigning in Boris Johnson’s west London seat on Saturday – less than 24 hours after he resigned, Jon Stone reports.

The opposition hopes its buoyant poll ratings will translate to capturing the constituency – throwing Rishi Sunak’s party into even more chaos and recriminations.

The Liberal Democrats are meanwhile focusing their efforts on Mid Bedfordshire, which was vacated by Nadine Dorries.

They hope to replicate a string of by-election successes in “blue wall” rural and suburban areas that were previously considered to be safe Conservatives seats.

What by-elections mean for Rishi Sunak as Boris Johnson and Nadine Dorries step down

Saturday 10 June 2023 11:50 , Matt Mathers

The immediate resignations of Boris Johnson and Nadine Dorries last night left Rishi Sunak facing two imminent by-elections.

And while his Conservative government commands a healthly 24,664 majority in Ms Dorries’ Mid Bedfordshire constituency, the situation is far more precarious in the former prime minister’s seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

The Independent has taken a look at how the Tories’ odds fair in the looming polls. Oliver Pritchard-Jones reports:

What the Dorries and Johnson by-elections mean for Sunak

Johnson could be suspended again if he stands in another constituency

Saturday 10 June 2023 11:34 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson could be suspended again if he stands in another constituency, the chair of the Commons privileges committee has said.

Labour’s Chris Bryant said a privileges report can be into the conduct of a former or non member.

“So the idea he’d stand in another seat is for the birds,” Mr Bryant said. “He’d just be suspended again.”

Moment BBC audience erupts in applause at news of Boris Johnson’s resignation

Saturday 10 June 2023 11:08 , Matt Mathers

Applause erupted as a BBC Radio 4 audience learned of Boris Johnson‘s resignation during the recording of an Any Questions episode on Friday, 9 June, in Pembrokeshire, Holly Patrick reports.

Host Alex Forsyth relayed the news that the former prime minister announced he is quitting as an MP, claiming he is the victim of a Partygate and Brexit witch-hunt.

Mr Johnson’s resignation came as he received a report by a committee of MPs into whether he misled the Commons over his partygate assurances.

“I really like the guy and I’m sorry he’s gone,” panellist and Conservative minister David TC Davies said to groans from the audience.

Watch: Boris Johnson’s former press secretary reacts to ‘deeply misleading’ resignation letter

Saturday 10 June 2023 10:22 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson’s former press secretary has described the ex-prime minister’s resignation statement as “Trumpian.”

Speaking to Sky News, Will Walden said his former boss had used the “language of vendetta” in a letter, which he called “deeply misleading in places,” announcing he is to step down as an MP.

Mr Johnson’s resignation came on Friday, 9 June, as he received a report by a committee of MPs into whether he misled the Commons over his partygate assurances.

The former prime minister wrote that he is being “driven” out of Parliament and claimed that he was a victim of a Partygate and Brexit witch-hunt.

Holly Patrick reports:

Johnson’s former press secretary reacts to ‘deeply misleading’ resignation letter

Johnson’s shock announcement came after ‘cronies’ rewarded in ‘sickening’ honours list

Saturday 10 June 2023 10:12 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson has been accused of a “sickening insult” to the bereaved after he gave honours to allies embroiled in the Partygate scandal, including one dubbed “party Marty”.

Martin Reynolds, his former principal private secretary who boasted “we seem to have got away with” the “bring your own booze” garden party during coronavirus restrictions, has been nominated for a peerage.

Kate Devlin and Archie Mitchell report:

Johnson honours list includes ‘bring your own booze’ Partygate aide

‘No respect for the British public’

Saturday 10 June 2023 09:30 , Matt Mathers

Angela Rayner said Boris Johnson had let down those voters who handed him his landslide election victory in 2019, arguing that the former prime minister has shown he had “no respect for the British public”.

The deputy Labour leader told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think the people put their trust in him because they thought he was about change and he was about putting them at the heart of decision-making, and he has let them down truly in the most devastating way at the time when they needed him most.

“No one could have predicted what happened to this country during the pandemic, but at the time when the public needed him the most, he basically was partying and lying to them at a time when they couldn’t see their loved ones.

“And that is unforgivable.

“The fact that he cannot recognise the damage that he has done, and he has tried to stuff the Lords with people that propped him up and helped him and assisted him at the time shows us that actually he had no respect for the British public.

“It was all about Boris and it has always been all about Boris to him, and people will be left disappointed by his legacy.”

Talk of Johnson comeback ‘feels Trumpian’ – former spokesman

Saturday 10 June 2023 09:16 , Matt Mathers

Talk of Boris Johnson’s return as an MP in the future “feels very Trumpian”, his former spokesman has said.

In his resignation letter, Mr Johnson said he was “very sad” to be leaving parliament “at least for now”, fuelling speculation that he could attempt a chicken run to a safer seat.

Will Walden spoke to BBC Radio 4 earlier and also suggested the former PM resigned because he had seen the “writing was on the wall”.

“He knew he probably would lose a by-election in his marginal seat,” Mr Walden said,

“His primary motivation here, as it has been for the last year or so, is protecting his version of the narrative.

“So by going, as he has, all guns blazing, he is able to avoid defeat, he is able to blame pretty much everyone else, including it seems anyone that voted Remain in 2016.”

He added: “There is no plan but he is preparing himself for what might be next without the humiliation of being kicked out.

“But it is so Boris. He told the committee that if they found against him, he wouldn’t respect the outcome – and so it has proved, there is no great surprise here.”

Resignation not the end for Johnson – former spokesman

Saturday 10 June 2023 09:04 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson’s resignation as an MP doesn’t mean the end of his political career, his former spokesman has said.

Will Walden told Radio 4: “I think the most important thing that people need to understand this morning is there is only one thing driving Boris and that is that he likes to win, or at least not to lose.

“And he hasn’t lost an election for 26 years, when the voters of Clwyd South decided he wasn’t their man in 1997.

“I think the first thing to understand is this report clearly threatened to change all that.

“He had seen the writing on the wall, he knew he probably would lose a by-election in his marginal seat. His primary motivation here, as it has been for the last year or so, is protecting his version of the narrative.”

What the papers say – 10 June

Saturday 10 June 2023 08:57 , Matt Mathers

Not for the first time, Boris Johnson is dominating UK politics after announcing his resignation last night.

The former prime minister quit after being handed the findings of the Partygate inquiry into whether or not he misled parliament over Covid lockdown breaches.

The news makes most of the front pages. Here’s how some of the papers covered Mr Johnson’s resignation:

Lib Dems call for general election

Saturday 10 June 2023 08:33 , Matt Mathers

Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey said there should be a general election following the resignation of Boris Johnson as an MP.

Speaking to the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said: “I think there should actually be a general election.

“I think the chaos and division in the Conservative Party, the fact that they’re so out of touch on the cost of living, on the NHS, it means we’ve got to put the country out of its misery with these Conservatives.

“I doubt they’ll do it, because I don’t think they’ve got the courage to do it. But Rishi Sunak should call a general election and, on the back of Boris Johnson’s resignation, let’s get rid of them.”

Johnson is a ‘coward’ who ‘jumped’ – Rayner

Saturday 10 June 2023 08:21 , Matt Mathers

Former prime minister Boris Johnson has been accused of being a “coward” by resigning before a Commons Partygate investigation into his comments is published.

Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner told BBC Radio 5 Live: “To me, he is a coward.

“He knows that the Privileges Committee has seen through this fiasco and he has jumped.

“He could have defended himself, he could have gone to his constituents and fought the suspension, and he has decided he is not going to do that because he knows he is in the wrong.

“And he has never apologised to what he has done to the British people… he has basically been gaslighting the nation, and I think he is a disgrace.”

Boris Johnson’s resignation letter – read it in full

Saturday 10 June 2023 07:45 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson has sensationally resigned as an MP over an investigation into his conduct by the Privileges Committee.

The former prime minister claims he has been anti-democratically forced out of parliament, branding the probe a “hitjob”.

His full resignation statement is below:

Boris Johnson’s resignation statement in full

Johnson could be hit with second contempt charge for behaviour in past 24 hours – Bryant

Saturday 10 June 2023 07:24 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson could be hit with an additional contempt of parliament charge for his behaviour over the past 24 hours, the chair of the parliament’s privileges committee has said.

The former prime minister announced his resignation last night and effectively pre-empted the findings of the Partygate inquiry, which he described as a “kangaroo court”.

Reports said the inquiry was due to find that he did mislead parliament over Partygate and recommend a lengthy suspension.

“They may want to conclude that there has been an additional contempt of parliament by the way that Boris Johnson has behaved in the past 24 hours,” Chris Bryant told BBC Radio 4.

“And the attacks on the committee…which are an attack on the whole house. I don’t think anybody can be in any doubt now that Boris Johnson holds parliament in contempt”.

Mr Bryant, a senior Labour MP, recused himself from any Partygate probe to avoid any suggestion that it could become unfair. Harriet Harman, also a senior Labour MP, chaired the inquiry, which has a Conservative majority.

Partygate inquiry to be published ‘promptly’

Saturday 10 June 2023 07:14 , Matt Mathers

A report into whether Boris Johnson misled MPs over his Partygate assurances will be published “promptly” after the former prime minister’s decision to dramatically quit the Commons.

The Commons Privileges Committee said the cross-party panel of MPs will meet on Monday to complete its inquiry.

It comes after Mr Johnson launched a blistering attack on the Conservative-majority committee, comparing it to a “kangaroo court” and a “witch hunt”, as he announced his intention to stand down as an MP and trigger an immediate by-election.

In a statement, a spokesman said: “The committee has followed the procedures and the mandate of the House at all times and will continue to do so.

“Mr Johnson has departed from the processes of the House and has impugned the integrity of the House by his statement.

“The committee will meet on Monday to conclude the inquiry and to publish its report promptly.”

Saturday 10 June 2023 07:11 , Matt Mathers

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live politics coverage.

We’ll be covering Boris Johnson’s resignation and other stories from Westminster and elsewhere.

Stay tuned for all the latest updates.

‘Johnson should be angry with Tories who voted against him’

Saturday 10 June 2023 01:00 , Jane Dalton

Mr Johnson’s rage is directed at committee chairwoman Harriet Harman, but she had a casting vote only if votes were tied, as chief political commentator John Rentoul points out. Four Tories on the committee went against him:

‘Self-serving and dishonest’

Saturday 10 June 2023 00:30 , Jane Dalton

Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy tweeted a scathing assessment of Mr Johnson, hitting out at his alleged breach of Covid laws.

He tweeted: “Good riddance please to the most self-serving, venal, divisive and dishonest prime minister of my lifetime.

“You will forever be remembered as the prime minister who thought himself above the laws he created for everyone else.”

Johnson’s resignation honours ‘sickening insult’

Saturday 10 June 2023 00:01 , Jane Dalton

Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list, released shortly before he announced he was stepping down, was branded a “sickening insult” to the bereaved after he gave honours to allies embroiled in the Partygate scandal, including one dubbed ‘party Marty’.

Martin Reynolds, his former principal private secretary who boasted “we seem to have got away with” the ‘bring your own booze’ garden party” during coronavirus restrictions, received a gong.

Johnson honours list includes ‘bring your own booze’ Partygate aide

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