Boris Johnson is to press ahead with a cultural celebration after the UK’s exit from the EU dubbed the “Festival of Brexit”, despite concerns about the £120m cost. The organiser has been mocked for claiming it will bring “joy, hope and happiness”.
It comes as Mr Johnson’s top aide Dominic Cummings is reportedly planning to scrap cabinet committees and use “Cobra-style” teams of senior figures to push through the government’s agenda.
Labour leadership candidates have until 2.30pm today to get enough support from colleagues to stay in the contest, with Emily Thornberry and Clive Lewis still scrambling to reach 22 nominations. Mr Lewis claimed the Brexit campaign had “racism at its heart”.
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Corbyn’s son pleads for support on behalf of Richard Burgon
Tommy Corbyn – Jeremy Corbyn’s son – has appealed for support for deputy Labour leadership candidate Richard Burgon.
The shadow justice secretary – flagbearer for the Corbyn project – had only 18 nominations as of Sunday. He needs four more before the 2.30pm deadline to advance to the next stage.
Corbyn’s son called the situation “a travesty” and called Burgon “one of the most dedicated and committed socialists” in the party.
Iran’s ambassador to the UK summoned by Foreign Office
The Iranian ambassador to the UK has been summoned by the Foreign Office in response to the “unacceptable” arrest of the British ambassador in Tehran, Downing Street said.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “We have summoned the Iranian ambassador today to the Foreign Office to convey our strong objections.”
It follows the arrest of Rob Macaire, the UK ambassador to Iran, on Saturday night after he attended a vigil for those who died when an Iranian missile shot down a passenger plane. Police briefly detained Macaire, who said he went to the event without knowing it would turn into a protest.
The PM’s spokesman said was an unacceptable breach of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations. “We are seeking full assurances from the Iranian government that this will never happen again.”
Families of the victims of the downed Ukrainian International Airlines flight could seek compensation from the Iranian government, Downing Street also indicated.
The spokesman said: “As a first step we need a comprehensive, transparent and independent investigation to know exactly what happened. Of course the families of the four British victims deserve justice and closure and we will continue to do everything we can to support them in getting that, including options for compensation.”
PM meets newly-appointed NI leaders
Boris Johnson has met Stormont’s newly-appointed leaders for talks set to focus on how much the government will stump up to support the return of devolution.
The PM and Northern Ireland secretary Julian Smith were greeted by DUP first minister Arlene Foster and Sinn Fein deputy first minister Michelle O’Neill outside Stormont Castle in Belfast.
Irish premier Leo Varadkar is also due at Stormont on Monday as he Johnson mark the resurrection of the institutions after a three-year political impasse.
Ahead of Johnson’s arrival, a Stormont minister said he expected the ‘overnment to deliver at least £2bn to support the power-sharing deal outlined in the ‘New Decade, New Approach’ draft agreement.
DUP agriculture minister Edwin Poots warned that the money could come with “strings attached”, potentially by way of a commitment from the executive to raise extra revenue through the introduction of water charges or a hike in rates bills.
Festival of Brexit dismissed as ‘bonfire of money’
More reaction to the so-called “Festival of Brexit” – the government’s planned 2022 national cultural celebration defended by its chief organiser as a way to help us “re-find common ground”.
Anti-Brexit campaign Mike Galsworthy, founder of the Scientists for EU group, called the “vanity project” as a “bonfire of money”.
The writer Marcus Chown joked: “Apparently, when you go to the Festival of Brexit Britain, you’ll be able to refuse to pay the entrance fee and demand unlimited access to all the attractions.”
Michael Dougan, professor of European law at the University of Liverpool, said he looked forward to “celebrating the grotesque triumph of charlatans, the alienation of millions of migrant citizens, the mass removal of rights and protections and the squandering of international influence through the medium of creative dance”.
No leadership hustings in Labour’s ‘red wall’ heartlands
Candidates in the race to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader have criticised the party’s decision to ignore parts of the so-called “red wall” for its hustings.
Frontrunner Sir Keir Starmer said he was “disappointed” debates would not be held in the South East, east of England or Yorkshire – where Labour lost several key seats.
Wakefield, Don Valley, Great Grimsby and Rother Valley were among long-held Labour constituencies to fall to the Tories in December as the so-called “red wall” of seats in the North and Midlands collapsed.
Hustings for the leader and deputy leader elections kick off on Saturday in Liverpool, with events planned each weekend in cities including Durham, Bristol, Cardiff, Nottingham, Glasgow and London. There will also be hustings in the West Midlands and Bedford.
The shadow Brexit secretary, who has 68 nominations from the parliamentary party, tweeted: “I’m disappointed the Party hasn’t organised hustings in the South East, East of England or Yorkshire. Labour can win the next election, but only if we win back people’s trust across the UK.
“I’ll be writing to the NEC tomorrow asking them to reconsider.”
Wigan MP Lisa Nandy, who has 24 nominations, said: “As I have repeatedly said, the Labour Party has lost seats for the first time in our history in areas like Bolsover, Wrexham and Stoke.
“The failure to debate the future of our party in communities like these shows that we are part of the problem.”
Lord Pannick: Government trying to control ‘fundamental’ part of legal system
The House of Lords will begin scrutinising Boris Johnson’s Brexit bill this week, with plenty of peers vowing to challenge various aspects of the legislation MPs were not able to amend.
Lord Pannick – the peer who led the case against the government during prorogation – has warned the withdrawal agreement bill gives ministers the power to decide which British courts are no longer bound by previous European Court of Justice (ECJ) rulings.
He thinks it’s wrong for the government to control a “fundamental aspect of our legal system”.
Before the Tory election victory, the bill allowed for only the UK’s Supreme Court to overrule ECJ precedence.
Meanwhile the Irish deputy PM Simon Coveney has poured scorn on Johnson’s promise a trade deal by the end of 2020, saying it’s “probably going to take longer than a year”.
Tory ministers accept they cannot hold back indyref2 forever, claims SNP’s Westminster leader
Ian Blackford, the SNP’s leader at Westminster, has claimed cabinet ministers have privately accepted that their opposition to another independence poll will be “difficult to hold”.
The nationalist told The Herald he felt that even Boris Johnson knows he will have to grant a Section 30 order for Holyrood to organise another referendum in the future.
His comments came after Scottish secretary Alister Jack stated that the Scottish parliament should not have powers over the holding of referendums, which he said on BBC’s Politics Scotland on Sunday would see Scotland “plunged into neverendums”.
Blackford said: “I have had conversations with a number of Conservative ministers privately and they understand that this is a line which is going to be difficult to hold in the longer term.”
The Westminster leader refused to name the people to whom he was referring, but added: “I don’t believe Boris Johnson sees that any differently to some of the other people I’m talking about.”
Tory MP blames ‘certain communities’ for crime
Tom Hunt, the new Conservative MP for Ipswich, has been accused of fuelling racism after appearing to blame crime in his constituency on minority groups.
He claimed that a “disproportionate number” of offences in the town were committed by “individuals from certain communities” in a piece for the East Anglian Daily Times.
The claim drew fire from a local racial equality group, which accused him of “an ill-judged piece of dog-whistling”.
Responding to the claims, a spokesperson for the Ipswich and Suffolk Council for Racial Equality (ISCRE) condemned his article as “entirely evidence-free”.
In response to criticism, Hunt said he would be meeting with the ISCRE – but refused to apologise for the comments.
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Arlene Foster won’t say whether she’ll ask PM for £2bn for NI
Northern Ireland’s first minister Arlene Foster said she would “not put a figure” on how much money she will demand when she meets Boris Johnson in Belfast.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the DUP leader said the region required funding to properly resource public services and invest in infrastructure after parties agreed a deal to re-open the Stormont Assembly last week.
Foster said: “It’s a composite figure. There’s a need to make sure that we have the resources, resources not just for one year but over a number of years so that we don’t face a cliff edge in another year.
“But as well as that, we need to have capital investment. We have a huge hole in our infrastructure, particularly in our water infrastructure which we need to fix.
“It’s a package that will have to be capital and resource, and I think the prime minister is very much aware of what we need.”
Asked whether the figure being asked for was up to £2bn, the DUP leader said she was “not going to put a figure on it because I think it is important that we get the right figure”.
Johnson and Leo Varadkar will hold talks with Foster and Sinn Fein deputy first minister Michelle O’Neill at Stormont later.
Clive Lewis has ‘faith’ he will get enough nominations
The Norwich South MP, who requires another 18 backers to progress to the next stage of the contest to replace Jeremy Corbyn, said he had “faith” in his colleagues to put him through to the next round of the contest – despite him touching on “difficult” topics during his leadership pitch.
The shadow Treasury minister told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I’ve got faith in my colleagues.
“I think they have heard what I have put forward this week. I think they have heard the radical nature of what I’m saying.”
Lewis called for proportion representation, the abolition of the House of Lords and a referendum on the future of the monarchy.
“I understand it is difficult because I am talking about things which are hard for people to hear. This isn’t about triangulating on our policies – it is about saying you have got a political system that is stacked against you,” he said.
“Why do you keep playing by the rules with both your hands tied behind your back? Change the rules.”
Public backs action to cut out carbon by 2030
Boris Johnson was today facing calls to step up action on climate change, after a poll for The Independent found overwhelming support for radical change to end the UK’s net carbon emissions by the end of the decade.
Some 70 per cent of those questioned by pollsters BMG said they supported the target of net-zero emissions by 2030, with only 7 per cent opposing it.
Johnson’s government is committed to a 2050 net-zero emissions target, but backing for much swifter action is high across all age ranges, social groups and parts of the country – countering the idea of a generational and urban / rural split on the climate emergency.
‘Festival of Brexit’ chief promises to overcome cynicism
The government is to press ahead with a post-Brexit festival of Britain and Northern Ireland, despite calls to ditch the 2022 event dubbed the “Festival of Brexit”.
The chief organiser Martin Green has defended plans for a national cultural celebration, promising it can help us all “re-find common ground”.
“There is no doubt that money has been made available because this country is exiting the European Union, there is no getting away from that,” he told The Observer.
“On a very basic level, we are probably due a bit of joy and hope and happiness, and art is really good at that.”
But there is plenty of cynicism for Green and his team to overcome – both about the cost and the value of the project.
Author Matt Haig said: “So the Festival of Brexit will cost the British taxpayer over 40 TIMES more than Harry and Meghan do a year. But instead of attracting overseas visitors, it will put them off and make everything a bit more s***.”
The left-wing actor-director David Schneider said the £120m would be spent “on celebrating the UK becoming the first country to declare sanctions on ourselves”.
Cummings wants to replace cabinet committees with ‘Cobra-style’ teams
Tony Blair famously introduced “sofa government” of informal chats with cabinet members. It looks like Dominic Cummings wants most of the cabinet to disappear down the back of a sofa.
The PM’s right-hand man is thought to be keen on doing away with cabinet committees and using “Cobra- style” teams of senior figures to push through the government’s agenda.
It comes ahead of the so-called “Valentine’s Day massacre” reshuffle in February, with Johnson and Cummings thought be considering the merger of some departments.
One minister told The Times the potential changes were “not so much throwing the baby out with the bath water” as “blowing the baby up and jumping on its grave” (the election triumph clearly hasn’t stopped Tory politicians coming up with weird and violent mangled metaphors).
Michael Gove, incidentally, is said to set for a role as “de facto” deputy prime minister as part of Cummings’ management revolution.
Labour candidates scrabble for support ahead of 2.30pm deadline
Contenders to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader will learn by 2.30pm today whether they have enough backing from fellow MPs to stay in the contest.
While Keir Starmer, Rebecca Long-Bailey, Lisa Nandy and Jess Phillips have gathered the 22 signatures needed, Emily Thornberry (on 10 endorsements) and Clive Lewis (on four) are still scrambling for names.
In the race for deputy leader, which is running in parallel, two candidates – Angela Rayner and Ian Murray – are already through.
Three others – Richard Burgon on 18, Rosena Allin-Khan with 17 and Dawn Butler with 15 – are hoping they can also make the cut this afternoon.
Those who qualify in the two contests then need to get the nominations of 33 local constituency parties or three Labour affiliates – including at least two trade unions – to enter the final postal ballot of party members and registered supporters.
Over the weekend, the left-wing activist group Momentum, which helped propel Corbyn to the leadership in 2015, said it was recommending support for Long-Bailey and Rayner.
It will now ask its members whether they agree with the recommendations, with ballots – consisting of just two questions – to be sent out this next week.
Will government stump up money for Northern Ireland?
Boris Johnson will meet the leaders of Northern Ireland’s restored power-sharing executive on a visit to Belfast on Monday.
The PM will hold talks with first minister Arlene Foster and Sinn Fein deputy first minister Michelle O’Neill at Stormont – and can expect to face questions on the financial promises the government made as part of efforts to get the “New Decade, New Approach” agreement over the line.
Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith declined to confirm the sums involved until a deal to restore the devolved institutions was done.
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of British politics, as Boris Johnson visits Northern Ireland, his Brexit bill comes under scrutiny in the House of Lords, and the Labour leadership and deputy leadership candidates without the 22 nominations they need by 2.30pm scrabble to win support.
