Brexit news: Boris Johnson expected to scrap foreign aid department and extend hostile environment, as BBC faces backlash over role in Tory election win
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Boris Johnson has addressed his new intake of 109 new Conservative MPs after his landslide victory, and was expected to urge them to vote for his Brexit deal so the UK can leave the EU by the end of January.
Mr Johnson’s reported plans to create a new immigration system, separate from the Home Office, has experts fearing an expansion of the “hostile environment” policy. It comes as senior Tories and more than 100 charities attack the PM’s plan to axe the department delivering Britain’s foreign aid.
The prime minister has also launched a mini-reshuffle of his cabinet, with Simon Hart appointed Welsh secretary and Nicky Morgan - who stepped down as an MP at the election - handed a life peerage to enable her to continue as culture secretary.
With Labour figures jockeying over who should succeed Jeremy Corbyn, shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald accused the BBC of “playing a part” in the party’s defeat. Emily Thornberry said she is taking legal action against Caroline Flint over the claim she called Leave voters “stupid”.
Here's how we covered the day's development as they happened:
Failure in Northern Ireland is ‘shame on all politicians,’ says DUP leader
The ongoing failure to restore powersharing in Northern Ireland is a shame on all the region’s politicians, Arlene Foster has said.
The DUP leader urged rivals to come together to strike a deal to resurrect the devolved executive ahead of another round of talks in Belfast.
Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith will hold a round of bilateral meetings with the DUP, Sinn Fein, UUP, SDLP and Alliance Party at Stormont House on Monday morning, with a roundtable session with all the party leaders due later in the week.
Ahead of the meetings on Monday, Foster said: “It is a shame on all politicians in Northern Ireland that we have not been able to have the institutions up and running again, but we have to now.”
She told BBC Radio Ulster: “I fundamentally believe that if there’s a will there is a way, and the issues have been talked about now for three years, so there is nothing new on the table - therefore there is every chance we can come to an agreement but there has to be a willingness across the piece.
“For my part there is certainly a willingness from the Democratic Unionist Party.”
Arlene Foster, leader of the DUP (AFP)
Sajid Javid claims Tories forming ‘people’s government’
The chancellor Sajid Javid declared “welcome to the people’s government” as he left 11 Downing Street clutching a ministerial red box on Monday morning.
Boris Johnson is also expected to carry out a “mini” cabinet reshuffle today, to be followed by a much bigger one in February already dubbed the “Valentine’s Day massacre”. Jacob Rees-Mogg, Liz Truss and Andrea Leadsom are all reportedly at risk.
Sajid Javid leaves Downing Street (Getty)
Labour frontbencher: We can’t blame the media for defeat
Plenty of reaction to shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald’s comments about the BBC “consciously” playing a part in Labour’s election defeat.
Jonathan Reynolds, the shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, tweeted: “The media can be frustrating, and some of the tabloids at times just embarrassing, but blaming them for last Thursday is an abdication of responsibility.”
He also claimed there were “some policy areas we actually got a pretty easy ride from the media”.
The broadcaster’s head of newsgathering has also responded by pointing out some Tories say the BBC is “left leaning and irrelevant”.
‘Appetite for progressive politics still there,’ says Lib Dem frontrunner
It’s fair to say Layla Moran is one of the frontrunners to succeed Jo Swinson as Lib Dem leader.
In her latest comment piece for The Independent, Moran argues opposition parties need to stop this squabbling, and become a cooperative force to defeat the now-united right.
History will give ‘good account’ of Jeremy Corbyn, says Andy McDonald
Shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald has more to say defending Jeremy Corbyn and his treatment by the BBC and political rivals.
He told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I have never in my life known an individual so demonised and vilified, so grotesquely and so unfairly. It even came to it in the last few days of the campaign where there were posters in my locality portraying Jeremy Corbyn as a paedophile – saying, ‘Would you trust your children to this man?’
“I know him to be a good man. To see him abused in that way, I find it to be incredibly cruel.”
McDonald repeated his criticisms of the BBC, and added: “I think history will look back and give a good account of Jeremy Corbyn.”
Clive Lewis on Labour leadership contest: ‘I’m thinking about’
Labour MP Clive Lewis, who held onto his seat in Norwich South, has said he is “thinking about” standing in the looming leadership contest.
“We’ll see if I stand,” he told the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme.
Lewis suggested backing a second referendum and Remain position shouldn’t rule anyone out of the contest. “I think one of the things [the new leader is] going to need to be able to do is reach out to both sides of this discussion.”
Rod Stewart told to ‘f*** off’ by Celtic fans
We reported on Saturday that Sir Rod Stewart had come under fire from supporters of his beloved club Celtic after congratulating the PM with a “well done Boris”.
On Sunday Celtic’s Green Brigade fan group unveiled two large banners directed at the singer and the Conservatives during the club’s 2-0 win over Hibernian on Sunday.
One told Sir Rod to “f**k off” while the other read: “Tories not welcome.”
‘She made up s*** about me’: Thornberry taking ‘legal action’ over Flint claim
Potential Labour leadership hopeful Emily Thornberry has had more to say about Caroline Flint’s claim that she had said that party supporters who voted Leave were “stupid”.
Thornberry said: “Caroline Flint was told by somebody else that I had spoken to somebody else – that person unknown and where unknown and when unknown, she still won’t tell us – that [I said] people were supposed to be stupid.
“I would never even think that let alone say it – it’s a complete lie. So I’ve said to Caroline ... withdraw it and I’ll give you to the end of the day and she refused to. So I have to go through all the hassle of instructing solicitors and that’s what we’re doing – we’re having to take legal action.”
She also said: “People can slag me off, as long as it’s true, I can take it on the chin. But they can’t make up s*** about me. And if they do, I have to take it to the courts ... she made up s*** about me.”
‘I don’t want to join any blame game, says Sir Keir Starmer
“We’re talking to lots of colleagues,” Sir Keir Starmer said when asked earlier this morning whether he was standing to be Labour leader.
Asked whether Jeremy Corbyn had been to blame for the election defeat, he said: “I don’t want to join any blame game. We need to reflect mutually and together about what happened, and decide where we go next.”
PM approves release of Russian interference report
Boris Johnson has cleared a controversial report into alleged Russian interference in UK politics for publication, Downing Street has announced.
Although release has been approved, it’s understood for the report to published requires the formation of the new Commons Intelligence and Security Committee (ICS) when parliament returns.
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