Boris Johnson news - live: PM ‘misled public’, says Starmer as ethics chief apologises for Partygate fine

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer says prime minister presided over ‘widespread criminality’

Jacob Rees-Mogg defends calling Partygate row 'fluff'

A former government ethics chief has said she is “sorry for the error of judgement I have shown” after being fined as part of a police investigation into No 10 parties.

Helen MacNamara said she has paid the fine she was handed reportedly in connection with a leaving do held in the Cabinet Office on June 18 2020 to mark the departure of a private secretary.

Downing Street has confirmed that Boris Johnson has not yet been informed whether he is to be fined over lockdown-breaking parties he allegedly attended.

Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer said Boris Johnson has “misled the public” and presided over “widespread criminality” at No 10 – saying again that PM is “unfit for office”.

He also called for the names of all senior officials fined for Downing Street parties to be made public.

However, Downing Street continues to refuse to accept the law had been broken, despite the Met issuing 20 FPNs.

KEY POINTS

• Former government ethics chief apologies after being fined over partygate
• Prime Minister has not yet received a fine
• Jacob Rees-Mogg defends his description of partygate as “fluff”
• PM presides over ‘widespread criminality,’ says Labour leader

[4 April 2022 15:37 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

PM presides over ‘widespread criminality’

Sir Keir Starmer said Boris Johnson has “misled the public” and presided over “widespread criminality” at No 10 – saying again that PM is “unfit for office”.

He also called for the names of all senior officials fined for Downing Street parties to be made public.

“We seem to be going through this process where instant by instant, fines are coming out but the public are being left in the dark.

“The public complied with the rules. They are entitled to know who didn’t comply with the rules and what is going on.”

Sir Keir later said: “If the prime minister wants to come to parliament and tell us that he was repeatedly lied to by his own advisers then let him do that.

“The idea that he had no idea what was going on in his home and his office and he only gave answers because he was lied to by his officials is a case he needs to make – I would like to see him make that case because I don’t think he can.”

“He needs to come to parliament to be held to account. He has not only misled the public about this, he has presided over widespread criminality in his home and his office and that is why I am convinced he is unfit for office.”

[4 April 2022 15:39 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

Breaking- Former government ethics chief apologies after being fined over partygate

Ex-deputy cabinet secretary says she has paid fixed-penalty notice.

Our political correspondent Ashley Cowburn reports.

[4 April 2022 15:55 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

Breaking- Stonewall and 80 LGBTQ organisations pull out of government conference over trans conversion U-turn

LGBTQ charity Stonewall and 80 other organisations have pulled out of a UK government conference over its trans conversion therapy U-turn.

My colleague Joe Middleton reports:

[4 April 2022 16:04 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

Rishi Sunak orders creation of UK government-backed NFT

Rishi Sunak has ordered the Royal Mint to create a UK government-backed NFT (non-fungible token) that could be traded online.

Our policy correspondent Jon Stone reports:

[4 April 2022 16:19 · Emily Atkinson]

Truss calls for suspension of Russia from UN human right council

Liz Truss has called for Russia to be suspended from the UN human right council.

Tweeting today, the foreign secretary said: “Given strong evidence of war crimes, including reports of mass graves and heinous butchery in Bucha, Russia cannot remain a member of the UN Human Rights Council.

“Russia must be suspended.”

[4 April 2022 16:37 · Emily Atkinson]

‘No plans’ to expel Russians from UK embassy, official says

There are currently no no plans to expel Russians from the UK embassy in London because few intelligence officers remain, a western official has said.

They said: “A number of European partners have expelled Russian diplomats, principally intelligence officers.

“Because of all the action we took after Salisbury we actually don’t have very many of that category of Russian in the embassy in London at the moment. So while we keep it under review we have no plans at the moment.”

[4 April 2022 16:53 · Emily Atkinson]

UK should drill ‘every last drop’ of North Sea oil and gas, says Jacob Rees-Mogg

Boris Johnson’s government wants “every last drop” of oil and gas to be extracted from the North Sea, cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has suggested.

Amid calls for a windfall tax on oil and gas companies, the senior Tory claimed that the fossil fuel giants’ profits had to be protected so they can invest in getting “every last drop” from the North Sea.

“We want to get more oil out of the North Sea, we want to get more gas out of the North Sea,” the Brexit opportunities minister told LBC on Monday. “We need to be thinking about extracting every last cubic inch of gas from the North Sea.”

Adam Forrest reports:

[4 April 2022 17:12 · Emily Atkinson]

Government-backed NFT slammed by Labour as ‘out of touch’ amid cost of living squeeze

A Labour MP has condemned Rishi Sunak for being “totally out of touch” after he ordered the the Royal Mint to create a UK government-backed NFT (non-fungible token).

The Chancellor has told the mint to issue the NFT by the summer as the government examines whether it could borrow money using blockchain technology.

Tulip Siddiq, the MP for Hampstead and Kilburn, said Mr Sunak should be focussed on adressing the cost of living crisis, “not coming up with gimmicks like this!”

[4 April 2022 17:18 · Emily Atkinson]

Watch live as Liz Truss and Ukrainian Foreign Minister address Russian atrocities in Ukraine

[4 April 2022 17:33 · Emily Atkinson]

Liz Truss calls for step up in Western resistance against Russia

Liz Truss is pushing Western allies to go further in tackling Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, saying money is still flowing to Vladimir Putin’s “war machine”.

Speaking alongside her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in Warsaw, the foreign secretary said: “It is the responsibility of the UK and our allies, and that’s what Dmytro and I have discussed today, to step up our support for our brave Ukrainian friends.

“That means more weapons and more sanctions. Putin must lose in Ukraine. Later this week the G7 foreign ministers and the Nato foreign ministers will meet. We need to announce a tough new wave of sanctions.

“The reality is that money is still flowing from the West into Putin’s war machine - and that has to stop.”

She said the UK would work alongside its allies to boost santions on ships in western ports, cracking down on Russian banks, going after new industries “filling Putin’s war chest, like gold” and to agree “a clear timetable to eliminate our imports of Russian oil, gas and gold”.