Boris Johnson news – live: PM accused of ‘steering country off cliff’ after Gove says no need for EU trade deal, as climate change response labelled ‘amateur hour’
The day's events as they happened
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK
Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight
Cabinet office minister Michael Gove sparked anger after claiming the UK doesn’t “need” a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU, insisting it is better to “stand up for Britain” than accept any rules from Brussels.
It comes as a former Tory minister and ex-president of the COP26 UN climate summit in Glasgow – sacked last week by the government – launched a blistering attack on Boris Johnson’s record on climate change.
Claire Perry O’Neill claimed Mr Johnson “doesn’t really get” climate change and said his promises “are not close to being met”. Ex-Labour leader Ed Miliband said the PM didn’t understand the scale of the issue and described his handling of the COP26 summit as “amateur hour”.
However Mr Johnson spent the day alongside ir David Attenborough and Giuseppe Conte, prime minister of summit co-host Italy - while saying the nation should lead the way to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
Meanwhile in the commons the SNP railed against a vote on NHS funding in England which they were barred from voting on amid increasing frustration from the nationalists as they seek to hold a second independence referendum.
Here are the day's events as they happened:
PM criticised for ‘unrealistic’ electric planes claim
Boris Johnson has been accused of making “unrealistic” claims about the prospect of electric planes at the launch of COP26 this morning.
He said: “Even the aviation industry has now committed to being carbon-neutral by 2050. We are on the verge, I am assured, within a couple of years, of having viable electric passenger aircraft. And we will get there.”
But expert Tim Williamson said the idea of having fleets of passenger aircraft running on batteries in just two years was not realistic.
He told The Independent: “I think that’s unrealistic. I see, certainly, in that not-too-distant time of my lifetime, that we will see short-haul electric or sustainable-fuel-based or another power source.”
Jon Sharman has all the details:
Universal Credit roll-out delay ‘hugely embarrassing’, says Labour
Shadow work and pensions secretary Margaret Greenwood has said the delay of the roll-out of Universal Credit is “hugely embarrassing” for the government.
Universal Credit has been hit with another delay to its full rollout, at a cost of £500,000.
The Tory's much-criticised flagship welfare reform is now not expected to be fully introduced until September 2024, a fresh setback of an estimated nine months.
“It is clear the Government has been forced to delay Universal Credit yet again because people don’t have confidence in the system.”
Johnson's push to diverge from EU regulations lacks public support, polling expert says
Boris Johnson’s push to diverge from key EU regulations in the Brexit trade talks is not as popular among the public as the government assumes, according to polling guru professor John Curtice.
His remarks come after the prime minister outlined his priorities for the imminent negotiations, suggesting on Monday there was “no need” for a free trade treaty to compel the UK to adhere to Brussels’ regulations.
Sir John also suggested Mr Johnson’s decisive election victory did not represent a national endorsement of Brexit. Rather, it showed the Conservatives has successfully united Leave supporters while the Remain vote was “fragmented”.
PM claims electric planes are ‘a couple of years away’
Boris Johnson has been accused of making “unrealistic” claims about the prospect of electric planes at the launch of COP26, the UN’s latest climate change summit.
It comes after the woman he sacked as president of the talks, the former energy minister Claire Perry O’Neill, claimed the prime minister had told her he did not “really get” the urgency of global warming.
The prime minister shared a stage at the Science Museum in London with Sir David Attenborough and Giuseppe Conte, the Italian prime minister, as he launched the COP26 talks which are to be held in Glasgow in November.
Keir Starmer demands investigation into Downing Street's selective briefing of press
Labour leadership candidate Keir Starmer has demanded an investigation into Downing Street’s selective exclusion of journalists from briefings by civil servants.
In a letter to cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill, Starmer said No 10’s “deeply disturbing” attempts to ration access to senior officials risked undermining the impartiality of the civil service and damaging democracy.
Meanwhile, cabinet minister and former journalist Michael Gove several times ducked the question of whether he would have joined correspondents who refused to take part in a selective briefing on Monday.
BBC captions Dawn Butler’s name underneath image of different black MP
Labour MPs Dawn Butler and Marsha de Cordova have called out the BBC for a lack of diversity after the broadcaster mistakenly used Ms Butler’s name while broadcasting a clip of Ms Cordova on television.
Ms Butler tweeted an image of the blunder on Monday evening and said: “I love my sister @MarshadeCordova but we are two different people. Marsha is amazing and deserves to be called by her own name.
“Diversity in the workplace matters, it also helps to avoid making simple mistakes like this,” she added.
Tory MP condemned by Board of Deputies of British Jews
Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski has been condemned by the the Board of Deputies of British Jews for speaking at a conference alongside "some of Europe's most notorious far-right politicians".
The MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham was scheduled to speak at a National Conservatism conference in Rome alongside Hungary's far-right prime minister Viktor Orban.
Board of Deputies of British Jews president, Marie van der Zyl, said: "We condemn the decision by Conservative MP Daniel Kawczynski to speak at a conference alongside some of Europe's most notorious far-right politicians.
"Mr Kawczynski's defence, that 'it is only common sense to talk with parties and politicians that are either leading their respective countries, or will perhaps take power in the next few years', is a specious one, for the simple reason that the MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham is not any sort of Government representative.
"If the Conservative Party fails to discipline Mr Kawczynski, it runs the serious risk of the public assuming that they share his views on association with such people."
Johnson's 2035 petrol car ban 'concerning' his own MPs
Boris Johnson's ambitious target to rule out petrol and diesel car production by 2035 is facing some concern from his own party.
Mr Johnson made the announcement ahead of the COP26 summit in Glasgow which will see the UK play host to a host of world leaders looking to tackle the climate crisis.
However in striving to be ambitious he may put some strain on British business. Here's MP Julian Knight:
Find out more on the PM's plans below:
Scottish MPs angered over lack of vote on NHS legislation
Scottish MPs are being "actively prevented" from voting on legislation of interest to people in Scotland, an SNP MP has said.
SNP Westminster chief whip Patrick Grady criticised the workings of the English Votes for English Laws (EVEL) legislation as he suggested SNP MPs would walk through the division lobbies in defiance if a vote was called.
It comes during a time of increasing friction between the SNP and the government as the Scottish party push for a second independence referendum.
Speaking during the NHS Funding Bill Legislative Grand Committee (England), he said: "Four days after the UK leaves the EU and the Tory government chooses to display its love for the precious Union on these islands by creating two classes of members in the House of Commons.
"Those who can amend legislation and those who can't, well ... thank you, thank so much, because the polls are showing that support for independence in Scotland has reached 52% and growing, and that is not going to go away.
"Constituents in Scotland will be watching today's proceedings and wanting to know why their MPs are not allowed to vote on amendments that could increase health spending, not just here in England, but across the whole of the UK."
Scottish MPs will not get vote on NHS spending
Deputy speaker Eleanor Laing has said Scottish MPs will not be able to vote on NHS funding in England despite arguments that the legislation could have a knock on effect on devolved regions.
SNP politicians have spent much of the afternoon arguing they should be allowed to vote on the bill to increase spending south of their border despite healthcare being a devolved issue - leaving Holyrood in charge of maintaining Scotland's health service..
However Ms Laing said the scope of the bill falls under the rules on English Votes for English Laws (EVEL).
“This bill is a very narrow bill specifically making provision regarding the funding of the health service in England”, she said. “I have to go with what it says on this bill and it is therefore correct that it should be administered in this way”.
MPs from the Scottish nationalists had previously threatened to attempt to enter the voting lobby anyway if they were not formally allowed to vote.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies