Boris Johnson news: PM accused of ‘stoking fear and division’ with criticism of Black Lives Matter protests as government makes U-turn on Brexit border checks
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Boris Johnson has said it is “absurd and shameful” the Winston Churchill national monument is at risk of attack by protesters this weekend, and warned Black Lives Matter supporters that the responsible thing to do is “stay away from these protests”.
The prime minister went further and claimed the tearing down of statues constitutes “lying about our history”, before claiming that the demonstrations had been “hijacked by extremists intent on violence”. Lib Dem home affairs spokesperson Christina Jardine responded by accusing Mr Johnson of “stoking division and fear in our communities.”
Full border controls with the EU won’t be ready until at least six months after the Brexit transition period ends on 31 December 2020, the government has announced. It comes as the latest GDP figures show the British economy shrank more than 20 per cent in April.
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Keir Starmer’s latest poll rating matches Tony Blair
Labour leader Keir Starmer holds best net satisfaction score for any leader of the opposition since Tony Blair, new Ipsos Mori poll has found.
The +31 satisfaction score mirrors the score Blair achieved in December 1994.
Boris Johnson still leads Starmer on the question of who would make the “most capable” prime minister, however.
PM: ‘Absurd and shameful’ that Churchill statue at risk
Boris Johnson has said it is “absurd and shameful” the Winston Churchill national monument is at risk of attack by protesters.
The prime minister has said that tearing down statues constitutes “lying about our history”.
‘We cannot now try to edit or censor our past’
Boris Johnson has tweeting his thoughts on the removal of monuments said that tearing down statues constitutes “lying about our history”, adding: “We cannot now try to edit or censor our past.”
He wrote: “The statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square is a permanent reminder of his achievement in saving this country - and the whole of Europe - from a fascist and racist tyranny.
“It is absurd and shameful that this national monument should today be at risk of attack by violent protesters. Yes, he sometimes expressed opinions that were and are unacceptable to us today, but he was a hero, and he fully deserves his memorial.
“We cannot now try to edit or censor our past. We cannot pretend to have a different history. The statues in our cities and towns were put up by previous generations.
“They had different perspectives, different understandings of right and wrong. But those statues teach us about our past, with all its faults. To tear them down would be to lie about our history and impoverish the education of generations to come.
‘Stay away from these protests,’ says Johnson
Boris Johnson went on to say in his lengthy Twitter thread that the “only responsible action” was to stay away from planned Black Lives Matter protests this weekend.
“As for the planned demonstrations, we all understand the legitimate feelings of outrage at what happened in Minnesota and the legitimate desire to protest against discrimination.
“Whatever progress this country has made in fighting racism - and it has been huge - we all recognise that there is much more work to do.
“But it is clear that the protests have been sadly hijacked by extremists intent on violence. The attacks on the police and indiscriminate acts of violence which we have witnessed over the last week are intolerable and they are abhorrent.
“The only responsible course of action is to stay away from these protests.”
The EU ‘will blink again’, claims Francois
Remember Mark Francois? The Tory MP hasn’t had much reason to appear on TV for a while, but today is one such day.
Asked about the idea the government backtrack on its plan to introduce full border checks with the EU from 1 January, Francois largely ignored the question and talked about getting a deal.
“We’ve got until the end of December to come up with an agreement. [The EU has] blinked once, and I believe if we hold our nerve they will blink again.”
Francois said “we’ve got plenty of time – what we need is political will”.
‘Extraordinary’: 25,000 patients discharged into care homes without being tested
Up to 25,000 hospital patients were discharged to care homes without testing during the height of the pandemic, an independent Whitehall report has established.
MPs from both parties condemned the findings from the National Audit Office – which also found that the government ignored calls in 2019 to stockpile personal protective equipment (PPE).
The NAO report established that, for an entire month, “medically fit” patients who did not display any Covid-19 symptoms were discharged without being tested.
Jeremy Hunt, chair of the Commons health committee, said it was “extraordinary” that no one appeared to consider the clinical risk.
Starmer most popular opposition leader since Blair
Our policy editor Jon Stone had taken a closer look at the popularity of leaders of the opposition after a poll found Keir Starmer has a net +31 per cent approval rating – equal to that of Tony Blair back in December 1994.
Starmer’s +31 per cent approval compares to +23 per cent for David Cameron at the same stage in his leadership, +19 per cent for Ed Miliband, and -1 per cent for his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn.
More details here:
Gove formally confirms no delay to transition period
Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove held the second joint committee agreed under the Withdrawal Agreement with European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic on Friday.
Despite calls from the governments in Scotland and Wales for an extension to the 2020 transition period to avoid an “avoidable” economic shock, Gove said he “formally confirmed” that the UK will not be asking for a delay.
But Sefcovic told a briefing in Brussels that the EU “remains open to such an extension”.
We’re expecting Gove to make an announcement later over border operations for when Brexit fully comes into effect at the end of the transition period.
PM under pressure to publish report on measures to protect ethnic minorities
Boris Johnson is coming under pressure to order the immediate publication of a report recommending measures to protect ethnic minority groups from coronavirus.
A review published by Public Health England last week confirmed that Covid-19 is killing people from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities at a higher rate than whites, but did not propose action to counter this.
PHE has confirmed that a second report drawing on engagement with informed individuals and organisations within ethnic minority communities. Following criticism, it been prepared for publication next week.
Lib Dem MP Layla Moran commented: “It is simply staggering that this report has not been published already.”
A Labour spokesperson urged the Equalities Minister, Kemi Badenoch to explain what she knew and when about the second report, adding: “The government's decision to block this report is scandalous and a tragedy. The recommendations it makes could have saved lives.”
MPs have warned three quarters of restaurants, hotels and pubs could go out of business unless Boris Johnson scraps the two-metre rule soon, our Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports.
The prime minister has said he wants to reduce the limit, and other countries have introduced one-metre rules.
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