Rishi Sunak refuses to back James Cleverly on target of stopping all small boat crossings this year - latest
No 10 says PM will not set a deadline on his pledge to stop vessels crossing the English Channel
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Rishi Sunak has refused to back his home secretary’s target to bring the number of small boats crossing the channel to zero this year.
No 10 said the prime minister would not set a deadline for delivering his pledge to stop the boats.
Earlier James Cleverly was asked what his target was for crossings this year and told LBC Radio: “Well, my target is to bring it down to zero. I mean, I’m completely committed…”
Asked if he was referring specifically to 2024, he said: “That’s my target. My target is to reduce it to zero, to stop the boats. And I’m unambiguous about that.”
The prime minister’s official spokesman said the two men were united in wanting to stop the crossings.
But he would not repeat Mr Cleverly’s target. Pushed on the 2024 target, the spokesman said the PM wanted to “stop the boats as soon as possible” but he would not “set out a deadline”.
Sunak refuses to back home secretary’s target of reducing small boat crossings to zero this year
Rishi Sunak has refused to back his home secretary’s target to bring the number of small boats crossing the channel to zero this year, Kate Devlin reports.
No 10 said the prime minister would not set a deadline to delivering his pledge to stop the boats.
Earlier James Cleverly was asked what his target was for crossings this year and told LBC Radio: “Well, my target is to bring it down to zero. I mean, I’m completely committed…”
Asked if he was referring specifically to 2024, he said: “That’s my target. My target is to reduce it to zero, to stop the boats. And I’m unambiguous about that.”
The prime minister’s official spokesman said the two men were united in wanting to stop the crossings.
But he would not repeat Mr Cleverly’s target.
Pushed on the 2024 target, the spokesman said the PM wanted to “stop the boats as soon as possible” but he would not “set out a deadline”.
Sunak engulfed by row over ‘false’ asylum statistics as 100,000 migrants still stuck in backlog
Rishi Sunak has been accused of attempting to “cook the books” after he claimed to have cleared the asylum backlog despite nearly 100,000 migrants still waiting for a decision.
The government initially said it had cleared all so-called legacy asylum claims – counted as those submitted before June 2022 – but figures published today have confirmed that 4,500 of these cases are still to be processed.
Holly Bancroft and Kate Devlin report:
Sunak engulfed by row over asylum statistics as 100,000 migrants still in backlog
Labour accused Mr Sunak of ‘barefaced lie’ after he claimed to have cleared the asylum backlog - despite nearly 100,000 migrants waiting for a decision
No job offer made to Cummings - No 10
No job offer was made to Dominic Cummings during a meeting with Rishi Sunak, Downing Street has said.
The former Vote Leave campaign director previously claimed the prime minister had sought a “secret deal” with him in a bid to win next year’s election.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said a “private political discussion” had taken place, but Mr Cummings was not offered a job.
He said: “It was a political meeting, I wouldn’t have any more details than that, I think they (special advisers) have been clear there wasn’t a job offer made.”
“This is a private political discussion, I think my political colleagues have made clear it was about politics and campaigning, I can only point you to that detail.
“Those sorts of discussions are not required to be disclosed, I think the only exception is for senior media executives.”
Check your payslip for cut to NI - No 10
Rishi Sunak has urged employees to check their payslips this month to make sure they have had a National Insurance cut, Kate Devlin reports.
Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, unveiled the move in the Autumn Statement in November.
His announcement that it would take effect from January 6 led to speculation the government was planning a spring election.
But there have been concerns that some employers could struggle to bring in the cut in in time.
Asked if the prime minister would recommend employees check their payslips this month, his official spokesman said: “I think we would encourage that generally, to check that you are being paid what you are owed and that you are receiving any tax reductions.”
Government under fire for failing to support Luke ‘the Nuke’ Littler
The government is under fire for failing to commit to sending a minister to support Luke Littler in the darts world championship, Archie Mitchell reports.
MPs have piled pressure on the Conservatives to rally behind the 16-year-old sensation for Tuesday night’s semi-final match at Alexandra Palace.
Former business secretary Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg urged the government to send a representative to the “jolly event”, while the Liberal Democrats said the sport is “far more embedded in British culture” than the Conservatives realise.
Littler has stormed into the final four and will face top-10 seed Rob Cross on Tuesday.
But the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has failed to say whether a minister will attend the match, or the grand final on Wednesday if he makes it through, The Daily Telegraph reported.
‘Stop the boasts’ is a good soundbite on immigration, but what would Labour actually do?
Would Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper really be any better at dealing with asylum applications, asks John Rentoul.
Read John’s full piece here:
‘Stop the boasts’ is a good soundbite, but what would Labour actually do?
Would Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper really be any better at dealing with asylum applications, asks John Rentoul
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