Boris Johnson news – live: PM approved No 10 party knowing it broke rules, says Cummings as Labour lead grows

Boris Johnson approved a “bring your own booze” event in May 2020 despite knowing it “broke the rules”, Dominic Cummings has said.

The prime minister’s former adviser apparently urged Mr Johnson at the time to cancel the event. “The PM waved it aside,” Mr Cummings alleged.

Mr Cummings’ comments come as the partygate scandal continues to lower the government’s standing in the eyes of the public, with one recent poll suggesting that Labour has now extended its lead over the Tories to 13 points.

Opposition MP have accused the government of trying to distract the public from the issue by attacking the BBC and by saying the military could be put in charge of preventing small boats from crossing the Channel.

The latter plan was today lambasted by Tobias Ellwood, the Conservative chair of the Commons defence committee, who said the military taking on the “migrant challenge” was a “massive distraction”.

Meanwhile, culture secretary Nadine Dorries told the Commons on Monday afternoon that the BBC licence fee would be frozen for two years, a policy which critics say amounts to “brazen vandalism”.

Key Points

• PM approved party despite knowing it ‘broke rules’, says Cummings

• Boris Johnson accused of attending leaving do and giving speech in December 2020

• Minister insists Boris Johnson safe in job as Tory MP deluged by angry emails

• Nadine Dorries plan ‘the end of the BBC as we know it’, says Labour

• Senior Tory says plan for military to take charge of Channel crossings operations ‘massive distraction’

• Sturgeon accuses PM of resorting to ‘cheap, populist policies' to distract from partygate

Boris Johnson accused of attending leaving do and giving speech in December 2020

08:07 , Joe Middleton

Boris Johnson has been accused of giving a speech at a leaving do for his defence adviser in December 2020 when Covid restrictions were in force.

The prime minister has been embroiled in an ongoing scandal over a number of parties that were held at Downing Street while the public was being told to obey social distancing rules.

According to The Mirror, Mr Johnson attended Captain Steve Higham’s leaving party “for a few minutes” in which he gave a speech “to thank him for his service”. The newspaper said a “small number of No 10 staff briefly said goodbye”.

Lamiat Sabin has the details.

Boris Johnson accused of attending leaving do and giving speech in December 2020

Boris Johnson ‘questioned by Sue Gray’ for partygate investigation

08:16 , Joe Middleton

Boris Johnson has reportedly been interviewed as part of the investigation into allegations of parties at Downing Street.

The prime minister is said to have “shared what he knows” with senior civil servant Sue Gray about alleged parties in Downing Street as she prepares to publish her report into claims of coronavirus rule flouting as soon as this week, the Daily Telegraph reported.

According to the Institute for Government (IoG), Ms Gray‘s final document is “set to be a largely factual account about parties that were held in Downing Street”.

Previous reports have suggested the inquiry was expected to find no evidence of criminality but that the investigation could censure Mr Johnson for a lack of judgment and criticise the culture in Downing Street.

Nadhim Zahawi: PM is focused on the big issues

08:26 , Joe Middleton

Nadhim Zahawi said today that Boris Johnson “is focused on dealing with the big issues”.

The Education Secretary told Times Radio: “If you think again about the big calls, whether it’s Brexit, the vaccine programme which the Prime Minister very much focused on and I led the deployment, and of course the call on Omicron pre-Christmas... on the big decisions, he’s made the right call.

“Of course, we’re all human, we make mistakes. And when he made a mistake, he came to Parliament and apologised for it.”

Mr Zahawi said he would have acted differently and told staff to “get back to your desk” if he had discovered a party.

Boris Johnson faces ‘burning deadline’ to keep energy bills down as prices set to soar

08:40 , Joe Middleton

Boris Johnson’s government faces a “burning deadline” in the next three weeks to decide how to offset a massive rise in household energy bills, the head of an energy company has said.

Bills could go up by more than 50 per cent for millions of customers, a rise that could cost average households around £700 per year, writes Laurie Churchman.

“To some extent their burning deadline is the day that the new level of the price cap gets announced… because that’s when you would think that it becomes obvious they are going up,” said Good Energy boss Nigel Pocklington. Ofgem will announce the new price cap level in February.

Boris Johnson faces ‘burning deadline’ to keep energy bills down as prices to soar

Boris Johnson’s job is safe, says Zahawi

08:57 , Joe Middleton

Nadhim Zahawi said today that Boris Johnson is safe in his job and that the prime minister is “human” and we “all make mistakes”.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the Education Secretary said - after being asked three times - that the Prime Minister will stay in his position.

He said: “Yes, he is, because he’s human and we make mistakes.

“And, actually, he came to the despatch box and apologised and said he will absolutely submit himself to Parliament, because that’s our parliamentary democracy.”

Keir Starmer should apologise after a photo emerged of him drinking a beer with Labour Party staff, says Zahawi

09:15 , Joe Middleton

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said that Keir Starmer should apologise after a photograph emerged of him drinking with a number of party staff in a constituency office last year.

Minister insists Boris Johnson safe in job as Tory MP deluged by angry emails

09:26 , Joe Middleton

Cabinet minister Nadhim Zahawi has claimed Boris Johnson is safe in his job — after being asked three times about the prime minister’s perilous position.

Despite growing anger from Tory MPs and calls for the prime minister’s resignation after multiple allegations of rule-busting parties in No 10 during Covid restrictions, the education secretary said “he’s human and we make mistakes”.

On Sunday evening, one Conservative MP said they had received an “enormous” number of emails from constituents over the gatherings and suggested the affair raised questions about the “moral authority” at the top of government.

Our political correspondent Ashley Cowburn has the details.

Minister insists Boris Johnson safe in job as Tory MP deluged by angry emails

Nadine Dorries plan ‘the end of the BBC as we know it’, say Labour

09:45 , Joe Middleton

Shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell said the government is signalling “the end of the BBC as we know it” in a “pathetic” attempt to distract from the partygate scandal engulfing Downing Street.

She said the £159 licence fee is “incredibly cheap” and criticised Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries for making an announcement on Twitter as part of a Tory Government plan to offer “red meat for their backbenchers”.

Ms Powell’s comments come after Ms Dorries said at the weekend that the next announcement about the BBC licence fee “will be the last”, and indicated she wanted to find a new funding model for the BBC after the current licence fee funding deal expires in 2027.

Ms Powell told Times Radio: “We’ve just got to recognise what it is that we are getting for that payment - which is actually incredibly cheap, even when you compare it to many of the commercial competitors out there - what you get as value, because we all pay in a small amount, what the BBC is able to do.”

“Let’s not get away from the fact that this so-called announcement, which was on Twitter yesterday, which is effectively the end of the BBC as we know it, a huge policy announcement, is nothing more than a really obvious, pathetic distraction from a Prime Minister and a Government who has run out of road and whose leadership is hanging by a thread.”

She acknowledged that the licence fee is not a perfect solution - “you would not necessarily start with it if we didn’t have it now” - but said countries around the world are looking at the “mix of models that we have in this country” for funding broadcasting.

Labour leader refuses to apologise over ‘lockdown beer drinking picture’

10:05 , Joe Middleton

Keir Starmer has refused to apologise over images of him drinking beer in an office in April 2021 in the run-up to the May 2021 elections.

At the time coronavirus rules meant indoor socialising was banned in England.

The Labour leader told LBC Radio: “The restrictions allowed people to work when they needed to, we were running an election campaign, we were in a constituency office.”

He said no restaurants or pubs were open and the hotel he and colleagues were staying in did not serve food so “if you didn’t get a takeaway then our team wasn’t eating that evening”.

Asked if he was prepared to apologise, Sir Keir said: “We didn’t break any rules, we were working in the office and we stopped for a takeaway.”

He added: “We did nothing wrong.”

Sir Keir said he usually travelled with a team of around six people and the incident took place in City of Durham MP Mary Foy’s office.

10:30 , Joe Middleton

To be clear, Boris Johnson has done nothing wrong – his sister told us so

10:39 , Joe Middleton

On her LBC radio show yesterday, Rachel Johnson attempted to set the record straight over ‘Partygate’, which went about as well as could be expected, writes Rupert Hawksley.

Opinion: Boris Johnson has done nothing wrong – his sister told us so

Drop in Covid cases could mean Omicron wave is ‘turning around’, says top expert

11:00 , Joe Middleton

A drop in Covid cases could indicate that the Omicron wave is “turning around”, a top government expert said today.

Prof Mike Tildesley, from the University of Warwick and a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Modelling group (Spi-M), said that the latest case figures were “cautiously good news” and he hoped the country may have a “flu-type” relationship with the virus by the end of the year.

The latest data shows a 38% drop over the last seven days across the UK in the numbers testing positive for Covid-19, with 70,924 new cases reported on Sunday.

Prof Tildesley told BBC Breakfast “it does look like across the whole of the country cases do seem to be falling”, adding: “We have had very, very high case numbers throughout late December and early January - we peaked about 200,000 at one point.

“We do now seem to be a little bit beyond that. Hospital admissions are still relatively high albeit there is some evidence that maybe they’re plateauing or possibly going down in London, which is cautiously good news.

“I would say we probably need about an extra week of data to really see the effect of children going back to school - we’re still only two weeks since children went back to school - but if we still see that over the next week or so, I’d be pretty confident that we are seeing this wave turning around.”

Gary Neville tackles Keir Starmer on ‘not being strong enough’ over Covid-19 rules

11:26 , Joe Middleton

Keir Starmer has revealed he was criticised by football pundit and Labour member Gary Neville for not being strong enough in standing up to the government over coronavirus rules.

Former England international Neville, 46, has joined Labour but Sir Keir acknowledged they had disagreed in the past about measures to tackle Covid-19.

Ex-Manchester United defender Neville told the BBC’s Political Thinking podcast: “I think... probably (at the) end of 2020 I thought Labour should have been a lot stronger. I think Labour had them at that point.

“I would be open with Keir about this, I don’t think that he was strong enough at that point. Now I think he realises he needs to take the gloves off.”

Sir Keir told LBC Radio the pair had spoken about the situation and praised Neville’s analysis as “fantastic”.

The Labour leader said: “Gary thought I wasn’t being strong enough. He thought we should have voted against the Government restrictions in the tier system. I didn’t. I didn’t agree with the tier system but it was all or nothing in those days.

“If you didn’t vote for the restrictions, then there were no restrictions and I didn’t think that was the right thing.

“He thought differently and we had an exchange.”

Senior Tory says plan for military to take charge of Channel crossings operations ‘massive distraction’

11:39 , Joe Middleton

A senior Tory MP has accused Boris Johnson of presiding over a “massive distraction” amid reports the military will be put in charge of preventing small boats of migrants crossing the Channel.

As Mr Johnson faces a dangerous moment in his premiership over allegations of rule-busting parties in No 10, it was reported he will give the Royal Navy “primacy” over all government vessels in the Channel this month.

According to The Times, a change being considered could include processing asylum seekers in Ghana and Rwanda, although the Home Office would not be drawn on such suggestions after a diplomatic row earlier this year over similar reports.

Our political correspondent Ashley Cowburn has the latest.

Plan for military to take charge of Channel operations ‘massive distraction’

An apology from the prime minister: ‘I really should have partied harder’

12:01 , Joe Middleton

A copy of the text of the prime minister’s next public apology to parliament has reached me, and it is only right that I now publish it, writes Sean O’Grady.

Opinion: An apology from the PM: ‘I really should have partied harder’

Inside Politics

12:19 , Rory Sullivan

The prime minister has been accused of “distracting” the public’s attention from the partygate scandal with an attack on the BBC.

My colleague Matt Mathers has more on this and today’s other major political stories in his daily newsletter:

Inside Politics: PM’s plan to save premiership and new partygate report

DUP denies government deal over double jobs

12:35 , Rory Sullivan

The leader of the DUP has denied striking an agreement with the British government to allow politicians in Northern Ireland to hold jobs in Westminster and Stormont simultaneously.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said he did not have anything do with the UK’s contentious plan, which has been widely criticised by other parties in the territory. The scheme is seen to unduly favour the DUP, with the Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie calling it a “scam”.

While distancing himself from the decision, Sir Jeffrey said he would make use of the double-jobbing policy.

“I do think there is a benefit for the leader of unionism to continue having a voice at Westminster as well as having a role at Stormont because we are in critical times,” he told the BBC Good Morning Ulster programme.

Partygate inquiry: What happens next?

12:43 , Rory Sullivan

Sue Gray, the civil servant tasked with investigating the Downing Street parties, could deliver her report this week, it has been suggested.

But what happens next with the inquiry?

Our political editor Andrew Woodcock takes a closer look:

Partygate inquiry: What happens next?

PM doesn’t refer to himself as ‘big dog’, says No 10

12:58 , Rory Sullivan

The prime minister does not call himself “big dog”, Downing Street has said.

This comes after reports emerged last week that Boris Johnson wanted to save himself from the backlash caused by partygate by pinning the blame on others under an initiative called “Operation Save Big Dog”.

When asked whether the prime minister was called “big dog” by staff, his spokesperson said: “I’ve never heard that term used”.

It is vital that BBC keep costs down, say No10

13:14 , Joe Middleton

Downing Street said it was “vital” that the BBC sought to keep down costs ahead of an expected freeze in the licence fee.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “It’s obviously vital the BBC is doing everything possible to avoid new costs for UK households at a time when many are facing financial pressures and deliver the best value for money for licence-fee payers.”

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said at the weekend that the next announcement about the BBC licence fee “will be the last”, and indicated she wanted to find a new funding model for the BBC after the current licence fee funding deal expires in 2027.

The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “We have said that we will keep the licence fee until the end of the current charter period in 2027 but ahead of that point we will review how the BBC is funded.”

The spokesman rejected Labour’s claim that the announcement of the plans was an attempt to distract from Boris Johnson’s political difficulties: “The Government’s commitment to BBC reform is long standing.”

No 10 denies Boris Johnson said aides objecting to ‘bring your own booze’ party were ‘overreacting’

13:33 , Joe Middleton

No 10 has denied that Boris Johnson told aides objecting to the “bring your own booze” garden party he attended that they were “overreacting” to the staging of the event.

The allegation – put forward by his close friend Dominic Lawson, a newspaper columnist – would contradict the prime minister’s claim that he did not realise the gathering was a party, writes Rob Merrick.

On Sunday, Downing Street said it was “untrue that the prime minister was warned about the event in advance” and that he “believed implicitly that this was a work event”.

No 10 denies PM said aides objecting to ‘bring own booze’ party were ‘overreacting’

13:45 , Joe Middleton

Sturgeon accuses PM of resorting to ‘cheap, populist policies' to distract from partygate

14:03 , Joe Middleton

Nicola Sturgeon has accused Boris Johnson of resorting to “cheap, populist policies” to distract from the scandals engulfing his leadership.

Scotland’s First Minister responded to reports that Downing Street had launched ‘operation red meat’ in a bid to stem public outrage at the slew of parties reported to have taken place during lockdown.

Ms Sturgeon said proposals such as ending the BBC licence fee and ordering the military to prevent small boats from crossing the Channel was “unedifying” for the Prime Minister.

Speaking to the media at a visit to Irvine after the announcement of offshore energy contracts, the SNP leader said the scandal surrounding the apparent “serial, repeated breaches of the Covid regulations” showed the Conservative Party was “not fit for office”.

She said: “Instead of Boris Johnson taking responsibility, he appears to be preparing to pass the blame to those who work for him and around him, which I don’t think is the kind of thing you would expect from somebody who is leader of his party and Prime Minister.

“But also, looking for cheap, populist policies to try to distract attention, to use refugees and those seeking asylum to save his own skin.

“While everybody will have different degrees of criticism of the BBC, to try to jettison the BBC to save his own skin, it’s unedifying, it’s beneath the office of Prime Minister and all it does really is underline this feeling that Boris Johnson is not just himself damaged irreparably, in my view, but he is bit by bit undermining and damaging the institutions of the country and the institutions that support our democracy and that’s why it’s got to stop.”

Labour accuses government of ‘picking fights’ with British institutions

14:22 , Joe Middleton

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper accused the Government of trying to “pick fights” with “important” British institutions and defended the BBC, saying they do “important things”.

Asked if she welcomed reports that the BBC licence fee will be frozen, Ms Cooper told BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme: “I think the thing is the BBC is such an important part of our national life. And what’s going on is the Government is now just trying to pick fights with our big, really important institutions, our British institutions.”

Pressed on whether she would allow the licence fee to rise, she said: “I think everybody understands in terms of right now, there are all sorts of issues about making sure that we can support people through a cost of living crisis. But that’s not what really is going on with the Government at the moment.

“What instead that they’re doing is trying to actually talk about undermining or stopping the BBC altogether, seems to be their approach. And that’s what we think is the damaging approach, at a time when the BBC, you know, does so much important things.

“For example, during the first lockdown the BBC provided huge amounts of home support for kids who were doing home learning and provided those sorts of resources.

What is happening in the Commons this afternoon?

14:44 , Joe Middleton

In about 45 minutes we are due to hear from Home Secretary Priti Patel who will give an update on security matters. And at 4.30pm Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries will make a statement on the BBC.

Labour’s Lucy Powell confirmed on Twitter that she will be responding to Ms Dorries update in the House of Commons.

Small boats in the Channel should be pushed back to France, says Tory MP

15:13 , Joe Middleton

Smalls boats carrying migrants should be pushed back to France on “humanitarian grounds”, a Tory MP has said.

At Home Office questions, Conservative MP Philip Davies (Shipley) said: “If everyone is agreed that the Channel crossings are so dangerous then clearly we need to do whatever is necessary to stop them. Surely the quickest way to stop them is simply to turn the boats back and escort them back into French waters.

“I don’t think it would take long for the word to get around that these crossings were futile. Hasn’t the time come to do that on humanitarian grounds as well as to protect our borders from illegal immigration?”

Home Secretary Priti Patel replied that was “absolutely the policy of this Government”, adding: “Means are being tested, technology is being used, but also the way in which boats can be pushed back has also been well tested.”

Labour shadow Home Office minister Holly Lynch said: “We have been here before. In 2019, the Government brought in the Navy to patrol the Channel. Patrols ended after around six weeks and cost £780,000 without a single boat having been intercepted. Can the Home Secretary explain how today’s proposals will be any different to 2019 and prevent lives from being lost at sea?”

Watch live as Priti Patel and Nadine Dorries address MPs

15:28 , Joe Middleton

Priti Patel gives as update on security to MPs

15:43 , Joe Middleton

The Home Secretary told the House of Commons she was appalled that a foreign individual was “knowingly engaged in political interference activities” on behalf of the Chinese state.

Ms Patel said this kind of activity “has become more common with states who have malign intentions”.

She said state threats to the UK are “growing and diversifying” and can take “many forms”, including espionage and sabotage.

Ms Patel’s statement refers to Christine Lee and her association with Labour MP Barry Gardiner, which has been covered below:

Security warning to MPs over Chinese spying threat

Former aide Cummings claims Johnson knew garden party was not ‘work event’

15:54 , Joe Middleton

Boris Johnson’s former aide Dominic Cummings has claimed that his former boss knew a garden party that took place in May 2020 was not a work event.

On his Twitter account Mr Cummings said: “If youre babbling about ‘drinking culture’ - which did not exist May 2020 & would anyway be irrelevant to the fact that *the knew he was at a drinks party cos he was told it was a drinks party and it was actually a drinks party* - you’re a useful idiot for the spin doctors.”

Mr Johnson was forced to apologise after it emerged his principal private secretary, Martin Reynolds, invited more than 100 members of staff to a “bring your own booze” party in the No 10 garden on May 20 during the first lockdown.

The Prime Minister admitted he attended but argued he believed it was a work event that could “technically” have been within the rules.

Patel asked ‘how on earth’ she can defend PM over partygate

16:06 , Rory Sullivan

Labour frontbencher Yvette Cooper has criticised home secretary Priti Patel for defending the prime minister over the partygate scandal.

“How on earth can she defend the prime minister, who has publicly admitted breaking the rules? She isn’t even waiting for the Sue Gray report,” Ms Cooper said in the Commons.

“The home secretary’s job is to uphold the rule of law. Does she realise how damaging it is to public trust and to trust in the police to be undermining the rule of law now?” she added.

Ms Patel suggested that Labour was seeking to “pre-judge, pressure, smear, slander” the government over the events.

Nadine Dorries gives BBC statement

16:27 , Rory Sullivan

Culture secretary Nadine Dorries has begun her statement on the BBC and its funding.

Speaker Sir Lindsey criticised her for leaking the government’s thoughts on the issue to the media, before addressing the Commons on the matter.

Watch BBC statement live

16:30 , Rory Sullivan

BBC licence fee frozen for next two years

16:36 , Rory Sullivan

Government minister Nadine Dorries has announced that the BBC’s licence fee will be frozen for the next two years.

The culture secretary said the broadcaster is a “great institution” which spreads the country’s “values and identity” across the world.

However, the Tory frontbencher said she could not justify putting further strain on households amid a cost-of-living crisis.

She added that the BBC needed to be “forward-looking” and target all areas of the country, “not just the London bubble”.

Government guilty of ‘cultural vandalism’, says Labour

16:50 , Rory Sullivan

Labour’s Lucy Powell has said ministers are guilty of “cultural vandalism” over their targeting of the BBC.

The shadow culture secretary added that Boris Johnson appeared more like a “tin-pot dictator” than the leader of a thriving democracy.

“Is the licence fee at the heart of the cost of living crisis?” Ms Powell said, referring to the Tories’ justification for the freezing of the BBC licence fee.

“The government claims this is all about the cost-of-living crisis. I mean, pull the other one. What is it about the £13.57 a month that marks it out for such immediate and special attention to address the cost of living over the £1,200 increase in energy and household bills, or the £3,000-a-year tax increase that her Government has imposed?” she added.

Ms Powell hinted that ministers were scapegoating the BBC, rather than looking at other higher costs being forced on the public, such as rising energy bills.

She also said that the national broadcaster was “the envy of the world”, which needed to be protected.

BBC calls licence fee decision ‘disappointing’

16:53 , Rory Sullivan

BBC chairman Richard Sharp and director-general Tim Davie have called the government’s freeze on the broadcaster’s licence fee “disappointing”.

The rate will be kept at the current rate of £159 until April 2024.

They said in a statement: “Given the breadth of services we provide, the licence fee represents excellent value for money. There are very good reasons for investing in what the BBC can do for the British public and the UK around the world.

“A freeze in the first two years of this settlement means the BBC will now have to absorb inflation. That is disappointing - not just for licence fee payers, but also for the cultural industries who rely on the BBC for the important work they do across the UK.”

Constituents 60 to one against PM on partygate, says Tory MP

17:05 , Rory Sullivan

Sixty times more people oppose Boris Johnson on partygate than support him, a Tory MP has said.

Conservative backbencher Steve Baker told reporters that “there must be one rule for all” and “the rule-makers must obey the rules that they apply on others”.

Government accuses BBC of ‘group think’

17:13 , Rory Sullivan

Returning to the BBC, the government has once more attacked the broadcaster, accusing it of “group think”.

“In the last few months, I’ve made it clear that the BBC needs to address issues around impartiality and group think,” culture secretary Nadine Dorries said.

In response, her Labour counterpart Lucy Powell told MPs: “The impartiality of the BBC is crucial to trust in it. By explicitly linking the charter renewal to the BBC’s editorial decisions, the government sounds more like a tin-pot dictatorship than a healthy democracy.”

Government accused of attacking BBC to shield PM from partygate scandal

17:21 , Rory Sullivan

The government has sought to stop the PM being “dead meat” over the partygate scandal by distracting the public through an attack on the BBC, its critics have said.

My colleague Adam Forrest has the full story:

Government accused of attacking BBC to stop PM becoming ‘dead meat’

Tories want ‘sycophantic’ broadcaster media, says SNP politician

17:31 , Rory Sullivan

The SNP’s John Nicolson has fiercely criticised the government for freezing the BBC’s licence fee, saying “free speech will be the victim” if the broadcaster is “felled”.

“The Tory right wants the broadcast media to be as sycophantic as most of the print press, offering fawning adulation to their leader,” he said.

The SNP’s culture and media spokesperson added: “The hostility towards the BBC and its future does not stem from a desire to protect pensioners, but rather from visceral loathing of the prime minister’s critics.”

Father of House opposes government’s targeting of BBC

17:46 , Rory Sullivan

It is not just the opposition parties who are against the government’s targeting of the BBC.

So are some Tory MPs including Sir Peter Bottomley, the longest serving male politician in the Commons.

“I am not impressed by either the process or the proposal, and I don’t think it necessarily leads to progress either,” he said early in the debate.

He added that he wanted to know if alternatives to the licence fee had been considered by government.

Nadine Dorries replied that “the decision as to what the future funding model looks like is up for discussion”, as the current charter still has some years left to run.

“Some of us may not even be here by the time 2028 arrives,” she added, in an apparent dig at Sir Peter’s age.

Watch: Dorries freezes BBC licence fee for two years

17:56 , Rory Sullivan

BREAKING: PM approved party despite knowing it ‘broke rules’, says Cummings

18:02 , Rob Merrick

Boris Johnson was told the No 10 garden party “broke the rules” but said it should go ahead, Dominic Cummings has claimed.

An email sent by “a very senior official” will show the prime minister “lied to parliament about parties”, his former chief aide added.

Cummings says PM was told No 10 party ‘broke the rules’ but said it should go ahead

Labour extends poll lead amid partygate fallout

18:04 , Rory Sullivan

Labour has extended its lead over the government significantly, widening the gap to 13 points, a new poll has suggested.

The survey found that support for Labour is up 4 per cent and down 5 for the Tories from last week.

Government defeated on ‘Hillsborough Law’ amendment

18:27 , Ella Glover

Peers have defeated the government on a so-called ‘Hillsborough Law’ amendment in the House of Lords, our reporter Adam Forrest reports.

The Labour amendment to the policing bill was backed by 252 votes to 179, a majority of 73.

It proposed that police officers would be legally required to tell the truth during all forms of public inquiry and criminal investigation – just one of the recommendations of the report by former Bishop of Liverpool the Right Rev James Jones into the experiences of the Hillsborough families.

However, amendments to the policing bill will return to the Commons, where the government enjoys a clear majority.

Yvette Cooper, shadow home secretary, said: “I urge the government to drop their opposition, respect the wishes of the Hillsborough families and others and support this amendment when it’s debated in the Commons later this year.”

UK provides Ukraine with extra ‘self-defence’ weapons and training aid, Liz Truss to visit

18:55 , Ella Glover

Defence secretary Ben Wallace said the UK will provide light anti-armour defensive weapons systems to the UK as a small number of personnel will travel to the country to provide training amid concerns over a possible Russian invasion.

The announcement came after he warned tens of thousands of Russian troops are positioned next to the Ukrainian border and told MPs there is “real cause of concern” over the scale of the force being assembled by the Kremlin, supported by Russian air and maritime forces.

He said invited his Russian counterpart, Sergey Shoygu, to visit London “in the next few weeks” to discuss “issues related to mutual security concerns and engage constructively in good faith”.

He said that since the Salisbury poisoning “the relationships have been in a low ebb” and for “many years” the defence secretaries of both countries have not had routine meetings, “and I think it’s important that we offer that”.

He told the Commons: “Ukraine has every right to defend its borders and this new package of aid further enhances its ability to do so.

“Let me be clear: this support is for short-range and clearly defensive weapon capabilities; they are not strategic weapons and pose no threat to Russia; they are to use in self-defence.”

Mr Wallace said there is a “package of international sanctions ready to go” should any “destabilising action” by Russia in Ukraine take place.

He added: “We wish to be friends with the Russian people as we have been for hundreds of years. And there is a world in which we can establish a mutually beneficial relationship with Russia.

“I still remain hopeful that diplomacy will prevail. It is President Putin’s choice whether to choose diplomacy and dialogue, or conflict and the consequences.”

PA

Liz Truss to visit Ukraine

19:00 , Ella Glover

Addressing the Commons, defence secretary Ben Wallace also said Foreign Secretary Liz Truss “plans to visit Ukraine soon” and was “working out dates for her visit”.

He said the Minsk treaties “are something that we would wish to support and wish Russia to engage in”, adding: “I hope that is one of the best paths towards securing a peaceful resolution... I think that is definitely the treaty to look at.”

Last week, Ms Truss publicly criticised Russia’s “disinformation campaign intended to destabilise and justify an invasion of its sovereign neighbour Ukraine.”

“Russia must halt its aggression, deescalate and engage in meaningful talks,” she said.

Jo Stevens criticises move to freeze BBC funding

19:15 , Ella Glover

Jo Stevens, Labour’s shadow secretary of state for Wales, backed the BBC for its positive economic impact on the country and criticised the government’s decision to freeze funding and abolish the license fee.

The move was confirmed today by culture secretary Nadine Dorries.

Ms Stevens accused the party of attempting to “divert public attention” from the Prime Minster’s latest controversy in which he is believed to have attended numerous parties while the country was in lockdown and then lied about it.

Ms Stevens said: “The Tories’ decision to vandalise the BBC, a globally renowned and envied British institution in its centenary year, is a pathetic attempt to divert public attention from a shamed and failing Prime Minister whose premiership is hanging by a thread.

“The BBC’s role in our creative industries in Wales is a huge success story. Every £1 of the BBC’s economic activity in Wales generates £2.63 in our economy.

“The growth in the number of creative jobs and business as a result of the BBC’s integral role in Wales has outstripped growth in the sector across the whole of the UK.

“Instead of attacking the BBC, the Conservative Government should be praising what it has delivered to the public during that past 100 years but especially during the pandemic.”

Additional reporting by PA

‘Dangerous days’ in Europe because of Russian aggression, warns Labour

19:32 , Rory Sullivan

Labour has joined the government in warning that these are “dangerous days” in Europe, amid the threat of war between Russia and the Ukraine.

Roughly 100,000 Russian troops are currently stationed on its border with Ukraine, according to US intelligence.

The shadow defence secretary John Healey welcomed the government’s announcement that it would further support Ukraine against Russian aggression by sending weapons.

“We welcome the recent expansion of bilateral British support to naval co-operation, and we back the new delivery of defensive weaponry the defence secretary has announced this afternoon,” he said.

“These are dangerous days for security in Europe. Especially for the Ukrainian people, and even at this eleventh hour, across this House, we deeply hope that diplomacy, sound judgment and respect for international law will prevail with president Putin,” he added.

Defence secretary Ben Wallace also echoed these sentiments. “I still remain hopeful that diplomacy will prevail. It is president Putin’s choice whether to choose diplomacy and dialogue, or conflict and the consequences,” the minister said.

Cummings is ‘key witness’ in No 10 party inquiry, says SNP

19:54 , Rory Sullivan

An inquiry into the Downing Street parties “will not be worth the paper it is written on” without the participation of Dominic Cummings, the SNP has said.

Ian Blackford, the party’s leader at Westminster, said Boris Johnson’s former senior aide needs to be interviewed as part the ongoing investigaton, since he is a “key witness”.

“The prime minister’s former chief adviser, who was in post at the time Boris Johnson broke the law, has said he is willing to testify on oath that the prime minister was warned about the Downing Street party, allowed it to go ahead anyway, attended it himself, and then lied to parliament,” Mr Blackford said.

“Lying to parliament would be a clear breach of the ministerial code alone, and would require the prime minister to resign immediately,” said the Ross, Skye and Lochaber MP.

The SNP politician added that Tory MPs should stop covering for “a man who is so evidently unfit for office”.

Starmer leads Johnsons in all leadership categories, poll finds

20:14 , Rory Sullivan

Keir Starmer now outperforms Boris Johnson in all leadership characteristics, a poll has found.

In a survey conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies, the British public said they had more trust in the Labour leader than the prime minister to run the country successfully.

It is the first time that Mr Starmer has led Mr Johnson on issues like building a strong economy and handling the pandemic.

Peers vote against government in support of misogyny hate crime

20:35 , Rory Sullivan

The Lords have defeated the government in a vote to make misogyny a hate crime.

Baroness Newlove, a Tory peer, introduced the amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which passed by 242 votes to 185.

The change to the legislation aims to give courts the power to impose tougher sentences for the crime.

Here’s the verdict of the Green party’s Baroness Jones:

Downing Street denies Cummings’ suggestion PM approved May 2020 party

20:42 , Rory Sullivan

No 10 has denied Dominic Cummings’ claim that Boris Johnson knew of the May 2020 party before it was held.

“It is untrue that the prime minister was warned about the event in advance. As he said earlier this week he believed implicitly that this was a work event,” a spokesperson said.

“He has apologised to the House and is committed to making a further statement once the investigation concludes.”

Political sketch: PM breaks glass on box marked ‘BBC culture war'

21:10 , Rory Sullivan

The PM has targeted the BBC in his latest attempt to deflect attention away from the partgate furore, writes Tom Peck.

“And so to distract from the broken swings and the suitcases of wine and the DJs and the trestle tables and all the rest of it, but mainly from the letters of no confidence about his own leadership that keep going in, Johnson has broken the glass on the box marked “BBC culture war”.

Read the full piece here:

Boris Johnson has broken the glass on the box marked ‘BBC culture war’ | Tom Peck

Lords vote against move to ban ‘noisy’ protests

21:18 , Ella Glover

Peers in the House of Lords have voted against the government’s proposed curbs on protests in the Police, Crime and Sentencing Bill.

The House of Lords backed by 261 votes to 166, majority 95, a Labour-led move that scraps the power to impose conditions on protests and demonstrations judged to be too noisy.

The upper chamber also voted in favour of a Liberal Democrat amendment that stripped out the power to impose conditions on protests on noise grounds, backing by 238 votes to 171, majority 67.

Lords watchdog launches investigation into Tory peer Michelle Mone over PPE contracts

21:30 , Ella Glover

Tory peer Michelle Mone is being investigated over alleged links between her and a company that was awarded PPE contracts worth more than £200 million via a “VIP lane”.

PPE Medpro Limited was awarded an £80.85m contract in May 2020 to supply the NHS with face masks, and a £122m contract the following month to supply surgical gowns.

The House of Lords commissioner for standards launched an inquiry after a complaint was made by Labour peer George Foulkes on 6 January.

It is alleged that Lady Mone had recommended the company to the Cabinet Office in May 2020 – but she has denied any involvement or association with the firm.

She was made a peer by David Cameron in 2015.

Our reporter Lamiat Sabin has the full story:

Lords watchdog launches investigation into Michelle Mone over PPE contracts

Bid to lower voting age to 16 falls

21:40 , Ella Glover

Labour’s bid to lower the UK voting age to 16 was shot down in the commons.

MPs rejected the amendment with 327 votes to 236, majority 91.

Government measures against noisy protests ‘go too far,’ says Tory peer

21:55 , Ella Glover

Government measures against protests and demonstrations “go too far” a Tory peer has said.

Lord Deben, chairman of the independent advisory Climate Change Committee, said “dissent and protest are essential parts of democracy”.

He said: “We are a democratic society and if I can’t go outside and make a noise to point out that I think that a whole range of things that the government or any government does are unacceptable, then my human rights are very seriously impugned.

“Dissent and protest are essential parts of democracy. This goes too far.”

Labour loses bid to remove voter ID section from Elections Bill

22:15 , Ella Glover

Labour’s bid to remove the voter ID section of the Elections Bill was rejectedby 327 votes to 234, majority 93.

Here’s what Caroline Lucas, Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, had to say:

Government plan to crack down on protests outside parliament defeated in Lords

22:26 , Ella Glover

As reported earlier (9.18 pm), Boris Johnson’s government was been handed a blow in its plan to restrict protests outside parliament after peers backed an amendment protecting large demonstrations in the area.

Adam Forrest has the full story:

Government plan to crack down on protests outside parliament defeated in Lords

Thanks for reading!

23:17 , Ella Glover

That’s all from The Independent’s politics live blog.

Come back tomorrow for more rolling coverage.