Politics latest news: UK and EU must stop post-Brexit 'point scoring', ambassador says, amid latest vaccine row

• Sarah Everard: 'Every woman should feel safe to walk our streets without fear', says Priti Patel

• Fridges and TVs sold in Northern Ireland must bear EU flag

• Boris Johnson demands 'immediate' release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

• Coronavirus latest news: NHS waiting list hits record high during pandemic

The UK and the EU must stop "trying to score points" after Brexit, and focus of strengthening the "special relationship", the EU's ambassador has said.

Speaking during the latest vaccines row, Joao Vale de Almeida told a Westminster briefing that he wanted there to be the "best possible relationship" between Britain and the EU post-Brexit amid disputes over trade arrangements.

He added: "We need to make an effort to change the mindset and give up on trying to score points ... and focus ourselves on what we can do for making out of the agreements that we made - the Withdrawal Agreement on one side and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement on the other."

To make the post-Brexit relationship work "we need to have high levels of trust - mutual trust", he added.

His comments come as Charles Michel doubled down on his claim that the UK imposed an "outright ban" on coronavirus vaccine exports.

Boris Johnson yesterday told MPs that the UK has not "blocked the export of a single Covid-19 vaccine" while a senior diplomat was summoned to the Foreign Office.

However the European Council president told Politico: The facts are the facts. At a certain point, it’s my call for more transparency. How many doses did they export?"

​​Follow the latest updates below.

03:49 PM

Nurses' pay rise 'proportionate, fair and reasonable', says Rishi Sunak

Rishi Sunak has defended the Government's proposed one per cent pay rise for NHS staff as "proportionate, fair and reasonable".

The Chancellor told the Treasury select committee he had set out a "targeted approach" to public-sector pay in last year's spending review.

"For a matter of fairness and also to protect people's jobs in the public sector we set out a targeted approach to public-sector pay which we thought was proportionate, fair and reasonable," he said.

"What that actually did was ensure those in the NHS would actually receive a pay rise next year. In other parts of the public sector that will not be the case next year.

"We did also protect those on the lowest incomes, so that if you earn less than the median salary of around £25,000 - just under - you receive an increase of at least £250 next year.

"So that is a targeted approach to public-sector pay."

03:43 PM

Checks on EU imports delayed by six months, Michael Gove and David Frost reveal

The introduction of controls on EU imports into Great Britain has been delayed by a further six months because of disruption caused by coronavirus, Michael Gove has announced.

The Government had been expected to start phasing in customs checks from this summer, but processes will now be introduced on January 1 2022 - six months later than originally planned.

In a written statement, Mr Gove said that while ministers were "confident of being ready on time, we have listened to businesses who have made a strong case that they need more time to prepare".

He added: "In reviewing the timeframes, we have given strong weight to the disruption which has been caused, and is still being caused, by Covid, and the need to ensure that the economy can recover fully."

Newly-promoted Cabinet Office minister Lord Frost added: "As a sovereign trading nation outside the EU, we have freedom to take decisions in our national interest - and in the interest of our businesses.

"We will now introduce border controls broadly six months later than planned to give traders time to focus on getting back on their feet as the economy opens up after a difficult year."

03:32 PM

Rishi Sunak insists 'the pie is growing' as he is challenged over economic assumptions

A senior Conservative MP has challenged Rishi Sunak over the assumptions on public spending contained in the Budget, claiming they were unlikely to be met.

Mel Stride, chair of the Treasury select committee, said that if he was chancellor he would be "very worried about how realistic the spending figures are", with "no explicit provision" for ongoing coronavirus spending, pressure on NHS finances, education, the rail network, the potential further extension of the £20-a-week Universal Credit increase and social care.

"Is it just not the case that the current numbers you have got in there on spending are unrealistic and are just going to come under unbearable pressure over the coming spending round and the years ahead?"

Mr Sunak said there had been a "significant uplift" in public spending and by the end of the parliament "the state will be spending historically very large amounts of money".

He added: "All governments have to prioritise within a pie, the good news is that the pie is growing at a rapid rate over the course of this parliament and relative to the size of our economy is a large pie."

03:18 PM

Health minister: 'I hope nurses stick with us' despite pay row

A health minister has dodged questions about whether she is concerned that nurses will quit over the pay row, as she argued they were on relatively higher salaries than when she worked on the frontline - in the late 1970s.

Nadine Dorries, who worked as a nurse between 1975-1981, told BBC Radio 4 the Government would "carefully consider the recommendations" of the pay reward body, stressing: "The average pay for a nurse is £34,000 - when I was nursing it was nothing even anywhere near the equivalent.

"Quite right so - if it was up to me I would pay nurses millions."

She added: "But this year has been a very difficult year... we all know the position the economy is in a the moment, we all want to see the economy recover because we can't fund the NHS without it."

Asked if she was concerned that nurses would quit over pay, she said: "Workforce isn't my portfolio, it's not an area I am an expert on.

"I can't quote retention figures, but what I do hope is that nurses will stick with us."

02:58 PM

Nearly 90 per cent of over-60s have had Covid jab

A further 277,680 Covid vaccines were given out yesterday - including 206,720 first doses and 70,960 second doses.

An estimated 88.9 per cent of people aged 60 and over in England have now received their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine.

But vaccine take-up in London among people aged 80 and over continues to lag behind other regions of England, figures have suggested.

An estimated 83.5 per cent of people in this age group in the capital have had their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, according to NHS England.

Take-up in all other regions is estimated to be at least 94 per cent, with south-west England having the highest proportion at 98.7 per cent.

02:52 PM

Labour MP takes more than four minutes to read the names of women killed this year

Labour MP Jess Phillips has read out the names of almost 120 women killed in the UK where a man has been convicted or charged as the primary perpetrator.

The MP for Birmingham Yardley spent more than four minutes listing the names of the victims from the last 12 months.

She told the Commons: "There has been much debate at what I would say at the end of the list. Her name rings out across all of our media.

"We have all prayed that the name of Sarah Everard would never be on any list.

"Let's pray every day and work every day to make sure nobody's name ends up on this list again."

02:45 PM

Veteran Labour MP attacks Cressida Dick over Sarah Everard comments

A former minister and Mother of the House Harriet Harman has criticised Dame Cressida Dick's comments regarding the disappearance of Sarah Everard.

In a Commons debate marking International Women's Day, the Labour MP said: "Women will find no reassurance at all in the Metropolitan Commissioner's statement that, and I quote, 'it is extremely rare for a woman to be abducted off the street'.

"Women know abduction and murder is just the worst end of a spectrum of everyday male threat to women. When the police advise women don't go out at night on their own, women ask why do they have to be subjected to an informal curfew?

"It is not women who are the problem here, it is men, and the criminal justice system fails women and lets men off the hook. Whether it is rape or whether it is domestic homicide, women are judged and blamed."

The forthcoming Police Crime Sentencing and Courts Bill is "the chance for this Government to banish the culture of male excuses from the criminal justice system and instead of blaming women, start protecting them," she added.

02:37 PM

Further 159 Covid deaths registered in England

A further 159 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 84,935.

Patients were aged between 35 and 99 years old. All except 11, aged 64 to 91 years old, had known underlying health conditions. The date of death ranges from 11 December 2020 to 10 March 2021 with the majority being on or after 5 March.

The Midlands was the worst-affected region, with 40 deaths, followed by London, with 38 deaths and both the North West and North East & Yorkshire, where 22 deaths were registered apiece.

There were 18 deaths registered in the South East, 17 in the East of England and two in the South West.

02:25 PM

'Take AstraZeneca vaccine with confidence', says No 10, despite Denmark pause

Number 10 has said people should take the AstraZeneca vaccine "with confidence" after it was suspended in Denmark over blood clot concerns.

Danish authorities have paused vaccine rollout after a small number of blood clots and one death were reported, although there is no confirmed link to the vaccine (see below).

Dr Phil Bryan, MHRA vaccines safety lead, said: ""It has not been confirmed that the report of a blood clot, in Denmark, was caused by the Covid-19 vaccine (from) AstraZeneca... Blood clots can occur naturally and are not uncommon.

"More than 11 million doses of the Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca vaccine have now been administered across the UK. Reports of blood clots received so far are not greater than the number that would have occurred naturally in the vaccinated population."

He added that "available evidence does not confirm that the vaccine is the cause".

The Prime Minister's spokesperson said: "We've been clear that it's both safe and effective... and when people are asked to come forward and take it, they should do so in confidence."

02:08 PM

Human rights campaigner calls for Kemi Badenoch to resign

Peter Tatchell has said Kemi Badenoch should resign, having "lost the confidence" of the LGBT+ community and failed to deliver a Government promise to ban conversion therapy.

Three Government advisers have quit their role in the last 24 hours, amid accusations that she and Liz Truss were "vilifying" the trans community.

The campaigner told the PA news agency: "The equalities minister should resign. She has failed to deliver long-standing Government promises to ban LGBT+ conversion therapy and to reform the Gender Recognition Act.

"Her feeble response in Parliament on Monday night on conversion therapy was the last straw. The overwhelming majority of MPs who spoke said it was time to outlaw this unethical, ineffective and harmful practice. But Kemi Badenoch offered only platitudes, with no concrete proposals, despite the Government promising to ban conversion therapy over two-and-a-half years ago.

"She claimed she was 'consulting widely' but none of the 20-plus organisations supporting a ban have been consulted. Kemi is rightly being dubbed the 'minister for inequalities' and should stand down. She has lost the confidence of the LGBT+ community."

01:50 PM

Relocating during £1.5bn restoration of Parliament 'for the birds', says Jacob Rees-Mogg

An official review's recommendation for MPs and peers to be temporarily relocated during major restorations to Parliament is "for the birds", Jacob Rees-Mogg has said.

The proposal to relocate to nearby Richmond House would cost £1.5 billion in creating temporary chambers could turn Parliament into "Disneyland", while hybrid proceedings such as those used during the pandemic would be sufficient, he added.

"[The relocation] can't have been a sensible thing to do, even in less straitened financial times. In current circumstances, it seems to me to be for the birds," said the Commons leader.

"I am not the greatest advocate of hybrid proceedings, they're better than nothing but they're not as good as real, physical participation in debate - but I'd rather have hybrid proceedings for a little bit where we couldn't use this chamber than spend £1.5 billion."

01:36 PM

Lobby latest: Vaccine film made with 'no additional cost' to taxpayer

Number 10 has insisted that a 30-minute film which will show how the Government delivered the vaccine programme was made in-house with “no additional cost” to the taxpayer.

After Boris Johnson was accused of producing a propaganda film ahead of the local elections, his spokesman told reporters the video was made by a team of approximately eight social media personnel in Downing Street.

He also rebuffed suggestions it was a political ploy, pointing out that the majority of people featured in the short documentary were scientists and medical experts.

Judge for yourself by checking out the trailer below.

01:34 PM

Lobby latest: Row continues over whether the PM misled Commons on nurses' pay

Boris Johnson did not mislead the House of Commons by claiming Labour had voted against a pay rise for nurses because he had been referring to the party’s decision to vote down the Queen’s Speech, Downing Street has claimed.

Digging in over claims that Mr Johnson had wrongly accused Sir Keir Starmer during PMQs, his press secretary referred reporters to comments made by Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Mr Rees-Mogg told MPs on Thursday morning the Prime Minister had been referring to the Queen’s Speech, rather than the Budget document, which went through unchallenged by Labour.

It comes after Sir Lindsay Hoyle that ministers had a "responsibility" to correct the record.

During the launch of his local election campaign, the Labour leader said the Prime Minister was "wrong".

"He should acknowledge that, he should apologise and correct the record," he added. "But I'm afraid we've got a Prime Minister who never has taken responsibility for anything in his life, and he should start now."

01:29 PM

Give police 'space to carry out Sarah Everard investigation', says Justice Secretary

The Justice Secretary has said it is "crucial that the authorities are given space" to continue with their investigation into the disappearance of Sarah Everard.

Robert Buckland echoed the Prime Minister and Home Secretary in saying he was "shocked and appalled by recent developments".

He added: "Women should not have to walk in fear.

"It is crucial that the authorities are given space to carry out an ongoing criminal investigation which may result in criminal proceedings."

01:23 PM

Government urged to set out plans for international travel

The Government must “urgently” set out its roadmap for the return of international travel, a group of MPs have demanded.

In an interim report, the cross-party Transport Select Committee urged the officials to reveal “when and how the current quarantine schemes will be phased out”.

The aviation industry, which has been largely grounded for the past year, “thrives on certainty” and “redundancies have mounted” as the return of travel overseas “continues to be delayed”.

“In order to return passenger aircraft to the skies and to connect the UK to the world, a roadmap to restart international travel is urgently needed”, reads the report. “The Department [for Transport] has not yet specified the standards that destination countries must meet on vaccine and testing capabilities in order to reopen for travel with the UK.”

The Government's Global Travel Taskforce is due to release its plans for the reopening international travel on April 12, although the earliest it will restart is May 17.

01:07 PM

Twitter wars: Labour MP contrasts 'low budget' deputy speaker videos with Chancellor's 'glitzy' effort

A Labour MP prompted some light booing in the Commons this morning, after praising the deputy speaker for her "increasingly iconic" Twitter videos by contrasting them with Rishi Sunak's output.

Darren Jones, chairman of the business, energy and innovation committee congratulated Dame Eleanor Laing, saying that despite having a "lower budget, provide more charm than the Chancellors more glitzy versions on Instagram."

The comments drew some booing - and laughter - from his fellow MPs.

12:57 PM

Lobby latest: No 10 defends commitment to ending conversion therapy

Downing Street has defended the Government, after three advisers to its LGBT+ panel quit this week, calling women and inequality ministers Liz Truss and Kemi Badenoch "ministers for inequality".

No 10 said the Government has been "clear that conversion therapy is wrong and we are committed to ending these vile practices for good".

The Prime Minister's official spokesman told a Westminster briefing that the Government would continue to consider all legislative and non-legislative options.

Earlier, a Government spokesman said: "The Government is committed to building a country in which everyone, no matter their sexuality, race or religion, is free to live their lives as they choose.

"We have repeatedly made clear that we will take action to end conversion therapy and we are working to bring forward plans to do so shortly."

12:55 PM

Lobby latest: No 10 fails to back Shaun Bailey on Sarah Everard tweet

Downing Street has declined to back Conservative London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey during a Westminster briefing, when asked about accusations he had politicised the disappearance of Sarah Everard.

The Prime Minister's press secretary Allegra Stratton said: "You have heard from the Prime Minister this morning, expressing real shock and distress at what's happened.

"This is a conversation to have with Shaun Bailey. You have seen the Prime Minister's approach today and you have seen the Home Secretary's approach today."

Further pressed on whether Mr Bailey had the backing of the Prime Minister, Ms Stratton said: "Today, we believe, is a day to give sympathy to the family of Sarah in an incredibly difficult and distressing time for them."

12:38 PM

Lobby latest: Ministers developing a strategy to ensure women's safety, says No 10

The Government is working with "law enforcement agencies, charities, women's group" to develop a strategy to ensure women's safety," No 10 has said.

In the wake of the Sarah Everard case, the Prime Minister's official spokesman told a Westminster briefing the Government was undertaking a violence against women and girls strategy.

"That will help us better target perpetrators and support victims of these crimes and increase our ability to tackle new and emerging forms of violence against women and girls, such as upskirting and revenge porn," he added.

"The Prime Minister said previously it remains his intent to ensure that we work to reduce crime across the country."

12:18 PM

Commons debate in praise of Queen would take 'all available time', says Jacob Rees-Mogg

Jacob Rees-Mogg has said a debate about the role of the monarchy would take "all the legislative time available" because of the length of time it would take to praise the Queen.

Conservative MP Sir David Amess called for a debate on the insitution, during which time "the argument could be made that it is never wise for a family dispute to be aired in public with everyone getting damaged and hurt by the fallout".

The debate could also "could celebrate the fact that we're so blessed to have had our monarch for 70 years" instead of having a president "which we very nearly had under Tony Blair," he added.

But the Commons Leader replied: "Were we to have a debate to praise our sovereign lady, it would take up all the legislative time available in this House.

"So all I'll say is - God save our gracious Queen, long live our noble Queen, God save the Queen, send her victorious, happy and glorious, long to reign over us, God save the Queen, O Lord our God arise, scatter her enemies and let them fall, frustrate their knavish tricks, confound their politics, on thee our hopes we fix, God save us all."

12:03 PM

UK and EU must 'give up trying to score points', says ambassador

The European Union's ambassador to the UK has called on London and Brussels to "give up on trying to score points" and ensure there is trust between both sides.

Joao Vale de Almeida told a Westminster briefing that he wanted there to be the "best possible relationship" between Britain and the EU post-Brexit amid disputes over trade arrangements.

He said: "I think we need to make an effort to change the mindset and give up on trying to score points ... and focus ourselves on what we can do for making out of the agreements that we made - the Withdrawal Agreement on one side and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement on the other.

"With coherence, with consistency and with common willingness to move together... For all that we need to have high levels of trust - mutual trust.

"Trust is maybe the most important commodity in international agreements. When there is no trust, when levels of trust go down, you are less capable of finding solutions."

12:00 PM

Denmark suspends AstraZeneca jab programme amid blood clot fears

Denmark has temporarily suspended the use of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine after some patients developed blood clots since receiving the jab.

The move comes "following reports of serious cases of blood clots among people vaccinated with AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine", the Danish Health Authority said in a statement. "It has not been determined, at the time being, that there is a link between the vaccine and the blood clots".

Austria announced on Monday that it had suspended the use of a batch of AstraZeneca vaccines after a 49-year-old nurse died of "severe blood coagulation problems" days after receiving an anti-Covid shot.

Four other European countries - Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Luxemburg - have also suspended the use of vaccines from this batch, which was sent to 17 European countries and consisting of one million jabs.

11:57 AM

Women should be 'as free as men' to walk at night, says Jacob Rees-Mogg

Jacob Rees-Mogg told MPs that everybody in the country "should feel free to walk the streets at night safely and securely" following the disappearance of Sarah Everard.

During business questions, Labour MP Zarah Sultana said she like many others had "not been able to stop thinking about Sarah Everard - my thoughts are with those who knew and loved her."

The Coventry MP called on the Leader to "make it clear that the emphasis must be tackling violence against women and girls and the norms that too often sustain it, rather than victim-blaming narratives that say women shouldn't be on the street at night."

The minister said he "entirely, entirely" agreed, adding: "Everybody in this country should feel free to walk the streets at night safely and securely and women should be as free to do that as men - and the best way to do this is by tackling crime and making our streets safer and getting the extra 20,000 police on the street.

"There is nothing more reassuring than seeing a police officer in uniform when walking the streets, and that is a comfort that we hope to be able to continue to take more of in this country as more police join the various forces up and down the country."

11:55 AM

EU extends export monitoring scheme amid vaccine supply delays

The European Commission has extended the transparency and authorisation mechanism for Covid-19 vaccine exports, following persistent delays in deliveries to the EU.

Under the measure, which will now continue until the end of June, manufacturers which have signed advance purchase agreements with bloc must made a declaration if they intend to export doses to other countries.

It was brought in after AstraZeneca failed to meet promised delivery schedules to EU members while honouring its British contract. Italy triggered the mechanism last week to block a shipment of 250,000 jabs to Australia.

However, amid a row in which European Council chief Charles Michel accused the UK of an "outright ban" on vaccine exports, the EU claimed it was "the leading provider of vaccines around the world".

More than 34m doses have been "granted" to 31 different countries "as they did not threaten the contractual engagements between the EU and the vaccine producers".

11:44 AM

'I believe in UK', says Sir Keir Starmer - but it must change to survive

Sir Keir Starmer has said he "believes" in the United Kingdom, as he sought to clarify comments made by Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford, who last week said it was "over as we know it".

The Labour leader said: "I believe in the United Kingdom and what Mark Drakeford was saying... is that it has got to change to survive and he is right about that.

"If the debate anywhere is simply between the status quo and independence, then it is the wrong debate," he added.

The country must "get our priorities right" as we come out of the pandemic, and the "idea that the next thing we should have a second referendum" is wrong.

The focus should be on how to "rebuild economy, the NHS and our public services in Scotland, as well as making up for the educational attainment problem - that is what we will focus on."

11:37 AM

Nurses should receive 'real rise' in pay, says Sir Keir Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer has said nurses should receive "a real rise" in pay, but resisted calls to back a 12.5 per cent increase.

The Labour leader said: "The rise for NHS frontline workers should be above inflation - a real rise. The starting point should be 2.1 per cent that was promised and of course budgeted for.

"Our frontline NHS deserve a fair pay rise, not the one per cent which, of course, is a real terms cut."

11:34 AM

Wider society must 'reflect' on Meghan's racism and mental health claims, says Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer has said the wider country must "reflect" on issues of racism and mental health that were raised by Meghan during her interview with Oprah Winfrey this week.

The Labour leader said: "The issues that Meghan has raised, of racism and mental health are serious.

"I do think it is a matter now for the family, and I do hope it is resolved as soon as possible, but the wider issues are something for all of us to take seriously

"Too many people face racism and the stigma of mental health. It is for all of us to reflect on that and redouble our efforts to deal with it."

11:31 AM

Sir Keir Starmer sidesteps question about NHS strikes over pay

It is "doubly insulting to cut the pay" of NHS frontline workers "just as they are rolling up their sleeves" to work on reducing waiting lists, the Labour leader has said.

Asked if he would support strike action, Sir Keir Starmer said: "The only person who is causing this dispute it the Prime Minister... and it is the Prime Minister who needs to shift his position."

But he sidestepped the nub of the question, not once but twice.

He added: "The NHS don't want to go on strike... I support them in entirely in their right for a fair pay rise."

11:27 AM

Boris Johnson must resolve 'problem' with ministers over LGBT panel resignations

The Prime Minister must take steps to resolve "what is obviously a problem" with ministers, following the resignation of three members of its LGBT+ panel today, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

The Labour leader said there was no doubt that "conversion therapy is abhorrent" and must be tackled, but he added that there was a "pattern of behaviour" among his top team which had led to the advisors quitting in the last 24 hours (see various posts below).

"The Prime Minister needs to address what is obviously a problem within his Government and observe this pattern of behavior closely," he said.

11:23 AM

Authorities must 'recognise the scale' of violence against women, says Sir Keir Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer is then asked about the Sarah Everard case, and what needs to change to make women feel.

He is also asked what success will look like come the elections.

On the first point, he says his thoughts are "very very much with her family and friends".

But he says the first thing must be to "recognise the scale" of the issue, and tackle it "at the root", challenge behaviours and have more police officers on the beat.

On the local elections, he asys Labour will be "out there with a strong campaign", but repeats they will be "tough... we are constrained in the way we can campaign, but we will fight for every vote".

11:20 AM

Sir Keir Starmer admits local elections will be 'really tough'

Sir Keir Starmer then turns to journalists questions, the first of which is whether Labour should be making more gains than it is.

He claims that local leaders such as Andy Burnham have been making a real difference, and insists the pandemic is what is making it harder rather than his own performance as leader.

"Yes these are going to be tough elections - really tough elections... I am yet to make a speech to a live audience."

11:18 AM

Starmer attacks SNP over 'record of shame' in Government

Sir Keir Starmer then turns his attention to Scotland, saying the SNP are "fighting among themselves rather than fighting for the Scottish people".

Under the SNP Government child poverty has risen and educational standards have fallen, he adds.

"Scotland now has the lowest life expectancy in Western Europe and the highest number of drug deaths." the Labour leader says. "That’s a record of shame."

Instead of focusing on these issues the SNP's priority is "another divisive referendum", he adds, saying Labour's new leader Anas Sarwar "will focus on what unites Scotland, not what divides us."

Turning to Wales, he claims that Mark Drakeford has "shown the leadership that’s been sorely lacking from Boris Johnson, and he’s shown the difference that Labour can make in power."

11:15 AM

Local elections chance to 'vote against Tory tax rises', says Sir Keir Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer says the local election is "a chance to show the Conservatives that the British people value our NHS and our key workers so much more than this government does".

He adds that is also the chance to show "we can’t wait any longer for the Conservatives to fix social care".

He claims that "for 10 years they’ve been promising to fix this and for 10 years they’ve failed - which is why it’s so unforgivable that our care homes were left unprotected during this pandemic.

"We simply can’t let them make the same mistakes again."

He adds: "This election is also a chance to vote against the Conservatives’ tax rises on families – which will take money out of people’s pockets at the worst possible time.... And it’s a chance to say that after a decade of Conservative mistakes, we need a build a better future."

11:13 AM

Vote for Labour in local elections is 'vote to support nurses', says Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer says it is not enough to return to how things were - picking up on a theme he has run with previously.

"Their masks are slipping and we are seeing the real face of this Conservative party," he adds. "A party that gives a 40 per cent pay rise to Dominic Cummings but a pay cut to our nurses."

The Government has spent "a decade weakening our services and now has no answer", he adds.

A vote for Labour is "a vote to support our nurses," he says. "Our doctors, our NHS staff, and to reward our key workers."

"My mum was a nurse. My sister was a nurse. My wife works for the NHS. I know what it means to work in the NHS.

"When I clapped for our carers, I meant it - the Prime Minister clapped for carers, then he slammed the door on them."

11:09 AM

Vaccine rollout success 'mustn't blind us' to previous Tory failure, says Sir Keir Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer is launching the Labour party's campaign for the local elections with a focus on NHS "who have worked under the most unimaginable pressure".

He says local communities have "come together for the small things", while businesses "have gone to lengths they never thought possible, just to keep their heads above water".

But he notes the "mistakes the Conservative shave made", saying the vaccine rollout success mustn't "blind us to what happened before".

He highlights the high death toll, economic damage and Dominic Cummings' pay rise as examples.

The local elections are "about how Britain recovers... and how we reward our frontline", he adds.

11:00 AM

Boris Johnson should 'take responsibility' to correct the record, suggests Speaker

The Speaker has slapped down a minister who claimed Boris Johnson is "always right", as he made it clear the Prime Minister should return to correct the record over misleading claims made in the House.

Transport minister Andrew Stephenson was asked by Labour's Grahame Morris to correct the Prime Minister's previous denial over Transport for the North suffering a 40 per cent budget cut.

Mr Stephenson replied: "The honourable gentleman has been in this House long enough to know that the Prime Minister is always right."

But Sir Lindsay Hoyle intervened, saying: "You might be proved wrong."

The Prime Minister was also accused of misleading MPs at PMQs yesterday, by claiming that Labour voted against an NHS funding package. No 10 insisted that the Speaker had accepted Jon Ashworth's point as a clarification, and that the matter was closed.

However today, Sir Linsday said ministers "must take responsibility for correcting the record if a mistake has been made".

"It is not dishonourable to make a mistake, but to seek to avoid admitting one is a different matter," he added.

10:45 AM

European Council chief asks 'how many doses have UK exported' in vaccine bans row

The European Council chief has hit back at the UK in the bitter row over vaccine nationalism, asking "how many doses did they export?".

Charles Michel said "it is unfair to attack the EU" over its export transparency ban, which Brussels could extend today.

He told Politico: "I confirm what I said because there are different ways to impose a limitation or a ban. There are different ways, not only via one executive order or via one legislation.

"There are different ways. And I repeat, it’s very simple, one certainty and one question. What’s certain: Europe is a continent which exports a lot of doses, that’s why I wrote it very clearly.

"It’s unfair to attack the European Union on this topic, saying that we would choose vaccination nationalism or protectionism. This is not the truth. The facts are the facts. At a certain point, it’s my call for more transparency. How many doses did they export?"

10:41 AM

Northern Irish minister calls for 'reality check' on protocol

Stormont's Agriculture minister Edwin Poots has called for a "reality check" on the Northern Ireland Protocol when grace periods end.

Mr Poots referenced the prediction of his department's chief vet who last week highlighted that Northern Ireland will be expected to conduct the same number of agri-food checks as the whole EU combined after these period lapse.

Briefing members of his Assembly scrutiny committee, Mr Poots asked where he was supposed to find the number of vets needed to take on this huge workload.

"At this stage we're potentially looking at around 400 staff (for the checks) and a very high number of vets being required," he said.

"Now I'm not sure where I'm going to get these vets because there already is a shortage of vets in the UK, so I'm not sure where we're going to get them."

He said he could not allow vets to be diverted away from existing food safety work in Northern Ireland.

10:33 AM

Every woman should feel safe, says Priti Patel

"Every woman should feel safe to walk on our streets without fear of harassment or violence," Priti Patel has said, as part of a statement on the Sarah Everard case.

The Home Secretary, who posted her response just minutes after the Prime Minister, said she was "deeply saddened" by the investigation, and her thoughts were with Ms Everard's loved ones "at this unbearable time".

10:21 AM

Allister Heath: The shameful EU elite will never take responsibility for its vaccine disaster

For flailing demagogues across the centuries, the answer has long been clear: blame Perfidious Albion and our supposed propensity for betrayal, writes Allister Heath.

Read Allister's column in full here.

10:10 AM

PM 'shocked and saddened' by Sarah Everard case

Boris Johnson has said he is "shocked and saddened" by the latest developments in the Sarah Everard case, after Scotland Yard confirmed that human remains had been found in woodland in Kent.

The discovery of as yet unidentified human remains in woodland in Ashford in Kent was announced by Cressida Dick, the Met Police Commissioner.

During a media briefing, she said the news that a serving police officer was arrested on suspicion of Miss Everard’s murder “has sent waves of shock and anger through the public and through the whole of the Met”.

This morning the Prime Minister said: "I am shocked and deeply saddened by the developments in the Sarah Everard investigation. Like the whole country my thoughts are with her family and friends. We must work fast to find all the answers to this horrifying crime."

09:58 AM

Third adviser quits over 'ministers for inequality' row

A third Government adviser from its LGBT panel as quit their post amid criticism of women and equalites ministers Liz Truss and Kemi Badenoch.

Jayne Ozanne and James Morton (see posts below) have been joined by Ellen Murray, who is said to have accused the Government of "hostility" towards LGBT people.

Ms Ozanne told ITV that Ms Truss and Ms Badenoch were known in the LGBT community as the "ministers for inequality", saying she was "increasingly concerned about what is seen to be a hostile environment for LGBT people among this administration".

Conservative MP Caroline Nokes, who chairs the Commons Women and Equalities Select Committee, said she was "disappointed" the Government was "rowing back" on legislation to ban conversion therapy.

A Government spokesman said on Wednesday: "We have repeatedly made clear that we will take action to end conversion therapy and we are working to bring forward plans to do so shortly."

09:46 AM

Government must stop 'disadvantaging' high street stores, claims Labour

Labour has called for the Government to bring forward a "proper long-term plan for our high streets", after bellwether John Lewis has warned of further store closures amid Covid-induced losses.

The retailer said it "does not expect" all of its department stores to reopen once lockdown restrictions ease. It comes on top of previously announced plans to close eight stores.

Lucy Powell, shadow minister for business and consumers, said: "This news is really worrying for John Lewis employees and is yet another blow for our struggling high streets.

"The pandemic has accelerated changes to the way we shop, but the Government continuing to disadvantage bricks and mortar shops over online companies is cranking up the pressure and leading to businesses collapsing that may otherwise have had a bright future as our country recovers.

"Unless the Government puts in place a proper long-term plan for our high streets, including real action to help level the playing field and to ease the weight of debt piling up on businesses, we will see more shops vanishing and our high streets hollowed out."

09:36 AM

Jess Phillips: Violence against women is 'an epidemic'

Violence against women is "an epidemic" that requires more time and effort to address, a high profile Labour MP has said, as she calls on the Metropolitan Police not to tell women what they "should or shouldn't do".

Jess Phillips, shadow minister for domestic violence and safeguarding, uses the annual debate for International Women's Day to read out the names of all the UK women killed by men over the previous year.

She told Radio 4's Today programme: "Since last week, since Sarah first went missing, six women and a little girl have been reported as being killed at the hands of men, so it's not particularly rare and it’s a fear that women live with. It's an everyday thing.

"[Met Police Commissioner] Cressida Dick has to temper it, but the reality is that for most women, they have had some form of experience that they feel frightened of."

"The message they should be sending out is not one about what women should or shouldn't do - it is about how serious violence against women and girls is and how it is an epidemic that we have to we have to put far more attention and resource into."

09:16 AM

Minister accuses China of 'hollowing out space for democratic debate'

The Government is considering whether China's latest move to tighten control over Hong Kong breaches the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

The National People's Congress voted on Thursday to reduce the role of its public in picking the territory's leaders - giving a pro-Beijing committee power to appoint more legislators.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said it is the latest step by China to "hollow out the space for democratic debate" in the former British colony.

He said: "This can only further undermine confidence and trust in China living up to its international responsibilities and legal obligations, as a leading member of the international community."

The Sino-British Joint Declaration is a legally binding treaty which the UK has previously accused China of breaching. It is understood that a decision will be announced shortly.

09:14 AM

Angela Rayner defends £249 AirPod pro expense claim

Angela Rayner has defended her expense claims this morning, which included a £249 pair of AirPod Pro earphones when she started working at home.

The deputy Labour leader was attacking the Government over the money spent on PPE contracts, saying the money should go towards frontline NHS staff.

But challenged about the recent expenses row, she said the spend was necessary "so that I can carry out my job, because on average I use them four hours a day now on Zooms",

It was "nowhere near billions of pounds that has been wasted on contracts with people who have had no experience whatsoever," she told ITV's Good Morning Britain.

"We wouldn't mismanage the finances going forward," she added. "We would ensure the management of finance is prudent, as it should be because it's taxpayers money and that we reward workers who have been on the frontline, putting their lives at risk."

08:58 AM

Ireland and EU speak to US Congress about 'strained' relationship with UK

Ireland's Foreign Affairs Minister has told an influential group of US Congress members about the growing tension between the EU and the UK over issues around Brexit.

Simon Coveney and EU Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic spoke to the Friends of Ireland caucus on Wednesday, including its chairman, Congressman Richie Neal.

Speaking to RTE afterwards, Mr Coveney said: "We explained what happened last week in the context of the tension around the protocol, the divisions and polarisation of politics in Northern Ireland related to that.

"And why the relationship between the EU and the British Government is so strained at the moment on this issue.

"We talked for about an hour and a half about the protocol, its implementation, the tensions around that, the mistakes that have been made by both sides.

"The need to try to re-engage in discussion, because without finding a way forward through dialogue, which of course has to be the preference for everybody, then Maros Sefcovic outlined that the EU side really has no option but to take legal action, which will begin this week."

08:56 AM

'Has Today lost the plot?' Former minister criticises BBC over interview 'minimising risk to women'

A former minister has criticised BBC Radio 4 for giving air time to a criminologist who was "minimising the real risks women face every day by ignoring the stats on sexual violence against women. "

Marian Fitzgerald, a visiting professor of criminology at the University of Kent, said the fear that women experience is "real", and would be exacerbated by the news of Sarah Everard, but "that doesn't mean the risk has changed".

Men are "far more likely to be murdered", particularly by someone they don't know, she added, suggesting that both women and men should take precautions when walking on their own.

"The trouble is you have social media now and these things can escalate... but we should not pander to stereotypes and get hysterical."

But Anna Soubry, the former Conservative MP for Broxtowe who received multiple death threats during her campaign against Brexit, said "Bloody hell has Today lost the plot?"

08:47 AM

Labour plays down prospects ahead of local elections in May

Labour's deputy leader has played down expectations ahead of the upcoming local elections.

Angela Rayner said the May 6 polls would be "challenging times" for the party, as the public's focus is on the pandemic.

"These elections are being fought in incredibly challenging times and the public's focus is on the pandemic, and not on the elections" she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"We know that that could affect turnout and voting patterns and all around the world, the incumbent governing party has had a benefit.

"And the Conservatives themselves have said they expect to get a vaccine bounce, so these are challenging times."

08:42 AM

Keir Starmer 'not giving Tories an easy ride', claims deputy Labour leader

Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner defended Sir Keir Starmer's approach to handling the pandemic, amid growing criticism and lacklustre polling.

"Keir Starmer made a decision, which I think was the right one, to try and be constructive, and to ensure that we gave constructive opposition that worked in the national interest," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"And that's what we focused on. Now I know some people felt that that was giving them an easy ride, it wasn't.

"It's incredibly frustrating, especially when you see the kids not getting the laptops they need, when they're not giving them the food, when the billions of pounds has been squandered.

"We've highlighted those things but we've tried to be constructive."

08:39 AM

Ministers maintained 'war on wokeness' despite warning, claims former adviser

The Government has maintained its "war on wokeness", despite being warned it was creating a "scary" environment for trans people, a former adviser has said.

James Morton, who quit the Government's LGBT advisory panel, today, told Radio 4's Today programme he had been " increasingly concerned about the direction of travel around trans rights" for the last year.

"I didn't have any naive expectation that an advisory panel would manage to get a government to make massive improvements to LGBT people's lives, but I did hope that there would be some kind of genuine engagement with the panel and interest in learning about the needs and experiences of LGBT people, and it just felt like in the last 12 months there just wasn't."

Mr Morton said: "After we have been trying to explain to [ministers] how badly fuelling culture wars affects trans people and their day-to-day lives, they continue to make comments about 'war on wokeness', and how LGBT and race equality have become 'too fashionable' and therefore need to be de-prioritised.

"It certainly does not feel fashionable to be a trans person in the UK at the moment, it feels really scary."

08:35 AM

Ministers 'seem committed to vilifying trans community', claims adviser following resignation

Two of the government’s LGBT advisers have resigned their posts and sharply criticised the equalities ministers Liz Truss and Kemi Badenoch.

Jayne Ozanne, a member of the LGBT+ advisory panel, quit last night, accusing ministers of creating a hostile environment for LGBT people and said Truss and Badenoch were ignorant on key issues.

James Morton, who has been a manager at the Scottish Trans Alliance, has also resigned from the same panel.

Speaking this morning, Ms Ozanne said that Government pledges to take action to end the controversial practice of conversion therapy only referred to sexuality and not gender identity.

"Sadly there has been never any mention of protecting our trans friends who are twice as likely to be offered and to be forced to go through conversion therapy," she told Good Morning Britain.

"I fear it's this Government's attitude to the trans community that is right at the heart of this.

"They need to embrace the trans community and protect them rather than vilify them which, I'm afraid, both Liz Truss and Kemi seem committed to doing."

08:33 AM

Minister defends Conservative mayoral candidate amid backlash over Sarah Everard tweet

Conservative mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey can "absolutely" still run for office, despite a controversial tweet relating to the ongoing case of Sarah Everard, a minister for London has said.

The tweet has criticised for making political capital out of the investigation, with MPs including Dawn Butler, Stella Creasy and Gavin Newlands among those to publicly condemn it. Conservative MPs have privately expressed concerns, while former advisers, including Nick Timothy, have called for him to delete it.

But Paul Scully, minister for small business, consumers and labour markets, said people should not be "distracted" from the serious crime, following questions that Bailey had used the case as "political capital".

"Shaun Bailey has a plan for London in terms of giving the leadership on crime, on housing, on transport and air quality," he told Sky News. "The first thing people want to be is safe in their homes and Shaun has been doing a lot of work around (that).

"But we shouldn't be distracted from the fact that there is a serious crime that's gone on here."

07:54 AM

PM moves to keep US onside over Northern Ireland

A Government representative is set to be dispatched to the US to help counter the EU’s efforts to turn President Biden’s administration against the UK over its actions in Northern Ireland.

A senior official from the Northern Ireland Office will be seconded to the British embassy in Washington in the coming weeks to help build alliances with Irish Americans and the new administration.

The Telegraph has been told the official will also be tasked with providing factual briefings to US politicians, as well as rebutting EU claims made about the UK post-Brexit.

Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland Secretary, is understood to be pushing the plans, having stepped up engagement with senior Democrats in recent months in a bid to keep the new administration onside.