In Great Britain the Speaker has said that Government whips and advisers are “not above the law”, following one minister’s claim that several MPs who oppose Boris Johnson had been subjected to “pressures and intimidation”. The Prime Minister has stated that he will not quit if the rebels force a no confidence vote. However, five more Conservative MPs are considering defecting to Labour.
Ms Sue Gray will “continue” to investigate “a number of” alleged Downing Street parties, but the findings will be sat on until the Met reaches its own conclusions. The key political question now becomes whether MPs will decide not to wait for the Met to conclude their inquiry and submit letters of no confidence this week. The probe will cover eight of 17 events at which Covid lockdown rules were allegedly broken. Dame Cressida, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, refused to confirm the precise figure. She said the investigation had been prompted “firstly because of the information provided by the Cabinet Office inquiry team and secondly my officers’ own assessment”.
Speaking exclusively to The Telegraph, David Davis explains why he had to tell the Prime Minister to go on Wednesday. A riveting Allister Heath reveals why “The real threat to the Tories is the mass impoverishment of Middle England”. Nigel Farage addresses the MP for Bury South who defected to Labour, arguing that “If he had any integrity, Christian Wakeford would call a by-election”. Tom Harris, meanwhile, takes in the view from across the floor, writing that “The Corbynite rump can’t bear the thought of Labour becoming electable”.
‘Boris deserves one last chance, but he may be incapable now of taking it’, writes Fraser Nelson
Following Joe Biden’s “gaffe” at a press conference on Wednesday, Nick Allen explains why the US President “may have inadvertently revealed the truth about his Ukraine policy”. In his illuminating, must-watch video, Dominic Nicholls describes why a major conflict in Ukraine is “only a small miscalculation away”. A forthright Nile Gardiner argues that “President Biden has humiliated America”. You’ll also be able to read our dispatch from Scranton, Pennsylvania, as “Joe Biden’s home town turns against him”.
From ‘peacekeepers’ to a full-scale offensive: Vladimir Putin’s five options for invading Ukraine
Why some will never ditch the masks – and think they’re better than you for it
Some View on the World 