The Independent looking at June 09 – June 15

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13-year-old refugee girl ‘sent back to Ukraine after Home Office refused visa’

‘I won’t apologise’: Angela Merkel defends relationship with Putin

Starmer’s cunning plan to prop up Johnson by asking useless questions | John Rentoul Starmer decided to ask about the NHS. Everyone knows that this is what Labour leaders do when they are on the defensive. The NHS is “Labour’s issue”, the safest of safe ground for the party that founded the national religion. … Two days after Johnson was humiliated by 40 per cent of the MPs behind him, Starmer didn’t have a single memorable line to drive home the opposition’s advantage. The Labour leader read out an overlong series of familiar criticisms, looking down at his notes more than he looked at the miscreant in the dock.

Analysis: Johnson has little scope for tax cuts, they won’t fix the problems he faces

June 09

Boris Johnson plans policy blitz in bid revive government and his premiership

Boris Johnson will attempt to relaunch his beleaguered government today with a policy blitz aimed at easing the housing crisis.   In a bid to sure up his premiership, the prime minister is expected to use a speech in Lancashire to announce plans to tear up rules stopping people from declaring their benefits as part of their income when applying for a mortgage and using it to make monthly payments.   However the speech risks being overshadowed by the continuing difficulties in his own party. Allies of Mr Johnson have warned him not to reward rebel MPs in a rumoured cabinet reshuffle.   It had been reported in The Telegraph that some suggested bringing in key rebel Jeremy Hunt as Chancellor to get him onside. But one ministerial ally dismissed the idea of a charm offensive, telling The Independent: “Reach out to them? F*** off. What kind of message would that send?   “There are only so many jobs in government. You cannot afford to reward disloyalty.” QUOTE OF THE DAY “Week after week I’ve called on this prime minister to resign. I’ve been met with a wall of noise from the Tory benches. I thought they were trying to shout me down – when all this time it turns out that 41 per cent have been cheering me on!” – SNP MP Ian Blackford mocks Boris Johnson at Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons over his narrow no-confidence vote victory on Monday.

Salma Shah, The Independent: If Johnson wants to save his reputation, he needs to do the unthinkable

Foreign Office adviser quits after saying ‘liability’ Boris Johnson should be forced out Helena Morrissey disputed prime minister had shown ‘contrition’ for Partygate – and warned of ‘further challenges’

Cost of filling family car to hit £100 for first time after biggest daily jump in 17 years Fuel retailers falling to pass on the fuel duty cut could be named and shamed, Downing Street indicated

Watch/ UK rail strikes: What are the reasons behind the walk-out?

June 10

Ministers demand release of Britons sentenced to death in ‘Soviet-era show trial’ after fighting for Ukraine

Ministers have demanded the release of two Britons sentenced to death on Thursday by pro-Russia separatists in what has been condemned as a “Soviet-era show trial”.   Moscow was accused of breaching the Geneva Convention over the treatment of Aiden Aslin, 28, and Shaun Pinner, 48, who were captured while fighting with Ukrainian forces. They will reportedly face a firing squad after being convicted of terrorism in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic – but Britain says the pair should be treated as prisoners of war.   Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, condemned the court ruling, saying: “This is a sham judgment with absolutely no legitimacy” and promising to “do everything we can” to support the pair’s families. There were suggestions the men’s fate could be used by Moscow as a bargaining chip to force Britain to scale back the delivery of weapons to Ukraine.

American democracy ‘remains in danger,’ Jan 6 hearings chair warns Select committee chairman Bennie Thompson said ‘conspiracy to thwart the will of the people’

‘Superworms’ with appetite for polystyrene could revolutionise plastic recycling, scientists say Beetle larvae ‘like mini recycling plants’ could reduce landfill, research suggests

What do Boris Johnson’s new housing plans mean for low-earners and how feasible are they?

The prime minister has revealed plans designed to help lower earners buy houses as part of a series of announcements aimed at easing the housing crisis and bolstering his own flagging popularity after Monday’s damaging confidence vote.   In a speech in Lancashire, Mr Johnson set out a pledge to extend the Right to Buy scheme for people renting from housing associations and another to allow them to use benefits to pay for mortgages, arguing that the money would be better spent helping people acquire their own property, rather than paying rent.   But are his proposals practical or “totally detached from reality”, as some experts have warned?

For the full story click here >

June 13

Boris Johnson facing Tory rebellion over plans to override the Northern Ireland protocol

Boris Johnson is facing a Tory rebellion over his plans to override the Northern Ireland protocol as his own MPs warn him that the controversial plan goes against key Conservative principles.   The legislation, set to be published today, will break the withdrawal treaty Mr Johnson negotiated three years ago and is expected to give ministers the power to scrap checks on moving goods moving from Britain to Northern Ireland.   A leaked briefing paper being shared among Tory MPs describes the move, which experts have warned could provoke a trade war with the European Union, as “damaging to everything the UK and Conservatives stand for.”

June 14

Boris Johnson could face new EU legal action this week over threat to tear up Brexit deal

Boris Johnson is facing the prospect of new legal action from the European Union as early as Friday in response to legislation published today to tear up the arrangements for Northern Ireland agreed as part of his Brexit deal.   A bill published today would give ministers sweeping new powers to override elements of the Northern Ireland protocol, as well as taking new powers for the UK over tax and state subsidies in the region without agreement from Brussels.   The long-awaited legislation provoked a furious reaction in both Brussels and Dublin, with Irish premier Micheal Martin saying it was “very regrettable for a country like the UK to renege on an international treaty” which was negotiated and agreed by Mr Johnson in 2019. The Big Question Why are Conservatives concerned about Boris Johnson’s approach to Northern Ireland? A week on from narrowly surviving a vote of no confidence in the House of Commons, the prime minister is again facing a revolt from his own MPs, who warn that his controversial plans to override the Northern Ireland protocol go against key party principles.   A leaked briefing paper being shared among Conservative MPs describes Mr Johnson’s meddling with the Brexit agreement, which experts have warned could provoke a trade war with the European Union, as “damaging to everything the UK and Conservatives stand for”.   The move could be as devastating to the reputation of the party as the Iraq war was for Labour, it adds, hinting at fresh rebellion against the wounded Mr Johnson. For the full story click here >

Ukraine has a weapons wishlist for the West as war reaches crucial point Officials will be going to Brussels on Wednesday with a breakdown of what is needed to counter Russian forces British ex-soldier ‘killed fighting against Russia in eastern Ukraine’ The family of former soldier Jordan Gatley say he will ‘forever be in our hearts’

UK economy shrinks unexpectedly as cost of living bites  GDP fell 0.3 per cent in April and is now 0.9 per cent above its pre-pandemic level, says ONS

Watch/ Why is the UK suffering a housing crisis?

‘Immoral’ Rwanda deportations shame Britain, say Church of England leaders Senior Church of England bishops say vulnerable people should be offered safe routes to the UK

June 15

Rwanda deportation flight grounded after dramatic last-minute ECHR intervention

Boris Johnson’s “desperate and cruel” policy to deter asylum-seekers was in disarray last night after the handful of migrants on the first deportation flight to Rwanda won a last-minute legal reprieve.   The £500,000 taxpayer-funded flight was halted minutes before it was due to take off following interventions by the European Court of Human Rights.   It came despite ministers earlier insisting the flight would go ahead no matter how few were on board. How has Paddington Bear become the face of anti-deportation protests? Deportation notices for Paddington Bear have been put up by staff on internal Home Office notice boards in protest at asylum seekers being flown to Rwanda.   The posters say the fictional bear, created by author Michael Bond in 1958 and recently seen starring opposite the Queen, is wanted for a pending relocation flight to the African nation, adding that he arrived illegally in the UK via boat and without a visa.   The posters are a part of a campaign by internal Home Office staff who are speaking out against the government’s new refugee policies, revealing the true extent of disapproval over the policy, which has also been condemned by Prince Charles and the Archbishop of Canterbury, among many others. For the full story click here >

NHS risks losing one third of Black and Asian doctors over racism, finds landmark survey Exclusive: Some 60 per cent of Asian and 57 per cent of Black doctors see racism as a barrier to career progression, landmark study reveals

Boris Johnson bid to tear up Northern Ireland deal endangers peace, US congressmen warn Government’s legal justification for unilateral challenge to protocol branded ‘hopeless’