Boris Johnson faces calls to quit after lockdown party apology - BBC News

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson has apologised for attending a "bring your own booze" party during the first coronavirus lockdown.

He told MPs the event in the Downing Street garden was "technically within the rules" but he should have realised how it would look to the public.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the PM must now quit over what he called his "ridiculous" lies and excuses.

Mr Johnson is also under pressure from his own MPs over the May 2020 party.

After Prime Minister's Questions, he toured the Commons tea rooms, where MPs gather, to shore up support among his backbenchers.

If 54 of them send letters to the 1922 committee - the influential backbench group which runs Tory leadership contests - it will trigger a challenge.

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, an MP and MSP, said he would be writing to the committee because he believed the PM's position was "no longer tenable".

"He is the prime minister, it is his government that put these rules in place, and he has to be held to account for his actions," said Mr Ross.

• Live: Johnson faces MPs at prime minister's questions
• Has Johnson's apology won over his party?
• Downing Street parties: The unanswered questions
• In full: PM's apology over lockdown drinks party

A senior Tory source said Mr Johnson looked "battered and crestfallen" as he spoke to his MPs, and that he had "lost what made him so successful with his party".

Backbencher Sir Roger Gale - a frequent critic of Mr Johnson - said that politically the PM was now "a dead man walking".

Minister Rachel Maclean warned there were consequences for those who have broken the law regarding coronavirus restrictions.

Speaking to BBC Two's Politics Live, she said: 'The law of the land applies to everybody…including the prime minister. The people that make the laws are also the subject of the laws and that's why we've got this due process of this inquiry find out exactly what went on, and if any laws were broken there will be consequences."

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But other Tory MPs rallied behind the prime minister, with Sir Christopher Chope saying he had "never heard such an abject apology" in his time in parliament, and he believed it was "genuinely sincere".

The Commons fell silent at the start of Prime Minister's Questions, as Mr Johnson admitted he had been at the Downing Street party on 20 May 2020 for about 25 minutes, so that he could "thank groups of staff" for their hard work.

He said: "I believed implicitly that this was a work event."

But he added: "With hindsight I should have sent everyone back inside.

"I should have found some other way to thank them, and I should have recognised that - even if it could have been said technically to fall within the guidance - there would be millions and millions of people who simply would not see it that way."

Later, a Downing Street spokesman said the prime minister did not see the email inviting staff to drinks on 20 May 2020.

Mr Johnson sat stony-faced as opposition MPs called for him to quit as prime minister, or for his own MPs to force him out.

In all, the PM faced eight calls to stand down during the Commons question session. Tory MPs, by and large, used the session to ask questions about constituency projects and coronavirus.

Sir Keir Starmer said: "There we have it. After months of deceit and deception, the pathetic spectacle of a man who has run out of road.

"His defence...that he didn't realise he was at a party is so ridiculous that it's actually offensive to the British public.

"He's finally been forced to admit what everyone knew, that when the whole country was locked down he was hosting boozing parties in Downing Street. Is he now going to do the decent thing and resign?"

Mr Johnson said he understood the "rage" of people who had "made huge sacrifices throughout this pandemic" at the thought "that people in Downing Street were not following those rules".

"I regret the way the event I have described was handled. I bitterly regret it. And wish that we could have done things differently."

I don't think the prime minister's statement makes the issue go away at all.

He tried to strike a different tone today - there was no smirk, no swagger, none of the usual Johnson gags.

His admission may have bought him some time, but he is basically pleading with his party to wait for the inquiry to conclude before they make their mind up.

However, some people will see this as being a non-apology apology.

Mr Johnson urged MPs to wait for the outcome of an inquiry by senior civil servant Sue Gray into alleged Covid law-breaking in Downing Street, which he said "will report as soon as possible".

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said that if Mr Johnson had "no sense of shame", then the Tory backbenchers "must act to remove him".

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Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey also called on the PM to resign.

Later, Tory MP Stephen Hammond told BBC Radio 4's The World at One that Mr Johnson had demonstrated "some transparency" by admitting his mistakes.

But he added: "It clearly was not a work event and that is the problem. and I think it is pretty surprising the prime minister wasn't briefed to that effect."

He said his constituents would still feel "let down" having heard "a bit of an apology" from the PM.

Timeline: The alleged government gatherings

The government is facing mounting pressure over several events that are alleged to have been held during lockdowns in 2020. Here is what we know about them and the restrictions in place at the time:

10 May 2020

Boris Johnson announced a plan to take the “first careful steps" out of the lockdown that began in March 2020. But he said people should continue to "obey the rules on social distancing and to enforce those rules we will increase the fines for the small minority who break them”.

Legal restrictions at the time said you could not leave your house without a reasonable excuse and government guidance was that you could meet one person outside of your household in an outdoor setting while exercising.

15 May 2020

A photo from May 2020 showed the prime minister and his staff with bottles of wine and a cheeseboard in the Downing Street garden. When asked about it, Boris Johnson said, “those people were at work talking about work”.

20 May 2020

About 100 people were invited by email to “socially distanced drinks in the No 10 garden” on behalf of the prime minister’s principal private secretary, Martin Reynolds.

Witnesses told the BBC the PM and his wife were among about 30 people who attended.

Boris Johnson has confirmed he attended the event, saying he was there for 25 minutes and “believed implicitly that this was a work event”.

17 July 2020

Boris Johnson announced plans for a “significant return to normality" in England by Christmas "through targeted, local action” instead of national lockdowns.

But he added that the timetable relied on “every one of us staying alert and acting responsibly”.

5 November 2020

With cases of coronavirus rising again, the prime minister told people in England that “we are once again asking you to stay at home” as a new national lockdown began.

He said people should only leave their homes “for work if you can’t work from home, for education, and for essential activities and emergencies”. Indoor gatherings with other households were banned, unless they were for work purposes.

13 November 2020

Sources told the BBC that Downing Street staff members attended a gathering with Carrie Johnson in the flat where she and the prime minister live. A spokesman for Mrs Johnson denies the party took place.

27 November 2020

A leaving event was held for No 10 aide, Cleo Watson, where people were drinking, and Mr Johnson made a speech, according to sources.

2 December 2020

The second national lockdown ended after four weeks but Boris Johnson replaced those restrictions with “tough tiers to keep this virus down”.

London was placed in tier two, which banned two or more people from different households from meeting indoors, unless “reasonably necessary” for work purposes.

10 December 2020

The Department for Education has confirmed it had an office gathering to thank staff for their work during the pandemic. It says drinks and snacks were brought by those who attended and no outside guests or support staff were invited.

14 December 2020

The Conservative Party has admitted that an “unauthorised gathering” took place at its HQ in Westminster. It was held by the team of the party's London-mayoral candidate, Shaun Bailey, who has since stepped down as chair of the London Assembly police and crime committee. The Metropolitan Police is to speak to two people who attended the party.

15 December 2020

Multiple sources have told the BBC there was a Christmas quiz for No 10 staff last year. A photo - published by the Sunday Mirror - showed Boris Johnson taking part and sitting between two colleagues in No 10. Mr Johnson has denied any wrongdoing.

16 December 2020

London moved into the highest tier of restrictions and Matt Hancock, who was health secretary at the time, said it was important “everyone is cautious” ahead of the festive period.

The Department for Transport apologised after confirming reports of a party in its offices that day, calling it “inappropriate" and an "error of judgment” by staff.

18 December 2020

Downing Street originally denied a report by the Daily Mirror that a party took place in Downing Street.

However, a video obtained by ITV News showed the prime minister's then-press secretary Allegra Stratton, joking about reports of an event, saying: “This fictional party was a business meeting and it was not socially distanced.”

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2022-01-12 16:14:06Z
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North Korea says Kim Jong-un oversaw third hypersonic missile test - BBC News

KCNA/REUTERS

North Korea says it has conducted another hypersonic missile test, under the watch of its leader Kim Jong-un.

State media said the missile fired on Tuesday had successfully made a turn before hitting its target in the sea some 1,000km (621 miles) away.

It marks North Korea's third reported test of a hypersonic missile, which can avoid detection for longer than ballistic missiles.

Mr Kim's presence could indicate the technology has improved, say analysts.

The latest ramp-up in testing would appear to support Mr Kim's stated New Years goals, where he vowed to bolster North Korea's defence capabilities.

It came as six countries - including the US - issued a joint statement condemning last week's apparent test. urging the North to cease its "destabilising actions" to the region.

South Korea's military initially downplayed the hypersonic missile claims but later said it demonstrated "improvement" from previous tests, said news site Yonhap.

North Korea state outlet KCNA praised the test, saying the "superior manoeuvrability" of the missile had been "strikingly verified through the final test-fire".

Their report claimed the glide missile had made a 600 km (375 mile) "glide jump flight," followed by 240 km of "corkscrew manoeuvring" before hitting its target.

The closed-off nation first reported conducting a hypersonic missile test in September 2021.

Why are North Korea's hypersonic missiles so worrying?

Hypersonic glide missiles are dangerous for several reasons.

Unlike ballistic missiles, which travel in a largely predictable parabola, making them vulnerable to interception, hypersonic weapons can traverse laterally, close to the earth's surface and hit a target in a much shorter flight time.

In addition, hypersonic weapons can also achieve more than five times the speed of sound - or about 6,200km/h (3,850mph). All these features make them harder to track and intercept.

According to the BBC's Security Correspondent Frank Gardner, these hypersonic missiles are also worrying as they also leave nations guessing whether they are carrying a conventional high explosive warhead or a nuclear one.

North Korea joins a small number of countries, including the United States and China, in attempting to develop hypersonic missiles.

During the on-site inspection, Mr Kim called for the strengthening of the country's "strategic military muscle both in quality and quantity", South Korean news outlet Yonhap reported.

It's the first time since March 2020 that he has been known to attend a missile launch, and the publicity around his appearance is significant, analysts say.

"While [Mr] Kim probably unofficially attended other tests in the interim, this appearance and its Page One feature on [North Korean newspaper] Rodong Sinmun is important," Chad O'Carroll, chief executive of the Korea Risk Group which monitors North Korea, told Reuters.

"It means [Mr] Kim is not concerned about being personally associated [with] tests of major new tech. And doesn't care how the US sees this."

There have been persistent warnings and sanctions use from the US and UN to deter North Korea's weapons testing, but Kim Jong-un has defied these so far.

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2022-01-12 05:06:23Z
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Biden calls for 'turning point' on election laws - BBC News

Reuters

Struggling to pass an overhaul of US election laws, President Joe Biden has called for scrapping a key Senate rule that promotes legislative compromise.

Speaking in Georgia, Mr Biden exhorted lawmakers to advance the bills and herald a "turning point" for the US.

Last week's US Capitol riot anniversary and potential headwinds in this year's mid-term elections have spurred a sense of urgency among Democrats.

But the legislation remains in doubt amid opposition from two Democrats.

The bills - the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act - passed the US House of Representatives last year.

But they have not been considered in the Senate, which is split 50-50 between the two parties. The longstanding filibuster means most bills must meet a 60-vote threshold to pass in the upper chamber of Congress.

"To protect our democracy, I support changing the Senate rules, whichever way they need to be changed, to prevent a minority of senators from blocking action on voting rights," the president said on Tuesday.

• Is this now Joe Biden's biggest headache?

Voting reform advocates have expressed frustration that the White House has not acted sooner. Political analysts say Democrats risk losing control of Congress in November's mid-term elections.

Mr Biden said he was "an institutionalist who was honoured to serve in the Senate" for years, but he argued "the threat to our democracy is so grave" that he felt rule changes were necessary.

In 2019, Mr Biden warned that doing away with the filibuster would be "very dangerous", pointing out that his fellow Democrats have used the rule often to block Republican legislation. Back in 2005, Mr Biden said any attempt to eliminate the filibuster was "an example of the arrogance of power".

Former President Donald Trump called for the filibuster to be scrapped when his fellow Republicans controlled the Senate, but then-Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell refused to go for "the nuclear option", as it is known on Capitol Hill.

On Tuesday, Mr McConnell dismissed Mr Biden's suggestion of some "sinister anti-voting plot" by Republicans as "totally fake".

• What is the filibuster and why does it matter?

What do voters think?

Jazmin Kay, 24, is a New York Democrat and the president of youth-voting advocacy group 18by.vote. She is glad to see the president talking about expanding voting access, but wants to see Congress pass legislation that would guarantee reform.

"We're frustrated with all the bureaucracy around voting rights," she says. "If we don't have comprehensive voting rights reform, then we're not able to have a say in what is done in our government. Enthusiasm is waning [among younger Americans]."

Ryan Doucette, 18, is an Ohio Republican and chief of staff to the young conservatives at Gen Z GOP. He warns that one-size-fits-all electoral reform by the federal government is "wildly misguided" and "rooted in cookie-cutter solutions".

"Democrats incorrectly say Republicans are systematically trying to disenfranchise voters of colour, while some outspoken Republicans falsely claim that elections are rife with fraud," he says. "Every community in America faces different voting rights challenges, and those should be addressed via sound policy for each distinct challenge."

Senate Democrats are planning to hold a debate in the next week on scrapping the filibuster.

But two centrist Democrats - Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema - have indicated they will not go along.

Other Senate Democrats, including Arizona's Mark Kelly, Montana's Jon Tester and Delaware's Chris Coons - have suggested they are on the fence.

Republican-run states have introduced restrictions on access and verification since the 2020 election.

They claim widespread voter fraud, though little concrete evidence has come to light.

Will Democrats get voting reform passed?

Joe Biden is making a renewed push for voting legislation, but the prospects for success haven't changed much since congressional Democrats first advanced the current package of proposals back in January 2019.

They're dim.

The reasons should be familiar to this White House. Either Democrats need to attract Republican support in the Senate, or they must change the rules to allow the slim Democratic majority there to approve the legislation on its own. Neither seems likely, no matter how many speeches Mr Biden gives.

Mr Biden's Georgia trip could simply be an attempt to satisfy restive members of his party's base, who believe the president is not doing enough to promote what they see as the most important issue facing the nation - and their party - today. But the outlook for success there doesn't look great, either. Some prominent voting rights activists are giving the Atlanta event a pass, viewing it as too little, too late.

Even Stacey Abrams, the Georgia gubernatorial candidate and tireless advocate of Democratic reforms, was absent, citing "scheduling conflicts".

Mr Biden may describe the coming voting rights showdown as a national "turning point", but the momentum is currently in a direction Democrats won't like.

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2022-01-11 23:39:49Z
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North Korea claims new hypersonic missile launch under watch of Kim Jong-un - BBC News

EPA

North Korea says it has conducted another hypersonic missile test, under the watch of its leader Kim Jong-un.

State news agency KCNA said the missile fired on Tuesday had "precisely hit" a target some 1,000km (621 miles) away.

It marks North Korea's third reported test of a hypersonic missile, which can avoid detection for longer than ballistic missiles.

Two of the tests have happened within a week, after Mr Kim vowed in a New Year speech to bolster Pyongyang's defences.

South Korea and Japan both detected Tuesday's launch, saying a missile had been fired from North Korea towards the sea.

KCNA news agency later said it was a hypersonic missile, which it described as having "superior manoeuvrability".

North Korea previously said it had successfully conducted a hypersonic missile test on 5 January. The move drew condemnation from countries including the US, UK and France, who urged Pyongyang to stop its "destabilising actions".

Hypersonic weapons usually fly towards targets at lower altitudes than ballistic missiles and can achieve more than five times the speed of sound - or about 6,200km/h (3,850mph).

North Korea joins a small number of countries, including the United States and China, in attempting to develop hypersonic missiles.

Photos shared by state media showed Mr Kim watching the test alongside officials. It marked the first time since March 2020 he had officially attended a missile launch, according to reports.

"While Kim probably unofficially attended other tests in the interim, this appearance and its Page One feature on [North Korean newspaper] Rodong Sinmun is important," Chad O'Carroll, chief executive of the Korea Risk Group which monitors North Korea, told Reuters news agency.

"It means Kim is not concerned about being personally associated [with] tests of major new tech. And doesn't care how the US sees this."

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2022-01-11 22:54:24Z
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Djokovic could face JAIL for ‘lying on his Australia travel form’ as shock pics ‘show he travelled before f... - The Sun

NOVAK Djokovic could face jail over claims he lied on his travel forms as bombshell pictures appear to show he travelled before jetting off to Australia.

Aussie Border Force officials are investigating whether the tennis star falsely claimed he had not visited another country on his application to fly to Oz.

Novak Djokovic was pictured in Belgrade, Serbia, on December 25Credit: Twitter

The tennis ace was then snapped in Marbella, Spain, on January 4Credit: BackGrid

He was also pictured in Spain on December 31 - despite telling Oz officials he hadn't travelledCredit: Twitter

His Australian Travel Declaration form states he had not travelled in the 14 days before flying to Oz

Djokovic landed in Melbourne on January 5Credit: AP

The anti-vaxxer put on his travel declaration that he had not been abroad in the 14 days before landing in Oz - but pictures show him in two different countries within that time period.

On its website, the Home Affairs Department warns that giving "false or misleading information" to the government is “a serious offence” carrying a possible jail term.

“If convicted, the maximum penalty is imprisonment for 12 months,” it says.

Tennis ace Djokovic - who is based in Monte Carlo - was filmed playing tennis in the streets of the Serbian capital Belgrade on December 25.

A picture shared on Twitter also shows him beaming beside handball player Petar Djordjic in Belgrade the same day.

Then days later, the 34-year-old was reportedly filmed training in Spain on December 31 and posing for a group photograph the same day.

Most read in The Sun

Djokovic was also snapped player football in Marbella, Spain, with his brother Marko and a coach on January 4.

Those dates fall within the 14-day period before the reigning Australian Open champ touched down in Melbourne late on January 5, having flown out from Spain via Dubai.

But on his Australian Travel Declaration - released by the federal court yesterday - Djokovic ticked the box claiming he had NOT travelled before his arrival.

Australian Border Force officials are now investigating whether Djokovic lied on his visa forms.

Applicants are warned on the form: “Note: Giving false or misleading information is a serious offence. You may also be liable to a civil penalty for giving false or misleading information.”

Djokovic told border officers that Tennis Australia completed the declaration on his behalf, but it was noted by the officer who cancelled his visa that the sporting body would have facilitated that based on information the visa holder provided.

According to his sworn affidavit, Djokovic departed Spain on January 4 and had a stopover in Dubai before landing in Melbourne late on the night of January 5.

The timings mean Djokovic would have had to be in Spain from 11.30pm on December 22 AEDT, or 1.30pm Spanish time to comply with the rules not to travel within two weeks of arriving in Australia.

But social media posts appear to show him in Serbia after this date.

The tennis star's fresh deportation risk comes as a minister mulls whether to again revoke his visa after it was reinstated by a judge.

Unvaccinated Djokovic returned to training in Melbourne yesterday hours after being freed from detention after winning his visa court battle.

He returned Tuesday for a closed practice, with doors locked and only his support team allowed into Rod Laver Arena.

Aerial images taken by Australian TV networks from a helicopter showed the nine-time Australian Open winner back at work, less than a week before the first Grand Slam tournament of the year is due to start.

But despite a judge ruling the decision to cancel his visa was “unreasonable”, the anti-vaxxer could still be booted out of the country by the Aussie government.

Ministerial powers could be used to again revoke Djokovic's visa and order his removal from the country, which would result in him being banned for three years.

Immigration Minister Alex Hawke could use "personal discretion" to move ahead with another cancellation.

The Aussie government has confirmed Mr Hawke is still considering whether to cancel Djokovic's visa.

A spokesman said: "In line with due process, Minister Hawke will thoroughly consider the matter.

"As the issue is ongoing, for legal reasons it is inappropriate to comment further."

Although he still faces being thrown out of Oz, Djokovic has insisted he wants to stay and compete.

The world men's number one tweeted on Monday: "I’m pleased and grateful that the Judge overturned my visa cancellation.

"Despite all that has happened, I want to stay and try to compete @AustralianOpen I remain focused on that. I flew here to play at one of the most important events we have in front of the amazing fans.

"For now I cannot say more but THANK YOU all for standing with me through all this and encouraging me to stay strong".

Djokovic shared his message alongside a picture of him training at Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena just hours after he was released from immigration detention.

Djokovic returned to training yesterday hours after being let go from detentionCredit: TIM STEWART NEWS LIMITED

Djokovic, pictured training in Melbourne today, still faces being deportedCredit: AP

The tennis ace has returned to the court ahead of the Australian OpenCredit: AFP

Aerial footage shows Novak Djokovic training on court in Melbourne

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2022-01-11 11:03:00Z
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President of the European parliament has died - Financial Times

David Sassoli, president of the European parliament, has died at the age of 65. He was admitted to hospital in his native Italy on December 26 after a “dysfunction of his immune system”, his spokesperson said, and passed away at 1.15am on Tuesday morning.

The Italian Democrat was elected in 2019 and was due to step down next week under a power-sharing deal with the centre-right European People’s party that divided the five-year presidential term between two parliamentary groupings.

Politicians across the political spectrum paid tribute to the former journalist and centre-left MEP.

Ursula von der Leyen, the centre-right president of the European Commission, wrote on Twitter in Italian: “I am deeply saddened by the death of a great European and Italian.

“Sassoli was a passionate journalist, an extraordinary president of the European parliament and above all a dear friend.

“My thoughts go out to his family. Rest in peace, dear David.”

Frans Timmermans, European Commission vice-president, wrote: “David Sassoli, EP president and dear friend, has died. I’m at a loss for words. His kindness was an inspiration to all who knew him. My heartfelt sympathies to his family and all his loved ones. Addio amico mio.”

The European parliament is the only directly elected EU body but its powers are dwarfed by those of the commission, which proposes most legislation, and the council of member states who have the final say. MEPs amend legislation, however, and have a role in setting the budget and approving top appointments.

Sassoli continued to demand a greater role for the parliament and succeeded in getting a budget increase for its priorities such as vaccines for developing countries and the new European public prosecutor’s office.

The parliament has also pushed the bloc towards ambitious climate targets and generally supports a greater role for Brussels in developing areas such as justice, health and defence.

Sassoli recently launched legal action against the commission for failing to halt funding to Poland for alleged breaches of judges’ independence.

Sassoli beat Sergei Stanishev, a former Bulgarian prime minister, and several other candidates to the job. He is likely to be succeeded by Roberta Metsola, a Maltese MEP selected by the EPP as its candidate for president.

“I am heartbroken. Europe has lost a leader, I have a lost a friend, democracy has lost a champion,” she wrote on Twitter. “David Sassoli dedicated his life to making the world a better, fairer place.”

Mario Draghi, Italy’s prime minister, expressed his condolences in a written statement, saying Sassoli was “a man of the institutions, a profound pro-European”, whose untimely and sudden was “shocking”.

Born in Florence in 1956, Sassoli joined Italian national broadcaster RAI in 1992. He became a household name presenting the main evening news and was the broadcaster’s deputy director.

He entered politics in 2009, joining the Democratic party, formed from the two principal parties of the left. He was elected to the European parliament the same year.

During the coronavirus pandemic, he developed hybrid sessions with remote voting and temporarily scrapped the monthly commute for sessions in Strasbourg.

Sassoli is survived by his wife Alessandra, and two children.

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2022-01-11 08:44:54Z
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