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| No 10 refuses to deny Tory donor was asked to pay for Johnson son’s nanny – as it happened | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Latest updates: spokesman says ‘prime minister has covered all the costs of all childcare’ after claims donor was asked to fund nanny | Latest updates: spokesman says ‘prime minister has covered all the costs of all childcare’ after claims donor was asked to fund nanny |
| Keir Starmer has sought to manage expectations ahead of what he admitted would be a “very important set of elections for [Labour]”, and promised he would take “full responsibility” for his party across the country. | Keir Starmer has sought to manage expectations ahead of what he admitted would be a “very important set of elections for [Labour]”, and promised he would take “full responsibility” for his party across the country. |
| Downing Street has refused to deny reports that a Tory donor was asked to pay the costs of a nanny for Boris Johnson’s son. (See 1.04pm.) | Downing Street has refused to deny reports that a Tory donor was asked to pay the costs of a nanny for Boris Johnson’s son. (See 1.04pm.) |
| A cross-party group of MPs have pushed for formal action against Boris Johnson for allegedly misleading the Commons over the transparency of Covid contracts, saying the cabinet secretary, Simon Case, incorrectly cleared the prime minister of wrongdoing. | A cross-party group of MPs have pushed for formal action against Boris Johnson for allegedly misleading the Commons over the transparency of Covid contracts, saying the cabinet secretary, Simon Case, incorrectly cleared the prime minister of wrongdoing. |
| More needs to be done to encourage women into politics, the UK’s leading charity for gender equality has said, as data reveals that just one-third of candidates in this week’s English council elections are women. | More needs to be done to encourage women into politics, the UK’s leading charity for gender equality has said, as data reveals that just one-third of candidates in this week’s English council elections are women. |
| Hopes that holidays to popular tourist destinations could soon restart have been boosted after the government scrapped advice that said people should avoid all but essential travel to areas including mainland Portugal and Spain’s Canary Islands. | Hopes that holidays to popular tourist destinations could soon restart have been boosted after the government scrapped advice that said people should avoid all but essential travel to areas including mainland Portugal and Spain’s Canary Islands. |
| Teaching unions, scientists, public health experts and parents are calling for masks to remain compulsory in classrooms in England to protect children and their families and reduce the risk of a third wave of Covid-19. | Teaching unions, scientists, public health experts and parents are calling for masks to remain compulsory in classrooms in England to protect children and their families and reduce the risk of a third wave of Covid-19. |
| Recent data on Covid deaths and rates of infection in the UK is “very encouraging”, and though a third wave of infections is possible in late summer, it is unlikely to overwhelm the NHS, the leading epidemiologist Neil Ferguson has said. | Recent data on Covid deaths and rates of infection in the UK is “very encouraging”, and though a third wave of infections is possible in late summer, it is unlikely to overwhelm the NHS, the leading epidemiologist Neil Ferguson has said. |
| That’s all from me for today. But our coronavirus coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here: | That’s all from me for today. But our coronavirus coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here: |
| Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, has announced that the UK will convene an in-person meeting of G7 finance ministers. It will take place at Lancaster House in London on 4-5 June, before the G7 leaders’ summit in Cornwall on 11-13 June. | Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, has announced that the UK will convene an in-person meeting of G7 finance ministers. It will take place at Lancaster House in London on 4-5 June, before the G7 leaders’ summit in Cornwall on 11-13 June. |
| Edwin Poots, Northern Ireland’s agriculture minister and a leading candidate to succeed Arlene Foster as DUP leader, has threatened legal action over post-Brexit trading arrangements with Great Britain. As PA Media reports, Poots told Stormont MLAs that the Northern Ireland protocol “ultimately needs to go”. PA says: | Edwin Poots, Northern Ireland’s agriculture minister and a leading candidate to succeed Arlene Foster as DUP leader, has threatened legal action over post-Brexit trading arrangements with Great Britain. As PA Media reports, Poots told Stormont MLAs that the Northern Ireland protocol “ultimately needs to go”. PA says: |
| This is from Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s external affairs minister, on the migration deal with the UK signed earlier. (See 3.27pm.) | This is from Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s external affairs minister, on the migration deal with the UK signed earlier. (See 3.27pm.) |
| Sir Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, has told PA Media that he has written to Amanda Milling, the Conservative party co-chair, asking her to lift threats to abolish the Electoral Commission. He said: | Sir Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, has told PA Media that he has written to Amanda Milling, the Conservative party co-chair, asking her to lift threats to abolish the Electoral Commission. He said: |
| Last year Milling said that if the commission did not become more accountable, it should be abolished. | Last year Milling said that if the commission did not become more accountable, it should be abolished. |
| Andrew Bridgen, a Conservative backbencher, launched a fresh attack on the commission in a TV interview last week (although at one point he muddled it up with the independent adviser on ministers’ interests). | Andrew Bridgen, a Conservative backbencher, launched a fresh attack on the commission in a TV interview last week (although at one point he muddled it up with the independent adviser on ministers’ interests). |
| The UK has recorded only four further coronavirus deaths, and 1,946 new cases, the latest update to the government’s dashboard shows. Yesterday just one death was recorded. Week on week, deaths are down 37% and new cases are down 13.2%. | The UK has recorded only four further coronavirus deaths, and 1,946 new cases, the latest update to the government’s dashboard shows. Yesterday just one death was recorded. Week on week, deaths are down 37% and new cases are down 13.2%. |
| Here is some more Twitter comment on Hartlepool and today’s poll (see 9am) from journalists and academics. | Here is some more Twitter comment on Hartlepool and today’s poll (see 9am) from journalists and academics. |
| From the New Statesman’s Stephen Bush | From the New Statesman’s Stephen Bush |
| From the Times’s David Aaronovitch | From the Times’s David Aaronovitch |
| From the New Statesman’s Harry Lambert | From the New Statesman’s Harry Lambert |
| From Rob Ford, a politics professor | From Rob Ford, a politics professor |
| From Paula Surridge, a political sociologist | From Paula Surridge, a political sociologist |
| From Charlotte Riley, a historian | From Charlotte Riley, a historian |
| On a campaign visit to north Wales, Sir Keir Starmer was asked why Tory “sleaze” allegations did not seem to be making a difference in the election campaign. He said he did not accept claims that these issues did not matter. He told reporters: | On a campaign visit to north Wales, Sir Keir Starmer was asked why Tory “sleaze” allegations did not seem to be making a difference in the election campaign. He said he did not accept claims that these issues did not matter. He told reporters: |
| The UK and India have also agreed a joint migration agreement, the Home Office has announced. It is intended to help young Indian professionals visit the UK for work, while also speeding up the removal of illegal migrants from India. | The UK and India have also agreed a joint migration agreement, the Home Office has announced. It is intended to help young Indian professionals visit the UK for work, while also speeding up the removal of illegal migrants from India. |
| In a press notice, the Home Office said: | In a press notice, the Home Office said: |
| Priti Patel, the home secretary, said the deal was an example of how the government’s new post-Brexit immigration policy is intended to attract “the best and the brightest” to Britain. She said: | Priti Patel, the home secretary, said the deal was an example of how the government’s new post-Brexit immigration policy is intended to attract “the best and the brightest” to Britain. She said: |
| Full details of the migration and mobility partnership are here. | Full details of the migration and mobility partnership are here. |
| Downing Street has said Boris Johnson and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, agreed to work for a “quantum leap” in the UK-India relationship when they held a virtual meeting at lunchtime. | Downing Street has said Boris Johnson and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, agreed to work for a “quantum leap” in the UK-India relationship when they held a virtual meeting at lunchtime. |
| The two leaders have agreed a 2030 roadmap covering cooperation across health, climate change, education, science and technology, and defence. | The two leaders have agreed a 2030 roadmap covering cooperation across health, climate change, education, science and technology, and defence. |
| Alex Salmond has insisted that remarks he made about “destroying” his successor, Nicola Sturgeon, were taken “completely out of context”. In a New Yorker profile of Sturgeon and the drive for Scottish independence, Sam Knight states: | Alex Salmond has insisted that remarks he made about “destroying” his successor, Nicola Sturgeon, were taken “completely out of context”. In a New Yorker profile of Sturgeon and the drive for Scottish independence, Sam Knight states: |
| At a press briefing today, Salmond also told reporters that despite polling suggesting his newly launched Alba party was failing to cut through and that his own popularity ratings were dismal, “we sense on the ground we are doing extremely well”. | At a press briefing today, Salmond also told reporters that despite polling suggesting his newly launched Alba party was failing to cut through and that his own popularity ratings were dismal, “we sense on the ground we are doing extremely well”. |
| Salmond said his argument that voting for the SNP on the regional list was “wasted” because the party did so well in the constituency vote was “striking home” with voters. | Salmond said his argument that voting for the SNP on the regional list was “wasted” because the party did so well in the constituency vote was “striking home” with voters. |
| He said he was pleased that his concept of a “pro-independence super-majority” at Holyrood, which he argues Alba can help secure, had become one of the key subjects of the campaign. | He said he was pleased that his concept of a “pro-independence super-majority” at Holyrood, which he argues Alba can help secure, had become one of the key subjects of the campaign. |