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| Labour accuses Boris Johnson of trivialising sexual violence with ‘jabber’ quip at PMQs – live | Labour accuses Boris Johnson of trivialising sexual violence with ‘jabber’ quip at PMQs – live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Latest updates: Jess Phillips, shadow minister for domestic violence, condemns Johnson for remark at PMQs | Latest updates: Jess Phillips, shadow minister for domestic violence, condemns Johnson for remark at PMQs |
| More than 60% of UK adults have now had two doses of a vaccine, the Department of Health and Social Care has said. In a press notice it said: | |
| Here is a full summary of the Downing Street lobby briefing. | |
| Downing Street condemned an anti-vaccine campaigner who filmed himself abusing Prof Jonathan Van-Tam, the deputy chief medical officer for England, in the street. Asked about the incident, the prime minister’s spokesman said: | |
| The spokesman said the government is monitoring the spread of the Delta Plus variant. He said 41 cases of the variant have been identified in the UK. | |
| The spokesman dismissed reports that a Royal Navy destroyer, HMS Defender, was subject to warning shots fired by Russia in the Black Sea. The claim was made by the Russian defence ministry. But the PM’s spokesman said: | |
| But the spokesman said the UK and other countries had been warned that Russia was undertaking a “gunnery exercise” near to where HMS Defender was sailing. | |
| The spokesman said the UK and the EU are still discussing the UK’s request to extend the grace period for chilled meats in place under the Northern Ireland protocol. It is due to lapse at the end of this month, which would stop the export of sausages and other chilled meats from Britain to Northern Ireland. The UK has asked to extend the grace period until September. | |
| The spokesman said it was wrong to claim that the Department for Education (DfE) had not asked anyone to sing songs for One Britain One Nation day (OBON). Asked whether it was sensible for the department to encourage schoolchildren to sing the OBON patriotic song on Friday, the spokesman said: | |
| The question was prompted by the DfE’s decision to post this on Twitter on Monday. | |
| The tweet was widely mocked. | |
| No 10 defended Boris Johnson uses of the word “jabber” to dismiss the questions Sir Keir Starmer asked him at PMQs today. (See 2.37pm.) | |
| Downing Street has defended Boris Johnson uses of the word “jabber” to dismiss the questions Sir Keir Starmer asked him at PMQs today. (See 12.49pm.) At the lobby briefing, asked about the remark, the prime minister’s press secretary said: | Downing Street has defended Boris Johnson uses of the word “jabber” to dismiss the questions Sir Keir Starmer asked him at PMQs today. (See 12.49pm.) At the lobby briefing, asked about the remark, the prime minister’s press secretary said: |
| The press secretary rejected the suggestion that the word showed Johnson did not take sexual violence seriously. “As you can see from what he set out, that is certainly not his view and he spent the whole exchange talking about the action we are taking,” she said. | The press secretary rejected the suggestion that the word showed Johnson did not take sexual violence seriously. “As you can see from what he set out, that is certainly not his view and he spent the whole exchange talking about the action we are taking,” she said. |
| She also said Johnson would not be withdrawing the comment. | She also said Johnson would not be withdrawing the comment. |
| Jess Phillips, the shadow minister for domestic violence, used a point of order in the Commons a few minutes ago to say that Boris Johnson should apologise for what he said earlier about Sir Keir Starmer’s questions about rape convictions. She said: | Jess Phillips, the shadow minister for domestic violence, used a point of order in the Commons a few minutes ago to say that Boris Johnson should apologise for what he said earlier about Sir Keir Starmer’s questions about rape convictions. She said: |
| Eleanor Laing, the deputy Speaker, said she was not about to help. She said Johnson offered one interpretation of what happened, and Phillips offered another. She said it was the function of the Commons to allow different views to be expressed in this way. But she also said MPs should avoid giving offence and that, as Erskine May says, “good temper and moderation” should be the characteristics of parliamentary language. | Eleanor Laing, the deputy Speaker, said she was not about to help. She said Johnson offered one interpretation of what happened, and Phillips offered another. She said it was the function of the Commons to allow different views to be expressed in this way. But she also said MPs should avoid giving offence and that, as Erskine May says, “good temper and moderation” should be the characteristics of parliamentary language. |
| The number of fatalities in Scotland linked to Covid-19 has doubled over the past week, up from six recorded deaths in the second week of June up to 13 in the seven days ending 20 June. | The number of fatalities in Scotland linked to Covid-19 has doubled over the past week, up from six recorded deaths in the second week of June up to 13 in the seven days ending 20 June. |
| National Records of Scotland, the population statistics agency, said there were four deaths registered in Glasgow last week where Covid was mentioned on the death certificate, and other fatalities spread across mainland Scotland. | National Records of Scotland, the population statistics agency, said there were four deaths registered in Glasgow last week where Covid was mentioned on the death certificate, and other fatalities spread across mainland Scotland. |
| The data follows a marked increase in Covid-19 infections in Scotland linked to the highly infectious and more transmissible Delta variant, which has led the Scottish government to delay the lifting of travel and distancing regulations. | The data follows a marked increase in Covid-19 infections in Scotland linked to the highly infectious and more transmissible Delta variant, which has led the Scottish government to delay the lifting of travel and distancing regulations. |
| Scotland’s averaged-out daily infection rate jumped by 40% in a week, Nicola Sturgeon told MSPs yesterday, with 2,167 cases recorded yesterday against 1,250 on Monday. | Scotland’s averaged-out daily infection rate jumped by 40% in a week, Nicola Sturgeon told MSPs yesterday, with 2,167 cases recorded yesterday against 1,250 on Monday. |
| The seven-day positivity rate per 100,000 has hit 295 in Dundee, 242 in Edinburgh, 226 in East Ayrshire and 176 in Glasgow. There were 171 people in hospital on Tuesday, with 18 in intensive care, but those levels are much lower as a proportion of overall cases seen in previous surges. | The seven-day positivity rate per 100,000 has hit 295 in Dundee, 242 in Edinburgh, 226 in East Ayrshire and 176 in Glasgow. There were 171 people in hospital on Tuesday, with 18 in intensive care, but those levels are much lower as a proportion of overall cases seen in previous surges. |
| Most people did not change their lifestyles after being vaccinated, even as the vaccination programme expanded to cover younger age groups, according to an ONS survey on how our behaviours have changed between the two lockdowns. | Most people did not change their lifestyles after being vaccinated, even as the vaccination programme expanded to cover younger age groups, according to an ONS survey on how our behaviours have changed between the two lockdowns. |
| Non-vaccinated people, more likely to be younger and employed in jobs outside healthcare, spent marginally more time socialising, working and travelling and less time sleeping in the second lockdown than the first, than those who received a vaccine. | Non-vaccinated people, more likely to be younger and employed in jobs outside healthcare, spent marginally more time socialising, working and travelling and less time sleeping in the second lockdown than the first, than those who received a vaccine. |
| The research found that the gender gap in unpaid work was smaller than it was at the start of the pandemic but was still substantial, with women spending almost an hour more time per day than men on housework during the second lockdown - totalling three hours on average per day. | The research found that the gender gap in unpaid work was smaller than it was at the start of the pandemic but was still substantial, with women spending almost an hour more time per day than men on housework during the second lockdown - totalling three hours on average per day. |
| The big difference in behaviours between unvaccinated and vaccinated over the 12-month period was that those who had not received a vaccine worked roughly an extra hour per day, whereas there was virtually no change for the vaccinated group. Individuals without a vaccine worked more regularly, and for longer on a working day, compared with a year ago. | The big difference in behaviours between unvaccinated and vaccinated over the 12-month period was that those who had not received a vaccine worked roughly an extra hour per day, whereas there was virtually no change for the vaccinated group. Individuals without a vaccine worked more regularly, and for longer on a working day, compared with a year ago. |
| “These differences in working times are likely explained by the different jobs both groups worked in. Healthcare professionals, who were extremely busy in the first lockdown, had predominantly received at least one vaccine dose, whereas those without a vaccine were much more likely to include professions like teachers, who could not work as much during the first lockdown,” the report found. | “These differences in working times are likely explained by the different jobs both groups worked in. Healthcare professionals, who were extremely busy in the first lockdown, had predominantly received at least one vaccine dose, whereas those without a vaccine were much more likely to include professions like teachers, who could not work as much during the first lockdown,” the report found. |
| The report also found we reduced our watching of TV or other video entertainment but still watched an average of 2 hours, 45 minutes a day during the second lockdown. | The report also found we reduced our watching of TV or other video entertainment but still watched an average of 2 hours, 45 minutes a day during the second lockdown. |
| In his Q&A for his Substack subscribers on Monday Dominic Cummings, the PM’s former chief adviser, had some advice for Labour as to what it should be doing to bring down Boris Johnson (an objective Cummings and Sir Keir Starmer now share). It was simple, Cummings implied: “Kick Tories up and down the street on violent crime.” Not for the first time on a matter of political strategy, Cummings was probably right. | In his Q&A for his Substack subscribers on Monday Dominic Cummings, the PM’s former chief adviser, had some advice for Labour as to what it should be doing to bring down Boris Johnson (an objective Cummings and Sir Keir Starmer now share). It was simple, Cummings implied: “Kick Tories up and down the street on violent crime.” Not for the first time on a matter of political strategy, Cummings was probably right. |
| Traditionally law and order is seen as a Tory issue, and as long as the issue is defined in authoritarian terms (tougher sentences), that is how it will usually play out. The Labour party as a whole will always be queasy about addressing crime by locking up offenders for ever longer periods, not least because in many respects that does not work. But, as Tony Blair demonstrated in 1997, crime can be a Labour issue too (“tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime”), and Starmer demonstrated that very well today by focusing on the rape prosecutions and convictions, not sentencing. | Traditionally law and order is seen as a Tory issue, and as long as the issue is defined in authoritarian terms (tougher sentences), that is how it will usually play out. The Labour party as a whole will always be queasy about addressing crime by locking up offenders for ever longer periods, not least because in many respects that does not work. But, as Tony Blair demonstrated in 1997, crime can be a Labour issue too (“tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime”), and Starmer demonstrated that very well today by focusing on the rape prosecutions and convictions, not sentencing. |
| Given that there is currently an enormous backlog of cases waiting to be heard by the courts (more than 50,000 in the queue for a crown court hearing), there is a wider failure here that Labour could exploit. And it is an issue on which Labour could play to both sides. If you want to see criminals locked up, then long waits for trials are clearly unacceptable. But if you believe the primary role of the criminal justice system is to clear the innocent, the status quo is clearly unacceptable too. | Given that there is currently an enormous backlog of cases waiting to be heard by the courts (more than 50,000 in the queue for a crown court hearing), there is a wider failure here that Labour could exploit. And it is an issue on which Labour could play to both sides. If you want to see criminals locked up, then long waits for trials are clearly unacceptable. But if you believe the primary role of the criminal justice system is to clear the innocent, the status quo is clearly unacceptable too. |
| Starmer just focused on the problems identified by the rape review in his questions today and he quite easily had Johnson floundering. It was one of Starmer’s clearest wins for a while. | Starmer just focused on the problems identified by the rape review in his questions today and he quite easily had Johnson floundering. It was one of Starmer’s clearest wins for a while. |
| As a former DPP, Starmer was of course on home territory. But he also started with a very short question (normally the best sort) and he focused relentlessly on the question as to why prosecutions and convictions for rape are so low. Johnson had half an answer - he cited the difficulty obtaining evidence, and how the increasing importance of mobile phone messages has made the process more complicated - but he did seem to know enough to be able to handle repeated questioning on this point, and soon he was veering off into weak irrelevancies. Citing the sentence-toughening measures in the police, crime, sentencing and courts bill that Labour did not vote for was only half effective, because Starmer was able to resurrect the point that it does more to protect statues than women. And trying to claim that recruiting more women police officers would help seemed particularly lame. | As a former DPP, Starmer was of course on home territory. But he also started with a very short question (normally the best sort) and he focused relentlessly on the question as to why prosecutions and convictions for rape are so low. Johnson had half an answer - he cited the difficulty obtaining evidence, and how the increasing importance of mobile phone messages has made the process more complicated - but he did seem to know enough to be able to handle repeated questioning on this point, and soon he was veering off into weak irrelevancies. Citing the sentence-toughening measures in the police, crime, sentencing and courts bill that Labour did not vote for was only half effective, because Starmer was able to resurrect the point that it does more to protect statues than women. And trying to claim that recruiting more women police officers would help seemed particularly lame. |
| A more emotionally astute PM than Johnson would have apologised profusely from the start. Johnson would have blunted much of what Starmer had to say if he had done this, but apologising has never been one of his strengths. | A more emotionally astute PM than Johnson would have apologised profusely from the start. Johnson would have blunted much of what Starmer had to say if he had done this, but apologising has never been one of his strengths. |
| And Johnson ended with a silly soundbite. Jess Phillips (the Labour politician who also crafted the “protecting statues not women” line) has now dismissed that forcefully. (See 12.49pm.) | And Johnson ended with a silly soundbite. Jess Phillips (the Labour politician who also crafted the “protecting statues not women” line) has now dismissed that forcefully. (See 12.49pm.) |
| For the record, this is what the rape review report (pdf) said in its summary about why so few rape complaints reach court. | For the record, this is what the rape review report (pdf) said in its summary about why so few rape complaints reach court. |
| At the end of his exchanges with Sir Keir Starmer, in a familiar, pre-cooked soundbite for TV, Boris Johnson said that while Labour were engaging in “jabber”, the government was delivering jabs. The FT’s Jim Pickard has the full quip here. | At the end of his exchanges with Sir Keir Starmer, in a familiar, pre-cooked soundbite for TV, Boris Johnson said that while Labour were engaging in “jabber”, the government was delivering jabs. The FT’s Jim Pickard has the full quip here. |
| Jess Phillips, the shadow minister for domestic violence, has condemned Johnson for this remark, accusing him of trivialising sexual violence. She said: | Jess Phillips, the shadow minister for domestic violence, has condemned Johnson for this remark, accusing him of trivialising sexual violence. She said: |
| Johnson says he does not want to allow his planning reforms to be misrepresented. He says it is intended to extend home ownership, and to allow levelling up. | Johnson says he does not want to allow his planning reforms to be misrepresented. He says it is intended to extend home ownership, and to allow levelling up. |
| And that’s it. PMQs is over. | And that’s it. PMQs is over. |
| Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Lab) asks about the Delta Plus variant, and asks if the PM will support a vaccine intellectual property waiver. The G7’s efforts were negligible, she claims. | Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Lab) asks about the Delta Plus variant, and asks if the PM will support a vaccine intellectual property waiver. The G7’s efforts were negligible, she claims. |
| Johnson says he does not accept Ribeiro-Addy’s point about the G7. And she says the scientists say the current vaccines are effective against all variants. | Johnson says he does not accept Ribeiro-Addy’s point about the G7. And she says the scientists say the current vaccines are effective against all variants. |
| Esther McVey (Con) urges the PM to ditch HS2 and invest in high-speed broadband instead. | Esther McVey (Con) urges the PM to ditch HS2 and invest in high-speed broadband instead. |
| Johnson says the government is rolling out gigabit broadband. But he does not agree with McVey on HS2. | Johnson says the government is rolling out gigabit broadband. But he does not agree with McVey on HS2. |
| Janet Daby (Lab) says yesterday was Windrush day. It was a reminder of the “appalling failure” of the government’s compensation scheme. Does the PM accept this scheme must be handed over to an independent body? | Janet Daby (Lab) says yesterday was Windrush day. It was a reminder of the “appalling failure” of the government’s compensation scheme. Does the PM accept this scheme must be handed over to an independent body? |
| Johnson says he accepts the injustice done, and he renews the apologies already offered. He says he hopes in time the name Windrush will be a positive name, associated with the amazing contribution of that generation. He says he hopes Windrush will be seen as the UK’s Mayflower. | Johnson says he accepts the injustice done, and he renews the apologies already offered. He says he hopes in time the name Windrush will be a positive name, associated with the amazing contribution of that generation. He says he hopes Windrush will be seen as the UK’s Mayflower. |
| Andrew Mitchell (Con) asks the PM if he accepts that there must be a meaningful vote on the decision to cut the aid budget, as the Speaker demanded. | Andrew Mitchell (Con) asks the PM if he accepts that there must be a meaningful vote on the decision to cut the aid budget, as the Speaker demanded. |
| Johnson says there will be an estimates day debate on overseas aid. But he says he does not accept Mitchell’s account of how calamitous the aid cuts will be. | Johnson says there will be an estimates day debate on overseas aid. But he says he does not accept Mitchell’s account of how calamitous the aid cuts will be. |