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| Met police begin interviewing key witnesses about Partygate – UK politics live | Met police begin interviewing key witnesses about Partygate – UK politics live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Latest updates:Met Police issue Partygate update, saying they have now begun interviewing people on top of the questionnaires sent out | Latest updates:Met Police issue Partygate update, saying they have now begun interviewing people on top of the questionnaires sent out |
| This is from the Mirror’s Pippa Crerar. | This is from the Mirror’s Pippa Crerar. |
| Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has said she should have been released from detention in Iran six years ago and challenged the British government to explain why it had not paid the $400m (£303m) debt to Iran that Tehran said would bring her release earlier than last week. | |
| The Metropolitan police has revealed that it is widening its investigation into Partygate. It said that more than 100 people have now been sent questionnaires about the No 10 parties that are thought to have breached lockdown rules, but that so far no fines have been issued - implying no one has yet voluntarily admitted to having broken the law. (See 4.51pm.) | |
| The Russian state was responsible for hoax calls to Ben Wallace and Priti Patel, pretending to be the Ukrainian prime minister, Downing Street has said. | |
| A second whistleblower has gone public to say it was “widespread knowledge” in government that Boris Johnson ordered the prioritisation of an animal charity based in Afghanistan for evacuation during the Taliban takeover last summer. | |
| Labour has described the government’s approach to refugees as “deeply shameful” after ministers confirmed they are to stick with a planned law change that could potentially see Ukrainians who arrive in the UK without the correct visa jailed for four years. | |
| That’s all from me for today. But our Ukraine coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here. | |
| In response to Louise Haigh in the Commons, Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, said he had not seen the memo that she quoted. (See 5.41pm.) He said he first heard about the P&O Ferries plan at 8.30pm the night before it was announced. | In response to Louise Haigh in the Commons, Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, said he had not seen the memo that she quoted. (See 5.41pm.) He said he first heard about the P&O Ferries plan at 8.30pm the night before it was announced. |
| He said the company could face criminal prosecution. He told MPs: | He said the company could face criminal prosecution. He told MPs: |
| He also said, if the company is replacing British workers with cheaper foreigners, as unions have said it is, it should giving its vessels British names. He said: | He also said, if the company is replacing British workers with cheaper foreigners, as unions have said it is, it should giving its vessels British names. He said: |
| Chris Bryant, the Labour MP who sits on the foreign affairs committee, has just told Sky News that, during the committee’s hearing this afternoon with Sir Philip Barton, the head of the Foreign Office, and Nigel Casey, the special representative on Afghanistan and Pakistan, he came to the conclusion that Barton and Casey both believe Boris Johnson was the person who decided that the Nowzad animal charity staff should be evacuated from Afghanistan. But Bryant claimed that neither of them were willing to say that, because by doing so they would be calling the prime minister a liar. | Chris Bryant, the Labour MP who sits on the foreign affairs committee, has just told Sky News that, during the committee’s hearing this afternoon with Sir Philip Barton, the head of the Foreign Office, and Nigel Casey, the special representative on Afghanistan and Pakistan, he came to the conclusion that Barton and Casey both believe Boris Johnson was the person who decided that the Nowzad animal charity staff should be evacuated from Afghanistan. But Bryant claimed that neither of them were willing to say that, because by doing so they would be calling the prime minister a liar. |
| Bryant did put this theory to Barton and Casey during the hearing, but they rejected his claim. | Bryant did put this theory to Barton and Casey during the hearing, but they rejected his claim. |
| In the Commons debate on the sacking of 800 workers by P&O Ferries last week, Louise Haigh, the shadow transport secretary, said that a memo circulating in Whitehall before the sackings were announced showed the government knew what was planned. She said: | In the Commons debate on the sacking of 800 workers by P&O Ferries last week, Louise Haigh, the shadow transport secretary, said that a memo circulating in Whitehall before the sackings were announced showed the government knew what was planned. She said: |
| Haigh said the government should take action against the company for breaking e employment law. | Haigh said the government should take action against the company for breaking e employment law. |
| European Council president Charles Michel has agreed to meet with Boris Johnson to discuss issues surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol, PA Media reports. In a call this afternoon, Johnson told Michel that solutions must be found in order to “protect peace and stability” and “safeguard the Belfast (Good Friday) agreement in all its dimensions”, a Downing Street spokesperson said. | European Council president Charles Michel has agreed to meet with Boris Johnson to discuss issues surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol, PA Media reports. In a call this afternoon, Johnson told Michel that solutions must be found in order to “protect peace and stability” and “safeguard the Belfast (Good Friday) agreement in all its dimensions”, a Downing Street spokesperson said. |
| And this is from my colleague Aubrey Allegretti on another disclosure from the foreign affairs committee hearing. | And this is from my colleague Aubrey Allegretti on another disclosure from the foreign affairs committee hearing. |
| UPDATE: Here is the full quote, from PA Media. | UPDATE: Here is the full quote, from PA Media. |
| Back at the foreign affairs committee, Sir Philip Barton, the Foreign Office permanent secretary, is being asked if Josie Stewart, the Foreign Office civil servant who has submitted a memo to the committee accusing him of lying (see 11.36am), will be suspended. He refuses to say, arguing that he cannot comment on disciplinary matters like this. But he claims that procedures are in place that can protect whistleblowers. | Back at the foreign affairs committee, Sir Philip Barton, the Foreign Office permanent secretary, is being asked if Josie Stewart, the Foreign Office civil servant who has submitted a memo to the committee accusing him of lying (see 11.36am), will be suspended. He refuses to say, arguing that he cannot comment on disciplinary matters like this. But he claims that procedures are in place that can protect whistleblowers. |
| Alistair Burt, the former Conservative Middle East minister, has also urged the Commons foreign affairs committee to investigate the Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe case, my colleague Patrick Wintour reports. Burt says he was in favour of the £400m debt owed to Iran being paid but that, even thought he was in government, he could not find out who was blocking payment. | Alistair Burt, the former Conservative Middle East minister, has also urged the Commons foreign affairs committee to investigate the Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe case, my colleague Patrick Wintour reports. Burt says he was in favour of the £400m debt owed to Iran being paid but that, even thought he was in government, he could not find out who was blocking payment. |
| This is from Danny Shaw, the former BBC home affairs correspondent, on the significance of the Met statement on Partygate. | This is from Danny Shaw, the former BBC home affairs correspondent, on the significance of the Met statement on Partygate. |
| Here are the main things we have learned about the Met’s Partgate inquiry from the statement issued this afternoon. | Here are the main things we have learned about the Met’s Partgate inquiry from the statement issued this afternoon. |
| More than 100 people have been sent questionnaires by the police about their alleged involvement in lockdown-busting parties at No 10 or elsewhere in Whitehall. That is the first time the police have given this figure. At first it was reported that around 50 people were going to get questionnaires. This means the Met think potential rule-breaking may have gone further than at first assumed. | More than 100 people have been sent questionnaires by the police about their alleged involvement in lockdown-busting parties at No 10 or elsewhere in Whitehall. That is the first time the police have given this figure. At first it was reported that around 50 people were going to get questionnaires. This means the Met think potential rule-breaking may have gone further than at first assumed. |
| The investigation is widening, the Met says. It says: | The investigation is widening, the Met says. It says: |
| This means people who may have thought they were at no risk of being accused of breaking lockdown rules are being implicated - because colleagues are naming them. Perhaps it is not surprising that, when accused of committing an offence, people might be saying: ‘I was sure it was fine, because these 20 other people were there too.’ | This means people who may have thought they were at no risk of being accused of breaking lockdown rules are being implicated - because colleagues are naming them. Perhaps it is not surprising that, when accused of committing an offence, people might be saying: ‘I was sure it was fine, because these 20 other people were there too.’ |
| The police will start interviewing people in person - but as witneses. The questionnaires are equivalent to police interviews, but an in-person interview might be more intimidating. From a No 10 PR point of view, having Boris Johnson being interviewed by an officer taking notes would look worse than just having him reply to a questionnaire. But the Met statement says specifically people will be interviewed “as witnesses”. That implies they will not be interviewed as suspects. | The police will start interviewing people in person - but as witneses. The questionnaires are equivalent to police interviews, but an in-person interview might be more intimidating. From a No 10 PR point of view, having Boris Johnson being interviewed by an officer taking notes would look worse than just having him reply to a questionnaire. But the Met statement says specifically people will be interviewed “as witnesses”. That implies they will not be interviewed as suspects. |
| The Met has implied that this investigation is particularly complicated. It says: | The Met has implied that this investigation is particularly complicated. It says: |
| The Met has not yet obtained enough evidence to justify imposing a fixed-penalty notice on anyone, it suggests. It says: | The Met has not yet obtained enough evidence to justify imposing a fixed-penalty notice on anyone, it suggests. It says: |
| This suggests that, of the more than 100 people who have been sent a questionnaire, not one person has written back admitting to haven broken the rules. | |
| It also may imply that the police are having difficulty reaching the “evidential threshold”. When the senior civil servant Sue Gray published her first report on Partygate (or “update” as she called it, in recognition of the fact that she was not able to publish enough information to constitute a proper account), she implied the evidence submitted to the police was relatively damning. She said she had found “extensive substantive factual information” which she had passed to police and that it showed there was a “serious failure” to observe the standards expected of the entire population during lockdown. The police later revealed that they had received more than 300 photographs and 500 pages of documents from her. But, if there have been no fines issued yet, then the “evidential threshold” has not yet been reached. Perhaps that is because the evidence is still be assessed. Or perhaps it is because the “evidential threshold” for a fine is deemed to be higher than generally thought. | It also may imply that the police are having difficulty reaching the “evidential threshold”. When the senior civil servant Sue Gray published her first report on Partygate (or “update” as she called it, in recognition of the fact that she was not able to publish enough information to constitute a proper account), she implied the evidence submitted to the police was relatively damning. She said she had found “extensive substantive factual information” which she had passed to police and that it showed there was a “serious failure” to observe the standards expected of the entire population during lockdown. The police later revealed that they had received more than 300 photographs and 500 pages of documents from her. But, if there have been no fines issued yet, then the “evidential threshold” has not yet been reached. Perhaps that is because the evidence is still be assessed. Or perhaps it is because the “evidential threshold” for a fine is deemed to be higher than generally thought. |
| Here is my colleague Rowena Mason’s story about the Met announcement. | Here is my colleague Rowena Mason’s story about the Met announcement. |
| Here is the full Met statement on Partygate. | Here is the full Met statement on Partygate. |
| And these are from ITV’s Paul Brand on the Met announcement. | And these are from ITV’s Paul Brand on the Met announcement. |
| This is from the Mirror’s Pippa Crerar. | This is from the Mirror’s Pippa Crerar. |
| At the committee Barton is now addressing claims that he and his colleague, Nigel Casey, the special representative on Afghanistan and Pakistan, misled the committee with previous answers about this. | At the committee Barton is now addressing claims that he and his colleague, Nigel Casey, the special representative on Afghanistan and Pakistan, misled the committee with previous answers about this. |
| Barton says that it has taken the Foreign Office longer than usual to get to the bottom of what happened. | Barton says that it has taken the Foreign Office longer than usual to get to the bottom of what happened. |
| He says the national security adviser told the Foreign Office at one point that Nowzad staff had been approved for evacuation. He says a Foreign Office official later assumed that that meant the order had come from the PM. That was understandable because of the “voices in the media” saying the PM was involved, he says. | He says the national security adviser told the Foreign Office at one point that Nowzad staff had been approved for evacuation. He says a Foreign Office official later assumed that that meant the order had come from the PM. That was understandable because of the “voices in the media” saying the PM was involved, he says. |
| UPDATE: Barton told the committee: | UPDATE: Barton told the committee: |
| The foreign affairs committee has just started taking evidence from Sir Philip Barton, the Foreign Office permanent secretary, about the latest claims from a whisteblower about No 10 being involved in the decision to approve the evacuation of the Nowzad animal charity staff from Kabul last summer. (See 11.36am.) | The foreign affairs committee has just started taking evidence from Sir Philip Barton, the Foreign Office permanent secretary, about the latest claims from a whisteblower about No 10 being involved in the decision to approve the evacuation of the Nowzad animal charity staff from Kabul last summer. (See 11.36am.) |
| Tom Tugendhat, the committee chair, set the tone with his first question, asking Barton if he felt he had a duty to give full and accurate answers to questions from parliamentarians. | Tom Tugendhat, the committee chair, set the tone with his first question, asking Barton if he felt he had a duty to give full and accurate answers to questions from parliamentarians. |
| Barton said he did. | Barton said he did. |
| A reader BTL (below the line) has asked what No 10 had to say at the morning lobby briefing about Boris Johnson’s Ukraine/Brexit comparision. (See 9.30am.) They took the Rishi Sunak line. The PM’s spokesperson said: | A reader BTL (below the line) has asked what No 10 had to say at the morning lobby briefing about Boris Johnson’s Ukraine/Brexit comparision. (See 9.30am.) They took the Rishi Sunak line. The PM’s spokesperson said: |
| Keir Starmer has called on other areas of the UK to follow Wales in banning the smacking of children. | Keir Starmer has called on other areas of the UK to follow Wales in banning the smacking of children. |
| The Labour government in Wales passed a ban on smacking two years ago, and it has become law today. Speaking during a visit to Stevenage, Starmer said the move was “welcome”. He went on: | The Labour government in Wales passed a ban on smacking two years ago, and it has become law today. Speaking during a visit to Stevenage, Starmer said the move was “welcome”. He went on: |
| A similar ban is already in force in Scotland. | A similar ban is already in force in Scotland. |