This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . The next check for changes will be

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2022/mar/21/boris-johnson-ukraine-brexit-sajid-javid-coronavirus-uk-politics-latest-updates

The article has changed 16 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 3 Version 4
Whistleblower claims Foreign Office official ‘lied’ to cover up PM’s role in ordering Kabul animal evacuation – live Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and husband Richard hold first press conference since release – live
(32 minutes later)
Latest updates: Foreign Office civil servant produces fresh evidence that officials did not tell the truth about PM’s involvement in animal airlift Latest updates: Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe speaks to media for first time since end of her detention in Iran
A senior Foreign Office civil servant has produced fresh evidence that officials and ministers did not tell the truth about Boris Johnson’s involvement in the decision to authorise the airlift evacuation of animals from Kabul last summer. Tulip Siddiq opens the press conference, joking about how she is now known as “Nazanin’s MP”.
The Commons foreign affairs committee has this morning published a seven-page statement from Josie Stewart - who has worked for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) since 2015 including for the British embassy in Kabul - about the government’s decision to allow dogs and cats from the Nowzad charity to be flown out of the Afghan capital, as part of the operation to rescue Britons and Afghans from the Taliban. She pays tribute to people who campaigned for her release, but she focuses on Zaghari-Ratcliffe family. She says:
Johnson has always denied being involved in this decision, and in previous evidence to the committee Sir Philip Barton, the Foreign Office’s permanent secretary, said he was not aware of evidence suggesting the PM did intervene. After an email came to light suggesting No 10 was involved, Barton apologised for inadvertently misleading the committee. Q: How angry with the government are you about your treatment?
Barton is giving evidence to the committee again this afternoon, and Stewart’s submission amounts to the strongest evidence yet that the decision to approve the animal airlift came from Johnson. Ministers claim that rescuing the animals did not limit the number of Afghans who could be evacuated, but others involved in the operation claim that people may have been left behind as a result. Zaghari-Ratcliffe says he “cannot be happier” to be home.
In her evidence Stewart says: But she says she always felt she had a “black hole in my heart”. She decided to leave that on the plane as she left.
Stewart also claims that Barton - who is her boss - and Casey lied to MPs when they said they did not know of evidence that the PM was involved. She says: Q: What is your message to political prisoners?
Zaghari-Ratcliffe says she is the lucky one. There are “so many other people in prison” whose names are not well know.
Everyone has the right to be free, she says.
Roxanne Tahbaz, the eldest daughter of Morad Tahbaz, says her father has been taken back to prison. He has not been returned to his family. The family are “devastated”, she says. And she says they only found out last week he was being left behind from the media.
Nazanin Zagari-Ratcliffe thanks her family, and in particular her “wonderful husband”.
She thanks her medical team in Iran, who supported her, and her lawyer in the country, who fought “fearlessly” for her release.
Referring to Morad Tahbaz (see 11.59am), she says freedom will never be complete until all those unjustly detained in Iran are released.
And she says she is less appreciative of Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, than her husband has been. She says there have been five foreign secretaries since she was first detained. It should not have taken that many to get her out, she says. She says it was going to happen eventually.
She says she has a lot of catching up to do with her family. She appeals for privacy.
And she thanks the media for their work publicising her case.
Richard Ratcliffe starts by joking about how people do not need to hear from him because they have heard so much from him over the years.
He thanks people for their support. And he says they are on a process of healing and recovery.
They are taking baby steps as a family, he says.
He says this day marks his retirement as a campaigner.
At the end he gets a round of applause.
(This is highly unusual. Journalists almost never applaud anyone, more or less on principle.)
Siddiq says questions need to be asked about why it took so long for Nazanin to be released.
She says she has has asked the foreign affairs committee to look review what happened.
She says she is particularly interested in two issues.
First, she says Iranian officials came to the UK in 2013 to negotiate the repayment of the UK debt, but they were arrested at Heathrow and detained. She says Jack Straw, the former Labour foreign secretary, never found out why this was. But he believes it led to the Iranians deciding to take more direct action (detaining hostages) to get the money repaid.
And she says she wants the committee to discover why a deal to repay the debt last year, and secure Nazanin’s release, fell through.
Tulip Siddiq opens the press conference, joking about how she is now known as “Nazanin’s MP”.
She pays tribute to people who campaigned for her release, but she focuses on Zaghari-Ratcliffe family. She says:
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is about to the media for the first time since her detention in Iran ended and she flew home to the UK last week. She is holding a press conference with her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, and their MP, Tulip Siddiq, at Westminster.
Morad Tahbaz, the British-US national detained by Iran has gone on hunger strike, his sister has said. PA Media reports:
Boris Johnson’s cack-handed Ukraine/Brexit comparison at the weekend (see 9.30am) may have cost him an invitation to the EU summit on Thursday that will discuss the war, the Mirror’s Pippa Crerar reports. President Biden is going, but he doesn’t make a habit of disparaging the EU.Boris Johnson’s cack-handed Ukraine/Brexit comparison at the weekend (see 9.30am) may have cost him an invitation to the EU summit on Thursday that will discuss the war, the Mirror’s Pippa Crerar reports. President Biden is going, but he doesn’t make a habit of disparaging the EU.
A senior Foreign Office civil servant has produced fresh evidence that officials and ministers did not tell the truth about Boris Johnson’s involvement in the decision to authorise the airlift evacuation of animals from Kabul last summer.A senior Foreign Office civil servant has produced fresh evidence that officials and ministers did not tell the truth about Boris Johnson’s involvement in the decision to authorise the airlift evacuation of animals from Kabul last summer.
The Commons foreign affairs committee has this morning published a seven-page statement from Josie Stewart - who has worked for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) since 2015 including for the British embassy in Kabul - about the government’s decision to allow dogs and cats from the Nowzad charity to be flown out of the Afghan capital, as part of the operation to rescue Britons and Afghans from the Taliban.The Commons foreign affairs committee has this morning published a seven-page statement from Josie Stewart - who has worked for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) since 2015 including for the British embassy in Kabul - about the government’s decision to allow dogs and cats from the Nowzad charity to be flown out of the Afghan capital, as part of the operation to rescue Britons and Afghans from the Taliban.
Johnson has always denied being involved in this decision, and in previous evidence to the committee Sir Philip Barton, the Foreign Office’s permanent secretary, said he was not aware of evidence suggesting the PM did intervene. After an email came to light suggesting No 10 was involved, Barton apologised for inadvertently misleading the committee.Johnson has always denied being involved in this decision, and in previous evidence to the committee Sir Philip Barton, the Foreign Office’s permanent secretary, said he was not aware of evidence suggesting the PM did intervene. After an email came to light suggesting No 10 was involved, Barton apologised for inadvertently misleading the committee.
Barton is giving evidence to the committee again this afternoon, and Stewart’s submission amounts to the strongest evidence yet that the decision to approve the animal airlift came from Johnson. Ministers claim that rescuing the animals did not limit the number of Afghans who could be evacuated, but others involved in the operation claim that people may have been left behind as a result.Barton is giving evidence to the committee again this afternoon, and Stewart’s submission amounts to the strongest evidence yet that the decision to approve the animal airlift came from Johnson. Ministers claim that rescuing the animals did not limit the number of Afghans who could be evacuated, but others involved in the operation claim that people may have been left behind as a result.
In her evidence Stewart says:In her evidence Stewart says:
Stewart also claims that Barton - who is her boss - and Casey lied to MPs when they said they did not know of evidence that the PM was involved. She says:Stewart also claims that Barton - who is her boss - and Casey lied to MPs when they said they did not know of evidence that the PM was involved. She says:
And this is what Sajid Javid, the health secretary, said in his morning interviews on coronavirus.And this is what Sajid Javid, the health secretary, said in his morning interviews on coronavirus.
Javid said a Covid booster programme for the over-50s may be launched in the autumn. He told BBC Breakfast:Javid said a Covid booster programme for the over-50s may be launched in the autumn. He told BBC Breakfast:
NHS England has already announced a booster programme for the over-75s and the people who are immunosuppressed, which is starting this week.NHS England has already announced a booster programme for the over-75s and the people who are immunosuppressed, which is starting this week.
He said there were 11,500 people in hospital in England with Covid, but almost 60% of them had been admitted for another condition. For example, he said, the figures would include people in hospital for a hip operation who just happened to be Covid positive. “Those that are actually there for Covid is a much smaller number and so that does give us a lot of confidence that we are learning to live with Covid,” he said.He said there were 11,500 people in hospital in England with Covid, but almost 60% of them had been admitted for another condition. For example, he said, the figures would include people in hospital for a hip operation who just happened to be Covid positive. “Those that are actually there for Covid is a much smaller number and so that does give us a lot of confidence that we are learning to live with Covid,” he said.
He said the rising number of coronavirus cases was “no particular cause for concern”. He explained:He said the rising number of coronavirus cases was “no particular cause for concern”. He explained:
Here are some more lines from Sajid Javid’s interviews this morning on Ukraine-related issues.Here are some more lines from Sajid Javid’s interviews this morning on Ukraine-related issues.
Javid, the health secretary, said 9,500 visas had now been issued to Ukrainian refugees wanting to come to the UK through the family programme (which is for people with close relatives in Britain). He said:Javid, the health secretary, said 9,500 visas had now been issued to Ukrainian refugees wanting to come to the UK through the family programme (which is for people with close relatives in Britain). He said:
He played down the prospect of an early Russian defeat, saying it was necessary to be “realistic” and that the war could get “a lot uglier”. He said:He played down the prospect of an early Russian defeat, saying it was necessary to be “realistic” and that the war could get “a lot uglier”. He said:
Javid dismissed the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, as a “compulsive liar”. He told the Today programme:Javid dismissed the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, as a “compulsive liar”. He told the Today programme:
Good morning. Sajid Javid, the health secretary, has been fielding questions on the behalf of the government this morning. The war in Ukraine is still dominating the news agenda, the cost of living is set to be the second biggest story of the week, because we’ve got the spring statement on Wednesday, and Javid had to address concerns about the rise in the number of coronavirus cases, but he also found himself fending off questions about Boris Johnson’s Ukraine/Brexit gaffe – a remark so insensitive that it is still at the top of the news two days later.Good morning. Sajid Javid, the health secretary, has been fielding questions on the behalf of the government this morning. The war in Ukraine is still dominating the news agenda, the cost of living is set to be the second biggest story of the week, because we’ve got the spring statement on Wednesday, and Javid had to address concerns about the rise in the number of coronavirus cases, but he also found himself fending off questions about Boris Johnson’s Ukraine/Brexit gaffe – a remark so insensitive that it is still at the top of the news two days later.
In his speech to the Tory spring conference on Saturday, Johnson compared the Ukrainians’ fight for freedom to Britons voting for Brexit. “I know that it’s the instinct of the people of this country, like the people of Ukraine, to choose freedom, every time,” he said. “I can give you a couple of famous recent examples. When the British people voted for Brexit, in such large, large numbers, I don’t believe it was because they were remotely hostile to foreigners.”In his speech to the Tory spring conference on Saturday, Johnson compared the Ukrainians’ fight for freedom to Britons voting for Brexit. “I know that it’s the instinct of the people of this country, like the people of Ukraine, to choose freedom, every time,” he said. “I can give you a couple of famous recent examples. When the British people voted for Brexit, in such large, large numbers, I don’t believe it was because they were remotely hostile to foreigners.”
Yesterday Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, claimed Johnson was not saying the two situations were “directly analagous”. Today Javid went even further, telling Nick Robinson on the Today programme:Yesterday Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, claimed Johnson was not saying the two situations were “directly analagous”. Today Javid went even further, telling Nick Robinson on the Today programme:
In response, Robinson pointed out that the PM’s speech specifically did link the two situations. He suggested that the fact that two cabinet ministers have now effectively disowned the connection made by Johnson suggests that No 10 accepts it was a mistake.In response, Robinson pointed out that the PM’s speech specifically did link the two situations. He suggested that the fact that two cabinet ministers have now effectively disowned the connection made by Johnson suggests that No 10 accepts it was a mistake.
This is what Matt Dathan is reporting in the Times (paywall). He writes:This is what Matt Dathan is reporting in the Times (paywall). He writes:
I’ll post more from the Javid interview shortly.I’ll post more from the Javid interview shortly.
Here is the agenda for the day.Here is the agenda for the day.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
12pm: Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe will hold a press conference at Westminster with her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, and their MP, Tulip Siddiq.12pm: Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe will hold a press conference at Westminster with her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, and their MP, Tulip Siddiq.
2.30pm: Thérèse Coffey, the work and pensions secretary, takes questions in the Commons.2.30pm: Thérèse Coffey, the work and pensions secretary, takes questions in the Commons.
After 3.30pm: MPs begin a debate on a Labour motion saying the government should suspend all contracts with DP World, the company that owns P&O Ferries, and pass a law banning fire and rehire tactics.After 3.30pm: MPs begin a debate on a Labour motion saying the government should suspend all contracts with DP World, the company that owns P&O Ferries, and pass a law banning fire and rehire tactics.
4pm: Sir Philip Barton, permanent secretary at the Foreign Office, gives evidence to the Commons foreign affairs committee about Afghanistan.4pm: Sir Philip Barton, permanent secretary at the Foreign Office, gives evidence to the Commons foreign affairs committee about Afghanistan.
At some point today Boris Johnson is also hosting a roundtable meeting with leaders from the nuclear power industry to discuss how nuclear power stations can be build more quickly. He has also got a call lined up with Joe Biden, the US president, and their French, German and Italian counterparts to discuss Ukraine.At some point today Boris Johnson is also hosting a roundtable meeting with leaders from the nuclear power industry to discuss how nuclear power stations can be build more quickly. He has also got a call lined up with Joe Biden, the US president, and their French, German and Italian counterparts to discuss Ukraine.
I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone.I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone.
If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. I’m on @AndrewSparrow.If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. I’m on @AndrewSparrow.
Alternatively, you can email me at andrew.sparrow@theguardian.com.Alternatively, you can email me at andrew.sparrow@theguardian.com.