Politics latest: Johnson reacts after he is referred to police over new claims he broke lockdown rules (2023)

Thank you for following along for another day of live updates from the heart of Westminster.

We'll be back in the morning, but until then, here are today's highlights:

• It was revealed that the Cabinet Office referred Boris Johnson to the police after entries in his ministerial diary were spotted that showed friends visiting Downing Street and Chequers during the pandemic;
• Rishi Sunak spoke at a defence conference where he said his message to Putin is that "we are not going away";
• The IMF updated its forecasts to show the UK will not enter a recession this year and the economy will grow by 0.4%;
• Minister announced that international students will bebanned from bringing dependents to the UK amid rising migration figures;
• Downing Street still did not make a decision on launching a probe in allegations the home secretary asked civil servants to help arrange a private speed awareness course;
• Labour was fined for the late reporting of donations;
  
• And the government announced new voter ID rules for postal and proxy votes.
  

We'll back with the very latest from Westminster from 6am - and we’ll have Prime Minister’s Question live at 12pm, which is sure to be a blockbuster session.

Do join us.

As we have been reporting this evening, the Cabinet Office has referred the former PM to police after entries in his ministerial diary were spotted that showed friends visiting Downing Street and Chequers during the pandemic (see post at 18.03).

Police are "assessing" claims he may have broken lockdown rules, but Mr Johnson's team insists that no breaches occurred.

Sky News now understands that Mr Johnson's team is considering all legal options in the wake of the Cabinet Office's referral to police.

In a statement earlier this evening, a spokesperson for Mr Johnson said that lawyers have advised the events in question were lawful, and added that Mr Johnson was not contacted before the referral to police and the privileges committee was made, which they described as "bizarre and unacceptable."

The spokesperson continued: "For whatever political purpose, it is plain that a last ditch attempt is being made to lengthen the privileges committee investigation as it was coming to a conclusion and to undermine Mr Johnson.

"Mr Johnson’s lawyers have tonight written to the police forces involved to explain in detail why the Cabinet Office is entirely wrong in its assertions."

The newspaper front pages are starting to be published, and as you might imagine, the latest Boris Johnson saga splashes many of them.

Here are the front pages so far - and the key points from each:

The Daily Mailreports that Boris Johnson is threatening to sue the Cabinet Office after extracts from his ministerial diary were passed to police.

A source close to the former PM described the allegations published this evening as "seriously defamatory".

The Daily Expressquotes unnamed friends of the former PM who declare the police probe a "stitch up" and a "witch hunt".

The i paperalso reports on Boris Johnson's latest woes, and says he is "fighting for his future".

Boris Johnson takes up half ofThe Independent digital's front page.

The other half is dedicated to their home affairs editor Lizzie Dearden's six-month investigation that found that Home Secretary Suella Braverman failed to declare links to Rwanda before she elected.

The Guardiannewspaper also splashes on the fresh allegations of rule-breaking at Chequers and Downing Street.

The Mirroralso splashes on the police referral, and quotes a COVID campaigner as saying Boris Johnson's legacy "is one of lying".

As well as splashing on Boris Johnson's alleged rule breaches, The Daily Telegraphalso writes about an article Rishi Sunak has penned for them in which he says "must be controlled and it must be fair".

The Timesmentions the Boris Johnson probe briefly at the bottom of the pages, but splashes on comments from the IMF who has urged the chancellor not to cut taxes yet.

And the Financial Timessplashes on an admission from the governor of the Bank of England that it has "very big lessons learn" after it failed to forecast persistently high inflation.

As we reported earlier today, international students who come to study in the UK will no longer be able to bring family with them except under specific circumstances in a government bid to bring immigration down (see post at 12.39).

International students will no longer be able to bring dependants with them unless they are on postgraduate courses that are currently designated as research programmes.

The package will remove the ability for international students to switch out of the student route and into work routes before their studies have been completed.

The Labour Party has confirmed that it will not oppose the plans because "proper enforcement" is "long overdue".

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: "International students are important to the UK but there do need to be sensible arrangements for family members and proper enforcement measures are long overdue.

"That is why Labour has already made clear we won’t oppose these changes for master’s students.

But she said the measures do not address the problems both in the immigration system and the economy.

"These measures still don’t address the serious problem in the Conservatives’ immigration system, which is their failure to tackle skills shortages and the 95% increase in work visas as employers increasingly turn to overseas recruitment while there isn’t proper training or support for people to get back in the workplace in the UK," she said.

Away from Boris Johnson for a moment - a Labour frontbencher has defended her decision to fly in business class to New York earlier this week.

Rachel Reeves tweeted a photo on Sunday evening of herself on the plane before take-off from Heathrow, but eagle-eyed users spotted her seat number on her boarding pass.

She was sitting in seat number 3K, which is a business class seat with a lie-flat bed, according to online seat maps.

However, the tweet was deleted when users began pointing out her front-of-the-plane accommodation. The tweet was subsequently re-posted with the information blurred out, but that was also later deleted.

Controversy has continued to swirl in the background, and it is understood that a donor paid for the flight, not taxpayers, and the full cost will be declared in the next update of the register of MPs' interests.

But this evening, Ms Reeves defended herself, telling The Sun newspaper: "I’m here for three days. It’s the only long-haul flight I’ve taken as shadow chancellor. I’ve got a very packed schedule while I’m here."

"No taxpayer money was used to fund that trip.

"To operate on the level I want to operate at, I think it was appropriate to ask a donor to fund this trip so we can do it in a way that we need to and want to."

She has met businesses on her trip, and will give a speech in Washington DC tomorrow, as well as holding meetings.

We have few details about these further alleged rule breaches.

Mr Johnson’s aides insist all these events were lawful and the Cabinet Office’s failure to notify him before passing the information to police is "bizarre and unacceptable".

And some Conservative backbenchers seem concerned at the role civil servants have played in this referral to the police.

Yet if the former PM is found to have met friends without a reasonable exception or excuse, a fine of £50 or £100 is possible.

These latest revelations could delay the privileges committee inquiry into whether Mr Johnson misled parliament.

And yet again, it drags Rishi Sunak into answering questions about the past when he’s desperate to focus on the future.

Boris Johnson's office released a new statement moments ago amid widespread reporting of the news that police are "assessing" fresh claims that the former PM broke lockdown rules (see post at 18.03).

In a punchy statement, his spokesperson labelled these fresh allegations "totally untrue".

They said that lawyers have advised the events in question were lawful, and added that Mr Johnson was not contacted before the referral to police and the priviliges committee was made, which they described as "bizarre and unacceptable."

The spokesperson continued: "For whatever political purpose, it is plain that a last ditch attempt is being made to lengthen the privileges committee investigation as it was coming to a conclusion and to undermine Mr Johnson.

"Mr Johnson’s lawyers have tonight written to the police forces involved to explain in detail why the Cabinet Office is entirely wrong in its assertions.

"The events in question were all within the rules either because they were held outdoors or came within another lawful exception. They include regular meetings with civil servants and advisers.

"It appears some within government have decided to make unfounded suggestions both to the police and to the Privileges Committee.

"Many will conclude that this has all the hallmarks of yet another politically motivated stitch up."

Labour's deputy leader, Angela Rayner, has called on the government to explain "who else knew" about alleged rule-breaking in Downing Street and Chequers, and has hit out at Rishi Sunak for being "too weak" to make Boris Johnson pay his own legal bills that the taxpayer in currently funding.

Ms Rayner said: "These new allegations are for the police to examine but the government must explain who else knew at the time and why this has only now come to light.

"The public will be shocked that they're still paying Boris Johnson's legal bills while he rakes in millions from speaking gigs, all because Rishi Sunak is too weak to put a stop to it."

She added: "The Conservatives are now so preoccupied by their own scandals and haunted by their own failure that they are unable to tackle the problems facing the country."

Former cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has said he went to Chequers with his children during the period being investigated by police, and said the visit was "entirely within the rules".

Speaking on his GB News show this evening, Mr Rees-Mogg - who was leader of the Commons during Mr Johnson's tenure - said he was invited along with the chief whip for a meeting with the former PM at the grace and favour home, but the chief whip was disinvited "because you couldn't mix families".

Mr Rees-Mogg said: "Today's news shows that there are some people who will never rest until they have hounded Boris further and further.

"The latest stories are just another example of how those who don’t like Boris, mainly because of Brexit, are always looking for something to have a go at him on. It is a supreme non-story."

He continued: "I can tell you that during that period, I went to Chequers. I was invited there with my children, entirely in accordance with the rules.

"Another senior government minister was going to come, but the prime minister cancelled him because you were only allowed to have one family present at the time.

"So what would have been a meeting with the chief whip and the leader of the House of Commons just had me there because you couldn’t mix families. The prime minister was diligent about it."

Triggering laughter in the studio, he added: "I'd also say that one of my children after lunch bowled out the prime minister and removed his middle stump - but that would be boasting."

A few minutes ago, we heard reaction from a Labour frontbencher to the news that police are "assessing" fresh claims that Boris Johnson broke lockdown rules (see post at 18.03).

Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, said the allegations against the former PM are "extremely serious".

She also said it is wrong that the taxpayer is paying for Mr Johnson's legal defence in the Privileges Committee inquiry into whether he misled parliament over partygate and Rishi Sunak should "put an end to it immediately".

"Boris Johnson will have to explain himself now to the authorities once again," she said.

"But we see the Conservatives being haunted by this disgraced former prime minister and really it is time that the country turned a corner after thirteen years of Conservative sleaze."

She added: "The Conservatives will continue to be haunted by this disgraced prime minister and it really is time that Britain was allowed to move on and get a fresh start under Labour."

Asked if Mr Johnson should remain an MP, Ms Phillipson didn't answer directly, only saying he has "serious questions" to answer through the probe.

In contrast, the Liberal Democrats said Mr Johnson "should finally do one decent thing and consider his position as an MP" (see post at 18.59).