Boris Johnson is not a “good role model” for the nation’s children, the Government’s new social mobility tsar has claimed.
Katharine Birbalsingh, the chairman of the Social Mobility Commission, said that she “wished” the Prime Minister could be a good role model “but he isn’t”.
She told Sky News: “No, I do not think so, I don’t. I wish he could be but he isn’t and that is a bit sad.”
She added: “You know I like Boris, I don’t think he’s a bad guy… but I do not think that he is a good role model for children.”
Robin Walker, the schools minister, defended the PM and said: “I think actually anyone who leads this country is a role model, someone that children can look up to.”
Follow the latest updates below.
08:11 AM
‘Mistakes were made’ as Government plans to burn unusable PPE
A new report by the Public Accounts Committee has revealed the Government plans to burn £4 billion of unusable personal protective equipment (PPE) to generate electricity.
Schools minister Robin Walker defended the Government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic but admitted “some mistakes were made” when asked about the news during an interview on Times Radio.
He said: “Clearly there were huge pressures on government at the start of the pandemic, we needed to make sure that we secured as much protective clothing and vaccines, and everything else that was required, in as short a time as possible.
“I think it’s clear that some mistakes were made during that time period and it’s right that there have been apologies for that.”
07:49 AM
Government’s new Brexit law to be published on Monday
It looks like the Government will be publishing its controversial Northern Ireland Protocol Bill on Monday next week.
The legislation will allow UK ministers to unilaterally tear up post-Brexit border rules in Northern Ireland without having to seek the permission of the EU.
The EU believes the plans will break international law but the UK has repeatedly insisted its proposals will be legal.
The order paper for Monday in the House of Commons states that the Bill is scheduled to be presented. The publication of the legislation is likely to spark a political firestorm.
07:44 AM
Rishi Sunak under fire over Government debt
Rishi Sunak has been accused of losing £11 billion of taxpayers’ money by paying too much money to service the Government’s debt.
The losses come from the Chancellor’s failure to insure against higher interest rates a year ago on the £895bn created through quantitative easing, according to analysis by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.
Jagjit Chadha, director of Niesr, told the Financial Times that Mr Sunak’s decisions had left the UK with “an enormous bill and heavy continuing exposure to interest rate risk”, adding that it was the Treasury’s fault.
You can read the full story here.
07:40 AM
‘If I were a member of the RMT… I would be voting to go on strike’
A Labour frontbencher has said he would vote to go on strike if he was a member of the RMT union.
Asked if he supported rail strikes which are being planned for later this month, Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, told the BBC’s Question Time programme: “As I say, I’d prefer they weren’t going ahead.
“Put it this way, if I were a member of the RMT and my jobs were at risk like this then I would be voting to go on strike and I would be voting to defend my jobs, terms and conditions.
“If I were a Government minister right now, it is not my job to be on the picket line, it is not my job to be condemning unions, it is my job to solve the problem, to get people round the table to make sure passengers aren’t inconvenienced.”
07:31 AM
‘There is no basis on which they can be put on trial’
Robin Walker, the minister for school standards, said Aiden Aslin, 28, and Shaun Pinner, 48, should not have been put on trial and must be treated as prisoners of war (see the post below at 08.27).
He told Sky News: “We have been absolutely clear throughout that these people should be treated as prisoners of war.
“Under the Geneva Convention there is no basis on which they can be put on trial. This is an illegal court in a sham government that has held this trial and obviously we don’t recognise it has any authority.
“We will continue to use all diplomatic channels to make the case that these are prisoners of war who should be treated accordingly.”
07:27 AM
Liz Truss to raise case of two Britons sentenced to death
The Foreign Secretary will raise the case of two Britons sentenced to death for fighting Russian forces when she speaks with her Ukrainian counterpart on Friday.
Aiden Aslin, 28, and Shaun Pinner, 48, were convicted of taking action towards violent seizure of power at a court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.
Liz Truss has called it a “sham judgement” and insisted it has “absolutely no legitimacy”.
She will speak about the matter during a phone call with Dmytro Kuleba later on Friday, according to the BBC, while No 10 has said the men are entitled to combatant immunity as prisoners of war.
07:25 AM
Minister: ‘Strong case’ for fuel duty cut
The AA yesterday called on the Government to bring forward a new 10p cut to fuel duty to help motorists as they face surging prices at the pumps.
A minister has now said there is a “strong case” to bring forward a further cut.
Asked if the Government could cut the tax again, Robin Walker, the schools minister, told Sky News: “I think that is obviously a question for the Treasury. I think there is always a strong case for looking at whatever we can do to help on these things.
“As I say, the most recent fiscal event we had the biggest cut in fuel duty that has ever been delivered by a government. That is a substantial move.”
07:22 AM
Minister hints at future help for motorists
Robin Walker, the minister for school standards, has suggested that Rishi Sunak could soon be forced to bring forward additional support for motorists to combat rising fuel prices.
He told Sky News: “This is an enormous challenge and I recognise, I have constituents who are profoundly affected by the cost of energy. “I have always campaigned both as a backbencher and a minister to try and keep fuel duty down, to reduce the impact of that.
“I think the Chancellor will continue to have to look at all the tools at his disposal to try and keep these costs down because of course it is the case that when fuel duty or fuel prices rise substantially it has a broader impact on the cost of living.”
07:20 AM
5p fuel duty cut ‘more than outweighed’ by price rises
A minister has admitted that the 5p fuel duty cut unveiled by Rishi Sunak in March has been “more than outweighed” by surging prices at the pumps.
Robin Walker, the school standards minister, told Sky News: “First of all we saw in the recent spending review the 5p cut to fuel duty which is the biggest cut in many years but I recognise that has been more than outweighed by the pressure on the wholesale cost of energy, that is why we have helped people directly.”
07:19 AM
Minister insists PM is a ‘good role model’
Robin Walker, the minister for school standards, has rejected a claim made by Katharine Birbalsingh, the Government’s social mobility tsar, that Boris Johnson is not a “good role model” for children.
He told Sky News: “Well, that is her opinion, of course she is entitled to her opinion on that.
“I think actually anyone who leads this country is a role model, someone that children can look up to. “The Prime Minister has shown phenomenal resilience through the Covid pandemic and leadership and I think that is something that children should learn about, understand about in schools.
“I think it is also, he is a great communicator and one of the things we seek to teach in all our schools is the importance of communication…”
07:18 AM
Social mobility tsar: PM is not a good role model
Katharine Birbalsingh, the chairman of the Social Mobility Commission, has said she does not believe Boris Johnson is a “good role model” for children.
Speaking to Beth Rigby on Sky News, she said: “No, I don’t think so, I don’t. I wish he could be but he isn’t and that is a bit sad.
“But you know I can’t get into the ins and outs because I don’t know enough about you know, people say, well should he be there or should he not be there, I don’t know. You know I like Boris, I don’t think he’s a bad guy you know, but I don’t know enough about what he’s got up to but I do not think that he is a good role model for children.”
Asked what is “not good about him”, she said: “Well his personal life for instance, that does make me raise an eyebrow.”
She also criticised the PM’s haircut as she suggested it does not look “professional”: “It’s important to look professional. And sometimes Boris looks professional, but sometimes he’s not professional enough for me.”
07:07 AM
Good morning
Good morning and welcome to today’s politics live blog.
Boris Johnson is expected to visit Tiverton and Honiton today as he heads out on the by-election campaign trail one day after trying to reset his premiership with a major speech in Blackpool.
Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, is in Belfast for talks with Stormont leaders on the Northern Ireland Protocol.
There is plenty going on in the world of Westminster today and I will guide you through the key developments.