Watch live how Boris Johnson faces MPs after Partygate fines an apology
Boris Johnson arrived in India this morning for a two-day visit. British and Indian companies are ready to announce investments and export deals worth over £ 1 billion in areas from software engineering to healthcare.
The prime minister, meanwhile, has refused to withdraw his attack on the Anglican Church following criticism from the Archbishop of Canterbury of the government’s new immigration policy.
In a private meeting with Tory MPs on Tuesday afternoon, Mr Johnson said plans to send single men seeking asylum in Rwanda were “good policy”, despite some criticism from the BBC and senior clergy “.
He added that both “were less violent in their condemnation of Putin’s Easter than in our policy on illegal immigrants.”
John Bingham, head of the media at the Anglican Church, said that if the reports from the meeting were correct, they were “shameful slander”.
Tory MPs will vote on whether Mr Johnson should be referred to the Municipal Privileges Committee for allegations that he was wrong in assuring municipalities that coronavirus regulations were complied with on Downing Street during the pandemic.
Key points
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Boris Johnson doubles criticism of archbishop over “morally correct” plan for Rwanda
Boris Johnson has doubled his attack on the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, for criticizing his plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, insisting that the removal was “morally right”.
He said: “I think it is morally right to do the right thing, to stop the cynical criminal gangs that exploit people. I think this is a sensible, bold and original policy, and Priti (Patel) has come up with something that is extremely difficult to implement. “
Read Andrew Woodcock’s piece here:
Maroosha Muzaffar21 April 2022 05:52
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British PM Johnson signals visa flexibility with India to win trade deal
Boris Johnson said the UK could be ready to offer more visas to India in exchange for a free trade agreement, which could increase bilateral trade by billions of pounds.
Speaking to reporters on the plane, he said: “I have always been in favor of talented people coming to this country. We are short of hundreds of thousands of people in our economy and we must have a progressive approach and we will do it.
Maroosha Muzaffar21 April 2022 05:45
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Ukraine’s peace talks doomed because Putin cannot be trusted, says Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson said peace talks to end the war in Ukraine were doomed because the Russian president could not be trusted.
He accused Vladimir Putin of failing to approach the talks in good faith and said it was clear that the Russian president was seeking to seize territory to use as a lever in the talks – and could even launch a new attack on the capital Kyiv for that purpose.
He asked, “How can you negotiate with a crocodile when you have your feet in your jaws?” This is the difficulty that Ukrainians are facing. “
Read the full story here:
Maroosha Muzaffar21 April 2022 05:23
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Boris Johnson faces calls to apologize for the colonial-era massacre
Boris Johnson is facing calls to apologize for the colonial-era massacre that killed some 1,200 people.
Last month, Gujarat – the British prime minister’s first place on his two-day itinerary – marked the 100th anniversary of the Pal-Dadhvav massacre.
More than 2,000 people, led by social reformer Motilal Tejawat, protested against exploitation and forced labor by the British.
Tejawat’s grandson is now urging Mr Johnson to apologize. “This was the British rule at the time these assassinations took place, so if the British prime minister comes here, he must apologize,” Mahendra Tejawat, 77, told AFP.
During the massacre, British Major HG Sutton ordered his troops to open fire. The government recalls the episode as “like a battlefield, the whole area was full of corpses.” It says that two wells are “full of bodies.”
“My grandfather campaigned only for the poor, harmless and illiterate tribes,” Mr Tejawat said.
“He [Johnson] he must regret it if he thinks what happened to the defenseless tribes is wrong. ” Mr Johnson arrived in Gujarat, India.
Maroosha Muzaffar21 April 2022 04:58
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Tory MPs reject proposal to give parliament opinion on asylum offshore amid backlash against Rwanda deal
Conservative MPs voted against a law aimed at forcing the government to present schemes such as the Rwandan deal in parliament – and to reveal the costs.
The House of Lords has drafted an amendment to the Law on Nationality and Borders, which means that MPs and colleagues must approve any offshore agreements before they enter into force.
The clause, which was rejected by 303 votes to 234, will also force the government to provide “estimated costs for at least the first two years”.
Tom Bachelor April 20, 2022 9:53 p.m.
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Police did not test Cummings to remain “apolitical”
Police did not question Dominic Cummings, a former chief adviser to Boris Johnson, for violating coronavirus pandemic blockade laws because of the need to remain “apolitical,” an official said.
Joe Farrell, the first female Durham police chief in the 183-year history of the force, told the Mirror why Mr Cummings was not interviewed by police during his 260-mile journey from London to Durham or his day to Barnard Castle to “test his eyesight.”
(Getty Images)
Ms. Farrell told the newspaper: “Because of his character, because of who he was, he parted political lines.
“We count without fear or favor. We are apolitical, so my job was to make sure there was a proportional line. If we had stopped him as he drove to Barnard Castle, we would have told him to turn around and come back.
“Thousands of people lost their lives during the pandemic, so, yes, we have never taken any of this lightly. But we could not be influenced by the great political sense of him as a person and his role in government.
Lamiat Sabin April 20, 2022 9:30 p.m.
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A proposal has been made to postpone the investigation into whether the prime minister has deceived parliament
Tory MPs will face three lines to vote for a government amendment that “will kick off tomorrow’s proposal for the party in the long grass”, as ITV’s British editor Paul Brand said.
Boris Johnson’s government has amended a Labor proposal to investigate whether the prime minister misled parliament about Downing Street parties during the coronavirus blockade.
The amendment states that Mr Johnson “accepted that mistakes had been made”, but that the matter should not be addressed until the police investigation is completed and Sue Gray’s report is published.
A government spokesman said: “The government has amended the Labor proposal, which says the issue should be addressed after the police investigation is completed and a cabinet report is published, allowing lawmakers to have all the facts to discard. “
Lamiat Sabin April 20, 2022 9:00 p.m.
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Boris Johnson will name a street after him in Ukraine, the MP said
Ukrainian MP Lesya Vasilenko said the streets in Ukraine with names associated with Russia will be changed.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will have a street named after him in a city in Odessa, she said.
Ms. Vasilenko tweeted: “Derusification is spreading rapidly in #Ukraine. All the streets of Moscow and Pushkin are being renamed.
“A city in the Odessa region will soon receive @BorisJohnson Street, for example. All I can say is: #SupportUkraine ”
Lamiat Sabin April 20, 2022 8:30 p.m.
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The commission faces an unenviable task if MEPs support the investigation
The proposal to direct the Prime Minister to an investigation into the partygate allows the case to be considered only after the completion of various other reviews and investigations – removing the main objection. Sean O’Grady examines the detail:
Jane Dalton April 20, 2022 8:00 p.m.
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Deputies reject the proposal to allow asylum seekers to work
MEPs voted 294 to 242 in favor of rejecting the Lords’ amendment to allow asylum seekers to work if no decision is taken on their request after six months.
Eleven Conservative MPs revolted in an attempt to keep the amendment, including Steve Baker, Sir Peter Botley and Sir Robert Buckland.
Jane Dalton April 20, 2022 7:23 p.m.
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