Boris Johnson’s government has ditched plans to limit MPs’ earnings from second jobs in a major rethink over the issue which sparked a sleaze scandal at Westminster, prompting Sir Keir Starmer to accuse the PM of “breaking his promise yet again”.
The move – which marks a stark reversal in tone from comments made by ministers during the Owen Paterson lobbying scandal – came as transport secretary Grant Shapps announced the government was investigating a number of yachts linked to Russian oligarchs currently moored in the UK.
Meanwhile, Mr Johnson was landing back in the UK empty-handed this morning, having failing to secure commitments from Saudi Arabia to step up oil production to ease cost-of-living pressures, on a visit overshadowed by the announcement of three further executions in the desert kingdom.
The Labour leader described the prime minister as “going cap in hand from dictator to dictator” in his search for oil – but Foreign Office minister James Cleverly claimed it was “ridiculously distasteful” to compare Saudi Arabia with Russia.
