Kwarteng ‘tells Treasury to focus entirely on growth’ as Tory peer defends sacking of senior civil servant – as it happened

Kwasi Kwarteng believes the UK economy could return to a growth rate of 2.5% a year. Photograph: Andrew Parsons/No10 Downing Street

5.15pm BST

Afternoon summary

• Lord Agnew, a Conservative former Treasury minister, has said that Tom Scholar, permanent secretary at the department, was a malign influence and that Kwasi Kwarteng was right to sack him. (See 12.13pm.)

• Kwarteng has told Treasury officials to refocus on getting annual growth to 2.5% rather than prioritising fiscal discipline.

• The number of people who have crossed the Channel in small boats in 2022 has exceeded the total for the whole of 2021, official figures suggest.

• Margaret Ferrier, the MP who admitted she had “culpably and recklessly” put people at risk after travelling by train from London to Scotland after testing positive for Covid-19, has been ordered to undertake a 270-hour community payback order. Ferrier was elected for the SNP, but was suspended by the party and now sits as an independent.

• King Charles has resolved to “seek the welfare of all the inhabitants of Northern Ireland” in a formal response to the region’s assembly on his visit to Hillsborough Castle to meet the public and politicians. There is further coverage of all the events related to the death of Queen Elizabeth on our separate live blog. It’s here.

King Charles III shaking hands with Michelle O’Neill, the Sinn Féin leader in Northern Ireland and first minister designate, at Hillsborough Castle, with Alex Maskey (Sinn Féin), thesSpeaker of the Northern Ireland assembly, looking on.
Photograph: Niall Carson/AFP/Getty Images

Updated at 5.21pm BST

4.34pm BST

The Conservative MP and former Brexit minister David Davis has written to the chief constable of Police Scotland to complain about the decision to charge a woman arrested for holding an anti-monarchy sign as a protest outside St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh. Davis, who is one of the Tories most committed to defending civil liberties, is one of many people who have condemned police attempts to silence republican protesters.

I wrote to the Chief Constable of Police Scotland yesterday, expressing my concern that an anti-monarchy protester has been charged by police. Since I wrote to him, a second protester has been charged. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/Wwl21pYQxL

— David Davis (@DavidDavisMP) September 13, 2022

At a time of national mourning, we should all ensure that we behave respectfully. But we must not sacrifice the principle of free speech upon which modern Britain is built. I am a staunch monarchist, but republicans have as much right to voice their opinions as anyone else.

— David Davis (@DavidDavisMP) September 13, 2022

One of the best media diatribes against the actions of the police in this regard has come from the LBC broadcaster Andrew Marr.

"A Monarchy that cannot survive some booing and a few pieces of cardboard is pretty flimsy thing, isn't it?"

"If the suggestion is that we can have a king, or we can have free speech, then millions of us will say 'I'll have free speech, thanks'" pic.twitter.com/KdXQbohUKC

— Our Republic (@OurRepublicScot) September 12, 2022

Updated at 5.16pm BST