No 10 still considering whether Braverman will face punishment for anti-Met police article – as it happened

Suella Braverman. Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters

5.00pm GMT

Afternoon summary

• Suella Braverman’s future as home secretary appears to be in doubt after Downing Street said it had not cleared an incendiary article in which she accused the Met police of bias.

• Suella Braverman has been forced to clarify that she had been referring to dissident republicans in an article in which she likened the pro-Palestine protests in London to sectarian marches in Northern Ireland.

• Boris Johnson was initially reluctant to criticise the police for the way they broke up the vigil for Sarah Everard on Clapham Common because he felt it was just “argy bargy”, the Covid inquiry learned today. (See 4.58pm.)

• Boris Johnson has said Rishi Sunak is a “stooge” put in place by his former senior adviser Dominic Cummings, according to the former cabinet minister Nadine Dorries.

Rishi Sunak addressing guests at a reception in Downing Street with business leaders to celebrate Diwali today. Photograph: WPA/Getty Images

Updated at 5.02pm GMT

4.58pm GMT

Johnson initially reluctant to criticise policing of Sarah Everard vigil because he thought it was just 'argy bargy', inquiry learns

Boris Johnson was reluctant to criticise the police for the way they broke up the vigil for Sarah Everard on Clapham Common because he felt it was just “argy bargy”, the Covid inquiry learned today.

As PA Media reports, WhatsApp messages from March 2021 show Johnson felt he could not criticise police following the Sarah Everard vigil “when all I have seen is footage of some argy bargy without knowing what happened”.

The inquiry was first shown a message from Lord Frost, Brexit minister at the time, saying: “Police are in an impossible position in many ways because of the impossibility of enforcing current rules. We certainly should not throw them under the bus.” (See 3.25pm.)

Johnson eventually gave his thoughts on how to handle the fallout from the vigil, saying: “Unless anyone strongly disagrees, I think it should be Priti who tweets tonight.”

The then deputy director of communications Jack Doyle responded: “Agree. She tweeted in time for the ten o’clock news and I think we got the tone right.”

Johnson replied:

Feels odd to weigh in as PM and bash the cops when all I have seen is footage of some argy bargy without knowing what happened.

Think Starmer looks a bit opportunistic and anti-police.

But no doubt the female MPs feeling strongly.

Updated at 5.08pm GMT