Summary
With the Gray report expected next week, the prime minister is among about 30 people to have been given a gist of the criticism about him, with those contacted by the inquiry team given a few days to respond.
Gray is said to be keen to name senior civil servants, but no decisions have been taken on how many and who will be identified, or whether the report will contain any photos.
• Ireland’s taoiseach has said it is unacceptable for one party in Northern Ireland to block others from taking power, as he visited Belfast to try to break the deadlock over the Brexit protocol and power-sharing at Stormont.
After meetings with party leaders, Micheál Martin said the Northern Ireland assembly and executive should be formed while negotiations continue between the UK government and the EU over the protocol.
“Our view is there should be parallel discussions,” he said as he urged the DUP to abandon their decision not to return to power-sharing until “decisive action” was taken over reforms to Northern Ireland’s Brexit arrangements.
• The Bank of England will intensify its squeeze on the economy over the coming months as it seeks to bring down the highest inflation rate in 40 years, its chief economist has warned.
Noting that Threadneedle Street was facing its toughest challenge since being granted independence in 1997, Huw Pill said “further work needs to be done” to bring the annual inflation rate back to the government’s 2% target.
Inflation soared to 9% in April as the rising cost of gas and electricity pushed household energy bills to record levels and the escalating cost of food and transport also contributed to the surge in the cost of living.
• Rishi Sunak has become the first frontline politician to be ranked among the UK’s wealthiest people, only days after the chancellor warned consumers that “the next few months will be tough” as the cost of living squeeze intensifies.
Sunak, a former hedge fund manager, and his Indian heiress wife, Akshata Murty, were named on the Sunday Times rich list as the 222nd wealthiest people in the UK, with a combined £730m fortune.
Becoming the first frontline politician to be named in the annual ranking since its inception in 1989 is likely to increase pressure on Sunak to do more to help households struggling with inflation, which hit 9% in April, its highest level in 40 years, and soaring energy bills.
• The UK government’s independent adviser on tackling violence against women and girls has suggested her calls for street harassment to be made a crime are being blocked.
Nimco Ali, a close friend of Boris and Carrie Johnson, told the BBC’s Political Thinking with Nick Robinson that her proposal had experienced “pushback” and hinted the prime minister had not fully supported it.
• The government has blocked the cabinet secretary, Simon Case, and government ethics chief Darren Tierney from appearing before the public administration and constitutional affairs committee.
The pair were due to give evidence as part of the committee’s inquiry into the propriety of governance in the wake of Greensill.
The hearing was confirmed several weeks ago and it was due to discuss the Downing Street parties, the management of conflicts of interest and unregulated appointments in the civil service, and the proposed cuts to the civil service of 100,000 jobs.
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Isle of Man minister quits in whistleblowing scandal
The Isle of Man’s treasury minister — the Manx equivalent of Rishi Sunak — has resigned in a whistleblowing scandal.
David Ashford quit on Friday in the fall-out of an employment tribunal involving the island’s former chief medical director Dr Rosalind Ranson. The tribunal found she was unfairly dismissed while Ashford was minister for health, after raising concerns about the Isle of Man’s approach to Covid.
Ashford’s evidence to the employment tribunal was found to be “practised and diplomatic seemingly guided by the principle of deniability of anything potentially inconvenient unless/until objective evidence was available to the contrary”.
Alfred Cannan, the island’s chief minister, said he accepted Ashford’s resignation and thanked him for his contribution during the Covid-19 pandemic. The new treasury minister is Dr Alex Allinson, who moves over from the enterprise ministry.
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