Summary
Here is a roundup of today’s main headlines:
- There is growing frustration among the dozens of Tory MPs gathered at a conference in Doncaster at Boris Johnson pulling out at the last minute. Organisers were being told by No 10 up until midday still to expect the prime minister to address activists, but it was revealed this afternoon he is actually in Ukraine.
- Boris Johnson has said UK military assistance to Ukraine is aimed at expelling Russian forces from the country. Speaking at a joint news conference with President Zelenskiy in Kyiv, he said that would be the point at which talks on Ukraine’s future could begin.
- The prime minister also told Zelenskiy that Britain could train up to 120,000 troops every 120 days.
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Sir Gavin Williamson, the former education secretary, has denied that he had struck a “deal” with Boris Johnson to step down from his seat at the next election so that he could stand in South Staffordshire instead.
- Downing Street defended Boris Johnson for considering abolishing the role of ministerial interests adviser after further criticism of the review launched following Christopher Geidt’s resignation.
- The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said progress on ensuring racial equality in the Metropolitan police had gone “backwards” in the last 10 years.
- The chair of an influential group of MPs has echoed comments made by the cabinet minister Michael Gove, who has warned the UK must maintain control of public finances in the face of “tough times ahead” for the country and the global economy.
- Dropping the pledge to abolish tuition fees in England, one of Keir Starmer’s key pledges, tantamount to the Labour party shooting itself in the foot, Momentum has said.
- Nearly 100 MPs have written to Boris Johnson urging him to cancel new guidelines which will require the notes of counselling sessions for survivors of rape and sexual assault to be disclosed to the defence when their attackers go on trial.
That’s it from me, Tom Ambrose, and indeed the UK politics blog for today. We will be back tomorrow. Goodnight.
Updated
Sir Gavin Williamson, the former education secretary, has denied that he had struck a “deal” with Boris Johnson to step down from his seat at the next election so that he could stand in South Staffordshire instead.
He posted a Twitter thread fiercely denying the allegation which, he says, was put to him by a journalist today.
It is understood the story will still run despite his denials and it comes following a recent YouGov poll that shows the prime minister would lose his Uxbridge seat if there was a general election tomorrow.
Williamson received his knighthood in March, prompting criticism across the political spectrum. Labour’s shadow education secretary called his record “disgraceful”.
Anyway, here are those tweets from Williamson in full:
1/4 The opportunity to represent the people of South Staffordshire is one of the greatest privileges of my life, and I so much hope that I have the opportunity to represent them for many many more years to come.
— Gavin Williamson (@GavinWilliamson) June 17, 2022
2/4 I was therefore absolutely staggered to receive a message from a national journalist today which suggested I had “done a deal” with the PM to step down from my seat at the next election so that he could stand in South Staffordshire instead.
— Gavin Williamson (@GavinWilliamson) June 17, 2022
3/4 I made it clear to them that I never had any such discussion with him or anyone close to him and the idea that I would stand down from doing the job I love so much is detached from reality. Despite this, I have been informed that they still intend to run this false story.
— Gavin Williamson (@GavinWilliamson) June 17, 2022
4/4 I wanted to confirm to my constituents that I remain fully committed to serving them today and into the future.
— Gavin Williamson (@GavinWilliamson) June 17, 2022
Updated
