Top story: Old chums to the fore
Hello and welcome again to the Guardian morning briefing with me, Warren Murray.
Boris Johnson is being criticised for giving a plum appointment to arch-loyalist Mark Spencer despite claims, which he denies, that he told the former minister Nusrat Ghani her “Muslimness” had contributed to her sacking. Spencer has been moved aside as chief whip in Johnson’s mini-reshuffle but as compensation receives the prestigious role of leader of the House of Commons. He is replaced as chief whip by Chris Heaton-Harris, part of a team of Johnson loyalists who have operated a “shadow whipping” operation to prevent 54 Tory no-confidence letters being submitted against the prime minister.
Heather Stewart and Peter Walker write this morning that the mini-reshuffle, promoting ultra-loyalists who have battled to save the PM’s skin, evidences little in the way of Johnson “fixing it” as he promised to do about dysfunction in Downing Street. “Taken together with allegations about the lobbying efforts of his new director of communications, Guto Harri,” our political team write, “the shake-up has perpetuated the sense that Johnson values loyalty above all else – and takes at best a relaxed approach to propriety and ‘chumocracy’ in government.” Jacob Rees-Mogg, the former Commons leader, has been made minister for Brexit opportunities. On that topic, the public accounts committee says in a timely report that Brexit red tape has damaged Britain’s trade with the EU. It calls on the government to work with Brussels to reduce hold-ups at UK ports.
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Tory grouping ‘fights net-zero plans’ – A group of Conservative politicians and their allies are attempting to derail the government’s green agenda, leading climate scientists claim. The Net Zero Scrutiny Group (NZSG) has gained widespread media coverage in the past month, attempting to link the government’s net zero agenda to the cost-of-living crisis and calling for cuts to green taxes and an increase of fossil fuel production. Michael Mann, one of the world’s leading authorities on the climate and author of The New Climate War, said the group appeared to be attempting to drag climate policies into a culture war, which he described as a “dangerous new tactic being used by those opposed to addressing the ecological emergency”. The 19 Conservatives confirmed to be in the group say they do not dispute climate science or the need to decarbonise.
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Midweek catch-up
> More than a fifth of girls and young women in the UK have been ‘“cyber-flashed” in the last year, while a similar number faced sexual harassment and 16% were pressured to share naked pictures of themselves, a study has found.
> Canadian truckers and others angry with vaccine mandates have brought cross-border traffic to a halt at the Ambassador Bridge linking the US city of Detroit with Windsor in Ontario.
> A day before a mass school shooting in Michigan, the mother of the alleged shooter, Ethan Crumbley, sent him a text asking if he had showed teachers a “pic of your new gun”, an investigator has testified. Jennifer Crumbley and her husband, James Crumbley, are facing possible trial for involuntary manslaughter.
> Defence lawyers for Ghislaine Maxwell who are challenging a juror’s impartiality in her sex trafficking conviction have sought a temporary seal on legal arguments about the matter.
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Europeans ready to oppose Russia – Majorities across Europe think Russia will invade Ukraine in 2022 and believe both Nato and the EU should stand by Kyiv, according to polling for the European Council on Foreign Relations. Its director, Mark Leonard, said the data suggested a “geopolitical awakening” among EU citizens themselves at a time when EU states were being portrayed as “divided, weak and absent on Ukraine”. There was high trust in the EU and Nato to protect Europe from the Kremlin’s aggression, but less trust in the US, while few saw a role for the UK despite London’s “much-publicised show of solidarity with Kyiv”.
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Warning over bus route cuts – Almost a third of bus services in England could be axed within weeks if the government does not extend emergency funding, operators have warned. Pandemic support for bus routes is due to expire on 5 April, with passenger numbers still only about 70% of pre-pandemic levels. Operators normally have to give a minimum six weeks’ notice of route closures, meaning that many are already having to decide which will not be viable in the spring. A DfT spokesperson said: “We’re working closely with the sector to understand the potential challenges and possible mitigations once it ends in April.”
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Brit awards – Adele was the runaway winner at this year’s female-dominated Brits, taking home the prizes for artist of the year, album of the year for her fourth record, 30, and British song of the year for its lead single, Easy on Me. Dua Lipa won the fan-voted prize for best pop/R&B act, Lipa’s fifth Brit. Ed Sheeran won none of his four categories but was given the new songwriter of the year prize.
In the ceremony’s first year without gendered categories, women and female-fronted acts dominated proceedings, winning 10 out of 15 prizes. The British categories were completed by two first-time winners. Wolf Alice took best group, and independent London rapper Little Simz, AKA Simbiatu Ajikawo, was named best new artist. British singer Becky Hill won best dance act, and best hip-hop/grime/rap act went to Dave. Leading the international awards, Billie Eilish took home best artist. All the recipients are listed in our report from Laura Snapes.
Today in Focus podcast: Cancelled citizens
The UK government has long held the right to deprive British people of their citizenship. But in the past 20 years, its use of those powers has dramatically accelerated.
Lunchtime read: ‘We are happy to fight you’
The contested Pakistani-Afghan border has become a centre of increasing tensions. After the Taliban recaptured Kabul, there was a ceasefire with an initially receptive Pakistani government. But it collapsed within weeks, and on Sunday five Pakistani soldiers were killed in an attack claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, known as TTP.
Pakistan has put fences on the porous border and wants the Taliban to crack down on TTP bases inside Afghanistan. The Taliban refuse to recognise a fenced border that both divides ethnic Pashtuns and hampers the militant group’s lucrative and illegal cross-border activities. In one widely shared video a Talib commander is heard saying to Pakistani soldiers: “If you come a step further, I will fight you here. We are happy to fight you.”
Sport
At the Winter Olympics, favoured Mikaela Shiffrin of the US team has made a shock exit from the women’s slalom. In snowboard cross, Team GB’s Charlotte Bankes has set the second-fastest time in qualifying. Plenty more action to come – keep up at our live blog.
Eddie Howe welcomed five new signings to Tyneside last month but, impressively as three of them performed in the 3-1 defeat of Everton, Newcastle’s manager received a reminder that a player he inherited remains the brightest light in his attacking firmament. Jarrod Bowen of last season might not still have been on the pitch. It is not that his 68th-minute strike – the difference between West Ham and Watford on an otherwise nondescript night – was particularly late. But if there was a criticism that could be levelled at the forward it was his lack of endurance; Bowen completed 90 minutes eight times in 2020-21. Eddie Jones says he has “no regrets” about any of his tactical decisions last Saturday and insists that England dominated the Calcutta Cup game in Edinburgh despite Scotland’s 20-17 victory. Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad face the prospect of their record-breaking Test careers coming to an abrupt end after England responded to the winter’s Ashes mauling by dropping eight players for next month’s Caribbean tour.
Business
BP’s chief executive has dismissed rising calls for a windfall tax on fossil fuel companies to help UK households weather the record surge in global gas prices after his company made profits of £9.45bn last year. In China, tech company Bilibili has promised change after an employee died on Saturday, reigniting a debate about the sector’s notoriously tough overwork culture, known as “996” – 9am-9pm, six days a week. The FTSE100 is set to lift 0.45% this morning while the pound will buy you $1.356 and €1.186.
The papers
The Guardian’s splash today is “Tory MPs accused of trying to drag climate fight into new culture war”. Judi Dench is pictured as one of the Oscar nominees. The i has “Cost of living crisis: extra 1m UK children set to go hungry”. Our own story this morning says the number of UK households classed as destitute could rise by nearly a third to more than 1 million this spring after the government adds an increase in national insurance to the wider cost of living squeeze.
“We’ve got more cash than we know what to do with” – that’s the Mirror on BP raking it in “while families face poverty”. Of that the Financial Times says “BP rejects calls for windfall tax” – well they would, wouldn’t they – “as profits hit 8-year high of $12.8bn”. “Waiting lists will rise, no matter what, says Javid” – that’s the Telegraph, and the Mail asks “Is that all we get for £12bn?” which is the raising from the national insurance hike.
“Shocking – 10m missing out on NHS care” – the Express says 10 million “hidden” patients are set to join waiting lists. “Tories push PM to act faster on waiting lists” is the Times’ version. The Metro has “Wag war gets ugly” about Rebekah Vardy’s court case against Coleen Rooney.
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