Boris Johnson considers Chris Pincher matter closed after resignation, No 10 suggests – UK politics reside | Politics

Commenting on new information displaying risinng Covid infections and hospitaln admissions acroos the UK, Dr Mary Ramsay, director of medical programmes on the UK Well being Safety Company (UKHSA), mentioned:

We proceed to see a rise in Covid-19 information, with an increase in case charges and hospitalisations in these aged 65 years and over, and outbreaks in care houses.

We will additionally now see an increase in ICU admissions in older age teams.

Vaccination stays the perfect defence in opposition to extreme illness and hospitalisation. Covid-19 has not gone away and we must always all keep in mind to maintain up good hand and respiratory hygiene. It’s also smart to put on a face protecting in crowded, enclosed areas.

Round one in six individuals aged 75 and over haven’t acquired a vaccine dose throughout the previous six months, placing them extra susceptible to extreme illness, the UKHSA added.

Throughout-75s within the UK have been supplied a “spring booster”, accessible no less than three months after their most up-to-date jab, to make sure they proceed to obtain the utmost potential safety from the virus.

Figures present that 8,928 sufferers in England had Covid-19 on 30 June, up 39% on the earlier week, and simply over half the extent of sufferers recorded on the peak of the Omicron BA.2 wave, PA studies.

In Wales, 548 sufferers with Covid-19 had been in hospital on 29 June, up 52% from the earlier week, whereas Scotland has seen affected person numbers soar 34% week-on-week, reaching 1,298 on 26 June.

The pattern in Northern Eire is unsure, with numbers rising in early June earlier than levelling off in current days between 320 and 340.
Round six in 10 hospital sufferers who check optimistic for Covid-19 are being handled primarily for one thing else, reasonably than the virus.

Northern Eire workplace minister Conor Burns declined to be drawn on whether or not it’s sustainable for Chris Pincher, who reportedly groped two male friends on the Conservative celebration’s personal members’ Carlton Membership in London, to retain the Tory whip.

Burns, who was in Belfast on Friday to mark the Battle of the Somme anniversary, mentioned:

With respect to that, I’m right here right now to mark a exceptional chapter within the historical past of those islands, to recollect those that gave their lives preventing for freedom and for democratic values, and that’s actually not one thing I need to contaminate by speaking about these issues.

When pressed, he mentioned:

All of these issues are issues for the prime minister and the federal government whip’s workplace, they’re not issues for me.

Requested whether or not Boris Johnson operates a zero-tolerance strategy to allegations of sexual misconduct amongst members of the crew, a No 10 spokesman mentioned:

In fact, the prime minister thinks that that type of behaviour is unacceptable and he would encourage those that want to make a grievance to take action.

The official mentioned he “wouldn’t agree with” the characterisation that Johnson doesn’t take sexual assault claims critically, including:

The prime minister does assume he’s [Pincher] performed the suitable factor in resigning and has accepted that resignation.

The spokesman mentioned Johnson and Pincher “exchanged messages”, although he refused to present particulars of the “personal” trade and mentioned he was not anticipating the PM to jot down a letter.

Boris Johnson considers Chris Pincher matter closed after resignation, Downing Avenue suggests

Boris Johnson has mentioned he isn’t against grammar faculties “in precept” following studies that the federal government might calm down a ban on the creation of latest selective faculties.

In an interview with LBC, Johnson was requested in regards to the help for establishing new grammar faculties amongst MPs within the “Pink Wall”.

He mentioned:

Look, I’ve all the time been in favour of educational competitors and many colleges now have insurance policies of selective admission in sixth kinds… I’m not in opposition to that in precept. All I might say is that what I would like is nice faculties in every single place.

I believe that competitors is a rattling effective factor and essential and results in excellence, and supplied… you encourage competitors in a manner that doesn’t make all people who fails really feel completely depressing, you’ll get some fairly good outcomes.

Johnson mentioned he had “by no means been in opposition to educational choice”, including, “you’ll want to take a look at the way you do it”.

Schooling secretary Nadhim Zahawi has additionally mentioned he needs to “unfold the DNA” of grammar faculties by way of the system with grammar faculties becoming a member of a “household of multi-academy trusts” whereas retaining their selective standing.

PA studies:

The Labour Get together launched a ban on the creation of latest grammar faculties greater than 20 years in the past.

The thought of opening new grammar faculties enjoys help throughout the Conservative celebration, with former trainer and Tory MP Jonathan Gullis, who sits on the Commons training choose committee, operating a marketing campaign to scrap the ban.

Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, additionally needs to see the rule overturned, and is about to desk an modification to the Colleges Invoice in a transfer to carry in regards to the change.

In England, there are 163 grammar faculties, most of that are academies though 20 are maintained faculties.
Pupils sometimes sit the 11-Plus examination to be chosen for a spot on the idea of educational capacity.

This from Sky Information’s Tamara Cohen:

This simply in from the Solar’s Jonathan Reilly, which appears to be at odds with a Politico report earlier about considerations concerning Chris Pincher’s behaviour that had been raised with Steve Barclay, Johnson’s chief of employees, earlier than Pincher was appointed deputy chief whip:

The newest information from Workplace for Nationwide Statistics’ (ONS) An infection Survey exhibits Covid an infection charges have continued to extend throughout all 4 UK nations, probably pushed by the BA.4 and BA.5 variants.

Within the week ending on 24 June one in 30 individuals in England and Wales are estimated to have had the virus, one in 25 in Northern Eire and one in 18 in Scotland.

Covid hospital admission charges and infections in England elevated throughout all age teams. Admissions elevated in all areas besides the South West, the place the pattern was unsure.

A complete of two.3 million individuals in personal UK households are estimated to have had the virus final week, up 32% from 1.7 million the earlier week.

That is the very best estimate for whole infections since late April, however remains to be beneath the file excessive of 4.9 million which was reached on the finish of March.

Tory MPs Caroline Nokes and Karen Bradley have written a letter to Tory chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris on the Chris Pincher groping claims, bemoaning an “inconsistent and unclear strategy by the Get together to cases of sexual misconduct”:

Academics’ leaders have mentioned authorities plans to present most academics a pay rise of 5% don’t “come shut” to what’s wanted.

On Friday, The Telegraph reported that training secretary Nadhim Zahawi is planning to present early profession academics an increase of 9% within the first 5 years’ of their profession, as a part of plans to boost beginning salaries to 30,000.

Zahawi can be planning a pay rise of 5% for the remaining 380,000 academics throughout the UK to keep away from the danger of strike motion, reasonably than 3% as initially deliberate.

He has written to chancellor Rishi Sunak to suggest the rise.
The Division for Schooling’s submission to the College Academics’ Assessment Physique had urged that extra skilled academics obtain pay rises of between 2 and three%, which unions have mentioned is simply too low given rising inflation charges.

Each the NASUWT and NEU educating unions, which have threatened strikes in autumn over pay, have mentioned that the proposed improve of 5% for extra skilled employees is simply too low.

The NEU has beforehand written to Zahawi calling for “inflation-plus” pay rises.

NASUWT has mentioned it is going to maintain a nationwide strike poll if the federal government fails to “ship pay restoration for academics”, PA studies.

Mary Bousted, joint normal secretary of the NEU educating union, mentioned that she would await the federal government’s formal response to the STRB on the finish of the month however that 9% for beginning academics was “only one% greater than anticipated” whereas 5% for extra skilled employees was “unacceptable”.

The Colleges Week web site has reported that there will not be sufficient provide company academics to cowl gaps if academics go on strike.

And this from the BBC Information’s Ione Wells:

This from the i-Paper’s Arj Singh on Chris Pincher’s resignation as deputy chief whip:

Keir Starmer will vow Labour won’t ever take care of the Scottish Nationwide celebration whereas he’s chief and make it express his celebration would go into minority authorities reasonably than enter talks with nationalists.

In a brand new effort to spike Tory assaults on a “coalition of chaos”, the Labour chief is predicted to ramp up his pledge that the celebration would give no quarter to the SNP and wouldn’t grant an independence referendum, which is able to kind a part of his summer season marketing campaign.

That place would successfully dare the SNP to vote down a Labour Queen’s speech and bear duty for bringing down a Labour prime minister and enabling one other Tory administration.

Right here my colleague Jessica Elgot’s full story:

This from HuffPost UK’s Sophia Sleigh:

One other attention-grabbing nugget of polling from Ipsos UK’s Gideon Skinner:

Permitting Chris Pincher to maintain the Tory whip exhibits Boris Johnson “doesn’t take allegations of sexual assault as critically because the chief of a authorities ought to”, a Conservative MP has mentioned.

The MP, who declined to be named, instructed PA:

Let’s not overlook that Mr Pincher is the person who helped maintain Boris Johnson in Downing Avenue earlier this yr and was rewarded with one of the crucial delicate jobs in authorities.

Quantity 10’s preliminary response – suggesting he’s performed ‘the first rate factor’ and permitting him to retain the whip – tells us that Boris Johnson doesn’t take allegations of sexual assault as critically because the chief of a authorities ought to and is the most recent demonstration of why he’s unfit to be prime minister.

The requirements of behaviour anticipated in an organisation are set by the one that leads it.