Top story: PM says he has seen no evidence of threats
Happy Friday morning to you all, Graham Russell here to bring you a selection of today’s news and other treats.
The row over allegations that Tory whips threatened rebel MPs to secure their support looks set to continue apace after Labour called for an investigation and a report that some rebels were considering releasing texts or recordings of their conversations.
The Guardian has been told of at least five MPs who have expressed concerns about the government threatening funding for their constituency or encouraging damaging stories to be published in newspapers.
Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, said the alleged threats to force support for Boris Johnson were “disgusting” and Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, said Johnson was “now in full scorched earth mode”.
Johnson has said he had “seen no evidence” of threats, and a No 10 spokesperson said: “If there is any evidence to support these claims, we would look at it very carefully.”
Allies of Johnson believe a no-confidence vote after the forthcoming release of Sue Gray’s report on the “partygate” scandal is now almost inevitable, though some are increasingly confident he will survive it. One cabinet minister said: “When you start to put it to people that the prime minister who got us this huge majority might have to go over cheese and wine – well it starts to look ridiculous.”
Liz Truss, a potential leadership contender who is in Sydney to promote defence ties, said overnight that Johnson had her “100% support”, though she sidestepped a question about whether she would stand in any leadership contest.
Amid the continuing speculation, our political correspondent Peter Walker has put together a handy guide to the competing, but sometimes cooperating, factions inside the Tory party. And sketch writer John Crace homes in on the baby-faced assassin who has Johnson in his sights.
Private concern – More than 300 NHS consultants have shares in profit-making joint ventures with private healthcare firms, sparking concern that the financial incentives they create could lead to potential conflicts of interest. The thinktank that gathered the data, the Centre for Health and the Public Interest, found no evidence of wrongdoing but urged regulators to investigate the often opaque arrangements, saying the pandemic has “turbo charged” the share of NHS budgets spent in private clinics. The arrangements have generated more than £1bn in revenues since 2015, it has emerged.
Ukraine warning – Liz Truss has invoked the Soviet-Afghan war and conflict in Chechnya to warn Russia that any invasion of Ukraine would only lead to “a terrible quagmire and loss of life”. The foreign secretary urged Vladimir Putin to “desist and step back from Ukraine before he makes a massive strategic mistake”. Her comments come after the US accused Russian intelligence of recruiting current and former Ukrainian government officials to take over the government and cooperate with a Russian occupying force.
‘Shameful shambles’ – The state pension payment system “is not fit for purpose”, a committee of MPs has said in a scathing report, after it emerged that it had underpaid an estimated 134,000 pensioners, mostly women, a total of more than £1bn. The public accounts committee lambasted the Department for Work and Pensions for its “complacency” and accused it of not having been “sufficiently transparent” to parliament about the problems. In February 2021 the Guardian featured the case of Angela Jenner, now 79, who was getting only 86p a week as her state pension but, after making a claim, saw this increased to £80.45 a week, and also learned she was owed £42,700.
‘I’m gutted’ – Adele has postponed her three-month residency in Las Vegas, which was due to start today, saying the production has been “absolutely destroyed” by Covid-related delays. Clearly upset, she apologised profusely in an Instagram video to fans who had already made the trip to see her. The residency, titled Weekends with Adele, was intended to celebrate her highly lauded album 30, which topped music charts in the UK, Australia and the US. “I’m gutted and I’m sorry it’s so last minute,” Adele said. “We’ve been awake for over 30 hours now and we’ve run out of time.”
Denied a platform – Transport secretary Grant Shapps has called for unnecessary train announcements to be cut as part of a “bonfire of the banalities”. Announcements that could be culled as part of a review include instructions to have your ticket ready when leaving the station, as well as calls to keep the volume down in quiet carriages. Limits for the frequency of announcements will also be set.
Today in Focus podcast: The fight for the future of the BBC
The latest skirmish between the BBC and the government is part of a running debate over who the BBC serves, which dates back to the organisation’s earliest days. But this time, the stakes are higher.
The fight for the future of the BBC
Lunchtime read: India’s ‘love jihad’ conspiracy theory turns lethal
Sameer Parishwadi turned over the body of his cousin Arbaaz Aftab Mullah and saw that his hands were tightly bound. “I knew then that this was 100% a murder,” he said. “He had been tortured and then cruelly killed.” Mullah, a Muslim man from the southern Indian state of Karnataka, was allegedly killed for falling in love with a Hindu girl. Interfaith marriages have always carried a social stigma but, in recent years, since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party came to power, such unions have become a dangerous flashpoint due to a discredited but pervasive conspiracy known as “love jihad”.
Sport
Liverpool surged into the final of the Carabao Cup and will face Chelsea at Wembley next month after a brace from Diogo Jota put paid to Arsenal. Jürgen Klopp hailed Jota as “world-class” as the club seeks to win the trophy for a record ninth time. The final isn’t for over a month, so here are 10 things to look out for this weekend.
Former world No 1 Victoria Azarenka has become the first player through to the last 16 of the Australian Open after despatching 15th seed Elina Svitolina 6-0, 6-2 on Friday, keeping alive her hopes of winning a third title at Melbourne Park. Current No 1 Ash Barty and Naomi Osaka play their third-round matches later, while Rafael Nadal headlines the evening session in the men’s draw. Thursday was a day of disappointment for the UK, with losses for Emma Raducanu and Andy Murray – here’s what they had to say.
Tahlia McGrath, the 26-year-old all-rounder who has displaced Ellyse Perry in the Australian lineup, has guided her side to a nine-wicket victory in the opening encounter of the Women’s Ashes. On Thursday she cemented her status as one of the world’s premier all-rounders, with an unbeaten 91 off 49 balls and a return of three for 26 with the ball. “Something just clicked tonight,” she said.
In rugby, Henry Slade appears likely to take part in England’s entire Six Nations campaign after he was declared available for Exeter’s trip to Montpellier this weekend. Slade was among England’s best performers in the autumn. There were fears the away matches against Italy and France could prove tricky for Slade, who has previously expressed hesitancy over coronavirus vaccines, but Exeter chief Rob Baxter has hinted the 28-year-old centre is now fully jabbed.
Business
Britain’s wind and solar farms might pay back almost £800m to consumers by the end of the winter after gas and electricity market prices rocketed above their set subsidy levels. The move could help reduce household power bills by £27 a year, but that could have been a lot more if the renewable energy rollout had taken place sooner, the industry has said. The government is to invest £100m to help Britishvolt build Britain’s first large-scale “gigafactory” in north-east England. The company is hoping to build the plant rapidly with the aim of supplying a large part of the UK car industry’s needs.
In China, Evergrande’s finance woes continue, with news that bondholders have hired a law firm and threatened action after receiving “little more than vague assurances of intent” from the property developer.
The pound is buying $1.359 and €1.200 at time of writing.
The papers
The alleged intimidation of some Tory MPs is covered by several of today’s papers. The Guardian says “Tories ‘using dirty tactics to get MPs to back Johnson”, focusing on Christian Wakeford saying he was told he would not get a school for Radcliffe if he “did not vote in one particular way”. The main picture shows a bevy of commuters as the return to the office looms large.
The i says “Tory civil war over future of Johnson” and carries its own polling showing 71% of the public believe the prime minister will not make it to the next election.
The Mirror focuses on Wakeford’s claim, alongside the headline “lowest of the low”, while the Metro says “Blackmailed to back Boris”.
The Times looks ahead with a report that some Tory rebels are considering publishing exchanges they have had with the whips to back claims of threats. “Tory rebels retaliate in row over ‘blackmail’” is the headline. Also, a very large picture shows the Duchess of Cambridge clearly enjoying holding a cockapoo.
Others look to Covid-related stories. The Telegraph says “Schools defy PM over masks in class” alongside an image of a dejected Emma Raducanu after her Australian Open exit. Columnist Fraser Nelson’s view, that “Boris deserves one last chance”, features across the top. The Mail focuses on union anger at Johnson’s efforts to get civil servants back at their desks as an example of the return-to-the-office ethos.
The Express reports millions could be in line for help with their fuel bills under a “radical idea” being considered by Rishi Sunak.
The FT looks further afield, with the headline: “Biden hardens warning to Russia after Kyiv says no attack is minor”.
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