Boris Johnson’s decision to accuse Keir Starmer of ‘prosecuting journalists and failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile’ while he was director of public prosecutions continues to divide the Tory party. The comment has gone down badly with his own MPs, and the Chancellor Rishi Sunak notably refused to defend the remark. It also led to the resignation of Munira Mirza, the director of the No. 10 policy unit. However, the Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng told Trevor Phillips that although Starmer did not bear any personal blame, Johnson was well within his rights to make the remark:
KK: ‘In that context I think it was perfectly reasonable to mention the fact that Sir Keir had apologised… so the fact that he apologised suggests that he at some level does bear some responsibility.’
Kwarteng: PM was ‘absolutely right’ about crime
Sophie Raworth challenged Kwarteng over the Prime Minister’s record on telling the truth. She put to him what Johnson had said to the Commons about the latest crime statistics, arguing that he was conveniently overlooking fraud and offences involving computers:
KK: ‘When people talk about crime, they generally (are talking) about burglaries, about personal injury, about physical crimes. I think in that context, we’re seeing lower crimes. The point that the Prime Minister was making… was absolutely right.’
‘It was perfectly reasonable to mention the fact that Sir Keir had apologised’
Iain Duncan Smith: Johnson has to put things right
The former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith told Sophie Raworth he was not calling for the PM’s blood, but insisted Boris needed to get his house in order – and fast:
IDS: ‘He is the man that oversaw what went wrong. He is the man who has to recognise… that these things need to be put right desperately.’
Lammy: London is becoming the ‘laundromat of the world’:
Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy also spoke to Phillips about the situation in Ukraine. Lammy said that as well as implementing sanctions on the Russian regime, the government should also attempt to clean up its own back yard:
DL: ‘We’ve been saying that we have to deal with the dirty money that’s circulating in London. London is becoming the laundromat of the world.’
Jeffrey Donaldson: ‘No more words, we need action’
Northern Ireland First Minister Paul Givan stepped down this week, claiming that unionists were merely being ‘seen and not heard’ over the difficulties put in place by the Brexit withdrawal agreement. Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the leader of the DUP, called on Boris Johnson to rediscover his unionist credentials. He argued that Boris should be fully prepared to trigger Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol, allowing the UK government to take immediate measures to reduce border checks and improve the flow of trade:
JD: ‘It disappoints me that our Prime Minister cannot give a firm commitment, today, that if there is not agreement reached with the EU, he will… (trigger) Article 16… No more words, we need action.’
Gavin Barwell: New advisers can only make ‘so much difference’
And finally, Gavin Barwell, who served as the chief of staff to Theresa May after the 2017 election gamble turned sour, reacted to the news that his old job would be filled by sitting MP Steven Barclay:
GB: ‘I’ve got a lot of time for Steve… (but) there’s only so much difference advisers can make if the person at the top is not actually listening.’
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