A "single toecap" of a Russian soldier crossing into Nato territory would mean war, Sajid Javid warned this morning.

       Russia brought its war on Ukraine to within 15 miles of Poland on Sunday with a missile strike on foreign fighters, as the Kremlin boasted it had killed "up to 180".

       Asked what would happen if a missile was fired into Nato's territory, Mr Javid told Sky: "We’ve been very clear even before the border that if there was an attack on any Nato country, even if just a single toecap of a Russian soldier steps into Nato territory, then it would be war with Russia and Nato would respond.

       "That hasn’t changed throughout this conflict and there would be a significant response from Nato if there was any kind of attack from Russia, and we’ve been very, very clear on that."

       Mr Javid would not be drawn on whether a chemical weapons attack on Ukraine would also trigger a Nato response, adding: "Any kind of attack, anything that touches Nato territory or impacts Nato in any significant way, we would respond. But we don’t set that kind of response out in advance."

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       SNP ministers are spending millions of pounds of taxpayers' money on a public sector "gravy train", it has been alleged after it emerged they have overseen the creation of more than 200 new executive posts, Simon Johnson writes.

       A Labour analysis of the number of directors employed to sit on the boards of Scottish government agencies and health bodies found a 29 per cent increase since the SNP came to power in 2007.

       The number of senior positions rose by 223 over the period to 774, the document said, with total salary costs coming to just under ￡8 million per year despite the SNP promising a "bonfire of the quangos" in the 2007 Holyrood election.

       Labour said many of the additional roles were non-executive directors who were often part-time and not involved in the day-to-day running of agencies.

       Read more: Increase of almost one-third since 2007

       The UK accused the authorities in China and Hong Kong of an unjustified assault on free speech after a British human rights organisation was threatened under a "draconian" security law, India McTaggart reports.

       The Hong Kong government told the head of the human rights group Hong Kong Watch that he could face jail time for "collusion with foreign forces" unless he takes down its website.

       Benedict Rogers, who heads the UK-based charity, was sent a letter by Hong Kong police saying there were reasonable grounds for suspecting that Mr Rogers and the group had carried content on their website "likely to constitute an offence endangering national security".

       It warned that Hong Kong Watch could face a fine of HK 100,000 (￡9,793) or its chief executive could face three years in jail for the offence.

       Liz Truss calls Hong Kong threats 'unjustifiable'

       Rishi Sunak has warned businesses to "think very carefully" before they invest in Russia after Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

       The Chancellor welcomed commitments in recent days by companies including BP, Aviva and Vanguard to sell or reduce their holdings in Russia, while going on to urge "further signals of intent".

       "I am urging firms to think very carefully about their investments in Russia and how they may aid the Putin regime - and I am also clear that there is no case for new investment in Russia," he said.

       "We must collectively go further in our mission to inflict maximum economic pain - and to stop further bloodshed."

       While acknowledging that withdrawal is likely to be a long-term process in some cases, the Treasury said it would do "all it could" in supporting businesses as they divert away from Russia.

       Britons who take in Ukrainian refugees will only get the ￡350-a-month payments for the first year despite their stay in the country lasting for up to three years.

       Full details of how the new sponsorship scheme, which will allow people in the UK to offer spare rooms to Ukrainians fleeing the conflict, have emerged via Government sources.

       The scheme, drawn up by Michael Gove, the Levelling Up Secretary, launches on Monday with aspects of the approach still under development.

       Ben Riley-Smith, our Political Editor, looks at how it will work

       The conventional wisdom is that the war in Ukraine has saved Boris’s bacon, and it has certainly revived faith among Tory MPs, writes Tim Stanley.

       Even wee Dougie Ross, the leader of the Scottish Tories, has withdrawn his letter of no confidence, and while some backbenchers are still waiting to see what the final Partygate report says, the general feeling is that Britain has bigger fish to fry. Labour’s lead has fallen. Boris’s approval rating is back up.

       But that rating is still negative, and that sustained Labour lead, its best since 2014, indicates that two things have changed. First, Labour, though not fixed, is competitive, thanks to the Government’s woes and Keir Starmer’s plodding project to rebrand it as reliable and patriotic.

       Second, Partygate has shaken faith in Boris, much as Profumo did Macmillan. Wars can rescue governments: see Thatcher and the Falklands. But that was just three years into her administration, at a moment when the economy was on the turn. Winston Churchill licked Hitler and was expected to cruise to re-election in 1945, but over a decade of Depression and appeasement counted against his party. For a Byronic leader, peace can be harder to navigate than war.

       Tim Stanley: When war is resolved, Boris's problems will really begin

       Sajid Javid has said it is not impossible that Russian missiles could land in Nato territory but it is very unlikely, writes Sam Hall.

       Asked about the possibility of Russian missiles landing on Nato territory after a weekend attack on a Ukrainian military training base near the Polish border, the Health Secretary told BBC Radio 4: "It is not impossible ... but I still think at this stage it's very unlikely."

       "We've made it very clear to the Russians, even before the start of this conflict, even if a single Russian toecap steps into Nato territory, then it will be considered an act of war."

       It would be "poetic justice" to accommodate Ukrainian refugees in property owned by Russian oligarchs, the Mayor of London has said.

       Sadiq Khan described mansions owned by figures believed to be close to Vladimir Putin as "gold bricks used to launder money".

       "I think the Government should be seizing them, and before selling them - because they'll take some time - they should be using them to house those Ukrainians who are fleeing Ukraine, who we'll be offering a safe haven in London," he told Times Radio.

       "It's a form of poetic justice, but also it's a good use of these many, many empty properties sitting across London simply with dust being gathered inside, rather than them being used to house people who need homes."

       Michael Gove, the Levelling Up Secretary, said yesterday that he is considering seizing oligarchs’ UK mansions to house people fleeing the Russian invasion.

       Sadiq Khan will not be able to take in a Ukrainian refugee personally, he said this morning as he hit out at the Government's "embarrassing" response.

       The Mayor of London contrasted the UK's approach to support schemes offered by Germany, France, Italy and Spain during an interview with Good Morning Britain.

       On whether he would be willing to host a refugee, Mr Khan told the breakfast show: "Personally we won't be able to because of space and other security issues, but I admire the generosity of those Londoners, and we know our city is a very generous city.""

       He said the visa system was "far too complicated for those from Ukraine to come to London and our country" at a time when councils, hotels and "businesses were all ready to "step up".

       "The issue now is the delay in the visas but also we need to make sure there's the right support, the wrap-around care.

       The Covid booster programme of fourth doses will begin towards the end of this month, Sajid Javid confirmed this morning.

       "It will be for anyone aged over 75, anyone living in a residential care home or anyone that's immunosuppressed," the Health Secretary told the BBC.

       "It's right that when we implement this we take the advice of our independent committee, which is the JCVI, and I've accepted their full recommendations and we will be able to begin as planned."

       In light of a "modest rise in infections", Mr Javid promised to keep the situation under review although repeated that there is "nothing in the data" to provide any cause for concern.

       Asked whether a Ukrainian working in the NHS on a visa would be able to bring their family members across under the existing scheme, Sajid Javid noted there are "two separate schemes".

       "Taken together, these two schemes mean that anyone, whether they have a relative in the UK or not, will be able to get safe passage and sanctuary in the UK," Mr Javid told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

       "These are two very important schemes, it's right that both of them are uncapped and that we offer this kind of support in any way we can."

       He said he would "of course" try to get to the bottom of who is eligible under the existing Ukrainian family visa scheme.

       Russia's attack on the Yavoriv military base near the Polish border should serve as a "wake up call" to Nato", its former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander has warned.

       The organisation would respond "very, very firmly" to an attack on its territory but must make sure it has "the forces appropriate to modern warfare on a scale not seen probably since the Cold War", Sir Richard Shirreff told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

       "The essential foundation of Nato remains Article 5 of the Washington Treaty - an attack on one is an attack on all. So if missiles had landed in Polish territory, Poland is a Nato member and therefore every other Nato member, all 30 member states of Nato, would be obliged to come to Poland's support."

       On suggestions Russia should be given a "deadline" to compromise before Nato becomes involved, Sir Richard said the bloc must be "absolutely clear to Putin that there can be no hint of an incursion into Nato territory".

       Among members of the Government and their advisers, it is difficult to find anybody willing to defend its record when it comes to helping Ukrainian refugees, writes Nick Timothy.

       In interviews, ministers pass the buck. No？10 blames the Home Office, and the Home Office blames No？10. Michael Gove will today launch a new policy, in which we can sponsor refugees and welcome them into our homes.

       It is hard to explain why they were caught short. As the drumbeat of Putin’s war grew louder, it was predictable that there would be a new refugee crisis in Europe.

       The explanations doing the rounds will not do. Some claim the Government is motivated only by bigotry and a determination to reduce all forms of immigration. But this overlooks the fact that ministers have paved the way for hundreds of thousands of Hong Kongers, and tens of thousands of Afghans, to build new lives in Britain, and the fact that the Government’s new immigration framework will see the numbers remain at record highs.

       Nick Timothy: This fraught area of politics needs sanity

       The West can avoid a "larger war" by stepping up help for Ukraine in its fight against Russia, the Ukrainian foreign minister has warned.

       Last week, Joe Biden personally vetoed a plan to send fighter jets from Poland, reportedly fearing it could escalate tensions with Vladimir Putin.

       "Direct confrontation between Nato and Russia is World War Three, something we must strive to prevent," President Biden said - echoing similar fears cited in response to suggestions of a 'no-fly zone' over Ukrainian skies, which would likely involve having to shoot down Russian planes.

       "To those abroad scared of being 'dragged into World War Three'. Ukraine fights back successfully. We need you to help us fight," Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter in the last few minutes.

       "Provide us with all necessary weapons. Apply more sanctions on Russia and isolate it fully. Help Ukraine force Putin into failure and you will avert a larger war."

       Asked whether the Government should be reviewing its decision to raise National Insurance contributions (NICS) next month, Sajid Javid insisted Rishi Sunak has his "full support".

       "As you say I was Chancellor... One of the benefits of not being the chancellor at the moment is not having to make these decisions," Mr Javid told LBC.

       "But when it comes to funding the NHS of course we need a proper long term plan in place, that is what the Chancellor has presented and he has my full support in doing so.

       "I think the Chancellor and the Prime Minister [have] both been very clear that we need a proper long term way to fund the NHS, the challenges that we face and they've set out that plan."

       Only "a handful" of cases of 'deltacron' - a new coronavirus variant - have been identified in the UK, the Health Secretary said.

       "It's not something that is of particular concern to us at this point in time," Sajid Javid told the BBC. "We do keep the situation under review literally on a daily basis.

       "But the dominant variant here in the UK - 99.9 infections, percentage wise, are omicron infections, and whilst the rate has gone up modestly in the last few days that's to be expected as we are now open as a country and there's more social mixing.

       "But there's nothing in the data at this point in time that gives us any cause of concern."

       Asked whether he would take in a Ukrainian refugee under a new scheme that will be launched by Michael Gove this week, Sajid Javid told BBC Breakfast:

       Britons who volunteer to host Ukrainian refugees will be subject to criminal record checks, the Health Secretary confirmed this morning.

       Sajid Javid emphasised the need to "get the right balance" between speed and helping those fleeing Vladimir Putin's invasion, as he stressed there would be no cap on numbers.

       "With the hosts in particular there will be a DBS style check," he told Times Radio.

       Speaking to Sky News, Mr Javid added: "It will work with the charities that we are working closely with, so there are a number of charities on the ground in Poland and Moldova. There’s no cap and there shouldn’t be because we don’t know, sadly, where this war is going to end."

       Mr Javid confirmed that around 3,000 visas had been granted as of Saturday and admitted the scheme had been a "difficult process" amid initial administrative difficulties.

       Michael Gove, the Levelling Up Secretary responsible for the scheme, will set out more details in Parliament later today.

       A "single toecap" of a Russian soldier crossing into Nato territory would mean war, Sajid Javid warned this morning.

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