The "soap opera" allegations made by Dominic Cummings against Boris Johnson are not accurate, the Justice Secretary has claimed this morning.

       Mr Cummings claimed on his blog last night that he and other eyewitnesses were prepared to swear under oath that the Prime Minister has "lied to Parliament about parties" at Number 10.

       The former chief aide to Mr Johnson, who departed in November 2020, also alleged that there are "many other photos of parties after I left yet to appear".

       But speaking to Sky News, Dominic Raab said of the allegations: "The PM’s been very clear that’s not true or accurate. Forgive me if I don’t get drawn into the soap opera of what one or other claim has been made.

       "I’ve been clear that I think it’s a serious issue, which is why we’ve got that serious investigation. I’m not going to get into commenting on every little snippet in the papers.

       "People want us to look at the things that matter in their daily lives, which is [that we are] coming out of this pandemic, the economic measures we’ve taken, getting ourselves back on the front foot and the crime fighting agenda."

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       Magistrates are to be given powers to jail criminals for up to a year in a bid to clear backlogs in the biggest change to the system in 140 years, reports Charles Hymas.

       Dominic Raab, the Justice Secretary, announced the jail terms that magistrates can impose will double from the current maximum of six months, enabling them to try more serious offences of assault, burglary, theft and fraud.

       In an exclusive article for The Telegraph, he said the change would increase the number of cases handled by magistrates, freeing up judges to concentrate on major trials and speeding up justice by reducing their backlogs.

       Hailing magistrates, who are volunteer laypeople, as the "unsung heroes" and "linchpins" of the justice system, Mr Raab said he believed they could "fairly and effectively" try more serious cases.

       Charles Hymas, our Home Affairs Editor, reports this morning that the Lords have inflicted 13 defeats on the Government’s crackdown on protests, which was launched after mass disruption by eco-activists.

       Measures including a new offence of interfering with key national infrastructure such as airports and newspaper printing plants were rejected by the peers, who claimed the powers were too wide, rushed and anti-democratic.

       On the Today programme, Dominic Raab, the Justice Secretary, pledged to "look very carefully" at next steps, such as introducing the legislation in the Commons.

       "What we saw in the House of Lords is Labour and the Lib Dems and others voting against what I think the public would expect. You describe it as 'noisy protesters' and 'curtailing civil liberty'.

       "I think actually if you look at what Insulate Britain has done, if you look at what Extinction Rebellion has done, damaging the economy, paralysing public services... In relation to noise, of course we support the right of peaceful and rambunctious protest but it cannot be allowed to interfere with the lives of the law-abiding majority. That's not right."

       Mr Raab accused Sir Keir Starmer of "disempowering the police from protecting the public" and voting against tougher sentences for violent and sexual offences.

       Is Dominic Cummings a credible witness? "That'll be for Sue Gray," Dominic Raab told the Today programme, although dismissed Mr Cummings' accusation that Boris Johnson had known about parties at Downing Street and misled Parliament as "not true".

       "Forgive me if I don't preempt or prejudge the investigation Sue Gray is carrying out... It's going to report shortly, the PM is committed to the transparency around that."

       If a Prime Minister were to have lied to the Commons, it would "normally under the ministerial code be a resigning matter - that is critically important," Mr Raab pointed out.

       "The standards are there for a reason, and I think it's absolutely right. I'm not going to prejudge the facts in this or any other claims that have been made."

       Rows between Dominic Cummings and the Government have started to resemble a "bitter divorce", the leader of a civil service trade union said.

       Dave Penman, the general-secretary of the FDA, told the Today programme: "The difficulty is with this kind of claim and counter-claim and qualified defence it feels like a bitter divorce and the Government and the civil service are the kids caught in the crossfire.

       "There's no doubt that it's damaging to the reputation of the Prime Minister but it's also starting to damage the reputation of the civil service and Government. And we really need to conclude this affair one way or another as quickly as possible."

       Mr Penman refuted the idea there was a wider drinking culture in the civil service, which he asserted was "very damaging and not true".

       Dominic Cummings must be interviewed as a "key witness" by Sue Gray as part of her investigation into parties at Downing Street, the leader of the SNP at Westminster urged.

       Ian Blackford dismissed any report without the involvement of Mr Cummings as "not worth the paper it is written on".

       "Lying to Parliament would be a clear breach of the ministerial code alone, and would require the Prime Minister to resign immediately," he said.

       "The Prime Minister must now confirm that Sue Gray will interview Dominic Cummings as part of her investigation.

       "Mr Johnson must then come to Parliament and put on record whether he believes Mr Cummings is lying, or whether he will finally admit that he has repeatedly lied to Parliament and the people himself."

       Dominic Raab acknowledged "frustration" among voters who "want to see the Government focusing on their priorities" amid reports of an 'Operation Red Meat' fightback.

       "I think there is some frustration and people feel there’s an issue of double standards," he told Sky. "I was out canvassing three times and I didn’t get it raised a lot with me. What people care about is that people are focused on their issues and making their lives better.

       "It's really important we deal with these allegations and these claims, that’s what the Sue Gray inquiry is for, but actually that allows us to focus on what people really care about and frankly that’s the overwhelming feedback that I’ve had."

       Promising the Sue Gray investigation would yield "full transparency", he said he was "confident that [Boris Johnson is] being straightforward with the House of Commons".

       Graffiti on the offices of Tory MPs Peter Bone and Robert Largan that has appeared in recent days was not reflective of "mainstream opinion", Mr Raab suggested.

       Dominic Raab has denied claims of a drinking culture in Downing Street but said it "doesn't surprise me" that people had a beer or wine "at the end of a very long week".

       Appearing on Sky News, the Justice Secretary described claims that the May 20, 2020 party had been held in his honour after deputising for the Prime Minister during his hospitalisation as "nonsense", clarifying that he was not invited.

       But Mr Raab added: "I feel as frustrated as anyone else and I think double standards are toxic."

       Regarding the Telegraph's revelations last week two parties were held on the eve of Prince Philip's funeral, he said: "Number 10 has apologised for that. I think it was right to apologise, I’m a lawyer by heart.

       "I want to see the rules complied with. I realise the Government as lawmakers have to act to a high standard, I get all of that."

       The "soap opera" allegations made by Dominic Cummings against Boris Johnson are not accurate, the Justice Secretary has claimed this morning.

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