Boris Johnson was right to clarify his comments about Sir Keir Starmer and Jimmy Savile as "words have consequences", a minister has said ahead of today's Prime Minister's Questions.
Edward Argar, the health minister, indicated Mr Johnson would not apologise for his claim that Sir Keir "failed to prosecute" Savile while Director of Public Prosecutions, but welcomed Mr Johnson's comments that the Labour leader had no personal involvement in the decision.
"I think you’re right to say words have consequences, that’s why I think it was right the Prime Minister clarified what he meant and was very clear in that clarification," he told Sky News.
"I think it was clear he was not suggesting any personal involvement by Sir Keir, I’m pleased he made that clarification. I think the Prime Minister has set out his position very clearly, he explained very clearly it wasn’t a personal reference and I think that that is an appropriate way for him to have moved things forward."
Mr Johnson will go into PMQs with changes to his team after holding a mini-reshuffle yesterday in an attempt to regain his grip on power.
Expected to join him on the front bench is Chris Heaton-Harris, the new Chief Whip who has replaced Mark Spencer.
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Sir Keir Starmer was pictured leaving his home this morning ahead of his weekly showdown with Boris Johnson at Prime Minister's Questions.
The Labour leader has not commented on the events of Monday, which saw him rescued by police after he was surrounded by a mob who accused him of "protecting paedophiles".
The group repeated an accusation made by Boris Johnson in the Commons last week, when he suggested Sir Keir was responsible for the "failure to prosecute" Jimmy Savile while Director of Public Prosecutions, a decision Sir Keir had no personal involvement in.
Last week at PMQs, Sir Keir said of the Conservative Party: "Our parties stood together as we defeated fascism in Europe. Now their leader stands in the House of Commons parroting the conspiracy theories of violent fascists to try and score cheap political points."
It will be interesting to see what gets said on the matter by either leader this week.
As wave after wave of Covid has crashed against our defences during the last two years, the NHS has managed to stand its ground, Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, writes for The Telegraph.
Sajid Javid: NHS crisis demands radicalism and we will deliver
Sadiq Khan has questioned why nine out of 14 officers based at Charing Cross police station involved in vile social media exchanges are still serving with the Met.
One officer who joked about raping women at knifepoint was allowed to keep his job, it emerged last week, while two others sacked for sharing misogynistic, homophobic and racist messages were granted anonymity by the force.
"I think Londoners can't understand why nine of these 14 police officers are still serving," the Mayor told the Today programme. "I've asked that question."
"And by the way, I only discovered last week that two of them have been promoted."
Mr Khan said the Met's plan to win back public trust was a matter of "days and weeks" after the force was implicated in a series of scandals.
A shadow minister said he does not want to "continue the debate" over Boris Johnson's comments about Jimmy Savile and Sir Keir Starmer.
"The truth is, the longer you and I are talking about this, in a way that's what Boris Johnson wants," Pat McFadden told Sky News.
"Because I think he wants to continue this debate, I think he's quite happy with this scurrilous rumour being spread around.
"And actually, what I'd rather be talking about - of course, you can ask whatever you want - but there's a lot going on in the world.
"We've got high energy prices, we've got the story on NHS waiting lists that was announced yesterday where people are waiting much longer for treatment, we've got major issues with fraud and crime that we are talking about today."
The care and mental health minister has apologised for continuing to attend a meeting after being told she had coronavirus.
"Earlier today, ahead of a planned visit I took a precutionary [lateral flow device] test which gave a positive result. I am now isolating at home and fortunately feel fine," Gillian Keegan wrote on social media last night.
"When I was told my test was positive I was listening to three fathers who had tragically lost their daughters to suicide. I told them the result and took further precautions but with their consent, I stayed for a short period to hear their stories.
"I should have immediately ended the meeting and on reflection this was an error of judgment on my part. I fully recognise the importance of following the letter and spirit of the policies, so want to be upfront about what happened and to apologise for the mistake I made."
Not exactly a ringing endorsement of Dame Cressida Dick's leadership of the Metropolitan Police from Sadiq Khan this morning.
After it emerged he had put Dame Cressida "on notice", Mr Khan told Radio 4: "I think it's possible on the one hand to recognise the brave officers we have, the excellent officers we have but also say what we have seen too often are examples of racism, misogyny, sexism, discrimination and the like.
"I've been quite clear to the Commissioner. My expectation is the next time I see her I want to see what her response is to the examples of not one officer, but 14 officers, being involved in racist, sexist, misogynistic, homophobic, antisemitic, Islamophobic and the like behaviour - none of whom are still serving - and secondly what her plans are to win back the trust and confidence that's been both knocked and shattered as a consequence of these cases."
On whether Dame Cressida still has his confidence, Mr Khan said: "That'll be contingent on the response from the commissioner the next time I see her. If I believe the commissioner can't win back the trust and confidence of Londoners..."
Edward Argar praised Mark Spencer as a "highly effective" Chief Whip as he refused to comment on the ongoing investigation after allegations of Islamophobia made by Nusrat Ghani.
Mr Spencer was replaced by Chris Heaton-Harris and made Leader of the House of Commons in yesterday's reshuffle, while Jacob Rees-Mogg became the Minister for Brexit Opportunities.
"There is an investigation going on into those specific allegations that were made, so it wouldn't be right for me to comment while that process is going on," Mr Argar told Times Radio.
"Speaking on the basis of my working relationships, and as a colleague, I've always found Mark to be an incredibly decent, forthright and genuine person and I found him to be a highly effective chief whip.
"And from my perspective as a minister taking legislation through the House of Commons... indeed at the moment, I rate Mark's skills very highly and I look forward to working with him as Leader of the House in helping to get my legislation through, as well as every other piece of legislation."
A former adviser to Gordon Brown has backed a one-off windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas companies.
Professor Michael Jacobs pointed to Margaret Thatcher instigating a windfall tax on the banks in 1981 and Labour's windfall tax on privatised utilities in 1997.
"In the end they weren’t taken to court or challenged by the companies because in the court of public opinion, both of those occasions everybody thought 'those companies have not earned those profits'," he told the Today programme.
"A windfall tax is a good thing because it doesn't affect their behaviour."
Boris Johnson's leadership is "past the point of no return", according to a billionaire hedge fund manager who has donated more than ￡3million to the Tory Party.
John Armitage, who has donated more than ￡500,000 to the Conservatives since Mr Johnson became Prime Minister in 2009 but last year donated ￡12,500 to Labour, told BBC Breakfast he felt the PM had now lost "moral authority".
"If you do things which the average person, your mother, someone who you admire, if you do something or say something which on the front page of the Sunday Times looks terrible, and you do that consistently, and you betray a sense of not really caring, I think you should leave.
"I find the lack of honour inherent in modern politics incredibly distressing... 'I'm going to change my advisers' - God above, what about a sense of personal responsibility?"
The health minister said new targets for tackling the NHS backlog are "ambitious but realistic".
Mr Argar corrected Sky News's Kay Burley when she said one in 10 Britons were on a waiting list, saying: "It's around one in nine... That's a huge figure and every one of those people will understandably be concerned. They'll either be in pain or understandably anxious.
"We’ve got to be realistic and honest with people about the scale of that challenge and the impact that will have both on workload and on workforce so what we’ve set is what we think is ambitious but realistic as a way to bring that waiting list."
Mr Argar echoed comments made by Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, on Monday, as he warned the waiting list "will go up before it goes down".
The health minister has suggested that Boris Johnson will not apologise for his comments about Sir Keir Starmer and Jimmy Savile at the despatch box later today.
"The Prime Minister has been very clear, he’s clarified what he was talking about," Edward Argar told Sky.
"He’s clarified that he was talking about Sir Keir in the context of his leadership role at the CPS, just as quite rightly Sir Keir holds him to account for his leadership role over the Government.
"That doesn’t mean personal responsibility for individual decisions and to be honest with you I suspect that’s what you’ll hear from the Prime Minister today.
"All politicians, all of us in the public eye - media, politicians, individuals on things like Twitter - need to think carefully about the words they use."
Boris Johnson was right to clarify his comments about Sir Keir Starmer and Jimmy Savile as "words have consequences", a minister has said ahead of Prime Minister's Questions.
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