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       Watch live as Boris Johnson faces Keir Starmer at PMQs

       Boris Johnson has been told he is “pretty much toast” if handed a Partygate fine, as the prime minister endured a grilling from senior MPs on the Commons liaison committee.

       At PMQs hours earlier, SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford accused the Tories of “partying through the cost of living emergency” by attending a “champagne bash” on Tuesday night, days before an energy price hike hits millions of families.

       The bereaved families of Covid victims chanted “shame on you” as Conservative MPs entered the dinner party at the Park Plaza hotel, which came as the Metropolitan Police confirmed an initial 20 Partygate fines, prompting renewed calls for Boris Johnson to resign.

       Meanwhile, Michael Gove’s Homes for Ukraine scheme has faced scathing criticism. The Home Office has said just 2,700 visas have been granted to people hoping to come to the UK under the initiative – despite applications reaching 28,300.

       Robina Qureshi, director of refugee homelessness charity Positive Action in Housing, said the “goodwill of British people is being poured down the drain.”

       “We are disgusted and ashamed,” she said.

       Recommended Clash over Partygate as Boris Johnson refuses to endorse Raab’s admission laws were broken Downing Street parties timeline as first fines issued Partygate is not about cake – it’s about the breaking of laws that were intended to save lives Tory MP coming out as trans should prompt more ‘respectful’ conversations Bereaved Covid families boo ministers at Boris Johnson’s dinner as Partygate fines issued

       Key Points Boris Johnson told he is ‘pretty much toast’ if handed Partygate fine Tories accused of ‘partying through cost of living emergency’ Boris Johnson to face grilling by senior MPs amid calls for resignation Dominic Raab insists PM acted ‘in good faith’, did not mislead Parliament Tory MPs heckled as they attend party in London Met Police accused of ‘special treatment’ in partygate probe Earlier: First 20 fines issued over partygate

       Show latest update 1648706575 Labour to pressure government on cost of living squeeze

       Labour is expected today to raise the issue of the UK’s increasing cost of living. Sir Keir Starmer will call on voters to “send the Tories a message they cannot ignore” as he pledged to cut energy bills by up to ￡600.

       Households are set to be ￡2,620 worse off because of the cost of living squeeze facing the country, Labour will say.

       Shweta Sharma 31 March 2022 07:02

       1648705382 Boris hails ￡28.5bn Australian group investment in UK

       In a boost to the post-Brexit British economy, Australian businesses announced major new investments totalling ￡28.5bn in projects in clean energy, technology and infrastructure across the UK.

       The announcement came as Boris Johnson hosted a UK-Australia investment roundtable at Downing Street on Wednesday.

       In a pre-recorded clip, Mr Johnson said: “I’m very proud to announce that leading Australian businesses are investing a colossal ￡28.5bn in infrastructure, in green technology and in new sustainable homes here in the UK.

       “And that will mean tens of thousands of jobs that will help us to level up across the whole of the country.

       “And it will mean new offshore wind projects in Lincolnshire and in northern Scotland. It will mean hydrogen hubs in Southampton and in Orkney. And it will mean 2,700 sustainable homes. I’ve never seen a package of investment like it.”

       Shweta Sharma 31 March 2022 06:43

       1648703278 Trans Tory MP receives support as ‘party divided’ over his identity

       Tory MP Jamie Wallis, who became the first MP to come out as trans, has been receiving an outpouring of support, with the British prime minister promising Conservatives’ love and support.

       But “the party really is divided over the issue”, Andrew Boff, a patron of the LGBT+ Conservatives group and member of the London Assembly, told PA agency.

       Mr Boff said he hoped that Mr Wallis coming out will lead to a wider discussion of how trans rights are handled by the government.

       In a tweet, Boris Johnson said Mr Wallis would “undoubtedly support others” and “the Conservative Party I lead will always give you, and everyone else, the love and support you need to be yourself”.

       Mr Wallis on Wednesday revealed he was raped and blackmailed as he detailed a catalogue of traumatic incidents.

       Shweta Sharma 31 March 2022 06:07

       1648702122 Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam suspects politics behind resignation of British judges

       After two UK Supreme Court judges resigned from Hong Kong’s top court on Wednesday, British leader Carrie Lam said “here must be a lot of politics behind it”.

       Addressing a press conference on Thursday, she said: “I remain very confident that we still have very fine judges in the judiciary, both local and from overseas. Hong Kong will continue to benefit significantly.”

       The judges resigned on Wednesday over a sweeping national security law imposed by China that cracks down on dissent in the former British colony. The resignations were condemned by Beijing and the Hong Kong government.

       Ms Lam said she was confident that all levels of the judiciary in the Asian financial hub would be free from political interference.

       She said that Hong Kong’s controversial national security law did not prohibit overseas judges from serving and hearing security cases.

       Shweta Sharma 31 March 2022 05:48

       1648701107 About 11,000 vacant military homes should be used to house Ukraine refugees, says MSP

       Gordon MacDonald, a Member of the Scottish Parliament, has urged the defence secretary Ben Wallace to use about 11,000 homes vacant houses to Support Ukrainian refugees in “horrific situation”.

       In his letter to Mr Wallace, the Edinburgh Pentland MSP said: “Other countries are already making good use of empty military housing, including the USA where eight military bases are currently being used to house Afghan refugees until permanent housing is made available.

       “I am sure you would agree that if the choice is a family home or a hotel bedroom for months on end, then most people would choose a family home and I believe it would be a failure of the Ministry of Defence not to utilise these properties to provide a safe, warm home for displaced Ukrainian people.

       “I would urge the MoD to take this forward as a priority, working with the Scottish Government and the local authorities.”

       Shweta Sharma 31 March 2022 05:31

       1648700510 Boris Johnson refuses to endorse Raab’s admission laws were broken

       Boris Johnson has clashed with his deputy prime minister Dominic Raab over the Partygate scandal, by refusing to endorse the justice secretary’s admission that laws were broken in No 10.

       Mr Raab’s comment came after 24 hours in which Downing Street had refused to accept that Metropolitan Police fines for 20 lockdown breaches amounted to proof of law-breaking.

       But Mr Johnson stuck to the official line when grilled on the issue by a parliamentary committee, insisting he would not comment on Partygate until the Met inquiry is completed and Whitehall mandarin Sue Gray’s report published.

       Andrew Woodcock brings you more details

       Clash over Partygate as PM refuses to endorse Raab’s admission laws were broken ‘You’re pretty much toast, aren’t you?’: Calls for Boris Johnson to resign over ‘criminality’ in Downing Street

       Shweta Sharma 31 March 2022 05:21

       1648699228 Liz Truss's India visit to coincide with Russian minister’s arrival

       Liz Truss, Britain’s foreign secretary, is due to arrive in India on Thursday to build diplomatic pressure on Narendra Modi’s government to reduce strategic dependency on Russia amid its invasion of Ukraine.

       But her visit coincides with one by her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, who is due to arrive in Delhi for a two-day visit on Thursday and Friday.

       Ms Truss is expected to convey that Russia’s assault on Ukraine “underlines the importance of democracies working closer together to deter aggressors, reduce vulnerability to coercion and strengthen global security”.

       A series of foreign officials, including from the US, UK and even Russia, are flying to India in a matter of days as Delhi is pursuing its traditional neutrality and abstained at several UNSC votes condemning the Russian invasion.

       “Deeper ties between Britain and India will boost security in the Indo-Pacific and globally, and create jobs and opportunities in both countries,” she said before her visit.

       “This matters even more in the context of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and underlines the need for free democracies to work closer together in areas like defence, trade and cybersecurity.

       “India is an economic and tech powerhouse, the world’s largest democracy and a great friend of Britain, and I want to build an even closer relationship between our two nations.”

       Shweta Sharma 31 March 2022 05:00

       1648697784 Putin is being lied to by his advisers about war, says British spy

       Vladimir Putin’s advisers “are afraid to tell him the truth” about the situation in Ukraine, according to a UK spy chief.

       In his first public address over the conflict, Sir Jeremy Fleming, head of Britain’s GCHQ spy agency, said Mr Putin had “massively misjudged the situation” and “overestimated the abilities of his military to secure a rapid victory”.

       “It’s clear he misjudged the resistance of the Ukrainian people,” he said during a visit to Australia.

       “He underestimated the strength of the coalition and his actions would galvanise. He under-played the economic consequences of the sanctions regime.”

       Speaking about demoralisation among Russian soldiers, he said: “We’ve seen Russian soldiers - short of weapons and morale - refusing to carry out orders, sabotaging their own equipment and even accidentally shooting down their own aircraft.

       “And even though we believe Putin’s advisers are afraid to tell him the truth, what’s going on and the extent of these misjudgements must be crystal clear to the regime.”

       He added: “It’s become his personal war, with the cost being paid by innocent people in Ukraine and increasingly, by ordinary Russians too.”

       He warned China not to become “too closely aligned” with the Kremlin.

       Shweta Sharma 31 March 2022 04:36

       1648684740 Labour calls for EU security pact and end to ‘petty diplomatic spats’ after Ukraine war

       Labour is calling for the UK to agree a security pact with the EU following the wake-up call of the Ukraine invasion.

       It’s part of the party’s drive to “make Brexit work”.

       Boris Johnson must end his “petty diplomatic spats with our neighbours” and rebuild relationships, Labour says.

       Rob Merrick has the story below.

       Labour calls for EU security pact in response to Ukraine war to ‘make Brexit work’ Boris Johnson must rebuild relationships with neighbours to ‘make Brexit work,’ says shadow foreign secretary

       Laurie Churchman 31 March 2022 00:59

       1648681320 Tories becoming an English nationalist party, says DUP MP

       The Conservative Party is increasingly becoming an “English nationalist party” that does not understand what is happening in the devolved nations, a Northern Irish MP has said.

       In an interview with GB News to be broadcast on Thursday, DUP MP Ian Paisley Jr said though his natural allies in Westminster should be the Tories, he found Labour gave Northern Ireland a “far better deal”.

       Mr Paisley said: “Yes, the Conservatives call themselves the Conservative and Unionist Party, but I believe that the Conservative Party today is becoming more and more an English nationalist party that doesn’t really understand what’s going on in Scotland, certainly in Northern Ireland, and in other regions.”

       Laurie Churchman 31 March 2022 00:02

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