Show key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this feature
Live feed
From 1h ago09.27 BST
Labour accuses prime minister of being ‘slippery’ over Covid inquiry messages
Good morning and welcome to the UK politics live blog. We begin the day with the Labour party accusing Rishi Sunak of being “slippery” in the row over whether the government will hand over Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages and other documents to the Covid inquiry.
The shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting , has told Sky News the prime minister should “comply with the inquiry and do it today”.
He said:
I think the prime minister looks really slippery today. He says he wants the government to cooperate with the inquiry but the government has been withholding information the inquiry has asked for.
One minute the government says the messages they have are immaterial; the next minute they’re saying they don’t exist. Which is it?
It comes as the work and pensions secretary, Mel Stride, said the government intended to be “absolutely transparent and candid” in relation to the Covid inquiry.
He told Kay Burley on Sky News:
So what the government is doing here is we have started this inquiry because we think it’s very important that we get to the bottom of some really important questions that many, many millions of people want to know the answers to around the Covid pandemic and our response to it.
We’ve provided around 55,000 documents, eight witness statements and corporate witness statements, as well, to the inquiry. And we absolutely intend to continue to be absolutely transparent and candid.
Inquiry chair Heather Hallett had ordered the government to hand over the messages, as well as diary entries and notes, by 4pm on Tuesday 30 May but the deadline has now been set for 4pm on Thursday 1 June.
The Cabinet Office’s request for an extension to Monday 5 June was rejected.
Updated at 10.13 BSTKey events
British businessman Dale Vince is a “perfectly legitimate person” to take money from and his donations to Just Stop Oil do not change Labour’s position on the climate activist group, the shadow international trade secretary has said.
Nick Thomas-Symonds said his party has been “extremely clear on our views on Just Stop Oil” and that Vince is perfectly entitled to “give money to other causes”, PA reported.
His comments come amid controversy in the Labour party over donations received from Vince, who is also a key donor to Just Stop Oil, whose protesters are known for carrying out disruptive stunts such as disrupting sporting events and bringing roads to a standstill.
Vince, the founder of green energy firm Ecotricity, has given about £1.5m to Labour over the past decade, according to filings to the Electoral Commission.
Over the weekend, home secretary Suella Braverman told the Telegraph Keir Starmer was “in bed” with Just Stop Oil donors and Tory party chairman Greg Hands urged Labour to hand back the money donated by Mr Vince.
Speaking to the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Thomas-Symonds defended his party’s position, saying:
We have been extremely clear on our views on Just Stop Oil. Indeed, Keir Starmer has said of them ‘just go home’ because they are not actually promoting the cause of tackling climate change.
What they are doing is entirely counterproductive and the only debate it’s provoking is about our public order laws.
He insisted Vince, who is also the chairman of League Two football club Forest Green Rovers, is a “successful businessman here in the UK”, adding:
He’s a perfectly legitimate person to take money from.
If he wishes to give money to other causes that’s up to him, but it can hardly be said that this affects our views as a Labour party on Just Stop Oil.
51m ago09.39 BSTJoe Middleton
Rail services in parts of England have ground to a halt with the first of three train strikes this week taking place as the long-running dispute between the unions and the government over pay, jobs and conditions continues.
A 24-hour strike by members of the driver’s union Aslef is under way and a further day of industrial action is planned for Saturday, the day of the FA Cup final.
Rail operators have said services will be severely reduced and have urged passengers to plan their journey before travelling.
About 40% of trains will be running but there will be wide regional variations, with no services on networks including Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Great Northern, Southern, Southeastern, Thameslink and Northern.
In addition, crew and station staff who are members of RMT will take industrial action on Friday. Approximately half of normal services will run.
Updated at 10.12 BST1h ago09.27 BST
Labour accuses prime minister of being ‘slippery’ over Covid inquiry messages
Good morning and welcome to the UK politics live blog. We begin the day with the Labour party accusing Rishi Sunak of being “slippery” in the row over whether the government will hand over Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages and other documents to the Covid inquiry.
The shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting , has told Sky News the prime minister should “comply with the inquiry and do it today”.
He said:
I think the prime minister looks really slippery today. He says he wants the government to cooperate with the inquiry but the government has been withholding information the inquiry has asked for.
One minute the government says the messages they have are immaterial; the next minute they’re saying they don’t exist. Which is it?
It comes as the work and pensions secretary, Mel Stride, said the government intended to be “absolutely transparent and candid” in relation to the Covid inquiry.
He told Kay Burley on Sky News:
So what the government is doing here is we have started this inquiry because we think it’s very important that we get to the bottom of some really important questions that many, many millions of people want to know the answers to around the Covid pandemic and our response to it.
We’ve provided around 55,000 documents, eight witness statements and corporate witness statements, as well, to the inquiry. And we absolutely intend to continue to be absolutely transparent and candid.
Inquiry chair Heather Hallett had ordered the government to hand over the messages, as well as diary entries and notes, by 4pm on Tuesday 30 May but the deadline has now been set for 4pm on Thursday 1 June.
The Cabinet Office’s request for an extension to Monday 5 June was rejected.
Updated at 10.13 BSTTopics
The post Labour accuses Rishi Sunak of being ‘slippery’ over Covid inquiry messages – UK politics live appeared first on The Guardian.
