Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry has accused the government of “suppressing the truth” for delaying the publication of the report on alleged Russian interference in the UK until after the election. “What have you got to hide?” she asked.
It came after Jeremy Corbyn claimed Labour can deliver Brexit next year without trashing the economy or the NHS and attacked the prospect of “Thatcherism on steroids” under the Tories, as the parties ramp up general election campaigning.
Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, meanwhile, was forced to apologise after he caused outrage for suggesting Grenfell Tower fire victims lacked “common sense” for not leaving the building in spite of the fire brigade’s stay put advice.
The outgoing Leader of the House faced widespread calls to resign, and was branded “callously irresponsible” by the Fire Brigades Union and “an actual piece of s***” by grime star Stormzy.
Dozens of MPs also lined up to say their final farewell to the Commons ahead of the dissolution of parliament. Political heavyweights such as Ken Clarke, Nicholas Soames, Justine Greening and Owen Smith are among those who shall not stand for office at the next election.
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of events at Westminster and beyond.
Russia report should be published, former security officials demand
Boris Johnson’s government is under intense pressure over a parliamentary special report on alleged illicit Russian activities in Britain – with former security and cabinet officials demanding that it stops blocking publication of the document.
One intelligence official told The Independent: “All the redactions necessary have been done ... We have no objections to the report being published now.”
Our diplomatic editor has more details:
Special report on illicit Russian activities in UK should be published, former security and cabinet officials demand
‘Since this has apparently already been redacted by the intelligence agencies there can be no national security reasons to delay publication’Former MI5 chief says Russia report should be released
The former head of MI5 has backed calls for a parliamentary report into alleged Russian interference in the UK democratic process to be published before the election.
Downing Street has been accused of holding back the report by the Intelligence and Security Committee after indicating it would not be cleared for release before parliament is dissolved on Wednesday.
However Lord Evans of Weardale, who was MI5 director general until 2013, told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme that if ministers were not prepared to release it, they should explain why.
“In principle, I think it should be released,” he said.
“Part of the reason for having an Intelligence and Security Committee is that issues of public concern can be properly considered and the public can be informed through the publication of the reports once they have gone through the security process.
“If the government have a reason why this should not be published before the election, then I think they should make it very clear what that reason is.”
Corbyn says Labour can deliver a Brexit that doesn’t hurt
Brexit can be carried out without “trashing” the economy or the NHS, Jeremy Corbyn will claim as he campaigns in the Essex town of Harlow today.
In a move set to irritate his Remain-backing colleagues, the Labour leader will underline his determination to stay neutral in the EU debate, while negotiating “a sensible deal” to be put to a second referendum.
Corbyn will say: “If you want to leave the EU without trashing our economy or selling out our NHS you’ll be able to vote for it.
“If you want to remain in the EU, you’ll be able to vote for that. Either way, only a Labour government will put the final decision in your hands. And we will immediately carry out your decision so Britain can get beyond Brexit.”
Our deputy political editor has the details.
Brexit can happen without ‘trashing’ UK economy or NHS, Corbyn to claim
Labour leader to stamp his authority on his Remain-backing colleagues – by insisting a pain-free, softer exit deal can be achievedLabour challenged on ‘maggots in orange juice’ claim
Labour is claiming that Boris Johnson’s desired trade deal with the US will result in a lowering food standards that could see “maggots in orange juice” and “rat hairs in paprika”.
Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer has been challenged on the claims this morning.
Asked by Sky News’ Kay Burley if the party was scaremongering, he said: “If we move away from the standards we enjoy in the EU, we move to different standards and I think the US standards are inferior to the standards we’ve got.”
“It’s illustrating a point about standards,” he said when asked if the idea of maggots and rat hair in food was hyperbole.
But the claims do not come out of nowhere. In the US producers adhere to a “Defects Levels Handbook,” which sets out the maximum number of foreign bodies like maggots, insect fragments and mould that can be in food products before they are put on the market.
US producers are allowed to include up to a 11 rodent hairs in a 25g container of paprika; or 3mg of mammalian excreta (typically rat or mouse excrement) per each pound of ginger.
Starmer also said there was a “real prospect” of a crash out Brexit at the end of 2020, saying the government plans means we could leave without a deal at the end of next year.
The shadow Brexit secretary has also said he is confident Labour can negotiate a new Brexit deal with the EU within three months if they win power.
Starmer said he believed the timetable was “very realistic”, with negotiations on a new deal being completed within three months.
Gove rules out trade deal extension – raising risk of no-deal Brexit
Senior cabinet minister Michael Gove has said there will be no extension to the planned Brexit transition period beyond the end of 2020, leaving open the possibility of a no-deal Brexit..
He said that, while preparations would continue for a no-deal Brexit, he was confident they could get a new free trade agreement with the EU by that date.
“We will ensure that we will have a proper free trade agreement with the European Union,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“It is always the case that we need to prepare for every eventuality, but I am confident that we will be able to get a good relationship with the EU at the end of this period.”
Gove also refused to say when the report into alleged Russian interference in the UK will be released. Asked why the government was sitting on the report, Gove would only say that Jeremy Corbyn was “the real threat” to the UK’s security.
The shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer, criticising Boris Johnson “hard-right deal”, said: “It does leave the every prospect that we leave without a deal at the end of next year.
“You have to ask for an extension by July of next year … the idea the whole of the new deal will be negotiation by July of next year I think is for the birds, I don’t think it’s going to happen and therefore we do have that risk of a no-deal Brexit at the end of it.”
Sturgeon says exclusion from TV debates ‘wrong democratically’
Sky News has said it wants to include Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson in a leaders’ election debate, angering Nicola Sturgeon.
Scotland’s first minister has said this morning "wrong democratically" to exclude the third biggest political party in the Commons – the SNP.
Speaker pledges to end ‘bear pit’ politics
The new Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has pledged to end the “bear pit” atmosphere of confrontation in the House of Commons.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said his priority would be to encourage tolerance and respect. He said the public could not believe some of the behaviour they witness by MPs and said it is up to parliament to set “the right tone” for the rest of the country.
“What I want to do is make sure that we have respect in the House, we have tolerance in the House and everybody is valued in the House,” he said.
“I want to bring in a better respect, better tolerance, and try and change that bear pit anger that seems to have come out in recent years, that seems to have got worse and worse.
“The public just cannot believe the behaviour. It is about setting the right tone. If Parliament gets it right, hopefully the country will follow.”
He also stressed the importance of ensuring the safety of election candidates at a time of rising abuse aimed at MPs.
“It is not just about MPs, it is about all candidates, and making sure that the local police are supporting them as well,” he said. “I do worry about the abuse and the level of threat. I will be doing a letter with the home secretary to advise people and to make sure people understand there is support there.”
Rees-Mogg suggests Grenfell victims lacked ‘common sense’ for not leaving building
The families of Grenfell victims have urged Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg to apologise after he suggested people killed in the tower block fire should have used their “commons sense” to get out.
Ahmet Chellat, who lost five family members, said Rees-Mogg should say sorry for “insensitive” comments.
Speaking on LBC yesterday, the Commons leader suggested it would have been “common sense” not to obey the fire brigade’s “stay put” instructions.
“The more one’s read over the weekend about the report and about the chances of people surviving, if you just ignore what you’re told and leave you are so much safer,” said Rees-Mogg.
“And I think if either of us were in a fire, whatever the fire brigade said, we would leave the burning building. It just seems the common sense thing to do. And it is such a tragedy that that didn’t happen.”
Chellat told The Mirror: “He has got to apologise. Who is going to challenge this man over saying this? What common sense is he talking about?
“People died on the stairs trying to leave, they couldn’t breathe. People needed help and directions, they tried to open doors and there was smoke everywhere. What is he talking about?”
Victim support group Grenfell United described Rees-Mogg’s remarks as “extremely painful” and “beyond disrespectful”, while the Yvette Williams, chairs of Justice4Grenfell, added: “Rees-Mogg has a privileged background, what is his experience of living in social housing? How many tower blocks has he lived in?”
PM tells cabinet they’re ‘full of beans’
Boris Johnson has praised members of his cabinet on Tuesday morning, telling them: “We have achieved something that people thought we really could not do, and that was get a new deal - a great new deal – on our Brexit from the European Union.
“They said it couldn’t be done.”
He said that a priority was to get Brexit done quickly, adding: “Do you want to waste 2020, which could be a fantastic year for the nation with two more referenda? What a disastrous, what a calamitous way to spend 2020.”
The PM ended his speech by rallying cabinet members ahead of the election campaign, saying: “You look as though you’re all full of beans.”
Gove denies Labour claim UK-US trade deal could cost NHS £500m a week
The senior cabinet minister Michael Gove has dismissed a claim by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn that a post-Brexit trade deal with the US could cost the NHS £500m a week in increased costs of medicines.
In a campaign speech in Harlow, the Labour leader will say that US pharmaceutical companies will demand full access to the NHS - pushing up the price of drugs - as part of any free trade agreement.
However Gove said: “It is the most ridiculous nonsense I have ever heard in my 52 years on this earth.
“It is a fantasy. It is a figure plucked from thin air in order to try to distract attention from the weakness of Jeremy Corbyn’s position on Brexit.”
Speaking to ITV News, Gove insisted there was “no way” a Conservative government would allow the price of drugs to increase in a UK-US trade deal, and said any such deal would not lead to a drop in current food standards.
Labour remember, are claiming it will result in a lowering food standards that could see “maggots in orange juice” and “rat hairs in paprika”.
Labour condemns Rees-Mogg’s Grenfell remarks
A lot of criticism now coming in for Jacob Rees-Mogg, and his suggestion it would have been “common sense” to leave Grenfell Tower despite the fire service’s “stay put” advice.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: “What possesses someone to react to an entirely avoidable tragedy like Grenfell by saying the victims lacked common sense? People were terrified, many died trying to escape. Jacob Rees Mogg must apologise for these crass and insensitive comments immediately.”
Labour MP David Lammy said: “How dare you insult and denigrate those who died in Grenfell Tower Jacob Rees-Mogg? The victims of this crime of gross negligence followed the instructions they were given by the fire authorities. Do not blame them.”
Rees-Mogg apologises for Grenfell remarks
The Tory MP and Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg has now apologised for his comments suggesting Grenfell Tower victims lacked “common sense” for not leaving building.
“I profoundly apologise,” he said in a statement.
“What I meant to say is that I would have also listened to the fire brigade’s advice to stay and wait at the time. However, with what we know now and with hindsight I wouldn’t and I don’t think anyone else would.
“What’s so sad is that the advice given overrides common sense because everybody would want to leave a burning building.
“I would hate to upset the people of Grenfell if I was unclear in my comments. With hindsight and after reading the report no one would follow that advice. That’s the great tragedy.”
Jo Swinson says she’s ‘candidate for prime minister’
The Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson is speaking at her party’s election campaign launch. She said she is proud to stand as “your candidate for prime minister”.
She says people may ask: “What’s happened to the Liberal Democrats? Why are they being so ambitious all of a sudden?”
Swinson claims she is entitled to be ambitious because “politics is in a state of flux”.
“This is not a normal election,” Swinson adds. “It’s not about whether you want the red team or the blue team to be in government for a few more years.”
She says the Lib Dems might usually look to “double our seats – maybe a bit more. But the country needs us to be more ambitious right now. And we are rising to that challenge”.
She says she is “absolutely certain she could do a better job” than both Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn at No 10 – to massive cheers from the Lib Dem faithful.
Swinson speech hit by sound problems: 'Sounds like she's in a bathroom'
Plenty of people picking up on the sound problems that have marred Jo Swinson’s Lib Dem campaign launch speech.
At the beginning both the BBC and Sky News struggled to pick up what she was saying, before there was some distortion in the microphone. One Twitter user said it sounded like “her lapel mic is obviously plugged into a slab of cheese”.
Swinson ‘absolutely, categorically’ rules out deal with Labour
The Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson is answering questions from journalists. She says she wants to “end the chaos” of Brexit – either by revoking Article 50 if her part wins the election outright or agreeing a second referendum.
Asked about a second referendum in Scotland, she explains why she is opposed: “What the SNP wants is to take a situation where there is already chaos as a result of Brexit and add more Brexit to the mix.”
The Lib Dem leader says she is “absolutely, categorically” ruling out any means of propping up a Labour government and helping Jeremy Corbyn reach No 10. She says he is not fit to be prime minister.
Asked about the US president, Swinson says she cannot rule out dealing with him. “I won’t refuse to engage with Donald Trump,” she says. “I think there’s a big difference between and engaging and rolling out the red carpet – which is what this government has done for Donald Trump.”
Jeremy Corbyn says PM will bring in ‘Thatcherism on steroids’
The Labour leader has begun speaking in Harlow, accusing the prime minister of attempting to “hijack Brexit to sell out our national health service and the working people of this country”.
Corbyn says: “What Boris Johnson's Conservatives want is to hijack Brexit to unleash Thatcherism on steroids.
“Johnson and the Leave campaign promised to rebuild our NHS. Johnson stood in front of a bus and promised £350m a week for the NHS.
“Now we find out that £500m a week could be taken out of the NHS and handed to big drugs companies under his plans for a sell-out trade deal with Donald Trump.”
It’s a claim cabinet minister Michael Gove has dismissed as a “fantasy” and “nonsense”.
Corbyn leads the crown of supporters in a chant of: “Our NHS is not for sale.”
The Labour leader says: “Shout it loud and shout it clear on the doorsteps.”
Corbyn claims Tories will allow ‘rat hairs in paprika’
The Labour leader claimed the Conservatives want to strip away a whole raft of employment and environmental protections in a move to a more deregulated US-style economic model.
“Given the chance, they’ll run down our rights at work, our entitlements to holidays, breaks and leave,” he will say.
“Given the chance, they’ll slash food standards to US levels where acceptable levels of rat hairs in paprika and maggots in orange juice are allowed and they’ll put chlorinated chicken on our supermarket shelves.
“And given the chance, they’ll water down the rules on air pollution and our environment that keep us safe. They want a race to the bottom in standards and protections.”
‘I don’t want to live in half a country’: Corbyn appeals to both Leave and Remain voters
Addressing the party’s “clear and simple” Brexit policy, the Labour leader said: “People sometimes accuse me of trying to take to both sides at once in the Brexit debate – people who voted Leave and people who voted Remain.
“Do you know what? They’re dead right. They’re absolutely dead right. Why would I only want to talk to half the country? I don’t want to live in half a country. Anybody seeking to become prime minister must talk to and listen to the whole country.”
He adds: “Labour stands not just for the 52 per cent of the 48 per cent – but for the 99 per cent.”
Corbyn claims claims his party can deliver a Brexit that doesn’t hurt. “If you want to leave the EU without trashing our economy or selling out our NHS you’ll be able to vote for it,” he says.
“If you want to remain in the EU, you’ll be able to vote for that. Either way, only a Labour government will put the final decision in your hands. And we will immediately carry out your decision so Britain can get beyond Brexit.”
Corbyn says new Brexit negotiations would work in ‘parallel’ with parliament
Asked by reporters about whether Labour’s June 2020 deadline for getting a Brexit deal was achievable, Corbyn said it was a “realistic” target.
“The deadline we’ve set is a realistic one. We wouldn’t be saying it if we didn't think it was do-able and possible,” he said.
Corbyn said the party would work in “parallel” with parliament to legislate for second referendum on the Labour deal within six months.
Speaking about the speedy renegotiations with the EU, Corbyn joked: “Keir has a season ticket on the Eurostar so the cost will be minimal to continue those discussions with Brussels.
“He’s a fit man - he plays football!”
