The UK’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, a potential leadership challenger to embattled Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has given him her “100 per cent” support and publicly backed him during a trip to Australia.
She told reporters there was no leadership election amid pressure on him to resign as prime minister and said she wanted him to continue as long as possible in his job.
Ms Truss is seen as one of the most likely runners for the top job if Mr Johnson quits as premier after intense pressure over his attendance at a “bring your own booze” staff party at Downing Street in breach of lockdown rules.
"The Prime Minister has my 100% support,” she told reporters. "I want the Prime Minister to continue as long as possible in his job. He is doing a fantastic job. There is no leadership election."
Her comments came amid more infighting within the Conservative Party as reports suggested rebel Tory MPs are considering publishing a secret recording and text messages linked to allegations of "blackmail" from the prime minister's supporters.
Mr Johnson insisted on Thursday he had "seen no evidence" to support the claim made by senior Conservative William Wragg that his critics were facing "intimidation" as part of an effort to prevent him being ousted from office.
But The Times reported that Tory MPs keen to see the back of Mr Johnson have secretly recorded a "heated" conversation with the chief whip, as well as text messages to support the accusations.
It comes as Sue Gray, the senior official leading an inquiry into claims of rule-busting gatherings, was said to have found an email warning Mr Johnson's principal private secretary Martin Reynolds against holding a drinks party in the No 10 garden during the first lockdown.
The email, sent by a senior official, told Mr Reynolds that the gathering "should be cancelled because it broke the rules", according to ITV News.
Mr Johnson admitted attending the gathering in question for 25 minutes on May 20, 2020, but insisted he believed it was a work event, and that he was not warned it would be against the rules.
The PM has been battling claims that Tory critics are facing "intimidation" that could amount to blackmail as part of an effort to keep him in his post.
Mr Wragg said on Thursday he had received reports of conduct including "members of staff at 10 Downing Street, special advisers, Government ministers and others encouraging the publication of stories in the press seeking to embarrass those who they suspect of lacking confidence in the Prime Minister".
"The intimidation of a Member of Parliament is a serious matter. Reports of which I am aware would seem to constitute blackmail," the chairman of the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee said.
"As such it would be my general advice to colleagues to report these matters to the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police."
But Mr Johnson said: "I've seen no evidence, heard no evidence, to support any of those allegations."
He said he would "of course" look for evidence to support the claims, but No 10 suggested there were no plans to launch an investigation as demanded by Labour.
The Times reported that one Tory MP said they were told by a whip "you're done" when voting against the government last year.
The paper also claimed Tory rebels met on Thursday to discuss their next steps.
Mr Wragg is one of a handful of Tory backbenchers to have said publicly they have submitted a letter calling for a no-confidence vote in Mr Johnson's leadership.
He said the conduct of the Government Whips' Office threatening to withdraw public funding from MPs' constituencies may have breached the ministerial code.
Christian Wakeford, the MP who defected from the Tories to Labour in protest at Mr Johnson's leadership and the row over Downing Street parties, said he was threatened about the loss of a school in his constituency if he did not toe the line.
The Metropolitan Police said they would consider any complaints made to officers.
"As with any such allegations, should a criminal offence be reported to the Met, it would be considered," a spokesman said.
On the reports Ms Gray had found an email warning Mr Reynolds against holding a Downing Street drinks party, No 10 said it would not comment on the process of the ongoing investigation.
The five pillars of Islam
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
THE SPECS
Engine: 4.4-litre V8
Transmission: Automatic
Power: 530bhp
Torque: 750Nm
Price: Dh535,000
On sale: Now
Price, base / as tested From Dh173,775 (base model)
Engine 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo, AWD
Power 249hp at 5,500rpm
Torque 365Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Gearbox Nine-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined 7.9L/100km
'Dark Waters'
Directed by: Todd Haynes
Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, William Jackson Harper
Rating: ****
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 Chelsea 0
De Bruyne (70')
Man of the Match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
The years Ramadan fell in May
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
'Moonshot'
Director: Chris Winterbauer
Stars: Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
2024%20Dubai%20Marathon%20Results
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'
Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.
Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.
"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.
"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.
"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."
