British Prime Minister Boris Johnson appears to have fought off calls to resign after he apologised for the Downing Street lockdown parties and promised reforms following the Sue Gray report.
During a fractious Commons session, in which the leader of the Scottish National Party was sent out for refusing to withdraw a comment, there was no perceptible sign of rebellion within the ranks of Conservative MPs.
An hour after publication of Mrs Gray's report into Number Ten’s lockdown parties Mr Johnson made a statement to the Commons opening with the words that he was “sorry” for the transgressions.
“Firstly I would like to say I am sorry,” he said adding that “we must learn” from the mistakes.
On that basis he announced reform of Downing Street by creating an Office of the Prime Minister, with a permanent secretary to lead its 400 officials.
“I get it and I’m going to fix it,” he concluded to cheers from his own benches and jeers from the opposition.
Mr Johnson was fortunate that Mrs Gray’s report was light on facts and details after the police requested access to her findings last Tuesday, receiving 300 photographs and 500 documents.
Despite numerous calls from MPs to publish in the report in full – from both sides of the House – Mr Johnson refused to confirm that he would.
The resulting delay from the police investigation means that he has been given time to try to restore his authority.
A moment of silence amid the clamour came when former prime minister Theresa May was called to speak.
The British public had the “right to expect” their prime minister would follow the rules but the Gray report demonstrated that Downing Street “was not observing the regulations they had imposed on members of the public,” Mrs May said.
That suggested Mr Johnson, who effectively pushed her out of Downing Street in 2019, had either “not read the rules or didn’t understand what they meant … or didn’t think the rules applied to No 10. Which was it?”
Mr Johnson dismissed her question, suggesting that was not what the report had said.
Former Cabinet Minister Andrew Mitchell also attempted to force his resignation stating “he now no longer enjoys my support”.
But the Gray report failed to provide ammunition that Sir Keir Starmer needed to inflict political damage.
The prime minister was facing a “criminal investigation” the Labour leader said and it had a “damning conclusion”. Mr Johnson was “hiding behind a police investigation” and should “do the decent thing and resign”.
It was left to SNP leader Ian Blackford to attempt to land the hammer blow. Mr Johnson had “lied” and “misled the House”, he berated, breaching the convention that MPs are not allowed to accuse each other of lying.
When the Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, asked him to withdraw the charge he refused and was sent out of the chamber.
The police are now investigating 12 of the parties at which at least two were attended by Mr Johnson. However, even if he is handed a £100 fixed penalty fine, which is unlikely, the prime minister has possibly again escaped great political jeopardy.
It requires 54 Conservative MPs to trigger a vote of confidence in the leader but judging by Monday’s support, albeit somewhat grudging, it appears Mr Johnson is safe.
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Pakistan: Sarfraz (c), Hafeez, Imam, Azhar, Sohail, Shafiq, Azam, Saad, Yasir, Asif, Abbas, Hassan, Afridi, Ashraf, Hamza
New Zealand: Williamson (c), Blundell, Boult, De Grandhomme, Henry, Latham, Nicholls, Ajaz, Raval, Sodhi, Somerville, Southee, Taylor, Wagner
Umpires: Bruce Oxerford (AUS) and Ian Gould (ENG); TV umpire: Paul Reiffel (AUS); Match referee: David Boon (AUS)
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• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
The%20specs
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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South Africa 175 and 252
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Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
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It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
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Picture of Joumblatt and Hariri breaking bread sets Twitter alight
Mr Joumblatt’s pessimism regarding the Lebanese political situation didn’t stop him from enjoying a cheerful dinner on Tuesday with several politicians including Mr Hariri.
Caretaker Culture Minister Ghattas Khoury tweeted a picture of the group sitting around a table at a discrete fish restaurant in Beirut’s upscale Sodeco area.
Mr Joumblatt told The National that the fish served at Kelly’s Fish lounge had been very good.
“They really enjoyed their time”, remembers the restaurant owner. “Mr Hariri was taking selfies with everybody”.
Mr Hariri and Mr Joumblatt often have dinner together to discuss recent political developments.
Mr Joumblatt was a close ally of Mr Hariri’s assassinated father, former prime minister Rafik Hariri. The pair were leading figures in the political grouping against the 15-year Syrian occupation of Lebanon that ended after mass protests in 2005 in the wake of Rafik Hariri’s murder. After the younger Hariri took over his father’s mantle in 2004, the relationship with Mr Joumblatt endured.
However, the pair have not always been so close. In the run-up to the election last year, Messrs Hariri and Joumblatt went months without speaking over an argument regarding the new proportional electoral law to be used for the first time. Mr Joumblatt worried that a proportional system, which Mr Hariri backed, would see the influence of his small sect diminished.
With so much of Lebanese politics agreed in late-night meetings behind closed doors, the media and pundits put significant weight on how regularly, where and with who senior politicians meet.
In the picture, alongside Messrs Khoury and Hariri were Mr Joumbatt and his wife Nora, PSP politician Wael Abou Faour and Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon Nazih el Nagari.
The picture of the dinner led to a flurry of excitement on Twitter that it signified an imminent government formation. “God willing, white smoke will rise soon and Walid Beik [a nickname for Walid Joumblatt] will accept to give up the minister of industry”, one user replied to the tweet. “Blessings to you…We would like you to form a cabinet”, wrote another.
The next few days will be crucial in determining whether these wishes come true.
