Joe Bedell-Brill

Shapps - ‘the world has moved on’ from Boris Johnson Boris Johnson’s explosive resignation letter has produced further turmoil in the Conservative party this week, with allies supporting his claims that the privileges committee was part of a ‘witch- hunt’ against him. The Secretary for Energy Security Grant Shapps is clearly not part of that group, and was fairly biting in his remarks to Sophy Ridge, telling her the world had moved on from Johnson, and people did not miss the ‘drama’ that came with him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?

Russian ambassador – We haven’t ‘started yet to act very seriously’ In an extraordinary interview with Laura Kuenssberg, the Russian ambassador to the UK Andrei Kelin repeatedly deflected questions about Russian war crimes, instead suggesting Ukraine posed a threat to Russia. He said Russia had the power to massively escalate the conflict, and claimed it was a ‘big idealistic mistake to think that Ukraine may prevail’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNhCd7kv4Gs Is the government really building 40 new hospitals? Kuenssberg questioned whether the government’s manifesto pledge to build 40 new hospitals was as extensive as they claimed it to be.

Rishi Sunak has a difficult decision on his hands: what to do about his Home Secretary? Suella Braverman is reported to have asked civil servants to organise special treatment for her after she was caught speeding. She has since paid the fine. But the PM – who is in Japan at the G7 summit – has declined to express his full confidence in Braverman. Laura Kuenssberg asked Conservative MP Jake Berry if there should be an official investigation into whether she might have broken the ministerial code: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUNUn6AfjR4 Thérèse Coffey ‘fed up’ with the water companies English water companies apologised this week, after Environment Agency figures showed there were more than 300,000 sewage spills last year.

‘Managed decline’, or ‘steely determination’? The fallout from the Conservatives’ disastrous local election results continued this week, with the inaugural conference of the rebellious Conservative Democratic Organisation. During the conference, former home secretary Priti Patel accused Rishi Sunak of presiding over the ‘managed decline’ of the Tory party. Energy Secretary Grant Shapps was determined to spin his party’s predicament in a more positive light however, telling Sophy Ridge there was an atmosphere of ‘steely determination’ among his fellow MPs:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?

Lucy Frazer - ‘Rishi’s only been the prime minister for six months’ This week the fallout from the local election results mingled with news of the coronation. Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer spoke to Laura Kuenssberg about the Conservatives’ disastrous results, claiming her party just needed to deliver on their promises. But Kuenssberg questioned whether they might need to reflect more deeply, given they lost more seats than even their worst-case scenarios predicted: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

This week both parties have been attempting to manage expectations ahead of the imminent local elections. The Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper has been reiterating the worst-case prediction that the Conservatives could lose up to 1000 seats. But Keir Starmer told Sophy Ridge he thought the Conservatives should be making ‘significant gains’, given their result in the last local elections in 2019 was their second worst ever: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCWZfXIPaxk ‘Are you embarrassed when you look at that map?’ Mark Harper was questioned by Laura Kuenssberg over his record with the HS2 rail project, which has been plagued by soaring costs and delays.

Is Dominic Raab a bully? Dominic Raab resigned as Deputy Prime Minister this week, after an investigation into bullying upheld some of the allegations against him. He didn’t go quietly however, claiming some ‘activist civil servants’ had been trying to block reforms they did not like. His successor, Oliver Dowden, told Sophy Ridge he had nothing to add to the findings of the investigation, but he hoped there wouldn’t be any lessening of the high standards civil servants are held to. He described Raab as a ‘man of his word’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59rR9hUbmsE ‘Not just a bullying minster, a failing minister’ The Shadow Secretary for Work and Pensions was less sympathetic in his assessment of Dominic Raab.

Pat Cullen - respect nursing, or strikes could continue ‘until Christmas’ This morning’s shows heavily focussed on the crisis in the NHS, after the Royal College of Nursing voted against the government’s pay deal, meaning further strike action. The RCN’s General Secretary Pat Cullen stood by her union’s members, telling Laura Kuenssberg that patients were at risk at all times due to the working conditions of nurses and doctors, not just on strike days. She said only ministers could stop strikes, and that they needed to return with an improved offer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

Refugees shot at by Rwandan police in 2018 Home Secretary Suella Braverman faced up to Laura Kuenssberg this morning, keen to talk again about her ‘dream’ of successfully implementing the Rwanda immigration policy. Kuenssberg surprised her with a report of a 2018 incident in which refugees protesting in Rwanda over food rations were shot at and killed by police. She asked Braverman if this suggested Rwanda might not be a safe destination: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9YNhPqMXfY Braverman - overall migration numbers should come down Kuenssberg also spoke to Braverman about lawful immigration.

MPs caught in sting operation were acting ‘within the rules’ It was Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove doing the rounds this morning. He was asked first to comment on the recent sting by the group Led By Donkeys, in which multiple members of parliament were seen to be asking for up to £10,000 a day to consult for a company which did not exist. A majority of the public believe MPs should not have second jobs, but Gove stressed that although there is a need for transparency regarding MPs and any external work, it was clear that the job being considered in the sting was not technically against the rules: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

Oliver Dowden – the unions have a decent deal now, ‘let’s move forward’ The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Oliver Dowden faced up to the media this morning to speak on a number of issues, beginning with the NHS strikes. Dowden claimed the government had always been willing to engage with the unions, but Laura Kuenssberg questioned why they had taken so long to come to an agreement, to the detriment of the public: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFnZIWshZJ4 Dowden – ‘I am confident Rwanda is safe for people’ Oliver Dowden also spoke to Sky’s Sophy Ridge about the government’s policy of sending asylum seekers to be processed in Rwanda.

Covid and partygate still haunt Sunak Rishi Sunak will have wanted to use this week to sell his new Brexit deal. The ghosts of governments past had other ideas. Fresh evidence suggesting Boris Johnson might have misled parliament over partygate, and the embarrassing leak of Matt Hancock’s WhatsApp messages, have led to some uncomfortable questions. Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris told Laura Kuenssberg he believed Johnson was an honest man: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

Dominic Raab – ‘There is a degree of quiet confidence’ about a Northern Ireland Protocol deal Brexit dominated the news once again this morning, with government officials making positive noises about an imminent deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol. Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab sat down with Laura Kuenssberg to discuss the likelihood of the deal’s success, although he was vague about whether parliament would get a chance to have a proper vote on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAefV5HBn1M David Lammy – Labour expects to ‘support this deal’ Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy sounded a similarly optimistic note, telling Sophie Ridge he expected the deal to be an improvement on Boris Johnson's deal.

Liz Truss - Thwarted by a ‘powerful economic establishment, and a lack of political support’ After Liz Truss claimed in a Telegraph essay that the ‘economic establishment’, and flaws in the Conservative Party’s preparations, had prevented her from enacting her policies, Laura Kuenssberg pressed Business Secretary Grant Shapps on whether he agreed with any of Truss’ claims: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAnhc3a5KWA Liz Kendall - Liz Truss is back with ‘no apology and no humility’ Former Conservative party chair Jake Berry told Kuenssberg that he still agreed in principle with Liz Truss’ policies, even if they weren’t delivered in the correct way.