“The key changes include the appointment of Steve Barclay, chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, as the new Downing Street chief of staff. He will remain a minister and create a new Office of the Prime Minister, covering No 10 and the Cabinet Office. Guto Harri, who was Johnson’s chief aide at city hall in his first term as London mayor, will become Downing Street’s director of communications. Henry Newman, a close friend of the prime minister’s wife, is to leave Downing Street and is expected to return to work for Michael Gove, his former boss. Newman’s departure will be regarded as a sign that Johnson has listened to critics who have complained his wife’s allies are too powerful.” – Sunday Times
News:
Comment:
“Boris changed after he met Carrie,’ they say. ‘He always was a bit of a lonely figure because he has few friends, but now it’s worse than ever. He’s fallen out with his children, he’s lost Marina and, since he became Prime Minister, so many of the problems he’s had to deal with have been because of Carrie. ‘Deep down, I think he knows this. Sometimes I’ve seen him make excuses to avoid going upstairs to his flat in Downing Street. The whole thing is like a Greek tragedy. He could have been a great Prime Minister but his lack of discipline, which led him to get involved with Carrie, has cost him. His potential to transform the country has been squandered and, as far as I’m concerned, it’s because of her. It’s like a toxic relationship. He’s isolated. It’s very sad. Politically, there is no agenda – he’s just drifting.’ – Mail on Sunday
“That the person we are talking about, the 33-year-old mother-of-two being eviscerated in a thousand different ways by a thousand different voices, all of whom claim to know her but very few of whom have even met, is underneath it all a human being. However compelling or convenient the narrative of the manipulative Jezebel may be, or however much it may suit her husband’s enemies – or, indeed, allies – there’s a real person at the heart of all this. Someone for whom no amount of £840 rolls of wallpaper can surely be worth this level of abuse.And whatever mistakes she may have made – and I don’t deny for one second that she has made many (as did I) – the truth is it can’t all be her fault. She is not responsible for the bad choices of her husband, or of those around him.” – Mail on Sunday
> Today: ToryDiary – The Ashcroft biography. Is the Prime Minister’s wife fair game?
“Amid mounting fears of a Russian invasion, a source said the Foreign Secretary will tell Moscow to ‘de-escalate and desist its unprovoked aggression’. In a further sign of the Government’s determination to play a central role in resolving the crisis…In the first visit to Russia by a British Foreign Secretary for four years, Ms Truss will warn Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that ‘any incursion into Ukraine would harm ordinary Russians’, according to a Foreign Office source. She will say the UK’s issue is ‘with the Kremlin, not the Russian people’ and Russia ‘risks creating a drawn-out quagmire should it invade Ukraine, incurring a high human and economic cost’. The source said: ‘The Foreign Secretary will deliver the clear message that the only way forward is for Russia to de-escalate and desist from its aggressive behaviour.” – Mail on Sunday
Other political news:
“Boris Johnson is preparing to reject a bid by the Commons standards watchdog to require MPs to promote “anti-racism, inclusion and diversity” as part of a proposed shake-up of sleaze rules. A formal government response to proposed changes to the MPs’ code of conduct will oppose a bid to add a new “respect” principle to the seven principles of public life currently enshrined in the rules. A Whitehall source said ministers opposed the move because it could curb freedom of speech. The standards committee is chaired by Chris Bryant, who was a minister under Gordon Brown, and the source accused Labour of attempting to “slip in politically correct restrictions on what elected representatives can say”, amid other, uncontroversial changes to the rules.” – Sunday Telegraph
“I didn’t vote for this tax rise because I couldn’t see it helping our whole community. I see the bills coming in at a moment few can afford. Though some in towns like Tonbridge may benefit, younger people across the country, and particularly in places like Tyneside and Glasgow, would lose out for years. This isn’t about competition between young and old or north and south, it’s about fair taxes to share the cost of our community life together. Over the past five years we’ve seen the price of division and the strength of cohesion. Society has split over a vote and come together over a virus. As we look to the future, we need policies that encourage opportunity and employment. That means freeing people to direct their efforts, and assets, where they think best.” – Sunday Telegraph
“The expense comes after the government was condemned after admitting that £10 billion of spending on PPE had been written off. Hundreds of millions were wasted on unusable equipment that had passed its expiry date, while taxpayers paid extra in the scramble for masks and gowns at the start of the pandemic. It has also been criticised for failing to stem fraud in Covid loan schemes. Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said the Valneva expense was “yet another example of wasteful and careless spending” by the government. “The Tories have already lost billions of taxpayers’ money to fraud and waste during the pandemic,” he said. “The British public are paying the price… in higher taxes.” – Sunday Times
“In a statement released to mark her Platinum Jubilee on Sunday, the Queen expressed her “sincere wish that when the time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort” when Charles becomes king, in recognition of “her loyal service”. It is the first time the Queen has publicly expressed her view on an issue that has divided opinion since Charles and Camilla wed in 2005. A spokesman for the couple said they were “touched and honoured by Her Majesty’s words”…Sources close to the Queen said she was keen to use her decades of experience to resolve the issue of Camilla’s future role while she still can and has been focusing on tying up loose ends since Philip died last year.” – Sunday Times