Chris ruddy

By Chris Mason Published 2 hours ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Will Boris Johnson survive as prime minister? It is the only question that matters. There are two mechanisms available to Conservative MPs to eject a prime minister who is gluing himself to the furniture in Downing Street. The first is a flood of cabinet ministers packing it in, all at once, or one after another. For about an hour and a half last night, it looked like that very thing might be playing out. But it didn't. Follow live updates Sunak and Javid resignation letters in full Who has quit, who is staying? Two biggies, more ministers and lots of tiddlers is the current tally. Desperately awkward for a prime minister, without question. But he has bodged together a new cabinet, the kind of emergency reshuffle no party leader wants forced upon them. … [Read more...] about Chris Mason: Boris Johnson facing day of judgement

With a shade over 24 hours until England host Austria at a sold-out Old Trafford, a handful of construction workers are busy building a fan park in Manchester city center. A few kilometers northeast of the building site, UEFA's Chief of Women's Football takes to the stage in a stadium hospitality room. "I feel so many different kinds of emotions but can't wait for it to get started now," said Nadine Kessler , who won 29 caps for Germany between 2010 and 2016. "I really think it's completely incomparable to when I played. I might need to be a bit provocative, but I think in my days people were more concerned with how my jersey fit than the result. We've come a long way." The buildup to the tournament has seen plenty of reflection on the growth of the game in recent years. But the day before it starts, with unfinished fan parks, sporadic advertising boards and a reported shortage of England women's shirts in major sports shops, there is a sense that organizers may not have foreseen … [Read more...] about Euro 2022: Is England ready for the biggest tournament yet?

Beleaguered Boris Johnson has vowed to stay on as the UK's prime minister after a flood of resignations left him clinging on to power. He was rocked by the resignation of Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and health minister Sajid Javid within minutes of each on Tuesday. Facing MPs today, Johnson said “the job of a prime minister in difficult circumstances, when you’ve been handed a colossal mandate, is to keep going". What happened during PMQs? The debate was quickly switched to the events that had sparked the resignations: Chris Pincher. Johnson appointed him as deputy chief whip earlier this year, despite being aware of misconduct allegations against him. But some MPs have said they are more frustrated by the changing line from 10 Downing Street over what Johnson did and didn't know about Johnson. On Wednesday, Johnson said he acted swiftly after hearing the allegations against Pincher. Opposition leader Keir Starmer called his response pathetic and … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson vows to fight on despite a flood of resignations

Shameless Boris Johnson has told friends he will "smash on" despite a string of resignations. The Prime Minister is said to have declared "I'm not going anywhere” despite Rishi Sunak , Sajid Javid and his Solicitor General all resigning last night. But MPs have other ideas - with a string of Tories from across the spectrum reading him the “last rites”. While the Cabinet are now mostly firm, the PM is being rocked by a string of junior resignations from government. Between 6pm on Tuesday and 2pm on Wednesday 21 MPs resigned from the government - nine ministers, nine parliamentary private secretaries, two trade envoys and one Tory vice chair. Back bench MPs across the spectrum, from moderate ex-ministers Chris Skidmore and Nick Gibb to culture war Red Wallers Jonathan Gullis, Tom Hunt and Lee Anderson, have charged over the top. For so many MPs, the revelation the PM knew about claims against MP Chris Pincher, then promoted him repeatedly, then “forgot” he’d been told, is … [Read more...] about All the Tories brutally turning against Boris Johnson’s leadership as MPs ‘read last rites’

Published 28 minutes ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing An MP in the so-called red wall seat of Ashfield has withdrawn his support for Boris Johnson over the government's handling of the situation with former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher. Lee Anderson said he had stayed loyal since being elected in 2019. But the Conservative MP said giving Mr Pincher the job, having been told about earlier inappropriate behaviour, was "not a good appointment". "I cannot look myself in the mirror and accept this," he added. Mr Anderson highlighted the initial denial that the prime minister had been told about earlier allegations and then the change in the government's position to state that Mr Johnson simply forgot. He added: "It is my belief that our PM has got all the big decisions right and guided us through the most difficult time in my lifetime and I have always backed him … [Read more...] about Lee Anderson: Red wall Tory MP withdraws support for Boris Johnson

Published 27 minutes ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing MP Victoria Atkins has resigned from her role as justice minister citing concerns over "integrity, decency and respect" within the government. She joins a growing number of ministerial resignations following the row over the Chris Pincher controversy. The Louth and Horncastle Conservative representative will continue to serve her constituents as an MP. In a letter posted on social media, she told Boris Johnson she "can no longer pirouette around our fractured values". The prime minister is fighting to stay in office, amid a wave of resignations from his government in protest at his leadership. Ms Atkins said it was with "sadness and regret" that she was standing down from her position as justice minister. She stated: "Values such as integrity, decency, respect and professionalism should matter to us … [Read more...] about Lincolnshire MP Victoria Atkins resigns as justice minister

Published 9 May Share close Share page Copy link About sharing New legislation would boost the schools regulator's powers to crack down on unregistered schools operating illegally in England, ministers say. The government says its Schools Bill will also introduce compulsory registers so children not receiving a full education can be identified. Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said the bill would ensure "every child has access to an education they deserve". But Labour said the Conservatives were "failing our children". Shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson said the government was "obsessing over structures instead of improving children's experience in the classroom". She said there was "no plan" to improve teaching or "tackle the exodus of school staff from our classrooms" and that Labour had proposals to boost new teacher numbers by 6,500. Should a school be in … [Read more...] about Ofsted powers boosted to tackle illegal unregistered schools in England

Chris McKeen/Stuff The Auckland segment of Southern Cross Cable's Next cable came ashore last year and is now live (video first published in July 2021). An internet cable that roughly doubles New Zealand’s internet connectivity to the rest of the world is now in service. The US$350 million ($570m) SX Next cable runs between Auckland, Sydney and Los Angeles and will also provide the first fibre-optic broadband connections to Tokelau and Kiribati. Spark spokesperson Sam Smith said the new cable, which it part owns through the Southern Cross Cable joint venture, would reduce the lag on internet traffic between Auckland and Los Angeles by about 5% thanks to its more direct route. “While it may not seem like much, it tends to be very important for users with time-sensitive requirements such as financial traders, and gamers,” she said. READ MORE: The cables that keep New Zealand connected to the world Telstra and Spark team up for $440m internet cable between NZ, … [Read more...] about Subsea cable doubles NZ’s internet capacity and offers reduced lag