Boris Johnson news – live: the latest updates as Brexit is not over, ‘Frost’s position shows’

Health Secretary Matt Hancock acted illegally by failing to release details of coronavirus-related contracts worth billions of pounds in a timely manner, a Superior Court judge ruled.

The Good Law Project took legal action against the Department of Health and Social Care for its “total failure” to disclose details of the contracts agreed during the pandemic.

Our political editor, Andrew Woodcock, has more details below on this latest story:

The union representing public officials has launched a judicial review seeking to overturn Boris Johnson’s decision that Priti Patel did not violate the ministerial code with his behavior towards department personnel.

Johnson supported the Home Secretary last year, going against the judgment of his adviser, Sir Alex Allan, who found his behavior amounted to intimidation and violated the code.

In a statement announcing the judicial review process, FDA Secretary General Dave Penman said: “In November, the Prime Minister made the extraordinary decision that the Secretary of the Interior did not violate the ministerial code, despite the clear evidence that he intimidated public officials.

“As a union that represents a large part of the staff who work day to day with the ministers, we cannot simply put this matter to rest.

“Public officials should expect to work with ministers without fear of being intimidated or harassed.”

Mr. Penman added: “Our judicial review, launched today, would seek to overturn the prime minister’s decision that the interior secretary’s conduct did not violate the ministerial code.

“It is not a question of whether the home secretary should be forced to resign, it is a matter for the prime minister, it is simply a question of how the ministerial code is interpreted.”

Labor’s shadow labor rights secretary has described a ruling that Uber must classify its drivers as workers rather than self-employed as a “landmark judgment.”

“This is an extremely important sentence with significant implications for the concert economy. Uber drivers and all workers in the gig economy should get basic rights at work, including a decent wage, job security and safety, “Andy McDonald said in a statement.

“The landmark ruling is also testimony to the hard work of the unions and drivers of ADCU and GMB who have carried out this action.”

He added: “An increasing number of workers are engaged in zero hour exploitation and insecure contracts. The Supreme Court has sent a very clear message that companies should not cheat the system by undermining the rights of their employees.

Our business reporter, Ben chapman, has more details on the story below:

One man has been accused of sending threatening emails to MPs, including calling former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn a “terrorist” and warning others who faced assassination.

The alleged victims include former Speaker John Bercow, former Home Secretary Amber Rudd, former Attorney General Dominic Grieve QC, former candidate for Mayor of London and former Cabinet Minister Rory Stewart, SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford, former leader Liberal Democrat Jo Swinson and current party leader Sir Ed Davey.

Paul Ritchie has been charged with nearly 30 counts of sending a letter, communication or article that conveys a threatening message against a number of politicians, court documents show.

My colleague Liam James reports:

At MI6, the head of the Secret Intelligence Service has issued a public apology for the agency’s past treatment of LGBT + people.

Richard Moore said that a security barrier for LGBT + people serving in intelligence agencies, which remained in place until 1991, was “incorrect, unfair and discriminatory.”

In a video statement posted on Twitter, Moore, known in Whitehall as C, said it had resulted in the lives of committed professionals being ruined while others were denied the opportunity to serve.

Moore also said it was due to a “mistaken” belief that LGBT + people were more susceptible to blackmail.

He paid tribute to the “extraordinary resilience and loyalty” shown to MI6 by LGBT + staff past and present, saying that the service still had more to do to be a fully inclusive employer and that its goal was to make it “a workplace where you can always bring your true self to work ”.

Liberal Democrats have urged the government not to wait until the entire population has received its blows to begin distributing supplies to developing countries.

The party’s foreign affairs spokeswoman, Layla Moran, said: “A gradual approach to global vaccine distribution risks prolonging the pandemic, giving vaccine-resistant variants a chance to mutate.

“Britain must show global leadership and commit to a parallel deployment – it’s the right thing to do and the smart thing to do.”

It comes after Boris Johnson pledged to donate the majority of Britain’s surplus vaccines to poorer nations in the lead up to today’s G7 virtual meeting.

Former BBC presenter Andrew Neil has featured his gear for political coverage on GB News, his new 24-hour channel intended to rival Sky News and the BBC.

Critics of the station have accused the channel of being an attempt to create a British version of the right-wing American network Fox News, led by opinion.

Our reporter, Adam Forrest, has the full story below:

New government guidance has recognized that some barriers have emerged for UK companies trading with Ireland after the end of the Brexit transition period.

As the BBC’s Faisal Islam notes, guidance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Department of International Trade (which can be found here) refers to “supply chain challenges and non-tariff trade barriers” under the new post-war agreements. Brexit.

The full results of the upcoming Scottish Parliament elections can take days to be announced after the decision was made not to count the votes overnight.

Ballot counting normally begins when the polls close at 10 p.m., but local authority areas will not begin the counting process this year until 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.

Malcolm Burr, coordinator of the Scottish Election Administration (EO) Board, said: “Returning officials should ensure that the first polls are opened no earlier than 9am. M. Not after 10 a.m. M. From Friday May 7, 2021, to allow the verification and scrutiny of electoral and regional votes in their electoral districts.

“For the avoidance of doubt, there will be no vote counting overnight.

“For local government elections in Scotland, a ‘recount the next day’ is a well accepted procedure and is recognized as allowing for a higher level of resistance within electoral teams.”

Mr. Burr added that the decision was due to the expectation that the counting process would take “significantly longer” than normal, with locations “subject to increased hygiene and capacity limits … managed more appropriately during the day”.

He said the measure was also expected to “significantly reduce the mix of counting and voting staff.”