Boris Johnson calls for referendum on UK’s ECHR membership – live
Minister says accepting freebies is different in government
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Britain should hold a referendum on its membership of the European Convention on Human Rights, Boris Johnson has said.
The ex-prime minister told The Daily Telegraph there was a strong case to give voters a say on the ECHR, which critics say prevents Britain from having full control of immigration.
Mr Johnson suggested the ECHR did not “provide people with protections that they wouldn’t otherwise have”.
The UK’s membership is a key Tory leadership issue with Robert Jenrick saying the party must back an exit to survive. Earlier this week he also said he was open to Mr Johnson being in his shadow cabinet.
Mr Johnson’s comments come ahead of the publication of his memoir, Unleashed, in which he brands Rishi Sunak’s ideas in government as “zany” and laid the blame for the drubbing suffered by the Tories at this year’s General election at his feet.
He also writes that he regrets not sacking then-political adviser Dominic Cummings over the Barnard Castle row, dismissing the furore as “lefty journalists angry over Brexit”.
Mr Johnson will be questioned about the revelations in his memoir during an appearance on ITV set to air on Friday evening.
The BBC was forced to cancel its interview with him after presenter Laura Kuenssberg accidentally sent the former prime minister her briefing notes.
Key Points
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UK should hold vote on ECHR membership, says Johnson
Britain should hold a referendum on its membership of the European Convention on Human Rights, Boris Johnson has said.
The former prime minister told The Daily Telegraph there is a “strong case” to give the public a say on the ECHR, which critics say prevents Britain from having full control of its immigration policy.
Mr Johnson suggested the ECHR did not “provide people with protections that they wouldn’t otherwise have”.
Tory leadership candidates Robert Jenrick and Tom Tugendhat have both backed the idea of leaving the ECHR.
Jane Dalton3 October 2024 21:44
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Chagos deal a disaster for marine protection, say critics
The Tories’ science spokesman has slated the Chagos deal because it “puts at risk” one of the world’s largest marine protected areas.
Shadow science secretary Andrew Griffith said the area included the Great Chagos Bank, the world’s largest coral atoll, as well as deep-sea plains, limestone platforms and deep sea-knolls.
“Mauritius opposed this marine protection status, claiming their rights to fish it. They lack the navy to protect quarter of a million square miles of ocean… located over 1,000 miles away from Mauritius itself,” he said.
Filmmaker James Glancy said the move was a disaster for marine biodiversity.
Jane Dalton4 October 2024 06:15
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Truss and Cleverly blamed as Starmer ‘surrenders’ islands
Jane Dalton4 October 2024 05:15
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We want UK to increase ties with Ireland, says Lammy
Foreign secretary David Lammy has said he wanted the UK and Ireland to increase co-operation on “growth, climate and global issues” as he met the deputy prime minister.
Following the Chagos deal, some critics mocked him by asking whether he would be giving away Northern Ireland.
Jane Dalton4 October 2024 03:30
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Watch: Who will be the next Tory leader?
Who will be the next leader of the Conservatives?
Following on from their election defeat and Rishi Sunak departing, the Conservatives have been locked in a leadership campaign to pick the next party leader. Robert Jenrick, Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat are the final four vying to win the leadership and return a fractious party to power, wresting it away from Keir Starmer’s Labour. But who will win and who’s most likely to succeed? Kate Devlin and John Rentoul cast an eye over the field of candidates and pick who they think is next to face Kier Starmer at the dispatch box in Westminster.
Jane Dalton4 October 2024 02:15
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Review: Unleashed – A memoir that’s twisted, sour and full of more lies
“Shameless, sour, predictable, self-exculpatory stuff”: Enjoy Sean O’Grady’s review of Boris Johnson’s memoir:
Jane Dalton4 October 2024 01:15
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Leader: Johnson’s low moral standards are a warning to Starmer
Jane Dalton4 October 2024 00:35
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Half Tory members want party to merge with Reform, poll for Liz Truss’s thinktank reveals
A new survey commissioned by a rightwing thinktank has suggested that 53 per cent of Conservative Party members would support a merger with Reform UK.
A huge 70 per cent said they would want a closer relationship with Nigel Farage’s party, the survey showed.
The poll, which was conducted between September 23 and 27, spoke to 470 Tory members by the rightwing Popular Conservatism (PopCon) organisation, which founded by disgraced former prime minister Liz Truss.
Read the full article here:
Jane Dalton3 October 2024 23:30
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Blame Sunak for Tory election drubbing, not me, says Johnson
Jane Dalton3 October 2024 22:20
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US hails Chacos deal as ‘win for diplomacy’
US State Department spokesman Matt Miller said of the Chacos deal: “It’s a win for a diplomacy to see a successful, successful outcome of this effort between two US partners after more than a dozen rounds of talks.
“The agreement will secure the future of our joint US-UK military facility on Diego Garcia, which plays a vital role in US efforts to establish regional and global security, respond to crises and counter some of the most challenging security threats of our time.”
Jane Dalton3 October 2024 21:15
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-echr-kuenssberg-interview-bbc-live-b2623560.html