Councils in flood-stricken areas have demanded ministers urgently ease their access to emergency recovery funds as more than 100 flood warnings remained in place across England in the wake of Storm Dennis. Local leaders in Worcestershire, where the River Severn burst its banks and flooded homes, said the system that funds urgent recovery efforts is … Read more
Priti Patel, the home secretary, has been warned by No 10 to cool down the row with her permanent secretary, Philip Rutnam, after a bitter briefing war between allies of the pair about their deteriorating relationship. The prime minister’s official spokesman said Boris Johnson had “full confidence” in the home secretary and in the civil … Read more
A former official House of Commons photographer who captured “renaissance style” photos of Theresa May and John Bercow during the Brexit drama of last year has been told he will not be investigated further after parliamentary authorities suspected him of taking historic furniture, lampshades and candlesticks from parliament. Mark Duffy said he was “absolutely relieved” … Read more
If a week is a long time in politics, the Labour leadership contest is stretching across eternity. There are two contests – one for leader and one for deputy – and we won’t know the result until April. Why can’t the deputy just be the one who comes second? What a gigantic waste of time … Read more
Where is Boris Johnson? As flooding devastates large parts of the north, the Midlands and Wales, the prime minister’s strategy is to hide from public scrutiny and hope the whole thing blows over. It’s now 11 days and counting since his last public appearance. This is a huge miscalculation. Because for all of Dominic Cummings’ … Read more