Dominic Raab bullying report: new deputy PM Oliver Dowden to face media amid fallout – UK politics live

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Key events

While Oliver Dowden has been on the television, Andrew Rawnsley has published his latest column, arguing that Dominic Raab is just the latest culprit, but the public have lost faith in all politicians:

[Dominic Raab’s] fall will probably merit only a small paragraph in the histories of these years. I say that because resignations have been so common. Bullying, sexual predation, cronyism, rule-busting, law-breaking, illicit lobbying for commercial interests. Name a genre of bad behaviour and these years have served it up. All political eras have their share of scandal. The distinguishing characteristic of this one is that there have been so many of them and of so many different types.

Cheerleaders for Sunak hail the removal of Raab as evidence of the prime minister’s commitment to professional standards. The opposition parties scoff at any claim that this is testimony to Sunak’s upstanding character when it was he who restored Raab to the role of DPM, knowing of the many accusations that he had bullied civil servants in three departments.

We have a crisis of public faith in politics. This did not start with Boris Johnson, though it was certainly made worse by his debauched regime, and the crisis clearly has not been ended simply by replacing him with a different face at Number 10. The most obvious culprits are trust-smashing events that fuel justifiably fierce public outrage. Partygate and, before it, the expenses scandal did terrible damage to the reputation of politics. The disintegration of respect for Westminster is also the product of the relentless accumulation of other scandals that have made parliament look like a rogues’ gallery. An unprecedentedly high number of MPs – mainly, but not entirely Tories – have been suspended or thrown out by their parties during this parliament as a result of or pending investigations into misconduct.

Dowden: Tories expect to lose 1,000 seats at local elections

Asked on the Sky News Sophy Ridge programme about the local elections, Oliver Dowden said he expected to lose about 1,000 seats, saying:

Overall, the Conservatives are still broadly in a midterm situation. And when we previously fought those seats, we were in a different position. So there is an expectation of about 1000 or so seats lost.

But what I would say is that my experience of working with Rishi Sunak as prime minister, is he’s brought a calmness and a stability and an order to government. He’s methodically dealing with problems and I’m finding that people are responding positively to that.

Oliver Dowden is often viewed as one of the safest pairs of Conservative party hands in media performances, but he’s had a tricky couple of minutes here where Sophy Ridge has first challenged him over concerns about appointments to the BBC raised with him when he was at the DCMS, and is struggling to answer on whether he thinks it would be embarrassing if Boris Johnson appointed his own father to the House of Lords.

Sophy Ridge has pointed out to Oliver Dowden that there have been nine justice ministers in the last few years, and that the backlog in crown court cases is not diminishing. He tried to pin the backlog on Covid, to which she said: “That’s not true, the backlog started before the pandemic.”

On the issue of politicising the civil service, Oliver Dowden said he was confident that at the moment ministers were able to give civil servants instructions and get things done. Asked if he thought Raab was wrong to talk about “activist civil servants”, Dowden said “I didn’t live Dom’s experience. I’ve always found if you give clear instructions, and of course believe me, you have frustrations”, but then went on to praise his civil servants in the culture department for their work during the pandemic. But he said he did not want to see any diminution in the ability of ministers to issue instructions to civil servants.

Oliver Dowden has been asked directly “is Dominic Raab a bully”, and he has skirted around it, saying Raab gave a commitment to resign if the findings of the reports were against him, and that he has done so. Dowden praised the way “Dom” took over when Boris Johnson was ill.

The next topic in the Sophy Ridge interview with deputy PM Oliver Dowden has been about Suella Braverman and the supposed new powers to ignore judges. He said the home secretary will be given discretion to ignore section 39 rulings. He also claimed that while he was out campaigning for the local elections migration has come up a lot.

He was asked if new safe legal routes would be opened up. He cited refugees from Ukraine, Hong Kong and Afghanistan arriving as a positive thing, and then claimed that if they could “stop the boats” then that would open up more capacity.

Oliver Dowden has been asked first about the situation in Sudan and whether the UK would follow others in evacuating people. He said he wouldn’t comment about the movement of people for security reasons but said the Ministry of Defence is supporting the Foreign Office.

He was then asked about the national emergency alert. He said it was the job of the government “to keep people safe”, and described it like a fire alarm test, “a bit irritating at the time” but which ultimately could save lives. He said other countries test these kind of systems all the time.

New deputy PM Oliver Dowden interviewed on Sky News

Deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden is about to appear on Sophy Ridge’s programme on Sky News. I’ll bring you the key lines as they emerge.

Here is a little bit more on that Sunday Telegraph story that Suella Braverman, the home secretary, has said she is prepared to defy judges over migration policy. Charles Hymas and Tony Driver write:

In an article for the Telegraph, the home secretary says: “Last year we saw the European Court in Strasbourg issue Rule 39 interim measures, which blocked a removal flight to Rwanda.

“Our bill will now give ministers broad discretion whether to comply with interim measures in individual cases. This is a crucial power.”

The controversial powers were only introduced last week by the government as an amendment to its illegal migration bill after about 60 Eurosceptic Tory MPs demanded a tougher approach against the ECHR.

Braverman, who is known to have been sympathetic to the rebels, has now backed the new power which makes it easier for ministers to counter future attempts by Strasbourg judges to block flights. She also insists the Government’s measures are “robust to inevitable legal challenge” as ministers brace for an onslaught over the legality of the bill in the House of Lords and the ECHR.

Sunday's front pages

Here is a roundup of what is on the front pages this morning. The Observer leads with the Toby Helm and Michael Savage story that Tories are considering a controversial plan to politicise the civil service after the Dominic Raab bullying affair. You can read that here.

The Sunday Express continues to pick up on Raab’s “activist” civil servant line, claiming that Suella Braverman is their next target.

The Sunday Telegraph also features Braverman, saying that she is prepared to defy judges over migration policy.

The Mail on Sunday is concerned about security at King Charles’s coronation, claiming there is a plot by “militant protesters” to spook horses at the parade using rape alarms, which it describes as “vile”.

The Sunday Times is leading with a story about an MI6 spy, but also has room for a story claiming that Rishi Sunak’s aides wanted to prevent Raab from having to resign over bullying allegations.

The Sunday Mirror has busied itself with exposing yet another freebie holiday for the former prime minister and current MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, Boris Johnson.

In Scotland, the focus continues to be on the SNP, with the Scottish Mail on Sunday talking about a hunt for phone SIM cards.

Good morning, and welcome to our rolling live political coverage for Sunday. The main attraction first thing will be newly appointed deputy PM Oliver Dowden facing Sophy Ridge on Sky News at 8.30am, followed by Laura Kuenssberg at 9am. The latter has been bumped to BBC Two this morning because lots of people are running around London. Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s shadow work and pensions Secretary, and Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats are also on media duties this morning.

Here are the headlines:

Radical plans to bring in more “politicisation” of Whitehall by allowing ministers greater powers to appoint their own civil servants – including some with overt political affiliations – are being considered by the government’s own adviser on the civil service.
The leader of the Royal College of Nursing has said a legal attempt by the health secretary to block next weekend’s strike in England is “frightening for democracy and very frightening for trade unionism”.
Polling stations in England will have extra staff to help voters on 4 May as the government introduces its new rules on photographic ID, the Electoral Commission has said.
Boris Johnson fell out with his former chief adviser Dominic Cummings after growing tired of being treated like a “young and inexperienced king” who needed to be kept in order, Michael Gove has revealed in a book.
If you are in the UK, your phone is going to go off at 3pm in a national emergency alarm test of a system that has been years in the making. Here is how to switch it off.