Boris Johnson v the Covid inquiry – podcast
After accusations of erratic decision-making during the pandemic, the former prime minister will finally face the inquiry. Aletha Adu reportsFor several weeks the Covid inquiry
Denny Laine, star musician with Moody Blues and Wings, dies aged 79
Laine, who sang Go Now and co-wrote Mull of Kintyre, had suffered lung disease in recent yearsDenny Laine, the frontman of the Moody Blues who
The Guardian view on the Rwanda deal: Tory asylum policy sinks to a new low | Editorial
This malign deportation scheme is a distraction from years of broken pledges
Suella Braverman wasn’t sacked from her post as home secretary three weeks ago because of her zeal in promoting the deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda – a policy she once described as her “dream”. It was an intemperate attack she made on the police in the Times that led to her dismissal by the prime minister she had defied in making it. But anyone who thought – or hoped – that her replacement by James Cleverly would bring an end to this vicious, wrong-headed policy was mistaken. Rishi Sunak’s government remains wedded to its project of sending asylum seekers from all over the world to central Africa.
To that end, Mr Cleverly travelled to Kigali on Tuesday and signed a treaty with the Rwandan government. Last month, the UK supreme court ruled that the existing deal, based on a memorandum rather than a treaty, is illegal. A new monitoring committee to oversee the arrangements for detainees, and an appeals system staffed by judges, are designed to answer the court’s objections. In addition, ministers are expected to introduce legislation to the House of Commons. Depending on the formula they adopt, this is likely to declare Rwanda to be a “safe third country”, and remove some legal protections from asylum seekers.
Martin Rowson on James Cleverly’s Rwanda deportation plan – cartoon
Young and old, leavers, remainers: Britain’s voters are volatile and divided – and it’s not just down to Brexit | Anand Menon
The days of predictable voting patterns are gone. But this started long before the 2016 vote
Sky Sports irritates me. Not its coverage, which is great. But its tendency to imply that football only started in 1992, when the Premier League launched. We risk doing something equally misleading when it comes to politics – tracing everything back to Brexit. The reality, as the recent UK in a Changing Europe report underlines , is somewhat more complex.
None of which is to say that Brexit wasn’t hugely significant. It was – in the language of the British Election Study team – an “electoral shock ” that affected politics and public opinion in a number of ways.
Anand Menon is director of the UK in a Changing Europe and professor of European politics and foreign affairs at King’s College London