Martin Shaw, Chair of the East Devon Alliance: “When it comes to the by-election, it’s horses for courses. We need to make sure this corrupt government does not win here again.”

seatonmatters.org

It’s now pretty clear that however disgraceful Boris Johnson’s behaviour, Conservative MPs will not remove him. The most telling new revelations are about the Downing Street cleaner who was not allowed to visit her mother in hospital because of lockdown rules, but had to clean up the mess left by Johnson’s rule-breaking parties; and about the security guard being mocked by the PM’s staff for doing his job and pointing out that rules should be observed.

There was a time when any minister, let alone a prime minister, would have resigned for presiding over such outrageous behaviour. There was a time when Conservatives claimed to represent standards in public life, and when MPs would have forced a disgraced prime minister out. 

Our chance to make a difference

These times are gone, alas, and in most parts of the country people are pulling their hair out because there seems to be nothing they can do about this travesty of a government, so preoccupied with its own survival that for months it ignored the terrible cost of living crisis which is plunging families and pensioners into poverty.

But here in many parts of East Devon – Seaton, Axminster, Honiton and the villages around – we can do something. In three weeks time, we can vote in a by-election to send a message to Boris Johnson and the country that enough is enough.

This is an election which people who don’t always bother voting should make sure they turn out for. It’s an election to make sure you’re on the electoral register (if not, register to vote now), and to apply for a postal vote for if you’ll be away on 23 June. 

Tactical voting

It’s an election, too, where we need to vote tactically for the candidate best placed to defeat the Conservative, since on the morning after a Tory victory here, Johnson will conclude that the electorate will put up with anything – literally anything – that he throws at us.

When I first mooted tactical voting two weeks ago, I didn’t say who to vote for, but Sean Day Lewis from Colyton (writing in this paper) assumed I meant the Liberal Democrats rather than Labour. I think that’s telling – the sense that the Lib Dems are the people who can win is already out there even among people who’d like it to be Labour. Exeter’s Labour MP, Ben Bradshaw, has also given a heavy hint: it’s the Lib Dems who can win this by-election, not his own party.

Indeed the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, has drawn the same conclusion. Labour’s national party are not putting resources into this by-election because they know they can’t win. Starmer has an informal pact with the Lib Dems because they know that working together, they can help put the British people out of the misery that the Tories have created. 

Horses for courses

We should welcome this outbreak of common sense among the parties. It’s the same approach we already have in local politics, where my own East Devon Alliance of Independents has teamed up with the Lib Dems and Greens to give EDDC its first non-Conservative administration in 50 years.

I empathise with Labour’s Liz Pole and the Greens’ Gill Westcott, both good candidates who in other circumstances might well gain my vote as their parties have in the past. As an Independent, I’ve worked with Lib Dem, Labour and Green members on the County Council, and I know that there is much more that unites us all, and separates us all from Johnson’s Conservatives, than divides us.

When it comes to the by-election, it’s horses for courses. We need to make sure this corrupt government does not win here again. Personally, I would feel sick if Richard Foord, the Liberal Democrat candidate, lost by a few votes on June 23 while I’d given my vote to a Labour or Green candidate who had no hope of winning.

Liberal Democrat candidate Richard Foord

The insight lies in the questions rather than Bluster’s answers – Owl

(PS Boris if you are trying to win over “Waitrose Woman”, you are in for a disappointment there are no Waitrose stores in the Tiverton and Honiton consituency)

AS reported in the Guardian: Johnson came under fire from a slew of angry commentators in a Mumsnet interview, whose first question was: “Why should we believe anything you say when it’s been proven you’re a habitual liar?”

During the exchange, Johnson said he was “very, very surprised and taken aback” to be fined by the Metropolitan police for his surprise birthday party, which he called a “miserable event”.

Asked about the pressure he was under from MPs, Johnson said: “I’m not going to deny the whole thing hasn’t been a totally miserable experience for people in government.”

He said he was not considering resigning. “I just cannot see how actually it would be responsible right now, given everything that is going on, simply to abandon … the project on which I embarked to level up.

“I am still here because we have got huge pressures economically and we’ve got the biggest war in Europe for 80 years, and we have got a massive agenda to deliver.”

The company is the Jekyll and Hyde of the ten regional monopolies privatised in 1989. While it is regularly praised by the industry regulator Ofwat for its financial discipline, its environmental record has been branded the worst in the country by the Environment Agency, which has said South West Water “drags down the whole sector’s reputation”. The agency has called its performance “consistently unacceptable”.

Robert Lea www.thetimes.co.uk 

The inflation crisis will blow a £60 million hole in the operating costs of the South West Water group this year, putting further pressure on already falling profits.

Revenues at Pennon increased last year as second-homers and others flocked to the southwest to escape the pandemic in cities. But its underlying profits tumbled more than 8 per cent, hit by rising energy costs and the impact of rising inflation on index-linked borrowing.

The company’s finance director, Paul Boote, said there would be more trouble to come, with the likely increases in gas and electricity prices sending its energy costs up by £30-£40 million. The cost of servicing its inflation-linked debt will rise by another £30 million. Boote said those rising costs would be partly offset by a full year of income from its newly acquired neighbour, Bristol Water.

Pennon is the FTSE 250 parent company of the water supplier for Devon and Cornwall and parts of Somerset and Dorset. South West Water has the most expensive average water bills in the country at £522 this year, which it blames on having to look after a third of the UK’s bathing waters but with just 3 per cent of the country’s population, meaning it spends a disproportionate amount of money on its sewage treatment works, mains supply and sewerage pipes.

The company is the Jekyll and Hyde of the ten regional monopolies privatised in 1989. While it is regularly praised by the industry regulator Ofwat for its financial discipline, its environmental record has been branded the worst in the country by the Environment Agency, which has said South West Water “drags down the whole sector’s reputation”. The agency has called its performance “consistently unacceptable”.

In Pennon’s financial results for the year to the end of March, underlying revenues increased by 6.7 per cent, and including Bristol Water rose from £644 million to £792 million. “The Covid-19 pandemic led to a substantial population increase in the southwest with continued higher levels of household demand,” it said.

Excluding the impact of the acquisition of Bristol Water, Pennon admitted its underlying profit before tax fell to £143.5 million compared with £157 million in the previous year. It blamed “cost pressures from macro-economic conditions and higher costs” including energy, labour and chemicals and “increased interest charges on index-linked debt driven by the high inflationary environment”.

Pennon’s net interest costs of £77.9 million last year were £20.2 million higher due to the impact of inflation on index-linked debt. Susan Davy, the group’s chief executive, described it as “another year of resilient performance”.

Despite falling profits, the company is increasing its dividend by 8.2 per cent to 38.53p. Shares in the group have been dribbling down since last summer, off about 25 per cent during that time, and slipped further yesterday, down 2.7 per cent, or 28p, at £10.01.

Or perhaps not if he is confident that he can take you for granted.

The Independent reports that Boris Johnson rang potential rebels on the Conservative backbenches in a desperate bid to shore up his position ahead of a vote of no confidence in his leadership that many Tory MPs now expect to be called when parliament returns next week.

Standby on Mumsnet

Meanwhile the electoral battleground turns to “Waitrose Woman”.

According to the Independent “Waitrose Woman” is reported to be the voter demographic Downing Street reckons is crucial if the prime minister is to reverse plummeting ratings and defy rebellious Tory MPs in the wake of both Partygate and the cost of living crisis.

Like “Mondeo man” and “Worcester woman” before, she is, of course, a fictionalised construct based on stereotypes – the product of market researchers and focus groups.

But does “Waitrose woman” actually back Johnson at all?

According to Politico London Newsletter:

Johnson is holding a Q&A session with Mumsnet — his answers will be put online around noon.

Also The Times reports that Boris Johnson’s ethics adviser has threatened to quit over the Downing Street parties scandal after concluding that there were “legitimate” questions about whether the prime minister breached the ministerial code. A source said that Geidt was “60/40” in favour of quitting despite the prime minister’s clarification. The Cabinet Office denied that he was leaving.

Most likely result of any vote of confidence?

“He would hang on even if it was a one-vote majority,” said one former cabinet colleague. “He loves the trappings.”

As the Tories limp towards the next election, is Boris the best recruiting sergeant a progressive alliance has? – Owl

Now or never? Tory MPs face last chance to ditch Johnson before election

Heather Stewart www.theguardian.com 

For weeks now, Westminster has been fixated on the number 54 – the tally of Conservative MPs needed to trigger a vote of no confidence in Boris Johnson. If, as now appears increasingly likely, that threshold is breached in the coming days, another number will become all-important: the 180 MPs required to kick him out of Downing Street.

The Tories have a reputation for ruthlessness when it comes to throwing out their leaders, and the rules of a no-confidence vote are stark: if Johnson loses, he is out.

He would be expected to stay on as prime minister while a successor was chosen, but he would be disqualified from standing in the leadership race.

The House of Commons is in recess until the afternoon of Monday 6 June; but if the 54 threshold is reached this week the 1922 Committee chair, Graham Brady, could announce that a vote will be held when MPs return.

As when Theresa May faced a similar vote in December 2018, Conservative MPs would file into a House of Commons committee room to cast their votes in a secret ballot.

And with 359 sitting Conservative MPs, it would take 180 votes to defeat the prime minister.

In theory, Johnson should have a powerful built-in advantage: according to calculations by the Institute for Government, 80 Tory MPs are ministers in Johnson’s government, with another 47 serving as principal private secretaries, ministers’ aides in the Commons.

These MPs are referred to at Westminster as the “payroll vote” (though PPSs are not, in fact, paid) and can be expected to turn out reliably for the government in the division lobbies of the Commons. Another 20 are trade envoys to various parts of the world, owing these posts to the prime minister.

Yet while Johnson has used his powers of patronage ruthlessly, to shore up support and reward backbench waverers, the luxury of a secret ballot may free up some critics to vote against him, even if they have plum roles in government.

Is this the moment when the dam bursts – and his support drains away?

“It will be a secret ballot and I wouldn’t assume that the payroll will all vote for him. It’s a secret ballot for a reason,” said one Johnson critic on the back benches. Another suggested two-thirds of the payroll vote might stick with him, leaving perhaps 40 or more to peel off.

At least one minister in a marginal seat is understood to have concluded that they have no chance of remaining an MP if Johnson leads the party into the next election. They have not resigned from the government, fearing that would do little damage, and are wary of submitting a letter lest their name leaks, but would “100%” vote against him if the 54-letter threshold was attained.

Some MPs suggest Johnson might prefer to face a quick vote next week, rather than in late June, after the Tories are expected to struggle in a pair of key byelections, in Wakefield and Tiverton.

These two contests are seen by backbenchers as critical tests of Johnson’s popularity, in very different types of constituency.

If they lose both – or even see hefty swings against them – it would strongly reinforce the sense that he has become an electoral liability.

The mood at Westminster on Tuesday was increasingly that the threshold might be met within days, rather than weeks, however – a sense that was underlined by reports that Johnson had begun the task of ringing round potential swing voters in his party, in an attempt to shore up his position.

When he was last imperilled, earlier this year, the former education secretary Gavin Williamson ended up with a knighthood, and pressure groups of backbenchers were able to force their pet policies on the government – fracking being just one example.

As one senior Tory put it: “One of the things his critics underestimate about Boris is, Boris knows how to stack a deck in his favour.”

Several sources said Johnson’s allies had also recently used the threat of a snap general election against his critics – saying that if they tried to move against him, he would trigger an early poll and let the public decide if he should keep his job.

If the crunch point does come next week, the prime minister’s detractors will urge their colleagues to seize what could be their last opportunity to ditch him before the next general election – because if the prime minister wins, he is safe for a year.

That would take his party perilously close to the next contest, which must be held before January 2025 – though the executive of the 1922 Committee could, in theory, change the rules and allow another vote, if they felt it was in the party’s interest.

As one MP working to remove him put it: “There will be people who wouldn’t themselves put a letter in, but when they’re given a ballot paper, you’ve basically got a straight, binary choice, and the question on the ballot paper is effectively, do you want to go into the next general election with Boris Johnson leading the Conservative party? It’s pretty much now or never.”

Many at Westminster believe the most likely outcome is that Johnson wins by a narrow majority – one veteran Tory described it as “nip and tuck”. He would then face the decision of whether to throw in the towel, rather than press on, with his authority badly undermined.

Colleagues who know him well suggest there is little or no chance of him voluntarily stepping aside, and instead would press on in the hope he can rekindle the public’s love for him.

“He would hang on even if it was a one-vote majority,” said one former cabinet colleague. “He loves the trappings.”

Unusual of her to miss an opportunity – Owl

Police in Devon and Cornwall at “creaking” point over lack of Officers

Olivier Vergnaul www.cornwalllive.com

There are not enough police officers to do the job, which is why the system is creaking and crime prioritisation might have to take place, a high-ranking police union official has warned. Andy Berry, the chairman of the Devon and Cornwall Police Federation, believes there is so much demand on the force in our two counties that it is outstripping capacity.

As a result of the increased pressure on the under-resourced police force, members of the public are losing faith in the police while officers are at breaking point, he said. He said he has never seen the service in such a dire situation in his time as an officer. Speaking to BBC Radio Devon he said: “Everything is creaking. Not only is that service failure for the public but it is breaking officers because they are working themselves inside out, desperate to do a good job, and feel, in themselves, that they are failing.

“I have been in this role for four years, a police officer for 29 years and I’ve never seen so many inspectors, chief inspectors and superintendents coming to me and say this stuff. These are the people that are running the force and are close enough at the front end to see what is happening, or what is not happening.”

It comes as a rising number of police officers are leaving the force or feeling under strain for both their mental and physical health as a lack of resources makes them feel angry and frustrated for not being able to do their job properly. Mr Berry added: “We will have more officers in Devon and Cornwall by the end of the uplift – which will be sometime next year – but we will have fewer officers per 100,000 members of the public than a decade ago. We are not even keeping up with population rise, let alone the changes in crime.

“As a police force we try to prioritise everything, get to every call and try to provide the best service that we possibly can. But there aren’t enough people to go to the crimes and investigate the crimes. The chief constable needs to take some radical decisions and maybe, for a temporary period of time, say we won’t go to certain things, maybe not focus as much on certain crime types.

“A lot of energy goes into the low level possession of drugs. Maybe we should reduce that. Maybe the chief constable should think about stopping our neighbourhood team – the very visible part of policing, that do an immense amount of good work – maybe they should stop for a period of time to enable us to do the basics. It’s got to the stage where there needs to be that debate.”

He said that perhaps it is time the public are consulted on what they want their local police force to concentrate on. Mr Berry added: “Should the police concentrate on serious crime; rapes and domestic abuse and bringing those perpetrators to justice, or respond to urgent 999 calls quickly so they are getting there faster than they are now? Or do they want us to keep on spreading the jam really thinly?”

A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesperson agreed that officers’ workloads can be stressful and this can result in workplace pressures. He added: “Leaders in the force acknowledge these issues and the stressful work that our officers and staff do – it is a job like no other.

“Within Devon and Cornwall Police we are proactively recruiting. As of March, Devon and Cornwall police has recruited 281 additional uplift officers. The force has been allocated a further 188 officers for the final year of the programme. Funding for Devon and Cornwall Police increased by £20 million from around £356m in last year to £375m this year.

“We are doing everything possible to support officers and all of our staff in managing the impact of work on their physical and mental wellbeing. We remain committed to supporting officers and staff in helping them provide a sustainable, resilient and high-quality service to the public with the resources that we have.”

Alison Hernandez, Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, added: “I recognise many of the pressures that police officers, staff and volunteers are under. It is one of the reasons that, with the assistance of our communities, we started the uplift in officer numbers before central Government announced it would fund a national uplift.

“It takes time to recruit and train officers but Devon and Cornwall Police is now starting to feel the effects of this historic investment in policing. This year it will have 686 more officers than it did when I came to office and more police officers than at any other time in its history.

“We must not rest though. So many calls for help from the police should have been heard before people reached crisis point. Other agencies must do their bit to ensure that more of our residents are assisted before police have to become involved.”

Boris Johnson’s lurch to the right after Partygate is fuelling even more anger among rebel Tory MPs, with momentum now building for a leadership challenge next week.

Decision time for Simon Jupp may be approaching. Predictions from Electoral Calculus suggest that he might not be secure in the newly redrawn Devon East constituency (and that is before we know how badly the Tories do in the by-election). – Owl

Rowena Mason www.theguardian.com 

Conservative whips spent the first day of recess anxiously phoning round the parliamentary party to shore up support for the prime minister, as four more MPs called on him to resign, including Jeremy Wright, the former attorney general.

Several Tory MPs told the Guardian they believed the threshold of 54 letters withdrawing support for Johnson was close to being crossed – or may have been already. This would trigger a secret ballot on whether they still have confidence in the prime minister.

It is understood that Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the 1922 Committee, will have to use his own judgment about whether to announce the milestone being passed straight away if it occurs while parliament is off this week, or wait until Monday, when the House of Commons returns after the Queen’s jubilee celebrations.

One backbench critic of the PM said MPs from the 2019 intake were “gathering their courage” to put in letters before next Monday, but were worrying about repercussions if No 10 were to identify them after an unsuccessful coup. They said the opposition to Johnson was increasingly coordinated and determined to trigger a vote, with almost 30 MPs having publicly declared their opposition so far.

In his statement withdrawing support for the prime minister, Wright said Johnson had done “real and lasting damage” to the institution of government, and while he could not be sure that the prime minister had misled parliament, Johnson had been at best “negligent” in how he had approached the issue.

Elliot Colburn, a Tory MP with a small majority against the Lib Dems, said he had put in a letter “some time ago”, while Nickie Aiken, the Cities of London and Westminster MP whose council turned Labour this month, called on Johnson to bring an end to the situation by submitting a no-confidence letter in himself. Tory MP Andrew Bridgen also told constituents he had resubmitted his letter.

The dismay over Johnson’s premiership is worsening among Tories in so-called “Blue Wall” seats at risk of losing them to the Lib Dems, and “Red Wall” marginals where they have narrow majorities over Labour.

With Johnson’s future in the balance, No 10 has begun launching a number of rightwing, nationalistic policies in recent weeks. These include the return of imperial measures, plans to override the Northern Ireland protocol, a hint about expanding grammar schools, a review of fracking, and repeated promises to tear up more EU regulation.

A cabinet minister told the Guardian that Johnson appeared to be trying to stop the right of the party turning against him in the event of a leadership challenge, citing policies such as the review of fracking – which is electorally unpopular but appeals to a minority in parliament.

But Tory pollsters and some centrist MPs warned that this “core vote” direction was the wrong route to go down with public trust in Johnson so low among swing voters. Tobias Ellwood, a Tory former minister and chair of the defence committee, warned: “We will lose the next election on the current trajectory as reflected in recent elections.

“There is not only just a concern on the conduct of behaviour in No 10, because that has breached the trust with the British people, it is now concerns about No 10 thinking what our policies are.”

On the weights and measures policy, he told Sky News: “There will be some people in our party which will like this nostalgic policy in the hope that it’s enough to win the next election. But this is not the case. This is not one-nation Conservative thinking that is required to appeal beyond our base.”

One Tory cabinet source said the imperial measures policy was “absolutely bananas”, while another cabinet source said they had “no idea which muppet had come up with that idea”, as “this is not what the government’s overall strategy is about”.

Another Conservative MP said he represented a seat in the “heart of middle England” and about half of the core Conservative voters there had lost faith in the prime minister.

Some local government leaders also expressed a lack of confidence in Johnson. Rishi Sunak’s local council leader, Carl Les, the Conservative leader of North Yorkshire county council, said he thought it was time for a leadership election, blaming Johnson for heavy losses in the local elections.

“I am very disappointed that the strong majority we had in North Yorkshire has diminished down to a working majority, but only just, and a lot of the comment we were getting on the doorstep was about the impact of Partygate,” said Les.

The warnings from MPs and councillors were echoed by pollsters and political strategists, including former No 10 advisers James Johnson and Will Tanner. Both said Johnson was on course to lose the election by swinging to the right instead of focusing on delivering goals on schools, hospitals, housing and the cost of living.

Tanner, a former No 10 aide and the director of Conservative thinktank Onward, said: “My view is that while it’s understandable that the prime minister and Downing Street would want to demonstrate their commitment to rightwing policy issues, to satisfy some of his backbenchers at a moment where clearly the prime minister is worried about his future, those issues are not going to win the Conservative party the next election.”

He said he had “never sat in a focus group or conducted a poll where issues like imperial weights and measures or Channel 4 privatisation has come up repeatedly” from the voters Johnson is seeking to court.

He added: “It is NHS, immigration, crime, wages, good jobs in my town. Those are the fundamentals that the Conservative party needs to be focusing on, not these quite small and niche issues, which only matter to a few people.”

James Johnson, a pollster at JL Partners, who worked for Theresa May, said: “Some of these things that might have raised a smile in the past will actually invite ridicule, the pounds and ounces thing being a good example of that. We’re approaching the situation with Johnson similar to one we faced with Corbyn, where the individual policies might be popular, but the brand attached to them is toxic.”

Latest polling results show that an electoral pact between Labour, Liberal Democrats and the Greens could make a fundamental difference to the outcome of a general election.

www.electoralcalculus.co.uk (extract)

Current opinion polls show that Labour might be largest party after a fresh general election, but there is no guarantee that it would have enough seats for an outright overall majority. The latest Electoral Calculus monthly poll of polls suggests that Labour would be short about 10 seats of a majority. The recent local election results also suggest that Labour’s support is partial and patchy.

But if there were an electoral pact between Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens in England and Wales, then the Conservatives could lose two-thirds of their seats and would be ejected from government. The pact parties would have a landslide victory, with a parliamentary majority of over 300 seats.

Within the pact, all three parties benefit from it. Labour nearly doubles its seat total. The Liberal Democrats go up to 71 seats, which would be the best Liberal performance since 1923. And the Greens could win 17 seats compared to their existing single seat. This could be perceived as win-win-win for these three parties.

The poll did not include Scotland and the calculations assumed no change to the 2019 election result there. In Wales, the poll suggests that Plaid might lose a couple of seats to the pact.

Over the years Devon Watch has chronicled the zeal with which local Tories have pursued local cuts and slapped down all criticism, it’s all “on the record”. – Owl

The NHS has lost almost 25,000 beds across the UK in the last decade, according to a damning report that says the fall has led to a sharp rise in waiting times for A&E, ambulances and operations.

Andrew Gregory www.theguardian.com 

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine said the huge loss of beds since 2010-11 was causing “real patient harm” and a “serious patient safety crisis”. At least 13,000 more beds are urgently needed, it added, in order to tackle “unsafe” bed occupancy levels and “grim” waiting times for emergency care and handover delays outside hospitals.

Patients are increasingly “distressed” by long waiting times, the college said, as are NHS staff who face mounting levels of burnout, exhaustion and moral injury. The UK has the second lowest number of beds per 1,000 people in Europe at 2.42 and has lost the third largest number of beds per 1,000 population between 2000 and 2021 (40.7%), the report said.

There are currently 162,000 beds in the NHS across the UK, according to the college.

“The situation is dire and demands meaningful action,” said Dr Adrian Boyle, the college’s vice-president. “Since 2010-11 the NHS has lost 25,000 beds across the UK, as a result bed occupancy has risen, ambulance response times have risen, A&E waiting times have increased, cancelled elective care operations have increased.

“These numbers are grim,” Boyle added. “They should shock all health and political leaders. These numbers translate to real patient harm and a serious patient safety crisis. The health service is not functioning as it should and the UK government must take the steps to prevent further deterioration in performance and drive meaningful improvement, especially ahead of next winter.”

The college’s report said 13,000 staffed beds are required in the NHS across the UK to create “meaningful change and improvement”, which includes a “significant” improvement in A&E waiting times, ambulance response times, ambulance handover delays and a return to safe bed occupancy levels. It recommends opening at least 4,500 of these before winter.

The NHS Confederation said a fully funded long-term plan for the health and social care workforce was needed as well as immediately investing more cash in social care to make sure patients medically fit for discharge can be cared for in the community.

Rory Deighton, acute lead at the NHS Confederation, said: “This report lays bare the scale of the challenge the NHS is facing in terms of capacity and workforce. NHS leaders see first-hand that capacity in urgent and emergency care and ambulance services can simply not cope with the level of pressure we are seeing in the whole system.”

Andrew Goddard, the president of the Royal College of Physicians, said: “Even before the pandemic hospital beds were short, but Covid-19 has created its own extra demand for beds, claiming around 3,000 beds for almost a year now.

“We also desperately need additional beds in social care. Without these, hospitals will continue to be full, with knock-on effects in emergency departments and on ambulances. The fact is, it’s simply not possible to have more staffed beds without increasing the number of doctors, nurses and other clinicians available to care for the patients that need them.

Pat Cullen, the chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said the report spotlighted “a health service on its knees”, adding: “Hospitals are full to bursting, with patients in inappropriate locations all too often.”

Downing Street has failed to deny that Boris Johnson took part in a birthday gathering in his flat above No 11 during lockdown in 2020.

Andrew Woodcock www.independent.co.uk 

Reports at the weekend suggested that Mr Johnson joined his wife Carrie and friends in the flat to celebrate his 56th birthday at a time when indoor gatherings were banned.

The alleged event, which supposedly took place just hours after a cake presentation in the cabinet room for which both Johnsons were fined by police, was not mentioned in last week’s Partygate report by senior civil servant Sue Gray.

Asked eight times at a regular Westminster media briefing on Monday whether the event took place as described, a senior No 10 spokesperson failed to deny it.

Instead, they repeatedly referred to the terms of reference for the Gray inquiry, telling reporters: “That was clear that they were able to look into other gatherings that they received credible allegations for, and those would be covered in the general findings in her final report.

“Downing Street staff were given clear guidance to retain any relevant information and cooperate fully with the investigation. And you’ve seen the result – Sue Gray published her final report last week and the Met Police have concluded their investigations also.”

Ms Johnson is alleged to have sent texts to a No 10 aide that indicate she hosted a gathering with at least two male friends in the Downing Street flat on the evening of 19 June 2020. Covid rules at the time prohibited indoor gatherings of two or more people, except for work purposes.

According to The Sunday Times, the aide sent Ms Johnson a message saying her husband was on his way back to the Downing Street flat at 6.15pm. The Daily Telegraph reported that Ms Johnson responded: “Great. I am already here with the gays,” an affectionate reference to close gay male friends.

Downing Street had previously acknowledged two birthday events on 19 June – one in the cabinet room and another when Mr Johnson lawfully met with siblings outdoors in his garden. However, in January No 10 dismissed the existence of a third event as “totally untrue”.

It is understood that the Downing Street aide reported the existence of the messages to the Gray team in January, but it is unclear whether they were handed over for consideration by the inquiry.

Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner has called on the Commons privileges committee to investigate the allegations as part of its inquiry, expected to start next month, into whether Mr Johnson lied to parliament.

She said: “It appears that No 10 has now stopped denying that another lockdown-breaking secret gathering took place in the Downing Street flat.

“Less than a week after the release of the Gray report, this raises serious questions about whether Downing Street has been caught lying yet again and why the event has not been investigated.

“The prime minister must come clean with the British people.”

Downing Street today confirmed that Mr Johnson will “engage” with the privileges committee inquiry, expected to be led by senior Labour MP Harriet Harman.

Asked whether the PM was ready to give evidence to the inquiry, the No 10 spokesperson said: “We’ve said before that we will engage with the committee. It’s obviously for them to set out the process and the next steps.”

Rail line will shut for a week

Work on flood preventions to protect 65 homes in Feniton in East Devon will begin again in September after being delayed because of the pandemic and funding issues.

Radio Exe News www.radioexe.co.uk

An under-track rail crossing which forms phase three of the Feniton Flood Alleviation Scheme. The first two of four phases have already been completed.

It will involve 24-hour working near to the village for a week.

The nearby Waterloo rail line is already due to have work in the week of 16 September, and the Feniton construction will coincide with it. Pre-crossing works are likely to begin in early September, and post construction works will continue until the end of the month.

Phase three involves creating a small compound to the east of Green Lane, so manhole chambers can be put in on either side of the railway. Once the railway line is closed to rail traffic, a section of rails and trackbed will be removed, and a trench made for a new pipeline.

This will then be backfilled before the track bed is re-laid and rails are reinstalled.

Feniton’s Flood Alleviation Scheme is designed to take flood water from the north of the village, via a culverted pipeline around the village and back into the stream south of Feniton.

Downstream channel improvements to properties south of Feniton and in Gosford have already been delivered as part of phase one and two, however their performance will be further investigated as part of the ongoing works. 

Once the under track rail crossing is complete, it will allow phase four to begin: a 900-metre long, 1.05-metre diameter culverted pipeline running from Station Road, via phase three’s works to Ottery Road.

Depending on contractor availability, the council aims to start construction of phase four in spring 2023.

Councillor Geoff Jung, EDDC’s portfolio holder for coast, country and environment, said: “At long last the saga of this long-awaited scheme to alleviate the surface water flooding at Feniton seems to be nearly over. I am sure the long-suffering residents who will shortly be able to sleep a little more soundly when there is a storm, and no need to clamber out of bed to act as volunteer flood wardens.”

EDDC’s Feniton ward councillor Alasdair Bruce added:”This is fantastic news for Feniton. After having to put up with the constant threat of flooding for years, an end at last may be in sight. I believe these works will go a long way to securing a dryer, safer and less stressful future for Feniton.”

The redevelopment of The Knowle in Sidmouth looks set to be revived by a partnership between McCarthy Stone, the developer and manager of retirement communities, and the care home company Porthaven. 

Philippa Davies www.sidmouthherald.co.uk

They have acquired an interest in land at the site and are working up proposals to redevelop it with specialist retirement housing. 

The plans include a purpose-built care home, retirement living apartments and affordable housing.   

The site already has planning permission for an assisted living scheme which was granted at appeal in 2018 and was being progressed by the property developer LifeStory – but the company said in March last year that it was ‘reviewing the consented development’. It has now sold the site to McCarthy Stone. 

The principle of the site’s redevelopment has also been established within East Devon District Council’s Local Plan for the period up to 2031, adopted in January 2016.  

The site consists of a variety of disused buildings that were formerly used as offices by East Devon District Council. It is considered suitable for older persons’ accommodation, and is near local services and the town centre. 

McCarthy Stone and Porthaven say they will soon begin a pre-application community consultation programme, to ensure that the revised proposals respond to the concerns raised by the community when the original consent was granted.  

This includes creating a better relationship with the occupants of neighbouring properties as well as the wider community, stakeholders, East Devon District Council officers and Sidmouth Town Council over the coming months, and drawing up proposals for a high-quality, specialist retirement scheme which also contributes towards Sidmouth’s housing needs.  

Shane Paull, Divisional Managing Director for McCarthy Stone Southern, said: “We are delighted that we have acquired an interest in The Knowle site. We are committed to bringing forward its development, which presents an exciting opportunity to meet a strong local need for specialist retirement living accommodation.  

“Over the coming weeks we will be sharing our initial proposals for the site, that seek to propose a sensitive, well-designed development that will help improve accommodation choice for older people in the local area.” 

Tossing “red meat” to the “true blue”, Boris Johnson has decided that it would be fitting to bring back imperial measurements in time for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

But “Unleaded only £7.73/gallon“ looks a certain loser on garage forecourts in Tiverton and Honiton.

Dead cat story of the week backfires?

Boris getting desperate? – Owl

From Politico London Playbook:

Tiverton and Honiton: It looks increasingly plausible that the Devon seat vacated by porn-watching MP Neil Parish could go Lib Dem, despite the Tories defending a 24,000 majority. The Lib Dem campaign there has been up and running for weeks and there are already signs that Labour is encouraging its voters to go yellow as the opposition parties’ unofficial pact continues. The Liberals have cemented themselves as the blue wall mid-term protest party after winning Tory seats in North Shropshire and Chesham and Amersham in the last year. And today the confident Lib Dem operation releases figures showing Tiverton and Honiton has the worst ambulance waiting times in Devon.

Wakefield: It’s not much better for the Tories in the seat given up by Imran Ahmed Khan after he was jailed for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy. A minor candidate there has put “I have never sexually assaulted anyone” on his campaign literature, which tells you everything you need to know about how that contest is going to go. Labour will be expected to overturn the Tories’ 3,000 majority in a seat that is usually always red.

• Roofing over silage clamp apron Channons Farm Westwood Broadclyst Exeter EX5 3DHRef. No: 22/1118/FUL | Validated: Fri 20 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Roofing over silage clamp apron Channons Farm Westwood Broadclyst Exeter EX5 3DHRef. No: 22/1121/FUL | Validated: Fri 20 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of a general purpose agricultural building and creation of new access. Hembury Tale Broadhembury Honiton EX14 3JYRef. No: 22/1126/FUL | Validated: Fri 20 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey Rear extension, single storey side extension with alteration to fenestration. 38 Clyst Valley Road Clyst St Mary EX5 1DDRef. No: 22/1124/FUL | Validated: Fri 20 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of a feed / grain store Lower Woodbeare Farm Kentisbeare Cullompton EX15 2DDRef. No: 22/1114/FUL | Validated: Fri 20 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of 4 x rooflights and formation of new internal staircase 2 Mount Pleasant Avenue Exmouth EX8 4QDRef. No: 22/1123/FUL | Validated: Fri 20 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of 4 x non-illuminated built up signs to the east, west, north and south elevations. Land Adjacent To DPD Spitfire Avenue Clyst Honiton Exeter EX5 2BDRef. No: 22/1122/ADV | Validated: Fri 20 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of a general purpose agricultural building. Higher Northcott Farm Blackborough Cullompton EX15 2JFRef. No: 22/1117/FUL | Validated: Fri 20 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Roofing over an existing farmyard manure store. Lower Woodbeare Farm Kentisbeare Cullompton EX15 2DDRef. No: 22/1115/FUL | Validated: Fri 20 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of a timber fence around private garden. 55 Streamers Meadows Honiton Devon EX14 2DLRef. No: 22/1109/FUL | Validated: Thu 19 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision

• T1, Bay : Reduce to a height of 0.6 – 0.8 m (to coppice) as crowding out neighbouring trees (including a mature variegated Holy). T2, Judas : Formative prune to remove damaged or crossing branches; remove low hanging branches (below 2.4 m). T3, Apple : Fell – tree has forked main trunk which is decaying; replace with new fruit tree. Clyst Vale Convent Road Sidmouth Devon EX10 8RLRef. No: 22/1108/TCA | Validated: Thu 19 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey rear extension, front roof extension, demolition of garages, flat roof over existing porch and alterations to front fenestration. 81 Bradham Lane Exmouth Devon EX8 4AWRef. No: 22/1107/FUL | Validated: Thu 19 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion of roof space to habitable use to include a rear dormer, 4 x rooflights and conversion, new slate roof tiles, new external steps and alterations to front fenestration. 2 Mount Hill Beer Devon EX12 3HXRef. No: 22/1103/FUL | Validated: Thu 19 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of single-storey oak-framed orangery following removal of existing conservatory, boiler room and dining room. Barn Owls Cottage Chardstock Axminster EX13 7BYRef. No: 22/1092/FUL | Validated: Wed 18 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of a general purpose farm building Land At Home Farm Nutwell LympstoneRef. No: 22/1091/FUL | Validated: Fri 20 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• General purpose agricultural roof Higher Lodge Farm Lodge Lane Axminster Devon EX13 5RTRef. No: 22/1096/AGR | Validated: Wed 18 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed replacement dwelling and formation of access drive and parking area Home Farm Hotel Home Farm Chalet Wilmington Honiton EX14 9JRRef. No: 22/1093/FUL | Validated: Wed 18 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of single storey rear and side extension. 31 Fleming Avenue Sidmouth Devon EX10 9NHRef. No: 22/1095/FUL | Validated: Wed 18 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey front extension, single storey side extension, addition of a first floor for habitable use with alteration to fenestration. 16 Grange Avenue Exmouth Devon EX8 3HURef. No: 22/1098/FUL | Validated: Wed 18 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey front extension and relocation of entrance Combe Cottage Langford Road Honiton EX14 1QARef. No: 22/1085/FUL | Validated: Tue 17 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Reconstruction of garage as undercroft to side extension with rear garden room including demolition of existing garage Tamarix Barline Beer EX12 3LRRef. No: 22/1084/FUL | Validated: Tue 17 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of existing conservatory, construction of replacement single storey rear extension. Replacement of existing stained timber windows. 12A Northview Road Budleigh Salterton Devon EX9 6DERef. No: 22/1083/FUL | Validated: Tue 17 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of 1 no. dwelling, means of access and associated works Wild Flowers Seaton Road Colyford EX24 6QWRef. No: 22/1082/FUL | Validated: Tue 17 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of 2 storey Studio/Guest Room in place of an existing single-storey garage; replacement of a dormer and formation of a second dormer to the front elevation of the house; alteration of the decking. Harwood Dale Knowle Drive Sidmouth EX10 8HWRef. No: 22/1074/FUL | Validated: Mon 16 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single-storey rear extension. 19A Phillipps Avenue Exmouth EX8 3HZRef. No: 22/1073/FUL | Validated: Mon 16 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• First floor side extension. 31 Longdogs Lane Ottery St Mary Devon EX11 1HURef. No: 22/1072/FUL | Validated: Mon 16 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Use of the existing outbuilding known as ‘The Granny Annexe’ as a separate dwelling for over 20 years and therefore acceptable use as a holiday let. Fordton Farmhouse The Green Whimple EX5 2TXRef. No: 22/1075/CPE | Validated: Wed 18 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of storage and recording studio buildings. Pecorama Pleasure Gardens Mare Lane Beer Seaton EX12 3NARef. No: 22/1081/FUL | Validated: Thu 19 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Alterations to fenestration. Barn Cottage Causeway Beer EX12 3JXRef. No: 22/1078/LBC | Validated: Wed 18 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Alterations to fenestration. Barn Cottage Causeway Beer EX12 3JXRef. No: 22/1077/FUL | Validated: Wed 18 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Alterations to front porch and creation of a first floor rear link to the existing garage. Holmleigh Back Lane Newton Poppleford Devon EX10 0EYRef. No: 22/1066/FUL | Validated: Thu 19 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of replacement double garage with leisure facility above and demolition of existing single garage and store. 25 Northview Road Budleigh Salterton Devon EX9 6DDRef. No: 22/1065/FUL | Validated: Wed 18 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Two storey side extension and associated internal alterations Lake Farm Town End Broadclyst Devon EX5 3HWRef. No: 22/1048/FUL | Validated: Tue 17 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey side extension to existing garage with associated soft and hard landscaping. 5 Exmouth Road Budleigh Salterton EX9 6AFRef. No: 22/1043/FUL | Validated: Mon 16 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey rear extension 4 Parsons Close Newton Poppleford Devon EX10 0DQRef. No: 22/1057/FUL | Validated: Mon 16 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Two storey side extension and associated internal alterations Lake Farm Town End Broadclyst Devon EX5 3HWRef. No: 22/1049/LBC | Validated: Tue 17 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of a work-live unit Land Adjacent Hangar 2 Dunkeswell AirfieldRef. No: 22/1058/FUL | Validated: Wed 18 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of two single storey timber outbuildings. Middle Moorhayne Farm Yarcombe Honiton EX14 9BERef. No: 22/1055/FUL | Validated: Wed 18 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Regeneration and replacement of existing food and beverage and golf course facilities. Axecliff Golf Club Axmouth Seaton EX12 4ABRef. No: 22/1051/FUL | Validated: Wed 18 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey side and rear extension. 41 Coulsdon Road Sidmouth EX10 9JPRef. No: 22/1039/FUL | Validated: Mon 16 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Two storey rear extension 2 Buckingham Close Exmouth Devon EX8 2JBRef. No: 22/1036/FUL | Validated: Mon 16 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Variation of Condition No. 3 (Vertical Cladding) on application 20/1712/FUL Dell Cottage Lime Kiln Lane Uplyme Devon DT7 3XGRef. No: 22/1032/VAR | Validated: Mon 16 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of a two bedroom dwelling and associated works 7 Masey Road Exmouth EX8 4ASRef. No: 22/1029/FUL | Validated: Thu 19 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey rear extension, two storey side extension and demolition of existing detached single garage and conservatory 361 Exeter Road Exmouth EX8 3NSRef. No: 22/1021/FUL | Validated: Mon 16 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Change of use of workshop building Use Class E(g)(iii) to trade counter with showroom (sui generis and Use Class B8 warehousing and distribution) with an addition of a ramp and removal of the external staircase. Unit 9-9A Axminster Power Tools Weycroft Avenue Millwey Rise Industrial Estate Axminster EX13 5PHRef. No: 22/1022/FUL | Validated: Mon 16 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of Aparthotel (Use Class C1) and associated works and infrastructure following grant of prior approval for hotel use (LPA reference 21/2488/PDR) Land And Buildings At Luton Lane Farm Luton PayhemburyRef. No: 22/1030/FUL | Validated: Tue 17 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• 22/1026Re-slate main roof; replace slates to porch on front (north east) elevation; repairs to flat roof of orangery on rear (south west) elevation 2 Barton Mews Exton Devon EX3 0PPRef. No: 22/1026/LBC | Validated: Fri 20 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• The proposed development is a 25.5m x 16m steel framed building to provide housing for livestock. This building is to include 4 bays, separated by concrete panels and fencing. Bicton College East Budleigh Budleigh Salterton EX9 7BYRef. No: 22/1010/OUT | Validated: Wed 18 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of a two storey 3-bed detached replacement dwelling and demolition of existing single storey dwelling. Weavers Cottage Mill Lane Uplyme Devon DT7 3TZRef. No: 22/1011/FUL | Validated: Mon 16 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction and operation of a ground mounted solar farm and associated landscaping and ecological habitat, with permission being required for 40 years, comprising solar arrays, equipment housing, sub-station, fencing, ancillary equipment and associated development; temporary change of use of land for construction compound (off site) Land At Marsh Green Farm Marsh Green EX5 2EURef. No: 22/0990/MFUL | Validated: Thu 19 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Retrospective planning application for the installation of one 7KW Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP). 11 Mill Lane Branscombe Devon EX12 3DSRef. No: 22/0974/FUL | Validated: Thu 19 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of a single storey 1 bedroom annexe to provide independent but assisted/cared accommodation for a vulnerable adult Otterview Yarcombe EX14 9NDRef. No: 22/0963/FUL | Validated: Thu 19 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Ground floor: Remove 2no. connecting doors retaining door frame on Badger Cottage side to create cupboard and construct partition infill. First floor: remove 1no. door and frame and construct partition infill. Treaslake Farm Buckerell Honiton EX14 3EPRef. No: 22/0935/LBC | Validated: Fri 20 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Change of use of vacant garage to accommodation. Ware View Ottery St Mary Devon EX11 1PJRef. No: 22/0933/FUL | Validated: Tue 17 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Re-render front, rear and side elevation and replace fascia boards on side elevation. Brook Hayes Venn Ottery Road Newton Poppleford Devon EX10 0BURef. No: 22/0919/LBC | Validated: Mon 16 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replacement windows to UPVC, replacement of Doors to UPVC, possible replacement of Soffits and Facias and a Toilet Extract Fan aperture Brooklet Cottage Hillside Road Sidmouth EX10 8JARef. No: 22/0922/FUL | Validated: Wed 18 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of a garden shed and erection of additional railings. Silk Mill 22 Tumbling Weir Way Ottery St Mary Devon EX11 1GQRef. No: 22/0900/FUL | Validated: Tue 17 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Outline application with all matters reserved for the erection of an open market dwelling Pinhoe Target Shooting And Rifle Club Langaton Lane ExeterRef. No: 22/0910/OUT | Validated: Tue 17 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of part of the boundary wall and construction of a new vehicular access with driveway and entrance gate Limestones Wotton Lane Lympstone Exmouth EX8 5LZRef. No: 22/0899/FUL | Validated: Mon 16 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of one bedroom house and retention of existing garden room building to replace consented one bedroom house proposals (application reference number 19/2767/FUL) Land Rear Of St Johns Close High Street Honiton EX14 1PNRef. No: 22/0887/FUL | Validated: Wed 18 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Erection of a wooden shelter. Land At Harcombe HarcombeRef. No: 22/0883/FUL | Validated: Tue 17 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of the front garden wall and construction of a paved hard standing driveway 5 Meadow View Longmeadow Road Lympstone EX8 5LHRef. No: 22/0767/FUL | Validated: Thu 19 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Various works to include: Replace 1no. window on rear garden elevation; 1no. ground floor and 1no. first floor on side (garden) elevation and 1no. first floor on side (courtyard) elevation and repair/decorate all other windows. Work to 2no. fireplaces at ground floor; replace 2no. doors on rear elevation; install tie beams; re-instate internal stairs; mezzanine floor over existing bedroom 2; re-plastering of internal walls; reinstate floor on first floor; replacement floor in front room and re-render external walls; remove lean-to (onto garden wall) extension on rear elevation and replace rear/side lean-to extension. Rose Cottage High Street Newton Poppleford Devon EX10 0DURef. No: 22/0642/LBC | Validated: Tue 17 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision
• First floor kitchen window replace window casement and glass retaining outer timber frame; second floor bedroom window replace double glazed units only retaining all timber work 5 Farringdon Court Farringdon Exeter EX5 2HQRef. No: 22/0441/LBC | Validated: Mon 16 May 2022 | Status: Awaiting decision

Both the Observer and Sunday Times carry articles on Rishi’s generosity to second home owners giving them twice the fuel discount, and how it plays within the local communities. – Owl

‘It’s not on’: Whitstable rages against extra £400 for second-home owners’ fuel bills

Mark Townsend www.theguardian.com 

Peter Robinson stared out to sea and shook his head. “It’s not on. They don’t need more money.”

The “they” in question are the thousands of second-home owners who have converged on Whitstable in recent years. According to the 68-year-old, 40% of all the houses on Albert Street, where he has lived for two decades, are now second homes.

And Rishi Sunak’s latest intervention to help the nation pay its energy bills – £400 for every household – means that Whitstable’s expanding cohort of second-home owners will be rewarded with a double rebate, one for each home.

In the Kent coastal town, such generosity has left many – largely those who own a single home – bewildered. “The house next door to me has been sold to a wealthy developer to convert into holiday homes. The same with the one opposite,” said Robinson, a retired council worker.

Further along Whitstable’s beachfront promenade, retired teacher Sarah Houseman similarly lamented the chancellor’s largesse. “It would seem unfair to give these people more money,” said the 65-year-old. Houseman noted that neighbouring three-bed terraced homes were being rented out to tourists for between £700 and £800 a weekend. “And they have no problem getting that. These people don’t need extra help.”

Like many in the town, she felt that Sunak’s announcement was rushed out last Thursday in order to deaden the outrage that followed Sue Gray’s Partygate report. “It’s not fair to use this [the energy crisis] in order to save their political skin,” she said.

Outside the Sea Farmer’s Dive pub, electrician Max Legett was convinced Sunak’s initiative would be modified to stop it rewarding the wealthy. “There’ll be uproar if it’s not changed.”

Whitstable’s locals call the second-home owners DFLs – Down From London, a reference to the fact that many who own second homes live in the capital. It’s a trend accelerated by the pandemic.

A recent national survey listing the most popular places for second homes included Whitstable as the only town in the south-east, the remainder being largely in Cornwall.

Legett was a DFL once, arriving from south-east London 16 years ago. Now a self-described native, he worries at what has unfolded in the south-west of England. “So far, it hasn’t yet changed the character in the same way as Cornwall.”

For another long-term Whitstable resident, the fact that second-home owners will be given an extra windfall was greeted with a resigned shrug. John Baker admitted he’d given up caring who was buying what in his adopted town. The 70-year-old said that coping with a ruptured achilles tendon and a brain tumour diagnosed in 2017 had made him philosophical. “Some haven’t, but the reality is that some of these second-home owners have worked bloody hard for them.”

Further along a street called Sea Wall, one of those second-home owners – who asked to remain anonymous – conceded that Sunak’s handout to the 772,000 households with two homes rankled.

“It’s absolutely ridiculous, it’s impossible to justify. That money should be given to the most needy,” she said, adding that she donated to local charities and helped out at a food bank to alleviate her conscience.

She said: “I for one will certainly not be keeping that extra £400.”

Subsidising the wealthy: the village of second homes … and they all get a fuel grant

Hannah Al-Othman www.thetimes.co.uk 

It is easy to see why second homeowners love Chapel Stile, a beautiful village close to both Windermere and England’s highest peak, Scafell Pike.

About 85 per cent of the 160 or so homes in the village are holiday lets or second homes, according to the local MP, the former Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron.

For people who actually live in the village — an increasingly rare breed — the takeover by outsiders is worrying. Many are angry that second homeowners will get the same £400 discount on their energy bill this year, announced last week by the chancellor, as they will.

“That extra £400 benefit for people who do not need it is to completely fail to read the room, to fail to understand one of the biggest things affecting rural communities,” Farron said.

Many of the few remaining full-time residents of Chapel Stile are pensioners — younger people have mostly gone elsewhere, in search of better job opportunities and more affordable housing. On the Rightmove website, properties being advertised for sale around the village include a £725,000 three-bedroom end-of-terrace house in Elterwater, near Ambleside.

“It’s terrible,” said Gordon Smith, 87, who has lived in Chapel Stile his entire life. “There’ll be no local people left. In fact, we’re being driven out.”

Last year a four-bedroom semi-detached house in the village sold for more than £1 million, far beyond the reach of those who have lived here all their lives, often in rented accommodation.

“It’s absolutely disgusting,” Sue Monk, 71, said. “They have pots of money to start with. They do local people out of being able to own a home because we can’t afford them. We’re all in rented accommodation. Why they should get it for their second homes, I have no idea.”

Monk, who lives alone, is keeping her head above water but only because she manages her money carefully. “I’m on the basic state pension — I’ve nothing else,” she said. “I don’t put the television on till five o’clock at night, and I usually switch it off at about eight. I switch lights off, I limit the washing machine to a couple of washes a week.”

Chapel Stile is just a few miles northwest of the tourist honeypot of Ambleside, with its cafés, pleasure boats, and watersports. It is an enviable place to call home but locals pay a premium to live in the Lake District.

Housing costs are high here and incomes are low, with many working in the tourism and hospitality sectors. Public transport is expensive and unreliable, leaving many households no choice but to run a car. Even local shops charge higher prices for a loaf of bread than city convenience stores.

Asked why the money is being given to second homeowners, the Treasury insisted that it would be impossible to differentiate between which energy bills are paid by those with more than one home.

The average median full-time salary for somebody living in Farron’s constituency, Westmorland & Lonsdale, is £20,400 a year, below the average of £23,700 in the North West of England, according to ONS data for 2019-20. Farron said: “The thing to remember about an area like ours is we’ve got very low unemployment, but low incomes. And on top of that, the cost of living in a rural community is that much greater.”

However, Jeremy Lewis, 57, who runs the local shop in Chapel Stile, puts it bluntly. “I basically earn my living from the tourists,” he said. “So I don’t want anything to stop them coming.”

Standards in public life.

The first two paragraphs of Andrew Rawnsley’s column in the Guardian describe vividly the depths to which Boris Johnson’s leadership has sunk – Owl

Andrew Rawnsley www.theguardian.com 

Picture the squalid scene that confronted the cleaning staff on the morning after a night before of drunken delinquency by the denizens of Downing Street. Wine stains on walls. Pools of sick. Empties spilling out of bins. Mounds of party detritus on the floor. The heart of government, the place where you’d most hope for sobriety in the middle of a pandemic, turned into a vomit-splattered nightclub. The only heroes in Sue Gray’s investigation into Partygate are the security staff who suffered abuse when they tried to break up illegal gatherings and the cleaners who had to mop up.

Now try to picture scenes of all-night boozing, puking, punch-ups, vandalism and law-breaking at Number 10 under any other prime minister. You can’t. Nothing like this happened under any of Boris Johnson’s predecessors. The character of organisations is immensely influenced by the example set by the person at the top. When that person is Mr Johnson, you get a culture of selfish, arrogant, entitled, amoral, narcissistic rule-breaking that combines, in the true spirit of the Bullingdon Club, snobbery with yobbery…..

A former Labour minister has appeared to suggest that voters in the Tiverton and Honiton by-election should consider going Liberal Democrat in a bid to oust the Conservatives.

Tiverton and Honiton by-election: Ex-Labour minister appears to suggest voters go Lib Dem

Colin Drury www.independent.co.uk 

Ben Bradshaw – who was culture secretary between 2009 and 2010 – said his party should fight for every vote in the seat.

But, in what some will regard as a coded message, he added: “What some Labour members and activists don’t always appreciate is that a lot of Conservative voters, if they want to give the government a kicking will vote Liberal Democrat but they wouldn’t vote Labour…

“So if we have a joint purpose of wanting to send the prime minister a message and ultimately defeat this government in a general election then I think there are very good prospects of a Lib Dem victory there.”

The race for Tiverton and Honiton – a sprawling, largely rural Devon constituency – prompted by the resignation of Neil Parish who admitted watching porn in the House of Commons, is being widely touted as a two-horse race.

The Tories currently enjoy a 24,239 majority and have held the seat since it was created in 1997 but the Lib Dems believe they could steal it on the back of anger about Partygate and rising living costs.

Suggestions have been made that Labour will fight only a bare minimum campaign here to allow yellow candidate Richard Foord a clear run, with the Lib Dems returning the favour in Wakefield where another by-election is being held the same day.

Both parties have denied such a pact.

But Mr Bradshaw’s comments – initially made on Radio 4’s The Week In Westminster – will be seen as a tacit endorsement of voting tactically.

On Friday, he went further when he compared Tiverton and Honiton to North Shropshire – where the Lib Dems won a by-election in December.

The MP for neighbouring Exeter told The Independent: “The figures are very much like the figures in North Shropshire, and, as there, people are furious with the Tories not just because of parties and the cost of living crisis, but because of the way the government’s treated rural areas and farming and fishing industry in particular.

“Johnson’s Brexit deal is an absolute disaster for our farmers so, you know, I would hope for the people of Tiverton and Honiton will send a clear message to the government.”

Asked if he was recommending tactical voting, he said: “If you look at by-elections in North Shropshire, Chesham and Amersham, and Batley and Spen, the voters didn’t need to be told how to vote.”

Daisy Cooper, deputy leader of the Lib Dems, said: “There is no doubt the Lib Dems are the only party that can beat the Conservatives here… This by-election is a unique opportunity to send Boris Johnson a message and that’s why supporters of all parties are backing us.”

Downing Street officials have been accused of attempting to dilute Sue Gray’s report into the Partygate scandal, with demands to anonymise staff who broke coronavirus rules and to change how the so-called “Abba party” was reported.

Nadeem Badshah www.theguardian.com 

Partial drafts of the findings were allegedly circulating in No 10 the day before the final report was handed over on Wednesday, the Sunday Times reported.

Sources told the newspaper that Gray was urged by three senior civil servants not to publish the names of some of those who had attended the 12 events under investigation.

“On Tuesday night, one last attempt was made to persuade her [Gray] to omit names from the report, but she made it plain to them the only way that was going to happen was if they issued her with an instruction,” a Whitehall source said.

The newspaper has claimed that key passages were altered at the behest of No 10, including the “Abba night” party alleged to have been held in the prime minister’s flat in November 2020. An earlier draft referring to music being played and stating at what time it finished was allegedly tweaked by Steve Barclay, Johnson’s chief of staff.

A government source told the Guardian that Barclay did not edit or influence the report in any way.

The Cabinet Office rejected claims that the report was edited due to pressure or that any events were not investigated because of requests made by senior figures.

They referred back to the wording of the report where Gray explained her rationale for halting her probe into what happened in the flat Johnson shares with his wife, Carrie. Gray said she halted her work having only collected “limited” information about the gathering when the Metropolitan police began their own investigation.

Gray’s 37-page report on the party culture in Downing Street ultimately included nine photographs and named some senior civil servants.

The findings detailed how each event unfolded including a leaving party on 18 June 2020 at which “one individual was sick” and “there was a minor altercation between two other individuals”.

The report included security logs revealing some staff carried on partying until 4am after the leaving do for the director of communications, James Slack, cleaners giving evidence of spilled wine on the walls on another occasion, and messages warning drunken staff to leave via the back entrance to avoid being seen by journalists.

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Gray also highlighted a number of occasions in which members of No 10 staff raised questions about whether events should go ahead, or about drunkenness in Downing Street, and had their concerns dismissed.

Johnson issued an apology to MPs for the culture that developed in Downing Street during the pandemic on Wednesday, saying he took “full responsibility”.

However, the prime minister insisted he regarded it as “one of the essential duties of leadership” to attend leaving events and thank departing staff, because “it was appropriate to recognise and to thank them for the work that they had done”.

He also told a press briefing on Wednesday: “The first I saw the report and read it in its entirety – and, to the best of my knowledge, the first any of my team saw it – was when we got it shortly after 10am this morning.”