Boris Johnson latest news: New photo emerges of PM and bubbly bottle at No 10 quiz

Caroline Lucas has accused ministers of misleading MPs and the public over the government’s plans to go ahead with various oil and gas fields.

Ms Lucas, the only Greren MP in the Commons, made the accusations after this week’s PMQs where Boris Johnson and Sir Keir Starmer went head-to-head on many issues, including rising energy bills.

“Sitting in Commons, listening to Tories parroting that new oil & gas fields are compatible with our climate commitments, is like falling into an Alice in Wonderland world where words mean whatever ministers want them to mean,” Ms Lucas tweeted.

“It would be comical if it weren’t so bloody serious.”

Tories reacted with anger on Wednesday after it emerged that children at a school in Nottingham had been writing letters critical of Boris Johnson’s rule-breaking during lockdown.

The schools says they were asked to give their own view after watching an episode of children’s television programme Newsround. But the simple exercise provoked anger among sensitive Conservatives, who accused the school of political bias.

Furious Tory MP Brendan Clarke-Smith, a former teacher, told his local newspaper the Nottingham Post that “it looks like they have done some sort of lesson about the PM breaking rules”. Meanwhile, education secretary Nadhim Zahawi told the Daily Mail that the exercise and others like it should be off-limits.

Jon Stone, our policy correspondent, has more:

Angela Rayner has called out the government for failing to temporarily suspend Mark Spencer’s employment while he is under investigation in relation to allegations of Islamophobia.

In a tweet, she said she had written to Lord Geidt, the independent adviser on ministerial interests, about her concerns on 23r January. “He remains a cabinet minister even though he is under investigation now,” she said, adding it was an absolute joke.

Labour’s deputy leader made the claims a day after Mr Spencer was appointed leader of the House of Commons, a role which oversees the House’s complaints procedure.

Many have expressed anger at the move, which feels much more like a promotion than a demotion from his former role as chief whip, saying it is inappropriate amid the Cabinet Office probe.

An update on the cost of living crisis now. Voters want the government to cap the price of food and other essentials like clothing, housing and transport, a new survey of public opinion has found.

The research found strong support for price controls across the economy to stem the growing cost of living crisis putting pressure on household budgets across Britain, writes our policy correspondent Jon Stone. In total, 71 per cent of voters would support price controls that would “place limits on the prices that companies can charge for certain goods and services, such as energy, housing and other essential goods”.

The survey, conducted by pollster Opinium, also found strong support for the policy across the political spectrum, with Conservative voters at 76 per cent even more supportive than the general population.

The UK national terrorism threat level has been reduced from severe to substantial, meaning an attack is “likely” rather than “highly likely”, Priti Patel has announced.

She said the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC)’s decision was positive but warned people they should not get complacent.

“The attacks in October and November 2021 reflect the complex, volatile, and unpredictable nature of the terrorist threat in the UK,” the home secretary told MPs.

“The decision to change the UK terrorism threat level is taken by JTAC independently of ministers.”

She said JTAC keep the threat level under “constant review” based on the “very latest intelligence and analysis of internal and external factors which drive the threat”.

Warning against complacency, Ms Patel added: “Terrorism remains one of the most direct and immediate risks to our national security. The public should remain alert, but not alarmed, and report any concerns they may have to the police.”

Boris Johnson is to hold talks on the Ukraine crisis with Nato’s secretary general on Thursday before flying to Poland on a trip designed to reassure eastern European allies about the UK’s support in the face of Russian aggression.

Meanwhile Liz Truss will become the first British foreign secretary in more than four years to visit Russia, where she will tell counterpart Sergey Lavrov that it is time for Moscow to call off its build-up of troops near the border with Ukraine.

The Polish foreign ministry in Warsaw indicated that Mr Johnson will meet prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki and resident Andrzej Duda, and he is also expected to visit British troops in the country.

And Nato announced that the PM will hold talks with secretary general Jens Stoltenberg at its Brussels HQ ahead of a joint press conference early on Thursday morning. Labour said that leader Sir Keir Starmer will also meet Mr Stoltenberg in Brussels later in the day.

Downing Street said Boris Johnson had “full confidence” in his new communications chief Guto Harri after a turbulent first few days in the role.

The Daily Mail earlier reported that Mr Harri was given “both barrels” over a Welsh-language interview in which he said the prime minister was “not a total clown” and revealed the pair sang I Will Survive.

Mr Harri has also come under scrutiny for his past lobbying work for firms including Huawei.

Asked if Mr Johnson had full confidence in Mr Harri, the prime minister’s official spokesman said: “Yes.”

The spokesman said Mr Harri had “resigned from his post providing advice to private companies, which is within the rules”.

In another potential strain on his relationship with his new boss, Mr Harri reportedly said that the prime minister regretted backing Brexit before the EU referendum was held.

Matt Kelly, editor-in-chief of The New European, said Mr Harri told him in 2018 that Mr Johnson knew he had “f***** up” by supporting Brexit.

Ministers defended Boris Johnson‘s lockdown quiz on the basis that it did not feature alcohol – before photos emerged of the prime minister with a bottle of bubbly.

New images of the PM were reported by the Daily Mirror on Wednesday showing a new angle on the banned social gathering.

The picture contradicts earlier claims by ministers in December about what happened at the event when it was first revealed.

At the time they took to the airwaves to downplay the gathering on the basis that no booze was being served or drunk.

However the latest photograph shows the prime minister with a bottle of what appears to be Prosecco and a half-eaten packets crisps.