Tory politician shares ‘Tory scum’ graffiti

The Conservative MSP Annie Wells has condemned graffiti spray-painted on her constituency office in Glasgow.

After Wells posted a photo of the “Tory scum” message, a spokesperson for the politician said: “It’s depressing that abusive graffiti like this has become the norm for MSPs and MPs across Scotland.”

Corbyn outvoted on cost of becoming registered Labour supporter?

Apparently Jeremy Corbyn was one of those attempting to reduce the price for registered supporters to sign up for a vote to £12 – but got outvoted.

Labour leadership vote: Only a two-day window for registered supporters?

According to The Huffington Post’s Paul Waugh, Labour’s NEC is ready to make sure any registered supporters will have only two days to sign up to get a vote in the leadership contest, for the price of £25.

In 2015, people were given two months to sign up as registered supporters for a small fee of £3 – but, a year later, the charge went up to £25 and they were given just 48 hours. But around 120,000 are thought to have signed up in that period – more than in 2015.

Keith Vaz ‘begged to attend NEC meeting’

Former Labour MP Keith Vaz was reportedly allowed to attend today’s big NEC meeting to make a statement after he “begged to attend”.

Vaz, who has sat on the NEC as a representative of BAME Labour group, announced his retirement from parliament as an MP for Leicester East before the election.

It came only just weeks after the Commons Standards Committee recommended he be given a six-month suspension for causing “significant damage” to the reputation of the House after he was found to have “expressed a willingness” to purchase cocaine for others during an encounter with male prostitutes.

Angela Rayner points out that ‘fantastic northern woman’ Jess Phillips is from Midlands

Discussing her bid to be Labour’s deputy leader on Sky News, Rayner has pointed out the difference between the Midlands and the north of England.

Asked if she would be happy to work for “fantastic northern woman” Jess Phillips, she said: “I’d work for Jess Phillips”.

She then pointed out her colleague is from Birmingham which is “slightly different … I don’t think they’d class themselves as the same”.

Parallel trade talks with US and EU?

The UK could conduct post-Brexit trade talks with the US in parallel to those with the EU, Downing Street has hinted.

The PM’s official spokesman said the UK would be “free to hold trade discussions with countries across the world” after it has left the bloc at the end of the month.

He said: “Once we have left the EU on January 31 we will be free to hold trade discussions with countries across the world and not just focus on discussing the future partnership with the EU.”

It follows reports in The Sunday Times that Johnson’s ministers are split over how best to negotiate a new trade deal with the EU, with some figures, including Dominic Raab and Liz Truss, reportedly pushing for parallel talks with the US to put pressure on the EU.

However the paper said other ministers think it is “unrealistic” to use the US talks as a leverage against Brussels.

The UK is scheduled to leave the bloc at the end of the month, and the government is confident will push the necessary legislation through the House of Commons by the end of Thursday.

PM wants official ‘Brexit Day’ events to mark our exit from EU

Boris Johnson is planning formal events to mark the UK’s expected exit from the EU at the end of the month, Downing Street has indicated.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said that details of “Brexit Day” plans would be announced “shortly”.

But he declined to say whether the PM will give the government’s support to a move by Tory hardliners to have Big Ben sound at 11pm on 31 January.

It comes as Nigel Farage announces his own plans for an “upbeat, optimistic, genuine celebration with no direct political edge whatsoever” in Parliament Square as the country departs the bloc.

Labour must ‘win or die’, says Angela Rayner

Deputy leadership candidate Angela Rayner has said Labour faces the “biggest challenge in our history”, saying the party must “win or die” after its catastrophic election defeat.

Our correspondent Lizzy Buchan has more on Rayner’s pitch to the party faithful, as she set out her stall at the Stockport housing estate where she was raised.

PM and Iraqi counterpart agree to work on finding ‘diplomatic way forward’

No 10 has issued a read-out of Boris Johnson’s conversation with Iraqi counterpart Adel Abdul-Mahdi.

A spokesperson said: “The prime minister spoke to prime minster Abdul Mehdi of Iraq this morning. 

“The leaders discussed the need to deescalate tensions in the region following the death of Qasem Soleimani and agreed to work together to find a diplomatic way forward.

“The prime minister underlined the UK’s unwavering commitment to Iraq’s stability and sovereignty and emphasised the importance of the continued fight against the shared threat from Daesh.”

UK foreign policy becoming ‘weakened and disabled’ says Alastair Campbell

Tony Blair’s former communications chief Alastair Campbell has mourned a “weakened” British foreign policy on BBC’s Politics Live discussing the legacy of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

“You see this in the Labour party leadership election. It’s almost neuralgic – you cannot say anything on a foreign policy platform that suggests Iraq was anything that a total disaster, which I don’t necessary agree with.”

Warning against learning the “wrong lessons” from the Blair era, he said: “I worry we are moving to a position where because of Iraq – and what it did or didn’t achieve – British foreign policy is weakened and disabled.”

Johnson, von der Leyen and Barnier to meet this week

The prime minister is meeting the new European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at No 10 this Wednesday.

The commission has announced its chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier will also be tagging along – though it does not mean the opening of trade talks has yet begun.

“There are international conventions in place that prevent the destruction of cultural heritage,” the prime minister’s spokesman said.

No 10: Iran announcement on nuclear deal ‘concerning’

More from that No 10 briefing this lunchtime. Boris Johnson’s spokesman said Iran’s announcement that it will abandon the limits in the unravelling nuclear deal on fuel enrichment, its uranium stockpile and research activities was “extremely concerning”.

“It’s in everyone’s interest that the deal remains in place,” the PM’s spokesman said. “It makes the world safer by taking the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran firmly off the table.

“We’ve always said the nuclear deal is a reciprocal deal and in light of Iran’s announcement we are urgently speaking to partners about next steps.”

He confirmed Downing Street has urged the Iraqi government to allow foreign troops to remain in the country to fight against the threat posed by IS.

“The coalition is in Iraq to protect Iraqis and others from the threat from Daesh at the request of the Iraqi government,” he said. “We urge the Iraqi government to ensure the coalition is able to continue our vital work countering this shared threat.

“The foreign secretary spoke to the Iraqi president and prime minister this weekend.

“The prime minister is speaking with his Iraqi counterpart today and our ambassador in Baghdad is in touch with political leaders in Iraq to emphasise these points and urge them to ensure we can keep fighting this threat together.”

Shadow minister does not expect major rule changes by NEC

Jon Trickett, shadow minister for the Cabinet Office, said he did not expect the leadership rules to be changed by the NEC.

The NEC member admitted he had not seen any new proposals when asked by journalists before entering Labour headquarters.

He said: “I imagine they’ll stay as they were. I imagine.”

Chief opposition whip Nick Brown, who attends the NEC but does not vote, said “no” when asked whether he feared a “stitch-up”.

Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott and former deputy leader Dame Margaret Beckett both arrived for the midday meeting without giving any comment.

Ian Lavery says NEC meeting ‘will not be five-minute job’

Labour chairman Ian Lavery said he expected the party’s NEC to come up with the “right solution” during its discussion on the leadership contest.

The possible contender said “we’ll see what happens” when asked whether he would stand to succeed Jeremy Corbyn.

Speaking to the media on his way to the meeting, he said: “We’ll be having thorough discussions. Let me tell you that this NEC will not be a five-minute job, it never is.

“Every letter and every proposal will be discussed and we’ll come up with the right solution, believe me.”

No 10 warns Trump against strikes on Iranian cultural targets

Boris Johnson is meeting foreign secretary Dominic Raab, defence secretary Ben Wallace and senior officials including the cabinet secretary at Downing Street to discuss the situation in Iran, writes our political editor Andrew Woodcock.

Johnson will also speak by phone today with his Iraqi counterpart Adil abd al-Mahdi, the prime minister’s official spokesman has confirmed.

Following the non-binding vote of the Iraqi parliament for the removal of US troops, Johnson is expected to press for coalition forces – including the UK – to be allowed to remain in the country to continue operations against the Islamic State terror group.

“We urge the Iraqi government to ensure that the coalition is able to continue its vital work countering this shared threat,” said the spokesman.

Asked whether Johnson backed Donald Trump’s threat to target cultural sites in Iran, the spokesman said: “There are international conventions in place that prevent the destruction of cultural heritage.”

The National Security Council is due to meet to discuss Iran on Tuesday, when the Commons will be updated on the situation in a ministerial statement.

Angela Rayner: ‘I will be voting for my friend Rebecca Long-Bailey’

Labour MP Angela Rayner is launching her bid for the deputy leadership role in Stockport – and will confirm she’s backing Rebecca Long Bailey for the leadership if her “friend” and former flatmate runs.

“I believe this deputy leadership election is our chance to debate what went wrong, and that a core role of the next deputy leader will be to put it right,” she is set to tell party members and supporters. “It is why I want the leadership of our party to be a team effort.

“I will be quite straightforward: I will be voting for my friend Rebecca Long-Bailey if she stands for the leadership.

“But our collective leadership must go far wider than simply who is elected to these positions. It is why I want us to have an honest, but friendly, conversation with each other. And at the end of it, a united party that starts winning elections for us all.”

Richard Ratcliffe demands meeting with Boris Johnson

More on the husband of Iran-detainee Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe requesting an urgent meeting with Boris Johnson.

Richard Ratcliffe said he believes it is now an “appropriate time” for the prime minister to meet him to discuss his wife’s case. “This is not a case where you can stand on the sidelines and just wait quietly,” he said.

The PM’s handling of the case was widely criticised when he was the foreign secretary in 2017, after he mistakenly said she had been “teaching people journalism” in the country.

Although Johnson later apologised for his remark and said she had been there on holiday, his comment was cited as evidence against her in an Iranian court.