UK reputation at stake over Northern Ireland row, warns Barnier – follow live

A Conservative MP has been ordered to make a public apology in the House of Commons after an investigation found he had bullied parliamentary staff.

Daniel Kawczynski acted in a “threatening and intimidating manner” after technical issues meant he was unable to join a committee hearing early last year.

The incident occurred in April 2020, just weeks after the first coronavirus lockdown was announced and as parliament was adapting to new ways of remote working.

The Independent Expert Panel (IEP), which oversees sanctions in such cases, said that it accepted that the life of an MP could be stressful but said that was no excuse for bullying staff members.

Footballs fans have a right to boo and jeer England fans for “taking the knee” in protest at racism, the home secretary has said.

Priti Patel said the anti-racism protest associated with the Black Lives Matter movement amounted to “gesture politics” and dodged a question about whether she would boo herself.

Sir Keir Starmer has condemned a beach barbecue with G7 leaders apparently in breach of Covid rules, saying “the optics of that did not look good”.

Speaking to LBC, he said it was right to open the borders to world leaders, but said the barbecue was “frustrating” in light of an expected extension to lockdown.

“I think the optics of that just a few days before (lockdown is extended) were not good, and a lot of people are going to be pretty frustrated, I think, having seen that and then hearing what we are going to hear tonight,” he said.

Sir Keir said it would be particularly tough for people who may have to delay their wedding days yet again, saying: “In the hearts of those people they would have looked at that and said that’s just one rule for them and another for me.”

The Labour leader also admitted the party was facing “strong headwinds” when it came to its popularity among voters.

He said: “We’ve been up against a pretty strong headwind – the vaccine rollout this year has been fantastically successful (and) all credit to the NHS on the front line.

“We’ve had a government paying the wages through furlough of 4.5 million people for a year, and that is a pretty steady headwind to be sailing into.”

Sir Keir continued: “If you look across the countries across Europe as well, incumbent governments – those in power during a pandemic – tend to be supported by the people because people look to their government, so there is a steady headwind.”

He said: “Have I got to do more? Yes, you bet I have. Have we got to get out there more? Yes we do.

“I’m going to spend the summer on the road in different communities across the country having these conversations.”

More too on comments from Democratic Unionist Party leader Edwin Poots, who has claimed peace in Northern Ireland is “at risk” if Sinn Fein attempts to block the appointment on a new first minister.

The DUP and Sinn Fein are engaged in an intense dispute over the process to replace departing first minister Arlene Foster, who is expected to formally resign on Monday.

A stand-off on the vexed issue of Irish language legislation has the potential to derail power-sharing arrangements unless a resolution is found within the next seven days.

Here is the story in full:

More on the comments from Joe Biden relating to the ongoing Brexit row, which US officials have described as “candid”.

Last week a report in The Times said the president’s team had warned the UK not to inflame tensions in Northern Ireland in pursuit of Brexit, a reality that many argue has already come to pass.

The government’s “pathetic” policy on border control is responsible for the expected delay to lifting the last lockdown regulations, Keir Starmer has said.

Speaking on Monday ahead of Boris Johnson’s announcement the Labour leader said the expected four-week extension to regulations was “the net result” of the prime minister’s “pathetic approach”.

Here is the full reaction from the leader of the opposition:

The Queen quizzed Joe Biden about Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, the US president has revealed.

“She wanted to know what the two leaders that I – the one I’m about to meet with, Mr Putin, and she wanted to know about Xi Jinping,” she told reporters.

However that is a breach of protocol since it is frowned upon for anyone, including the prime minister, to reveal to the public the contents of a meeting involving the 95-year-old monarch.

Here is more on the story:

Right-leaning TV start-up GB News was plagued by technical problems during its first night on air.

The 9pm offering Tonight Live with Dan Wootton began with a lengthy monologue from the former showbiz journalist criticising the expected delay to England’s exit from the remaining Covid lockdown restrictions, and included unchallenged claims that masks offer little protection against Covid – despite the globally accepted health advice that they do help prevent transmission.

Here is more on the channel’s troubled launch:

Political lobbying by retired government officials should be banned for up to five years after they have left office, the head of the standards watchdog has said.

The review by the Committee on Standards in Public Life comes amid a number of ongoing parliamentary and government inquiries into standards issues in the wake of the Greensill Capital saga which engulfed the former prime minister, David Cameron.

Chairman Lord Evans said there were areas of standards regulation in England requiring “significant reform” amid calls for an overhaul of the system.

Under current rules, ministers and top civil servants are effectively banned from lobbying their former colleagues for two years after leaving their post.

Rishi Sunak will not extend the furlough scheme despite a likely delay to the lifting of the last lockdown regulations, according to reports.

The temporary social security scheme is set to begin phasing out from 1 July and end on 30 September – only partially covering the expected new longer unlocking.