Home
Boris Johnson, the former prime minister, was ritually buried by the House of Commons voting by 354 to seven to approve the Privileges Committee report that found he had lied to parliament about observing coronavirus regulations. He would have been suspended for 90 days had he not left parliament; as it was, his pass to enter the Houses of Parliament was withdrawn. Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, having remembered an important long-standing engagement, was among 225 MPs who were absent or abstained. David Warburton, an MP who sat as a Conservative until last year, said he was leaving the House. In the King’s birthday honours, Sir John Bell, Ian McEwan and Dame Anna Wintour were appointed Companion of Honour. William Shawcross was knighted and Martin Amis was knighted the day before his death on 19 May.
The average interest rate on a new two-year fixed mortgage rose above 6 per cent. The annual rate of inflation, instead of falling, remained at 8.7 per cent. More than six million people with disabilities began to receive a single £150 payment to help with the cost of living. The driver of a tram that overturned in Croydon in 2016, killing seven, was found not guilty by an Old Bailey jury of failing to take reasonable care at work. The former footballer Graeme Souness, aged 70, swam the Channel for charity. On 17 and 18 June 707 migrants in small boats crossed the Channel, bringing the total for 2023 to 10,539.
George Osborne, the former chancellor, gave a thumbnail narrative to the Covid inquiry: ‘I think the Chinese lockdown is what gives the rest of the world the idea. And it’s the overwhelming of the hospital system in northern Italy that then leads all western governments to reach basically the same conclusion, which is: we’ve got to do what the Chinese have done.’
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in