Top Stories: Boris Johnson Gave Dominic Raab Conduct Warning, Russia Targets Ukraine Energy Infrastructure

Johnson has been interviewed by independent lawyer Adam Tolley KC in the investigation which was launched by No 10, according to The Telegraph.

The justice secretary and deputy prime minister has faced multiple allegations of bullying his staff, including claims he “belittled and demeaned” them and was often “very rude and aggressive”.

Raab said he would resign his cabinet posts if the bullying allegations are upheld in the investigation. 

A spokesperson for Johnson refused to comment, saying it would be “inappropriate to comment on an ongoing inquiry”.

Russia attacks Ukraine’s energy infrastructure

Ukraine has been hit with a new wave of deadly airstrikes which have killed at least six people and taken out power to a major nuclear power station.

Russia fired 81 missiles and eight drones largely at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, causing the power to be cut off at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station.

The latest attacks also hit the capital city Kyiv, as well as the port of Odesa and the city of Kharkiv.

The UK government has continued to pledge support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, having provided almost £80 million to help Ukraine deal with attacks on national infrastructure so far. 

Emma Logan, the UK’s delegation to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) gave a speech on Tuesday evening in which she argued Russia's deliberate strikes on Ukraine's critical infrastructure are designed to spread terror amongst civilians.

“Putin is losing his war and resorting to desperate measures,” she said.

“He is indiscriminately striking civilian areas and critical national infrastructure across the country. 

“Many of these strikes have no military value – they are deliberately aimed at spreading terror amongst civilians, and by targeting strikes on thermal Power Plants and Hydroelectric dams, he is seeking to plunge Ukraine’s population into cold and darkness.

“Russia’s continued violations of international law and increased targeting of Ukraine’s critical infrastructure is moral bankruptcy. 

“It is a cynical and calculated strategy of cruel destruction. And it is a strategy that will fail.”

Russia illegally seized control of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in October, which experts have warned could increase the risk of a nuclear incident.

Names of murdered women to be read out in parliament

The names of women killed by men in the UK in the past year will be read out in parliament during the annual International Women’s Day debate. 

Bereaved families and MPs will join together in the House of Commons, where Labour MP Jess Phillips will read out the list aloud, a task she has carried out since being elected in 2015. 

Julie Davey, the co-founder of campaign group Killed Women and the mother of Poppy Davey Waterhouse, who was brutally murdered by her ex-partner, will be among those gathered for the reading. 

“We gather here now listening to this year’s needless death toll and ask where is the action, where is the urgency, where is the justice?” Davey said.

“Standing together with other families who have endured similar tragedies, and the solidarity and strength that comes from our connection, feels very powerful.

“As bereaved families, we have faced endless failures from the agencies that were supposed to deliver justice for our daughters, or protect our mothers, aunts, nieces and loved ones.

“We will not stop demanding action from government to save women’s lives. We will be a force to be reckoned with.”

On International Women’s Day on Wednesday, the government announced a new global women and girls’ strategy, including measures to further women’s rights, while Labour announced a new review looking into tackling the gender pay gap. 

Tory MPs outraged by Gary Lineker’s comparison of government language to Nazi Germany

Match of the Day host Gary Lineker continues to attract criticism from Tory MPs for comparing the government’s language surrounding the new migration to “that used by Germany in the 30s”.

On Tuesday, the government outlined its plans to ban people arriving in the UK illegally from ever claiming asylum, in a bid to address a rise in the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats.

The BBC said it was having a "frank conversation" with the presenter about the importance of BBC impartiality. 

Some Conservative politicians are now calling for Lineker to be dropped by the BBC. 

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she was “disappointed” by the remarks and former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith called Lineker’s comparisons to Nazi Germany “ridiculous”.

He told TalkTV: “I think [Lineker] is entitled to his opinions, but he works for the BBC so their rules of impartiality have to apply.

“They question both sides, they don’t express an opinion but have to be questioning and cynical when people give the wrong answers.

“Most commentators are pretty careful about that but Gary Lineker looks to me like he wants this controversy, he wants to take the BBC to the edge of this point even if they cross over it, and keep his own listenership up.”

Conservative party deputy chairman Lee Anderson wrote: “This is just another example of how out of touch these overpaid stars are with the voting public.

“Instead of lecturing, Mr Lineker should stick to reading out the football scores and flogging crisps.”

Craig Mackinlay and Jonathan Gullis were also among Tory MPs calling for the BBC to take action against the presenter: Mackinlay said his comments were a “step too far” and he should be sacked, and Gullis urged the BBC to “remind him his job is to talk football, not politics”. 

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