The Cabinet Office loses its challenge over the Covid inquiry's request for Boris Johnson's unredacted WhatsApps, notebooks and diaries
The inquiry requested the material from the ex-PM - but the Cabinet Office initially declined
The office argued it should not have to have over material that is "unambiguously irrelevant"
The inquiry said the government could not decide what was relevant or not
The government says it will not appeal: "We will comply fully with this judgment and will now work with the inquiry team on the practical arrangements"
Earlier, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer promised to smash the "class ceiling" by boosting poorer children's education
Elsewhere, Parliament's standards watchdog recommended an eight-week suspension for MP Chris Pincher
Pincher, a former Tory MP, quit his government role in June last year after groping guests at the Carlton Club in London
The report says Pincher "groped [two people] ... and that this was unwanted, inappropriate, and upsetting" - but the MP is "unable to recall the events in question"
Climate changes protesters interrupt Starmer speech
As we reported a short while ago, the first part of Sir Keir Starmer's speech was interrupted by two climate protesters calling for a "green new deal" and urging "no more U-turns".
Chris Mason
Political editor
You never know what might happen with a speech in front of a live audience.
A protest begins behind Keir Starmer. Two people interrupting the Labour leader, demanding a "green new deal now" and "no more U-turns".
Labour have back-pedalled on their commitment to what they call a Green Prosperity Plan.
Sir Starmer tried to reason with the protesters - but they kept shouting.
Labour supporters tried to drown them out with applause, but they kept going.
Then security turned up to kick them out.
The speech is back under way after a couple of young protesters entered the stage in the opening minutes of his address, urging the Labour leader to commit to more funding on the environment.
They were chanting "green new deal now". Starmer asked them to leave the stage and promised he would speak to them after the event.
Before that, Starmer began his speech by talking about his ordinary upbringing in a home with four kids, four dogs “and a blue Ford Cortina outside”.
He talked about growing up in the 1970s and how there’s “more than a touch of the 1970s about our economic situation right now”.
The difference, he said, is that back then, plenty of people from working class backgrounds could advance in life. The Labour leader said that is increasingly not the case.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer's speech has been disrupted by environmental protesters.
He politely asks them to leave, after saying he has spoken about his environmental policies at a previous speech, but the disruption has somewhat derailed the opening part of the event.
He is returning to today's topic now.
Chris Mason
Political editor
Keir Starmer is on his feet here at MidKent College in Gillingham.
His focus today is education and opportunity.
He’s talking about his own personal social mobility — coming from an ordinary background and becoming the director of public prosecutions and leader of the Labour Party.
The question is firstly, whether he can win, and secondly, if he can, whether he can make a difference in power given the economic picture he would inherit.
Chris Mason
Political editor
Thumping dance music is playing.
Something of a crowd is gathering.
We are at MidKent College in Gillingham - awaiting Keir Starmer’s speech about education.
As we reported earlier, away from the Chris Pincher report, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer is giving a speech on his party's education policy plans.
It is just starting now with some words from the party's shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson and you can watch along by pressing play above as we bring you the highlights.
The Conservatives have not recovered in the polls after first falling behind Labour over the Partygate scandal, nor have they "adequately grasped" it as an issue, says leading political scientist, Sir John Curtice.
The professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde notes that while it was the events surrounding Chris Pincher that led to the downfall of Boris Johnson, it is revelations of the lockdown-breaching parities in No 10 that remain the "biggest problem" for the Conservatives in the polls.
"The central issue is the question of Partygate and the fact that, as the Privileges Committee adjudicated, Mr Johnson misled the House of Commons," he tells the BBC.
"Until the Partygate first emerged in the news in December 2021, the Conservatives had never been behind the Labour Party consistently in the polls" - a position from which they have not recovered since, Curtice says.
He adds the Conservatives have not adequately grasped the issue of trust and it is, seemingly, despite worries about the economy, the biggest problem facing them.
Chris Pincher: It was a mistake to appoint him says former PM Johnson
In July 2022, Boris Johnson apologised for appointing Chris Pincher to a government role after being told about a misconduct complaint against him.
He said he had been told about it in 2019 and had made a "mistake" by not acting on it.
But minutes later, Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid resigned, sparking a wave of nearly 60 other resignations from Johnson’s government.
His position untenable, he resigned as PM two days later.
Now the Standards Committee has recommended an eight-week suspension from Parliament for Chris Pincher, the next step is for MPs to vote on the report.
It's very unlikely not to be approved - and could even be nodded through without a vote.
If it is approved, the punishment would far exceed the 10-day suspension threshold for a "recall petition". Under this, if more than 10% of voters in Pincher's Tamworth constituency then called for a by-election, one would follow.
It's possible Pincher might pre-empt that process by resigning as an MP. Or he could appeal.
Parliament's standards watchdog has found Chris Pincher had breached the MPs' code of conduct as a result of his conduct at the Carlton Club in June 2020.
The specific part of the code he broke was paragraph 17 of the code, external, which says:
Quote MessageMembers shall never undertake any action which would cause significant damage to the reputation and integrity of the House of Commons as a whole, or of its Members generally.
2019 Code of Conduct for Members
The "significant damage" the Standards Committee accuses Pincher of inflicting on the Commons has led to an eight-week suspension, leading to a possible by-election in his Tamworth seat.
The Commons will have to vote on whether or not to endorse the Pincher report and make the suspension official - and the Lib Dems are seeking to set it up as a test for Rishi Sunak.
The PM was strongly criticised by opposition parties for not attending the vote on the report into Boris Johnson misleading Parliament. For his part, Sunak says he was at a pre-arranged charity event.
Lib Dem chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said: "After missing so many vital votes in Parliament, Rishi Sunak must finally show some backbone and confirm he will vote to suspend Chris Pincher."Sunak promised to govern with integrity, he must vote with it."
She said Pincher "adds his name to the long list of disgraced former Conservatives caught up in sleaze and scandal".
The eight-week suspension from Parliament the committee is recommending for Pincher is very long in comparison with previous cases.
Former Labour minister Keith Vaz was suspended for six months in 2019 for offering to buy drugs for sex workers and failing to co-operate with an investigation.
And the Privileges Committee's recent recommendation for Boris Johnson was 90 days.
But apart from those, it's the longest in recent history.
Another witness told the committee he was introduced to Pincher, and spoke to him and others in a group, for whom Pincher purchased a round of drinks.
After a break in the conversation, Pincher moved away, then returned and touched the witness’s bottom before moving his hand to touch and squeeze the witness’s testicles, which lasted for a few seconds, the report says.
The committee says this was witnessed by others at the club.
Leila Nathoo
Political correspondent
As we just reported, an eight-week suspension is well above the 10-day threshold that’s needed to trigger the process that would lead to a by-election.
Chris Pincher has already said he intends to stand down as an MP at the next election.
His ally Boris Johnson chose to resign rather than face the sanction recommended by a parliamentary committee investigating him for misleading the Commons.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Chris Pincher chose to do the same.
Chris Pincher says he cannot remember the events of that evening, though has apologised to those involved.
But in written evidence to the committee - he declined to be interviewed in person - he pushed back against some of the charges.
Pincher accepts he damaged his reputation and the government's, but insists the behaviour did not harm the reputation of the House of Commons as a whole.
He also said there were “inconsistencies, anomalies and gaps in the evidence” which “don’t present a complete picture”.
The report finds that Pincher approached one of the complainants in the bar area of the Carlton Club and grabbed his forearm, holding it for longer than necessary, which made him feel uncomfortable and led him to remove Pincher’s arm.
Pincher, the committee adds, went on to stroke his neck, and he again removed Pincher’s hand. Later Pincher returned and squeezed the complainant’s bottom, the report says.
MPs can be recalled - meaning there is a by-election - under three circumstances:, external
So if the eight-week suspension is approved by MPs - and then at least 10% of voters in Pincher's Tamworth constituency call for a by-election - one will be held.
More from the report...
The Committee says that Pincher's actions damaged the reputation and integrity of the House and its Members.
"It involves behaviour that by any standards was shocking, deeply inappropriate, and adversely impacted two unsuspecting individuals who had no expectation that they would be subjected to such behaviour.
"Further, it was conduct that risks advancing a misplaced public perception that Members of Parliament do not have to abide by normal standards of behaviour and can commit acts of misconduct with impunity."