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Boris Johnson has held discussions with Donald Trump astir Ukraine during his circuit of the US, successful an evident effort to propulsion the Ukrainian lawsuit to the sceptical erstwhile US president.
Johnson met Trump “to sermon the concern successful Ukraine and the captious value of Ukrainian victory”, his spokesperson said. It is understood they held the talks connected Thursday.
The erstwhile premier curate – who faces continued questions astatine location implicit allegations about lockdown-breaking parties astatine Chequers and No 10 – has been successful Dallas, wherever helium met Greg Abbott, the Republican politician of Texas, and Las Vegas, wherever helium made the latest successful his caller series of highly lucrative firm speeches.
The discussions with Trump, the determination of which has not been divulged, astir apt centred connected Johnson, a vehement planetary cheerleader for the Ukrainian cause, trying to impressment his ideas connected the erstwhile president.
Trump, who is the favourite to triumph the Republican information and instrumentality connected Joe Biden successful adjacent year’s statesmanlike election, has repeatedly praised Vladimir Putin and appears agnostic implicit Russia’s brutal penetration of Ukraine.
During a question-and-answer league aired connected CNN earlier this month, Trump declined to accidental whether helium wanted Ukraine to triumph the war. “Russians and Ukrainians, I privation them to halt dying,” helium said. “And I’ll person that done. I’ll person that done successful 24 hours.”
Speaking earlier, Keir Starmer said Johnson has questions to reply astir the Chequers allegations, contempt the nationalist being “fed up to the backmost teeth” with stories astir his lawbreaking.
The Labour person said determination were radical who were feeling wounded and fed up astir the continuing saga, but determination were “questions present astir wherefore these allegations person not travel retired before”.
Starmer weighed successful connected the contention aft the Cabinet Office passed caller allegations of wrongdoing to the constabulary this week. They did truthful aft seeing diary entries astir guests who were astatine Chequers during the pandemic, which Johnson handed to lawyers representing him arsenic portion of the Covid inquiry.
Police fined Johnson much than a twelvemonth agone successful narration to an lawsuit successful June 2020 for his birthday. More than 100 fines were handed retired to others implicit events held successful and astir Downing Street.
The Partygate saga contributed to the demise of Johnson’s premiership but helium has since been mulling whether a comeback is possible. Johnson is inactive facing an enquiry by the privileges committee of MPs into whether helium misled the House of Commons by saying each Covid rules were followed.
On Friday, Starmer told broadcasters: “I deliberation radical are fed up to the backmost teeth with stories astir Boris Johnson. The bosom of this is simply a elemental information that, crossed the country, radical made monolithic sacrifices during Covid.
“Some radical not going to the commencement of their baby, not going to the ceremonial of 1 of their adjacent household members. These are profoundly idiosyncratic things and expanding revelations astir Boris Johnson, I think, conscionable adhd to that consciousness of hurt, and radical are fed up with it.
“I bash deliberation determination are questions present astir wherefore person these allegations not travel retired before, each these allegations. Obviously, determination volition beryllium investigations, I recognize that. The halfway of this is simply a precise quality feeling of 1 regularisation for us, which we obey, different regularisation for Boris Johnson and those astatine the apical of the Tory party.”
The diaries showing astir a twelve events astatine some the premier minister’s grace-and-favour mansion, Chequers, and No 10, betwixt June 2020 and May 2021, were provided to Johnson’s government-appointed lawyers.
However, the Cabinet Office, which paid for the lawyers, besides received the diaries, and officials past decided that nether the civilian work code, they should refer the substance to the police.
Downing Street denied Johnson was the unfortunate of a politically motivated stitch-up, aft his allies reacted with fury to quality of the latest constabulary involvement.
No 10 stressed Rishi Sunak had nary engagement successful the determination to manus implicit Johnson’s pandemic diaries, saying helium had “not seen the accusation oregon worldly successful question”, adding that ministers had “no engagement successful this process and were lone made alert aft the constabulary had been contacted”.
English (US) ·