The prime minister flew to Poland after a third cabinet departure in two months created a further headache for government
- Full report: Damian Green sacked as first secretary of state
- Timeline: how a leak led to a downfall
- Who’s who in the Damian Green inquiry
Here’s a summary of today’s events. Thanks for all your comments and Happy Christmas from me as well as I’m off now until Boxing Day.
The Cabinet Office has ruled that Mark Garnier, who admitted asking his former assistant to buy sex toys, did not breach the ministerial code when doing so. The crucial point, from the investigation’s perspective, seems to be that he was not a minister at the time that that particular behaviour occurred.
Garnier was one of many politicians named in reports as allegations of sexual harassment swirled around Westminster after the Harvey Weinstein scandal.
Following allegations of sexual misconduct, the prime minister asked the Cabinet Office to look into the behaviour of Mark Garnier MP, parliamentary under secretary of state at the Department for International Trade.
The Cabinet Office’s investigation primarily considered Mr Garnier’s behaviour as a minister, but also heard evidence from before he was appointed to government.The Cabinet Office concluded that there was no evidence to suggest that Mr Garnier’s conduct as a Minister since 2016 had breached the expected standards of behaviour.
The Press Association reports that the prime minister was tickled by a reference to her as “Madame Brexit” during the press conference in Warsaw:
Theresa May could not help smiling as an interpreter for the Polish prime minister referred to her as “Madame Brexit” in a translation broadcast live on television.
A passage of Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki’s opening speech was translated as: “It’s very important for us that this co-operation, even though it will be based soon on different rules and different regulations than it has been so far because of Brexit, because as Madame Brexit said, Brexit is Brexit...”
Poland’s prime minister’s signalled his country would back the UK on a bespoke Brexit deal including services, at a joint meeting with Theresa May in Warsaw where he warned against “very dangerous” EU protectionism.
Five senior cabinet ministers accompanied May on the visit to Warsaw, a signal of the growing strategic importance of the relationship, but which risked being overshadowed by the deepening rift between prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s administration at the EU over his hardline government’s crackdown on judicial independence.
On economic co-operation, there is hard to find closer partners than we are. The UK is a very important trade partner for Poland. The UK is a very powerful country exporting services, it’s obvious for the UK they would like to remain a very strong player in this area.
All the protectionist movements are very dangerous and that’s why we really regret losing the UK as our ally in a number of discussions at the EU level where we tried to mitigate and reduce the red tape and a number of regulations.
But we do believe in this new agreement that will soon be worked out, will soon be negotiated, and we will be able to co-operate with the UK as close as possible.
Labour has commented on the government’s defeat in what it calls a “landmark” court case against “discriminatory” personal independence payment (Pip) legislation (see previous post).
The shadow work and pensions secretary, Debbie Abrahams said:
This landmark ruling is a damning indictment of the government’s discriminatory approach to Pip support and its refusal to make this support available to people with mental health conditions. So much for the prime minister’s commitment to deliver parity of esteem for mental health.
When the government should have been listening to successive court rulings on PIP payments and correcting injustices for people with debilitating mental health conditions, they decided to undermine the legal basis for the judgments and introduce emergency legislation. This was a step too far, even for this Tory government.
Charities have urged the government to take heed of a high court ruling, which found in favour of a woman with mental health difficulties who questioned the fairness of personal independence payments (Pips), designed to help disabled people maintain independence.
The judge, Mr Justice Mostyn, said the regulations were “blatantly discriminatory” against people with mental health impairments.
Thousands of disabled people rely on Pip to live independently and help meet the often substantial extra costs they face related to their condition or impairment.
The government must listen carefully to today’s ruling and act quickly to reverse these changes, rather than further dragging the issue through the courts.
As the judgment suggests, not everyone fits neatly into categories, and people shouldn’t be denied support because of this. We’re urging the government to scrap these rules so that people don’t have to rely on courts to get the support they need.
This ruling is hugely significant for many autistic adults, who struggle to make new and unfamiliar journeys because of anxiety and psychological distress. We opposed the changes the government made earlier this year, which limited psychological distress as a factor in assessing eligibility for mobility payments and we gave evidence in this case, because we knew how serious the impact of this change was on autistic adults.
So we are very pleased that the courts have agreed that the changes were discriminatory and that the new rules should be quashed.
I’m delighted that the court has agreed the government’s decision to change the law to prevent people with mental health conditions accessing the support they need was blatantly discriminatory.
PIP replaced a system that was less generous for people with mental health conditions and is designed to consider the broader picture of how someone’s life is affected by their disability or health condition...
We are disappointed the judgment fails to recognise that PIP provides more support to people with mental health conditions than ever before.”
My colleague Haroon Siddique is taking over the blog now. I’ve got to head off for a meeting.
Since this will be the last blog of 2017, Happy Christmas to everyone. Thanks for reading, and thank you to all of those who comment. Smart, informative comments are an important part of what makes this blog successful, and I know my reporting is definitely improved by the way you flag things up and challenge me BTL.
May says she is glad the UK and the EU have made progress on citizens’ rights.
Poles in the UK will be able to apply for settled status. That will be an easy process. There will be a significant period of time during which people can apply.
Morawiecki asked again about the bespoke deal; says he is happy with the current state of negotiations and keeps dialogue with France and Germany open to discuss this in details
Q: Do you want to see the UK get a bespoke trade deal from the EU?
Morawiecki says he supports the best possible deal, but stops short of saying whether that means a bespoke deal for Britain or not; he adds he opposes any protectionist movements and is sorry to see the UK leave as Britain was always a great ally in tackling these attitudes
Q: Are you concerned about reports of a Russian spy in Number 10?
That was a reference to this. The tweet is from a BBC Kiev correspondent.
BREAKING: Was a Russian spy inside Downing St in July? Ukrainian authorities have arrested the interpreter in the middle of this photo and claim he reported to Moscow. pic.twitter.com/kRYVANFuNV
Q: [From the BBC] Have you done enough to deal with sexual harassment? And have the police questions to answer?
May says this is a wide question. The government is continuing to address this question. It has a strategy for addressing domestic violence. And, in parliament, she has taken steps to ensure it is a workplace where people can raise concerns about harassment or bullying. Work is being done to put a proper grievance procedure in place.
Theresa May is speaking now.
She says our ties with Poland are rooted in history. We will never forget Polish troops who fought alongside British troops in the war, or the contribution of Polish airmen. And she says many Poles are in the UK now where their contribution is valued.
These are from Jakub Krupa from the Polish Press Agency.
Morawiecki says he hopes Britain's negotiations of implementation/transitional period will have 'unprecedented pace' & he hopes for Brexit that will be 'as unproblematic as possible'
Morawiecki says he is pleased that NATO is increasingly important both as a military and political alliance & looks forward to close cooperation with Britain
Morawiecki says Poland and Britain have similar views on refugees, particularly making clear distinction between economic migrants and refugees
Morawiecki says he hopes that free access to services will continue after Brexit; also mentions that both countries agree on changes to the directive on posted workers
Morawiecki says the PMs discussed payments to the EU budget and says the compromise reached by the EC on behalf of the EU27 is 'very satisfactory'
Mateusz Morawiecki, the Polish prime minister, goes first.
He is talking about cooperation between Poland and the UK.
The press conference is starting now.
It is going to begin with the signing of a defence cooperation treaty.
Watch out HM Treasury, Gavin Williamson is signing another deal... pic.twitter.com/WvQZd7YP6b
Here are two articles on Damian Green worth reading.
From Adrian Wooldridge’s Bagehot column in the Economist
In some ways Mr Green was a classic second-division politician, sensible and reliable but never a man to make the weather. He liked to present himself as the solid embodiment of middle-class common sense, which might be one reason why he got on so well with Mrs May. He also specialised in pouring oil on troubled waters. But in other ways he was more interesting. He was brought up in a council house in South Wales and nevertheless won a place at Balliol College, Oxford. He remained on the left wing of the Conservative Party through thick and thin, and even contemplated leaving the party in the early 1980s for the breakaway Social Democrats, because he worried that Margaret Thatcher might tear the country apart. This columnist, though a few years younger than Mr Green, remembers seeing him in Balliol College Junior Common Room looking and sounding almost the same as he does today, a member of that strange breed of politicians, of which William Hague is the archetype, who arrive at university fully formed as middle-aged fogies.
When Mrs May became PM last year she ripped out all the inner wiring that had made the Cameron Government function — getting rid of virtually the whole Downing Street staff and Cabinet Office ministerial team, for no other apparent reason other than that her own advisers, Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill, didn’t much like them.
All the lessons that had been learnt over the previous six years were lost. Unsurprisingly, the result was paralysis — and no real domestic achievements. It was an approach that culminated in the most disastrous manifesto in modern UK history. In the election aftermath, the Cabinet forced Mrs May to fire her advisers and Mr Green was hired to pick up the pieces. Although a university contemporary, he was not especially close to her. But as a rational, calming voice at the centre Mr Green was welcomed by an exasperated Civil Service. Now that he’s gone there is no one around Mrs May with any enduring bonds of loyalty to her — the new, competent team recruited to No 10 hardly knew her at all before they got the call-up.
Theresa May is about to hold a press conference in Poland.
There is a live feed here.
Despite being effectively sacked, Damian Green will receive a pay-off of nearly £17,000, the Cabinet Office has confirmed.
Under the legislation which governs these things, the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, all minister who lose their jobs and don’t get a new post within three weeks – it seems pretty likely Green will not – receive three months of salary as a severance payment.
Elizabeth Denham, the information commissioner, has put out this statement about the Metropolitan police’s decision to refer the Green case to her. (See 12.39pm.) She said:
We can confirm that we have received a referral from the Metropolitan police service that explains their belief that offences under the Data Protection Act 1998 have been committed by former MPS officers.
As the UK’s data protection regulator, we’ll be looking at whether individuals acted unlawfully by retaining or disclosing personal data.
In Edinburgh there were emotional scenes at the final first minister’s questions of the year as Scottish Labour’s Jackie Baillie spoke about the fire at Cameron House Hotel in her constituency, which killed a young couple and injured several others earlier this week.
Fighting back tears, Baillie called on the first minister to ensure that lessons are learnt once the investigation into the fire is completed, or if a need to enhance building standards regulations becomes apparent.
Damian Green has posted a tweet saying that he has been “overwhelmed” by the support he has received from friends, colleagues and constituents since he was sacked.
I am overwhelmed by the number of friends, colleagues (on all sides) and constituents who have sent supportive messages this morning. My thanks to you all, and a Happy Christmas. See you in 2018.
The government’s Brexit reports have been published by the Commons Brexit committee. But the committee, which has a narrow Tory/DUP majority, decided to leave out the “sector views” sections, which cover what firms and trade bodies are saying about Brexit, and it has not said much about what the reports actually say.
But the reports were also sent to the House of Lords EU committee. And that committee, which does not have a Conservative majority, has delivered a verdict of sorts on the reports.
In light of these findings, we can see no reason why the sectoral analyses should not be published in full – they pose no risk to the UK’s negotiating position, and making them publicly available would, in our view, only promote an informed public debate on the options for Brexit. We understand that the House of Commons exiting the EU committee has decided to publish a redacted version of the documents. Nevertheless, we would urge you to publish them in full.
Views on particular Brexit options, such as single market membership, differ across sectors, but in most cases there is a wish to minimise disruption and uncertainty.
A number of themes recur in the views of stakeholders. These include: access to EU labour; the minimisation of tariffs and regulatory barriers to trade; data sharing; mutual recognition of qualifications; access to cross-border services; and the importance of EU R&D funding.
Here is more on the government Brexit reports.
From the Labour MP Jo Stevens
Govt’s top secret ‘sectoral reports’ have been published. Last week I had to sign a page long set of rules about secrecy & disclosure to read them in a supervised room having handed in my phone. I wasn’t allowed to have a copy of the rules I signed 1/2 https://t.co/WOAPf46RTE
I asked for the rules to be emailed to me. I’m still waiting for them. If you can find any analysis of the impact of #Brexit in any of these repetitive, copy & paste, school homework level reports do let me know! 2/2
This has been a long campaign and it is clearly in the public interest that much as possible of the reports are published. In my view the reports fall far short of the impact analysis the government implied it was doing a year ago. #brexitstudieshttps://t.co/7IxsvDFTgvpic.twitter.com/XB5Pe92nxf
Today's 'secret Brexit papers' read like the padding students put in essays when they have absolutely no idea how to answer a question. Here's just one eg.: we are an island nation apparently. https://t.co/RyDfPF9bg3pic.twitter.com/Jk3Nb4oOYk
Here is the statement from the Metropolitan police about the decision to ask the information commissioner to investigate the release of private police information about what was found on Damian Green’s computer in a police raid. The Met said:
The Metropolitan police service has asked the information commissioner’s cffice (ICO) to investigate the apparent disclosure to the media of confidential material gathered during a police investigation in 2008 by two former officers.
An ex-assistant commissioner and ex-detective constable have both made a number of disclosures to the media, passing on information that they were privy to as part of a police investigation. Due to the length of time that has passed since both officers left the MPS, legal advice was sought regarding the most appropriate action to take.
I am pleased to see the Met is taking seriously what appears to have been a gross abuse of trust from former police officers.
If the general public is to have future confidence in the force’s ability to protect sensitive information, this case must be dealt with robustly.
An investigation into allegations about the private life of Labour MP Keith Vaz has been suspended by the House of Commons sleaze watchdog “for medical reasons”, the Press Association reports. The halting of the probe was revealed in an update of the list of ongoing inquiries on the parliamentary commissioner for standards’ website, and her office did not give any more details. In 2016, the Leicester East MP issued a public apology to his wife and children, and quit as chairman of the Commons home affairs Committee, following reports in the Sunday Mirror that he paid two male escorts for their services. The PA story goes on:
The probe by the standards commissioner Kathryn Hudson will determine whether Vaz was guilty of a conflict of interest as he headed the home affairs committee’s review of vice laws at the time of the allegations regarding male escorts.
The watchdog was also looking into whether the former Europe minister has caused “significant damage” to the reputation of parliament.
Frances O’Grady, the TUC general secretary, has also criticised the government for the lack of analysis in the Brexit reports.
I see ministers have published their Brexit impact assessments. Looks to me like they've just printed off Wikipedia pages on bits of the economy. I know it's the end of term, but we can do better than this.
Here is Tom Brake, the Lib Dem Brexit spokesman, on the publication of the government’s secret Brexit reports.
This is the biggest case of the dog ate my homework the world has ever seen.
We’ve been given binders of old information, extracts from Wikipedia, and a few choice quotes, and yet nothing at all on how Brexit will hit each sector.
Damian Green went for lying over porn allegations, yet BoJo clearly breaks Ministerial code in the Telegraph, criticises Government policy, promotes private interests & reneges on cabinet responsiblity. Complete hypocrisy from May! Far more evidence that Boris should be sacked.
Here is some more reaction to the publication of the secret government Brexit reports. Open Britain, which is campaigning for a soft Brexit, has put out this statement from the Labour MP Pat McFadden.
The knots the government has tied itself in over publication of these reports says more about the state of politics and the government’s paranoid state of mind than it does about Brexit. There is little or nothing in them that couldn’t be learned from the annual reports of different trade bodies yet we were asked to believe that somehow revealing how many cars were made in Britain every year was an act of national treachery.
The government’s most ardent supporters on the select committee voted not to reveal the sections which showed the industry views of Brexit and what they hoped the outcome of the talks would be. You have to wonder what they have to fear.
These reports are the most useless and shoddy piece of work a government department has ever produced. Even the Iraq Dodgy Dossier had some useful information in it.
These are a shoddy mess that a sixteen year old wouldn’t be proud of. It is a masterclass in copy and paste.
This is from Sky’s Jason Farrell, who is with Theresa May on the trip to Poland.
Gap in the middle as we wait for PMs pic.twitter.com/1SxNNM5wQF
Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan police commissioner, has told the London assembly that the release of private police information about what was on Damian Green’s computer has been referred to the information commissioner, LBC’s Theo Usherwood reports.
Cressida Dick tells City Hall plenary session that Met has referred leak of investigation into porn on computer in Damian Green's office has been referred to the Information Commissioner.
Here are some tweets from journalists and specialists who have been looking at the government’s Brexit reports.
From the Guardian’s Dan Roberts
Based on my reading so far, the government's Brexit sector analysis reports are about as illuminating as an inflight magazine travel guide. Sample insight: "The food chain includes agriculture". Please tell me if you find anything more interesting. https://t.co/lIZpEEyh5N
Just in case anything accidentally relevant or interesting were to slip through, the government's official Brexit sectoral analysis reports include the following caveat: "The views in this section do not represent a Government position"
39 sectoral reports on Brexit published. https://t.co/Cr4juVwOqh Have flipped through the aerospace one. It's entirely descriptive. Zero analysis of Brexit impact.
The just-published Brexit impact report on health and social care says nothing about the impact of Brexit on health and social care. Plus all views from the sector, which must have included councils’ views, are redacted. A pointless document. https://t.co/DJhnQbjH4G
Lots of detail in these Dexeu papers about stuff that won't be covered in these Dexeu papers pic.twitter.com/q3bM7u1HOB
Apparently the food and agriculture sector "is vital for consumers" #dexeupapersrevelations
#breaking I have been excited to learn the 'parts of an aircraft' include the "nose, fuselage, wings, engine nacelles and tail"
Unpopular view time.. I think the sectoral reports @CommonsEUexit published are better than I expected. https://t.co/gyDWzrZM2K
what of course they are not is assessments of impact - still hoping Ministers really do have those for their discussions
At the regular Number 10 lobby briefing we had a few details confirmed about the process behind Damian Green’s departure.
Theresa May’s spokesman said the report was first received by May on Monday, and she then passed the findings to Sir Alex Allan, the former senior civil servant who is now her adviser on ministerial appointments.
A very quick skim through the Brexit reports suggests their news value is minimal, if not non-existent.
They all seem to start with a blurb that includes this paragraph.
As the government has already made clear, it is not the case that 58 sectoral impact assessments exist. The government’s sectoral analysis is a wide mix of qualitative and quantitative analysis contained in a range of documents developed at different times since the referendum. This report brings together information about the sector in a way that is accessible and informative. Some reports aggregate some sectors in order to either avoid repetition of information or because of the strong interlinkages between some of these sectors.
The Brexit select committee has just published most of the government’s secret Brexit reports. They were supplied to the committee after the Commons voted for Brexit impact reports to be published, although the government subsequently said that proper impact reports did not exist. These are described as sectoral analysis reports instead.
The Brexit committee has published 39 of them. You can read them all here.
Related: MPs and peers criticise tight security around Brexit impact reports
Theresa May has been meeting the new Polish prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, in Warsaw.
ITV’s political editor, Robert Peston, has written a good blog about the sacking of Damian Green on his Facebook page. Earlier this month he reported, on the basis of what he was told by his sources, that Green would survive. In the blog he explains what changed.
I understand that at the time, the keeper of the government’s conscience, Sue Gray of the Cabinet Office, had only one example of Green making a misleading press statement about what he knew about the computer porn. And just one inaccurate statement could have been seen as an accident.
Green was expected by the prime minister to cling on because this one example of misleading the press could be seen as cock-up not conspiracy.
Whitehall, and in particularly the cabinet secretary, Heywood, have reasserted their authority, having for months looked like affection-starved poodles.
Green’s exit also shines a new light on the political troika - the chief of staff, Gavin Barwell, the former chief whip and now defence secretary Gavin Williamson, and the current chief whip Julian Smith - who live and breathe to serve HER.
This is from ITV’s Joe Pike.
Damian Green just walked into Portcullis House: alone, no tie. Keeping visible on day one out of govt.
Last month ICM did some polling for the Guardian to find out what people think of various types of sexual misconduct that MPs have been accused of. We weren’t asking about Damian Green, or any other individuals, and of course Green denies watching pornography on his office computer or propositioning Kate Maltby. But the findings were interesting because they show how seriously people take these matters. Voters are more unforgiving than some people might expect.
I wrote the findings up here. And Britain Elects helpfully turned them into a graphic.
Having legal porn on a work computer is unacceptable and should be career ending according to 54% of voters.
via @ICMResearch, 10 - 12 Nov pic.twitter.com/OeBefN9D7Q
Theresa May not replace Damian Green as first secretary of state, the BBC reports.
No 10 source has told reporters travelling with PM to Poland that Green's departure is matter of sadness for the PM - his role of First Secretary won't' necessarily be replaced
Theresa May is not expecting to announce a replacement for Green until after parliament returns in January, a government source said.
The prime minister flew out this morning to Warsaw this morning, away from the crisis which forced her to sack her deputy, but has landed in Poland in the midst of another storm.
The women’s equality party thinks Damian Green and Michael Fallon should both resign as MPs because of their conduct towards women. In a statement its leader Sophie Walker said:
That Damian Green regrets being asked to quit, despite accepting that he breached the ministerial code, shows how many lessons he still has to learn about taking responsibility for his conduct. If he is not suitable to be minister because of his actions then he is not suitable to be an MP. It is bizarre that both he and Michael Fallon, who also resigned from cabinet, think they retain legitimacy to stay on in parliament. That decision should be given to their constituents, with a proper system of recall introduced so that they can decide whether these men should still be representing them.
The former Labour MP Andy Sawford is one of various people on Twitter who have been making this point about the downfall of Damian Green.
In politics it is always the lie that gets you. #DamianGreen should read more political history
People who say ‘it’s always the cover up’ never seem to think about all the times they don’t know about when the cover up worked.
I’m hearing that Brexit select committee will today publish the bulk of the “impact assessments” - or whatever the government would like to call them- today. But they are withholding parts of the documents after a committee disagreement.
The Labour MP Jess Phillips, a prominent campaigner on behalf of the victims of sexual harassment, told Sky News that she welcomed the decision to sack Damian Green. But she said she thought the inquiry took “longer than it needed to”. And she said she thought that the conclusions of the inquiry meant that Green might avoid being investigated by the new body parliament is setting up in the light of the sexual harassment scandal. She said:
The fact that he left for lying, essentially, about pornography on his computer does seem to be the slight get-out to stop potentially the new independent system in parliament that is going to be set up looking into this further. It does seem they are trying to protect him from any future claims of sexual harassment.
Here are the main points from Jeremy Hunt’s Today interview.
He lied on a particular incident, yes. I think lots of people who understand the context would appreciated why that might have happened. But that doesn’t make it any more acceptable. And I think what this shows is that in our democracy we hold cabinet ministers to the very highest standards of conduct, rightly. But I think we should remember that those are standards that would probably not apply in many other countries. And those standards apply even to cabinet ministers who are the most senior, as he was.
I think if you look at what happened, some of the actions, particularly of a retired police officer, don’t sit comfortably in a democracy, and Theresa May made very clear in her letter that she was very uncomfortable with what had happened and that she was pleased that Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan police commissioner, also felt that which is why an investigation is happening.
Health Secretary @Jeremy_Hunt says Damian Green was sacked because he "lied" but calls it a "sad moment" #r4todayhttps://t.co/ABH1vaZdnPpic.twitter.com/s5XqqwkEmw
This is a very sensibly frank interview from Jeremy Hunt. By admitting Green was sacked he gains space to take a pop at the police. He is now the official minister for the Today programme. Buy shares
That was an adept interview by @Jeremy_Hunt - frank about Damian Green, critical of the retired police officer, loyal to @theresa_may, sounding reasonable on the NHS and a decent body swerve on the leadership. He is ending the year on a high.
Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s communications chief when Blair was prime minister, says that if Theresa May wants to sack cabinet ministers who have told lies, other culprits spring to mind ...
If Damian Green resigned not because of porn but dishonesty, can someone tell me why @BorisJohnson is Foreign Secretary?
If Damian Green resigned because of porn not dishonesty, can someone tell me why David Davis got away with dishonesty about impact papers?
If Damian Green resigned not because of porn but dishonesty could May now sack @michaelgove and all who promised £350m a week extra for NHS?
Here is the full text of Damian Green’s “resignation” letter (pdf).
And here is the full text of Theresa May’s reply (pdf).
The interview now turns to the NHS, and maternity services.
Q: There are more than 100,000 mistakes with maternity services every year.
It is a real mistake to say this is principally about money.
Q: May has lost the people close to her. Who are her close advisers now?
Hunt says leadership is lonely. Despite the most incredible pressure, May has carried on. She has taken big decisions, and made big progress. What is emerging is “someone of the most extraordinary resilience in very, very challenging circumstances”.
Hunt says we need to get to the bottom of the police’s role.
Q: People will say this was not the fault of the police. They will say this happened because Green made a sexual advance to a young woman. Shouldn’t Green have been sacked or suspended then?
Good morning. I’m Andrew Sparrow, taking over from Claire.
Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, is being interview on Today now by Nick Robinson.
He lied on a particular incident, yes.
I’m now handing over the live blog to Andrew Sparrow, who’ll bring you Jeremy Hunt’s Today programme interview, more Green fallout and the rest of the day’s politics news.
Thanks for reading and for the comments and tweets.
And for all those commenters asking when David Davis will be handing in his resignation letter: don’t hold your breath.
There has been speculation about whether the Brexit secretary, David Davis, could follow Green out of the door, given his previous threat to quit if his colleague were forced out.
The Brexit secretary let it be known that he would resign in protest were Green to be forced out solely on the basis of allegations by former Met officers, although he accepted that other factors could lead to Green having to quit as first secretary of state.
And here are those two statements made by Green last month that the inquiry judged were “inaccurate and misleading” and breached the ministerial code - as well as Green’s admission yesterday that they were misleading.
The police have never suggested to me that improper material was found on my parliamentary computer, nor did I have a ‘private’ computer, as has been claimed. The allegations about the material and computer, now nine years old, are false, disreputable political smears from a discredited police officer acting in flagrant breach of his duty to keep the details of police investigations confidential, and amount to little more than an unscrupulous character assassination.
I reiterate that no allegations about the presence of improper material on my parliamentary computers have ever been put to me or to the parliamentary authorities by the police. I can only assume that they are being made now, nine years later, for ulterior motives.
I accept that I should have been clear in my press statements that police lawyers talked to my lawyers in 2008 about the pornography on the computers, and that the police raised it with me in a subsequent phone call in 2013. I apologise that my statements were misleading on this point.
For those readers who weren’t awake for the politics live blog’s early start this morning, a reminder of the key findings from the inquiry, issued by the cabinet secretary, Sir Jeremy Heywood. (The bolding is mine.)
The investigation has concluded:
The cabinet office investigation has not looked into the 2008 police investigation itself. That is a matter for the police, not for the cabinet office; and in any event has no bearing on Mr Green’s ability or conduct as first secretary of state.
Mr Green continues to deny that he viewed the pornography found on his parliamentary computers and the investigation reaches no conclusion on this matter.
Theresa May is prepared to challenge her Polish counterpart over his government’s controversial interference in the country’s judicial system, Downing Street said, as the prime minister flew to Warsaw on Thursday.
Her visit will come in the aftermath of an unprecedented decision by the EU to censure Poland for a “serious breach” of its values, which could ultimately see Warsaw stripped of its voting rights in Brussels.
Related: Theresa May will 'raise concerns' with Polish PM over judicial reforms
In what is presumably a pre-recorded interview for the Radio 4 Today programme, health secretary Jeremy Hunt will apparently have some harsh words for his former cabinet colleague:
He was sacked. He did lie @Jeremy_Hunt doesn’t mince his words about @DamianGreen on @BBCr4today. Interview coming up at 08.10
As noted earlier, we’re not anticipating a reshuffle today, or this year in fact, with Theresa May not expected to conjure up a new first secretary of state/minister for the cabinet office/de facto deputy prime minister until after the parliamentary recess.
There is another administrative headache brewing as Green chaired nine cabinet committees, including the sub-committees for:
For now, Green's constitutional tasks - devolution and Brexit liaison with regions - will be taken on by the Chief Whip and Scots, Welsh and NI Secretaries. https://t.co/5VBSy4eJNv
Comments are now switched on, should you want to come and chat below the line.
It seemed impossible that Theresa May could be rendered a lonelier figure than she has been of late, but with Damian Green now the first secretary of state as was she seems lonelier than ever. Her devoted lieutenants Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill were torn from her nest. Now Green, her anchor in a sea of Brexit, has gone.
This was not a ministerial performance issue. That doesn’t happen. If performance and competence were salient these days May’s cabinet meetings would not be quorate. Rather, his fate was sealed by continuing questions about his alleged behaviour and character. And principally his failure to speak candidly about his knowledge of claims that pornography was found on his parliamentary computer– he still denies having downloaded or viewed pornography – and allegations that he made inappropriate advances to the young journalist Kate Maltby, a family friend. May had to part company with him. But without Green, she loses political balance and an ally as she stumbles towards Brexit.
Related: Now Damian Green is out, Theresa May seems lonelier than ever | Hugh Muir
With the de facto deputy prime minister gone, this is a reasonable question:
Jetting off to Poland this morning with the PM, who is taking five cabinet ministers with her - Chancellor, Defence sec, Foreign sec, Home sec, Business sec. Not entirely sure who's in charge at home....
No Christmas prizes for guessing what leads the front pages today. We get multiple takes on the ousting of the deputy prime minister, from Metro’s curt “Green out” to City AM’s careful “Theresa May ally Damian Green resigns amid pornography allegations”.
The Guardian front page, Thursday 21.12.17: Green sacked after admitting he lied over pornographic images pic.twitter.com/EHQhCqy5Fz
Thursday's DAILY MAIL: What a sad way to go #tomorrowspaperstodaypic.twitter.com/D1du1hapEq
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Kate Maltby, whose allegations of harassment prompted the cabinet office inquiry into Green’s behaviour, has not yet commented on his sacking.
We are pleased that the cabinet office has concluded its inquiry into the conduct of Damian Green.
We are not surprised to find that the inquiry found Mr Green to have been untruthful as a minister, nor that they found our daughter to be a plausible witness.
The inquiry said it was “not possible to reach a definitive conclusion” on the allegations of inappropriate behaviour against Green, but said it did find Kate Maltby’s “account to be plausible”.
In his letter to Theresa May, Green said:
I deeply regret the distress caused to Kate Maltby following her article about me and the reaction to it. I do not recognise the events she described in her article, but I clearly made her feel uncomfortable and for this I apologise.
You have expressed your regret for the distress caused to Ms Maltby following her article about you and the reaction to it. I appreciate that you do not recognise the events Ms Maltby described in the article, but you do recognise that you made her feel uncomfortable and it is right that you have apologised.
All the indications are that we shouldn’t expect a reshuffle today, this week or even this year.
With May on her way to Poland this morning for a two-day trip, and parliament on its Christmas recess, the next first secretary of state/minister for the cabinet office/de facto deputy prime minister might not materialise until 2018.
May has lost her oldest & closest political friend. Who will replace him? Allies left in her cabinet are basically her old home office team; Brandon Lewis, James Brokenshire, Karen Bradley. She also relied on Rudd in election campaign
An early start for today’s politics live blog, hot on the heels of the Wednesday night sacking of first secretary of state and key Theresa May ally Damian Green.
News that the prime minister had asked her de facto deputy to resign – known in non-political circles as firing him – broke shortly after 8.30pm, just hours after the two had appeared side by side at the final PMQs of the year. (Here’s John Crace’s take on how that May-Corbyn festive showdown shook down.)
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