Yahoo Movies Tuesday evening UK news briefing: Rishi Sunak speaks out on Boris Johnson over Downing Street parties
Evening briefing: Today's essential headlines
Helen Bailey's killer | The murderer of the children's author Helen Bailey was accused of killing his first wife after brain tissue posthumously donated to science showed signs of "prolonged restriction of breathing", a court has heard. Ian Stewart was found guilty of killing Ms Bailey, his fiance, in 2017, prompting police to re-investigate the sudden death of Diane Stewart seven years earlier. Read the latest.
Ashling Murphy funeral | Man arrested as thousands mourn teacher
Omicron | Scotland to lift most remaining restrictions on Monday
Covid vaccine | Two thirds of side effects are imagined, study suggests
Texas attack | MI5 investigated terrorist but thought he was no harm
BBC | Director general says it is 'inevitable' programmes will be axed
The big story: Rishi Sunak ends interview abruptly
Boris Johnson today made his first public appearance after reducing his contacts when No 10 said a family member tested positive for Covid-19 last week.
Yet any hopes he had of getting back on the front foot after the revelations about parties at Downing Street were dashed in bruising interviews by both himself and his Downing Street neighbour.
First to the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, who refused to give his unequivocal backing to Mr Johnson.
The potential successor as Conservative leader abruptly ended an interview today when pressed on whether he gave his full support to the Prime Minister.
He did say he believed Mr Johnson was telling the truth and backed his request for "patience" during a Whitehall investigation by senior official Sue Gray. Watch the clip here.
Meanwhile, Mr Johnson rejected accusations that he lied to Parliament over allegations of Covid rule-breaking parties in Downing Street, insisting that "nobody told me that what we were doing was against the rules".
Mr Johnson repeated his apologies to the Queen and the country in comments made at Finchley Memorial Hospital in north London, but denied allegations by Dominic Cummings that he had misled the Commons.
He insisted he only saw the "bring your own booze" invite that his principal private secretary Martin Reynolds sent to more than 100 staff "the other day... when it emerged". Watch the interview here.
In the Hunt
While Mr Sunak is trying to keep his powder dry on any leadership ambitions, the precarious position of Mr Johnson has not stopped others from putting feelers out about their chances.
Jeremy Hunt has said his "ambition hasn't completely vanished" to become Prime Minister amid the turmoil over the "partygate" scandal engulfing Downing Street.
The former foreign secretary, who also chairs the health and social care select committee, said that it would "take a lot to persuade me to put my hat into the ring", but that he had not ruled it out.
Mr Hunt previously ran against Mr Johnson in the 2019 Conservative leadership election following Theresa May’s resignation.
Read on for his comments and here are the runners and riders who could replace the Prime Minister.
Action Matt strikes again
Another MP who ran for the top job in 2019 was Matt Hancock, who this morning was back in the headlines after taking a plunge in the icy waters of London's Serpentine.
The former health secretary, who landed himself in hot water last year following a kiss with his former aide, braved sub-zero temperatures in the capital as he peeled off his layers and submerged himself in the murky waters.
Tim Stanley sketches how the Suffolk stallion had a spring in his step when he spoke in the Commons, which made sense when photos surfaced of him shivering in his trunks.
Comment and analysis
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard | French nuclear meltdown impacts UK
Mark Almond | The EU's abandonment of Ukraine is shameful
Robin Aitken | The obvious way for BBC to defeat Dorries's attack
Nick Hoult | England's all-night session shows need for regime change
Suzanne Moore | Are these the most annoying 50-somethings on TV?
Around the world: Tonga tries to clear ash from airport
Officials in Tonga are working to clear ash coating the international airport so that planes can bring much-needed aid after a devastating volcanic eruption and a subsequent tsunami over the weekend caused untold damage to the Pacific nation. While Fuaʻamotu International Airport on Tonga's main island, Tongatapu, remains standing, Australia said the ash covering the runway must be cleared before it can land a C-130 military plane with emergency supplies including fresh water. Satellite images today showed people trying to manually clear a pathway to facilitate rescue efforts. See dramatic before-and-after pictures.
Tuesday big-read
'Aristocrats have always had to reinvent themselves to survive'
While grand estates have been morphed into film sets or ghost tours, William Cash reveals why no amount of money is worth giving up the security of a family home
Sport briefing: Raducanu and Murray win in thrillers
Emma Raducanu is back on the winning trail after a gutsy victory over the 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens in Melbourne, which confirmed her status as a natural born competitor. Her draining battle ended in victory shortly after Andy Murray finally vanquished Nikoloz Basilashvili after a see-sawing Australian Open thriller. Yet the moment of the day must go to Australia's great entertainer Nick Kyrgios, who stunned the crowd with the between-the-legs "tweener serve". Watch it here. Meanwhile, in rugby union Eddie Jones announced his 36-man squad to begin preparations for the Six Nations Championship, featuring six uncapped players and making a few surprising omissions.
Editor's choice
Toffs behaving badly | How the 'Filthy Fulfords' cleaned up
Inside England's all-night party | From cans in the dressing room to 6am terrace lagers
Great value | 'Modern classic' cars inflation forgot – and how I accidentally bought one
Business briefing: Microsoft buys Call of Duty maker
Microsoft is buying Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard for $69bn (£50.8bn) in a record video games deal. The all-cash takeover means the XBox maker will become the world's third-largest games company by sales. The offer is a 45pc premium to Activision's Friday closing price. Read how the move will be a significant boost in Microsoft's battle with PlayStation maker Sony. Back home, a council-backed energy supplier is set to become the latest to collapse due to soaring wholesale gas costs.
Tonight starts now
Cure for road rage | There were a lot of unexpected cultural highlights during the first lockdown in 2020 but School of Zen Motoring – created by 41-year-old former primary school assistant Ivan Battaliero-Owen – was one of the oddest, and most successful. It combines genuine dashcam footage shot around the roads of North London with the cosmic reflections of the blissed-out unseen narrator, Battaliero-Owen, who presents himself as Ogmios, a former "battle rapper" now planning to write "the Zenway Code" as he sends every tailgater and undertaker on their way with blessings and good vibes. The comedic mashup of Driving School and ASMR meditation has been turned from a viral You-Tube hit into a 15-minute comedy show on BBC Three, now available on iPlayer.
Three things for you
And finally... for this evening's downtime
The quirkiest queen? | Queen Margrethe II has seen the popularity of the monarchy rise sharply in Denmark during her 50-year reign. Richard Orange reveals how a chain-smoking monarch made the Danish royal family one of the world's most beloved.
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