Tory and Labour MPs who caused trouble for Boris Johnson knighted in New Year Honours list
Tory and Labour MPs who caused trouble for Boris Johnson have been recognised in the first New Year Honours list to be published since he left No 10.
Conservative Julian Lewis, chairman of the parliamentary intelligence and security committee (ISC), and Labour MP Chris Bryant, who chairs the commons standards committee, have both received knighthoods.
Former permanent secretary at the Treasury Sir Tom Scholar, who was sacked by Liz Truss on her first day in office, has also been honoured as he is made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, having been made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 2017.
Honours are awarded by the King but most are given on recommendations made to him by the prime minister or outgoing prime ministers, especially political honours.
Read more: Cake ambushes to tractors – 2022’s political quotes
Sir Julian, MP for New Forest East, blew Mr Johnson’s plans to have senior Tory Chris Grayling as ISC chairman after securing backing from Labour members of the committee to get elected to the post instead.
He had the Conservative whip withdrawn – was suspended from the Tory party – as punishment for refusing to toe the party line. It was later restored.
Sir Chris was an outspoken critic of Mr Johnson and was chairman of the standards committee when it recommended Conservative MP Owen Paterson should be suspended from the Commons in 2021 for 30 days for breaking lobbying rules.
Mr Johnson’s attempt to re-write disciplinary procedures by trying to get the finding overturned threw the government into disarray and the incident was seen as the start of the difficulties that led to his downfall.
Sir Chris spoke out against Mr Johnson with regards to Downing Street lockdown parties and has recused himself as chair of the privileges committee during an inquiry into whether Mr Johnson lied to parliament due to his criticism of the former PM.
Chris Bryant grilling Boris Johnson during the Liaison Committee in July
The Labour MP said he was “very shocked” when he learned he was to be knighted and said it was an honour for the whole committee.
He said his campaigning on phone hacking, sanctions on Russia, national strategy for acquired brain injuries as well as being chair of the standards committee were noted on the email informing him he was being knighted.
Sir Chris told Sky News: “This isn’t for me, this is for my constituents who have put up with me for 21 years and all the organisations I work with.
“I think members look to the committee to uphold high standards and when people have stepped over the mark to bring in tough sanctions.
“So perhaps this is in recognition of the fact government is only by consent and we MPs are only there for a brief period of time at the behest of the British public and if we go wrong people want us to tackle that.”
Julian Lewis has been given a knighthood
Sir Tom’s dismissal was widely seen as Ms Truss and then-chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng throwing out orthodox Treasury economic thinking.
The top civil servant, who served under Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May and Mr Johnson, led the UK out of the 2007-8 financial crash and through the COVID crisis.
His sacking was seen as having contributed to the economic turmoil following Mr Kwarteng’s catastrophic mini-budget as the markets saw the experienced civil servant as a steady hand.
Sir Tom Scholar was sacked by Kwasi Kwarteng and Liz Truss
Also honoured this year are Britain’s ambassadors to Ukraine and Russia, Melinda Simmons and Deborah Bronnert, who both receive damehoods.
Cop26 president Alok Sharma is knighted and Conservative former minister Andrew Stephenson, who was party co-chairman in Mr Johnson’s caretaker cabinet over the summer, is made a CBE.
Home Office permanent secretary Matthew Rycroft receives a knighthood, while former cabinet secretary Lord Sedwill is made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George.
And the UK’s chief veterinary officer, Christine Middlemiss, has been made a Companion of the Order of the Bath in recognition of her role in maintaining the high standard of animal health and welfare following Brexit.
Her honour is also due to her “significant efforts in managing the largest ever outbreak of avian influenza”, which has seen farmers having to cull turkeys this Christmas to stop the spread.
An Afghan man who worked for the British military has told Sky News he feels betrayed and has “completely lost (his) mind” after his identity was part of a massive data breach.
He told The World with Yalda Hakim about the moment he discovered he was among thousands of Afghans whose personal details were revealed, putting him at risk of reprisals from the Taliban.
The man, who spoke anonymously to Sky News from Afghanistan, says he worked with British forces for more than 10 years.
But now, he regrets working alongside those troops, who were first deployed to Afghanistan in 2001.
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Afghans being relocated after data breach
“I have done everything for the British forces … I regret that – why (did) I put my family in danger because of that? Is this is justice?
“We work for them, for [the] British, we help them. So now we are left behind, right now. And from today, I don’t know about my future.”
He described receiving an email warning him that his details had been revealed.
He said: “When I saw this one story… I completely lost my mind. I just thought… about my future… my family’s.
“I’ve got two kids. All my family are… in danger. Right now… I’m just completely lost.”
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The mistake by the Ministry of Defence in early 2022 ranks among the worst security breaches in modern British history because of the cost and risk posed to the lives of thousands of Afghans.
On Tuesday, a court order – preventing the media reporting details of a secret relocation programme – was lifted.
Read more from Sky News:
Minister defends handling of breach
The struggle for equality in Afghanistan
Afghan women throw babies to troops
Reuters file pic
Defence Secretary John Healey said about 6,900 Afghans and their family members have been relocated or were on their way to the UK under the previously secret scheme.
He said no one else from Afghanistan would be offered asylum, after a government review found little evidence of intent from the Taliban to seek retribution.
But the anonymous Afghan man who spoke to Sky News disputed this. He claimed the Taliban, who returned to power in 2021, were actively seeking people who worked with British forces.
“My family is finished,” he said. “I request… kindly request from the British government… the King… please evacuate us.
“Maybe tomorrow we will not be anymore. Please, please help us.”
World
Ross Edgley: The British ‘Thor’ swimming 1,000 miles around Iceland – and what happened when he met killer whales
Towering waves, freezing temperatures and even some inquisitive killer whales. Iceland is doing its best to defeat Ross Edgley.Â
Inspired by “Thor”, the British extreme athlete is in the middle of a challenge worthy of the Norse god – spending four months swimming 1,000 miles around the whole of Iceland in the name of science.
And while it comes with its challenges – a video of parts of his tongue falling off because of the salty sea water went viral – there have also been moments of beauty in the rugged Viking landscape.
“We’re on the northern coast right now,” Ross tells Sky News as he prepares to get back in the water.
“There’s nothing to stop the wind coming from the Arctic, and it’s just smashing into the north of Iceland. We’re miles out, just like a bobbing cork getting absolutely battered.”
Ross is making his way around Iceland clockwise after setting off from Reykjavik
Ross, from Cheshire, is no stranger to endurance events like this. In 2018, he swam nearly 1,800 miles around the coast of Great Britain and earned a Guinness World Record for swimming 317 miles along the Yukon River in Canada.
But the punishing cold as 39-year-old Ross swims 30km (18 miles) a day around Iceland is something else.
“The body just takes a consistent battering,” he says, characteristically cheery and enthusiastic despite everything.
“You just do your best to keep it in some sort of shape, controlling the inevitable breakdown of your body, hoping that you get back into Reykjavik.”
Some of the injuries Ross has picked up so far, and the salt water hinders healing
He’s eating between 10,000 and 15,000 calories a day – with pasta and his new favourite Icelandic liquorice as menu staples – just to keep going.
“You’re basically running through all of that food – I’m constantly saying it’s basically just an eating competition with a bit of swimming thrown in,” he chuckles. “But that’s genuinely what it is.”
His average day – storms permitting – sees Ross getting up and swimming for six hours, resting for six hours, and then getting back in the water to swim another six hours.
“You just do that on repeat. It’s really simple in theory, but brutal in reality.”
Ross is covering about 18 miles (30km) a day
To get ready for the cool Icelandic waters, Ross took inspiration from animals that have made it their home for thousands of years: whales and seals.
“I ended up putting on about 10-15 kilos of just pure fat. A bit of muscle as well but a lot of fat.
“When you look at what sort of animals survive in Iceland, there’s that idea of sea blubber. You want insulation, you want body fat.”
Perhaps unlike a seal however, Ross takes great care to defend the reputation of the killer whales that hunt in Icelandic seas.
“We’ve seen a lot, pods of them have come by and checked me out, wondering what the strange Englishman was doing in Icelandic waters, and then we went our separate ways.
“I want to combat some of the bad PR that orcas might have because there’s never been a verified case of an orca attacking a human in the wild. It just doesn’t exist.
“They’re amazing animals that deserve our respect and shouldn’t be feared.”
Ross back on board his support boat after swimming
There’s also a big scientific focus for Ross’s challenge as well.
“If we achieve this, it will achieve so much in terms of sports science – the first person to swim around Iceland. But that wasn’t a big enough reason to do it.”
Ross spoke to scientists who said that if he was “crazy enough” to want to do the swim, he would be able to collect daily samples of environmental DNA in the water, as well as levels of microplastics.
“By the end we’re just going to have this map of biodiversity around the whole coast of Iceland in a level of detail we’ve never really seen before. It’s going to be so comprehensive.
“So I think as the legacy of this swim, records and everything will be nice, but I actually think the science and the research that we contribute and give back will be unbelievable and actually make the chafing and losing parts of my tongue worth it.”
The swim is being paid for by a mix of sponsorships and self-funding.
Ross Edgley is swimming 1,000 miles around Iceland. Pic: James Appleton/BMW
Ross says he was inspired to take on the challenge in part by actor Chris Hemsworth and his role as the Norse god Thor, joking that the feat would be the closest thing to swimming around Asgard, the realm of the deities from ancient Scandinavia.
As he makes his way around the island, he gets to meet a local community where stories of Nordic gods are still an important part of life.
“It’s amazing, we’re just hearing these stories of Nordic folklore, sagas written about every single fjord we go around. It’s unbelievable.”
Ross and his team rest on land between swims
Fresh off one marathon swimming session, Ross and his team jumped into action to help the local community rescue 30 stranded whales.
“The team were absolutely exhausted… but having rescued the whales was the most rewarding moment as well.”
A moment of downtime on the boat. Pic: Ross Edgley/YouTube
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
Ross set off on his swimming quest on 17 May, and it’s likely going to be a couple more months before he arrives back in Reykjavik.
He suggested that September is the goal, but added: “But you make plans and Iceland laughs at them.”
Picture credits: Ross Edgley/YouTube
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