Dustin Johnson gave LIV Golf its first big moment Sunday when he made a 35-foot eagle putt on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to win the LIV Golf Invitational-Boston for his first victory in 19 months.
Johnson’s putt on the par-5 18th was going so fast it might have rolled some 6 feet past the hole. But it hit the back of the cup and dropped down near the front of the cup to beat Joaquin Niemann and Anirban Lahiri.
He raised his arm and dropped it for a slow-motion uppercut, instead slapping hands with Austin Johnson, his brother and caddie. The win was worth $4 million US for Johnson. With his team winning again, he now has made $9,962,500 in four events.
“It was going a little fast, but it was a good line,” Johnson said with a big smile. “I got some unlucky breaks (on No. 18) the first time around. It owed me one and I got it.”
Cue the champagne đžđžđž<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/LIVGolf?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#LIVGolf</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/LIVGolfBoston?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#LIVGolfBoston</a> <a href=”https://t.co/FvCSVgiPLU”>pic.twitter.com/FvCSVgiPLU</a>
The first playoff in four LIV Golf events capped an otherwise sloppy finish by so many others who had a chance.
Johnson, who closed with a 5-under 65, needed a birdie on the par-5 18th. His drive bounced into the right rough, his iron to lay up went into the trees well to the left and he had to scramble for par to join Lahiri (64) and Niemann (66) at 15-under 265.
Lahiri hit a fairway metal to 5 feet on the 18th in regulation, and his eagle putt that would have won it rolled around the right edge of the cup.
Lee Westwood finished one shot out of a playoff after a 62 that included bogeys on two of his last three holes. He was poised to win when he bounced back from a bogey on No. 1 in the shotgun start with a short birdie on the par-3 second.
He finished on No. 3, a 352-yard hole and great birdie opportunity. Westwood hit a lob wedge that was so fat it came up some 40 feet short of the pin and into a bunker. He blasted out weakly and missed the 18-foot par putt.
“The lob wedge was a little fat,” Westwood said. “Make 3 and I win the tournament and I make 5. It’s a sickening way to finish.”
British Open champion Cameron Smith, among six players who recently signed with the Saudi-funded league, had a 63. He also was tied for the lead until hitting his tee shot into the trees on No. 1, his 17th hole, and having to pitch out sideways. He made bogey.
WATCH | How Saudi Arabia is using LIV Golf to Sportswash its global image:
How Saudi Arabia is using LIV Golf to Sportswash its global image
Dave Zirin joins host Morgan Campbell, to discuss the motivations of Saudi Arabia in creating and funding the LIV Golf tour.
Smith tied for fourth with Westwood. Each made just over $1 million.
Johnson had not won since the Saudi International on Feb. 7, 2021, when it was part of the European tour schedule. The player who has been No. 1 longer than anyone since Tiger Woods slipped out of the top 15 in the world when he signed with LIV Golf.
He was part of the rival league from the start in early June outside London, and he has finished in the top 10 in all of them.
“I’ve had a chance to win every one,” he said. “That’s three in a row for the team, and for me to get my first, I’m feeling good.”
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He walked off the 18th green holding a phone in a video call to his two sons.
Lahiri and Niemann each made just over $1.8 million for losing in the playoff. They were among six players who signed with LIV Golf after the PGA Tour season end.
The next LIV Golf Invitational series is in two weeks in the Chicago suburbs at Rich Harvest Farms, best known for hosting the Solheim Cup in 2009.
Dr. Catherine Johnson, associate professor of mining and explosives engineering at Missouri S&T, has been named the Robert H. Quenon Associate Professor of Mining Engineering. She will begin serving in this role Thursday, Sept. 1.
âI am honored to receive this title and to be recognized for my work in the field of mining engineeringâ says Johnson. âBeing a leader in the field has always been my goal. The Quenon award enables me to continue this path while working in new research directions.â
Johnson says the award will fund new students and assist them in reaching their academic and professional goals. The award is named for the late Robert H. Quenon, who was president and board chair of Peabody Holding Co. of St. Louis. It was established to attract experienced mining engineers to Missouri S&T.
Johnson joined the Missouri S&T faculty in 2015. Her research focuses on the advancement of blasting practices and technologies, coal-dust explosion suppression, shock physics and blast-induced traumatic brain injury. The University of Missouri System named her a Presidential Engagement Fellow in 2019, and she received an Outstanding Faculty Research Award from Missouri S&T in 2021. Johnson also received a Deanâs Scholar Award from Missouri S&Tâs College of Engineering and Computing in 2021.
Johnson earned bachelorâs and masterâs degrees in mining engineering from the University of Leeds, United Kingdom, and a Ph.D. in mining engineering from the University of Kentucky in Lexington. She is a member of the International Society of Explosives Engineers; the Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration; and the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.
About Missouri University of Science and Technology
Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of approximately 7,000 students. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System and located in Rolla, Missouri, Missouri S&T offers 101 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nationâs top 10 universities for return on investment, according to Business Insider. S&T also is home to the Kummer Institute, made possible by a $300 million gift from Fred and June Kummer. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.
The 12 elevated events will be the three FedExCup Playoffs, the Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational, Memorial Tournament, WGC-Dell Match Play, Sentry Tournament of Champions and four events to be announced; Top golfers will play a minimum of three other regular PGA Tour events
Last Updated: 24/08/22 3:23pm
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Jay Monahan say he is ‘inspired by our great players and their commitment’ as he outlines four key items to improve the PGA Tour.
Jay Monahan say he is ‘inspired by our great players and their commitment’ as he outlines four key items to improve the PGA Tour.
Golf’s “top players” have committed to play at least 20 PGA Tour events a year, commissioner Jay Monahan has announced.
The 20 events include the four major championships, the Players Championship and 12 “elevated” tournaments on the PGA Tour which will have an average purse of $20million (ÂŁ17million).
Players will then choose a minimum of three other PGA Tour events to add to their schedules as the Tour bids to combat the threat posed by the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series.
“Our top players are firmly behind the Tour, helping us deliver an unmatched product to our fans, who will be all but guaranteed to see the best players competing against each other in 20 events or more throughout the season,” Monahan said in a press conference ahead of the Tour Championship.
Asked if LIV Golf players who were impressed by the changes to the PGA Tour would be welcomed back, Monahan said: “No.
“They’ve joined the LIV Golf Series and they’ve made that commitment and many have made a multi-year commitment.
“I’ve been clear throughout, every player has a choice and I respect that choice. I think they understand that.”
Players tee off again at 9:15 a.m. ET (2:15 p.m. local) in a shotgun start for the second round of the LIV Golf Invitational London event. We’ll have live updates throughout the second round.
DJ, Phil Together Again, and Other Intriguing Round 2 Groups
The field has been reset for the second round at Centurion Club, based on Round 1 scores.Â
Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, LIV Golf’s headliners, were paired yesterday on the 1st hole in the shotgun start, and by virtue of both shooting 1 under, they’re together again starting on the 3rd hole. Sam Horsfield rounds out the threesome.
The tournament leaders are going off the 1st: Charl Schwartzel (5 under), Hennie Du Plessis (4 under) and Scott Vincent (3 under). Down the leaderboard on the 2nd tee are Phachara Khongwatmai (3 under) and Justin Harding and Branden Grace (both 2 under).
Elsewhere on the course, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood are together after shooting 5 over. Talor Gooch and Sergio Garcia will play together after rounds of 1 over.
Team competition will continue with the two low scores counting; Schwartzel and Du Plessis are teammates on Stinger GC so that team is the one to catch on Friday.
Tee Times and Groupings for Day 2 at LIV Golf
Here are the groups for Day 2, along with the new team names. Everyone will tee off at the same time in a shotgun start:
Hole 1Â Â Scott Vincent – Smash GC Hennie Du Plessis – Stinger GC Charl Schwartzel – Stinger GC
Hole 2Â Â Justin Harding – Hy Flyers GC Branden Grace – Stinger GCÂ Phachara Khongwatmai – Crushers GC
Hole 3 Â Sam Horsfield – Majesticks GCÂ Phil Mickelson – Hy Flyers GC Dustin Johnson – 4 Aces GC
Hole 4 Â Richard Bland – Crushers GC Louis Oosthuizen – Stinger GCÂ Pablo Larrazabal – Cleeks GCÂ
Hole 5 Â Jediah Morgan – Fireballs GC Ryosuke Kinoshita – Punch GC Ratchanon Chantananuwat (a) – Hy Flyers GCÂ
Hole 6 Â Jinichiro Kozuma – Smash GC Kevin Yuan – 4 Aces GC Oliver Fisher – Niblicks GC
Hole 7Â Â Kevin Na – Iron Heads GC Shaun Norris – 4 Aces GC JC Ritchie – Cleeks GC Â
Hole 8Â Â Martin Kaymer – Cleeks GC David Puig (a) – Fireballs GC Graeme McDowell – Crushers GC
Hole 10Â Â Travis Smyth – Crushers GC Turk Pettit – Niblicks GC Matt Jones – Punch GCÂ Â Â Â
Hole 12Â Sadom Kaewkanjana – Iron Heads GC Ian Poulter – Majesticks GC Lee Westwood – Majesticks GCÂ Â
Hole 17 Â Hideto Tanihara – Iron Heads Adrian Otaegui – Torque GC Peter Uihlein – Niblicks GC
Hole 18 Â Oliver Bekker – 4 Aces GC Chase Koepka – Hy Flyers Laurie Canter – Majesticks GCÂ
Day 1 Concludes With Schwartzel in Lead
Charl Schwartzel closed his opening round with a birdie to grab a one-shot lead. Schwartzel is a former Masters champion and one of 17 current or former PGA Tour members competing in this event. LIV events are 54 holes, so two rounds remain.
Hennie Du Plessis shot 4 under and is alone in second place, one back.
Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson were grouped together, and they shot matching one-under 69s to trail Schwartzel by four shots.
“Other than a couple loose drives, I felt like I hit my irons really good. The golf course is tough and conditions are really tough,” Johnson said afterward on the broadcast.
Here’s a look at the Day 1 final leaders:
Who is Phachara Khongwatmai?
The 48-man field at the LIV Golf opener has some players familiar to most golf fans but many more that likely aren’t.
One of the latter would be the leader at 4 under par with three holes to go at Centurion Club, Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai. The 23-year-old is ranked No. 133 in the world and a regular on the Asian Tour.
In 2013 at age 14, he became the youngest winner of a professional tournament when he won the Sing Hua Hin Open on the All Thailand Golf Tour. Three years later he played in the British Open at age 17, missing the cut.
The LIV Golf Invitational Series is sanctioned by the Asian Tour. LIV Golf Investments, the company launched last October with the idea of supporting golf throughout the world, has committed $300 million to the Asian Tour for a series of 10 events per year meant to help grow the tour. The Public Investment Fund, an autonomous wealth fund administered by the government of Saudi Arabia, is the main shareholder of LIV Golf Investments.
Three players from Thailand are in the field as well as three from Japan.Â
How the LIV Broadcast Looks and Sounds
As with any new league, plenty of curiosity surrounded where and how LIV Golf would be broadcasted.
For the opener outside London, LIV Golf is broadcasted on its own website, YouTube and Facebook. And it looks like … a golf tournament.
The presentation includes a constantly updating leaderboard on the left side of the screen, with players and their team logos. At the top left is the number of holes remaining, as with a shotgun start all the players finish at roughly the same time.
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American golf fans who complain about broadcasts with too many commercial breaks, take note â there are no sponsor obligations this week with the new series, hence no commercials. During the opening-round broadcast there have been virtually no features or other segments to take away from the golf.
As for the commentary, the main booth has longtime Premier League soccer broadcaster Arlo White, who is English, along with American Jerry Foltz, most recently of Golf Channel and Hong Kong native Dom Boulet, the voice of the Asian Tour.Â
Dustin Double Bogeys the 7th Hole
It’s not all smiles at the Centurion Club. On the par-4 7th hole, Dustin Johnson blew his drive out of bounds to the right and flung his tee in disgust.Â
He made a double bogey on the hole to fall from 1 under to 1 over on the round, tied for 15th in the event.
Johnson is playing alongside Phil Mickelson â LIV Golf put its two biggest names together and started them on the 1st tee â and Mickelson is also 1 over in his first pro golf since the Saudi International in early February.Â
How the Team Format Works
One of LIV Golf’s major selling points is its four-man team format. With 12 holes remaining in the round â how LIV tracks time given the shotgun start â the Crushers GC team was leading at 4 under.
Phachara Khongwatmai of Thailand was at 4 under, leading the Crushers as well as the entire event.
The team score is calculated with the best two scores on a team for the first two rounds, and the three best scores in the third and final round.Â
The top three teams earn shares of a $5 million prize pool, with $3 million for first, $1.5 million for second and $500,000 for third split between the four players. So, in theory, one player could have a poor event but three good teammates and get a nice payday.
So, What Are They Wearing?
If youâre just tuning in, you’ll notice that most of the players wonât look any different sartorially than in other tournaments. Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia, for example, are in their usual threads with the Adidas logo; Garcia with an Adidas hat and Johnson a TaylorMade logo hat.
Players’ LIV Golf teams are represented through the caddies, who have team names and logos on their vests.
As for Phil Mickelson, who lost sponsors in the wake of his comments in February about the PGA Tourâs âobnoxious greedâ and the Saudi-backed league, heâs wearing a black hat with his own jumping-Phil logo and a black vest with the Augusta National Golf Club logo.Â
Play Begins at LIV Golf Opener
Dustin Johnson’s opening shot was shown live on the broadcast, and he split the fairway. Phil Mickelson is grouped with DJ, and he also hit the fairway with his opening shot on No. 1. And so begins a new golf league.
Phil Mickelson’s opening tee shot in the new LIV Golf league.
The Broadcast is Live
In the opening moments of the webcast, Greg Norman joins the booth and says, “I’m excited to bring free agency to golf. The shotgun start is moments away.
Arlo White, Greg Norman and Jerry Foltz in the opening broadcast booth.Â
A Ride To the Shotgun Start
As anyone who has ever played in a charity golf tournament or big event at their local club knows, the transportation for a shotgun start is controlled chaos. Usually it entails an army of golf carts all launched at once from the clubhouse.
LIV Golf took it a step further by grabbing a fleet of London black cabs to transport players all over Centurion Club.
LIV Golf also dropped a hype video on Thursday, narrated by Dennis Quaid.
Tee Times and Groupings for Day 1 at LIV Golf
Here are the groups for Day 1, along with the new team names. Everyone will tee off at the same time in a shotgun start:
Hole 1 Dustin Johnson – 4 Aces GC Scott Vincent – Smash GC Phil Mickelson – Hy Flyers GC
Hole 16 Branden Grace – Stinger GC Sihwan Kim – Smash GC Matt Jones – Punch GC
Hole 17 Lee Westwood – Majesticks GC Bernd Wiesberger – Niblicks GC Justin Harding – Hy Flyers GC
Hole 18 Louis Oosthuizen – Stinger GC Kevin Na – Iron Heads GC Ian Poulter – Majesticks GC
What is the LIV Golf 2022 Calendar?
LIV Golf debuts in London, and there will be seven more events, staged in both the U.S. and abroad, through the rest of the year. Here’s the full lineup:
June 9-11, Centurion Club, Hemel Hempstead, St. Albans
June 30-July 2, Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, North Plains, Ore.
July 29-31. Trump National Golf Club, Bedminster, N.J.
Sept. 2-4, The International, Bolton, Mass.
Sept. 16-18, Rich Harvest Farms, Sugar Grove, Ill.
Oct. 7-9, Stonehill Golf Club, Bangkok
Oct. 14-16, Royal Greens Golf Club, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Oct. 28-30, Trump National Doral, Miami
Show Me the Money
If the broadcast has not made it abundantly clear what the players are competing for this week, here’s a quick primer.
Of the 12 teams competing, only the top three will earn shares of the $5 million purse â first place splits $3 million four ways ($750,000 per player), second place splits $1.5 million ($375,000 per player) and third place earns $500,000 ($125,000 per player).Â
Individually, $4 million will go to the winner, followed by $2.125 million (second), $1.5 million (third) and $1.05 million (fourth). Further down, 12th will earn $450,000, 24th gets $168,000 and dead last earns $120,000.Â
At best, a player could earn $4.75 million come Saturday evening. At worst, a player leaves with, well, $120,000. Â
COLUMBUS, Ohio — More than a dozen PGA Tour players, including two-time major champion Dustin Johnson, are included in the field for the first LIV Golf Invitational Series event, which will be played next month outside of London.
Six-time major champion Phil Mickelson was not included on the list of players released on Tuesday. LIV Golf had previously said its events would include 48 players competing in 12 teams of four players. The final six spots will consist of players invited by CEO Greg Norman and qualifiers from an Asian Tour event, LIV Golf said in a release.
Mickelson, who skipped the Masters and PGA Championship, an event he won last year, was among the players who requested a release from the PGA Tour to compete in the first LIV Golf event, scheduled June 9-11 at Centurion Golf Club outside London. Mickelson hasn’t played on the PGA Tour since missing the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in late January.
Among the other PGA Tour players who will defy the PGA Tour by playing in the LIV Golf Invitational Series — which is being fronted by Norman, the two-time Open winner and former No. 1 player, and financed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund — are Talor Gooch, Matt Jones and Hudson Swafford. Brooks Koepka‘s brother, Chase, also is among the LIV participants.
The field also includes former Clemson star Turk Pettit, the 2021 NCAA individual champion, and former Michigan State star James Piot, who won the 2021 U.S. Amateur.
Johnson, whose 24 PGA Tour victories include wins at the 2016 U.S. Open and 2020 Masters, was the biggest surprise in the LIV field. On Feb. 20, shortly after Mickelson’s controversial comments about the PGA Tour’s “obnoxious greed” and the Saudi Arabian monarchy caused a firestorm, Johnson issued a statement, in which he said he was committed to the PGA Tour.
“I feel it is now time to put such speculation to rest. I am fully committed to the PGA Tour,” Johnson said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to play on the best tour in the world and for all it has provided me and my family.”
His agent, David Winkle, issued a statement on Tuesday.
“Dustin has been contemplating the opportunity off-and-on for the past couple of years,” Winkle wrote. “Ultimately, he decided it was in his and his family’s best interest to pursue it. Dustin has never had an issue with the PGA Tour and is grateful for all it has given him, but in the end, felt this was too compelling to pass up.”
Norman said in a statement that “Free agency has finally come to golf.”
“This is an opportunity to start a movement that will change the course of history by bringing new and open competition to the sport we all love. The desire shown by the players to participate in LIV Golf demonstrates their emphatic belief in our model and confidence in what we’re building for the future,” he said. “We couldn’t be happier at the diversity of our field, featuring players from around the world including major champions and those making their debut with us competing in their first professional event.”
“I came away from the U.S. PGA and literally couldn’t care less about how much I made that week,” England’s Matt Fitzpatrick said Tuesday. “I was just gutted that I didn’t win. I had a chance and I didn’t take it, and that kind of said a lot to myself about myself that that’s all I’m bothered about out here.
“You want to have records, I want to win tournaments, and for me, that’s why for now, the sort of LIV Golf doesn’t interest me. In five years, if all of a sudden that becomes the main tour, then obviously you sort of rethink your options. But for now I’m out here wanting to make sure I’m giving myself the best chance of winning tournaments, winning majors and going about my career like that.”
On May 10, the PGA Tour denied conflicting-event releases for its players to compete in the London event, which coincides with the Canadian Open in Ontario that week. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has told players that they will face discipline, including potential suspensions and/or lifetime bans, by competing in the breakaway tour.
“We have notified those who have applied that their request has been declined in accordance with the PGA Tour Tournament Regulations,” the PGA Tour said in a memo to its players. “As such, Tour members are not authorized to participate in the Saudi Golf League’s London event under our regulations. As a membership organization, we believe this decision is in the best interest of the PGA Tour and its players.”
Norman called the PGA Tour’s decision not to grant releases to its players “anti-golfer, anti-fan, and anti-competitive.” The DP World Tour, formerly the European Tour, has also denied releases to its players.
Norman has argued that professional golfers are independent contractors and should be allowed to play wherever they want. He said his legal team was ready to challenge the PGA Tour’s position in court if needed.
“Sadly, the PGA Tour seems intent on denying professional golfers their right to play golf, unless it’s exclusively in a PGA Tour tournament,” Norman said in a statement. “But no matter what obstacles the PGA Tour puts in our way, we will not be stopped. We will continue to give players options that promote the great game of golf globally.”
The eight-event LIV series will feature five tournaments played in the United States. It will include seven regular-season events and a team championship match play finale at Trump Doral in Miami from Oct. 28 to 30. The second LIV event is scheduled for July 1-3 at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in Portland, Oregon.
The LIV Golf Invitational Series will consist of 54-hole events, no cuts and shotgun starts “to ensure a faster and more exciting pace.” There will be a maximum of 48 players on 12 four-man teams at each event, and rosters will be determined by a draft the week of the tournament.
Total prize money for the eight events will be $255 million, according to LIV Golf Investments, and the seven regular-season tournaments will have total purses of $25 million, which would be the richest in professional golf, with $20 million in individual prizes and $5 million for the top three teams. The top three individuals after the seven regular-season events will also share a $30 million bonus.
The season-ending team match-play championship will provide another $50 million in prizes.
Boris Johnson has claimed Downing Street aides attending a string of boozy lockdown parties âgenuinely believed that what they were doing was workingâ.
Sue Gray published her final report on Wednesday into the lockdown culture at Downing Street, detailing 15 gatherings, some of which went on into the early hours, and involved vomiting, an âaltercationâ and a karaoke machine.
The prime minister was asked at a press conference to explain why journalists were repeatedly told by No 10 spokespeople that no parties took place, despite the fact that several events described by Gray were held in the press office.
Johnson replied: âItâs my strong impression that they genuinely believed that what they were doing was working. I certainly donât think that they set out to deceive you about that.â
At the press conference, Johnson also continued to insist that aside from the birthday party for which he was fined, he only attended gatherings in a work capacity, to recognise the achievements of staff who were leaving.
âI believe they were work events, they were part of my job; and that view appears to be substantiated by the fact I wasnât fined for those events,â he said, adding, âI believe that recognising achievement and preserving morale are essential duties of leadership.â
Pressed on whether he had not realised such events were against his Covid guidance, Johnson said: âIt didnât occur to me that it was anything other than my duty as prime minister to do.â
The prime minister also said he had apologised to cleaners and other staff inside Downing Street, after Gray said she had been told about several examples of poor behaviour towards such staff.
For a second time, he dodged the question of whether he implied to Gray at a recent meeting that she should drop her report. Johnson, who declined to answer the question in the House of Commons earlier, simply pointed out that Grayâs terms of reference required a report to be published.
The prime minister sought to turn the page on the long-running Partygate saga, saying he would âwork every hourâ to tackle the cost of living crisis, âstand firmâ against Vladimir Putin and level up the UK.
Grayâs report, which was published on Wednesday morning, detailed 15 social gatherings over eight dates during the pandemic, some of which continued until the early hours.
In what appeared to be an indictment of the prime minister, as well as senior civil servants, the report said: âThe senior leadership at the centre, both political and official, must bear responsibility for this culture.â
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Earlier, Johnson told the Commons he took âfull responsibility for everything that took place on my watchâ. He repeated his apology for the birthday gathering in June 2020, for which he received a fixed-penalty notice.
But the prime minister also continued to insist he believed other gatherings he attended were âwork eventsâ, and suggested this view had been âvindicatedâ by the fact he only received a single fine.
Eddie Marsan talks about John Darwin role and makes veiled jab at Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson will âhave his sayâ on partygate in Parliament this week, a minister said today, as Labour tore into fresh revelations that a gathering at Downing Street turned into a leaving party only after the prime minister allegedly started pouring drinks.
The Sunday Times reported the prime ministerâs official photographer had captured Mr Johnson holding a beer at the gathering, and chancellor Rishi Sunak with a soft drink, at the event on 13 November 2020.
âHe said he wanted to say a few words for Lee [Cain] and started pouring drinks for people and drinking himself,â a source told the newspaper.
Energy minister Greg Hands confirmed Mr Johnson will be speaking to Parliament this week about the scandal and âwill outline his version of events and face questions from MPs.â
Labourâs deputy leader Angela Rayner said: âWhile the British public was making huge sacrifices, Boris Johnson was breaking the law.”
“If the latest reports are true, it would mean that not only did the prime minister attend parties, but he had a hand in instigating at least one of them. He has deliberately misled the British people at every turn,” she added.
It is âmadnessâ to expect migrants to stay in Rwanda after they try to reach the UK, says Labour MP
Shadow policing minister Sarah Jones has said it is âmadnessâ to expect migrants to stay in Rwanda after they try to reach the UK.
The Labour MP claimed the government is merely âmovingâ the people smuggling problem, rather than âfixingâ it.
Speaking to Times Radio, she said: âThe Government hasnât even said how much this is going to cost – the ÂŁ120 million is just an upfront payment to the Rwandan government. The actual admin of the scheme, they donât even know how much thatâs going to cost.
âSending people 4,000 miles before theyâve made a claim and expecting them to stay in a country they donât want to be in is madness.
âWe are just moving the people smuggling problem, we are not fixing it, which is what the Government claims to try and do.â
Minister âshares frustrationâ over delayed Sue Gray Partygate report
Greg Hands said he shares the âfrustrationâ over the wait for the Sue Gray report into the Partygate saga.
Put to him that the senior civil servant is âa little crossâ about the delay to the publication of her full report while the police conduct their enquiries, Mr Hands told LBC: âWell, I share the frustration, but I think itâs right that we wait for the police investigation to reach its conclusion.
âThen Sue Gray will have a look at whatâs come out of the police investigation before doing her final report.â
Boris Johnson will âoutline his version of eventsâ in the Commons, says minister
Energy minister Greg Hands said Boris Johnson will âhave his sayâ on partygate in Parliament this week.
He told Sky News: âThe Prime Minister will be speaking to Parliament ⌠this week.
âParliament returns tomorrow and the Prime Minister will have his say in Parliament, and will outline his version of events and face questions from MPs.â
Put to him that this was ânot exactly a full-throated backingâ of Mr Johnson, and asked if it would be right for the PM to resign if pictures of him âpouring drinksâ at a party were to emerge in the coming days, Mr Hands said: âI do strongly back the Prime Minister.
âI think the Prime Minister is getting on with the job, heâs delivered, and the Government has delivered, in anything from the vaccination programme through (to) the strong support for Ukraine.
âThere is a police investigation going on and weâll have to see what develops, but as I say the Prime Minister will be in Parliament this week, explaining and facing questions from MPs about what has happened.â
Rwanda plan critics need to reveal what their solution would be, says minister
Energy minister Greg Hands has denied that the UK is outsourcing its responsibilities by sending migrants to Rwanda, after religious leaders criticised the move.
Put to him that this is the case, he told Sky News: âNo, weâre not. This is an agreement between two sovereign countries: the UK and Rwanda.â
Mr Hands also echoed home secretary Priti Patelâs challenge for critics of the plan to come up with a better idea to tackle small boat crossings.
Asked if the Archbishop of Canterbury was wrong to call the plan âungodlyâ, he said: âI think what others, the critics of this plan, need to do is to show what their solution would be.â
New polling reveals most commonly used word about Boris Johnson is âliarâ
A new poll commissioned by The Times has revealed what the public think about Boris Johnson, amid the partygate scandal.
Researchers asked 2,000 people to give their views on the beleagured prime minister and the results will not make happy reading in No10.
Comments from 72 per cent of people were negative, with only 16 per cent positive. The most commonly used word to describe the prime minister was âliarâ.
The survey was undertaken by J L Partners, co-founded by James Johnson, Theresa Mayâs former pollster.
In a tweet, Mr Johnson concluded: âOverall, partygate dominates views of Boris over Ukraine. Fury has not receded. Many negative comments are by people who liked him previously but have now changed their minds.
âWhen Johnson first took power, only Labour voters would call him a liar. It is now widespread.â
Brexit has âbrought problemsâ for Falkland Islandsâ fishing industry, former Labour MP claims
Brexit has âbrought problemsâ for the Falkland Islandsâ fishing industry, a Labour former defence minister has warned.
Derek Twigg, chairman of the Falkland Islands All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), said there had âbeen a lot of concernâ over the impact of the UKâs exit from the EU on Falkland Islands fishing exports, such as squid.
Speaking to PA as parliamentarians mark 40 years since the Falklands War, the MP for Halton said: âBrexit has brought problems for the islands in terms of the fisheries, because their fishery… is a very much large part of their economy, particularly squid, particularly the type of squid they have which is exported to Europe.
âWork is going on with the Falklands government and countries like Spain and the EU to try and ease those challenges around that because itâs such a big exporter.â
His comments were echoed by Falkland Islands government representative to the United Kingdom and Europe Richard Hyslop, who said: âWhen it comes to Brexit, as things stand, there are no obvious benefits to the Falkland Islands. There are however a number of challenges.â
Mr Hyslop said the EU is the main market for the Falkland Islandsâ fishery exports, with exports accounting for âmore than 50% of our GDPâ, and âwas an important market for meat exportsâ.
However since the end of the transition period in January 2021 the Falkland Islandsâ exports to the EU have been subject to tariffs, he added, with an average of 42% for meat and between 6% and 18% for fisheries exports.
The âvery high tariffâ on meat exports has âresulted in the loss of the market as it is just not viable to export to the EU any moreâ while exports of fishery products to the EU are ânow less profitableâ.
Mr Hyslop said the Falkland Islands government was âexploring a wide range of optionsâ looking at âhow we have these tariffs removedâ.
Genocide orphans âtold to leave hostel to make room for UK asylum seekersâ
Those orphaned by the 1994 Rwandan genocide have reportedly been told to leave a hostel they lived in for years to make way for asylum seekers in the UK to stay.
Some said that they donât know where next they will go after being issued eviction notices.
One woman who has lived at the shelter for eight years told the Sunday Mirror: âI barely know any other home. I was only told about moving out a few days ago. I have not figured out where I will go.â
Home Office staff could walkout in protest over Rwanda plan, warns union
Home secretary Priti Patel could face a mutiny from Home Office civil servants protesting plans to send asylum seekers thousands of miles away to Rwanda.
Home Office staff who oppose the policy on legal or ethical grounds could stage mass walk-outs, request transfers, or leave the civil service entirely, a union has warned.Ms Patel had to issue a ministerial direction – a formal instruction from ministers to proceed with a spending proposal, despite facing opposition.
The Rwandan government will be paid an initial cost of ÂŁ120m as part of the deal, with reports suggesting each person sent to Rwanda is expected to cost British taxpayers between ÂŁ20,000 to ÂŁ30,000.
