Backlash in Doncaster after PM pulled out of Tory conference Aubrey Allegretti There is growing frustration among the dozens of Tory MPs gathered at a conference in Doncaster at Boris Johnson pulling out at the last minute. Organisers were being told by No 10 up until midday still to expect the prime minister to address activists, but it was revealed this afternoon he is actually in Ukraine. A government source said a meeting between Johnson and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, had been scheduled to take place today for a week. “It’s not an excuse – he could have gone there any time,” said one MP, who added: “Even his most loyal supporters here are pretty pissed off.” Another said: It’s no loss to us but the PM ought to be making every effort to support and respect the people who hold his future in his hands. They added it was “very good” for Tom Tugendhat, who had been given a much bigger platform as a result of Johnson’s no-show and hinted he would run to be the next Conservative leader. Another source at the Northern Research Group conference called it “dreadful, really poor optics,”, that made it look like Johnson was “running away from his MPs” just a week after 41% of them declared they had no confidence in him. Summary Here is a roundup of today’s main headlines: There is growing frustration among the dozens of Tory MPs gathered at a conference in Doncaster at Boris Johnson pulling out at the last minute. Organisers were being told by No 10 up until midday still to expect the prime minister to address activists, but it was revealed this afternoon he is actually in Ukraine. Boris Johnson has said UK military assistance to Ukraine is aimed at expelling Russian forces from the country. Speaking at a joint news conference with President Zelenskiy in Kyiv, he said that would be the point at which talks on Ukraine’s future could begin. The prime minister also told Zelenskiy that Britain could train up to 120,000 troops every 120 days. Sir Gavin Williamson, the former education secretary, has denied that he had struck a “deal” with Boris Johnson to step down from his seat at the next election so that he could stand in South Staffordshire instead. Downing Street defended Boris Johnson for considering abolishing the role of ministerial interests adviser after further criticism of the review launched following Christopher Geidt’s resignation. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said progress on ensuring racial equality in the Metropolitan police had gone “backwards” in the last 10 years. The chair of an influential group of MPs has echoed comments made by the cabinet minister Michael Gove, who has warned the UK must maintain control of public finances in the face of “tough times ahead” for the country and the global economy. Dropping the pledge to abolish tuition fees in England, one of Keir Starmer’s key pledges, tantamount to the Labour party shooting itself in the foot, Momentum has said. Nearly 100 MPs have written to Boris Johnson urging him to cancel new guidelines which will require the notes of counselling sessions for survivors of rape and sexual assault to be disclosed to the defence when their attackers go on trial. That’s it from me, Tom Ambrose, and indeed the UK politics blog for today. We will be back tomorrow. Goodnight. Sir Gavin Williamson, the former education secretary, has denied that he had struck a “deal” with Boris Johnson to step down from his seat at the next election so that he could stand in South Staffordshire instead. He posted a Twitter thread fiercely denying the allegation which, he says, was put to him by a journalist today. It is understood the story will still run despite his denials and it comes following a recent YouGov poll that shows the prime minister would lose his Uxbridge seat if there was a general election tomorrow. Williamson received his knighthood in March, prompting criticism across the political spectrum. Labour’s shadow education secretary called his record “disgraceful”. Boris Johnson has said UK military assistance to Ukraine is aimed at expelling Russian forces from the country. Speaking at a joint news conference with President Zelenskiy in Kyiv, he said that would be the point at which talks on Ukraine’s future could begin. Johnson said: We will continue, as we have from the beginning, to provide the military equipment you need – and now, of course, the training that may be necessary to go with that new equipment – so that you, the Ukrainian people, the Ukrainian armed forces, will be able to do what I believe Ukrainians yearn to do, and that is to expel the aggressor from Ukraine. That will be the moment for talks about the future of Ukraine and it will be in that context of a free Ukraine that we and other countries will be making the security commitments and guarantees we have discussed so often. Responding to reports that some Tory MPs reacted with fury to Johnson’s absence and accused him of failing a test of outreach to his colleagues, the chief secretary to the Treasury, Simon Clarke tweeted: He is literally leading high-level talks with the president of Ukraine, a nation still fighting for survival in large part thanks to the leadership Boris Johnson has shown. I think people seriously need to check their priorities. Backlash in Doncaster after PM pulled out of Tory conference Aubrey Allegretti There is growing frustration among the dozens of Tory MPs gathered at a conference in Doncaster at Boris Johnson pulling out at the last minute. Organisers were being told by No 10 up until midday still to expect the prime minister to address activists, but it was revealed this afternoon he is actually in Ukraine. A government source said a meeting between Johnson and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, had been scheduled to take place today for a week. “It’s not an excuse – he could have gone there any time,” said one MP, who added: “Even his most loyal supporters here are pretty pissed off.” Another said: It’s no loss to us but the PM ought to be making every effort to support and respect the people who hold his future in his hands. They added it was “very good” for Tom Tugendhat, who had been given a much bigger platform as a result of Johnson’s no-show and hinted he would run to be the next Conservative leader. Another source at the Northern Research Group conference called it “dreadful, really poor optics,”, that made it look like Johnson was “running away from his MPs” just a week after 41% of them declared they had no confidence in him. Andriy Yermak, head of the office of the president of Ukraine, tweeted: Today, together with Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the office and government team, we met with our good friend and ally, Boris Johnson. With Boris, we discussed the much-needed heavy weapons and air defence systems supplies, economic support for Ukraine, increasing sanctions pressure on RF. Boris Johnson says UK prepared to train 120,000 Ukrainian troops every 120 days Boris Johnson has told the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, that the UK is prepared to launch a major operation to train Ukrainian armed forces, Downing Street has said. The prime minister told Zelenskiy that Britain could train up to 120,000 troops every 120 days, PA Media reported. No 10 said international partners would be invited to host the programme, if the offer were accepted by Ukraine. In a statement, Johnson said: My visit today, in the depths of this war, is to send a clear and simple message to the Ukrainian people: the UK is with you and we will be with you until you ultimately prevail. As Ukrainian soldiers fire UK missiles in defence of your nation’s sovereignty, they do so also in defence of the very freedoms we take for granted. That is why I have offered President Zelenskiy a major new military training programme that could change the equation of this war - harnessing that most powerful of forces, the Ukrainian determination to win. The Ukrainian embassy in London has tweeted a new photo of Boris Johnson’s visit to Kyiv. Zelenskiy "grateful for powerful support" of Great Britain Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has posted to his official Telegram channel about the visit of the UK prime minister to Ukraine’s capital. He says: Many days of this war have proved that Great Britain’s support for Ukraine is firm and resolute. Glad to see our country’s great friend Boris Johnson in Kyiv again. Alongside some pictures of the visit, he added: This is Boris Johnson’s second visit to Kyiv since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of our land. We have a common view of the movement towards Ukraine’s victory. I’m grateful for a powerful support! Reuters reports that the head of the president’s office said items of discussion included the supply of heavy weapons, air defence systems and further economic support for Ukraine. Here’s some video footage of Boris Johnson arriving in Kyiv and greeting Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. The prime minister can be heard saying they have lots to talk about during a photo call.