UK politics live: Labour says PM’s response to Nusrat Ghani’s Islamophobia claims too limited

Good morning. It is getting hard to keep abreast of all the crises engulfing No 10 at the moment, and so at the start of a week that may determine whether or not Boris Johnson remains prime minister by the time of the May elections, here is a quick summary of the six biggest problems in his in-tray.

Sleaze/corruption problems

1) The Sue Gray investigation into partygate. The report is expected later this week, but it is still not finished, and Gray, the senior civil servant running the investigation, is reportedly taking evidence today from Dominic Cummings, the PM’s former chief adviser who has produced some of the most damaging revelations in this scandal.

2) Nusrat Ghani’s Islamphobia allegations. As my colleague Peter Walker reports, this morning Johnson ordered a formal inquiry.

Related: Johnson orders inquiry into Nusrat Ghani ‘Muslimness’ sacking claims

Ghani has welcomed this move.

But Labour has said that the proposed inquiry does not go far enough. In response to the announcement, Anneliese Dodds, the shadow equalities minister, said:

This inquiry is welcome, but doesn’t replace the need for an immediate investigation into whether the chief whip broke the ministerial code. After the government’s shameful response yesterday to serious allegations of Islamophobia, we’ll only know that the Conservatives are finally beginning to take this issue seriously if Michael Fabricant has the whip removed for his appalling comments.

3) The allegations about intimidation and blackmail by the party whips. Ghani was only the latest Tory MP to allege wrongdoing by party whips. On Thursday William Wragg accused No 10 of using blackmail to intimidate MPs critical of Johnson, and this week he is due to discuss the allegations with police.

Policy problems

4) The national insurance increase. The Daily Mail is running a “Spike the Hike” campaign, other papers are also increasingly vocal in their opposition to the national insurance increase due to take effect in April, and they are emboldening Tory MPs who did not like it anyway.

5) Fuel prices. Johnson is also under intense pressure to do something about rising energy prices.

6) And, of course, Russia may be about to start a land war in Europe.

Related: US orders families of embassy staff out of Ukraine as tensions rise

Here is the agenda for the day.

11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.

12pm: Alok Sharma, the Cop26 president, gives a speech on delivering on the Cop26 pledges.

Lunchtime: Boris Johnson is expected to give a pooled TV interview while on a visit.

2.30pm: Michael Gove, the levelling up secretary, takes questions in the Commons.

Also, Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, is meeting Maroš Šefčovič, the European Commission vice president and EU Brexit negotiator, in Brussels for the latest set of talks on the Northern Ireland protocol.

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