Elphicke ‘lobbied’ Lord Chancellor to help her sex offender husband
“On the eve of her husband’s criminal trial for sex offences in July 2020, Natalie Elphicke arrived at the parliamentary office of Robert Buckland, who as Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary was responsible for upholding the rule of law. Elphicke had secured the meeting through Sir Mark Spencer, the Conservative Party chief whip. She assured him she did not wish to discuss the plight of her partner, Charlie, whom she had recently succeeded as MP for Dover and whose innocence she had spent years publicly protesting even as several women made claims of sexual assault to the police. She wished to discuss only some general concerns about the justice system. The opposite was true.” – Sunday Times
- Elphicke accused of ‘lobbying’ justice chief over her sex offender husband’s trial – Sunday Telegraph
- Conservative defector to Labour ‘was bitter at not getting ministerial job’ – Observer
- Turncoat MP Elphicke ‘lobbied Justice Secretary to pull strings to help her ex-husband – Mail on Sunday
- Three Tory MPs including two ex-ministers ‘are in talks about defecting to Labour’ – Mail on Sunday
Comment
- Starmer has sold his soul to hard-Right Tory defector Elphicke – Dan Hodges, Mail on Sunday
Cameron: ‘Why did I take the job? Sunak asked!’
“Iran and Israel have just come dangerously close to all-out war; a mass grave has been uncovered at two hospitals in Gaza; Ukraine’s military commander is warning they are losing ground to Russia; UN officials have condemned Britain’s Rwanda deportation policy for its “harmful impact” on global responsibility-sharing and human rights … and Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton is in a ger in Mongolia drinking toasts of fermented horse milk. It’s the final day of a five-day tour of central Asia by Britain’s foreign secretary, now nearly six months into the job.” – Sunday Times
Colvile: Sunak and Starmer are stuck in the blame game
“One of the great myths of British politics is that power invites scrutiny. In fact, as Tony Blair found in 1997 and Sir Keir Starmer is finding now, it’s really rather pleasant being the anointed successor to an unpopular government. Suddenly everything you do takes on a rosy glow. Newspapers and magazines fill with admiring profiles of your staff, strategy and philosophy. Voters who thought you awkward and nasal suddenly decide that if everyone else seems to like you, you can’t be that bad. From struggling to get attention, you suddenly find the press hanging on your every word.” – Sunday Times
- Why voters feel ‘gaslit’ by Tory claims of economic recovery – Sunday Telegraph
- MP by MP: how Sunak lost the Tory majority – Sunday Times
- Labour gains in leave areas may cut swing needed for overall majority – Observer
- Tory plan to hand ex-mayor Andy Street plum seat at next election – Mail on Sunday
More comment
- Britain’s economic recovery has left Labour and the Tories tongue-tied – Kate Andrews
- Why Kinnock’s verdict on Starmer should inspire every Tory to fight on – Editorial, Mail on Sunday
>Today:
ToryDiary: We must be honest. Successive Conservative governments have betrayed voters over immigration.
Lammy and Johnson vie to be the Trump whisperer
“When British politicians head to Washington DC, they usually imagine themselves as Sir Winston Churchill wooing Franklin Roosevelt, or Ernest Bevin creating Nato with Harry Truman. But when David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary, went stateside last week he had an unlikely role model: Shinzo Abe, the understated former prime minister of Japan. After Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, Abe’s low-key approach, engaging constructively with the bombastic leader behind the scenes rather than conducting megaphone diplomacy, was credited with making him the most influential foreign leader in the White House.” – Sunday Times
Welsh Labour using satellites to spy on homeowners and hike tax
“The Welsh Government is using satellites to spy on homeowners with big gardens, as it seeks to overhaul council tax, The Telegraph can disclose. Families who live in areas with good schools or lower crime rates are among those who will be hit with higher council tax bills, under plans being drawn up by the Senedd. The Labour-run Welsh Government says it will introduce higher council tax bands and higher tax band rates to address “property wealth” and “rebalance” the current system. Sir Keir Starmer has insisted that a Labour government will not raise taxes. But he has also said that the Welsh Government is a “blueprint” for “what Labour can do across the UK”. – Sunday Telegraph
- Rayner’s social care plan that would lump taxpayers with huge bill – Sunday Express
- Labour’s proposals for workers’ rights could add £225 to council tax bills – Sunday Telegraph
- Private school entrants drop as Labour’s VAT plan blamed – Sunday Telegraph
- And Labour’s boost to care workers’ pay ‘could cost taxpayers billions – Sunday Times
- Plus, Labour’s plans for workers could send inflation up again – Sunday Express
Starmer’s rail policy will ‘aid Khan’s war on the suburbs’
“Sir Keir Starmer’s rail plans will assist Sadiq Khan’s “war on the suburbs”, government sources have warned. The Labour leader is accused of “aiding and abetting” the London mayor to expand his “fiefdom” by increasing his powers of the train network in commuter belt areas. Mr Khan was re-elected for a third term as mayor, but an analysis of the votes shows that his popularity in inner London areas far outstripped that in suburban areas. It is thought that policies such as expanding the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) – where residents are charged £12.50 to drive if their car does not meet emission standards – are to blame for Mr Khan’s drop in appeal on the outskirts of the capital.” – Sunday Telegraph
Millions risk being condemned to a life on benefits, says sick note architect
“Sick notes issued by GPs are no longer “fit for purpose” as Britain’s overstretched health service is allowing more people to “drift” into worklessness, the Government’s new occupational health tsar has said. Dame Carol Black, who oversaw the creation of the current “fit note” system, said its failure risked condemning millions of people with manageable health conditions to a life on benefits. The former president of the Royal College of Physicians played a crucial role in the construction of the current system. Her independent reviews in 2008 and 2011 led to the sick note being rebranded a “fit note”. – Sunday Telegraph
How Galloway ‘lied to millions’ that Zelensky’s wife spent $1m on jewellery
“The new Workers Party of Britain MP has spread disinformation about Olena Zelenska’s ‘Marie Antoinette’ moment on social media — but in Rochdale his constituents haven’t seen much of him. At the end of September last year a woman was said to have entered the Cartier Mansion on New York’s Fifth Avenue, spent $1.1 million on jewellery and then had a sales intern with whom she had argued fired. The woman, it was claimed, was the Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska. George Galloway, the 69-year-old leader of the Workers Party of Britain, told millions of his followers in a video posted across social media platforms that this was a “Marie Antoinette moment”. – Sunday Times
More news
- Home Office faces legal challenge over risk of lone children being sent to Rwanda – Observer
- Slash red tape to kick-start expansion of forests, Tory MPs say – Sunday Telegraph
More comment
- Dinner with the Qataris — the Great Game’s new masters – Dominic Lawson, Sunday Times
News in Brief
- The Tories are in free fall – John Oxley, The Spectator
- Starmer has boxed himself in on Rwanda – Richard Johnson, UnHerd
- A shattered Conservative party will need to get used to losing – Lewis Baston, The Critic
- It’s no surprise Starmer’s Labour took in Elphicke – Jonn Elledge, New Statesman
- Net Zero zealotry is colliding with reality – Andrew Tettenborn, CapX
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