Starmer splits Labour by accepting Elphicke
“Sir Keir Starmer is facing a backlash from senior Labour figures and female MPs for allowing the right-wing Conservative Natalie Elphicke to join the party. Elphicke crossed the floor and defected to Labour just before prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, criticising the “broken promises of Rishi Sunak’s tired and chaotic government”. Labour frontbenchers and female MPs are concerned that Elphicke publicly defended her husband, Charlie, a former Tory MP, after he was convicted of sexually assaulting two women. She claimed that he was a victim of a “miscarriage of justice” and that he was being punished for being “charming, wealthy, charismatic and successful”. The couple have since divorced.” – The Times
- Labour leader faces party revolt after admitting right-wing Tory – The Sun
- Kinnock warns Starmer ‘there are limits’ to who should be allowed to join their party – Daily Mail
- She joins Labour a day after leaflet attacking Starmer – The Times
- Farage slams Elphicke’s ‘utter rubbish’ and suggests seat in the Lords is real reason she quit – Daily Express
- Dover MP who stood by ‘naughty Tory’ husband – The Times
Henry Hill: Latest defection is a farce
“Is it really fair, for example, to claim that “the centre ground has been abandoned” on the Prime Minister’s watch? The Safety of Rwanda Act has put progressive backs up, certainly. But beyond that, there is precious little of the radical right (or any radicalism of any flavour) in Sunak’s technocratic policy offer. And while it’s perfectly reasonable to be angry at the Government for “failing to keep our borders safe and secure”, it’s quite a leap to join Labour on that basis – as Elphicke herself knew just a year ago, when she warned that the party was out to “defy” the British people in their attempts to bring immigration under control, and said Labour backed “fewer and weaker border controls”.” – Daily Telegraph
- Starmer will win few friends with his embrace of Elphicke – Eliot Wilson, Daily Express
- How can Labour now welcome the MP Rachel Reeves once told to ‘f*** off’? – Andrew Pierce, Daily Mail
- Betrayal is political opportunism at its very worst – Sam Lister, Daily Express
Sketches:
- Starmer may come to regret welcoming her with open arms – Tom Peck, The Times
- After Elphicke’s defection to Labour, who’s next? Enoch Powell? – Madeline Grant, Daily Telegraph
- Even Mickey Rourke’s plastic surgeon might hesitate before such a transplant… – Quentin Letts, Daily Mail
Editorial:
- Defection to Labour is among the most shameless and ridiculous ever – The Sun
Zahawi to step down at next election…
“Nadhim Zahawi has announced that he will stand down as a Conservative MP at the next election. The former chancellor said that he had “come to feel that the time is right for a new, energetic Conservative to fight for the honour of representing Stratford-on-Avon and assuming the mantle of MP for Shakespeare”. He has become the 64th Conservative MP to declare they will not stand again at the next election, as Rishi Sunak faces a Tory exodus in the run-up to the contest… He has represented the seat of Stratford-on-Avon since 2010, and has become the latest in a growing number of senior Conservative MPs to announce they will be stepping aside at the next election, including Sir Sajid Javid, Kwasi Kwarteng, Theresa May and Dominic Raab.” – Daily Telegraph
- Ex-Chancellor says ‘my mistakes have been mine’ – The Sun
- He’s the 65th Conservative MP standing down – Daily Express
- Sunak faces claims more MPs will defect – Daily Mail
…as Labour secures biggest polling lead since Truss era
“Labour has secured its largest polling lead since the Liz Truss era, a poll for The Times has found. The YouGov poll puts Labour 30 points ahead of the Conservatives – the worst reading for Rishi Sunak since he became prime minister. The Conservatives are on 18 per cent and Labour on 48 per cent. Reform UK, who narrowly missed out on second place in the recent Blackpool South by-election, is on 13 per cent. In the first survey of voting intention by the pollster since the Tory party suffered a series of difficult losses in last week’s local and mayoral elections, the gap between the two parties is the largest it has been since October 2022, weeks after Truss’s mini-budget. The Conservative share of the vote is now lower than it was even during Truss’s nadir, with one in four 2019 Conservative voters now backing the right-wing Reform party.” – The Times
- The Tory right has one last job for Sunak – Robert Shrimsley, FT
Seasonal worker visa extended despite vow to cut numbers
“A farming visa scheme that allows 45,000 migrants a year into Britain will be extended until the end of the decade despite a vow to reduce numbers. Steve Barclay, the Environment Secretary, has announced that the programme for foreign crop and fruit pickers will run until at least 2029. His announcement comes after Rishi Sunak pledged to tighten up work visas in response to Tory anger over record net migration. The move comes amid concern that staff shortages on farms, especially around harvest time, and in the supply chain will put food production at risk. Mr Barclay announced that 45,000 seasonal worker visas would be made available next year, the same number that has been on offer for 2023-24.” – Daily Telegraph
- Migrants coming to UK to blame for almost 90 per cent of Britain’s housing problems, shock report warns – The Sun
- Fury as London-based ‘people traffickers’ help migrants to Ireland under false pretences – Daily Express
Comment:
- BBC risks losing the public’s trust over immigration – Melanie McDonagh, The Times
Universities have duty to protect Jewish students, Prime Minister says…
“University leaders have a “moral duty” to protect Jewish students from intimidation and harassment on campuses, Rishi Sunak has said. On Thursday the prime minister will host a meeting in No 10 with vice-chancellors from leading universities and urge them to take a “zero-tolerance” approach to antisemitism. Students around the country, including at Oxford and Cambridge, have set up encampments in protest against the universities’ alleged complicity in the war in Gaza. Inspired by similar protests in the United States, about a dozen protest camps have been set up on British campuses in the past fortnight. Those taking part in the protests at Oxford have been asked to sign up to a pro-Palestinian manifesto that refers to the “right of colonised people to resist against occupation”.” – The Times
- Cambridge won’t move protesters as Sunak warns over anti-Semitism – Daily Telegraph
- Inside the UK’s pro-Palestinian university protests – The Times
- Cops must move in to stop antisemitism, blasts Labour MP – The Sun
…as Tory chairman accuses Labour of exploiting the Middle East conflict to win votes
“Britain is at risk of being taken over by dangerous sectarian politics, the Tory chairman warned last night. Richard Holden accused Labour of exploiting the Middle East conflict to win votes, and attacked candidates at last week’s elections who campaigned for Palestine instead of for residents. He said four Green Party councillors were facing anti-Semitism allegations, and the Labour Party was ‘pandering to this new sectarianism’ in order to win elections in areas with large Muslim populations. His forthright comments in an article for the Daily Mail come as Rishi Sunak summons university vice-chancellors to Downing Street today to tell them to protect Jewish students from harassment, while pro-Palestinian protests spread from the streets of London to at least 11 campuses.” – Daily Mail
- Opposition re-admits MP who said Gaza should be remembered as a genocide – Daily Express
- Panesar quits as candidate for Galloway’s party after just eight days – The Sun
- Lawyer who ran for West Midlands mayoralty in deep fake row – Daily Mail
Rishi Sunak: Hateful antisemitism has no place in universities
“I understand the strength of feeling over recent events in Israel and Gaza. No one is saying that students should not be able to express the very human angst that many of us feel about the terrible suffering of war. We will always protect freedom of speech and the right to protest – and our universities are a natural place for that expression, precisely because they are institutions of learning and exploration where challenging ideas are debated rigorously. But just as importantly, universities have a profound duty to remain bastions of tolerance, where such debate takes place with respect for others – and where every student feels safe and at home, whatever their faith or background. Right now, that is not the case.” – The Times
- The British dream is crumbling, replaced by a nightmare of sectarian division – Allister Heath, Daily Telegraph
- Palestine puts paid to cosy campus consensus – James Marriott, The Times
Cameron urges Nato allies to raise defence spending target
“European countries appear “unwilling” to invest in defence, Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton will say in a speech demanding that Nato raise its military spending target to 2.5 per cent of GDP. The foreign secretary will tell EU countries to make good on their promise to rebuild their armies following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, warning that the devastating two-year war shows what happens when you spend “too little, too late”. Echoing calls from Donald Trump for Europe to spend more on defence, Lord Cameron will say that the West is in a “battle of wills” with Russia… Only Poland, the US, Lithuania, Greece and Estonia currently spend more than 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence.” – The Times
- EU must be tougher on Russia and China, says Foreign Secretary – Daily Telegraph
- Russian spy kicked out of the UK in ‘resolute and firm’ response to Putin – The Sun
More:
- Biden threat to halt weapon shipments likened to Munich Pact by Israel – Daily Telegraph
Comment:
- We must rediscover our Cold War resilience – Iain Martin, The Times
- The Ukraine war is ripping up the special relationship – Tom Rogan, Daily Telegraph
- Why Britain’s defence industry may regret Brexit – Sylvia Pfeifer, FT
Britain refuses to sign global vaccine treaty that would force it to give away fifth of jabs
“Britain is refusing to sign the World Health Organization’s pandemic treaty while it insists the UK would have to give away a fifth of its jabs, The Telegraph understands. The UK is firmly against such vaccine-related commitments and will not sign any form of the pandemic agreement that undermines Britain’s sovereignty. Representatives of the WHO’s 194 member states are halfway through talks to try to agree to the WHO Pandemic Agreement, an initiative first announced in May 2021. At the peak of the Covid emergency, nations planned to sign a legally binding document, informally known as the pandemic treaty, or pandemic accord, that would force countries to tackle the next global health emergency in a united way.” – Daily Telegraph
- MPs in push to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales – FT
Tax rises inevitable regardless of who wins election, economists warn
“Tax rises are inevitable regardless of who wins the next general election, top economists have warned, as the Government is set to break its borrowing rules by racking up too much debt. Income tax could have to rise by as much as 3p in the pound if the next Chancellor is to hit his or her borrowing targets. Both Labour and the Conservatives have promised to stick to the fiscal rules, and analysts at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Niesr) warn this means the only way to feasibly meet the promises is to increase taxes… The economists predict the Government will fail to meet its goal to get annual borrowing below 3pc of GDP in five years’ time, and will also not manage to get debt falling as a share of GDP. Stephen Millard, deputy director at Niesr, said the most obvious way to raise more revenue is through higher income taxes.” – Daily Telegraph
- We are going big on nuclear to win the global energy race – Claire Coutinho, Daily Express
- It won’t cost billions to boost Britain’s mood – Jenni Russell, The Times
Labour’s workers’ rights reforms ‘watered down to appease bosses’
“Unions are demanding Labour toughen its workers’ rights package after objecting to a series of concessions designed to reassure business leaders. Angela Rayner, the party’s deputy leader, will insist on Thursday that she is “doubling down” on workers’ rights as she promises new laws to protect interns and volunteers from sexual harassment. However, trade unions linked to the party are pressing for changes to a draft document outlining the proposals after it was presented to them this week. Unite, Labour’s biggest union backer, called the concessions a “betrayal” and is threatening to withhold general election funding unless Rayner ditches them. While more moderate unions vented frustration with Unite, many also believe that Labour has gone too far in its attempt to allay employers’ concerns.” – The Times
- New ‘totally unrecognisable’ document is a ‘row back of a row back’, Unite leader says – Daily Telegraph
More:
- Private schools bolster advance payment schemes ahead of Labour tax changes – FT
Comment:
- Britain wants Labour, but it must prepare to be poorer – Annabel Denham, Daily Telegraph
- Labour’s ‘New Deal’ for workers ignores a key fact: many of our low-paid workforce are here illegally – Douglas Murray, The Sun
Editorial:
- Labour’s regressive rail renationalisation plan is a gift to the industry’s unions – The Times
Forbes appointed deputy first minister of Scotland
“John Swinney, Scotland’s new first minister, has appointed Kate Forbes as deputy first minister and economy secretary. Forbes, who was beaten by former first minister Humza Yousaf in last year’s leadership election, said being given the role was a “moment of extraordinary privilege”. She decided not to run for leader of the Scottish National party after Yousaf’s resignation just over a week ago. Swinney had promised her a significant government role as he seeks to reunite the party. Forbes will work with Swinney to support economic growth, invest in public services and eradicate child poverty, a statement said. Shona Robison has stepped down as deputy first minister but will remain in cabinet handling finance and local government.” – FT
- The SNP’s new leader is steeped in the failures of the past – The Times
News in Brief:
- Forbes is more dangerous inside government than out – Henry Hill, UnHerd
- How Labour should handle the rise of the Greens – David Gauke, New Statesman
- The great migration myth – Emma Revell, CapX
- How universities raised a generation of activists – Yascha Mounk, The Spectator
- The Conservative love affair with petty prohibitionism – Christopher Snowdon, The Critic
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