Sunak and immigration 1) General election ‘could stop the Prime Minister’s small boats law’
“Rishi Sunak’s flagship law to tackle the small boats crisis will not be fully implemented before the general election, senior Home Office officials have revealed. Sources in the department told The Times that it will take at least three months to implement key provisions in the Illegal Migration Act (IMA), which passed parliament last July. In a separate development, the UK and Rwanda governments have quietly broadened the criteria of people who can be sent to Rwanda to include anyone who has been rejected for asylum at any point in the past. This goes beyond the previous criteria of people who arrived in the UK illegally since January 2021. Some of the provisions in the legislation took effect immediately, including an automatic asylum ban on anyone who arrives in the UK illegally.” – The Times
- Home Office department processing Rwanda deportations told to cut jobs – The Guardian
- Boost for Sunak as 19 Eu countries demand the right to introduce Rwanda-style migration schemes – The Sun
- The Civil Service is trying to cover up the true scale of migrant crime – Guy Dampier, The Daily Telegraph
Sunak and immigration 2) He has an ‘election boost’ as a big fall in migration is predicted
“Rishi Sunak has a “fighting chance” of reducing net migration to below 2019 levels by the time of the election, says the head of the Government’s migration advisory body. Prof Brian Bell, chairman of the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), said that net migration could fall to between 150,000 and 200,000 by September because a ban on foreign students bringing dependants was having a far bigger impact than the Government expected. It would mean that Mr Sunak could go into the election claiming to be on course to meet Boris Johnson’s 2019 manifesto pledge of reducing net migration from its then level of 240,000 a year. The Prime Minister has introduced a series of measures to reduce the figure after net migration hit a record high of 745,000 in 2022…” – The Daily Telegraph
- He has a ‘fighting chance’ of meeting migration pledge, says watchdog – The Times
- At last, a real hope migration will fall – Editorial, The Daily Mail
- The Tory party has dug its own grave. Nothing will save it now – Tom Harris, The Daily Telegraph
>Today:
- Patrick English’s Column: Incumbency effects – how many personal votes could there be for Tory MPs?
Sunak and immigration 3) He is ‘unswayed’ by warnings against scrapping graduate visa
“Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is still looking to restrict the UK’s graduate visa scheme to cut legal migration to Britain, even after he was strongly advised by the government’s migration adviser not to abolish the programme. Sunak’s spokesperson has insisted ministers were not obliged to accept recommendations from the independent Migration Advisory Committee, which cautioned against closing the scheme in a report on Tuesday. “British students should be the priority for our education system and universities and student visas must be used for education, not immigration,” the spokesperson said. The MAC’s report said the government should retain the “graduate visa route” policy, which allows overseas students to spend two years working in the UK…” – The Financial Times
- ‘Focus on education, not immigration’, Number 10 urges UK universities – The Daily Telegraph
- Why universities are in a financial ‘death spiral’ – The I
The Prime Minister is accused of ‘missing NHS pledge’ after tweak cuts thousands from waiting list
“Rishi Sunak’s pledge to cut NHS waiting lists has already been broken, hidden evidence in the government’s own official data has revealed. Last week, the Prime Minister and Health Secretary Victoria Atkins hailed the fall in the number of people waiting for treatment for the sixth month in a row. But the data only showed a fall after thousands of people were removed from the waiting list because they were switched onto a different “pathway” in the community. Labour claimed the figures meant Mr Sunak had “failed in his promise to cut waiting lists”.Official NHS England figures for March, published last week, showed a drop of 916 waits from the previous month, to around 7.53 million. But 7,000 people were transferred from the referral-to-treatment data list…” – The I
Don’t teach children about changing gender, ministers tell schools
“Schools must not teach children that they can change their gender identity and should avoid “explicit” conversations about sex until they reach the age of 13, the government is to say. Ministers will warn schools on Thursday that gender identity is a highly contested area and that teaching children about it could have damaging implications. Staff will be explicitly told to avoid proactively teaching children about gender identity. If asked, they should teach “biological” facts about sex. The guidance will also impose age limits on sex education for the first time, to address concerns that children are being exposed to sensitive material before they are ready. It will state that children should not be given any form of sex education in primary school until Year 5, when aged nine and over.” – The Times
- Children under nine will not be taught sex education – The Daily Telegraph
Cameron summons Chinese Ambassador after ex-Royal Marine, cop, and Border Force officer charged with ‘spying’
“Lord David Cameron has today summoned the Chinese ambassador for a furious dressing down over spy claims. The Foreign Secretary ordered Beijing’s man Zheng Zeguang be hauled in for an explanation after three men were charged with espionage on British soil. Mr Zeguang was warned that a recent spate of spying as well as cyber attacks was “not acceptable. It came as a Heathrow Border Force official, a former Royal Marine, and a retired police officer appeared in court accused of spying on pro-democracy activists from Hong Kong. Chi Leung Wai, 38, Matthew Trickett, 37, and Chung Biu Yuen, 63, are charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service by carrying out espionage work in the UK. It is alleged that Yuen “tasked” Wai and Trickett…” – The Sun
>Yesterday:
- Ciaran Cadden in Comment: Xi’s visit has exposed Europe’s naive China policy
- Tobias Ellwood MP in Comment: China, Russia, and Iran form a potent anti-Western axis that threatens global war
Labour ‘a danger’ to the UK on defence, claims Shapps
“Grant Shapps has claimed Labour “presents a danger” to the UK because of its failure to match the Tories’ defence spending pledge. The Government has made a commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2030. Labour has said it would try to hit that target but only when the economic circumstances allowed. Mr Shapps, the Defence Secretary, said Labour’s decision not to commit to a firm timeline would “send a signal” to the UK’s enemies that “we are not serious about our defence”…. It comes after Rishi Sunak used a major speech on Monday to warn that the UK would be less safe with Sir Keir Starmer and a Labour government. Sir Keir rejected the claim and argued Labour was “much more serious” than the Tories on national security.” – The Daily Telegraph
- Shapps provides our best proof that deepfakes are already here – Tom Peck, The Times
Jobs are there if the unemployed want them, Hunt and Stride insist…
“The unemployed have “ample opportunity” to find a job, senior ministers have insisted as they shrugged off fears over the rising numbers of people who are out of work. Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, and Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary, argue that the economy is doing “far better than many would have you believe” as they tell people out of work that there is no good reason to languish on benefits. In an article for The Times, Hunt and Stride acknowledge “bumps, twists and turns” in the economic recovery, but say that a “resilient” Britain is doing better than many other western countries as they seek to dispel economic gloom…Hunt and Stride say that they will not be “passive” in dealing with rising inactivity and long-term sickness as they try to draw contrasts…” – The Times
…as ‘Tory sources’ say ‘Treasury analysis’ suggests Labour faces a non-dom ‘black hole’
“Labour’s Rachel Reeves will raise hundreds of millions of pounds less than expected from her non-dom inheritance tax crackdown, leaving the shadow chancellor facing a financial “black hole”…Tory officials said Treasury analysis, conducted for chancellor Jeremy Hunt before the March Budget, concluded that removing trust protections from inheritance tax would raise only £50mn-£100mn a year, rather than the £430mn claimed by Labour. Tory sources said Hunt had considered the move in his Budget, but the Treasury had warned that closing the loophole would “incentivise certain wealthy people to leave the UK”. But Labour insisted its costings were “rigorous”, while some independent tax experts argued that the Treasury’s “speculative” calculations appeared too low.” – The Financial Times
LGBT rainbow lanyards ‘won’t be banned in Whitehall’ despite McVey’s announcement
“Rainbow lanyards will not be banned in Whitehall…despite an announcement by the common sense minister just 24 hours earlier. Esther McVey warned civil servants not to express political views “by the back door” through rainbow-coloured lanyards… But Cabinet Office guidance published on Tuesday made no specific reference to lanyards, instead encouraging civil servants to “maintain political impartiality, regardless of their own political beliefs”… However, Cabinet Office sources insisted the guidance instead refers to the importance of Civil Service impartiality and includes a broader warning about the use of political symbols. They added there was a difference between Ms McVey announcing something she wanted to see happen and it becoming policy.” – The Daily Telegraph
- Cabinet ties itself in knots over ‘ban’ on rainbow lanyards – The Times
- If our civil servants were firing on all cylinders then rainbow lanyards might be a harmless indulgence. But this obsessive wokery makes them worse at their jobs – Daniel Hannan, The Daily Mail
Rees-Mogg calls on Sunak to ‘make Farage a government minister’
“Rishi Sunak should make Nigel Farage a Tory minister and allow other senior Reform UK politicians to stand as Conservative candidates…a former cabinet minister has urged. Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, a senior right-wing MP and former business secretary, issued the radical proposal on Tuesday, insisting that uniting Britain’s right was the Tories’ “only chance of climbing this electoral mountain” lying ahead. The Conservative party is trailing Labour by about 20 points in opinion polls and suffered crushing losses in local elections earlier this month. Speaking on his own GB News programme, Rees-Mogg argued that…could close that gap with a “big, open and comprehensive offer to those in Reform”, in a move designed to consolidate the right-wing voting bloc…” – The Financial Times
Labour 1) Starmer ‘accedes to union bosses’ over workers’ rights pledges
“Labour have defused a row with unions over workers’ rights by agreeing to reword campaign pledges to counter accusations of caving in to business pressure. At a meeting with union bosses on Tuesday, Sir Keir Starmer insisted he was not watering down employment reforms beyond concessions made last summer as the party promised to consult them on the wording of a campaign document designed to sell the changes to voters. Starmer attended the meeting with Angela Rayner, his deputy, and Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, to calm union fears that a charm offensive with business in recent months would lead to a weakening of proposed protections for workers. Unions appeared to be mollified by the commitments…” – The Times
- Leaders had protested after reports that ‘New Deal’ proposals were being weakened for a second time – The Daily Telegraph
- Labour ‘loosens holiday limit’ after tired party staff members balk at curbs – The Financial Times
- Unions want to undo all the work we have done in the last fourteen years – Kemi Badenoch, The Daily Mail
Labour 2) Sarwar says he wouldn’t have let Elphicke be a candidate
“The Scottish Labour leader has said he would not have welcomed Natalie Elphicke into the party in a break with Sir Keir Starmer. Anas Sarwar described past comments by Ms Elphicke as “reprehensible” in the wake of her defection from the Conservatives to Sir Keir’s party last Wednesday. The MP for Dover has apologised for comments she made supporting her ex-husband after his sexual assault conviction, while her past views on trade unions, migration and anti-strike laws have also drawn criticism from her new colleagues on the Labour back benches… It is not the first time Mr Sarwar and Sir Keir have been at odds. Last year, the Scottish Labour leader suggested his counterpart should pass a law to allow 16-year-olds to change their gender…” – The Daily Telegraph
- Tories to ‘make trouble’ for Elphicke to dissuade other would-be defectors – The I
Ross urges Swinney to back Tory drug bill to ‘save lives’
“John Swinney has been urged to back Tory legislation aimed at tackling Scotland’s “national shame” of being the drugs death capital of Europe. Douglas Ross, the Scottish Conservative leader, will table his Right to Addiction Recovery (Scotland) Bill, written with experts on the country’s drugs crisis, at Holyrood…The legislation would ensure that anyone who needs treatment for addiction is able to access appropriate support, including residential rehabilitation, and has received support from several recovery groups. Mr Ross urged Mr Swinney, the new First Minister, to throw the weight of his government behind the Bill so it can become law as soon as possible… Scotland’s drug death rate has been 2.7 times the UK average and far higher than anywhere else in Europe…” – The Daily Telegraph
- ‘Humiliation’ for Sturgeon and Yousaf as they will ‘lose seats’ in SNP wipeout – Daily Express
News in Brief:
- The EU has ruined plastic water bottles – Ross Clark, The Spectator
- Right-wing internet anons are better off in the open – Oliver Bateman, UnHerd
- Giving peace a chance – David Smith, The Critic
- Three cheers for Clarkson! – Henry Hill, CapX
- The MAC review of the graduate route – Neil O’Brien, Neil’s Substack
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