Hunt accuses Labour of plotting VAT raid
“Jeremy Hunt has accused Labour of having a secret plan to raise VAT and has challenged Sir Keir Starmer to explicitly rule out the possibility. Labour has repeatedly refused to rule it out after being asked at various campaign events. On Wednesday night, in the wake of the accusation, Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, issued a statement insisting that the party was not planning to increase VAT, although it remains to be seen whether that will be a manifesto commitment. The attack will be on the first Conservative poster of the election campaign, unveiled on Thursday, which declares: “If you think Labour will win, start saving…” The Tories say a one percentage point increase in the main rate of VAT would generate around £9 billion a year – the same as what they claim is the funding black hole in Labour’s plans.” – Daily Telegraph
- Opposition say claims are “absolute nonsense” – The Sun
- Starmer ‘forced into screeching VAT U-turn’ – Daily Express
- Labour urged to clarify when parents would pay VAT on private school fees – FT
More:
- Reeves showed business a sharper edge as committee chair – FT
- Brexiteer lifts lid on Labour plot to ‘ape EU rules’ and ‘dance to Brussels’ tune’ – Daily Express
Comment:
- Labour’s campaign is spooking some Tory switchers – Jenni Russell, The Times
- Reeves’s seemingly empty waffle has been decoded, and it’s terrifying – Brian Monteith, Daily Telegraph
>Yesterday: Miriam Cates’ column: Politicians must make popular policies that are in the national interest – not quick fixes
England footie stars will be exempt from National Service, Stride hints
“England’s teenage footie stars will be able to get out of compulsory national service, a Cabinet minister has hinted. Mums and dads will also not be prosecuted or fined if their 18 year-old kids dodge the draft, Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said. Labour had gone studs up on the Tory manifesto policy to bring in compulsory national service for all 18 year olds – warning it would stop footie wonderkids from playing for their country. England legend Michael Owen was 18 when he scored his famous wonder goal against Argentina in the World Cup in France in 1998. Speaking to The Sun’s Never Mind the Ballots Show, Mr Stride said there would be opt outs for a small number of 18 year-olds.” – The Sun
- Voters not offered enough choice between Labour and Conservative, Frost warns – Daily Telegraph
>Today:
- John Oxley’s column: Democracy withers when politicians hide behind quangos and royal commissions
- Tony Devenish in Local Government: Sneering at requiring community service is misguided
James Kanagasooriam: Why Labour’s lead differs wildly across the polls
“As some groups are hard to reach, companies “weight” their data by different categories to make their samples representative of the wider population, and the categories chosen – whether a respondent has a degree, for instance – can themselves have an impact on a poll’s result. Modelling of likely turnout also has an effect. Some pollsters rely on respondents telling them how likely they are to vote; others only retain those who have voted historically. The most significant proportion of the current gap between pollsters, though, comes down to how they deal with undecided voters. About one in eight Britons are undecided, including 16 per cent of 2019 Conservative voters… As undecided voters are more likely than the general public to have voted Conservative in 2019, removing them from the sample results in higher Labour leads.” – The Times
>Today: ToryDiary: Vox pub in Hartlepool: Johnson leaves a gap no other politician has yet filled
Prime Minister pledges a vote for Conservatives is a vote for lower interest rates…
“Rishi Sunak has predicted family mortgage bills will finally begin to fall if he wins the general election. The Prime Minister declared the Conservatives are the “party who has committed to bringing down inflation, which is the necessary condition for bringing down interest rates.” And Mr Sunak revealed he is “confident” that the tax burden will also begin to fall, easing the pressure on family finances. With the economy set to be the central battleground for the July 4 general election, Mr Sunak – the former Chancellor – revealed he shares Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey’s “optimism” over the direction of interest rates… Interest rates have been held at 5.25 percent. But economists at the IMF also said the Bank of England has scope to cut interest rates up to three times this year.” – Daily Express
- He insisted the economy was ‘heading in the right direction’ – The Times
More:
- Awkward moment Tory staffer blocks view of woman who laughed when Sunak said he ‘knew life was difficult for people’ – Daily Mail
- Prime Minister sent stern warning over selling ‘pipe dream’ Triple Lock Plus – Daily Express
Sketch:
- Twinkling Rishi battles to dance his way out of a whirligig of tedium – Madeline Grant, Daily Telegraph
Comment:
- Rishi made us all lazy, and only he can dig us out of this mess – Annabel Denham, Daily Telegraph
- Sunak’s spaghetti strategy – Robert Shrimsley, FT
Editorial:
- Prime Minister is right to chastise universities – The Times
>Today: Frances Lasok and David Powell in Comment: Net Zero is good news – and the public want it front and centre
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: It is absurd to protect pensioners’ personal allowance from inflation but inflict fiscal drag on working people
…and ‘rules out deal with Farage’
“Rishi Sunak said “no deal” to Nigel Farage after the Brexit mischief maker opened the door to peace. The Reform UK President had hinted he could back away from his goal of wiping out the Tories at the ballot box if the PM reached out for talks. But responding to his challenge – made exclusively on our Never Mind the Ballots show – Mr Sunak said no dice last night. Boris Johnson cut a deal with Farage in 2019 to see his troops – then under the Brexit Party banner – step back from standing in Tory held seats leading to a Conservative landslide. However, so far this campaign, Reform have insisted there would be no such deal. Farage told The Sun that the Tories deserved to be wiped out for “betraying” voters on immigration and Brexit.” – The Sun
- Sunak insists there are only two people who can become prime minister… – Daily Express
- …and warned that a vote for the rival party risks splitting the right-leaning vote – Daily Mail
- ‘No deal with Tories’, says Reform leader as he slaps down Farage… – Daily Telegraph
- …who had suggested he and prime minister should ‘have a conversation’ – The Guardian
- Trump hijacked the Republican party and I’d love to do the same to the Tories, ex-UKIP leader says… – The Sun
- …as he reveals real reason he pulled plug on election plans – The Sun
More:
- Farage refuses to back down over ‘Islamophobic’ comments in fiery clash with Peston – Daily Mail
Comment:
- Farage has grasped that this election is shaping up to be all about migration – Matthew Goodwin, Daily Mail
>Yesterday: Fred de Fossard in Think Tanks: What does the future of the right look like? Last week, the Legatum Institute tried to find out.
Labour has ‘no plans’ to allow health worker visas to include family members
“Labour has “no plans” to change rules barring health and care workers from bringing their families to the UK on their visas, despite a plummeting number of NHS staff since the rules were changed earlier this year. Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said the health service had become too reliant on overseas staff and the party would aim to recruit and train workers from the UK. Numbers applying for a health and care worker visa have dropped by 76% this year since the change, which the government hailed as a success in its bid to cut legal migration, but which experts said would have a significant impact on the health service. The development comes as the government on Wednesday confirmed in writing for the first time that no asylum seekers will be flown to Rwanda before the general election.” – The Guardian
- Streeting says the party wants to ‘reduce reliance’ on foreign workers… – Daily Mail
- …and the policy would help drive down record net migration levels – The Sun
More immigration:
- Proof the Rwanda plan is working – Daily Mail
More NHS:
- Junior doctors announce five-day strike before election – The Times
- It could delay care for 100,000 NHS patients in England – The Guardian
Comment:
- Rayner grovelling for votes from a room full of Muslim men shows Labour is pandering to misogyny – Iram Ramzan, Daily Mail
Editorial:
- Junior doctors’ decision to strike just before general election is their most blatantly political act yet – The Sun
I’ll continue as Hackney’s MP ‘by any means’, vows Abbott as candidacy ‘blocked’…
“Diane Abbott has vowed to continue as an MP by “any means” as Sir Keir Starmer was urged to let her stand under the Labour banner in Hackney North & Stoke Newington. Starmer was warned on Wednesday that he had 48 hours to have a “respectful” conversation with Abbott as the party faced a growing backlash over the “utterly shambolic” handling of her future. Addressing a rally of supporters at Hackney Town Hall, Abbott said that she wanted to be the area’s MP for “as long as possible”. It raises the prospect of Labour having to fight its former leader and former shadow home secretary if Abbott joins Jeremy Corbyn in standing as an independent. Starmer said yesterday that no decision had been taken on whether to allow Abbott, 70, to stand as the Labour candidate…” – The Times
- She accuses Starmer of ‘appalling cull of Left-wingers’ – Daily Telegraph
- Unclear whether Britain’s first Black female MP will be able to stand as an official candidate – FT
- Row threatens to overshadow Labour campaign – The Times
- Worst day of the election campaign so far – Daily Express
- How Labour failed to give Abbott a graceful end to a controversial career – Daily Telegraph
- Pierce hits out at Keir Starmer’s treatment of ‘bullied’ MP – Daily Mail
- Labour MPs uneasy over treatment of party veteran – The Times
Comment:
- Labour’s shocking treatment of Abbott could alienate Black voters for years to come – Maurice Macleod, The Guardian
- Don’t assume younger Britons are all lefties – James Marriott, The Times
…as another left-wing MP suspended over ‘serious’ complaint about his behaviour
“Lefty Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle has been suspended by the Labour Party over a “serious” complaint about his behaviour. It means the Brighton Kemptown MP, a staunch ally of Jeremy Corbyn, could now be dropped from standing for Labour at the General Election in July. It is understood the 37-year-old was sent a letter last week by party bosses informing him he had been suspended pending the outcome of an internal investigation. The suspension followed what sources called a “serious complaint” being made against him, which the MP has publicly denied… His suspension means Labour could seek to choose a new candidate in the plum constituency, which they are expected to easily hold.” – The Sun
- Civil war ‘explodes’ as more left-wingers are ousted in ‘Stalinist’ cull – Daily Express
- Left-wing Labour candidate blocked from standing amid anti-Semitism row – Daily Telegraph
More:
- Labour to face fresh attack from Green Party in key seats – The Guardian
Sketch:
- Corbyn: an old rocker playing his hits, and not very well – Patrick Kidd, The Times
Editorial:
- Starmer’s harsh actions and ruthlessness do him no credit – The Times
>Yesterday: Lord Ashcroft in Comment: “I don’t know how it compares to England but it’s the worst it’s ever been”. My focus groups in Scotland.
Labour to adopt Blair-style approach to crack down on crime
“Labour will adopt a Tony Blair-style action plan to tackle street crime to help bring down soaring rates of mobile phone theft, robbery and knife attacks if it wins the election. Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said she would prioritise “rebuilding safety on Britain’s streets” in the same way as the former prime minister did when he targeted the issue in the early 2000s. She said she would use the party’s pledge to put 13,000 more neighbourhood police officers on the streets to tackle worrying rates of thefts, robberies and knife crime plaguing town and city centres. She said it would accelerate current government efforts to use modern technology such as artificial intelligence and data analysis to identify crime hotspots in order to know where to dedicate extra police resources.” – The Times
- Stolen phones will be rendered useless under Labour blitz on mobile-snatching yobs – The Sun
More:
- Party to snub Khan’s suburban rail proposal – FT
- EU keen to deepen ties with a Labour PM but will not offer radical concessions – The Guardian
Comment:
- Starmer’s plan to give 16-year-olds the vote is cynical ploy – Carole Malone, Daily Express
- He must put Aukus defence pact before Brussels – Iain Martin, The Times
>Yesterday:
- Sir John Redwood MP’s column: The dilemma for defecting Tory voters – a Labour government will make everything worse
- Isaac Ho in Comment: What can Transport for London learn from Hong Kong’s world-class metro system?
Rayner cleared by HMRC over tax on sale of former home
“HM Revenue and Customs has confirmed that Angela Rayner owes no capital gains tax for the sale of her former council house and that no further action will be taken, according to a document seen by the Guardian. The tax authority said two weeks ago it had considered the evidence and had concluded the house in Stockport was the Labour deputy leader’s principal residence the whole time she owned it, meaning no tax would be due. Greater Manchester police said on Tuesday that Rayner had been cleared of wrongdoing over claims she wrongly declared her permanent address on the electoral register, which would have been a criminal offence. The force said it was taking no further action but that because matters involving personal tax or council tax did not fall under its jurisdiction it had shared information from its six-week investigation with HMRC and Stockport council.” – The Guardian
- A leaked document has found “no capital gains tax is due” – Daily Express
Comment:
- It’s only a matter of time before the ‘lies’, evasion and hypocrisy catch up with her – Dan Hodges, Daily Mail
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