‘Tories’ urge Sunak to ‘go for Starmer’s jugular’ to rescue campaign…
“Rishi Sunak is being urged by cabinet ministers and senior Tories to “go for the jugular” and launch more direct personal attacks against Sir Keir Starmer. With two and a half weeks before polling day ministers are increasingly concerned that the present approach is too “generalised” and failing to shift Labour’s lead in the polls. Ministers believe that Sunak cannot win the election and say that the priority now should be one of “damage limitation”. One said that a “good result” would be retaining between 140 and 180 seats, which still hands Labour a significant majority. They want Sunak to target Starmer over his support for Jeremy Corbyn, his decision to campaign for a second referendum on Brexit and his work as a human rights lawyer.” – The Times
- Opinion polls predicting ‘Starmergeddon’ should make voters think twice of handing Labour huge majority, Harper warns – The Daily Mail
- Labour and Tories fighting it out on the new digital battlefield – The Times
- They survived 1997’s landslide, but some Tory veterans think the party is doomed – Rob Hastings, The I
- Starmer backed Corbyn while Sunak warned against Truss. It’s clear which man really puts country before party – Dominic Lawson, The Daily Mail
>Today:
- ToryDiary: Neither side in the looming Tory wars is yet prepared to be honest about why it failed
- David Gauke’s Column: The Tory Right will try to shift the blame, but the looming disaster is of their making
- Alex Deane’s Campaign Diary: Aspiring MPs must lead from the front – so we’re lucky our Party is a loyal tribe.
…as he says he is “not opposed” to assisted dying
“Rishi Sunak has said he is not opposed to assisted dying in principle ahead of an expected vote on the issue in the next parliament. Speaking to journalists in Puglia, the prime minister said he was not against changing the law on euthanasia. There is likely to be a Commons vote on the issue in the next five years; Keir Starmer, the Labour leader whose party is 20 points ahead in the polls, has committed to setting aside time for one and said he supports a change. Asked whether he supported changing the law on assisted dying, Sunak said: “I’m not against it in principle. It’s just a question of having the safeguards in place and that’s where people have had questions in the past.” The Conservative leader said his party’s manifesto specified assisted dying was a matter of conscience…” – The Guardian
- He indicates he will back a change in the law as long as safeguarding measures are put in place – The Daily Telegraph
Deselected Duguid says he could have beaten the SNP from his hospital bed
“A former minister who was ousted as a general election candidate and replaced by the Scottish Tory leader has claimed he would have won the seat from his hospital bed. David Duguid, who was deselected by the Tories in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East over concerns about his health, said he was “as sharp as a tack and well and truly up for the campaign”. In an update posted on X, formerly Twitter, he shared an assessment from a visitor that “he would have retained his seat” from his bed in Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. His intervention came after John Swinney made a general election campaign visit in the seat as the SNP sought to exploit the controversy over Douglas Ross replacing Mr Duguid.” – The Daily Telegraph
Daily Express picks up ConservativeHome’s suggestion Johnson could ‘save’ the Tories
“Boris Johnson could step in to “save” the Tories from Nigel Farage is the party is defeated at the General Election, according to his biographer. Andrew Gimson said friends say he has “not given up thoughts of a comeback”. Writing in Conservative Home, Mr Gimson said: “If, as the opinion polls suggest, Rishi Sunak leads the Conservatives to a shattering defeat, its magnitude increased by Nigel Farage’s success as the leader of Reform UK in attracting Tory votes, Johnson will step forward as the one person who can save the party from the opportunistic takeover bid which Farage will then launch… Gimson said “something of the sort happened” in 2019 when Mr Johnson took over from Theresa May in the wake of the Brexit Party’s landslide victory in the European elections.” – Daily Express
- Johnson should come to the rescue and save Britain from Starmer and Farage – Trevor Kavanagh, The Sun
>Yesterday:
Labour’s oil and gas ban will create £4.5 billion tax black hole, Coutinho warns
“Labour’s ban on new North Sea oil and gas will create a £4.5 billion black hole in the public finances that will have to be filled by higher taxes, the Energy Secretary has warned. Claire Coutinho has accused Sir Keir Starmer of planning to take Britain “back to the dark ages” with his net zero plan to phase out domestic production. The Labour leader has made a manifesto pledge to block exploration of new oil and gas fields because it would “accelerate the worsening climate crisis”. Tory analysis has claimed that the ban would lead to lost tax takings of £4.5 billion over the next 10 years and £12.4 billion in total as North Sea production dwindles. Ministers have warned that the plan would also threaten 200,000 highly paid jobs that are dependent on the sector…” – The Daily Telegraph
- Labour’s North Sea tax pledge will kill investment, industry warns – The Financial Times
- Miliband says Labour ready to launch GB Energy ‘within days’ if it wins election – The I
- Labour’s green plans will create 650,000 jobs, says Reeves – The Guardian
- Starmer’s energy supply plans will take Britain back to the dark ages – Claire Coutinho, The Daily Telegraph
Labour 1) Capital gains tax rise speculation grows as ‘top aide’ likes post
“Sir Keir Starmer’s most senior aide has sparked fresh fears Labour is planning to raise capital gains tax for property owners and businesses. Morgan McSweeney, the Labour leader’s chief of staff, “liked” a social media post which said the party would be “politically wise” to increase the levy. He later removed the “like” and is understood to have told colleagues that it was accidental. But the revelation will further fuel speculation that Sir Keir will look to raise billions by putting up the rate of capital gains if he wins…Mr McSweeney liked a post on the social media site LinkedIn which was written by a parliamentary adviser to Labour MPs. The levy has to be paid on the profit made on assets including second homes, shares and business resources such as land and buildings.” – The Daily Telegraph
- Voters deserve truth from Labour on tax plans – Editorial, The Daily Mail
- The public are entitled to know Labour’s true intentions – Editorial, The Daily Telegraph
- Labour declares wealth creation to be its greatest priority. The next government can best advance this goal by encouraging enterprise and reforming the planning system – Editorial, The Times
- Labour’s secret tax hikes will be merciless – Nick Timothy, The Daily Telegraph
>Yesterday:
Labour 2) Starmer faces ‘further calls’ to axe two-child benefit cap
“Keir Starmer is facing renewed pressure to scrap the two-child benefit limit, as research reveals that 250,000 more children will be hit by the policy over the next year alone. Labour’s manifesto for government, published last week, included the promise of an “ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty”, but no mention of the two-child limit. The policy, which was introduced by George Osborne when he was chancellor, means low-income parents are denied key benefits, including universal credit, for their third and any subsequent children born from April 2017. Research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) finds that when fully rolled out, the policy will affect one in five children, costing families an average of £4,300 a year, or 10% of their income.” – The Guardian
Labour 3) Reeves to seek ‘improved UK-EU’ trade terms if Labour wins election
“Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves would seek to break down EU trade barriers and secure billions of pounds through an early international investment summit if Labour wins the general election. In an interview with the Financial Times, Reeves signalled an ambitious push to revisit parts of Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, including seeking closer alignment with EU rules in areas such as the chemicals sector and a better deal for workers in the City of London. “We would look to improve our trading relationship with Europe, and do trade deals around the world,” she said, as she vowed that an incoming Labour government would “reset” Britain’s global image. Her comments signal that Labour wants to go further than…thought in seeking better UK-EU trade terms…” – The Financial Times
Labour 4) Streeting ‘refuses to rule out’ raising council tax
“Wes Streeting has declined to rule out increasing council tax and said that Labour’s manifesto was not the “sum total” of its spending plans. The shadow health secretary repeatedly declined to say whether Labour would retain council tax bands at the present level, which was set more than 30 years ago. Labour has said that it will defy economic forecasts by growing the economy, ensuring that there is no need for tax rises or spending cuts. The eight-band system was introduced in 1991 and does not take into account significant increases in house prices since then. Critics say this means that the system favours people who live in bigger, more expensive homes… Earlier, he said that the manifesto was not the “sum total” of Labour’s election pledges.” – The Times
- He urges doctors to call off strikes ahead of election – The Financial Times
>Yesterday:
More Labour:
- Labour’s plan to ditch Troubles amnesty branded ‘dangerous’ – The Daily Telegraph
- The party to consider Rwanda migrants for asylum ‘within weeks’ of taking power – The Daily Telegraph
- Labour to forge close EU ties on carbon tax – The Financial Times
- Peer and ‘former EastEnders star’ calls Duffield ‘frit and lazy’ for cancelling hustings over death threats – The Daily Telegraph
- Blair: A woman has a vagina, and a man has a penis – The Daily Telegraph
Farage ‘turns spotlight on Wales’ as he launches Reform UK manifesto
“Nigel Farage will warn the problems in Wales prove “exactly what happens to a country when Labour is in charge” as he launches Reform UK’s manifesto on Monday. The Reform leader will seek to position his party as the opposition-in-waiting by claiming voters have been let down by the Labour-led Welsh Government, which the “feeble” Tories have failed to hold to account. Setting out his pitch to the nation in Wales, Mr Farage will take aim at Labour’s record on the NHS, schools, 20mph speed limits and Covid restrictions, which he will present as a blueprint for a Starmer government. He will propose a “better future for all of Britain” with Reform’s manifesto – or “contract” with voters – which is likely to include a freeze on “non-essential” immigration…” – The Daily Telegraph
- Do Reform’s pledges on migrants, tax, crime, and the NHS add up? – The Times
- Candidate is to resign over ‘BNP support’ – The Times
- Cameron, not Farage, destroyed the Conservatives – Tim Stanley, The Daily Telegraph
- We can’t let the populists have the best lines – Trevor Philips, The Times
- Cameron is a disgrace to Britain – Nigel Farage, The Daily Telegraph
>Today:
- Nigel Farage in Comment: My message to ConservativeHome readers – it’s time to join the revolt
Edward Lucas: Lib Dems are shaping up as the real opposition
“Filling a shadow cabinet is an exciting prospect for a party that was last the official opposition in 1906. Lib Dems typically select local campaigners as candidates. In the outgoing parliamentary party, Layla Moran, the only MP with Palestinian heritage, has made a mark. So too has the deputy leader, Daisy Cooper. With the stars of the Nick Clegg era and the 2010-2015 coalition government mostly gone, such as Vince Cable and the pensions expert Steve Webb, only two of the party’s 15 outgoing MPs have ministerial experience: the leader, Sir Ed Davey, and Alistair Carmichael, a former Scotland secretary. A lot will rest on the newcomers’ shoulders… The biggest push, however, should be on political reform.” – The Times
- Post Office victims ‘blast’ Davey for silly election stunts instead of trying to win back trust – The Sun
News in Brief:
- It’s hard to feel confident after England’s underwhelming win over Serbia – Jawad Iqbal, The Spectator
- Why none of these charlatans gets my vote – Irvine Welsh, UnHerd
- The Conservatives deserve to be taught a lesson – Robert Hutton, The Critic
- Ten policies for a better Britain – Editorial, Pimlico Journal
- The Labour Party has a Gen Z problem – Nicholas Harris, The New Statesman
The post Newslinks for Monday 17th June 2024 appeared first on Conservative Home.
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Author: ConservativeHome
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