Newslinks for Friday 29th November 2024

Haigh resigns after admitting to misleading police

“Louise Haigh, the Transport Secretary, has resigned after she admitted pleading guilty to misleading the police a decade ago. Ms Haigh appeared at Camberwell Green Magistrates’ Court in 2014, six months before her election as an MP, after making a false report to officers that her mobile phone had been stolen. She said she was “mugged while on a night out” in 2013 and gave police a list of items she believed had been taken including a work mobile phone, Sky News reported. Ms Haigh told the news channel she later found that the phone had not been lost, and was called in for questioning by the police… Ms Haigh said after the Sky News report that the shadow cabinet…had been informed of the conviction when she was promoted to a senior frontbench role.” – The Daily Telegraph

• She has a fraud conviction over a stolen mobile phone – The Times
• The former Transport Secretary had admitted she pleaded guilty a decade ago to a minor criminal offence relating to a mobile phone – The Financial Times
• Haigh: ‘Terrier-like’ minister who hounded ex-PM’s rule-breaking – The Times

Starmer signals support for assisted dying while Badenoch gives firm ‘no’…

“Sir Keir Starmer has given his strongest signal yet that he will back assisted ­dying in a landmark vote on Friday, and Kemi Badenoch has said the state is not fit to help people end their lives. MPs will vote on whether to allow terminally ill people to be helped by doctors to die, in what would be one of the most far-reaching social changes for many years. Campaigners on both sides said last night that the result of the vote was too close to call, as many MPs were leaving it until the last minute…The campaign in favour of ­assisted dying held a clear lead among MPs who had declared a position, but more than 130 MPs whose views are unknown will decide the result today. Kim Leadbeater…urged MPs to “correct injustice and reduce human suffering” by backing the bill in a free vote.” – The Times

• MPs to vote on assisted dying in landmark decision – The Financial Times
• Assisted dying bill is ‘once in a decade’ opportunity, says Leadbeater before vote – The Guardian
• The unanswered questions in the assisted dying debate – The Times
• Narrow majority of voters back assisted dying, new poll shows – The I
• Poll backs pause in assisted dying bill for inquiry into end-of-life care – The Daily Telegraph
• The arguments for and against the assisted dying bill – The Times
• Lord Mackinley urges MPs to vote against the assisted dying bill – The Daily Telegraph
• What will happen with the assisted dying bill on Friday – and will it pass? – The Guardian
• The assisted dying bill should not pass – Editorial, The Daily Telegraph
• Why MPs must press the pause button on this rushed and ill thought-out assisted dying bill – Editorial, The Daily Mail
• The terminally ill will feel suicide is the only way to avoid being a burden – Caroline Swift, The Daily Telegraph
• Decision on assisted dying isn’t set in stone – Emma Duncan, The Times
• Assisted dying will make Britain a kinder, more civilised country – Esther Rantzen, The Daily Telegraph
• Assisted dying is inevitable and necessary, no matter the outcome in Parliament – George Carey, The Daily Telegraph
• We are political opponents but we agree: the assisted dying bill should not pass – Nick Timothy and Adam Jogee, The Daily Telegraph

>Yesterday:

• John Hayes in Comment: For those who’ve adopted it, you will struggle to find examples of where assisted dying has worked or helped
• Kit Malthouse in Comment: Legalising assisted dying will protect terminally ill people and improve end-of-life care

…as he ‘blames Brexit’ for turning Britain into ‘open borders experiment’…

“Sir Keir Starmer accused the Tories of using Brexit to turn Britain into an “open borders experiment” after it was revealed that net migration hit a record high of nearly one million last year. On a day when revised figures showed net migration reached 906,000 in 2023, the Prime Minister pledged to announce plans “imminently” to reduce companies’ reliance on foreign workers. Speaking at a…press conference, he said he wanted to reduce net migration “significantly” as he blamed the Tories for allowing it to get “completely out of control”, with numbers quadrupling since 2019 before Brexit. “Failure on this scale isn’t just bad luck. It isn’t a global trend or taking your eye off the ball. No, this is a different order of failure. This happened by design, not accident,” he said.” – The Daily Telegraph

• Net migration to the UK hit record 900,000 in 2023 – The Financial Times
• He is to toughen migration rules after ‘shocking’ figures – The Times
• Starmer migration clampdown on foreign IT workers sparks business anger – The I
• Migration underestimate gives Starmer a headache – The Times
• Failed Iraqi asylum seekers will be returned from UK after deal – The I
• Current rates are unsustainably high, while records of arrivals have proved hopelessly unreliable – Editorial, The Times
• Our immigration system doesn’t really know who is here and how much it costs the UK – Editorial, The Sun
• The PM has squandered his early months, but it’s not too late to course correct – Fraser Nelson, The Daily Telegraph
• Badenoch says the Tories got it wrong on immigration. She’s right – but not for the reasons she thinks – Jonathan Portes, The Guardian
• Britain cannot sustain these immigration levels – David Frost, The Daily Telegraph
• How the Brexit ministers who ‘took back control’ lost control of our borders – Ross Clark, The Daily Mail
• Farage is the only winner from migration numbers, yet again – Kitty Donaldson, The I
• Terrifying immigration figures have shaken me to my core – Rakib Eshan, The Daily Mail

>Today:

• ToryDiary: Badenoch has made her migration mea culpa. But the ball is in Starmer’s court.

…and as he tells Trump he secured a ‘good deal’ with the Chagos Islands

“Sir Keir Starmer has told Donald Trump that he secured a “good deal” to hand the Chagos Islands over to Mauritius. The archipelago of 60 atolls and coral reefs is strategically located in the Indian Ocean and allies of Trump have expressed alarm that China could extend its influence in the Indo-Pacific if the islands are ceded to Mauritius, a country economically dependent on Beijing. The agreement includes a 99-year lease for the US to continue operating a military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island. Asked about Trump’s reported concerns, Starmer said that he had negotiated a “good deal”… Jonathan Powell, the national security adviser, is travelling to Washington DC for talks to salvage the deal after scrambling to Port Louis earlier this week…” – The Times

• Labour must back down from the Chagos agreement – Editorial, The Daily Telegraph
• Starmer finds world stage a law unto itself – Patrick Maguire, The Times
• Why one of the worst deals in history is quickly unravelling – Priti Patel, The Daily Mail

Reeves pushed back multiyear UK spending review until June

“Rachel Reeves has pushed back the timing of the Treasury’s multiyear spending review to June as the government struggles to get to grips with the volume of decisions it needs to make on its funding priorities. The UK chancellor had previously pledged to complete the process by “spring 2025” but officials and ministers have told the Financial Times that the schedule has slipped. They had previously been working to a timetable under which the spending review was expected “around April”, according to one person briefed on the process. The new June 2025 date will be almost a year after Labour’s landslide election victory at the July UK general election this year… governments use spending reviews to determine how to allocate funding between government departments.” – The Financial Times

Rayner ends Gove’s war on ugly buildings

“Labour ministers have begun reversing Michael Gove’s fight against “insipid” and “ugly” developments as they attempt to ramp up house building to meet their 1.5 million new homes target. In the latest shift in policy the housing secretary and deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has overturned a decision by her predecessor to block a large-scale development outside Tunbridge Wells in Kent despite concerns that it would damage an area of outstanding natural beauty. Gove had attacked the Berkeley Homes estate on the grounds that the plans were of a “generic suburban nature” and did not “reflect the expectations” of the local design code. It was the first time a minister had used their powers to block a development on aesthetic grounds…” – The Times

• Council funding to be redirected from England’s rich areas to most deprived – The Guardian

Streeting: Social media driving poor body image in young men

“Social media is driving young men to suicide, ministers have warned as they announce a “men’s health strategy” to close the life expectancy gap with women. The health secretary, Wes Streeting, announced details of a plan to help tackle the biggest killers of men in Britain, including prostate cancer, suicide, diabetes and heart disease. He highlighted the effect of social media and poor body image in “piling pressure” on young men, as suicide is now the biggest killer of men under 35. The average life expectancy in Britain as of 2022 was 82.6 years for women and 78.6 years for men, and experts said this was partly because men were less likely to adopt healthy lifestyles or go to the doctors to get symptoms checked out.” – The Times

Our troops should help defend Ukraine’s border in possible ceasefire, says Johnson

“British troops should help defend Ukraine’s border as part of any peace deal, Boris Johnson has said. The responsibility to guard any possible future ceasefire line in Ukraine should be given to a multinational group of European peace-keeping forces, according to the former prime minister. The inauguration of the US president-elect Donald Trump on Jan 20 is expected to hasten talks over how the war in Ukraine can be brought to an end. On the campaign, trail Mr Trump said he would end the war in a day, although without providing any details. On Thursday, Vladimir Putin praised Mr Trump as an “intelligent” politician who “will find a solution” to the war in Ukraine and said he was ready for dialogue with the US.” – The Daily Telegraph

Ex-Tory MP Jenkyns joins Reform

“Dame Andrea Jenkyns, the former Tory MP, has joined Reform UK, Nigel Farage has announced. Dame Andrea contested the general election as a candidate for the Conservative Party but she finished second to Labour in the seat of Leeds South West and Morley. Mr Farage announced at a press conference in central London that Dame Andrea had not only joined Reform but she had also been selected as its candidate in the Greater Lincolnshire mayoral election in May next year. The news of the defection came after Zia Yusuf, the Reform chairman, revealed the party had now exceeded a milestone of 100,000 members. Dame Andrea…said leaving the Conservative Party was “not an easy decision” and she had “fought to the bitter end” at the general election.” – The Daily Telegraph

• Reform UK can become kingmaker in Scotland, says Tice – The Daily Telegraph

News in Brief:

• Who says Test cricket is boring? – Roger Alton, The Spectator
• The EV revolution is crumbling – Ralph Schoellhammer, UnHerd
• An irreversible step – Miriam Cates, The Critic 
• The future is nuclear, whether Labour likes it or not – Sam Richards, CapX
• HR Britain: how human resources captured the nation? – Pamela Dow, The New Statesman

The post Newslinks for Friday 29th November 2024 appeared first on Conservative Home.