Speculation mounts about a summer election
“Rishi Sunak’s aides are urging him to hold a summer general election amid fears Tory rebels will step up their plotting. His inner circle is said to believe the situation is untenable and the Prime Minister should go to the polls as early as June. With Westminster speculating about the number of letters of no confidence lodged by MPs against Mr Sunak, his aides fear he cannot wait until autumn. His woes continued yesterday as Britain’s top polling expert gave Labour a 99 per cent chance of forming the next government. The mood inside Downing Street is said to be bleak after two loyal ministers said they were stepping down on Tuesday, bringing the number of Tory MPs quitting at the next election to 63.” – Daily Mail
- Crosby’s CT Group accused of unlawful information gathering – FT
- Tories plummet to their lowest vote share ever in Wales – Daily Mail
More:
- Can the Tories win the next general election? – The Times
- Labour has 99 per cent chance of forming next government, says Curtis – The Guardian
>Yesterday:
Parliament: Barnes the victor in Cities of London and Westminster after a ‘relatively smooth’ selection
Luke Tryl in Comment: What the latest polling tells us about how Sunak can defend the Blue Wall
‘Worst hospital pass in a generation’ – Sunak on Truss
“Sunak has largely avoided criticising Liz Truss in public, but with Hague he was clear about his frustration with the political legacy he inherited. “Someone described it as the worst hospital pass for any incoming prime minister in however many decades,” he said. “Clearly there’s lots of frustrations. We’ve been through a lot as a country over the past few years, which people are understandably frustrated about.” But Sunak insisted he was confident about turning things around. “I’m entirely confident that there are better times ahead in spite of the challenges that the country’s been through,” he said… Sunak said that entering Downing Street felt completely different from his previous role as chancellor because of the breadth of work.” – The Times
- Prime Minister says ‘toughest’ part of job is being a good father to his daughters – Daily Express
More:
- ‘Revelatory’ documentary to tell story of May’s days in Downing Street – Daily Telegraph
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: If Sunak is overthrown in a fit of panic and petulance, the Tory Party will have sacrificed all claim to the nation’s indulgence
Prime Minister only went ahead with net migration measures after I threatened to quit, says Jenrick
“Robert Jenrick has claimed Rishi Sunak only went ahead with a package of measures to reduce net migration after he threatened to quit as immigration minister. In an interview with Allison Pearson on The Telegraph’s Planet Normal podcast, Mr Jenrick claimed the Prime Minister had been “completely disinterested” in legal migration during his year in office. It was a repeat of similar allegations made by Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, earlier this week. In November, official figures emerged showing that net migration had hit a record high of 745,000 in the year to December 2022, increasing pressure on the Government to take action. They followed the resignation of Mrs Braverman as home secretary.” – Daily Telegraph
- Cleverly accused of ‘shameful evasion’ over censorship of report exposing border failings – Daily Mail
More:
- Record small boat crossings for start of year in blow to Sunak’s migrant pledge – The Sun
- Dover health authority says inland border facility will be ‘open door for disease’ – The Guardian
- Shock as 275 immigrants granted visas ‘to work in care home that did not exist’ – The Sun
Comment:
- Immigration tribunals are becoming a threat to the Home Office’s authority – Michael Howard, Daily Telegraph
Editorial:
- The asylum system is completely broken – Daily Telegraph
- We are being taken for a ride on asylum – Daily Mail
>Today: James Johnson’s column: Biden’s border crisis is pushing American voters towards Trump
HMP Bedford security lapses spark prison investigation
“An urgent investigation has begun into prison security after an undercover journalist was hired at one of the country’s most dangerous jails and was then able to walk inside and interact with prisoners without security searches. Last month a Times reporter was hired by an agency to work at HMP Bedford amid a nationwide staffing shortage. On two out of eight days that he worked at the prison, there was no one manning the security scanners at the front entrance when he arrived for work. This allowed him and several others to walk inside the jail and through to prisoner wings without even the most basic searches. Even when there were staff on security, they often said they had not been trained to use scanners as they are meant to under government rules.” – The Times
- Fixing the neglected and failing penal system must be a priority – The Times
British car exports to Canada face tariffs within days as trade dispute deepens
“British car exports to Canada are facing tariffs of more than 6 per cent within days, as a deadlocked trade dispute between the two allies descended into further acrimony on Wednesday. British government officials said Kemi Badenoch, UK trade secretary, felt like she was banging her head “against a brick wall” as the tariff cliff-edge of April 1 approached. Tensions escalated last month when Canada denied Badenoch’s claim that trade talks were continuing, even though she had unilaterally suspended them on January 25. The resulting stand-off means that on April 1 a post-Brexit trade arrangement with Canada will expire, leaving some British car exports facing a 6.1 per cent tariff if they contain significant EU content.” – FT
- Failure to agree an extension to special exemptions – Daily Express
Pressure for ban on new-build rip off charges grows as dozens of Tory MPs write to Gove
“Dozens of senior MPs today wrote to Michael Gove demanding a ban on new-build rip off charges. The group of 46 Tory backbenchers want to change the law to stop big developers dishing out bogus maintenance fees to residents. And they want the government to take control of public spaces such as roads and parks being managed by private firms. Around four million Brits are living in “fleeceholds”, new build estates where common spaces haven’t been adopted by local councils. Instead private companies or developers issue large sums, often in exchange for shoddy maintenance services with little or no scope for redress. Anguished residents have spent years crying out for action.” – The Sun
- Landlords could be banned from rent hikes under radical SNP clampdown – Daily Mail
>Today: Sam Richards in Comment: Slash the red tape stopping ministers from decarbonising the grid and growing our economy
Economy 1) Government pauses drive to raise minimum wage
“The UK government is pausing its drive to raise the minimum wage, offering a respite to businesses after a period of rapid increases that has given Britain one of the highest wage floors in the rich world. Next week’s annual increase in the National Living Wage will lift the hourly rate for adults by 9.8 per cent to £11.44, equivalent to two-thirds of median earnings — hitting a long-standing government target to end low pay according to the OECD’s definition. The government said the changes would benefit about 3mn workers, adding that it was “very proud” of delivering on its commitment to end low hourly pay. On Wednesday it published a new remit for the Low Pay Commission, which advises ministers on where to set the NLW, asking it to keep the pay floor for workers aged 21 and above at two-thirds of median earnings in 2025, while monitoring the effect of recent changes.” – FT
- Blow for Sunak as revised figures confirm UK did go into recession last year – The Guardian
More:
- Thames Water faces sink or swim moment as debt crisis deepens – Daily Telegraph
Economy 2) Triple lock increase ‘all but wiped out’ by Hunt’s stealth tax raid
“Pensioners will be just £20 better off in real terms this year after their triple lock increase was all but wiped out by Jeremy Hunt’s stealth tax raid, a leading think tank has said. An 8.5pc rise in the state pension will leave retirees £190 better off in the next tax year after adjusting for higher prices, the Resolution Foundation said. This will be offset by the Chancellor’s six-year freeze in income tax thresholds, which will cost pensioners £170 – meaning they stand to gain just £20 overall. By contrast the Foundation said a parent earning £60,000 was in line for a net tax cut of £900 because of reductions in National Insurance (NI)… The triple lock on state pensions ensures payments rise in line with the highest out of inflation, average wage growth or 2.5pc each April.” – Daily Telegraph
- Older voters overwhelmingly oppose Conservative ‘ambition’ to scrap National Insurance – Daily Express
Confidentiality agreements which stop abuse being reported ‘will be banned’
“Ministers will stop the abuse of ‘Sex in the City’ confidentiality agreements that prevent crimes from being reported. Plans have now been drawn up by the Justice Secretary Alex Chalk to allow non-disclosure agreement signatories to disclose wrong-doing. The pacts are being mis-used to cover-up abuse, sexual harassment and discrimination as perpetrators go unpunished. But confidentiality deals won’t be legally enforced if they prevent victims from talking to cops about any wrong-doing they have suffered… Under the new law, the confidential issues will be allowed to be discussed with lawyers, counsellors and medical professionals without fear of repercussions… The announcement follows the launch last month of the Victims’ Code which has been put on a statutory footing.” – The Sun
- No victim of crime should be bullied into silence – Laura Farris MP, Daily Mail
Tory deputy chairman demands BBC to ‘bin the licence fee’
“Tory deputy chairman Jonathan Gullis has blasted the BBC licence fee as a “disgrace and abomination”. The MP said it is time for the public broadcaster to end the charge after the corporation’s boss mooted the possibility of means tested licence fee costs in the future. Mr Gullis said: “It’s a disgrace and abomination. It’s very simple. It’s time to bin the licence fee once and for all make the BBC stand its own two feet completely like any other broadcasters.” Speaking to GB News, he added: “The sooner the licence fee goes, the better for everyone else.” BBC director-general Tim Davie said this week he is open to a “more progressive” licence fee and revealed the corporation will launch its “biggest-ever consultation process” next year so the public can drive the debate on its future.” – Daily Express
Mordaunt tells Whitehall bosses to ditch woke language
“Penny Mordaunt has told Whitehall chiefs to stop using woke language in official documents. In a letter to permanent secretaries, the Commons leader said official bodies should avoid using ‘gender neutral language’ in contexts where traditional words like mother and father would be more accurate. The Commons authorities yesterday issued new guidance on the drafting of legislation, which says gender neutral language should not be used when drawing up laws in areas that are ‘concerned only or mainly with people of one sex’, such as pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding. In her letter to Whitehall chiefs, a copy of which has been seen by the Mail, Ms Mordaunt says the same rules should apply to all official documents, including those produced by Whitehall departments and arms-length bodies…” – Daily Mail
- Police delete ‘hate incident’ from Tory MP’s record after Twitter row – Daily Telegraph
More:
- Johnson’s ethics adviser rebuked for breaking lobbying rule – The Times
- Number 10 accused of blocking ex-parole board chair becoming parliamentary ombudsman – FT
Miriam Cates: Florida is banning social media for kids. We must too
“Under any conceivable measure, adolescent wellbeing has plummeted over the last fifteen years since social media and smartphones became ubiquitous. In the UK, teen suicides have doubled for boys and trebled for girls. Hospital admissions for self-harm have rocketed. Anxiety and depression are crippling a generation of young people, as evidenced by the record number signed off work. There is compelling evidence that the rise of smartphones and social media do not just coincide with the collapse in child mental health; they are its cause… A phone-based childhood affects boys and girls differently, but both are missing out on the physical experiences and relationships that young bodies and brains need to develop skills such as social confidence and conflict-resolution that are vital for adult life.” – Daily Telegraph
>Yesterday: Phoebe Arslanagić-Little in Comment: Britain’s demographic crisis is not inevitable. We must act to close the birth gap.
Gove blasts Labour attempts to exploit Tory divisions on levelling up…
“Michael Gove has hit out at the Labour Party’s attempts to exploit Tory divisions. Sir Keir Starmer and his deputy Angela Rayner have praised former Prime Minister Boris Johnson for his “good” plans to level up Britain. The pair said his Government “talked a good game about how Britain needed to build up all parts of the country”. But Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove Michael Gove hit back at Sir Keir and Ms Rayner who said that the flagship policy was “killed at birth” by Rishi Sunak when he served as Chancellor and by the failure to devolve more power to regions and local authorities… Mr Johnson has previously criticised Mr Sunak for failing to deliver on levelling up while Andy Street, the Conservative West Midlands mayor, has accused the government of overseeing a “begging bowl culture”.” – Daily Express
- McVey claims Labour has been captured by ‘woke extremists’ – Daily Express
…as Starmer and Rayner vow to revive it
“Sir Keir Starmer has praised Boris Johnson’s vision of levelling up Britain as he accused Rishi Sunak of killing the flagship policy. The Labour leader will launch his party’s local election campaign on Thursday by pledging to tackle the “alienation and powerlessness” across much of Britain. In an article for The Times, Starmer and Angela Rayner, the deputy Labour leader, writing together for the first time, said that under Johnson the Tories were “starting to understand” the issues behind regional inequality. They said that the analysis behind the plans was “good” and that the former prime minister and his government “talked a good game about how Britain needed to build up all parts of the country”.” – The Times
- He says Johnson’s plans were ‘killed at birth’ by Sunak – Daily Telegraph
- Starmer wants more areas to increase their influence by forming ‘combined authorities’ – FT
- Labour sets out vision for ‘full fat devolution’ – Daily Mail
- Opposition picks at a festering Tory wound: the Sunak-Johnson psychodrama – The Times
Comment:
- Labour will empower local leaders – Sir Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner, The Times
>Yesterday: Anthony Breach in Comment: Labour should learn from the Conservatives about planning reform and devolution
Labour must ditch online voting system unless doubts are addressed, unions say
“Four trade unions have called for the Labour Party to ban the use of its online voting system, Anonyvoter, unless further proof of its robustness can be provided. The demand came in a letter, seen by The Telegraph, from four general secretaries to David Evans, the party’s general secretary – the most senior Labour employee. The intervention follows this newspaper’s investigation into how the system could, in theory, be open to abuse, and allegations from Left-wing figures that they are being disadvantaged. Sam Tarry, the Labour MP for Ilford South, is threatening to sue the party to reveal the Anonyvoter records for the re-selection race he lost in October 2022. Anonyvoter is a computer system that allows for remote online voting.” – Daily Telegraph
Manchester police re-investigating Rayner council house claims
“Police are reassessing claims that Angela Rayner broke electoral law after receiving a complaint from the deputy chairman of the Conservative Party. James Daly, the MP for Bury North, said Greater Manchester police had failed to properly investigate claims the Labour deputy leader may have broken the law in the early 2010s when she lived between two council houses in Stockport. On Monday the police confirmed that a detective chief inspector had been assigned to reconsider the case, putting pressure on Rayner again, days after she launched a fightback in the media. The story, which emerged in an unauthorised biography by the former Tory peer Lord Ashcroft, has also led to Rayner facing calls to explain why she did not pay capital gains tax of up to £1,500 on the house when she sold it in March 2015.” – The Times
Tory ‘performance art’ nearly over, Labour to say at local elections launch
“May will mark the beginning of the end of a “Tory era of politics as performance art”, Keir Starmer will say at the launch of Labour’s local election campaign, accusing ministers of having utterly failed on levelling up. The Labour leader will join his deputy, Angela Rayner, and Richard Parker, the party’s candidate for West Midlands mayor, to argue that the Tories had given voters false hopes in their apparent mission to reduce regional inequalities. The choice of a West Midlands launch will be seen as a sign that Labour hopes the big shift in the polls in its favour since the last parallel set of elections could see it remove the high-profile Conservative mayor of the region, Andy Street, although one Labour source called this “a stretch”.” – The Guardian
- Furious locals blast Labour council’s move to rip down Prince Philip statue – Daily Mail
- Controversial attack ad on Sadiq Khan made solely by Tory HQ, source says – The Guardian
>Today: Andrew Snowden in Local Government: Labour’s secret Police Station closure plans in Lancashire
Starmer drops plan to re-write Brexit deal after ‘EU rejection’
“Sir Keir Starmer has ditched his goal of re-writing the UK’s Brexit trade deal because Brussels warned him it would not reopen the agreement, reports suggest. EU sources said he would be taking a more realistic approach when it comes up for review in 2025. A source said: “What Labour has done since September is they’ve tried to understand better what’s in the realm of the possible. “There is no appetite whatsoever among the member states to reopen the trade agreement. The 2025 review is about checking how it’s working in practice. Labour now understands how all this works. They’ve learnt more and corrected.” … Sir Keir wants to secure improvements that would ease red tape for British food exports and make it easier for UK professionals to work in Europe.” – Daily Express
- Mandelson dismisses prospect of UK rejoining EU – The Guardian
>Yesterday: Richard G Whitman in Comment: The European security landscape is now unrecongisable from before Brexit
Shame of Galloway as MPs round on him for sharing conspiracy theories about the Princess of Wales
“MPs have criticised George Galloway after he shared conspiracy theories about the Princess of Wales before she announced she had cancer. Politicians have rounded on the newly elected MP for Rochdale for speculating that the future queen could have been ‘dead’ just days before she revealed to the world that she had been diagnosed with the deadly disease. Mr Galloway, who claimed victory in the Rochdale by-election earlier this month, posted a series of tweets buying into baseless conspiracy theories about the Princess of Wales… He speculated that Kate was ‘missing’ or even ‘dead’ before claiming that a video showing the Princess walking round a farm shop with her husband Prince William, was not her and instead was a ‘woman 20 years younger’.” – Daily Mail
News in Brief:
- Is lockdown to blame for NHS dissatisfaction? – Henry Hill, UnHerd
- Inside Gray’s Labour Party – Katy Balls, The Spectator
- The vanishing Tories – Rachel Cunliffe, New Statesman
- Young people are not as pro-immigration as you think – Sam Bidwell, The Critic
- Yousaf doesn’t understand his own Hate Crime Act – Maxwell Marlow, CapX
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