Conservatives 1) Cleverly to run for Tory leadership
“James Cleverly has become the first Tory MP to declare he will run for the leadership, saying the party must ditch “self-indulgent infighting”. In an exclusive article for The Telegraph, the shadow home secretary has set out his pitch as the unity candidate who can lead a party with a “broad appeal” to Reform UK voters as well as Liberal Democrats and Labour. The former home secretary and foreign secretary claimed that Sir Keir Starmer was “beatable” with a landslide that was a “sandcastle – built on the back of our failures rather than enthusiasm for a big, high tax state”. Mr Cleverly, who claimed credit as party chairman for helping Boris Johnson secure his landslide election victory, is understood to have the required 10 backers to stand in the first round of the contest.” – The Daily Telegraph
- Former home secretary says he has received support from party colleagues as he takes a swipe at his Labour successor for scrapping the Rwanda scheme – The Times
- Former UK foreign secretary seeks first-mover advantage will call for the party to unite and restore its reputation – The Financial Times
- Who could replace Sunak as Tory leader? – The Times
- Tories must reflect on what they got wrong – Editorial, The Daily Telegraph
- Badenoch vs Cleverly: the Tory leadership battle to watch – Anne McElvoy, The I
- Pollsters were so wrong they need a rethink – Daniel Finkelstein, The Times
- I can unite the Conservatives and overturn Starmer’s loveless landslide – James Cleverly, The Daily Telegraph
>Today:
Conservatives 2) Braverman ‘unlikely to find’ 10 Tory MPs needed to enter leadership race
“Suella Braverman is unlikely to get the required support of 10 MPs to enter the Conservative leadership race, insiders from across the party believe. i understands that early frontrunners James Cleverly, Robert Jenrick and Tom Tugendhat are all confident they will already have enough MP supporters to get on the ballot when nominations close on Monday afternoon. Expectations are also that Kemi Badenoch, perhaps the narrow favourite, will also garner enough backing to make it through the first stage. Questions remain over the likes of another ex-home secretary Priti Patel, and former Cabinet minister Mel Stride…One party insider said some outsider candidates may be able to use a longer contest…as an opportunity to ask MPs for their backing to broaden the debate.” – The I
- Hello caller, you’re through to Braverman denying reality – Tom Peck, The Times
Conservatives 3) Scottish Tory leadership race ‘could become political Wild West’
“The Scottish Tory leadership contest risks turning into a “political Wild West” unless Douglas Ross stands down immediately, a Conservative MSP has warned. Mr Ross, who announced his intention to quit during the general election campaign, is scheduled to remain in place until his successor is chosen. But Jamie Greene argued on Tuesday that Mr Ross should leave now and be replaced by an interim leader charged with maintaining “unity, fairness and transparency” in the contest. He warned there was a “current vacuum of leadership” at the top of the party that “could lead to the possibility of a political Wild West where there are no rules, no governance and no accountability.”… Mr Greene said the party executive should ensure an interim leader is in place…” – The Daily Telegraph
Starmer suspends seven MPs for voting against two-child benefit cap…
“Sir Keir Starmer has suspended seven left-wing Labour MPs including John McDonnell, the former shadow chancellor, after they voted to scrap the two-child benefit cap. The SNP tabled an amendment to the King’s Speech calling for the cap to be reversed and it was defeated after 363 MPs voted against the amendment while 103 voted for it. Starmer responded to the rebellion, the first of his premiership, by stripping the rebels of the whip. The seven rebels were McDonnell, Rebecca Long-Bailey, Richard Burgon, Zarah Sultana, Apsana Begum, Ian Byrne and Imran Hussain. They will be stripped of the whip for six months, at which point their status will be reviewed. It highlights mounting tensions within Labour…Left-wing backbenchers have been urging him to scrap the measure…” – The Times
- The Prime Minister wins a House of Commons vote on welfare payments but only after show of dissent – The Financial Times
- Starmer’s Number 10 adviser on young people wants two-child benefit cap scrapped – The I
- Overhaul UK benefits to tackle child poverty, charities urge – The Guardian
- Starmer can go where the Tories feared (and failed) to tread – Mark Wallace, The I
- ‘Eat your greens’ politics brings its own dangers – Stephen Bush, The Financial Times
…as he plans meeting with von der Leyen to drive UK-EU ‘reset’
“European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and new British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer are to organise a meeting within weeks to accelerate a “reset” of relations three years after the UK left the bloc. Von der Leyen was absent from the two big international events Starmer attended since his election victory on July 4 as she was campaigning for a second term as Brussels’ most powerful official. Her team hoped to see Starmer this week but are now working on a late August or early September meeting, officials familiar with the plans said. Starmer outlined his intention to forge a new relationship with Europe last week when he hosted a gathering of the European Political Community at Blenheim Palace with almost 50 leaders of EU and non-EU states.” – The Financial Times
- Why isolated Starmer will struggle to find allies in a right-wing world – The Daily Telegraph
Labour ‘to axe’ Bibby Stockholm under asylum overhaul
“The Bibby Stockholm is to be axed as migrant accommodation as part of Labour’s overhaul of the asylum system, the Home Office has announced. The contract for the barge, which currently houses 400 migrants, will end in January because the Home Office says it will no longer be needed as it moves to clear the backlog of more than 100,000 asylum claims. The Bibby Stockholm, which is moored in Portland, Dorset, is one of three major asylum accommodation sites created by the Conservative Government to try to reduce the then £8 million a day cost of housing migrants in hotels. The two other sites are also expected to be shut by Labour. They are RAF Scampton – which has yet to take any migrants two years after it was designated for 1,700 – and RAF Wethersfield…” – The Daily Telegraph
- Labour has already made its first grievous error – and is playing a dangerous games – Tim Newark, Daily Express
>Today:
>Yesterday:
Reeves warns of ‘difficult decisions’ on tax rises
“Rachel Reeves has warned cabinet ministers that she faces “difficult decisions” on tax rises and public spending before her first budget as chancellor. Reeves is due to publish a review of the state of the government’s finances before the summer recess next week. The review will form part of the Treasury’s preparations for the autumn budget. Briefing the cabinet on Monday, Reeves appeared to hint that Labour would choose to increase taxes in the short term rather than cut departmental budgets…On the campaign trail, Labour ruled out increases to income tax, National Insurance, the headline rate of corporation tax and VAT, which combined make up about three quarters of the Treasury’s tax take. However, there has been speculation that Reeves could raise taxes in other areas…” – The Times
- Treasury urges Chancellor to target pension savings of 6 million middle-class workers – The Daily Telegraph
- Reeves must overhaul ‘perverse’ carer’s allowance rule, Lewis says – The Guardian
- Threatening pensions may be too tempting for Labour – Editorial, The Daily Telegraph
- The Labour government’s ‘inheritance’ retort will not work on everything – Stephen Bush, The Financial Times
- Without real change, Britain is stuck on a path towards national bankruptcy – Philip Johnston, The Daily Telegraph
Nandy ‘steps into controversy’ over trans athletes in women’s sports
“Trans athletes should be allowed to take part in women’s sports, Labour’s new Culture Secretary has said. Lisa Nandy said it should be up to individual sports to decide whether to let biological males compete against women in their respective fields, arguing “most” sports had got the balance right. The previous Tory government called for a total ban on trans people taking part in elite-level women’s events, with Lucy Frazer, the former culture secretary, urging sporting chiefs to take an “unambiguous position” to protect female athletes. But Ms Nandy, less than a month into the job, has insisted that individual sports should be free to decide for themselves whether to let trans people take part…Some sports such as athletics…and rugby have already barred trans women…” – The Daily Telegraph
Long-term sick should be forced to seek work, says Milburn
“The long-term sick must be required to look for jobs to deal with unsustainable welfare costs and reduce the country’s “toxic” reliance on immigration, a government health adviser has urged. Alan Milburn, a former health secretary, found that seven out of ten of the economically inactive want to work but few have any help or requirement to do so, and said there should be fundamental reform of a “crazy” system. In a report he presented alongside Liz Kendall, the work and pension secretary, he said that dealing with record numbers outside the workforce was the “only route to higher levels of economic growth”. Kendall acknowledged that dealing with long-term sickness was “central” to Sir Keir Starmer’s plan for growth and she promised fundamental overhaul of job centres…” – The Times
- Toughest benefit sanctions announced by Tories will be ditched, says Kendall – The Sun
- The Conservatives only belatedly started to tackle this complex problem, mainly driven by ill health – Editorial, The Times
UK inward investment is being thwarted by bureaucracy, warns minister
“The UK has been failing to show sufficient “hunger and appetite” for inward investment as laborious regulatory processes and siloed Whitehall departments prompt companies to divert spending to other countries, the Treasury’s new growth minister has warned. Lord Spencer Livermore said the Treasury will play a new oversight role corralling civil servants so that departments adhere to common objectives and involve business leaders from the start of policy development as Britain competes more aggressively for foreign investment.One answer being developed further is a so-called “concierge service” that could help executives navigate bureaucratic procedures, added Livermore, who has been designated the Treasury’s growth minister and financial secretary…” – The Financial Times
Wallace: Labour uncertainty over Tempest jet is jeopardising jobs
“Ben Wallace accused Labour of “jeopardising” tens of thousands of jobs by failing to give a firm commitment to the future of the Tempest fighter jet project. Sir Keir Starmer said on Monday that the project is “important” but stopped short of guaranteeing it will go ahead. The project – a joint venture between the UK, Japan and Italy – will be looked at as part of the Government’s strategic defence review, prompting concerns it could be scaled back or scrapped. Mr Wallace, the former defence secretary who stood down as a Tory MP at the general election, tweeted: “Within weeks Labour is jeopardising tens of thousands of jobs in the UK!” Last week Luke Pollard, the Armed Forces minister, failed to offer a firm commitment to fund the project…” – The Daily Telegraph
Farage calls for referendum on leaving the ECHR
“Nigel Farage has called for a referendum on leaving the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) as he argued the institution had “now completely outlived its usefulness”. The Reform UK leader used his maiden speech in the House of Commons to say quitting the ECHR was the only way the UK would be able to stop the small boats crisis. The Strasbourg court, whose rulings Britain has to abide by, derailed the Rwanda scheme in June 2022 when it blocked deportation flights to the African country as they were about to take off…A number of senior Tories also called for Britain to pull out of the ECHR during the election campaign. They included Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, Robert Jenrick, the ex-immigration minister, and Liz Truss, the former prime minister.” – The Daily Telegraph
- He boasts he has ‘huge support’ for new referendum to defeat ‘social disaster’ – Daily Express
- Farage blows into the chamber of windbags – but how long before he breezes out again? – Tim Stanley, The Daily Telegraph
News in Brief:
- Letting our worst universities collapse would be an act of kindness – Andrew Tettenborn, The Spectator
- Long Tory leadership contest is a recipe for chaos – Henry Hill, UnHerd
- Just how popular is Harris? – Dominic Pino, CapX
- Beware of the K-Hype – Sebastian Millbank, The Critic
- Labour’s stormy summer – Andrew Marr, The New Statesman
