Downing Street 1) Sue Gray is paid more than the Prime Minister
“Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff received a pay rise after the election which means she is now paid more than the prime minister. The BBC has been told that Sue Gray asked for and was given a salary of £170,000 – £3,000 more than the PM and more than any cabinet minister – or her Conservative predecessor. One source told the BBC: “It was suggested that she might want to go for a few thousand pounds less than the prime minister to avoid this very story. She declined.” A government source close to Ms Gray said this claim was “categorically untrue” and she had “had no involvement in any decision on her pay”. The decision has ignited a row within government over Ms Gray, whose report while a senior civil servant into parties in Downing Street during the pandemic contributed to the downfall of Boris Johnson.” – BBC
- Spads versus Sue: how Gray’s pay fuelled revolt in Whitehall – The Times
- Labour’s pay-rise hypocrisy – Leader, Daily Telegraph
- Starmer urged to appoint ‘mould-breaking’ outsider as civil service head – The Guardian
Downing Street 2) PM has had more free gifts than any other MP
“Sir Keir Starmer has accepted far more in gifts, benefits and hospitality than any other MP since becoming Labour leader. He has received two-and-a-half times more freebies than the next MP, according to an analysis by Sky News’s Westminster Accounts project, in figures dating from December 2019. The next highest is Lucy Powell who received £40,289 worth of gifts in the same period. The prime minister, who became Labour leader in April 2020, has received £107,145 of freebies, including £16,000 on clothing and £40,000 in tickets for football and other events.” – The Times
- Lucy Powell is in second place – Daily Mail
- Rayner given freebie dresses from luxury brand with close links to Labour – The Sun
- Starmer ‘used Lord Alli’s £18m penthouse in No 10 campaign’ – Daily Telegraph
- Even when ensconced in luxurious gifts you can see why the PM has been in such a bad mood of late – Michael Deacon, Daily Telegraph
- Lady Starmer is being thrown to the wolves by No 10 after getting caught in a trap her husband set for Boris – Dan Hodges, Daily Mail
- Lee Anderson mocks Starmer over gifts – Daily Express
>Today:
Downing Street 3) Starmer initially failed to specify Alli donation was for clothes
“Sir Keir Starmer initially failed to disclose he received £16,200 of free clothing from Labour donor Lord Waheed Alli, in a move that risks fuelling the controversy around the prime minister’s acceptance of freebies. In April, Starmer first recorded a donation from Alli worth £16,200 in the register of MPs’ financial interests under the category of “any other support”, and described it as “private support for the office of the leader of the opposition, value £16,200”. The following month, Starmer altered his entry in the register, placing Alli’s donation under the category of “gifts, benefits and hospitality’” and disclosing for the first time that it was “work clothing, value £16,200”. – Financial Times
Israel 1) “New phase” of war against Hezbollah terrorists with booby-trapped walkie-talkies exploding
“Israel declared a “new phase” of its war against Iran-backed militants after Hezbollah in Lebanon was hit by a second wave of booby-trapped devices, exploding to deadly effect. Twenty people died and more than 450 were injured on Wednesday when rigged walkie-talkies were detonated remotely in an apparent Israeli intelligence operation. The attacks took place the day after thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah exploded, killing ten adults and two children and injuring nearly 3,000.” – The Times
- Foreign Secretary David Lammy is failing Britain badly – Leader, Daily Mail
- What’s going to explode next? – Hassan Harfoush, Daily Mail
Israel 2) Heath: This is not just about defending the Jewish state. It is about upholding civilisation itself.
“Robbed of its moral bearings, bereft of any sense of right and wrong, incapable of distinguishing heroes from villains, the West can no longer celebrate when good triumphs over evil. Israel’s brilliantly audacious booby-trapping of thousands of Hezbollah pagers, followed by the blowing up of the terror group’s walkie-talkies, is a stunning fillip for the forces of civilisation worldwide. A tiny nation of just 9.3 million, of which 7.2 million are Jewish, living in a country the size of Wales, reeling from the worst anti-Semitic pogroms since the Holocaust, Israel is leading the war against barbarism, its young conscripts doing a job that would once have required intervention by a Western coalition acting as global policeman.” – Allister Heath, Daily Telegraph
Israel 3) Netanyahu attacks ‘misguided’ UK Labour Government over Israel arms embargo
“The Israeli PM has blasted Keir Starmer’s ‘misguided’ new government, accusing it of ‘sending a horrible message to Hamas’ as ‘shameless anti-Semitism’ is on display across the country…In emphatic terms, Netanyahu told the Mail: ‘After the October 7 Hamas massacre, the previous British government [under Rishi Sunak] was clear in its support. Unfortunately, the current government is sending mixed messages. They say that Israel has the right to defend itself, but they undermine our ability to exercise that right both by reversing Britain’s position on the absurd allegations made by the ICC Prosecutor against Israel and by blocking weapons sales to Israel as we fight against the genocidal terrorist organisation that carried out the October 7 massacre.’ ” – Daily Mail
Conservative leadership 1) Badenoch says working in McDonalds gave her humility
“Kemi Badenoch has said she “became” working class after working in McDonald’s as a teenager. The former business secretary, who is running to become the next Conservative Party leader, said she felt “humility” while working in the role aged 16. She told Chopper’s Political Podcast that her time at the fast-food chain was the “first time I ever interacted properly with people who didn’t come from the sort of background that I came from”…Her claim drew criticism from some on social media, including the Labour MP Chris Bryant. Responding to Badenoch’s claim of becoming working class, he wrote: “I’m not sure that’s how it works.” – The Times
Conservative leadership 2) Tugendhat calls for review of Edwards’ sentence
“The weak sentencing of Huw Edwards should be reviewed by the government, a Tory MP has urged. The disgraced newsreader, 63, was spared prison and given a six-month sentence, suspended for two years, despite viewing depraved online material…Now Tory leadership hopeful Tom Tugendhat has today demanded ministers review Huw Edwards’ sentencing decision. The Shadow Security Minister has written to Attorney General Richard Hermer KC requesting a formal review under the Unduly Lenient Sentences regime.” – The Sun
- Paedophiles caught with worst child sex abuse images must go to prison – Leader, The Sun
>Yesterday:
Conservative leadership 3) Cleverly blames ‘arrogant’ Starmer for death of migrants drowning in Channel
“Sir Keir Starmer is to blame for the deaths of 29 migrants who drowned crossing the English Channel since he took power, James Cleverly has said. The Shadow Home Secretary accused the Prime Minister of “arrogance and complacency” over the small boats crisis and claimed he had prioritised empty slogans over people’s lives. Mr Cleverly said Sir Keir had been warned repeatedly that a deterrent was a vital piece of the jigsaw when it comes to breaking the people smuggling trade…He said there had been a “vacuum” over the summer after Home Secretary Yvette Cooper ditched the Rwanda deportation scheme, which led to smugglers trying to maximise profits by “squashing” as many people as they could into huge, unstable boats.” – Daily Express
- NGOs call Home Office ‘unethical’ over £15m offer to help resettle deportees – The Guardian
Conservative leadership 4) Balls: Party Conference speeches will be key test
“After Tory HQ initially set out a plan for each candidate to be given ten minutes, all sides objected and they will have 20 minutes to set out their stall…The running order has been decided by drawing lots — blank envelopes with a number inside. Tugendhat will speak first, followed by Cleverly and then Jenrick. Badenoch won the coveted final slot. “It means conference attendees will leave with her in mind,” says a happy supporter (though the membership will only get a vote once MPs have slimmed the four down to two)…All four candidates will have to attend various receptions and meetings, as a leader would. Each will be subjected to both a Q&A and an “in conversation” on the main stage with journalists from The Telegraph and GB News.” – Katy Balls, The Times
>Yesterday: Seóirse Duffy on Comment: The next leader needs Thatcher’s radicalism, but must move on from Thatcherism
Lib Dems announce frontbench team
“Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has unveiled his new 33-member frontbench team, as he promised to focus on issues including the NHS, social care and the cost-of-living crisis. It comes after the number of Lib Dem MPs grew to a record 72 at July’s general election, making them the third largest party in the House of Commons. Members of the new intake are among those to be given frontbench roles, with Lisa Smart becoming the party’s home affairs spokesperson and Calum Miller spokesperson for foreign affairs. Meanwhile, Helen Morgan, who won the North Shropshire by-election in 2021, will lead on health and social care – a key priority for the party. She replaces Daisy Cooper, who remains the party’s deputy leader but will also take on the key role of Treasury spokesperson, focusing on the cost-of-living crisis.” – BBC
- The UK’s duopoly of Labour and Conservatives has never looked more vulnerable – Robert Shrimsley, Financial Times
- The Lib Dems go up, they go down, and it’s almost always because of everybody else – Hugo Rifkind, The Times
Buffer zones to be set up around abortion clinics
“Buffer zones will come into force around abortion clinics in England and Wales from 31 October. It will make it illegal to hand out anti-abortion leaflets within the buffer zone or obstruct anyone using or working at an abortion clinic. The protection zones, which will prohibit protest, will extend to a 150-metre radius around abortion services and those convicted of breaking the new law will face an unlimited fine.” – BBC
Streeting warns Left to accept NHS reform
“The left must accept reform of the NHS or “it will die”, the health secretary has warned. Wes Streeting was speaking at the launch of a report by a left-leaning think tank on the state of healthcare and the economy, which says that Britain has become the “sick man of Europe” in health outcomes. The study, by Institute for Public Policy Research’s commission on health and prosperity, found that there were 900,000 “missing workers” due to an increase in long-term sickness, which had cost £4.5 billion through lost tax revenue.” – The Times
- UK’s health-related benefits bill rose to £48bn in 2023-24, research finds – Financial Times
Johnson calls for Ukraine to be allowed to join NATO at once
“Ukraine should be allowed to join Nato ‘now’, Boris Johnson has urged. The former prime minister has said the move would be the ‘single biggest step’ the West could take to end Russia’s war. He admitted the United States and its allies would be alarmed about Ukraine joining the military alliance while fighting was ongoing. It would mean all 32 Nato member states would have to commit to Ukraine’s defence. But writing in today’s Spectator, he argues: ‘The risk is that we continue with the ambiguity and indecision over the future of Ukraine that has led to the worst war in Europe in my lifetime.” – Daily Mail
- “We could extend the Article 5 security guarantee to all the Ukrainian territory currently controlled by Ukraine (or at the end of this fighting season), while reaffirming the absolute right of the Ukrainians to the whole of their 1991 nation.” – Boris Johnson, The Spectator
Other political news
- New home planning approvals in England fall to lowest level in a decade – The Guardian
- Federal Reserve cuts rates by half a point and signals era of easing has begun – Financial Times
- Call to stop serving beer in pints – BBC
- Justice Secretary has Twitter account hacked – Daily Telegraph
- Fury as free speech group ‘kicked out’ of Brighton pub over a discussion about gender ideology in schools – Daily Mail
- UK employers to retain the right to place new hires on six-month probation – Financial Times
- Teamsters union backs Trump – The Times
- Bisexual pride flag is hung outside Foreign Office – Daily Mail
- Unite aims to force vote on winter fuel payment at Labour conference – The Guardian
- ITV says Balls interview with wife Cooper was fair – BBC
- Reeves slammed as ‘pathetic’ over plans to replace No 11 paintings – Daily Express
- Starmer gives his ‘allies’ a free pass on anti-Semitism, Diane Abbott claims – Daily Telegraph
- Dutch demand opt-out on EU migration rules – The Times
- Sturgeon predicts united Ireland and independent Scotland – Daily Telegraph
- Fury as school allows pupil suffering from ‘species dysphoria’ to identify as a wolf – Daily Mail
- Aslef train drivers vote to accept 15 per cent pay offer – The Times
- Campaigners call for unlimited ‘climate card’ UK rail pass – The Guardian
News in brief
- Alfred the Great – Jacob Rees-Mogg, Letters from an Englishman substack
- Reform has Labour in its sights – Katy Balls, The Spectator
- There is much Conservative leadership candidates can learn from Graham Brady’s memoirs – Harry Phibbs, CapX
- The realpolitik of Starmer’s Meloni summit – John McTernan, New Statesman
- Scottish independence is dead, for now – Brian Monteith, The Critic
