Starmer insists he can have a ‘good relationship’ with Trump despite election ‘interference’ claim…
“Keir Starmer has insisted he can maintain a “good relationship” with Donald Trump after the Republican candidate’s campaign accused Labour of “blatant foreign interference”…The Trump campaign filed a legal complaint overnight against Labour officials travelling to US battleground states to volunteer for his Democrat rival,,,The letter…said that these volunteering efforts and reports of contact between Labour and the Harris campaign amounted to “illegal foreign national contributions”. A statement on DonaldJTrump.com on Tuesday night claimed that the “far-left” Labour party has “inspired Kamala’s dangerously liberal policies and rhetoric”. In response Starmer insisted he had a “good relationship” with Trump which would not be jeopardised by the complaint.” – The Guardian
- Trump accuses Labour of meddling in US election – The Times
- The Prime Minister says Labour activists heading to the US is a ‘straightforward’ arrangement that has happened in the past – The I
- Farage launches three-point attack on Starmer over ‘insulting’ decision – Daily Express
- Trump now has a 66 per cent chance of victory – James Johnson, The Daily Telegraph
>Today:
>Yesterday:
…as Number 10 ‘warns public’ to brace for Budget paid as tax hikes and spending cuts loom
“Downing Street has issued a fresh warning about Budget pain as tax rises and spending cuts loom next week. New borrowing figures were released on Tuesday that No 10 said proved its claim about a so-called “black hole” in the public finances and the need for “tough decisions to “restore economic stability”. It came as the IMF urged the UK to “bring debt levels down” and warned that the public finances could “quickly slip out of control” if the government does not take action. Official figures on Tuesday showed that government borrowing hit £16.6bn in September, marking the third-highest September since records began in 1993. The figure was above the £15.1bn forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility…” – The I
- Public sector workers to be protected from tax raid – The Times
- IMF upgrades UK growth forecast – The Financial Times
- Inheritance tax in Budget ‘spotlight’ as it raises over £4 billion since April – The I
- Taxing the rich will make Britain poorer – Editorial, The Daily Telegraph
Reeves says Ukraine is to get a defence loan paid by profits of frozen Russian assets
“Ministers have announced plans to use the profits from frozen Russian assets to bankroll the Ukrainian war effort for the first time. Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, said the government would provide an immediate loan of £2.26 billion to Kyiv as part of a pledge by the G7 to give $50 billion (£39 billion) of military aid that was agreed in June. The loan will be repaid back to the government using the profits of Russian sovereign assets held offshore that were frozen by western countries after President Putin’s invasion. In particular, these include the foreign currency reserves held by the Central Bank of Russia, which have been impounded since 2022. The bank has confirmed that about $300 billion worth of assets have been frozen in the West.” – The Times
- How Reeves set herself a Budget trap, according to Osborne’s adviser – The I
- She plots ‘Amazon tax’ to prop up struggling high street – The Daily Telegraph
- She is to ‘slash’ overseas aid in Budget as asylum seeker costs rise – The Financial Times
- Local transport funding ‘at risk’ as she considers big cuts – The Guardian
- Reeves’s threshold freeze would leave low earners worse off than a tax increase – The I
- Reeves’s decision to tax, spend, and borrow more is entirely political – Jeremy Warner, The Daily Telegraph
German spy aircraft are to fly from the UK in Healey’s new defence deal
“German spy aircraft will operate from Scotland as early as next year to help hunt for Russian submarines under a landmark defence pact between the UK and Germany. The P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft from the German navy will “periodically” deploy from RAF Lossiemouth to help protect the North Atlantic amid concerns about Russian submarine activity in waters close to the UK. The RAF already has nine of the Boeing aircraft, which are equipped with sensors and weapons systems used to find, identify and track Russian boats, and the additional German ones will help bolster Nato security. John Healey, the defence secretary, and his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, will sign the historic agreement in London on Wednesday in a move that will bring the nations closer together.” – The Times
Phillipson pauses plans to open 44 new state schools in England
“Ministers have paused plans to open 44 new state schools in England, including three sixth-form colleges backed by Eton, while they review each school’s potential demand and value for money. The decision will affect mainstream secondary and primary schools that were approved by the previous government using its “free school” application process, introduced by Michael Gove in 2010. Bridget Phillipson told parliament that she has asked officials to review the schools that had been approved but had not yet opened, excluding new special schools and alternative provision…The Department for Education said more details on the school projects affected and the scope of the review would be published…” – The Guardian
Ministers explore using ‘break clauses’ in asylum housing contracts
“UK ministers are keen to apply break clauses in contracts for asylum accommodation with outsourcers including Serco and Mears in an effort to renegotiate terms or end the deals. Home Office ministers were “shocked” by the profits made by Serco, Mears and Clearsprings Ready Homes on multiyear contracts signed in 2019 and hope to use break clauses in 2026 either to revise the original terms or terminate, said two people briefed on their thinking. “They [the companies] made way more than was originally envisaged because the asylum system became so out of control,” said one of the people. The Home Office was regularly bidding against other Whitehall departments for hotel and dispersal accommodation, driving up prices, the person added.” – The Financial Times
Streeting to vote against assisted dying bill
“The health secretary will vote against the assisted dying bill over concerns that end-of-life care is not good enough for patients to make an informed choice. In an intervention that has added to doubts among some Labour MPs, Wes Streeting told backbenchers on Monday evening that he had reversed his stance because of the state of the NHS. Streeting has become the highest-profile MP to come out against a bill to legalise assisted dying which will be debated by the Commons next month. He is the second Cabinet minister to state clearly that they would oppose the bill after Shabana Mahmood…Cabinet ministers have been told to stay out of a debate on which the government is neutral and on which MPs will be given a free vote.” – The Times
- Alzheimer’s wonder drug faces NHS block over cost – The Daily Telegraph
- Labour risks sparking a fresh cronyism row as Streeting’s partner is handed a plum party job – The Daily Mail
- You were meant to be the man who reforms the NHS, Streeting – but you’ve chickened out – Allison Pearson, The Daily Telegraph
- The public is ridiculing Starmer again – and he’s too humourless to realise – Annabel Denham, The Daily Telegraph
Labour to end profit incentive for rail operators in run-up to nationalisation…
“Ministers plan to end a scheme that allows private train companies in England to make extra profits, as the government prepares to fully nationalise the railway network. The Department for Transport has told operators it will not renew an incentive scheme that enables groups to take a share of the profits if they grow passenger revenue above an agreed benchmark, according to…executives. The arrangement, known as the “revenue out-turn mechanism”, was introduced last year by the previous Conservative administration and is due to expire at the end of March 2025. The policy was designed to encourage companies to look beyond their contractual obligations, which are to run their trains to a series of strict operational requirements, and focus…on growing passenger numbers.” – The Financial Times
…as the party announces the biggest review of the water sector in 35 years
“Ministers have created an independent commission to undertake a sweeping review of the water sector in an attempt to clean up the country’s waterways amid public anger over sewage spills. The commission is billed as the biggest shake-up of regulation since the industry was privatised 35 years ago and will be led by Sir John Cunliffe, the former deputy governor of the Bank of England. He will deliver his recommendations before June. The Times Clean it Up Campaign has been calling for better regulation of the sector. The move, which Steve Reed, the environment secretary, has said will lead to far-reaching reforms, comes as water companies lobby to raise household water bills by more than £176 over the next five years.” – The Times
- New commission may ban English water companies from making a profit – The Guardian
- ‘Toothless’ watchdog could be scrapped under Labour plans to fix sewage crisis – The I
- New rules for the water industry must prioritise citizens and the environment – Editorial, The Times
Badenoch accuses Labour of wanting to teach children to be ‘ashamed’ of Britain’s past
“Tory leadership hopeful Kemi Badenoch last night accused Labour of wanting to teach children to be ‘ashamed’ of Britain’s past, and called for a new history curriculum to instil ‘pride in our country’. In an interview with the Mail, she warned that negative teaching about the UK’s history is undermining the fabric of our society. ‘We need to make sure people have a good understanding of history, but not try to rewrite history to the point where everyone is ashamed of their past,’ she said. ‘Young people now don’t want to join the army because they’re embarrassed about their country and they don’t think it’s worth fighting for. ‘There is no future if the people who are here will not fight for this country.’ Her comments came after… Labour…launched a review of the school curriculum.” – The Daily Mail
- Badenoch is fresh and formidable – and you wouldn’t want to mess with her – Stephen Glover, The Daily Mail
- I’ve made up my mind who I’m backing for Tory leader – Suella Braverman, The Daily Telegraph
- Jenrick is about to box himself into a corner – Daniel Finkelstein, The Times
- Badenoch is right – children need their fathers – Tom Harris, The Daily Telegraph
- She is kind, thoughtful, and has the charisma we need to win again – Susan Hall, Daily Express
- Don’t believe the hype – the Tory fightback has yet to even begin – Mark Wallace, The I
>Today:
News in Brief:
- The cowardice of the Kaba case – Niall Gooch, The Spectator
- How Osbornism failed – Travis Aaroe, UnHerd
- Do our leaders understand the power grid at all? – Chris Bayliss, The Critic
- Badenoch is the woman to win the culture war – Bruce Anderson, CapX
- An orderly and civilised society – Neil O’Brien, Neil’s Substack
- Harris’s moment of truth – Katie Stallard, The New Statesman
