Sunak 1) The Prime Minister is to offer ‘horror and regret’ over the infected blood scandal as he issues the first formal government apology
“Rishi Sunak will on Monday apologise for the infected blood scandal and express regret and horror that successive governments have failed victims. Tens of thousands of people were infected with HIV and hepatitis C by contaminated blood products, such as medicines and transfusions, that were used in the NHS between the 1970s and the early 1990s. An estimated 3,000 people have died as a result, while those who survived have had to live with life-long health implications. The final report of the Infected Blood Inquiry will be published on Monday after victims spent years seeking justice for what is described as the biggest treatment disaster in the history of the NHS. They have had to fight to receive compensation, and have never received a formal apology…” – The Daily Telegraph
- The key questions the infected blood inquiry needs to answer – The Times
- UK government set to pay billions to victims in contaminated blood scandal – The Financial Times
- The final report of the infected blood inquiry is due to be published on Monday – The I
- Blood scandal victims call for urgent compensation as deaths mount – The Times
- Experiments on children using infected blood likened to actions of Nazi doctors – The Daily Telegraph
Sunak 2) A revolutionary AI trial offers ‘breast cancer hope’ for millions on NHS, he reveals
“The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the NHS could help “millions of women” who face the risk of breast cancer, Rishi Sunak has promised. Speaking ahead of a global summit on AI taking place this week, the Prime Minister heralded the opportunities of the emerging technology but also warned that tech giants need to do more to address its dangers. He said that “significant gaps still remain” and urged both companies and governments to co-ordinate on a system of regulation which will allow AI to develop safely. Mr Sunak will attend a virtual meeting of world leaders as part of the AI Safety Summit in Seoul, a follow-up to the gathering hosted by the Prime Minister at Bletchley Park last autumn.” – The I
- The Prime Minister wants to be more global statesman than ‘tech bro’ with AI regulation push – The I
- UK working on rules for training of AI models with creative work – The Financial Times
- Only global AI standards can stop for a race to the bottom – Rishi Sunak and Yoon Suk Yeol, The I
Sunak 3) Heaton-Harris to step down at election in ‘new setback’ for Number 10
“Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland Secretary, has said he will step down at the next general election in the latest setback for Rishi Sunak. The Conservative MP, who has been a Cabinet minister since 2022, has joined a list of more than 60 Tories to have announced that they will be leaving Westminster. He also asked Mr Sunak if he would be able to stay on as Northern Ireland Secretary until the election. Alister Jack, Mr Sunak’s Scotland Secretary, and Ben Wallace, the former defence secretary, have said they will be stepping down when the country goes to the polls. Mr Heaton-Harris said it had been an “honour and a privilege to serve”, and thanked to his constituents in Daventry. He also thanked Mr Sunak and…Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss…” – The Daily Telegraph
- The Northern Ireland Secretary is the 66th Conservative MP to say they will not be standing for re-election in their constituencies – The Times
Shapps ‘orders review’ into plane shortage before 80th D-day anniversary…
“The UK defence secretary, Grant Shapps, has ordered an urgent review after it emerged there is a shortage of planes for a mass parachute drop to mark the 80th anniversary of D-day. The conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have left the RAF’s transport fleet stretched and defence officials are scrambling to find more aircraft for next month’s commemorations in Normandy. Hundreds of paratroopers were expected to jump into Normandy on the eve of D-day to honour the actions of their predecessors in the second world war, but plans have been scaled back due to a shortage of aircraft. The Mail on Sunday reported just one plane was left for the Parachute regiment to use for the event but Shapps said he expected more would be found.” – The Guardian
>Yesterday:
…as he warns police must be ‘all over’ pro-Palestine protests
“Police must be ‘all over’ pro-Palestine protests, Grant Shapps warned yesterday as the Government finalises plans to give officers more powers to restrict public assemblies. The Defence Secretary said that the regular mass marches could ‘spill over’ into hate speech and anti-Semitism. It comes ahead of the publication of a long-awaited report on political violence and disruption that will contain recommendations for ministers on clamping down on the activities of hard-Left groups who engage in criminal acts. There have been more than 1,000 protests and vigils since the October 7 attacks, including weekly mass marches in London, with 600 arrests made. Policing the events has cost £40 million and involved some 55,000 officer shifts.” – The Daily Mail
Gove ‘rejects calls’ for demolition order on Tory donor’s hotel
“Michael Gove has refused to rule on the fate of a luxury hotel that was built too big by a billionaire Conservative donor. Surinder Arora initially was told that he must rip down all or part of the Fairmont Windsor Hotel…after he was found to have breached planning permission by adding an extra wing. Despite offering to demolish a neighbouring derelict mansion and being granted retrospective permission, the case was escalated to the communities secretary to decide whether it needed to be called in for review. The saga began when Arora was told by Runnymede borough council last year that building the hotel bigger than allowed under his planning permission had a “harmful effect on the green belt”. He was told to demolish all or part of the building….” – The Times
Afolami ‘hits out’ at watchdog’s fraud refund plan
“The UK’s City minister has criticised plans to force banks and payment companies to reimburse fraud victims up to £415,000 from October, in the latest sign of growing tensions between the Treasury and regulators. Bim Afolami told the Financial Times there were “significant problems” with the proposed rules, following industry warnings…the new regime could force some smaller payment system providers out of business and encourage crime. Afolami and…Jeremy Hunt want Britain to be the pre-eminent European tech hub and the best place to build a business, but they fear watchdogs are stifling growth in their determination to bear down on risk… One…concern is that the changes will lead some fraudsters to pose as victims in order to…recoup compensation money.” – The Financial Times
Far-left groups trying to undermine UK, says Walney
“Far-left groups are seeking to “undermine” Britain’s democratic principles by refusing to comply with the law, the government’s political violence tsar has warned. Lord Walney, a crossbench peer who was asked by ministers to investigate domestic extremism, said there had been a “really important” focus on violent Islamist and far-right groups which pose a threat to Britain.But he said the risk from the “extreme far-left seeking to undermine institutions and the basic democratic principles that have underpinned our country for many years” had been “underappreciated”.Walney’s report is due to be released this week. On Sunday he did not rule out a recommendation that organisations such as Just Stop Oil and Palestine Action be proscribed in a similar way to terrorist groups.” – The Times
>Today:
Willetts joins Johnson and Mandelson in warning UK universities will go bust without higher fees or funding
“Vice-chancellors and former ministers are warning that the cash crisis facing universities is so serious that the next government will have to urgently raise tuition fees or increase funding to avoid bankruptcies within two years. They said the state of university finances was more dire than revealed in last week’s report by the Office for Students, which forecast 40% of England’s universities would end this year in the red. Vice-chancellors said that increases of between £2,000 to £3,500 a year for each student would be needed…Two former universities ministers, the Conservative peer David Willetts and Labour’s Alan Johnson, plus the Labour peer Peter Mandelson, a former business secretary, all said there needed to be increased funding for universities as a matter of urgency.” – The Guardian
- Foreign students ‘could be barred’ from taking ‘low quality’ postgraduate courses in Britain – The Daily Mail
- Ratcliffe ‘slams Tories’ for failing to control immigration – The Sun
- Businesses and universities are getting rich by loading costs onto the rest of us – Nick Timothy, The Daily Telegraph
>Today:
Economists ‘hopeful’ that inflation will hit 2 per cent target this week
“Inflation could reach the Bank of England’s 2 per cent target this week, boosting the chances of an interest rate cut in June. On Wednesday the Office for National Statistics will publish inflation data for April that is expected to show the pace of price rises falling to within touching distance of the target. Many City analysts expect a reading of 2.1 per cent, down from 3.2 per cent for March. The Bank also expects the rate to hit 2.1 per cent. However, some experts have said there is a strong chance that the rate will match the elusive 2 per cent goal, thanks to weaker food and energy price increases. Ofgem, the energy watchdog, lowered its cap on household fuel bills by nearly 12 per cent in April to £1,690. It would be the first time that the Bank has achieved 2 per cent inflation since July 2021…” – The Times
- Britain’s inflation problem could be killed off this week – Roger Bootle, The Daily Telegraph
>Today:
Labour 1) Starmer ‘under fire’ as Welby hits out at two-child benefits cap
“Sir Keir Starmer has come under fire for refusing to scrap the two-child benefits cap after the measure was criticised by the Archbishop of Canterbury….Justin Welby said that the cap was “neither moral nor necessary” and “falls short of our values as a society”. He told The Observer: “Children should grow up in families and households where they can flourish and be supported to find their place in the world. Yet the two-child limit prevents many from accessing the resources they need.” Last year…the Labour leader confirmed that he would keep the threshold, which restricts benefits to the first two children in most households. Under rules put in place when George Osborne was chancellor, families cannot claim tax credit or Universal Credit for a third child.” – The Daily Telegraph
- Voters want Labour to promise to scrap two-child benefit limit, poll suggests – The I
- Labour must not now to public sector interests – Trevor Phillips, The Times
>Yesterday:
Labour 2) Dodds plans to simplify ‘dehumanising’ gender change process
“Labour will make it easier to change gender and is considering allowing a single family doctor to sign off on the decision under plans to “simplify” the process. The party is considering how to make the legally binding certificate easier to obtain while still having guardrails to prevent mirroring controversial proposals in Scotland that would have removed doctors from the process altogether. The plans include ditching a panel of doctors and lawyers that approve gender recognition certificates, the document allowing transgender people to have their affirmed gender legally recognised, and only requiring one doctor to be involved in the process… Anneliese Dodds…said she wanted to strip out the “futile and dehumanising parts” of acquiring a gender recognition certificate.” – The Times
Labour 3) Greater Manchester police chief defends decision to investigate Rayner
“The chief constable of the police force examining claims against Angela Rayner has defended the decision to investigate the Labour party deputy leader, vowing it would be done “fairly and impartially” and would establish whether “culpability is proven or otherwise”. Stephen Watson, who leads Greater Manchester police (GMP), gave his most extensive public comments so far on the investigation, which was triggered by a complaint from a senior Conservative. Watson’s interview with the Guardian was given to mark his third anniversary leading the force, becoming chief constable when it was failing so badly it was in special measures, and is credited with dragging it out of crisis. The decision by his force to investigate Rayner…brings policing and politics potentially into conflict again.” – The Guardian
Labour 4) The party ‘risks overwhelming tribunals’ with new workers’ rights
“Labour’s plan for workers’ rights risks overwhelming employment tribunals by granting day-one protections to millions of employees, it has been warned. Sir Keir Starmer’s party is planning the biggest overhaul of workers’ rights in a generation, including the right to switch off and a ban on exploitative zero-hour contracts. One of the most controversial measures will be to give protection from unfair dismissal from the first day of employment. At present an employee needs to be employed for two years to claim for unfair dismissal. However, Ben Smith, a senior associate at employment law firm GQ Littler, said this would “potentially open up a lot of claims” when the system is already suffering from backlogs.” – The Times
Sturgeon: I was part of the problem on trans issues
“Nicola Sturgeon has said she was “part of the problem” on transgender issues and this was partly why she stood down as first minister. The former Scottish leader said she had received more abuse for her views on trans rights than any other topic…But she suggested that the trans rows that engulfed her, which peaked with the furore around sending male-born rapist Isla Bryson to a female jail, contributed to her downfall. Explaining her decision to resign, the 53-year-old told the Charleston literary festival in Sussex: “I think in politics you reach a point where you know in yourself that you don’t have as much to give anymore…politics in Scotland, like politics everywhere right now, is pretty polarised”, she said, adding that the country also has the divisive “independence issue” in the mix.” – The Daily Telegraph
News in Brief:
- Iran’s president and foreign minister killed in helicopter crash – Jawad Igbal, The Spectator
- Is Israel’s war cabinet about to break down? – Aris Roussinos, UnHerd
- Europe between the Seine and the Tiber – Kryzsztof Tyszka-Drozdowski, The Critic
- Campaign mode activated – Joseph Dinnage, CapX
- What Starmer can learn from Smith – Andrew Marr, The New Statesman
- Why Thatcher didn’t jump – Ian Leslie, The Ruffian
