Sunak: I’ll change the Equality Act to protect women’s spaces
“Rishi Sunak will on Monday vow to change the law to protect women’s spaces such as toilets and changing rooms. The Prime Minister will announce that the Conservative manifesto will include a pledge to rewrite the Equality Act to make clear sex means “biological sex”. This is to ensure that trans women – those who were born male – can be legally barred from places such as women’s prisons and sessions for domestic abuse victims, even if they have a gender recognition certificate. The new legislation will also make it easier for organisations to prevent biological males from joining female sports teams, or from women’s single-sex wards in hospitals. The proposals are an attempt to mark a clear dividing line with Labour, which the Tories say is weak on the gender issue.” – The Daily Telegraph
- Badenoch says she wants to protect the ‘privacy and dignity’ of women and girls – The Times
- Tories will allow bars on trans women, she says – The Guardian
- Sunak often appears at election rallies without Cabinet Ministers because he is more focused on talking to ‘real people’ than Labour – The Daily Mail
- Badenoch is right to protect female athletes who fear having their glory unjustly stolen – Editorial, The Sun
- All parties must address the disillusion with politics that threatens a low turnout – Editorial, The Times
- Sunak’s ‘free microwave’ strategy is not moving the polls – Kamal Ahmed, The Daily Telegraph
- How British politics lost touch with reality – Stephen Bush, The Financial Times
- Greece shows young-old strife is ancient history – Trevor Phillips, The Times
- Starmer doesn’t know what a woman is – but the Tories do – Victoria Atkins, The Daily Mail
>Today:
MPs should all have personal protection officers, says Halfon
“Every MP elected next month should get a personal police protection officer to provide security around the clock, an outgoing Conservative minister has said. Robert Halfon, who is standing down after 14 years in the Commons, said the escalation in abuse and violence towards MPs meant all 650 should be offered the level of security usually reserved for senior ministers in high-risk roles such as home secretary. He is among more than 100 MPs who have announced they will not seek re-election. Taking part in a Times Radio series The Exit Interviews he said the security situation was “definitely worse, without a doubt”… MPs have been offered a police officer to attend surgeries to meet constituents, but Halfon insisted it needed to go further.” – The Times
Police examining electoral fraud claim after Largan ‘mimicked’ Labour
“Police are examining claims of election fraud after a Tory MP appeared to campaign for other parties. Last night, Derbyshire Constabulary posted on social media that they had received multiple “concerns around marketing material” and would be reviewing the matter. It comes after Conservative MP Robert Largan was accused of “pretending” to campaign for both Labour and Reform UK in adverts published on social media. On Saturday morning, Mr Largan published an image on Twitter in red Labour colours which said “Labour for Largan”… The Telegraph understands Robert Largan has not been contacted by police and his spokesman told this newspaper that he had done nothing wrong… This is not the first time that Mr Largan’s tactics have faced criticism…” – The Daily Telegraph
Open prisons and AI could reduce jail population, says Gauke
“Open prisons are the future and cheaper to run but rely on the use of AI and electronic tagging to closely monitor offenders preparing for release, a former justice secretary said. David Gauke is “intensely conscious” of the Prison Service crisis in England and Wales but warned Alex Chalk, the lord chancellor, that he faces a “potential political disaster” before the election on July 4. Under an extended scheme to ease overcrowding, eligible prisoners serving four years or less can be released up to 70 days early. However, jails remain full and probation staff fear that the prison service may be unable to accept prisoners within the next few weeks. Gauke…suggested that advances in technology could help rehabilitate prisoners.” – The Times
Labour 1) Abbott to run after ‘briefings by overgrown schoolboys’
“Diane Abbott has confirmed that she is planning to stand as Labour’s candidate for Hackney North & Stoke Newington as she denied that she had been offered a peerage. On Friday Sir Keir Starmer said that Abbott would be “free” to stand for Labour following a shadow cabinet backlash over plans that would, in effect, bar her from standing. Baroness Chakrabarti, a close friend to Abbott, said that she advised her to “take some time to consider what she wants to do”. She said that Abbott had been subjected to “unauthorised briefings by overgrown schoolboys in suits with their feet at the table”. Abbott confirmed on Sunday evening that she was standing for Labour… The Sunday Times has claimed that a number of former Labour MPs…have been offered peerages to quit the Commons…” – The Times
- She says she intends to ‘run and win’ as a Labour candidate – The Guardian
- Abbott appears to accuse Starmer of telling ‘more lies’ in deleted Tweet – The Daily Telegraph
- Starmer says he has “more respect” for her “than she probably realises” – The Guardian
- She insists she would not accept a peerage – The Daily Mail
- Shaheen ‘livid’ after Labour sends canvasser round to her home – The Daily Telegraph
>Yesterday:
Labour 2) Starmer ‘declines to join’ one of the BBC election debates
“The BBC has announced a slew of election debates – but Sir Keir Starmer has already declined to take part in one of them. The Labour leader has agreed to face Rishi Sunak in a head-to-head debate hosted by Sophie Raworth in Nottingham on June 26. Sir Keir will also take part in a two-hour Question Time special with the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the SNP on June 20. But Labour said he would not be attending a debate between seven parties on June 7. Downing Street said Mr Sunak had not yet decided whether he would attend the events on June 7 or June 20. It comes after the Tories challenged Sir Keir to go head-to-head with the Prime Minister in a record six TV debates – one every week of the campaign.” – The Daily Telegraph
- The two party leaders will meet in the ITV event on Tuesday evening – The Times
- With policy battle lines set, Sunak and Starmer prepare for TV combat – The Guardian
- BBC to host final election debate ‘days before national goes to polls’ – The Daily Mail
- ITV’s general election debate could turn the tide for the Tories – Leo McKinstry, Daily Express
- Can you believe a word Starmer says? He once backed his old mate Corbyn too be a ‘great PM’ – Trevor Kavanagh, The Sun
Labour 3) Britain ‘needs foreign workers’, firms and unions tell Starmer
“Business groups and one of Labour’s largest supporting unions have warned Sir Keir Starmer that Britain “needed” foreign workers, after he pledged to bring immigration numbers down. The Labour leader said Britain had become “too reliant” on workers from abroad to fill skill shortages, describing migration levels as “sky-high”. He said a future Labour government would work to train up British workers in sectors where there were high levels of visa applications to fill shortages domestically. But the proposals, designed to neutralise Tory claims that Labour would be soft on migration, received a muted response from businesses, which warned that the party would have to set out “credible plans” to improve the skills of British workers.” – The Times
- Starmer’s pledge to cut work visas ‘worries business’ – The Financial Times
- Cooper says she expects net migration to fall ‘swiftly’ under Labour – The Guardian
- ‘Starmer fought to stop foreign criminals being deported – he will never cut migration’, Jenrick blasts – The Sun
- Labour ‘open’ to processing asylum seekers abroad – The I
- Britain would become a ‘magnet for illegal migrants’ under Labour, claims Cleverly – The Sun
- Starmer’s tough immigration talk shows he takes the public for fools – Nick Timothy, The Daily Telegraph
- With Rayner flexing her muscles, I fear it’s a taste of what’s to come – Dominic Lawson, The Daily Mail
Labour 4) Starmer ‘could boost size of the army’
“Labour could boost the size of the Army following an official review of Britain’s defences. Sir Keir Starmer told the Daily Telegraph that his party would hold a strategic defence review in his first year of government if Labour wins the general election, which would focus on protecting Britain from Russian air strikes and cyber attacks. If the review calls for the size of the military to be boosted, Labour will commit to delivering it, it is understood. In a speech today/MON in the north west, Sir Keir will repeat his pledge of a “triple nuclear lock” as he continues his campaign to persuade the country that he has changed the Labour Party from the Corbyn years… It comes as the Conservatives continue to try to paint Sir Keir as weak on defence.” – The Daily Telegraph
- He is to declare Labour as ‘party of national security’ – The Guardian
- Labour to unveil ex-military candidates in security pitch to voters – The Financial Times
- The triple lock will keep Britain safe while supporting good jobs across the UK – John Healey, The Sun
Labour 5) His party pledges to hire 300 planning officers to make up for staff exits
“Labour’s proposal to hire 300 planning officers to “get Britain building again” will replace less than a tenth of the planners who left public service during the first decade of the current Conservative government. The number of planning officers in the public sector fell by around 3,100, or roughly a fifth, between 2010 and 2020, according to an analysis by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), the professional organisation for planners. The modest scale of Labour’s proposal highlights the difficulty Sir Keir Starmer would face in delivering radical planning reform within the tight fiscal constraints he has set if his party wins the July 4 general election. Dysfunction in the planning system…has been singled out as a key brake on the UK economy…” – The Financial Times
Labour 6) EU ‘rebuffs Labour’ hopes for softer Brexit as too ambitious
“Brexit is the elephant in the room in the general election campaign so far. The majority of Labour supporters back rejoining the EU, according to BMG Research polling for i, while Sir Keir Starmer wants the fastest sustained growth in the G7 – seen by many as unlikely without easing trade with Brussels. Meanwhile, much of the Conservatives’ internal war of recent years, which looks like it could cost Rishi Sunak his job as Prime Minister, can be traced back to the deep splits opened up by the 2016 vote to leave the EU. Yet neither party wants to talk too much about the B-word. For Labour, it does not want to alienate Leavers in the “Red Wall” it needs to win back. For the Tories, it may just remind voters of what has gone wrong in recent years.” – The I
Clegg ‘bankrolls’ Lib Dem fightback in old Sheffield seat
“Nick Clegg has been pumping tens of thousands of pounds into his old seat of Sheffield Hallam in an attempt to fortify the Liberal Democrats for a direct fight with a Labour incumbent — the only seat in Britain where the two will go head to head. Clegg has been giving steadily since leaving frontline politics in 2017, but people close to the former Lib Dem leader — who is now a senior executive at Facebook owner Meta — say that he has “stepped up” these donations recently to provide larger, monthly payments. Though the Lib Dems are hoping to take up to 20 seats from the ruling Conservative party in the July 4 election, the contest in the wealthy Sheffield constituency sees them trying to unseat a Labour incumbent, just as Sir Keir Starmer’s party surges in the polls.” – The Financial Times
- Poor state of UK rivers will ‘shape the election’, they believe – The Times
- Expand Blue Flag scheme for beaches to rivers, they suggest – The Daily Telegraph
- ‘Gove saw the polls and realised he might lose’: Lib Dems hope to knock down Tory ‘blue wall’ in Surrey – The Guardian
- Senior bishop condemns Lib Dems for deselecting Christian candidate – The Daily Telegraph
- Election’s finally here and I’m on your doorstep – Edward Lucas, The Times
Swinney says SNP facing its biggest challenge for years
“John Swinney has described July’s general election as “the biggest challenge the SNP has had for years” as he used his party’s official campaign launch to repeatedly attack Labour, which is threatening the nationalists in dozens of seats across Scotland. Swinney, who told the rally of more than 200 activists and former MPs in Glasgow that it was a “surprise” to be leading the SNP into an election campaign, added that “voters are right to remind us never to take anything for granted”. Keir Starmer has already travelled to Scotland twice since the election was called, pledging to make the nation “central to the mission” of a Labour government… Swinney accused Labour of doing “an awfully good impression” of the Tories…” – The Guardian
News in Brief:
- Starmer is treating the House of Lords with contempt – Sam Leith, The Spectator
- He is an ungrateful beneficiary of Brexit – Richard Tuck, UnHerd
- Speak loudly, and carry a small stick – Henry Hill, The Critic
- The cost of making new friends – Joseph Dinnage, CapX
- The future starts in South Africa – Benjamin Fogel, The New Statesman
