Starmer 1) Trump praises the Prime Minister – ‘He did very well, he’s popular’ – as they meet to build relations before US election
“Donald Trump praised Sir Keir Starmer as a “very nice” man before the pair met for face-to-face talks in New York last night. Prior to the sit-down meeting at Trump Tower on Thursday, the prime minister said that it was to help build a personal relationship with the US presidential candidate and keep up continued support for Ukraine. Trump said before the talks: “I am going to see him in about an hour so I have to be nice. I actually think he is very nice. He ran a great race, he did very well. It’s very early but he is popular.” Starmer had tried to secure a meeting with Kamala Harris, the vice-president and Democratic candidate for the White House, but diary clashes were said to have hampered plans for him to meet both potential leaders during a 48-hour trip to the US.” – The Times
- Starmer and Lammy met the former President for two hours in Trump Tower – The Daily Mail
- Trump publishes Zelensky’s personal message pleading for a meeting – The Daily Telegraph
Starmer 2) He ‘jokes about Alli row’ as he woos Wall Street investors
“Sir Keir Starmer made a joke about his use of Labour donor Lord Alli’s central London penthouse as he met with US business chiefs in New York. The Prime Minister, who is looking to attract investment in the UK, said of the UK consul general’s residence: “I’d like to pretend this is my apartment to welcome you to.” Sir Keir made the quip after it emerged that he had filmed a Covid-era broadcast urging the public to work from home in Lord Alli’s £18 million penthouse in Covent Garden. He told the US business chiefs he wanted to “turbocharge” the British economy as he pushed for investment. Earlier today, the Government announced a £10 billion investment in a new data centre in the north-east by American investment management company, Blackstone.” – The Daily Telegraph
- ‘Pretty farcical’: the Prime Minister downplays use of Alli’s £18 million penthouse – The Guardian
- He insists ‘nothing wrong has been done’ in penthouse row – The Times
- He denies he was trying to ‘con public’ into thinking borrowed penthouse was his family home – The Sun
- Why is Starmer under pressure over freebies? – The Financial Times
- Starmer donations: the rules on what MPs can accept from donors – The Times
- Labour must now be candid about Alli’s largesse – Editorial, The Daily Telegraph
- Why Starmer’s freebies have cut through to the public – Stephen Bush, The Financial Times
- Sorry, Labour: it’s not one rule for you, and another for the rest of us – Tom Harris, The Daily Telegraph
Starmer 3) He says Britain will ‘talk less and listen more’ on world stage
“Britain will do less talking and more listening as part of Sir Keir Starmer’s promised “reset” in relations on the world stage. In a speech to the United Nations, the prime minister signalled that he would reject the UK’s past “paternalism” and called for countries to work together more to avoid a fatalistic slide into more global conflicts. The speech came as Starmer said that he had reviewed President Zelensky’s peace plan, although he declined to reveal how “viable” it was owing to security sensitivities. Starmer is also meeting Donald Trump in a move that will be seen as an attempt to curry favour and encourage the former president of the United States to maintain support for Ukraine if he wins the race for the White House in November.” – The Times
- He calls on Israel and Hezbollah to agree a ceasefire – The Daily Mail
- ‘I’m picking up bad vibes’: voters unimpressed by Labour after three months in power – The Guardian
>Today:
Reeves hopes for ‘£50 billion windfall’ with fiscal rules rejig…
“Rachel Reeves will free up as much as £50 billion to spend on roads, housing, energy and other large-scale projects under plans being drawn up by officials. The chancellor has asked the Treasury to look at changing the government’s current borrowing rules that would hand her a windfall to fulfil Labour’s pledge to increase investment in the economy. The present system has long been criticised by economists for discouraging governments from making long-term investments that could grow the economy. Senior government sources said that Reeves has now asked officials to draw up options for changing the way the government measures debt, which could allow the government to offset “assets”, such the £236 billion owed in student loans, against the wider national debt…” – The Times
- Gilt investors urge Reeves to keep investment ambitions in check – The Financial Times
- She is warned more borrowing risks driving up mortgage rates – The i
- How Reeves could release billions more for investment in the budget – The Guardian
- She should cut WHO pandemic funding to pay for winter fuel, says Farage – The Daily Telegraph
- Homeowners with large gardens or swimming pools could be hit with a ‘tap tax’ on water – The Daily Mail
- The council tax changes experts want to see from Reeves in the Budget – The i
- Only one woman can rescue Starmer now – Patrick Maguire, The Times
- ‘You do just wonder what on earth they were doing’ – Peter Foster, The Financial Times
…as she ‘softens plans’ for crackdown on non-doms…
“Rachel Reeves is considering abandoning her pledge to abolish non-dom status over fears it may fail to raise any money. Labour included a pledge to end the tax perk for wealthy residents who are domiciled overseas in its manifesto, hoping the policy would raise £1 billion a year. However, Treasury officials are concerned that the move will force so many wealthy foreigners to leave that the measure will backfire. Government officials said they would consider changing the details of the policy to make it less punishing to non-doms, with reducing the amount of inheritance tax they would have to pay thought to be one of the options under consideration. The Chancellor had hoped that ending non-dom status would raise at least £2.7 billion by 2028…” – The Daily Telegraph
- She had hoped to raise £1 billion a year by toughening a proposed Tory crackdown on wealthy foreigners – The Financial Times
- Reeves’s plans may cost more revenue than they raise – Editorial, The Times
- Labour’s bitter war on wealth has already flopped – Matthew Lynn, The Daily Telegraph
- As the small boats come to Britain, the small planes are heading the other way, thanks to Labour – Robert Hardman, The Daily Mail
…as she is to tell UK financial watchdog to prove it will support growth
“Chancellor Rachel Reeves will next month issue a formal edict to the City of London regulator to prove it is serious about its duty to support growth. Reeves will send a formal “remit” letter to the Financial Conduct Authority around the time of her October 30 Budget, according to government officials…Reeves will tell the regulator it needs to prove that it is acting to promote the expansion of the UK financial services sector…The previous Conservative government last year gave the FCA a second brief — to prioritise growth..,Officials said the FCA was a “constant source of frustration” to ministers, who rail over the complexity of the regulator’s 10,000-page rule book and some of its decisions. “They need a bit of a rocket,” said one.” – The Financial Times
Labour appoints ‘climate envoy’ with links to biggest donor
“A new climate envoy with links to a hedge fund that has donated millions of pounds to Labour has been appointed by the party, it has emerged. Rachel Kyte has been appointed to the role of UK special representative for climate, which attracted a salary of £130,000 the last time that it was filled. It comes as Labour faces a growing row over donations and accusations of cash for jobs. Ms Kyte also sits on the advisory board of the Quadrature Climate Foundation (QCF), which was set up by Quadrature Capital, whose parent company is based in the Cayman Islands. Quadrature Capital has donated £4 million to Labour…Last night, Joy Morrissey, the shadow energy minister, wrote to the head of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to demand answers…” – The Daily Telegraph
Conservatives 1) Tory councils ‘lead revolt’ over Labour’s anti-Nimby housebuilding targets
“Rural councils have criticised the Government’s anti-Nimby housing targets, claiming they are “excessive” and not “fair”. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced this summer that all local authorities would be given increased targets in order for Labour to meet its manifesto pledge of 1.5 million new homes in the next Parliament. The targets are based on a new methodology which takes into account existing stock and affordability. The result is that county councils, the majority of which are Conservative-led and cover larger, rural areas, have been set much higher housing targets than they had previously, while urban areas which tend to be Labour-led, have smaller increases. Some cities including London, Liverpool, Newcastle and Coventry have even seen their targets reduced.” – The i
Conservatives 2) Tugendhat says repeat offenders should be forced to serve entire sentence in jail
“Prolific offenders should be forced to serve their entire sentence in jail, Tom Tugendhat has said. The Conservative Party leadership contender…said repeat criminals should be excluded from the current automatic release rules under which offenders can be freed 40 per cent or 50 per cent of the way through their sentence. Under these rules, offenders are freed for the remaining 50 per cent or 60 per cent of their sentence under licence, which can place conditions including where they live, who they contact and where they can travel. Any breach means they can be recalled to prison to serve the remainder of their sentence. Speaking ahead of the Tory conference…Tugendhat…said they should serve their full sentence in jail and then spend the rest of their lives on licence…” – The Daily Telegraph
- ‘Head of the deckchairs on the Titanic’ – Tory leadership hopefuls head to low-key conference – The Guardian
>Today:
Conservatives 3) Jenrick vows to cut aid to countries that do not take back refused asylum seekers
“Robert Jenrick has said he would cut off aid from countries that do not take back people who fail in their asylum claims, as part of a package of measures designed to bolster his anti-immigration reputation in the final stages of the Tory leadership race. The former immigration minister said he would withdraw money and visas from countries which do not accept those who are rejected by the UK as part of a plan to increase the number of people being deported by 100,000 a year. The plan would also see asylum seekers from at least three new countries barred altogether. The announcement comes days before Tory members gather in Birmingham for the party’s annual conference, at which Jenrick and his fellow leadership contenders will give speeches and answer questions…” – The Guardian
- The ex-immigration minister wants Britain to play ‘hard ball’ – The Daily Telegraph
- Britain has one last chance to steer off this potholed road to perma-decline – David Frost, The Daily Telegraph
>Yesterday:
Conservatives 4) Warsi quits Tories as they investigate ‘divisive’ comments
“Britain’s first Muslim Cabinet minister quit the Tories on Thursday night after the party launched an investigation into “divisive” comments. Baroness Warsi, who sits in the Lords, said she was leaving because the party had moved to the “far Right”. She was appointed to the Cabinet by David Cameron in 2010 when she was Conservative Party chairman. She faced criticism earlier this month when she celebrated the acquittal of a protester who was found not guilty despite carrying a placard accusing Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman of being “coconuts”…Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leadership candidate, said “complaints have been made” after Lady Warsi tweeted a picture of herself drinking from a coconut after the judgment.” – The Daily Telegraph
- The former co-chairwoman of the Tories accused the party of displaying ‘hypocrisy and double standards’ – The i
Conservatives 5) Johnson ‘tried to persuade’ Prince Harry not to leave the UK
“Boris Johnson was asked to convince the Duke of Sussex not to step back from his royal duties with his wife Meghan, the former prime minister has revealed in his memoir. In Unleashed, which is due to be published on October 10 and serialised in the Daily Mail, Johnson disclosed that he was asked to give Harry a “manly pep talk” to persuade him not to leave the UK. The meeting is said to have taken place just weeks after Johnson’s election victory in January 2020, during a UK-Africa investment summit in London’s Docklands — which marked one of Harry’s final appearances as a working member of the royal family… A friend of Johnson told the Daily Mail that the former prime minister praised Harry’s work with the Invictus Games…” – The Daily Telegraph
Conservatives 6) Ukraine could have saved Johnson, but he blew it with a litany of blunders, says Brady
“Boris Johnson may have survived Partygate had he not bungled later on, a Tory powerbroker claims. Lord Graham Brady — who ran the backbench 1922 Committee for 14 years — revealed letters of no confidence from Conservative MPs were withdrawn in February 2022 when Putin invaded Ukraine. At the time BoJo was facing lockdown-breaking allegations — but his stalwart efforts during the war won over some critics. Lord Brady said MPs were telling him: “We have a war in Europe, the PM is quite right to be standing up to Ukraine and he’s very vocal in that we should stand together.” Promoting his book Kingmaker, Lord Brady said Partygate was “simmering down” but it was Johnson’s later errors that ended his premiership…” – The Sun
Lib Dem councillors quit en masse in ‘sexual harassment’ row
“Eight Liberal Democrat councillors in Hertfordshire have quit the party and accused officials of enabling sexual harassment, alleging that an internal committee overruled a misconduct investigation into its former leader. The councillors, who are all women, resigned the party whip at a live-streamed meeting of Dacorum borough council, which is in Hemel Hempstead, on Wednesday night. The resignations mean the Lib Dems have lost their overall majority on the council, which was a totemic win at last year’s local elections. The party leader Sir Ed Davey launched his 2023 local election campaign in Berkhamsted, in the borough, driving a yellow tractor through a wall of painted blue haystacks.” – The Times
News in Brief:
- How worried should we be about Putin’s nuclear threat? – Fabian Hoffmann, The Spectator
- The European consensus on Ukraine is shifting – William Nattrass, UnHerd
- Letby’s defenders have failed – Georgia L. Gilholy, The Critic
- Brexit is still destroying the DUP – Owen Polley, CapX
- Can the SNP and Labour learn to work together? – Chris Deerin, The New Statesman
