Sunak ‘doubles down’ on national service plan as ‘Tory discontent mounts’…
“Rishi Sunak will double down on his plan to revive compulsory national service in the UK…as discontent mounts in the Conservative party about his faltering election performance. As the first full week of the campaign begins, the prime minister will urge bosses to give priority to job applicants who have served time in the military. But his “bold” national service plan has caused concern in the armed forces, amid fears it could impose strains on the military. Labour’s…Angela Rayner denounced Sunak’s plan to divert £1.5bn a year from “levelling up” funds for deprived regions to help pay for the “desperate” scheme. A further £1bn would come from tackling tax avoidance and evasion. “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry,” said one former Conservative party chair…” – The Financial Times
- The Prime Minister ‘fights back’ after his plan is ridiculed – The Daily Mail
- ‘No criminal sanctions’ for teenagers who dodge National Service, says Cleverly – The Times
- It would instil a sense of duty in young Brits, says Mercer – The Sun
- Young royals face National Service under Sunak’s plans – The Daily Telegraph
- Sunak’s proposal for mandatory military training has real merits – Editorial, The Times
- His plan can rekindle Britain’s fraying social cohesion – Editorial, The Daily Telegraph
- Defence should be at the centre of this election – Max Hastings, The Times
- Sunak is right: National Service is just what Generation Z is crying out for – Ken Costa, The Daily Telegraph
- Young people! Your country needs you! – Elisabeth Braw, The Daily Mail
- Sunak’s National Service proposal is a ludicrous, desperate stunt – Ian Birrell, The I
- We aren’t in the 1950s. And bringing back National Service is not going to magically take us back there – Stephen Pollard, The Daily Mail
- Britain’s going to toughen up because our adversaries certainly are – Grant Shapps, Daily Express
>Yesterday:
…as it is reported Murrison ‘ruled it out’ the day after the election was called
“A defence minister ruled out the return of National Service the day after Rishi Sunak called a general election…Rishi Sunak unveiled a key manifesto pledge at the weekend under which all 18-year-olds would take part in a mandatory scheme for military or non-military service. But the previous Thursday…Andrew Murrison told a Tory MP that they would not introduce National Service…Murrison responded to a written parliamentary question from Mark Pritchard: “To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the reintroduction of National Service on national security.”… He told Mr Pritchard that it would hit recruitment and retention, consume resources and could harm motivation for recruits.” – The Daily Telegraph
- National Service return could boost Britain’s resilience, says retired RAF officer – The Daily Telegraph
- Sunak’s pledge is ‘bonkers’, says ex-military chief – The Guardian
- Military figures ‘divided’ over Sunak’s plan – The I
Nick Timothy: From National Service to Net Zero, it is policy not punditry that matters
“However poor its quality, though, the argument about National Service was at least a conversation about policy. For too much of the time, our political discourse is dominated by polling-based narratives, and superficial assessments of politicians’ personalities.The period before and since the election was called was dominated by talk of Labour’s poll leads over the Conservatives, Reform’s standing in the polls, and subjective judgments about the presentation of the parties’ leaders. Yes, Rishi Sunak made his speech calling the election in the rain, but Sir Keir Starmer gave his reply from what seemed to resemble a broom cupboard. Is this really more important than what the two sides plan to do with power?” – The Daily Telegraph
- Key figure behind National Service plans previously called for more policing – The Daily Telegraph
Voters dislike Tories ‘even more than they did Corbyn in 2019’
“The thought of the Tories staying in power is even less appealing to voters than the prospect of Jeremy Corbyn entering Downing Street was five years ago, polling suggests. In a repeat of research carried out in 2019, YouGov asked voters to imagine that the result of the election was an overall majority for Rishi Sunak and the Conservative party. It found 59 per cent voters would either be “dismayed” or “disappointed” if the Tories remained in power after July 4 compared with 15 per cent who said they would be “delighted” or “pleased”. A further 15 per cent said they wouldn’t mind while 11 per cent didn’t know. In the 2019 election, in which Boris Johnson won a landslide victory against Corbyn, 52 per cent said they would be “dismayed” or “disappointed” if the Labour leader won.” – The Times
- Sunak tour map ‘suggests defensive Tory election strategy’ – The Financial Times
- The campaign receives £250,000 boost from a billionaire donor – The Daily Mail
- Even Sunak cannot believe he’ll be PM after July 4th – but what awaits us is a much worse fate – Trevor Kavanagh, The Sun
>Today:
Tories still need to find 150 candidates following MP exodus
“The Conservative Party still have to find candidates to stand in around 150 constituencies, the party admitted. A source said the party had candidates in place in three-quarters of the seats in Great Britain. That would mean it had only filled 474 seats – leaving 158 to be found. The party does not usually field candidates in Northern Ireland. The deadline for candidates to be nominated is June 7, meaning the party has less than a fortnight to fill all the vacancies. The task has been made harder because a large number of Tories have recently announced they will not be standing at the election. The number of Tory MPs standing down has now surpassed the Conservative Party record set in 1997, when 75 stood down. 78 Tories have so far announced that they will leave parliament…” – The Daily Telegraph
- Conservatives are threatened with legal action for allegedly ‘blocking’ pro-Johnson candidates from standing in the general election – The Daily Mail
- Gove sets a formidable example to his successors – Editorial, The Times
>Today:
May ‘admits responsibility’ for treatment of victims of Windrush scandal
“Theresa May has admitted she was ultimately responsible for the Windrush scandal that saw more than 80 people wrongly deported despite living in the UK for decades. In an ITV documentary, the former prime minister admitted the Home Office had failed to anticipate the impact of her “hostile” environment on the Windrush generation, who first came to the UK in 1948. “Should we in the Home Office have had a greater sense of trying to identify whether there were other people, people who were going to get caught up in this way? I don’t believe that question was ever asked. And that’s what lay behind the problems,” she said… The scandal broke in 2018 when it emerged that the Home Office had kept no records of people from the Windrush generation…” – The Daily Telegraph
Jenrick: Tory leadership isn’t my interest ‘at the moment’
“Robert Jenrick has lost four stone but believes he has found a path to salvation for the Conservative Party. He wants the Tories to copy their Canadian sister party in winning back young voters by linking housing to migration. Only by drastically limiting numbers arriving can one hope to build enough homes for those already here, he claims. Is that a leadership pitch? “My interest at the moment is only in making and trying to win these arguments.” He has the good grace to laugh when told it’s the words “at the moment” that carry the greatest significance in that reply. The Conservative MP for Newark has become a hate figure for some on the left following his decision to order the removal of Mickey Mouse murals at a reception centre for migrant children.” – The I
Labour 1) Starmer and Cooper pledge to “act fast” to win trust on security
“A Labour government would carry out a 100-day review of all the threats facing Britain as Sir Keir Starmer concedes that voters still have concerns over the party’s commitment to national security. The so-called “security sprint” will bring together MI5, the police and Whitehall departments to identify emerging and evolving threats. This will include those from Russia, Iran and other hostile states, extremism and generative artificial intelligence that has been used to create chatbot terrorists online to recruit radicals. The rapid security review will assess fast-changing technological threats, identify gaps in regulation and develop plans to keep the public safe. Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said that the work would be modelled on Britain’s response to 9/11…” – The Times
- Starmer to acknowledge Labour has not yet earned the trust of voters in first election speech – The Daily Telegraph
- He is to say he’s ‘changed’ Labour as party rules out raising income tax or NI – The Guardian
- He aims to appeal to undecided voters by asking them to trust him with UK’s “money, borders, and security” – The Daily Mail
Labour 2) He will ‘revive Sunak’s smoking ban’ and maintain the pension triple lock if Labour come to power, says Kendall
“Labour would revive Rishi Sunak’s flagship smoking ban and maintain the state pension triple lock, a senior party figure said yesterday. Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which failed to become law during Parliament’s ‘wash-up’ period last week, would be introduced under a Labour government. The legislation – which made it into the Prime Minister’s speech announcing the July 4 election date – would have made it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born after January 1, 2009. Labour also doubled down on their commitment to keep up the state pension triple lock…’If we’re elected we will make that happen and make it less likely that young people will smoke than vote Tory,’ Ms Kendall told Sky News.” – The Daily Mail
Labour 3) Streeting: I should have spoken up sooner at Stonewall to defend women
“Wes Streeting has admitted that he should have spoken up sooner at Stonewall and the National Union of Students to defend women who voiced concerns about trans issues. Women should not have been “written off as bigots” because they wanted to protect women-only spaces, he conceded. The shadow health secretary was head of education for the controversial charity before entering politics. He was also president of the National Union of Students when the feminist Julie Bindel was no-platformed for being “transphobic”. Speaking at the Hay Festival, Mr Streeting said his views had developed in the intervening years and he regretted that he had not spoken up in support of women with gender-critical views.” – The Daily Telegraph
- The Shadow Health Secretary told the Hay Festival that feminists concerned about their erasure from NHS documents and other issues had been mistreated – The Times
Labour 4) Reeves defends fire and rehire ‘in very limited circumstances’
“Rachel Reeves, UK shadow chancellor, has said bosses must retain the right to fire and rehire their workers on inferior contracts in “very limited circumstances” if the alternative is bankruptcy and mass redundancy. Reeves on Sunday took on Sharon Graham, leader of Unite the Union, who this weekend described Labour’s planned reforms to worker rights if the party won the general election as having “more holes in it than Swiss cheese”. The shadow chancellor…insisted “fire and rehire” practices would be banned in general but that there had to be some exceptions. “We will end fire and rehire, but when a company is facing bankruptcy, and there is no alternative, they will have to consult with their workers, and with their trade unions,” she told the BBC.” – The Financial Times
- Union bosses criticise Labour over fire and rehire caveat – The Times
- Inside Labour’s plans to run the four great offices of state – The I
Labour 5) The Shadow Chancellor also tells private schools to ‘make cuts’ as VAT raid looms
“Private schools must make cuts to cope with Labour’s planned VAT raid as the state sector was forced to by the Conservatives, Rachel Reeves has said. Labour plans to impose 20 per cent VAT on private school fees…with Sir Keir Starmer pledging to roll out the policy “straight away”. It has prompted a backlash from private school headteachers and parents, who are warning that it could lead to an exodus of pupils to the state sector and force the closure of some private institutions. Asked about concerns over the VAT raid…Ms Reeves dismissed them, saying: “I’m sure that private schools can make efficiencies in the same way that state schools have been making efficiencies this last decade or so.” Her comments were criticised by independent schools and Tory MPs…” – The Daily Telegraph
- Starmer’s tax on private school fees is a sordid strategy to throw red meat to Corbynistas – Dominic Lawson, The Daily Mail
Labour 6) She says she would not return the country to austerity
“Rachel Reeves vowed that there would be no “return to austerity” under a Labour government as she ruled out increases to income tax or national insurance. On the first weekend of the general election campaign, the shadow chancellor said she and Keir Starmer wanted taxes on working people to be lower. Pressed on how Labour would fund public services, Reeves ruled out raising income tax or national insurance and insisted that there would be no “unfunded proposals” in the party’s election manifesto. Speaking on the BBC…Reeves said: “I don’t want to make any cuts to public spending, which is why we’ve announced the immediate injection of cash into public services. She said the party would raise money to fund its pledges by introducing VAT on private school fees…” – The Guardian
Labour 7) The party ‘ignored democratic process’ to pick Corbyn’s opponent
“Labour activists in Jeremy Corbyn’s constituency have accused the national party of an “egregiously undemocratic selection process” after it chose a candidate without consulting the local branch. Corbyn has been the MP for Islington North since 1983, but was stripped of the Labour whip after refusing to acknowledge a report on the prevalence of antisemitism during his leadership of the party between 2015 and 2020. He was blocked from standing as the Labour candidate and was then expelled from the party after he announced his decision to stand as an independent. The party then selected Praful Nargund, a local councillor who runs a chain of IVF clinics, to be its candidate in the north London seat, which Corbyn won with a 26,000 majority in 2019.” – The Times
General election campaign ‘feels like 1997’, says Davey
“Sir Ed Davey has said the general election campaign feels like 1997, when Labour won a landslide. The Lib Dem leader claimed his party is getting the best response from voters it has received “for a generation” and accused the Tories of taking the public “for granted”. Sir Ed made the comments as he unveiled the Lib Dems’ new battlebus, Yellow Hammer 1, in Whittlesford, Cambridgeshire, on Sunday… The Lib Dems are targeting Conservative heartlands in the so-called Blue Wall, and are hoping to overtake the SNP as the third-largest party in the House of Commons. Buoyed by a series of recent by-election victories in true-blue territory, the party is eyeing the constituencies of several Cabinet ministers including Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.” – The Daily Telegraph
- He says there is ‘no ceiling on ambitions’ for the Liberal Democrats – The Guardian
Farage ‘under fire’ after saying Muslims do not share British values
“Nigel Farage has come under fire for using his first election interview to “spout Islamophobia, hatred and divisive comments” after he said a growing number of Muslims do not share British values. [He] drew heavy criticism…Speaking on Sky News…[he] said: “We have a growing number of young people in this country who do not subscribe to British values…” When asked if he was talking about Muslims, Farage responded, “We are. … And I’m afraid I found some of the recent surveys saying that 46% of British Muslims support Hamas – support a terrorist organisation that is proscribed in this country.”… Farage went on to compare how much more integrated people who had come from the West Indies were in British society than Muslims…” – The Guardian
- We must declare the Channel migrant crisis an issue of national security – Nigel Farage, Daily Express
>Yesterday:
Sturgeon police probe could detonate ‘political grenade’
“Scotland’s prosecutors could detonate a “political grenade” that derails the SNP’s general election campaign, a nationalist MP has warned them after they confirmed Nicola Sturgeon remains under investigation. Angus MacNeil urged the Crown Office to provide “clarity” on whether they will “hold off” until after the election on bringing any further charges over the investigation into the SNP’s finances. The Western Isles MP said any action over Operation Branchform before July 4 had “huge potential to change the narrative of this campaign”… He said he was doing SNP MPs “a favour” by writing to the Crown Office as they could not be seen to be trying to influence prosecutors by asking for the information.” – The Daily Telegraph
News in Brief:
- The logic of national service – Eliot Wilson, The Spectator
- Sunak’s national service idea misses the point – Henry Hill, UnHerd
- A question of selection – Obadiah Mbatang, The Critic
- Extremism has plagued our streets for too long – Ian Acheson, CapX
- The beauty of concrete – Samuel Hughes, Works in Progress
