Winter Fuel Payments 1) 30 Labour MPs expected to refuse to vote for the cut
“As the prime minister vows to press ahead with scrapping the winter fuel allowance for most pensioners, Labour whips are encouraging some MPs to abstain rather than oppose the move in a Commons vote on Tuesday that has become a key test of Starmer’s authority. Up to 50 MPs are thought to be struggling to support the policy, with about 30 expected to refuse to back the prime minister. Most of these MPs are likely to abstain rather than vote against, however, with government sources saying they did not have major concerns about the size of the rebellion.” – The Times
- Streeting ‘not remotely happy’ about vote to cut winter fuel payments – Daily Telegraph
- Labour ‘clearly planned to betray pensioners’ before election, claims Rosindell – Daily Express
- Starmer says his government must be ‘prepared to be unpopular’ – Financial Times
- “Up to 50 Labour MPs could rebel” – The Guardian
- The PM’s doom-laden warnings will become self-fulfilling — he must champion the hope and change people voted for – Jenni Russell, The Times
- Starmer must stop campaigning and start governing – Leader, Daily Telegraph
>Yesterday: Video: Starmer – We have to make tough decisions that the ‘last Government ran away from’
Winter Fuel Payments 2) Trade unions challenge Starmer
“Leaders of two of the biggest unions have added further pressure on the government over its plan to cut winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners in England and Wales. Unite and the Public and Commercial Services Union have criticised the plan, while the head of the Trades Union Congress which brings together the unions also expressed his concerns. It comes as the prime minister faces a potential rebellion at a vote in the Commons on Tuesday if Labour MPs refuse to support the policy. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the cut is necessary due to the state of the country’s finances.” – BBC
Winter Fuel Payments 3) Labour’s own research claimed cut would kill thousands
“Thousands of pensioners could die if winter fuel payments are cut, according to Labour’s own research. The shocking analysis was published in 2017 – when Sir Keir Starmer sat in the Shadow Cabinet. It warned that Conservative plans to axe the allowance for ten million elderly voters would increase excess deaths by 3,850 that winter. And it called Theresa May’s proposal, which was later abandoned, the ‘single biggest attack on pensioners in a generation in our country’.” – Daily Mail
Winter Fuel Payments 4) Government “considering plan to reduce bill”
“Households on lower incomes would receive lower gas and electricity bills under plans being considered by ministers, i has been told. The option of a social tariff for energy bills – similar to those for cheaper mobile phone packages – is being looked at by the Government as it tries to head off a damaging row over the cut to winter fuel payments.” – The i
Tory leadership 1) Two more Shadow Cabinet Ministers endorse Badenoch
“Kemi Badenoch had the backing of more than a third of the shadow cabinet on Sunday night, as two more members came out to say only she had the “X-factor” which could propel the Tories to victory. James Cartlidge, the shadow defence secretary, and Kevin Hollinrake, the shadow business secretary, said the Conservative leadership frontrunner could communicate with the public so the party’s message “cuts through”. In an article for The Telegraph, they said she deserved to win because she combined “star quality, moral strength and sound principles”. It brought the number of shadow cabinet endorsements for Ms Badenoch to 10 out of 29.” – Daily Telegraph
>Today:
Tory leadership 2) Popular Conservatism poll puts Jenrick in the lead
“Robert Jenrick is the frontrunner in the Tory leadership race, according to a new poll of party members. The former immigration minister received 38.3 percent in the survey by the Right-wing Popular Conservatism group. Shadow Housing Secretary Kemi Badenoch was second with 30.4 percent in the poll of 444 Tory members. Centrist candidates James Cleverly, Tom Tugendhat and Mel Stride took 5.2 percent, 3.8 percent and two percent respectively. A further 20.3 percent said “don’t know” in the poll, which was carried out from August 28 to September 5.” – Daily Express
>Yesterday: Video: Atkins backs Jenrick in leadership race as ‘he can attract voters back’
Tory leadership 3) Shouting from White Cliffs won’t stop the boats warns Tugendhat
“Tom Tugendhat has said that the Conservatives cannot lower migration by “just shouting at foreigners from the White Cliffs” in a jibe at the right of his party. On another day of jostling among leadership contenders, Robert Jenrick’s supporters raised eyebrows in rival camps by boasting of his attempt to force through contentious planning reforms, which were abandoned after a revolt by Tory MPs and activists.” – The Times
>Yesterday: Video: It’s no use ‘just shouting at foreigners from the white cliffs’, Tugendhat insists
Tory leadership 4) Stephenson: Why I’m backing Cleverly
“I have entered Parliament not knowing any of the leadership candidates. I have no loyalties and have not sought promises. Instead, I have spent time with each candidate, and I have listened…James Cleverly has explained why Conservative solutions are the right solutions to the enormous challenges our country is facing – an unstable world, high migration, and a crisis of confidence in capitalism. And he has a plan to show young people that capitalism will drive opportunity for them, by giving them a stake in our society and our growing economy.” – Blake Stephenson, MP for Mid Bedfordshire, – Daily Express
- Cleverly or Tugendhat would make best PM, poll on Tory leadership candidates shows – The Guardian
Tory leadership 5) Lilley: Why I’m backing Badenoch
“The fact that Kemi graduated in engineering is hugely important. Since Margaret Thatcher, a science graduate, nearly every prime minister and party leader of both the Tories and Labour has been a wordsmith. They mostly studied politics, philosophy and economics, or law. They were good at using words, all too often twisting words to explain away failure and rationalise broken promises, or finding out what people want then telling them what they want to hear. But they lacked the mindset to organise and plan the deployment of resources and people. The result is that Britain is broken — nothing works.” – Peter Lilley, The Times
- Badenoch will not go down without a fight – Harry Cole, The Sun
Mid-year start for VAT on school fees is “deliberately destructive”
“The head of a private school association representing hundreds of schools says he does not disagree with the concept of VAT on fees but the timing is “unempathetic cant”. Dominic Norrish, the chief executive of the Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS), has written to Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, and Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, commending them for wanting to raise standards in state education. But he says the decision to introduce VAT on private school fees in January is deliberately destructive and will undermine the policy’s aims.” – The Times
- At least Labour’s being even-handed – they’re showing as little concern for vulnerable children as they are for pensioners – Dominic Lawson, Daily Mail
Hogan-Howe calls for laws on protests to change so that the public is protected
“A former head of the Met Police has called for protest laws to be ‘rebalanced’ in favour of the public after the force admitted that ‘errors were made’ in tackling anti-Israel demonstrators. The admission comes as a landmark report reveals how police and the courts are pandering to protesters by putting their rights first at the expense of ordinary citizens who are often afraid to go into town centres during marches. Former Met Commissioner Lord Hogan-Howe wants a review of legislation and police tactics, saying: ‘The Government must rebalance the legal regime in favour of ordinary members of the public going about their daily lives.’ The report by the think tank Policy Exchange shows the public would overwhelmingly support officers taking stronger action against disruptive protesters.” – Daily Mail
- Police ignore anti-social behaviour, says victims’ commissioner – Daily Telegraph
- National Crime Agency is ‘on its knees’, Starmer is warned – The Times
- The police must manage protests appropriately – Leader, Daily Telegraph
Covid inquiry to begin new phase
“The public inquiry into the pandemic will start 10 weeks of hearings on Monday looking at the impact on patients, healthcare workers and the wider NHS. Covid patients have been admitted to hospital more than a million times in the UK since the virus emerged in 2020, while countless others have had care for other conditions disrupted.” – BBC
>Today: ToryDiary: A practical response is needed for future disasters. Not expensive mawkish memorials. Or inquiries lasting years.
NHS “going backwards” report to conclude
“NHS progress is going backwards for the first time in 50 years, a major report commissioned by the Government has found. The report by Lord Ara Darzi, a surgeon and former health minister, will this week highlight failures in the most basic care offered by the health service. It will criticise the amount of time children are left waiting in A&E and how the NHS’s routine services ground to a halt during the pandemic. Lord Darzi will say that the progress made since the 1970s on deaths from heart disease and waiting times for treatment is now in reverse for the first time.” – Daily Telegraph
- NHS review will urge Labour to spend billions on buildings – The Times
>Yesterday: Video: ‘I’m not remotely embarrassed or apologetic’ about Milburn being in meetings, says Streeting
Prison early release scheme “could be undermined by increase in recalls”
“The prison early release scheme to be launched on Tuesday risks being undermined by recalls of freed offenders, ministers fear. Sources have told The Telegraph that ministers have two major concerns over the early release plans, which will see around 1,750 offenders released on Tuesday, 40 per cent of the way through their sentences rather than 50 per cent, to prevent jails running out of spaces…A senior justice source said: “The two things they’re worried about is that it doesn’t solve the problem, because lots of people come back because they’ve been bounced back on probation…” The second fear relates to a prisoner on early release committing a serious further offence.” – Daily Telegraph
- Releasing prisoners early is a huge gamble for Labour, with the law-abiding public likely to pay the price – Leader, The Sun
Other political news
- Government will not close biological sex ‘loophole’ in Equality Act – Daily Telegraph
- More councils to get control of local buses – BBC
- Tory Covid contracts worth £15bn had corruption ‘red flags’, study finds – The Guardian
- Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González flees to Spain – The Times
- Businesses put hiring on hold – Daily Mail
- Harris loses her polling lead over Trump as TV debate looms – The Times
- Zahawi “plots comeback as London mayor” – Daily Mail
- UK councils face £4.3bn ‘black hole’ in financing next year, data shows – Financial Times
- Starmer’s allies to appoint new Labour general secretary in next fortnight – The Guardian
- Workers on lowest pay set for 6% rise in minimum wage – The Times
- Creative industries demand action from Labour over Brexit red tape – Financial Times
- Actor Idris Elba to join Starmer at knife crime summit – The Sun
- Newly appointed French PM under pressure to suspend immigration – Daily Telegraph
News in brief
- How the Conservatives can improve Candidate Selection – Iain Mansfield, Substack
- Justice for Grenfell is long overdue – Sam Leith, The Spectator
- The Startup Party: Time to Build from September and replace the Tories? – Dominic Cummings, Substack
- Labour have already shown their true colours – Joseph Dinnage, CapX
- The Tory Calamity. Lessons from Australia – Adam Tebble, Substack
- Trudeau has lost the Canadian Left – Michael Cuenco, Unherd
