Tactical voting may have cost Cleverly place in final two
“Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick will face off for the Conservative leadership after James Cleverly’s support collapsed amid claims of a botched attempt to influence the final run-off. In a surprising twist, Cleverly fell from frontrunner in the penultimate ballot to last place in the final vote among MPs on Wednesday, all within 24 hours. Badenoch finished top for the first time in the parliamentary stage of the contest, picking up 12 votes after Tom Tugendhat’s exit to put her on 42. Jenrick scored 41, an increase of ten compared with the previous round, while Cleverly’s supporters dropped from 39 to 37. The collapse in momentum for Cleverly, 55, was blamed by his allies on some supportive MPs who believed his place in the final was guaranteed, secretly switching to support the rival they most wanted him to face. One of those who wanted him to win but backed a different candidate told The Times they felt “sick” after the result.” – The Times
- Cleverly out of Tory race ‘after tactical voting backfires’ – Daily Telegraph
- How Cleverly slid to shock defeat in Tory leadership race – The Times
- Five ways Cleverly could have lost support – Daily Telegraph
- Last minute surge in support puts Badenoch on Tory leadership ballot paper – Daily Express
- Jenrick and Badenoch to contest Tory leadership – FT
- It’s Badenoch v Jenrick – Daily Mail
- Labour and Lib Dems gleeful as Badenoch to face Jenrick in Tory leadership race – The Guardian
- Cock-up, rather than conspiracy, the likely cause of Cleverly’s surprise exit – The Guardian
- Red socks to start — a sock in the mouth to finish – The Times
- Badenoch tears into Labour’s chaotic first 100 days in power – Daily Express
Comment
>Today:
>Yesterday:
Labour 1) Reeves must raise taxes by £25bn to avoid austerity, says IFS
“Rachel Reeves will need to raise taxes in this month’s budget by about £25 billion to honour Labour’s pledge not to return Britain to austerity. The chancellor must raise taxes by twice as much as George Osborne’s austerity budget in 2010 to ensure that public spending can rise across the board, even with looser fiscal rules, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) estimates. Reeves is considering increasing employer national insurance contributions. Sir Keir Starmer refused to rule it out on Wednesday and Labour sources insisted the levy on bosses was not covered by its manifesto pledge that the government “will not increase national insurance”. – The Times
- Chancellor ‘needs up to £25bn of tax rises to avert austerity’ – Daily Telegraph
- Reeves mulling national insurance on employer pension contributions – The Guardian
- Starmer refuses to rule out raising employer national insurance rate – FT
- Reeves considers a £17 billion national insurance hit to employer pension contributions – Daily Mail
- Former governor backs change in fiscal rules to include the nation’s assets – The Times
- Reeves rules out exit tax – FT
- Gilt markets ‘will not forgive heavy borrowing’ in Reeves’s budget – The Times
Labour 2) Workers face two-year wait before new employment rights kick in
“Workers will wait up to two years for new rights as ministers offer last-minute concessions to business over a far-reaching overhaul to employment law. Nine million workers will get more rights from their first day on the job under an Employment Rights Bill to be set out on Thursday that promises 28 fresh regulations to help employees. But despite a promise that probation periods of up to nine months would be allowed and the delay on implementing the reforms, small businesses condemned “chaotic and poorly planned” changes that they warned would put bosses off hiring new staff and hit jobseekers with health problems hardest.” – The Times
- New enforcement agency will protect workers’ rights as part of ‘watershed’ bill – The Guardian
- Labour to soften worker protection plan after business pressure – FT
- Ministers fire starting gun on worker rights reform – FT
- New laws to stop repeat of P&O mass sackings scandal go before Parliament – The Guardian
Zelensky flies to London for talks with Starmer
“Volodymyr Zelensky will fly to London on Thursday for a meeting with Sir Keir Starmer. Mr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, will meet the Prime Minister and Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary general, for talks. It is Mr Rutte’s first visit to the UK in the role. Downing Street said Sir Keir would underline Britain’s “iron-clad” support for Ukraine as it battles against the Russian invasion. A spokesman for the Prime Minister would not say if the issue of whether Storm Shadow missiles could be fired into Russia would be discussed. Mr Zelensky is understood to be using his visit to present his “victory plan” to Sir Keir. The Ukrainian leader is on a whistle-stop tour of Europe, canvassing for support for more weapons. He also wants countries to agree to allow Ukraine to join Nato.” – Daily Telegraph
- Working for Starmer was like being in an ‘abusive relationship’, says Duffield – Daily Mail
Comment
>Yesterday:
Johnson defends Trump’s Ukraine and January 6 riot claims
“Donald Trump did not intend to “overthrow the constitution” during the Capitol riots and he may have prevented Russia invading Ukraine, Boris Johnson has said. In an interview with Times Radio, the former prime minister said it was “credible” to claim that Vladimir Putin would not have invaded Ukraine had Trump been president in 2022. The former president has repeatedly insisted the Russia-Ukraine war would not have happened had he been in the White House. Johnson, speaking to Times Radio’s Stig Abell ahead of the release of his memoir Unleashed, also said the attack on the Capitol, in which Trump was accused of attempting to overturn the result of the 2020 election, did not put the former president beyond the pale.” – The Times
>Today:
Cooper got free Taylor Swift ticket before police guard decision
“Yvette Cooper received a free ticket to a Taylor Swift concert weeks before being involved in the decision to give the pop star VIP police protection for her Wembley tour. The Metropolitan Police took the highly unusual decision to give the singer a blue-light motorcycle escort to her Eras Tour shows after a foiled terror plot in Austria. It was reported that police were reluctant to agree to the request, which was demanded by Swift’s management, as there was no credible intelligence of a threat. However, it was provided after senior officers discussed the singer’s security with Cooper and the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who share political responsibility for policing. It has now emerged that both Cooper and Khan attended Swift’s shows.” – The Times
- Home Secretary attended Swift concert for free after ‘pressuring Scotland Yard to give singer VIP escort’ – Daily Telegraph
- Fury as Home Secretary watched Taylor Swift for free – The Sun
Phillipson faces claims of hypocrisy after playing hockey on private school pitch
“Bridget Phillipson played hockey on a private school’s AstroTurf hours before suggesting independent institutions didn’t “need” the pitches, The Telegraph can reveal. The Education Secretary made a viral social media post on Saturday mocking cost-cutting measures schools are making ahead of the Government’s VAT raid. She wrote that state school pupils “need careers advice more than private schools need AstroTurf pitches”. However, Ms Phillipson has been accused of hypocrisy for posting the comments after she spent the afternoon playing on the artificial grass pitch of a prominent private school, where fees are upwards of £25,000 per year.” – Daily Telegraph
Ministers accused of ‘dawdling’ over leasehold changes
“Campaigners have accused the government of dragging its heels over promised changes to the leasehold system in England and Wales, with homeowners still waiting for measures passed by the last government to be enacted. Residents groups have called on ministers to pass secondary legislation needed to enforce the Leasehold Reform Act, which was voted through with cross-party support. The act would ban developers from selling new houses as leaseholds, make it cheaper to extend a lease, increase the standard lease length to 990 years and make it easier for leaseholders to take control of managing their buildings, among other measures. But much of it needs to be enforced by secondary legislation, which is unlikely to need another parliamentary vote.” – The Guardian
Former defence secretary Wallace takes role advising Saudi Arabia
“Sir Ben Wallace, the former Conservative defence secretary, has taken up a new job advising Saudi Arabia on reform, governance and security. The former MP has been given permission to move into a role as senior adviser to a firm called CTRD, working with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia – a country criticised for its brutal record on human rights and oppression of women. The job was approved by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) but it placed strict conditions on Wallace, saying he must not lobby the government or advise on matters of UK defence for two years after leaving office.” – The Guardian
British billionaire secures golden visa for Dubai after ‘losing confidence’ in UK politics
“Billionaire media mogul Richard Desmond is preparing to divide his time between London and Dubai after reportedly “losing confidence” in British politics. The former Daily Express owner has secured a golden visa from the United Arab Emirates, where he also bought a property over the summer. The move has been described by one source as a “change of scene” for the businessman, although he will continue to be domiciled in the UK for tax purposes. However, it comes as Mr Desmond grows increasingly frustrated with the political backdrop in the UK, both under the previous Tory administration and the Labour Government.” – Daily Telegraph
