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Tories would kick out low-paid migrants
“Jobless and low-paid migrants would be barred from settling indefinitely in the UK under the first major Conservative policy announcement by Kemi Badenoch. The Tory leader is proposing that migrants who have entered the UK legally should only be allowed to apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) once they have been in the country for 10 years, double the current five-year threshold. Under the plans, in order to qualify, a migrant would have to have worked and not claimed benefits or used social housing during the entire 10 years they had spent in the UK. They would also have to have been “net contributors” to the economy over the decade, meaning their salary and tax payments must be high enough to outweigh their costs to the state, including those of their children and any benefits they may have claimed.” – Daily Telegraph
- Tough new policy after net migration hit an all-time high of 906,000 under the last government – The Times
- Claimants would not be allowed to have received benefits or relied on social housing – The Sun
More:
- Hermer claimed pledge to ‘control our borders’ was de-humanising – The Times
- Asylum seeker awarded £100,000 payout after complaining she was ‘treated like a criminal’ when she overstayed – Daily Mail
- Hongkongers in UK struggle to make skills pay in jobs market – FT
>Today: John Oxley’s column: Thirty years ago, two children murdering another was society-shocking. It should be again.
Conservatives ‘hold top-secret talks’ on merger with Reform UK
“Conservative and Reform politicians have held top-secret talks about an election deal to kick Sir Keir Starmer out of Downing Street, it was claimed today. Both parties have denied any agreement is possible, with a Reform source saying: “That’s fake news.” A Conservative Party spokesman said: “Complete and utter nonsense. The Conservative Party will not negotiate with people who want to destroy us.” But The Spectator magazine, which has close links to the Conservative Party and is edited by former Tory education secretary Michael Gove, reported: “In private, informal discussions have taken place with figures in both parties.” … Options are said to include a formal elections pact, with the parties agreeing not to stand candidates against each other.” – Daily Express
- Farage promises voters are in for a ‘big surprise’ as he teases major announcement – Daily Express
- Reform leader could topple Starmer, shaken Labour MPs admit – The Sun
Comment:
- Give Kemi time, her plan is starting to work – Daniel Johnson, Daily Telegraph
>Today: ToryDiary: Will the last Tory to leave please turn out the lights?
Starmer could strike a US free trade deal within months if he chooses to prioritise it over the EU, says Trevelyan
“Keir Starmer could strike a lucrative free trade deal with Donald Trump within months if he chooses to prioritise it, a former trade secretary said yesterday. Anne-Marie Trevelyan said a ‘a big, punchy, broad ranging trade deal’, which could generate billions for the British economy, remained on the table in Washington if Labour decides to pick it up. Mrs Trevelyan, who was negotiating a trade deal with the US when President Trump left office in January 2021, said the two sides had been ‘about halfway’ to finalising the agreement at the time. Talks then went into the deep freeze after Joe Biden made clear he had no interest in striking new trade agreements. Mr Trump has signalled that he is interested in reviving the idea of a trade deal with the UK.” – Daily Mail
- UK handed leadership role in Ukraine defence group as US pulls back – The Times
- Starmer refuses to criticise Trump over plan for US takeover of Gaza Strip – The Sun
- ‘Bullying’ EU demands talks on defence as part of Sir Keir Starmer’s Brexit ‘reset’ – Daily Mail
Steve Barclay: Labour’s broken promises to farmers are about to get a whole lot worse
“Labour is doubling down on green plans that will take a significant amount of land out of food production. This plan will mean at least the equivalent of 12,000 average UK farms forced out of business, as 9% of farmland is no longer used to grow food, and a further 5% mostly taken out of production. And the true impact could be even more significant because there are other smaller changes that could impact agriculture. Livestock and dairy farmers are likely to be hardest hit and it was telling that, when questioned, Labour’s Environment Secretary suggested people could be encouraged to reduce their consumption of meat in order to hit Labour’s targets, rather than defend this vital part of our rural economy.” – Daily Express
Energy 1) Stop giving in to eco-nutters, Badenoch tells Starmer
“Kemi Badenoch has accused Sir Keir Starmer of giving in to “eco-nutters” over delays to approving new North Sea oil and gas fields. A court ruled last week that consent orders to develop two new fields off the coast of Scotland, Shell’s Jackdaw gas field and Equinor’s Rosebank oil field, were illegal as officials had not taken into account the emissions from burning the fossil fuels produced when they granted the licences. It came after a Supreme Court ruling last year also found the projects to be illegal. The new Labour government did not try to oppose this decision. Ministers are drawing up plans for a scheme to take account of the courts’ rulings, but final guidance is yet to be published.” – The Times
- Starmer wants contentious North Sea oil and gas fields to go ahead – FT
- Public transport row could ground Gatwick’s second runway plans – The Times
More:
- Police will not investigate Starmer over voice coach row as three-year limit for charges has passed – The Sun
Sketches:
- Badenoch swings and misses at voice coach conundrum – Tom Peck, The Times
Editorial:
- Reeves must back new oilfield or face Labour’s pro-growth agenda being sunk by Miliband and the eco mob – The Sun
>Yesterday: Video: PMQs. ‘The government is so clueless’ – Badenoch quizzes Starmer on his lockdown voice coach
Energy 2) Starmer pledges planning reforms to boost nuclear power
“Sir Keir Starmer will on Thursday announce changes to the planning system designed to speed up the delivery of new nuclear power stations in England and Wales. The British prime minister will claim that the planning reforms will “clear a path” for the introduction of small modular reactors, which are faster to build than existing larger reactors. The shake-up will involve the scrapping of a list of eight favoured sites for larger nuclear schemes, giving developers more flexibility in where they can build. Ministers will remove the expiry date on nuclear planning rules so projects no longer get “timed out”. They will also announce plans to set up a new Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce to oversee improvements to regulations to help more companies build nuclear projects.” – FT
- He expects Labour MPs to back a new generation of nuclear power stations in their constituencies – The Times
- Britain is lagging behind: it’s time to stop holding nuclear energy back – Ed Miliband MP, Daily Express
Concern in Downing Street over Chagos Islands handover deal
“Senior Downing Street figures have concerns about the government’s deal to cede sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, Labour sources have told the Guardian. Ministers are under fire over an agreement to hand control of the islands, including Diego Garcia, which houses a joint US-UK airbase, to Mauritius. Under the terms of the deal, the base would remain under UK control on a 99-year lease. Keir Starmer told MPs on Wednesday that the deal was essential for the Diego Garcia base to continue operating. “Without legal certainty, the base cannot operate in practical terms as it should,” the prime minister told MPs… But two senior sources said that some in Downing Street had reservations about the deal, which is costing considerable political capital and risks jeopardising relations with Donald Trump’s administration.” –
- Labour minister squirms over Chagos deal as Starmer set to hand over islands and £9bn – Daily Express
- ‘Top secret national security concerns’ lie behind Chagos plan – The Sun
- Government got ‘clear’ legal advice to cede archipelago, says Starmer – The Times
- UK says Mauritian premier gave ‘inaccurate’ account of Chagos Islands deal – FT
- Moment Labour minister completely blows her lid in furious Chagos row – Daily Express
More:
- Top brass ordered to stop talking in EVs over fears Chinese makers will eavesdrop on conversations – The Sun
Sketch:
- Badenoch completely misses the Chagos deal-sized target on Prime Minister’s back at PMQs – Madeline Grant, Daily Telegraph
Comment:
- Starmer is the worst negotiator in British history – Con Coughlin, Daily Telegraph
Editorial:
- Starmer and the attorney-general have taken leave of their senses – The Times
>Yesterday:
Find efficiency savings or risk the sack, civil servants told
“In a drive to reduce government waste the most senior officials will, for the first time, be held personally accountable for efficiency savings in their departments. They will also be required to demonstrate that they have managed their staff to provide “consistently high outputs”. Failure to achieve the targets will lead to senior officials being placed on a performance development plan and potentially result in their dismissal if they fail to improve. The changes are designed to make it easier to remove senior officials from failing government projects following longstanding criticism of civil servants being “promoted out” of failure. Those who exceed targets will be in line for bonuses. They are also designed to force permanent secretaries to deliver the efficiency savings they promise as part of the spending review process.” – The Times
- ‘Woke’ jobs in NHS hospitals at £123,000-a-year despite ministers’ vowing to crack down on ‘out of control’ diversity drives – Daily Mail
- Kensington and Chelsea council to stop paying into staff pensions – FT
More:
- Bank of England poised to cut interest rates amid economic gloom – The Guardian
- Judgment day nears for Reeves, and OBR outlook is bleak – The Times
- Chancellor is warned UK businesses cannot take any more tax rises – Daily Mail
- Labour reinstates four rebel MPs after seven-month suspension over welfare rebellion – FT
Comment:
- Britain still acts as if it has money to burn – Jon Moynihan, The Times
- How is this different from life under the Tories? – Frances Ryan, The Guardian
Editorial:
- Britain should follow America in re-examining DEI programmes – The Times
>Today:
Rayner postpones local elections for millions in ‘blow to surging Reform’
“Angela Rayner has cancelled local elections this year for 5.5 million people amid growing outrage over inflation-busting council tax bills. Just weeks before the planned polling day, the Deputy Prime Minister announced that elections in nine areas, including Surrey, Norfolk, Suffolk and Thurrock, would be postponed to allow for a reorganisation of local authorities. The average tax Band D bill is set to rise by five per cent in these areas. It comes as Ms Rayner pushes through a wholesale reorganisation of local authorities, with district councils scrapped and merged into counties to produce new unitary councils. The Deputy Prime Minister said this meant that in many cases there would be no point in voters electing a county council when another one would have to be held a year later for its new unitary guise.” – Daily Telegraph
- Farage criticises the decision as ‘collusion to stave off the threat’ posed by his party – FT
- Some councillors in England could stay for more than extra year under shake-up plans – The Guardian
More:
- Backlash from families as Rayner says Grenfell Tower to be demolished – The Times
News in Brief:
- Where are the Tories? – CD Montgomery, The Critic
- Britain’s police need a MAGA revolution – Dominic Adler, UnHerd
- How did Labour become so unpopular? – George Eaton, New Statesman
- McSweeney is urging Keir Starmer to go for the kill – Michael Gove, The Spectator
- Anglofuturism is the key to reversing our decline – Tom Ough, CapX
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