Archive for: Political Services

Today’s Political Headlines include BuzzFeed’s scoop on the state of the UK economy after Brexit, Tory donors calling on May to quit and all PIP claims to be reviewed following a court ruling. 

Brexit impact assessments leak, as May rejects the EU’s transition terms
BuzzFeed News has obtained a copy of the Government’s economic analysis of Brexit. It suggests that the UK would be worse off outside the EU in every scenario modelled. The news comes as The Daily Telegraph reports that Theresa May is to reject the EU’s proposed transition period terms over free movement and ‘rule taking’, and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox tells The Sun that Eurosceptics will have to ‘live with disappointment’. The Guardian says that a new report by Open Britain and the Labour Campaign for the Single Market argues ‘there is no leftwing case for leaving the single market and the customs union’. The paper also reports that the German ambassador has ascribed British Euroscepticism to a sense of national identity built around the Second World War.

Tory donors call on May to quit
The Times claims that displeasure with Theresa May ‘boiled over’ at a Conservative fundraising event on Thursday. An account of the event that suggests around a quarter of the 50 donors attending called for May to go has been circulating amongst pro-Brexit MPs.

PIP claims to be reviewed following court ruling
The BBC reports that the Department for Work and Pensions will review the claims of every person receiving Personal Independence Payments (PIP) – a total of 1.6m claims. This follows the Government’s decision not to challenge a court ruling that PIP changes were unfair to people with mental health conditions.

MoD housing deal cost taxpayers £4bn
A report by the National Audit Office suggests that British taxpayers could have lost as much as £4bn because of a 1996 Ministry of Defence property deal, The Daily Telegraph says. In the deal, the MoD sold around 55,000 houses and then leased them back.

Robert Halfon suggests referendum on NHS spending increases
Conservative MP Robert Halfon has called for a referendum on raising NHS spending, The Guardian reports. He has suggested the Government should legislate for a referendum every ten years on how much to increase NHS spending, and consider a new hypothecated ringfenced tax for health and social care spending.

China ‘baffled’ over May’s delay in visiting
As Theresa May prepares to leave for her first trade mission to China, The Times reports that the Chinese are ‘baffled’ that it has taken her 18 months to visit. The Financial Times suggests May will not endorse China’s Belt and Road initiative in which it invests in Asian and central and eastern European infrastructure during the visit. The Guardian says that Brexit ‘has severely eroded’ the UK’s negotiating position and its value to China.

Gavin Williamson under pressure over defence spending
The Times says that Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson came ‘under renewed pressure’ when three former security chiefs – Lord Ricketts (Former national security adviser), Sir John Sawyers (former MI6 head) and Robert Hannigan (former GCHQ director) – criticised the removal of defence from the national security capability review as a ‘backwards step’, driven by politics.

MPs could lose seats for sexual harassment or bullying
The Financial Times has seen a copy of draft plans, expected to be published later this week, under which MPs found to have engaged in sexual harassment or bullying could be suspended by the parliamentary commissioner for standards and trigger a recall process.

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Today’s Political Headlines are dominated by Brexit – with a ‘coordinated attempt’ to discredit the Chancellor and civil servants; the potential transition deal delay; and the Lords committee’s criticism. 

Brexit: Brexiteers in ‘co-ordinated attempt’ to discredit Chancellor & civil servants
According to this morning’s Times, Brexiteers are on ‘a co-ordinated attempt to discredit Philip Hammond and senior officials’. Key cabinet members are to be shown government economic impact assessments for different Brexit options this week, the paper reports. The Daily Telegraph has obtained a WhatsApp message in which energy minister Claire Perry claims that the ‘sell out traitor mob’ who criticised the Brexit bill are the ‘swivel-eyed few’.

Brexit: Transition deal may be delayed over law vetting demand
The Financial Times warns that the UK could be on a ‘collision course’ with the EU over demands to vet new EU laws agreed during the transition period. According to the paper, senior officials on each side are worried that the disagreement could delay reaching a deal. Meanwhile, The Times says that EU negotiators expect the UK to request an extended transition period, but that this will be kept secret to avoid a rebellion by Eurosceptics.

Brexit: Lords committee criticises Withdrawal Bill
The House of Lords Constitution Committee has criticised the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill ahead of the start of debates this week, The Guardian reports. The committee says that ‘the bill risks fundamentally undermining legal certainty’, criticising the ‘overly broad’ powers and the failure to secure agreement from the devolved governments.

Social media firms called on to do more about grooming
The Times dedicates its front page to a call for social media firms to crack down on online grooming. According to the paper, the NSPCC is calling for the Home Office to put pressure on social media companies to use artificial intelligence to block predatory behaviour online. The charity says that the Government’s new voluntary code ‘does not go far enough’.

Pensions Regulator criticised for failure to act over Carillion
The House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee has criticised the Pensions Regulator for allowing Carillion to defer pension deficit contributions in September, according to The Guardian. Frank Field, who chairs the committee, said ‘It’s clear that Carillion has been trying to wriggle out of its obligations to its pensioners for the last 10 years.’

Tory peer and Church of England call for Government action over gambling adverts
A study commissioned by the Conservative peer Lord Chadlington has found that 65% of teenagers think that television channels carry too much advertising for gambling, the Daily Mail reports. He is calling for the Government to ban gambling advertising during sporting events. Alan Smith, the Bishop of St Albans, told The Daily Telegraph that advertising for gambling was ‘an increasing moral crisis for us as a society.’

Increased automation may deepen the UK’s economic divide
The Financial Times has details of a report by the Centre for Cities think-tank, which suggests ‘the rise of the robots’ will deepen the UK’s economic divide, with a third of jobs in some northern and midlands cities vulnerable to automation and globalisation. The centre’s chief executive, Andrew Carter, has called for more devolution.

Labour would buy 8,000 properties for the homeless
Appearing on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn pledged to provide 8,000 homes ‘immediately’ to house people with a history of rough sleeping, should his party enter government. He described the scale of homelessness as ‘disgusting’ and ‘wholly unnecessary’.

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Today’s Political Headlines include the Presidents Club debacle, Theresa May addressing Davos, the 1922 Committee Chair begging MPs not to trigger a challenge against the PM and Ministerial turnover putting projects at risk. 

Presidents Club closes down, as minister faces calls to quit
The fallout from the Financial Times’s exposé of sexual harassment at the Presidents Club dinner has continued. The club is to be wound up and charities have returned donations. David Meller, a chair of the club, has resigned from the board of the Department for Education, while Theresa May has come under pressure to sack Nadhim Zahawi, the minister for children and families, who attended the event. Mark Carney and Boris Johnson have said that they did not authorise meetings with them being auctioned at the event.

May to tell investors to put pressure on social media firms over content
When she addresses the World Economic Forum in Davos today, the Prime Minister will call on investment companies to put pressure on social media providers to remove terrorist and extremist content, The Times reports. She will tell attendees that ‘No one wants to be known as the terrorists’ platform or the first-choice app for paedophiles’.

1922 Committee Chair begs MPs not to trigger challenge against May
An exclusive in The Sun reveals that Sir Graham Brady, the Chair of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs, has begged MPs not to trigger a challenge against Theresa May. A no confidence vote would be automatically triggered if he receives 48 letters. He apparently declined to comment on the claim.

Ministerial turnover putting projects at risk
The unusually high turnover of ministers – more than two-thirds have been appointed since June – is putting Government projects at risk, according to the Institute for Government. The thinktank’s findings are reported by the Financial Times. Sir Richard Mottram, former Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary said that ‘The system incentivises short-termism and eye-catching initiatives.’

Sara Khan appointed to head Commission for Countering Extremism
Sara Khan has been appointed to head the new Commission for Countering Extremism, the BBC reports. The campaigner promised that the commission will challenge ‘extremism in the name of our shared values, fundamental freedoms and human rights’. However, Baroness Warsi has accused Khan of being a Home Office ‘mouthpiece’.

Theresa May’s relationship with Donald Trump under the microscope
Two different accounts of Theresa May’s relationship with Donald Trump are being reported today, ahead of their meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The Daily Telegraph says that Trump compared May to Winston Churchill during a phone call in December, with a source saying that the pair ‘have a surprisingly warm relationship’. However, Bloomberg News claims ‘May finds it almost impossible to make headway and get her points across’.

Department for International Trade criticised
The Guardian says that the Department for International Trade has been criticised by the National Audit Office. The department is apparently struggling to meet deadlines, to recruit specialist staff, and to retrain its workforce. A departmental spokesperson said that ‘Overall, our plans are on track and we have met every EU exit delivery milestone to date.’

Prisons minister says that he will ‘get back to basics’
The Daily Mail reports on evidence given to the Justice Select Committee by the new justice minister, Rory Stewart. Following reports about poor conditions in prisons, Stewart said ‘My instinct is we need to get back to basics. We need to absolutely insist that we are going to run clean, decent prisons.’

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Today’s Political Headlines include the Johnson backlash, allegations over the Presidents Club Charity Dinner, a new defence review and the UK opposing EU recycling targets. 

Johnson faces backlash at Cabinet meeting
The Times says that Boris Johnson received a ‘brutal rebuff’ in yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, but that this has not deterred him from laying out his vision of a ‘liberal case’ for Brexit next month. The paper adds that at least eight cabinet ministers criticised Johnson yesterday, in an operation apparently ‘authorised and led by the prime minister’. The meeting concluded with Theresa May criticising those who leaked cabinet discussions.

Allegations about charity dinner lead to calls for changes to the law
An investigation by the Financial Times into the Presidents Club Charity Dinner, at which, the paper says, ‘many hostesses — some of them students earning extra cash — were groped, sexually harassed and propositioned’, has resulted in calls for changes to the law. The Guardian says that Maria Miller, Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee suggested that ‘perhaps it’s time the government gives the Equality Act some real teeth?

New defence review announced
As The Daily Telegraph reports, a new defence review has been announced, giving Gavin Williamson another five months to make the case for increased military funding. The review will be controlled by the Ministry of Defence, having been spun-off from Sir Mark Sedwill’s cross-Whitehall security capability review, which had drawn up a programme of cuts.

UK opposing new EU recycling targets
In an exclusive, The Guardian claims that confidential documents show that the Government is opposing strong recycling targets across the EU, despite recently pledging to develop ‘ambitious new future targets and milestones’. The UK Government is opposing a target to recycle 65% of urban waste by 2035, according to a record obtained by Greenpeace.

New unit to combat ‘fake news’ will be created
The UK is to create a new unit to counter ‘fake news’, the BBC reports. According to a spokesperson for the Prime Minister, the ‘dedicated national security communications unit’ would be responsible for ‘combating disinformation by state actors and others’. The creation of the unit was agreed at a meeting of the National Security Council.

Channel 4 to air allegations about three former ministers
A controversial episode of Channel 4’s Dispatches, which alleges that three former Conservative ministers, Andrew Lansley, Andrew Mitchell and Peter Lilley, were willing to sell their services to a fake Chinese business will be shown next week, following a review by senior executives at the broadcaster, The Guardian says. The three men deny wrongdoing.

Government urged to introduce personalised road charging
The BBC says that a new report by the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) suggests that the Government should charge drivers for using the road network, based on their individual circumstances, including the type of road, time of day, congestion levels, and their personal financial situation.

Labour’s National Executive Committee sides with ‘hard left’ in Haringey dispute
The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Labour Party intervened in a dispute surrounding the Haringey Development Vehicle, a housing scheme run by the council in partnership with a private company, The Times reports. The scheme, backed by the council’s leadership, has been opposed by left-wing councillors, Momentum, and trade unions, as well as local Labour MPs, whose side the NEC has now taken.

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, which include the UKIP leadership crisis, MPs opinions on free movement, more money for the NHS and the ‘threat’ of Russia. 

UKIP Leadership Crisis
The BBC reports that the deputy leader of UKIP, Margot Parker has resigned and is calling for UKIP leader Henry Bolton to do the same. Yesterday the party’s national executive committee backed a vote of no confidence in Bolton. This vote comes after reports relating to Bolton’s personal life, Bolton has said he will not resign as he feels he is the person to bring success to the party. UKIP’s national executive committee does not have the power to remove Bolton so the members of the party will now be given a vote on Bolton’s future. John Bickley has also resigned from his position as the party’s immigration spokesperson.

Conservative MPs want free movement to end during the transition period
The Huffington Post claims that 75% of Conservative MPs want free movement to end during the transition period despite Theresa May saying the current state of play will continue for about two years after Brexit. With strong backbench influence, May will have to find a way to appease her MPs. May is not the only leader to be staring down a confrontation with backbench MPs as the same survey finds 90% of Labour MPs feel membership of the single market and Brexit are compatible. This would indicate that Labour MPs are more representative of the party membership than the leadership on this issue.

Extra £100m a week for the NHS?
Theresa May will face calls from senior members of the Cabinet to give the NHS £100m extra a week according to The Sun. Boris Johnson, Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove and Chris Grayling will all try to persuade the Prime Minister to make this commitment. This would contribute to the £350m mentioned in the referendum campaign.

The threat of Russia requires more spending on defence
The Guardian reports on the anticipated intervention by Sir Nick Carter, Chief of General Staff, into the debate into defence spending. Carter will warn that Russia is spending more on defence than the UK and this should be a concern. Carter does not feel that the threat coming from Russia takes a traditional form and in a speech, will warn of the unorthodox threats we face. The Ministry of Defence wants more spending on the army, navy and air force as the Government becomes more and more focused on counter-terrorism.

Abuse of pensions to come to an end
Executives who give themselves higher pay at the expense of workers’ pensions will be facing tougher sanctions, according to the Financial Times. A white paper to be published in March will set out new rules for directors who take risks with workers’ pensions. This commitment comes after 28,000 people face cuts to their retirement benefits since Carillion went into liquidation.

Councils can fix the housing crisis
The Telegraph suggests how councils can fix the housing crisis, the Treasury select committee wants the cap on how much councils can borrow to build to be abolished. History shows that when house building was at its highest, councils were building roughly half the homes. With the current borrowing cap the number of homes being built is severely restricted and the Government are being called on to address this.

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, which include doubts over PFI benefits, more funding for Calais, the continuing Carillion fallout and the Brexit Bill’s journey to the Lords. 

NAO report casts doubts on PFI benefits
A report by the National Audit Office casts doubt on the benefits of using PFI, The Guardian says. According to the report, the cost of using private finance for public projects can be 40% higher than using Government money, while the deals will force taxpayers to pay out £200bn over the next 25 years.

Macron to demand more funding for Calais when he meets May
Theresa May is to announce £44.5m to improve border security when she meets President Macron today, The Times reports. However, Macron is expected to demand more money to improve the Calais economy, that the UK takes more child migrants and that the UK speeds up asylum claims.

Fallout from Carillion collapse continues
The Guardian reports that trade unions are angry with the Government’s attempts to reassure workers following the collapse of Carillion, with the GMB calling for ‘proper guarantees’. The Financial Times adds that Carillion bosses have been stripped of bonus and severance payments following a public outcry, and that work has been ‘paused’ on building projects.

Brexit Bill leaves Commons and heads to Lords, whilst Labour MPs rebel
As The Daily Telegraph reports, last night the EU (Withdrawal) Bill passed its final stage in the House of Commons, meaning it is now headed for the Lords. Forty-eight Labour MPs rebelled against their frontbench to back an amendment that would have kept the UK in the single market and the customs union. The Guardian adds that Justine Greening used the debate as an opportunity to make her first backbench intervention, claiming that young people could undo Brexit.

Power-sharing talks to restart in Northern Ireland
The new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Karen Bradley, has announced that power-sharing talks are to restart in Northern Ireland on 24 January, The Guardian says. Bradley, who meets the Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney in Belfast this morning, said that ‘one last opportunity to reach agreement remains.’

New Lord Chancellor on ‘charm offensive’
The Times has interviewed the new Lord Chancellor, David Gauke, and describes him as being on a ‘charm offensive’. He apparently signalled his concern over ‘the “crisis” in judicial morale and recruitment’, pledged to champion the legal services industry, and defended his decision to seek advice over a potential challenge to the release of John Warboys. Separately, the paper warns of a ‘£30m bonanza for consultants’ as part of the courts modernisation programme.

Facebook to expand Russia investigation
Facebook has agreed to expand its investigation into alleged Russian intervention during the EU referendum, the Financial Times reports. This follows pressure from the Commons Digital, Media and Sport Committee, which said the firm’s previous efforts had been inadequate.

Further remarks by Ben Bradley cause controversy
More comments from blogposts by the new Tory Vice-Chair for Youth, Ben Bradley, have come to light, The Times says. In the remarks, he claims that ‘police brutality should be encouraged’. He has apologised.

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, which are still dominated by Carillion. The press has also covered Macron’s Bayeux Tapestry offer, the minister for loneliness and the Government’s risk of missing carbon targets. 

Carillion collapse affects 30,000 firms
As The Guardian outlines, 30,000 firms could be owed money by Carillion, while the Government has ordered investigations to be fast-tracked. The Financial Times says that Jeremy Corbyn has called for ‘an end to the rip-off privatisation policies’.

Macron to announce loan of Bayeux Tapestry to the UK when he meets Theresa May
According to an exclusive report in The Times, French President Emmanuel Macron is due to announce the loan of the Bayeux Tapestry to the UK when he meets Theresa May on Thursday. This would be the first time the tapestry has left France in 950 years, subject to safety tests. The paper also reports on a speech given by Macron in Calais yesterday, in which he outlined the immigration issues that he hoped to discuss with May.

May appoints a minister for loneliness
Today’s Daily Mail reports that Theresa May has given Tracey Crouch, already Minister for Civil Society and Sport, ministerial responsibility for loneliness. The move, which had been recommended in a report by the Jo Cox Commission for Loneliness, will see Crouch draw together different Government departments, announce new funding, and ask the Office for National Statistics to devise a means of measuring loneliness.

Government at risk of missing carbon targets
The Committee on Climate Change has warned that the UK will miss its legally-binding carbon targets if the Government does not take urgent action, The Guardian says. However, it has also praised the Government for its Clean Growth Strategy. The Committee’s Chair, Lord Deben, said ‘even if they do all the things they say they are going to do, to the maximum, there will still be a gap.’

New Tory vice-chair called for vasectomies for the unemployed
The Mirror has the news that the Conservative Party’s new vice-chair for youth, Ben Bradley, called for the unemployed to have vasectomies. Bradley made the comments in a blogpost in 2012. Bradley has now deleted the posts and apologised for the remarks, with the paper claiming that Theresa May is now under ‘huge pressure’ to sack him.

Johnson warns May that she must make NHS funding commitment
The Daily Telegraph claims that Boris Johnson has warned Theresa May that the Government must make a public commitment to giving the NHS an extra £100m a week after Brexit. An ‘ally of Mr Johnson’ told the paper ‘Boris thinks that for the Tories to beat Corbyn it is fundamental that the government delivers on NHS funding and he will continue to make this argument until it happens.’

Rees-Mogg elected to lead influential Brexit group
As The Daily Telegraph reports, Jacob Rees-Mogg has been elected unopposed as Chair of the influential European Reform Group of pro-Brexit Conservative MPs. He said ‘As Chairman I intend to be helpful, vigorous and supportive towards Government policy of making a success of Brexit.’

Unprecedented life expectancy falls in some regions
The Times says that life expectancy has fallen by more than a year since 2011 in parts of the country, according to official figures. Theories for the fall include economic stagnation, cuts to services, rates of obesity, smoking and drinking, loneliness and lack of care. Experts say that the falls are unprecedented in peacetime and are urging ministers to investigate.

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, including Trump cancelling his visit to the UK, Nigel Farage’s second Brexit referendum, Government ordering illegal migrants’ accounts to be closed, and a threat to the Royal Marines and paratroopers. 

Trump cancels UK visit
This morning’s Daily Mail revealed that President Trump has cancelled his visit to the UK. He was expected to visit next month, but has not offered a new date. According to a senior source, Trump cancelled ‘because he was unhappy about the arrangements and the scale of the visit’. However, he tweeted last night that he cancelled the trip because he was unhappy with the deal that led to the new embassy being built.

Nigel Farage floats the possibility of a second Brexit referendum
The Guardian reports that Nigel Farage, the former UKIP leader, told Channel 5’s The Wright Stuff that ‘maybe, just maybe, I’m reaching the point of thinking that we should have a second referendum on EU membership’ in order to kill off arguments about Brexit. In this morning’s Daily Telegraph, Farage rows back on this stance, claiming instead that he is ‘beginning to fear that a second plebiscite may well happen anyway.’

Government to order banks to close illegal migrants’ accounts
The Daily Telegraph says that the Government is to hand banks a list of illegal migrants suspected of hiding in the country, and order that their accounts be closed. New immigration minister Caroline Noakes argues in the paper that innocent people have nothing to fear.

Merger threat to Royal Marines and paratroopers
According to The Times, defence secretary Gavin Williamson has been presented with three sets of defence cuts, cutting armed forces numbers by more than 14,000 and combining paratrooper units and the Royal Marines in order to save money. The cuts could leave the armed forces with fewer troops than at any point since the Napoleonic era.

Crisis talks held over Carillion
The Financial Times reports that senior Government ministers including David Lidington (Cabinet Office minister), Greg Clark (business secretary), Jo Johnson (transport minister), Liz Truss (chief secretary to the Treasury) and Rory Stewart (justice minister), as well as ministers from five other departments, met yesterday for talks about the future of Carillion, a major Government contractor that the paper says is ‘close to collapse’.

Theresa May meets financial leaders, whilst EU ambassadors debate transition extension
Details of a meeting between Theresa May and representatives of the financial services sector are reported in the Financial Times. She said that financial services would be ‘at the heart’ of a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU. However, The Times says that Downing Street has disputed Philip Hammond’s suggestion that the UK could keep paying into the EU budget after Brexit in exchange for privileged access for British banks to the EU market. Separately, the Financial Times also claims that EU ambassadors have begun debating whether the transition period can be extended and, if so, what price should be attached.

Chris Williamson resigns as shadow fire minister
Chris Williamson, Labour’s shadow fire minister, has resigned after he said that council tax should be doubled on high-value homes. The Guardian says that Williamson is now ‘expected to act as a leftwing outrider for the Labour leader from the backbenches’ and that Jeremy Corbyn is expected to announce a series of junior frontbench appointments today.

Peter Bone leaves wife for physio
The Sun’s front page story today is that Tory backbencher Peter Bone, famous for mentioning his wife in Parliament, has left her for a married physiotherapist and former Conservative candidate, Helen Harrison.

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