Archive for: Political Services

A round-up of the latest political headlines, including Brexit, child and pensioner poverty and the NHS. 

Theresa May in crunch Brexit meeting
Theresa May is in Brussels today to meet European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker for crucial Brexit talks. The Irish cabinet will also meet this morning to discuss Brexit. The papers have varying assessments of May’s likely success. The Times claims that a deal is ’85-90 percent there’, the Financial Times says the UK and the EU are on the ‘brink’ of a deal, but according to The Daily Telegraph the Government is ‘highly pessimistic’ about its chances of success and may might ask for an extension.
Increase in child and pensioner poverty
The Guardian reports research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which found that almost 400,000 more children and 300,000 more pensioners in the UK were living in poverty than in 2012-13, in the first sustained increase in 20 years. The foundation blamed the increase on ‘political choices, wage stagnation and economic uncertainty’ and called for benefits to be unfreezed, training increased, and a more-ambitious house-building programme.
NHS to rule out more ‘poor-value’ treatments
The Times reports that the NHS is to rule out more poor-value treatments, as it comes under pressure to find more savings. The chief executive of NHS Clinical Commissioners told the paper that ‘There are a range of interventions that we shouldn’t be doing because they don’t work, […] We are now starting a piece of work to bring that all together and we hope there will be significant savings.’
Syrian aid programme suspended after allegations that it funded jihadis
The Guardian reports that a foreign aid scheme funded by the Government has been suspended following allegations to be made in a BBC Panorama documentary this evening. The scheme, intended to fund a civilian police force through a programme run by Adam Smith International, allegedly saw money being channelled to jihadi groups.
Social Mobility Commission chair who resigned was due to be replaced
The Daily Mail says that Alan Milburn, who quit as chairman of the Social Mobility Commission because he had ‘little hope’ May could deliver change had already been told that May planned to replace him. A Whitehall source said ‘Milburn was sacked and is now having a rant on his way out the door.’
Cabinet split over Damian Green’s future
The Times has details of a cabinet split over the future of Damian Green, the First Secretary of State. Apparently, May’s team of staff are also split, with her chief of staff Gavin Barwell wanting Green to resign, whilst her director of communications, Robbie Gibb thinks he should stay.
Funding for ‘mini nuclear power stations’ to be announced
The Government is expected to announce up to £100m of funding for small nuclear power stations this Thursday, says The Guardian. The competition to find the best value ‘small modular reactor’ has been delayed, leading to lobbying by firms.
Jeremy Hunt: social media sites should limit access by the young
The Daily Mail reports comments made by Health Secretary that social media sites should limit access by vulnerable youngsters. He said that sites should monitor whether young people are putting their mental health at risk by spending too much time online.

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, including DUP’s Irish border deal warning, calls to cancel Trump’s visit and the £1bn care home funding gap. 

DUP in Irish border deal warning
The Financial Times says that the DUP has warned that if the Government treats Northern Ireland differently to the rest of the UK in Brexit negotiations, it will withdraw its support. However, Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkhar is maintaining his instance on Northern Ireland remaining part of the EU customs union, and avoiding a hard border.

Calls to cancel Trump visit
The Times reports that President Trump is still expected to visit the UK in February in order to open the US embassy, despite criticism from MPs and other politicians, including Mayor of London Sadiq Kahn. However, The Daily Telegraph claims that US diplomats have ‘dropped plans’ for Trump’s visit and that it has been ‘pushed into the long grass’.

Warning over £1bn care home funding gap
According to the Financial Times, the UK’s care home sector has a £1bn annual funding gap. A report by the Competition and Markets found that the ‘current model of service provision cannot be sustained without additional public funding’. The Labour Party called for an end to cuts to local authorities, but the Government pointed to increases in social care spending.

Corbyn: ‘we’re a threat’ to banks
The Guardian reports Jeremy Corbyn’s response to a warning from investment bank Morgan Stanley that he poses just as much of a threat to business as Brexit. In a video, he said ‘So when they say we’re a threat, they’re right. We’re a threat to a damaging and failed system that’s rigged for the few.’

Damian Green faces ‘desperate fight’ to save job
In an exclusive, The Sun says that the Cabinet Office’s investigation into First Secretary of State Damian Green’s conduct ‘will say it is unclear whether he broke the ministerial code, which is a sackable offence.’ Having seen the initial findings, the paper claims that Downing Street has been working on ‘a desperate plan’ to save Green’s job.

Record migration fall after Brexit vote
The Times has details of the largest ever annual fall in net migration ever recorded. Overall net migration fell by 106,000 to 230,000 in the year after the vote to leave the EU. Immigration minister Brandon Lewis said, ‘With more Europeans continuing to arrive than leave, these figures show that claims of a ‘Brexodus’ are misguided.’

NHS patients to face treatment rationing and longer waits
Simon Stevens, the NHS England Chief Executive, has announced plans to ‘make taxpayers’ money go further’, drawing up a list of 36 conditions which don’t need treatment, and saying that new guidance expected from NICE could not be implemented without advance funding agreement. According to The Times, Government sources dismissed this as ‘grandstanding’.

Changes to ‘snooper’s charter’ see police lose powers
A series of changes to the ‘snooper’s charter’ will see senior police officers ‘lose the power to self-authorise access to personal phone and web browsing records’, The Guardian reports. A consultation paper published by the Home Office makes it clear that the changes, being made to comply with a European court ruling, will limit access to personal communications data by the police and other bodies to crimes with a prison sentence of six months or more. Labour’s Tom Watson said the proposals were ‘flawed’ and didn’t go far enough.

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, including the big Budget day stories, Brexit divorce agreement deadline and Kezia Dugdale on ‘I’m a Celebrity’. 

Budget: Last minute briefing as Downing Street takes control
This morning’s Daily Telegraph reports that 10 Downing Street took control of a last minute Budget briefing, as it is worried that the statement will ‘fall flat’. The paper quotes a Cabinet source who described it as ‘the worst Budget build-up in history’, as the Treasury first issued an ‘uninspiring’ statement and claimed that no policy announcements would be made, before performing a U-turn over two hours later. According to The Sun, May cannot sack Philip Hammond as Chancellor as ‘she fears she is too weak’.

Budget: More funding for schools and house-building measures
The Times reports that schools are to be paid £600 for each extra pupil they persuade to sits Maths A-level, with teachers in poorly-performing areas to benefit from £1,000 career development grants. The paper also expects measures to increase house-building, including direct state intervention (including a land-buying programme) and loosened borrowing restrictions for councils.

Budget: Veterans to get funding from LIBOR fines
In an exclusive, The Sun says that the Chancellor is to announce that veterans will benefit from £4.5m of fines from bankers as a result of the LIBOR scandal. £1.5m will be allocated to fund a new support programme by the charity Help For Heroes, whilst the Scar Free Foundation Centre for Conflict Wound Research will be given £2.95m. In total, over £30m in funding from the fines will be allocated today.

EU and UK aim to reach Brexit divorce deal within three weeks
The UK and the EU are aiming to reach a Brexit divorce deal within three weeks, according to the Financial Times. Negotiators have apparently pencilled in the week of December 4 as a breakthrough moment, with senior EU diplomats suggesting that there is ‘now a better than even chance of agreement’ on ‘sufficient progress’ at the EU summit in December.

Kezia Dugdale avoids ‘I’m a Celebrity’ suspension
Former Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale has avoided being suspended by her party, according to an article in The Daily Telegraph. The party’s MSP group ruled that Dugdale would not be suspended despite taking ‘an unauthorised leave of absence’ to appear on the TV show I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! and would instead be interviewed on her return.

Hinkley Point power station deal to hit poorest hardest, report says
The Guardian carries details of a report by the Public Accounts Committee, which has found that the price the Government has promised to pay for power from the new Hinckley Point C power station will add £10-15 to the average household energy bill, hitting the poorest households the hardest.

Brexit rebels force Government climbdown
The Times reports on the progress of the EU Withdrawal Bill through Parliament yesterday. Conservative rebels, led by Dominic Grieve, forced the Government to announce that it would attempt to find a compromise on plans to remove the right of citizens to sue the Government, and on protecting citizens’ rights outlined in the EU’s charter of fundamental rights.

Conservative claims over police budget protection ‘a lie’ says Mirror
The Mirror claims that Theresa May’s boast that the Government had ‘protected’ police budgets is ‘a lie’. It reports research by the House of Commons showing a £413m cut in police force funding. Labour’s Shadow Policing Minister Louise Haigh said the cuts were ‘a threat to public safety’, whilst the Government did not deny the accuracy of the figures.

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, including Penny Mordaunt’s appointment, the Brexit date, Northern Ireland’s status in the customs union and David Cameron’s lobbying. 

Penny Mordaunt appointed as International Development Secretary
Penny Mordaunt, previously minister for disabled people, has been appointed as the new International Development Secretary, following Priti Patel’s resignation. The Times says the appointment keeps the balance between leave and remain supporters in the cabinet, and suggests that it was a ‘consolation prize’ after Mordaunt emerged as a front-runner for the post of Defence Secretary last week.

European Commission calls for Northern Ireland to remain in customs union
The Daily Telegraph and the Financial Times break the story that a European Commission document shows that Ireland wants ‘concrete reassurance’ on the issue of the Irish border before the next EU leaders’ summit in December. It appears to require that the UK remains in a customs union with the EU, or that Northern Ireland has a special status and remains in a customs union, creating a trade border between the rest of the UK and Northern Ireland. A negotiator quoted in the Financial Times described Ireland’s stance as a ‘wild card’ factor.

Brexit date to be set in law
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Theresa May has announced an amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill, setting the date and time of the UK’s departure from the European Union as March 29, 2019 at 11pm GMT. Looking ahead to the next stage of the bill’s scrutiny in the House of Commons, she promises to listen to MPs who suggest improvements.

Budget news: Hammond refuses to loosen the purse springs, plans NHS spending increase and taxes on diesel cars
According to the Daily Mail, the Chancellor is refusing release billions of pounds for investment and won’t compromise on plans to eliminate the budget deficit by 2025, causing frustration for the Prime Minister. The Times reports that Hammond is planning to include more funding for the NHS in the budget. It says that the Chancellor is considering both ‘a cash injection’ and a pay boost for frontline workers. The Financial Times says that higher taxes will be placed on sales of new diesel vehicles, either by increasing VAT or creating a new levy.

Calls for cabinet reshuffle, amid ‘fierce debate’ in Downing Street
A story in The Guardian claims that senior figures in the Conservative party are calling for a ‘bold reshuffle’ of Theresa May’s cabinet, arguing that a ‘new generation’ of Conservative MPs need to be promoted. Others, including civil servants and whips, are warning that this might cause instability.

David Cameron lobbied China over planned investment fund
The Times reveals that David Cameron discussed a ‘UK-China fund’ being set up by figures including Lord Chadlington, a Conservative peer, with Chinese vice-premier Ma Kai during a visit to the country. If the fund is set up, the paper reports that Cameron is considering taking a role. As the fund does not currently exist, he did not need to seek official clearance.

Carwyn Jones may face investigation over handling of harassment allegations
The Guardian says that Carwyn Jones, the Welsh First Minister, may face an investigation over his handling of the allegations against Carl Sargeant, who was found dead after being sacked last week. Separately, The Daily Telegraph reports that John Bercow, the Commons speaker, has said that Charlie Elphicke, the suspended Tory MP, should be given the details of the allegations against him.

Metropolitan police chief calls for tougher sentences for young offenders
The Daily Mail carries remarks made by Cressida Dick, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, in which she called for tougher sentences for young offenders, which would ‘actually deter people’. She was speaking to the Howard league for Penal Reform, whose Chief Executive, Frances Crook said that ‘it is unusual for a police officer to comment on areas outside their expertise, like sentencing’.

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A round-up of the latest political headlines from the UK’s media, including Priti Patel, Brexit, Paradise Papers and the NHS. 

Priti Patel returns to London amid further accusations
Priti Patel, the International Development Secretary, is flying back to London, following further revelations about unauthorised meetings in Israel. The Times reports that she breached Government protocol by visiting the Golan Heights, had further unauthorised meetings after returning, and that Lord Polak, ‘a leading figure in a corporate lobbying group’, sat in on meetings. The Daily Telegraph claims that Priti Patel departed for Uganda earlier than originally planned yesterday, missing questions in Parliament.

Brussels says that the UK needs to concede to secure trade talks, banks warn of job moves and Government handling of negotiations faces public disapproval
The Guardian has been told by Brussels officials that there is less than a month for the UK to make a concession to secure trade talks. The Financial Times says that a group of large financial institutions warned the US commerce secretary that slow progress with Brexit planning and an unstable government may force them to move thousands of jobs out of London. The Daily Telegraph has a poll showing that the Government’s handling of Brexit negotiations has a 66% disapproval rating.

Paradise Papers revelations continue
The BBC and Guardian are continuing to publish revelations from the ‘Paradise Papers’. Recent revelations include that the Prince of Wales has a ‘conflict of interest’ (according to Sir Alistair Graham, former chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life) between his investments and his environmental lobbying, and the use of the Isle of Man as a tax haven, with Margaret Hodge suggesting that Lewis Hamilton should not receive a knighthood. The Times has revelations about the use of tax havens by Labour councils.

NHS will need £24bn more funding by 2022
The Guardian reports that Jim Mackey, Chief Executive of NHS Improvement, told the NHS Providers conference that the NHS in England could need as much as £24.2 billion more funding than currently pledged by 2022, or it will have to scale back services. A report produced by the King’s Fund found that ‘there will be a significant and growing gap between the resources given to the NHS and the demands it faces’.

Corbyn aide suspended
The Mirror says that David Prescott, Jeremy Corbyn’s aide and son of the former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has been suspended ‘amid the sexual harassment crisis’. He has not commented on the allegation, and the Labour Party would not comment on this specific case.

Carl Sargeant, former Welsh minister, found dead
Carl Sargeant, former Welsh communities secretary was found dead yesterday, after being sacked from his job and suspended from the Labour party on Friday following accusations about his behaviour. The BBC reports that Welsh First Minister, Carwyn Jones, is facing criticism about his handling of the situation.

Johnson says words were ‘taken out of context’ in Iranian prisoner remarks
The BBC reports on Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s said that his remarks about Nazanin Zagheri-Ratcliffe, currently imprisoned in Iran, were ‘taken out of context’ and that he intends to visit Iran to discuss the case before the end of the year. Her husband said that Johnson’s clarification was a ‘good thing’.

IFS warns of uncertainty surrounding Scottish income tax increases
According to The Daily Telegraph, research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies has found that Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s planned tax increases could backfire, with there being ‘a lot of uncertainty’ over whether more money would be raised. The Scottish Government said that it had considered ‘a range of potential revenue impacts’.

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