Archive for: Blog Posts

Today’s Political Headlines include Raab’s admittance that Brexit talks are unlikely to be completed by October, Macron’s fears that a no-deal scenario would poison European relations, Nick Timothy criticising May’s Chequers plan and energy drinks ban for children.  

Brexit talks unlikely to achieve October deadline – Raab
The FT has splashed on the latest admission by Brexit secretary Dominic Raab that the October deadline for UK-EU talks is unlikely to be met, with both sides struggling to reach agreement over the Irish border and future trade relationship. Raab conceded that there would be ‘leeway’ over the signing of a deal, with many Brexit analysts viewing the Irish border as the main obstacle to agreement.

Macron fears that a no-deal scenario would ‘poison’ European relations
The Times reports that French President Emmanuel Macron is calling on the EU to push for a close relationship with Britain. The French president will use next month’s EU summit in Salzburg to call for a new structure for European alliances based on ‘concentric circles’, with the EU and the euro at its core, and Britain in a second ring.

May’s former chief-of-staff criticises May’s Chequers plan
Writing in The Telegraph, the Prime Minister’s former chief of staff Nick Timothy has said that the PM is set to compromise even further on her Chequers proposal and agree to a ‘worst of all worlds’ Brexit deal, that would be worse than no deal at all. Nick has called upon the PM to revive David Davis’ discarded white paper for a post-Brexit trade deal.

Energy Drinks to be banned for children
The Daily Mail reports that school children will be banned from purchasing energy drinks such as Red Bull and Monster Energy. The drinks’ high level of caffeine and sugar have been blamed for disruptive behaviour in classroom, and health campaigner Jamie Oliver has backed the campaign. No. 10 has said that it has not yet decided whether the ban should apply to under-16s or under-18s.

Corbynites plan to lobby Labours NEC meeting to stop U-turn on antisemitism
The Times reports that pro-Corbyn supporters in the Camden branch of Momentum are now planning a ‘mass lobby’ of next Tuesday’s meeting of Labour’s ruling executive, when the party is expected to finally adopt its new code on anti-Semitism.

Farage considers bid for Mayor of London
The FT has revealed that former UKIP leader Nigel Farage is considering running in the London mayoral election, in an attempt to push the Conservatives into third place. A senior Conservative official has said that Number 10 was braced for embarrassment if Farage decided to run, fearing electoral defeat despite not having selected a candidate yet.

Salmond resigns from SNP
The Telegraph is reporting on Alex Salmond’s resignation from the SNP. The former leader has quit the party following two sexual harassment allegations, saying he did not want to ‘facilitate opposition attacks on the SNP’. Salmond announced his resignation alongside a crowdfunding appeal, set up to raise money for his upcoming legal challenge against the SNP Government for their handling of the allegations.

Police and Crime Commissioners call for Spice to be reclassified as Class A
The Independent reports that a group of more than 20 Tory police and crime commissioners have written to the home secretary calling for the synthetic ‘zombie drug’ known as Spice to be reclassified as Class A. In an open letter, the crime czars warn the Class B substance poses the ‘most severe’ threat to public health in decades.

Ready by October or still more to negotiate? Don’t miss out on the latest political updates, get Vuelio Political Services.  

Today’s Political Headlines include Hammond’s no-deal warnings, Salmond accused of sexual assault, the no-deal Brexit papers and Luciana Berger feeling unwelcome in Labour as a Jew. 

Hammond warns of ‘large fiscal consequences’ of no-deal
According to The Daily Telegraph, Philip Hammond has been accused of undermining the Government’s Brexit strategy by warning that a no-deal Brexit would have ‘large fiscal consequences’ for the UK in a letter which he wrote to the Commons Treasury Committee. The letter did not receive approval from Downing Street and the paper claims that it has been ‘infuriated’ by Hammond’s intervention.

Salmond accused of sexual assault
The Daily Record says that former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has been reported to police over historic allegations of sexual assault, dating from his time in the role. Salmond denies the allegations and has launched legal action against the Scottish Government, claiming that its Permanent Secretary ‘is behaving unlawfully in the application of a complaints procedure, introduced by her more than three years after I left office.’

Government publishes no-deal Brexit papers
The Times reports that the 24 technical papers outlining what would happen in the event of a no-deal Brexit published by the Government yesterday would increase bureaucracy, impede access to medicines and increase credit and debit card charges for holidaymakers.

Berger claims that Corbyn comments make her feel ‘unwelcome’ in Labour as a Jew
The Daily Mail reports that Labour MP Luciana Berger has attacked Jeremy Corbyn after footage emerged of him claiming that British Zionists ‘don’t understand English irony’ despite ‘having lived in this country for a long time, probably all their lives’. Berger said that the comments made her ‘as a proud British Jew feel unwelcome in my own party’. Jewish Chronicle editor Stephen Pollard said that the recording showed that Corbyn thought Jews were ‘somehow a breed apart from ‘normal’ English people’.

Tories block Arron Banks from joining party
The Guardian reports that the Conservatives have blocked an attempt by Leave.EU founder Arron Banks and Andy Wigmore, his business partner, to join the party. They claimed that they had joined the party to have their say in a leadership contest which they believe will happen shortly, arguing ‘that the battle for Brexit is now within the Conservative party’.

Corbyn accused of ‘hypocrisy’ over BBC class plans
According to The Daily Telegraph, Jeremy Corbyn has been accused of hypocrisy after he urged the BBC to publish data on its journalists’ class, despite the fact that much of his team went to independent schools. The Daily Mirror lists Corbyn’s seven ‘most radical ideas to shake up the media’, including a digital licence fee, journalists electing editors and a state-owned version of Facebook.

Starmer slaps down Gardiner over second referendum claims
The Daily Mirror claims that Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer has ‘slapped down’ Shadow International Trade Secretary Barry Gardiner for suggesting that a second referendum on Brexit might cause ‘civil disobedience’ and give ‘succour to the extreme right’. While he refused to back another referendum, Starmer said that ‘all options should be on the table’.

Gibb fails to explain new GCSE grading system
The Sun reports that Schools Minister Nick Gibb failed to explain the new GCSE grading system in an interview yesterday, telling LBC’s Nick Ferrari that grade 8 is the ‘midway point between grades 7 and 9’. Later, he refused to answer a maths question posed to him by TalkRadio’s James Max, claiming that he’d been told ‘not to answer them’.

Worried what the future holds for Brexit? Vuelio Political Services can keep you in the know.  

Today’s Political Headlines include Gove’s ban on puppy farming, Javid’s Windrush apology overshadowed, botched criminal reforms and the EU’s monitoring of the UK’s access to financial markets after Brexit. 

Gove bans puppy farming
The Daily Mirror is celebrating the victory of the Lucy’s Law campaign to end puppy farming, which it had supported. Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Michael Gove has announced that the Government is to ban the sale of puppies by pet shops, online dealers and third parties, claiming that too many pets ‘have been brought up in squalid circumstances, in circumstances of pain and suffering and misery which should never be inflicted on any living thing’.

Javid’s Windrush apology overshadowed by new removal and detention figures
The Guardian claims that an apology by Home Secretary Sajid Javid to 18 members of the Windrush generation who were ‘most likely’ treated ‘wrongly’ by the Home Office has been overshadowed by new figures that reveal that 164 Windrush people may have been wrongly detained or removed, although the precise details of these cases have not been determined.

Suspected serious criminals released without conditions after botched reforms
According to The Times, the use of police bail has fallen by 90% year-on-year, leading to high-risk suspects being ‘released under investigation’ without conditions. The paper attributes the changes to ‘poorly planned’ and ‘rushed’ Government reforms, described by an unnamed senior police officer as ‘a disaster’.

EU will strictly monitor UK’s access to financial markets after Brexit
The Financial Times reports that the EU official responsible for financial services, Valdis Dombrovskis has warned that the bloc will strictly monitor the UK’s right of access to its market after Brexit. He said that the EU was not offering the UK ‘super equivalence’ and that assessments would need to be conducted ‘sector by sector and legislation by legislation’. The Guardian adds that the UK’s no-deal impact paper for financial services is expected to be published in the first batch, due on Thursday, although this could change.

Corbyn accuses May of abandoning ‘moral duty to refugees’
The Guardian says that Theresa May has been criticised by Jeremy Corbyn for abandoning the UK’s ‘moral duty to refugees’, after the outsourcing firm Serco threatened to evict up to 330 refugees in Glasgow. He will meet some of the families affected by the firm’s action.

EU citizens will not be ‘turfed out’ in no-deal Brexit
The BBC reports that Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has promised to ‘move swiftly’ to safeguard the status of EU citizens during a no-deal Brexit, saying that it was ‘inconceivable’ that they’d be ‘turfed out’. According to The Times, Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary Greg Clark has been holding urgent talks with Irish officials in an attempt to secure Northern Ireland’s electricity supply in the event of a no-deal Brexit, in order to avoid having to publish contingency plans involving the use of generators.

Low tax councils to be hit hardest by funding changes
The Financial Times carries details of new research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies which shows that a redistribution of central government funding for local authorities could force boroughs with low council tax rates to bear more of the cost of services, while benefiting councils with high tax rates.

Chris Williamson praises pro-Assad blogger
The Daily Mail says that the Corbyn-supporting Labour MP Chris Williamson has ‘sparked fury’ by praising Vanessa Beeley, a pro-Assad blogger, at the Beautiful Days festival this weekend. Around a year after the MP Jo Cox was murdered, Beeley described her as ‘a warmongering Blairite and White Helmet Al Qaeda advocate’.

Find out more about what Vuelio Political Services can do for you. 

Today’s Political Headlines include the Government taking control of HMP Birmingham, EU migrants to be offered the right to stay in the event of a no-deal Brexit, Corbyn’s takeaway with the Hamas leader, and ending aid to rebel-held areas of Syria. 

Government takes control of ‘violent’ Birmingham prison
The Times reports that the Government has taken control of HMP Birmingham from G4S. The move follows the Chief Inspector of Prisons Peter Clarke’s call for the Government to open an independent inquiry into ‘appalling violence and squalor’ at the prison. He also warned of drug use, bullying and loss of control by prison staff. This is only the second time that the Government has taken over a private prison.

EU migrants to be offered right to stay in no-deal Brexit
The Daily Telegraph has obtained details of the UK’s policy towards EU migrants in the event of a no-deal Brexit. According to leaked cabinet papers, the UK will try to take the ‘moral high ground’ by allowing them to continue to live in the UK, use the NHS and claim benefits. The plan is to be set out in one of the no-deal technical papers, the first of which will be published on Thursday.

Corbyn had takeaway dinner with Hamas chief
The Sun reveals that Jeremy Corbyn admitted in a column for the Morning Star in 2010 that he had held a ‘long meeting’ and a takeaway dinner with Khaled Mashal, the Hamas leader, who the paper claims is a ‘renowned Holocaust denier’. Polling conducted for the paper finds that 47% think Labour had a serious problem with anti-Semitism, with 27% thinking that Corbyn is an anti-Semite. The Times adds that Labour MP Chris Williamson has been reprimanded following a complaint that he had belittled anti-Semitism accusations.

Aid to rebel-held areas of Syria to end
The Times says that the UK is to halt its support to the opposition in Syria, admitting that the rebels have lost the conflict. The Foreign Office and the Department for International Development have decided that the aid programmes are unsustainable, with the last rebel-held area expected to be attacked by President Assad’s forces imminently.

Adonis warns Labour will be ‘finished’ if it backs Brexit in an election
The Guardian reports that Lord Adonis has claimed that the Labour Party would be ‘finished’ if it backs Brexit at the next election. New polling shows that the Conservatives would be 4% ahead of Labour in a snap election if Labour adopted an anti-Brexit position, but 9% ahead if Labour was pro-Brexit, with the Liberal Democrats just 2% behind Labour.

MPs call for increased staffing budget because of Brexit
In an exclusive, The Daily Telegraph claims that MPs have been lobbying the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) for an increase in their staffing budget because Brexit is increasing their ‘workloads’. The former Chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, Sir Alistair Graham, has warned that the system is ‘open to abuse’ and that Ipsa should be ‘very cautious about raising budget’.

Tory MPs express entryism fears
The Guardian reports that Conservative MPs including Anna Soubry, George Freeman, Nicky Morgan and Phillip Lee have expressed concerns about entryism in the party after Leave.EU urged its supporters to join so that they could vote for Boris Johnson or Jacob Rees-Mogg in the next party leadership election.

Wright considers addressing conference as a hologram
According to The Times, Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Jeremy Wright is considering addressing the Conservative Party conference as a hologram, under plans that he inherited from his predecessor Matt Hancock, designed to highlight the work being done by British businesses with the technology.

You need Vuelio Political Services – find out why.