Today’s political headlines include May’s refusal to back the draft Brexit deal, the Government’s loneliness strategy, police infiltration in the SWP and Hancock’s controversial claims he has not received any letters about Universal Credit.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
May refuses to back draft Brexit deal as ministers start implementing no-deal plans<\/span> Government launches loneliness strategy<\/span> 24 police officers infiltrated SWP<\/span> Hancock claim not to have received any letters about Universal Credit contradicted<\/span> Hammond\u2019s ability to raise taxes limited<\/span> Russians targeting British spies<\/span> Former ministers should be held to account for decisions, thinktank says<\/span> Leasehold reform to be consulted on<\/span>
\n<\/strong>The Daily Telegraph<\/em>\u00a0claims<\/a>\u00a0that Theresa May refused to back a draft Brexit deal that had been negotiated by UK and EU officials yesterday because she worried that the Cabinet would not support it. Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab headed to Brussels for an unscheduled meeting at which he set out the UK\u2019s concerns, with all talks now suspended until a summit of EU leaders on Wednesday.\u00a0The Times<\/em>\u00a0adds<\/a>\u00a0that ministers have now been told to start implementing plans for a no-deal Brexit, while\u00a0The Guardian<\/em>\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0that the \u2018pizza group\u2019 of pro-Brexit Cabinet members convened by Andrea Leadsom will meet tonight to discuss May\u2019s proposed deal, with backbenchers suggesting that they should now quit the Government.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The\u00a0Daily Mail<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that Theresa May is launching the Government\u2019s loneliness strategy, encouraging GPs to refer lonely people to activities such as dancing and cookery classes, walking clubs and art groups. Other parts of the strategy include \u00a31.8m for community cafes and gardens and getting postal workers to check on lonely people during their rounds.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>In an\u00a0exclusive<\/a>,\u00a0The Guardian<\/em>\u00a0reveals that the police used 24 undercover officers to infiltrate the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) between 1970 and 2007, four of whom deceived women into sexual relationships. The paper and the Undercover Research Group have compiled a database of groups infiltrated by the police since 1968, showing that the SWP accounts for one-third of the cases identified. Only three far-right groups are listed.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The\u00a0Daily Mirror<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that despite Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock claiming that he had received \u2018no letters at all\u2019 about Universal Credit, he was actually sent an email on the subject by a constituent just three days before. Separately, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon\u00a0warns<\/a>\u00a0in the paper that Universal Credit is \u2018not fit for purpose\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The\u00a0Financial Times<\/em>\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0that a number of factors are limiting Philip Hammond\u2019s ability to raise taxes at the budget: opposition amongst Tory MPs to changes to pension tax relief, Eurosceptic and DUP protests about the Government\u2019s Brexit strategy, and Theresa May\u2019s claim at the party conference that the end of austerity was \u2018in sight\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>According<\/a>\u00a0to the\u00a0Daily Mirror<\/em>, the Foreign Office has warned that Russian spies are trying to make former MI6 officers and diplomats turn traitor. A memo claims that \u2018Russian services regard both current and former members of the service as high-priority targets\u2019 and warns them that \u2018close relations\u2019 might be threatened.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Daily Telegraph<\/em>\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0that the thinktank the Institute for Government has recommended that former ministers should be required to appear before parliamentary committees in order to give evidence on mistakes made while they were in office and that civil servants should regularly produce feasibility and risk assessments for major projects.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The\u00a0Financial Times<\/em>\u00a0carries details<\/a>\u00a0of the Government proposed leasehold reforms, on which a consultation will be launched today. Under the proposals, annual ground rents on new leasehold properties will be capped at \u00a310 and the sale of most new houses as leasehold will be banned, with exemptions for shared ownership and community-led schemes.<\/p>\n