Today’s political headlines include Tory MPs warned against ‘hunting down’ May, a ‘fairer’ immigration policy, Corbyn’s alternative Brexit plan and Barnier’s suggestion that Brexit transition could be extended until 2022.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Tory MPs warned against \u2018hunting down\u2019 May<\/span> May to tell CBI her deal delivers a fairer immigration policy<\/span> Corbyn to set out alternative Brexit plan<\/span> Barnier suggests Brexit transition could be extended until 2022<\/span> Six letters needed to trigger vote of no confidence in May<\/span> Cyber security minister needed to tackle Russian threat<\/span> Jeremy Hunt to call for Iran to release British prisoner<\/span> Report calls for cap on number of peers<\/span>
\n<\/strong>The Times<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that former chief whip Andrew Mitchell has warned his colleagues against \u2018hunting down\u2019 Theresa May, warning that a leadership challenge would do \u2018untold damage\u2019. The Prime Minster claimed yesterday that a challenge to her would cause \u2018uncertainty for people and their jobs\u2019 and \u2018a risk that Brexit gets delayed or frustrated\u2019.\u00a0The Daily Telegraph<\/em>\u00a0claims<\/a>\u00a0that five Cabinet ministers will meet today to call for alterations to the deal, but that May will confront them and refuse to renegotiate the agreement.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Times<\/em>\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0that the Prime Minister is to tell the CBI\u2019s conference today that her Brexit deal will allow immigration to be controlled, while permitting businesses to recruit from abroad, creating a level playing field between EU citizens and those from other countries in a system \u2018built around the talents and skills a person has to offer\u2019.\u00a0The Guardian<\/em>\u00a0adds<\/a> that the CBI\u2019s president, John Allan, will endorse May\u2019s deal today, while admitting that it is \u2018not perfect\u2019. He will warn that the current uncertain situation is \u2018damaging our country\u2019 and say that the deal opens \u2018a route to a long-term trade arrangement\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>According<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0The Guardian<\/em>, Jeremy Corbyn will use a speech at the CBI conference to set out Labour\u2019s alternative Brexit plan. He will call for a permanent customs union and protection of environmental standards and workers\u2019 rights, as well as a \u2018strong single market relationship\u2019. He will say that May\u2019s plan leaves \u2018the country in an indefinite halfway house\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The\u00a0Financial Times<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that the EU\u2019s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, has proposed that the Brexit transition period could be extended until December 2022. He also told EU ambassadors that negotiations over the Withdrawal Agreement should not be reopened despite the \u2018volatile\u2019 political situation in the UK.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>In an\u00a0exclusive<\/a>,\u00a0The Sun<\/em>\u00a0reports that 42 Tory MPs have \u2018given firm assurances\u2019 that they have submitted letters of no confidence in Theresa May, meaning that six more are needed to trigger a vote in her future as leader. According to the paper, MPs admit that today is \u2018judgment day\u2019 and if the threshold is not passed today, it is unlikely that it will be before the vote on the deal in December.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Daily Telegraph<\/em>\u00a0carries<\/a>\u00a0details of a report by the Joint Committee on National Security Strategy which calls on the Government to appoint a minister for cyber security, as the current level of oversight was \u2018wholly inadequate\u2019 and countries such as Russia are expanding their capacity to deliver cyber-attacks.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The\u00a0Daily Mail<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt is visiting Iran today and will use the trip to lobby for the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, jailed on spying charges. Speaking ahead of the visit, he condemned using innocent people for \u2018political leverage\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Daily Telegraph<\/em>\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0that a new report by the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee calls for the House of Lords to be capped in size at 600 members, a decrease of 200 from the present figure. It suggests achieving this through a \u2018two-out-one-in\u2019 policy.<\/p>\n