Today’s political headlines include the benefit cut to be axed, May calling unions to gain support for her deal, Cabinet ministers accused of undermining May and Shinzo Abe says the ‘whole world’ is against a no-deal Brexit.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Benefit cut to be axed<\/span> May calls unions in attempt to gain support for deal<\/span> Cabinet ministers accused of undermining May<\/span> Japanese Prime Minister said that \u2018whole world\u2019 is against a no-deal Brexit<\/span> CBI calls for MPs to back May\u2019s deal<\/span> 4,000 civil servants to be seconded to tackle no-deal Brexit<\/span> Government criticised for failure to regulate lending<\/span> Brexiteers blame EU for loss of Jaguar Land Rover jobs<\/span>
\n<\/strong>The Mirror<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd is to cancel a benefit cut which would have affected 15,000 families, three weeks before it was meant to be implemented. Under the \u2018two-child limit\u2019, families are not be able to claim Universal Credit or Tax Credits for more than two children, but Rudd will say today that extending the policy to cover children born before it was announced would not be \u2018right\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Times<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that Theresa May rang union leaders yesterday in a bid to win support for her Brexit deal from Labour MPs. According to the paper, Unite has not denied a claim by 10 Downing Street that the call was \u2018constructive\u2019, but the GMB\u2019s response was \u2018less positive\u2019. The paper adds that Business Secretary Greg Clark and Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson made contradictory public statements about the impact of a no-deal Brexit on British businesses, with Clark saying it would be a \u2018disaster\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The\u00a0Daily Mail<\/em>\u00a0has obtained<\/a>\u00a0a leaked email in which the Number 10 Director of Communications, Robbie Gibb, accuses leadership contenders Sajid Javid, Amber Rudd and Liz Truss of trying to undermine the Prime Minister, warning that \u2018this situation cannot continue\u2019. He accuses them of announcing their own initiatives last weekend when the media plan was being \u2018starved out\u2019 to ensure the \u2018best coverage\u2019 for the NHS plan.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The BBC\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said yesterday that it was \u2018the whole wish of the whole world\u2019 that a no-deal Brexit would be avoided. Theresa May added that Brexit provided \u00a0\u2018an unprecedented opportunity\u2019 to improve relations with Japan.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>In an\u00a0exclusive<\/a>,\u00a0The Guardian<\/em>\u00a0reports that Carolyn Fairburn, the Director-General of the CBI, is to use a speech today to urge MPs to vote for the Brexit deal in order to avoid a \u2018hugely damaging cliff edge\u2019 and a shrink in GDP of up to 8% in a no-deal Brexit scenario. The paper\u00a0adds<\/a>\u00a0that the Government has now signed two contracts to store drugs as part of its planning for a no-deal Brexit, but a third location has yet to be secured.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>According<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0The Times<\/em>, up to 4,000 civil servants are being seconded from their departments for six months to work on a no-deal Brexit. The Permanent Secretary at the Department for Education said that while \u2018key services continue to operate\u2019 other parts of his department would be mothballed. Defra and HMRC are to see a boost in their staff numbers.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Guardian<\/em>\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0that the Government\u2019s refusal to regulate lending to small businesses in its response to the Commons Treasury Committee\u2019s has been criticised by the committee\u2019s chair, Nicky Morgan. She called on the Financial Conduct Authority to be \u2018given the powers to provide protection to SMEs now\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Daily Telegraph<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that Eurosceptic MPs are using the decision by Jaguar Land Rover to cut 4,5000 jobs in the UK and move production of the Land Rover Discovery to Slovakia as a justification for Brexit. Jacob Rees-Mogg said that the EU \u2018uses our money to move our jobs from the UK to other EU countries.\u2019 While Slovakia is a net recipient of EU funding, the funding it gave the firm to open the factory did not come from the EU.<\/p>\n