Another by-election expected as Benton faces suspension
“MP Scott Benton faces being suspended from Parliament for 35 days over a “very serious breach” of standards rules. A Commons Standards Committee report said he had given the message “he was corrupt and ‘for sale’”. If MPs approve the suspension it could lead to a by-election in his Blackpool South constituency. Mr Benton has sat as an independent MP since he had the Tory whip withdrawn in April.” – BBC
>Yesterday: Audio: Rwanda and the Tory Left. And a Blackpool by-election? Our Editor on Coffee House Shots.
Cameron 1) Foreign Secretary declares the “heat and anger” has gone from the UK’s relationship with the EU
“Lord Cameron has said the “heat and anger” has gone out of the UK-EU relationship, as ties are repaired in the wake of Brexit. The foreign secretary, who as PM called and then lost the 2016 Brexit referendum, said relations were now “much more functional”. Speaking to a House of Lords committee, he said the UK wanted to be the EU’s “friend, neighbour and partner”. But it also wanted to “fix” elements of the trading relationship, he added.” – BBC
- Cameron accused of a Chinese ‘cover-up’ over business disclosure – The Times
- Downing Street publishes Cameron’s links to UAE – Daily Telegraph
- Cameron’s triumphal return to the Lords carries more than a whiff of Old Boys’ Gaudy – Madeline Grant, Daily Telegraph
- The Foreign Secretary wouldn’t be human if his thoughts had not drifted to a Cameron vs Starmer election as he faced the Lords European affairs committee – Quentin Letts, Daily Mail
Cameron 2) Call to spend £278 billion in frozen Russian assets on rebuilding Ukraine
“Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron wants to spend £278 billion in frozen Russian assets to help rebuild war-torn Ukraine. The former PM — who also called on the US to approve a new £88 billion aid package — wants a joint approach to using the cash, frozen since Russia’s 2022 invasion. He said: “Is it time not just to freeze the assets… but to spend some of the assets. “I think there are some very strong answers for why we should consider doing this.” And he warned if the EU and US fail to agree support for Kyiv it would be a “Christmas present” for Vladimir Putin.” – The Sun
- The West must keep faith with Ukraine – Leader, The Sun
- Hungary blocks €50bn of EU funding for Ukraine – BBC
Sunak reaffirms support for two-state solution in Gaza
“Rishi Sunak has publicly clashed with Israel’s ambassador to the UK over her opposition to the creation of an independent Palestinian state. The Prime Minister said he disagreed with comments made by Tzipi Hotovely this week as he backed a two-state solution to the conflict in Gaza. His comments represent a rare public rebuke to Tel Aviv and come with Western capitals voicing growing concern over the high civilian death toll.” – Daily Telegraph
- Why all the fuss over stripping of Hamas terrorists? That is what a real war looks like – Douglas Murray, The Sun
- ‘Extremist’ Israeli settlers not welcome in the UK, says the Foreign Secretary – The Times
- Hamas plot to attack Jews across Europe is foiled by police – Daily Telegraph
- The suffering of Palestinians extends beyond Gaza – Leader, The Guardian
- Pro-Hamas protesters are sanctimonious psychopaths – Jordan Peterson, Daily Telegraph
Prime Minister launches plan for replacement of A-Levels
“All teenagers will learn good financial decision making and study literature until 18 while some could be taught “business English”, after an overhaul of A-levels. Details were launched on Thursday of Rishi Sunak’s plans for an Advanced British Standard (ABS) qualification, which would replace A-levels and T-levels in England. The government published a consultation asking for feedback on the proposals, which would take around a decade to introduce.” – The Times
A million households face 15 per cent Council Tax rises
“Nearly a million households face council tax rises of up to 15 per cent after two more local authorities announced they were at risk of effective bankruptcy. Bradford Council and Cheshire East Council, both Labour-run, said on Thursday that they may have to issue a section 114 notice, meaning they are unable to balance their budgets by the end of the financial year. They join councils including Birmingham, Nottingham and Woking which have already taken the draconian step.” – Daily Telegraph
- Inflation and pay deals leave Scottish ministers facing £1.5bn budget black hole – The Guardian
Fall in NHS waiting lists
“NHS waiting lists have fallen for the first time in a year, new figures show, as the prime minister urges junior doctors to call off strikes jeopardising this progress. Hospital waiting lists in England stood at 7.71 million at the end of October, down slightly from a record high of 7.77 million in September. The figures have raised hopes that Covid backlogs may finally have peaked, after rising consistently from 4.4 million before the pandemic.” – The Times
- Hospitals ‘falling to bits’ as NHS in England faces record £12bn repair bill – The Guardian
While the Bank of England holds interest rates, mortgage rates starting to fall
“Homeowners can look forward to fixed-rate loans falling below 4 per cent within weeks amid a mortgage price war, experts said yesterday. TSB has slashed the cost of its home loans by up to 0.35 percentage points from today…It comes after the Bank of England yesterday voted to hold its base rate for the third consecutive time at 5.25 per cent, further bolstering hopes that mortgage costs have peaked.” – Daily Mail
- Bank of England ‘crushing’ economy with high interest rates, senior Tories say – The i
>Today: Geoff Williams on Comment: We urgently need a root and branch overhaul of how we tax property
Gething standing to be Welsh first minister
“One of the two frontrunners to be Welsh Labour leader and first minister has announced he is standing. Economy Minister Vaughan Gething said on social media that he had “strong support from right across the party”. He became the first candidate to secure a place on the ballot after eight Labour Members of the Senedd (MSs) announced their backing.” – BBC
>Yesterday: Columnist Henry Hill: Drakeford reaped the political rewards of Cardiff’s cozy consensus, but Wales suffered for it
Francois apologises to the Chief Whip for being “slightly snappy” over Rwanda vote
“Leading Tory rebel Mark Francois apologised to the Chief Whip after he was accused of intimidating behaviour towards female staff ahead of this week’s Rwanda vote. Mr Francois, the chairman of the European Research Group (ERG) of Brexiteer Tory MPs – who led the ‘five families’ of Conservative opponents of the Rwanda Bill – met the whips on Monday night before the Commons showdown on Tuesday. Sources said he was asked to leave after being rude to members of staff – allegations that Mr Francois denies. But the former minister apologised to Chief Whip Simon Hart the following morning for being ‘slightly snappy’ – an apology that is understood to have been accepted.” – Daily Mail
- Sunak “open to tougher Rwanda deportation laws amid backlash” – Daily Express
>Today: ToryDiary: Parliamentary sovereignty. How a fundamentally political question gets dressed up as a legal one.
Johnson: Protecting the graduate route is crucial for UK competitiveness
“The government’s announcement of a review of the graduate route, which allows overseas students to work for two years post-graduation (three for PhDs), has sent tremors through a fragile university system. It is key to the UK’s competitiveness in the market for international students. International student recruitment is already sharply down for the coming year, even before the impact is felt of last May’s announcement of higher visa fees and immigration health surcharge and the removal of the right of masters students to bring dependants to the UK.” – Jo Johnson, Financial Times
Nelson: “Protect the NHS” was a deadly message
“Rather than amplifying fear, Swedish health officials tried to counteract it by asking people to keep using the health service and keep going out. “Physical activity is good for public health,” ran the official message when the virus was at its peak. “Sports and exercise should, therefore, continue.” This is what Britain’s message should have been, from the very start. Instead we amplified fears of NHS collapse which were, at first, bogey men conjured up by badly-wrong models and then used to enforce lockdown compliance.” – Fraser Nelson, Daily Telegraph
Frost: Delivering Conservative policies would improve our poll ratings
“Only delivering mainstream conservative policies – reforms to boost growth, tax and spending cuts, public-service reforms, IR35 abolition, proper change to net zero, repealing the Equality Act, and of course controlling the borders – will start to improve the poll ratings and thus calm nerves in Westminster. Unity is the consequence of a successful strategy and disunity is the inevitable consequence of a failing one.” – David Frost, Daily Telegraph
- Spreadsheet Sunak struggles with politics – Emma Duncan, The Times
- Another poll shows increased support for Reform UK – Daily Express
Other political news
- Tobacco giants are bankrolling secret pro-vaping campaign” – The Times
- Minister for Disabled People role “downgraded” – BBC
- Blair banned fox hunting after taking £1m donation, claims Mandelson – Daily Telegraph
- Safety campaigners oppose VAT on taxis – The Sun
- Under-16s could face limits on social media – Daily Telegraph
- UK left vulnerable by government inaction on critical minerals, MPs warn – Financial Times
- Gen Z-ers are shunning drugs, with usage rates in students having halved since the 1990s – Daily Mail
News in brief
- Downing Street Declaration set the template for peace – Jonathan Caine, Irish News
- How aid can help tackle the root causes of migration – Simon Fell MP, CapX
- Why can’t some Londoners tolerate posters of kidnapped Israelis? – Brendan O’Neill, The Spectator
- The sugar tax has not worked as intended – Christopher Snowdon, The Critic
- Guide to the five Tory families – Guido Fawkes
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