Newslinks for Friday 17th November 2023 | Conservative Home

Rwanda 1) Sunak faces ‘storm of criticism’ on Rwanda as crossings surge

“Border Force officers are braced for a surge in migrants crossing the Channel as Rishi Sunak faces criticism from right-wing Tories over his “weak” plans to get the Rwanda scheme back on track. Dozens of Tory MPs have signed a letter urging the prime minister to adopt a radical plan that would bar migrants from using human rights laws to block their deportation to Rwanda. Suella Braverman, who was sacked as home secretary on Monday, is leading the backlash to Sunak’s “twin-track” approach of signing a treaty with Rwanda and passing emergency legislation to prevent any legal challenges against the policy as a whole… Downing Street is expected, however, to resist the demands. Government sources said the broader the scope of the legislation, the more open it was to challenges.”- The Times

Hunt admits Rwanda flights may not take off before election – The Times
New Rwanda migrant treaty will be done in days, insists Cleverly – The Sun
Peers and MPs pledge to block Sunak’s plan – The Guardian
Government can’t claim ‘black is white’ in Rwanda fight, says Sumption – The Daily Telegraph
Tory MPs warn Sunak his new bill must be ‘belt and braces’ – The I
Failure to reform asylum laws is inhuman – and Sunak must say so – Fraser Nelson, The Daily Telegraph
Sunak seeks tougher measures – Esther McVey, Daily Express

Rwanda 2) Braverman says the Prime Minister’s latest plain is ‘doomed to fail’

“Former UK home secretary Suella Braverman has lashed out at Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, saying his plans to remove asylum seekers to Rwanda were doomed to fail unless emergency legislation is introduced that expressly overrides international human rights and refugee law. Braverman was sacked by Sunak on Monday, two days before the government’s flagship policy designed to curtail irregular cross-Channel migration by removing asylum seekers to Rwanda was declared unlawful by the Supreme Court. The prime minister has since vowed to transform the UK’s memorandum of understanding with Rwanda on removals into a legally binding treaty, and to address shortcomings in the central African nation’s asylum processes outlined by the court.” – The Financial Times

Why does the UK want to send refugees to Rwanda? The legal plan explained – The Times
She has a ‘five-point plan’ to get Rwanda flights off the ground – The Daily Telegraph
The ex-Home Secretary demands MPs cancel Christmas break to pass Rwanda legislation – Daily Express
Braverman and her supports have never understood Red Wall voters – Sebastian Payne, The I
Tinkering with a failed plan will not stop the boats – Suella Braverman, The Daily Telegraph
Tory Party’s internal feud may undermine public confidence in elections – Ross Clark, Daily Express

Rwanda 3) Leaving ECHR ‘off the table’ while Cameron is Foreign Secretary, says Osborne

“George Osborne has said that leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is “off the table” while Lord Cameron is Foreign Secretary. Mr Osborne, who served as the former prime minister’s chancellor, suggested that withdrawing from the international treaty would be too “extreme” for Lord Cameron, despite frustrations in Government after the Supreme Court ruled its Rwanda scheme unlawful. It comes as Rishi Sunak was warned that his proposed new law to overcome the ruling would be blocked by the Lords, with a former Supreme Court judge describing it as “constitutionally extraordinary” and “profoundly discreditable”. Lord Cameron was brought back into Government by the Prime Minister earlier this week and made a life peer…” – The Daily Telegraph

Cameron meets Zelensky in Ukraine on first trip as Foreign Secretary – The Times
A Tory civil war can only end in disaster – Leo McKinstry, Daily Express

>Today:

Hunt ‘poised to halve the rate of inheritance tax’…

“Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, is considering plans to halve the rate of inheritance tax and cut taxes for small businesses in his autumn statement. The Treasury has been told by official forecasters that it has far more “fiscal headroom” because of rising tax revenues and falling borrowing costs. It has also been reported that council tax will rise by up to £120 a year for the average house, because the Treasury will allow local authorities to increase their bills by up to 5 per cent a year. Improved public finances mean that government has more than £20 billion of headroom at Wednesday’s autumn statement, compared with £6.5 billion at the time of March’s budget. While some of the headroom will be retained as a “cushion”, Hunt is considering an array of tax cuts…” – The Times

…as he is to spend ‘£2.5 billion on employment support’…

“UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt plans to spend an extra £2.5bn on employment support for people suffering from long-term sickness and joblessness, as part of a broader push to cut the welfare bill and boost the workforce. The Autumn Statement next Wednesday will include a “Back to Work” plan intended to help people with mental and physical health conditions look for and retain jobs, the Treasury said on Thursday. The chancellor said “a combination of carrot and stick” would help both businesses and individuals while boosting the economy, and is billing the changes as the biggest reform to the welfare system since the introduction of the flagship universal credit system in 2010.” – The Financial Times

Unemployed who ‘refuse to engage’ could lose benefits in Hunt crackdown – The Guardian
They will ‘lose free NHS prescriptions’ if they refuse work – The Times

…as he is to unveil an ‘expanded role for UK’s pensions lifeboat fund’

“The government is pushing ahead with a controversial proposal to expand the role of the UK’s pension lifeboat fund as it looks for ways to unlock billions of pounds of retirement fund capital to boost economic growth. Jeremy Hunt, chancellor, is expected to announce a consultation on a widened role for the Pension Protection Fund (PPF), in his Autumn Statement next week. The move is expected to be part of a wider range of measures designed to encourage pension fund investment in so-called “productive finance” or areas that can help boost economic growth. The £33bn PPF was established in 2005 to rescue defined benefit pension plans in the event of the sponsoring employer collapsing and to ensure members continue to receive retirement benefits.” – The Financial Times

‘Flip-flopping’ has cost the UK billions in investment cash since 2010, says report – The Guardian

Cleverly ‘takes swipe at his predecessor’ by saying he will criticise police ‘in private’

“James Cleverly has promised police chiefs that he will “praise in public” and “criticise in private”. In a thinly veiled swipe at Suella Braverman, his predecessor, the new Home Secretary told delegates at a policing summit that he did not want a “relationship of conflict”. Mrs Braverman was sacked on Monday, just days after publishing a newspaper column in which she accused the police of bias in the way they handled protests. Her comments were criticised as an attack on the operational independence of policing. Speaking at the National Police Chiefs’ Council and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners annual summit in Westminster, Mr Cleverly signalled he wanted a reset in the relationship between the Home Office and forces.” – The Daily Telegraph

Number 10 vows to stop activists climbing war memorials – The Times
Met Police are making up excuses as they go along to give pro-Hamas mob a free pass to bring fear to out streets – Editorial, The Sun
Memorial madness betrays our fallen – Editorial, The Daily Mail

UK will refrain from regulating AI ‘in the short term’

“The UK has said it will refrain from regulating the British artificial intelligence sector, even as the EU, US and China push forward with new measures. The UK’s first minister for AI and intellectual property, Viscount Jonathan Camrose, said at a Financial Times conference on Thursday that there would be no UK law on AI “in the short term” because the government was concerned that heavy-handed regulation could curb industry growth. The announcement comes as executives and policymakers around the world debate how to regulate the emerging technology, which holds the promise of transforming many industries and driven the rise in large tech company valuations over the past year.” – The Financial Times

>Today:

Labour 1) Starmer ‘facing more frontbench resignations’ if Gaza policy does not change

“Keir Starmer faces more resignations from Labour’s frontbench if he does not shift his policy on Gaza, amid growing anger in the party over how he has handled the vote on the Israel-Hamas conflict. The Labour leader suffered the biggest rebellion of his tenure on Wednesday night as 10 frontbenchers resigned or were sacked from his team after voting for a Scottish National party motion that called for a ceasefire. Sources say several of those who remained loyal and kept their jobs are nonetheless angry about how the issue has been managed, and would be willing to quit if Starmer does not push the government to take a tougher line on Israeli military action in the region… The SNP motion…has triggered one of the biggest crises of Starmer’s leadership…” – The Guardian

He ‘begs’ frontbench to be ‘as united as we can’ – The Sun
Inside Labour tensions over Gaza – The I
Pupils march on office of MP who abstained – The Times
Guardian website forced to remove Bin Laden’s anti-Semitic ‘Letter to America’ – The Guardian
Will the Labour Party’s troublesome factions let it govern? – Editorial, The Daily Telegraph
Starmer has been severely tested by a mass revolt of Labour MPs calling for a ceasefire in Gaza – Editorial, The Times
Britain is the new capital of anti-Israel hate – Douglas Murray, The Daily Telegraph
Unlinking Starmer has eyes on the bigger prize – Patrick Maguire, The Times
As a Labour MP, it was my duty to vote for a ceasefire – Richard Burgon, The I

>Yesterday:

Labour 2) One day we’ll be ashamed of trans debate fury, says Nandy

“Lisa Nandy has defended her strong support for transgender rights and said that society would look back and be “utterly ashamed” of the tone of the debate. Nandy, the shadow international development secretary, said that the criticism levelled at her by JK Rowling “breaks my heart” after she was asked whether Labour could be trusted to keep women and girls safe. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books, said that Nandy was “one of the biggest reasons many women on the left no longer trust Labour” after she made a speech at the Labour Party conference saying that women’s rights were “non-negotiable”. Rowling argued that Nandy had failed to stand up for women’s rights in the past…” – The Times

Labour 3) Matthew Lynn: Drakeford’s socialist experiment in Wales should terrify us all

“You can’t drive more than 20 miles an hour across swathes of the country. If you need any public services the civil service is eyeing a four-day week, and there may soon be tourist levies to pay if you feel like visiting despite all this. The Welsh administration has been quietly doing everything it can think of to make life in the country as difficult as possible. Now, it’s taking things a step further, planning what in effect will be the UK’s first “mansion tax”. Under the dismal leadership of Mark Drakeford, Wales is being turned into an experiment in what Joseph Stalin used to call “socialism in one country” – and the results will be catastrophic… The Welsh Assembly is increasingly turning the country into Venezuela, with sheep instead of oil.” – The Daily Telegraph

Labour ‘open to returning Elgin Marbles’, Greek media claims – The Times

Scottish minister under pressure to quit over £11,000 data roaming bill

“Scotland’s health secretary was under pressure to resign on Thursday after admitting that his children had helped run up an £11,000 roaming bill watching football on his work tablet during a week-long family holiday last winter. Michael Matheson’s admission on Thursday came after previous denials that his official device had been used for non-work related tasks while he was on holiday in Morocco. The controversy threatens to derail first minister Humza Yousaf’s attempts to stabilise his scandal-hit Scottish National party, which has been reeling from a police investigation into its finances. Scottish Labour said it was “unfathomable” that Matheson could keep his job.” – The Financial Times

I’m a father first, he said, as he took the painful decision to hang his sons out to dry – Stephen Daisley, The Daily Mail