Sunak ‘decides to skip’ Lionesses’ World Cup final in Sydney…
“Prince William and Rishi Sunak have scored an own goal by deciding to skip the women’s World Cup final. The Prince of Wales and the Prime Minister are to miss the match in Sydney, Australia, despite it being the Lionesses’ first appearance in the final. It comes as Spain’s Queen Letizia revealed she would be heading Down Under. Yesterday, Kensington Palace confirmed Prince William, who is president of the FA, would be roaring on the Lionesses from home. William is believed to be against the 9,400-mile flight as he wants to keep down his carbon footprint. The Prime Minister will also miss England’s first World Cup final since 1966, sending Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer instead… It comes as the Government faces calls to announce a day off if the Lionesses beat Spain.” – The Sun
- Police told to show ‘maximum flexibility’ over pub rules for Lionesses’ final – The Times
- Lib Dems call for emergency law allowing pubs to open from 10 AM for World Cup final – Daily Express
- I have no doubt if England’s men had reached the World Cup final, Prince William would be there – A N Wilson, The Daily Mail
- Sunak is a man with no plan, that’s the problem – Emma Duncan, The Times
- The Conservatives risk driving a wedge between themselves and the electorate – John Burn-Murdoch, The Financial Times
…as he ‘seeks MBS meeting’ to deepen ties with Saudi Arabia
“Rishi Sunak has said he hopes to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the earliest opportunity as the prime minister wants to “personally” deepen UK ties with Saudi Arabia. Sunak spoke to Prince Mohammed yesterday, after The Times revealed that the Saudi leader was expected to visit Britain this autumn in his first visit since the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The pair discussed developing the trade relationship between the two countries “including by collaborating in new cutting-edge industries, and to strengthen our close co-operation on defence and security”. There was no mention of Khashoggi’s murder in a description of the conversation between the two leaders that was released by Downing Street.” – The Times
- Number 10 accused of ‘rolling out the red carpet for dictators’ – The I
- Making Saudi Arabia a pariah would risk driving it further into the arms of Beijing – Editorial, The Daily Telegraph
Hunt ‘rakes in’ additional £40 billion, prompting backbench calls for tax cuts
“Britain can afford to cut income tax after new figures showed the Treasury is raking in record revenues. Analysis…shows soaring wages are set to generate an extra £30billion for the taxman this financial year as a result of the freeze in tax and national insurance thresholds. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is now being urged to give millions of Britons a desperately needed tax cut in his Autumn budget as government revenues rocket. Conor Holohan, the media campaign manager of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said ordinary British workers and pensioners are being “battered by stealth taxes”… Backbench MPs have urged Mr Hunt to show that the Tories are “on the side of hardworking British taxpayers” by slashing levies in Autumn budget to ease the burden on households.” – Daily Express
>Today:
In ten years no one will care about your A-level results, Keegan tells pupils
“The education secretary has caused anger by telling school leavers not to worry about A-level grades because no one would be interested in their results in ten years’ time. Gillian Keegan told Times Radio: “In ten years’ time, no one will be looking at your A-level results. They’ll be looking at what you’ve done since; how you’ve achieved in the workplace.” She also told Sky News: “After a period of time, they don’t even ask you what you did at university.” More than 330,000 teenagers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland received their A-level results on Thursday. Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, criticised Keegan’s comment… Other head teachers said that Keegan was trying to reassure pupils.” – The Times
- A-level results worst in four years – The Sun
- Gap between most and least deprived in results ‘exposes’ the ‘unequal impact’ of Covid – The I
- Ending A-level grade inflation has a painful, human side – The Times
- A-Levels are not a level playing field – Editorial, The Daily Telegraph
- It’s a hard lesson, but grade inflation had to end – Editorial, The Daily Mail
- Tougher marking has cut back grade inflation at the expense of many seeking university places – Editorial, The Times
- It’s great to get a degree but there are many alternative routes to prosperity – Editorial, The Sun
Badenoch hails ‘major boost’ for British businesses as poll reveals public back new trade deals
“The majority of Brits BACK the government’s post-Brexit trade deals, new polling shows. Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch today hailed a Whitehall survey revealing 67 per cent of the public support deals with countries outside the EU. Ms Badenoch told The Sun divorcing Brussels has ushered in a major boost for British businesses. She said: “I’m very pleased to see that the British public supports the Government’s international trade agenda and sees the many benefits of signing new deals with countries around the world.” Two-thirds of the public say they feel positive about the impact of trade on the UK, up 5 percentage points on last year’s results. Since Brexit, ministers have secured deals with 73 countries, as well as the EU – partners that accounted for £1.1 trillion of trade in 2022.” – The Sun
Offer free cash machine within a mile or face fines, the Treasury tells banks
“Banks and building societies face fines if they fail to ensure that people are able to withdraw cash without charge. The government has given the Financial Conduct Authority powers to enforce “minimum” levels of service based on the current level of provision. The Treasury said that under the minimum service levels, 95 per cent of people and businesses will be within one mile of free access to cash withdrawals. In rural areas it will be within three miles of where people live or where businesses are based. This includes both free-access cash machines and cashback in shops. It was reported last year that a quarter of ATMs had been scrapped as people increasingly rely on cards, a process accelerated by the pandemic.” – The Times
Tory MPs “disappointed” by France stopping fewer Channel migrants – despite £480 million funding from the UK
“France is intercepting fewer Channel migrants than last year despite a £480 million funding deal with Britain to help stop crossings, The Telegraph can reveal. Official figures show that just 13,759 – or 45.2 per cent – of migrants have been stopped by French beach patrols since January, down from 17,032 (45.8 per cent) over the same period last year. There have been fewer overall attempted crossings this year, partly because of bad weather. The three-year £480 million Anglo-French deal agreed by Rishi Sunak in March as a key part of his pledge to “stop the boats” dwarfs the £54 million Britain paid France in 2021. On Thursday night, the figures – obtained by The Telegraph from the French authorities – were described as “disappointing” and “dismal” by Tory MPs…” – The Daily Telegraph
- Four arrested in France after deaths of six men in Channel crossing – The Guardian
Labour ‘row back on workers’ rights’ to ‘blunt Tory ‘anti-business’ claims’
“Labour has watered down plans to strengthen workers’ rights as Sir Keir Starmer tries to woo corporate leaders and discredit Tory claims that his party is “anti-business” ahead of the next general election. A pledge to boost the protection of gig economy workers was diluted by the party’s leadership at Labour’s national policy forum in Nottingham last month, according to people familiar with the matter and text seen by the Financial Times. The party also clarified its position on probation for new recruits, confirming a future Labour government would continue to allow companies to dismiss staff during a trial period. The moves come ahead of a battle for the support of business leaders before a general election expected next year.” – The Financial Times
- I could back Scottish independence in second referendum, says Dugdale – The Daily Telegraph
- Blair is history for class-conscious Starmer – Patrick Maguire, The Times
- Why isn’t Starmer leading the charge on this egregious miscarriage of justice? – Fraser Nelson, The Daily Telegraph
SNP told to ‘rein in spending’ rather than raise taxes
“SNP ministers must rein in spending rather than hitting Scots with more tax rises to plug a £1 billion financial black hole in their budget, retailers have said. The Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) said Humza Yousaf’s government should adopt a “more frugal approach” with a “candid review of spending” and “think differently about how and which services they deliver”. In a submission to Holyrood’s finance committee, the trade body also called for ministers to cut the cost of government through measures such as selling off buildings, compulsory redundancies and reducing the number of quangos. The SRC warned that relying on “untrammelled” tax rises to make good the shortfall risked further hitting household disposable incomes…” – The Daily Telegraph
News in Brief:
- The Greens are coming for the Tories – James Heale, The Spectator
- Why men need bad-boy literature – Nicholas Harris, UnHerd
- Retiring the #GirlBoss – Lois McLatchie, The Critic
- Farage is wrong: a Net Zero referendum would create more problems than it would solve – William Atkinson, CapX
- Why Barbenheimer won’t save cinema – Ellen Peirson-Hagger, The New Statesman
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