Sunak 1) The Prime Minister and Modi bolster UK-India trade talks
“Rishi Sunak and Narendra Modi have injected greater impetus into UK-India trade negotiations, instructing ministers and officials to work “at pace” to secure a deal. The UK prime minister and his Indian counterpart exhibited strikingly warm chemistry when they met on the margins of the G20 summit in New Delhi on Saturday, embracing each other with a bear hug, back slapping and laughter. Sunak is the first UK prime minister of Indian descent and this weekend marked his first visit to India since arriving in Number 10. His trip has sparked interest in India, winning mention on the front page of The Times of India this week. After the bilateral meeting, Sunak expressed confidence that London and New Delhi could “work through” hurdles stalling a free trade agreement…” – The Financial Times
- Historic troubles and modern threats in India trade talks – The Sunday Times
- Brexit means Britain can ‘attach’ itself to India’s booming economy, says Sunak – The Sunday Telegraph
- He praises his wife for ‘building personal relationships’ with other G20 leaders – The Mail on Sunday
- G20 statement drops reference to Russia aggression ‘against’ Ukraine – The Financial Times
- He says that a ‘very funny’ Elizabeth II gave him confidence ahead of his first budget – The Sunday Telegraph
- Crumbling schools, jail breaks…and a hapless Prime Minister with the non-Midas touch – Editorial, The Mail on Sunday
>Today:
Sunak 2) Net Zero can’t be a hair shirt story, he says
“The UK’s net-zero goals cannot become a “hair-shirt story” of increasing financial pain for families, Rishi Sunak has said as he signalled he would take a more pragmatic approach to green policy. The prime minister argued that cutting carbon emissions by 2050 would not succeed unless the government can show it would help boost economic growth and deliver new jobs. Speaking to reporters in Delhi ahead of the G20 summit, Sunak added that while he remained firmly committed to the “principle of net zero”, it had to be done properly. “Net zero done in the right way can be very beneficial for jobs, that’s what we’ve got to make sure that the story is about,” he continued.” – The Sunday Times
- He claims Net Zero is ‘not about giving everything up and your bills going up’ – The I
- Net Zero ‘stuck in cloud cuckoo land’ due to ‘astronomical’ costs, say senior Tories – Sunday Express
- The rising cost of Net Zero – Editorial, The Sunday Telegraph
Sunak 3) He ‘joins forces with Meloni’ to tackle illegal migration
“Rishi Sunak has joined forces with the Italian prime minister to campaign for a crackdown on illegal migration as he hailed “growing interest” among European leaders in Rwanda-style deals. Giorgia Meloni, who as Italy’s premier has defended Britain’s deal with Rwanda, agreed at a meeting in India to rally support for measures to tackle rising levels of illegal migration. Mr Sunak sees Rwanda-style deals to process asylum claims in third countries as key to reducing illegal arrivals, along with returns deals such as the one struck between the UK and Albania to speed up the deportation of illegal migrants…Austria became the latest EU country to break ranks to demand that Brussels follow Britain’s policy of sending illegal migrants to Rwanda for their asylum claims to be processed.” – The Sunday Telegraph
Sunak 4) He ‘hints’ that benefits could be cut in real terms next year
“Rishi Sunak has suggested that benefits could be cut in real terms next year as he eyes money-saving measures to free up cash for tax cuts. The Prime Minister refused to rule out increasing handouts by less than inflation and pointed to the help he has provided families with paying their energy bills. His remarks come after it emerged that Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, is looking at severing the usual link between welfare payments and rising prices. Benefits are uprated every April, with the amount they go up by usually determined based on the inflation figure from the previous September. The Treasury is expecting inflation to remain high this month because of a “blip” as a result of a hike in fuel prices, but says it will then fall sharply.” – The Sunday Telegraph
- The Treasury is ‘reportedly’ looking at severing the link to welfare payments with wages – The Sun on Sunday
- UK ministers ‘explore cutting working-age benefits in real terms’ – The Financial Times
- Tory MPs ‘call on Hunt’ to ‘dismiss’ proposals by a Treasury advisor to tax businesses that give out pay rises of more than 8 per cent – The Mail on Sunday
- In Sunak’s worst-ever week, he paid the price for Cameron’s mistakes – Isabel Hardman, The I
Keegan ‘to send team to Birmingham’ to take charge of schools concrete crisis
“Ministers are poised to take charge of the schools concrete crisis in Birmingham next week over concerns about the city’s bankrupt Labour-run council. Gillian Keegan, the Education Secretary, is set to send in a team of officials to give direct support to headteachers whose sites have been affected. The move comes amid fears that the stricken local authority has been distracted by the turmoil that saw it declare last week that it had run out of cash. There is also growing concern within Whitehall over the response of the Labour-run Welsh government to identifying schools with dangerous concrete. Ms Keegan took flak last week after a hot mic clip of her emerged, in which she said that other people had “sat on their arses” as the crisis erupted.” – The Sunday Telegraph
- Keegan profile: a very modern Tory, self-made and unbound – The Guardian
- Schools crisis needed quick decisive action – Nick Ferrari, Sunday Express
RAF ‘not capable of defending UK in another Battle of Britain’, Ellwood suggests
“The UK is not capable of winning another Battle of Britain due to Government cuts to its air defence, Parliament’s Defence Committee chairman has told i. Tobias Ellwood, who heads up the influential committee, has also claimed that the retirement of the fleet of Royal Air Force (RAF) Hercules transport carrier aircraft has also reduced the operational capability of UK elite Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Service (SBS). Mr Ellwood’s comments come as his committee publishes a damning report on the UK’s ability to defend its airspace and deploy special forces in combat zones around the globe. The report finds that cuts set out in the 2021 Defence Command Paper will create a combat air capability gap which will persist into the 2030s.” – The I
‘Left-wing orthodoxy’ wrecked my premiership, claims Truss
“Liz Truss has said her premiership was wrecked by pushing back against a “Left-wing orthodoxy” that has captured the West. The former prime minister insisted her tax-cutting agenda only failed because there “wasn’t enough support for Conservative ideas” within the establishment. Ms Truss also took aim at Joe Biden, accusing him of seeking to export “socialist economic policy to Europe and the UK” through global rules on minimum corporation tax levels. Ms Truss made the remarks in an interview a year on from becoming prime minister after winning the Tory leadership contest against Rishi Sunak…[S]he accused successive Tory leaders of not doing enough to rid the state of “socialist” ideas embedded by Sir Tony Blair.” – The Sunday Telegraph
- The ex-Prime Minister will ‘reveal inside story of her premiership in new book’ – The Mail on Sunday
Commons worker ‘arrested after allegedly spying for China’
“A British parliamentary researcher has been arrested on suspicion of spying for China in what is alleged to be one of the most damaging breaches of security involving a hostile state at Westminster. The male suspect, who is in his late twenties, is understood to be linked to a number of senior Tory MPs, including several who are privy to classified or highly sensitive information. They include Tom Tugendhat, the security minister, and Alicia Kearns, the chairwoman of the Commons foreign affairs committee. A senior Whitehall source claimed: “This is a major escalation by China. We have never seen anything like this before.” Counterterrorism police arrested the researcher and another man in his thirties on suspicion of espionage-related offences in March.” – The Sunday Times
Cummings ‘plotting to create new political party to challenge Tories’
“Dominic Cummings is plotting the creation of a new political party to challenge the Tories. Boris Johnson’s former chief adviser says he has been sounding out donors to try to launch his venture by Christmas. In a series of blog posts, Mr Cummings said it was “time to build up to replace the rotten Tories and win”. The mastermind of the Leave campaign says he believes Rishi Sunak will lose the next election. And he said future Labour failures will offer his so-called Startup Party a huge opportunity to take power in 2028. Mr Cummings — who was accused of breaking Covid lockdown with a trip to Barnard Castle — said the new party would be tougher on crime and immigration. The Startup Party would also leave the European Convention on Human Rights.” – The Sun on Sunday
Starmer on migrant crisis: I’ll bring order to the border
“Sir Keir Starmer will begin an audacious attempt this week to make Labour the party to stem illegal immigration. He will promise to “smash” the criminal gangs and “bring order to the border”. The Labour leader will travel to the Hague on Wednesday to meet Europol, the European Union agency for law enforcement co-operation, and discuss how a Labour government would combat criminal gangs sending people across the Channel. On Friday morning he flies to Montreal for a conference of centre-left leaders where he will argue that they cannot cede the subject of immigration to right-of-centre parties and will call for greater international co-operation to tackle people trafficking. His mission, in both cases, is to park Labour’s tanks firmly on the Conservatives’ lawn…” – The Sunday Times
- Labour ‘slams’ the ‘unacceptable’ delays to Royal Navy warship overhaul – The Sunday Telegraph
- Gray ‘quickly gets stuck in’ as Starmer’s chief of staff – The Guardian
- Labour abandon congestion charge in Cambridge after ‘public backlash’ – The Sunday Telegraph
- Broke Labour-run council ‘blew cash on wheelie bin survey asking residents their sexuality’ – The Sun on Sunday
- Starmer’s image is reassuring. The devil will be in the detail – Editorial, The Sunday Times
- Labour is becoming a Nineties tribute act, unwilling to give Britain the reboot it needs – Sharon Graham, The Sunday Times
Other News and Comment:
- Drivers ‘could face fines’ for going just 1 mph over the speed limit – The Sunday Times
- Sunak plan to boost NHS workforce ‘will fail without IT systems overhaul’ – The Sunday Telegraph
- Only harsher penalties will make shoplifters reconsider – Editorial, The Sunday Times
- Remainers’ EU delusions are collapsing – Editorial, The Sunday Telegraph
- Human fraudsters trying to steal my dead wife’s ID was bad enough. Soon AI will be aiding them – Robert Colville, The Sunday Times
- Militants who turned our town halls into concrete corridors of mediocrity – Peter Hitchens, The Mail on Sunday
- Europe is finished and only Remainers haven’t noticed – Matthew Lynn, The Sunday Telegraph
- Martha’s tale should cure us all of the NHS religion. It isn’t underfunded. It’s badly run – Camilla Long, The Sunday Times
- The West should be doing more to help Ukraine – Lord Ashcroft, The Mail on Sunday
News in Brief:
- What a full English breakfast can teach us about the state of the NHS – Rory Sutherland, The Spectator
- The ‘segregated’ playdate that led to a bomb threat – Matt Feeney, UnHerd
- Britain’s last grown-up – Sebastian Milbank, The Critic
- Sunak should hold out for the best possible trade deal – Ben Ramanauskas, CapX
- The lessons of Chile’s struggle against Big Tech – Evgeny Morozov, The New Statesman
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