Sunak faces calls from Cabinet to ditch ECHR…
“Rishi Sunak will face calls from up to a third of his Cabinet to put leaving the European Convention on Human Rights at the heart of the Tory election campaign if migrant deportation flights to Rwanda are blocked by the courts. At least eight Cabinet ministers, along with other senior Tories, are prepared to back the move if ECHR membership prevents Britain from protecting its borders against illegal migration, The Telegraph has been told. It comes ahead of a Supreme Court decision over whether the Rwanda policy is legal. The Court of Appeal had ruled that the flights should remain blocked because of the risk that asylum seekers’ human rights would be breached if they were deported to Rwanda.” – Daily Telegraph
- Blocking Rwanda could force the move, says Jenrick – The Times
- Growing number of Tories want pulling out of convention to be at heart of election – Daily Telegraph
Comment:
- Human rights are not dependent on the ECHR – Dr Alan Mendoza, Daily Express
Editorial:
- Labour would never be so bold as to even suggest quitting the ECHR – The Sun
>Today: Peter Franklin’s column: What is the Centre Right?
…as migrants refusing to board Bibby Stockholm slammed by ministers
“Migrants refusing to board the Bibby Stockholm barge have been told they don’t have a choice – with ministers blasting: “It’s not an a la carte menu”. Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick yesterday said the group of 20 asylum seekers are in no position to be picky. He warned they either move out of taxpayer-funded hotels and onto the vessel or face being made homeless by the government. Left-wing charity Care4Calais successfully blocked the group’s transfers onto the ship moored in Portland, Dorset, citing a range of concerns including one’s “fear of water”… He made the threat as more Tory MPs rowed in behind their colleague Lee Anderson saying any migrant unhappy with their accommodation to “f– off back to France”.” – The Sun
- Tory party splits emerge over small boats ‘failure’ – The Times
- Academic who described Braverman’s immigration views as ‘odious’ to address civil servants – Daily Telegraph
- Conservative HQ criticised for ‘targeted campaign’ against immigration lawyer – The Guardian
Labour:
- Abbott slammed over migrant tweet – Daily Mail
- Cooper ‘torn apart’ over Labour’s plan to strike migrant deal with EU – Daily Express
Comment:
- Anderson’s vile anti-migrant comments pose this question: do we want politics like this? – Hugh Muir, The Guardian
Crackdown on over-promotion to cut Civil Service wage bill
“Ministers are set to launch a crackdown on over-promotion in the Civil Service as they bear down on its spiralling wage bill, The Telegraph can reveal. Downing Street is concerned by the way in which Whitehall has “inflated” officials’ pay grades to get around successive Government attempts to rein in salary increases. Jeremy Quin, the Paymaster General, is leading an efficiency review, which is expected to result in the introduction of performance-based wages in the future. It comes after new figures revealed that the number of civil servants earning more than £100,000 has almost doubled in the last seven years. Cabinet ministers have been alarmed by the rise in “grade inflation”, where mandarins are bumped up salary brackets to get around restrictions on pay increases.” – Daily Telegraph
- State pensions to cost more than education, policing and defence combined – The Times
Editorial:
>Yesterday: Sir John Redwood MP in Comment: Reducing demand for government. Sensible investment means being prepared to cut spending elsewhere.
Mercer pledges to personally investigate any cases of Afghan heroes sleeping rough
“A minister has pledged to personally investigate any cases of Afghan heroes left sleeping rough due to the Government’s hotel evictions programme. Johnny Mercer, the veterans’ affairs minister, will act if such people are still homeless at the end of this month. Thousands of Afghans who worked for the UK before the Taliban takeover – as translators for the British military and in other roles – are currently living in 55 hotels across the UK. All have been told they must leave by the end of August, with their plight highlighted by the Daily Mail’s award-winning Betrayal of the Brave campaign… Mr Mercer revealed hotels for those handed refugee status through the official programmes are costing £1million a day.” – Daily Mail
Elections watchdog under fire for failing to notice huge hack for over a year
“Britain’s elections watchdog was last night on the rack for failing to notice a major hack for more than a year. Cyber-attackers gained access to 40 million voters’ details in August 2021 but were only detected in October 2022. The Electoral Commission only announced the massive security breach by “hostile actors” this week and yesterday faced fury for the lapse. Voters affected by the hack went online demanding an explanation from bosses over why it took so long to spot… Experts believe the hack was a state-sponsored attack, but sources have since suggested Russia is not the prime suspect.” – The Sun
- Russia or China feared to be behind cyberattack – The Times
- Electoral roll attack could have been work of China, Iran or North Korea – Daily Telegraph
Editorial:
- Public sector remains too complacent about this growing threat – The Times
UK ‘close to rejoining EU’s Horizon research programme’
“Britain is close to agreeing a deal to rejoin the European Union’s £81 billion scientific research programme Horizon after years of wrangling since Brexit. Sources in London and Brussels said that they expected an announcement as soon as next month after “significant” progress in negotiations. British and European officials are understood to have concluded a draft agreement, with talks now at a political level between Downing Street and the European Commission. No 10 has said that Rishi Sunak, who has been sceptical of the benefits of Horizon, will not approve a deal unless it provides value for money. The British scientific community has been united in calling for the prime minister to give his support. A senior government source said that Sunak was keen for a deal to be agreed.” – The Times
>Yesterday: Fred de Fossard in Comment: Now we have recognised the EU kitemark, it’s time to do the same for other trade partners – including the CPTPP
Johnson supporters accuse Tory chiefs of undermining London Mayor candidate
“A new row has broken out in the Conservative Party after chairman Greg Hands launched a review into the “shambles” which got Susan Hall selected as the candidate to take on Sadiq Khan next May. The move has led to the Conservative Democratic Organisation (CDO), founde by supporters of Boris Johnson, to accuse party chiefs of attacking the membership again. The row is the latest act in an ongoing civil war in the Conservative Party which erupted as a result of the coups by MPs last year to remove Boris Johnson and Liz Truss to install Rishi Sunak without the support of ordinary members… LBC has reported that chairman Greg Hands began the review after coming under severe criticism for the way that Paul Scully, the Minister for London, was kept off the shortlist of three in what many people consider was a stitch-up.” – Daily Express
>Today: Callum Newton in Comment: A lesson to the Conservatives from 1945. Build the housing that the nation needs.
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: How Levelling Up killed the Oxford-Cambridge Arc and why Gove plumped for his new project instead
Tory peer appointed chairman of Historic England
“A Conservative peer who is provost of Oriel College, Oxford will be the new chairman of Historic England. Lord Mendoza, who was appointed to the role by Lucy Frazer, the culture secretary, is a former banker and businessman with a long track record of participation in heritage and the arts. Mendoza served for three years as a commissioner of Historic England and has been a commissioner for culture at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) since 2020. He will also bring experience of divisive historical issues from his years at Oriel, where he dealt with controversy over its statue of the imperialist businessman Cecil Rhodes… Mendoza succeeds Duncan Wilson at a time when heritage is often a cause of controversy amid debates about how to deal with the less comfortable aspects of Britain’s past.” – The Times
- Storm of righteous anger has blown itself out – James Marriott, The Times
Police 1) Probe against cabinet minister accused of racism over traveller leaflet dropped
“Cops have dropped a probe into a Cabinet Minister accused of racism for seeking views on a planned traveller site. Welsh Secretary David TC Davies faced an investigation from Gwent Police for a leaflet he sent to constituents asking: “Would you like to see a traveller site next to your house?” The force launched a review into whether it was a non-crime hate incident following a deluge of complaints from charities but are taking no further action. Defiant Mr Davies said today: “Criticising a lack of wide public consultation to an important issue and seeking views from my constituents is not a crime, and I’m pleased that Gwent Police agree. I make no apologies for doing that.” The flyer – titled Gypsy and Traveller Site Coming To Your Area Soon! – was distributed to voters in the Tory’s Monmouth seat.” – The Sun
- Welsh Secretary has ‘history of hostility’ towards Traveller communities – The Guardian
Police 2) Officers working with MI5 ‘at risk’ after catastrophic Ulster data leak
“More than 600 police officers working in intelligence, surveillance and carrying out secret work for MI5 in Northern Ireland have been identified on a leaked list, putting their lives at risk. The shocking scale of the data breach, which named every officer in Northern Ireland, can today be revealed. The document, mistakenly released by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), identifies officers working in the most sensitive roles, including those in ‘secret areas’ of the force, close protection officers guarding politicians and other VIPs, and others working undercover to thwart terrorists. The list of 10,000 PSNI employees includes more than 560 officers working in intelligence and counter-terrorism, and over 100 in surveillance units.” – Daily Mail
- Northern Irish police chief refuses to quit over ‘monumental’ leak – Daily Telegraph
More:
- Give me the power to sack rogue officers, demands Commissioner – The Times
- Magistrates are banned from using the terms ‘policeman’ and ‘chairman’ – Daily Mail
Goldsmith says he could back Labour to protect the planet…
“Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park, the former Foreign Office minister and close ally of Boris Johnson, has said he is “very tempted” to back Labour because of its environmental policies. The peer resigned from the government in June, accusing Rishi Sunak of being “uninterested” in the environment. He said he was yet to be convinced that Sir Keir Starmer had a better approach, but was keen to give his party a hearing. “There is no pathway to net zero and there’s no solution to climate change that does not involve . . . massive efforts to protect and restore the natural world,” he told the BBC… Goldsmith was appointed by Johnson as minister of state for the international environment, and resigned after coming under pressure to apologise for attacking the privileges committee investigation into the former prime minister.” – The Times
>Today: ToryDiary: Persisting with the ban on non-electric cars leaves us vulnerable to dependence on China
…as Tories attack Starmer over ULEZ
“Sir Keir Starmer is to oppose the creation of new “ultra low emission zones” of the kind seen in London, in the latest attempt by the Labour leader to bolster his party’s defences ahead of next year’s election. Starmer’s allies say he will soon make it clear that he will not support the creation of similar Ulez schemes in other cities while the country is facing a cost of living crisis. Rishi Sunak, prime minister, and the Conservatives have in recent weeks stepped up their attacks on Labour, in a sign that campaigning has already started ahead of an election expected next summer or autumn. “Rishi is frustrated that Starmer gets away with too much,” said one Sunak ally. “We’re going to be prosecuting Labour’s policy positions. They’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”” – FT
- Khan accused of being ‘divorced from reality’ over tradespeople ULEZ claim – Daily Express
Comment:
- Blind faith and bans won’t get us to net zero – Juliet Samuel, The Times
>Today: Gareth Lyon in Local Government: Conservative activists are outnumbered. So we need to make our scarce campaigning resources go further.
Opposition accuses government of losing £250bn from value of British assets
“Labour has accused the government of “catastrophic financial mismanagement” and claimed it has “lost” £251bn from the value of assets created to rescue the banking sector after the 2008 financial crash. The party said analysis of recently published figures showed that a decline in the value of the Bank of England’s assets – over which the Treasury acts as a guarantor – was a huge loss to taxpayers, “equivalent to 10% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2022, or the entire GDP of Scotland and Wales combined”. In a report assessing the impact on the exchequer, Labour said the problem began when Rishi Sunak was chancellor in 2020 and worsened in the aftermath of former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s disastrous mini-budget in September last year.” – The Guardian
- Starmer won’t give the Tories an opportunity, and that’s their opportunity – Robert Shrimsley, FT
- This narrow, win-at-all-costs strategy could take Labour to victory, but not to power – Neal Lawson, The Guardian
Drakeford announces he’s quitting Welsh Parliament at next election
“Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford has said he will quit his seat at the next election, confirming his final retirement from frontline politics altogether. Mr Drakeford had previously said he would resign as First Minister by the end of 2024, but in a new interview at a Welsh festival he refused to say at what point before the 2026 Senedd election he would stand down. He said it is “important to have a refresh”… Mr Drakeford has served as First Minister since 2018, the fourth man to hold the position since the assembly’s creation in 1999. He has proved an incredibly divisive leader of the country, spending much of his time banning road building, meal deals and cash to asylum seekers. He is very much on the left of the Labour Party, backing Jeremy Corbyn and opposing Britain’s Trident nuclear programme.” – Daily Express
- Sturgeon blames ‘simple mistake’ after ex-first minister is spotted in untaxed car – Daily Mail
News in Brief:
- The time has come for the Tories to enact Flexible Right To Buy – Henry Hill, CapX
- Salmond teases a reconciliation with Sturgeon – Lloyd Evans, The Spectator
- Inside Tony Blair Inc. – Tom McTague, UnHerd
- Britain’s reactionary centre is going mad – Finn McRedmond, New Statesman
- The collapse of the “Rainbow Nation” – Ryan Else, The Critic
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