Biden says UK-US relationship is ‘rock solid’ as he meets Sunak…
“Joe Biden on Monday described the UK-US relationship as “rock solid” at talks in Downing Street with Rishi Sunak, in spite of differences emerging between the two sides ahead of this week’s Nato summit. The US president’s decision to send cluster munitions to Kyiv is at odds with Britain’s opposition to their use, and Number 10 said the UK prime minister had “discouraged” their deployment during talks in London. Downing Street said Britain, as a signatory to a convention banning cluster weapons, was obliged to “discourage” their use by non-signatories, but privately British officials said talks on the issue were amicable. Meanwhile, the US and Germany are under intense pressure from other allies to show greater support for Ukraine’s eventual membership of Nato.” – FT
- President relies on cue cards for meeting with ‘great ally’ – Daily Telegraph
- Downing Street plays down reports of UK-US split over Ukraine – The Guardian
- Sunak tells allies ‘pay up to deter Putin’ – The Times
Comment:
- Biden visits Sunak, but great conversation was not on the cards – Tim Stanley, Daily Telegraph
Sketch:
- With a ‘look, no Zimmer’ gesture, Joe Biden wobbled in – Quentin Letts, The Times
The Times:
- Bringing Kiev into NATO is a fundamental step towards restoring stability in Europe – The Times
>Today: ToryDiary: “We got what we came for, and our special relationship is still very special.”
>Yesterday: Richard Leader in Comment: Irish America is receding, and Biden’s schtick is a quarter-century out of date
…with Labour in Washington talks as US ‘prepares for Starmer takeover’
“Labour will today hold talks with a member of President Biden’s cabinet over a future digital trade deal, in yet another indication of the White House’s increasingly serious preparations for a Starmer government. In discussions that will unnerve Rishi Sunak, Nick Thomas-Symonds, the shadow trade secretary and close ally of Sir Keir Starmer, will meet Katherine Tai, the US trade representative, on a visit to Washington DC this morning. Thomas-Symonds will use a speech after the meeting — a significant vote of confidence in the opposition in a week which has seen the prime minister hold talks with Biden — to declare Britain “open for business” with the US under a Labour government.” – The Times
- More than a dozen members of Labour’s front bench call for Britain to scrap its nuclear deterrent – Daily Mail
Home Office 1) More than 10,000 migrants to be ‘spared deportation to Rwanda’
“More than 10,000 Channel migrants will be spared automatic deportation to Rwanda under concessions designed to save Suella Braverman’s flagship illegal migration legislation. The Home Secretary has abandoned plans to apply the new powers of automatic detention and deportation to any migrant who arrived after March 7, the date when her Illegal Migration Bill was presented to Parliament. Instead, the powers will only come into force once the Bill has passed through all its Parliamentary stages and been granted Royal Assent, which ministers hope will be later this summer. Ministers wanted the legislation to be retrospective as a deterrent to small boat crossings over the spring and summer, and to prevent a surge in migrants seeking to beat the Bill’s later implementation deadline.” – Daily Telegraph
- Braverman makes concessions on small boats bill – FT
- Clarke pleads ‘give Rwanda scheme a chance’ as he hits out at critics – Daily Express
More:
- Housing asylum seekers on barge may only save £10 a person daily, report says – The Guardian
Home Office 2) Hotels given millions of pounds to reserve beds for migrants
“Ministers are spending more than half a million pounds a day on keeping thousands of empty hotel beds reserved for migrants as a “buffer” to prevent overcrowding at processing centres. The 5,000 beds are needed in case there is a surge in migrant crossings, Home Office sources say. Over the past three days 1,339 migrants have crossed the Channel in small boats, taking the total for this year to 12,772, roughly the same number that had arrived by this time last year, despite Rishi Sunak’s claim last month that his plan to stop the boats was “starting to work”. Almost 10,000 migrants who have arrived since March will no longer be subject to strict new measures in the Illegal Migration Bill after the government agreed a concession to drop retrospective application of the legislation.” – The Times
William Hague: Even right-wingers know we need migrants
“This is the awkward reality for all of us on the right who have promised lower immigration in the past: unless you can magically create a younger, fitter, more willing and better trained population, you need migrants. There is a corresponding new reality for the left: an open-door policy towards migration will be inadequate for the new age, and incidentally will bring electoral annihilation. Hard-line Tories might be struggling to make their numbers add up, but their Labour equivalents, trying to weaken Rishi Sunak’s clampdown on illegal migration this week, also need to prepare for the new age. Sir Keir Starmer’s rhetoric has become tougher on immigration, but the detail of Labour policy still suggests a weaker approach.” – The Times
>Today: Matt Goodwin’s column: Despite Brexit, voters are still disillusioned by broken Conservative promises to get a grip on immigration
>Yesterday: Christopher Howarth in Comment: We must not lose sight of the real benefits Brexit has delivered for Britain
Sunak ‘could delay Cabinet reshuffle until September’
“Rishi Sunak is considering reshuffling his Cabinet in September rather than later this month after senior ministers pushed for a delay, The Telegraph understands. Westminster had been braced for the Prime Minister to make changes soon, but Number 10 figures are considering whether doing so in the autumn would make better political sense. The possibility of a shake-up has made recent headlines, with Mr Sunak facing potential defeat in three by-elections in Conservative-held seats on July 20, but Downing Street insiders have played down speculation of an imminent reshuffle. That would make him the first prime minister in modern history to lose three in one day. The by-elections take place in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, Selby and Ainsty, and Somerton and Frome.” – Daily Telegraph
Hunt to set out City reforms
“Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will on Monday set out a series of “Mansion House reforms” intended to channel tens of billions of pounds of Britain’s pensions savings into high-growth companies. Hunt will use the chancellor’s set-piece annual speech in the City of London to set out reforms he claims will seize “benefits of Brexit” and make UK capital markets more attractive. The chancellor will hail a voluntary compact by some of Britain’s biggest pension companies to commit 5 per cent of their investments to private equity and early-stage businesses, potentially unlocking up to £50bn by 2030. Two-thirds of the defined contribution pensions market will be covered by the pact, according to people briefed on the deal, which will be signed by names including Aviva, Legal & General, Phoenix and Scottish Widows.” – FT
- ‘Mansion House reforms’ seek to channel pension savings into unlisted firms – FT
- Beating inflation comes before public sector pay, insists Chancellor – The Times
- Tories call for a ‘family friendly’ tax overhaul – Daily Express
More:
- Homeowners rush to remortgage because of rate rise fears – FT
- Only one per cent of Brits think businesses should preach about social issues – The Sun
Comment:
- Tax cuts, tax rises and keeping it together before and after election – Stephen Bush, FT
- Hunt’s £1,000-a-year booster for pensions are part of a radical plan to turbocharge the economy – Jeff Prestridge, Daily Mail
>Today: Poppy Coburn’s column: Improving productivity is Sunak’s best route to tackling the Blob
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: If Sunak can no longer win the next election, he must use his premiership to be honest about Britain’s economic decline
Johnson’s allies escape punishment for attacking partygate inquiry
“Allies of Boris Johnson escaped punishment after some of them dismissed a Commons inquiry investigating him over partygate as a “kangaroo court”. Last week, the privileges committee criticised eight Tory MPs and one peer for undermining their investigation into the former prime minister with a co-ordinated attempt to undermine the panel’s work. The Liberal Democrats put forward amendments which would have seen the eight politicians – including Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, Dame Priti Patel and Nadine Dorries – facing possible sanctions. However, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House of Commons, refused to call these amendments, meaning they will not face the threat of suspension.” – Daily Telegraph
- Mordaunt said she hopes those named ‘will reflect on their actions’ – Daily Mail
More:
- Covid-19 inquiry still waiting for Boris Johnson phone messages – FT
Comment:
- Did Halifax penalise me for being a Tory MP? – Nadine Dorries, Daily Mail
>Yesterday: Anthony Browne MP’s column: The new regulations we need to stop banks closing accounts for political reasons
Knight faces fresh sexual misconduct allegations
“A former Tory MP has been accused of sexually harassing three women who claim he used the pretext of job opportunities to make inappropriate advances towards them. Julian Knight, who strenuously denies any wrongdoing, previously lost the Conservative whip after the Metropolitan Police received a complaint of serious sexual assault last year. Scotland Yard subsequently dropped its investigation into the Solihull MP, who now sits as an independent and has announced that he will stand down at the next election. However, the case has since been referred on to Essex Police, which has now opened its own inquiry. It is not clear why this move was taken. The Politico website reported on Monday that three women had made separate allegations that Mr Knight exploited his position to sexually harass them.” – Daily Telegraph
UK should press pause on deep-sea mining, Labour says
“The Labour party has said the UK should back the call for a precautionary pause on deep-sea mining, ahead of a crucial meeting of nations in Jamaica to decide the future of the industry. David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary, said the Labour party was adding its voice to a growing list of countries and businesses urging that moves to start mining be halted “until and unless” there was clear scientific evidence that it could be done safely and the marine environment would be protected by new regulations. Last week, Ireland and Sweden became the latest developed economies to join scientists, environmental organisations, and multinationals including BMW, Volvo and Samsung, in opposing the rush to mine the deep sea.” – The Guardian
- Pupil exodus ‘unlikely’ if Labour ends tax perks for UK private schools, says IFS – FT
- Opposition would use AI to help people find jobs, says Ashworth – The Guardian
Comment:
- Starmer’s claims he ‘hates’ tree huggers just don’t stack up – Ross Clark, The Sun
>Today: Tim Clark in Comment: Reducing the demand for government 5) Schools. Teacher pay is far from the only reason behind the school staffing crisis.
>Yesterday:
Yousaf mocked as half say he’s doing bad job after 100 days in power
“Humza Yousaf has been mocked by opposition parties after a new poll found half of respondents say he is doing badly. A YouGov survey of 1,100 Scots between June 26 and 29 shows 50 percent viewed the Scottish First Minister as having done a poor job since taking office.
The SNP leader, who took over from Nicola Sturgeon following her shock resignation in February, marked 100 days in power last Friday. Just 23 percent endorsed his time in office, which has been overshadowed by a police probe into the SNP’s finances. Scottish Tory chairman Craig Hoy said the “only surprise” from the poll was that “just half those responding think Humza Yousaf’s doing a terrible job”.” – Daily Express
News in Brief:
- New Cambridge should be the laboratory of the world – Henry Hill, CapX
- The smugness of pseudo-centrism – Ben Sixsmith, The Critic
- Britain is the last liberal nation in Europe – Philip Cunliffe, New Statesman
- The reason Nato won’t admit Ukraine – Thomas Fazi, UnHerd
- Is Biden really a close friend of Britain? – Ross Clark, The Spectator
Source link
#Newslinks #Tuesday #11th #July #Conservative #Home