Yousaf to be new first minister of Scotland
“Humza Yousaf has pledged to put the SNP’s independence drive “into fifth gear” and challenge Westminster’s decision to block new laws to make it easier to change gender after becoming Scotland’s first minister. Yousaf, 37, a former Scottish health secretary, is set to become the country’s first ethnic minority leader after winning a bitter contest to succeed Nicola Sturgeon as party leader. Kate Forbes, the SNP’s finance secretary, finished second. Yousaf won by 52.1 per cent to 47.9 per cent in the second round after Ash Regan was eliminated. Speaking after his victory Yousaf, who was billed the continuity candidate during the contest, pledged to press on with Sturgeon’s push for independence.” – The Times
- Incoming first minister has a daunting in-tray – FT
- He pledges to press on with Sturgeon’s gender reforms – Daily Telegraph
- Yousaf’s worst political scandals resurface – Daily Express
More:
- Victory seen as ‘great opportunity’ for Labour – FT
- Party sources believe up to 15 seats are already ‘in play’ – Daily Mail
- Tories smell blood in Scotland too – The Times
- Sunak vows to ‘fight hard’ to stop SNP breaking up the UK – Daily Express
>Today: ToryDiary: Despite Sturgeon, such a conservative as Forbes can almost lead the SNP
Henry Hill: This was the best result for the SNP
“Sturgeon’s great achievement was smashing the superficially-formidable but increasingly hollow Labour Party and capturing its heartlands in Scotland’s heavily-populated central belt. This involved a big shift to the left on both economic and social policy; the ‘Tartan Tories’ were consigned to history. As the preferred candidate of the SNP hierarchy, Yousaf was the best candidate to try and hold this coalition together. But that isn’t quite the same thing as his actually being a good candidate in any broader sense.” – Daily Express
- A win for Humza ‘Useless’ means the Union is safe for now – Eddie Barnes, Daily Mail
- SNP was already clouded by failure, now it could lose power altogether – Dani Garavelli, The Guardian
- Election is a rallying cry for unionists – William Hague, The Times
- Yousaf should beware the SNP’s new infighting habit – Stephen Bush, FT
Sketch:
- He’s hardly Robert the Bruce – Henry Deedes, Daily Mail
Editorial:
- Scotland’s new first minister should govern for all Scots – FT
Borders 1) Sunak and Tory rebels reach ‘ceasefire’ over migrants Bill
“Rishi Sunak has struck a “temporary ceasefire” with Tory rebels after agreeing to their demands to revisit his small boats plan. The Prime Minister agreed to look at tougher measures to prevent the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) from blocking deportations to Rwanda. His climbdown came with more than 60 Conservative MPs threatening to vote against the Government in the Commons on Monday night. They were set to back four backbench amendments to stop the return of illegal migrants from becoming “entangled in human rights law”. Downing Street will now have three weeks, until after Parliament’s Easter recess, to come up with a new blueprint to assuage the rebels.” – Daily Telegraph
- MPs push to toughen legislation as rights chief sounds alarm – The Guardian
- Prime Minister must fix small boats crisis to keep red-wall Tories on board – The Times
More:
- NGOs, MPs and academics call for withdrawal of illegal migration bill… – The Guardian
- …as does top European human rights body – FT
>Yesterday: Danny Kruger, Simon Clarke, and Jonathan Gullis in Comment: Our four tests for the Illegal Migration Bill
Borders 2) Braverman blasts Starmer over campaigns against deportation of foreign crooks
“Labour must “hang their heads in shame” after campaigning to stop the deportation of foreign crooks, the Home Secretary says. Suella Braverman blasted Sir Keir Starmer for signing a letter calling for dangerous criminals not to be sent to Jamaica – before seven committed further crimes. She also hit out at 70 MPs and peers who signed a letter calling on a flight carrying four killers and two sex offenders to the Caribbean country to be cancelled… An investigation last week by The Sun revealed seven convicts hauled off the deportation flight went on to commit violent or drug-related crimes following Sir Keir’s intervention.” – The Sun
Landlords promised power to evict rowdy tenants in two weeks
“Landlords will be able to evict tenants who are disruptive to neighbours, cause damage or fall behind on their rent within two weeks under government plans to tackle antisocial behaviour. Homeowners who rent out their properties on Airbnb will also be forced to register on a new database that will make it easier for local councils to deal with complaints about rowdy guests. The proposals were among dozens promised by Rishi Sunak in a plan to address increased public concerns about antisocial behaviour. All new private tenancy agreements will have to include clauses that specifically ban antisocial behaviour.” – The Times
- ‘Zero tolerance approach to anti-social behaviour’ by booting yobs out of council flats – The Sun
- Party could be over for Airbnb lets – Daily Telegraph
Editorial:
- Creating new offences and penalties will not in itself reduce crime – The Times
>Yesterday: Steve Rolles in Comment: The ban on Nitrous Oxide will be counterproductive. It puts politics ahead of scientific evidence.
Fresh HS2 shambles as Gove says line might not run to Euston
“The shambolic HS2 line may never reach Euston, Michael Gove said last night, as it’s revealed it’s already cost £2billion. But No10 insisted it was still the plan to run it all the way to central London – though there was still no date for it. The Levelling Up boss lifted the lid on the raging debate inside Government about whether it should be canned – as revealed by The Sun earlier this year. He refused to say for definite whether the new speedy train service – which has now been pushed back another two years – would run into central London as planned.” – The Sun
Bailey refuses to rule out further interest rate rises
“Andrew Bailey, governor of the Bank of England, said on Monday that recent financial turmoil would not stand in the way of the central bank controlling inflation with high interest rates. In a speech at the London School of Economics, Bailey stressed that the UK financial system was “resilient, with robust capital and liquidity positions, and well placed to support the economy”. He made no reference to the possibility that lending might be curtailed, instead reiterating the BoE’s position that interest rates would need to rise further if “any signs of persistent inflationary pressures” were detected.” – FT
- Early retirement has forced up inflation, says Governor – Daily Telegraph
>Today:
>Yesterday:
Brits must learn to trust latest computers and not fear AI, says Tech Secretary
“Brits must learn to “trust” computers that think and Chat GPT won’t steal our jobs, the Tech Secretary says today. Michelle Donelan insisted artificial intelligence was no longer like killer robots like in The Terminator as she sought to calm fears about the new tech. Ministers will tomorrow launch new plans for how AI will be regulated for the first time in the UK to keep the computers of tomorrow on track. Tech bosses will be ordered to come up with new rules to keep them fair, safe and accountable to users. Ministers want to give the NHS more AI-powered toolkits to help slash waiting times and save lives, stop fraudsters, and help deaf kids to learn to read.” – The Sun
Corbyn to run against Labour as an independent, say allies
“Jeremy Corbyn has resolved to run against Labour as an independent candidate at the next general election, The Times has learnt, as the former leader warns that he is “not going anywhere”. Friends of the MP for Islington North said that he will confirm his intention to run as an independent as early as this week if Labour’s ruling national executive committee approves his successor’s plan to bar him from standing for election under the party’s banner. Corbyn’s decision follows months of speculation over his intentions in the event that Sir Keir Starmer moved to formally block him from standing as a Labour candidate.” – The Times
>Today: Poppy Coburn’s column: The BBC, charities, the Left – and correcting bias. The Government is tackling symptoms, not the cause.
News in Brief:
- This race revealed the depth of Nationalist divisions – Henry Hill, CapX
- Yousaf won’t be celebrating for long – Iain Macwhirter, The Spectator
- Rural Scotland is dying of cold – Cal Flyn, UnHerd
- Questioning Casey – Noah Carl, The Critic
- Nuclear power is too safe – Jack Devanney, Gordian Knot News
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