Parties unite as Sunak and Starmer face calls from their own MPs and peers to boost military budget
“Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer are facing calls from their own MPs and peers to pledge an increase for defence spending in their election manifestos. The cross-party call comes in an open letter urging the Tory and Labour party leaders to hike spending to at least 2.5 per cent of GDP from the first year of the next Parliament, climbing to 3 per cent by 2030. The missive, signed by three former defence secretaries and four senior ex-military chiefs, warns that Britain is ‘facing its gravest threats since the end of the Cold War’. It adds: ‘Absent this investment, British interests could suffer defeat, making the disruption we have experienced in recent months look moderate.’ With an election taking place later this year, it would mean identifying money for a hike within months to secure Britain’s future as a military force.” – Daily Mail
- Army drones a ‘disaster’ and unable to fly in bad weather – The Times
Comment:
- War is closer than ever: we must invest in defence – Sir Michael Fallon, Daily Mail
Free childcare plan ‘will hit target in days’
“Ministers are poised to announce they have hit their target of allocating 150,000 childcare places under a new scheme within days. The publicly funded expansion of up to 15 hours a week free childcare for two-year-olds came into force on Tuesday. Whitehall officials were tasked last month with contacting local authorities to confirm how many places were being taken up and to validate codes to check the eligibility of those who applied. Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, set a target of 150,000 sign-ups by early April. Government sources said internally they had sought to reach the number by the Easter weekend, and are on track to do so within days. Rishi Sunak, who will return to work today with a visit to mark the childcare rollout, said it was evidence of the government’s commitment to delivering on its pledges.” – The Times
- It will help to grow the economy, Prime Minister insists – Daily Telegraph
- Labour under pressure to say whether it would keep free hours childcare system – The Guardian
>Yesterday: Alexander Bowen in Comment: Britain is more equal than progressive Scandinavian countries. The problem is that we’re poor.
Sunak backs JK Rowling in trans arrest row with Scottish police
“Rishi Sunak has backed JK Rowling after she challenged Scottish police to use the SNP’s new hate crime laws to arrest her for her views on transgender issues. The Harry Potter author had said she was looking forward to being arrested after describing a series of transgender women as men on the day the new law came into force. An SNP minister had earlier admitted that Rowling could be investigated under the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act – which creates a new offence of “stirring up of hatred” for “misgendering” trans people. However, the Prime Minister gave his support to Rowling saying that the Conservatives would always protect free speech… On Monday, Rowling had posted pictures of 10 high-profile trans people and ridiculed their claims to be women.” – Daily Telegraph
- Calling these trans criminals ‘men’ could lead to arrest under SNP’s new hate crime laws – Daily Mail
- Scotland’s first minister defends Hate Crime Act amid barrage of criticism – The Guardian
- Diversity training ‘forces workers to hide beliefs’ for fear of losing job – Daily Telegraph
More:
- ‘Disaster for SNP’ as people die younger in Scotland than anywhere else in Western Europe – Daily Express
An autumn election is more likely than a summer one, hints business minister
“An autumn general election is more likely than a summer one, a business minister hinted yesterday. Kevin Hollinrake talked up the Conservatives’ chances despite a string of dire poll results, saying there’s ‘a lot of water to flow under the bridge’ before the next election. In a hint the Government will wait until much later in the year to call the poll, he insisted there was still time to turn around Tory fortunes if tax cuts and falling inflation and interest rates are given enough time to kick in. It comes amid speculation about whether Rishi Sunak could call an election as early as June or July rather than wait until autumn. Government sources say to hold one in autumn is the current ‘working assumption’, with the latest it can legally be held being January 2025.” – Daily Mail
- Tories ‘will pay at the ballot box’ as more retirees than ever dragged into income levy – Daily Telegraph
- UK faces prospect of hosepipe ban despite wettest winter on record – The Times
>Yesterday:
Victoria Atkins: We’ll spend on IT so staff can focus on patients
“I want doctors to spend as much time as possible face-to-face with patients, delivering the best-quality care they can. But as I travel to hospitals, GP practices and health centres across England, I am frequently told how old, clunky technology is wasting so much valuable time and resources. In fact, a recent British Medical Association survey revealed an estimated 13.5million hours are wasted every year as doctors stare at a slow-moving loading screen or reboot a crashed computer. Our £3.4billion productivity investment announced at the Budget will make sure that changes. This technology will focus on front-line staff, upgrading their day-to-day IT, significantly reducing the millions of wasted hours doctors spend sitting in front of screens, so they can get back to what they do best – treating their patients.” – Daily Mail
- Gender clinics ‘not ready to open’ despite year-long delay – Daily Express
- Abolish NHS England and empower local leaders, says think tank – The Times
Comment:
- Why can’t we have European-style healthcare? – Melanie Phillips, The Times
>Today: Sir Robert Buckland in Comment: Yes, legalising assisted suicide would shift social attitudes. That is precisely why we must not.
Braverman accuses UK of ‘backsliding’ on support for Israel
“Suella Braverman has hit out at the Government for “backsliding” on its support for Israel and criticised the Foreign Office for allowing a “pro-Palestine” prevailing view to take hold. On a tour of sites attacked by Hamas on Oct 7, Mrs Braverman insisted this was not the time for Britain to “walk away” from Israel. In a sideswipe at Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, who is reportedly threatening to cut off arms supplies, the former home secretary said she had received reassurances that Israel was not in breach of international law and was allowing aid into Gaza. In a wide-ranging interview with The Telegraph, Mrs Braverman also said she was “ashamed” by the levels of anti-Semitism she said had gripped the UK in the wake of the Hamas massacre.” – Daily Telegraph
- She says she’s ‘ashamed’ by surging anti-Semitism in Britain – Daily Mail
- Gaza airstrike kills British aid worker and four others – The Times
More:
- MPs challenge government claims China cyber attack was unsuccessful – FT
Pop Cons ‘plots ‘Truss-style’ leader if party loses general election’
“The “Popular Conservatism” group has launched a plan to install a “Liz Truss-style” candidate as the next Tory leader, after a presumed general election loss. Jostling among those vying to replace Rishi Sunak is intensifying, after continued polls that suggest the Conservatives are on course for heavy defeat. The “PopCons” campaign, which Truss spoke at the launch of in February and now fronted by Mark Littlewood, is plotting to ensure a free-market, libertarian MP wins the ensuing leadership race. Littlewood, whom Truss pushed for a peerage after his work running the Institute for Economic Affairs think-tank, has devised a “70/70,000 strategy” for ensuring enough support from MPs and Tory members.” – The Times
Senior Tories furious as think tank urges Labour to give citizenship to all EU migrants
“Senior Tories have blasted proposals by Sir Keir Starmer’s allies to grant British citizenship to millions of EU passport holders. Influential think tank Labour Together urged the opposition leader to give default citizenship to all EU migrants who have settled in Britain. It said it will stop people thinking immigrants do not contribute to the economy. Labour Together argue that the 3.7million EU citizens granted settled status after Brexit should automatically be given British passports. Settled status enables migrants to live and work in the UK indefinitely — but does not include the right to a passport. Tory deputy chairman Jonathan Gullis accused Sir Keir of a “Brexit betrayal” by “allowing millions of EU citizens to become UK citizens overnight”.” – The Sun
- Referendum on dramatic cut to migration ‘would persuade Reform backers’ to vote Conservative – Daily Express
Bring back ID cards to tackle migrant crisis, Starmer told
“Sir Keir Starmer should resurrect the last Labour government’s ID cards scheme to tackle the small boats crisis, a former Labour home secretary has said. The comments from Lord Blunkett, who first introduced the policy of ID cards in the aftermath of 9/11, risks triggering a new internal party row. ID cards were scrapped when the Conservatives defeated Labour in 2010 and only 15,000 had been issued. Blunkett has urged Starmer to revisit ID cards to tackle illegal migration to the UK and require all workers to submit their ID cards to an employer before they are allowed to work. The French government has repeatedly blamed Britain’s lax labour market rules and lack of ID system for attracting tens of thousands of migrants to cross the Channel in small boats.” – The Times
- Britain’s seasonal worker scheme leaves many migrants in debt, research finds – FT
Rayner hits back at Mandelson over Labour’s worker rights pledges
“Angela Rayner has pushed back against Lord Peter Mandelson after the Labour peer criticised her package of employment reforms, likening his complaints to the “squealing” by business over the introduction of the minimum wage. Mandelson, co-architect of New Labour in the 1990s and now an adviser to big companies, has urged Labour to consult more closely with business over its package of employment reforms dubbed the “New Deal for Workers”. Rayner, deputy leader of the opposition party, told the Financial Times that her “message for people like Lord Mandelson” was to remember that before New Labour’s 1997 win “business was squealing about the minimum wage, saying that they’re all going to go out of business and it would bankrupt the country”.” – FT
- Could plans be Labour’s Achilles’ heel? – Daily Mail
More:
- Opposition warms to Thatcher in bid to widen electoral appeal – FT
- Labour to throw hereditary peers out of the Lords (but not the bar) – Daily Telegraph
- BT’s Openreach pushes Labour for easier access to flats in fibre rollout – FT
- Tory chaos under Sunak has cost UK taxpayers £8.2bn, says Labour – The Guardian
Comment:
- How Labour wants to change the British economy – Martin Wolf, FT
- Rayner is electoral gold… for the Tories – Charles Moore, Daily Telegraph
>Today: ToryDiary: Row over workers’ rights shows Labour is divided even over its scant policy agenda
Twenty Labour councillors resign over ‘bullying’ claims
“Sir Keir Starmer is facing council chaos today after 20 Labour politicians quit his party en masse over allegations of bullying and stifling of free speech. The swathe of resignations, including that of a council leader”, saw the 20 councillors slam the Labour party for “attempting to impose their ideas at a local level”. Pendle Borough Council leader Asjad Mahmood defiantly said: “I was elected to serve the public, not party officials”. The large number of resignations come from three councils in the North West, namely Pendle, Brierfield and Nelson. In his furious statement, Cllr Mahmood said: “I, along with my colleagues, was elected by local residents to represent them in the council chamber”… Pendle Council has been hit with divisions of Israel and Palestine since the conflict broke out in October last year.” – Daily Express
- Mass resignation follows the walkout of Labour councillors over Gaza stance – Daily Mail
- Labour cuts ties with organisation named as Islamist by Gove – The Times
More:
- Four in five Labour members back Starmer, polling shows – The Guardian
>Today: Peter Franklin’s column: There are lessons for the Tories in the precipitous downfall of the Labour left
News in Brief:
- So is Labour going to level Britain up or not? – Freddie Hayward, New Statesman
- Britain needs to deploy Warhammer – Aris Roussinos, UnHerd
- Rowling has exposed the absurdity of Scotland’s Hate Crime Act – Stephen Daisley, The Spectator
- The quaintness of the campaign against public schools – Jimmy Nicholls, The Critic
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