Gaza 1) Ceasefire talks to continue while Israel strikes Hamas in Rafah
“Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has said a proposal for a new Gaza ceasefire is “far from Israel’s basic requirements” but negotiations will continue. His comments came after Hamas said it had accepted the truce terms offered by Qatari and Egyptian mediators. “The ball is now in Israel’s court,” an official in the Palestinian group said. Overnight, Israeli forces and tanks were seen near the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza, reports in Israeli media said. Earlier, Israel’s military carried out air strikes on Rafah, on the border with Egypt, after warning Palestinians to evacuate eastern parts of the city.” – BBC
- Tough choices for Netanyahu after Hamas upends expectations – Jeremy Bowen, BBC
- Offer is a “ruse” says Israel – Daily Mail
- Celebrations prove premature – Daily Telegraph
Gaza 2) Jewish leaders call on Green Party councillor to be suspended
“Jewish leaders have demanded that a pro-Gaza activist who yelled ‘Allahu Akbar’ when he was elected as a Green councillor is suspended after claiming Hamas ‘had a right to fight back’ against Israel. Mothin Ali had branded Israelis as ‘white supremacists’ after the Palestinian terror group killed 1,160 people in devastating cross border raids from Gaza on October 7, last year. The 42-year-old said Israel had tried to ‘erase the legitimacy of a native population’ and claimed ‘they [Israelis] are not victims, they are occupiers’ in videos posted on social media.” – Daily Mail
- I exposed new councillor’s tirade against rabbi, but when I warned the Greens they just ignored it – Guy Adams, Daily Mail
- They’re the darlings of the liberal middle classes, but from trans rights to Gaza the Greens are forging alliances that should trouble us all – Professor Matthew Godwin, Daily Mail
>Today: ToryDiary: The local elections served as a bleak warning of Britain’s sectarian political future
Gaza 3) Hannan: Our democracy will break apart if the sectarian voting it embodies takes hold in Britain
“In Britain, our moral code, like our legal system, emphasised personal autonomy. Vendetta, carrying your quarrel against your enemy’s family, is the default setting of a tribal species like ours. Britain was unusual in making it unthinkable. Until now. The claim of identity politics is that we are all defined by our group, whether on grounds of race, gender or sexual identity. Starting around 2015, a phenomenon that sociologists call the ‘Great Awokening’ gathered pace. Instead of being taught that they were equal citizens, students were told that they needed to be aware of where their group slotted into an imagined pyramid of oppression. The danger of woke is not that it is nonsense, but that it is perilously seductive. We evolved in kin-groups, and are easily stirred up against supposed outsiders. It is Britain’s historic value of common citizenship that requires patient education, both of new arrivals and the young.” – Daniel Hannan, Daily Mail
Gaza 4) Keegan: We will not stand by as Jewish students suffer
“I recently wrote to all university vice-chancellors to make sure they clamp down on anti-Semitic abuse and prevent protests from escalating. At Goldsmiths, University of London, leaders have given in to the unreasonable demands of a vocal minority of protesters. Their actions – particularly in reviewing its use of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism – are causing deep hurt among Jewish students, especially as this definition is an important tool in tackling anti-Semitics. We’ve also seen protests at Russell Group universities including Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, Sheffield and Newcastle.” – Gillian Keegan, Daily Telegraph
Gaza 5) Muslim vote group issues demands to Starmer
“A grassroots Muslim vote campaign supported by several controversial organisations has given 18 demands to Sir Keir Starmer to win back lost votes over Gaza. The Muslim Vote, which wants to “punish” MPs who did not back a ceasefire, has told the Labour leader to apologise for his stance on the Middle East crisis, promise to cut military ties with Israel and allow followers of Islam to pray in schools. It called on him to “return the Zionist money”, remove the government’s new extremism definition and place a travel ban on Israeli politicians who support the war. It said its supporters would otherwise vote Greens or Lib Dems.” – The Times
- Labour would be unwise to appease Muslim activists – Charles Moore, Daily Telegraph
Swinney confirmed as new SNP leader
“John Swinney has vowed a “new chapter” in the SNP’s history after being confirmed as party leader. The former deputy first minister, who is expected to be nominated by MSPs as first minister as early as Tuesday, also pledged to find “common ground” with his political opponents. A leadership contest was avoided after a veteran SNP activist withdrew a rival bid following talks with Mr Swinney.” – BBC
- First minister will say SNP mistakes were nothing to do with him – Alan Cochrane, Daily Telegraph
Cyber attack on the Ministry of Defence by hostile state
“The personal details of UK military personnel have been targeted in a cyber attack by a hostile state, the British government is expected to announce on Tuesday. The Chinese state is suspected of being behind the hack, according to Sky News, which affected a UK Ministry of Defence contractor’s IT system and was not linked to the MoD’s central network. A person with knowledge of the matter confirmed the report about the cyber attack, discovered in recent days.” – Financial Times
- Day-to-day defence spending cut by nearly £10bn since 2010, new figures show – The i
- China’s relationship with France is entirely self-serving – Leader, Daily Telegraph
>Today: James Sunderland on Comment: Under Sunak and Shapps, Conservatives have a strong story to tell on defence
Number of new homes predicted to drop to half the official target
“The number of new homes being built in England could fall to roughly half the official target unless the government steps up financial and policy support for new housing, according to a forecast from Savills. The property group warned that the number of new home completions would fall from an annual average of about 210,000 over the past five years to 160,000 over the coming year as higher debt costs hit construction and home sales. Savills said building rates would probably stay low until at least 2030 without a boost from the government.” – Financial Times
We’ll end ‘spiral of sickness’ keeping people out of work, promises Stride
“Mel Stride, the Work and Pensions Secretary, has said too many Britons are falling into a “spiral of sickness” as a pilot scheme aimed at tackling “sick note culture” is expanded. Mr Stride’s comments came as it was announced that WorkWell, a programme connecting people with work support when they seek to be signed off sick, is to be launched in 15 areas. Greater Manchester – where three quarters of a million “fit notes”, as sick notes are now called, were issued last year – is one target area. Lancashire and South Cumbria, which saw almost half a million, is another.” – Daily Telegraph
- WorkWell will support people whose health or disabilities get in the way of work – Helen Whateley, Health Minister, Daily Express
Sunak challenged to toughen policies
“Rishi Sunak was last night told to get “serious” about tax cuts and immigration or face a Tory wipeout at the general election…Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the PM must personally “own” the “terrible” defeat. She said: “I’m urging the prime minister to change course, to – with humility – reflect on what the voters are telling us and change the plan and the way that he is communicating and leading us.” To woo back Tory supporters “on strike” she called for policies including proper tax cuts rather than “tweaking” with national insurance. She also demanded a cap on legal migration and quitting the European Court of Human Rights to “send the message that he’s serious about stopping the boats”. Tory MP Sir John Hayes also demanded the PM put more right-wingers in the Cabinet.” – The Sun
- Significant tax cuts and crackdown on immigration are needed to have any chance of success at next election – Leader, The Sun
- With Britain expected to come out of recession this week and inflation slowing, could things be looking up? – The Times
- Reeves accuses Tories of ‘gaslighting’ public over economy – The Guardian
- Do local election results point to a hung Parliament? – Sir John Curtice, BBC
>Today: Sean Woodward on Local Government: We have succeeded in Fareham by implementing true Conservative policies
Labour claims to be winning over pensioners
“Labour will claim to be winning over pensioners and showing there are “no more no-go areas” for the party as experts cast doubt on Rishi Sunak’s suggestion that Britain was heading for a hung parliament. Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, will boast of success in the “grey wall”, with internal Labour analysis of local election results finding that the party is doing twice as well in areas with above-average numbers of pensioners. Party sources said its vote was getting more “efficient” as it lost progressive and Muslim voters in safe seats while attracting swing voters.” – The Times
Other political news
- Farage has suggested he will not return to frontline politics at the next general election as he pointed to “attractive options” in the US instead – Daily Express
- The Bank of England could signal lower interest rates by the summer – City AM
- State ‘should fund weddings for the poor to combat loneliness’, proposes the Centre for Social Justice – The Times
- Asylum seekers ‘hide or flee to Ireland’ to avoid UK Rwanda detentions – The Guardian
- British farmers have issued an urgent plea for help after their product yields were hit by the worst wet weather crisis – Daily Express
- Record number of ‘ghost children’ feared to have given up on school – The Times
- Rail strikes restart as Aslef train drivers embark on new action – The Guardian
- Genetic trait that virtually ‘guarantees’ Alzheimer’s identified – The Times
- Employers ‘cutting hours and hiring less to offset minimum wage rise’ – Daily Telegraph
- ‘Bloated’ GCSE curriculum must be reduced, say education experts – The Times
- Scaling back Labour’s workers’ rights plan would be disastrous, warns TUC president – The Guardian
- Police investigating fraud allegations over the nomination papers for a Sinn Féin council election candidate have sent a file to prosecutors – BBC
- Thatcher was “brilliant” says Milei – The Sun
Hague: Conservatives should talk more about what they have achieved
“Fourteen years in power will never be a comfortable subject: no British government in modern history has ever won re-election after more than 13. But if Tories are going to be voted out because of it, particularly the many convolutions of Brexit, they should at least defend what they’ve done well. They have raised education standards in England steadily over that time, in sharp contrast to Wales and Scotland — something that doesn’t create headlines but is improving the life chances of millions of people. It’s also true that there are four million more people in work and a much higher national living wage. More new homes were built last year than in any year of the previous government. There is a lot to criticise as well, but Tory MPs will do better defending their collective, longer term record than arguing about their recent past.” – William Hague, The Times
- Britain’s next political earthquake could utterly destroy the Tories – Sherelle Jacobs, Daily Telegraph
News in brief
- Can Netanyahu afford to reject Hamas’s ceasefire deal? – Limor Simhony Philpott, The Spectator
- Mark Littlewood interviews Liz Truss – Popular Conservatism
- Why Sunak will survive. For now. – Peter Franklin, Unherd
- The path to net-zero won’t be pleasant – Lord Howell, The House magazine
- The Tory choice: Suella Braverman or Andy Street? – Alain Catzeflis, The Article
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